July 6th 2010:

One of our contractor passed away yesterday while we were busy with work and meetings and doing other worldly things.

I got the message late while in one of the KPI-setting meeting which was supposed to set key performance indicators to measure individual performance for the next financial year.   While we can plan how much sales and revenue the Company can make, or how many leaders we want to develop, we never can plan when and how we will die.

Unable to catch the funeral ceremony at Yuwey cemetery in Mingalardon, we visited the bereaved family members today at their house at University Avenue in Yangon. Our car was stopped by the security guarding this stretch of University Avenue  which is the home for the most famous lady in Myanmar — Daw Aung San Su Kyi.  We were made to walk some 800 meters along University Crest to the house no 71A.

We met the wife, a widow now. A petite pretty lady, who spoke English better than most of my local staff in my office.

“It happened so fast. ” The wife started the story. There were many relatives and friends in the house, which served as his husband’s office. So she took us to the verandah.

“He complained about slight chest pain in the morning.  Then he visited a doctor at nearby clinic, have ECG taken. ECG was no good and the doctor gave him a bundle of medication, to be taken after meal.”

Her eyes were wet with tears but she managed it well not to drop the tears. She tried to put up a brave front but sometimes she broke down and simply buried her face into her hands, while we were waiting for this damsel in distress to complete her sentence.

“I quit working and started becoming a fulltime housewife last year. Now I don’t know…  It seems I have to return to work.”

“I am spoilt by by him, everything I wanted I got it, just like a baby.”  She is a young mother with 2 boys — aged 6 month and 2.5 years old. She said her late husband said he had 3 kids, and she is the third one.

“This house is my husband’s office, somebody new will come. I have to leave and find a new place.”

I did not say much. I was not good at comforting others in pain save some words rather direct like life is test, be patient, Allah loves him more.

Anyway I did hand over my business card before I left just in case she wanted to try her luck in my organization.