Dawn of David

Dawn of David
ups & nouns of communication

******
U queue-up for your Ice Blended Mocha.
U pay & and get a Thank-you-smile with your receipt.
U proceed to the side and they ask your name.

When the syllables roll off your tongue,
the counter-staff roll their ears toward their eyes.
U try again, as their ears & eyes find ways
to catch your words before the nose gets involved in the job.

Ok, that 2nd reaction is not usually the case.
For i'd use the moniker "WR" after the first attempt failed.
Believe me. I already tried prolonging the "R" a little.

******
Another real life example:
This day
was a job-interview by the boss of Al Forno Pastas & Pizzas.
I turn up expecting to meet the Italian boss who spoke his English
fast and accented.

"Hi Sir, i heard you were hiring so i came for an interview"
"Ok, please take a seat and fill this form up first"
*encounters "name-line" & writes clearly & legibly*

"Alright, lets take a look at this"
"Yes Sir"
*Boss scans thru form, cocking an eyebrow *
"Ok, Vehl-Roong right? Tt's how i say yr name?"
"Er, it's Wei3 Rong2 actually"
...more qsn(s)...
"Alright Ve-Rung, u can start work tmr"

1st evening at work:
"Ve-Lung, go to the keetchen & bring out the parmesan n chilli"
"Ver-Lung, tonight, u clear e table and set the tables only"
"Veh-Loong, what did i tell u abt serving the dishes??"
"Boss, you could call me David as well."
"No, i will take some time to get it right.
If i call u David, you won't respond bcs it's not yr name."
Thinking to oneself:
"Isn't tt bcs you keep getting "Weirong" WAY WRONG right?!"

Okay, "David" appeared to me suddenly as
the pseudonym of choice at that moment.. I can't say why even
till today.. Guess it makes it easier for the Boss to rem me
& my pal Desmond, who works there too.. :)

In hindsight, it was a good idea for me to have introduced myself
to the Italian chef & Pizza guy as "David" right frm Day1.
Things would get a lot better later tt week and I finally became
"Day-veed" in the Boss' vocab.

******
There are times when we can only say so much
b4 the world loses interest.. dimissing our efforts!

But there are moments as well
when silence does more than tell

That is the mutual kind of connection between best buddies,
sport teams and also lovers as well. A magical way of communication
through the unspoken word. I think tt's one of nature's best gifts
to humankind, perhaps the final evolution of what was previously our animal-speak.

******
& a song which ends:
"you say it best; when you say nothing at all"

What lifts you...

What lifts you...
kudos to Blogger for the Post-Recovery feature! saved my life at 2:38am!
******
Got back as early as poss today.. Wanted to get a workout in b4 dinner..

Nothing like an empty gym and almost-healed wart/corn on my left sole
to get me back on the journey to Arnold-dom..
Okay, realistically myb not the Governator's;
but Bruce Lee's physique to aspire towards.

Started off with a 0.5hr jog/run.. great feeling to hit the road again
knowing that irritating calluses will $%^&* no more..
(!the pains they bring are beyond imagination)

Later, i deduced that Fridays are non-gym days for the folks staying at my place..
Empty throughout dinnertime.. Did an overall weights-session w light-moderate intensity..
Dad popped in while i was cooling down & stretching.. We exchanged some thoughts about exercise as he warmed up..
He powers the thread-mill on as I leave to chow n rest..

******
Strange how the day passed in serenity...
Perhaps it's the thought of... fleeting precious moments..
A hallucination of bliss… or perhaps reality settling in slowly but surely…

Despite the challenging pace, song lifted my cardio-system through the run
Familiar aches & strains call in on me as dumb-bells were lifted overhead
The home felt empty till Mom returned & lifted onto the table dinner Grandma made

******
A weight off my mind adds some load to my heart;
but lifts it up to heaven too
Thank you

Sweet Anticipation

SwT-NtCpTn

Remember the last time you smiled to yourself?
When you think about the free weekend you'll
be having; or when u're hopeing to meet your
cute neighbour at the lift lobby going to sch;
or perhaps, finally being able to see the toils
of your labour bear fruit..

Yes, with just over a week to go at my day-job,
I'm already thinking of places to explore and
new works to create.
An acrylic painting is already on my ideas-waiting-list..
A local expedition to unleash the
trigger-happy-shutter-realease within..
Could be a good time to take part in some competions too.

Actually, more importantly, other life projects should
be taken off the shelves & worked on again.
Like family, friends, gym-routine & diet..
or perhaps to find that elusive muse..
& get down to the heart of the matter too..

The other thing i'm wondering about is whether
that aptitude test for NTU's SADM will translate
into anything good. Anticipating a flat outcome really.
sigh.. will wait & see..

The postman will do his job well i'm sure;
though not a messenger he is; to make clear
In 12hrs, his labour shall stir the calm of things,
the ticking moments tug at heartstrings.

Just one of life's simple pleasures i enjoy:
Sipping a tea-cup of dried-leaves in hot water...
Ahh... Sweet...

A travel companion

A travel companion

Through a drizzly morning, I saw the P.I.E. abuzz
with late morning commuters.
Then, I received word of ET's admission into
LaSalle's Interior Design programme.
I expressed my congrats to him right away.
I felt a sense of relief for him as well.

