in retrospect.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
yesterday i visited mrs joseph at her house. hz went along too. we went for dinner at pizza hut's, and talked about many things, ranging from our plans, to hers.
i've only been to her house once, but i've liked it trememdously since. so it came to me as a surprise when she said she has sold her house, and will be shifting to somewhere at changi village soon.
if you know the location of her house you would know that her house is worth a lot. money aside, her house is one which gives you a cosy feeling; one that makes you feel that you are really at home. so when she explained to us the reasons why she chose to sell the flat and shift to somewhere less congested and more relaxed, i could tell that she has thought it through and made a firm decision. and a very good one too.
you see, most urban people like you and me spend their lives slogging their guts off in work. some of us even work till we die. i guess it is important that at a certain age, we slow down and take a look at what we have achieved thus far and what are the things that we want to achieve but have not, because of our busy schedule. choosing to retire at a more secluded part of the nation is definitely a good choice; it allows us to appreciate the finer things in life, things we probably never took notice of in the past. and for that, i really admire her.
during dinner, she also talked about her son, who just graduated from cambridge. in a nutshell, he's quite lost after his graduation, and has spent the past month thinking about his future. i could tell her helplessness and her love for her son as a parent...somehow such simple yet genuine love is getting increasingly difficult to find. sigh...
i was reminded of my late grandmother. as she aged, what she really wanted was accompaniment, and the only worry she had, even on her very last breathe, is her children. i see a similar reflection on mrs joseph. as she retires, she's happy that there are still students who look for her and keep her company, and giving her opportunities to try new things (like pizza hut and ice cream - she's very strict on her diet). and of course, how she is constantly worried about her children, who doesn't want to stay in singapore. i hope i've made the right step in keeping in contact with her, and hope this visit won't be the last one anytime soon.
on a seperate note, someone asked me if i have ever wondered if the ongoing office politics around me (they seem to happen everywhere i go) is due to myself. i thought about it, and came to this conclusion: office politics is present wherever you go. the only difference is whether you care about it, and whether your values cause you to feel strongly against it and thus complain about it. i admit i complain a little bit too much sometimes, but i only see it as a way of relieving my frustrations from work. i hope this is a good enough explanation.
i've only been to her house once, but i've liked it trememdously since. so it came to me as a surprise when she said she has sold her house, and will be shifting to somewhere at changi village soon.
if you know the location of her house you would know that her house is worth a lot. money aside, her house is one which gives you a cosy feeling; one that makes you feel that you are really at home. so when she explained to us the reasons why she chose to sell the flat and shift to somewhere less congested and more relaxed, i could tell that she has thought it through and made a firm decision. and a very good one too.
you see, most urban people like you and me spend their lives slogging their guts off in work. some of us even work till we die. i guess it is important that at a certain age, we slow down and take a look at what we have achieved thus far and what are the things that we want to achieve but have not, because of our busy schedule. choosing to retire at a more secluded part of the nation is definitely a good choice; it allows us to appreciate the finer things in life, things we probably never took notice of in the past. and for that, i really admire her.
during dinner, she also talked about her son, who just graduated from cambridge. in a nutshell, he's quite lost after his graduation, and has spent the past month thinking about his future. i could tell her helplessness and her love for her son as a parent...somehow such simple yet genuine love is getting increasingly difficult to find. sigh...
i was reminded of my late grandmother. as she aged, what she really wanted was accompaniment, and the only worry she had, even on her very last breathe, is her children. i see a similar reflection on mrs joseph. as she retires, she's happy that there are still students who look for her and keep her company, and giving her opportunities to try new things (like pizza hut and ice cream - she's very strict on her diet). and of course, how she is constantly worried about her children, who doesn't want to stay in singapore. i hope i've made the right step in keeping in contact with her, and hope this visit won't be the last one anytime soon.
on a seperate note, someone asked me if i have ever wondered if the ongoing office politics around me (they seem to happen everywhere i go) is due to myself. i thought about it, and came to this conclusion: office politics is present wherever you go. the only difference is whether you care about it, and whether your values cause you to feel strongly against it and thus complain about it. i admit i complain a little bit too much sometimes, but i only see it as a way of relieving my frustrations from work. i hope this is a good enough explanation.