Omg i followed Irene Ang (yes Mrs Phua Chu Kang Irene Ang!!) on twitter for fun and NOW SHE'S FOLLOWING ME BACK TOO. :O I'm surprised. And i feel damn honoured :)

Anyway. This morning, i hitched a ride from my dad when he sent my sister to school, before dropping me off at Bukit Timah. Haha this is the first time in this year that i took this routine again. The earlier morning air really smells fresher. And the bird calls are different. Seriously. I was suddenly jolted this morning by the continuous hooting/calling, as if insisting that i listen and realize its existence.

So i dropped off at High School, crossed the overhead bridge to NY. I strode in through the sidegate, smiled at the security guard confidently, and greeted her cheerfully "Hi, good morning!" and i passed without question. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA THIS WORKS, SERIOUSLY.

The first thing i did was to go up to find Sandra. I smsed her while walking in, but haha ok let's just say she isnt as sensitive to her phone as i am to mine. So called her using the intercom, and she was like "Wah, so early ah!" hurhur. Then she complained that my email was verily long and lor-sor :(

And i'm dying to know what she wrote about me. But this will forever elude me, sealed in that brown envelope with her rather cool-looking signature over the flap.

We chatted briefly for about 10min before the bell went off, and then as a parting gift, i gave her the STB crab which i koped from office. And she was so amused by it and seemed to like it a lot. HAHAHAHAHA!? And then i joined in for morning assembly, standing at the admin block, right at the back.

1) Somehow the assembly scene at NY is just so pleasing to the eye. HAHAHAHA.
2) Today i was aware of how well-behaved and silent the girls stayed, when the teachers move down the line to take attendance after national anthem + pledge. Omg well done.
3) There was young-ish looking guy teacher standing on my left, who was like POSING (crossed his arms, lean on one leg) DURING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM?!?!?! I stood at attention at the command, then i saw him from the corner of my eye and i was thinking ?!?!?!! Then, as if he felt my ?!?!?!?! he suddenly stood straighter, and put his arms down. But he didnt say the pledge, so i'm assuming he's non-Singaporean.
4) I'm unsure if i saw correctly, but i think i noticed a faint scar on the right of Mrs Wong LF's jawline/cheek. :|
5) Ms Chia (UK Shyam's gf) talked to me briefly about uni (what else,) and i found out that she was from NUS FASS, double major Political Science and PHILOSOPHY. WAH. Hmmm but her advice was just, yes go ahead try a bit of everything, before you decide.
6) (i think teachers just have this inclination to identify with ex-students) Mrs Chua Mei Hong my favourite disciplinarian in the world also talked to me. HAHAHAHAAHA! Yes i will always remember her ku2 kou3 po2 xin1 "PULL UP YOUR SOCKS AH!" So encouraging! YES I WILL IMPROVE MYSELF MRS CHUA! And somehow, i also feel that she have gotten smaller leh!? HAHAHAHAHA.

Actually i think at the rate i am eating, not exercising, sitting on my butt in office all day, snacking on the sponge cake in the pantry, eating anything and everything i feel like - i shouldnt be surprised if i have gotten bigger. :S Biang eh...

Anyway, then met into MrLim and Meijie came along at the same time (she's relief teaching Physics now and going-to-be Chem, when Ms Tan gets busy during the Nats period) and we went to the canteen together. And Mr Lim had a plate of chicken rice for BREAKFAST, can you believe that. HAHAHAHAHA! He gave us $2 as a treat HAHAHAHA which was spent buying $0.40 soya bean milk for himself, $0.60 packet of Koko Crunch for me, $0.90 a bottle of chocolate milk for Meijie. Still got $0.10 change.

Sat and talked and i miss how Mr Lim talks. Hahaha! Ok maybe i should just say that i have missed him. :) We talked of many things, i wasnt the one who directed the conversation, but very coincidentally, he accurately touched on a few things that i've been thinking of recently.

1) Teaching. About the ironies of NIE's admission criteria, and that strictly only people with a passion for teaching should come into the profession. And the grievous damage an uninspired and irresponsible teacher could do to the younger generation. (OK I WILL KEEP THAT IN MIND FOR TOMORROW)
And also, the difference between teaching in a good school and in so-called "bad" schools.
He mentioned a point which i have never considered before - stupid people with bad character VS smart people with bad character. And the dangers of the latter.
Very true...

2) Being the change you want to see. Cliched as this sounds, i cant agree more. And i try as i might, to exemplify this.
He talked about him playing basketball with random people at the public basketball court, and when they leave litter behind, he will tell them that they shouldnt do that. They had ignored him, and he will pick up the litter and throw it away himself. After doing it consistently for some time, the guys started clearing up after themselves too.
HURHUR i am half skeptical about the authenticity of his parable, but to give him credit, he said it very seriously and with the straightest face.

3) Hierarchy. HAHAHAHA actually this is rather linked to 1) Teaching, because he was talking about how he doesnt care for so-called "promotion" and how he's happy to maintain his position as just "teacher". Because that's how he feels he can do his job best. True, hierarchy and the human obsession with power and authority helps with nothing and hinders with everything.
You in-charge, he supervise, then i do.

