A long post, which in retrospect, I had sub-headed for more structured reading..
Return to Innocence
Two nights back I found myself taking an early day off, leaving promptly at 6 odd, heading back to SMU.
Hassan told me about the gathering the Malay Kids were having (come to think of it, we never had parties, only gatherings) and I figured I could use some empowerment and idealism from a wholesome place like the good ol Uni.
So I headed back. Lo and behold, I had so much fun with the kids. (Well they're not exactly kids, the juniors have become mature seniors now!) and I felt at home again..what a nice feeling..catching up with all my fav girls..thanks for welcoming me back so warmly people!
After some pizzas, acoustic tunes and a whole lot of laughing, I felt at ease. Somewhat calm.
So calm that I took the next morning off, and did up the final errands that just had to be done.
I wonder if I'll ever head back for another gathering in say, 2 years from now, when all my juniors have graduated, and the next generation plods along with their scene. As it is now, I feel like a lil of a sore thumb, a boring oldie next to the cool and energetic kids.
Now I get what the ageism is about. You feel that you're dumber, fuglier and less lot cooler and weaker than the young, bright, big-eyed, devil-may-care-attitude lads that swarm the streets with their exuberance. And there you are, dragging your weight slowly on the ground, thinking about tomorrow, next year, the next promotion, the next bill..it's so heavy.
And you get by just to face another..tomorrow...which isn't all that wonderful you'd thought it'd be, with the money, the independence.
Where did all that passion, the zest, the zeal go?
It wasn't too long ago that I was a newbie in the office, raring to go and showing how hard I was gonna bring the house down. Amazing, right.
Private dining rooms & the Malay Community
Anyways, back to my earlier point about how we Malays don't have parties, but gatherings, brought to mind another incident which happened at work today.
There was another lunch to be held, and the delegation was a group of Muslims, so we had to look for a Halal Restaurant to host these guests.
There was some important discussion to be held, which called for the use of private rooms. There are plenty of private rooms in Chinese Restaurants.
I couldn't think of any Halal Restaurant which had private dining rooms for VIPs. My colleagues jokingly told me to start one of my own. Actually that was the first thing I thought off too!!
But more importantly, I wondered how cultural elements so deeply influence so many things. I was thinking maybe Malays were always in the spirit of community, hence there wouldn't be a need for exclusivity, and privacy.
But if there were economic reasons to do so, wouldn't we have found Halal restaurants that had private rooms?
In retrospect, my conclusion of commune-like inclinations Malays have may be myopic.
Perhaps there wasn't much of a demand for such rooms. Then again i ask: Why?
Could it be because we can't afford/don't see the need to have private lunches for business purposes?
Where do non-Malay business partners engage their Muslims counterparts over lunch, then?
Or maybe, just maybe, I didn't look hard enough to find a Halal Restaurant which has rooms like those.
Well, in case anyone has ideas where I could locate such a place, do let me know, ok?
Cheers~