Flour, Sugar, Butter & Eggs

Flour, Sugar, Butter & Eggs....

That's about enough to keep one busy for the entire day. Here's a quick excerpt from my recent experience in the pastry department of a factory..

(The conversation was held in chinese)

Boss: "Just pour 3250grams of soft butter and 375grams of sugar, then let this boy mix it"

Worker: "ok"

Boss: ".....let him experience."

The conversation ended there.

Many things went through my mind. Firstly, the term 'this boy' didn't sound very appealing to me, not at this age. Nor in front of someone younger than me. (BBBC just called me a boy, and I rebuked him.. kekeke) Secondly, it got me thinking when he mentioned "experience". Well, that word sounds good for a start because I would really like to try some thing different from just pressing dough for the next 8hrs consecutively. But, the sentence ended with 'experience'. It's just weird. Even weirder than that, I began to think about what I am about to 'experience':

1. Mixing another set of dough?

2. Mixing dough with a stick?

3. Seeing the aunty mix the dough?

Gosh... I thought I had always been unclear in my instructions and explanation in things. God is fair.

Well, over the past 3 days, I have had my fair share of making sandwiches, pressing dough, making sandwiches, pressing dough, etc. In short, Pastry101. No joke, let me tell you, it's no joke. My back almost broke. (At the mention of this statement, my lil' sister went "backbroke? haha...", and I went "Mountains?"....boooo..) Standing for a straight 4 hrs with 1hr of lunch break, was enough to alter the length of elgin's backbone. Continuous bending forward and backward simply proves that it's not good for one's back. It's worse than a 5-day platoon field camp.

The only motivation was the clock. At every hour, I would look at my sister and tell her $* more. As an undergrad, in comparison to what I used to receive elsewhere, I'm severely underpaid. But nonetheless, it's all in good faith because the factory was short-handed, not because they were not tall, but there was just not enough helpers due to the overwhelming orders flooding in from NIE in the next 2 weeks.

Standing with the lower half of your body almost motionless, except for your fingers moving vigorously trying to shape the dough, can set you into a thinking mode. All of a sudden, my mind was filled with thoughts and pictures flashing before me, it brought me back to my days of old...my secondary school days. Slowly, as though a movie was set to play through my mind, I went back into the JC days..(remembering the carefree life I led, seriously carefree...too free to care about anything)....and finally year 1 of SMU.

Occassional probing of my past from my sis further plunged me deeper into those days. I remembered how I was then. The life I led, the people I mixed with, the front I put on and the mirror in which I choose to look at. It was horrible. I felt like puking but nothing came out. I could feel the emptiness.

Then I started to smile, my cheeks were strengthened...because I no longer feel that emptiness. It was taken away, then filled up. Yups, changes are still being made. But still....all these are nothing less than God's grace and mercy. I started to thank God while pressing the mixture of flour, sugar, butter and eggs. That mixture.

Suddenly, I was brought back to the clock. Tick tick tick..."another $*!"I told my sis. And it's time for lunch. I remembered how my back was about to give up on me, so I decided to reward myself with a cool and refreshing can of 100Plus. I heard it works with the effects of a panadol. haha. And so, it went straight down the throat. Lunch went through the same channel. Then it's back to work.

Man...I'm certainly not cut out for such job. I'll end up meeting Daddy God sooner than I thought. But how about those who have been there for months? Years? And they do the same thing everyday, pastry. Maybe it's for the love of it.

Before I realised, 3 days are over. 72hours! Passed by just like this. I felt robbed, of time. It slipped me by so quickly that I didn't get to properly reflect at the end of the day, simply due to the physical tiredness in the body. I needed sleep. Is this what happens to people who starts working and work becomes a toll on them?

And so, I went on pressing the dough..again and again and again...and you can say that sentence again! Haha...without knowing , I was actually caught mumbling to myself by my sister. I was complaining. I was comparing. I was just plain lazy. Then I saw the 'aunty'. We found out that she's actually a "Tai Tai" - with a well-off hubby who's a businessman. (She drives a camry to the factory to do pastries.) Cool huh. I mean, ALL the pastries. I'm impressed by her. Seriously, a Tai Tai doing that?? Most of them would be at the shops doing their manicures or facials, but she was perspiring. She had a sense of responsibility over what's put over her charge. And it's no small matter ensuring that the orders get through with the pastries ordered. We're talking about trays and trays of pastries that need to be done within the day. She caught my attention. Her attitude towards her job was great. Just great. How much better, if we as christians, live our lives that way too! I guess I have a long way to go, but I'll reach there. I have to reach there. It's part of the deal.

Flour, Sugar, Butter & Eggs. It's enough to pull one deep into work and let time slip pass. What would these people tell God when God asks them to account for their use of time? I got to give my best in all that I do. At least, try right? Put my talents into good use!

Here's a photostrip for your enjoyment. Seize your time, make it good.