September 19, 2024 
André Herrlich Today was one of those days that perfectly summed up the absurdity of everyday life. As I sat in an empty open-plan office planning my first trip to Malaysia, I was reminded once again why public transport here sometimes feels more like comedy than transportation.
Malaysia, here I come!
The day started well enough. My Malaysian colleague had recommended accommodation in Cyberjaya, which I looked up on Booking.com and booked right away. From September 27 to October 22 — almost four weeks in Malaysia! This will be my first trip there, even though I have known the subsidiary since it was founded and have been involved more or less from the beginning — if only remotely.
There is something special about finally meeting in person the colleagues you have worked with for years. As Global Topic Lead Linux, I am responsible for all Linux-specific topics in our data centers around the world, and the Malaysian colleagues are part of our global team. Collaboration is simply more trusting and better when you have met someone in person at least once — rather than always working online or by phone.
Normally, our Travel Management department organizes trips like this, but this time I took care of much of it myself. That is exciting and unusual at the same time. Cyberjaya is supposed to be something like Malaysia’s Silicon Valley — modern infrastructure, technology companies, everything planned with a futuristic vision. Officially, the city is positioned as a global technology hub. We will see what it is really like.
Open-plan office loneliness
Ironically, I was sitting in a completely empty open-plan office today while booking this trip to Malaysia. I normally work from home and usually only go into the office on Tuesdays — but today was Thursday. Maybe that was my mistake.
The two colleagues I usually see there were both away for once. So I was alone in an open-plan office with around 40 workstations. You can imagine what that feels like — I might as well have stayed home. There is no requirement to go into the office, but I see it this way: whenever I make the trip in, it is a chance to see my colleagues. Only today, there were none.
Public-transit comedy in three acts
The real adventure started on my way home. The public-transit connection from Bischofswerda to the office in Salzenforst has always been a bit of a thing. You have to change once or twice, but there are never direct connections — only waiting times.
By car, I would be there in 15 minutes. By bicycle, it takes me about 45 minutes. By public transport, I am on the road for an hour and a half. And if one of those buses is even slightly late, the next connection is immediately another 45 minutes to an hour away.
Today was exactly such a day. Outbound: an hour and a half. Return: almost two hours. It has become so absurd that I find it funny again. It is annoying, but it is so annoying that it becomes entertaining. You develop a certain zen-like calm once you accept that ZVON operates according to its own laws, only distantly related to logic or efficiency.
World events at the edge
While I sat in my empty office navigating between Malaysia planning and public-transit frustration, something remarkable was happening out in the world. Today, Shohei Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. And in Leipzig, a previously unknown Mozart piece was discovered — probably composed in the 1760s, when Mozart was still a teenager.
Somehow, it fits: while I am thinking about bus connections here, sports history is being made elsewhere and centuries-old masterpieces are being discovered. Life has its own rhythm.
Anticipation wins out
At the end of the day, anticipation wins out despite everything. In a little over a week, I will be on a plane to Malaysia. Cyberjaya is booked, my colleagues are looking forward to meeting in person, and I am curious about this new experience.
Public transport will continue putting on its comedy without me. Malaysia is waiting.
