Dearest grandpa

Dear Grandpa,

Lee Kuan Yew is gone. The man whom you've idolized so much died last Monday. I remember how in the past, you sat listening to his speeches intently on TV. Whenever he came on TV, you never failed coming out of your room to the hall because you heard his voice. You would stay until his speech is over. During that time, nobody would switch the channel because you were watching. Sometimes, it was the news on the day's parliament session and there would be excerpts of his speech too. Thinking that the TV was broadcasting another of his speech/interview, you would rush out of the room just to catch that 20-second clip. 

There were occasions where you would get bored of the lousy programmes on TV, but you always stayed awake and alert listening to his speeches and interviews no matter how long they were. 

This past week, many high-profile personalities and common folks alike have given testimonies of a great leader who gave his everything for his country. It is sad to lose him, but I do get a tinge of comfort knowing that he's on the same side of the world as you. Hopefully you both get to meet. Hopefully you'll get to express your admiration for him. 

Geocities

Anyone remembers Geocities? 

Everyone who wanted to start a blog probably went on Geocities first. Most boyband fan-pages were on Geocities too. 

And Infoseek! That was my favourite search engine, before the days of Googling. 

I also remember my ICQ number. 

Just a little tech-nostalgia. 

RIP

Like most Singaporeans, I turned on the phone this morning and that was the first thing I saw. That he is gone. And like most Singaporeans too, I found this out sitting on the bed. 

Never known such a blue Monday. I feel for all Singaporeans and for the family of the PM. If not for my training I would have made my way to the Istana earlier. This weekend, I'll do my part on behalf of my family who holds him in very high regard. 

Stop to smell the roses

So many things in my life to be thankful for. 

Being torn on where to be is also a kind of blessing. 

The weekend before the final week.

Tomorrow the boyfriend is flying home. Things are crazy in HK at the moment and he is still hoping he can catch the flight back tomorrow night. 

Meanwhile I'm back in BP. Mum's making popiah tomorrow!! 

And it's finally a weekend again. 

So many reasons to dance!

These thirty-three trees

Today was announcement grading day. A few colleagues have trouble with "th" sounds, but they have been diligently practising for the past two weeks.

One very determined colleague, who's made soooo much improvement, claims that she says the words "the this that they" on repeat until she falls asleep every night. Her pronunciation is rather poor but guess what? This dear girl now says THank you with the most natural "th" every time she thanks someone. Another colleague said his tongue has grown 1 cm longer. 

I'm glad the assessment is over. Results will be out next week. That's one less test to worry about for this entire course of training. The real challenge is of course rushing to make the various announcements in the middle of service onboard. 

Something I have noticed being on ground for three weeks is that I shed less hair! The skin hasn't improved though. *sigh* 

The man who reminded me of my late grandfather

"At the end of the day, what have I got? A successful Singapore. What have I given up? My life." - LKY

Colour-coordinated

Tomorrow is Green day again! 

Since day 1, my batch mates and I have been colour-coordinating our outfits at training. Every single time there's an odd color, it forces me to turn my wardrobe inside out to find something to match the colour of the day. Tomorrow is green again OMG. Who has that many green clothing? 

There is good in this in a way though because I've worn a few pieces of clothing which I've never worn in years (just so I can match the theme). 

When do couples stop holding hands?

On any given weekend, you can see young couples who hold hands outnumber couples who don't. All young couples hold hands, to put it simply. 

I'm sure in the early stages of marriage, people are still madly in love and feel so blessed to have entered this sacred institution together. 

Then, what happens along the way that they forget to hold on to each other's warm hands? 

It's rare to see old couples holding hands. So few of them do, even as they walk and sit together. What happened in their marriage that they stopped holding hands? 

Could it be that they had children, and they kept holding on to the hands of their children that after these children have grown up, the adults find it strange to hold another adult's hands? 

Or, do people betray each other in marriage, making them feel guilty? Did they think minimal contact would hide their guilt? 

Just random thoughts of the night, as I wonder about the hand I'll be holding in future. 

India's Daughter

Girls who roam at night "left the Indian culture", says the defending lawyer of the rapists. 

THEN RAPING WOMEN IS WITHIN THE INDIAN CULTURE, IS IT NOW??? 

Watching the documentary makes my blood boil. 

Happiness

Money won't make you happy, period. 

(I'm not sure about shitloads of money though.) 

Dad's wish to me this CNY was for me to have happiness. I don't know why he did it. It's been a long time since someone wished me that. And that stood out. 

