It's 10.48 p.m. in Singapore. Strangely, the trade fair has decided to play Christmas songs tonight. It is now playing Silent Night loud and clear. Then another part of the trade fair is playing some pop music. Is playing Christmas songs a sales gimmick, or is it that the folks at the trade fair really wishes to celebrate Christmas day? I don't wish to answer.
***
What do you do on the day before Christmas?
Do you join in the crowd and the merry-making? Or do you avoid where the crowds are like I do?
Several years ago, I was hosting a group of visitors from Penang with a few other friends. The visitors requested to be at Orchard Road (a part of Singapore where the Christmas lightings are) on a Christmas eve. That was my first and only time at Orchard Road on the Christmas eve. It was simply too crowded for me to feel any joy. It was also very hard to get any public transport back home. I remember having to wait for at least more than one hour to get up a public transport back then.
That past experience was enough to get me to stay away from the crowded parts of Singapore on Christmas eve (and New Year's eve).
***
It is Christmas eve, and I am feeling pleased with myself for having to finish quite a fair bit of paperwork today. I have been in office for about close to eleven hours since 8.45 a.m. today.
In the morning, I was scheduled for duty to assess and do intake for all walk-ins and referrals to the centre. Four such walk-ins and referrals that I had to follow up. This was considered quite a lot, considering that our centre's offical opening hours today was from 8.45 a.m. to noon. Perhaps people could only afford time away from their work on the day just before Christmas, and then they could find time to seek services from our centre. I have no idea. I am just thinking aloud.
When noon struck, I put aside time to work on the paperwork that I had to shelf aside in order to attend to the walk-ins and referrals earlier the day. Not forgetting, I decided to treat myself to a decent lunch before starting on the paperwork.
I did not manage to accomplish as much as I would like to have. Perhaps I have had higher expectations and targets than I could realistically achieve. Anyway, I am glad that the more important things have been looked into. Given the choice of either going to join the merry-making crowd and to stay in office to work, I have chosen the latter. There will still be quite a lot of work to work on when I return to office next Friday. Cheer me on please.
Many of my clients can get overtime pay when they work longer hours. However, in this job of mine, working longer hours outside the official hours to do paperwork does not grant one any overtime pay. So I figured that the best way to keep myself happy is to work extra hours in office only if I am in a good state of mind and health to do so (so that I treat myself kind enough), and only if I sincerely don't mind working the extra hours even if there will be no remuneration (so that I won't end up grouchy for working those extra hours).
But well, I do feel more relieved that at least the key things that needs to be done have more or less been done. Phew!
***
Lastly, what better ways to end a Christmas eve post than to wish everyone a peaceful Christmas.
1 comment:
I await your post on the birth of Jesus,and the reason for the season. You seem to have a lot to do.
Post a Comment