New Year. New Loss. New Identity.

January 9, 2010 Leave a comment

I lost a very important piece of my life last night. For the last 4 years, it has been traveling with me for at least 250,000 miles around the world. I have never felt so handicapped before. It is like losing an identiy. Or worse – myself. I felt so so moody and sad last night. (I felt like being "sold" in some black market for tens of thousands!)

I just cannot imagine where I have dropped it. Could it be pick-pocketed? Or I carelessly dropped it on the cab? It was a lousy feeling. My job depended on it, especially during this period. I am not going to have another replacement for another 2-4 weeks at least.
 
You see, I was showing my new team mates around at the Hong Kong-China borders yesterday. The trip went well and I made my way back into Hong Kong (using my Hong Kong ID). Just before my dinner with Felicia and Scott at IFC, Felicia was mentioning about a short weekend trip to Zhuhai. At that moment, something inside told me that I have lost my Singapore Passport. Immediately, I made a desperate search in my jacket, bag and pockets. My passport wasn’t there anymore.

The first 3 things that came to my mind was work, work and work. I have a site-visit in Zhuhai this coming Wednesday. I have an installation work in Macau next Sunday. And I  need to be in Tokyo end of the month. I left a quick memo with my clients, suppliers and my boss. I felt so useless and helpless.

For that moment, I realised how important my passport was to me. More than just a pass to get over the border, it is my work, my life and my personal travel-recorder. Inside those pages, it left me wonderful impressions of all my journey and destinations. It is a log-book of my travel. It has lots of sentimental values.

Come Monday, I have to start from scratch – a new blank book. My new passport will be coming in the next 2-4 weeks’ time. I will be embarking a new journey with a brand new identity (number), a new biomentric function and a new headshot. Surely, this is not one of those "New Year Fresh Starts" that I am looking forward to.

Filed under Jo's Thoughts

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