It is time of the year again to take out your new year resolutions that were chucked aside for a while and reviewed how much of the list had been fulfilled. I have given up making new year resolutions many years ago as it often evolved to a continous and moving exercise.
This year has basically been a busy year with my focus mainly again on my family and work. Fortunately, family issues seemed to be resolve for the time being. Work-wise, I have started my third portfolio change for the year. Hopefully, my learning curve could gather up speed as I plunged into the budget exercise proper.
What will my focus be next year?
I hope that with a more stable team, I will be able to focus and add value to my more permanent portfolio. In addition, other than picking up the technical skills, I hope to be able to continue to develop my soft skills, especially in coaching and leadership. I hope I will be able to have more time to spend with my friends, especially my secondary school buddies.
I should not be too ambitious and set too mammoth a task for myself. I believe in celebrating minor successes to keep the motivation. Let's cheer each other on with our 2010 resolutions.
December 31, 2009
December 30, 2009
Quiet Week
Typically the last week of Dec will be a lull month for most companies and departments. However, for people in the Finance Department, it is often not so. Most Finance folks will either be busy with closing of the accounts or with budgeting exercise or both as most companies in Singapore have financial year end either in December or March.
There was no black-out period for budget for this week post Christmas and pre-New Year. However, many of the line managers and finance managers were clearing their leave, so the office was exceptionally quiet. It was a fantastic time to catch-up on work.
Despite it being a productive week, the post Christmas mood wiped out any mood for working. How I longed for going on breaks too.
There was no black-out period for budget for this week post Christmas and pre-New Year. However, many of the line managers and finance managers were clearing their leave, so the office was exceptionally quiet. It was a fantastic time to catch-up on work.
Despite it being a productive week, the post Christmas mood wiped out any mood for working. How I longed for going on breaks too.
December 24, 2009
Allergic to Muscle Relaxants
I can feel the first signs of coming down with sore throat and flu. Thinking that it is probably due to lack of sleep, I have decided to pop 2 muscle relaxants the night before. I always know that muscle relaxants will leave a lingering weakness the day after. Never did I expect it was so bad this time round.
Not only was I feeling weak overall, my limbs seemed wobbly. I seemed to be losing control of how my arms and legs. As I walked, I was very afraid that I would suddenly crumble and fall. In addition, I was feeling drowsy.
Phew, lucky the muscle relaxants more or less wore off by evening.
Not only was I feeling weak overall, my limbs seemed wobbly. I seemed to be losing control of how my arms and legs. As I walked, I was very afraid that I would suddenly crumble and fall. In addition, I was feeling drowsy.
Phew, lucky the muscle relaxants more or less wore off by evening.
Orchard Road on Christmas Eve
I have not been to Orchard Road on Christmas Eve for a long time. I have almost forgotten about the crowd that thronged the streets on Singapore's most famous shopping belts on major holidays. Suddenly, I am overwhelmed by claustrophia again especially with the shoulder rubbing with people around me. Maybe I should be glad that Orchard Road still remain a popular hangout place after so many years.
Avatar
It was touted to be one of the best films in CG which James Cameron (director of Titanic) took 10 years to make as he was waiting for the technology to catch-up with his conceptualisation. After watching the more mainstream movies recently (including romance genre's New Moon and family animation's Planet 51), a little science fiction should be a nice change.
Avatar talked about a separate life in another planet. A group of scientists and military people originally tried to integrate into the indigenous tribe to understand their culture and lives betters so as to persuade them to move away from the site which was rich in the minerals that they were trying to harvest. As they spent more time with the tribe, they began to take the sides of the tribe. A war started between the indisgenous tribe and men.
The movie's theme might not be new-new. After all, it was the perpetual fight of good versus evil. It was also about mankind destroying the environment for commercial use. Just like other Hollywood movies, the good triumphed over the evil. The environment was preserved. Love blossomed between the marine man and the indigenous tribal princess.
I have watched the 2D version but I heard from colleagues who subsequently caught the 3D version that the 3D version was better.
Avatar talked about a separate life in another planet. A group of scientists and military people originally tried to integrate into the indigenous tribe to understand their culture and lives betters so as to persuade them to move away from the site which was rich in the minerals that they were trying to harvest. As they spent more time with the tribe, they began to take the sides of the tribe. A war started between the indisgenous tribe and men.
The movie's theme might not be new-new. After all, it was the perpetual fight of good versus evil. It was also about mankind destroying the environment for commercial use. Just like other Hollywood movies, the good triumphed over the evil. The environment was preserved. Love blossomed between the marine man and the indigenous tribal princess.
