2008 is a year fraught with many sad news – rapid deterioriation of the credit industry leading to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, continual battle against terrorism in India, milk powder and melamine scandal in China and the fatal earthquake in Sichuan. As we are bidding farewell to 2008, we hope that 2009 will bring new hope and more happy news to everyone.
Looking from the homefront, Singapore has not escaped unscathed from what are plaguing the other regions. The financial crisis has led to the collapse of 150-year old Lehman Brothers and caused many retail investors to lose their retirement fund. The terrorism in India resulted in the loss of fellow countryman. The melamine scandal drew fears in many Singaporeans regarding food produce from China. Many Singaporeans contributed generously to the mercy relief for the survivors of the Sichuan earthquake.
Enough of the bad news, 2008 is not exactly without any happy events. The phenomenal success of the Beijing Olympics showed the other regions what Asians were capable of. The world records that were broken in the various stadiums made us wowed by the architectural superiority of the Chinese. The winning of a silver medal by the Singapore’s table tennis women team also made many Singaporeans jubilant for many days.
2009 will continue to be a trying year especially economically with the financial crisis expected to worsen and many more people to lose their jobs. In the security area, fights against terrorism will persevere. The policies to be implemented by newly elected US President – Barrack Obama will be watched by the world. Many are hoping that the new President will lead US to greater heights and resolve some of the long-drawn issues.
Let’s hope that 2009 will be a better year for all.
December 31, 2008
December 30, 2008
Review of Resolutions for the Year
End of the year is often an ideal time to revisit the resolutions made at the beginning of the year and also to reflect over the experiences of the previous year in preparation of the coming new year.
For a long time, I have ceased to make any resolutions as it becomes depressing when I realise I fulfil neither of them at the end of the year. It is also not a good sign as I tend to coast along the year with no targets and live the days rather monotonously.
Reflecting on what happened in this year. I have yet again achieved nothing earth-shattering. Neither can I proclaim that I have leapt into another phase in my life or reached any significant milestone. The only consolation is that I have finally set foot on Japan - the land of the sun. It has been a wish for a long time ever since I have started taking Japanese about more than a decade ago. After hearing so much about the language, the people and the culture, I wanted to see, feel and smell it for myself.
In terms of other aspects, I am quite contented with my perseverance in yoga. What started as a trial has become a good weekly exercise routine. After picking up yoga, I find that I am more at peace with myself and also started to start listening to my body. I have learnt how to relax my body and mind. I have learnt that we should be at competition with ourselves and not others.
Of course, I should also do more in the coming year. After all, I am nearly an age where life is not as long-stretched as it seems to be. If I continue coasting through life, I may have wasted my most precious asset - time before I know it.
December 27, 2008
Failed Assembly
My sister and I bought cabinets from Ikea. Ikea emphasises on self-assembly and which is all the fun lies. After we booked delivery for the items, the delivery asked if we needed help on the assembly, we were confident and gung-ho that we would be able to manage the assembly ourselves and declined assembly. Anyway, assembly came at a charge of 6% of the assembled items.
When the items were delivered and we attempted to decipher the instructions and slot in the nuts and bolts, we became more and more discouraged with each piece. We finally gave up when we slotted in a wrong nail which was too short for the piece. We recognised that it was time to surrender. We had no choice but to call Ikea's helpline and to ask for assembly.
We had to pay a penalty for asking assembly separate from delivery as the helpers would need to make a separate trip down. In fact, at that time which was already late at night, we were more concerned about condemning the whole cabinet as we had slotted in a wrong nail.
Lesson learnt? Next time, we will just ask for assembly services if we buy from Ikea.
P.S. Fortunately, the mistake could be rectified and when the Ikea men came down about 5 days later, they were able to fix it and assemble the cabinets quickly. Phew!
When the items were delivered and we attempted to decipher the instructions and slot in the nuts and bolts, we became more and more discouraged with each piece. We finally gave up when we slotted in a wrong nail which was too short for the piece. We recognised that it was time to surrender. We had no choice but to call Ikea's helpline and to ask for assembly.
We had to pay a penalty for asking assembly separate from delivery as the helpers would need to make a separate trip down. In fact, at that time which was already late at night, we were more concerned about condemning the whole cabinet as we had slotted in a wrong nail.
