A sudden tummy ache in the afternoon sent me rushing to the toilet. I was initially pretty glad that the public toilet wasn’t too far away from the cafe I was hanging out at.

Until I saw the queue. Only 6 stalls, and 10 people in line.

Do the math. At any one time, there would be at least 1 person taking an epic shit, leaving only 5 stalls usable. So it would take at least two complete turnovers of the remaining toilet stalls to cater to the 10 people in line.

So I waited. 10 minutes later, it was my turn.

I dashed into one cubicle, realized there wasn’t any toilet paper and promptly dashed out.

The next person in line gave me a look.

Another cubicle was vacated seconds later. I dashed in again … only to find that there wasn’t any toilet paper in that cubicle either.

So I dashed out again.

The next person began to look even more annoyed. I began to panic.

At that moment, I really felt as if I was Indiana Jones in search for the illusive dead sea scrolls. Where the heck was all the toilet paper?!

Cartoon credit to FunnyTimes.

Another stall vacated … but it was the type of loo that required you to squat. (And who likes squatting when taking an epic shit?!)

But woweeeee, there IS toilet paper!

So I dashed in, grabbed a handful of toilet paper, dashed out (and past the next person in line whose expression was now a mixture of confusion and frustration) and ran into one of the stalls (without toilet paper) that was vacated earlier.

Aaaaah, relief.

Then I looked down at my hands at realized that the toilet paper I’ve grabbed wasn’t enough. Uh oh.

At that point in time, the janitor had magically appeared and was in the midst of refilling the toilet paper supply in all the other toilet cubicles. It was perfectly audible. The rustling of the plastic bag containing several rolls of precious toilet paper. Oh, how I needed them! Not to mention that stealth was not the middle name of this janitor, who was slamming the lids of each toilet roll holder after she was done refilling them. (I could feel the walls of my cubicle vibrate. -.-)

A coupla’ minutes later, I knew that she had topped up the toilet roll for all the other five stalls … except mine.

And she was lingering around outside waiting for my cubicle to be vacated.

Oh, crap.

Stupid Murphy’s law. Why wasn’t the toilet paper there when I need it?! And when it’s finally available, it’s completely out of my reach?! OMGAHHHH.

A young woman and her kid entered the stall on the left of mine, and a flurry of activity could be heard as the kid and her mom engaged in energetic banter (over the sound of running pee).

I swallowed my pride and gently knocked on the wall next to me.

“Um, hullo! Is anyone there?” I called out.

Thankfully, the woman responded. And she passed me generous portions of toilet paper through the gap between the floor and the artificial wall separating us. I couldn’t thank her enough.

Subsequently, I timed my exit … ensuring that the woman and her kid were well out of that public toilet before I left my cubicle.

I walked out and came straight face to face with the janitor’s stony expression. Golly, I totally have no idea how long she’s been waiting there.

Awkward moment, it was.

The next time I take an epic shit, it will be on my own house.

Cartoon credit to ToonPool.

I really hope you guys weren’t chomping on anything – especially anything chocolate-y – while reading this post. Oh, well. I should have warned you beforehand, shouldn’t I? But it’s more fun if I didn’t. (;

Take me, for example. I’m hypersensitive. I take offense easily. But this also inevitably leads to me worrying too much about offending other people. This is both good and bad.

What’s ironic is despite how I tend to worry about offending people, I still speak my mind. Sometimes, way too liberally. But I often try to structure my sentences in a way that brings my point across without coming across as too rude or harsh. (May not be successful all the time, but at least I try.)

There’s also the occasional time where I become a bit too passionate about what I’m talking about and end up speaking in a highly exaggerated, agitated manner – leading people to think I’m mouthing them off when actually, I’m not.

Then again, that’s because I’m too highly strung about how other people think.

The reason why I’m now watching my interpersonal relationships more closely is my change in career environment.

I’ve been with this startup company since the beginning of the year. I’ve an awesome partner in crime in one of my favourite fields of work which is UX design. But I also have to oversee several fresh faces in the team who are completely new to the startup scene and the tech industry.

Given my perfectionist nature, I wanted everything to be in its place and up to speed at all times and yet give ample room for the freshies to grow.

I never liked micromanagement and dictatorship. I’ve been at the receiving end before at a previous job. I know how it’s like to be belittled. I know how it’s like to be looked down upon. I know how it’s like to simply carry out the desires of others with little room for own input. And I can honestly tell you, the feeling sucks.

So, when it came to my turn to oversee people in a fresh new environment, I didn’t want to make the same mistakes. I don’t want to stifle. I don’t want to belittle. I want to give constructive criticism and yet still make people feel empowered with new knowledge.

It isn’t easy, and I still occasionally feel like I’m stepping on toes.

