Just another manic monday...

after a very hectic weekend.

My aunt planned an early celebration of grandpa's b'day so my parents were in town. Dad has been in and out a lot recently but Mom only flew in on Saturday. The trip back from the airport stretched one whole day as we made quite a few stops along the way. First it was the famous Ng Ah Sio pork ribs soup for lunch with my aunt who tagged along. Next stop was Funan to shop for my aunt's mobile phone and unsuccessful attempt at scoring a new suitcase for my dad. After that, I dragged them to chinatown with me as I needed to find something there. Evening was spent at yet another aunt's place before we doubled back towards Ang Mo Kio to visit my great-aunt who apparently was recently hospitalized.

Grandpa's b'day lunch took up most of the day on Sunday. It's really quite sad how different things are without my grandma around...

I woke up early on Monday only to realize I had forgotten my "homework". Luckily I managed to calm down and coughed up the framework in about 1 hour's time. And even luckier as my boss was in a meeting the whole morning, so I had time to touch up the thing with more details. In fact, I think she totally forgot about it until after lunch, when I asked to see her for a quick discussion.

I didn't leave office until 7 pm as I wanted to recheck the figures. Lucky I did coz I caught some mistakes. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that I don't leave traces of anything major there.
Was supposed to meet up with a friend and his partner for dinner but sadly found my lancer refusing to cooperate. Dinner had to be rescheduled and I was stuck at the parking lot waiting for help, which cost me about 10% of my basic salary.
Just great...

Operation tight belt on!

My first nite...

I finally lost my world-cup virginity.
And thanks to Germany, I am $10 richer : )

I tried to arrange for a world-cup outing, but due to lack of experience :P the whole thing almost fell apart with people ready to just go home after we failed to get any table despite combing the Selegie and City Hall area.

In the end, we settled for this bar on 70/F with visuals but no audio. PL managed to get AO to replace AT. However, WE & KH couldn't get in because of the dress code and YK ended up as the only guy who made it.

I think world cup should be most interesting compared to whatever leagues and championships around.
I prefer to see the purer side of sport, where commercial decisions such as club financing comes into play.
Kinda a shame that I only started so late into the competition, but it's always better late than never.

Wonder if I should subscribe to the football channel in August so I can better educate myself  before the next world cup.... :P

Make a wish today....

It was Friday night. Netherlands vs Brazil was suppose to be on at 10 pm, but I couldn't find anyone to go and lose my world-cup virginity :P 

( I'm hoping the plan for tonight will work out somehow)

Determined to break my pattern of working overtime on Fridays, I decided to drop everything and leave around 6 pm. Whatever it was, it just had to wait. I told myself the world was not going to crumble if I send my report at 10 am on Monday instead of 7 pm on Friday. I have a life and people just have to accept it. 

On my way out I decided to call a friend. I knew she was most likely still at the office. 

Aside from being Capricorns, we do share a lot in common and I was determined to break her pattern too. 

I did manage to get her out of her office and we ended up in Novena area for a "budget" dinner, which turned out to be free for me as she insisted on footing the bill to cover her "taxi" fare. 

My friend asked to go for a round of drinks after that. She had had a rough week and I had nothing to do.
So I brought her to my secret corner on the 70/F -- a place I usually don't share with many people in my futile attempt to keep the place obscure. And she fell in love with the place too.

While my friend downed her first Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc, her third drink for the night, she was lamenting how she was overworked, which was the extreme opposite of her situation less than a year ago, when she had been totally under-utilized and had wished she had more workloads and more important roles to play. Jokingly, I told her that the lesson learnt was clear: Be careful what you wish for.

