The train I took in the morning was very packed. So packed, that I do not even have room to take out my book and read. It was until Novena that a handful of people alight that I took out my book to read. I was kind of sleepy also, because I didn’t sleep well last night; kept waking up every now and then. When my alarm rang at 6.30 in the morning, I was like “So fast morning already?!”
I reached Tanjong Pagar just before 8 a.m. Work doesn’t start until 8.30, so I just sat myself on one of the benches outside Capital Tower, and watched the fountain dance, and people rushing by me in this early morning rush hour. Everything seemed so routine. Same people, same environment, same happenings. Everyday. How I wish I am not in this routine. I can’t believe that I’m actually saying this, but I kind of miss the army. I miss being with the guys. Although we always complain among each other, saying things like “No welfare!” or “No freedom!”, I think it’s because of all these no welfare, no freedom and other difficult times that we are able to bond, as we have one common goal in mind: ORD. Days in branch was so much easier to get by: first parade at 7.30 followed by physical training, 9.30 report to branch, lunch together at 1, pang kang at 5. Work is fun, when you have your friends beside you, and just having fun while working through little jokes and laughter. And I’m missing that already. I think that this is the nature of humans right? Or at least the nature of me. The nature of not treasuring what’s happening at the moment, and kept recollecting how wonderful the past was. There is this saying in Buddhism: … All suffering of mankind is produced by attachment to a previous condition of existence. In other words, if we eliminate out expectation as to how the future ought to be a continuation of the past, we guarantee ourselves more peace of mind. I hope I can do that, and like soon.
Phone calls again in the late part of the morning. I can’t believe that there are still people owing payments, even for the month of October. I just cannot understand it. They remind me of my father, who always like to leave bills unpaid. Unlike him, I like to make it a point to clear all this bills first before any other things else.
Lunch was (well, you’ve guessed it) alone again. Today I went to Amoy Food Centre for lunch, because I don’t want to be stuck in air-conditioned place like for the whole day. Although the walk to the food centre is a rather short one, I enjoyed it nonetheless. At last! The warmth of the sun! I had wanton mee, as usual. I realized that I have not been eating any rice for a while. It was Yong Tong Hu for yesterday’s lunch, instant noodles for yesterday’s dinner, and now today, wanton mee! (And it looks like it’s going to be instant noodles again for dinner tonight.) Anyway, I went loitering again after my meal. See?! Everything is so routine! At least this routine is still quite new to me. A few more months down the road I will be quite bored with it!
I finished making phone calls by early afternoon. So for the rest of the afternoon I was running small errands for my colleagues, like mailing letters, banking in cheques, sending out faxes and so on. I bought a cup of coffee when the snack trolley came around at 3.40 in the afternoon. I was yawning away many times throughout the day already, so a steaming cup of coffee should just be the cure for that. Plus a peanut pancake that I bought from Jollibean while coming back to office from lunch. The combination was goes quite well, especially in the coldness of office. Why can’t office be livelier, like back in S2 Branch? Opps. Attachments to a previous living condition. Live in the present!! But the present wasn’t as fun as the past. From a line in a song by Cyndi Wang, “Memories are fonder than reality.” Sign. I just met Zhi Wei on Saturday night for dinner at Bugis, and met Benjamin two weeks ago for beer with sergeant Cheuk Yin they all. I miss the rest of the people whom I have not met for a while. I asked Gim Hock out last Friday evening, but he wasn’t free. I asked Qing Yang to bring me go St James to club, he said he quit clubbing already. At least I’ve booked Elton for Alvin & The Chipmunk 2, which is coming out soon. Late afternoon today was quite… empty; there wasn’t much to be done. I hope it’s going to be like that for a while. I hate it when I have to be responsible for a lot of things, like that back in S2 Branch: Photo montage, OA accounts creation, updating of OA, video montage, media stickers, and etc and etc. I hope I’m going to be like what I am now: running little errands and phoning a few easy-to-handle people. There was this saying: In Singapore, if you are not the best, then you are one of the rest. I rather be one of the rest sometimes, especially when being the best involves doing so many things. But hey! I was best before! Yah; Best Soldier of the Month. I still find the story of how I got Best Soldier Award funny. I can still remember it the day Sng told me. I was like laughing my head off. Anyway, I tried to pass the late afternoon by “acting busy” typing this entry on Microsoft Word. My seat is back facing the bosses, so typing a “document” on Microsoft Word should be okay I guess. I’m beginning to ice-break with my fellow colleagues; we are talking a bit more now, and cracking one or two jokes. I really do things start to improve soon, so that I can forget about how good branch was. You know what I miss about branch the most? I think it’s a big big big hug from DY Joe! I really really need a big big hug from him soon, if not I will break down.
Christmas is coming soon. I have bought a handful of Christmas cards to be mailed out. I still need to get stamps though. 7 Eleven stops selling stamps already, so I guess I need to go to the post office to get them. I love posting out letters and cards, instead of emails, because it feels more personal. But sadly, when I asked people for their home address, chances of them giving it to me is almost zero. So I only have a handful of people whom I have the home address to mail to. So, for those who wants a Christmas card from me, better give me your home address before the end of this week!
Train ride home was spastic: damn packed! I don’t even have room to put my hand into my pocket to take out my MP3 player to change song. It was until Orchard that most people alighted. Lucky for me, mum cooked dinner tonight (no need to cook instant noodles!) After dinner, used com, like always. I hope it’s just placebo, and not a fever that I’m having now. Maybe I worry too much.
I miss my friends.
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