Blind as a Bat
Wednesday, November 29, 2006 @ 12:09 AM
I realise that my eyesight has been worsening recently. Still good enough for me to move around with ease but not where clarity is concerned. Features of people are muddled from afar and only sharpen when they are within the proximity of one arm's length. And I suspect that I may have strained more than one friendship with my blindness. I was passing by the marketplace that day after my jog and lazy me had neglected to don either my specs or contacts. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I sensed someone looking at me and looked in his direction. It was not until I was half a football field away that a nagging feeling told me that it had been an acquaintance I had snubbed. How dreadful.
It's back to specs for the time being while AMO sorts out their contamination incident. Sigh X 3. First, it was Bausch and Lomb half a year ago, now its AMO. Who next? Apparently, even Renu has had a similar fall from grace previously. Who is trustworthy, you tell me.
It is perhaps ironical that at this point of time, I have never seen my shortcomings more clearly than ever before. So much to improve on and so much more to learn. One more month before 2006 ends for me to become a better woman!
La Viva City!
Saturday, November 25, 2006 @ 4:21 PM
Okay, I know this was eons ago but it was one of my moments of insanity - I actually went for the event the night before my exams.
The Volunteers' Appreciation Event on Oct 17 at the Sky Park @ VivoCity - graced by PM Lee and special performer, Hady.
P.S: I think Hady sounds better over the radio.
It was a such a surprise when I bumped into LTC Tan early this year at the airport during the course of work. The world is small after all.
Thanks to Dor for snapping the pic. =p
And 7 years ago! LTC Tan was one of the officers in charge of my school's NDP performance when I was in Sec 2. Time really flies!
Sleep-deprived
Friday, November 24, 2006 @ 2:17 PM
For the past week, I have been reading up so much on Cairns and Darwin, on atas tai-tai stores in S'pore. At night, when I crawl into bed, my head is still buzzing with information. My last thoughts are usually "What should the headline be? The finer things in life? Top 10 must-see spots?..." before I finally slip into oblivion.
When I finally sent my articles in to the Ed by the deadline today, it was with relief. No more feeling like I'm consumed by a driving force to cover all grounds. At least a brief respite would be good.
Here's something interesting I found about Darwin. Cyclone Tracy went down in history as the tropical storm which ravaged the city on the Christmas Eve of 1974, causing widespread destruction. One good thing that came out of it was the Beer Can Regatta, an annual affair held in July. What started as a recycling effort bloomed into a festive event, as participants exercise ingenuity in using empty beer cans to fashion vessels of all shapes and sizes, before embarking in a race on the waters. (Pics courtesy of John McCabe)
I'm caught up with wanderlust. Reading the adventures of backpackers who simply take a year or two off work, travelling without a care in the world, makes me wonder what I'm doing with my life. But then again, I think I'm too Singaporean at heart. Too kiasu to be able to drop everything and end up with a few pennies to live on at the end of my world tour. What am I going to do when it's all over? Out of touch with the market, no job, savings depleted... and how do you support your family then? Sigh, not realistic at all. The best way to tour the world, I realise, is to be an air stewardess. You get the perks of travelling while working. But every job has its pros and cons, I guess.
What do I want out of life? I'm stuck between the phase of wanting to land a good job and hoping to slack a while more before I get caught in the never-ending rat race.I realise that there is a lot that I don't know, a lot of skills that I want to pick up (after regretting that I haven't done so when I had the opportunity). But all I have done is spending a whole lot of time thinking and speculating. And when I finally make a choice, would it be the right one?
I don't know. Don't ask me what I know.
I just want to be a useful person. A pillar of society, as they all say.
Old Memories
Monday, November 20, 2006 @ 7:58 PM
The other day, I went jogging in my old school tee. Hunger pangs struck while I was on the way back, thus I decided to buy lunch home. I stopped by this newly-opened stall in the marketplace which sold my favourite Lei Cha rice. The reason why I love this dish is partly due to familiarity I guess. The image of po po, ma and my aunts working together in the kitchen comes to mind, each busy with their own task of chopping and frying the veggies and preparing the tea, amidst chatter in the Hakka tongue and the aroma of food. I would get to help by grinding the tea paste sometimes. Clasping the pot with both feet, I would scatter peanuts, tea leaves and water every now and then and turn the long wooden pole in circles. Sometimes, for a touch of mint in the soup, we would throw in some mint leaves.
