Really Busy

Being really busy lately, with work and activities. Just a short recap:
13th-17th - Reservist
21st - Company training
24th -27th - Penang n Langkawi with Family
28th - Company Recce to Batam

These were some of the highlights that have just gone past. One after another and I've rarely stayed in office this month. It's being a bit packed and busy but nonetheless interesting. A week of reservist which took up some of my precious time away from work, forcing me to rush through.

Penang n Langkawi with family was relaxing. Just there to eat and look see look see. Enjoyed the Asam Laksa and Penang Hokkien Mee soup. Woot~! Langkawi was just so-so for me as I didn't participate much in the water sports. It's really expensive over there though.

Recce to Batam as I'm to take up a supervisory role there. Met with interesting encounters such as being locked in a room when my boss decided to test the sound proofing. LOL.. Fortunately we could pry open the ledge after 25mins of trying. Ferry back to SG was full, and we needed to wait 4 hrs for the next available one. We tried our luck and manage to squeeze onto the ferry when some passengers were late/ no show.

Admist all the many things that i've been doing, I have really neglected my training. =( Tummy has buldged out and I'm grossed out by that. So many things to do plus the tuitions coming up, balancing time is a real skill. I wonder if I will even see my frens soon. haha... On top of the daily working hours, these are my extra-curriculum activities:

Monday - Tuition
Tuesday - Tuition
Wednesday - Tuition
Thursday - Berhasa Indo
Fri - Tuition
Sat - FREE
Sun - Tuition in morning.

How do I squeeze in more trainings and meet ups with frens ? I've packed so many tuitions simply because I enjoy teaching the kids and the extra income will come in handy. Especially when I'm paying $800 a month for Tuition loans. At the end of the month, nothing much is left, and I'm supposed to start saving up for the house. Yes, I'm looking at it already and the thought has been looming for a period of time. Is it the right time yet? No. But looking at it doesn't harm, and personally I feel I'm more or less getting settled down le. I look forward to having my own home with my own decorations and a place I can fully call it my own.

I'm forcing myself to train according to the schedule, no matter how tired I may be. It's all in the state of mind and it shall begin from today. No more late nights, lights out by 1am latest and my day will begin at 7.30am.

2011 is coming and New year resolution is coming up.

I'm awaiting for your arrival 2011.

Just realised that it's being a month since I last posted anything. It's not that I haven't been having any ongoing things, but simply just didn't post it.

Life now surrounds around work and lin and my part time training. Daily life is pretty routine and it gets a bit boring at times. The occasional meet up with friends liven up the routine life, but there's a time limit to it, we have just so much time on hand. Let me see, I've only being meeting up with a few of the chaps, Des, Ben, Tuck, Karen, TC and sometimes the SK ppl.

I've asked myself is it me that has been drifting away from them or have they drifted away? I've been much less active in organising outings and usually only attends when ppl ask me to. I feel perfectly fine to spend my time with lin, just chatting with her over the meal or just at her place watching variety show and have mini discussions over it. Am I really prepared for that type of life? Previously I mentioned that I'm a introvert person who expresses an extrovert personality when required. I guess, it's natural to be to do it ba.

Been reading up a lot of online articles of late and informations have been flowing. There are so much to learn and so much to give if you really want to. It really depends on what attitude you take it with. Just like my job at the moment, I took it up knowing that it's partly sales related but with the prospect in progressing in the company as it is actively expanding within the region. Sitting by the front desk and occasionally takign the consultation process is not exactly what I want to do for long. Thankfully, I've been doing what I need to and now I have the opportunity to take on more responsibility. Lookign at marketing developments for the company and extending to Batam is an exciting prospect for me. I'll glad that I've been given the chance to do it, and I'll grab it with both hands to make it successful.

I strongly believe that every position has it's roles and responsibility where we can gain something positive out of it. Looking at what I have on hand, it looks like an exciting 2011 for me. Resolution for 2011 would be pretty easy to come up with. =)

Was reading a book and this story struck me..

A little girl came home from school with a drawing she'd have made in class. She danced into the kitchen, where her mum was preparing dinner.

"Mom, guess what? " she squealed, waving the drawing.

'Her mother never looked up.

"What?" she said, tending to the pots.

"Guess what? " the child repeated, waving the drawing.

"What?" the mother said, tending to the plates.

"Mom, you are not listening."

"Sweetie, yes I am."

"Mom" The child said, " you're not listening with your eyes."

