Being Under Satan's Yoke

"So, what's it like, the internship?"
"Hello? You there?"
"Squash scene?"
"Where the hell are you man?"
"I was trying to call you."
"Snooker mood?"
"When are you going to be free?"
"Are you mad at me for some reason?"
"Why are you ignoring me?"

If you really are busy, the only honest answer to all these questions is: "I'm busy". Unfortunately, this two word statement [or the lack of any statement whatsoever - also a valid response in such a scenario] has been misused by liars, executives, ex-es and sundry. The people who misused it have now ruined it for people who honestly need to use it.

Yes! It's true, I have been a bit busy lately as you may see from my previous post. So I may have ignored a few messages/emails/calls in the past few days - I'll explain why. But it doesn't exactly end tere; I will be busy for the next few months as well, and let me explain why. [For those with AIESEC-phobia, consider this a warning.]

May 3rd, Thursday

7:30 pm - my exams ended.

May 4th, Friday

Party night, obviously.

[After being a daysleeper, naturally.]

May 5th, Saturday

9:00 am to 12:00 midnight - AIESEC NUS LC Transition.

[This is where the previous AIESEC NUS executive team transfers over all the information, experience, issues and long-term goals to the new executive team. Actually the set of meetings/conferences for the day ended around 7:30 pm to be followed by an AIESEC barbecue-gathering at PGP that went on till midnight.]

May 6th, Sunday

9:00 am to 7:30 pm - AIESEC NUS LC Transition continued.

May 7th, Monday

9:00 am to 6:30 pm - first day of my internship with Pet Paddy.

7:30 pm to 11:00 pm - AIESEC NUS LC Planning.

[This is where the AIESEC NUS team planned the agenda for the next whole year and continued to do so in the successive LC Planning sessions.]

May 8th, Tuesday

9:00 am to 6:30 pm - second day of my internship with Pet Paddy.

7:30 pm to 11:00 pm, AIESEC NUS LC Planning.

May 9th, Wednesday

9:00 am to 6:30 pm - third day of my internship with Pet Paddy.

7:30 pm to 11:00 pm - AIESEC NUS LC Planning.

May 10th, Thursday

9:00 am to 6:30 pm - fourth day of my internship with Pet Paddy.

7:30 pm to 11:00 pm - AIESEC NUS LC Planning.

May 11th, Friday

9:00 am to 6:30 pm - fifth day of my internship with Pet Paddy.

7:30 pm to 11:00 pm - AIESEC NUS LC Planning.

May 12th, Saturday

9:30 am to 4:00 pm - the "Are you afrAIDS" event held in NUS, organized by AIESEC NTU.

3:00 pm to 7:00 pm Marketing/Sales trainings for the executive teams in NUS, NTU, and SMU held by an AIESEC alumni. [They overlapped so I had to skip the last part of the AIDS workshop.]

All that brings me here. I have soaked chickpeas or "channay" in a mixture of water and baking soda, and preparing to cook them as I write here. They need to be soaked for two hours so I have loads of time. Actually, I should use the time I have and make a trip to Mustapha to grab some groceries, but I'm too lazy now, so maybe I'll do that tomorrow.

Here are some of my commitments that will keep me busy for the next few months at least, if not the whole year:

1. JumpStart 2007. This is the induction conference focused on developing leadership, among other things, held for AIESEC "newies" - the people who will join AIESEC in August/September. I am the OCVPPnP and I need to get down to some serious work. [OCVPPnP means Organising Committee Vice President for Publications and Promotion.] The event itself will be held some time early/mid September - we have yet to decide the dates.

2. Annual Stakeholders' Report 2006-07. This is the annual report that needs to be compiled for the past AIESEC year and will be the face of AIESEC Singapore. I am the OCP and since at least half my team is probably away for vacations now, it means a lot of work for me. [OCP means Organising Committee President.]

3. AIESEC NUS Vikings 2007-08. The AIESEC NUS executive team calls itself The Vikings, and I am the BnCC [Branding and Communications Coordinator]. It involves a lot of planning for the next year for now, and understanding what the national plans are. It will involve a lot of writing, designing, promoting and a solid understanding of what branding is, and implementation of the AIESEC brand in NUS.

4. Internship with Pet Paddy Corporation. Pet Paddy is a start-up company and my role is to do Marketing for its main product: the website itself. So all the weekdays for the next three months are booked for me. Also, if we are able to implement the business plan successfully, I may even continue to work for them part-time when the semester begins on August 6th.

So far all these things are more than enough to keep me occupied for the next three months. Upcoming Monday should be the last day of the LC planning [LC = Local Committee by the way]. Then on Wednesday I have a company dinner most probably at Café Iguana - a popular Mexican restaurant in Singapore. The remaining evenings I will either be cooking, doing AIESEC work, or learning a new song. On occasion, I do intend to party. But I also want to do some volunteer work at some hospice or to take some music or salsa classes. This is what happens when you realise you have too many ambitions and dreams and discover ways to realise them. So even though I am far from home and away from any close friends or family, I am happy.