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2025 so far
posted : Monday, June 30, 2025
Before this actually turns into a travel blog…thought I should post some life updates. No, not the ones you (and I maybe) are hoping for.
So half of the year has gone by. Lots have happened I guess, including the usual suspects - CNY, travels, work, birthday. A couple of maybe unusual suspects which sort of included travels too? But all in all nothing too exhausting. Doing this in point form this time round.
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CEA
posted : Friday, October 11, 2024
In the midst of the roller coaster of a month..I forgot I was supposed to write about this other experience, which was a minor (?) health scare.
So I went for my usual annual health screening, and results were great at first glance. Cholesterol dropped by quite a bit, all other indicators are normal other than the fact that I was still overweight with a fair bit of body fat percentage to work off. Except this CEA tumor marker which was above normal levels, and didn’t trigger any alarms until I checked last year’s report and realized that it has been above normal for two years in a row now. There’s a free follow up consultation for doctor to go through your report with you, which I usually ignore but thought it may be good to get some interpretation on what the elevated marker meant so booked a teleconsultation slot. Doc suggested that I can go for a specialist consultation and I agreed. Was expecting to get a recommendation letter that I can use to go find a specialist on my own (now come to think of it, if I had to do it myself I probably would end up procrastinating), but turns out clinic just helped me arrange for one and next thing I know the specialist clinic (colorectal specialist) had texted to arrange for a consultation. Duly went for the consultation. Specialist said such tests are usually not conclusive to begin with - just because it’s elevated doesn’t mean you have something, and just because it’s normal doesn’t mean you don’t have anything. Urgh fine. But, he added on to say, since I have already consulted him, he is obliged to recommend that I go for further tests which I kind of agreed to do. It was to involve CT scan, and also endoscopy and colonoscopy. Arranged for the sessions and before I knew it I was paying like $2k for the consultation and CT scan with the colonoscopy charges yet to come. And despite the clinic very matter-of-factly assuming that this can be claimed from insurance, there’s a bit of panic in me. And also it may mean I gotta pay a higher premium or something next year urgh, and I was regretting a bit for letting them arrange everything for me at a private clinic instead of public hospital. But oh well it is what it is. This was the week before I went home, so I scheduled both the CT scan and the scopes for the week after I came back. The CT scan was a bit uneventful other than the fact that the nurse kept telling me drink up before the scan, and the injection of a “contrast” left me with a huge bruise that took a couple of weeks to dissipate. It was the colonoscopy that was much more interesting. I was to do bowel prep before the session, which technically is considered a day surgery. Idea is I had to clear my bowels so that they don’t get any nasty surprises when they insert the scope, on either end of my digestive system. Oh to make things easier I was also supposed to avoid certain foods three days before the procedure, mostly fibrous food which is understandable, and also milk and cheese for some reason. And special emphasis on mushrooms. Lol both doc and nurse were like “yeah we always find mushrooms when we do the scope” and made a disgusted face so that advice really stuck with me and I made it a point to not disappoint them hahaha. Back to bowel prep, on the morning of the procedure I was given 3 packets of laxatives, each packet was to be mixed with 1L of water (!) and to be drunk an hour apart, which meant I had to down 3 liters of water in 3 hours. The thought was quite daunting, though what I kind of didn’t expect was that the effect was so instantaneous. Within 10 minutes of the first packet (which tasted terrible btw, nurse recommended mixing it with honey but it didn’t help much imo) I can feel my stomach turning and 5 minutes later I couldn’t hold it in anymore and just went to explode (sorry). I ended up going to toilet like every 20minutes eventually and so most of the 3 liters of water didn’t actually stay in the body, makes it easier to keep chugging down the mixture. By the middle of the second hour whatever I was expelling was actually very clean already (it should be a clear yellowish liquid) so I felt super clean inside lolol. But yeah I wouldn’t want to do this again primarily coz it just tasted terrible. Smartly scheduled the op on a Friday so I can WFH in the morning while doing bowel prep (and office wouldn’t have been a very conducive environment for this) and luckily I had the whole weekend to recover from this even if that wasn’t the initial intention because I didn’t think it would be that taxing, more on that later. In fact I thought I would be out and about by mid afternoon and can go for a cafe run in the area but little did I know. Anyway, made my way to Mt Alvernia around noon (recommendation was to take Grab but I gamely took bus instead). Registered, had all the costs explained to me (it ended up costing about $5k) and that they will file a claim to insurance company so didn’t have to do anything (though at the back of my mind I was like what if the claim got rejected), then was brought up to the ward, though had to fork out I think 50cents to purchase a mask. Like pffft you all charged so much and couldn’t just include a mask? Assigned a bed, and then I was told that my procedure was scheduled at 3.30pm (oh so late ah?).
Changed to a surgery gown and then it’s a lot of waiting, hooked up to various tubes to monitor my vitals, being wheeled around on my bed to various stations, and answering questions repeatedly on whether I ate or drank this morning. Kind of listless by the time I entered the op room, and also really hungry coz I hadn’t ate anything since the evening before and I was looking forward to cafe. I was to be sedated for the procedure. Which is understandable coz I guess having something up your ass probing around your insides doesn’t sound like an enjoyable or comfortable process. Prior to that there’s a lot of indemnity forms etc that I had signed confirming that doc had explained to me the risks of the procedures and all, but I may have missed the part that I would be completely unconscious lol. I really thought I’d be conscious, just that I won’t feel like maybe the bottom half of my body or something but no. I remembered doc telling me to stay awake for as long as possible, then I was conscious of me drooling through the mouthpiece, I probably blinked once then I was gone hahahahah. Coz the next thing I know someone was waking me up and telling me that it’s over and I was like, huh? The whole 断片 experience was kinda novel for me I dunno why. And slightly disappointing coz I kinda want to know how the procedure was conducted, just without the discomfort. Oh well. Doc asked me if I remembered anything, I was like no and he went “Good! That’s what we want.” And I was left with a wtf just happened feeling.
Anyway, wheeled back to the ward, got to eat finally and chose bread/milo over porridge but damn, my next bed neighbour had porridge and it actually smelled really good. Nurse came over with a fully completed report and went about explaining to me - basically mostly good except that they found a polyps (first time hearing this term, had to google) in my stomach and removed it, and will be conducting some tests on it. Arranged for a follow up consultation, gave me meds and basically that was it. But my blood pressure was still quite low so had to wait for it to go back up, ward nurse came over to monitor once in a while and when it finally went above 100 she discharged me. And that was close to 7pm, so much for having the PM off hahaha. Though I still went to cafe for dinner.  Only photo I had from the whole experience lol coz phone was mostly locked away and I don’t take selfies often  Post op meal was great though And so it turns out that having the whole weekend to recover was really a smart choice coz I actually needed it. Saturday I was feeling a bit lethargic and late afternoon when I went to gym, my head started throbbing after a slightly heavier lat pulldown set and I had to give up the entire session (luckily it wasn’t a paid one, just my own training in condo gym). There was a warning to avoid strenuous exercises and I didn’t think gym counted as one hahahah. But the next afternoon I went for a scheduled PT session and it was alright already. Follow up, the polyps was found to be benign. CT scan also didn’t turn up anything abnormal. Doc said I am alright, can repeat the tumor marker test next year and if it’s still above normal then that just means this is my baseline already and I should be ok if it’s maintained at this level. And the advice is to repeat colonoscopy when I’m in my 40s so nurse was like, “we’ll call you to set up a consultation in about 10 years time!” lol I don’t know if they are being serious or not. So that’s the end of the whole episode! I didn’t think much about going through the whole thing alone, because I’m very used to it at this point in my life but I was kinda grateful that I had a couple of friends that checked in on me throughout the afternoon after they found out I was doing this, both of which had parents with cancer so were quite familiar with the process so they thought it was a big deal and kinda chided me for not taking it very seriously lol (really, I found it more interesting rather than scary). So that was really nice. 10 years later, then. Labels: updates |
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The non-trip
posted : Saturday, September 28, 2024
Yikes, time to knock out a quick post before September ends.
