I hung up on him and exhaled.
Celeste came over and hugged me, giggling like a silly little girl before Ella joined in the giggle.
Soon all 3 of us were just laughing in the room.
6am
I got into bed.
Celeste straddled me and bent down to kiss me while Ella sat by the side
With a forceful grasp of my hair, she yanked my head to the side , exposing my neck.
James : ARghhh…. Ourchh…..
Celeste : Now….. explain why you had an erection when Ella sucked on your nipple….
I could hear Ella laughed as she leaned on her elbow on the bed, both their faces were close to mine.
Ella was smiling.
Celeste was about to bite my ear off.
James : It….
James : It’s not her….
I tried to look as sincere as I could.
James : My erection came because of the blow job…. When you start massaging my balls. …
It took a while to convince Celeste and she finally bought it when Ella said she never really did anything.
Ella : I never do anything la. Just put my mouth over only…. Hahahah…
With her eyes narrowed to a slit, Celeste let me off before going to the bathroom.
When the door shut, Ella smiled and crawled right to my ears and whispered.
Ella : Do … you know what…. I’m going to say …. ?
I nodded my head obediently.
James : Please don’t say it.
Ella laughed and turned onto her stomach before quietening down.
Celeste came out and she asked Ella what was her plan.
Ella was quite firm on a divorce.
As the girls got on to chat, i leaned back onto my pillow and started to work out my next step.
When Monday comes…. things would get interesting in the office.
6.30am
Don called me again
Don : Leave her job alone…. i’m quitting…
James : Is she worth it ?
There was a moment of silence and the line went dead….
20th June
Sunday
8am
We went out for breakfast and by lunch, all of us parted ways, returning home.
I slept through most of Sunday, my head heavy with thoughts and I was really exhausted.
By the time I woke up at 6pm, I had 3 miss call from Celeste who was asking if I wanted to eat with her parents but they had already gone ahead.
I ordered some fast food as I was too lazy to head out.
After draining the sugary drink, I knocked out again at 10pm and I slept all the way through the night.
21th June
Monday
12pm
Word had started to spread about something interesting happening during the company trip. Colleagues who did not get to go were randomly asking anyone they could get theirs hands on what happened.
There were so many versions of the story floating around and I could hear some colleagues saying they got good friend at the woodlands branch and they offered to phone over and trade notes.
I was approached by Qinghe.
He was one of the closer PRC colleagues with me in the main office. He’s been in Singapore for close to 5 years and is one of the few that I can truly connect with.
Not only is he smart, he humble and willing to share if required, he was also willing to learn.
We got to know each other better during a company corporate social responsibility trip to a old folks home. He told me that he missed his old parents back home, and working with the old folks reminded him of them.
From then on, he volunteered every Sunday at the community home. On certain occasions, I would drop by with some provisions if my dad is free to drive me along.
What impressed me the most was how frugal he was, not only did he send most of his money back home, I heard from Ella once that he was the top donor to the old folks home in the entire company.
$180 SGD every month was debited from his pay cheque even before he received it.
It made me feel ashamed when Ella hinted that he’s earning lesser than me, I only donated the minimum of $5.
I increased my donation to $20 the following month.
Qinghe : James …. What happened ?
I just told Qinghe the version of what I intend to tell the management should they ask and he nodded his head.
Qinghe : So drama lah… haha
He had already started to pick up our local lingo and singlish with all the lahs, and the yahs.
By 3pm
The picture was starting to get clearer among the gossip hungry colleagues.
The word that some employees were having sex in the workplace was common knowledge, but the juicy part was there were photos circulating around.
The male employees were excited. Even the interns perked up their ears.
Before I knew it, our 2 in house courier/delivery uncle Hafiz and uncle larry were up at the office, asking what was happening. A mischievous look of interest on their faces as they casually chatted and snooped around.
When our warehouse supervisor Muthu came too, shaking his head with a grin on his face, I knew Mimi’s time in the organisation was coming to an end.
5pm
There was a flurry of activities in the office and people I’ve never seen before were streaming into the conference room. Most left after a while.
Walter went in shortly after and at 5.20pm my phone rang.
Walter : James … we need you inside the conference room.
I straightened my shirt and walked in.
Seated on my left was Walter and Spencer, on the right was a lady I never seen before and in the middle was the regional boss of the company, David.
The lady started talking first and the moment the first words left her mouth, I knew she was from PRC as well.
Her English is pretty decent and I had no trouble understanding her.
Her tone however, was a little condescending, and she gives people the vibe that she may be talking to you, but she’s already looking down on you.
It’s as if it was beneath her to even talk to you.
Yes, I’m sure you have met someone like that before in your life.
Her eyes were like thin slits of sharp blade, as if visually she wanted to slice you in 2 as she rest her chin on the back of her hand.
Lili : James : I’m Lili, the regional production head for the company….. can you tell me what happened during the trip .
I told her that there was a misunderstanding, we saw the CCTV, and nothing happened. Walter was brushing something off the glass.
That was it.
James : The service staff apologised and that was it.
Lili exhaled in an impatient manner, as if she was wasting her time even by listening to me.
Lili : Whatever….. Mimi…. Says Walter paid the service staff off. Is that true.
Walter just looked on in a disinterested manner and I could see Spencer roll his eyes.
