It has nothing to do with my ego, but I don’t say sorry unless I mean it. From as simple as saying sorry when I accidentally hit something or someone, to saying sorry when I hurt somebody’s feelings. I say sorry when I mean it. Only.
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So when she said sorry because she couldn’t speak English in front of an English-speaking audience who was going to potentially make donation to the orphanage she was representing… I felt awfully sorry for myself for not knowing her much sooner. I could have given her a mini course on Public Speaking and Communication, or some translation service… courtesy of Enida Consultancy & Services.
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But then, she could have asked for help if she had done her homework. Afterall there were Bahasa-and-English-speaking committee members who could have translated her speech. She could have done it in both languages. The expat donors could have paid more attention and be more enthusiastic about where their money was going.
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The other thing I was sorry about was when she had to apologize for what the orphanage didn’t have, for the condition of the orphans and for everything else that was no fault of hers!
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“Saya mintak maaf lah atas semua yang serba kekurangan dari pihak Rumah Anak Yatim XYZ ini.”
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Well, logically, if the orphanage had everything it needed, nobody would have organized such charity event, would’ve they? But that’s beside the point! I simply think people apologize and say sorry when they don’t know what else to say.
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Yes, humility is my number one policy. That was why it was almost embarrassing when my name was mentioned as the contributor who rounded the collection that night to the seventh grand of Ringgit.
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Even that is beside the point. Just imagine this:
“Saya minta maaf kepada tuan-tuan, puan-puan, saudara-saudari yang membaca Questa e Enida, kerana saya tidak memiliki kereta BMW di usia saya yang menjangkau 50-an ini. Saya juga tidak berkerjaya hebat dengan syarikat minyak dari Belanda, jadi maafkanlah saya yang berada dalam keadaan yang serba kekurangan ini.”
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I sound almost ungrateful if I am adamant on counting what I am not yet blessed with, don’t I? Uh am I exaggerating it, or do I actually have a point here?
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Well, whatever it is that is beside the point… I am not sorry for not sleeping at all the last 25 hours. I am especially NOT sorry for having two happy and healthy Monchies who are very interested in visiting orphanages to hear about ‘babies being put in a basket and left on the doorstep’ stories.
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Postlude:
Dan saya tidak merasa sedikit pun kekesalan di malam itu apabila berada di dalam dewan yang sama dengan Mrs. X (Mrs. Shower Cap). Malah saya berasa sangat terharu akan diri saya yang sudah tidak merasa apa-apa pun apabila memandang beliau yang nampaknya dikurniakan kesihatan yang agak berlapis-lapis.
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Questa è Enida 