Bit of roller coaster this month in the sense that I got my hopes up and excited about something, then only to be brought back down to earth. But it’s okay I guess, coz there’s something to look forward next month again. So between the last post and this, well I went for my annual trip back home. These days any time away from work is always welcomed and while there’s obligations as usual, I think they are more spread out and less intense, maybe it helped that calendar is such that I only appeared on the last couple of days so that minimizes my involvement (and effort). So rightfully I had more time for myself but I ended up catching a cold right after the event which meant I spent a few of my precious leave days trying (and failing) to suppress it, and recovering from it. Which was annoying but oh well it is what it is.
Then the roller coaster. So I got very excited when I was notified, not very long before my trip home, that I was to join in a study trip by our sister department, to Europe no less. The original dates were right before my own Europe trip (like I was to arrive in Sg, then fly off the next day for my own trip lol) which I had some reservations if I should 做傻事 because it looked like a very packed schedule and I think I would just crash during my own trip which I meant to enjoy. And of course paperwork when we return though it was never something I minded much. But my sister and some colleagues told me I should (“you can just continue to live in Europe time zone!”). So I accepted it.
Then the dates got shifted to one month before which works out in my favor, and got extended even to include one more city. But somehow the pace on trip planning was slow (engaging the various agencies and hosts to plan out a program), and I was expecting a lot to be settled when I was away at home but I came back and pretty much nothing moved. And the budget ain’t looking pretty coz the two bosses leading the trip were entitled to business class seats and boy, they were 5 figures coz of how last minute this trip is. So there were definitely alarm bells and when it finally rang loud and clear, I got axed from the trip in a bid to bring down budget. And in the end I wasn’t super upset about missing out on the trip (definitely not gonna miss the work) but I was annoyed about two things - for one, there are much better ways to bring down costs (those business class tickets!) when axing me only moved the needle by a bit coz I only made up like 10% of the budget at most. Secondly, why was I the one axed when people who are less relevant to the program are still going for it? And it left me shaking my head at this particular leadership thought, technical or not. Though I was promised that I will be considered for the other trip to Asia (which are also all the cities I liked, Tokyo Seoul HK) but that has little relevance to my line of work and lesson learnt to not keep hopes high so yep totally no expectations there. So I got over this disappointment relatively quickly (even if I can’t help complaining about it once in a while) and instead channeled my anticipation towards my next trip in Oct. Which was one year in the making! 355 days to be exact but yeah. I think that alone deserves a post (and more) on its own. Till then. Labels: updates |
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Covid, take 3
posted : Monday, August 05, 2024
第三次冠病之旅～
病痛程度感觉上是前两次之间，即没有第一次那般痛苦（那次要到第三天才爬得下床），也没有第二次那般轻松（那次则是连自己中招了都不知道）。 烧了一晚所以第二天基本上是在补眠，过后才慢慢恢复体力，不过T线到第五天才开始消失。 原本打算星期五居家复工，偏偏星期四晚上又没睡好，所以索性直接拿了三天病假加上周末，就这样宅在家里五天。 星期四精神稍好后有开始清电邮，星期五也工作了好几小时。
不过大部分清醒时间，除了规划一下每餐吃（打包）什么，其余的时间都用来…追奥运。嘻嘻！ 这一病还来的真是时候。没病的话应该也会熬夜看重播吧，这回趁病假直接看直播哈哈哈。 也没觉得特别内疚，毕竟工作那几个小时都有把该处理的事都处理好，星期一复工的时候也不会落在后头。 但有时想想，瞧自己开心成这个样子，难不成真的那么不喜欢工作吗。 希望放个假，休息一下，能够充够电，至少要耐三个星期，到时又可以放假啦。
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One month on
posted : Friday, September 02, 2022
Stock take after one month.
The anticipated workload still hasn’t arrived. Reflected a bit, and what I mentioned in my last post was still valid - it’s a smaller pie, more than enough manpower, and not much random side tasks yet. And apparently based on “stats” that have been re-examined again (because others highlight the unjust) the demand for manpower is really there such that I am even getting an additional guy (?!). So I can’t refuse I guess (or it’ll look like I am challenging her authority), nor can I look directly into others’ eyes zzzz. It’s a happy problem to have I guess, so maybe I shouldn’t be complaining. I do feel like team is warming up to me though? I suppose they are really just missing someone to be there for them and I could (because previously they were short of manpower and the leader was too swamped filling gaps). So it’s fortunate I guess. Right place at the right time. Oh that and the fact that I knew what I was doing of course (wuiseh). One of the more memorable events so far was when I got into a heated conversation with a counterpart which everybody disliked/had given up on in front of the entire team/neighboring team and came out of the call on the somewhat winning end. I think they looked like they wanted to give me a standing ovation after I hung up LOL so that maybe boosted my credentials a bit - though what they didn’t realize is that I felt so mentally exhausted after that, and not exactly looking forward to further calls with said counterpart. Side tasks wise, I do have one big task which only just got started, so as usual when there’s pressure to perform I…procrastinate. Yikes. Some things never change. And I have been promised further responsibilities, which was said so often that I am a bit annoyed at their confidence in it, because I felt like I am being lulled into this sense of…I don’t quite know how to put it. I am not mad at being shouldered said responsibility (because that’s what I came for, if I were to be truthful about it) but why y’all think it’s a done deal when you don’t call the shots? Can very well be overturned mah. And if that does happens at this point I am gonna be so upset because y’all were so confident about it. Oh well. So one month on, at least the doubts haven’t set in, even if fatigue has started, energy levels not as high, and I find myself researching for hols hahah. Well good news is CNY is only just 4.5 months away, and my next hol is actually even nearer so there’s things to look forward to. |
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Wrapping up 2021
posted : Friday, December 31, 2021
To be honest, amidst the flurry of activities (or maybe just that one major event) happening in November and December…I only remembered that I am supposed to write this post at about 4.30pm, as I was trying to recall what happened on NYE last year.
