Chapter 5.

 Piece of work.

I was not born with a silver spoon. Hence, responsibilities start kicking in as early as secondary school days. I remember starting my first job as an ice cream seller. Door to door. (Iykyk) I was fourteen. It was during the fasting month. I fasted the whole day and didn't get to break my fast close to 9pm. My dad called me and was worried sick. I told him not to worry and that I was okay. He felt really bad that I was working. I should be enjoying life in school instead of worrying about money. But I know I had to help. It was an area that I was unfamiliar with, Clementi. Thankful enough that I can converse in basic Mandarin. You will understand my statement when I explain it further. It was a rental flat that I was deployed to and most did not own a refrigerator. One word to describe: Difficult. I thought of ditching the job but persevered for another 2-3 shifts. I was paid daily, at the end of my shift. That is when I realised what "working" meant. They took a certain percentage of the money I earned from selling. Little did I know that I should have sold it at a higher price. But then again, no one would buy. I was having mixed emotions after the whole saga. What I meant was the shifts that I had worked. I teared up after my first shift because I thought it was too overwhelming. I felt I wasn't good enough because the other sellers could sell better compared to me. I felt racism. Just because I am not Chinese, and not able to converse in Mandarin, customers just basically ignored me. They slammed the door, showed attitude, and some said nasty stuff.

I then took a leap of faith to learn the language from a seller's perspective. Despite all odds, I successfully did well on my two other shifts. I was proud of myself. The major lesson I learned is to learn the language. Which I did, in the years after, Also, never accept defeat without even trying. I was raging when I felt somewhat "racism". It actually benefited me as it drove me to be stronger. It instilled in me that I should take it as a challenge. Now I know the reason behind my ego. 

My take on this is to never give up. If I can't break the wall, I better think of a way to do so. Because I am tough, and I don't know what my limits are. 

I shall keep the rest of my career journey another time. Happy Monday 😊

Quote of the day: Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.