MPPSO - Siri 2; 2011

I was on the balik kampung leave for the first meet.  The leave was applied long before it was decided to have the meeting.  So there will be no excuse this time around.  Further it was decided that the progress report for each PTJ be made.  I have to deliver that for the division.  It was supposed to be a PROPER mediated presentation.  Checking through the system a few days prior to the meeting, I realised that not many had their report in the system.  That called for a surprise meet with my deputies and we came to the consensus that the excel COP format will be used instead with an added column for the progress achieved to date.  That was 3:30 pm on the day prior to the MPPSO.  Love it or not, with submissions coming through the night, it was 2 am that I called it a day.  The next day I have to literarilly dragged myself out of bed to prepare for the trip to Nilai.  The MPPSO is to be held at Allson Putra Nilai with registration and shop talk by the meeting secretariat at 8:30 - 10:00 am. 

The group from my PTJ were early, but that gave the distintion between the Q vis-a-vis the N service.  At one point it was suggested that we have our PTJ meet instead.  The crowd kept piling in with their luggage and sundry.  Hotel check-in time is only after 2 pm and our function is held in the function room in the building across the road from the hotel.  When you want to be economical it rhymes with cheap.  So it was luggage dragging across the road and along the pavement for most.  I didn't plan on staying the night, so I have no complains.

Except for the IS group, all others had their own presentation version, mostly on powerpoint.  I had mine on powerpoint slides and excel.  But we delivered what was achieved to date and things went on smoothly.  Though initially allocated a 30 minute session for each, everybody exceeded their time and we ended with half an hour to spare for Asar.  I don't really know should some chose to go Jama' Takyah.  But Nilai is too near for most to go on Zohor-Asar jama', except maybe for those from Subang / Klang/ Shah Alam.

Serious business....everybody listening hard.

Feverishly completing my presentation while Hj. Ghazali was presenting his.

All attention on the screen.

The hotel is overbooked for functions.  It was over an hour wait before we were seated for lunch.  I have never been to this place before and for such a small township, I never realised that it is that popular.  But Nilai is booming, with KLIA , Sepang F1 Circuit and newly launched Sepang Gold Coast, things can never be better.  Nilai has begun to realised its name (value!).

Night time was scheduled for a farewell dinner for the few of us who are retiring, Dagang (Che' Dag); Hjh. Rafeah (Cik Ah) and Hj. Rahim (Loyar Buruk), sometimes this July and early August.  With close to 100 yrs of service between them, they are iconic in their own ways.  Dag ensured that we get our paycheck on time every month, Cik Ah ensured the quality in our R&D project proposals and Hj. Rahim literarily lived to his name, freely dispensing legal advise (he is Linclon Inn material!) in the office canteen.  One thing I remembered about Dag was when he enquired should there be a job higher than the PM apart from the Agong.  Should anybody be interested to know why, you'll have to call me personally.  I'll readily share his concern.  Cik Ah is a good friend of mine, ready with her down-to-earth-counsel and opinions.  There's no word mincing.  With her you get what you see.  She will not necessarily agree with you just to please you, and for that she will always be my friend.

Cik Ah saying her goodbyes.....

Che Dag accepting his parting gift

Hj. Rahim Jr (Joehan) accepting the farewell gift on behalf of his father ..... thankful for his father's Muadzam posting where his parents met

We called it a day at about 10:30 pm, with me arriving home past 11:30 pm.