Year 2004: In retrospect

I started the year working at Teletech. Customer service, infamous for demanding customers and stressful performance indicators, lived up to its reputation. Assuming an average of 60 callers a day, this means that I've almost talked to more than 1800 customers during my time there! I've never ever called so many international calls or interacted with so many foreign people of all walks of life before. Truly demanding! But thankfully, the stars had it upon me that ever helpful colleagues were always on hand to save me! Not forgetting my batch of friends there too! Fresh in my mind was the first day i reported for training. Ta-da, the moment i entered the room, all i saw was ladies and Unle Ronnie! However, familiar sights of Victorians helped settle me down initially. And i'll never forget that Ellena was the first one to help me then, 'Erm we're at this page now......' Phew........=P

Then came release of 'A' Levels' results... Whoosh! Luckily, I did a decent job! Ha real thanks to all my tutors, family and friends! Especially Mrs Toh, who showed badly needed care and concern during the crucial run-up to the examinations; Mrs Ting, who eventually gave me some breathing space; Mr Tay, who patiently conducted Physics remedials for me; Mr Foo and Mr Lam, who always showed belief in me. Very sorry actually to Mrs Ting, because she actually showed favoritism towards me, and I never knew how to handle her high expectations in return."Oh please talk to me," she pleaded, but i didn't dare or know what to say, not that i didn't want to....Mrs Ting recognised my strength in writing, and i'm sincerely thankful for that, because it's been a long time since someone has done that. I feel really bad when Mrs Toh told me that Mrs Ting actually praised me during their tutors' meeting.... But i scored A2 for GP, so i hope she will not feel too bad!!

Army life started on 300304. Tekong was not worth mentioning for me, since i didn't really like what i experienced there. Memorable and once in a lifetime experience, but truly not something i'd like to think of frequently. Special mention to Garry, who successfully helped me overturn one weekend confinement for me. Whoa close shave man.... Field camp was spooky, things getting lost suddenly and then appearing in some funny place...It was really traumatising. =(

Come June I was posted to MRF. 11 Wks combat medic course plus Mopp-C. Breathing, body temperature, skin condition, mental strength, physical condition, all came under severe stress. Pushing the limits and with as much safety precautions as possible. I never appreciated the abundance of cool air around me. Now i do.

Fast forward to December 2004. Conversion course completed. 1.5 week of leave given. Finally a time to relax. Met up with friends. Reminded of the fragility of life and the importance of family and friends. Repositioned oneself for the New Year. Hope God will bless me and my family, and may better things come in future >>

XYZ BBQ @Costa Sands

strong>Wow, I went to the XYZ Chalet last night. Never expected to leave there in the wee hours of the morning really..

Besides myself, Gui, shuhui and jelly came along too. Felt old, cos of the kids' presence, but hey, wenjing and other seniors were there too, which means oh yes i'm still young! From the moment i joined DHS, i never imagined that one fine day, i'd earn the honour of being able to tell my juniors, 'hey u kids think u know everything in this world. Hey i've been watching DHSCO performances for 6 years!' Gosh SIX long years.....=P

In 1997 , a choice was made to enrol in DHS. In 1998, a decision was reached to accept the posting to CO and neither choir nor scouts, and learn to play erhu, though i chose suona. In 1999, i was assigned to play zhonghu, for reasons still not clearly known. Year 2000, I made my first and only, thus far, overseas trip, to China; subsequently chosen to be the Secretary; even participated in National Music Competition under Ensemble category, and made it past the first round i think. Champions of SYF (Orchestra), but sadly only silver for ensemble.

Almost all of my time then was devoted to CO. Indeed, CO has benefitted me, yet it has also failed me at times. It was unrealistic to expect only good things from CO. If only i knew better, and had my life balanced out properly.

Till this day, all these happenings in DHS still have a profound influence on my ABCs in life. The way i behave, tutored by Huiling, influenced partly by Peiru; values imparted by TTK and Quek, Mdm Kong, Miss ChanBB and Mr Teo, and lessons learnt on my own. Needless to say, friends i've made during those times. Whether or not joining CO or even DHS in the first place remains to be seen, up till today. But it's not really important to know the answer.

