Christine Tjia

I know this sounds crazy but I miss my Orchard Library already.

It is only this one that means so much to me. Well, partly because it's near my home and in the centre of town but mostly it is because it is my refuge - literally.

More than a year ago, I was jobless for more than six months. With constant expenses and no family around, I became demoralized and extremely stressed - especially when you hv a lot of free time, yr mind will just roam around on silly things! You would just wake up every day, sending resume and searching for vacancies online. Life became so mundane and routine and questions like "What hv I been doing all my life?" started to pop up.

Counting every penny and cents, my entertainment slowly diminished. I gave myself a deadline that if I still didn't manage to get a job in Singapore, I will go back to Hong Kong and start all over again. Well, it's not like I had never done it before but if you hv live in a few places in yr life, you would know starting all over again in a place isn't easy. It takes time and effort, even if it's the place you grew up in.

With that mindset, I still try my best to land myself a job. That was one of the lowest period in my life. Friends, family, Internet and a small part of Orchard Library did the rescue. I used to just hang out in Orchard Library (mostly because of the location and the cozy atmosphere) and browse through books on the topics of resume and interviews coz I wanna know which part of my resume and interviews had gone wrong. Picked up some very good tips and revamp my whole resume! Soon enough, I landed on the job that I'm still in right now, which I am still very grateful for.

Other times, I would browse through books on cooking. Not because I can cook (Not even the countless books in Library can't help me!) but because I'm a foodie - proudly declared foodie! I can't function well without food. And sleep too but mostly without food, hehe.

Most of the time during my jobless period, my indulgence is in Garfield comic books and DIY cards and crafts. I can stay hours reading them, especially DIY stuff. Actually, inspired me to do a few simple ones for my frens and family during their birthdays and festive! I would roam around books one these two categories and dashed to my favourite spot to consume in my indulgence.






Now that I'm working just above the library, I would still go to my favourite spot during lunch break every now and then. My office isn't exactly a quiet one. So, escaping to a serene and peaceful place for just few minutes is paradise already. On bad days at work, I would hv a quick lunch and buried myself with Garfield to cheer me up. Usually, it does the trick because it pulls you away from yr work and reminds you once again that life is not all abt work and not only abt work. At the end of the day, if this job doesn't satisfy you, there is always another one - may be not in the same country but definitely in this world! You won't starve to death.

A library doesn't mean anything to me but Orchard Library does! It has a sentimental value to me. I luv it because it helped me what I had gone through, time and time again, especially at one of the low periods in my life. I will miss it very, very much and from the bottom of my heart, I wish the closure will never come! Hicks!

Pic 1 - http://crimepsychblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/jobless-23.jpg
Pic 2 - My fave spot in Orchard Library: Taken on 7th November 2007