As if being seated on opposite sides were not obvious enough, the manner at which the management faces off with each other left no one in doubt they could not get along.
Cindy came in right when I was about to speak and she was wiping her perspiration off her forehead.
Cindy : Go on… don’t mind me…
I was curious which side she would take and she took the left.
Lili : We don’t at all….. James please continue.
If Cindy was offended, she did not let it show.
James : The staff apologised after realising they made a mistake. Why is there a need to pay them off ? Nothing happened…. It’s a misunderstanding.
Lili folded her arms and looked down at her feet, obviously finding them more interesting than me.
Lili : Did Walter pay them money or not…..? can you just answer my questions ? ….. Which part of it do you not understand ???
I took a deep breath and answered the 50 year old hag that seemed like she spent too much on botox injection.
Her wrinkles were deeply set into her forehead, the crows feet by her eyes were obvious too but she still act and pretended as if she was some sweet young thing. Brushing her fringe behind her years and looking at her own fingernails as she spoke.
James : No… He did not
She sat forward in her chair, placing both her hands together and looked straight at me.
Lili : You see James…… i…. I’m very good at something…. That is to know if people lied to me…. So….
She stood up, she was shorter than me, but the manner in which she conduct herself was as if she could squash me like a bug if she wanted.
She came closer and looked at me in the eye.
Lili : Don’t lie to me…… don’t fuck with me….
The room was quiet as all eyes fell on me.
My expression did not change.
I was not fazed at all by that woman.
I did not need any theatrics to prove anything.
Staring straight at her in the eyes, I replied.
James : I, never saw any money changed hands from Walter to the service staff. Not when I was there…
I added immediately after my first sentence.
James : And no…. I will not fuck with you….. not in a thousand years…
I could hear a snigger from Spencer as Lili glared at me angrily.
Fuck her pun.
My reply could be worse.
Cindy spoke.
Cindy : That’s enough James…. You may go.
I nodded my head at her before excusing myself.
The management staff left the room shortly after me.
I called Ella to understand the situation over at the woodlands office and I asked about Lili and who is she.
Ella : Mimi calls her dajie….. in fact all the PRC staff calls her that.
She went on to tell me that Lili is known to be overly protective of her own people, and it was obvious when it comes to hiring choices, she preferred anyone but our own locals.
Ella also told me that Mimi was asked to pack up that afternoon but Lili has been going around trying to shake things up.
25th June
Friday
12pm
Everything had been cast in stone by then. Mimi’s departure was a fact and the only acknowledgment I got from Walter was a quick wink on when we passed each other in the pantry that day.
Ella had started divorce proceedings and according to her, Don had moved out in the middle of the week.
Life was just starting to go back to normal for everyone. The gossip died down.
There was no longer any rumour to feed the hunger of the gossipers.
Everyone was busy with the upcoming launch of a new storage plant in the north of Singapore. The company had recently acquired the land from the authorities, and we will be holding our company’s annual team bonding day at the site together with the ground breaking.
30th July 2010
Friday
9am
It was not a usual work day for everyone as we all gathered at the new site in woodlands.
Several tents has been set up, refreshments were readily available and the people from the events company were stroking people’s excitement, getting them ready for the ground breaking.
I could see the games being set up, team bonding activities and stuff. Everyone needs to participate, no exceptions.
After the CEO dig into the ground with the excavator together with a politician, he gave s short speech before making the announcements.
CEO : Let the games….. begin…
Everything was pre-planned and the schedule of what was to be done was emailed to all employees’ weeks ahead.
We laughed, drank and ate as everyone mingled.
Xiaohua was there too, she turns out to be a production supervisor in the factory floor. We stared at each other but kept our distance.
I could not help but feel something was brewing.
By 4pm, we were ready for the final event.
A Paintball company was invited to set up at our new site.
There was to be a inter office challenge.
The staff at our AMK office vs the guys at woodlands.
Something did not seem right to me when I look at the allocation of players. Something was definitely way off.
It was a 7 aside game, set in a small forested patch that has yet to be cleared for the new plant.
That was the only game in which the details was not released to us beforehand with the management terming it as the grand finale to the ground breaking day.
I was up first, together with my colleagues.
Uncle Larry, Uncle Hafiz , Muthu, they were all well into their mid 40s, but they still grinned playfully as we put on the safety gear.
Alvin from purchasing started to gear up by my side together with the two 23 year old university interns attached to him, Adrian and Jason.
I looked at the list of names on the opposing teams, it was all PRC including Xiaohua. Even Qinghe from our AMK office was there. He was puzzled, and started asking around but on one knew anything.
A foreboding feeling was starting to creep up on me as everyone geared up. The rules were briefed to us and once we were hit, we were to leave the game.
The objective was to plant your flag in the opposing team’s base.
The instructor added that the terrain is challenging, it’s a real natural forest, he reminded us a few times it was just a game and the key was to have fun.
It was just a short 5 minute game due to time constraint and everyone was given 50 paintballs per set.
We will be doing a total of 3 sets.
Lili came out after that to address everyone, saying some crap before asking us to enjoy the game.
I was shocked and surprised when the flags we would be using was presented to us.
Instead of some coloured banners, it was a real flag.
Hafiz : Wah… play soccer ah… real flag seh….. don’t play play…
We were told to give a team name and a cheer for the camera man.
The PRCs were more sporting, shouting 加油！加油！加油！in loud quick succession.