Lesson learnt? Next time, we will just ask for assembly services if we buy from Ikea.
P.S. Fortunately, the mistake could be rectified and when the Ikea men came down about 5 days later, they were able to fix it and assemble the cabinets quickly. Phew!
December 25, 2008
The Delight of Home Delivery
I have never missed post-Christmas shopping for many years as it is often a time when I can get great bargains for myself and for my family. It is also an opportune time to start stocking up for the coming Lunar New Year. Some of the ‘must-go’ post-Christmas sales include Isetan Private Sale, Robinsons sale and G2000 sale, of course. If you have enough time, you can also drop by the Tang sale.
Usually, at each sale, it is easy to tip the total balance over a hundred when we grab home and personal stuffs. With many items, sometimes dragging them home can be a chore especially if they are heavy or bulky. Fret not, this year, we have discovered the convenience of home delivery. Robinsons and Isetan provide complimentary home delivery if you spend more than $150 and $300 respectively.
However, home delivery means that you will only get your items at least only 1 to 2 working days later. Hence, if you need certain items urgently, home delivery may not be an option for you.
Usually, at each sale, it is easy to tip the total balance over a hundred when we grab home and personal stuffs. With many items, sometimes dragging them home can be a chore especially if they are heavy or bulky. Fret not, this year, we have discovered the convenience of home delivery. Robinsons and Isetan provide complimentary home delivery if you spend more than $150 and $300 respectively.
However, home delivery means that you will only get your items at least only 1 to 2 working days later. Hence, if you need certain items urgently, home delivery may not be an option for you.
December 23, 2008
Lau Pasat
It has been ages since I dine at Lau Pasat. It used to be a favourite hide-out for my family for weekend dinners when it first retrofitted many moons ago. Then, the businesses started to decline and more stalls folded. As stalls closed, activity and variety of this preserved hawker centre also dwindled. Less variety led to less crowd. It became a vicious cycle, so we ceased to set patronise this hawker centre.
Recently, we passed by Lau Pasat again and was pleasantly surprised. It had undergone another renovation and new stalls were added (At least they looked new to me but I had no idea how long they had been there). This included my favourite 'Small bowl noodles' - dry noodles in a bowl and accompanied with a hot pot of minced meat, egg, crabstick and fishballs, shanghai dumpling (xiao long bao). It has even added in other cuisines, like Korean and Japanese food.
Every night, there would also be live band performing to the patrons which added entertainment to the dining experience. Wow, I never know Lau Pasat has evolved into such a happening place.
Recently, we passed by Lau Pasat again and was pleasantly surprised. It had undergone another renovation and new stalls were added (At least they looked new to me but I had no idea how long they had been there). This included my favourite 'Small bowl noodles' - dry noodles in a bowl and accompanied with a hot pot of minced meat, egg, crabstick and fishballs, shanghai dumpling (xiao long bao). It has even added in other cuisines, like Korean and Japanese food.
Every night, there would also be live band performing to the patrons which added entertainment to the dining experience. Wow, I never know Lau Pasat has evolved into such a happening place.
December 20, 2008
Bruce Almighty
I have not watched any movie for a long time, be it on TV or in the cinema. It is certainly relaxing to laze at home catching Jim Carey in Bruce Almighty.
Jim Carey has met with the most unlucky days in his life. He blamed God for not helping him and turning a blind eye to his predicament. He was 'paged' by God. After talking to God, he was given all God's power while God went on a vacation. Jim suddenly was known as Bruce, the Almighty.
When bestowed with God's power, he had initially used it for his own selfish purpose to gain personally. He was reminded from God that he had to take over God's job in helping people while God was on vacation. Since Jim Carey had previously complained about God doing a bad job. it was a splendid chance to prove that he could do better.
Only then did he understand the enormity of the job. He was overwhelmed by the neverending prayers. To quickly fight fire, he simply said yes to all prayers. thinking that he would resolve all misery and problems plaguing the world. Never did he realise he was more wrong. By saying yes to all people who wanted to win lotteries, he ended up creating many winners and thus reducing the prize money per person. This resulted in social unrest and chaos broke loose.