I shared with her how I am a firm believer of the power of creative visualization.
As a kid, my family was on the weak side financially. Although I am blessed with very good parents who assured me and my brother of sufficient nutrition and healthcare (as evidenced by my size) and equally important education, abundance was not anywhere in sight.
Mom had to wreck her brain to feed 13 people with 1 chicken. The wonderful meals and treats she managed to whip up from time to time reminds me of Jesus with the five loaves of bread and two fish in the bible.
I remember seeing some of the well-to-do families we got to know from the buddhist group our family used to join, and I couldn't help but feel a bit envious. I remember as a kid imagining that one day I would be able to study architecture, study overseas, work overseas and drive a car (Our family of four had to rely on my dad's scooter then and I thought female drivers looked damn cool then). I wished so hard for it, I remember I managed to conjure up very clear images whenever I closed my eyes.

Dreaming was my hobby as a child.

Dream. So you can achieve.
Ask. So you will be given.
Fight. So you can win.

My Mom had taught me the above at a very young age.
I probably have written about this somewhere in this blog but I still feel like sharing the story.

There was no nursery in my Dad's hometown, where I  stayed with grandparents when my parents moved to Jakarta. When my brother started kindergarten there, there was nothing available for the 2.5 years old me. My grandparents who doted on me so much couldn't bear to see me sad & upset (read: throw tantrums) when I didn't have anyone to play with. They begged the principals to just let me wear the uniforms and hang out in class. They promised that I would behave myself and would not disrupt the class, which I did deliver.

When my brother and I were finally sent to Jakarta to join my parents, the school refused to acknowledge my kindergarten certificate as I was too young. I had to go back to year 1. Everyday after school, I would complain to my mom that school was boring as they kept telling us to draw lines and circles. Instead of taking it on herself, my mom threw the ball to me: "If you want to, you can ask the teacher to move you up to Year 2. You can then learn more interesting things there."

"But how do I do that? What do I say to the teacher?" I asked.
She then taught me a one-liner that I memorized and practiced a few times in front of her.
With a twisted feeling in my stomach, every morning for the next one whole week, I would run up to the teacher's desk before class started every morning and recite that one liner, before immediately turning away and running back to my seat.

Puzzled, the teacher finally asked to see my mom after that one week.
Thanks to my mom's bargaining skills, I got what I wanted.

It's probably one of the earliest lessons in life that Mom has taught me.
While I have not managed to fully implement it, there have quite a few occasions in which I have done so, in my school years as well as my work life:

Ask.
You might just get your wish.
And when you don't, ask again.
Fight.

Just going thru a relapse

(Lagi kumat aja mellow-nya.... Pls excuse me)


Kadangkala aku bertanya
dimana cinta berada
tersembunyi tiada kunjung menghampiri

Dua angsa memadu rindu
di danau biru bercumbu
pagut sepi ku di sini
letih hati

Begitu jauh
waktu ku tempuh
sendiri mengayuh
biduk kecil, hampa berlayar
akankah berlabuh ?
hanya diam
menjawab kerisauan

Kadangkala aku berkhayal
seorang di ujung sana
juga tengah menanti
tiba saatnya

Begitu ingin
berbagi batin
mengarungi hari
yang berwarna
dimana dia
pasangan jiwaku ?
ku mengejar bayangan
kian menghilang


- Pasangan Jiwa (Katon Bagaskara)-

Klakustik-Tak Bisa Ke Lain Hati

Part of the music I grew up with...

There goes my plan...

http://www.slate.com/id/2256212/?GT1=38001

A nite with Geoffrey Archer

Actually really wanted to go out to beerfest today. Thought that would be fun but couldn't get anyone to go with me. I think it'd be bloody boring to go by myself.

I do have an invitation from a friend to join him and his friends for a world cup session, but considering my level of understanding of the game, I was worried that I'd just end up annoying them with my questions. Anyway considering I just had wine last nite with some of the girls from NUS, I have decided it maybe a good idea to cut down on alcohol and give it a pass.

For one thing, I am starting to see alcohol as really expensive additional calories... Not that I don't enjoy it but I suppose I really need to start cutting down as much as I can both on cost and calories. 4Cs should be my motto from now on: Cut Cost, Cut Calories :P

So... I guess tonight it's just me, Geoffrey Archer's Lucifer Network and perhaps some Jason Mraz in between.