Seriously.. sometimes you don't know to do.. Being honest is the best policy, but there're somethings that may be better off without being told. Not being able to be myself is something I don't like and I hate it. Agree that there are things that we have to compromise to make it better since we can't expect everything to be "in our way", but to what extend ?

I used to ask myself this question pretty often "would it be happier just living alone?" To be fair, there's always two sides of the answer and it really depends on which side you are more inclined towards. Perhaps it's within me that I know I don't like to be restricted and it's just not me if you take away some parts of it isn't it?

I've been trying to stay positive during my work, finding things to do and be productive. Looking at the progress lately, I need motivation and drive and some other things to spur me on.. Where are those factors? When all else fails, you can only fall back on something that you know will never fail you... that's yourself.. which is why I'm focusing my energy and time back into training... It will consume tons of time and the process is painful, but I know I will enjoy the outcome eventually. It will take many things off my mind at the same time, giving myself a peace of mind.

Is that the reason why I'm actually introverted in nature? I don't think anybody will believe that.. personally, I'm introverted and the extrovert things that I'm doing are what I can do, but not something that I like.. Noting that the sports that I enjoy, i.e. Pool, Diving, Ironman are all individual sports and that gives me ample time to be alone just enjoying what I'm doing..

I enjoy the peace,
I enjoy the nature,
I enjoy being myself..

It's being one more week of work and it's already the third week. It's fast. How much have I learnt? Well, I would say the progress has been slowed down considerably and that's inevitable. Just like a reaction curve, the initial progress is always fast as there are a lot of substrates and high frequency collision will occur. As the reaction proceeds, lesser collision and slower reaction. I'm reaching that stage, and what's left is for me to go for the SIEMENS hearing consultation course to know more, before I can be certified.

Hanging ard in the office for the time being, going out to help out in certain events at time has given me some valuable experiences. However, I don't really like the feeling of acting as a receptionist. When I do shift to the branch at East point, I will be responsible for the recep counter as well, since it's a 2-man team. We'll each have to handle most of the stuffs ourselves. I don't think I'll have any problem with that.. honestly, I don't think you need a Uni grad to do that job, and if you think it's that tough with so many things to learn, you are underestimating me. I don't like the nature of being a recep, and I hope I won't have to deal with too much of it. If not that may be the last straw for me.

Being green at a location, you have to be humble and attentive to the details, as you are supposed to be learning. What if you have opinions and you notice something wrong/ can be improved? Do you go ahead and inform them, or just leave it as it is, since they are "seniors", Some respects need to be given? I believe in a level platform, where anybody has a voice to speak as long as it's valid. But workplace is workplace, not my home and I will have to be more careful and be politically sensitive with regards to such situations. I won't stay at this office for long, just have to keep going, until I head out to my perm location in east point.

Using the spare time I have to do admin stuff, like finding out on CPF loans, housing, Triathlon, Australia, and of cos not forgetting reading up on hearing related materials. It is pretty good in that aspect that I have time to do those things, but I want something to keep me on my feet more often. I need something challenging and analytical..

No time for Training recently and I had to force myself to go running at 10pm yesterday after one full day of work and tuition at night. I was tired, but just have to do it... and many a times, it's just a matter of whether you want to.. I'm left with 2 months to train for SCSM, mileage has to increase exponentially if not I'm so screwed. How am I going to squeeze in time to swim/cycle? I guess I'll find a way to. Still aiming for a full Ironman next yr, although I think it may be better for a half first and save some money to upgrade to a tri-bike before I do so.

If there's a will there's a way.

Will is like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it becomes.

I totally agree and feel for this phrase, and I will live to internalise within me.

A week at work

It's being a week at work, and I'm dying... 9.30-6.30pm, then tuition after that for tues, wed, thurs.. Fri go out.. sat sun, also out whole day.. It's a bit de tiring.. Totally no time to train/run, and i'm faaaaattttt.. =(

Just a few days at work and I've learnt quite a bit of things, got a better understanding about what I'm actually going to do. Partly Consultation/ partly sales. With more on advicing the customer on what to do and recommending them steps to improve the condition, while in any job money is involved, sales bring in the money, and that's what you need to do well in if not you are an liability to the company. There's still much more for me to learn, and I've seen how some of my colleague close cases, and how they go about handling different type of customers, it makes me wonder what type of person I would be. Everybody has their style and I'm one that prefers transparency and honesty. I cant' do anything that goes against my own heart.

I don't like how one of them recommends products, not giving the customer a fully informed choice, it will reflect badly on the company in the long run.. To survive long, reputation is important for any company and I don't agree with what she does.

