Sunday, September 21
Life and the Rat Race
Dinner at Kim Gary's, Sunway Pyramid. Menu: French Toast at 8.30 pm. Baked Rice in Cheese with Pork Chop. Baked Cheese drenched on Chicken Wings. Borsch Soup the Hong Kong way among others. Yak yak yakkity yak and then you remember this was a friend who was due to leave the country for the year in less than 10 days time.
'You can come to send me off next week hah?'
'Tuesday? The 30th?'
And I remembered it was *his birthday*. First time in 4 years I was not celebrating it. It would have been our 4th celebration of his birthday if we were still together.
'Of course, Viv. We'll come. So that you won't leave us forever.'
And we laughed, albeit a shaky laugh. Our Taiping friend was going to be far, far away on the other side of the world for 12 months. There goes another chill-out partner. 3 hours later we found ourselves hanging out at Viv's apartment, her boxes of clothes and stuff all packed up ready to be sent over. And I took this photo of the KL night skyline from Viv's balcony amidst hanging hankerchiefs and underwear. 1 am in the morning and you could see the lights bright and illuminating the sky, no need of flash there. Look down to the roads and you could see the traffic jams, buses and cars honking at each other...
The rat race eats you up. Rodents, scurrying all day, 24/7. It scares the hell out of KL-lites like minishorts. 2 am in the morning a friend calls you up and asks you to go hang out. 2.30 in the morning you end up in Steven's Corner and you can't find a place to seat. Sit down what do you talk about. Horror stories of eager fresh out of grad school 20-somethings getting at each other's throat as they try to snatch that coveted position away from you.
'500 applicants and only 48 were called for the interview.'
'None of them were local varsity graduates.'
'You've got to live city, breathe city air and come from the city in order to get a good job, if you want to be the one coming from a local uni and get the job.'
'That's so not true. I got a job. See where I am.'
'You're a nutcase. You're commiting suicide. I've never seen anyone holding two jobs and doing her masters degree at the same time.'
Minishorts gives him a cheeky grin. 'Oh yeah, here's my name card.'
I'm in the business now. 23 years old and suddenly I feel like a veteran.
I met a girl from south California last week. Here's a Taiwanese who migrated to the US at the age of 5. She said I looked matured.
'I think the city does that to you.'
And I'm actually proud of it. Look at yourself in the mirror, minishorts. When you were 12, people said you were 17, when you were 18, people said 24, now people in the city say you're 23 (the right age) and a 30-something south Carlifornian put you around 25. They're getting more and more accurate. I'm feeling more and more at home.
I can't think of living anywhere else except in the city. That's why I love KL. And Singapore (that's where I was born). And Hong Kong (where my dad lives).
Dinner at Kim Gary's, Sunway Pyramid. Menu: French Toast at 8.30 pm. Baked Rice in Cheese with Pork Chop. Baked Cheese drenched on Chicken Wings. Borsch Soup the Hong Kong way among others. Yak yak yakkity yak and then you remember this was a friend who was due to leave the country for the year in less than 10 days time.
'You can come to send me off next week hah?'
'Tuesday? The 30th?'
And I remembered it was *his birthday*. First time in 4 years I was not celebrating it. It would have been our 4th celebration of his birthday if we were still together.
'Of course, Viv. We'll come. So that you won't leave us forever.'
And we laughed, albeit a shaky laugh. Our Taiping friend was going to be far, far away on the other side of the world for 12 months. There goes another chill-out partner. 3 hours later we found ourselves hanging out at Viv's apartment, her boxes of clothes and stuff all packed up ready to be sent over. And I took this photo of the KL night skyline from Viv's balcony amidst hanging hankerchiefs and underwear. 1 am in the morning and you could see the lights bright and illuminating the sky, no need of flash there. Look down to the roads and you could see the traffic jams, buses and cars honking at each other...
The rat race eats you up. Rodents, scurrying all day, 24/7. It scares the hell out of KL-lites like minishorts. 2 am in the morning a friend calls you up and asks you to go hang out. 2.30 in the morning you end up in Steven's Corner and you can't find a place to seat. Sit down what do you talk about. Horror stories of eager fresh out of grad school 20-somethings getting at each other's throat as they try to snatch that coveted position away from you.
'500 applicants and only 48 were called for the interview.'
'None of them were local varsity graduates.'
'You've got to live city, breathe city air and come from the city in order to get a good job, if you want to be the one coming from a local uni and get the job.'
'That's so not true. I got a job. See where I am.'
'You're a nutcase. You're commiting suicide. I've never seen anyone holding two jobs and doing her masters degree at the same time.'
Minishorts gives him a cheeky grin. 'Oh yeah, here's my name card.'
I'm in the business now. 23 years old and suddenly I feel like a veteran.
I met a girl from south California last week. Here's a Taiwanese who migrated to the US at the age of 5. She said I looked matured.
'I think the city does that to you.'
And I'm actually proud of it. Look at yourself in the mirror, minishorts. When you were 12, people said you were 17, when you were 18, people said 24, now people in the city say you're 23 (the right age) and a 30-something south Carlifornian put you around 25. They're getting more and more accurate. I'm feeling more and more at home.
I can't think of living anywhere else except in the city. That's why I love KL. And Singapore (that's where I was born). And Hong Kong (where my dad lives).
