A series of unfortunate events

The last couple of weeks have been quite memorable for all the wrong reasons.

I decided to go to Kerteh full time until the end of the construction phase of this project. I'd already been here for two weeks in February during the plant scheduled shutdown for the tie-in works, and had been anticipating an e-mail from my PM requesting for my mobilisation to site full-time for Field Engineering, but that e-mail never came.

So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and made an Executive Decision. I wrote the e-mail to my PM, detailing my scope of work to make it clear to everyone what I will and will not do (like Construction supervision - very tiring, tiresome job). Besides, the last trip I made there, it turned out there was such a huge backlog of documents to review it could've been a whole forest!

PM called back to say he agreed to me going to site (after Client had requested apparently for weeks already!) but my job scope had to be expanded to include Electrical Engineering, as well as Instrument and Electrical Construction supervision. HEL-LO! 4 hats on my head? I told him clearly that I don't do Electrical, I can't even tell a Switchgear from an MCC! Of course, he comes back with a statement like 'Ala, apa beza sangat kabel instrument dgn elektrik, sama je.'
Huh? As if cables are all there is to it? Must be from Mechanical Engineering background, my PM.

So here I was on the final week of March. After 5 days here, I had planned to return to KL for the weekend on Friday morning, taking a nice leisurely drive in our new car. My baby (who had just turned 10 months old on Thursday), mother-in-law and maid were travelling with me. However, I was made to attend a 2D 1N project team-building session at Suria Resort, Cherating starting Thursday afternoon. Since there were four of us and only one room allocated for me at the Resort, I proceeded to book an extra room at the Resort. I had never heard of it before (it's been in operation for 2 years only), but it turned out to be alright, although a bit remote from anywhere else and the mosquitoes hiding behind the curtains and furniture.

Anyway, the first team-building activity was an ice-breaking session. For this, we had some streetwise self-defence training, which entailed punches, kicks and slaps. We were divided into several groups, each given a specific scenario. Being the only lady in the whole project team who attended the session, I was inevitably given the role of a snatch theft victim. The good part was I could kick and elbow the Plant Operation Superintendent (Snatch Thief #1) and no one would lift an eyebrow - not that I really wanted to, because he really is a very nice, quiet guy. But in the role-playing process, the other Snatch Thief must have injured my foot. At first I thought it was just a surface scratch, but as I stared at it it got redder and redder and soon was bleeding. It wasn't a very deep cut, but it still hurts. Unfortunate Event #1

The next group activity (after BBQ dinner) was a group discussion on several problem areas the project was facing. The itinerary said 10 pm to 11pm, so when I walked in at 10.45 pm after trying quite unsuccessfully to put my son to sleep, imagine my surprise when they had only just completed half of the introductions. For the record, my group was the last to wrap up at 1.00 a.m., and we had to present our findings and solution to the problem the next day. I think this contributed greatly to The Great Unfortunate Event.

We left the Resort, heading back to KL around noon. I was really sleepy, but a quick shower freshened me up somewhat before the journey. The drive on the Kuantan Bypass however quickly brought the Sandman back. I told myself to stop for fuel and a cup of coffee at the next petrol station, but there was none to be found.

I was looking for a junction that would take me to the new KL-Kuantan highway, and was less than 500m away from it when I came across another junction. The white Kancil in front of me turned right, and I moved to the left, signalled and all, with the intention of going straight on. But the Kancil confused me, maybe the junction it took was the right one to the highway. So I slowed down, almost stopping, craning my head up to read the signboard, just checking whether I should go straight towards the traffic lights ahead or follow the Kancil, when suddenly something knocked me real hard in the back of our brand new car.

'Uh oh!'

When I pulled up, and the Proton Iswara that hit me pulled up too, I said to myself that we would just go to the nearest workshop, settle the costs and be on our way. Before I was able to even unlatch my seat belt, the other driver was already standing at my window, hands on his hips, looking not very friendly indeed.

To put a long story short, we argued a bit (or rather, he argued with my mum-in-law), then went in search of a workshop. We took a long route (not very familiar with the backwaters of Sungai Lembing), and finally found a workshop near Gambang, en route to Kuantan. I paid him a sizeable amount to repair his car (I know, he should pay for MY damages instead, but my addled brain thought it best at the time, and I really wanted to get going home as soon as possible).

But my car, my not-even-three-weeks-on-the-road car, had a hole in the bumper. And it's a big bumper. After what I paid that guy, I can't afford to pay for a new bumper as well! And my husband wasn't even in the country then. So I had to drive back to Kuantan, make a police report so I could get our insurance to cover for the damages, and was rightly scolded by them for settling with the other driver before making the report. It was already 4 pm, and the report office was already closed at 3 o'clock, so I'd have to come into Kuantan again on a weekday to collect it.

All in all, I reached home at about 10 pm that night, then was running around my mum's place looking for my condo security card key when all the while it was safely tucked in my glove compartment.

When my husband arrived home the next morning, my mum-in-law had warned me to break the news to him slowly, after he was fully rested. The moment of revelation went like this:

He: I'm going out to send the car for its first 1000 km service.

Me: You don't have to. The car only needs servicing after 10,000 km.

He: Really?

Me: Yup. I checked the Maintenance booklet. But, there is something that needs doing to the car. (I try to look nonchalant, but am failing miserably).

When I told him after that, and he asked me how much I paid the bloke, I put it at about 600 bucks. I got a mild scolding from him for that. If only he knew how much it really cost me.

The next day my father-in-law called me, and said he was very upset with what happened, and was going to call the Kuantan OCPD to press charges on the Iswara driver. Fortunately, MIL managed to convince him otherwise, saying it'll be a hassle for me to go up and down to Kuantan and all.

So now I've got the police report on my way back here yesterday, and am not really looking forward to get another scolding from my insurance company for not pressing charges.