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me
Malaysian in Tokyo. Welcome to my happy space!

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a plumber's story.


A plumber my Mum called came today to fix the pipe in the bathroom. I recalled seeing him a few times over my childhood years; but I don't remember any conversations I've made with him.

But this one is worth remembering.

While he was doing his thing, we chatted for a bit. He's old enough to be my uncle, so I called him Pakcik.

He asked about my study and work. When I told him I took chemical engineering, he got excited.

"I took engineering too. Aeronautical engineering. You know, airplanes and stuff."

I almost choked.

He said, learning all about the mechanical stuffs is great - he's always wanted to make things. But after he graduated, he realized that he wants to make things happen for people and his family - not working his ass off for some company who won't even give him some time with his family.

So later he started studying all about house stuffs - how the electrical works, how the fan on the ceiling is connected, how the phone cords are working, etc. He studied them all, up to the point that he opened up all the parts in washing machine, and assembling them back together, because in engineering we've learned the knowledge, but not the skills. He said, "I want to do stuff that's beneficial for my own family, do my own work, get my own money rather than working for other people."

I don't know how he did all that, but somehow I wish I had his guts.

He kept telling me that getting into Petronas is a good chance to give back to our country, because Petronas is a Malaysian, and that I should never take it for granted. "Like the youngsters nowadays." He told me to work and do something that I know for certain will contribute to my life and my family's, because then I'd be contributing to my country.

"I got an offer to work in Dubai, but it means leaving my family so I rejected. Why earn big but live an unhappy life? I'm happy now, I watch my kids grow, I do things around my house myself - I do what I've always wanted to do."

Mum knows him for quite a long time, and said she really cannot put into words of what this Pakcik actually does for a living - "because he can do pretty much anything." I guess his dream really came true, seeing just how happy he is now.

I wish I had his guts.

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