What DO I do?

What do you do when you have a job that's just a job? When it gets really mundane and meaningless? When it pays your bills but at the end of the day, gives no satisfaction? What do you do if you feel like leaving but can't cos you'll be killing your colleagues whom you love (we're already short-handed as it is)? What do you do if this job isn't slave driving and allows you to have a life but makes you feel empty at the end of the week?

Maybe I need to give this a little more time. Maybe I should work it out till time's up. Maybe work will be more purposeful, more meaningful if I post to another department. Maybe I'm just young and unexposed. Maybe there's something better yet... Maybe maybe... WHAT DO I DO? Lead a double life? Sheesh. Tell me.

Falling In Love with Franz

I'm not a fan of Franz Ferdinand. I didn't even know they existed until Life! first announced they were coming to Singapore and that the most expensive ticket to their concert was only $90. I went for the concert because my boyfriend urged me to go with him and his buddies. It was worth it in the end, not just cos the band rocked (oh it was like coke rushing through my veins!) but more so, because they turned out very unexpectedly to be such nice guys. Warm, smiley and with no bad boy celebrity airs about them. How do I know? Later... But let's begin right from the start when I was catching the bus to the Indoor Stadium.

I left work at about 6.20pm and rushed to the Raffles Hotel bus stop to wait for no 16. It was taking awhile. I'd finished two of my Bread Talk buns before the bus arrived and to my horror, it was packed like sardines! I had overheard the conversation of two girls behind me and knew they were going to the same place. So as the bus drove off I turned around and asked if they would like to share a cab with me to the stadium. They said sure and we ran across to the taxi stand to hail a cab. Thankfully we got one in ten minutes and the ride was surprisingly smooth.

I got to the stadium by 7pm (concert supposed to start at 8) and the lines were already forming! I realised that I had bit my lip in excitement and it was bleeding. How glam is that ;p Anyhow, it took awhile to get in and when it finally started, the crowd went wild. Lots of screaming, hands in the air and a girl sitting on someone's shoulders. Needless to say, I screamed, jumped and waved too. The money you pay and the things to do to feel young ;p

This band is so hot. They didn't play it cool like so many bands with attitude do, but kept on smiling, waving and getting near the yelping chicks in the mosh pit. And I think they jump around so much that they can afford to wear what is known as cigarette pants and slim slick CHIC shirts. Lead vocalist Alex Kapranos was wearing a black shirt with hot pink flowers on it. SMART. Really refreshing to watch a band that doesn't dress like they came out of the rubbish dump.

I actually chased them to their hotel! It felt so juvenile to cram in an overcrowded car at the risk of being caught by traffic police but oh sweet sweet it surely was! Thanks to the guys who are crazy about the band and who thought there was nothing to lose hunting them down. What amazed me was that they came in with no minders at all and were extremely obliging to their fans. They stationed themselves at different corners in the lounge and kept on signing autographs, posing for photos and even chatting to fans on mobile phones. The manager was obviously dissed at the disturbance this was causing to hotel guests (actually they were more amused than upset) and told Alex to 'siam'. "Respect these people here" was his stout reply and that set the tone for the rest of the evening. More than respect did they give the fans. Love, warmth, smiles, hugs... The teenyboppers must've felt like kings and queens!

I should've jostled with the crowd, but I let the boys have their fun snapping photos and grabbing autographs. But as the band left for their after-show party, I felt a little tinge of regret for not trying to kiss Alex! Not cos I'm mad about him but just for the thrill of it. What a waste! Next time perhaps when he's hotter, slicker and still as warm :) The boyfriend had better luck. As the van they were travelling in drove off, he ran and stretched out his hand to touch Alex's. What a moment!

A brush with the stars. Surreal and yet so real. Because the Franz boys wanted it that way. Now I'm really falling in love...