and so..

today was my last day at work..

i tot i would tear but i did not.. maybe that's cos monday i still need to terp (interpret) in court..

but the past week was sad.. with every announcement given (about my leaving), people were sad and i felt even worse knowing that i was the reason for their sadness..

but like what my boss say, they should be happy for me as i am moving on to a greener path..

well.. sighs.

the new interpreter has started work this week and i had did all the necessary handover..

cleared my drawers and ended up with 4 big bags of stuff.. today another 2 bags..

but still, my table is full of stuff.. i never remove the pin ups, neither did i clear the stationery..

but i took everything that is personal to me:









all these that used to be hanged at my desk, now all in a big bubble envelope..

and oh my clock where i listened to class 95 everyday.. =)

the stuff were all pinned up behind the PC as u can see from this pic.. and my clock on top of the CPU.. =)

still, the desk look full.. i guess its cos i never remove the calendar, and files and well, all other information that are pinned up..

well.. maybe deep inside my heart, i am hoping that this isnt true.. that maybe i am staying, but i am not..

had a talk with my ando.. was nice.. my last talk with him in his office.. =)

received gifts from interpreter subcommittee members and colleagues:











i especially like what is being written here:

you can always count on true friends.

they help you weather every storm, they cheer you up when you are down, and they chide you when you are wrong.

sometimes you get so preoccupied with life's mundane troubles that you do not find the timeto tell your friends how much they mean to you.

if you have not already expressed yourself, do so now.

such moments seal the bond of friendship forever.

and i realised that's me, too busy with life's mundane troubles.. and i hereby apologise for it..


i still love you, my friends.. those i trust completely, those i don meet as often but still miss, those that are so far away from me that internet is the only way of communication..

i love you all. =)





now that i am sitting here, i am still trying to convince myself that this is the end (leaving of the job)..

and i realised, it has been an interesting year from 2008 to 2009..

• i lost a r/s i thought i would never lose..
• i got a job i never tot that i would be in..
• i lost friends i tot are for life..
• i gained new friends that i never tot i would have.. from work and outside..
• i have put myself in confusion in things and situations i tot i would never landed up in..
• i got enlightened in conversations i tot was superficial..

its really interesting to me.. alot of changes.. changes i never tot of..

i never expect my life to become roller coaster..

if more than a year ago, u were to ask me, how will my life be in a year's time, i would have said, got engaged, applying for flat and getting married..

maybe a stable job in the government sector or hospital..

that's it.

being an interpreter, involved in Deaf community, being single again, losing old friends and gaining new ones? not a chance!

but i did..

and to tell the truth, i am glad for the changes.. it made me a clearer person.. =)

not necessarily a happier person, but i learnt to be more independent..

all in all, i hope this change (change of job) will be beneficial..

i forsee a busier me but maybe, a more satisified me too..

which is good.

i hope for you, the reader, will become a more satisfied person in the coming year and treasure your friends, those who are really true to you are hard to come by.

once lost, it's forever..........................

finally, i bought a new belly ring! :D

So excited!

Past by a shop at Bugis Village the other day and went to browse the belly rings..

Those who didn't know, i had my navel piercing in March last year..

and it took more than half a year to completely heal.. i actually thought it would never heal..

(by the way, it really doesn't hurt! not a feel! maybe cos there's no nerves there..but in any case, if you have been contemplating on having one, go ahead! i can recommend the shop to you!)

So this is the first belly ring i have.. its purple..





after it healed, i have been trying to get a new belly ring.. but had no idea which one to get.. those that are colorful are way too expensive (more than 100bucks!) and those that are cheap don't look nice..

until i came to this shop..

their rings are really nice and cheap! only 28bucks! haha.. i expected like 50-60bucks..

and so, i got 3 designs to choose:

1. 2 heart-shaped dangling on top and bottom..
2. a turtle with movable body..
3. and a dangling scorpion..

i liked all 3 but the one that caught my eye was the scorpion..

but i was told that it looked a bit too extreme.. too fierce to be exact..

and i started to have 2nd thoughts..


was planning to choose between the 1st n 2nd when the salesgirl said,

"xiao mei (little sister), don't change your image or style, cos that's who you really are and that's what that attracts people.."

it does sound like compliment and i do accept it as compliment..

but that also means i should not try to have a sweet or cute image cos that's not me.. =.=

(the heart shaped belly ring is sweet and the turtle, well, cute.. lol)

told some of my friends this and they laughed, saying,
"you are ah lian outlook, can never change lah!"
(oh, some were nicer, they jus tried not to laugh out loud)

=.=

i am NOT ah lian ok? arghhhhh..



well, i chose the scorpion eventually, since that's MORE me..


though i am still gonna insist that i am NOT ah lian~~~

in any case, i love my belly ring alot! :D

ok.. i think its time to announce this:

i am leaving my current job.



and no, i am not happy at all.. i don't want to leave.. =(

but then, reality sucks.

(no, i am not SACKED, i RESIGN. =.=)

between passion and reality..

a choice need to be made, and so, reality sucks.

due to some personal reasons, i have decided to leave the workplace that i love, the job that i grew to love so much and the people i will miss..

despite the

• heavy workload,
• crazy schedules,
• politics (which is present in every company) ,
• irritating people (which again, present everywhere),
• me always not getting enough zzz,
• aching wrists and shoulders after full days of interpreting,
• the outbreak i get for being so stressed at work,
• the crying i had,
• and the tempers i had thrown during work and meetings..

i still find this the best job i ever had..

i really love this job to the max.. but.. =(




alot of my friends are actually happy that i am moving on to a "better" job..

cos they always complain that i have no time for them (that includes my family)..

and i always look so tired..




i know i should be happy, since i will have more time for my loved ones.. to catch up with my friends, to have enough rest etc.. but i am not.

i am actually very sad to leave..

my bosses have been persuading me to stay but i can't..

i have my difficulties.. (they understood and i am grateful for that)




this is a bad time to leave, with alot of events coming up and projects.. my overseas business trips etc..

sighs.




i will still volunteer there though, still a member of interpreter's sub-committee, still gonna interpret for them if time allows.

this is the only way for me to stay connected and not to lose my skills..

one more month and i will be leaving.. =(




a new job awaits me in August.. how will it be, i have no idea.

keeping my fingers crossed that everything will go just fine..

after the 1st sorry, you hope.


after the 3th sorry, you still hope.


after the 5th sorry, you start to lose hope.


after the 20th sorry, you learn not to hope.


after the 40th sorry, you learn  to expect it will happen again.


after the 50th sorry, you don't learn, you know  it will  happen again.

words aren't cheap, they are free  cos they mean nothing.

Working as an interpreter means i am on 24/7 standby and my schedule packed a month before and this was my schedule in July (which was fixed in June or earlier):


then the swine flu hit us..


and today, swine flu has spread quite a bit, and fear grows as schools reopen with students coming back from overseas trips and stuff..

and so, i received cancellation of assignments for "mass gathering setting" such as training, courses, seminars etc..

and this is what my schedule looks like after 10mins:



from this to that:

suddenly, i become very free.. when i was supposed to be busy every weekend and most weekdays and weeknights..

one swine flu and my whole month lifestyle changed: from a workaholic with no time for even herself to a slacker with too much time on hand.

amazing.