A Lady Named "Sue"

FOREVER FRIENDS !!!

Suhaila Mohd Zaki or simply “Sue” from SPWR Malaysia.

I still remember, I was trying to secure the Lyra for the Fab 3 Lunch Meeting with my boss, Greg Reichow and then the Training staff told me I have to talk to Sue because she blocked it the whole week. I asked the training staff who is Sue and is she in Malaysia … Only to find out later that “Sue” and Suhaila Mohd Zaki are one and the same person. I did not know that her nickname was Sue. Sue laughed at me in her email….Ha, ha, ha…

I first met Sue in October 2009 wearing a long dress with a long sleeve and with a veil known as “Tudong”. She is a typical conservative Muslim Lady. All covered since Muslim ladies are not supposed to show skin… They are not supposed to become a tool for temptation to set in. We have been together for at least six (6) months but for me I felt we have been together for years.

What do I say and remember about Sue :

A woman with a good heart

A loving mother and wife

Humble and kind

Friendly and approachable

A gentle soft-spoken person

A thoughtful person… I love the Malaysian Batik Cloth you gave me. I love the design and the lively colors.

Tough in being able to handle the demanding Fab 3 guys

A disciplinarian and I would say fits the job of “Employee Relations” though she was new to this area

Dedicated to her work (We are classmates as we both stay late in the office). Everytime I leave the office ahead of her, I would always tell her not to worry the “Mumu” is there to accompany her. “Mumu” means ghost. They said there is a ghost, a little girl roaming around SPML….he, he, he….. Scary!!!

A diligent person. She is always on the “go” searching and looking for houses even over the weekend and making sure that all the standard necessities of employees are addressed by the owners. So you see she loves Fab 3 employees !

Active and never gets tired but she did get sick with flu one time due to stress and lack of sleep I believed. She needed a rest so badly !

Like any other woman, she could cry a bucket during depressing times. I wasn’t really expecting she would email me as she needs someone to talk to and pour her heart out. We locked ourselves in our Secret Room and I was there to comfort her and lend her my ears.

Invites me to her house in Crown Asia and talks about anything under the sun. It’s lonely when you are away from your own family. I think for women it is heartbreaking and difficult to be separated especially when the children always ask “Mama when are you coming back ?” Children need the love, care and guidance of their mother while growing up.

Loves Korean love stories and she bought a number of pirated CDs when we went to Tutuban, Divisoria

Likes creatively crafted accessories like bracelets, earings and necklaces. She bought lots of them in different areas. I like them, too.

Likes to buy imitation shoes and wallets. She said in Malaysia these are expensive.

Likes to buy beauty soaps especially the ones with “Glutathione” for skin whitening. According to her most women in Malaysia likes to have fair skin but this kind of soap is not easy to get and is expensive.

When we went to Palawan during our island hoppings, she is afraid to swim farther. So, I swim far for her and bring the beautiful fishes near her for her to feed. She called the fishes “babies”. She enjoyed spending the time with the fishes.

Whenever she invites me to her house, she cooks basic Malaysian dishes. I love them especially the squid sambal but it was too spicy for me. My mouth was on fire !!!

Loves to go to Taj of Tagaytay, an Indian Meditarranean and Asian style dining restaurant.

Before I forget, she loves to sing the super cheesy cute love song “MAHAL KITA KASI” by Nicole Hyala. We sang it together in her cubicle with Nurul Nadia Mohd Roslan who also love the song.

The moments that Sue and I shared together are the moments I will always cherish in my life. I learned many things from her and sharing and learning about each other’s culture is interesting and full of substance. Now I understand why they stay away from Dogs. But I love dogs.

We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere.

This is a song for Sue ...

FAREWELL TO YOU MY FRIEND
Sang by : Raymond Lauchengco

We used to be frightened and scared to try
Of things we don't really understand why
We laugh for a moment and start to cry
We were crazy

Now that the end is already here
We reminisce 'bout old yells and cheers
Even if our last hurrahs were never clear

Farewell to you my friends
We'll see each other again
Don't cry 'cause it's not the end of everything
I may be miles away
But here is where my heart will stay
With you, my friends with you

Yesterday's a treasure, today is here
Tomorrows' on its way, the sky is clear
Thank you for the mem'ries of all the laughters and tears
And not to mention our doubts and our fears
The hypertension we gave to our peers
It's really funny to look back after all of these years

Farewell to you my friends
We'll see each other again
Don't cry 'cause it's not the end of everything
I may be miles away

But here is where my heart will stay
With you, my friends with you

Farewell to you my friends
We'll see each other again
Don't cry 'cause it's not the end of everything
I may be miles away
But here is where my heart will stay
With you, my friends with you
With you, my friends with only you

Farewell to You My Friends – Raymond Lauchengco Music