End of Chapter SSC..

Omigod...i could feel tears welling up in my eyes as i type this..not since my 'life-changing' experience have i felt such strong emotions in me..

My farewell gift was an autograph book..my very first one..yes, as Ms K & Ms 'No-pics-with-my-short-hair' would know..i had never owned an autograph book in my life..mot in pri sch, not in sec sch..never. Perhaps friendships never meant so much to me before..

Earlier in the day, wei was wondering if i will cry during my farewell..& i replied i'll try my best not to..And so, I forced myself not to read the autograph entries during the dinner, no matter how tempted i was..for i was afraid i couldn't control my tears..yes, i admit, i'm too 'love face' to shed tears in front of everyone..

Of cos, there were feelings of 'bu she de' throughout the day..but it really hit a climax when i flipped thru the autograph book..64 pages..filled with touching paras & 'lovely' pics.. it's not something u can put together in a few hours..even a few days..goodness knows how many lunches they forgo to do up the book (yes, i'm aware..the times when i happily went to the gym & u folks stayed in to do this) & how much 'OT' they put in for it..the amount of effort put in is enuf to make me wanna retract my R letter..

I'm never one to express my feelings outright (i'm not a high 'E' pax, rem?)..i know i should have said something more 'appropriate' just now..but i really dunno how to..sorry *.*

A couple of ex-colleagues turned up..didn't really have a chance to speak much with them but their attendance was very much appreciated..With dinner out of the way, we adjourned to a pub next door. More friendly jibing & reminiscing..with an average of 4 years with each of them, there was plenty to talk about..

Had a shot of brain damage..ok, not too strong..still can tahan..there was request for another round..should be able to handle..ordered a long island tea..took a sip, doesn't taste too potent..heng ah..

Had a toast with everyone..at the end of the round, my LIT was gone..so far so good..feeling a little light in the head but manageable..shan't allow myself to get drunk..





Knew i was getting a little loud..but it's ok..sang a song with lulu..si bei malu but i guess it must be entertaining to the rest..kai xin jiu hao..

The evening has come to an end..and it's time for us to split..trust tat everybody had a good time..cos i definitely did..

Back home..sitting in my room and typing for the past 30 mins or so, i'm a little more sober now..& my first thought is 'SHIT! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO FOR THEM NOW??' The truth is..i had also prepared some little surprises for them..i, too, had gone thru all my photos & selected a few 'memorable' ones..& guess wat? most of them appeared in the autograph book!!! I should have never doubted their resourcefulness *shakes head* 4.5 years with them..i should have known better than to try & outsmart 20+ heads put together..

Hmm..still have a little bit of time to put something together..hope i can outdo myself this once..

For now..it's off to dreamland..with a smile from the heart..

$10.50

yes, $10.50..tat's wat my lost staff pass cost me..

I had lost it when my wallet was swept away and had not bothered to get it replaced since..today's my last day of work & i'm supposed to return it..

No pass, no clearance form, no pay...wat to do? boh bian..pay lor >.<

Happy Birthday Amigos!

Woah! I'm feeling oh-so-high now..yes, i did have a drink..but the high didn't come from the it..it was a natural high from pure happiness..

It was the birthday of a close colleague today..dinner was at a spanish restaurant..reservation was made for 7pm & i arrived on the dot..got the waitress to keep the cake in the fridge, i sat down & waited..& waited..

Quick check on the watch, 20 mins into appointment time & no signs of people..stomach let out a gentle growl..heng ah, nobody was around to hear it..

7.30pm..2 of them appeared..then 3..then 4..good, the whole gang has arrived..can start ordering liao..

Food came, food gone..it was time for the highlight of the evening..

After arranging with the waitress, the live band came over to our table and started singing the birthday song..& the cake was brought on..this was no ordinary cake..it was a cake with a 'watch' on it, the watch tat Ms K has been eyeing..

*applause applause*

Oh, was tat Ms K wiping tears from her eyes? i have good reasons to believe they were tears of joy..good food, good ambience(though it was a little warm sitting outdoors) & most importanly, good company..wat more could one ask for?



Next programme on the list..some cosy chit-chat..

We strolled to a pub further down the road but was distracted by a bridge along the way. 0.5 claimed that she wanted to take pics on the bridge..sure, why not? we're camera-ready all the time..

0.5 suddenly turned to me and said 'i realised i don't have tat many photos taken wif u'..oh, has she been digging for photos with the 2 of us? cos i had been..& i had the same sentiments..

Reached the pub..frozen margarita were ordered(yes, it was really quite a warm night) and everybody just sat back and relaxed..can't rem much of the conversations..mostly unimportant stuff..just some minor details tat u probably won't mention to 'hi-bye' frens but would like to share wif your closer frens..

Back home..as i'm sitting in front of my pc..waiting for my hair to dry..wat will tmr be like? am i supposed to behave as per normal? or do i have to go around shaking hands? am i expected to be happy or sad?

I really dunno..after all, this is my first(real) job & hence, the first time i'm leaving a workplace..guess i'll find out in a few hours' time..