We on the other hand giggled and laugh. After some discussion, we decided our team names to be ‘Singapore’.
Larry : Use Singapore flag mah…. Chin chye la… play play only… ahah
We laughed and in our truly uniquely Singaporean way, our cheer was our signature.
“ HUAT AH ! “
We gave a half hearted one at the camera before going off laughing and joking around.
We filed off to the games area and with the blow of a whistle, the game started.
We took cover accordingly and started firing. I counted my rounds carefully, and before long all 50 rounds were up.
We hardly advanced a few metres and we were done.
But amazingly the PRCs laid down a non stop volley of covering fire, allowing them to advance without difficulty towards us.
What angered my was not that we lost the 1st game.
It was the fact that they shot at us when we said we were already empty.
I took one to my thigh, the stinging pain shot through my nerves like a stab of a knife.
The uncles cursed as well and we watched as Xiaohua kick our flag onto the floor, spitting at it before planting theirs in.
She glared at me before turning and walking away.
The whistle was blown and as the cheered and went off to prepare for the second set, I was puzzled.
I was fucking puzzled.
The advancing alone, with their rate of fire, they would have exhausted all their paintballs even before they got close.
How is it that they have so many paintballs.
As we struggled to get up, Qinghe ran towards me. His neon green scarf stood out easily.
Qinghe : Are you all ok ?
We nodded and before I could speak, Qinghe took my gun and shook.
Qinghe : How many rounds you all have ?
James : 50 … that’s what they said right.
Qinghe shook his head, adding that he already fired off 50, and he shook his gun to show me, indicating that they had a lot more.
My blood was fucking boiling as I watched Lili stood at a distance, egging the organisers to quickly get the next round started.
The uncles were befuddled too on the unfairness. A few instructors came and reloaded for us and we took the chance to ask them but they said they knew nothing.
Adding that the game will start in 5 minutes, and that we need to hurry so everyone gets a chance.
The interns looked a little unsure and scared.
The uncles were wondering if we should continue but the starting whistle was blown, asking everyone to get ready.
I quickly gathered them around, formulating a quick plan.
Hafidz : That’s crazy James…
Larry : Siao ah…
Jason : This is not fair…
I stood up and replied.
James : Life is never fair. We don’t choose the cards we were dealt with……. But we can choose how to play those cards.
They nodded a little unsure but still took up positions.
The whistle sounded again and almost immediately, I could feel the crack of the tree barks near me. The whistle of paintballs flying by my ears at breakneck speed.
The volley of shots crackled like gunfire in the humid forest.
I waited for an opening before I got up, grabbing our Singapore flag at the same time.
I was hit almost immediately, and that pretty much meant I was out of the game.
Fuck the game.
The game was over ever before it begin.
I continued running, charging towards their base.
There was 2 seconds of confusion before I felt the entire area around me starting to burst out in a colourful array of powder and paint.
Woodchips flew, dry grass and mud shot up high up to my waist level as I ran towards the PRCs.
I was hit a couple more times on my chest armour but I bit my teeth and went on.
As I got closer, a large figure got up, waiting for me.
There was no doubt it was Xiaohua.
I headed straight for her, and she barrelled straight towards me like a freight train with more rounds exploding around us.
I past by Qinghe as the flash of his neon scarf went pass my eyes. I noted that he was not shooting at all, squatting by the side of his tree and just looking on in horror.
With a shout, my body connected with Xiaohua, sending a sharp stab of pain down my shoulder.
I was slower and Xiaohua landed a punch on my helmet, knocking me off my feet but as she advanced towards me, I landed a kick on her leg and she lost balance.
She collapsed and rolled down the gentle slope.
I turned towards my teammates and a smile broke on my face.
It was one of the most beautiful sight I have ever seen in my life.
That fucking beauty of seeing 6 of them rising up simultaneously spread out along the line of fire.
There was no need to shout.
There was no need for any command.
It was something that was ingrained in every Singaporean son.
Something we trained to do.
Something we knew by heart.
It did not matter if they are a 40 year old uncle or a frightened intern. They did the same thing.
Held the same poise.
With the butt of the weapon pressed firmly on their shoulders, I watch with pride as my team mates advanced, dauntless and unyielding in the face of fire.
Their heads tilted down, aiming as best as they could as they took step after step towards the entrenched PRC.
The confidence of each step was nothing compared to the defiant advance in spite of the stronger fire power.
Rounds after rounds were fired.
If only we were staring down an actual iron sight.
The positions where our opponents were hiding erupted in a smattering cloud of chaos.
No one stopped.
Not Muthu who’s leg hurts during rainy day.
Not Larry who is on medication for high cholesterol
And of course not the interns.
They advanced for a good 7 seconds before running out of paintballs.
The PRCs were quick to retaliate, firing back a succession of rounds.
I watched in horror as Larry took 2 to the chest right before Muthu’s leg gave way after getting hit in the thigh.
My hair rose and goose bumps appeared as I watch Jason ran over, pushing Uncle Hafidz away as he took 3 to his back, sending him collapsing onto the forest floor.
Hafidz cursed in malayu, and he covered Jason’s body with his, his back imedaitely painted a bright green by a well-aimed shot.
Alvin dragged Adrian away in time as the spot he was standing on erupted as the high velocity round kicked up a cloud of dirt but Adrian shrugged Alvin off, running towards Muthu.
