Who We Work For

My Dept Head recently shared with us over e-mail that his Mum has a weak heart & needed to undergo surgery to place a pacer in her heart. The last time I heard that was when I was in the Army, where I heard a ‘joke-cum-rumor’ about my camp’s most disliked Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM). Then again, it is rather normal that an RSM is disliked by soldiers, just like any typical school’s Discipline Master (DM) is disliked by its students.

Anyway, this RSM was rumored to have had a pacer placed in his heart & the joke was that he can’t go near any magnet, coz it would affect the proper functioning of the pacer inside his heart. I thought this joke was rather funny then, but recalling it now, it isn’t funny at all; though it is not to say that I like this RSM.

Thank God, my Dept Head’s mother is now recovering from the successful surgery. I really admired his ability to handle this situation, while committing his usual long hours to his work. He may not say that he’s worried & it would be odd to think that he isn’t, but if I were him, I would definitely be very worried. I would even take leave on that day of the surgery to make sure my Mum is okay after the surgery.

Through this experience, my Dept Head shared that it is important to know who we are working for & we should not be working for our boss or supervisor, but instead for those who are closest; those whom we love & are loved by us. Coz at the end of the day, it is the closest people that will mourn our lost / demise.

Although this mindset isn’t exactly new to me, I totally agree with this, but I was surprised to hear it from my Dept Head. From that evening when I went home, I felt a more human side of him; a soften side that reveals who he views the fragility of life.

For me, I respect life as a gift & opportunity given by God to live an experience. I work because it is intended by God to be a part of life. I also work because it is maturity & a sense of responsibility to earn a living to support myself, my family, my future wife and our new family.

Bills aside (though one can’t run away from this fact), through the struggle of work duties and stress, I also realize that it is important to appreciate what we do as work in our life. ‘Appreciate’ is not an easy word when the going gets tough. But when we actually take time to sit back & reflect, this is what really pushes us on, each day when we get up to prepare & go to work.

Lastly, I thank God for bringing me out of StarHub, for if I had stayed, I would have definitely not gained as much exposure, learnt & done as much as I have already experienced in my past 3 months in this job. May the grace of God see me through as I continue in my career path at SNEF.

Mouth Wash Vs Toothbrush

Since a few weeks back that I bought a small bottle of Listerine antiseptic mouth wash, I have rather hooked on it. Of coz I still brush my teeth whenever I wake up, but after using the antiseptic mouth wash for some time, I really think I prefer it, as compared to using a toothbrush.

After all, rinsing my mouth should be able to reach more ‘difficult-to-reach’ areas, as compared to using a toothbrush. Plus, brushing too hard would wear out the white enamel layer of the teeth. To me, gargle is safer and better. Maybe brushing should be done only when there is food stuck in our teeth that cannot be removed by gargling. Hmm…

Talking Like My Supervisor?

Recently, I was told by my department colleague that I am starting to speak in a similar manner as my Dept Head. At first, it shocked me. But thinking about this over the past few days of this (as usual) hectic work week, I am beginning to guess that perhaps, at times, this seemed or sounded to be true. At times, I do speak a little bit like him!

I wonder whether this is good or bad… but I am not imitating or faking… but somehow his words sometimes come out of my mouth. At times… Hmm…

Away on a Snorkeling Island

Last week, Sean & I went on a last minute planned resort trip to Redang Island over the Vesak Day long weekend. It was a good trip, in which I had a chance to try out several new activities such as snorkeling, riding on a banana boat, lazing on a hammock & kicking my feet in soft beach sand. =)

Although my digital camera isn’t really all that great, I still thank God for the technological development of this device, as it is indeed a great device for capturing moments to remember. During this trip, Sean & I also managed to make friends with a nice couple who, like us, went on this trip at the last minute.

After having spent countless instances of converting the Malaysian Ringgit to Singapore dollars during this short trip, I still recall my initial response when I bought something back in Singapore – I was still mentally converting what I see on the price tag into Singapore dollars! *Laugh*.

Thank God that my Dept Head has already approved my annual leave to go for my church camp at the end of June. In fact, I’m really, really thankful that God has granted me favor among some of my colleagues, dept head and my big boss. I look forward to this coming church camp & hope it would be a great time of refreshing in seeking solace and revelation from God!

Zonked Legs

Rebecca & I went to the gym today, after not having gone there in months! Sigh... Work has been zapping up all our energy at the end of each work day. So often, it can feel so demoralising that the only thing that we look forward to is sleep, yet we know that after a few hours, it's back to the hectic work life again. Indeed as the Bible says - endless toiling under the sun, till we become dust once again. Hmm...

