Departures

Please click the photo above to play the daily videoSome days have one job, and everything else is just filler around it. Today was that sort — the packing, the last errands, the slow accumulation of things that had to happen before the one thing that actually mattered. Irfan's off to London tonight, and the whole day arranged itself around that fact whether it meant to or not.

The packing itself got sorted during the day, which spared everyone the particular chaos of last-minute zip-wrestling an hour before leaving for the airport. I went about the morning's work as usual — rounds, the ordinary shape of a working day — though with half an eye on the clock in a way that doesn't normally happen on a Friday. Some days you're present for the whole of them. Today I was present for most of it and quietly counting down through the rest.

Home earlier than usual, because there was somewhere to be and traffic to be respected. The drive to KLIA was slow, the way it generally is at that hour, everyone else apparently also headed somewhere important, or at least driving as though they were. Still, we reached with time to spare, which meant no scrambling, no last looks at the departure board through breathless urgency — just the ordinary business of getting there properly, for once.

Dinner was the four of us, which doesn't happen as often as it should, and certainly not often enough to take for granted. There was a particular texture to it — nothing said out loud about it being a send-off dinner, but everyone quietly aware that it was. Good conversation, the sort that fills a table without needing to address the thing everyone's actually thinking about.

Then it was time, and he went in. The flight was delayed slightly, which is either a small mercy or a mild cruelty depending on how you're inclined to view extra waiting on a night like that — a bit more time in the airport, a bit less finality to the goodbye, though the goodbye had already happened by then in all the ways that count.

Home after, to a house with one fewer occupant for the foreseeable future. Anita wants his room left exactly as it is over the weekend — nothing tidied, nothing rearranged, no rush to make the absence official just yet. I understand it completely. There's a difference between a room that's simply empty and a room that's been cleared out, and she's not ready for the second one. Neither, if I'm honest, am I.

So: a day built entirely around one departure, handled properly, without fuss, and landing somewhere quieter than usual by the time it was done. He's on his way. The house will get used to it. Not tonight, though.

Returning Home

Three nights away initially seemed long, but with the talks and other stuff, the rest was limited. Maybe I should've returned on the Saturday evening rather than stay until Sunday. I had to wake up early still and the transport for the airport came at 8.30 in the morning.

But I had other plans that morning. Mahmud, an old schoolmate from MRSM came to pick me up to the airport, stopping over at his new bicycle shop - although he is a pilot actually - before another spot of breakfast after checking in.

Ready to leave the hotelWaiting to boardI slept very early last night, practically falling off to sleep the moment I reached the hotel after dinner and quick walk in town to get some gifts. The sun was already up by 6, and I got up at 5 in the morning. I did all the packing then before going down for breakfast, and later check out and waited for Mahmud at the lobby.

I reached KLIA just after 1 in the afternoon - hungry as I didn't really enjoyed the meal on the plane. Took the KLIA Express to KL Sentral before being picked up to the apartment. Anita and the boys were out for a birthday party at Kidzania, so I had a shower and headed out to town for some food.

Landed at KLIA

The big but empty bagNice to be back homeBack to the usual routine I guess. Good thing I cancelled my clinic tomorrow. The boys would be on their last day of holidays and they were keen to watch the Avengers. Better get that organised I guess.

Reaching KK

The flight to KK was a smooth one although there was a warning from the pilot that there would a stretch which was cloudy. But it was smooth enough that I managed to each one whole movie.

Taken 3. Not a bad movie. A nice one to pass the time and took my mind off wondering about terbulance. We landed just after 7 pm and were taken to the hotel in town by a waiting van.

A quick drink before heading to the gateTime to move ...Now, waiting to boardChecked in followed by dinner. And when it came to KK, it must be seafood. So, I was taken back into town, had a superb dinner and back to the hotel for a nice shower. More about the food later I supposed. It was time for me to catch some sleep. The conference starting tomorrow, and it would a long day.

Solemn Day

As Malaysia received the body of those who perished in #MH17, the day started solemnly. Just started my clinic but hardly anybody turned up yet. I guessed most of the patients were still glued to their TV at home. I have been peeking out of my door every so often to see the ceremony.

A sad day for Malaysia. And for my fellow Malaysian, welcome home ....

Poignant

In clinic to day - the last one before my long break - a stewardess patient came to see me. She worked for MAS, and had been doing so for almost a couple of decades.

After going through her medical issues, she sat down and started to cry. Apparently the whole organisation had been feeling the strain. Some of her colleagues had left MAS to join other airlines with better perks. But she had been with MAS for so long and find that starting afresh was not an option.

The morale had been low for some time. The last time they received a bonus was about 7 years back. With the two devastating event this year, the spirit had gone rock bottom. But she felt that there had been a groundswell of support from fellow Malaysians, but conceded that it may have been too late. MAS would be struggling to carry on as it was.

Luckily she was my last patient and we spent some time chatting. A few of her friends had taken leaves due to anxiety, leaving her having to work during the Raya period. She didn't mind that, but felt it may be time to leave MAS as well. The put it bluntly, the problem with MAS was deep-rooted, and she was hoping that the two incidents, as painful as it was, may be the turning point for the whole organisation.

A wished her the best of luck, and on a personal level, I had always been a supporter of MAS. The moment I stepped into an MAS cabin at Heathrow, I felt that I was already home. I was sure plenty others who spent a big chunk of their time abroad felt the same way.