So 2021! It’s disappointing that the world hasn’t quite returned to normal, and living with the new normal isn’t going as planned either. Disappointing because at this point last year our cases were under control and there’s so much hope with first shipments of vaccines arriving. One year on and two highly transmissible variants later, we have taken one step back even in terms of things like socializing. So lesson learnt, not gonna have high hopes for 2022. But otherwise - what else happened in 2021? ************ That big event I mentioned above - taking the plunge and buying my first home. It was something that has been on my radar for a while, and ever since I got citizenship last year I have started looking, with the intention of shifting in by the time my ongoing rental lease ends. It didn’t happen because I procrastinated a bit (and my heart was in Brunei since Aug last year) so timeline would have been a bit tight. So negotiated a new short term lease (came with increased rent oh well) and effective set myself a deadline of 31 Dec. This gave the whole project a bit of urgency and thus I function a bit better. Long story short (because the long story is in other posts), place found, sort of got pushed into it but I think largely no regrets. Renovation or rather sprucing up the place was unexpectedly draining, but I think I’m rather pleased with the results so I think that’s worth it, though I still wouldn’t want to go through that anytime soon. Still very thankful that this happened while WFH which made a lot of things easier to coordinate. The house is now a home! There’s this niggling feeling about being in debt from now on, but managed to convince myself that this is not too different from paying rental, at least from the perspective of my bank account. And of course a couple of years down the road I can be on the lookout for another place again once I became eligible, age wise or partner wise hahah. For now, hoping all goes well in the new place. ************ Work wise, I think I am in a much better place as compared to this time last year. No more random panic attacks and self doubt of my capabilities, and I think my vision cleared up. It does help that I have a lot more to do than this time last year, helped by the fact that a colleague resigned and I had to cover. But the extra exposures I was promised never came, either due to the same reason or D’s lack of faith in my ability (wait, what happened to no self doubt lol). Well, their loss. But either way, I know the path I want to take. It’s the understanding and acceptance that it’s ok to prefer to stay in comfort zone and not strike out. That if you are not going to learn further than there’s not much point. Just that it’s my nature that sometimes I can’t help pondering if it’s gonna be the right one, considering the climate. Will I be able to tune out the unfavorable parts of the job and focus on the good ones, making sure it outweighs the other? We’ll see in 2022! ************ So travel is mostly still ground to a halt, at least in Asian countries - western world is just happily going around. Honestly if you ask me if we are going to live with virus in an endemic stage, all travel should resume without any tedious restrictions - because the idea is that this is nothing more than a flu which nobody gave a hoot. But lo and behold we are still stuck where we are, going through cycles of loosening and tightening restrictions. Went for a couple of staycations which were similarly disrupted zzz. It’s the stress of having to change plans and adapt on the fly that is deterring me from flying when some restrictions are loosened. Not to mention the idea of your stay overseas getting extended unexpectedly because you are not allowed to board the flight home if you happen to test positive. Ironically, not so much about actually catching the virus itself because I’m vaccinated and I got my health in order. That said, extremely relieved to be able to travel home at the beginning of the year. Was in a mess mentally at that point, and that’s all I wanted to do. I got what I needed, and that long break did wonders in terms of resetting myself. I was eyeing another attempt at Switzerland/Austria as a in-between-job trip again for 2022, but like I said I don’t have high hopes for it - instead it’s looking like another long trip at home during that period. Unfortunately there’s a high chance that I won’t get to be at home during CNY because work commitments meant I couldn’t afford more than a week off and situation is just too volatile now. But oddly I am at peace with that. I am not too upset about it (this would have triggered a full scale meltdown last year) and I am not even sure why - but I am not going to question it. Or maybe family/friends can visit me if situation permits, now that there’s room hehe. ************ About health - no major scares. Fitness level have stalled and I think I basically stopped pushing hard post-CNY. Partly because the feedback I got when I went home was that I was too skinny lol. I was like "there's no such thing as too skinny" but sometimes I do get that sense when I looked at photos of myself. So let go a bit, and it's about maintaining the range of weight I want to be at and switching focus to building up my frame instead. But I guess there's not much progress on that front either because most of the time I dont really know whether I was doing things correctly and if my form was right etc. And I still can't do a pull up properly sigh. Let's see if we can improve on that next year. Skin on the other hand...also nothing much to report on? Stopped phototherapy last year, stopped oral medication altogether this year which was meant to be temporary initially in preparation of vaccination but doctor did tell me I can stop if I dont see any major issues so I just decided not to continue with it after vaccination. And there wasnt major flare ups so I guess I am off meds as well. Even though the discolorations are still attracting unwanted stares so tried to ask doc for something, but it didnt really work out well sigh. So still gotta live with it for a bit and try to find a solution for it. ************ WFH is not helping with social life, though I think I am starting to revert back to my anti-social self and dread returning to office. Maybe that was just a phase last year hahah. But now that there's home...where's family? ************ If I were to be honest this year does seem to fly past. First quarter was about before/during/after going home, second quarter was about house hunting and going through with the buying process, third quarter went by without much happening, final quarter really just sped past with all the house stuff going on. Not that I am complaining though. 2022...is going to see changes again. Fingers crossed it's for the better. Labels: milestones, thoughts, updates, wrapping up |
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Wrapping up 2020
posted : Thursday, December 31, 2020
Latest in the wrapping up series! Well, 2020. Sure went EXACTLY as what everybody is expecting it to. Much as I didnt want to...everything that happened this year revolved around this, save for the first couple of weeks of the year I think. And it's such a global thing that there is no escaping from it no matter where you are - one way or another, someone's life this year would have been affected by it. So the typical sections of my annual review - each of them inevitably featured COVID's impact, either as the main or supporting character. ************ Maybe let's start with the big one. To be honest, I have to be very grateful here - certainly there is a segment of the population whose livelihood have been majorly affected, and others to varying degrees, but mine is more towards a lower scale. For one, have stayed healthy - as with the other 99% of the population - because we got things under control to start, then when all hell breaks loose - the CB did its job to allow us to regrasp control which we have hung on to it for a while. Sure, there's the initial messaging that masks are not required (because we chose to believe in CDC - what do we know, wow) and the occasional odd and inconsistent application of policy but overall the numbers speak for itself. And may we never lose control of it again. People lose jobs, sectors of the economy shuttered completely (think travel industry), many stopped working during CB and never got their jobs back...none of it happened to me. Iron rice bowl indeed - the performance bonus in March still came against all odds (even though that turned out to be the last one we received this year and the rest got cancelled), no salary cuts etc. We are even able to move swiftly to a WFH mode and work as usual. Of course a lot of improvisation is required but everybody just have to make it work - because we realised soon enough that we arent returning to office anytime soon. So it ran so smoothly that I think it is now something that will stay in the long term. It certainly changed people's perception and changes a lot of things in future - office spaces reimagined, heck, office use itself reimagined. In some ways it forces people out of their comfort zone and showed them alternative arrangements can work - they just needed to adapt. For me, WFH was a novelty to begin with - I remember the excitement in spite of everything else that is going on around me when we were told to start split team arrangement and take turns to work at home. That first week was fun, then it morphed into a full WFH mode and CB started. Waking up 5 minutes before work starts, and being at home the minute we knock off. The weekly grocery trips which comes with bubble tea (until bubble tea shops are ordered to close sigh). The frequent Grabfood orders which became less frequent coz it's not cheap urgh. Experimenting with various recipes and eventually got bored of it and now I am just repeating recipes which I am familiar with (and worked). Getting bored of WFH and actually craving for social interaction to the extent that I am the one organizing catch up sessions imagine that. So I definitely think that our future working mode should be a hybrid and highly flexible one. Maybe a couple of days in office per week, and other days at home. Would be useful to attend to home issues e.g. I can easily get the air con guy to come in on a weekday now. Schedule deliveries etc. ************ Speaking about forcing people out of comfort zone...when I think back about 2020, undoubtedly the other big thing that happen is my transfer. Making changes at work is something that popped up in my mind every once in a while, but it finally happened this year. Not that I actively sought it out (had that been the case, it probably wont happen because of my usual fear for change) but nevertheless, I was happy to welcome it. 8 years in my past job, I was feeling kind of jaded towards the end and fed up at several things that I felt a sore need to shake things up. In fact towards the end the vibe was very much "bye I am outta here and never coming back". I think I kinda send out my farewell email in that tone lol. But dont get me wrong - I am proud of the work I have done, especially for RAG. It got on my nerves sometimes, there are a couple of times when I was very upset about it and ranted, but I am mostly thankful for the opportunity. And I do look back fondly on those days in the second half of the year. There's always a basis for comparison now - be it the work, or the leadership. I have preferences in different aspects. I like the very much shallower structure, but I miss the camaraderie. I miss being in control and being able to send out an assessment on my own - either because I am now unsure, and at any rate that is my boss' style anyway. WFH meant it's almost impossible to gel with your new colleagues, though I am half glad that majority of my new teammates are not unfamiliar faces even if we only knew each other professionally in the past. It's a lot harder to also pick up subtle nuances such as your boss' preference (really, the email can sound agressive but she probably dont mean it), or when she is free for discussions etc. At the end of the day, I think the work is meaningful, I