Do you miss me?

(Sunday morning @the park)

"Yeaaaaaaaaa!!!"
Coming out loud from the male participants mostly (BTW, the first instructor was a 45yo single lady wearing tight-fitting t-shirt & pants, covered with short aerobic-skirt for modesty).

For the first time ever, we’d two instructors sharing the stage yesterday. Personally, I like #2 better simply because she makes the routines/steps looked so effortlessly easy & fun (she wears headscarf & nor flirting or looking sexy at all). No pressure. Good workout.

The Maturity Continuum & Academic Relationship
Coincidently, reading what ah-kak ku writes about ‘love, passion and compassion’ and my current rereading of ‘The 7 Habits of Highly… - esp. on The Maturity Continuum’ triggered me to write about ‘dependent, independent & interdependent’. Rasanya konsep macam serupa tapi tak sama lah. Though it can actually be applied in terms of any ‘relationship’, I’m going to elaborate at length here (Pergh! kopipes more like it!) on the relationship between advisor & advisee (is there such word?).

A candidate begins his/her academic journey as a ‘dependent’ of the advisor’s guidance & expertise (expect lotsa nurturing here). This is the part ‘where a person need others to get what they want’.

Over the years (short ones if you’re so lucky, lucky), the candidate is supposed to become ‘independent, self-reliant, can take care of themselves, capable of surviving on his/her own’. The attitude is - I can get what I want through my own effort!
P/s: I want so much to be independent (insert lagu Independent Wom*n, by Dest*ny's Child here) since ‘it’s a major achievement in and of itself’.

‘But eventually there comes a time where you and I need to combine our efforts to achieve the greatest success, far more than, even at my best, I could accomplish alone. The together-we-can-do-it attitude.’

Synergy. Symbiosis.

‘This is a more mature, more advanced concept – interdependence.’

‘The opportunity to share myself deeply, meaningfully, with others, have access to the vast resources and potential of other human beings. A choice only independent people can make.’

P/s: Er, what actually happened was that (last Friday) me & Numero Uno got to talk about two incoming conferences later this year (Man*la – dare I to hope once again?). After throwing around ideas of what to write for the abstracts, I finally thrown down the gauntlet, “So Dr, are we going to co-write the papers or…?” Hehehe…there goes my independent! But then, I can look at it as being interdependent now right?

I’m an imposter, a fake – Please, please don’t quote my words
A friend who works for an NGO- World F*** , O**li, called me last Friday. Not that I’m surprised that she called but the thing was she called with the intention to ask me about two questions which was asked by others to her like… Why & what's the impact of the current increase in world prices of oil & food in particular? How to explain inflation in layman terms & the inter-relation between…blahblah?

I did stumbled & hee-hawed this and that…demand and supply factors, oil prices, bio-diesel, impact of global warming on crops production, wars on terror, easy availability of credits which encourage unnecessary consumption (mortgage market in US, recession, depression), macro management, open greater China market dan ntah apa2 ntah lagi…

Lastly, “You’re not going to quote whatever that I said jz now, are you?” It does feel like she’s really picking my brains!
Nama je blaja tinggi2 konon tp habuk pun tarak…my only excuse is that I’m so focus on the T (and Malaysian politic, and…) right now which leave me with little room for anything else like applications and current economic issues. No spontaneity too. Bleh.

Rad HR & Consulting Sdn Bhd. (another business idea @ ‘masuk bakul’ moment?)
Another friend, Al*ce called with some office politic problems to the extent of wanting to resign & look for another job.
“Do you have time to listen to me?”
“Sure dear…”
Blahblah.
“Ok, this is what you can do…” “Why don’t you try…”

When ones’ ship comes in (reconsider)
The first contact person called & asked me again (today), under instruction of the big boss (last week was the smaller boss). “So? Bila nak apply? Kata januari dah submit?” Panas punggung aka tak senang duduk dibuatnya!