Days.

For the past two days, I have been busy with meeting my friends and doing things. Things that make me forget about time and also... spend a lot of money. ):

It's been about a month since I had $0 - I'm still left with $0 because I don't consider getting some sympathy pocket money from my parents my own money - and all I did was just bumming around at home and becoming fatter. Okay, not entirely because I have actually been doing some constructive things other than watching animes. Like, figuring out what I want to do, reading, thinking of ways to improve my lifestyle, and some poetry. None of those make me money, but at least, spiritually (lol i think) I'm quenched.

I'm about to start some temporary job that was introduced to me by Syl and I'm surprised that the nagging feeling of annoyance isn't bugging me anymore. Well, at least I hope it won't ever because I really want and should stop feeling lazy about working. Okay okay okay. Talking about work is boring.

I'm here because I want to share something that happened to me just yesterday when I was out in town with my mates. We met up earlier to write our birthday wishes for our adorable W and I was catching up with them since I haven't met them in ages. They told me that birthday girl is attached - here's the catch, she is not attached to a guy. My reaction: hmmmm, I'm glad. One reaction was shock that I was pretty nonchalant and the other was like, I pretty much expected that, or an eruption.

This news didn't really came as a surprise - I'm not bragging - really. Our bubbly, lively, cropped-hair W is a girl who takes care of her skin well and is conscious about work, but she never wears skirts or dresses even for anything formal or slightly glamourous events. Yeah, but how does that tell me anything huh. Answer: Not a single clue. I would erupt in a voracious blizzard of girly excitement if they told me that W was attached to a guy. Does that explain something? I admit that I am a little... hesitant to accept that this silly little duck is not heterosexual. But I am all for LBGT rights and most of all, I am ALL for the happiness of my friend. We met her and her partner and we all welcomed her most warmly, though as a whole, we still need some time to adjust. I'd feel much better if her partner was less... aloof, or shy? We really have good intentions - in other words, why the fuck are you so wishy-washy we just want a goddamn picture with you in it because it means a lot to our babe and we just want you to blow the frickin' candle we got for you and W just blow the damn thing. No, but seriously, we just want you to feel like a part of us. (:

Later in the evening, we left the sweet couple to do their couple-watch-shopping and bade our goodbyes at the entrance of Plaza Singapura and walked towards Centrepoint to get some diarrhoea pills for the chao recruit. After exiting Centrepoint, the four of us saw this slightly hunched old man with the iconic hairstyle of Dr. Tony Tan just that it wasn't as perfectly coiffed nor thick like our President. He was standing next to a luggage and was holding a walking stick for the blind. He looked like he needed help getting to somewhere. We looked at each other and hesitantly approached him. We asked him if he needed help to go anywhere and he said yes, he needed to get to Plaza Singapura. Chao recruit handled his trolley luggage and I let him hold my arm while we made our way back to the mall. Along the way, we chatted about his reason for being alone in town with a luggage, and being blind. This elderly gentleman then told us his life story as we slowly made our way through the packed streets and noisy traffic. He was from Perth, a cardiologist for many many many many many years, and in his childhood he lived in Katong; he told us fondly, "Back then I was a Katong Boy! I used to roam around Roxy Square frequently because as you know, in my time there were not many shopping centres."

He told us that he was blind in November last year (I might be a little fuzzy with the facts because Orchard Road was annoyingly noisy) due to a kind of eye disease that causes his retina to drop below his eyeball. He went for surgery to remove his retina and is well, blind. He's back home because he had heard that Singapore had some kind of advanced software that helps blind people read and listen to people online, that is, he can use Facebook, Twitter (shit's everywhere that even blind elderly people know them) and even blog using the computer. As we walked past the Istana, I asked him what kind of music does he listens to. He proudly answered, "Oh, I listen to all kinds of songs. I like Lady Gaga. I know Justin Bieber." He said something about Lady Gaga, that if she didn't do what she did, she wouldn't be famous. Inner me was jumping around excitedly saying "THAT WAS WHAT I SAID TO MYSELF OMG."

As we were nearing PS, he told us that he was heading to Starbucks for a drink, but he knows that it's currently undergoing renovations so he directed us to the one at The Cathay. We continued chatting about his life and his work as we manoeuvred our way through the MacDonald's House to The Cathay. Along the way he said he walks from his home to Tanglin Mall and all around Orchard Road everyday and when he lived in Perth, he would jog 5km everyday. Then, he asked me if I had a boyfriend and I proudly told him yes I have, and that my boy is sailing right now. I asked him if he knew anything about long-distance relationship and he said he doesn't like LDR. We chuckled. "There are three things to have a long-lasting relationship," he quipped, "first, your partner should be financially stable because that is very important in the long run. Secondly, your partner must be a great bed partner too. I can go on about that because I know a lot, but we don't have much time. Thirdly, you must be able to live with that person, like really be able to live with his habits and flaws."

We managed to get a seat for him and we helped him order his drink. Apparently he hates coffee and he is a frequent patron at The Cathay's Starbucks. When I told the guy who served us "Dr Low's order" he repeated the order with familiarity, then clumsily keyed it in and sheepishly said, "So many girls here, I'm distracted." We went back to join the old man and chao recruit who was left there so that he wouldn't be alone.

As we sat there waiting for his extra hot Earl Grey tea to be served to him, he talked to us about this model that he was developing about being successful. He asked each of us about our dreams, what do we see ourselves doing in 5 years' time, and how does this help us achieve our dreams. He explained to us about the by-product that success brings and raised a few examples of case studies. He enjoys reading biographies (before he turned blind) and explained to us about the similarities between Hitler and Lee Kuan Yew. (No..... both are not dictators, only Hitler.) He talked to us about Margaret Tan and Margaret Lee, both successful women who followed their dreams and because of that, they are happy and wealthy. He went on to tell us that if he weren't a cardiologist, he would be a sexologist. The whole time I was listening very intently. I found it interesting, I found it new and fascinating, I enjoyed listening to someone talk about himself and talk about things like this. It was a very long talk and the others were getting antsy as it was becoming very late and were actually not very interested (oops). I would have sat there listening to him and have a conversation with him if I was alone and it was daytime. After the topic about sex, I took the chance between a small short of breath and broke it to him that we had to go. I felt sorry so I gave him my number and email address so that he may contact me should he want to talk, and because I was really interested.

The last thing he told us that really made me think was this: he asked, "Do you know yourself? Would you like your soul if you know yourself? Try this: stand in front of the mirror for 30 minutes everyday for two weeks before your day starts, naked. No, no clothes because that would be ugly. Stand there and look at yourself naked and ask yourself what do you like about your soul. Not your appearance."

I liked how my day turned out. Unexpected and with a lesson. A blind old man and deep questions. I'll try it out some day, standing in front of the mirror naked. I think I'm quite scared of my soul right now, if it's even whole. I don't know, this made me think a lot. In a good way.