here i reside, once again in solitude, but not at that house. instead, i am at my new home, alone here for the first time ever. had just spent one lonely night without my grandma and uncles in the house. at least i had the cats.
this is how my Lunar New Year Eve had gone.
2013 is the year of the snake. or as i'd like to say: the year of the ekans.
i saw that she was pawing at something that looked like a leaf, right by my head, and i started fingering at it when it moved out of my touch. i turned on the light, suspicions arising, and fuck me, just as i thought: it was a cockroach. and it was right at my face.
woke up for work unusually sleepy, and i didn't want to get up til Tilda had to come in and keep slapping her paw on my face before i could. it was a half day because the shop was closing at 1.
i was reaching Pasir Ris when Shushan called asking how to unlock the shop; not only that, but she didn't know how to pull the shutters up too.
whenever i push the shutters up, i don't use that stick thingy to do so, because it is for pussies.
by the time i arrived, Shushan had already managed to open shop, but it was quite a sight to see her washing the trays in the dark. she didn't know how to turn on the lights! it was unusually stuffy too; she hadn't turned on the air-con.
set things right before setting my backpack down and getting to work. Shushan washed all the shit while i cleaned the glass and counters and whatever else that needed the scrub.
i believe, for that few hours, i'd found an obsession in cleaning. and i found a new best friend that i brought with me everywhere: Cif.
honestly, i find my workplace a bit too hazardous for a bakery. i've been cutting and bruising and burning myself by accident a lot at work. i did too, yesterday, despite not doing much and just cleaning here and there.
the glass had lost balance off its hooks and dropped a few inches down, its edge glazing across the skin of my hand. if it hadn't been for my hand, the glass would have chipped, or shattered even. but if the impact had been a bit more, my hand would have been injured as fuck. idk which'd've been worse.
i was cleaning and cleaning, again and again, at whatever surfaces i could find. and while Shushan stood there literally staring at customers, i bent down to clean the drawers and underneath the counter. i was... addicted... to cleaning.
Boss came with nasi lemak for us, which he had passed to Shushan without a word. he went to the toilet afterwards and the two of us were debating whether we should eat it or not.
are you sure he bought this for us? what if not? but what if it is? wouldn't it be stupid if he comes out of the toilet to see that we still haven't touched it? *pokes styrofoam box with one finger*
working with Shushan was really fun. there were a lot of orders which customers were coming in to collect, and the receipts pasted on the plastic bags were to make things easier for us; so we could easily see which belonged to who.
we were supposed to collect back these receipts, not give to the customers; Shushan had forgotten to retrieve the one from the customer she served, and i scolded her to chase after him, which she did, all the way. that was amusing!
came a time when i went and gave another customer his orders, and i happily sent him off his way, when Shushan exclaimed; "receipt!" she yelled at me to chase after him, which i did, all the way, and boy was that quite a work-out!
when i came back Shushan was serving some other customers with this really stupid smile on her face. she was controlling her laughter, and so was i; though i surrendered to it and released it right there in front of them all.
so i was once again wiping my clothes across the countertop when Boss came out with two red packets in his hand and a smile on his face, both of which was passed on to mine.
he told us we could leave already, and i wished him Happy New Year while he went out to the freezer and gave us ICE-CREAM!!!!1
so Boss closed up shop and, eating our corn [me] and red bean ice-cream, Shushan and i made our way to Shengsiong where i met one of the bakery's regular customers. he was always coming to buy bread and always requesting, "ehrm no need plastic bag."
he was already looking at me when i saw him, and we grinned at each other upon recognition. he was at the counter i'd gone to, and was about to put our liquor into a plastic bag when i teased him; "ehrm no need plastic bag.", and he laughed.
headed to Shushan's place where i announced to her family xin nian kuai le or how it's supposed to be spelt. that was when we realised; "we forgot to clock out!"
"yeah lah, you see nasi lemak, see hongbao, see ice-cream, all forget already." said Shushan.
she had opened hers and said she only received ten bucks. we jokingly said that mine would probably be twenty, and when i took a peek into mine, i exclaimed, "twenty!"
she made vulgar sign with her hands to which i responded with a mock shock face. removed the notes from my red packet and showed her, and she got so worked up over it!
followed her to Tampines where she bought two pairs of shoes from Rubi. while i waited for her to pay for her purchases, i sat there watching all the girls around me.
all the girls were dressed with a thought, while there i sat with whatever i found just tossed over my head with a pair of torn jeans.
they had hair which was shiny and combed and coloured, pulled back to show their eyes while there i was with mine tangled and black, all over my face with loose strands down my back.
they had nice pairs of shoes, gleaming and new, and still buying new pairs, while there i stood in my tattered ones, once dusty and forgotten at the back of my cupboard.
these thoughts left me feeling small. those girls would have looked at me, envious of my height, but at that moment, i felt i was the smallest one of them all.
went to the basement of Tampines One where i got myself milk tea and puffs from The Icing Room. they were delicious! i'm in love with them now.
so i was telling Shushan how 'Aamir has always been showing me off to his friends while i hadn't been because i didn't have any, and then i got an idea. since Shushan is one of the only friends i have, why not introduce them both?
made my way home where i caught my granny and uncles just in time before they went off for Taman Anggerik. gran repeated everything she had told me before; turn off the gas, switch fans before sleeping, feed the cats, shower before heading to bed.
and that was that. i had the next three days all to myself.
today was boring, though i managed to finally catch up on PewDiePie. have made plans with 'Aamir for tomorrow, had thought of spending time with him here today but he couldn't make it. can't wait to see him then!
have been watching Pokemon Black and White and boy did i have a lot to complain about.
i'm gonna visit the Tanjong Katong flower market soon. maybe Heath for solitude or the common thistle for mistrust of humankind.
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