Enrichment Courses To Take Up

The past few years I have been thinking of taking up a lot of enrichment classes, some a continuation from classes I have taken when I was younger, some new courses for interest, some taken half way then dropped out due to lack of time and resources.

Each time I thought of taking a class, there is always some factor against me. First was time. In the past when I was working in those out-of-the-way places, by the time I ended work was after six, and the classes mostly start around half past six or seven in the town area, so by the time I could actually reach there, the classes were already halfway through or finishing. Hence it became unfeasible to take up classes while I was so far away, and the weekend classes were always full at the good times.

But now that I am working in such a convenient area, I can work a little later and still take up classes at the same time. The best news is that, whatever courses I plan to take up, they are all conducted around my office area, so I do not even need to travel far!

These are some of the courses I intend to take up :

1. Scrapbook Making - I have always been interested in making my own cards and gifts, but my superb lack of artistic ability makes it impossible. Now with scrapbooking courses, I can figure out a way to make nice cards as well as beautiful gifts for my friends! Imagine what a handmade photoframe, album or collage will look like! The classes are conducted in the shopping mall just opposite my office.

2. Knitting - I used to have this idea that I want to knit a sweater or scarf for my loved one. In any case, knitting is a rather good hobby to take up because it is so useful and less expensive than when you go and buy a real woollen sweater of scarf! How I wish I can visit a cold place with something handwoven by myself! And the classes are conducted in the shopping mall directly opposite my office too!

3. Jewellery Making - I have a passion for jewellery, especially necklaces. Earrings too, but unfortunately my allergies make me unable to wear costume jewellery earrings, and can only wear authentic gold, silver, white gold or platinum, nothing nickel-based. Hence I thought why not make my own jewellery, then I do not have to keep buying to match my wardrobe? However I was not able to find any jewellery making classes that fit my timing and venue distance, until a jewellery shop opened in the shopping mall opposite my office, and the shop conducts jewellery making classes too!

4. Flower Arrangement - I have always liked a good floral arrangement. What better idea than to make my own flowers during special occasions or family gatherings? At least in my own house next time the place will not look too bare and boring with flowers hanging around and table centrepieces. So when I came across a shop that not only sells flowers but actually conduct classes at the shopping mall opposite my office, I got so excited! However, the shop does not seem to be there anymore, but there is another outlet in another shopping mall about ten minutes walk from my office, so it is not too far off!

5. Dance lessons, particularly Salsa, Tango, Latin, Ballroom, Tap and Ballet - These are continuations from previous lessons I have taken. For salsa, tango, latin and tap, there is this pretty good dance studio at the shopping mall adjacent to my office, so if I do take up those lessons, I can pop by after work. And the ballet classes I am thinking of taking up have a studio on the hill behind my office. Still within walking distance! As for ballroom dancing, the nearest place I found is one train station away at an established studio, but it is still relatively near and do not need to travel so far.

6. Yoga and Pilates - I have attended a trial yoga class and it really helped me to relax. As for Pilates, I heard it is good for losing weight but I have not tried it. There is a studio near my office that offers these classes so I can attend anytime I like!

7. Baking and Cooking - I have taken up some baking and cooking lessons along the way, and have always been trying to improve my own skills on baking and cooking. Recipe books help of course, but nothing beats the hands-on practical applications of actually pounding butter and cutting meat. Furthermore, baking includes cake decorating too, something I have wanted to do!

8. Music classes like Piano, Electone, Violin, Cello, Flute and Harp - I have graduated from piano and electone, and have dabbled a little in violin, cello and flute. But I always wish I can fulfil my childhood dream of being a musician, hence thinking of re-taking up the diploma in music in piano performance, advance grade in electone performance, and then actual lessons in violin, cello, flute and harp. Best news is, there are music schools just opposite my work place, or just one train station away, as well as a harp teacher near where I stay!

9. Singing and Musical Theatre - Never can anything replace my love for singing. Since my voice teacher left a few years back, I have yet to find a replacement teacher for voice. I have wanted to re take classical singing lessons and hopefully go back and sing for the Lyric Opera or some other choral group again! Recently I also discovered musical theatre lessons near my workplace where we can actually have a small performance after the sessions end. What good news indeed!

10. Diving - This is a big step for me. I know how to swim, but it is never one of my favourite things as I never like water going into my ears. I love the sea but I am scared of drowning or being eaten by sharks. It took me lots of courage before I could even go into the sea and snorkel when I was in Phuket a few years back. Despite that, my love for underwater exploration, photography and the wonders of things unknown is slowly emerging the winner, so yes, diving is one course I would like to take up! Hopefully I can be a certified diver and go underwater exploring of the coral reef, fish and beautiful marine life!

11. Foreign languages like Japanese, French, German, Korean, Spanish and Italian - French, the language of love. Italian, the country of love. Spanish and German, two European countries who take very big pride in themselves. Japanese and Korean, the country of tasty food and polite people. What more can I say? Very useful to go travelling if I can speak more than just one language!

12. Ice-Skating and Skiing - Ever since I went to Japan to ski a few years back, I fell in love with skiing and always wanted to try again. Of course, being in a tropical country where there is sun, sun and more sun everyday of the year, there is absolutely no chance to do any skiing here. But there is a place here that offers skating and skiing lessons (very basic of course, definitely nothing to be compared to the actual mountain slopes), so it is better than nothing! Unfortunately, the place that offers these lessons are rather far away from where I stay and work, so I would need to see about the time and schedule.

13. Rollerblading - I have always been afraid of roller-blading as I am afraid of falling and breaking every bone in my body. But then again, what is life if you do not try anything once? After I finally learnt how to cycle, I have been aiming for more things, where roller-blading is top of my list! And the place for lessons are at the beach near my place, so I do not need to go so far!

14. Fencing - Ever since I read "Three Musketeers" and watched "Zorro", I fell in love with swashbucklers! Unfortunately, growing up, fencing was not popular hence there were hardly any schools or professional centres that teach fencing. But nowadays many youngsters take up fencing lessons, and some centres do conduct for adults too. One centre I know is near my office and there is another branch near where I stay too, so I can fight and poke and try my hand at being a swashbuckler to my heart's delight!

15. Horseback Riding - Being a "horse" myself, and after having rode on ponies when I was very young when my family went for a trip to Fraser's Hill, Cameron Highlands and Lake Toba, I always thought riding bareback or riding a horse is a very exciting activity. We have the Polo Club here and Turf Club that offers horseback riding lessons, unfortunately these are situated in out-of-the-way spots that make travelling there a tad difficult. Still, it is a good activity to take up and if I can ride a horse, who knows, perhaps I can go riding one day, if that is even possible!

16. Arts and Crafts, particularly Watercolour and Oil Painting, Calligraphy, Sculpting and Pottery - I am never an art person, but I do appreciate nice works of art. Unfortunately, I cannot draw or paint to save my life. Yet I have always been fascinated by pictures of artists holding a pastel and painting on canvas or a mural, and always thought what more beautiful way to capture the scenery (besides photography) than to paint the actual landscape? Besides, it will also be a nice gesture to give as a gift, and also if I can make a little plate from clay. I have yet to find a place where they give reasonable rates for adult art classes, thought, but I sure am going to continue looking and searching!

So these are the courses I would like to take up, and the good news is that most of these courses are just at the doorsteps of my office area! Ah... that is the joy of working in town! You end up actually saving money because everything is at your doorstep and do not need to spend so much travelling around!

A Teeny Weeny Bit Of Good News

I had a teeny weeny bit of good news at work today. After our usual weekly departmental meeting, my boss asked to speak with me, regarding the upcoming departmental conference in May. He said by right because I am still not confirmed, they normally do not allow those still on probation to go, but since they feel I have shown improvement and have a positive attitude, they are letting me go for the conference.

Yeah! This is so exciting! However, can I not be told earlier? Today was the deadline to confirm the air tickets, and if I was not allowed to go, then what? I would have to cancel everything - the tickets, the accommodation, the registration. But luckily everything turned out well.

Finally, after about four months in the company, my efforts seem to have paid off and I am at least getting a bit of recognition for my work done instead of put-downs! Hopefully after this I can be confirmed, but on the other hand, if this is the case, why not just confirm me earlier? I guess I cannot hope for much now, just have to take one step at a time!

Lost And Never Found

My dear lost his bag on Saturday. We were in a cab on our way home (as in my place) around seven in the evening, when he realised he left his bag in the cab after we reached home. I was actually quite upset, as I had told him time and again to take care of his things properly, but he is still so absent-minded. He ever left something of mine in a cab before, and had to go around the whole island looking for that and called the cab company for that, but luckily the cab driver was very nice and came back to my place to pass me the item.

We tried calling the cab company, but because it was Saturday night and we did not note down the number since it was a flag-down and not an advance call, we had to lodge a report. The main office was closed and I was told we had to wait until the cabbie brought the bag in as lost-and-found.

It has been a few days now, and nothing has come in. I called the cab company again and I was told no one has lodged any report on any missing item. We tried telling them part of the cabbie's name and described the cab, but was told they could not do anything without the cab number.

What a service! And people seem to be so dishonest, we have this feeling that someone took the cab after us, saw the bag and could easily just took it for themselves since it looked quite new and many people would like the brand.

I guess we just happened to be unlucky. Serves him right! Let's hope after this, he finally knows how to take care of his own things without the need to be constantly reminded!

Will There Ever Be An Alien Invasion?

There is something I am always wondering about - do aliens really exist? Will there ever be an alien invasion, or do aliens already walk amongst us? After all the Star Wars, Alien series, Transformers, Star Trek, X-Files, one cannot help but wonder, how much of those are fact and how much are fiction? Afterall, do people really have such great imaginations that they can come up with such vivid descriptions of creatures from outer space?

If aliens do exist, which planet do they come from? What do they look like? Are they a lot like us, or will they come and harm us? Will they evolve and take us as slaves, or will they be predators and we are their preys?

These are all unanswered questions, and till now, no one has actually come up with anything satisfactory or to put people's minds at ease whether there are living things in outer space. Afterall, the entire universe is so big, who is to say there definitely are no other living creatures in space? Perhaps Earth itself is considered a "newbie", and there may be many other creatures in space with much more advanced technology than us.

So what if there ever is an alien invasion? What will happen to us? Is the end of the world coming then when that happens? I guess no one can ever know.

Charity Movie Event

Today my company organised a charity movie event for its adopted charity - Club Rainbow. Those of us who were attending were released from work early and we went to the cinema to catch the show with the kids. We were told we could claim for cab fares and there was also a free bucket of popcorn and a Coke.

It was the special screening of "Rango", the tale of a lizard who became a hero and saved the rest of the lizards in some old Western town when their water supply runs out. Johnny Depp voiced the main lizard character, and besides the animation and all the characters happen to be lizards, the action and story line is actually quite similar to the recent "Cowboys and Aliens" that I watched.

This is not normally the kind of movie I would watch, but since it is for charity and a company initiative, I do not mind. At least the kids had a great time, due to all the childish laughter going around!

A Day Of Company Training

Today was the company-wide training, conducted by my General Counsel and my boss the Senior Legal Counsel. The first part was on the updates to global compliance, which I am handling, and the second part was on the administration and submission on compliance reports when it comes to sending healthcare professionals for events or sponsorship. Since this is an American company involved in healthcare and medical products, our head office has a firm stand on what can be done and what cannot be done when it comes to the sponsoring of healthcare professionals so we would not be liable for any bribery.

The attendance was quite a disappointment. Those that really needed to attend did not attend. They were busy with other work like trying to bring in sales and marketing things. It was a very fruitful session, but unfortunately, those who did not attend simply missed out on what went on and would go back doing the same things and making the same mistakes.

I really feel for my bosses. They took the time out of their busy schedules to talk to the staff about new updates and legal regulations and compliance issues, yet people did not bother taking the time out to attend and listen. No doubt they are busy, but everyone else is just as busy, yet they could just take time out for the time to attend. Would it not be better to take the time to attend the training, so people know what is needed to be done and cut down on mistakes made? Would it not be a bigger waste of time if things keep getting rejected due to the same kinds of mistakes?

I hope those who missed would not ask for any form of make-up lessons, because I do not think my General Counsel would entertain them since he has already taken the time out to do this. If people do not wish to make the effort, why should we then bend over backwards for them?

Manual Labour!

Today I had to stay in office to do "manual labour". Tomorrow is our company-wide training, which slides I have been working on for the weekend, so today my colleague and I stayed back to expand and combine the few meeting rooms into one big town hall, as well as carry and arrange the chairs out and put them in neat rows.

The thing is, we are not supposed to be doing this as it is not within our job scopes. Normally there will be an external vendor coming in for this, but our General Counsel is not in favour of spending money, hence asked us to do it ourselves.

So we spent about a couple of hours rolling the shutters and dividers, pulling the chairs, arranging them properly, ensuring the powerpoint program is working, and stacking the furniture together. Some of our colleagues took pity on us and helped us shift. How nice of them!

When we returned to our places, another nice surprise came. One of our colleagues wrote to our General Counsel, explaining to him that he saw us shifting the furniture in the rooms and said it was tedious work, so requested for the vendors to come in for just a couple of hours at the end of the training tomorrow to shift everything back, so we would not need to be the ones shifting back! Wow.. he is so nice!

The great news? Our General Counsel agreed! Thank goodness for good and kind colleagues around that makes my working life easier and much more bearable!

My "Playboy" Earrings

I was clearing my stash of jewellery and came across these! Cute right? For the life of me, I have no idea where these came from as although I buy lots of necklaces, I do not normally buy earrings due to my sensitive skin, and since I normally wear earrings for long periods of time without taking them out, I tend to get those that are pure gold or silver or nickel-free. Thus, most of my earrings are given by others.

I can hardly wait for an occasion to wear these! Unfortunately, these are the kind of earrings that I can only wear for a day and take out after that, to be replaced by my usual sensitive-skin earrings that I wear to prevent my holes from closing up. Now I have to see what attire fits these!

See the playboy bunnies?

A Year And A Half

Yesterday was his birthday, and the day before was our year and a half anniversary, so today we went to this beachside shack that he has always loved for dinner.

The place is pretty cosy. We were supposedly given the "best" table of the restaurant. However, I do not think our table is that good because even though the table supposedly had sea view, the trees around us were blocking us from seeing anything. Besides it was at night, so all I could see was darkness and shadows of trees, even though the sea breeze was pretty nice!

We had a communal set for two, and I had already said it was a birthday celebration, there was also alcohol and a mini dessert cake. However, the food itself was not that great, and for such food and view, the price was pretty expensive indeed. Check this out for a more detailed review.

But anyway, what matters is the ambience and the company. As long as he is happy and loves it, that is all that matters. Happy birthday, darling, and happy "anniversary"! Looking forward to more celebrations with you!

Working On Training Materials

I cannot believe I spent the whole weekend working on training materials! There is a compliance training coming up in a few days' time, and I had to review the previous slides and update and incorporate the new training slides.

It is really a chore because I do not have most of the materials with me and can only do the slides according to what I know and remember. Besides, I had to use the company-approved slide designs to do the slides, and not any others. It is hard to incorporate, link and still ensure the slides are eye-catching and drive the messages across.

By right I should not be spending so much time working on a weekend, but after all the reprimands and warnings I got from my boss, I better be a slave to my company and work 24/7 to make sure they are satisfied. What a life! I wonder how many more there are to come!

Disappointing Day Back At Work

Today is one of the most disappointing days at work. I was away for two days for training, and back at work today, I was reprimanded by not meeting deadlines and not being committed enough to the job. I was upset and bewildered over what happened, when I realised because of the fact that I was away, and had no access to any emails since I left my laptop back in the office, some people sent some documents straight to my General Counsel, saying that I did not reply to them and the case was urgent.

Furthermore, my boss was not happy with the fact that while undergoing the work training and brainstorming session two weeks back, I was half checking emails at the same time. But that was because I had so many urgent matters to take care of, hence I was checking the emails.

He even compared to my predecessor, saying she won the Employee of the Year every year ever since she joined. Yes, I know she was good, I know she did a lot, but I do not think it is fair to compare this way, because everyone has their own working style, and I needed some time to adjust completely. I may have experience but still, things are quite different here than in my previous company, so I really need some time to ensure everyone is happy.

I just feel so disappointed because ever since I joined, I felt I had done my best. In fact, I had been busier than ever as compared to my previous work places, and I tried to learn as much as I can. Yet two weeks back, I was told I would not be confirmed, simply because I do not meet up to the standards, as yet.

Then what is the standard? Why not tell me exactly what they need instead of telling me that I do not meet up? If I am really doing anything wrong, why not let me know instead of asking me to figure it out for myself?

I really cannot lose another job, especially since this is one that is giving me so many opportunities from before! But if this goes on, even if I do not leave, I may just be asked to leave. Then what? How shall I tell any potential employer or headhunter the reason I left after just a few months? What will that look on me?

Looks like I seriously need some peace and quiet to pray and seek help on what to do and where to go from here!

Writing Better Emails And Letters

The past two days, I was at one of the British Council learning centres attending a course entitled "Writing Better Emails and Letters". This course is sponsored by my company for those required and those interested. I was actually not required to go as this was not in my job scope, but I feel that this would help me in my work, and besides, how can I miss out on any writing course? Hence I signed up for this and my boss is kind enough to let me go.

The course was for two full days, and it was really enriching! I have learnt a lot as well as realised the kinds of common mistakes many people made. The instructor himself is also a humorous and interesting guy, who injected zest and fun into the course to make it even livelier!

Throughout the course, we were drilled on grammar and usage of the English language. The instructor told us that the email should be clear and concise, instead of the roundabout way people used to write. Hence, the main thing is : GET TO THE POINT!

There were also other common mistakes, like after the salutation, we should not be putting a comma (,), e.g. "Dear ___________," should be "Dear __________" and then start the email off. Long sentences should be avoided, and there should be a clear opening, body and closing. We should also end off a business email with "Your sincerely" or "Best Regards".

Another tip is that we should not be replying every email. Hence, things like "Noted" or "Noted with thanks" should be avoided as these are unnecessary. Even common things like "FYI", "FYA", "For your information please", "For your attention" should be avoided. Instead, we should send the email saying "This is for your record", or "This needs your attention and review".

One other common mistake is when it comes to sub-paragraphs, there should not be a comma (,) or semi-colon (;) to separate them. Rather, just leaving a line between every sub-paragraph will suffice.

We also had a role-play where we wrote out an email and marked each other's emails as an exercise, as well as charades where we had to communicate what we wanted to bring across to others in a clear and concise manner.

All in all, it was a pretty good and enriching course. I really learnt a lot and found out the things I should not have been doing. Hopefully when I return to work tomorrow I can practise the new email techniques and improve!

Song Lyrics For Consideration

I always thought I have a special song list just to play during my wedding. The songs must be touching, sentimental, love songs and ballads that reflect the love both have for each other. Call me old-fashioned or whatnot, but I feel the old way of love is still better. People write letters, write songs, sing songs to dedicate to the loved one, and singing songs of true love and the true feelings, instead of the modern songs that are filled with nothing but lust and sex, with no meaningful lyrics anymore.

Of course I know songs during my era, but I have always loved songs in the olden days, which others call the Golden Oldies. Songs by Frank Sinatra, for one, Bobby Goldsboro, BeeGees, Simon and Garfunkel, Collin Raye, The Beatles, even Abba. I am never one for heavy metal, disco or funky music as I find them too loud for me and makes me feel uncomfortable.

Earlier on, I came across two songs which I may consider putting into the list - "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra (although there is a Michael Buble's version that is just as good and a tad more jazzy), as well as "I Only Want To Be With You" by Dusty Springfield. The former is perfect for slow-dancing, and the latter is so perfect for the theme. There are others of course, like "Time Of My Life" from the movie "Dirty Dancing".

I have tried loading the YouTube video here, but for some reason, it does not work. So let me share the lyrics here then, and you can see just how beautiful the lyrics are! The original music video is very good too!

"The Way You Look Tonight" (Frank Sinatra)

Some day, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you...
And the way you look tonight.

Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft,
There is nothing for me but to love you,
And the way you look tonight.

With each word your tenderness grows,
Tearing my fear apart...
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
It touches my foolish heart.

Lovely ... Never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it ?
'Cause I love you ... Just the way you look tonight.

Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,
Just the way you look to-night.

"I Only Want To Be With You" (Dusty Springfield)

I don't know what it is that makes me love you so
I only know I never want to let you go
'Cause you've started something
Oh, can't you see?
That ever since we met
You've had a hold on me
It happens to be true
I only want to be with you

It doesn't matter where you go or what you do
I want to spend each moment of the day with you
Oh, look what has happened with just one kiss
I never knew that I could be in love like this
It's crazy but its true
I only want to be with you

You stopped and smiled at me
And asked if I'd care to dance
I fell into your open arms
And I didn't stand a chance
Now listen honey
I just want to be beside you everywhere
As long as we're together, honey, I don't care
'Cause you've started something
Oh can't you see?
That ever since we met
You've had a hold on me
No matter what you do
I only want to be with you

Oh, oh, you stopped and you smiled at me
And asked if I'd care to dance
I fell into your open arms
And I didn't stand a chance
Now hear me tell you
I just want to be beside you everywhere
As long as we're together, honey, I don't care
'Cause you've started something
Oh, can't you see?
That ever since we met
You've had a hold on me
No matter what you do
I only want to be with you
I said no matter, no matter what you do
I only want to be with you

Another Manliness Quality!

And another reason why I love him! My friend is so distraught over her parents as she is still unable to contact them due to the Japan's earthquake and tsunami, when my dear said to change and go out. I was surprised because I was getting so cosy at home, when he said, "Let's go to your friend's place and accompany her."

I was so happy when I heard that! It is really a day of double happiness! And we did go there, even though my friend went to stay with her grandmother, hence there was nobody at home when we went, but still, it was really something that he could even think of that!

Wow... never have I found a guy who would do this on his own accord! None of the guys I know would ever do this for me! So whoever said he is not a real man? I think he is more of a man than all the other so-called man around who only know how to demean women! A real man is one who is not afraid to show their love and respect to the woman, without the need to show that he is in charge or in control! Those who want to show they are in charge or in control only show how lack of confidence they really are!

Asking For My Hand

Something wonderful happened at dinner tonight! We were sitting down for dinner with my parents, when my dear suddenly asked my parents if he can plan a future with me! I was so shocked that my jaw literally dropped, because he has not asked me, nor given any indication of anything!

My parents were so happy that they gave their blessings immediately! I cannot believe this is happening, after all the failures and fiascos and false alarms, this is really happening! I kept pinching myself to see if I was dreaming, but I was not! Yes, this is really really happening!

I am on cloud nine now and very soon, I can have my dream of being part of a whole and having my own family. I really really love him so much!

P/S. There is no ring yet though, because although my parents have agreed, he has no asked me officially yet, hence I have not given my consent. Although I believe we should be able to start planning something very soon!

Attending A Resale Seminar

We attended a resale seminar today at the main office of the Housing Development Board. Initially I thought this would help make my dream of owning my own home come true quicker, but after the seminar, I realise the rules and regulations are much more stringent than before.

Firstly, in order to get a place, one must have the appropriate finances. This does not mean our Central Provident Fund, but rather cash at hand, as resale flat values fluctuate, and the Cash On Valuation can cost between S$60,000.00 to S$100,000.00. Who in the world can have that kind of cash at hand? If I have, I would not even buy a resale flat, I can go buy a landed property or a private apartment already!

Secondly, priority is given to married couples, or extended families. The age counts too, hence if a couple below the age of thirty apply for a flat, they can have a rebate of S$20,000.00 off the total purchase price. That is quite a good deal, but unfortunately, both of us do not qualify anymore. :-(

Thirdly, the amount of housing loan depends on the age and finances. So someone younger can have a longer loan tenure and someone older a shorter tenure. Hence for a couple with an average age of thirty-five, the loan tenure is twenty-five years the most, which means we have to come up with more cash on hand, and more monthly instalments, which ultimately eats into the total household income and expenses assuming our income do not increase until we retire. Which means the dream of a more spacious flat, a small car and a few kids cannot be manifested anymore!

Fourthly, the flat can only be owned by a joint name, in other words, husband and wife, father and son, mother and daughter, sister and brother. And each person can only be the owner and occupier of one flat. If we are to apply using just one name, we have to be thirty-five and above, and even then, we can only get a small flat and way low on the priority list. Our government really do not favour singles!

Fifthly, we need a maximum income, not minimum. We can only get a new flat if our incomes do not exceed S$8,000.00 combined, and an older flat from the housing board if our incomes do not exceed S$10,000.00 combined. Actually this does not really make sense, because our average incomes have increased. Assuming both are graduates, each of them are probably earning more than S$4,000.00, with the guy having more due to his stint in the army, and if combined together, may easily be above S$10,000.00. And this amount is too much for flats, yet too little for private property. What a bummer.

All in all, the resale seminar is pretty useful. I only wish there is something I can do to get my own dream home faster!

Ode To Japan

I came home tonight to the news of a massive earthquake and tsunami in the Sendai area of Japan. Japan is not new to earthquakes, but this seemed to be a very major one judging from the size of the tsunami that wiped out almost the entire city in just one day.

All over the television, there were news of water, water, water, everywhere, people clinging onto the roofs of their house, houses being "uprooted", boats and trees being floated all around. In short, it was a sight!

My first thought was on the friends and former colleagues I have in Japan. I wonder if they are safe? But they are in Tokyo and Yokohama, so I would presume they should be okay, since these two places were not badly hit.

It is really bad for Japan these past few years. First, they have not really recovered from the financial downturn of 2008 yet, then their own government and politics are in disarray due to the high turnover of Prime Ministers ever since "Richard Gere of Japan" stepped down, and now, they are struck by massive natural disasters.

How can one country suffer so much in so short a time? And it is so wasted because Japan has one of the best sceneries and natural landscapes in the world. It will be a great pity indeed if such a beautiful country is ruined.

Let us pray for Japan and hope that in this time of crisis, there will be good people around to help them out and that even though they have lost their homes, their spirits will never be broken!

[Note : After this post was drafted, my friend called me, crying that her parents are in Japan, in Sendai itself. Let us pray for everyone who is there, trapped there and whose family members are worried for them. May they be home soon.]

Project Completion!

Finally the major project that my department is working on has been completed! The new platform is on a trial run and being launched, and while showing our magnum opus to the various heads of the other departments, they were all rather impressed! At least we did not put in the time and effort for nothing!

Now the only thing is that it will be officially launched in April! I can hardly wait to use that, as it will make our work so much easier and cut down on lots of time! Hopefully even with this portal, our jobs will not be obsolete, otherwise I will only be shooting myself in the foot!

Is Human Cloning Ethical?

We went to watch the movie "Never Let Me Go", based on the book by Kazuo Ishiguro, about a group of school kids who were cloned and brought up to be organ donors to "real" humans. I had mixed feelings after the show. No doubt the book is good (the author has his own style of writing that one either gets it or does not get it), and the movie captured the essence of the book, but still, the show left me wondering if it is even ethical to clone?

Just about a decade ago, there was a sheep who was successfully cloned, and she even had lambs with a male sheep. Since then, scientists have been trying to clone other things, most recently, humans. In the show, these "clones" are considered "duplicates", second class to the "originals", hence it is their organs who would be used to save "real" humans. Most of these "clones" could only have three organ donations before they themselves die off.

It is possible to defer the donation, provided one becomes a carer (caregiver to the donors), but even then, that would only be deferred for a couple of years the most. Once the donors are dwindling, the carers would be called upon to become donors.

Upon watching this show, I could not help but express my anger at the society that made these clones, giving them hope when young but actually they have no hope because they would all serve a purpose and die at a young age.

Which led me to the question : Is it even ethical to clone a human to take their organs, because "real" humans would not want to donate their organs? If we are to create a life, then should the life not be treated as a normal life, instead of a low-class duplicate? Afterall, I believe Dolly got all the care and concern from her "owners" before she passed away. No one used her to experiment on other sheep.

As of now, there has not been any human clone, as the DNA for humans are too complicated to make cloning successful. It is a relief though. In the near future, who knows, with society progressing the way it is and science and technology advancing everyday? But for now, I truly hope and pray that there will not be anyone trying to play God and create a "super" human, because that is going against nature and to me, I always feel being natural is the best.

An Alternative Family?

I have heard raving reviews about the show "The Kids Are Alright", so decided to watch it today. Since we both had a day off from work to "recover" from the intense cycling the day before, we went to watch the show.



The show is essentially about a lesbian couple (played by Annette Benning and Julianne Moore), with two children, a son and a daughter. The daughter was borne of Annette Benning (who wears the pants in the family) and the son was borne of Julianne Moore (who is the typical dependent wife). The girl just turned eighteen, so her brother asked her to seek out their biological father (as both mothers took from the same sperm donor).



What struck me about this show is not because of the prominent homosexual themes throughout the show, but that children brought up into an "abnormal" family are still able to grow up normal, intelligent and well-behaved. Or maybe because they are in a family of two mothers, hence the maternal instinct and upbringing are of double dose?



With all the values of a "normal" family consisting of a father, mother and children, this makes me wonder in this case, why are there so many problems of juvenile delinquency, extramarital affairs, divorces and children being neglected and abused? Comparatively, the family in the show is rather wholesome.



Of course, one of them started an affair, as she felt under appreciated by her partner. She wanted some excitement and appreciation. And when her partner found out, she was very upset and angry, threatening the peacefulness of the family. But at the end of the day, the one who had an affair ended it and apologised to the whole family, saying that marriage itself is hard work, and that she just wanted to be appreciated.



How I can relate to that! I believe just about every wife can relate to that! Of course I am not saying one should have an affair because one feels under appreciated, but at least even in this "alternative" family relationship, everyone still faces the same problems as a "normal" family.



And family really matters! At the end of the day, they still love and forgive you, and leave things be in the past. That is what a family should be, let alone a husband and wife or a wife and wife or a husband and husband relationship. Once you choose to be with someone, you are committed to make things work, warts and all.



Now I understand why this show has such good reviews because it is a rather refreshing show as compared to the norm.

Are People Getting Too Competitive?

The Cycling Challenge was a great achievement for me. I broke my own record. I never knew I could actually cycle so far and even got a medal to show for it! However, while on the road, I faced a few people who kind of upset me. And they are all men! How typical!



All of them passed by me while I was struggling, and jeered, booed, spoke loudly that I was holding up traffic, that the whole world was waiting for me alone, and something to that effect. Is it because I am a woman, hence the man just cannot resist looking down on me? I never see any woman doing that!



In the first place, can they not see that I was struggling along? Even if they do not wish to help me (which I do not expect them to), at least spare the jeers and laughs because that is very unkind and not helping the situation at all. If someone is struggling, how is laughing at the person going to be of any help? I am already in a stressed-up mood, I do not need all these jeers to help out my situation!



The Cycling Challenge may be called a "challenge" but it is not a competition. There is no first prize or second prize or third prize and no consolation prizes. Everyone gets a goodie bag as a reward for completing the challenge, that is all. Nothing else. So why do people then want to always rush ahead to be the first and laugh at everyone else who were not as fast or good?



Is it due to our fast-paced society, that people do not know how to show compassion to those who are slower or not as good? Yes, we are all involved in the rat race, especially in a highly stressed city, but then must everything be a competition? If we are competing to win an award in school or work, that is still okay.



But people are competing in everything else and laugh at everyone else who is not as good. For instance, when I played tennis, just because I could not manage to catch the ball, my tennis partner(s) would then laugh at me and then want to tell me what to do and how to do and told me not to spoil the game or make them lose. Well, it is just a game after all, is it so important who win or who lose?



People are competing over everything else, yet the biggest irony is that we lose out big in social graces, courtesy and strength of character. Everyone is so competitive nowadays, everyone wants to be first that they start caring for themselves and become so self-centred, that as a result, they no longer think about others, no longer care about others, no longer say please or thank you, they just take for granted everything has to be their way and their benefit, without caring about the rest. And if they do not get it, they start throwing tantrums and thinking the whole world owes them a living.



I am starting to be afraid of the kind of world I am living in, and the kind of world my own future kids will be born into. It makes me think twice whether should I even let a kid come into this cruel, merciless, selfish world?

The Cycling Challenge 2011

I have broken my own record! I actually cycled twenty kilometres and completed the Cycling Challenge!



Of course, that is not without upheavals. At the speed I was cycling, someone could walk slowly and overtake me! I cycled non-stop the whole stretch from the starting point all the way to the middle part of the beach (which is estimated to be ten kilometres). By the time I reached there, my legs felt like dropping off already!



I stayed resting at the beach, until the ushers came and chased me off, saying they would need to re-open the road. So I hopped on my bicycle and started out again, this time cycling slower than before because my legs are just so sore!



Who was to know I was the last in line? When I saw traffic wardens and police escorts behind me, I knew everyone else must have reached the destination, or at least far ahead, and I still have a long long way to go!



When I was almost at my destination, I could not take it anymore. I had to stop for a break, but the traffic wardens behind me kept pushing me. Finally they put me on a van, put my bicycle on a truck and then sped me off to the end of the destination! Well.. if they could give me another half hour to an hour, I could definitely make it back there on my own!



In any case, since I completed the challenge, I got my medal!

It was a sense of achievement indeed! The only gripe is that, this being a fun event, why must people make it so competitive and expect everyone to be just as good and fast? I hope the word "fun" means "fun" and not "competition"! Now I am just so tired out that I feel like zonking out the rest of the day!

Hypocrites!

I really cannot stand hypocrites! Alright, I may be guilty of that too since none of us are perfect. But what I really cannot tolerate is saying something and then doing otherwise. No doubt everyone makes mistakes, so be it, we learn and move on. But why do you have to tell people not to do something when you yourself does it?



For instance, I know of someone who told his son not to judge people from their appearances and get to know the person. Yet he himself judge from first impression, saying that this person must be bad or whatnot, without even giving the person a chance or getting to know the person. Then what for tell his own kid otherwise? Is that not being very hypocritical?



I also know of people who are very nice and sincere and all smiling to you at work, but in the end are the ones who stab you in the back the most and put you down the most. In that case, why do they have to pretend to be nice and that everything is all fine and dandy? Do people think others have no feelings whatsoever?



The worst hypocrites are those who claim they are your friends, but when something happens, they are the first to ostracise and judge you, or claim they are staunch Christians, yet turn around and lead all the sinful lives. How would these people like it if they are in the same shoes?



On one hand, should we even judge a person because if we are not in the shoes, we may never be able to understand how the person is feeling? On the other hand, humans, being the way they are, it is inevitable they start judging and ostracising and going on the high horse and start preaching.



But should we then do otherwise and participate in the gossip and ostracising simply because we want to be part of a "group"? The reason I was not "welcomed" in my previous workplaces simply because I spend the time on work and not gossip or hang around talking about others. I always feel I have better things to do, and before I start criticising, I am not perfect myself.



Hence I never like to be a hypocrite nor people to be hypocritical to me. If there is anything wrong, I prefer to be told in the face, rather than behind my back. And if people told me not to do something, the person better not do the same thing because that is being the most hypocritical of all.

Cups For Couples?

We were wandering around in a shopping mall when I came across these cups. The red one has a "I Love U" and a red heart on both cups, except the handles are on different sides.

The pink ones have a "Romeo" on one and "Juliet" on the other. I found them so cute that I could hardly resist them! The best thing is that, it is only S$10.00 for two pairs since the cups were going for a discount! So I bought both pairs together since I could not decide which one I wanted.

Now I have two - one of each, one to put in my office and the other to put at home. He has the same too, except the other side. Two sides make a whole and that is what we are - one whole of two halves!

Building Bridges ...

I went for the second CHOICE follow-up after the AWARE forum today. The reflection is on "Building Bridges". Essentially, we had to draw the bridges, and think about our past, present and future. The foundation stones are those that define us, who we are and the people around us. Then the bride defines where we are now, and then right at the end the bridge defines where we will be.



So while drawing the bridge, it kept me thinking of the people and events that have shaped me. Such is the wonder of CHOICE, it really helps in self-reflection and to face the past so we can move on to the future.



People who have shaped me are of course my parents, my mother especially, and my relatives whom I am close to. Then the bridge represents my present success - a good job, good friends, great guy to be with, and the little things in life that I have to be grateful for.



And the edge of the bridge represents my future - what I hope to be. I hope to get my current degree, go on for post-graduate studies, get a practising certificate, buy a car and a house, get married and have at least three children, travel around the world and experience as many things as possible.



An impossible feat? I guess nothing is impossible. I saw a T-shirt once with the slogan IMPOSSIBLE = I M POSSIBLE. How true! And that is how my bridges are going to be!

Shaping Women In The Next Twenty-Five Years

Today I went for a forum for AWARE's 25th anniversary, in the theme of "Shaping Women In The Next Twenty-Five Years". The session is rather informative on how far women have come since twenty-five years ago when AWARE was first set up. Before that, there were already people being aware of women's issues, hence came out with the Woman's Charter, the only statute that protects women and children under the law.



The session talked on issues facing women now and in the near future, like foreign brides, women at home and at work. For instance, no matter what, women will still never draw the same salary as men, women are still expected to marry, have kids, work, contribute to the household, yet do the housework, take care of the kids, take care of the husband, take care of the in-laws, and manage the household. I seriously wonder what exactly men are doing, if they always claim they are the "better" sex! Life is always so unfair to women!



There is also a forum on research areas on women's issues, like marginalisation of women, single mothers, women at work, more maternity or paid leave, equal contribution to household (not just in monetary sense but also in terms of housework, cooking, cleaning and child rearing).



All I can say is that women have come far all these while, and it is because of people like these who care of women's issues that we are able to achieve many more things than many of our mothers and grandmothers ahead of us. Well, I cannot say for myself because my mother herself is a great woman who has achieved a lot more things than me. If I am to have a role model, I will model myself after my mum, who is not just successful in her career, but has also committed and contributed greatly to the household and the family and extended family.



But at least the future of women do not look as bleak. No longer are women subjugated to men and end up being the subservient ones because they have nowhere else to go. Nowadays women are equally educated, many more educated than their male counterparts, more capable, stronger and more successful, so we no longer have to listen to a man or follow whatever he says. And if men nowadays cannot tolerate that, then they are losers indeed and the world will be better off without men like that.

Dropping Two Subjects

I have done it. I have let my studies slide. No other choice. In light of my recent sudden increase in work load, the constant late hours and the big project that is taking weeks to finish, I have no time to submit any assignments nor do any form of reading for my modules. As a result, I did not manage to hand in two assignments due this week.

Thus, I would have to drop those two subjects, because by forfeiting the assignment, I would have already failed the subjects, and no use even if I take the examination as the grades would be a straight fail. So I would have to retake those two subjects the next time round.

Now I only need to concentrate on the remaining two subjects and pray to do well in them! How unfortunate that I am so busy at work lately that I really have no time to even study! Hopefully the work load will lighten after these few weeks!

The Night Flyer

I won a coupon from a McDonald's meal for a 1-for-1 ride up the Flyer, which expired today, so we went for a ride after work earlier on. Thank goodness now I am working right in town, so it is not that far to go anywhere else.

The Flyer by day looks different by night. During the day the sea can be seen clearly, but during the night it was nothing but darkness, save for the lights of the skyscrapers around. This time round, I did not manage to get the whole cabin to myself, but at least it was not that crowded!

Smartphone Retirement

It is time. We had great times together, and you have served me relatively well. You have been there for me when I needed some entertainment, some platform to rave and rant, and needed quick access to the net. You have been my map, my information portal, my movie reservations and my games console. As a result, I got you a slick pink cover for you to wear as a reward, and you stood snug and comfortable in it.

Unfortunately, you are breaking down. You are getting ill. You are running out of juice. You are panting. Not a day goes by that I have to feed you. Not a day goes by that you break down in the middle of a service. Not a day goes by that I got despair over your health and welfare.

Hence, I can only do the proper thing for you - retire and leave you in the nursing drawer where all your retired counterparts are. At least you will have company. At least you can take a long break and then be resurrected as and when I ever need your services again.

So rest well, Mr iPhone. I will always remember you and what you have done for me.

Marching On ...

I cannot believe it is a quarter of a year already! How times flies! It has been a pretty dramatic first quarter. I had my first full-fledged presentation session for CHOICE, had a big fight with my boyfriend, got my probation extended, had some serious doubts about my relationship, managed to iron things out, and essentially had a fruitful two months.

Now that March is here, what next? Most likely I foresee myself working and working and working, and studying and studying. Seems like my life is nothing except work, study, religion, fun, laughter, peace and joy.

But I love it! I love my life! And I love living life to the fullest! Hopefully the next quarter will be just as fruitful and fulfilling!

What Is A Perfect Couple?

I always admire those "perfect couples" around. Of course, perfect couples do not mean that their lives are perfect. Life is always full of ups and downs, happiness and sadness, quarrels and make ups. A perfect couple simply means someone of a "fairytale" romance, who loves each other deeply and work things out despite facing all the ups and downs.

I have come across a few "perfect couples" in my lifetime so far. One is my elder cousin. Hers was not exactly "love at first sight" or the "fairytale romance". She met the guy who would be her future husband at a dance class whom she brought some of her female friends along. Coincidentally he brought some of his male friends along for the dance class. One of the girls know one of the guys so the whole group went out together, had fun, group chatted and essentially just hung out.

Then cupid struck. Since then they have been inseparable. He would accompany her wherever she went, went to her place to mingle and help out her parents, went to my grandmother's place and mingled with my extended relatives, spend every Christmas, New Year and public holidays with her, and essentially was so into her. He would bring us cousins out as and when and is like an elder brother to me.

It is not as if he has lots of time to spare, he has a full time job too, yet he spent all his time with her. I used to think this is the kind of guy I would like - someone so into me that he really makes me feel so loved all over and so well taken care of.

Then my younger cousin who is recently married. She least expected to be with someone who was not even from the same country, much less he. But a chance meeting led them to know each other, and since then they were also inseparable, shuttling between here and down under ever so often.

This made me feel ashamed of my own fellow man. I have heard of relationships who break up simply because one went on a month's business trip or the person need to travel often for work. Or relationships who break up simply because they guy found the girl too "demanding". Or they did not like each other's family members.

Why did the guy never once thought he was demanding? We have people who do not see each other for weeks and months on end, yet still could end up getting married and being so in love with each other. How can little things like "I don't like this movie but you like so we are not compatible", or "I cannot take you travelling so often", or "I don't like your parents" even be an issue to anyone?

I cannot profess that I am in the perfect relationship myself. We definitely did not start off as a fairy tale. In fact I did not want to have anything to do with him in the beginning. Even now, I would not say he is that into me, as in yes, he accompanies me, willing to mingle with my family members, nice to me, but he is not the initiative or proactive type. He is the super laid-back kind of guy, so much so that he never bothers actually taking action to do anything on his own initiative. Many a times, I have to tell him what to do before he knows what he needs to do.

And his parents. They are really getting on my nerves with their emotional blackmails and their unreasonable behaviours. But still, being in a relationship is not about loving the perfection of the person and family, but being able to bear the imperfection. So just give and take and tolerate.

A perfect couple is what the couple makes of it. No one is that lucky to be in such a perfect relationship, but it is how we make out of it. We cannot have what we want all the time, but we can make the most of what God gave us, and work things out amongst ourselves.

You've Got M@il! - Redux

In my insomniac state, I started watching all the movies which I loved. Then I came to this movie - You've Got M@il!, starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. I first came across this when I was a university freshman. That point in time, emails were still new and schools were still experimenting with them. There were not any web-based email accounts and the account my dad applied for was by a service provider which was then shared amongst everyone in the family.

So the thought of finding love through email was a novelty. I grew up during the time where writing letters is a form of getting to know people. Actually, I still believe in the old-fashioned way of writing letters, I just find that so much more personal than writing a mere email.

But nowadays it is very common to use email since you get instant reply and need not wait days or weeks for others to reply you, you save money on postage, paper and stationery, and so many people have met through online portals, chatlines, emails and even social networking sites. In fact, if you tell people now that you write and exchange letters, people will only stare and jeer you in the face.

But somehow, posting on a Wall, sending an email and connecting through pokes and messages does not feel the same as actually writing a letter. It is just so much more personal. If someone actually bothers to source for beautiful stationery, put pen to paper, think about what to write and mail it out or hand me personally, this kind of effort is commendable.

Unfortunately, most people nowadays take the easy way out and just sit behind their computers and send out a mail. Granted that one needs to think when typing out an email too, but then these are just type-written words. Nothing beats the sincerity of a hand-written word.

Of course emails are convenient. You can send photos, attachments, even jokes and messages at just the click of a mouse, all without needing to pay extra postage and using an extra envelope. But when the person receives your email, what then? How would you know whether the person is smiling, laughing, angry, sad or touched? I would want to see the person's face when I send him or her a touching email, a personalised message or just a normal joke or something that can cheer someone up.

Nevertheless, emails are an important tool in today's communication. Without emails, businesses can never be as efficient nor do things as quickly. Emails has got to be one of the greatest invention ever, but to me, still nothing beats writing letters because that is just so much more personalised, especially writing to a loved one and expressing very private and intimate thoughts which can only be shared with a special someone.

Insomnia!

For some reason, I have had trouble sleeping lately. I do not know if it is due to work stress or there is something deeper, but somehow I have not been able to feel at peace and at ease. Maybe it is the fact that I did not get confirmed, or the fact that I feel so so so tired everyday from so many things.

Maybe I am just getting old. I have heard that the older one gets, the earlier they tend to sleep but the less they sleep. No longer can I take late night clubbings and no longer can I stay awake chatting into the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning.

But my sleep-deprived mode is getting to me. Now I look so tired everyday and have dark eye circles which no amount of cosmetics can ever hide. Seems that I need to meditate more in order to get more sleep!

Farewell Lunch To A Colleague

My predecessor is leaving for greener pastures, so we brought her to this restaurant called Coriander Leaf, a fusion place, for lunch. (For details of the food and ambience, please refer to this.)

We hitched two cabs to go to the place. The cab I was in happened to lose its way and we ended up making a big round to the venue. What made it worse was that the building the restaurant was in had 2 ways in, and we ended up taking the elevator instead of the stairs, and it did not stop at the restaurant. So we had to go down again and take the stairs up, as it seems that the restaurant is like a mezzanine instead of in the main building itself.

We had a good time mingling over food, sharing stories of our working and travelling experiences, and enjoying each other's company. Food was another matter though, and although the restaurant prides itself on being a cooking school, somehow the food is not up to par.

Still it was a new place to experience, and I am sure going to miss her when she leaves next week!

Nobility Or Stupidity?

I have come across many people who, for some reason, do not feel ready to be in a relationship or marriage and then they start to do things to make the partner angry in a bid to get rid of the partners. I always wonder why they do that, until someone told me that they are doing that so the partner will not suffer.

Now I wonder if that is just being noble or stupid? In the first place, if A is with B, then I believe A should have known what B is like and accepts B the way he / she is, otherwise what is the use of even starting with anyone? So if B feels that he / she is not meeting up to standards and feel A is better off with someone else and B starts behaving in a way that is totally intolerable to A, is B then being noble or just plain stupid?

If it is just a one-sided feeling of B that he / she feels A is not happy, why did he / she not talk it out with A? How would he / she knows that A is feeling the same way? So if B chooses to be "noble" and just disappear simply because he / she does not wishes to be a burden anymore, is it not a very cowardly and stupid way? How would A feel then? Has B ever considered the feelings that A may feel angry, disappointed, deserted, and wondered what happened in the first place?

Hence if a person feels stifled or lost in a relationship, is it not better to talk it out and clarify with the other person rather than pull a disappearing act or behave in a way to chase the other person away? Afterall, if one cannot even talk to the partner, then who else can one talk to?

A Confirmation Meeting

I am really upset. Suddenly my confidence has been shattered and my life seemed a bit topsy-turvy. On the other hand, perhaps because I was too overly confident, that I thought this would never happened to me again.

What triggered this off was that I sat for a confirmation meeting today. I had been in the company for close to three months and so I was supposed to be due for confirmation. When I went in, the first thing my boss said was that they would like to extend my probation. When I heard that, I thought, "WHAT?!"

In the first place, no one had given me any feedback about my (lack of) performance. In fact, I had been appreciated, thanked, and even told I had been doing a great job so far. So why this? I really did not understand.

Then my boss said that it was partly their fault, that they did not tell me their expectations in the first place. He said perhaps in my previous workplaces, I did whatever I was told, but here, they expected much more initiative and to work much more independently than to be guided or handheld. In other words, I had to do what a practitioner would be doing, except without the license.

Hmmmm... that is a bit confusing actually. In the first place, there are a lot of things I cannot do simply because I do not have the practicing license. It is against the law to do anything without a license. Hence I cannot fight in court, nor represent someone in any dispute, nor handle major dispute or transactional cases. The only things I can do are to review contracts, due diligence, give clear cut advise and essentially more menial work than what a practitioner will do.

And now I am told I am expected to do what a practitioner is supposed to be doing? That makes me feel really down, because I have never worked so much or so hard in any other company before, yet this is the first company I have been in that tells me I am not confirmed without even telling me in advance! Even as late as last week, my boss still gave me a smile and said he was looking forward to our confirmation meeting!

I was so down for the whole day, and then at the end of the day, my General Counsel called me into his room and told me that in light of my colleague having a shift in responsibilities, he would like me to take over as the Global Compliance Counsel for Asia. I was speechless of course. First, I was not confirmed because for some reason my performance was not up to par, and now I am supposed to be taking over a bigger role?