Together with Larry, he dragged the rest behind the cover of a old rain tree.
It was chaos.
Whistles were blowing, I could see some spectators at the tents standing up.
Instructors were at a lost, no one wanted to be caught in the crossfire.
I got up on my feet, lifting our flag and ran towards the opponent base.
Xiaohua was up too.
This time round, I was a bit faster, I feign a punch but instead sidestepped and knock her onto the ground. She stripped on a tree root and tumbled back down the slope again.
I reached for the China flag and set it aside.
There is no need to insult the sovereignty of a country the way the PRCs did.
Before I could put in the flag, another PRC guy charged towards me.
Right at that moment, I heard a loud shout from Uncle Larry.
Larry : KNN !!! You CHEE BYEsss…
There was no longer any need for the paintball guns as I watch Larry, Hafidz and Muthu charged head first towards the entrenched opponents.
Paint erupted on their bodies as the 2 of the PRC stood up and continued firing on the unarmed men but they defied the odds and reached down, grabbing the PRCs with their fucking bare hands.
Pulling them out from behind tress and fallen logs.
The first punch went off and connected with Muthu’s face, causing him to fall to the ground and the entire forest erupted into an orgy of shouts and chaos.
Punches and kicks connected sweaty bruised muscles
The firing had stopped and a few more PRCs were seen running towards the game zone . I would have thought they wanted to break up the brawl but I was wrong.
They picked up fallen branches and sticks there were cleared earlier from the game zone and charged towards the confrontation.
The game organisers froze, not knowing what to do.
The team next in line behind us, started running towards the mass of angry sweaty bodies led by a blonde hair ex convict by the name of Tom. He was part of the company’s effort towards the yellow ribbon project.
Tom : PHUA CHEE BYE….eeeeeeeeeeeee !!!
His cursed rang the loudest among the din that was starting to drown out everyone.
He ran the fastest too, charging towards the fight, leading a shouting band of a few fellow ex-cons towards the party.
I only managed to catch him knocking down a guy that was pressing onto Alvin before my body connected with the PRC guy that was coming at me.
We landed several punch on each other’s helmet and face mask.
I could feel the sting of the cut and I saw the stream of red blood running down my knuckles.
A jab to his kidney was met with a tight punch to my stomach. As I bent over, I charged forward, knocking him down from the high ground where I stood.
I looked down at the clash of bodies and it strengthened my resolve
I reached the spot where I was to place our flag.
Stepping onto the platform, I raised our flag into air, shouting out to let my team mates know that we won.
I blared my lungs out, determined to grab their attention, hopefully stop the fight.
With a loud exclamation I shouted.
I shouted like I never did at the riot a short distance away.
I shouted.
James : Team SINGAPOREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
My voice rang out in the forest as I plunge our flag deep into the slot meant to hold the victors’ flag.
But that was not it.
I wanted things to die down.
Hopefully it would stop everyone but I was wrong.
It did not.
It did not. ………….
What happened raised all the hair on my neck, sending a ripple of shiver down my entire spine as my shout ignited a phenomenon I could not explain.
As if right on cue, I heard all my fellow Singaporean colleagues caught up in the fight shout as well.
And fuck…. it was some shout.
The resulting echo reverberated into my ear drums as the unison of voice silenced the entire forest.
The birds no longer chirped.
The insects stopped buzzing.
Just like when the samurais defeated the ninjas in the Tom cruise movie, they shouted all at once right into the PRCs face.
All together : HUAT AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
The resulting echo travelled into everyone’s eardrum, raising all of my hair and goosebumps and everyone stopped moving.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
I stared at my colleagues, some struggled to stand.
Larry had to be supported by Jason.
Tom was bleeding badly on his forehead
Jason was leaning against the tree.
Muthu and uncle Hadfiz leaned against each other, the looked of a hardened father in the humid jungle etched on their face.
The shout petrified everyone, including the management watching from a distance.
The instructors did not dare to move.
PRCs were scattered about, some lying down. Some sitting against the tree.
One thing was certain.
All of us local stood …………………
We stood. ……………….
We fucking stood even if it means we need to endure further pain.
We stood…….. quiet ……….and defiant………
Defiant of the odds the fucking management had placed on us.
We stood. ……….
I felt a sharp pain course through my thigh followed almost immediately by my calves as I collapsed onto the ground.
Xiaohua fired off a few successive shots at me and I landed back first onto the ground.
I squeezed off my weapon as well, collapsing her knees as she too tumbled down onto the floor facing me about 4 m away.
4 metres.
The length of your average carpark lot is 4.8 metres.
That was how close we were.
It fucking hurts to be shot so up close.
I raised up my weapon the same time as Xiaohua and we started squeezing off a series of rounds at each other, almost at point blank range
I could feel the sickening thud as my body went into spasm but after the 3rd round, I no longer feel any pain.
Pop…. Pop… pop…
My head snapped backwards like a broken marionette doll as my face mask was coated bright green and I returned the favour with a splash of red on Xiaohua’s face mask.
Xiaohua : ARGHHHHH…. Fuck!!! You !!!.
I could not remember how long it was.
Perhaps everything think lasted for only 3-4 seconds before our weapons were grabbed away from us.
I can’t remember if I blacked out but when I got to my feet, Larry and Muthu was support me.
