Karya

You can tell that the burden of expectations was taking its toll on Karya’s previously placid countenance. Ever since she embarked on a life-altering journey to the metropolis, her world had taken a dramatic 180 degree turn. They always say that the grass is greener on the other side. Fat pockets, fast cars, even more fascinating condos…the list went on as long and as far as one’s corridor of imaginations.

Kuala Lumpur, the land of mammoth sky-scrapers dubbed the Big Apple of Malaysia. What an enticing, tantalizing prospect it is for all aspirants regardless of their ideals in the great city. From engineers to entrepreneurs, accountants to actuaries, doctors to developers. These days, no one in their correct frame of minds would turn down an irresistible offer to seek their Holy Grail there.

Saturated with deadlines, appointments and assignments, Karya’s mind could not help drifting back to the first day she stood face to face with the Petronas Twin Towers. It was far, way better than what was being fed to her ears by her peers at home. “A picture speaks a thousand words”, she thought.

Or maybe more.

The second tallest building the world had ever seen stood majestically in the breathtaking night skyline of the city. All 459.1 metres of the towers, all 88 storey of the building, stretch towards the heavens in a symmetry only the finest architects can conjure. Not only the structure itself, but the lights too exuded their charm. Shimmering streams of brilliance penetrated the dusk, making the towers appear as they are strewn with dazzling jewels. To put it simply, the twin towers were unparalleled in Kuala Lumpur.

Karya was speechless as she beheld the sight of the colossal buildings. They redefined her perception of beauty. Of perfection. And she, of all her hometown folks, was going to work in it. The thought itself was surreal. Tears of joy came trickling down her cheeks.

There was so much to look forward to, to cherish.

Several months on, Karya was on the verge of tears again, but for the wrong reason. Initially, it was just the few minor issues one has to grapple with, especially for one who never saw an escalator before. A totally alien environment, a startlingly enormous workload and… an increasingly cold bunch of colleagues.

Karya was trying her utmost to take all these “minor” challenges in her stride. She held passionately to the values of her upbringing, constantly telling herself that a good, likable character would see her through.

“Smile and be gentle…the world will be a better place for all,” Her mother’s genuine teachings, steeped in native culture, caressed with warmth and love, echoed in her ears whenever her world reared its ugly head.

And she would do precisely that. Karya braved the criticism of her work and the cynicism of her colleagues without uttering a single word, totally oblivious to the crushing words that gnawed at her heart, bit by bit. Deep down in the reserves of her being, Karya thought she had done the right thing.

“And doing the right thing makes one happy,” Her mother would reiterate again.

But the brewing storm did not fade away. It went on a crescendo instead. And soon, Karya was disillusioned and frustrated on two fronts: one for the persistent ill-treatment of her colleagues and employer, and two for straying away from her core values fast. Since then, Karya no longer could look at people the way she used to, the way she wanted to. Every comment or gesture that had been made to her would be scrutinized and studied like a scientific specimen. Karya had had enough.

She could hardly believe that urban living would bring out the darker side of her. She felt as if the months of suppression had awakened her egocentric, self-centered nature. Karya, a sweet, demure girl, one with “mild temperate nature” as Shakespeare would famously depict in Sonnet 18, found her vehemently defending herself in the face of unfair judgment and criticism.

Everyone has his or her limits.

BANG! The abrupt sound of files slammed on her desk snapped her back rudely to reality. When her vision cleared, she was momentarily stupefied with the incensed looks of her department manager who was glaring right into her eyes. A missile was aiming her way. Again.

“Karya, could you stop daydreaming and finish your work on time once? We don’t have all time you know, unlike in your kampong!” the big boss bellowed, nostrils flared. “These kampong girls,” he cursed under his breath, “will never make any good!”

The poor girl knew exactly how to react. It was one that spurned out of obligation, not intention.

“Yes boss, ku siapkan kerjaku skarang juga,” Karya was further frustrated by her inability to converse fluently in English, which she long suspected was one of the factors that cost her respect among her colleagues and employer.

The employer could only give her a look of disgust and shook his head. It was matter of time before she rendered utterly redundant in the multinational corporation.



Karya relaxed her rigid sitting posture as soon as the employer strode off. She glanced at the clock. Only 3.30pm. Not for the first time, she had the sensation that the clock was ticking ever so slowly, almost too mechanically.