The fire that nearly was

I was going to blog about something mundane when the fire nearly happened. A couple of minutes ago the alarm system at my new place went crazy. Now while I do plan on going out in some splendid, amazing way, roasting isn't on top of the list. But like all good Malaysians, my colleagues and I sat for a bit longer, discussing whether it might just be a drill.

After a few more minutes I swore I could smell something faintly burning, and this earned us a reason to investigate. We got to as far as the pantry. Not because we were hungry but because a) the alarm that went off was inside the pantry and b) the pantry door was closed. Now in all of my 2 months here, the pantry door has never been closed. The people I work with are serious about their food and all barriers to easy access to biscuits, instant noodles and drinks are not welcome.

And so Detective me brilliantly figures (and announces to all and sundry) that there is smoke in the pantry, pointing out the obvious - you could see a haze in the small glass panel on the door! Enter smart-aleck CFO, who brushes past and opens the door revealing a very noisy alarm, but no evidence of the billowing smoke The Prophetess had so frighteningly proclaimed. "The glass is frosted lah!" said CFO with a small smile. And I scurried back into my room. I swear the girls are never going to trust me again, or at least my sense of smell.

In my defense however, all the doors in the office have clear see-through glass panels, the only frosted one is at the pantry which has never been closed. And that once in a while, in a blue moon, or when the sun turns red, Prophetess can be wrong.