Going through the work for a week, I've more or less grasp what I need to know about how the company function, but I'm still in training, without the proper course required to certify me. Hoping that it'll come fast, so that I can get down to work. I'm getting a bit bored le. Doubt it can keep me entertained for so long. Perhaps give me a year, I would be looking for a more challenging job which will keep me on my feet all the time. Nevertheless, I will learn what I can and make the best out of it. Working within a small company is good in the sense that you will be involved in a lot of things, and you will get a lot of exp in other aspects.

I'll push on, and make good use of my time here. I believe that there's always something for you to learn, as long as you open your eyes and mind to it. =)

I've accepted the job offer, and I'll be working as a hearing consultant starting from next tuesday with The hearing Solution. It took me quite a while to decide whether to accept it and after much delibrated thinking, I took up the offer and at once, I felt relieved.

Perhaps it's the thought that I've finally found a job which I am willing to accept and it seems quite exciting to engage in such a field. Makes me wonder what will the nature of the job be like and would I excel in it, or will I just leave after a while. I guess I will have to try it out .

It's Sept, and soon tuitions will stop... my 6 tuition kids, how many will I drop by this yr. the two sec 4s, will definitely go, so that's 4 left, three sec 2, and one sec 1. It'll be difficult to decide. Cos to balance my precious weekend with money earning opportunities won't be easy.

To accept or not.

I'm face with a big decision.. Whether to accept the job offer on hand by The hearing solution company. Many pressing issues are making me worry about the prospect of the job, where can I go after this?
What do I see myself in a few yrs time ?
What career transition can I make ?
Will I be okay to deal with Clients/patients ?
Will it be the same as how I felt for tuition ? ( hate it initially, but grew to love it )
Will I enjoy the work ?
Have I been overestimating myself ?
What am I really capable of ?
Should I just take up this offer and see how it goes ?
Should I apply for a temp job in the banking industry, and hopefully I'll find it okay ?

There are so many queries floating ard in my head, and it just seems to get more complicated. For the past 2 weeks, I've been heading to restaurants and pubs alone, sitting there in the middle of the day drinking beer and eating steaks by myself; pondering what lies ahead of me. Ppl say the midlife crisis will have that, but I've not even started my career !!

On the other hand, I've got equal no. of frens asking me to take up this job offer and see how it goes, while some recommend me to wait longer and get into some bigger MNC, cos they feel this company will be too small for me to grow. Which side is actually correct ? I don't think there's any real answer to that, cos every chance is an opportunity and you never know what lies ahead of you until you walk down the path yourself.

The attitude in work makes a lot of difference, and for the initial part, that's the most important of all. Will I succeed in the long run, and get better opportunity along the way, well.. it all depends on something called the LUCK.

Life goes on

It's being 2 months since I graduated.. and that means I'm 2 months unemployed. I've been sourcing around for the financial sector, but all that has generated has been financial consultants and bogus claiming financial institutes. It is really that difficult to get into a field with no relevance exp and degree nor expertise. Writing a cover letter and explaining the interest doesn't seem to even get the HR ppl interested. With a decent background, I don't stand a chance against those better performers.

I've always thought that with the correct attitude and drive, I will be able to succeed and overcome those obstacles.. I guess I'm wrong, cos first impression counts and there are so many ppl out there with impressive CVs, why would they even consider me? No interview chance means no chance at all. The choice to slack off a bit in Uni has returned to haunt me, but I guess that's a trade off and choice I made previously when deciding that I need to have the tuition to finance myself. I may not be where I am now if I didn't teach tuition. Indeed it was tough to manage so many sessions of tuitions together with studies and other stuffs, it has taught me several things.

Becoming a bit demoralised about the financial sector, and thus opening up more options of career to myself. Is it what i really wanted to do in the health/pharmaceutical industry? Ben was telling me that day that maybe I should just try out and see if I'm really suited for it. I agree, cos what we feel that we may be good at, may be just an illusion, where we are actually better off elsewhere in another field. The truth is that sometimes you look at the job, and you will realise that it'll lead you to no where, but just enough money to feed the never ending bills, housing loans etc. Is there any other alternative that you can take ? Are you willing to give it a shot even though it may be a very big gamble ? With our current society, most ppl will be weary of it and thus stucked in that shitty job for long..

To be successful, you have to be the difference.. If not you will just be like all the rest, inseparable and indistinguishable.

Below is the post i posted on one of the local forum after I went for an interview. Shared my thoughts on how i felt that's all. And yesterday, while going for tuition, I received a call from a company, asking if I was the one who posted it. It got me thinking if there was any sort of defamation involved and should I really take it down. Of cos the easy way out is to just do it to avoid any potential trouble.. But does our society permit free of speech ? The line to draw between freedom of speech and thought per se, is a rather thin line when compared to defamation. This lead me to ask ard lawyer frens and the laws concerning defamation.

"hey, I went down for the interview this afternoon and I found it very dubious. ( hence registered to see what's written here )

The interview began with the usual form filling application and thereafter asked me to read a book with success stories of people from rag to riches, saying the HR director will discuss with me on the stories later. The interview was really get to know me session, asking abt the background, career objectives, personality etc. When I tried to ask questions on what are the positions available, the reply was there are front office, middle office and back office operation, proding further, no genuine answer was given and I was led away to other questions.

The HR director also said that they are a subsidary of OCBC, which I can find nothing from OCBC nor the http://www.pgpivotal.com/ website. When asked further on the career path within the company, she say need to see which area I'll be more suitable in, and they will decide whether to place me. As I mentioned that I'm interested in consumer banking, she said that the position would involve selling of bank products and at times, insurance may be involved if the client requires it.

The whole feeling of the interview felt a bit weird, and the interview room was not even well partitioned, with one half sliding door separating the 2 tables. Could hear clearly what the other interviewee was saying.

Oh yah, I got the random call from them, when I didn't even apply to it. Plus they don't have my resumes/ qualifications and they called me for it. Weird, dubious, funny, whatever..

Too many loopholes and I'm totally not convinced. "

From the info I gathered, talking about feelings and pointing out experiences is not considered defamation, as such is being mentioned above. If at any point finger is pointed at the company, making falseful accusation and accusing them of something that they didn't do or which may damage their reputation, then I would be held accountable and need to justify the claims I made.

So there is still freedom of speech, but to the degree it's being accepted I guess it's really a bit hard to tell at times. Talking about anything on the net is dangerous cos you never know who may be reading it. At the very least I know my blog is locked and it's just my own thoughts not meant to be broadcasted.

Would I be involved in a situation where I need to be forced to take down the post? I'm not sure, at least I don't think there's any element within it that makes it sound like defamation. The word dubious is not meant to refer to the company, it was meant to refer to the interview process. If others choose to think other wise, perhaps they already felt something was wrong from the onset and thus have that feeling implanted from within.

My Family

Went to take family potrait at Werks over the weekend, and i'm happy with the photo =)

Took a few positions, but as usual, the studio will only let you choose a few and some extra post will cost you many extra $$. I like the shot I took with sis, but one 5R photo cost $60. @#*@()*$. Not so nice to be worth $60. haha..


We only took the small size for the photo (15"), partly because the price is steep for the 22" one. $411 as compared to $230. and it's likely that within the next 1-2 yrs when sis gets married, we'll take another shot with Ivan in it. So we decided to just keep it at this size.. So gian to get the bigger one...

Finally, got my Commencement official Photo. And that's one month ago. For a moment, it brings back some fond memories.. just for a moment. I've graduated.. finally. Really hope I can transit to the next phrase of my life fast..

depress

I think i'm entering a stage of depression. Not exactly that serious if i can even write about it, cos I'm still sane enough to do so..

Most of the time now, I find myself staring at the screen like what I'm doing now. Searching and browsing through the web looking for jobs, news and updates. Asking myself what am I searching for and what am I doing now. Yesh, I'm not in real need of money due to the 6 tuitions I have on hand, but the thought of what will be my career is a reality that I have to face. Obviously there are many jobs in the market now, and ppl, pls stop asking me why I'm still not employed or emphasise that how come so long liao still looking for it. I know that, and it's not that I'm sitting there doing nothing, it's just the industry I'm applying to is harder to get in.

Gone for interviews, got accepted by some, got rejected by some. But I have accepted none so far. Yest went for an applitude test, and I did well enough to pass it to qualify for the 2nd rd interview, but my feelings tell me that colour blind will be an issue, and so I called to check.. True to my belief, the HR manager advice me not to carry on persuing this even though I had an impressive result from the test, simply because I'm unlikely to pass the medical due to colour blind. Truth hurts.. it hurts even more, when I think that this job is something that I will enjoy and like. This is not the first time colour blindness ( partial ), as gotten in my way... sadly there's nothing I could do to it. If only the colour blindness gene doesn't lie on a single X chromosome, or it doesn't exhibit the trait unless there's two strands. ( I wish... )

I could have tried to go for the medical but I may still jeopardise other ppl's life if the situation arises. Guess ppl always prefer to play safe than sorry. There's a plentiful amount of qualified applicants waiting, why would they risk me.