It was almost like I grew up on it. These days, it's a staple food served every CNY and it is the only time that I get to dig in with relish, often going for more helpings. Sigh.
What's so great about a variety of finely minced veggies, rice and tea for soup, you ask? There's simply something about the combination - light, healthy yet tasty. I'm a veggie person, so maybe it appeals to me. But so far, I still think my po po's culinary skills are unbeatable. *grinz* Someone once asked, if you were stranded on an island and you could only have one type of food, what would it be? I picked subway then but thinking about it now, this would be it.
Anyway, I digressed. The stall was manned by this ancient lady who looked as if she has been through WWII. One look at my school tee and it got a conversation rolling. Apparently, she's an old girl too, even though she only enrolled for 2 years. (Why so, I didn't ask.) We talked about the old school site and it really brought back memories.
It's the same for me I guess. Whenever I spot juniors in that distinct white sleeveless uniform, there's an instant reaction inside me. Heh. Sympathy for having to don the uniform we didn't quite fancy? Fondness? I can't quite figure it out either. But then again, every bit of it - the uniform, the old school, the caretaker and the school dog and even a certain wicked home econs teacher - makes up the NY girl identity.
A Bugger
Wednesday, November 15, 2006 @ 12:52 PM
Was just off to the pantry for a few mins to get my milo... and an intruder had creeped into my office in my absence!
Mr Intruder left a note on my laptop. Which gave me the jitters coz jason was an ex-colleague who is now working happily elsewhere.
Was it really him? I really hate the feeling of being creeped out!
[EDIT] Okay, so Mr Intruder was really the man himself. For some reason, he came back to office to say hi to my laptop. -_-" So much for my imagination!
Courage in its most potent form
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 @ 10:30 PM
The girl stood nervously in front of her crush, fingers laced in a knot, reflecting the turmoil in her heart.
She had dressed up for the occasion, in an aquamarine top that flared over her long pants, both new and painstakingly picked out. Her freshly manicured fingers tugged at a stray curl that escaped from her chignon.
Taking a deep breath, she began to sing. The song vocalised her hidden feelings all these years, as well as lament the loss of opportunity for the two of them to blossom into something more. As she waited for his reply, she closed her eyes... in anticipation or dread, or maybe both.
"I'm sorry, but I think we are better off as we are. You know what I mean?..."
The girl could not mask her look of disappointment. She smiled hesitantly at him, eyes bright, before reaching over to clasp his hand in friendship.
Someone with so much courage deserves my respect, really. I watched an episode of Michelle Chia's lovey-dovey show tonight and was caught by the plot. A girl would go so far as to profess her love on national TV, despite the risk of being rejected. Would you do that?? And tonight, it was the fairy tale ending with a twist. *cringes* Makes one wonder if a crush should always remain a crush.
Proactive versus passive? In this age, if a girl were to make the first move, it is no longer considered odd. I must admit that I'm more from the old school of thought. Somehow, the idea of a girl aggressively pursuing what she wants seems ... a little unladylike? It's like a differentiation between luxury brands and run-of-the-mill brands. A luxury brand can bank on its reputation to draw customers who will spend their life savings on the brand. While the latter might have to hold extensive promotions to garner sales. Shouldn't a girl be more laidback? Shouldn't she be wooed?
Then again, there are times that I think I'm wrong. A girl should fight for what she wants. The sun will set if all you do is sit and wait and wait. This applies to all aspects of life actually. Work for what you want and perhaps you really will get it. Why wonder if you stand a chance when you can try?
Perhaps proactive is what I should be. Time to dish out the resume!
Empty Vessel
Saturday, November 11, 2006 @ 12:18 AM
It's hard to put into words how I feel these days. If you ask me, what are you busy with now? You would probably catch me tongue-tied. Perhaps this sense of drifting about is why I kinda feel.. empty, sometimes. Being in a transition phase now, in-between jobs, studies thrown out of my must-do list, has given me more time on my hands. Time that might still be in excess if I go out on the streets, giving away a little to each beggar I meet. It's not that I don't have things to do; it's more of a lack of direction.
