Most people will have to go to work tomorrow, though.

Yesterday I went to take grad photos with Pinky at Botanic Gardens. We started at Botanic Gardens MRT which led to the eco-lake on the Cluny side of the gardens. We took jump shots at the field near the lake using the tripod and camera self-timer. It was funny, and I think I strained a joint. Some people were watching us like we were a spectacle. We then took photos at the nearby bamboo grove. Shade! It was so warm in the gown.

We then chatted as we strolled over to the visitor centre side to look for more locations. We found a cycad leaning on one side near the Symphony Stage, with a Y-support at one end to help it up. We used it as a bench of sorts and took photo with our mortar boards and swapped our hoods. We didn�t wear the cloak because it was too warm.

We then hiked through the ginger garden to the other side of the park to look for the famous heritage Tembusu tree that is shown on the back of the $5 note. We do remember having climbed the famous low branch of the tree as children. We took photos with the tree in our gown, and then dressed up the tree with our mortar boards and hoods. Then, we climbed the tree, or tried to. Either so many people have been climbing it until the bark was smoothened out, or NParks cleverly applied a special paint to it, that we both found it too slippery to climb up to the higher part of the branch.

It was lunch time and Pinky wanted to try out Food For Thought, after having heard about it. It was set up by a tuition centre called School For Thought. Looking online, the price seemed quite reasonable so we thought we�d give it a try. It was possible to fill your stomach with $10 but we got greedy and ordered a yummy Chinese Caesar salad to share. The sesame oil was fragrant. We just ordered anything with a sheep logo next to it, meaning it was the chef recommendation. I maybe should not have ordered fries with my burger cos the bread was yummy and I think the burger itself ($8, Chicken Pesto burger) would have been filling enough. There seems to be other yummy food there I wanna try should I have another chance to visit. The ambience is relaxed and kid-friendly. The only down point was that the toilet could have better design to be more ventilated and cleaned more often.

We managed to find that bus 105 stopped at the Tanglin entrance of the garden, so we didn�t need to trek back to the Cluny side. The bus brought us to Orchard Road where we could make a convenient connection to our buses home. There we bade farewell. It was a fun time out with my primary school friend, who also went to the same secondary school with me. We would be part of the group of girls left behind waiting for a particular bus service, when all the other girls had left for home.

I rushed home and took out my certificates to check the originals and make photocopies so that they were all in order. I was going to sign my contract at HDB in an hour�s time, so I didn�t have much time to spare to prepare to get out. I had to fill in my particulars online in their database, which I had to refill in because I had hit the backspace button one-to-many times. Can I disable the �go-back-a-page� in my internet browser for when I hit the backspace key? It would save me a lot of hassle filling in those blanks again. I still remember the time I lost my blog entry I had typed directly into there. Hence I now always type in a word document first before copy-pasting. Hurriedly, I didn�t wear a watch or any jewellery as I rushed out to catch a bus. I arrived 10 minutes late (-_-�) and the HR woman was calling me to check where I was. Paiseh.

She explained to me the contract and gave me this and that form to sign. I never had to sign my name so many times at a time. Good thing she pointed out to me where I had to sign and write the dates. It was confusing. I have to do a medical examination, hopefully by tomorrow.

My first day of work would be on 21st August, a Tuesday, because the preceding day would be a public holiday. I have lost track of public holidays other than those on fixed dates such as today. That day I would report at 9am to collect the staff pass and go through a briefing before being brought to my department. They would need a week to process all my documents before I am ready to start work. Good thing it leaves me free for mum�s birthday, when she would be taking leave.

After all the contract signing I went to meet KQ. It would be her last day at HDB so I was glad to be able to meet her. She showed me around a bit and told me a bit about how working life was for her there. I am glad she enjoyed it and I hope I will too. She introduced me to some of my potential future colleagues, whose names I can�t remember. I discovered one of the senior/principal engineers was a YOG torch bearer in my session. I spotted myself in his photo. He remembered I was the fencer. That�s amusing. I wish KQ could have stayed on so that I could work with her. But nonetheless, I hope she will have a good time and a rewarding time doing her PhD. At least I am thankful that she could orientate me around so that I won�t come in so wide-eyed nervous.

I found out the working hours are either 8.30am-6pm, or 8am-5.30pm, depending on what my supervisor says. This is normal for Singapore: 8.5h a day. We work 42h a week, officially. No details on what the real unofficial (longer) hours are. But this timing spells yet another decision-making point to me, one that has been looming nearer and nearer. Do I continue fencing? If yes, how? If I get the hours that end later, I would most certainly reach NUS or ABF late. The earlier hours would give me more buffer time for this. But after all the activity, I would be quite tired and I would need to sleep by 11pm, die die latest 11.30pm, so that I can wake up at 6.30am to get ready to go to work (knowing how slow I am in the morning).

I want my dream of being able to further hone my fencing. Now the other question is this also: my allegiances to NUS vs the better training at ABF. ABF is further and ends later (but starts later) but if I train there I would be separated from my NUS people. More importantly, it would be in epee when I want to get more practice in foil. Ideally it would be one day foil one day epee, but if you want to be a winner, at higher levels, you only can do one. Haizz. I should speak to Zao jiaolian first to see if he would take me in, and if so, what arrangements to the time can be made for me. Most Singaporean fencers are students. You start early and retire early. Since I started late, there�s not much time. I do wonder if I am expired, because of my working hours and of my stage in life.

I�m growing up into a working adult.