I've not shared much of my thoughts recently, partly cos I don't know what to say.. Never have the habit of talking about sad things, and it's usually swallowed by the waves that clashes onto the beach whenever I sit there. Guess there's where I'll head to now..

Torturing

It's being a difficult past few days..

Selecting and applying for job is really not easy. First and foremost, the question to ask is always " what do I want to do ? " Is it pratical ? Is it economical ? Is that what I want to do 10 yrs down the road or just a transition for now ? So many things run through the head, and at times, it changes.

Zooming down to the industry that I think I want to enter only to face with the fact that it's not that easy to get in without exp. How to get exp when we are fresh grads? Why isn't there much companies willing to take the risk and groom us? For practical reasons, it's not difficult to know why.

Sending in cover letter, preparing for the interview, reading up, mental psych up are the preps for each job.. and going for many interviews to accept and reject plays ard with the mood.

Faced with a serious dilemna yesterday, all because I'm not sure whether to reject the company. It all begun with good prospects and with all positive thinking, I wanted to try it out, only to be left with the question, am I willing to enter that industry ? It took quite a while, but I'm happy that I decided not to. It's just so not me I guess.

Honestly, with a job staring at you and for you to say no, it doesn't come that easy. Because saying "no" means a repeated cycle of searching for jobs, sending resumes, preparing interview, and the whole cycle repeats itself upteen times.

For some that has the benefit of not requiring to go through this, good for you. But spare a thought for those who needs to. Sometimes I believe it's not a matter of "eeee... why this type", it's a matter of being practical and see whether it's do-able.

My search has resumed and I wonder how long more it'll go on...

Anyway, went for Platelepheresis this afternoon. Kinda random, cos I went there for full bld donation, only to be asked my the nurse " I can see that you have already donated 24 times and your veins are pretty healthy, would you like to donate platelets instead ?" Donating platelets is sort of a transit from the normal full bld donation, due to the long period of time involved and the returning of bld back to the veins, a strong and health set of veins is required. Usually males who exercise make the cut, due to the increase load they carry, it strengthens the veins and it becomes thicker. But there's always a lack of platelets donors anyway.

I've donated platelets before to a fren's dad, and I know how long it takes, but well, since I'm free just do it and hopefully save some ppl who needs it. The process took me 1.5hrs, (including preparation 2 hrs ) as compared to the normal donation of <5mins of donation time. (30mins in total ) Movie screening was provided for so it killed the boredom of sitting there for so long.

Will I transit fully to donate just platelets from now on , or would I alternate between platelets and full blood? hmm.. I don't know though, maybe depends on which bank is more in need. Blood donation has sort of become a routine for me, sadly, sf can't donate liao. It's now a solo trip there..

Yeah, it's getting a bit long and I'm getting very moody lately..

Thoughts just flow and words just appear.

It's me.. Just me..

First OD tri in Port dickson

Completed my first Olympic Distance (OD) Tri in Portdickson this morning on 25th July, 2010, with a timing of 2hr 55mins. Under my target of 3hr 20mins actually, though i was quietly pushing for 3hrs, after I came out from my swim. Splitting up the timing, 37:45 for swim, 1:15:14 for bike, 53:40 for run. The rest of it is the transition time that I took, which was a little slow., taking my own sweet time. lolx

Really happy that I've completed the tri without much problem. The swim was impeded by other slower swimmers infront of me, and I was personally not very confident, so i didn't dare to push faster and overtake too much. The waves were very calm, and water was sorta clear. at least I could see the legs kicking in front of me. Came up from the swim, feeling still quite fresh and a bit guilty why I didn't push.. but at least the timing was okay.

The bike was comfy, with rolling hills throughout the 40km course. Thanks to Ben who drafted me for the first 5km, I was able to regain my orientation and power and still maintain a decent 30-32km/h speed. After that, just tried to sustain the pace for the rest of the course.. and at the final 10km, decided that I was still a bit too relaxed, I drafted 3 other competitors to go at 38-40km/h. That really did push me a little, and my thighs got a bit tight thereafter.