Like how I occasionally get too animated when trying to provide feedback or constructive criticism. Thankfully, my hypersensitive self tends to pick up hints of annoyance or when a person is getting demoralized – sometimes hints that are not even there – allowing me to react accordingly. But I still feel bad afterward.

I want to be the type of person that offers gentle yet firm guidance and support.

It ain’t easy. Because human nature causes us to constantly want to be one-up above others. But it crushes, disheartens and discourages. And after what I’ve been through before, damn right I don’t want that to happen to anyone.

Managing people can feel like rocket science. But I’m willing to invest time and energy in this kind of rocket science. The gains from having positive team morale is absolutely priceless.

Major thanks to the mum for driving me around. Recent health events left me with sliiiiiight physical limitations but I wanted to be up and about anyway, so yay! Thankfully, the scenic spots we explored today were pretty accessible without too much exertion as well.

The weather was pretty awesome for photography. Clear blue skies with little white fluffy clouds to add some character and variation to the captures. A little too warm for my liking, though – but this is Singapore and I am a Singaporean (who is unfortunately, still yearning a little too much for cold weather) – so I’d better get used to this all over again.

We stumbled upon the Hindhede Nature Park by mistake, actually. En route to Little Gui Lin 小桂林, we made a wrong turn and while trying to right that wrong, somehow spotted a sign leading to Hindhede Nature Park and decided to take a look around.

Hindhede Quarry.

The Hindhede Quarry was located within the Hindhede Nature Park. A mere ten minute walk along a wooden boardwalk would easily take you there. There were a couple of little huts along the way (mmm, picnic!), and quite a few playground fixtures (which I soooo wanted to play on, but nearly impossible with a DSLR dangling from my neck).

The lookout point overlooking the quarry was quiet. It helped that it was a weekday and barely a soul was there. (So I could enjoy the view and take my time without any kids and families ruining the atmosphere. Heh.)

Hindhede Quarry, with satellite towers in the background.

I was looking around for a boardwalk that takes you right next to the water’s edge but there was none. It would be really great if we could get up close and personal with the rock formations at the quarry too. Mmm, ideas for boardwalk extensions, anyone?

There were a few more quarries in the vicinity but I’d leave those for another time, as they involved longer treks. Oh, and yes – keep a lookout for some squirrel sightings as you walk on the boardwalk! I spotted this really adorable fella, but it scooted away and eluded me when I tried to photograph it. :(

Little Gui Lin 小桂林 was just a short drive away from Hindhede Nature Park. (You know, judging by the maps in the street directory, I’ve decided that people living in the western area of Singapore are really, really lucky because they have loads of nature spots in that area to unwind. The eastern park – where I live – has barely anything.)

Rock formations at Little Gui Lin 小桂林.

Little Gui Lin 小桂林 is actually really, really pretty. However, being located right next to a built-up housing estate takes some of the beauty away. Facing the lake, the sound of engines rumbling from the cars and buses on the main road directly behind is clearly audible – which is really a pity. Ah, well. Ear plugs should work, huh?

Oh, there is a school directly beside Little Gui Lin 小桂林 as well, which means dating students were aplenty, not to mention groups of rowdy students just looking for a place to hang out. But they were mostly confined towards the far corner of the park, so it wasn’t too bad.

Hello there!

Strolled around for a bit, and found a couple of really awesome hiding spots (which were unfortunately, already occupied by dating couples so I’ll try my luck again next time). The park isn’t that big, so it should be a pretty friendly place to explore. There used to be a hiking trail lurking around somewhere but I heard that it was closed a few years’ back because of landslides (!!!).

Guilin Park, with condominiums playing peekaboo in the distance.

Note: The condominiums you see in the picture are located a couple of streets away. Whereas directly in front of that lake (and the rock formation) were several high-density housing blocks.

Yeah, like I said – I really envy the people living in the immediate vicinity of Little Gui Lin 小桂林. Imagine waking up to a view like this every single day. I guess having a scenic spot so close to a housing estate has its pros and cons.

The place is really accessible as well. There’s a bus stop just in front of it, and it is a mere five-minute walk from the train station. Or perhaps I shouldn’t rave too much about how accessible it is before the place starts to get overly crowded. Hmm.

Would most definitely continue poking around the various scenic spots in Singapore. Perhaps one or two a week – sounds like a good plan, no? And yeah, to also return to those I’ve already visited to satisfy my shutterbug urges.

(The above exploration only took slightly less than two hours. I couldn’t exert myself too much at the moment, but managed to see a lot despite it all. (; Having a car – and a mum willing to drive you – really helps. But … I want to head back again to have a thorough walk around in a few weeks. Who’s in?)