Next Step - A Change

Our generation, who grow up in a competitive environment, don't quite like failures. Perhaps it's due to our protective studying and living conditions. But must remember, 失败乃成功之母！

Next month onwards will see a different me. It's time to dress a little more my age, starting with make-up to dressing. Got bonus on Friday and can splurge on clothings for a revamped wardrobe. Time for a refresh!

New thrusts:

• Professional make-up for work
• Revamped dressing - feminine or professional pieces
• Set new direction for next step in career, which may lead to:
• Taking up either baking, CFA or finance courses

Or maybe, end up idling away. At the end of the day, what pushes you on?

Classic Trio =)

Is multi-tasking good?

I'm eating my dinner, surfing net and watching news on TV, all at the same time. Such is the outcome of lack of time. Or when you have too much to do at work. Then there's the pile of notes on my bed waiting, but I'll have to leave it to tomorrow morning on the bus ride to office.

Is multi-tasking really good? Does it increase your productivity and efficiency? Perhaps so, but feel it could make you more tired at the end of the day and slowly eats away your heart and soul. There is no focus in the things you do and you tend to get distracted more easily.

Recently there has been so much work that I feel like throwing them all aside for the time being. The workload is actually still bearable, considering my bosses give me my space understanding that I'm straddled with two persons' work. But then there is all the politicking from other teams and colleagues and all those arrowing around that it gets pretty sick. Sometimes you have got to rack your brains out just to come out with counter-arguments. It's all so taxing and counter-productive!

Work aside, life has been good. My giddy spell that lasted half a week ended and I'm able to get a breather from the stopping of German lessons. That freed up 2-3 weekday nights, quite unbelievable huh. But last Thu I was starting to miss the lessons again as it was the first lesson of a new semester. Wondered how the class would be now, without a number of us who are either travelling overseas for short trips or are going to be posted for work long-term.

Yesterday I tagged along with WW, his mama and sis to check out sofas, dining tables and lightings for their new house. Got a inward 2-seater recliner sofa for his room, damn cool! It reclines without need for additional space before the back wall and allows for sleeping position reclining. Can't wait for them to move in and we'll get a LCD or Plasma TV to laze the future Sundays away. Don't know if WW & family are as excited as me. Kinda weird for me to feel this excited since it's not me moving. Besides, I have no status .. yet .. mah. Wahaha. So I'm actually quite glad that WW consults me for opinions too.

The future beholds endless possibilities at this point in time. I'm looking forward to what may come up ahead!

$$$

Three days ago we got our bonus letter. Gao gao leh. A bit of a shock to me at first, but after a while there was not much emotions left. Nothing ever seems enough for greedy men. Or rather, we're getting quite non-chalant.

But at least now with this amount I can get a few bigger items for my loved ones. A LCD TV for family, living expenses for bro who's in Uni now, perhaps a 2-seater recliner sofa for WW's new house and a Coachie each for Tian and myself! After which I suppose there isn't that much left till the next round a year later.

If.. you had the chance to work in a country you like, with people speaking the language you are interested in (and have started picking up) and be given the opportunity to grow and develop, would you take up this chance?

Back from KL, with happy memories and slightly tired legs

The run was good! And of coz, the stay in KL better.

The 4.5km KL Rat Race started with a rather heavy downpour, making running difficult with the rain splattering on our faces and breathing hard. But we pushed on and 5 minutes into the run, the rain stopped, to our relief. The long slope up was challenging, but not as much as the downwards run after the ascent. I had used up too much energies trying to keep to pace during the upslope! This year's race seemed tougher though the route and distance was the same. The weird thing was that I felt I ran faster :)

The friendly treat at QMax Bar after the run (and shower which we sneaked back to our hotel for) was fun and a little of an eye-opener. Those KL folks dance so differently from us! They did some dance sorta like a tango or waltz, but I'm too ignorant to know which. At one point the group of us nine were hogging a huge part of the dance floor moving to our own retro zouk-style beats. Wahaha.

Earlier today was free-n-easy which meant.. shopping! I spent more than S$200 in just two shopping malls - Lot 10 & KL Plaza. Just see the shopping returns below. The trip was short but fruitful. It gave us not only the chance to experience the race once more, but also gave me the needed break from work. Dunno if I'll get to go again next year?

The flight to KL. I could see clearly Bedok Reservoir and my HDB flat below!

And then the seas along ECP with the ships (which look like little larve).

The whole team representing the company. Taken just before our run at Bursa Malaysia.

At the starting point. That was Judy and me in the centre.

The view from our Shangri-La hotel room

The KL Tower

Twin Towers, but you could see only one of it as its twin was directly behind it.

The flight back to Singapore - sunset.

Shirts for myself (and Tian, if she ever wears them, ho)

3/4 pants and denim skirt. From exactly where I got my current fave weekend denim skirt last year.