The run was a little bad, cos of the cramps and tightness I got from the bike, had to stop 2 times to do some stretching, and thankfully I had prepared yokoyoko to be used on the run. It came in really handy and relieved some of my pain and tightness. While running, I know I had to finish the 10km in 58 mins to go under 3hrs, so I just had to keep reminding myself about that and keep going. On route, I was actually dehydrating, but didn't want to take too much water in fear of stitch that may cause me to stop.. So I sorta took a risk and endured through the last 5km without water, and phew, I made it back in 2hrs 55mins. Yipee !!

These are some of the photos taken there...

From Level 10 of our hotel resort. Quite a nice view of the sea..

Just to the left is the race site where we swam and transit.

The small room in our hotel, which was decent i would say, nothing fantastic.

One of the many stacks of bikes that went for the race..

My plate of carbo loading dinner.. Pasta, rice, potato, breaded fish, carrots, wedges. really a lot of carbo..

On the race day itself, Preparing our bikes and gears at the transit area.

Me, Myself And Zhiyuan with my bike, after the race. Tired, but happy me. =)

Ben, who went along to support and help out.. Thanks bro.

With my first OD finisher medal, I think there would be many more to come.. haha..

To those that were worried for me, thanks for your concern. I'm back safe and sound and a stronger me is here. From here on, I'll train harder and work towards my ultimate aim . = )

Overdue Bdae post

Celebrated my 24th Bdae last week, and yes, this is an overdue post... partly because I still haven't got hold of some of the photos. But anyway, just decided to pen down some of the thoughts.


On 8th July, went with dear to Sangokai Japanese Restaurant along Beach road to have our dinner. The place is a short walk from Bugis MRT and will have to walk past Arab streets. Upon reaching the place, the inner decor of the restaurant is decent, and we were actually surprised that it's rather quiet. Haha.. but the staffs were friendly and that's always a plus when dining. Ordered a few dishes, and the food was well... decent except for one which i felt was rather good. "Flaming Dragon" , a sushi roll with tempura and fish. The mixture and blend of the sauce made the sushi juicy and yummy. It ended off with a complimentary Sushi cake, courtesy of the chef. Ths sushi cake is something new to me, a little bit like sushi bake rice, with fish and cheese to go with it, decorated with honey stars. HAHa.. That was a very nice gesture by them though =)


Enjoyed the peaceful dinner there, where we could talk in our own comfort and not in the midst of a noisy restaurant. Dear got me this Piccard Bag, for me to bring to work/interview. Just nice that I need it at this point of time, if not everytime need to bring paper bag.. so unglam.. lolx.


Love the size of the bag, and it fits me =) Thanks dear.. and you gave it to me on time !! =D

Went with sf to Don Quijote at Lorong Kilat to have spanish food in celeb of my bdae on monday. The food there was quite good. but the price a bit steep wor.

Started off with a Sangria Blanca (White). A spanish white wine, with fruits. It's like a cocktail.. Pretty mild, with a blend of sweetness, smoothing to the throat.

Then we had Conchas del Peregrino, Scallop shell filled with Scallop and Crab meat in Bechamel Sauce. This dish was just decent. The mixture of scallop and crab meat created an unique taste, but nothing really interesting that triggered my taste bud.

The main dish, Paella Negra, Spanish style Seafood rice with Shrimp and Squid in Ink. This is good!! The portion of rice they give wasn't alot, but they sure aren't stingy with the ingredients. There were ample squids and shrimps in the dish such that at the end, there were more squid left than the rice. Hah.

With only 2 stomachs to fill, we couldn't try so many dishes, and those were it for the night. But i think I'll most likely visit it again. Oh ya, the waitress were very friendly and prompt as well. thumbs up.

Thereafter went to udders Ice-cream, just beside the restaurant, and ordered the new flavours they have, Chocolate with whisky, ( whicky my fav), and Ti-ra-mis-uuuu. The tiramisu is as per usual, but i like the whisky with choc. The amount of whisky was just right, not over-powering such that it covers the taste of the choc. With a liking for Choc with liquor all along, the addition of such flavours in the freezer just makes my choice of ice-cream much easier.. lolx..

Sf got me this Braun Buffel Card holder, which I almost wanted to get when I walk past the other day.. Haha.. Phew~! Thanks gal =)

Convocation 2010

And here I am, finally graduated from NUS - Life Sciences . 10th July 2010 This marks an end to my 15yrs of studies as a student ( minus NS ) and I'm going to enter the workforce.. Soon i hope..

It was a joyous occasion and my parents were actually more anxious than me. Having already won it many times in Europe, I don't have the feeeeeeeeling when I wore it on that day. But in any case, when I stepped in the UCC with all the other graduates, it finally dawn upon me that I'm finally here. Thinking back just a year ago, I was there too, attending Dear's convo, it feels so surreal.

