Bookworm

Just this Monday, I was off work early, doing the opening shift and all. I had just finished one storybook which I had bought from Books Kinokuniya quite some time back and was craving for another.Reading was another way of keeping myself busy and off the shopping malls. It was an economical yet good old fashion way to pass time, without being too useless at all.

I am a slow reader and borrowing books from public libraries never really did work for me. I would be too stressed up about the due date to be able to enjoy the book completely and in the end, I would still be late in returning them anyway.

My bus takes me through Orchard Road and the nearest bookshop I could think of was Prologue at ION@Orchard. Then I had a better idea! Recently, I had thought I saw Sunny Bookshop still in business at Far East Plaza and I quickly rang the bell and hopped off. Sunny is a second-hand bookshop that was tres popular during my school days. You bought a book at one price and if you returned it on time, you would get back a certain amount which was lower than that of what you paid for. The difference was that the due date was like a month or so and that did not sound so bad to me. I know, strange isn't it? 3 weeks is not OK but 4 weeks is fine. Maybe it has got to do with the fact that if I did not return a book from a second-hand book store in time, I could still keep it for myself.

I was wrong about Sunny though, for it was no longer there. Luckily, there were two other second-hand bookstores for me to peer into and the first one did not look at all appealing. The collection was in a bit of a mess and there did not seem to be much selection and variety to begin with. I decided to consult the directory and found ANA Book Store on Level 5.

The arrangement of the collections were still quite messy but at least this fella had the popular authors and books displayed upfront, which was so much easier. I did not have too much cash with me at that time though and was too lazy to go all the way back down to the basement to get money. I was also running a little short of time and there was still dinner to settle.

I think sometimes with books, it is also fate. I picked out this unassuming book called Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda. Amazingly, this was a French translated book and little did I realise that it was filmed into a French movie, Ensemble, c'est tout and was acted by Audrey Tautou! I am quite sure that I have seen the film title before as it was one of those French Film Festival screenings.

Well, it felt like I was back in my Uni days where I went to bookshops, picked up books and trotted off to cafes along the cappucino strip in Fremantle. Except that now, I stay in the comfort of my own room until the wee hours of one, two o'clock in the morning and devour the book some more during my lunch break.

This book was that good! I paid $9 for it and will get back $6 when I return it. Technically speaking, the book just cost me $3, but everyone (including the shop owner) knows that one does not stop there. Once you are hooked on it, you would go back for more and the $6 will be rolled over to your next purchase of books, which is just as well in my opinion. After all, one still has to read anyway.

By the way, I really liked how the owner told me after he had given me change, "Now you can feed your mind with knowledge" or was it "Now you can feed your mind with all that reading". Anyhow, I was in a hurry but I was really happy.

On the way, I saw Wasabi Tei serving its first customers. Made a mental note to self that this could be another Monday early dinner place in future. For usually, there would be a long queue for this place. Once it's bar tables are filled up (and there are only bar-table-styled seating, one would have to obediently queue up for like...forever (when one is very hungry).

p/s: Right now, my mind is all messed up with all that emotional shit after reading the book. The author really knows how to bring one right up to the roller coaster and come down with a big bang. Will probably do a book review of sorts later when I get my emo self sorted out.

First Aider!

It's been a busy week at work and my weekend is burnt. Burnt because I have been sent to attend a First Aid course. Finally!!

It was on very short notice and I realised that it was going to be from 8.30am to 6pm!!! What a drag! But after I went in for the lesson, I decided that it was going to be fun! It was, and I made a lot of new friends. All ladies of course.

The facilitator was also cute, not in the sense of handsome-cute but more humorous cute. He is an ex-paramedic with very real stories and lots of scenarios for us to play out. I had to 'kiss' a dummy and revive a baby dummy but it was all fun. I am kind of happy that I finally got to learn first aid. Even when I was in my Librarian job, I was not sent on this course. I'm glad to say that at least I now know what the steps to CPR are.

I wanted to buy dumplings from Fong Kee (People's Park Complex) as it was near where I had my course but turned out that my aunts went to our new place for a tour of the house and wanted to eat at Chinatown!

I walked the tourist streets of Chinatown such as Pagoda Street and Trengganu Street before meeting them to eat at the Chinatown hawker centre. If you are a Cantonese and enjoy traditional Cantonese food, then you should really try this stall called Macau Fong Cheng Cuisine (#02-211). It was yummilicious!!!!! Psst! It was so yummy that I had 2 bowls of rice :P

My view about posting other people's pics on the Internet

I am not sure whether it is the ex-Librarian in me or am I just so very anal, but I go law by law about things. Photos posted on the Internet is no exception.

Even as I post like crazy on Facebook and in my blog, I would ask for my friends' permission 99% of the time if I know that the picture with have them in it. I mean, doesn't the Facebook give a clause about whether we have used the pictures with permission or something?

