Our lives are linked in intricate ways

I've never fully explained the story of how I ended up going to school. it reminds me that our networks are an important part of our lives - both at work and personally. Although I should be doing more about expanding my network, I... hmm, that's another story.

In any case, if I were to trace this back to its source, it really started during my reservist in February. Sometime during my reservist in Feb, my reservist unit's office called me in to issue me an SAF100 (for the uninitiated, namely you, this is one of those official looking letters sealed up, with an order to appear at so-and-so time in so-and-so attire to do so-and-so). The SAF100 stated that I was to show up for a medical check up (which I previously ignored), for purposes of evaluating my PES status (takes too long to explain, so I won't).

Fast forward to last Thursday, our fateful 24 March, the day of so called medical appointment. I was prepped and ready to go, when sometime that morning, a call came from the medical centre to say that the Medical Officers were not going to be around in the afternoon. Thus, no more check up (those idiots - making their long weekend longer was the real reason). In any case, I gave the clerk on the end of the line a mouthful, decided I shall stay in office, and promptly hung around.

The course of our fateful day then took an interesting turn. AY msned me to go for lunch with him, the usual thing when he has no other company (I'm the lunch buddy of most convenient resort, in most instances, for AY). We went to that beef kway teow place along Purvis Street, and happily lapped up the kway teow. Fred called AY about lunch near when we were done and, well, AY went to order for Fred (and friend; not important to story). We waited for Fred.

So Fred (and friend not important to story) came and we proceeded to sit there and watch 2 said lunch companions eat. Usual banter ensued. With Fred, the talk can be quite risque and crude, and so it was with that day's lunch. We adjourned to Killeney Kopitiam for tea upon me and AY's insistence. It was here that 2 things were revealed:

• I moaned to Fred I was unassigned
• Fred moaned to me that he could not go for school cos of the project he's in

Well, what great timing. I agreed to take his school (if possible), and Fred agreed to find out if... erm, its possible. The process was kick-started, I did my part, Fred did his, and today I'm in Chicago freezing my butt off (oh thanks Fred).

This was all because there was no need to go for that medical check up. See, Mitch Albion did make a good point in his book "5 People you meet in Heaven" (I'll lend you the book if you ask). In it, there was a lesson about how our lives are all interlinked - no man is an island. Our actions and decisions have implications far beyond what we can comprehend. So, I urge you, take the time to ponder some of the more difficult decisions you make - they can have far reaching consequences.