Sg50

Fifty years young and its public transport is breaking down. Grrrr. 

In the last one week I've taken the MRT twice. And it's an excruciatingly slow experience. On top of all that has been appearing in the news about line disruptions, the two times that I took the MRT were none of those that were part of the reported line disruptions. Instead the trains are going at tortoise pace and it keeps stopping between stations! NOT ONLY THAT, it stops for 30 seconds or so at stations which means total travel time is DAMN FUCKING LONG. 

This has just been on the Green Line (East West Line). I believe the other lines are faster. 

Sorry for the rant because it's 6.40 and I've only traveled from Simei to Kallang in 40 minutes. >:( 

Overheard at bus stop

Boy just finished his exams and is working part-time at Changi Airport. An uncle he knew asked him about the job, and experience in retail. His reply: "I don't like to smile at people and say "Good morning, Sir."

- I would hate to have him as my passenger. Because I've to greet two hundred people but he can't even greet me back. Ouch. 

- Don't count on him to save someone's life if all that person needed was a smile. 

- How to spread smiles around with young people like that? 

Heart skipped a few times

Today, my heart skipped a few times. Too beautiful. Too beautiful. If only.  

Friday finally

Don't remember the last time I heaved a sigh a relief just because it's a Friday night. 

Simple Friday night for me. Just came home from work, brought in the laundry, walked to have a sandwich alone at I12 Katong, came home to shower, watched YouTube and now going to bed. 

It's been a tough week physically, even though I barely walked; the total steps I took in the last 5 days probably is less than how much I would walk on a flight to Sydney. But the mornings are a killer. And to reward myself tomorrow I shall go for a scalp treatment. A little pampering never killed anyone. 

Before I go, let me share a little something with you. 

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. 

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."

"One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."

"Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."

"Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

"Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

"And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.


Now replacing the place of the pencil with you.  Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be. 

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person. 

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make. 

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.



Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.

Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.

It's like Manila turnarounds back to back

MY GOD. 

INSANE! 

I hate the hours! 8.45 am to 5.30 pm, and of course, being in the army, one minute of lateness will not be tolerated and disciplinary action will be taken. As a result I arrive much earlier and that also means waking up very much earlier. The course is so draining, some topics are really dry. I have dozed off every day in class - no kidding. My batch mates have been very supportive of each other and constantly buys sweets for all the tables to help keep us awake. 

Having to walk in heels every day is also no joke. 

And I just noticed something embarrassing. The size disparity between my two feet is quite annoying. My left shoe keeps coming loose. I have lost count of the number of times my shoe came loose while walking. And it's embarrassing because some times it's in the canteen where there are hundreds of people who are just looking at people. Yah that's what we do in the canteen. 

It can't just be the problem of the shoes because it happened again today with another pair of shoes. 

It's finally Friday tomorrow. I can't wait to sleep in on Saturday! 

First day

Woke up at 6.30 am. Have to do this continuously for the next few weeks. Don't think I'll ever get used to this. 

Boohoo. 

FSS

Did my last flight today, DEL-SIN. 

Was on standby on Friday. The Company can't call me up for more than a two-day flight (because training starts Monday) so guess what, they called me at 6 pm on Thursday even before my standby started to go for a midnight reporting flight. THANKS LEH. There aren't that many two-day flight patterns and they found one just for me. So much gratitude. 

Anyway I had one of the worst mornings ever. I've had really bad mornings but none so stoned. I mean nothing compares to waking up at 2.30 am for turnarounds but today was really bad. 

Today I could sleep till 5 am Delhi time yet it still wasn't enough. I stoned from hotel all the way to the plane. I couldn't smile at all, not even at the airport where I met passengers along the way. My head felt like so heavy, my facial muscles were being pulled down and my throat felt sore. I've just really never had to drag myself through the airport like this. I couldn't even bring myself to talk and joke with colleagues before the flight. 

The flight - I won't talk about the flight. You should know how it went roughly. 

I couldn't have been happier to reach home. I was adamant to sleep the moment I could (read: hung up the laundry) but for some bloody reason, I've been tossing and turning for the last three hours and I still haven't fallen asleep. What kinda joke is my body pulling? Madam here is very tired ok! 

Meanwhile I keep thinking about what a senior colleague told me today when the flight ended: "Welcome to the shit-cleaning club!" 

T____T 

Will be cleaning up people's shit from now onwards. To all the seniors who've been cleaning up my shit since year 200x, thank you. *sniffles*