I remembered that she would always patrol around my corridor in the first few months during my first year at NTU. My roommate and his OG friends would have a drink too much, and make a tat too much noise, incurring her wrath and having to send all of them back to their rooms. Should they fail to do so, she would take their matric cards away and have their names recorded for causing a nuisance to fellow hall residents.
I also remembered one occasion when Lo, Choong and I would be so engaged in our conversations in their room, that some fucked up neighbours actually reported us to her, and she would come and tell us quite sternly to keep quiet. That really irked me quite a bit, afterall I thought we were quite talking quite softly (that's what all loud people think they do, all the time really) and we thought we were really not imposing on our neighours. (or so we thought)
However, as we started to behave more like how considerate hall residents should behave, she seemed to have taken a step back and also closed an eye when we were actually playing mahjong or yanking happily, but in a controlled manner in the tv lounge. Whenever I stopped by the vending machine, she would start talking to me and telling me stories about how she had fallen sick for a while, or how effective a particular cough medicine cured her in days.
Although she goes on for quite a while (and I can really tell she is just looking for someone to listen to her), I feel obliged to listen to her and her small little stories. Who can blame a security guard who sits at her desk for a good 10 hours from 8pm to 6am, with the once-every-few-hourly patrols around the block, wanting to chat with someone who comes by that once or twice nightly to buy a drink?
Tonight, as she spends her last night on patrol here at hall 13 block 64, I sincerely hope she gets to enjoy the new working place she will go to, starting next week. It must have sounded like much better place to work in, judging from that look of excitement in her eyes as she heaped praises about all the benefits of 2 days work, 2 days off and what have we. Its all the more respectable, the amount of drive she has, as a security guard who's probably hit or passed the 60 year old mark. She's taught me small things, like being dedicated to a job; doing what many have failed (like those guards who shirk and plonk their asses right on the sofa in the tv lounge) when it comes to work responsibilities; being flexible and understanding.
Being a security guard isn't anywhere close to a glamorous job, but to do it with the kind of dedication and enthusiasm day-in-day-out, that's something I really respect. I'd wish for the kind of attitude when I starting working someday in the future.
Once again, thanks aunty Jenet for keeping things in order around in block 64, may your next job be fruitful, and the happy days of retirement ahead to come at the soonest possible time.
I also remembered one occasion when Lo, Choong and I would be so engaged in our conversations in their room, that some fucked up neighbours actually reported us to her, and she would come and tell us quite sternly to keep quiet. That really irked me quite a bit, afterall I thought we were quite talking quite softly (that's what all loud people think they do, all the time really) and we thought we were really not imposing on our neighours. (or so we thought)
However, as we started to behave more like how considerate hall residents should behave, she seemed to have taken a step back and also closed an eye when we were actually playing mahjong or yanking happily, but in a controlled manner in the tv lounge. Whenever I stopped by the vending machine, she would start talking to me and telling me stories about how she had fallen sick for a while, or how effective a particular cough medicine cured her in days.
Although she goes on for quite a while (and I can really tell she is just looking for someone to listen to her), I feel obliged to listen to her and her small little stories. Who can blame a security guard who sits at her desk for a good 10 hours from 8pm to 6am, with the once-every-few-hourly patrols around the block, wanting to chat with someone who comes by that once or twice nightly to buy a drink?
Tonight, as she spends her last night on patrol here at hall 13 block 64, I sincerely hope she gets to enjoy the new working place she will go to, starting next week. It must have sounded like much better place to work in, judging from that look of excitement in her eyes as she heaped praises about all the benefits of 2 days work, 2 days off and what have we. Its all the more respectable, the amount of drive she has, as a security guard who's probably hit or passed the 60 year old mark. She's taught me small things, like being dedicated to a job; doing what many have failed (like those guards who shirk and plonk their asses right on the sofa in the tv lounge) when it comes to work responsibilities; being flexible and understanding.
Being a security guard isn't anywhere close to a glamorous job, but to do it with the kind of dedication and enthusiasm day-in-day-out, that's something I really respect. I'd wish for the kind of attitude when I starting working someday in the future.
Once again, thanks aunty Jenet for keeping things in order around in block 64, may your next job be fruitful, and the happy days of retirement ahead to come at the soonest possible time.
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