Work On Ellis Island & Avoidance

For the past few days and including tonight I guess, I've been sleeping at 02:00. Although I still manage to get at least 8 hours of sleep, it's still not a good feeling to look at the clock ticking away knowing that I should have been in bed hours ago.

Yet somehow I just can't get myself to fall asleep or wake up on time.

On Saturday, I went to work for the first time since I got back to the U.S..

The event was supposed to be held on Ellis Island which is a teeny tiny little island next to the Statue of Liberty and in between New Jersey and New York.

That's me waiting in Liberty State Park (in Jersey City, New Jersey) with the rest of the employees for the ferry. Behind me is Manhattan (New York City), New York.

Ellis Island is a place of deep history and is now a protected state park and museum. When immigrants flooded to the shores of America during the 1800s and early 1900s, they would get off the boat at Ellis Island and be registered at the building now named the Immigrant Museum.

Many people still visit Ellis Island to look at the original signatures of their ancestors in well-preserved log books. The walls and floors are generally still originals and are also meticulously maintained.

Because Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are such potential terrorist targets, even the New Jersey side is heavily protected with police.

To get to the islands, you have to take a cruise either from Manhattan, New York or from Jersey City, New Jersey. And before boarding the ferry, you have to go through a long-winded screening procedure much like the ones at international airports.

Needless to say, all of us employees were scanned head-to-toe before being allowed onto the boat.

My free ticket to Ellis Island!

Ferry tickets were sold out the last time Ah Yee was here, so it's a shame that we didn't get to go to the Statue of Liberty at all; but you can still clearly see the statue from Liberty State Park where you board the ferry on the Jersey side.

Interior of the boat.

Some of us girls sitting together.

Turning away from Manhattan and heading towards the island.

Lady Liberty waving not too far away.

The ferry ride was relatively quick and painless- barely 10 minutes and we were there. In fact, there is a short 400 metre bridge which connects Ellis Island to Liberty State Park, but that is only for official use.

The event I worked was a second wedding thrown by the current CEO of the Imax Theatres.

Imagine that! They exclusively rented out the entire island and almost 120 staff for their second wedding. I wonder what their first wedding was like then...

Because there were so many people working that day, our staff leaders were quite stressed out and the meetings felt strained and slightly chaotic.

During cocktail hour, they had a few waiters dress up in scuba diving outfits to serve sushi. It hilarious to watch them waddling around with the flippers swinging over their shoulders. Luckily for them, they got to keep the wetsuit and everything.

Didn't get to take any pictures of the actual party because it was just such a hectic night. But outside was simply splendid. There were candles spread out everywhere on the island and it created a rather magical effect.

Once the event started, no outside visitors were allowed on the island anymore so the whole place felt quiet and intimate.

But working for 10 hours straight is no joke. I got to leave around 01:30 with an aching back, cramped feet and an empty stomach.

To top it all off, I also found a parking ticket on my car for illegally parking in a lot past 22:00.

I guess... Work is work.

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Was reading the Straits Times online today and found out that Mrs. Lee Kuan Yew passed away on Saturday.

When I read that bit of news, I actually felt sad, even though she's not a lady of my generation, not even my parents' generation I think. But from reading Mr. Lee Kuan Yew's memoir, I've gotten the impression that she was a very supportive wife and that they were a very loving couple.

I heard that Mrs. Lee had been bedridden since two years ago now, and so it really touched my heart to read this Straits Times interview excerpt:

Q: And now? Do you go to her bedside to talk to her?

A: I do that every night. I read to her, I tell her what I've been doing for the day and the news of the day from The Straits Times, IHT and Wall Street Journal. Then I read her the poems that she likes and has flagged over the years.

Q: She can't speak. How does she convey how she feels to you?

A: She blinks. 'Yes', one blink; 'no', two blinks.

No disrespect intended, but somehow it all sounds like a sweet drama to me. That image of a Senior Mentor Minister just fades away and all I see is a simple old man who loves his college sweetheart very much.

*Cue music from The Notebook*

How lovely, miraculously and wonderful to find a companion for life!

Yet how fleeting life is... And how sad to have to watch your loved ones leave while you're still here, waiting...

I guess for Christians we will have different perspectives on death from others. We know that our Christian loved ones though separated from us, will only be so temporarily. We look forward to joining them someday, being together in a place that sees no death, sadness, destruction or strife. We will all praise God together as one big family!

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It seems as though life is getting overwhelming. Not just because there are more and more responsibilities piling up, but also I feel passion, strength and discipline draining from my bones as the days go by.

I'm afraid of that which I have always suspected- I am just a lazy bum who doesn't really want to do any real work. I don't like pain, stress and headaches and I can very easily channel all my energy into avoiding these things.

But now is not the time to avoid! Time is in fact, running out...

And again I am faced with my own inadequacy and weakness. I just can't do anything right at all.

Sometimes I make silly wishes like "I wish I could die and go to heaven now so that I don't have to do this assignment." or "I wish I could die young so that I don't have to face financial worries when I'm older".

Again, all these wishes seem to have something to do with avoiding...

But is that really God's will?

Why did He create me to be a person with such low tolerance for pain? Not just physical, but mental and emotional as well. A little pinch and I'm already squealing on the floor like a baby.

Why can't I be tougher like my grandmother or my papa?

It doesn't even feel like these "tough" circumstances are making me any stronger because I just seem to keep avoiding them and losing endurance at the same time...

Again, I cry out to the Lord, my strength and hope in time of need.

Come save me from my doubts and fears!

P.S.

Temperatures have definitely fallen permanently to 12 Celsius. Autumn has finally shown her real chilly side! Though the trees are still generally greenish, some have begun to turn yellow and even reddish. Guess it's time to whip out the scarves, gloves, boots and warm socks... Goodbye warm summery days of 30 Celsius and above! I had fun with you while it lasted. Until next summer... Adios :)