Xiaohua got up without any help and taunted.
Xiaohua : come on!!!.. fuck you!!!.. come on!!! … FUCK you …!!
Qinghe was in the middle desperately trying to calm everyone down as we all gathered in a circle.
Qinghe : Enough… enough…
We just glared at each other, standing at opposing sides.
I could feel a gentle breeze coming from the left, caressing our sweat soaked body.
The birds were chirping again. I could heard the distant cricket sing.
It’s as if mother nature was telling us that’s quite enough.
It’s time to stop.
I removed my helmet and mask and so did Xiaohua.
Pointing a finger at the crowd in front of me, I spoke.
James : You all are guest in our country…… do not ever…. for a moment mistake our hospitality as our weakness.
No one spoke after that.
After 30 seconds, the mob began to disperse without any need for further instructions.
I was helped over to our rest tents and I could see Lili directing the first aid staff over to the other tent where her people were.
The lot of us locals gathered at our tent. I saw Walter, sweaty and worried as he came over with 2 cartons of mineral water.
Walter : Are…. Are you all ok ?
We passed the bottles around.
The shelter and the fan was a welcome relief from the humid heat of our tropical rainforest.
I uncapped my bottle and was about to take a sip when I stopped.
I stopped.
Instead I raised my bottle to the air, towards all my local colleagues.
Caps fell onto the ground and more raised their bottles at me. I made eye contact with each and everyone, turning in a clockwise direction, completing a full circle.
An unspoken switch was flicked and we all started to drink, draining the bottle and replenishing the fluids we lost.
It was a short 10 maybe 15 minutes, but so much has happened.
Some finished their water faster than the rest but they kept their hands up.
They kept their bottles in the air.
When the last had drained the final drop of liquid, it’s as if a silent telepathic command was given at the exact same moment.
We smashed the bottles onto the timber decking, the crack of plastic against solid wood popped like muted gunfire and our voices rang out together for 1 last time, drowning out everyone within a good square mile.
In Unison : HUAT AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
As the last of the echo disappeared into the distance, I stared at Lili who was looking at me.
I smiled and mumbled under my breath.
James : Don’t fuck with us I say..….. don’t fuck with us… ..
Haha.
Thank you for the comments.
Really appreciate the time and effort you spent to drop a note and comment.
My apologies, i’m unable to reply to each and every one of them but some are sure funny to read.
Will be out of town for a couple of days.
I’m about 6-7 posts away from wrapping this up depending on how the final drafts is being edited.
Will update when i’m back.
Cheers
ilock
Huat Ah !
Honestly i’m quite lazy to give my take on this discussion because it’s never ending.
The issue of biased hiring base on nationality has been going on for a while. It’s happening on both sides. For those of us who can influence hiring decisions, or are in the position of doing so, i’m sure we would do what we can to hire a local.
Just like what a FT would do if he/she is in the position to bring in a fellow countrymen, they would too.
There is no easy way to solve this.
Leave the emotional issues aside, i’m sure if you rise up to the position where you are trusted to make hiring decisions, it’s because the management trusts you.
It’s not just picking someone and let your boss foot the bill.
There is a lot to consider about which i don’t want to get into.
Just 4 months ago, i had to choose a FT over one of our locals for a position. Not because anyone force me to but it was the rational and practical decision to do so.
The budget HR gave me for my team is simply not enough to match his asking pay. I can try to squeeze every single cent from the project budget to get him but what about the other locals in my team ? I also need to be fair and take care of them too.
It’s a very difficult position to be in and unless you are doing the same thing, not many will understand what you had to go through just to secure a new staff.
What made matters worse was the local guy was actually recommend by one of my team members.
It fucking sucks…. to tell my team because of money, i had to pick a FT. Do you know how hard it is to say something like this….
And i don’t get to explain to the 6 locals in my team that i had to do it because it’s a rational and sustainable decision for the entire team. Nothing could describe the look on their faces when i told them their new team member is not a local.
I also did not think it’s necessary to tell them that by choosing the FT, i made sure they would get the bonus and increment they wanted, at the same time keep everyone’s workload manageable. It all comes down to dollars and cents.
So does this make me a bad person ?
I know it’s the right decision but i still feel shitty about it for a while but there’s nothing i can do.
I started with 2 locals in the team before it got to 6 over the years and it’s really really a struggle to find good help these days, keeping them is also a challenge.
The towkays and bosses reading will surely understand this
Some fresh grads are asking for pay that is well beyond the capability of SMEs.
I started work with a diploma in 2004 at 1.2k.
No OT, no allowance, no bonus, no increment for 1.5 years. The person i worked for is a fucker, but he taught me things that money cannot buy and to a certain extent, i’m grateful for the experience.
No one owes us a living.
Just being a Singaporean does not make us special
I believe most of us are not irrational, in fact i believe Singaporeans are fiercely practical. We know what is the right decision to make.
Then again why are we upset ?
We know deep down we need the FTs, so we put up with their shit…….as much as we can.
Then comes along the odd individual FT that chooses to think the country will not survive without him.
He could be a hot shot banker that chooses to pick on a cab driver, one who says our trains stink, or a nurse who thinks he’s hot enough to fuck all the local girls and cure patients with a touch of his hand.
These people are the trigger which unleashes our bottled up frustration. We used these opportunities to vent our anger, and we ended up being labelled as xenophobic along the way.