Does the situation sound familiar? How often we may land ourself in a hypothetical situation where we think that if we are in our parents, our lovers, our friends or our bosses' shoes, we will be able to do things better? We think that if we are the CEO of the company, we will not do this and we will do that so that employees have better morale and company makes more money. Or we will think that if we are our parents, we will not be nagging our children or meddle with their affairs so often.
Yet, when we become bosses and parents, do you not see yourself doing some of the things that you do not want your bosses or parents ever to do as a subordinate or child? Despite our decisions as bosses or parents being unpopular, we are still making them because we see that sometimes a seemingly bad decision may not necessarily be a bad one and vice versa? We often make decisions given the best information we may have or with a long-term outlook that in the short term, the decision may seem fruitless or even callous?
Or worse, when we are given powers as bosses and parents, we too can be temporarily consume with the greed of power that we forget our altruistic aims. We may even start to abuse the powers for our personal gains. Afterall, power can be so attractive that it turns evil.
Beneath the jokes of Bruce Almighty, it is a self-reflecting story. It is always easy to imagine being able to do a better job than another person. It is not difficut to imagine but it is often difficult to carry out the idealisms in reality.
Jim Carey has met with the most unlucky days in his life. He blamed God for not helping him and turning a blind eye to his predicament. He was 'paged' by God. After talking to God, he was given all God's power while God went on a vacation. Jim suddenly was known as Bruce, the Almighty.
When bestowed with God's power, he had initially used it for his own selfish purpose to gain personally. He was reminded from God that he had to take over God's job in helping people while God was on vacation. Since Jim Carey had previously complained about God doing a bad job. it was a splendid chance to prove that he could do better.
Only then did he understand the enormity of the job. He was overwhelmed by the neverending prayers. To quickly fight fire, he simply said yes to all prayers. thinking that he would resolve all misery and problems plaguing the world. Never did he realise he was more wrong. By saying yes to all people who wanted to win lotteries, he ended up creating many winners and thus reducing the prize money per person. This resulted in social unrest and chaos broke loose.
Does the situation sound familiar? How often we may land ourself in a hypothetical situation where we think that if we are in our parents, our lovers, our friends or our bosses' shoes, we will be able to do things better? We think that if we are the CEO of the company, we will not do this and we will do that so that employees have better morale and company makes more money. Or we will think that if we are our parents, we will not be nagging our children or meddle with their affairs so often.
Yet, when we become bosses and parents, do you not see yourself doing some of the things that you do not want your bosses or parents ever to do as a subordinate or child? Despite our decisions as bosses or parents being unpopular, we are still making them because we see that sometimes a seemingly bad decision may not necessarily be a bad one and vice versa? We often make decisions given the best information we may have or with a long-term outlook that in the short term, the decision may seem fruitless or even callous?
Or worse, when we are given powers as bosses and parents, we too can be temporarily consume with the greed of power that we forget our altruistic aims. We may even start to abuse the powers for our personal gains. Afterall, power can be so attractive that it turns evil.
Beneath the jokes of Bruce Almighty, it is a self-reflecting story. It is always easy to imagine being able to do a better job than another person. It is not difficut to imagine but it is often difficult to carry out the idealisms in reality.
December 18, 2008
Start of all Budget Exercise Work
The peak has finally started again. It is that time of the year where the whole team will work late into the night to roll-up numbers, analyse and put together slides for our bosses.
Every year during this time of the year, our department will still be very rowdy and fully functional and working at 8 pm as though it is only 5 pm. Year after year, we dread this time of the year as the other departments have gone into a holiday mood with their long vacations and genial environment. We, on the other hand, will be slogging our hearts out preparing all the numbers and slides and reviewing with our bosses.
This year, there is no 'black-out' period after Christmas which means that we are likely to work hard between Christmas and the New Year. Sigh! Let's hope budget will end soon. Well, it is too early for this now as budget exercise will likely to wrap up only around end Feb to beginning Mar.
Every year during this time of the year, our department will still be very rowdy and fully functional and working at 8 pm as though it is only 5 pm. Year after year, we dread this time of the year as the other departments have gone into a holiday mood with their long vacations and genial environment. We, on the other hand, will be slogging our hearts out preparing all the numbers and slides and reviewing with our bosses.
This year, there is no 'black-out' period after Christmas which means that we are likely to work hard between Christmas and the New Year. Sigh! Let's hope budget will end soon. Well, it is too early for this now as budget exercise will likely to wrap up only around end Feb to beginning Mar.
December 15, 2008
Lush Lallang
It is hard to find a field or even a patch of Lallang these days. Where it used to be a common sight among canals or is some open fields, Lallang seemed to disappear along with the increasing population of Singapore.
Needless to say, I was very excited when I passed by this patch of Lallang near my home. This patch was not natural. It was planted in front of a showflat of an upcoming condominium a few blocks away. The patch was still pretty sparse initially but over the days, the lallang became lush.
The sight of Lallang was nostalgic. Lallang used to be aplenty on a field near my primary school along West Coast Road. On my travel to and fro the school when I travelled along West Coast Road, I would pass by these Lallang. The sway of Lallang on a breezy day instilled a sense of calm for the passerbys. Blowing lallang and watching its seeds sail along with the wind was also a fun activity.
I have moved since sixteen years ago. When I first moved, we would still travel back occasionally to visit friends and my alma mater. Now, I rarely travelled to West Coast. I wonder if the Lallangs are still there or have they made way for new infrastructures.
Needless to say, I was very excited when I passed by this patch of Lallang near my home. This patch was not natural. It was planted in front of a showflat of an upcoming condominium a few blocks away. The patch was still pretty sparse initially but over the days, the lallang became lush.
The sight of Lallang was nostalgic. Lallang used to be aplenty on a field near my primary school along West Coast Road. On my travel to and fro the school when I travelled along West Coast Road, I would pass by these Lallang. The sway of Lallang on a breezy day instilled a sense of calm for the passerbys. Blowing lallang and watching its seeds sail along with the wind was also a fun activity.
I have moved since sixteen years ago. When I first moved, we would still travel back occasionally to visit friends and my alma mater. Now, I rarely travelled to West Coast. I wonder if the Lallangs are still there or have they made way for new infrastructures.
December 13, 2008
Baby Showers for Jingyi
Dear has given birth to Jingyi who is as cute as her.
We gathered at Dear’s new house at Woodlands to welcome Jingyi and to celebrate her first month in this world. Jingyi was very serene and lovable in her adorable little spaghetti dress.
She was friendly as she did not resist anyone who wished to hold her. She looked at everyone with curious eyes. When she got tired, she went into a little nap in the arms of the visitors or Dear.
Happy 1st month, Jingyi.
We gathered at Dear’s new house at Woodlands to welcome Jingyi and to celebrate her first month in this world. Jingyi was very serene and lovable in her adorable little spaghetti dress.
She was friendly as she did not resist anyone who wished to hold her. She looked at everyone with curious eyes. When she got tired, she went into a little nap in the arms of the visitors or Dear.
Happy 1st month, Jingyi.
December 12, 2008
Performance Review
I have not had subordinate reporting directly to me for years. When I took over the coordinating role for the corporate products, I have conveniently forgotten about the taking over the supporting officer.
Managing subordinates sometimes is a tougher art to master than taking over a new project. The balance of assertiveness with understanding and control with delegation cannot be determined precisely with any scientific formulae. In fact, what is the percentage split often differs from personality to personality. Success with one employee cannot be easily replicated for the next.
Subordinates and supervisors often have differing goals and expectations. How to effectively communicate your expectations to your subordinate without being perceived as domineering? How to have open communication without hurting feelings especially when improvements are required? How to encourage and compliment without promoting complacency? It requires many trials and errors and fine-tuning along the way.
I was very nervous when I had to meet my subordinate for discussion of her mid-year review. To be frank, her performance has slackened over the past year because of her personal and family problems. It was time to let her know she would need to watch out and improve or her final year performance would be adversely affected.
Sometimes, the supervisor would be more nervous than the subordinate as the supervisor had to play a motivating and guiding role. This meant giving space yet without appearing too hands-off. This meant encouraging but remaining open. This meant telling directly areas of improvement without appearing critical. Lastly, how to motivate good staff from sustaining their performances while pulling demotivated staff to better performance.
Sigh! I am still learning. Hopefully, my subordinate will give me time so that we can work together as a better team.
Managing subordinates sometimes is a tougher art to master than taking over a new project. The balance of assertiveness with understanding and control with delegation cannot be determined precisely with any scientific formulae. In fact, what is the percentage split often differs from personality to personality. Success with one employee cannot be easily replicated for the next.
Subordinates and supervisors often have differing goals and expectations. How to effectively communicate your expectations to your subordinate without being perceived as domineering? How to have open communication without hurting feelings especially when improvements are required? How to encourage and compliment without promoting complacency? It requires many trials and errors and fine-tuning along the way.
I was very nervous when I had to meet my subordinate for discussion of her mid-year review. To be frank, her performance has slackened over the past year because of her personal and family problems. It was time to let her know she would need to watch out and improve or her final year performance would be adversely affected.
Sometimes, the supervisor would be more nervous than the subordinate as the supervisor had to play a motivating and guiding role. This meant giving space yet without appearing too hands-off. This meant encouraging but remaining open. This meant telling directly areas of improvement without appearing critical. Lastly, how to motivate good staff from sustaining their performances while pulling demotivated staff to better performance.
Sigh! I am still learning. Hopefully, my subordinate will give me time so that we can work together as a better team.
December 11, 2008
Working on a Day I am on Leave
Being a coordinator now for all corporate products' performances, I have a tougher life than before. I used to have no constraint taking day off any day of the month, even though I would try to minimise taking leave on flash day. Now, it is almost impossible for me to take leave flash and the day before main reports are due to be released. It is a huge responsibility which I cannot expect my covering officer to pick up when I am not around.
Report dates are fixed and pre-determined. I unilaterally or single-handedly cannot move the dates. Moreover, any delay in my report will affect my other poor colleague who is coordinating for the whole business group.
To ensure that the reports are still issued on time and without any hiccup when I am on leave, I have arranged my subordinate to do the ground work and send the draft to me. I will review at night and send to my boss for clearance.
She emailed me the report at 7pm. This was where my part came in. I switched on my PC and starting reading the report, checking the numbers, editing the write-up. I ambitiously and naively thought I could be done by 9pm. Hmm, at 10 pm, I was still struggling. Finally, I completed at 10.30pm. It took a while more to send out the report as it was a 5Mb file. When I apologetically SMSed my boss for her to start reviewing, she was too tired to review at 11 pm. Hence, she reviewed only the following day.
Let's hope we can do better next month.
P.S. We still meet our deadline of issuing our reports by 11th but it was only out at 7 pm. Phew!
Report dates are fixed and pre-determined. I unilaterally or single-handedly cannot move the dates. Moreover, any delay in my report will affect my other poor colleague who is coordinating for the whole business group.
To ensure that the reports are still issued on time and without any hiccup when I am on leave, I have arranged my subordinate to do the ground work and send the draft to me. I will review at night and send to my boss for clearance.
She emailed me the report at 7pm. This was where my part came in. I switched on my PC and starting reading the report, checking the numbers, editing the write-up. I ambitiously and naively thought I could be done by 9pm. Hmm, at 10 pm, I was still struggling. Finally, I completed at 10.30pm. It took a while more to send out the report as it was a 5Mb file. When I apologetically SMSed my boss for her to start reviewing, she was too tired to review at 11 pm. Hence, she reviewed only the following day.
Let's hope we can do better next month.
P.S. We still meet our deadline of issuing our reports by 11th but it was only out at 7 pm. Phew!
December 10, 2008
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Queen Elizabeth I was one of the most well-known queens, especially of her execution of Queen Mary. With power comes great responsibilities. Despite feeling lonely, she has kept many princes and dukes at bay for fear of them wanting a share of the power instead of a share of her love. While trying to fan off attacks from Spain, putting aside speculations of Queen Mary's secret plot against her, she has to preserve her heart from falling in love with the interesting Walter Reigh. When she feels that she is about to give in to her heart, she learnt of Walter's marriage to her best friend - Bess. Feeling betrayed, she wanted to punish them but was distracted by the military attacks from Spain's King Philip - her ex brother-in-law. Fortunately, all turned up well when England fanned off the Spanish attacks successfully and Queen Elizabeth forgave Walter and Bess from Walter's contribution in the war.