Attended the ceremony and just went up there to take the scroll, throughout the thing, nothing much was running through the head and it seems to be just another ceremony. Perhaps it's also because I don't feel alot for NUS and I didn't have a large pool of friends here too. Anyway, I'm still glad that Des and Tuck came down to take photos with us. Thanks dudes..

My beloved family.

My family and family to-bes

I'm a Graduate =)

With Xiao Tong, and my 2 buddies. I thought I was same height as xt.. lolx..

My dear making her way down specially from ACCP.. =)

The 4 musketeers. Where we spent many days of fun and laughters together.. My takeaway from NUS.. Glad to have known you guys..

Shot by Ivan, using his DSLR - Fun lens, elongating some angles..

With Wanyee and June.. The cute girl who always wear pink. Haha.

Smilezz just came naturally.

My 2 JC classmates, Anu and May May..

From left to right, Jake, Me, Xiaoyin and Chloe. Hahah.. Quite random, but nice to take a shot with them.

On our way to Selegie Plaza to have our lunch at Tao's restaurant.

My small clique of friends who filled my Uni days..

Just some selection of the many photos, and some were just random shots with some hi-bye friends in NUS. Nevertheless I've already graduated and let bygones be bygones, leave some unhappy settings behind and move on to my next chapter in life. Smilezzz =)

How times have changed

It's being two weeks, and I've been searching around for jobs. To find a good job that suits what you like but not what your degree offers is not an easy task. Experience is an issue, and the relevance of the degree is another. Always have to prepare myself to answer the question, why not doing anything related to life sciences and applying for this instead ? I really wonder if my answer would change as I go for different interview..

Having 4 students at the moment is like a part time and I did consider whether to do it full time too. But now I feel like trying out the corporate world first to see if I'm suited for it. Coming july, I'll be having 6 students and how to handle if I have a full-time job? To think that my first student Shuba msged me just now to ask me to revise chem and bio for her O level, it makes me realise that I've made a difference in her life and she wants me to help her. Those sense of satisfaction you get when the student appreciates it is what keeps me continue teaching I guess. Remembering 4 years ago, I was so reluctant in teaching to my current state. What a turn around. Will I be a full time tutor? For now.. No..

Times flies and as it goes on, the friends around you slowly disappears. It's kinda weird that some friends suddenly just change of attitude and stop contacting while some just quietly slips away. Who are those that we treasure and who are those that will just walk past without saying bye ? It depends on how you regard that friend as I guess.

Grad liao lor..

Finally, after 3 yrs of studies in NUS, and 12 yrs of Pri, Sec and JC, I've graduated le. Ended the sem with decent grades and it's mainly due to the fact that I could choose what mods I could take. Grad with a bach with Merit, it's time to start looking for job.


Disappeared for so long due to the Grad trip to Europe. Spanned 18 days in total where I travelled to London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Paris, Venice, Florence and Rome. It was definitely a memorable one in which I was lucky to share it with Dear. Below are some of the photos I like best out of the 3000 photos.

Started our trip in London, where we went to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of guards. The whole process was very entertaining and definitely worth our wait.. Thereafter, we went to the nearby garden to take our grad photos. At that point of time when I was taking the photos, I was actually still concern what if I can't pass my Micro Bio mod. haah.. Thankfully it was just a thought.


Wearing the Academic dress in the garden was nice.. just walking ard also got wind.. lolx.. Tgt with the nice and cooling weather, it made the whole process very enjoyable.


Walking ard the park drew admiring stares.. =)


Met Lynal in London Picadilly, ( Chinatown area ) to retrieve our train tickets. Very nice of him to help us with that.. If not it would have cost a lot more..


Theatres of dream, the place where I wanted to be for a real long time and I'm finally there. =D The feeling of just being there was enough to awe me and looking at the majestic stadium it made me fully understand why everybody says that the stadium is simply awesome.


Went to Warwick castle in Coventry, a train ride away from London. Castle with role playing actors and we totally enjoyed ourselves there. Though it was drizzling thru out, making the already cold weather even colder, the fun we had made us forget abt the cold at times.


Thereafter, travelled northwards to Edinburgh. The city where harry potter, and jack the ripper was born. Upon stepping in the streets of Edinburgh, I can totally feel Harry potter lar. The streets were so similar and it's beautiful..


