What Holiday?

The past week has been the busiest holiday ever.

I spent two days working at the National Library in a bid to clock up some CAS hours. Back-breaking work. The job comprised rearranging their storeroom, which looked as if a hurricane had hit; shelving books and magazines; bundling and packing literally thousands of brochures, then taking them back out due to a ill-timed discovery of an amendment to be made, and correcting, by pen, each and every single one of them before packing them back in again; searching the long rows of shelves for ‘lost’ books somehow not logged in the database but tangibly present; and moving around mountains of stacked cardboard. Hey, at least I’ve gained the experience, right? And I’m content with the fact that I’m faster at just about everything than the library staff themselves, who were mainly old ladies not too comfortable with a merely supervisory role as a direct result of the increased efficiency that I brought. Perhaps they fear of me supplanting their roles. Fear not, for I don’t intend to work there again, unless I’m really desperate for CAS hours.

Another two days were squandered on the Singapore Young Photographers Convention. I feel that the random selection of five-person teams was not, in fact, all that random at all: schoolmates seemed to clump together in twos or threes. Unfortunately the team I was assigned to was not, on the whole, much experienced nor technically or creatively competent. (When I asked them what were their takes on the theme I received discouraging blank stares. And one of them commented that I spoke with an accent. I do not: I am no haughty pretentious I’m-not-Singaporean bastard.) Needless to say, my group didn’t win. Bummer.

May I suggest to the organizing committee, for the next convention, requesting a small portfolio of works from each participant in order to sort them out more evenly based on technical skill? At least the only guy carrying a DSLR won’t look flatulent next to four apathetic teammates fumbling with the flash control. I would willingly teach them what I already know myself, but for the restrictive time constraint. But technical prowess is not the most important issue here - shouldn’t people have ideas? After all, a good photo can be made whatever the equipment. All that’s needed is the inspiration. I looked upon other groups with envy. I simply can’t take photos when trying to direct four others - it’s too much for my limited experience and enthusiasm. My frustration tolerance meter is only so much, though it may not show.

Sadly, the packed schedule did not allow me to touch my neglected Neverwinter Nights 2 at all. Seriously, I have to finish that game.

I also have quite a few other resolutions to make for the new school term: