Forthnights

Last day of work

Well, it was my last day as temporary assistant in the college today. I must say, I feel better than I expected myself to be. Initially, the only reason I took up this job was to earn extra cash. And seeing how I only had 3 weeks of holidays, I didn’t have much choice in terms of employment. Thought the pay is only average, I decided ‘what the heck, it’s better than not working at all’

Just 3 days into my new job, and I was already suffering as hell. Every morning, I would stay in the office, making photocopies of just about everything, collate papers, stick double sided takes, and all sorts of miscellaneous stuff. In the afternoons, I would be banished to the hot and stuffy filing room to work on the filing work taking back a year. Not only was the room always hot, I was always alone, and the afternoons went by without seeing another soul in sight.

Just as it seemed that I would be stuck that way for the next 3 weeks, I was rescued from my misery and was ask to help out in the marketing department with some seminar coming up. The work was pretty much the same; collate her, staple there, glue here, punch there. But the days just seem to pass much quickly and less miserably for one very simple but powerful reason. Good company. There were only 3 other people in that office; the manager and his 2 officers. And though I was required to work overtime, and do all sorts of tedious and often mind numbing work, it all seemed so much less a chore, and more an excuse to just sit around and enjoy good company. It was a welcome break from lonely afternoons in that sauna like filing room. For one, I liked the way these people worked, as opposed to those in the main office. Firstly, there was no ‘ular’ here and there (truant from work). The people from the ‘other side’ (as I like to call them) would leave sharp at 4.30pm without fail. Being all women, they gather around at the end of the office, discussing the latest do-nothing-but-loose-that-ugly-thighs dieting techniques while happily devouring some fruit cake from home. People on ‘this side’ were much more committed to their work, after staying pass an hour after the official off time. Even so, I actually felt more relaxed and at ease with them. They were professional in their work, but always maintained friendliness and sincerity, even to the office boy (which is me by the way). When they asked me to do overtime, I agreed without a wince, because I knew that they wouldn’t ask me to if it wasn’t absolutely necessary and they did not take it for granted; they stayed on to as long as they possibly could while I tried to finish asap and even bought drinks as a sort of mini reward.

The little little show of understanding and appreciation made the difference as opposed to just ‘you have to do this by tomorrow so do overtime until its finished-meanwhile, ill go and chat with my colleague and watch you do’. Though I was just a T.A (temporary assistant), they didn’t treat me like a second class person there, though we joked a lot about it. In fact, I got the impression that they, or at least one in particular shown genuine interest and concern to know who I am and where I come from. As I said in the earlier blg, I was surprised that this person shared her problems and history with me, and I surprised myself even more by just telling her frankly about everything in my family. Its not something I do with people I meet for the first time. In a way, I was also glad that they asked me to stay an additional 2 days to help out with their seminar.

Though mostly, I was more of a cheap labour, carrying stuff all around, it didn’t matter anymore. I was after all my job. The interesting parts came when not one but 2 of the senior staff asked if i was English educated. I always err at this question, since as far as I know, there are no English schools in Malaysia, except international schools. My answer on both questions was that I was in fact National school educated, and no I didn’t attend Chinese school either. I was flattered really since they commented that I speak very good English and that my Chinese was not bad either for a person that never studied it. So ya, that certainly made my day. As the participants of the seminar started signing in, I recognized and chatted with many of them (many of whom were either staff or lecturers). Again, I was posted the question “Are you a scholarship student? Are you a top student? Are you a course/school representative?” and to that I just gave a “No, no and no” I do not hold a scholarship, I’m not a straight A’s student, and I’m not school rep either. I just sit front center in lecture and ask a lot of questions in class. My day grew even brighter when some of the staff recognized me from last years public speaking competition finals. The fact that they even remembered my face is enough to convince me that I didn’t do that bad after all.

At the end of today, my colleague from ‘this side’ of the office offered me a handshake to say goodbye and a present along with it. I assumed that it was from all 3 of them but just asked “Who is it from?” But she just said “Open it and you’ll know.”

So after work I opened the envelope and found a book and a cd. The cd was from Maroon 5 and in her message she said she was growing too old and seldom listen to it anymore. So she decided to give it to me. The book was Where is God When It Hurts? by Philip Yancey. I honestly say I am touched by the gesture. Perhaps from our very brief exchange of life stories, she sensed that I was going through a lot of pain. Whatever it was, something compelled her to give this book to me to read, perhaps to find comfort in it. Maybe its her way of trying to offer comfort to me through the book, I don’t know. Still, it is just about the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, what more from a person I only know for 3 weeks. She quoted a particular paragraph for me to read, and I will put it in full here for your reading;


[ In thirty three years on earth Jesus learned about hardship and rejection and betrayal. And he learned too about pain: what it feels like to have an accuser leave the red imprint of his fingers on your face, to have a whip studded with metal lash across your back, to have a crude iron spike pounded through muscle, tendon and bone. On earth, the Son of God learned all that.

In some incomprehensible way, because of Jesus, God hears our cries differently. The author of Hebrews marvels that whatever we are going through, God has himself gone through. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin” (4:15).

We have a high priest who, having graduated from the school of suffering, “is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness” (5:2). Because of Jesus, God understands, truly understands, our pain. Our tears become his tears. We are not abandoned.

By T.S Eliot from Four Quartets.

The wounded surgeon plies the steel
That questions the distempered part;
Beneath the bleeding hand we feel
The sharp compassion of the healer’s art
Resolving the enigma of the fever chart.

>The surgery of life hurts. It helps me, though, to know that the surgeon himself, the Wounded Surgeon, has felt every stab of pain and sorrow. ]


Finishing the paragraph, I was really touched by it all; in so many ways. As I said, it’s the kindest thing anyone has done for me so far. Not only that, many of the things said in the paragraph touched a nerve with me as I ask myself “Does God really care about me?” I just had a gut feeling that all this didn’t happen by chance. As I end my short stint in the office, and start reading this almost God-sent book in my hands, I am strangely reminded of a quote I read recently.

Some people treat God like they do a lawyer; they go to Him only when they are in trouble. - Anonymous

In the end, the value of this book I hold now is such that; if after 3 weeks of working, all I was paid was this book, I would consider myself indebted. To my friend, God seems to always work through others around Him, and you are testimony to that. Thank you so much. I will treasure the book always, and who knows, someday I might follow in your footsteps and give it to someone else who needs it more than me.

posted by Compulsive Blogger @ 1:13 am Comments: 1