After spending 2 days there, we travelled to Paris where we visited the Paris Disney. A wonderland where all dreams can come true. Such Mythical settings makes everything so surreal. Entering the world of wonders it just lives your mood and makes you ever happy. =)



Going to Paris, how can you miss out the famous Eiffel. The Eiffel actually looks nicer from far and it stands out from the whole skyline in Paris where the high-rise building is limited to a few stories high only..


Part of the trip to Paris included the visit the Versailles, the biggest and most lavish Palace in Europe. The palace was filled with paintings throughout, from the walls to the ceilings, everywhere was very nicely decorated.


1 mile from the main palace is another hideout for the King. Over there, there's a Temple of Love, where it's believed that Praying here would make your love life ever lasting.. <3 href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3Lqco5vc2ClDRrrEOePEnw88BW2AY4lc_Pg74U7NJmZXBXkJahhXsQ1WWORbPpfwPDsqyPAswqI21ulDoaEJMD0eVt4pCsbPmcRuVPVW4HRyPUaD4Z7xhKG9IqCp6cbjK3DsvkhVjbLq/s1600/IMG_4341.JPG">

Timed my trip to Paris so that I could meet her there, and it was a once a life-time experience to watch her take her wedding shots there. See the happy smiles on both Ivan and her face, it just makes me envy their love for each other. They've being together for 13 yrs and are getting married next year.



A shot that overlooks the whole of Paris.. Isn't it pretty.



This was a very random shot where the musician suddenly pop into the cabin and started dedicating the songs to them. With a slight prompting, they started dancing to the music and everyone in the cabin stood up to clap their hands and play to the music.. Woot~! Thus this amazing shot.. We were so engross in it that we forgot to take a video of it lar.. Darn..

Being Tourist, we did what tourist did and we took the open top Tour bus to tour ard Paris for some sightseeing. Sitting in an Open top bus was good, and provides a different perspective to what we have been seeing thus far, moreover it gave our legs a short break. Day in Day out we walk from east to west, north to south, covering a good distance everyday. I think there's at least 10km a day.

After taking the morning wedding shots, Sis came out together with us for a short walk. Went for some shopping and walked to the Notre Dame where we took a grp photo.

After 5 days in Paris, we headed to Italy, venice on a overnight train where we shared a 6 man cabin with some weird ppl. 2 young Aussie was pretty nice and we shared some nice conversation, but there were 2 other guy, one angry and easily agitated Italian and a guy who was chewing tobacco within his gums and seem intoxicated all the while. How to sleep well in that situation.. every slight movement from him woke me up cos I don't know what he will do..

Anyway, landed in Venice in the morning and we rested a while before heading out. Venice was so-so, and I'm pretty proud that I could find our Residenza through the map on Lonely planet, especially so when Venice's streets are well known to be super messy. Ha.. took 45mins to find the location. The owner of the Residenza also praised me saying he's impressed that this is the first time ppl who first time visit venice could walk there ourselves. HAHA..

Gondolala is a bit too pricey, cos it's only for Tourist and it cost a hefty 80 Euros for a 45mins ride. Too ex for us and so we could only take photos with it..

Headed further south to Florence where the scenary is known to be very nice. With the Uffizi gallery holding some of the wonderful works of Leonardo and Rafeal it opens my eye to the masterpiece of the legend.

The night scenary of Florence didn't disappoint us.. and I was blown away when the sun starts to set at 10pm. The still water in the river results in a clear reflection of the buildings creating a very nice picture of the sky, buildings shadows and water..

One of the nice shots that I like is this one, which I didn't even know that Dear took it.. LOL.. The feeeeeling is there..

Thereafter, we headed further south to Rome, where the temperature was seriously killing. 30 degrees in the day was a very big difference from our 10+ degree when in london, or even in Paris when it's in the low 20. But the ancient rome ruins was well worth the visit. Begun with the Colosseum, Roman Forum and the Paletine it gave us an overview of how the Romans built their empire 2000 years ago. It's impressive how some of the buildings are still standing after such a long long time.

Of the many fountains in Rome, The Trevi fountain is undoubtly the most famous of all. We went there early in the morning at 7am to have a clear shot and we weren't disappointed. There were only a few kittens there with us and thus we could take our time to take our grad photos there. After we finish taking photo at ard 8am, they started washing the fountain,

haha.. I like this photo..

All in all, the trip was a fufilling one which allowed me to see many parts of the Cities. A memorable Grad trip marks an end to my University life. For sure the 18 days we spend together with each other 24/7 made us understand each other more in one way or another and I do hope that we'll help develop our r/s further. =)