Julia Fordham - Happy Ever After

Don't ask me why....

This tune just started buzzing in my head a few days ago....

I would hear this song once in a while, here and there... but I never knew the title.

Never one to memorize titles and lyrics to start with.

And I struggled before finally finding this on youtube. Somehow the buzzing sound in my head had been a guy... guess I was wrong :P

I love female singers with sexy, husky vocals.

Gosh I am really nervous. Not really quite sure how to face the holy trinity when I come forward with my plan. God help me....

Repeat note to self: Cool as cucumber. Cool as cucumber. Cool as cucumber....

August 2010

I have just realized I stopped working out after grandma passed away.

Just the other day someone asked why I stopped going to the gym.

I couldn't remember clearly why. Maybe subconsciously I tried my best to wipe out my life around that time.Well, but then again maybe I just have selective short-term memory span.

I did pick up swimming though. I did learn to swim though only breast stroke.

I have not managed to do proper front crawl before my trainer moved to Dubai for work.

Lost the momentum and have not gone back to it ever since.

August 2010.

I promise.

I will be back.

Damn! My English is seriously rusty...

One year has passed....

I'm glad I didn't have to be alone today. My brother, sis-in-law and the two goofballs, i.e. my niece and nephew are in town. Dad also happened to be in town. We went out for dinner. Dad then went home while the rest of us went to catch Karate Kid.

Exactly one year ago, 12 June 2009, was the day I lost my maternal grandmother. I will always remember how she still tried to comfort me as I cried and held her in my arms. I will always remember walking back to the emergency ward with her on the stretcher. I just wish I had held her hands tight then.

12 June 2009 was a horrible day and the impeccable impression I had of the healthcare system in Singapore is totally tarnished forever. I still believe she was a victim of a terrible system. High volume of cases public hospitals have to manage should not be an excuse.

The trials and tribulations did not stop there, and almost immediately after losing my grandma, my family and I had to struggle with a major crisis at home and for the first time in a very, very long while, beyond just wishing everything was a bad dream, I actually wished that I could just go to sleep and not wake up again. The temptation to buckle was very strong. There were days when I would wake up from sleep with tears in my eyes. There were days when I really felt numb and stoned. It felt as if part of me had died that year.

Fortunately, I am blessed with a handful of very good friends who supported me all the way and patiently listened to all the drama I had to share. Until one day, I got fed up burying myself in my own tears. I told myself I had to be strong and survive and tried to relate the same message to my family: The more the world wants to see us buckle, drop down and die, the more we have to prove them wrong.

For a period of time, I couldn't bring myself to blog. Whenever I tried to, nothing would come out. It was quite hard to shift out the things that were overloading my mind, which was mostly filled with problems, negativity, frustrations and despair.

That is not how I wanted to remember my life.

So I decided to stop blogging. I decided to ride the waves first and savor every flavor that life throws at me: The bitter, the sour, the salty and the sweet. I stood there at the beach and I challenged the ocean. Bring it on, I said. As I stepped into the water, I took a quick look at the soft stretch of white sands and promised myself that I would be back, stronger than ever.

The following is not exactly a captain's log. Not exactly a list of achievements, as I haven't really done much. Just simply doing some stock-taking. I suppose. So here we go: The following are some of the things I have done or gone through in the past year, in no particular order:

