+ Faith | At Ease

Entrance to former workplace of 13 years

I have been working in Kallang Avenue for the past 13 years or so. The place has been like so familiar it like the back of my hand.

Every Friday, I would get time off to attend Friday Prayers at the Hajah Fatimah Mosque in Clifford Street.

With the revelation of reconsolidation of this sister company site with HQ, we had to move to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5.

I was not particularly involved with the shifting as at the same date of moving, I was attached to our Johore Plant to transfer and set-up one of our existing project there for the span of two weeks.

I went in and out of the causeway with the exception of the two nights that I stayed at Mutiara Hotel in JB as requested by our Customer to avoid the jam for the two critical days there.

Coming back, and going to work at a new location in Ang Mo Kio, seemed awkward. Nothing is familiar, not even the desk I had for the many years was anything soothing to me. I did not feel belong, not yet I thought.

Came the many issues at work rendered me lack of time to do anything else. My routine for Friday Prayers as was at Kallang was also disrupted.

The only time of the week that I can "escape" for an hour, away from the mental stress of work and seek solace through prayers.

I had to skip a few Fridays because of urgent reports to be submitted and Customers' visits to attend to, made me quite and incomplete. My service to the company, to family and to Allah, the last one is not fulfilled yet.

Finally, one Friday morning, with some divine intervention, I met a friend who for some reason kept calling me to accompany him for the Friday Prayers.

Though in different departments, never before in all those years working in the same company did we ever go for prayers together.

Now I know where the mosque in Ang Mo Kio is situated. Al Muttaqin Mosque is right next to Central Avenue 6.

We took service bus number 268 from work to right infront of the bus interchange. Along the way, we got the opportunity to catch-up with each other.

I feel at ease and complete. And now for the trials and tribulations of daily living.