Ancora Imparo

Ancora Imparo
- Yet I am learning.



Composing this because i think what has been happening for the past few weeks and days have led up to a ball of I NEED TO CEMENT this Moment, kind of moment. Get it out of the way so to speak, a verbal diarrhea of excitement, contentment and wild imagination. Hopefully it will put a full stop to this maddening volcano of sudden random bang of fireworks in my life.

For starters. A recap of my day's after graduation.



Parent's clap at your graduation.
Pulls you over after, to tell you you're doing something else other than what you've been studying for 4 years.
Gradually brainwashes you.
Starts working as a housekeeper in a hotel = to a phone operator = to front desk.
Gets banged up from being inexperienced in a working world.
Gets used to meeting PUBLIC on a daily basis.
Occasionally meets strange new people.
Understand people from all different BG in a more personal and upclose way.


My favourite midnight shift folks. Kerjasama-ing to get the newspapers ready.


Manly bellboys that works faster than lightning and the guard that sends chills-down-ur-spine stares.


Midnight shift obligatory self cam whoring.




Kick ass housekeepers!


Le Familia






Raya-ing.


Raya house owner.


During the recent CNY.


Celebrating New Years Eve.


*Yes, you dont have to travel all the way to AFRICA to actually feel moved about how
some of our own local people's living condition can be so fucking poor but are happy as hell
at the same time. Some of the stuff i hear from the hsekeeping departments and FO's are so appalling and at times.. compelling, that i would always be constantly reminded about how i'm priviledged to be living the way that i am. I feel LUCKY to have met these people and they teach me to love and be contented. I admire their tenacity to fight for life eventhough it can be so unfair.

This rapid expansion of this new type of feeling to new revelations doesn't just end there. It grew as i've learned to weave a more better bond with these people who are now my friends. Slowly learning how they got to where they were, sometime's wishing you have met them earlier and think that you could have helped them in some way.

It's weird to think that you know what being poor is about when you go to school and only hear about the word "charity" and "donation to the (needy)". Heck the closest thing you've ever come across the word poor is when you read it in papers or was invited for some charity thing.

Working next to them EVERYDAY for nearly 6 months is a whole new thing.
Immersed in their day to day struggle and conversations, i've quickly learnt that they all had one thing a lot of us miss. Which is the ability to recognize what they were fighting for everyday. Only because they were in that circumstance, that their basic need becomes enough reason to go to work everyday. For most of us, it's because "i'm kind of interested in what i do" or "i think this is the right step". Explains why we switch jobs so easily or just feel less stable-ly motivated to do our jobs. We're in a generation of fickle-minded passionate individuals and thanks to our upgraded form of communication, we get the idea from the internet that we must do what we love...what they forget to add is consistency+preseverance.

Totally deviating from the main topic.

So, graduation=parents=hotel=commercial break=restaurant

Restaurant?
This included waitressing/barista/cook/cleaner/cashier.
Met new fun family with nearly the same BG in hotel 'cept they're mostly cool philippines peeps.
Sweating out everyday without fail. Their pay is twice lower than of the hotels yet you physically work out more than ever. They put a punch in the word labour.










I love this picture among the lot. Seriously loved the enviroment here : )




Seriously got used to the you-must-not-have-graduated-from-highschool-condescending conversations that one might get from this line of work. I feel embarrassed for them sometimes. I have to admit, i felt initially embarrassed of being viewed or judged that way by public or even worse__ by people who you know. Just the idea of it would make me cringe and feel flushed. In that predicament, i feel like it's now okay to say and admit it. Doesn't change anything, but i feel like - i have.

The word "humbled" would be a huge understatement. I've changed. Slowly realized that my views and attention has morphed and sieved into a finer quality of appreciation. I'm glad to have worked at these places and had the chance to work with these fine individuals who have made a great impact in my oblivious blackholed life. Looking forward to more adventures to come in this line.

At the same time, i had the chance to still paint when i can. I love that. Also recently was given a chance to try out in an experimental short vid made by local youtuber Ming Han and a fellow talented videographer Bryan Lim. Shell shocked these past 3 days from the overwhelming response for the video.

Currently, thanks to a very harsh comment made while i was working in the hotel, i am taking up Chinese and also another extra language to help with communication. Never thought i'd admit defeat to the "because i'm from a reg. government school" excuse to being a banana.

Would not exchange this experience for anything else.

Ending this on a pic that defined what i've learnt from my work.