• Traveled to two more countries in Asia Pacific: Australia and Japan.
• Bought my first ridiculously-priced branded bag: I love the soft yet sturdy leather but it's seriously one bad case of an impulsive buy. I'm planning to extract the maximum amount of mileage of this bag.
• Saw how a closely-knit family was torn with the departure of the matriarch: Nothing can stop greed and ego, I suppose.
• Was a bridesmaid for the second time. It was my first in Jakarta and I think it's more fun in Singapore.
• Was a "brother" (groomsmen in Singapore) for the first time: I'm quite sure this would be the last, too.
• Found my soul mate.
• Realized it was all an illusion: No soul mate was found and the most wonderful time of my life had to end in less than 2 months. Previously, I had never believed in the idea of handing over one's happiness in the hand of another, but somehow before I knew it, I was doing it. I was weak and scared. In my desperate search for assurance, I wanted to tap on the confidence that he always exudes, to lead me out of my black hole and remove all the lingering questions. I suppose that was too much to ask of anyone and I have no one else to blame but myself for this. It was all my fault. Luckily, we kind of sorted things out. We will always be friends (I hope) and I have learned a lot from the brief adventure. One of the lessons learnt: Unless you're prepared to put your friendship at stake when you make that leap of faith, stick to being friends.
• While I did not cry when we spoke, or when I sent the sms after that ( Yes, we are of the new generation and my decision went out by sms), for a while it felt like another bit of me died all over again. I was back in limbo and in my attempt to break free, decided to challenge myself. In this case, I went on my very first blind date. When I say blind, I seriously went in blind. Not as in meeting a visually-impaired guy kind-of-way, of course. I just went out with a total stranger. Not through a dating agency or anything corny like that. OK, so we did exchange pictures, but for all I know, everything he had said about himself might be a huge lie. I don't think it was awful and the 4.5 hr chat was quite interesting but I suppose there is really no future there. I am just glad I am properly trained in my alcoholism and despite a few rounds of martini, my head was still screwed on right and I turned down his invitation to go to his place that night. However, out of curiosity (and boredom, I suppose), I did go out with him again for a movie on a week-night. Relax... nothing happened. He did ask me to give him a call again, but I don't think I will be doing that. I just don't feel like doing it.
• Was a maid-of-honor for the first time and saw two of my best friends finally tying the knot. It was a good day, although I will forever regret my excellent reflex that day: Shouldn't have responded so fast when the inexperienced MC called my name by mistake. Damnit. (Sorry, roomie...)
• Finally closing my very own major deal, or at least I think it is. About 1.5 years from the first time I touched base with the client, and about 8 months after I secured the exclusive appointment, the client has finally signed the Letter of Offer. The message is clear: Persistence and perseverance does pay (occassionally).
• For the first time, closed two cases in one week with another client confirming to close yet another deal as soon as we clear their legal. Two-and-a-half deal in a week ain't that bad, right?
• Finally sold my soul to the devil and I am afraid I may be forever in debt till the day I die. Well, at least I won't have to worry about awkward situations staying at my own place and I believe my banker, aka my dad, will be quite friendly. So yea... I'm so looking forward to August.
• Found myself to be the last one standing officially at my second home in this island: At work. Everyone from the old gank has left and I am the only one still around. While I keep telling everyone that it's just life -- people come and people go --- occasionally the dark side would come and take a stab at me and the loneliness and sadness would creep in. I have been looking but not much luck so far. I have however, squeezed a promotion and a measly raise from my boss and turned down 1 offer. I have one offer in hand, which I may be turning down very soon. The push is just not as strong with the new project I have in hand and the pull is just not as strong as I had hoped for. One thing is for sure: I will continue to be on the lookout.

I don't know what life has in store for me next. But after what I have gone through the past year, I know for sure that I will ride the waves and survive.

It will take a while before I can stop crying whenever I see grandma's photo and I still miss my mom's laughter. I am worried about my father and my brother, my sis-in-law and the kids. I am also worried I am not spending enough time with my grandfather.

I also still worry about my career and my future.

And while I will have a home very soon, I am still looking for my "home".

But, whatever it is, BRING IT ON!!

BRING IT ON, LIFE!!

I'm not scared of you.

I am a survivor.

Phasing out....

Bought two books and a japanese restaurant guide (don't ask me why) after work today.
I think I need to phase out and recover after yesterday's triple whammy.