Thankfully, most of them are swiftly dealt with.
We Singaporeans have a stake in this country. The air we breathe, path we walked, the grass by the road,the train we take, everything you see, we have a stake.
We want the country to prosper, compared to those who are purely here for financial gains, we have a lot more to lose if the country goes down. We need each other.
We can’t exactly say we are saints either.
Have we not made tourist kneel down for a handphone ?
Have we not drive drunk on the expressway, killing entire families ?
Have we not smoke on the train and display anti social behaviours ?
There are bad eggs in every community. It’s inevitable.
Most of the foreigners i worked with are nice folks, so are the locals.
So, what do we want ?
I want a lot, for example the SYT in a tight white dress that just came into my office with a document for me to sign while i was typing this.
I also want the hot client who just came in and borrowed my HP charger
Too many to list down.
We are a small and young country, there are a lot of opportunities here, everyone has the right to strive for a better life and future.
Just don’t come here with the intention to fuck around with us……………
Let’s put the discussion behind….. buy a curry puff, and make a cup of coffee.
Life’s too short to be angry all the time…..
Will update in a while
4.45pm
From a short distance away , several people were slowly making their way across from the main tent to the one we were resting in.
I could make out Ella from where I was as I massaged my bruises and aching muscles. She held a clipboard to her chest, her eyes scanning the tent area nervously as she followed behind an old man who was wearing a red cap.
As they drew closer, I realised the old man was our CEO, he had changed into casual berms and a polo T.
Ella nodded and spoke, answering the ceo’s questions as they approached and stepped into our rest area.
Our CEO, Mr Ang walked right to the middle of the rest tent, asking after everyone, giving his immediate attention to the ones who were in need of some first aid.
He asked Ella to go fetch the medics and she shot off like a bullet.
Mr Ang chatted with a few older staff before addressing the entire group of us.
I would have thought he was there to reprimand us, to scold us for the stupid incident, but he did not.
As he started to speak, subconsciously everyone gathered around him in a semi-circle. Mr Ang is in his 60s. His voice is low, and he spoke with what I could only describe as vigour.
He was calm, his tone measured and soothing, like a healing balm for the wounded soul.
Mr Ang : I saw what happened earlier…….I have been talking to the instructors….It’s unfortunate…….that…some of our fellow colleagues…..thought it was funny to skew the odds in such a manner.
He paused for a second or so before going on.
Mr Ang : It’s not right,….. but it’s already happened…. I’m not here to assign blame or to hold anyone responsible…..
He went on to say that as a organisation, it reflects very badly on everyone if we are fighting amongst ourselves.
At that moment, Ella came back with 2 medical staff who started attending to the minor wounds sustained by the team.
She scanned the tent again and she looked furious when she spotted me at the corner of the group.
I quickly avoided her look and turned my attention back to Mr Ang.
Mr Ang : It’s in evitable that we have a bit of differences given the diverse background and cultures…… but isn’t this what makes us special ? We all come together to make things work.
Someone passed Mr Ang a bottle of water and he took a sip before going on.
His tone softened a notch or 2, almost in a fatherly manner, he shared with us his days when he was trained by the Israelis as part of the 1st batch of NS trainees, and of the days during the racial riots.
Mr Ang : I was scared when they deployed us into the streets at night…… A bayonet, 5 live rounds, that was it ……. People get hurt…. People die back then….
Mr Ang : But I was not alone….. By my side, behind me, everywhere I turned, my brothers were there……The colour of our skin tone, the names by which we call god….. all these did not matter ……. That few nights when we were out, each other was all we had……each other.
He placed particular emphasis on ‘each other’ , letting the word sink into our heads.
The tent was silent, only the sound of the creaking fan interrupted Mr Ang’s words.
Mr Ang gestured to the entire site and added.
Mr Ang : All this….. we cannot make it work without everyone….. We can’t.
He went on to say that everyone needed to come together despite our differences, that is the only way we can grow.
Mr Ang : On one hand….. I can’t express how proud I was as a Singaporean, to see what just happened…… but on the other hand….. as a Steward of the company…. My heart aches to see the organisation fall apart…..
He took another sip of water and asked everyone to have a good rest over the weekend, if needed, take an extra day off on Monday, no MC required. He will inform HR about this.
He will not be pursuing the matter further since no one was seriously hurt, and that applies to both sides of the camp.
Just before he left, he said something that caused everyone to break into laughter before we sent him off with a smattering round of applause and a thundery shout.
Mr Ang : Now…….
He looked towards the main tent and added before turning around to look at us
Mr Ang : Hear us roar…..
He lifted his bottle and we opened our vocal cords for one last time that day.
All together : HUAT AH!!!!!!!
An announcement was made, the rest of the paint ball game event was cancelled and the lucky draw was brought forward.
The crowd slowly dispersed and Ella was seen walking off behind Mr Ang after she shot me another angry look.
By 6pm, Dinner was served and we were free to head off after 7pm.
I managed to hide from Ella for the rest of the day, avoiding her as best as I could.
I kept an eye on her, and I could see her frantically searching the crowd for me. She called me several times but I did not answer. I knew I was just going to get scolded anyway.
7 pm
I half limped, staggered and wobbled my way to the road after calling for a cab but the driver made a wrong turn and had to do a big detour before coming back.