The story highlighted some of the restraints, the worries and loneliness of being a leader of a country. As she enjoyed the adulation of the citizens, she lost her freedom to choose what she like. This applied to her marriage and her kinship.
She dared not marry anyone whom she loved because it was difficult to tell if the person wanted her or wanted rewards from her. She dared not give herself whole to the person because she has already given herself to England.
She wanted to forgive her cousin - Queen Mary for wanting to assassinate her, but she could not because the whole country demanded an explanation. When there was an assassination attempt on her, she needed to retain her coolness and regality despite shaking with fear. She could only open her heart in the middle of the night and in the confines of her own room. In spite of a very ill-prepared army who was low on morale, she graciously put on her armour and cheered them on, leading them to victory.
Being a woman in her era was tough. Being a female leader in her era was tougher where the success of a woman was still dependent on who she married and how many children she had. For once, I am glad I am born in the current times where at least any inequalities are subtle and my opportunities and exposure are almost comparable to my male counterparts.
The story highlighted some of the restraints, the worries and loneliness of being a leader of a country. As she enjoyed the adulation of the citizens, she lost her freedom to choose what she like. This applied to her marriage and her kinship.
She dared not marry anyone whom she loved because it was difficult to tell if the person wanted her or wanted rewards from her. She dared not give herself whole to the person because she has already given herself to England.
She wanted to forgive her cousin - Queen Mary for wanting to assassinate her, but she could not because the whole country demanded an explanation. When there was an assassination attempt on her, she needed to retain her coolness and regality despite shaking with fear. She could only open her heart in the middle of the night and in the confines of her own room. In spite of a very ill-prepared army who was low on morale, she graciously put on her armour and cheered them on, leading them to victory.
Being a woman in her era was tough. Being a female leader in her era was tougher where the success of a woman was still dependent on who she married and how many children she had. For once, I am glad I am born in the current times where at least any inequalities are subtle and my opportunities and exposure are almost comparable to my male counterparts.
December 09, 2008
Delighted by Christmas Tree
It is that time of the year where Christmas tree stand tall and proud in our office lobby. The sweet smelling pine will brighten the lazy morning and soothe your exhaustion.
Although I ceased to be as wowed by a real Christmas tree compared to when I first started work here, I am still amazed by it. When I first started work here, it was the first time I have seen a real Christmas tree.
December 07, 2008
Missing Rainbows
I have not seen rainbows for a long time. The last few days consisted for intervals of rains and sun and I was hoping fervently that I would be able to spot a rainbow. It was a futile hope.
Unexpectedly, while waiting for our bus, my sister pointed out a faint rainbow forming as the sun shown bright on the wet ground after a rain. Can you see the rainbow in the skies?
December 05, 2008
Second Flash Report
Flash report is a report to management issued no later than the 5th working day after the close of the month. It aims to provide a quick summary of the previous month as well as year-to-date performance of various departments and products. As the turn around time is very short, the numbers are only finalised earliest by 4pm on the 5th working day, it is often a mad rush to meet the 2359 timeline.
Being relatively new in handling this, I am very nervous on this day. Fortunately, the last month has passed by relatively smoothly except for a typo in one of tables in my summary email. I still embarrassed by the boo-boo I have made. Hence, this month, I ensure that I check and double-check all the tables to prevent a repeat.
With last month's experience, I feel that I can complete the flash report within a shorter time despite starting later. By completing early, I still only manage to issue the report at 9 pm. Hopefully, things will take a better turn from now on.
Being relatively new in handling this, I am very nervous on this day. Fortunately, the last month has passed by relatively smoothly except for a typo in one of tables in my summary email. I still embarrassed by the boo-boo I have made. Hence, this month, I ensure that I check and double-check all the tables to prevent a repeat.
With last month's experience, I feel that I can complete the flash report within a shorter time despite starting later. By completing early, I still only manage to issue the report at 9 pm. Hopefully, things will take a better turn from now on.
December 04, 2008
Christmas Gifts 2008
After seeking consensus among the team, we decided to continue with the past traditions of getting Christmas gifts collectively for our bosses and our subordinates.
It is difficult to find a day when everyone is free especially now that the budget exericse has started. Hence, we decided to do the shopping after work. Only Irene and I could make it eventually, she has all the cards to allow us all the discounts we can get and I went as I was the one who initiated all these. I started to regret initiating this since I am not exactly the most creative and imaginative person when it comes to getting gifts.
After finding out from the secretary, we knew that our bosses prefer hand creams or aromatherapy stuff. We headed down to Takashimaya as there was an ongoing members' discount. This year, in addition to the normal gift section at the Talking Mall, Takashimaya also set up a section with aromatherapy items near the L'occitane counter.
The fad of this year is the incense sticks in the essential oils for diffusing the fragrance into the space. After comparing the prices, the fragrance and options, we chose "Lovers" for our lady boss and "Sky" for our male boss.
For the subordinates, we got them hand therapy from Crabtree and Evelyn to be equitable for all. The two best flavours we liked were Rose and Lavender. I personally, was not a great fan for the other flavours - Summerhill and Gardener.
Since both Crabtree and Evelyn and Takashimaya provided gift wrapping services, we saved some trouble agonising over how to wrap the gifts. With just two people shopping this year, our efficiency improved significantly. We took less than an hour to settle all the gifts relative to previous years, where we could took more than a trip to complete all the shopping.
It is difficult to find a day when everyone is free especially now that the budget exericse has started. Hence, we decided to do the shopping after work. Only Irene and I could make it eventually, she has all the cards to allow us all the discounts we can get and I went as I was the one who initiated all these. I started to regret initiating this since I am not exactly the most creative and imaginative person when it comes to getting gifts.
After finding out from the secretary, we knew that our bosses prefer hand creams or aromatherapy stuff. We headed down to Takashimaya as there was an ongoing members' discount. This year, in addition to the normal gift section at the Talking Mall, Takashimaya also set up a section with aromatherapy items near the L'occitane counter.
The fad of this year is the incense sticks in the essential oils for diffusing the fragrance into the space. After comparing the prices, the fragrance and options, we chose "Lovers" for our lady boss and "Sky" for our male boss.
For the subordinates, we got them hand therapy from Crabtree and Evelyn to be equitable for all. The two best flavours we liked were Rose and Lavender. I personally, was not a great fan for the other flavours - Summerhill and Gardener.
Since both Crabtree and Evelyn and Takashimaya provided gift wrapping services, we saved some trouble agonising over how to wrap the gifts. With just two people shopping this year, our efficiency improved significantly. We took less than an hour to settle all the gifts relative to previous years, where we could took more than a trip to complete all the shopping.
December 02, 2008
Books and more Books
You must be flooded with all the book reviews in this blog recently and wonder when I have become such a bookworm.
Well, I have always enjoyed reading since young. It is where I know about other culture, practices or another world totally. It is where I can truly destressed by immersing myself in the fiction, away from the hustle and bustle surrounding me or the mundane trivialities that I have to deal with. Reading can be an escapade.
The past 2 weeks when I have been clearing annual vacation leave at home provides a good window for me to catch up some reading and indulge in the solitude of the words.
Reading is also a way of keeping up with English language. For those of us who work at least 9 hours a day, and who are not in the creative industry, our use of the language can be reduced to that few words relating to our work. We only deal with facts and no longer appreciate an appropriate use of the language. Our writing and speech becomes curt and with only statistics and few verbs. Only through reading do we actually see the beauty of the language.
In addition, books are also a means for us to constantly acquire newer knowledge and stay connected. For those of us who have left school, our intelligence and knowledge can truly stagnate unless we do something about it. Reading is essential to know more and to know the latest.
When is the last time you have picked up a book? Since a long weekend is coming, instead of hitting the malls, why not hit the library instead?
Well, I have always enjoyed reading since young. It is where I know about other culture, practices or another world totally. It is where I can truly destressed by immersing myself in the fiction, away from the hustle and bustle surrounding me or the mundane trivialities that I have to deal with. Reading can be an escapade.
The past 2 weeks when I have been clearing annual vacation leave at home provides a good window for me to catch up some reading and indulge in the solitude of the words.
