It ended earlier,
And in a worse way than I had imagined.

For the record,
Just because I don't say it,
Doesn't mean I don't feel it.

Tired of malfunctional things,
Like the old template,
That had the missing comment box.
So, here is a 'anyhow pick' version,
Meant to be a temporary move,
That might last longer than expected.
Because I'm just too busy to deal with it.

Where did my comment box go ???

I am wondering how anyone can start a life,
Earning a salary of less than $2K every month.

I don't know how long I can handle,
The process of having to crack my head,
To think about where to get more money,
Whenever I need to spend on things.
While it is possible to spend more than $200 per month,
Satisfying all my tiny desires of life,
Who wants a life of zero savings?

This is not what life should be like.

I finally got my new helmet last Saturday.

I feel as if I am wearing a pair of Bose headphones,
Since it filters quite a bit of noise,
Although when the sun is too strong,
I feel as if I am wearing a portable oven.

Memorable comments so far -
"Hahaha Why no lan?"
"Wah you wear this kind of helmet to ride that kind of bike."

Just for information,
Here is a picture of the 24-year-old RXK,
And a picture of my N62.



Helped Liam with her thesis model,
And I must say I like the look of it,
With the concept of different levels,
And its relation and play with water,
Due to seasonal differences in McRitchie.
Go kick ass, chicca!

It's official...
My AutoCAD skills suck.
Accordingly to my colleague,
Boss S wanted to 'puke blood',
When she saw my unfolded elevation dwg.

Oh dear.

How will it end?

Mom's friend passed away last Saturday.
She had fought with cancer for almost the last decade,
And her condition had stabilised over the past number of years.
Her positiveness and encouragement was Mom's inspiration.

Unfortunately,
the friend's condition suddenly deteriorated.
She fought hard over the last couple of weeks,
But was unable to defeat cancer.

When Mom told me about the news on Saturday,
I could tell she was worried and perhaps even scared.
She hesitated about going for the funeral.
I guess it is kind of freaky to do that,
Despite all the respect and concern she had for her friend.
And being the kind of kid that doesn't express emotions well,
I didn't really know how to respond,
Other than telling her,
She should do what she is most comfortable with.

Mom's radiotherapy at the hospital ends this week.
I had planned to take her out to dinner,
But work this week is going to be crazy,
That is obvious when it is Monday night,
And one arrive home close to 11pm,
And Friday in the diary is marked,
With a tender and a competition submission.

As I passed through Mom's bedroom to the shower,
Her figure struck me as frail and fragile,
And I felt terrible as a kid,
Who is unable to provide enough,
For her to have a comfortable retirement.

In an attempt to thicken my income,
I took up a survey job for a PhD student,
To interview residents at Bukit Panjang,
About the park opposite their flat.
It was a 30-survey job that lasted 5 days,
Spread over the last 3 weeks.

Considering that I was initially offered $5 per survey,
And each one took more than half an hour to fill,
With 10 pages and almost 300 questions,
It really is not very worthwhile,
Since I can only get a maximum of 7 surveys filled per day,
Which resulted in only $70 per weekend.
A small negotiation on the 2nd weekend,
Resulted in a small increase in payment,
That made the job slightly more decent than child labour.

As the surveying progressed,
I found myself actually enjoying the process,
Having spoken to genuinely warm people.
Instead of being the unwelcomed stranger outside the gate,
I met folks who actually invited me into their houses,
Offered me drinks from water to ribena (yes, no vitamin C),
Allowed me to use their bathrooms.
And even showed me their cute pets.

The survey process also revealed,
Each resident's character and personality to an extent,
That made me feel like I was given 30 minutes,
To catch a glimpse into each of their lives.
Sometimes it makes me think,
"Hmmm I would like my neighbours to be like that."

The residents of some of the blocks,
Also have such nifty green fingers,
That they have personalised their living space,
With so many pots of plants,
That it feels like you are in mini Botanic Gardens.

Might post some pictures later on,
Finally a big thank you to those,
Who are living opposite that park in Bukit Panjang...
If you ever come across this post,
While googling for your own neighbourhood.
:]

The pay cheque that arrived promptly,
Definitely made my day last Friday.
Not that it is a fat cheque,
Just that any pay cheque will make anyone's day.

Staring at the figures on the piece of paper,
I am tempted to embark on other careers,
That will bring me more than this pathetic sum,
Which isn't even enough to get me the simplest credit card.

It kinda feels sucky,
To be earning much less than your friends,
Because it indicates a differentiated spending power,
On doing things you would love to do together.