Once upon a time there live a husband and wife who have a couple of children living with them in downtown Kajang. They are in the mid 50s. Both of them are at the top of their careers in private sector and are always busy with their work, day in and day out. They are in this situation for quite some time and seldom spent quality time either with each other or with the children.
In one of the Hari Raya holidays they decided to rent an apartment in the resort town of Port Dickson for a few days to sort things out. With their children around, they could cook, play and doing all sorts of things together. All these so as to be together again in one happy family like they once was. In the next morning, the husband decided to help his wife preparing breakfast. While she was busy making omelet, the husband came in for a surprise. “Let me help you darling. I am good at this”.
“Are sure you want to help?” asked the wife.
“Yes. I sure do” he replied instantly.
The wife thought this was something new. It never happened before. “OK” said the wife. “Come in.” She was rather reluctant to let her husband disturb.
While in the kitchen he coolly asked, “Have you put the salt?”
“Yes,” replied the dear wife.
“Put more salt.”
“OK.”
“Turn it over. Do it again.”
“OK, my dear.”
“Cut into two.”
“Yes. Yes.”
The wife sensed something was not right. She was wondering what her husband was up to. Before the next instruction was given, she intercepted and said “What are you doing? What are you driving at? Are you getting mad? I know what I am doing.”
“Well, my dear,” said the husband point blank. “That was what I got when I was on the wheel yesterday. You kept instructing me as if I was a new driver. You kept telling this and that all the way from Kajang to PD. Just to remind you, my dear, I got my driving license some 30 years ago and was never caught for traffic offence. I knew exactly what I was doing.”
What is the moral of the story? There is no need to teach a duck how to swim. You give your advice to your friends in good faith. But sometimes it may be taken out of context. I am talking about my e-mail advice to you from time to time. It may ends up this way.
About the odd couple, they came to term with each other after that incidence. It went without saying that they lived happily ever after. If you are under the same situation my advice to you is to take a holiday and spend quality time with your love ones. Hopefully, your problems will be settled in due course, God willing.
I hope you don’t take offence on my e-mailing you this message. You may wonder the wisdom of constantly reminding you from time to time on the matter of your bread and butter, as if I don’t trust you. After all, you are as good as or if not better than me in writing paper. You know what? I am an old hand in this campus. In terms of age, length of service and seniority, few can beat me in UPM right now. I started working with this university way back in June 1972 when tigers were still roaming in the area where Hospital Serdang now stand, and was appointed a full professor on January 1, 1993. I consider myself being one of the few old guards left standing. There is something in my advice that you can use to steer your future as academics at UPM. For the up and coming academics in the faculty, please take my words. If I can reach this far, I am sure you could. Believe me. Your papers will do the work for you.
Shamshuddin Jusop
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