働く

The realisation that I’m getting old hit me after a Meeples session with py and Jerm two weeks ago or so – a female friend of Jerm’s who joined us told us that she was only 17 despite sounding incredibly mature for her age, and I realised that it was 5 years since I sat for my SPM. Five years on, I’ve completed my tertiary education and I’m sitting here typing… in an office.

Who would’ve thought?

I’ve recently begun a contractual week-long work at a publishing firm as a research writer, somewhat of a dream job of mine – went for an interview last Monday and was asked to begin work immediately the next day. Despite the rather long drawn-out hours from 9 to 9, I managed to get over the initial struggle of the first two days of trying to keep awake and alert, and soon the dynamics of a full-time working place set in. As always with any new environment that I’m in, the cloak of routine shrouded me and I’m quickly used to it once more.

Today marks the 9th day I’ve been working straight non-stop from 9 to 9 (yes, including Saturday and Sunday), and thankfully the production process has finally ended and we’re ready to send our magazines for the final printing. And it has been actually fun sometimes in a way—when you have a hearty boss that loves to crack jokes at every other interval and poke fun at everyone, it’s a fairly relaxed atmosphere and I truly enjoyed the workplace. Possibly one of the best choices I could’ve ever made for my first full-time job.

And as with growing up, I guess priorities changed easily before you know it. I used to blog with much ferocity and tenacity at an almost daily basis—trips and travels would be blogged and narrated down to the very minute detail, but now I haven’t even completed documenting my New Zealand trip 9 months ago, much less the recent outings when Matt was here or our vacation in Laos for 2 weeks. Photos were also taken fairly frequently, but with my camera’s death I’ll have to make do without them till I purchase a new one—even then I’m not sure if I’d have the time to post-process my photos anymore.

Circumstances have changed. As I exit my education life—maybe for good—I begin a new learning experience of being a working young adult, and for once, take charge of my finances. (Side note: my office subscribes to Personal Money, quite possibly my favourite magazine ever, and has regular copies of a photography magazine sent to it monthly. As we can borrow it back home to read, that’s pretty darn sweet imo.)

You know that you and your friends are all grown up when you meet up for that rare yumcha and talk about work.