I hope 2009 is bottoming out for me....coz I don't think I can handle what's on my plate now as it is....

I'm tired ...

I have never felt more useless and weaker than today.
It feels as if the world is caving in on me and there is nothing I can do....

Can't help but remember how I used to occasionally think my life was too good to be true, that something was gonna go haywire on me.

Right now, it definitely doesn't feel good to be right.

12 June 2009

Friday, 12 June 2009 was one of the darkest days in my family, when I lost my beloved grandmother. While I don't see the point in a further investigation to pursue legal action, as nothing will bring her back, I hope by sharing my family's experience, I can raise some awareness on patient's rights. Even if only one family is saved from having to go through what my grandmother had to go through, it is definitely more than worth it:

After my grandmother was admitted to the A&E ward sometime between 7 & 8 am that Friday morning, the doctor in charge of her case came out to explain that they suspected either heart attack or internal bleeding in the digestive system. However, an endoscopy to be confirm the latter had to wait until her BP, recorded as low as 67 by the medics who responded to our 995 call, stabilizes at a normal level. We had to wait outside the ward without any access to her as we were told only patients were allowed inside. By 11 am, we were told she was responding to the fluids they were giving her and her BP was slowly climbing up and that she was still weak but in stable condition. Around 3 pm, while I went away to grab lunch, my aunt was instructed to wait at a lift lobby by the main block as they were going to transfer my grandmother to the endoscopy centre, and we could not enter the A&E ward which had a short cut. Interpreting that as a sign that finally she was stable and strong enough to go through the endoscopy, I was very relieved and rushed to catch up with my aunt at the particular lift lobby on the 2nd floor, where my aunt was told to wait.

After a few minutes, I grew anxious and decided to ask around as there was no sign of my grandmother nor any signage leading to endoscopy centre where we were waiting. At the advise of a staff there, I rushed back to A&E, only to be told that my grandmother was still inside A&E ward. I was told to be on standby outside the ward and that the doctor will come and explain my grandmother's conditions as well as get our consent form before they could transfer her to the endoscopy centre. Just as I was going to pick up my mobile phone to contact my aunt, I received an sms from a cousin who bumped into my grandmother at the ********** Wing, all the way at the other end of the hospital, where the endoscopy centre is. I immediately confronted the A&E staff who subsequently apologized and confirmed that my grandmother was already on her way to the endoscopy centre.

In the end, we did not proceed with the endoscopy. While my aunt managed to convince my grandmother to proceed with the procedure, despite her initial reluctance, the doctor advised them that she was in good enough condition to be warded first for observation for the night, and that the endoscopy could be done the following day. The whole trip from one end of the hospital to the other was wasted and my grandmother was sent back to A&E as they claimed the bed in the regular ward was not ready for her.

Back at the A&E ward, when we complained to the doctor in charge of my grandmother's case, she explained that there was some confusion because the endoscopist did not follow standard procedure whereby he/she was supposed to go to A&E ward to personally check on my grandmother's condition, discuss her condition with us and getting our consent before actually proceeding with the transfer (Note: The reason given was that the doctor was too busy at the endoscopy centre). Instead, the endoscopist had instructed for my grandmother to be transferred first and for the discussion as well as consent to be done at the endoscopy centre, which was at the ********** Wing, at the other end of the hospital from where the A&E ward is. On hindsight, I still feel strongly that the doctor should not have transferred any patient with potential internal bleeding without first checking whether or not he / she is stable enough to be moved around.