Final Countdown..

It was a rainy morning..the rain was much welcomed after 2 weeks of unbearable hot weather & high humidity..the morning felt much cooler..

Just received my first farewell gift..a box of Royce chocs..rather appreciative of it as it was from someone whom i've known for barely 1 month..proof that kindness & generosity is abundant in this office..

2nd last day of work..

Hmm...what shall i talk about today..?

A couple of weeks ago, I read this article by this columnist who wrote about how her friends rallied around her in times of need...it struck a chord in me...i decided to write in to ST but unfortunately, the article was never published...wat the heck, i have my own ZXL Times now!

Colleagues In Need Are Friends Indeed

I refer to the article 'Friends in need are friends indeed' by Cheong Suk-Wai in Sunday Lifestyle on 3 April.

I have been on the receiving end of much kindness and generosity from many friends a couple of months ago. I was among those who happened to be on Phi Phi Island on the fateful morning of 26 Dec 04.

Having escaped death narrowly, I had miraculously suffered no serious injuries, except for a few cuts and bruises. All possessions on me, including money, mobile phone and passport were gone.

When news reached friends and colleagues back in Singapore, smses and calls of concerns came through my travelling companions' mobile phones(lesson learnt : never ever doubt their resourcefulness). The moment they heard I needed to get travel documents from the Singapore Embassy in Bangkok, the local address and contact numbers were sent via sms. When I informed them that I have secured the necessary documents and was allowed to fly back to Singapore, the list of available flights were once again ready at their fingertips.

When I finally touched down at Changi Airport on 29 Dec at 11.30pm, imagine how surprised and touched I was to see, besides my family, a 'battalion' of my colleagues, from my immediate boss to the HR Chief to all my dear colleagues, all 18 of them, waiting to welcome me back.

There were the 8 who accompanied me to the hospital all the way till 3+ in the morning, the 1 who called at 2+am despite having to catch a flight early next morning, the 2 who took time off from work to keep me company at home, the 1 who loaned me a mobilephone, the many who contributed for my new wallet, the HR folks who sent me flowers and even a notoriously private colleague invited me over to her place for a home-cooked meal.

These are the people whom I meet almost everyday in office, but they did not wait till I got back to work to show their concern.They came by my place for meals whenever they could, updated me on office gossips via email, ferried me around so that I will not miss out any birthday celebrations and even held the New Year's gathering at my place. Simple acts they maybe, but definitely a great deal to me during that period.

To Michael, Addy, Joanne, Bee Lian, Eer Ling, Adeline, Min Min, Sharon Ang, Sharon Soh, Chian Jia, Yit Ying, Su Min, Su Mei, Jean, Fidzah, Wee Wee, Ching Hui, Yvonne, Serene, Kay Min, Roy, Wei Yong, Hwee Meng, Giovene, Geraldine, Wa Cheng, Jan...

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU.

Birthdays

Just celebrated the birthdays of 3 colleagues..April babies..all born within the same week..

Birthday song, chocolate cake, photo-taking..all SOP but still, everybody is having a good time..& tat's wat tat matters..

Hmm..where & with whom will i celebrate my next birthday?

Globalisation

Took the morning off today..might as well..since i have off-hours to clear..& to fix up my pc..

Something wrong with my mobilephone's connection..the link to my pc is not working..damn..had wanted to d/l some of the pics taken with my phone camera..& since this phone was bought from bangkok..i have no idea where i can get it fixed in sin..shit..

Stepped into office at 2+..sat down at my workstation..scanned thru my emails..about half were about a birthday dinner on thurs..& the other half, on my farewell dinner..2 aisles away, i could hear my colleagues congregating..peals of laughter float across..boy, am i gonna miss those crazy conversations we so often have..

Walked over to fetch water..opps, i think i've stumbled upon their 'secret mission'..saw photos of myself all over the place..got my water & started to walk back..this time, i decided to 'warn' them about my approaching..i see people dispursing..

Received an email from rq..soon the 3 of us - ys, rq & myself will be emailing each other from different continents..is this what they mean by globalisation??

First Issue of The ZXL Times!

Alright, this shall be my first & proper blog entry..

Today is the first day of my last week @ work..how do i feel? To be honest, i dun feel anything..yet..Perhaps i'm tired from all the packing & clearing tat has been on-going for the past week or so..no doubt about it, i suck at packing stuff..

Went Orchard after work to meet ys for dinner..bought yet another stack of cards today..kept worrying tat i din buy enuf cards to go 'round the office..

Back at home, just had my pc reformatted..had been trying to restore some of my programmes..tiring task..eyes starting to protest already...think i shall call it a day..

The Creation of ZXL Times

yea...finally..my blog is up & ready..

must give some credit to wei..since she's the one who sent me the link to create this blog..

in the meantime...stay tuned for more entries!

The Creation of ZXL Times

yea...finally..my blog is up & ready..

must give some credit to wei..since she's the one who sent me the link to create this blog..

in the meantime...stay tuned for more entries!