End of Internship

Couldn’t have hoped for a better ending to my internship at MTI. Instead of a having a slow day tying up loose ends, work moved along at a comfortable, sometimes frenzied, pace, interspersed with meetings and goodbyes with various colleagues. It was a most pleasant experience.

Farewell lunch. Had lunch with Ell, Ra and Gin at an awesome Japanese barbecue place in UE Square. Everything from the beef to the scallops and rice were delicious. Way to go experienced Americas team who knows how to pick good food places! And then we went for dessert at Bakerzin and had warm chocolate cake. Conversation was entertaining – Gin’s utter lack of inhibition “I have no problem in the looks department” cracked us up, Ell’s candor was hilarious as always and Ra was her usual sweet self.

Coffee with Alp. Alp was nice enough to take the time to have a final chat with me before I left. We talked about various aspects of working for the government/MTI/public-sector. She has been such a nice supervisor, couldn’t have asked for more.

The rush. There was never a dull moment at work, what with rushing to finish up Ra’s graphs, Ell’s presentation and compiling everything into CDs/files for the Americas team before I left. Ka and Min have been such great allies to have on the far side of the office, and I’ve loved having them as half-mentors, sort of. Got to say goodbye to Fish and Sky before I left, which was pleasantly unexpected.

I like everyone I’ve met at MTI, and I highly doubt I’ll ever enjoy such a politick-free work environment in the private sector. Yet for some reason, I am attracted to the cut-throat banking sector like a moth to a flame. Imagine that, me - who avoids conflict like the plague, never bothers asserting herself, and who fears competition – in investment banking. Must endeavor to transform self into high flying corporate bitch by the time I leave Ross.

Work

Work has recently pulled itself up from its nosedive towards complete misery into relative bliss. Probably because the extent to which I stress myself over minor details at work is directly proportional to how many days I’ve got left at the internship. And seeing as how tomorrow is my last day, my spirits have definitely been up.

Contributing factors to recent work happiness:

• Lunches with Jee and Nay. What can I say about my French dude and English babe! Lunch hour has been so entertaining because they go on for ages taking the mickey out of almost anything with their dry and smart humor. I love it; UP THE FUNNY :) Today after lunch they were both making fun of the American accent and Jee went “I am like so totally gonna pee right now” (he really had to use the bathroom) and that just totally got me.
• Nice people I work with. Ell is so funny as well, the way he is so cheerfully cynical about everything we do and how he says things like ‘bullshit la’ and ‘where is that shit’. And Rara is just the sweetest person ever. But she is one sassy mama, I was so tickled when she said “Spend money on me, bitch!”
• Strategic cubicle location. My cubicle neighbor is Ka, who offers me chocolate/biscuits/madeleines every so often, frequently gives me advice on how to go about my tasks, and gives me the 411 about the various office happenings. Also, our cubicles enjoy the perks of being in a prime location in the corner of the office. As such, Ka’s friends at the office frequently convene at our cubicle to gossip. During these sessions, I usually have my Zen on, so they think I am not paying attention. But in order to tune in to the treasure trove of juicy information being passed around, I sneakily turn the music off and listen to what they are saying. Boy have I found out loads. Which brings me to the next point.
• Things I find out about the civil service. Like how MFA annoys MTI, and how EDB complains about MTI. Or how most of the people are extremely dissatisfied with their jobs (not sure why, but I am guessing it is because of the long hours and the mundane work), leading to a high turnover rate. Majority of the people there do not stay longer than 2 years. Rara, who’s been here only a month, is already thinking of leaving.

Children

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said,
Speak to us of Children,
And he said:
Your children are not your children,
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

- Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet