My chinese new year's eve ride took me from jurong all the way to punggol. That's quite a distance i suppose, especially since riding to places is always a two-way trip; you cycle there and you cycle back. The tough part was dragging myself out of bed early in the morning and cycling down to the esplanade to meet the guys. It turned out that Aaron had overslept, which was why we decided to cycle down to Punggol and meet him.
Aaron graduated from medical school not too long ago; now he says he's doing all sorts of work in the hospital, which merely puts him one level above the nurses. During our conversations, i think he mentioned how it is that everyone chooses to fall ill at the same time and the hospital suddenly becomes a very chaotic scene. Certainly the hospital's not a place most of us would be excited about; but i wonder if the doctors get a high working in such a demanding, fast-paced environment.
Eugene, a very well-mannered and thoughtful guy, was the coordinator of today's ride. Because of his good looks and demeanour, he always comes across to me as an exemplar of a gentleman. A geography graduate, he switched career a year ago because his first job, although it has good prospects, was not what he wanted to do. His present job is more closely related to what he learnt in school, and he's clearly enjoying it. It must be wonderful to be able to work in a job which you like and which allows you to put theory (what you've learned in school) into practice. At various times while riding, he would share with us nuggets of information about developments in the Singapore landscape. He knows about them because, well, that's part of his job.
WW is a tall and lanky guy who speaks in a monotone (or so i observe). A recent graduate, he's now working as an engineer with a company that i believe is in the private sector. Throughout the ride, his bicycle was making noises caused by the rubbing of the plastic pad against the spokes. I was cycling behind him initially and was wondering which nearby truck was making the noise - for it was a very audible, low chucking sound constantly in the making. That, of course, came from his bike, making it seemed as though he's riding some old, rickety bike, which is not the case. When we stopped at Jalan Kayu around noon for drinks, WW asked Aaron some questions about his right shoulder, which is giving him pain whenever he works out. Aaron proceeded to ask him a few questions to find out more about his injury. I thought this affair rather funny - because it seems as if WW is seeking free consultation from a doctor. Very soon, the conversation turned to the reliability of Chinese sinseh vs Western doctor. All this while i was a passive listener, too busy eating the delicous tau sar pau i bought from 7-11 to satiate my hunger.
Now that i am writing all this, i realise that i was riding with a group who have all joined the workforce. Being a student still, i always find it meaningful to converse with friends who are working. Hearing them talk about their working experiences, and receiving helpful advice from them, always gives me insight into the nature of different jobs, as well as the emotions evoked by working life.
At the same time, there's often a sense of broken solidarity that is felt only by the estranged student. Whether recent graduates or working for a long time already, it is clear that the student's life - the agony and stress, the gossips about school, classmates and teachers, the mundane and frivolous topics that only students would yak about and laugh amongst themselves - has become a faint memory for those who are now working, relegated to some idle compartment of their Memory which is now preoccupied with new experiences.
Yet, is it not the case that while we (and they) are still students and living a student's life, we often talk intensely and endlessly about all things related to school (like the perennial worries for grades, meeting datelines, getting the first job etc), so much so that it seemed as though these memories would never be capable of fading away?
The truth is, memories are always in the making, and since our identity is constituted by our memory, it is also true that our identity (save the part which distinguishes as incontestable essence, if there indeed is) changes through our lives. Thus, my working friends would not, for a moment, be conscious that at some point of time they were preoccupied with a whole set of experiences relating largely to school, but, now, are deeply immersed in something new (or not so new, for some). All this is, of course, inconsequential. Nevertheless i am holding this opinion because it is naturally something i feel or observe whenever hanging out with friends who have mostly started working.
Next weekend, if i am not mistaken, i will be taking part in a food race with three other friends as a team. That will see us riding through the night till the following morning. I doubt i would want to ride from now till then - whatever time there is, ought to be spent catching up on my readings, which i have neglected mostly so far. As with past years' chinese new year, there's nothing quite festive about the current one for me, except perhaps indulging in pineapple tarts and, more pineapple tarts. The riding next week shall see to the job of compensating for this sinful indulgence.
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