It's the same when my Dad goes and buy cheap CD s/ VCD s from China. I thought it was pirated and frowned upon it. Only after I realised that it was produced locally in China (and therefore the cheap pricing) did I stop harrassing my Dad. Even so, I feel that the quality is not that good. Even his friends know that I am stickler for this intellectual property and piracy issue. He was once afraid to lend my Dad a pirated VCD knowing that I despised these products.

I also had to give my Dad a long lecture about the copyright laws (being then in the Library profession) when he attempted to photocopy a book wholesale.

Therefore, you can imagine how upset I was when I saw someone post pictures of many other people that I feel, she should ask permission first. Actually, I don't really blame her though coz my Chinese colleague had already put up my picture (taken with her) in her QQ space. I don't think many people realise that it is a violation of sorts but even if it is not, I just feel it is a form of courtesy.

That said, I am going to leave this topic to rest now. If not, people will think I am a naggy old hag. Or maybe they already do. Did I ever tell you that my Dad thinks that I am a police in my past life? Haha!

Heartening

I have never really dared to say too much, as I have always, until now, felt that I should not reveal too much about my job (or at least my previous job). I guess it is now quite safe to do so. After all, I am not saying bad stuff about it.

I just wanted to say that it is heartening to myself that I am still able to use the knowledge that I have accumulated as a librarian to help people, specifically my classmates in my present course.

We were, until tonight, doing something that was close to my heart and had a very close relationship to storytelling. We had to borrow books from the library and there were so many questions directed to me as they needed to look for books and to know what stories to tell.

It was our last lesson tonight and my lecturer told me that "I will always remember you as the librarian". That was when I felt a strong bond to my previous job and felt that I should really still conduct myself well even though I have left the organisation. The name "librarian" still carried some weight. In some ways.

After class, one of my classmate was telling me how she was quite surprised that the people working in the library did not seem to know their work. Woah! Felt so 'malu' ("embarrassed" in Malay) even though I am no longer working there. I quickly told her to look for those in black jackets and she said she did and that librarian was not able to answer many of her questions. Hmmm... .

She was particularly puzzled with the short forms such as WRL, SBCL and such and while explaining to her all those and more, I suddenly felt that I was wearing a black jacket and the MRT station had transformed into the library once more. My classmate was happy that I helped answer some of her queries and we parted ways.

This is not the first time that a lecturer has promoted literacy and the library in one breath. The lecturer for the previous unit had even gone so far as to promote the kamishibai that the library was selling, which my ex-colleagues and supervisors helped to create.

Even back then, I ever so gladly offered information about where they could get it and which were the regional libraries and so on. I guess these are the sorts of promotions that we do not see. It's the sort of intangible thing that you could not measure with concrete numbers and results.

As I was writing this, I just remembered another heartening thing that happened this afternoon. There was a new girl that had come under our care and she was feeling very out of place, wanting to go home. The only person who could seem to talk to her was me as I was the one who received her at the door.

She was moping a little and I told her o bring out her notebook so that we could talk about the pictures she had drawn inside (I had seen the book earlier). There were lots of drawings and scribblings but among all that imaginary 'mess' I saw "eresources.nlb.gov.sg".

I asked her whether she just went to the library and she told me that she did not and it was her teacher who told them to jot this down for it would come in useful for them.

Heartening, very heartening.

Sunrise, sunset

It seems like such a coincidence that whichever industry I join, it always seems to be the hot topic during the National Day Rally.

About 8 years ago, the library was the talk of the day. We, no they, have gone really high tech and have managed to jump leaps and bounds in terms of cutting down the queues and creating many new services etc.

Last week, during the National Day Rally Speech, childcare centres were the hot topic and for days before and after the rally speech, there were lots of reports in the newspapers about them. The number of centres need to be increased so as to encourage child bearing among married couples (sounds like our pledge. Hee, hee!).

There will be more subsidies given and lots more carrots are being dangled in front of parents to encourage them to give birth to more. Subsidies for working and non-working mums are up. Scholarships and bursaries would be given to teachers to upgrade and improve themselves. The fact that my school was mentioned for providing the scholarships shows that I must have done something right by signing up with that school.

A salsa-dancing ex-colleague once told me that the publishing industry is a sunset industry, but I think I must agree with the marketing manager that I did not like from Etonhouse (still trying to find link to that posting), that being in early childhood education industry is a sunrise industry.

I have been accepted!!!

The letter that I have been waiting for has arrived. I have been accepted! I will be starting my studies in early childhood in September!!

I was still worried about the acceptance as there was no news, no letter, whatsoever. Now, I can rest well.

Time to buy new stationery. Hee, hee, hee!! No, I will just buy a few nice notebooks to write notes in. Plus, I have another library to 'hide' for free!

Sad that I will be leaving

As the days past, I get more doubtful and sadder that I will soon be an outsider of the library and may no longer be called a Librarian.