Reading is also a way of keeping up with English language. For those of us who work at least 9 hours a day, and who are not in the creative industry, our use of the language can be reduced to that few words relating to our work. We only deal with facts and no longer appreciate an appropriate use of the language. Our writing and speech becomes curt and with only statistics and few verbs. Only through reading do we actually see the beauty of the language.
In addition, books are also a means for us to constantly acquire newer knowledge and stay connected. For those of us who have left school, our intelligence and knowledge can truly stagnate unless we do something about it. Reading is essential to know more and to know the latest.
When is the last time you have picked up a book? Since a long weekend is coming, instead of hitting the malls, why not hit the library instead?
December 01, 2008
The Starbucks Experience
Piqued by curiosity, I pickd up the book which highlighted some of the business philosophies that Starbucks held close to their hearts to attain their current global business success. The book summarised the 5 key principles that Starbucks has integrated into their day-to-day operations.
The 5 principles are:
1) Make it your own - where all employees understand busines priorities and look for ways to bring their individual creativity and passion to meet those objectives.
- Be genuine to connect, discover ad respond
- Be welcoming to invite customers back repeatedly
- Be considerate by being mindful of other people's needs
- Be knowledgeable about your products
- Be involved in the community
2) Everything matters - retail is detail
- Missed details and lose customers
- A small detail is the difference between success and failure
- Important details lie in what can be seen or unseen by the customers
- Ask customers what details they notice
- Details affect emotional connection
- Acknowledge, celebrate and play
- Everyone matters
3) Surprise and delight
- Nowadays. consumers expected to be dazzled
- The most effective events are natural and spontaneous
- Surprise can be as simple as offering guidance
- When breakdown occurs, businesses can still surprise by making things right
4) Embrace resistance
- To work with resistance effectively, you must distinguish between people who have a concern to be resolved and those who just want to complain
- When the concerns of critics are addressed, they can be your strongest supporters
- It is critical to correct misinformation immediately
- When errors are made, deal with them effectively and directly
5) Leave your mark - on communities
- Be good corporate citizen
- Employee morale can be enhanced in a socially conscious organisation
There are many anecdotes in the book to illustrate the gist of the principles. I was really inspired by the extra mile of the company and the corporate social responsibility undertaken by Starbucks' management. I am not a strong supporter of Starbucks as I normally get my caffeine fix with instant coffee or coffee shop's coffee. Moreover, I have not seem to seen some of the passion described in the book in the local Starbucks' outlet. However, I am certainly filled with anticipation of what I will see in the Starbucks' outlet when I next pop by.
The 5 principles are:
1) Make it your own - where all employees understand busines priorities and look for ways to bring their individual creativity and passion to meet those objectives.
- Be genuine to connect, discover ad respond
- Be welcoming to invite customers back repeatedly
- Be considerate by being mindful of other people's needs
- Be knowledgeable about your products
- Be involved in the community
2) Everything matters - retail is detail
- Missed details and lose customers
- A small detail is the difference between success and failure
- Important details lie in what can be seen or unseen by the customers
- Ask customers what details they notice
- Details affect emotional connection
- Acknowledge, celebrate and play
- Everyone matters
3) Surprise and delight
- Nowadays. consumers expected to be dazzled
- The most effective events are natural and spontaneous
- Surprise can be as simple as offering guidance
- When breakdown occurs, businesses can still surprise by making things right
4) Embrace resistance
- To work with resistance effectively, you must distinguish between people who have a concern to be resolved and those who just want to complain
- When the concerns of critics are addressed, they can be your strongest supporters
- It is critical to correct misinformation immediately
- When errors are made, deal with them effectively and directly
5) Leave your mark - on communities
- Be good corporate citizen
- Employee morale can be enhanced in a socially conscious organisation
There are many anecdotes in the book to illustrate the gist of the principles. I was really inspired by the extra mile of the company and the corporate social responsibility undertaken by Starbucks' management. I am not a strong supporter of Starbucks as I normally get my caffeine fix with instant coffee or coffee shop's coffee. Moreover, I have not seem to seen some of the passion described in the book in the local Starbucks' outlet. However, I am certainly filled with anticipation of what I will see in the Starbucks' outlet when I next pop by.
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