am able to apply my past experience in some aspects of it, but for some strange reason the workload sharply declined towards the final quarter of the year that I don't learn as much, and so I never really felt that I have settled down fully because you really only learn from cases. At some point I got all depressed about not contributing much and wishing that I was back in former division (which, btw, was VERY happening) - to the point that I contemplated throwing letter without a follow up plan - but eventually came around it. Which was good news because my December was....let's just say, I am glad to be WFH during this December because I wont get judged for my lack of activity. So happened that I had a chat with my D just this morning - and at the very least I know what to expect now. This conversation really should have happened before I joined if I had my way, but oh well better late than never. I now know that there really was a plan in place for me to be exposed to different aspects that will be helpful to me when I move on (which I clarified that it may or may not happen), so I find that generosity very heartening. Unlike COVID - I think my workload will spike magically at the turn of the year. And I think I am mostly looking forward to it. ************ So with travel restrictions left right centre - no travels for most of this year. I think coming in to the year I was actually envisioning this year to be one where I put in a couple more travel plans than usual...and in the end there's nothing. Not even home sigh. Which played a part in why I got all depressed some time in Aug and Sep, traditionally my half-yearly break at home. Obviously not my planned break before transfer either - which was a shame. I mean I dont think it made much of a difference in the end, but it's still a bummer. On a positive note, did manage to squeeze in two trips at the beginning of the year - though barely made it for both. The first one, the usual BKK+home CNY trip, very nearly didnt happen too as cases are starting to trickle in and we already had to make more declarations than usual - to HR, for instance. The second trip, to KL for San's wedding - was nothing short of miraculous. I had jokingly declared that I would make the trip even if I had to resort to 偷渡, but there are already clusters of cases by then although they can still all be traced, and one week after we returned from the wedding the mega tabligh cluster in KL broke out (which spreaded to Bru too). And we all know what happened after that. So I was very thankful for that bright spot in an otherwise downright dreadful year when it comes to travel. And you know what else there is to be thankful for, as the year came to a close? Barring a disastrous pre-flight test, I am all but clear to be home for the next CNY :))) Praying very hard that situation remains stable in both countries. ************ This would probably rank higher in my review had it be a normal year, but 15 years after first stepping foot on this island, I am now a citizen. On the surface I dont see major differences - it doesnt change my roots, my character, but I guess it's nice to called a citizen in the country you reside in for once. COVID played a part too, but as it turns out I didnt have to wait too long for the citizenship ceremony where you receive your new IC from the MP, maybe because it was Sept by the time I took my oath and officially became one of SG. It opens the door to a few things - property ownership (without an extra 5% of stamp duty), for one. Though some procrastination later and I now no longer have time to do so before my latest tenancy expires (in part because I planned to be away for a month soon). But that shall be a project for 2021. ************ Health and fitness! Kept up my routine from last year and I think I am where I wanted to be, so eased up by May and it's all about maintaining it now. And building up shape which isnt progressing very well actually. I dont see much difference even after months of effort though admittedly, I dont quite know what I was doing. Fiddled around with the idea of having a PT but I dont think if I really needed it, like, is that really what I wanted? It's just nice to have. And more like "if they can, why not me?" Still, its amusing sometimes to bump into someone I havent seen in a while (there's plenty of them, at this rate) and observe the varying reaction. Another milestone is that I stopped going for phototherapy. Doctor agreed with my self-assessment (really I dont know why I am paying him so much for consultation when I am the one assessing) that my condition has stabilised and I can cut back on my medication (now just one pill per fortnight) and stop phototherapy altogether. The bad news is that there's a bit of localised flare ups, the good news is that it is very much controllable so I suppose we can stick to this routine, which is what I will propose to doc for the next review. ************ Well COVID isnt going away magically at the turn of the year, so I suppose next year will be largely similar in that we are just going to have to keep finding ways to adapt, to get used to the so called new normal, and not lose hope - vaccinations are starting even if more convincing will be needed, and so COVID will go away eventually and life will return to normal as we know it. It must. Labels: COVID, milestones, thoughts, updates, wrapping up |
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Bits and pieces
posted : Saturday, August 29, 2020
Just some updates, I guess. Work is...still uninspiring I guess. Actually to be honest I think it’s just a bad headspace which I planted myself in. Like there are many times I take one step back and look at things and conclude - this is no biggie. Well within my capabilities so I don’t know what I am whining about, and I would feel much better after that. But to constantly find myself having to remind myself about it is tiring, I guess. I wonder how much of it has to do with this whole COVID and WFH situation. Would it have been better if everything else was as per normal, i.e. working in office, getting to vacation once in a while? I think from a work perspective it might actually help - having that freedom to pop by boss’ office to check for quick directions/discussions, or quick checks with colleague on processes, even access to history/background. I say that specifically from an angle of a new hire/transfer, because it’s hard to learn when you are on your own most of the time. I definitely didn’t have issues WFH when I was back in my previous division, because I knew what I was doing most of the time. On WFH, also belatedly realize that one of the side effects of it is that your home becomes your office - and traditionally, after 5 days at work I just want to curl up at home after work and during weekends. So now that home becomes office, I should try to get away from office which means to head out at regular intervals! Change of environment, if that makes sense. Vacation and breaks - would it be better if I had my break before the transfer? Now I would never know for sure, but I guess not considering the issues I am facing. Would it have been better if I can have regular breaks? Frankly there’s nothing stopping me from doing that, it’s just that I just can’t help saving my leave for when I can use them - man I am so taking a long(er) break at home. So I am reluctant to use it for a break where I am still stuck in SG like any regular weekend which probably doesn’t help matters when it comes to relaxing and refreshing. Only helps because there will actually be something to look forward to. So that’s what I have been trying to do now - creating things to look forward to. It’s totally out of character for me to be initiating meet ups with people so that’s when you know things are bad hahah. Couple of weeks back initiated a catch up session with the Tiffin ppl and though organizing it is a pain but the catch up was great. Catching up with the BFF gang virtually, also initiated by moi. Planning to initiate a couple more next month. Staycations are all the rage now too and there’s no short of promotions, so that’s what I plan to line up in Oct - nothing too near to each other coz there are already things to look forward to in September such as the few days of half day leave I am taking - so Oct it is. There’s this awkwardness of doing it alone but I guess who cares. Question now is where, but also there’s a part of me that wonders if I should wait a bit and see if Brunei actually opens up so that I can go home and in that case I’ll just postpone staycation. I was really excited about the news of SG opening up to general travel to Brunei and NZ. Not so much about NZ because that wasn’t really on my travel radar. But Brunei - good job guys, this made perfect sense because the numbers there have stayed negligible for a while now. Out of the countries they could have chosen, they went for Brunei up first yay. Though we still need Brunei to reciprocate and I am praying really hard now - KH warned me to not get my hopes up too high but I couldn’t help it. This is the closest I have been to home in a while and with all the uncertainties, you never know if the borders will close again so better take any chance that comes up. What else is happening? For one, skin issues - well, got that under control. Last visit to doctor last month, progress was good enough that he agreed for me try stopping phototherapy. And I retained my oral medicine dosage, but reduced frequency of taking it. We shall see if there are any adverse impact - fingers crossed there’s none. Exercising regime is still ongoing though I think I am more likely to skip sessions once or twice a week now - I think weight wise I am where I want to be now (if I lose some more it wouldn’t look healthy already) and I am starting to progress towards strength training now. Aim is to be able to finally do a pull up (which, I discovered to my dismay few weeks ago, that I still can’t do one). There’s other things occupying my time too - life changing ones - that deserves a full post on its own, maybe when it is finalized. |
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First pages of chapter 2
posted : Sunday, July 12, 2020
One and a half weeks on...well, let’s just say, I didn’t expect to feel this way.
I mentioned a couple of posts ago, that I reached out to my new division soon after the confirmation email came. Ok, new D reached out first by sending a short welcome message, and I responded asking if I could meet with her, which she delegated down to DD. And DD basically said she will reach out to me the week after, when she has finalized area arrangements. On which I was mildly surprised because I had fully expected her to have at least given this some thought, since they had more than ample notice (throwback to the time when they thought I was coming in Jan instead of Jun). Couple of weeks went by, I reminded her and she came back telling me she need more time.
At this point I was a bit frustrated because it’s bad enough to have plans affected by the whole COVID and WFH fiasco, and now even this bit wasn’t going according to my plan. In fact, if you have been keeping track, this whole back and forth went on for 3 weeks plus and by then I was already on the last Friday before my transfer so I gave up and told her that I will speak to her on my first day instead. Was annoyed because I envisioned this as part of my moving on process, to be able to speak to D/DD, find out their expectations of me, convey my views (e.g. how I wouldn’t have been comfortable if they were to ask me to helm a team or sth, how they think I can contribute etc), maybe some informal bits even. But clearly nobody was interested, I guess.
So Day 1 came, had a short chat with DD where she spent more time running through some of the major developments in the area than the admin portion of it all. A few welcome emails from my now colleagues whom I had worked with in the past. Then sat in a couple of meetings. And that’s about it. As days go past I progressively have a few more emails where I am looped in and expected to reply, but overall very low intensity thus far. Not that I mean to compare.
Anyway, finding it extremely hard to move on. Doesn’t help that some of my new areas overlap with my old ones and I find myself making references to my past experience, but having to switch to a new mindset and look from the outside. The first couple of days and maybe even now it’s particularly hard to accustom myself because, physically, there has been no change in environment in that I am still sitting in my living room but the work I am doing is now supposed to be completely different. So I had a harder time getting into the mindset, something I wasn’t expecting.
I had also forgotten how it was to take charge of a new area. Completely unfamiliar with the geography and needless to say, traffic patterns.
The working style is also completely different. I had been very used to calling the shots so it’s weird to need someone to clear replies. And the shock of discovering that even the simplest of replies to a working counterpart requires that clearance, even for more senior staff in my team. No wonder their replies to us have been slow in the past, because boss has to prioritize too. It is frustrating to wait for replies to be cleared before being sent out, while others are chasing. God.
And perhaps most difficult of it all is the fact that I hated the unfamiliarity. I had been so used to knowing what to do with everything that came to me, and had forgotten how it feels to be clueless. I forgot how long it will take to be familiar with everything, and I miss those days already. I find myself wondering if I asked my predecessors too many questions or have I taken up too much of their time. The thing is, I saw this coming because just three months prior, I had a new staff joining my team who was in the exact same predicament, just that her case was worse because her previous role had nothing to do with roads at all and everything is alien to her, while at least I had worked closely with my current team in the past so I had a generic understanding of their work, just that I had to learn the details and processes. So I saw how she struggled and yet when it’s my turn, I find myself mentally unprepared for it. Perhaps I had overestimated myself, but perhaps I really should just remember that it’s still only the first week and it’s unrealistic to expect to pick up everything and fly with it.
So one week on, not feeling that I am contributing much when everybody else seemed swamped so I consoled myself with the thought to enjoy this honeymoon period as much as I can. Forgot that it even existed, guess I was too used to the intense environment I came from. Also nobody checking in on me most of the time to see how I am doing. Found a window of opportunity on the afternoon of polling day eve (because all my teammates were on duty which meant that rightfully nobody was bugging my DD with anything) so I went ahead and had a quick chat with her on the pretext of checking with her on some terms heh. I guess it did help in a way, so we’ll see how it goes.
But for now I can say I am not looking forward to work much. Back to the days when I look forward to weekend before weekday even starts sigh. You don’t know how excited I was about Polling Day PH. And how excited I was about my Anniversary Leave, and Hari Raya Haji PH at the end of the month. And National Day too. And FML after that there’s no more public holidays for a while and no trip back home either.
Part of the negative thoughts this past week and a half also led to me thinking of going back after two years hahaha but I guess that is just me speaking now.
Oh well. I can only steel myself and repeat the mantra that everything will get better with time, a reasonable time at that.
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Transitioning
posted : Monday, June 15, 2020
So...transitioning has begun in earnest.
If transitioning during normal days is complicated, it’s a lot worse with WFH. Transfer date was supposed to be 1 June, which is the last day of CB and the moment it was announced that CB will be extended (ok maybe not the exact moment because all I was thinking at the exact moment was BBT ahahahah) I knew there are serious logistical issues - not being able to go back to office to clear out my space being one though maybe there are workarounds so maybe it wasn’t the most critical thing. Not being able to be guided effectively over telecommuting is one, seeing how it’s working out with a new staff that recently joined my team. And on a more sentimental note, not being able to bid my colleagues farewell properly weighed heavily on my mind - and this is obviously not the way I imagined it will happen. So wrote to HR asking if there will be any changes or special arrangements given CB - which is a perfectly legit move, they did say that while recruitment is still ongoing, on boarding of new staff will be delayed unless absolutely necessary and I guess that included transfer cases. So I was only mildly surprised when after some checks, she told me that it will be postponed by a month and asked if my division will be ok with it - literally laughed and told her I am pretty sure my bosses would not mind (which big boss eventually told me he would gladly keep me till the end of the year if he had his way (why end of the year, I never found out) but that wouldn’t be the point of this exercise so yep). And meanwhile A who is to take over RAG from me was overjoyed lol. So that gave me another month to pretend that everything is as per normal although I was trying really hard not to lapse into a heck care mode. But I guess eventually with all the talks of “embracing the new normal” everybody came to realize that there is no point delaying it further so on the first week of June, when I wrote in again to check in with HR (seriously, I am the one doing all the chasing) they finally confirmed that it will proceed as planned. So 1st July it is, and I went ahead and commenced handing over mode. Well for RAG handing over mode has been happening for a while because of the scale, but at least the rest can start proper. Only problem is that for my team...there’s nobody to hand the reins to. At least not formally. Sigh. Meanwhile on the other side, I started an email to my would-be bosses (ok, they started it and I responded) and as it turns out they haven’t actually planned for my arrival, for instance they have not carved out an area for me yet which I thought was surprising because they have known about this for a while too. Then in the spirit of embracing the new normal (even though there are hopes of Phase 2 reopening happening before I go off), farewells got started. There was an immediate email from one of the bigger bosses following the announcement which I found awkward to respond to (because there’s still one whole month to go?) but replied anyway. Then I also called for a team meeting because in my mind it’s important for them to know work arrangements post-SY era which evolved into a online farewell session cum belated birthday thingy complete with surprise balloon and dessert delivery and speech (poor Jerms). Which caught me well by surprise because....20 days before! Goes without saying I appreciate the effort but I was not prepared for it even though it has been months since I knew of this (so maybe it just means I will never be prepared for it so maybe, might as well). So I guess this is it. The past week (or month, really) I was still handling work as usual, joining in meetings knowing full well that it really doesn’t concern me much, and maybe just a bitttt outspoken than usual with the reckless thought that I won’t face any consequences lol. But I expect to stop doing it by the end of this week (given that I also have a bit of time off to clear) and next week is just full on relax and writing goodbye emails. Depending on whether Phase 2 happens I may be able to nip out to get a couple of farewell/thank you gifts even, otherwise just have to settle for cards. 7 years, 11 months and 14 days. It won’t be easy to summarize and reflect, but will attempt that in the next post (though really, are you expecting less from me?) |
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Summing up the work year
posted : Sunday, March 22, 2020
Realized that I bucked the trend last year and didn’t talk about this last year but here I am again. Because I suppose it’s significant this year...in that it’s my last one with this group.
Sidetrack a bit, posting still seems surreal even though I am down to the last two and a half months here, because just how little I have been told about what’s going to happen next, from official sources at least. So even as I formally inform my team I am going, in my mind I don’t sound at all convinced. Anyway, my last talk with this group. Smallest group ever coz two left earlier this year which sort of caused a tsunami and I think now the aftershocks are coming in too -.- So of my team of 8 literally at the beginning of the year, 2 gone, 2 more entertaining thoughts, 1 likely moving up to take my spot. It’s a tsunami alright. It sucked because I kinda feel bad for leaving the team in this state and I want to do something to help but my powers are limited, and my time is limited. My boss went as far as telling me in my face that he will work with my M on issues regarding my successor and team issues in other words telling me that I will not have a say in it oh well. Anyway I think most got improved scores so which made my chat a bit easier, although there’s an elephant in the room at the beginning of each session which I made clear only at the end of each session. And to my absolute non-surprise everybody knew about it beforehand and is just waiting for me to confirm it. Ha ha. So that’s it. Winding down now and the handing over begins in earnest. To be honest I have felt this for a couple of months already - the thought of “who cares, I won’t have to deal with it again if it crops up” is so very tempting in decision making process, and I find myself having to push away that thought time and again. As for the RAG project I think I am leaving it in a good state to be honest. That’s one thing I feel good about leaving behind actually - everything is in motion and it can only be smoother from now on. My own score is..usual. To be honest, a bit disappointed even if it’s a good score because this is the only time I felt that I deserve even better, a promotion even because this is literally THE high profile project that defined our work plan and I dare you to find another person who dealt with this project the way I did. But no - and it probably won’t happen next year either because I am new to the posting and will probably be the sacrificial lamb - trust me, I have played this game and seen how it works, unless the rules are different there. To add salt to the wound COVID probably meant that I get even less than usual FML. COVID really messed up things - it’s not everyday that I am in between jobs and have the opportunity to take a break to reset before diving into a new challenge - but COVID meant that travels are not possible. Sigh. Went and cancelled my trip and I gotta tell you the feeling sucked. I probably won’t even get to go home in August. Eventually I’ll get around it, you know, looking at the bigger picture on COVID’s devastation in every aspect worldwide but just give me some time to sulk about it. So it’s a strange feeling actually. I am looking forward to giving up work here, the apprehensiveness is still there and COVID complicating things. We will see if things are any different two months from now then. |
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Wrapping up 2019
posted : Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Annual post.
