Doctor Mel, I presume?

Started my work day at the staff entrance, taking the temperatures of every single living, breathing person that came through. Hmm, so I read that in NUS, the people who take your temperatures have masks on. I didn't. No big deal. It was quite fun actually since I got to sit down and rest while the people filed in to take their temps. At times, it was awkward 'cos there was only one person and since we're using the thermometers that go into your mouth, we had to wait a while before the thing beeped. So for that whole time, you look at him, he looks at you, you look somewhere else, pretend to write something and impatiently wait for the beeps. One auntie, however, got me rather frustrated.

Auntie: How you use this ah?
Me: You stick it under your tongue.
Auntie: Hah? How ah? How to use this ah?
Me: You put it in your mouth (open my mouth) and stick it under your tongue (point my finger in my mouth).
Auntie: Is it? Hah? Why ah? How to use ah? Why got this plastic thing ah? (tries to remove the plastic probe cover)
Me: No no, auntie. That cover is to protect you. Every one uses the same thermometer. We change the covers (auntie fiddles around, pressing the button on the thermometer).

~Uncle from Engineering dept walks in~

Me: Ok, you just follow what he does lah.

~A long time passes. Uncle's thermometer has beeped and he's probably already having his kopi in the canteen. Auntie's thermometer hasn't~

Auntie: Why so long ah? (Auntie!! Don't talk with the thermometer in your mouth!!!)
Me: Let's have a look.

~Takes thermometer from Auntie. It's not switched on. Auntie must have switched it off while fiddling with the button~

Me: It's not on (SIGH). Never mind, we try again.

~Centuries pass and Auntie's thermometer still hasn't beeped~

Auntie: Cannot lah, never mind (takes thermometer out of mouth, complete with saliva bubbles at the end, and shoves it at me).
Me: Uh, can you please remove the cover and throw it for me please?
Auntie: Ok. 37.1 degrees.
Me: Thank you (argh!!!).

And there was this other lady who kept talking to me and taking her thermometer out of her mouth while she talked. Sigh. I knew we were going to be there forever. Btw, a friend told me that this company she knows, takes the temperatures of their staff as well but they don't change the probe covers until someone registers a temperature of 38 degrees! I don't know how true this is but it sure is gross!!!

On another note, Cheryl, you remember Jeff? Patrick's housemate from Murdoch? He came by the hotel today with his friend. As I was walking past the lift, he called out to me and asked about the restaurant. Then he went, "Don't I know you?". I'm thinking, hey, it's an overused pickup line but it's not bad :) So I go, "uh, no I don't think so". He's like, " you're from Murdoch right?" Then I remembered him. I wanted to die. Here he was, with his friend, both working in an ad agency (and he mentioned he did his masters), and here I am, in my Allan Chai uniform, working at the front desk. After explaining what I did, his friend said, "REALLY? Wow, you're really starting from the rock bottom huh?". I wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.

I guess the bottom line is that I have a bruised ego. And who said girls weren't egotistical?