1906

It's been a long day at work and I'm finally on my way home.

There was an open house for local university students today and I was one of the speakers for my function.

I shared about my work experience in the company, in my function as well as what my function does.

There was a fixed template we could use to do the sharing, but I added a few slides of my own to summarise the salient moments of learning and discovery in my past 9 years with the company.

One thing that struck me was the number of consumers' toilets and bathrooms I have seen over the years, regardless of which role I'm in.

I must have seen some 200 different toilets in different countries with different consumers from different social economic backgrounds.

From an affluent consumer's bathroom..

To a not-so affluent consumer's toilet.

(Both pictures are from Google images.)

It's amazing how much insight we can get just by entering the bathrooms.

The affluent people's bathrooms look similar, with varying levels of luxury. Spacious, nicely laid out products, variety of brands for the same function, everything sparkling and clean.

The not-so affluent ones are run down in different ways. Sometimes crammed, sometimes crumbling, low water pressure, just one or two important items they use..

Or a half opened and used sachet of conditioner lying in a corner, getting saved for the next moment of a little luxury or reward for themselves.

It's a very humbling experience talking to these consumers, whose lives are about not about chasing the next big luxury item, but about fulfilling their children's dreams; dreams like wanting to become a fireman, and not about getting hold of the next popular toy.

For the rich, it's about the experience.
For the striving, it's about value and the occasional luxury.

Unexpectedly, I went over the allocated time sharing about my job. 😂

I haven't done campus recruitment for a while now and it's nice talking to young people.

It's also a good reminder to myself, why I'm here and why I do what I do.. In the midst of all the craziness.

And this little one turns 22 months young today, and 2 more months before she turns 2.

She had water play in school today so she got to wear her swimming costume to school.

After I got home, our helper told me that her teachers said Clarissa wasn't afraid of the water.

👧: Clarissa, tell Mama what you did in school today!
👶: Tat N wash hands.
👧: What else did you do?
👶: Baby.. play water!

#thingsclarissasays

She also flipped through photos posted in her school portal, and could call out most of her classmates' names very accurately!

She still calls herself "Baby" though. 😂