1 night of brainstorming, 3 practice sessions and a ridculously long email conversation later, and we were gigging (and a maybe bit of giggling too) in Ben & Jerry’s at the Cathay. I screwed up again – the introduction to “Donna Lee” wasn’t supposed to sound the way it sounded, my triplets got away from me the entire night, and the drum shield in front of me made it rather difficult to judge the volume I was supposed to play at. But it was still cool, seeing everyone again after such a long time.
I could do this forever, but I’ve got worse things to do, like bidding for next semester’s modules and wondering how many times I’m going to die within the next 4 to 5 months. All of which will mean that the gig was a one-off, so all of you can breathe a collective sigh of relief, ‘cos you won’t have to bear with my playing for some time yet…
Filed under: Ramblings
Friday is the end of the work week for many people, as it was for me. But while most people were relieved that the weekend was finally here, my heart had sunk below my stomach. It was the end of my final work week at the labs, and I was sad. And it wasn’t just any sad. Actually, it was more like heartbreak. I really couldn’t bear to leave the place, but I knew it had to be done.
For the past 10 weeks, I’ve been working at the NSC labs, entering lab results into the computer. It was mindless work. And it was good. I was surrounded by my colleagues, many of whom are girls, but that’s not the point. Everyone I’ve met at the centre – the lab techs, doctors, admin staff and all, have all been so patient, accomodating and encouraging to me. Most of the deadlines I’d been given would go along the lines of “when you are free,” which meant I could do my work at my own pace, and still get the job done on time. But of course, I’d always give my best, because I’m a workaholic, but for the most part, I really didn’t wanna let them down. Still, all the encouragement I received were bordering on silliness really. I was spending time double – and sometimes, triple – checking everything, so having this many people telling me how quickly I worked was somewhat bewildering.
So I had a stable occupation, nobody but wonderful people around me, and absolutely no pressure at all. No stress, silly assignments, projects, or unfathomable lectures. It may not equal Ferrari as one of the best workplaces in the world, but it’s pretty darn close.
There was one downside to the job though – leaving it. My last day there was one of the best and worst days of my life. Best, because it was the day I felt most strongly that I was part of a close-knit family. (The techs from 3 different labs asked me on 3 separate occasions if they could give me a treat for lunch. In the end though, I went out with Hui Qin, Serene and Hilary, since they asked me first. It felt kinda strange though, having 3 girls treat me to lunch…) Worst, because I had to leave that family. I’d never felt closer to such a large group of people in such a short time. There were no tears when we bade farewell, but for me, there very nearly were.
That was the closest I’d come to bursting into tears after the age of 12.
I sure hope I’ll be able to return to the labs again. But even if I don’t, I’ll be sure to keep the lab department and its entire staff close to my heart, for it was with them that I’d spent what was probably the happiest 10 weeks of my life.
Nico 