Been a while since I last felt anything other than “meh” at the end of a year, so I am happy to report that 2019 has been a good year! Mostly due to efforts in the second half of the year so gotta give myself a pat in my back. ******************* Of course the big milestone this year was turning 30. It’s a year which I have previously envisioned myself completing a few other life milestones, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Doesn’t make me a failure, and everybody have their own pace I feel. Learning to accept it (or being forced to, not like I have much choice), feeling comfortable about it. And figuring it all out over a solo trip is such a me thing honestly. ******************* Gonna sound like a broken recorder at this point because I think this is the third time I am talking about this in recent posts, but weight loss is my biggest achievement this year hehe. It’s really within November and December when people started noticing it and asking me about it. Somehow I don’t think that’s the period when I made most progress actually but I guess the effects were more pronounced at that stage? My clothes and pants has gotten too baggy and I hadn’t done much shopping since I usually do it in BKK during CNY (fingers crossed that the trip is still happening). So when I did wear new clothes out which are more fitting, I guess that’s when people noticed. Colleagues, close ones and the not-so-close ones, acquaintances like my phototherapy clinic cashier (lol) asked me. Most comical was a colleague who called me her inspiration (her weight gain was from pregnancy though) hahaha I don’t know about that. So I have gone past my initial target and have set new ones. To be honest I think my methods aren’t the healthiest, so I suppose once I hit my new target I can switch to healthier, more balanced methods like diet changes. Urgh I don’t know how I feel about that but guess we can try. Exercise regime is still going strong though, mostly motivated by the fear of regaining what I have lost. ******************* Checked and it’s been a few years since I last mentioned about psoriasis in my yearly round ups. I guess that’s because there really hasn’t been any updates about it, no major flare ups and it didn’t get significantly better either. Until this year, at least. Again, it’s a positive development because I put in some effort for it and it worked like a charm. Talked enough about it previously and glad that it has stayed in remission since then even with reduced medication dosages, cream application frequency and all. I have learned enough about it to stay vigilant and not get too complacent, but there are good reasons to feel optimistic about it. ******************* So, work. Surprisingly this wasn’t the first thing I talked about! Shifts in priorities maybe? But anyway, this year work has been dominated by RAG project. Still not moving as quickly as I would have liked, but at least it is moving. Felt the stress earlier this year but plenty of other reasons to take my mind off it as the year went by. As for my daily work, it has been almost 5 years since I took up this role so have more than settled into it so there isn’t much to say about it. Next year will be big. First big change since I started working more than 7 years ago. A bit apprehensive really. But come what may. ******************* Looking back and realized that the past few years I have been saying that I don’t travel enough. I still don’t think I do hahah. But I guess there’s really so much I can do with the amount of leave I have. But at least I managed to have something to look forward to every couple of months, and kept myself sane amidst work stress. Malaysia turned out to be my most traveled place this year. 2 KK trips, 1 KL trip, 1 Malacca trip. Bangkok as usual. 2 trips back home. 1 Bali trip. And of course the aforementioned birthday solo trip. Okay I think this year was lacking of long trips, but made up with more short ones. Planning a big one next year before the rotation, kind of feel the need to reset mentally before the jump. Solo, unless anybody want to join in. ******************* Couple of updates from last year’s entry: 1. Applied for citizenship. Why now, this year, is mostly motivated by the fact that I will save 5% when purchasing property. Otherwise, it’s really something that has been on my mind for a few years. As of now, it has been 7 months + since I submitted so I can expect the outcome I guess within the next few months? They took really long when I applied PR few years back so I guess they are gonna take their time this time round too (though, really, what’s so difficult? My case should be a no brainer). 2. Signed two more years of tenancy at my current place. In the end the inertia to pack up and move again was too great and I am quite comfortable here anyway. ******************* So that’s 2019! We’ll see if 2020 tops this. Labels: milestones, thoughts, updates, wrapping up |
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Better me
posted : Sunday, November 10, 2019
Wow wow. Non-trip related post!
The truth is there are other things going on in my life (even at work), just that I haven’t exactly found time to write about it, not sure why. So coming back from that Melbourne trip where I turned 30 - resolved to be a better version of myself. Nothing from that trip that particularly inspired me to do so, just the fact that I have turned 30 and I take it as a good time to start fixing body before it gets too late. So I restarted an exercise regime for the n-th time and amped up my skincare routine. Duly head to the gym everyday including weekdays and had to drag myself there on more than a couple of occasions because inertia is so great. There’s not many equipment in my gym and I haven’t learnt enough about weights so I just parked myself on the treadmill, and complemented with a routine which supposedly worked wonders - the one punch man workout which included 10km run, 100 push ups, 100 sit ups and 100 squats every single day. This is the so-called Level 10 which I am no where near capable of achieving at the beginning so I kinda started with a Level 2 lol and tried to level up bit by bit. Some time after my proficiency at the other three workouts overtook the running part so I just leveled up the rest at a faster pace. And some time in July I added a random 30 day flat belly workout I found online too for good measure. Then 2 weeks in my knees gave way =.= still kind of obese at this point so I suppose my knees can’t cope with the level of exercise even if it’s “just” 2-3km daily. Felt pain similar to that after my SCSM run last year (it took me like 2 weeks before I could even walk properly). This time round it took me about 10 days, after which as a precautionary measure I included a mandatory rest day in between run days + knee guard when running. That did the trick or maybe it’s just coz I got lighter so the impact on my knees is lesser, because I never had problems with the knees again. Skincare routine, meanwhile, just meant going through the moisturizer + cream regime everyday. The prescribed dosage was supposed to be twice a day, just that ever since the initial phase back in 2014 when I got better I have been doing less and less, maybe about twice a week oops. So there are quite a few stubborn patches particularly on my legs which refused to go away and seem to grow in size over time. I have less expectations on this (or rather I didn’t know what to expect) but I was pleasantly surprised to see dramatic improvements about two weeks in. Improvements in a sense that the patches smoothen out even though the discoloration is still there, those didn’t quite go away even for the patches that were under control for a few years already except those at my back. My nurses were a bit surprised too as I report for my weekly phototherapy sessions and by September when I went for my half-yearly check up, doc was able to further cut down my oral pills dosage and phototherapy frequency woohoo. So right now, it’s just about maintenance. The recently smoothened patches didn’t flare up when I experimented with a week without cream/moisturizer during the week I went back home in August, so that’s a good thing coz it is under control now. When I sweep at home there’s noticeably a lot less or minimal skin peelings, same as when I changed bedsheets. Also noticed how my hairdressers stopped talking about me needing scalp treatment for a few months now, not sure if it’s because it’s doing fine but I ran out of coal tar shampoo for about a month (forgot to restock and pharmacist was always closed by the time I am there) and it flared up noticeably. Never mind we learn as we go. But it’s an amazing feeling. Spirits are very much lifted, thankfully because I will probably have a breakdown at some point with RAG stressing me out in the second half of the year if this didn’t help to counterbalance it. And confidence to take off my shirt in front of people who know me - it was one of the things I feared for many years because I didn’t want people who know me to remember me that way, no matter how close we may be (in fact the closer the worse - I remembered not wanting my parents to ever know what I went through earlier when my skin was at its worst). Contributing to the lifting of spirits is the exercise regime which bore results. About 8kg lost two months in, by the time I went home in August. That was kind of a checkpoint of sorts and I kind of wanted to go “tada!” to my close ones but too bad nobody noticed lolol. Or KH and Stel did at least because I guess they are generally more sensitive to that heh. My sister did kind of mentioned doubtfully in passing, my mum didn’t notice a single thing but that’s probably coz she had cataracts maybe? (she had since underwent surgery thank you for asking) Weight loss kind of slowed down after coming back from home and fluctuated for a bit, to a point that I wondered if it’s time to add change of diet to my regime but I resisted it for now. I have been eating less, tried to avoid carbs and lessen sugars/fried when I can (which is not difficult if you had seen the kind of amounts I have been consuming in the past), but have been unwilling to go for a complete revamp of diet because I will likely lose all pleasure in life as a result of that. I thought it didn’t have to be that extreme honestly. So persisted with my exercise regime with the faith that it will start showing results again. While weight loss was the primary goal for the exercise routine but building up stamina for this year’s SCSM was part of it so I finally hit the milestone two days ago. 10km run without stopping to rest though it was on a treadmill la, and fueled by a healthy dose of anger built up that day at work lol. Haven’t tested it out on roads yet which is less forgiving, and with less than a month to go. Meanwhile abandoned the flat belly workout and the one punch man routine because they stopped helping (much) and switched to the fat burning mode of the cycling thingy in gym because I was hoping that it will help to slim down legs (legs are still fatty while at least I lost quite a bit of belly by this time). That kinda worked because weight started going down again. Extremely satisfied to be able to fit into some of the clothes that didn't fit when I put on weight, and having to buckle up tightly for almost all shorts/pants/jeans I possess coz they are now kinda loose oh yeah. So the next checkpoint is SCSM. Then CNY/San’s wedding! Oh yea the checkpoint before SCSM was actually San’s ROM and I liked how I look at that. So yep. The goal was to lose 14kg by San’s wedding when I started this so I am inching towards there, hoping to achieve a bit of bonus by the time February rolls around. Then from that point onwards we can maybe talk about shaping the body hahaha lofty goals. It’s really a lot easier to be motivated to carry on when I see results, not kidding because I really can’t imagine being able to run an hour straight without stopping just a few months ago.  
