In Kuala Lumpur
THERE is an annual tradition at the Umno general assembly.
Many of the politicians pay the media room a visit, to say hi to the hoards of journalists covering the biggest annual political event in Malaysia's calendar.
This year's event, which ended last Saturday, was no different.
At last count at least a dozen of them popped by, including incoming Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, new Women's wing president Shahrizat Jalil and new vice-president Shafie Apdal, among others.
The biggest names that dropped in, however, were Malaysia's current and next prime ministers: Abdullah Badawi and Najib Razak.
It's funny how, as journalists, we are used to chasing these bigwigs around, but we still get a kick when they drop by. I think it's just the exuberance from being treated as the VIP for once: You are not going to them, they are actually coming to you.
When we heard that Datuk Seri Najib was coming last Thursday, everyone dropped their work, brushed their hair and craned their neck, waiting for him to arrive.
And when he did come, a couple of us requested for a group photo, which he duly obliged with.
His visit took all of about 15 minutes and I think we were the only group that took pictures with him.
Pak Lah, as Datuk Seri Abdullah is affectionately known as, dropped by the next day.
He got the same royal treatment from the reporters, but with one notable difference - he spent far more time returning the niceties.
As he moved from one newspaper's booth to another, he made an effort to chat with everyone. He seemed to take a genuine interest in what you were doing and ask about little things, like if you have had dinner.
In the end, he stayed for an entire hour. And almost everyone took pictures with him.
The differences couldn't be more stark. Mr Najib, the next leader of Malaysia, is a man in a hurry, with many issues on his plate to settle. Mr Abdullah, who is about to hand over the reins of power, can take his time.
He said that he would take some time off when he retires.
"I'll take a short break. Help tend to my wife's garden," Mr Abdullah told reporters at a press conference when the assembly ended.
But Mr Abdullah's mannerisms were also true to himself. He has always been a people's person, someone who is at ease talking to strangers. And like the reporters, most people seem to take to him when they meet him face-to-face.
That's his greatest strength.
Whenever I've covered his events, he would arrive and charm the audience when he goes around shaking hands. He would make a little comment here, a wisecrack there, and get everyone smiling.
Then he would go onto the stage and trudge uninspiringly through a speech, causing people to question if he knew or meant what he just said.
He only comes to life when he gets this uncomfortable bit over with, and he goes around chatting with the folks again.
It's a bit regrettable to see a likeable person go out like this, spending large parts of his farewell speech apologising for what he has failed to do as the country's leader.
As a politician, Mr Abdullah certainly had his failures. Many have charged that he was Malaysia's worst prime minister and I think it would be hard to argue with that, if one were to look at how the ruling coalition was hit with its worst-ever election results last year.
But I think it's too soon to say just how history would judge this man.
For one, his time is not up yet. Sure, he's going to do some gardening for now, but as he also said at the same press conference, he's not sad about his departure because it's not as if he's "disappearing or going into outer space".
"I'm still an Umno member," he stated.
Mr Najib has already suggested that he would tap on his expertise. While it's unclear how receptive the members would be towards having him as a mentor, I think Mr Abdullah would not do his own legacy any harm by pursuing some worthy or charitable causes that he's personally interested in.
As Umno president, he struggled with the dual tasks of managing the party while pushing through his proposed reforms.
But when he is released from the shackles of bureaucracy and politicking, he might be able to capitalise more on his personality, while riding on a precious status as the former leader of his country.
So far he has been coy about his future plans. Hopefully the end of this journey will lead to the start of a more fruitful new path.