Right when I was pulling up, I saw Ella running towards me.
My eyes widened and opened the cab door immediately but she caught up and got into the cab as well.
Ella : You are a complete… idoit!
The cab drove off and she started scolding me for my actions.
Ella : How could you do that…. Do you know how dangerous that was ?? What if you were hit in the eye ? You could go blind…
She went on criticising my actions but I could tell from her behaviour she was not really angry, it was more of concern and upset.
As we got nearer to my place, I could see tears welling up in her eyes as she spoke.
Ella : Do you know how worried I was….
It made me feel bad and to be honest, yes, I felt like an idoit too.
Celeste called as we exited the expressway, saying that she had to work late and will not be joining me for dinner, probably meet up again the next evening as she needed to be back on Saturday morning for work too.
James : Ok…. I just left the family day thingy…. Will eat on my own.
We alighted at my place and without me asking, Ella helped me with my bag and supported me as we staggered back up to the room.
She dropped our bags on the floor and we walked into the shower together.
Our clothes were stained with mud and dirt from a day of games. The bathroom was filled with the smell of stale sweat.
Only our shoes were off, we stepped into the shower with our socks on.
Ella had a frown on her face as she help me lift up my shirt, exclaiming at the bruises that was starting to turn purple.
I could hardly lift my arms and I struggled to even lift the shirt off my head, moaning and groaning like a baby as Ella undressed me.
Ella : Want to be hero… then don’t be afraid of pain…
I ignored her jibe as she put my clothes aside.
Ella pulled down my pants and let me support myself on her shoulder as I stepped out of the bundled up mess on the floor.
My legs looked like there were an alien lifeform, the patchy bruises and the random scratches were everywhere.
She reached for my underwear and I grabbed onto her hands.
James : What are you doing. !
She slap me on my wrist and without even looking at me, pulled down my underwear, revealing my dick which was started to swell.
Ella : I see everything before liao what…
She nonchalantly stripped me and removed all my clothes. If she saw my erection, she did not let it show.
How could I not have an erection?
I looked at the light purple cross back sports bra that Ella wore. She had on a white translucent off shoulder top, and the lighting in the room together with her sweaty body left nothing to imagination.
She had on a pair of figure hugging track pants that ended halfway in the middle of her calves. The waistband of the tight pants was bright pink in colour, standing out against the coal like black of the main fabric.
I could not see any panty line on the tight fabric, it’s either she had on a really thin pair of seamless panty or she was not wearing any.
Her white socks was in 2 tone, not by design. The top part of it that was exposed above her running shoes were spotted with bits of grass, brown mud stains and dirt while the bottom remained a pristine white.
Just looking at Ella was sending blood to my dick.
She bent down to pick up some stray bits of grass that had fell onto my bedroom floor and my dick throbbed harder as I stood unmoving in the toilet, just looking at her.
She came back after dropping my clothes into the laundry basket and just stared at me before looking at my dick.
I snapped away from my trance and looked away, fumbling for the shower.
Ella helped me closed the bathroom door after placing my towel in the hanger behind the door.
I took about 15 minutes in the shower, washing the mud and grime off my body as I negotiated every movement with muscles and joints I never knew existed.
Everything I did ached, I could hardly shampoo my own hair properly.
I turned off the shower and dried myself after wrapping myself with the towel.
When I exit the bathroom, I got a shock.
Ella was sitting on my bed and she was sobbing quietly to herself.
A few balls of tissue were present by the side of the bed and she looked at me with her eyes red and swollen.
James : Are you ok ? …. What happened. ?
She shook her head and told me she don’t know before sobbing again.
Ella : I….. I don’t know…..
I sat down beside her and tried not to wince in pain.
James : What happened ? ….. tell me…
It took a bit more coaxing before Ella started to speak.
She said that she too did not know what she was feeling but she just knew that she was very worried about me when she saw the confrontation spark off.
Ella : All I could think of was whether you were ok……sobzz….
I swallowed a mouthful of saliva and I brought her more tissue.
James : I’m ok…. I’m ok…. Don’t worry.
She just glared at me and I was at a total lost for words. I had a dreaded feeling in my heart and I knew where we were headed but before I could react, Ella hugged onto me, sobbing tearfully into my shoulder.
Ella : Don’t ever do something so stupid again….sobs….sobzz.. sobz…
I too was overwhelmed with emotions as Ella broke down in my arms. The emotions slowly faded away and confusion sets in.
The events and things that happened the past few months must be both a physical and mental torture on her. No decent girl should have to go through something so horrible.
James : Are…..ermmm…. Ella….. you….. ok ?
I was unsure what to say to her as I had this dreaded feeling that was starting to swell.
I let her continue crying for a couple more minutes before I said I’ll send her back.
Ella : I don’t want to go back….. what’s the point of returning to an empty house….
I nodded and was about to get dressed but Ella held onto my hand and asked me in the softest voice.
Almost like the timid purr of a kitten.
Ella : Can….. can… I stay ?
Ella : Please…
I struggled with my reply but a few more tugs from Ella’s soft hands and I just nodded.
James : We….this….. this is wrong Ella….
She looked away, no doubt ashamed of her own behaviour but I could tell she wanted to stay badly.
James : Go and take a shower…..we’ll go grab dinner after.
