It sounds irritating but I know that that's the best way to make me open my eyes at 4.40 in the morning. As soon as I hear the ring, I bolt up from bed and head to the toilet with half-opened eyes to brush my teeth and wash my face. As I'm aware that every minute is essential, I pretty much rush through those formalities way before dawn breaks.
I try my level best to complete all the stretching exercises in an hour's time. Sometimes, if I wake up a little late, I'll have to cut down on a few exercises. After that, in 15 minutes time, I'll be in my father's car-after having a shower and packing my things-to leave for work. During that one hour ride, I'll get some much needed sleep.
The repeat of the Crappy Call on Fly FM at 7.00 a.m. is my wake up call in the car. Usually, I'm almost at my destination at that time. It's a relatively quiet place to be in. In a town filled with vice activities ranging from gangsterism to prostitution, my undecided fate paved it's path to lead me to a small part of town better known as Rawang Industrial Park.
I spend my morning smelling the aromatic broths in a Chinese restaurant or breathing the fresh morning air in a Mamak restaurant by the roadside. I usually have my breakfast at the Chinese restaurant as it is just a five minute walk from my workplace. On days that it is closed, I feast on Indian food in the Mamak restaurant and my father will have to pick me up and send me to work from the restaurant as it is quite far from my workplace.
With 2 hours of free time, I settle down with a story book after breakfast. I've finished Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer and The Dispeller of Worries by Law Siew Mei during the last one month. And this habit of mine actually strengthened my ties with unexpected people.
The people working in the restaurant started treating me very well when they knew that I was an avid reader and not some school drop-out working in the industrial area. The restaurant's owner started speaking to me in English-something you don't see very often in Chinese coffee shops. He told me his childhood stories of how he used to mix around with people of all races and vented his frustration on how times have changed.
At around 8.45, I make my way to my workplace. It's a workshop-to be more precise, a car servicing shop. I got the job through my father's friend who was related to the shop owner. The good thing about getting such jobs is that you don't have to go for interviews or even waste time waiting to be called for one. After my usual morning sweeping of the workshop, I get down to work.
I learnt many many things about cars during my time there. Before joining, I knew nothing much about cars, honestly. Now, I know things such as absorbers, manual and automatic gears, piston rings, engine blocks, cylinder heads, petrol pumps, car viper motor, radiator etc. And I even know how to change some of the parts.
Another plus point is that I have learnt how to use various tools effectively. I used to wonder how could mechanics determine the size of a ranch by just looking at the hole and not the number. Now, after just one month, I can pretty much determine the size of a bolt or nut by just looking at them. Well, it's no surprise how mechanics who have been working for years do it expert-style.
The people whom I worked with in the shop were really great. There was the shop owner, his brother and their cousin working there. The first two have certificates in their fields but the third one joined just like me about 8 years ago. I was lucky in the sense that they knew how to treat a beginner like me as they had experienced with their cousin. And their cousin turned out to be my best friend there.
Honestly, I couldn't have hoped for better working mates than them. They treated me like their own brother and they took care of me very well. They paid for my food almost every day and even bought me additional food and drinks for tea time on certain days. They were caring and thought me about fixing spare parts and how they work.
The working environment was fabulous as well. It was totally stress free and the radio was switched on the whole day. The people who lived around them were friendly as well. They made friends with me pretty fast and we all joked around with each other. Sometimes, they give us a treat as well.
The glare of the setting Sun marks the end of my working day. My father picks me up from his office. To be more accurate, I actually drive back home all the way from Rawang. It's a one hour ride but sometimes it can take an extra 45 minutes due to traffic jam.
Driving back home after work is a very different experience. One good thing about my trips were that I only had to drive a little while in the town area before going into the highway. Sometimes, I get irritated while driving in the highway. I'll be driving at 110 km/h in the middle lane but then there will be some people taking their own sweet time at 80 km/h. As I still don't have a licence, my father warns me about overtaking at times.
When people hear of the job that I was doing, they give me that look which clearly says "why take up such a low-class job?". To be honest, I wanted to do such a job to see how difficult peoples' lives can be. I chose a path where I could experience how people with low incomes lived their lives. After seeing my boss owning a Honda Accord 2.0 and a Myvi, his brother a Myvi Extreme Sport and his cousin a Honda City and Iswara, I learnt that no matter what job you're in, success will be the result of your hard work.
Another reason I decided to join work in a workshop was to build my muscles. I always knew that many people who excelled in athletics came from difficult backgrounds and attributed their success to their difficult lifestyle. Every day when I return from work, I just stare proudly at the veins jutting out from my arms like protruding rivers. The feeling is insanely good!
More importantly, I needed a place to drown my sorrows. Emotionally, I was losing it all during the last few weeks before I started working. My happiness was flowing out of me. I needed a sanctuary to get back my happiness and realized that getting away from my usual life might just be the right antidote. I was right and I pretty much got back my smile after being treated to jokes and "dirty-talks" by my fellow workmates.
As I bade my final goodbye on Friday, I felt an air of nostalgia filling my heart, as ever so often when I leave someone I've known for some time. My ability to forge strong bonds with people in short periods of time helps me to learn a lot of things in life. I wasn't paid for all the work I did (I knew it before hand and it didn't bother me) but I know for sure that the experience was just too priceless.........
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