I walked to the dining room and greeted my auntie - the only other person left in the household at this time of day always. I seem to get this sneaky feeling of comfort all the time, knowing that there is always someone there waiting - in this case, my dearest housekeeper for many many years in the running - to see me off and welcome me back home. I gulped down my oats, yanked my bag over my shoulder, grabbed my shoe bag and headed off for yet another monday day of work.
I always dread taking the morning train, having to jostle and compete for precious leg space in the train with other boarding commuters. Being able to board the first train upon arrival at the platform would either be due to extreme luck, excellent gestural positioning to wedge pass the crowd or pure brute force as one bashes his way through; boarding the second train would be considered fortunate; getting on the third train would be the normal expectation and blame it on your tough luck for anything more than that. My luck was pretty normal today. At least I had space to read the papers by Bishan station.
Halfway through, the crowd thinned enough for me to get leaning space along the train wall. As I was forcing my dulled mind to focus on digesting this certain article about an old guy's view on the Budget, I felt my left fingers being gripped tightly and tugged all of a sudden. For a moment, it felt as though I was being assaulted in a crowded train - like really, it seemed really violent at that instant. I lifted my head up in a panic to see what was happening and... what??
It was my friend-cum-colleague from the health screening centre downstairs! She was standing at my 10 o'clock grinning away, her petite but somewhat plump figure being partially obscured by another commuter standing in between. A cheeky lady, I can still remember those few times she played pranks on me and teased me real hard. We began chuckling away at my over-the-top reaction to the whole affair. We had a lovely conversation throughout the remaining journey afterwards, talking about work, my upcoming studies overseas and other random stuff. I also learnt that she would be leaving the company really soon to pursue other matters, including a trip back home of course. I have to say I will definitely miss her presence, for she is a really fun person to be with.
Human relationships is a really interesting thing. It is just like cooking. Like how the flavours of some cooking ingredients complement each other really well while some clash, some people click instinctively while others detest each other no matter what happens. Some dishes require a long cooking time and simmering for its flavours and textures to be brought out while others will taste superb with a simple stir-fry; likewise, some relationships take a long time to nurture while others form spontaneously. Also, it is very easy to get tired of some foodstuffs while others are able to remain popular for a long time; similarly, some relationships just fizzle out while others remain strong for a long time.
We were talking about our usual reporting times at work when we reached our destination. My friend decided to grab breakfast at her favorite haunt and so I decided to tag along for the thrill of seeking out new places. I did not want to get anything to eat so we queued up for drinks. I had been feeling under the weather these 2 weeks and so I thought a good hot tea might do good for my weak body. My friend decided to treat me despite my insistence to pay on my own. I was really touched when she insisted, saying that I was still young and dependent and that I will need to save up for the future (to clarify, she's already 30+, married and has kids already hence her explanation). Her thoughtfulness and conviction struck across me really strongly. Oh and of course, I helped her buy the drinks since its easier to converse in Chinese with the lady boss. After that, she grabbed the newspapers and shoe bag in my hand and volunteered to hold it for me so that I can carry the drinks despite my items being bulkier and heavier. I really really really admired her for her warm-heartedness and big heart.
The queue was long and we were late for work by 10 minutes. But we did not even give a heck anymore - in fact we were laughing about how we had talked about needing to report for work earlier moments ago. I knew I would be facing black faces from my boss and seniors upstairs way but then, it did not matter now. My morning was already the best it can be - the sum of those little moments that mattered. Nothing else will be able to tarnish that.
Halfway through, the crowd thinned enough for me to get leaning space along the train wall. As I was forcing my dulled mind to focus on digesting this certain article about an old guy's view on the Budget, I felt my left fingers being gripped tightly and tugged all of a sudden. For a moment, it felt as though I was being assaulted in a crowded train - like really, it seemed really violent at that instant. I lifted my head up in a panic to see what was happening and... what??
It was my friend-cum-colleague from the health screening centre downstairs! She was standing at my 10 o'clock grinning away, her petite but somewhat plump figure being partially obscured by another commuter standing in between. A cheeky lady, I can still remember those few times she played pranks on me and teased me real hard. We began chuckling away at my over-the-top reaction to the whole affair. We had a lovely conversation throughout the remaining journey afterwards, talking about work, my upcoming studies overseas and other random stuff. I also learnt that she would be leaving the company really soon to pursue other matters, including a trip back home of course. I have to say I will definitely miss her presence, for she is a really fun person to be with.
Human relationships is a really interesting thing. It is just like cooking. Like how the flavours of some cooking ingredients complement each other really well while some clash, some people click instinctively while others detest each other no matter what happens. Some dishes require a long cooking time and simmering for its flavours and textures to be brought out while others will taste superb with a simple stir-fry; likewise, some relationships take a long time to nurture while others form spontaneously. Also, it is very easy to get tired of some foodstuffs while others are able to remain popular for a long time; similarly, some relationships just fizzle out while others remain strong for a long time.
We were talking about our usual reporting times at work when we reached our destination. My friend decided to grab breakfast at her favorite haunt and so I decided to tag along for the thrill of seeking out new places. I did not want to get anything to eat so we queued up for drinks. I had been feeling under the weather these 2 weeks and so I thought a good hot tea might do good for my weak body. My friend decided to treat me despite my insistence to pay on my own. I was really touched when she insisted, saying that I was still young and dependent and that I will need to save up for the future (to clarify, she's already 30+, married and has kids already hence her explanation). Her thoughtfulness and conviction struck across me really strongly. Oh and of course, I helped her buy the drinks since its easier to converse in Chinese with the lady boss. After that, she grabbed the newspapers and shoe bag in my hand and volunteered to hold it for me so that I can carry the drinks despite my items being bulkier and heavier. I really really really admired her for her warm-heartedness and big heart.
The queue was long and we were late for work by 10 minutes. But we did not even give a heck anymore - in fact we were laughing about how we had talked about needing to report for work earlier moments ago. I knew I would be facing black faces from my boss and seniors upstairs way but then, it did not matter now. My morning was already the best it can be - the sum of those little moments that mattered. Nothing else will be able to tarnish that.
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