Yet some are always eager to find out about others. The 4 of us at the chalet went for a stroll by the beach, under the moonlight and backed by chilly wind. Truth or truth was the game we played. Questions asked were mainly about our love life, which was something we apparently don't talk about together. "Who is your latest crush?" "Do you think you will EVER like RL?" All sorts of funny questions. Personally, i don't like to touch on the topic of crushes, at least not in a group. Yes, sometimes during one-on-one heart-to-heart talks, but not even in a small group. I felt that honesty regarding these issues should only be rightfully reserved to your future spouse. Will i ever like XXX? Who knows?

Place: Asylum @Clarke Quay

Ha went to Clarke Quay! Initially thought that there'd be lots of pubs here (my friend also thought i was going clubbing =P), but actually it's Boat Quay that's full of pubs!

Anyway there's lots of eatery around here, and real close to the Bungee Jump too! We booked the entire outdoor area of Asylum and we were all wearing the same shirt ( tourists even came and asked us why..). There was one pretty waitress in pink, and some of the guys even went forth to take photos with her! *Oh* On hindsight, perhaps i could have done the same and posted it online, and you'll know who i'm talking about. All in all, we just sat around and watched a snooker (billards?) match on TV, chatted around and that's all. Oh yes, the food was great too!

HohOHo!!

Merry Christmas!! Went to CCO's 30th anniversary concert yesterday. So homely, a return to somewhere familiar, warm and intimate. Yes HS and YJ couldn't turn up in the end, but never mind, the atmosphere there just blew away any minor hiccups...

Old-time favourite classical hits, ever-so-friendly CO mates. Hugged one of my friends after the concert, "shou chong ruo jing" was the reaction.. Ha perhaps i've really neglected my friends in the past...........

CO... One moment i want to contribute, then time always has to be sacrificed for other stuff.. Why does this other stuff never, ever show up when i'm free?? Never easy for me..

I hope that it will be a peaceful final week for 2004. No hoax, no activation, no drills.
And i need a sense of direction badly too. Any help, Santa??

HohohOno.....

Place: China Square #02- zhong guo cha

Nice place to eat...$15 buffet lunch weekdays
Roti-boy on Level 1 too!

OH finally, a break for me...

After days of enduring all the rumours, finally, oh yeeessss, i've gotten a vacation till the start of the New year!! It's the perfect ending, fully deserved in my opinion, to an action-packed, emotional, and sometimes heart-wrenching year of 2004...

So far, i have not planned what to do with these unexpected days of rest, but i've better hurry. Don't waste time! Not forgetting some badly needed spring cleaning of my room.....

Good news for me: I'd managed to get replies from my Angel, who is expectedly doing well. Hope that the connection will remain tight as ever!!

Relections...

2 more hours and i'd be on my way booking in to camp. Christmas is coming real soon.

Lately, honestly, frankly, i've been thinking of good old days in DHS. I remember , in Sec3, i played my first Angels & Mortals game. I never treated it seriously (I'm trying to find whether i kept those msgs..). Yet when my Angel was revealed, it turned out to be a "she", and the most outstanding person in my class. Everyone was jealous of me, and i was left wondering how in the world did i earned, and gave up this chance of knowing what could be my best friend.

Later, my class was relocated to the library due to ongoing construction works. That was one of the finest periods of my life. Since i came later and there wasn't any space to sit beside my usual tablemate, i had to sit beside another good friend of mine. Then my Angel came and sat beside my good friend. Oh i forgot, they are tablemates in the classsroom.. Then by luck, we were told to position ourselves to the rear of the classroom in the same sitting arrangement. But this time i was to sit beside my Angel. Perhaps it was the combined influence of my two new tablemates, my grades improved, as my chinese Teacher Mr Yan observed. I also enjoyed sitting next to them, as they were both not only bright, but my Angel was ever-ready to explain and joke with me! We shared interests in chinese music too, which was just as welcome.. Delicacies from neighbouring country was shared, much to my delight. But at that time, i was too pre-occupied with CCA work, and other nagging issues, and only now did i fully appreciate how much my Angel had done to brighten up my days.

Her JC concert was a surprise. Went to watch it then found out that she was performing as wel. SYF 2003 was another surprise. We managed to meet in the audience, and there she was beaming with pride and excitement and humbleness about joining her first and my second SYF competition. In the end, her sch went on to the finals, and we could really see the smile. SPH Scholarship fair, met again but yet again...

Is it just me day-dreaming again?? I dont mind finding out, but right now i just hope that fate would have it upon us that friends meet again and relive the joyful moments...

Why i blog this?
The moment my friend saw this, the initial and only thought came to her mind, " oh he likes her!"
I wouldn't wanna sabo myself like this right?? She's a lost friend