Actually, it is not going to make much difference though, for the new naming norm for people like me who do not have a Masters in Library Science is "Associate Librarian". That in itself sounds like some vile tasting concoction that I find difficult to stomach. I find it a little derogatory.

Nevertheless, the organisation wants to move us towards a more professional career path and I can kind of see why they are making everyone qualified. I said this many times before and I still see it this way: I feel that I would not want to take a local degree and while it is good that they sponsor us to do the Masters programme, I do not want to be tied down. I do not want to be bonded. Just not the sort to be.

All around me, concerned friends and colleagues alike, have asked about the big pay cut if I were to become a part-timer. That really got me thinking again, but I think I would rather have my physical and mental health rather than to have to suffer this way.

Let's see how long I will be sad for and while there is this sadness about me, I am still very much looking forward to taking on new challenges.

If one day I were bashed up

I am strict person when it comes to maintaining order within the library. I do not allow for any misbehaviour.

There are times where I have told youngsters off and have gotten threats and being called bad names (like "Bodoh" and "gundu", which both loosely translates to "stupid").

I would not be surprised, if I continue to work in this line, that one day, I will get bashed up while I am walking on the streets, minding my own business. Sad to say that while we are carrying out our duty of maintaining silence and order within the library, we have had to cope with threats and scares. I have had colleagues who, after verbal abuses were hurled at her, had to wait for her husband to come to escort her home.

You might not believe it but these people sometimes belong to youth gangs and their threat is not for fun. While we have to put on a brave front to show that we are not afraid, we sometimes still have to prepare for worst case scenarios.

I pity these youngsters too for they are often the neglected bunch or latch-key kids, who feel that they only belong in groups like that. Or that the way to get attention is to threaten other people.

PARENTS!!!

What's wrong with them????? They bring their kids to the library and they bring the portable DVD player with them. Mind you, it was an LG portable DVD player.

Of all things, they actually play DVD right in front of my very eyes?? Have they no knowledge what the library is used for???? Yes, it is supposed to morph into some social, interaction space bullshit, but to cause all that noise!!! And that parent still got the cheek to look at me in a puzzled way like as if to ask me,"What did I do wrong here?"

I can close one eye on irresponsible teenagers who blast their MP3 players, hand phone music or music from PSPs, BUT THIS IS A PARENT! If they cannot be good examples towards their children, then don't have kids at all. Or if they really want children, make sure they get the rules right before they come.

Up to this point though, I would like to applaud those parents who are able to teach their kids well before, during and after they come to the library. They are the ones who understand that with becoming a parent, comes responsibilities. Kudos to them. Unfortunately, they are also far and few, few and fewer.

Back track to 30th November

30th November was, in its own way, a day to remember. It was the closing of the library@Orchard, which was situated at Ngee Ann City.

This library, though not old and not so frequently patronised by me, brought back vivid memories.

I just came back from Switzerland. It was the new Millenia, the Year 2000. I was just wandering around Ngee Ann City when I chanced upon this place with a tranquil amnbience. I walked into it and it took my breath away. Never in my life did I ever imagine a library to be such a cosy place, and so different from other libraries. Not so...utilitarian. I even remember comparing it with the state library in Perth. That library, though big and impressive, did not command such an atmosphere. It made me want to linger, to soak in all that I could see and feel.

Later on, I was to use this library as an example during my job interview. I was asked what made me want to join the library. I told my interviewers that I was "inspired by the library@Orchard". The interviewers grinned and smiled knowing smiles at one another. They knew that that was their pride and joy.

Personally, to see the library close, is like lying part of my memory to rest. I may not have used it that often like the other 18-35 year olds (the specific target market of this particular library), but I certainly feel part of it. Now, I will not be able to point out to my next generation (if I am to have a next generation) that this was the library that inspired me.

There were tears shed that night as the door was locked and shut for the last time. There were staff who had been working there since day 1 when it opened. They could not bear to see it closed. Someone (one of the staff) questioned the need to cry and commented that there did not seem a reason to. What that someone does not know, is that the workplace has touched them (staff) in such a way that they feel they had to. None of us would know how much hardwork and effort was put in to run that library: the teamwork, the camaradie and so on. No, I don't think we have to right to question the outpour.

There were many occasions that night that I did want to cry too.Opportunities were aplenty as songs about good-byes and farewells were played. The sentimental crap person that I am really wanted to, but I did not. I held back. I cried in my heart instead.

Maybe it's because I don't to let people see what a sentimental fool I was. Or maybe, a special place needs a special way of saying good-bye.



Artists were invited to draw graffiti /works of art onto the glass walls of library@Orchard.



Our very own home-grown MCs (masters of ceremony) from NLB!



Performance by Olivia and friend (got to find out what his name is! Rude not to remember.Hahaha!!!)