Tie-Pin

I was made when another piece of metal melted. You can say that I got to live because someone else died. Made in around 1998, I was placed in a nice box and was shipped to a shopping centre in sunny Singapore and it marked the beginning of an exciting journey.

I was placed in a departmental store like many of my friends but I was lucky anough to come out of the storeroom and be placed in a glass display. Everyday, I would see many of my friends getting bought by new owners and getting to leave the departmental store and most importantly, getting to come out of the box that we were all placed in from day 1. I too wished that my owner would come and pcik me up real soon.

One afternoon when I was fast asleep, I suddenly felt some movement as the sales girl picked me up. I thought I was dreaming but then I saw that it was real. Someone was considering buying me. I opened my eyes and I saw, to my surprise, not a businessman, but a young gentleman. He looked like a teenager and I thought he must be buying this for his father as a present. After much, deliberation, he finally paid $60 for me and brought me home.

After some days, my owner took me out from the box and marked the beginning of a very exciting journey for me. To my surprise, he didn't give me to his dad but rather, used me as his own. He was a teenager in a shirt and tie and needed me to pin the tie down. I felt a little strange but didn't bother too much. It was a sunday and he was rushing to church.

As I followed him, he made his way to Paya Lebar MRT station and soon, I find myself going to a church. I realised that the place was called City Harvest Church and the building was what people called Hollywood. I was so excited as I wondered how would it look like to be in Hollywood. The gitz and glamour... ah... It's good to be like a celebrity.

Then after the corner round KFC, I was shocked to see the building a run-down, almost collapsing building... There were so many people, easily a few hundred and they too were all clad in shirt and tie. It was like the norm there. I had always expected myself to appear in formal dinners, or boardrooms, fancy D&Ds, but not a church!

Well, I do not have a choice but I thought I'll just make the best of the situation and notice the people there. One thing I must say, they were all rushing. Even when my owner was walking from the MRT, he was walking real fast. Even as he was walking, his pager was beeping. the people around him were all walking very quickly as if they were late. I now it was only 8am and I cannot understand why. Soon, I realised that people were there in church 45 mins before service starts to pray. It was called the pre-service prayer meeting. I mean almost everyone was there. It was like the service before the service. The pre-service meeting was like the seperation between the new friends and the members. After the prayer meeting, or even during the prayer meeting, there were some people who left and they rushed to the MRT station again to pick up new friends that they have invited for the weekend's service. I felt that it was really funny why one can be so serious about religion. However, one thing I noticed, each and everyone of them were very happy. They wore this bright smile on their faces and they were so genuine and warm. They were so passionate and were all so willing. Young they may be, they certainly do not look young, especially with fellow tie-pins like myself to help bring out the mature looking side of them. Were they trying to act old or act rich? I don't know for now, but one thing I know, they were all very passionate.

There are the leaders who wore suit and they looked even more formal and much older. There were also people who carried big bags with lots of files in those bags. I soon realised they are the 2nd in charge in the cell group. They are like the up and coming leaders. Those files contained the admin for the cell group. The larger the cell group, the more papers there are in a file and there are many names inside, probably an attendace sheet or something. However, almost in every church goers; bag, there is a letter or a card of somesort. Yes, everyone has one. Either you are giving one this week or you are receiving one this week. Everyone was hot and sweaty but no one complained and just waited patiently for the service to start.

Ok, service started. Man, the place was jammed packed and the chior started singing. There were so many flags on the stage. I wonder why... Then the band started playing, oh man, it was so so so lound, however, as I looked at the faces of the people around me, I can see real joy during the faster songs and tears were flowing when they were singing the slower songs. People were so genuine.

People here are definately excited as they jumped and jumped during the songs and dance time and I nearly fell off my owner's shirt a few times if not for the chain that chained me to his button.

So that marked the end of the day when he said good bye after lunch with his cell group mates at the coffeeshop nearby. I noticed, having lunch together was only done by the committed members, the not committed members usually leave straight after service. The real committed members will also wait for the cell group leader to come out after a meeting. I mean these people really follow closely to their cell group leaders. I wonder where on earth would the cell group leader have so much time to entertain all of them? It's like every cell group had at least 5 to 8 people wanted to hang around the leader. and the leader only chooses about 3 to be his super close. In some cells, only 1 is selected to be in the innermost circle.

So I was placed back into the "Sunday bag", which was the church service bag and I stayed in the bag for a week. Meanwhile just thinking what the pastor has preached about on stage. He is quite an interesting speaker and the things he spoke about surely made me look forward to the next meeting.

Then the next sunday. Same thing, running from Paya Lebar MRT to the church and this time round, we had breakfast. A drop of chilli nearly landed on my owner's shirt of not for me. I saved it but got myself dirty in the end. My owner wiped it off and then very quickly, we went in for the prayer meeting.

Service was fun today as there was a pastor from Africa and he thought us some dance moves. We were moving to our left and then to our right. Haha, everyone ended up laughing and laughing.




And so this continued for weeks and months and years. Over time, I noticed the church had changed. Slowly, they shifted to Jurong West. The people changed too, slowly, more and more people were coming in T-shirt and jeans, nomore the formal wear. It is out of fashion? As for my owner, he changed too. He has already completed his A levels and will be going to the Army soon.

For a period of time I didn't go to church as my owner was in Pulau Tekong and boy, I do miss going to church. I missed seeing the happy faces of the people there. I also noticed that my owner uses less and less of me as he changed his dressing. I was spending more time in the bag.

Months became years and soon, I was under a stack of bags. Perhaps I've been forgotten.



It was on 24th of November 2010 that I got to see my owner again. As he took me out of the bag, I knew it was him, he has aged. I was greeted by his unshaven face. I noticed he wore a ring on this left hand now. He is married. He has completed his studies and his graduation gown was just beside me. I'm glad that my owner has matured and has started working. I looked at myself under the light and I noticed that I have rusted on my sides. I do not look as nice as before. Seems like everythign has changed. even the room colour. They have painted it. The furniture all changed. I know my time has come. I must die and be melted, so that someone else will be formed. I am glad that I was able to attend City Harvest Church for that period of time. The time where everyone wore a shirt and tie.