When we checked on her condition with the doctor at A&E, we were told that she was doing well enough even to be eating porridge (Again, on hindsight I keep blaming myself for not asking: Potential internal bleeding in the digestive system vs porridge?). At the moment, relieved to hear that, we decided to take a break and grab a bite at the the food court. Around 5.30 pm we received a phone call on my aunt's mobile that my grandmother was being transferred to Ward 78 bed 9 and that we could see her there. We rushed there only to find bed 9 empty. When my aunt called to check with the A&E ward, they said that she was on her way. Standing outside the room, it was that time when I heard a nurse yelling "Code Blue" behind the drawn curtain of bed 10. We decided to step aside to make way for the nurses and doctors who rushed in. We were calmly waiting by the nurses' counter, not realizing that it was my grandmother in bed 10 until a doctor stepped out of the room a few minutes later and asked for relatives of my grandmother's. She told us she was in critical condition and she asked if anyone of us knew what happened that morning and what she was admitted for.
I could not believe my own ears ( I still don't) that the doctors at the ward had no record of my grandmother's condition.

Within less than an hour after that, we lost her.
Our only consolation is that we managed to get my grandfather by her bedside during her last moments.

I understand later from one of the nurses that when she received my grandmother in the ward, she was already in non-responsive condition. No info was available on her condition from A&E, except from an earlier phone call informing a transfer of a patient with potential internal bleeding case. As this is the first time ever she had received a patient in non-responsive condition, she decided to call the police, who later came to take her away. Believing that she could still hear and feel pain, we made the decision to insist on no autopsy. I suppose the decision also means we will have to live the rest of our lives without knowing for sure what really caused her death. The death certificate stated "hypertensive heart attack". I can't help but wonder if a case of mishandling by the hospital should have been added in. I just wish the doctor could have checked my grandmother's condition personally before instructing for the transfer.

I just hope there's a way we can make sure patients and their families are aware of their rights in the public healthcare system, and hopefully noone else will end up where my family is today. Maybe something within the line of how the Miranda rights still has to be cited in US in every single arrest the police makes. Maybe a prominent notice by the entrance? I don't know....

Down again.....

I'm down again...
Two flu attacks in two weeks!
So pissed off at myself.... No kick-boxing and no swimming...

You need to work on it, girl-in-denial....

I was home over last weekend to attend one of my best friends' wedding.
Spent most of it at home and did nothing special. Not even a mani/pedi session.
I reached there Saturday afternoon and Mom picked us up (Dad was on another flight about half an hour before mine).

Sunday morning, Mom dropped by bro's place to pass me some of my fave local goodies for breakfast. As she was on her way out, out of nowhere, she went, "You'd better get your act together lah... Hurry up and find someone you can quarrel with.. otherwise you will one day wake up and find yourself feeling lonely."

Gosh... While I was stuffing myself silly, the stuff in my mouth was not what made me speechless. Mom has been quite aggressive in her 'campaign' the past few months, but never this approach. Never this angle....
And my food tasted a bit bland after that.... (but only for a few seconds though :P)

Before my bro sent me to the airport on Monday, I called mom -- who was at work -- to say good-bye. Again she made sure the conversation ended with her reminder: "Don't forget, chocoholic... u need to work on it."

A friend commented that I was also in denial, when I mentioned another person may be in denial. If that is true, I suppose now that that person has opened up, that leaves me as the only one being in denial?

From 周杰倫's song 稻香:

追不到的夢想 換個夢不就得了

Sounds like a good idea....

^_^

Grandpa turned my day around...

The day was a really rough one today... so much that I really don't feel like talking about it.

But things slowly turned around close to the end... with a good kick-fit session when I got to punch instead of being the punch bag.
To top it off, the highlight of the day was when Grandpa came out of his room close to 11 pm as he was having problem sleeping.
He threw himself on the couch, the way he usually does because of his weak knees, and suddenly started sharing this dream he just had: He was fighting with a younger schoolmate. Eager to jog his memory, I asked him all sorts of questions I could think of relating to the dream. Before long, he was sharing me about his childhood, how he spent some time studying here in Singapore, before the Japan occupation.

While he talked, I had to fight tears that were ready to roll down my cheeks.

