A typical work day at the CBD...

So it's my second off day this humid Saturday. I think I'm starting to get used to this job. There are so many things I want to say about my days at the Central Business District (CBD). I've never had the experience of working there before until now.

It's amazing how the days play out at the CBD. Imagine yourself as an average white-collar employee. Every morning you get up around 7 and start to dress up for work. By 8, you start travelling in the trains and buses with commuters in what they call the "morning madness". You get to the office by 9, clock-in with your... clock-in card, and begin your paperwork.

Now here's how I see it from my eyes. I begin my workday at 10a.m. in the service centre. I clock-in, and get ready for the daily briefing. By 10:15 I go to the counter and start preparing the essentials like turning on the computers and running the programmes, replacing yesterday's newspapers with the day's ones, and filling up the candy trays with sweets (which always seem to disappear before you know it). Then at 10:30 we start raising the grailes and in comes the flood of kiasu customers who have actually been queuing outside before we even began business.

And then around 12 noon, it's probably the 2nd best thing after heading home: The lunch hour. People at the CBD have a knack for making the best of their lunch hours. That's when they can run their own errands and, of course, have a good lunch. Speaking of good food, the CBD has 'specialized' places where you can find the best food in town, one of them being The Golden Shoe food centre. I don't have to mention how crowded it is during lunch time, but if you really want to have a sumptuous lunch, then you'll have to brave the long queues.

I cherish my lunch hour. Want to know why? Because that's the only time I get to go outdoors. I recently realised that the moment I step into the train to travel to work from my house, I am completely enclosed in an air-conditioned environment. Even when I reach my destination, the train station has an underground link to the building I work in. In other words I am totally sheltered from the outside environment - just like a mole thriving in its underground tunnels.

When it's time for my lunch hour, the moment I step out into the sunlight, fresh air caresses my skin and I get in touch with the natural environment once again. And here's the highlight: After having my meal, I head down to the Singapore River where, thank goodness, I am able to recharge my batteries with nature.

Fast forward the day, and the time comes when business draws to a close. For the average office job, you get to end work officially by 6p.m.. Not for me, though. The service centre closes at 7:30, and during the last two hours of the day, it can get pretty crowded at times. But once the clock hits half past 7, the grails come down, and the clock-in card gets clocked-in.

Funny thing, the CBD. If you've never been in the CBD after office hours and during weekends, I suggest you try it one day. During my first weekend on the job, I got to experience first hand what the CBD is like on the last two days of the week. It's a ghost town, I tell you. It's like walking alone in an empty world. You hardly see any soul around. But the thing I realised is that... there's a certain kind of peace in the CBD during weekends. Imagine a place packed full of people on weekdays but on weekends, it's a different place altogether. Walking in between gigantic buildings, passing by closed shops, crossing empty roads, it's an introspective experience in a whole new environment...

So this is it, then. A typical work day at the CBD. I'll be hoping for more surprises to come...