It's astonishing that after not been to the gym in months, our bodies really have difficulty getting used to exercising once again. I felt so strange wearing sports attire & stretching at the warm up area! Rebecca acknowledged that too. Although I still know the basics of lifting weight equipment, it seemed so long ago that I went for my BEC.

At the end of the short workout, my body was so beat that I didn't even feel like showering. Even after the shower, I didn't feel refreshed... in fact, I was even more tired! Oh dear! And for the rest of the evening, it was like a mini torture to stroll around with Rebecca because both our bodies were already 'nua' from the sudden bout of exercise. And it wasn't even intensive coz I hardly even perspired!

But still, it was a good day outside with Rebecca. Weekends are ALWAYS so precious. Even God planned a Sabbath for Man, coz He knows that we would need it. Only a crazy human would not think so. Robots can be repaired when spoilt; but human bodies will never be the same again.

Team Management Responsibility

New executives and assistant executives were employed by SNEF last week. This is where my Dept Head’s words of ‘Rising to the occasion’ have been sounding in my ears every once in awhile. Reason – I have assigned one assistant executive under me. Together both of us formed Team B of our SNEF projects department.

So far, this has been a fairly new and enriching experience for me… pushing me one notch upward in my area of job responsibility. I can still remember last Sunday, when I was traveling in a bus to church… there I was with a pencil and a small notebook, writing down the points for my first team briefing with her on Monday. The feeling of being put in charge seemed so enriching, yet scary at the same time.

Two weeks have passed and I’m glad that my team has been performing well so far. I thank God for this female colleague who really knows how to work hard and play hard. A typical employee that most employers would love to have in their company…

I have already been tasked with my own team’s performance targets and constantly being hounded by my Dept Head on the progress. Strategizing is the key now and this is one of the areas of leadership which he will assess me upon. I really hope that I will be able to be up to the mark, though it is clear that his level of performance standards surge high above those common in my company.

Good and bad, I guess. According to him, this is the way to push us to improve and progress. To rise to the occasion, as he always says. Being thrown in deep water can be quite common in our area of work. Resourcefulness is definitely a trait that all of us need to have to survive and perform in this department. Hmm…

Another Three Blunders

From late last week till the end of this week, I have ‘successfully’ made three blunders. Two of them happened this week. Considering that it’s a 5-day work week for me this week, 2 is still quite enough to shake me up a bit.

The overall lesson to learn is - Not to assume that everything will go right at every arranged meeting with external parties. ALWAYS CLARIFY and if possible, DOUBLE CLARIFY.

Different Meeting Agenda

One of my job tasks is to establish contact and work out a mutual agreement of collaboration effort with our local education institutions. Last week, I arranged for a meeting with my Dept Head, together with one education institution.

It turned out that both sides began speaking of different agendas and it soon became awkward because of it became clear that this miscommunication had resulted in this meeting with the wrong people.

Believe me, it was awkward and of the 5 people from that education institution that was present at the meeting, all 5 of them were not the right people whom my Dept Head and I were supposed to be talking to.

It was embarrassing, but thankfully both sides were gracious to link each other to the right people for the next meeting. Needless to say, I got a scolding from my Dept Head in the taxi, until even the taxi driver looked shaken.

Wrong Marking of Calendar

This Thursday, I brought two of the new dept staff along with me for a meeting with a company. It turned out that I had noted the wrong date in my MS Outlook calendar! The actual meeting date was the next day!

It was so embarrassing coz the two new staff was surprised and laughing that such a mistake was even possible! Plus the reception staff at that company looked at me with this weird look… obviously surprised that I had come down one day early and it turned out that their business manager was out of the office!

Thankfully the taxi fare was claimable, but I really made a fool of myself in front of the two new dept staff. Sigh… and guess what? My Dept Head was supposed to come along for the meeting too, but he couldn’t make it in the end. Phew! It would be even worse if he had actually come with us! Oh no…

Wrong Time, Wrong People

On Friday, I went down to this same company again with one new staff. Thankfully, my Dept Head was busy, so he didn’t come. It wasn’t really my fault this time round, but it was miscommunication once again.

This company’s business manager was the one who arranged for the meeting with the education institution’s lecturers who do not even know what their purpose of coming down! In the end, it was just a look around for these lecturers before having to go back to discuss further among themselves! Then what for ask me to come down?!

In addition, these lecturers came 30 minutes earlier than planned and when I and my team mate reached the office, their meeting with the company business manager was almost over! I was shocked! What kind of arrangement is this?! Another wasted trip! And it was so embarrassing because I didn’t even have the time to talk more with the lecturers because they were about to leave the place!

To make matters worse, I had to ask this business manager to share with me right from the beginning about what had been discussed earlier, and this fella couldn’t even tell me much! Just said that it’s too early to talk about details! Then why in the world did I waste my time and money to come all the way down to meet with you? And my meeting with him only lasted 10 minutes! That’s even shorter than the taxi ride to his office! And there he was looking and speaking so nonchalantly, as if it isn’t a big deal to him at all.

Once again, I felt so embarrassed especially with my new staff next to me who had been assigned under my team. What is wrong with this guy?! Terrible! Next time I will just arrange for my own meetings with the lecturers themselves. Argh!

Blog Slow-down

I think it’s impossible for my Blog to capture everything that happens every day of my life because there is so much work to do; I feel so tired at the end of the day and just don’t have the time to recount all the events that happened through each day. So I think the best that I can do is to set aside some time every Saturday or Sunday to note down the significant events that happened during the week.

It’s strange how blogging has taken our world by storm in the recent years. So many people are blogging nowadays, especially those of the younger generation. I know of many church youths who have their own Blogs, most of them probably more decorative than me. From what I had heard recently, even primary school kids are blogging nowadays.

In a way, I think it can be a good way of reflection, be it a daily, weekly or even a monthly attempt. Furthermore, it would help kids to improve on their written language skills, as well as their ability to express their thoughts and feelings in a (hopefully) healthy and wholesome manner (noting that there also unwholesome Blogs hovering around in cyberspace).

As for me, working life has taken its toil and I can no longer express myself as often as I used to. Even typing Blog just once a week can be sometimes thought of as a chore, but in the end, I still decide to do it because it is a record of my life.

Thinking back, I realized that I had learnt the most, read up the most and reflected the most through my Blog, during those 5 - 6 months of unemployment. I had gathered so much rich revelations and grown a lot during that period of struggle.

I want my girlfriend (hopefully my eventual wife-to-be) to know about my life, as well as bringing these meaningful life experiences into the listening ears and eyes of our children in future. As for other friends who choose to read my Blog, it is also a testimony to them about how I really am.

I don’t know what other strangers think of my Blog, but it doesn’t really bother me coz my viewership count is still very low, after more than 1 year of blogging, so it’s plainly clear that there isn’t many people in this world who read my Blog.

Good and bad, after all, it’s meant to be my own personal reflection. If others decide to read it and gather something useful from it, then it’s good and I thank God. If not, it’s still great coz it’s still MY Blog! =)

Many Firsts This Weekend - Labour Day!

My First Trip to a Country Club

I met up with Sean on the afternoon of Labour Day to go to Singapore Swimming Club for an afternoon of relaxing swim, Jacuzzi & lunch.

This is my first time going to enjoy the facilities of a luxurious country club with lots of facilities! Going into such a posh place made me feel like my condominium isn’t anywhere close to matching up at all. Hmm…

Although the layout of the country club was basic & simple, it was nevertheless my first time going to enjoy an afternoon at a country club & what’s more with my best friend Sean. This buddy & I have come a long way in our friendship & though we have our differences (which two people on Earth will be the same?), I thank God & appreciate his friendship through the years.

Plus this is his first time bringing a friend into his country club! Wow… I feel so privileged! =)

The swimming pool is spacious, deep, blue & clear! A crowded pool is definitely not something to look forward to. We swam a few laps & even spent some time watching this cute girl by the name of Sweetheart the Ventriloquist, who performed a puppet show for kids & blew balloons for them!

The Jacuzzi was great, though a lot hotter than my condo swimming pool… & Sean & I had a short time of chat, before the quick shower. The toilet had nice ambience & most importantly, it also has air con! Great for people like me who enjoy taking warm showers!

Lunch at Palm Café was great coz the food was very reasonably priced. For example, their delicious fish & chips only cost $6.50 & the fish is so juicy! Slurp! Sean & I were hungry… & we had dessert too. To be more exact, Sean had two desserts! Hazel nut cheese cake & ice kachang. I had a chocolate sundae! =)

Conclusion

All in all, it was a great shopping & relaxing experience that I had this weekend! I never felt so happy for a long time! Thanks to God for his providence, Sean for his kind & fun friendship & Rebecca for her company & thoughtful recommendations. Appreciate it! =)

Many Firsts This Weekend - Sunday

My First Timberland Shirt!

Right after church, Rebecca & I went to Takashimaya for lunch & then to shop coz she wanted to try on the size of this comfortable brand of shoes that had comfortable soles for all kinds of feet, be it arched or flat feet.

It was there that I saw a sales promotion at Timberland & walked in to try on this t-shirt design that caught my attention from about 6 meters away from the shop! It was on 15% discount & both of us liked the shirt, so I bought it.

This is my first Timberland shirt & it was fresh feeling to buy something for myself coz I normally do not go shopping & neither have much money to spend.

My First Oral-B 'Cross-Action' Toothbrush!