Spot the difference?
To a better version of myself indeed. |
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Long time no see
posted : Sunday, May 26, 2019
Oh hey look a non-travel related post.
It’s not like I have been extremely busy during my off days so not sure why I am not back here more often..for starters, this platform is really not conducive for posting which is baffling really. It doesn’t work well on safari, and there are no good apps for it, not even third party ones! Guess nobody really uses blogger anymore (or even blogs much) and to be honest I am still here only for sentimental reasons - realistically Wordpress would have been a better platform but oh well.
So close to five months of the year is over...can’t say nothing much has happened. But nothing new has happened, which explains why I don’t feel like writing sometimes because it gets repetitive. Let’s see...
Chinese New Year - went on the usual BKK trip. Actually the mother has been questioning if we should go somewhere else in recent years but I think my sister and I were kind of unwilling to change much - for me this is kind of a family tradition and something I associate CNY with, and something I tried to hang on to even though there isn’t really a good reason to la to be honest. To the extent that we go the same number of days every year (I am willing to compromise on this though), and almost kept to the same routine every year other than the odd random new places we go and never go back again. And my dad doesn’t even do much when we are on trip, basically just finding somewhere to chill while we walked around because of lack of interest and just general old age catching up with his physicality.
This year's reunion dinner location is new to us though it took a while to get there in the evening peak traffic. Goji Kitchen and Bar and Marriott Bangkok.
Food was good and even the sister who was down with a bout of flu found energy to enjoy it.
This is new to me too. Asiatique Sky. Also too far + traffic, otherwise would have been a pretty nice place to visit.
I do wonder sometimes what will happen if we do start our own families eventually. This tradition will cease to exist probably haha. And just writing this statement alone is pretty strange considering my sister and I are both in/nearly in our 30s.
Post CNY - the first thing that I remembered was that I injured my left foot on a Monday morning on my way to work. It rained overnight and the kerbs were still wet and as I stepped up a kerb on my left foot it slid off and I dun reli know how/why but I think the end result is that I stretched a ligament or something. Thought I could walk it off but it didn’t happen and I was limping around for the rest of the day with significant amount of pain, couldn’t apply any pressure on it whatsoever. And stubborn me didn’t even visit a doctor or even a 推拿 shifu because it felt better the next day. And progressively better for the rest of the week so I just limped about everywhere I go -.- and cabbed for longer distances like to and from work. And hosted a long overdue house warming BBQ at the end of the week even lolol.
It took me almost three weeks before I felt like I can walk with my normal pace and over a month before I can wear my shoes without feeling a thing or slow jog a bit. Duno if this is a sign of age or what hahaha. For the record there is still a slight tinge when I apply pressure on my foot sideways though not that I need to do that usually.
Speaking of house warming (cooling) - one of the items on my agenda post-CNY was to negotiate for a new tenancy deal. Priority was to stay on but I wasn’t opposed to the idea of shifting really. But eventually got lazy and new house search didn’t go too well actually, halfheartedly messaged a place which I thought looked excellent and didn’t get an enthusiastic reply so that bit of fire went out. Tried unsuccessfully to lower rent, also halfhearted coz I wasn’t expecting that anyway, was gonna ask for 1 year extension as per my original contract and the agent asked if I wanted to sign 2 years instead so I thought I would make this a condition. Because they need me just as much as I need the place mah. This place isn’t exactly renting very well I feel. No lowering of rental in the end coz owner’s reason (or more like agent’s reason, I suspect she didn’t even try) is that this is the market rate alr. Lol actually based on my research market rate is even higher la so nvm I went with it and all I negotiated in the end was to fix the toilet down light finally hahah which they were even reluctant to zzzz. Could have done it myself but it needed a bit of false ceiling patching work so nope. I suspect all these went down without owner’s knowledge actually and agent just forked out on their end but whatever. 2 more years here.
On a similar note, out of curiosity I went to take a look at a new condo launch and got myself harassed by this uber persistent agent. It’s somewhat affordable, one of the most affordable ones in recent years and the location is not too bad, so I was almost tempted to finally purchase my first property. But stopped short because I was still cutting it a bit too close financial wise and given that I am seriously considering citizenship it would have been a waste to spend on the Additional buyer’s stamp duty for non-citizens so I decided to just wait it out, something the agent disagrees with and on surface appears to respect my decision but continue to passive-aggressively pursue her agenda weeks after our meeting until I decided to stop replying her messages. Jeez. Agents.
But the decision is there la. Parents were in town for transit a couple of days after the decision to wait and took the opportunity to get their blessings for what I am about to pursue i.e citizenship. Dad was all for it or more specifically he was all for me to make my own decision while mum was a bit hesitant but didn’t say much. Yep. Submitted and now...we wait.
Then was sick for almost a month. Caught something just prior to a Qing Ming trip to Malacca and when I came back (doesn’t help that mum was full on coughing in that trip) it blew up. Actually end up taking 3 days of MC in total which came at a bit of an inconvenient time coz of Lornie (maybe that one deserved a post on its own) but was grateful nonetheless. Doc actually wanted to give me the week off ahahaha coz he said it’s a virus that just needed rest for it to go away. Good one doc I shall visit you next time even though your queue is horrendous. But it took me almost a month to shake off the last bit of cough, and to be fit enough for...
Sabah trip! Ok so story is, over CNY we found out that San is getting married! First in SLSTV (and looking increasingly like the only one) so we all got excited. Wedding date is next February so plenty of time to get fit and what not but we thought there was a bit of regret maybe? Over the proposal which was really lacking from what we hear so we thought of doing something. Found a window to travel so with the excuse of trying out glamping (we alr talked about this late last year) we tried to secretly get the 男主角 on board for a re-proposal to no avail oh well. Coz we couldn't exactly say it upfront and dude didn't really catch the drift. In the end it’s just an impromptu photoshoot with lots of quality time spent together. Picked up where we left off as usual and loved every minute of it. And amazing how technology made everybody a qualified photographer hahaha.
