Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Firstly, today's my brother's birthday! Happy Birthday!! You're now a quarter of a century old!!
So today was my last day officially working at Graduate Programmes and Research Office [Teachers' Professional Development] in NIE, but not my last day in NIE.
For the past two weeks, I've been kind of like a regular worker - I would wait for the chartered NIE staff bus for the Holland - Farrer - Bukit Timah area, along with Dr Joan Fry (and for a few days, Mark as well) at the small side road beneath the train railway.
The people on the bus are Auntie Kok Mui, Auntie Lek Cher (both of whom know my mum), Joy, Shih Fen, Dr Fry, Mark and Mary. The two of us would always sit in the back with Mary. Mark was there for the first few days, but wasn't there when he went to Japan.
And then I'd reach NIE at about 8:05am and go to Block 3, hoping that someone would be there to let me in, because I have no pass-card.
I'd be working/slacking from 8.20 - 5.40 or thereabouts, with an hour-long lunch in between. Before my mum went to NZ, I'd just stay in office until about 6.15 to wait for her to be done, and then meet her at the carpark. But for the last two weeks, I had to remember to close everything at about 5.37pm or so, and leave before 5.40pm so as to get to the bus by 5.45pm.
Jun Qiang from the other side of GPR left on 29 June, I think, because the person he was relieving came back from maternal leave or something, and Amos was complaining about all the baby talk, haha.
They also shifted my seat, swapping places with Radha, so that she now sat beside Charles, and I sat in front of Jiahui. At first I wasn't too happy, because I liked being tucked away in my old corner, but at least in this new place I could talk to Jiahui! Madeline also got shifted to one of those tables near the pantry/toilet. (The computer guy, who's Grace's husband! shifted the computers around.)
Sitting at the new place was quite different. The aircon was less cold (made my old corner feel like the North Pole), and I occasionally directed people who came in to the right people to ask their questions to. Also, my desk was right outside the meeting room, where the people inside could be noisy despite the closed door! And once, Mavis came in, I wonder if it was on behalf of my mum?
Then Jiahui's last day was on 3rd July, because she was going to Taiwan on the following Tuesday, and the manager had been officially hired already, so Chris 'terminated her employment', lol. We had Canadian pizza on her last day - good stuff!
After that I was the only one left in my column, the three people in the other column belonging to the other side of GPR (Emma, Asmidah, Mazian). I think it's called GAP or something.
The new manager's name is Wei Ling, I think. She's pretty tall! But then Chris had to go eat with her and the higher-ups, and Su-Ming and Madeline would go by themselves, so I ate by myself once or twice, and once with Amos (we boycott Broadway!).
And they had this TPD lunch-meeting thing on Friday where they ordered KFC. I wasn't even sure if I was supposed to go, but it turns out, I was! Apparently the lunch time was like the manager getting to know everyone's family, work history etc. Hers is really colourful, even more than Charles, but no one can beat Radha: working at NIE all her life! And she looks way too young to be the mother of a 20-year old! Then they had their meeting while I did my work outside.
Yesterday I took a half-day off to go to school to get my SGC, so I only spent the morning in office. Because I took the cough medicine, I was literally falling asleep at my desk! And then the LP people (Audrey and Ros) came in with lots of leftover samosas and fruit tarts, which I admit I stuffed my face with. Kept me awake!
Today I went in (with Cindi) and it took a while to realise that my computer was missing! Rather, they moved it to two desks in front of Madeline, so that the entire column was now empty, and anyone looking for TPD would have to walk to the right, my desk being the first in line.
The good thing about this desk is that I could eat my pau without being seen! But a lot more people walk by it, and I feel a bit paiseh if they see me playing games - not because I'm a slacker but because Chris didn't give me work!
Today at least TPD remembered it's my last day, so Madeline, Charles, Imelda and Su-Ming kind of wished me well with my future endeavours. They're so cute, they all like to shake hands or something. Even Dr Tan!
It's currently the teacher investiture going on, so Charles and Madeline got volunteered to be ushers or something, so my last lunch was at the Cafe by the Quad (teri & yaki chicken!).
Anyway, despite it being my last day, I just realised that I left my earphones there, so I'll pop by tomorrow to get them. I'm going to start my new work at CRPP (thanks to Shih Fen :D), so it's still NIE!
I think NIE is so fun. I don't know why. It's like everything works together. Like how the Foundation Programmes people are all involved in the TIC these 3 days, where teachers previously trained under the various AGs are now released into the schools, and they'll later come back to GPR for other courses! Cool.
Thanks to all the blogs i referred to (countless) for html code help :) (esp. cyn' and sixseven)
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