I sent this email to an ex-colleague, who at long last is leaving (along with a few others) that old employer of ours.

 

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Hi [ ]

 

You, [ ] and [ ] have impressed me immensely with your staying power/patience. A couple of months with these clowns from Khazanah and other such characters were enough to tell me I should find alternatives. Sometimes when I am too busy and pressured I longed for those less taxing days working with these imbeciles but the downside of these days would be too much of a price to pay. I guess often the over-riding need to have a job and pay bills means we often do whatever that is available, no matter who we have to work with.

 

Anyway, good to know you are moving on to better things. LLM and academia sounds good and I am sure with these added strings to your already impressive bow, you’d be snapped up in no time.

 

My family and I have been in Melbourne for a little over a year now. My wife and daughter are going to Malaysia for a holiday in about 2 weeks, and will stay there for 3 weeks. So over the Christmas/New Year period, I am all alone without my family with me… L

 

My wife works for [ ], one of the oldest retailing groups in Melbourne, as an internal auditor. She is enjoying her work. Her office is in the city and she commutes by train every day (about half hour). My daughter goes to a school near our home and is doing well. More importantly she is enjoying school here. I am in a suburban legal firm close to home, only about 10 minutes’ drive away. There are 6 lawyers here, including the principal/sole proprietor. We do SME type of commercial work, mom and pop shops, conveyancing, wills, debt collection etc. Chappalang la. Our home is in Mount Waverley in the eastern suburb, about 20km from the city.

 

Life is good, although it has been difficult to leave a relatively stable and secured life in Malaysia to start anew all over again. It is a price I have been prepared to pay for a long time now, bolstered in no small way by my dealings with the sort of buffoons you are about to say goodbye to. Sorry if I sound a bit harsh but I honestly believe that with these lazy, greedy, corrupt Melayus remaining in power Malaysia’s downward spiral will find no respite. Unfortunately I don’t see the sort of fundamental changes necessary to turn things around. I am therefore digging in to rebuild here in Melbourne, rather than returning to my familiar (and therefore feels safer) old haunt.

 

If you and your family find yourselves visiting Melbourne, do give me a call and we can catch up over coffee or wine, both of which are fantastic here in Melbourne.

 

Please send my best wishes to [ ].

 

Regards,