different

Yesterday, I went back to tnp to collect claims together with nic and esther. More than a month after I left, there is none of the you-don't-belong-here-anymore feel. Had a nice chat with jl, mp and lc and said hi to so many other people. It feels great to be back in the buzz, and listen to xin en complain about how some celebrity thought she is from some tribe in China.
Today, went to scrawl on the nine-page document that seals my life for the next 10 years. It was alright, even good to get it over-and-done-with, except that much of the time we were stiff with formalities and quiet politeness. Perhaps most jobs are highly hierachical and ceremonial, and if we ever made any really good friends in the process, it is a blessing more than a normality.
And to seal it all off today, I was brutally insulted by this promoter at taka. When we asked what was the difference between 2 items to justify the difference in price, he simply told us directly to the effect that we should not ask because we cannot afford to buy the more expensive one.
If people from different sections of society cannot mix, so be it. Let me stay where I am and wear what I like, even if it becomes an odd disadvantage. Society writes for itself the definition of oddity.

Leaving Behind

Memories are the milestones of our path, mentally and emotionally marking our journey. Many things can trigger a flood of happy memories. Everything from fishhead curry to chinese papers headlines. It has been a whole month since I left TNP, where I have slogged for five months straight. At times, I have been, at the same time, crazily buzy, deliriously happy, completely confused and zonked out. It is a whirlpool of madness that just overwhelms and takes over, even if you tried to walk out on it. But it was great, challenging, even satisfying. Perhaps it is the masochistic streak in me that leaves me missing this job. Or maybe I am a creature of habit. I still look at odd people investigatively and gravitate near (instead of away from) police cordons, as Belle will tell you.
Memories only turn disastrous when they leave you wallowing in the past. The past, present and future cannot overlap, except in our minds which draw fascinating connections. To hope that the future will be like the past is to be a cat chasing its own tail. While I get rid of all the quirky pseudo-reporting habits, those days will be sediments left on the shore/bank after a very high tide.

Shine festival

This is a publicity post for my friend. He is organising a scrapbook competition called SCRAPS as part of the Shine Festival. The submission deadline is 7 July. ;p. Check out http://scraps.youth.sg for more details.

Have a good day!