Once in the same school but on different academic paths,
we have now re-united; pursuing where creativity leads.
To think that 1 week ago, when he told me it
was time to quit varsity, I did not even advise against
his decision to skip the exams. Was I a fool of a friend?
Like him, I took the plunge at the 11th hour, 1 sem ago.
I'm glad his faith and determination,
on top of an outstanding portfolio;
ensured a positive outcome for his interview today.

ET: Amongst our batch of Art guys, we now join Sean in taking
that leap of faith.. Going where varsities here do not..
We drew & painted in the same Art Room back then.
Now, we each have chosen our way; albeit a similarly
unbeaten track..
I look forward to the day when we can attend each
other's graduation shows;
& even collaborate on a creative project once again.

**
The way ahead is promising yet uncertain,
but will always be lit by a travel companion.
**

MOIF2: Give Thanks

MOIF2:"Give Thanks"
Meditations over Italian Food - 2 "Give Thanks"
This Week, the Boss "Alex" is back after spending a few weeks
back home in Italia.

So on Sat evening:
"Hello David, nice to see u here again!" he said as he toted his
document bag to the bar counter. He gave a warm smile that
i'd not seen often in the past months of work there.
Perhaps he was surprised to see me back at work again.
"Hi Boss!", I replied, smiling politely to convey my thanks.

Later tt evening:
The rest. was packed frm abt 7pm to 9pm..
Scurrying between Kitchen & Dining Area was the order of tt
night. I recall clearly the following:

Table2:
Asian-Caucasian family dining. 2 Adults, 2 Kids.
The caucasian father looked like Robin Williams wearing a crew-cut
with a physique made not for comedy, but for Rugby Union or WWE.
They intially sat themselves at a small square table which was only
as wide as the father's shoulder-width.
They thanked us when we suggested they shift to a bigger one.
Later, even that bigger table was filled to the edge with
a seafood casuola and 2 pizzas. Imagine the clutter and inconvenience
tt the small square table might have caused.
Their 2 kids thanked me for serving them water.

Table 3:
Indian family of 5.
Very appreciate of us joining 2 small squares to make a bigger
table for them. Even more appreciative when their order was served.
A humorous occurance:
I happen to pass-by their table. With water jug in hand,
I turn to see if they needed a refill. My next glance saw
the father "air-lifting" a slice of Prosciutto e Funghi pizza over
from the plate in the middle; towards his son's.
In mid-air, a misbehaving bulb of mushroom
did a Parachut e Funghi straight INTO the father's glass.
Tt dive would have beaten the Chinese to the Gold in Athens.
The father and his family were visibly amused and thanked
me for offering to change the poo.. er, glass of water.

Kitchen:
Skipping through the swing-doors with plates of leftovers,
I proceed to help swipe remnants and morsels off the plates
into the bin; before handing them over to the new dishwashing
lady. I'm afraid i don't know her name yet so
i just say, "Thank you, Aunty!"
As she smiled and thanked me, I realised how much a word
of appreciation could lift one's spirit despite a stuffy working environment
and an almost endless stream of dirty dishes.

Closing time:
The night was tiring but most of the customers were
really nice people. None of the sort spoken of in the earlier
post:
http://weirong.blogspot.com/2004/12/meditations-over-italian-food.html
We had Spagetthi Bolognese for supper.. (Phew, no clams at last!)
I slung my bag over a tired back and said my good-byes.
Boss, in a seeming good mood, replied,
"Thank you, David! Really good to see you around again! Ciao~"
No, he wasn't drunk, but sincere - like a friend giving thanks.

The Word is Out!

The Word is Out!

Went to see my boss today.
"Not many days left", i said.

B: "Accomplished, what, have u?"
:) "I learnt Photoshop & .." then

B: "Thought not of the company, u did"
:o "Helped out the others", I insist

B: "Not accoding to plan, yr Contributions were"
:< "Time was scarce", I assure

B: "Paid u lots, am sure we did"
B: "But commited u were, to other shifts"

:o "I did say frm the start", I didn't kid
:o "I learn rendering & serve fried squid"

B: "Over-confident & greedy I think(!)"
B: "Still, this Lesson to u, deep in, must sink"

: "Thank u Sir", "I've enjoyed yr time"


I half-regret starting this stint; this personal disappointment only just begins.
But looking forward to finish up some poster designs and a little documentation by end-April.
After that, out with job, in comes paint & brush! :D

By the Way...

By the Way...

I just submitted my "project" for *SADM's application
requirements. *(School of Art Design & Media, NTU)
Requirements:
1 x Video & Written Explanation
both abt why i should be allowed into their course
5 x Photographs any subject; no captions needed
*Portfolio optional for A-Level applicants

Upmost thanks to WenJun for helping me out tons
with this video: Adobe Premiere crash cse & filming!
All done in a night! WJ: I did put yr name in the credits =)

3 Nights, 3 Days & a grand total of 12 hrs of sleep later,
I can tell you I've not been awake for this long since my
A-Level Art Proj pia-ing Week b4 Cambridge-Marking.

Also thanks to Juliet for showing the way to *OAD!
Office of Admissions, where i submitted e materials
Not to mention the uncanny timing of our meeting as well:
just as I get off bus in NTU, she happens to stroll by e bus stop!!

I'll tell more e next time we meet

:@ (Yawns a yawn of one who is tired enough to fall asleep while standing)