Cabana Retreat. In the lead up I was under an impression that it's at the mountains (coz the last one San went and recommended was at mountain) but turns out to be opposite, at sea. Also more like a resort feel even though not much facilities la.
Tent was quite nicely done I think. Coz there's aircon yay.
I was the guy doing behind the scenes shoots. Look at the number of photographers and oh yea there was a really funny story in this pose HAHAHA
Weather wasn't fantastic but at least it didn't rain (well it did, when we were having steamboat outside our tent) and whenever the sun peeked out of the clouds we'd be like oooohhh quick quick quick
The morning after
Like the color contrast
Ok that’s about all. There’s a trip coming up again so whoops the next post is probably gonna be travel related again. In fact planning a couple more trips this year including the long one with the gang! Yay in my 30s and everybody is getting married and having kids and what not and I am thinking about trips ahahah.
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Wrapping up 2018!
posted : Monday, December 31, 2018
Another year gone!
Writing in advance coz for the first time in forever I'll be spending both Christmas and New Year abroad so I won' t have time to write. 2018...also known as the year before the big 3-0. Thinking that I should have grand plans to, you know, hopefully achieve several life goals before turning 30. At least that was the plan, though in the end, as usual, got too comfortable and didn't even try really hard. Oh well. ********** Contrary to the past couple of years - it was a happening work year. There was the re-org that shook up the entire division and I have a new manager and SM to report to - a bit of adapting needed. October and November are mostly taken up by Lornie. Then of course there's the project I was working on which was progressing painfully slow. Complained enough in the previous post so not gonna repeat it here, but here's hoping that the upcoming vacation will hopefully reset my mind and I come back putting more heart and soul into it. That is, if I get to stay. Next year will be an interesting work year, regardless. Either I will be settling into something new or spending the whole year preparing to settle into something new the following year. *********** I admit that I have not been a good son this year. Didn't call home much, getting into arguments for no reasons that seem plausible at first but as I reflect, I could have done/said things differently. I don't know if work stress played a role in me taking it out on people whom I know would always stand by me...but it definitely is not right. So yep...need to right the ship. Made one extra trip home outside the usual CNY/August trips for Dad's birthday - if I am turning 30 next year, my old man is turning 70 - so cherish, cherish. *********** On a somewhat related note, probably next year is a good year to consider citizenship seriously. The occasional fleeting thought that crosses my mind when it comes to this is on how it will affect longer term plans - will it present challenges when it comes to taking care of my parents in future, or if they need to authorize me for anything? I honestly don't think so, but as a result I have been hesitating and putting off application plans. One thing for sure - I don't feel anything for the country I am holding citizenship of now, regardless of whoever reigning over it now. I spent all 29.5 years of my life living outside the country. I don't feel much about extended family and I think it's mutual - just being realistic here. So totally ready for a switch if I can get into the right frame of mind. *********** If anything, it is just a nice place to travel to and spend. Dropped by for a couple of trips this year including my first solo trip in a while, which was incredibly relaxing. Apart from that, surprise surprise. I didn't travel at all (Bangkok didn't count). That explains why this blog is pretty dead this year hahaha coz I realize for the past few years (since Taiwan 2012, really) that it only becomes active when I post about trips. I am not quite sure why the lack of travel either. I have been championing for short trips but nobody seem quite interested so...meh. I did have my sights on a year-end trip particularly since travel restrictions have been lifted (due to re-org lol) and it's happening so pretty much looking forward it! Andddd....*drum rolls* it's a sibling trip. Hopefully we don't come back to a 10 year cold war or something. *********** I remember now that I wanted to write about SCSM 2018, but kind of forgot about it coz have been busy with Christmas shopping and some last minute trip planning but guess I will write about it here. SCSM was meant as a way to motivate myself to be a bit more active because, well, body is not getting younger. Signed up in May so I had like half a year to prepare for it, went for 10k coz Chris said it's just $10 more and I was like, screw this, let's see how far I can push myself. Ended up only heading to condo gym two months before, once a week, and only seriously started training a bit more like 2 or 3 weeks before. The end result? I exceeded my expectations. Didn't run throughout of course, struggled through the middle stages but surprisingly the last 2-3km was better than I thought. So I really wanted to keep going after the race, as in hit the gym once/twice a week but I think I overexerted my knees and hips during the run (probably coz I have been training on treadmills and road running is a lot less forgiving) so I couldn't even walk properly for a week, much less train. So I guess I can only restart next year, and hopefully keep going. Eating healthy isn't happening overnight but cutting off certain diets will be helpful I guess. Self-imposed a one year ban on bubble tea (my colleagues pointed out that it wasnt the most helpful since I was still drinking other stuff which are probably sweeter but oh well, baby steps) and I didn't exactly miss it so yep. Gonna try this approach on other stuff now. *********** Housing wise, lease is coming to an end next year. In all likelihood, I will probably extend it but also be prepared to move out if owner tries to increase rental. Tinkering with the thought of getting my first property...but funds still an issue given my firm belief of doing this independently without help. Unless it's buying together with someone else, of course, but that probably won't happen next year. *********** Gave online dating a try, half-heartedly. Given how I suck at making small talk and conversing with people, especially knowing that there is a motive behind it (can't shake off the feeling), it obviously didnt turn out too well. Not that I tried very hard to begin with also so yep. People around me, you are welcomed to introduce people to me (lol I think this is the most open I have been in this blog - desperate times?). *********** 2019. Here goes nothing. Labels: milestones, thoughts, updates, wrapping up |
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CNY break
posted : Sunday, March 11, 2018
In other non-work related news, CNY came and went in a flash.
This year saw me returning to work only on the 11th day of CNY, latest in recent years. Mostly due to how the dates panned out - it doesn’t make sense to go back to work on 初七or 初八, then break for weekend again so heck it. End result is an extended stay at home where I basically pigged out and got a lot of rest. Like waking up at 10/11 everyday and still finding time to nap in the afternoon LOL.
There was the annual pre-CNY Bangkok trip too. Went a bit crazy this year and I think I came back with like 32 pieces of new clothing hahahah. Partly coz I put on a fair bit of weight in the last few months (especially since moving to my new place) and a lot of my work clothes are getting uncomfortable to wear :( Helps that BKK is always an economical choice when it comes to shopping even though my new place has really limited wardrobe space.
Yep, just a bit crazy. For my standards anyway.
Switched it up for reunion dinner and ventured out to this hotel buffet place called Rain Tree Cafe. Spread wise wasn’t the biggest but they won coz they had a surprise complimentary yeesang for every table! Impressive considering yeesang isn’t even well known outside Malaysia/SG.
Liked the interior actually
Seafood section
Desserts
Lobby of the hotel where the restaurant is
Oh switched it up for accommodation too. After years of staying at Baiyoke series (mostly Baiyoke Sky, a couple of years at Boutique) this year we ventured out to Centara Watergate which is a bit obscure and taxi drivers mostly have issues locating it. Pretty new but facilities wise not the most well maintained IMO. Not wow-ed to an extent that we will be back next year so most likely we will venture out again.
Room interior
View from the breakfast restaurant
I do enjoy the room service supper on our first night though
Returning home late on 初三 and for some reason this year...felt antisocial so kept gatherings to only the other two BFFs and skipped the various house visiting sessions. On the final night we did manage to get together for a sleepover at KH’s though. You would think after so many years we have done so many things but this apparently is a first.
拜年at Stel's after a few rounds of 三国杀
We didnt actually play this in the end. Had Taboo instead
Slumber partyyy
Dating my sister on 人日
Visiting Brunei's latest attraction
Then of course staying past 初九 means there are obligations to be fulfilled so yep.
Overall, looking back this has been a trip for me to recharge and I successfully did. Actually, all trips back home are. After a busy month I was so ready to just 放空 and no better place to do it than at home. After all these years I still get excited every time I prepare to go home and I nearly always step out of airport wearing a stupid grin on my face. Though at the same time I recognize that I still gotta do what I need to do so I never really felt the need to overstay and I head back to SG at the end of each trip without complains. My brain is logical that way. Oh well.
So I am already looking forward to the next trip home :)
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