June 26, 2005

What keeps you going?

Answered in the context of where I work, I say 'The SPG!' We call ourselves the Stinky Pants Group. A random name during one of the training sessions in the Com Lab that stuck to become our label. Snuffing out...

CJ, whose sunshine-y smile and very nice, deep dimples will brighten up any day when my lesson plans failed to be executed. Zie, whose laughter (or cackle?) is soooo contagious that I often find myself smiling while burrowed in a pile of workbooks with very discouraging answers. Kay, whose frequent-sighted puzzled/upset/confused-frown is so endearing I find myself smiling instead of getting impatient with her.

We, together with Anne, made Tiramisu at my house on Friday. We chatted the afternoon away in my bedroom while the Tiramisu froze up in the fridge. While I was in the kitchen, I heard laughter from my room. And I smiled. I like laughter like that. Laughter when friends come together, seat themselves cosy and chat, joke and gossip (usually it's the gossip that's really funny... haha). I used to have a lot of these when I was in Secondary school and my girlfriends and I were much closer and less-worldly as we are today. Laughing over stupid things, and at one another.

It was so fun seeing them crack the egg up and attempting to separate the egg yolk from the white, beating up the white for the little bubbles to surface, spreading the min 88% fat on the layers of coffee and XO-soaked fingers and dusting the lumpy cocoa powder on the dessert. I hope the result was yummy.

We should really have more of this modulating sessions.

xxx

Is it me or is it the presentation?

I did a presentation of the library that I was involved in setting up on Friday. Powerpoint slideshow, nothing totally impressive but succinct enough, I think.

My audience was giggling, some laughing, from the start till the end. I was absolutely puzzled. There I was, trying to present the library matter-of-factly, on all the work that has been put into it, the many meetings the committee had with the designers and the boss, the trip to the library and the bookfair, the drudegery of getting the books ready for loan, the alphabetical test during the shelving... and there they were, giggling.

I was not offended. Why would I be? It probably only meant I looked funny that day in a cardigan over a halter-neck and pants, or I'm a really entertaining presenter. Either way, I wouldn't have taken it in a bad light.

So, after the presentation, I approached a few of those who were heard giggling the loudest. I was told that it was me who was funny (no, not the presentation). Because I
1. was doing a lot of self-talk, mumbling to myself.
2. seemed to be whining to myself, voicing out my thoughts in the midst of presenting and though they could hear the message about the library, they couldn't hear my whining. I guess they were equally interested in what I was whining about.
3. looked very relaxed and nonchalant about the presentation when the earlier presenters were quite obviously gancheong.
4. sounded very sian and sick of having need to do the presentation and even a bit sarcastic.
5. threw their expectation of me as a no-nonsense, professional and potentially boring presenter out of the window once I started the slideshow.

Erm, hullo... How else would I present this project, except in the way that I really feel towards it?

That would be a bit of whining, a bit of sarcasm, a bit of tiredness, many many self-thoughts, many many matters-of-fact, and nonchalance (because having been through it from start till now, I know it so well already!). Ok, I would whine louder the next time.

Posted by 杏 cy （Jancy） at 14:11