I passed Ella a spare towel that Celeste used when she stays over but instead of heading into the shower, she held onto my hand. Before I could say anything, she leaned towards me, kissing my on my lips as I stared wide eye at her.
I shook my head but Ella would not stop, her arms went around my neck, and she kissed me passionately as more tears rolled down her eyes.
Ella : I’m….. sorry…… I can’t help it…
I was at a loss for words and my brain stopped working, the only explanation for my brain not working was probably because all the blood started rushing down to my dick. I could smell the aroma of stale sweat from Ella, feel the stickiness of her face against mine as our tongues interlocked.
The occasional odd whiff of her day old hair caked with dust, dirt and perspiration.
There was something wild about her that day.
Something primal I could not explain.
My towel fell off, courtesy of Ella’s hands as she kissed me on my chin, moving down to my neck, dropping to my chest.
Ella knelt down on her knees, both her hands touching my bruised thighs. I felt a breath of hot air on the shaft of my freshly washed dick, no doubt smelling sweet and delicious to Ella. Her nose hovered near my shaft, smelling the fragrance from my body wash as she breathed heavily onto my manhood.
I could feel a couple of kisses on my balls, my dick, and at the tip of my penis as Ella explored my privates like a curious kitty.
Her tongue touched the tip of my cold dick, sending a wave of warmth down my shaft as I felt the tease of her naughty tongue.
Ella’s lips parted, cupping over my dick, sucking it hard and I could feel all the bruises all over my body acting up at the same time as I groaned and my body tensed up.
Like a constricting python squeezing the life out of it’s victim, Ella’s mouth slid down slow and I held onto the cupboard behind me for support. I could feel her mouth clamping down on my helpless dick, as if she was determined to pull back my foreskin with her downward pressure.
I could feel my foreskin stretch back, it was quite painful initially but Ella’s comforting warm mouth sooth out any pain before it really affects me. I felt a sudden pull back of my forskin and I could feel the slight rolling up as my naked dick head tingled and shook, helpless and shivering inside Ella’s mouth.
That ticklish sour sensation you loved and hated as the same time permeated throughout my body as I groaned in pleasure, listening to Ella slurpz and swallow a big gulp of saliva.
She stopped, standing up, cleaning her mouth with the back of her hand as she looked at me with her innocent red eyes.
Ella : I’ll…. I’ll go shower first…
I watched her walked into the bathroom and I followed behind her immediately, unable to control myself as I lusted for the smell of her sweat.
I shut the door behind us and Ella looked at me, lost, confused and no doubt feeling unsure but I could no longer hold myself back any more as I held onto Ella’s shoulders and kissed her in the humid warm bathroom.
I kissed her cheeks, sliding my tongue down the side of her neck and to her ears, licking and tasting the saltiness of her sweat.
It was such a delightful taste as my hands roamed and touched Ella’s tight body.
I pushed her against the wall, kissing her roughly as she stood helpless and obedient in the small space, allowing me to do what my body wanted, what my mind craved.
The smell was amazing, the bathroom was filled with the freshness of a recent shower, like the crisp clean smell of morning dew, and the sweaty scent of Ella’s womanly smell infused itself right into the mix, creating a erotic blend of perfume I would gladly pay top dollar for.
I lifted and removed her top, leaving her sports bra open for my advances.
Pressing my nose onto Ella’s bra, I groaned as I licked the damp fabric, well soaked and marinated with a day’s worth of Ella’s sweat. I sucked onto the light padding, determined to extract every drop of the precious liquid as my hands played with the pink waistband of her tights.
I felt Ella’s hands on my head, playing with my hair, as if submitting herself totally to me. Letting me do what I wanted with her body.
I stretched and pulled aside a part of the sports bra, revealing the nipples that were suppressed and kept out of sight for an entire day, memories of our previous escapades came flooding back and I sucked onto the nipple that was imprinted with the creases and folds of the sports bra.
My tongue fiddled and played with Ella’s nipple as soft moans of approval slowly escaped from her mouth.
Ella : Ernn… ergnn… James….. let…. Let me bath first.
James : No…. don’t… I want to smell you….. I want to take you as you are ….
Ella : Don’t la…. Dirty…
I ignored her protest and lifted and pulled up her sports bra, the criss-crossed straps tangled and caught onto her hand as I tried to lift it off her. Instead of freeing her, I twisted the bundle of bra, tying Ella’s wrists together. Lifting it high up, I looped it over the stainless steel shower head holder behind her, effectively immobilising her in the small shower area.
It was higher than I expected and Ella had to tiptoe a little.
Her bare naked breast stared at me helplessly as she bit her lips and looked shyly away at me. The mere behaviour of her sent more blood to my already exploding dick. She was the one who started it and she has the cheek to be shy, the thought caused my dick to throb in a unstable rhythm as I kissed and suck onto Ella’s exposed armpit, licking and letting my saliva trail run down the side of her body.
Ella : ERgnnn…. Arghh…
She shivered and squirmed as I sucked onto her underarms, tasting the salt and mineral deposits that had sat undisturbed the whole day. Drools of saliva ran freely down her armpit as I spit onto her before slurping up my own saliva concoction that was well mixed with her womanly scent.
Ella : ERnnn…ggh…. Ergnng… James…. No…
She staged a little, trying hard to balance on her toes. The socks she was wearing was not helping either, offering her toes limited grip and friction on the bathroom floor.