At this point, let me link to a few revelations at MMI. Being a small office, the "hierarchy" is not that distinct, but mainly just The Bosses, and Everyone Else. Ok with the recent addition of us temps (oh btw the new interns came on Monday. Hurhur. 2 girls. Nice people lah.) we occupy the 3rd and the lowest rank, The Temps.

So recently there were a few hiccups here and there, and from my pov, i think it could have been improved/avoided with better communication. Coincidentally this "inspiration" came to me during IEEM last year, when i sat in for one of the lectures and it was about increasing efficiency through better communication across the hierarchy.
But a point in contention - if i know as much as my boss does, why cant i replace him?
Ah but well. So anyway ok this one also links to 2), so i tried to bridge the gap between the 2 characters and well i dunno, i hope things get better, for the good of all of us.

4) The Perfect Life.
There isnt one.
There is no The Perfect Job, The Perfect Spouse, The Perfect Situation... So, see what you have, and through your own effort and initiative and responsibility, make it what you want it to be.

5) Responsibility. +Teaching.
His being a teacher, does not automatically and completely stop the moment he steps out of school.
In fact, he is never "not working" in that sense, because he is sensitive to ungracious behaviour in society and will feel compelled to effect some readjustment. Hurhur his example was about MRT trains and pregnant ladies. But i admit, i still dont dare to tell other people to give up their seats for the elderly or for pregnant ladies.

Oh but haha DIGRESSION: Recently there seems to be an improvement in MRT Courtesy leh? :D HAHAHAA! I was on the MRT on Saturday heading downwards from Boon Lay, and ok first of all i dunno why there was this influx of old ladies, but the sitting young-and-healthy-and-dont-need-to-sit commuters immediately and automatically gave up their seats.
It can mean:
a) Improvement in the manners of the Singapore society.
b) Signs of our aging population + economic recession must come and take public transport.

Hurhur actually looking at the list, i may have taken even longer to type that than the time we talked. We talked for about 30mins while he ate his chicken rice and while Meijie prepared for her lessons later in the day (ACTUALLY I THINK SHE SEVERELY DOWNPLAYED THE EXPERIENCE OF TEACHING IN NY. OMGGG what i would give, to teach there...) From after morning assembly to about 8.30am.

Actually i was supposed to leave NY at 8.30am to reach MMI by 9am, but as things would go, haha just as we were leaving, Uncle Chng + the Other Uncle whosenameidontknow were moving tables from the canteen, how can Meijie and i, the 2 once-and-always NY throwers, stand by without helping. Hurhur so we helped move a table to the Alumni Room, and then i boarded 67 at about 8.45am and finally reached office at about 9.10am. Just nice right after Liyan and her parents. SHITTTT. Hahaha! I saw them from a distance away, so i knew i was coming in later than the boss. When i rushed through the door, Patrick looked at me curiously and asked "WHAT HAPPENED??"

Wah... Damn funny.

And today's Nina's birthday! :D Zi ordered a durian cake from EmiCakes and we cut it at about 5.45pm (hurhur my mother later said that we should have done it completely within office hours HAHAHAHA the jadedness of a 30-years-experience OL.) Actually i thought it was really nice of the whole office to "conspire" albeit unsuccessfully, to carry out this "surprise". Zi was preparing plates and forks and placed them in ready-position on the counter, everyone whispered around to get ready, Ms Khoo came down, then Patrick brought the cake out to a table and lighted the candles, then Alex said very loudly "EH NINA, COME AND HAVE MEETING. WE HAVING MEETING OVER HERE,COME COME QUICK!"

HAHAHAHAHAHA then she obligingly yelped in surprise and blushed and we obligingly broke out into Happy Birthday for her. HAHA ok lah her blush was genuine. Randomly in the day, she passed me in the pantry, and i was on the phone but being put on hold, so i covered the mouthpiece and said "HEY! I heard it's your birthday today! :D Happy birthday! *holds up hand*" then she gave the cutest beam and said "Thank you thank you!" and hi-fived me.

So today was the first time i ate a durian cake. Actually i dislike durian in all forms other than in the natural fruit. But this cake was actually not bad, coz the durian puree was really, wah quite solid, really like from the fruit! Rather than those lame durian paste, durian cream, etc. :S

I was quite surprised everyone in office takes to durian. Even Patrick the Korean!? HAHAHAHAHAHA he was MMMmmMMmMMMmmm-ing in approval. Wow. Then Ms Khoo started talking about *something* (i didnt catch the starting) about how we should have cakes and celebrate birthdays only when Dalong is not around? HAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!
Then talked about his reservist, and actually i was thinking office is so much quieter and rather dull, without him around.
Then after cake-eating, Patrick and Zi were fighting to wash the plates. Nina will bring the rest of the cake home for her husband and daughter.
Then turned out that they (The Bosses + Everyone Else) were all gonna have a meeting after cake-eating, and i was commenting "The meeting will smell like durian. The office smells like durian. Everything smells like durian!" then Alex said "Yah man. Wait till i fart." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!? OMGGGGGG. Damn gross, but still damn funny.

Hurhur today is the 2nd day for the 2 new interns. I wonder what they think.