Goodbye TK

Okay, before y’all come attacking me for disappearing yesterday, let me explain myself real quick. Sooo… my laptop, which I’m using right now, decided it needed a vacation. Yup, it went full-on “lagging mode” and shut itself down before I even opened the Blogger website. Even now, as I type, it’s so slow that each letter appears on the screen like it's walking over from another room. One. At. A. Time.

I got this laptop back in 2018, which means it has stuck around longer than some of my past relationships—six solid years! And let me tell you, I’m actually pretty good at taking care of my stuff. Exhibit A: my phone. I’m using an iPhone 15 Pro Max now, but before that, I had a Huawei P20, a gift from my dad when he signed some Celcom plan. I started using it in 2018 too, and I swear I never dropped it—intentionally. Any time it fell, it was because someone (definitely not me) left it in an unstable place.

I can count the number of drops on one hand—probably not even using all five fingers. And we all know, frequent phone-dropping is basically the highway to tech heaven, so I’ve always been extra careful. That Huawei P20 was still working fine up until January 8, 2024. Battery? Great. Speed? Decent. But… then came The Drop. I dropped it. Big time. And the screen cracked so badly, it looked like modern art. Even worse, green lines started appearing like they were auditioning for a K-pop group on my display.

As a perfectionist, I couldn’t take it. So, I finally decided to buy a new phone. Enter: Apple dilemma. I’ve always been a loyal Android fan, but I kept seeing all these rave reviews about the iPhone 15 Pro Max. After bugging my brother (tech nerd alert) and reading a million reviews, I took the plunge. I also insisted on a model with three cameras because, you know, priorities. If I was switching teams to Apple, I might as well get the VIP pass.

So now I own Xiao Bai—my shiny white iPhone. (“Xiao” means small, and “Bai” means white in Chinese. Yes, I named my phone. Don’t judge me.) I’m praying it stays loyal to me for another six years. 🙏

Anyway! My colleague YJ just got back from Korea and brought us a giant snack pack. After dividing it among the team, we each got one small bag. Inside: a few precious potato chips that tasted like heaven in crunchy form. I casually mentioned this to my supervisor—and guess what? He gave me his bag! MVP behavior right there. I still don’t know what brand it was, but if anyone knows a chip that tastes like joy and Korean sunshine, let me know.

Also, we had lunch today with TK, who’s leaving the company tomorrow. I found out he was born in 1996—just two years older than me—but I swear, the man sounds like he’s in his 30s. The way he talks? So mature and professional, I felt like a lost intern.

Then something unexpected happened. When our supervisor left the table for a minute, TK leaned in and asked, “Why do you want to leave this company?” I told him I was heading to New Zealand and then planning to study for a master’s in Mechanical Engineering. But then, he hit me with a plot twist: “Do you like it?”

I was stunned—like, actually frozen for a few milliseconds. No one has ever asked me that. Of course, I said yes… but the truth? I don’t really know. I just want a fresh start somewhere new. Somewhere I can choose how to live without being under anyone's microscope. I just want the freedom to breathe.

He also told me to fully use up my medical leave (bless him), and said something that stuck with me: “You leaving soon is a good thing.” He didn’t explain why. I didn’t ask. Maybe it’s better that way.

Anyway, all the best and good luck to him—and to me too. Life's wild.