Nevertheless, I am happy to take on more responsibilities. Hopefully after this I can get confirmed. I guess all I need to do is to ensure I meet up to expectations and perhaps here, the expectations are really higher due to the nature of the company and the job scope. I just pray and hope for the best!

Physical Or Electronic Filing?

Today my department embarked on a new project. We spent the whole day in discussion about the benefits of electronic filing versus physical filing. When one works in a law firm, there are volumes and volumes of physical files. Every correspondence, draft and discussion has to be filed into a paper file. I have seen secretaries spending the whole day doing nothing but printing and filing.

I always thought all these filings are a waste of time. With emails and internet, can one not just refer to the emails and then read from there? Why do we need a physical file only to reproduce the same thing over again?

But when I started working in-house, I realise that there is no filing system. Everything was just reproduced in the email system or on their own computers. This cuts down on a lot, but at the same time when those people left the company, it gets rather tedious trying to find out information especially if you were not kept in the loop.

And then one of my former supervisors told me to make copies of all originals, and file the copies in arch files. Those will be used for reference, whereas the originals will be kept in the fire safe. This method bode well until the auditors started coming and they insisted on seeing the originals, even the signed and stamped copy would not do, then I had to scramble around trying to find out where the originals were kept.

After that when I moved on to another company, the correspondences and copies were not filed, but actual signed originals were filed. This system works very well actually, because then we know where all the documentation is and the auditors are also happy with us for being able to supply them with whatever they wanted.

Now in this company, I see that our Executive Assistant is always printing and filing documents. But now that we are embarking on an electronic filing system platform, perhaps things will be easier because by then, it takes a fraction of a time to sort documents out and will not be so tedious anymore.

Which is why we spent the whole day today discussing what is needed, what items to file, what categories and what matters we have worked on or are working on. Yet while I was in the meeting the whole day, suddenly all the urgent matters start coming. I need to handle and then be in the meeting at the same time. It is always like this, whenever we did not receive anything, it is so lax, but when things start coming, they really start coming at the same time!

Enhancing Spirituality

After the inspiring mass yesterday, I have decided to improve my spiritual life. Just by attending CHOICE, teaching Cathechism and attending church is not enough. I need something to really believe in. I am not saying I do not believe in God, but at times, I always wonder why is it my prayers never come true?

I know people will say prayers take time and whatnot, but sometimes, we really cannot afford to wait. What if we need things right now so that our future can be secure? What if we need answers that will not clash with our own body's biology?

I guess patience is never really my virtue. Perhaps I should say I am task-oriented and focused, if I embark on something, I expect it to be done. I get very stressed up if I am left hanging, or if I do something else first before coming to finish what I originally started. I do not function this way. I can multi-task and whatnot, but I ensure I finish everything instead of starting on this, give it up halfway, then do something else, give it up halfway and then go back and do the original thing again. I get very stressed if I do that, and I cannot tolerate someone doing that as well because by doing this, others who are involved in some way or another are being held up.

So I have decided to embark on enhancing my spirituality. CHOICE is one thing, but now that I am a presenter, I only get to present a weekend once a year. It is not the same as experiencing all the weekends throughout.

Cathechism is one too, and I get to learn more about God this way, but again, it is only an hour a week. My faith does not really improve in just that hour. Attending mass and whatnot is the same - it is the same routine, the same homily. Somehow the spirituality is no longer there.

Which is why I have decided to go for a Conversion Experience Retreat. In fact, a friend told me about this early last year, but I thought there is no point in going to so many retreats. Then later on, another friend told me about this. And then this year, someone else mentioned about this. Well, if three different people tell me about the same thing, it should be a sign, right?

That was when I decided to go for it. It is too late to submit for any earlier retreats, hence I have decided to go for the one in June. Hopefully I will be able to go for it as apparently, the retreats are so popular that it is always fully booked within the first week of registration.

Then after reading the Catholic News yesterday, I have also decided to go for a healing retreat to get rid of whatever I am feeling, and whatever I have not been able to come to terms with. Maybe only with God's blessing and help, I can make myself better. By improving spirituality, I hope also to be a much better person in that way, which will ultimately improve my relationships with everyone around me.

That is not a bad thing right? I only hope I can make these retreats this year, because next year I will have other things to focus on already.

A Message From Above?

Today I went to the church where I got baptised and confirmed. I always love this church. It is situated on a hill with a Gothic look, double spires and the interior is big, spacious and filled with stained glass windows. Most importantly, it has a very long aisle, really a perfect looking church, the church of my dreams, which I never thought I could ever find it here! Of course, it is not Westminster Abbey or any of those grand old churches in the European countries, but it is good enough. It is the closest to a grand church we can have.

We came here for mass because we happened to be in the area, and since the timing was good, we just stepped inside. One good thing about Catholics is that we can go to any church, unlike some of the other Christians I know, who can only attend the church they belong to or are baptised in and not any others.

And it seems to be a good thing I went in. It seems that God is trying to tell me something. There have been some issues which I have been pondering over for a long while now. I have not been able to resolve them on my own. I used to bury them and then pretend that everything was alright, that everything was normal, but in the past few months, these issues have resurfaced. There was a nagging feeling inside to tell me to do something, but what?

I am not sure what coincidence it is that brought me to this church, but when I went in, and got a copy of the Catholic News, the answer was in front of my eyes. The strangest thing is that, I do not normally get the Catholic News because in my own church, it is always in some obscure corner which I do not normally pass by, or else it would have been out of stock by the time I get there.

But in this church, the Catholic News is right by the entrance, hence I took a copy. And the moment I opened the newspaper, the answer came right in front of me! Is that divine intervention or what?

Now I know what I need to do. Question is, is it my time to actually do it yet, or shall I wait a while longer? If that is the case, then why the answers right now at this time? Only time will tell if that is indeed the chosen path for me.

CSI : The Exhibition

I have wanted to go for the CSI exhibition ever since they started in October. But after putting off and other things taking priority, today we finally made it a point to go because it was the last day.

When we arrived there, the big round banner greeted us. But when we went inside, I realise that due to low light and the fragility of the exhibits, we were not allowed to take any photos. What a pity! :-(

The exhibition started by us being given a form. It was a questionnaire where we had to investigate a crime scene. There were three crime scenes altogether and I had to investigate and get clues from the third crime scene.

I must say, the crime scene is so easy! The clues are so obvious and all the hints are already there! I solved the case within five minutes. Then we decided to go to the other two crime scenes, but there were just as easy and clear cut.

I must say, it was not up to what I expected. To make it more challenging, it would be good to make the crime scenes more challenging and more red herrings thrown into the clues. Okay, maybe it is unfair to everyone else who is not legally trained and have not grown up on Agatha Christie's perfect murders, but still, I think those crime scenes can be a bit more challenging by making others work harder to find clues instead of the clues being right in front of one's faces.

After solving the three crime scenes, we had to key in our analysis and conclusions into the computers on the scene. There was a long queue and we waited around ten minutes for our turns to key in. After that, we went into a small room, where there was "real" crime scene and we had to find out clues all by ourselves. This was a bit better, but still very easy. I got the crime solved in a matter of minutes.

Overall it was a rather interesting experience, although I would prefer it to be more challenging. The crime scenes look so much better on television, but then again, television tends to dramatise matters. Maybe the crime scenes are really that straightforward in real life?

Now I cannot wait to start watching all the CSI series again!