I am still waiting for that miracle to happen.
~~~
The intern had his last day today. But he was on two days' mc, so he practically ended his stint early. Can't say I was in tears over his departure. He wasn't particularly endearing with his bo-chup attitude and his disappearing acts. Out of the 5 interns that I've came across, he was the only one who had us tearing our hair out perpetually. Surprisingly, I was more besotted with his friend, who was helping out in the department right outside ours. When we first met her, we were scrambling to figure out her gender. She was constantly in shirt and pants and had a boyish haircut. It was only when I bumped into her in the ladies that I could confidently embrace her into the sisterhood. Heh.
She brought me to the staff lounge today. My first time in my one year here. I was surprised to find a piano in the room, plus an un-utilised KTV room and bar which were barred by chairs. What a pity. As she began raining her fingers lightly over the piano keys, I was told both of them spent a lot of their time in here. Ah-har.. SO this was where the intern always disappeared to!
~~~
Met up with bra and amy for dinner. It was a good one, with bra regaling us with her war stories with unreasonable customers. Honestly, I've never seen anyone who could turn her nose up at customers without being caught. After all, the customer is always right.
We talked about how time flew. It's been 2 years since I left. It hasn't seemed that long to me. Me at 19, fronting the desk with my other colleagues, praying hard that I wouldn't get a nasty customer each time I clicked the next button. The customer who just refused to listen to your explanation on why you couldn't acede to his unreasonable request, the customer who came in at the eleventh hour and expected you to get his ad in within a few minutes and the huffy one who marched in with fire in his belly and grabbed you as his punching bag. I haven't seen it all but I had met enough of them. Before that, I hadn't known so many kinds of weird people existed in this world.
But then, there were the funny incidents which made your day. The illiterate customer who tried to use the PC for free usage and misinterpreted your instruction of 'clicking' on the hyperlink as literally lifting the mouse onto the screen to click on it. Or the father who came in with a mission - to secure a gf for his son. And subsequently made more trips back to 1) bring the mother to scrutinise the girl 2) pass her a photo of his highly eligible son.
Am feeling terribly nostalgic. Hopefully, one of these days, we will be able to get all of us together for a catch-up session!
The End of Many Affairs
Wednesday, November 01, 2006 @ 12:37 PM
November marked...
- The end of my exams, releasing a little jailbird from hectic days of mugging and whatnots. Now that I've finally seen the daylight, breathed in the sweet air of freedom.. I'm surprisingly at a loss. What next?
- The impending end of my intern's three-month stint, the last of the several who had joined us for this project. Lo and behold, this little bugger had been under the illusion that both my colleague and I were fellow interns... till we corrected him yesterday. Sheesh. I know I'm the same age as him, but if I were also an intern, wouldn't that make me an extremely bossy and demanding one, constantly assigning him tasks?
I am speechless, totally.
- We celebrated doreal's last day at work yesterday, with savoury crepes at Raffles City and Mrs Fields's coloured-icing tarts, followed by Vietnamese fare with King Yum for dinner. The office will be so quiet from now on, with no one else to share the laughter and gossip. Sigh.
Gone will be the days when we tried...
taking pictures of our mirror images
auditioning for the acrobatics team
simply looking pretty for the camera
The sleepover at Marina Mandarin provided a nice finish to S2006; the build-up of late nights at work accumulating till the actual event and those 10 days of being based in the Suntec 'fortress', as termed by media. Scanning our passes everywhere we go, chuckling with amusement at the sunflowers that lined the pathways around Marina Square, trying to pass off as delegates to get shopping discounts... it was an exciting period of time for us, being in the thick of action and enjoying it.
On hindsight, perhaps we should have better utilised the week of free hotel stay. The total bill amounted to $4k+ for just one room. *Gasps* Not forgetting my horror when I found a bible in a drawer in the hotel room, thinking that it signified the presence of unworldly beings.. heh. That was classic.
Dear doreal, you will be missed.
