The change begins today
Barack Obama.
I believe in the good that you will do for this once great nation, and for the rest of the world too. I believe that your rise is a signal that change is firmly in our hands, that we can fight for it if we believe in it strongly enough. I believe that today marks the day many dreams, young and old alike, are born.
Most importantly, I believe in you, Barack Obama.
…………..
When your direct supervisor changes your scope of work without informing you personally and ahead of time (she announced it via an email sent out to the team), what does it mean?
When she switches your area of work to suit the strengths of the newcomer to the team, what does it mean?
When she tells your co-writer, “Your first story was good. What happened subsequently? You have lost your flair”, what kind of boss is she?
I was feeling both inspired and immensely jealous upon visiting a quaint little pub along Dunlop Street yesterday. The mood, decor, concept, food, drinks and music were the things that I would have done if I had the financial means to start a pub or cafe. And when I met the owner, a 20-year-old communications studies student at NTU, I was impressed. She not only drew up all the illustrations and design, she is also running the place while studying.
How many dreams have I shelved because I lacked the confidence to say “I can do it”? How many ideas have I snuffed because I didn’t think it could support me and my retiree mother?
Maybe it’s time for me to step forward and do something, rather than dream about it.
It begins today. Change.
The future LL kid?
I confess to stealing this from Stel. But I just couldn’t stop OMG-ing as I watched the precocious Quinn Sullivan, then aged 6, play the electric guitar on the Ellen DeGeneres in the clip.
Like Stella, I want a kid like Quinn too. He is so adorable! I can imagine him playing the guitar while his crazy mother (me) dance and sing in the background. Heck, his dad will probably force him to play Guitar Hero: World Tour everyday just to get the achievements unlocked. It will be perfect. Our son will play the guitar, the husband will be on the drums and I can sing.
Man. Am I getting broody or what?
Anyway, watch this clip and be astounded. And yes, look out for his super cute expression at the end of it.
Meh. So cute.
Of politics and babies
The topics that we have been discussing these days have been revolving around the upcoming US presidential elections and…babies.
The husband and I are both crossing our fingers that Americans would choose Barack Obama to be their leader to bring them forward in these economically troubled times. I don’t profess to know a lot about American politics but I do know enough to believe that change is truly what America, and indeed, the rest of the world needs. He may be untested, he may be young but I believe that he has the tenacity, intelligence and eloquence to push his country forward into a brave, new world. McCain’s choice of running mate and methods of garnering votes have left a sour taste in my mouth and I fear to think of what the world will plunge into should the duo be installed in The White House.
You may be wondering what starting a family has to do with American politics. Well, it has everything to do with it. A recession is staring at us point-blank and financial pundits believe that it’s going to take some three years before we emerge from it. That’s 2011. A strong and effective leader in The White House may not be able to reverse the situation but it sure can help in speeding up the recovery process.
For the two of us, having children has always been a matter of “when” not “if”. Having grown up with siblings and the extended family, we understand and appreciate the changes that children bring to the home.
But there is just too much uncertainty in my life and the world right now. I still feel conflicted towards my job, although many have advised me to stick with it to enhance my CV. And yet, if I were to start our family next year, the stress levels at the workplace is not going to help. This realisation hit me after the team had put together a bumper December issue in just two weeks. Yes, two weeks of hard work, blood and sweat and tears and yet my boss is still dissatisfied, thinking that we could have worked on the next issue at the same time.
At the same time, I am a little scared of the changes that having a child would bring to my life. Am I ready for this? Can I be a good parent? I haven’t done enough travelling and seeing the world, is it important? Do we have the finances for it?
He thinks that we will never be ready so anytime is really a good time. I certainly don’t want us to reach the ripe old age of 65 and still have to work to provide for the kids. In the car last night, I told him all my fears and dreams and worries and hopes and we talked about it, like adults do. I’m glad that we’ve come to a consensus and am crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.
This could be The Change We Need.
Remembering the music
Pulling in 12-hour shifts at the office has been running me ragged. I’m perpetually low on sleep, talk a bit slower and write like an idiot, which leads to rewrites after getting a caffeine fix in the form of green tea.
But that’s not the point of the story. Music is the point. When I need to concentrate hard, I usually plug into my iPod and dig into the “Yeah Yeah Songs” playlist. As its name suggests, the songs there are usually catchy, uplifting or have a rockin’ beat that keeps me going and going. And strangely enough, whenever a particular song plays, a visual image of the song actually appears in my mind.
You see, a large part of my music comes from movies and TV shows that I catch, like The O.C. and Grey’s Anatomy, or on Internet radio (Virgin Radio) and podcasts (The Scott Mills Daily). And invariably, listening to the song brings me back to that moment when I heard it and liked it.
For instance, South’s “Paint the Silence” would take me back to when Ryan and Marissa on The O.C. shared a tender kiss as the ferris wheel ascends. When the strains of piano of The Fray’s “How to Save a Life” flit through the earphones, I see Grey’s Anatomy’s Derek staring intensely at Meredith even as they are both dancing with Addison and the vet (forgot his name) during the prom. Meanwhile, “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol would bring on an image of Izzy lying wretchedly on top of the very dead Denny Duquette, who died unexpectedly after a successful heart transplant. When I hear The Ting Ting’s “That’s not my name”, I immediately think of Scott Mills’ “party in my tummy” episode. The image of the large fish tank in Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting pops into my head when Desiree croons “Kissing You”. And Mika’s “Happy Ending” would bring to mind the ill-fated romance between Serena and Dan.
Rather than being distracting, it’s actually great. It allows me to take a couple of seconds off my work, smile and remember the wonderful shows that I love. And then I go back to work, feeling just a tad happier.
Longing
I hate saying goodbye at the end of every weekend.