Mango tops

Polo-shirt and t-shirt for WW. He's quite fussy with shirts, but hope he like these la.

Lastly, a small tee for myself!

Didn't get to buy any foodstuff for family and friends, partly due to lack of time and also couldn't see them readily. Next time, yah :)

Off to KL!

Have gotten this Sony Ericsson m600i which I have eyed since June for surfing net on the go and to jot down all those little tasks and reminders in the day. It's at quite a discounted rate at mobilesquare!

Been a meaningful weekend despite me going back office to settle work yesterday. Met up with Sher on Saturday for dinner together with WW. May Sher find her Golden Man (with high-pitched voice and fair skin)! Went for Sophia's baby Ian's 满月 and was thinking life must be very different for her and Vincent now that there's an addition to their couple life. Don't think I can handle one anytime soon.

Was playing tennis this morning with WW and got fed up with my lousy strokes. WW said my forehand swing was wrong and he was right coz all my balls go the wrong way. Blame it on my lousy strength-less arm. But just play for the fun of it la!

Off to KL on Tues & Wed to represent my company in the KL Rat Race; so glad for the break from work! Haha, I'll try my best in the race as my expression of gratitude!

Don't invade my privacy!

Everyone has their private space and boundary, be it in a private or public place. I would step back when someone crosses my boundary and imposes this constraint in my personal space. It makes me feel uncomfortable. So when this occurs under a situation I have no control over, I would just think of escaping.

Also, it's not good to stare at people when talking. It gives people a weird feeling that they are under scrutiny and belittled. The same goes with looking at people from the corner of your eyes.

A little tells a lot.

Sometimes I wish the environment could be better, but a wish is a wish after all.

Rainbows bring joy

Always think rainbows bring joy; the brighter and clearer they are, the better your future skies would be. One reason why I wanted the window seat in office was the view that provides relaxation and a moment in the midst of work to wander off and let the mind rest. And of coz, to be the first to spot rainbows and see them from the time they start forming to their last fading moments.

15 Jun 07 - It sketched across more than half the sky. The other side of the sky had a rainbow too, slightly earlier.

Coming out from the Esplanade
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Fullerton and the bridge linking it to Esplanade

Countless cranes working hard on the IR development

The merlion stands strong
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19 Jul 07 - Spotted another rainbow in the morning, on the way to work. This time it was pretty close-up!

Weird, you see only one side of the rainbow at each angle. But they are equally beautiful!

Fruity Breakfast Me

You Are Fruit

Healthy and sweet, you can appreciate a simple quality breakfast like fruit. You don't need to put a lot of processed junk in your body... you're happy with what nature provides. People have probably accused you of being a health nut, but you just like the best simple foods. You care about what you put in your body. And it shows!

What Kind of Breakfast Are You?

True true. If I'm having breakfast at home (4 days a week), I'll start with an apple then a piece of bread or a bun. Speaking of breakfast, my tummy is starting to growl! Time to zz and dream of my breakfast with Tian tomorrow morning :)

(Why) Do guys wanna get married?

I was talking to KW on the way to yoga yesterday. He was saying there were incentives for a woman to get married while it's disincentives for guys, in the sense that woman can be insured with huge amounts if they end up divorced. Whereas for the guys, they would lose their freedom and possibly part of their wealth in the future. Don't know if any lady thinks in that way, but it's quite new and surprising to me. I suppose woman want to marry a guy so that she can see him everyday, be with someone she loves and have someone to depend on closely. That's why sometimes I wonder what motivates a guy towards marriage, especially when they are not the species to yearn for closeness (the dependable and emotional kind) and would more often than not prefer solitary. Age wouldn't be one push factor either. This still puzzles me and I ponder at the usual proposal arrangement - man proposing to a woman - which seems somewhat against logic. Perhaps the men are lured by the trickeries women play. =P

His passing of life having beat the odds of surviving a serious accident some four years back seems such a life's irony. May the guy who left an impression of being happy-go-lucky find peace in the other world. Goodbye my friend, Ian.

Stressless Ekornes

Stressless Ekornes gave WW and I quite some stress! We went Parkmall to check out the range and prices, having seen the catalogue given to us a while back. The recliner sofas were very comfy, giving us really stressless relaxation and the flexibility to sit upright or recline all the way down to sleeping positions. The material was quality stuff as well. We were so tempted to buy a 2-seater for WW's study cum relaxation room in the new house. But we told ourselves, if only we win 4D or get some windfall would we get this $9,088 piece of good stuff.

Abendessen mit liebe Freunde

Jen, OY, Ben, KH and me @ 天天火锅

Es war Abendessen mit kurse Freunde. Wir haben began die Deutsche kurse zusammen im Januar 07.