I couldn't help thinking and wishing just now I can have more opportunities like this... when he's fully alert and sharp. Less of his senile dementia symptoms and more of these miscellanous stories of how he managed to be in the top three in the class despite failing English, which he had never been exposed to and could never pick up no matter how hard he tried. How he bravely grabbed hold of strangers' hands to gain free access to the Great World at River Valley on those free weekends when they get to leave the dorm for leisure activities. How he had to move out of his school into a cleaned up chicken coop when Japanese troops came.

Then Grandma came, and ended our chat, insisting that Grandpa was bugging me and telling him to go to sleep instead. Grandpa obediently went back to their room, after making a stop first at the bathroom, as suggested by Grandma.

Thanks for turning my day around, Grandpa.

I remember our conversation a while back in the car, when I had to send you to meet dad to see this one chinese physician.
There were only two of us in the car, and you suddenly blurted: " I dunno what's happening with my brain. It's really weak... I have so much problem remembering and recalling things.... I'm really behind your grandma."
I laughed and told him I was having the same problem, and that I was very much younger than her.
He shook his head and replied:" I think I over-used it when I was young and now it's run out of battery."
I agreed:" Yea... I think I over-used it in school too..."
And we both laughed.

I will forever remember this conversation, Grandpa.

The past 3 days have been very interesting.



After a high-intensity Thursday at work, I went out for KTV with the Investment babes plus KF from Valuation. Dang!These chicks can really sing! They also threw in a surprise for me, bringing in a really yummy b'day cake for me halfway thru the ktv session, just after the (fake) sharks' fin at the $10 KTV. I would've loved to stay longer but I was concerned about my car which was parked at the other end of Chinatown, so I had to leave early. All in all, it was a good one.



Then yesterday, I had my very first encounter with the ugliest side of my job.

While the fight is still not over and I have a feeling the worst is yet to come, the nasty experience however also gave me the chance to experience first-hand the difference of being led by a real leader.



When I got attacked, one of my bosses, whom we sometimes lovingly refer to as the Power Puff Girls, not only backed me up but took charge and whacked people left, right, front and back. On hindsight, it was kinda funny actually to see her "charge" all the way to protect me, in the rather angelic off-white outfit she was wearing yesterday.



I was very nervous at first when this problem popped up, not exactly because I was afraid of the other party as I was actually quite prepared to charge. I was more nervous because I was not sure I would get my bosses' support.



Honestly though, I can hardly recall any other time I have ever felt so protected at work.

While I am not sure how long I will get to enjoy this support and protection, I am greatful enough for yesterday. Regardless of this thing will turn out in the end (especially with another nasty confrontative email just in about an hour ago), I have learnt a very important lesson in leadership. To learn from my Power Puff Bosses was along the objective I have in mind when I chose to join this supposedly very "xiong" department, as an ex-colleague described, and yesterday only strenghened my belief that I made the right decision.



One of my Ds told me that it's a good place although there are lots of ups and downs, and some people don't survive ( I think she was referring to the recent departure of an ex-colleague). I told her, even if I don't survive, I am happy enough to have braved the choppy water and picked up the valuable lessons.



Anyway, after a really tough day, the evening was spent with some very sweet ex-colleagues who have been my support network here in this city. I am a very, very lucky girl to have come across such sweet people everywhere I go. Seriously... I wonder how one can be so lucky....

I'm blogging standing up at one of those free internet access points in Changi.

Never done this before but totally dead bored coz I forgot to pack a reading material.



It was a very last minute decision to go back for a wedding back home.

Only booked the ticket during lunch time yesterday and swung by to pick it up on my way back to office after a site inspection.

I'm so looking forward to seeing Bule again. Can't even remember the last time I saw her.



Organized a gathering last nite for my classmates and was quite happy with the turnout.

The first session at the Wine Co @ Evans Rd was extended to the prata joint next door,with Iggy treating us to teh halia, teh tarik and milo dinosaur.

It was so great catching up that we didn't realize it was already well past 11 pm. I really wish we could do this more often.



One of the constant comment I got from those I haven't seen for a while was:

"What happened to you? Where's your American accent? "

Sigh....