My
department was granted approval to have our teambuilding programme in Langkawi this
year and after a couple of months of preparation, we flew out to Langkawi on
Thursday. As part of risk management, we flew different airlines at different
times. My flight time was at 18:00 and we left the office by the pre-arranged
shuttle at 15:40 (the driver was late) in the pouring rain. It didn’t help that
the driver didn’t know of an alternative route so we joined the building
traffic and inched our way until we entered MEX. Thankfully, our flight wasn’t
delayed; our colleagues who left earlier to fly Malindo from Subang had their flight
delayed and only landed five minutes after we did.
We
took a shuttle from the airport and went to the resort at Cenang Beach. After checking
in, I immediately grabbed the iron and board and did pumped some iron. There are
five rooms in every floor and I didn’t want to wait for my turn with the iron.
After
prayers, we ventured out to find dinner. I walked quite a bit but ended up
having dinner at a stall very near the resort.
I
had planned to go for a morning walk by the beach but as Friday’s programme was
quite full from 09:00 to 22:30, I decided to go for the walk on Saturday
morning. Some colleagues were excited about the prospect of shopping and went to
shop during the long Friday lunchtime and after class on Friday evening (!). I decided
to only shop on Sunday morning. After all, that wasn’t the purpose of my trip
to Langkawi. And even though Saturday’s programme ended just before 18:00, I didn’t
bother going to shop then either.
We
had barbecue dinner by the pool on Saturday evening but we weren’t too happy
with the food. I had a tummy upset following the Saturday afternoon tea break
and was a bit disappointed the food wasn’t great. Woke up on Sunday morning at
03:45, no, not to watch the Champions League final match but to use the bathroom.
Yet another tummy upset. Ugh.
On
Sunday morning, after breakfast, I braved the blazing morning sun and went to The
Zone to buy some chocolates. I didn’t bring an extra bag and didn’t want to buy
a new one either so I asked the salespeople if they had a box. Thank God I asked
because they managed to find a small box which fit my chocolate purchases. Walked
back to the resort and left the box in the lobby (no point lugging it back to
the room and then back to the lobby when I check out). I was perspiring buckets
by the time I reached my room.
The
resort manager called for the shuttle to the airport when everyone in our party
was ready. We checked in and after sorting out some issues regarding my seat, I
went to perform prayers. Had a light lunch before clearing security. The flight
took off on time and we landed at 15:40. My bag and box didn’t take long to
come out and I was able to take the 16:20 KLIA Express train to KL Sentral.
~~~~~~~
The
facilitators had already pre-assigned us into groups of six and I was quite disappointed
that I had to sit with three people who hardly ever contributed to any
discussion. They were either falling asleep, lost in their own world, in a
blur, or busy with their smartphones. The other three of us had to lift the
table and win cards for participating. (The facilitators awarded cards to us
for participating and for arriving early as an incentive). I mean, really, what
is the point of being there if you were going to daydream? And they behaved
exactly how they usually behave in the office. I thought it was really pointless
flying them all the way there, a sheer waste of time and money if they couldn’t
even give 100% during teambuilding. To me, it doesn’t matter where you have
office teambuilding, its duration and intensity. What matters is what you bring
to it and your takeaways. Also, are you ready to change yourself? Then there’s
another group who came back without seeming to have benefited from the
teambuilding. What is the point of going there and then when you’re back, you
revert to your old ways? Did you not learn anything at all or was it just a fun
free trip at the company’s expense, an escapade from the office, a break from your
normal schedule?
I
was also disturbed and disgusted by someone who stuffed herself silly. Look, I know
you’re crazy about prawns but did you stop to consider there may be others who
hadn’t had their meal yet? Or were you just concerned about your own greedy
self? And it didn’t stop there. It continued throughout. Ever stop to wonder
why people advise for moderation in everything we do?
~~~~~~~
I
found Langkawi unbearably hot. There was hardly any breeze and the sun was
merciless. Needless to say, I had a sore throat, bad cough, terrible headache
and a high temperature when I returned. I know I’m not delicate because I’m not
the only one to be suffering. I can’t recall Tioman or Redang being similarly
suffocating and insufferable. I really can’t contemplate a return trip but hey,
never say never. Maybe one fine day some time further down the road when I’ve
forgotten how much I’m suffering now, I might consider a return trip there.
