The morning rush-hour, the tissue paper warfare during lunch breaks and the tuna-packed tin crowds brisk-walking around Central Business District (CBD). These are some of the activities that Singaporeans working in CBD engage in or experience.
My first day of working in CBD was an enriching and exciting learning experience for me. The morning rush-hour was a painful process that I had to go through everyday while I was working. There were no seats even though my MRT station was just four stops away from the starting station. And by the time the train has reached the next station, all the cabins were fully packed. All my working day mornings had been a standing ovation and a practice of the art of balancing amongst the many Singaporeans on the train without holding onto something.
The famous tissue paper warfare during lunch break was the hightlight of my working life. I couldn’t believe my eyes when i saw all the tables occupied not by people but rather by tissue papers. Surprisingly, it is a growing trend for Singaporeans to reserve seats using tissue paper while they buy their food. I even saw a tissue paper with the printed wordings “Sorry, this seat has been reserved” on it. The wonders of a simple tissue paper!
I love working in CBD because it makes me feel like a working adult. By the way, I am currently a first year NTU undergraduate having my semester break and I am here working at Priority Consultants as a Temporary Admin Assistant. Geared up in my long sleeve stripped shirt (yes it is a trend to wear striped shirts now), long black pants, black leather shoes and taking long and strong strides around Raffles Place makes me blend with them. I am like one with the working adults, one of them, totally immersed in their jobs only and oblivious to their surroundings
But I still prefer being a student! So after three more months of working, kudos to the working adults in Singapore as I return to my life as a student.