We walked into Watsons coz I needed to get a new toothbrush coz mine is too hard to be used on my delicate teeth. The dentist told me that I needed to get a toothbrush with soft brushes on it, so that I would not wear out the enamel layer on my teeth. This layer, when worn off, won’t grow back & it would leave the teeth looking brown or stained.

After scouting around, I got myself my first Oral-B soft ‘Cross Action’ toothbrush! And it is selling cheaper than at Bedok North’s NTUC Fair-Price!

My First Sun-Block Lotion, Listerine Mouth-Wash

Rebecca also recommended me to buy this SPF 65+ sun-block lotion which is important in taking care of my skin. She has been using her own sun-block too.

In return, I recommended her to buy this Listerine mouth-wash, which in the end, I bought for myself, coz she wanted to buy it later at the NTUC near her house, so as to be able to use the NTUC link points.

My First ‘Camel Active’ Shoes!

After getting the measurement for her shoe size, my caring girlfriend helped me to browse around the men’s shoes section because I was in urgent need to buy a pair of black formal working shoes, coz my shoes gave way & could not be used already. Thankfully, my Dad had this rather powerful spider-web glue which held my shoes in place for one week, during my hectic seminar planning & organizing.

With Rebecca’s help & opinion, I managed to single out this pair of comfortable black shoes from the brand ‘Camel Active’. It had a strong & firm rubber base, which I liked, as well as the design which fit my preference. The price was a little steeper than I had expected, but I liked the shoe & was in urgent need coz my current black shoes had already ‘passed away’ after struggling for another one week at work.

Many Firsts This Weekend - Saturday

My First Swatch Watch!

Rebecca & I watched the movie ‘Eight Below’ at Tampines Mall cinema. It was a nice show with cute & loyal German shepherd dogs. It reinforced my liking for dogs, though I cannot yet figure out how, when or if I will even be able to have the (i) house space, (ii) time to spare & (iii) money to spend on caring for a dog in my own house in future.

Rebecca likes dogs too & we have talked about buying a Beagle or jack Russell, when we are living in our own flat after marriage. Today, our discussion brought us to agree that maybe we should wait till our children are born & at least after having completed secondary school, so that we will be better able to care for the dog sensibly. By then, hopefully our family finances won’t be as tight as immediately after our wedding. But oh well, it’s just a thought for now. See how…

After the movie, we went to shop around Metro coz both of us needed to buy shoes for work. We discovered that Metro was having a 20% storewide discount on all items, except that the marketing gimmick was that the 20% rebate will be given back to customers in the form of a voucher. This is to ensure that Metro would still earn the full 100% amount coz the voucher has to be used at Metro outlets, even though there is no expiry date. Creative marketing strategy! I’m just waiting to see which retail company would be the next to copy this sales strategy.

It was at Metro that we came across this nice semi-formal watch at Swatch. It is a beautiful watch & once both of us set our eyes on it, it was difficult not to buy it coz I really needed a watch since mine ‘died’ some weeks back & Rebecca wanted to give me a surprise gift for our coming 5th anniversary together in our relationship. Although it wasn’t a surprise, but it was a lovely gift & what’s more it is my first Swatch watch! This made it a very meaningful & useful gift so that I can remember her whenever I look at the watch. =)

Many Firsts This Weekend - Friday

I can’t believe how satisfying this long weekend has been for me… & I really thank God for making this happen. It isn’t anything dramatic, but the simple fact that it was a refreshing way of spending a fruitful weekend, apart from the usual ‘rest & recuperate’ kind of Saturdays & Sundays.

My First Performance Appraisal

It was another tiring day of work, but I’m thankful that Rebecca & I still managed to meet for dinner at Parkway Parade. It was a quiet dinner, just us two tired people & a noisy basement food court.

What’s new that took place that day was my receiving of my first performance appraisal for my first perm job! Things didn’t work out back at my perm job at StarHub, so this is considered a relatively good & new beginning at SNEF.

It has been very tiring for the past 2 months on the job, but I’m glad & thankful that my performance appraisal was rated as ‘Commendable’, scoring 87.5% in my total appraisal score. It was encouraging to read the comments from my dept head.

I do hope to be able to keep this up, while (i) keeping my health & sanity in this hectic job, (ii) taking on a mini management role as a result of a new team member placed under my team B, as well as hopefully... (iii) a reasonable pay increment (if any) so that I can save up more for marriage.

Too Occupied To Blog

I haven’t blogged for about a week & its strange feeling that I should be blogging, if not the thoughts & memories will become quite a backload in my mind.

In a sense, blogging is a way of reflection for me; a way of taking loads off my mind & allowing me to begin my next step afresh, knowing that the history of my life isn’t fading away without a trace…