Out of the Big, Big, World...

This Tues, 13th July, NUS officially shits me out of its aNUS into that big, wide toilet bowl called THE WORLD.

Hm, how come I didn't think about that analogy when I was in school? Oh well...

The Dad has been dropping none-too-subtle hints about getting full-time ( legitimate ) employment. "Get a job!" It seems that CPF, full-time employment, benefits, a job title and an employer are all part of the process of growing up and that I won't be considered a productive ( and legitimate ) part of society if I don't get any of those.

Phooey. And don't tell me that getting a full-time job is more stable than my tuition, because I don't believe there's such a thing as a "stable and permanent" job anymore, esp after seeing my friends change jobs on a regular basis and get stuck in one monkey job after another.

Am I a sap, for walking a different path? Am I kidding myself? Or is everyone out there too stuck in a rut, to believe there are different ways to follow?

Maybe a bit of both. Wakarimasen. Zenbu wakarimasen.

I have reasons for not committing myself 9-5, but none, apparently, are enough to convince my family, or some of the people around me, of the validity of my actions.

What if I blame it all on some divine calling? Hahaha... people can understand messages from God...

Suffice to say, I had seriously strong feelings about not going into corporate employment from year 2, a feeling which intensified into year 3 and a half.

Some strong calling, some need to break free, something deep within, telling me, "It doesn't have to be like this"

The feeling was stronger in Stockholm. [you guys will read about this later in the europe blog, but I'll just say it here first...] We had rented a station wagon, and just left Turtle and Bunny Girl at his hostel. Now it was the 4 of us, racing through Sweden's highways, to get to Copenhagen.

Now the Swedish countryside is vastly different from the Malaysian one. You pass by wide fields of green that go on forever into the horizon, dotted by small towns, livestock, and the occassional windmill.

Not the Holland kinds, but towering, white ones with massive blades that spin slowly and steadily.

And while gazing at all these through the car window, I suddenly had the urge to not go back to Singapore.

Why go back? Stay here. Travel the continent. Go to Italy. Take the car, drive all the way into the sunset, and never look back again.

Wah, the feeling was so strong. For once in my life, the impossible ( and very crazy ) suddenly seemed possible ( and sane ). What would have gotten condemnation and looks of bewilderment back home suddenly seemed, well, all right.

Maybe it was then, that I really knew, just how many things could be done with one's life. Then I knew, and truly believed, that life was more than just what my parents had raised me to believe it was.

Maybe then, I really knew that I had to live differently.

Melodramatic, no? Have to say though, this Europe trip has been good for the soul in more ways than one. Better than Chicken Soup anyway. ;p

Only problem with this is that I'm gonna be broke for a long, long, loooong time, so if anyone strikes it rich out there, remember your poor, poor friend here...

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Sat nite I went out with friends to entertain an old man, who paid for all of our entertainment, and sent me home through a very dark and lonely road.

Ok, jus kidding. :p It was our last Japanese lesson, and Eric-san, one of the few, and perhaps only, person we made friends with in our class, treated us to dinner. Probably as payment for all the notes, guidance and times he copied our shukudai during the year.

And what a dinner! At first, me and Yenn were hesitant, cos damn paiseh to let someone pay for us, and we didn't know how expensive/cheap a place we should choose. When we asked him to recommend a place, he threw the ball back at us. Not only that, he was willing to treat Quet as well, whom he didn't know.

Let me describe Eric-san a bit more: He's 37, works in a Japanese trading company and is married with a 19-month daughter. So don't get thinking that he asked us for any extra favours later on.

He also earns a fair bit of money, hence the very-ex-to-us-poor-folks choice of place, namely Crystal Jade restaurant at Taka. Phwah. Then coffee and cake at Spinelli's. Phwah phwah. Krynn, are u regretting not joining us on sat nite yet? :D

Jap test this Sat coming up. Ganbatte!

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Inspired by my trip, I also decided to try my hand at cooking again, real cooking, not the pop-contents-of-can-into-microwave kinda cooking that I've been doing during exam periods. So today made a pasta with sausages and onions and cheese that actually turned out edible. This is good progress. :p

The Paris leg of my trip will hopefully be uploaded sometime this week. I say hopefully 'cos I also have to study for jap, teach tuition, get through convo, scan in the photos and type in the trip. Eek. Something tells me I might be learning time management the hard way this week.