One year on...

This post goes out to the former members of the illustrious TP team. You guys know who you are.

Today, the 23rd day of July, marks my first anniversary of leaving my ex-company. Exactly one year ago on this day was my last day at work. You can't blame me for feeling nostalgic today!

I can still picture myself, usually the last of the executives to reach the office, sitting in my former cubicle with the computer in front of me, my cup steaming with green tea and the phone ringing incessantly on my left. Usually I would ignore the phone. Can't these people call later? Then I can hear Chief sitting in front of me talking on the phone (usually to Boss) and Sam taking his slow walk to the washroom/pantry, stopping by HX and Esther's cubicles to chit-chat. Esther's tinkling laughter soon resonates all around and punctures the solemn atmosphere of the mortuary office. Daniel would be stashing his keyboards on my left (about 200 words per minute) and LN on my right would be chomping on her bread as on any other morning.

The useless piece of shit Dubai-bound seatwarmer would come in late as usual and take his time to get organized. By then all the other managers are already deep in their Excel spreadsheets and Super Power Powerpoint presentations and practising their cock-sucking skills. Paul and Eric would be debating over Man Utd's Champions League win and Arsenal's loss, gloating and poking at each other until veins begin to show on their necks. The ladies in the next branch would be chit-chatting and showing off their buys from the previous evening. By now, I would have gone through my Facebook updates emails and made my list of how to slack what to achieve for the day.

No doubt I am exaggerating the above but when push comes to shove, we work hard to get the job done despite tight deadlines, non-supportive bosses high workload and impossible-to-work-with authorities.

But of course the good jolly days have to come to an end. As the industry made gear-grinding changes, one by one, the valued members of the team left to join the Dark Side. All but Daniel and myself had left. Then Daniel left too. Was I to fulfill the prophecy that I would be the last Jedi? Is the Dark Side to be where I will find my destiny?

True to my words ("Over my dead body"), I found my destiny somewhere else.

Filled with excitement over my new job and totally elated, I dropped out of the rat race and spent the next three weeks trekking in jungles and fighting currents in rivers. From the dustless, spick and span well-polished tables of the boardroom and Facebook pokes to the humid and hot jungles of West Malaysia - it sure was a huge contrasting difference. It was all in good fun and I made many new friends, though leeches and jellyfish proved to be quite tough adversaries!

Once in a while though, I still do miss my phone ringing incessantly.

And of course, not picking it up.