Potluck to celebrate our First Year in SGX

Happy Birthday! It is the first year anniversary of work for the graduating batch of 2004 SGX scholars. Together with two of my buddies, J & E, I had a good time during lunch today. We had a potluck session, with each of us preparing a dish. I happily made use of my salad-making abilities (haha, which was easy for even a kid) and whipped up a dish of mango salad, filled with mango (of coz), raisins, sunflower seeds, cherry tomatoes and lettuce. It's not because I wanted to take the easy way out by making fruit salad ok, I truly like fruit salads for their health value. J made sandwiches of various assortments - ham sandwich with honey, nutella sandwich and peanut butter sandwich. She was generous in her spreads, giving us double or triple layers of them in between the yummy gardenia bread. Sorry for not being able to appreciate the thick layers though, I'm a health freak! :p I gotta admit those are yummy nevertheless. Then, E made very nice mash potato! Didn't know she could make that and it was delicious and healthy. Beats those sold outside, even KFC's. I like the part about mashing potato with its skin, which provided even more nutrients. Tks buddies! I had a very enjoyable time, eating and chatting away without a care.

One year into SGX, I'm getting more used to working life. I do miss the people back in IA; they are a really sincere and warm bunch. Over here in P&G, there are fewer people and most of them have to rush around for work. Couldn't really chat up with them much, except for our secretary (she also helps out in the major project our function is handling now), who is very approachable and friendly. Work-wise, I'm given lotsa opportunities to mingle and work with the heads in TEC Group. The exposure and chances given by my bosses are very much appreciated; I'll work hard and absorb as much as I can. Tks bosses! Partly due to the fact that there is only one solo member in my team (that is me alone), I have to pick up the ropes and learn new stuff, sometimes on my own (as my boss is quite busy too). There are the softer skills and project management skills that I get to pick up. Those prove to be challenging and I like that. Basically if colleagues in the company are willing to help one another, things will be much easier to deal with.

This evening I went jogging with the TEC Data Centre folks. There was one guy who, in my opinion, is very childish and immature. He keeps teasing me about me being different from the rest, that I'm a scholar and run faster than the rest and so on. Just because I was in IA before and did some audit interviews with him before, and that I'm in QA now, that doesn't justify why I should get such treatment from him. So, it's better for me to stay away from the gang, despite their function head's encouragement for me to join them in their weekly jogs. Hey, I can go on my own jogs anytime! Don't have to hear such niao comments as if I owe him something.

Nevertheless, a comfortable and pleasant dinner made up for all the unpleasantness during the jog (or more accurately, the walk back to office after the jog). I settled for kway tiao (their fried bee hoon was finished up again!) with mashed pumpkin, and bought a warm cup of teh at EastLink, the foodcourt along Tampines Interchange Linkway. Sitting there eating my food bit by bit (I must be the slowest eater there), sipping my warm teh was the most independent moment I have and enjoy every Tuesday evening.