9:00 p.m. - 2004-07-29
Memories Dont Fade
its nice when people still remember you.
C and i made our trip down to the Science Center today (finally) to pay a visit to our ex-employers. my main concern was how we were going to get inside to get upstairs. luckily Ruby was at the entrance and she waved us in without any hesitation at all *grin*. we didnt even need Visitor Passes. heh... i guess it kinda goes to show how much of an impact we made on the Permanent SC staff during the Exhibition that not one of them minded that we were walking around in there for free today.. So while C caught up with her VSA colleagues i headed upstairs to the Events Office.
To say they were all surprised to see me was an understatement. First person was Roger. hehe he gave me a big hug and then asked me if i wanted one of the Street Banners. now come on, would i say no? Jason gave me a couple of LOTR: ROTK caps (so cool! black with the gold LOTR logo embroidered on it!!) and while i was under the table getting the caps, Clarence came by. mreh.. he's still a nutter, so is Roger... Ross still looks rather lost now that all the madness of the Exhibition is over.
Harith and i had a chat and he said he could tell that i was missing the Exhibition. of course i do. i miss it everyday. its not all the time something like that comes by and i was a part of it for almost 4 months! he said the LOTR Exhibition was THE BEST event they've had in over ten years. i think some of them are missing it too, esp the ones who were more involved in it.
Anna was rather busy as usual, so i didnt get to talk to her much, though she's still her sweet self. apparently the final Visitor Turnout, not counting the school groups, was about 95,000 - 100,000 people, which is not bad at all. its hard to imagine that number of people walked through that Hall..
i was a little disappointed when i heard Yu Ann wasnt in. i was looking forward to seeing her because, after all, she was the one who got me working for it in the first place. but then as i was talking to Lai San and Jane i spotted her talking (read: arguing) with Clarence.. hehe.. some things just dont change. so i went over and she gave me a big hug =)... i think she misses us. gotta hand it to her, she DID pick the right people for the job..
Since it was around lunchtime, Lai San, Jane, C and myself went down to the Annex to have a look at our old work place. the lobby looks so odd now without all the familiar sights like the Shop and the Conversion Counter, and mainly the two humongous Argonath statues. then we went into the hall that used to house the SFX Exhibtion, which they're now using for the Robotics Competition or something. i was walking around remembering all the mad stuff that went on in there.
Then we headed into the LOTR Exhibition Hall...
i think i now know how the Hobbits felt upon returning to the Shire after the adventure to find that everything was gone or changed.
to be honest i almost didnt want to go in. i didnt know if i could handle all the memories coming at me all at once. Still i went inside and i swear i nearly had a break down. the first thing i looked at was the area where the Scaling Exhibit (aka Showhost HQ) used to be and the backroom behind it where all the hidden madness went on. i just walked around the now empty hall remembering exactly where each Exhibit used to be. some of the markings, and the tape we used to stick down the carpet were still on the floor. the 'No Photography, etc' signs were still where we had left them so Lai San, C and i took one each - for rememberance. those signs served us well. we even found a couple of leftover posters in the old Entrance Counter... the Hall was so empty yet my mind was picturing it as if everything was still right there and again i had to force myself to leave despite the apprehension about coming in. i guess it truly was like a second home to me.
DAMN I MISS THE LOTR EXHIBITION!!!
after that we went over to the McDonalds for cheap ice cream.. oh and i forgot to mention, the cafe's gone too. man, why do all the good things have to end so fast? anyways, we sat eating ice cream and talking about Exhibition Times and all the fun we had.. after that, C and i decided to make full use of our free privileges, and we went round the Science Center looking at all the stuff we'd never had time to see while we were working. was fun.
on the way out i met Yu Ann again. she really wants to meet up with the rest of the Showhost team too so gotta see what i can put together.
memories hurt sometimes. especially when its a memory of something you loved that you dont have anymore. some people think the Exhibition was just an event, but for those of us who worked there, for ME, it was an experience! an Experience of a lifetime that only happens once and no more. i did alot of things that i never knew i could do, i learnt more about people and saw pretty much every type of person that could ever exist. i think i've even become a better person because of it. i dont let people push me around so much now, i'm a little bolder than i was before, and at the same time i've become more patient and tolerant than i ever was. i dont see how people could walk away from that Exhibition unchanged.
now if only i could find that rewind button so that i could go back and do it all over again.