It's nice to know new friends who are down-to-earth and come from similar background. We have known each other for more than half a year now but will be going our separate paths with one flying to Germany for work (2 months) at the end of the month, another to Japan for 2-3 years at the end of the year and the two guys continuing their course into A2.1 module. I'm still undecided. It has been an interesting course and it's something of my interest. However, the work load is getting hard to bear and I'm afraid I might not have the time for regular Deutsch lessons. Most likely I'll have to stop.

Today I got some hints of possible new path to uncover in the near future. Can't wait longer for the new challenge! But gotta take the first step.

Sidenote: Don't encourage guys to take up engineering if they have no passion in that field. First the course is hard to pass or score, second the prospects not as glamorous as finance, lastly love life may not be that colourful for the guys. But my dear brother is not listening to his sisters.. he may just be heading down the path of a hardworking engineer. But we believe in him and respect his choice. All the best to Shou Bi when he starts his NTU course next month!

My Next Want

Check Chelsea out. Will get it in 3 months' time.

Birthday Celebration

Birthday celebration for Tong & Agnes at the latter's house last Friday. Such a big bungalow! Cool siah. We had sumptuous steamboat, thanks to the 5 ladies who took half-day leave to prepare. Glad that they enjoyed the session too, with KTV and mahjong that followed.

The ladies

With the 3 guys.. and KH's advertising for Heinekein.

Strawberry yogurt from Patissier

And the very yummy passionfruit flan. Woohoo.

The trading team folks - Tong & Agnes (the birthday ladies), Joyce and GM

Cute little Fluffy

Now that her fur is longer, Fluffy looks more like what her name means. 2 months back we shaved her to get rid of the ticks and she looked like a real alien then!

My new toyCome play with me!

Earlier we went to Cold Storage on my request. Need to stock up some snacks and foodstuff at home for those hungry nights. I bought kit kat bars, macademia and cashew nuts, cereal, yogurt, biscuits and Hagen Daaz ice cream. And it all costed me $105! But no regrets. :)

More photos from Joan's wedding last Saturday. The happy woman is with her dear hubby at Switzerland now honeymooning away.

S26 who were present and our S2 faculty captain (the lady in white)

The ladies at Table 24 - Fangqi, Lum, Irawati, Fang and me. Color-coordinated!

Joan and XY's happy day!

Happy for the newly-weds - Joan & XY! The wedding was simple and elegant with the delicate touches of sweet romance, first at the outdoor pavilion where they held the solemnisation ceremony, then for the setup at the dinner banquet. The montage was professionally done; their photos of baby days till current were shown without those usual love songs as background, but with a more modern and rock one. It felt warm at heart to see photos of the pair together and knowing exactly where or when the photos were taken. I still remember the date when they got together and exactly what XY did to touch Joan's heart back then! We're sure their devotion to each will be lifelong. Wishing them happy always!

Photos, courtesy of Sher:

Me, Joan the bride, Sher

Me and Sher before the dinner

Polaroid taken by Sher & frenz. That were us at the left! XY was the guy in white, centre photo. And right side was Sher with GH, my pri school fren.

Me, Sher, Lum, Fang

Joan's class from VJC - 98S24. I'm a S26 mingling with them. Heh.

Joan's Hen Night

Tomorrow night we'll be at Oosh @ Dempsey Road, celebrating Joan's freedom while it lasts (for just a few more nights)!

Flying Fox Fun!

Fun & excitement at Focus Adventure @ Bintan. The 6- or 7-storey high Pyramid was a great challenge!

The noise from MTV Generation

During the offsite last weekend the facilitator, an Angmoh, mentioned about the new generation which he termed as the MTV Generation. He said these are the youngsters who are outspoken and are able to air their views readily. Noting that my friend and I were the youngest in the group (other than our bubbly and opinionated Susan H), he warned us of being caught up by the MTV Generation since we both are more soft-spoken.

This I can’t agree more and have identified with since I stepped into the working world. It’s a man-eat-man environment and if you cannot project yourself clear and loud, you won’t stand out in the crowd. Often, it’s all about showcasing your results (or what you portrayed as results) and getting more exposure to Management. There were points in my work life when the outspoken issue perturbed me but I’ve since learnt to be true to myself. Not everything needs to be shown through words alone.

Besides, although the MTV Generation can convey their opinions very well and speak with flair, their usual conversing demeanor could disgrace themselves somewhat. Yesterday there was this ger around 20 years old beside me on the bus, chattering away non-stop on her mobile phone. Her sentences were accented with high-pitched tones and some breathlessness (or perhaps it’s my breathlessness hearing her speak; I couldn’t tell). If I were the conversation partner on the other end, I could simply shut my ears out and utter uh-huh every now and then and this ger wouldn’t even know I’m not listening.

I find her case is not isolated. Young ladies these days talk like no end and gabber much rubbish. How are the ears to take it?