Rezeki

It has been almost a year since this old self sengkang mata (stay up late) to do real PR work, the kind that brings in the dough.

(Propping the eyes with matchsticks just to finish a syiok sendiri [self-indulgent] blog piece that doesn't earn me sekepeng habuk [a single penny] doesn't count..)

I have been out of the PR consulting loop since the beginning of 2010. It was by choice; guess I was just mentally tired and emotionally drained by the antics of some clients to whom gentleman's agreement and my word is my honour were mere lip service.

To sum it up, 2010 has been a pretty good year workwise, simply because there wasn't any. As such, there was no stress, pressure or heartache, and no bickering with clients about payment (they never seemed to have any other issues to argue about besides payment).

Whilst I wasn't generating any personal income, the family and I have had ample opportunities to spend time together, which to me was a worthy trade-off.

Be it trampling in knee-deep snow on China's Great Wall or journeying to the Holy Land in search of inner peace and tranquility, they were precious 'we' times indeed.

I never thought I would see another piece of work so close to year-end but I did, thank be to Allah swt for His generosity.

Funny how rezeki presented itself sometimes, appearing when we least expected it. Be that as it may, Syukur Alhamdulillah.

On Monday, a stack of documents from a public listed company landed on my lap, demanding immediate copywriting attention.

Twenty-four hours were all I had to digest the information within and to come up with two articles (including editing three other sidebars), all slated for media publication tomorrow (Thursday).

The copywriter for whom the job was originally intended was unable to handle it for some reasons; that was how it ended up here, on my dining table.

I could have said 'no' but couldn't resist the challenge somehow. Also, I didn't want to let a good friend down. He needed help and I knew I could be of assistance if I put my mind to it.

Then again, maybe it was because I wasn't averse to living on the edge, I don't know. For sure I liked the rush of adrenaline...

And so it was; Monday was spent in a frenzy trying to comprehend the subject, something I had zero knowledge of; it sent me scouring the Internet for pointers.

Thankfully, it wasn't as intimidating as it had initially looked, and by the early hours of Tuesday (3 am to be exact), one article was completed. After that first effort, the subsequent ones were a lot easier to tackle.

I learned this a long time ago; it all boils down to comprehension. Once you understand the subject matter, everything else will fall into place.

By noon on the same day, the second article found its way into client's hand. The sidebars followed and by dinner time I was back on an even keel.

After enjoying banana leaf rice with Pak Abu at Paandi's in Taman Tun, I zonked out completely, well before the clock struck 12, a rarity under normal circumstances.

This morning I was told everything was accepted in toto. What bliss! Now, if you see me smiling from ear to ear the whole of Wednesday, you'd know why..:D

PS:

For agencies out there - this is not an admission that I like last-minute jobs, ok. I'd do it only for a good reason, and in this instance, helping out a friend is a good enough reason to accept the job.

And dear good friend - please don't make this a habit, ok. Aku dah tua tau.. nanti tumbang aku tak cukup tidor.. hehehe..