I have watched the 2D version but I heard from colleagues who subsequently caught the 3D version that the 3D version was better.
December 22, 2009
Winter Solstice
I was having a 'discussion' with my boss on what was the meaning of winter solstice. You must be thinking we were such a cultured group to be talking about Chinese traditions. Well, we were more of idle chatting than engaging in some intellectual discussion. He argued that Winter Solstice signified the end of Winter while I speculated that Winter Solstice marked the beginning of Winter. In the end, no conclusion was drawn as both of us were not 100 percent certain of our own guess.
P.S. I did a google and it seemed that Winter Solsticewas not either the end or the beginning of Winter. It was supposed to be mid-Winter. Looked like both my boss and I were wrong in our speculations.
P.S. I did a google and it seemed that Winter Solsticewas not either the end or the beginning of Winter. It was supposed to be mid-Winter. Looked like both my boss and I were wrong in our speculations.
The Confessions of Max Tivoli
I have not watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button but heard that it was a splendid and touching film. Benjamin Button was someone who lived his life backwards physically. Max Tivoli in The Confessions of Max Tivoli was also someone who aged backwards.
Max was born looking like a 70-year old. As he gradually grew older, his appearance looked younger. His grandmother predicted his death based on the year he was born and his look at the time of birth. To Max, his illness was like a curse preventing him from living a normal life. His appearance also barred him from the love of his life. When he looked like he was in fifties, he was still a teenage boy pyschologically. When he looked like a teenage boy, he was pyschologically a fifty-year old man. No matter how he felt mentally and emotionally, he had to act the age of his appearance.
Despite being able to spend some time with the love of his life, the bliss was transient as he started to age backwards. The mismatch in appearance started to become more apparent as the days go by. It is time to either confess or leave. When he chose confession, his wife could not forgive him and decided to leave him.
When he next met his wife, he was already a young boy in appearance. He managed to stay a short period of time with his wife and his son as an orphaned boy. Knowing that the second chance with his love would again be transient, he chose to end his life when his wife was to wed again.
It was a tragedy to know your death. It is also a tragedy not to be able to spend time with the one you love. I wondered if The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was as sad and hapless as The Confessions of Max Tivoli.
Max was born looking like a 70-year old. As he gradually grew older, his appearance looked younger. His grandmother predicted his death based on the year he was born and his look at the time of birth. To Max, his illness was like a curse preventing him from living a normal life. His appearance also barred him from the love of his life. When he looked like he was in fifties, he was still a teenage boy pyschologically. When he looked like a teenage boy, he was pyschologically a fifty-year old man. No matter how he felt mentally and emotionally, he had to act the age of his appearance.
Despite being able to spend some time with the love of his life, the bliss was transient as he started to age backwards. The mismatch in appearance started to become more apparent as the days go by. It is time to either confess or leave. When he chose confession, his wife could not forgive him and decided to leave him.
When he next met his wife, he was already a young boy in appearance. He managed to stay a short period of time with his wife and his son as an orphaned boy. Knowing that the second chance with his love would again be transient, he chose to end his life when his wife was to wed again.
It was a tragedy to know your death. It is also a tragedy not to be able to spend time with the one you love. I wondered if The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was as sad and hapless as The Confessions of Max Tivoli.
December 21, 2009
Cupcakes from Colleague
My colleague made cup cakes for us in celebration of the Christmas. She was always an expert in baking. Her cup cakes, in the eyes of novice like me, were certainly on par with the professional.
As the cupcakes were home-made, my colleague has put in less sugar than those sold outside. it was heavenly. I felt guilty chomping down such a pretty cake.
Hmm, I should ask her for the recipe. She certainly inspired me to bake...
As the cupcakes were home-made, my colleague has put in less sugar than those sold outside. it was heavenly. I felt guilty chomping down such a pretty cake.
December 15, 2009
Support From Boss
I must have looked dreadful. The stress must be getting to me till people around me start to notice my frowns and tired appearance. My boss decided to have a one-to-one with me to find out how I was getting on.
I have always have a rather open communication with my boss. Hence, I have no qualms being upfront with her on my worries about my latest portfolio change when I was tasked to cover a colleague on maternity leave. This colleague's portfolio was already quite big in itself. I have only relinquished half of my existing portfolio. Moreover, this was the budget period. I had to cram all the product knowledge within a short period of time and to be able to intelligently apply all business knowledge to the budget submitted. Business acumen could only be built over time through product and market familiarity. I usually held high expectations of myself. Hence, I was very apprehensive about whether I would be able to do a good job.
My boss after hearing my concerns assured me that they had confidence that I would be able to pull through all the challenges ahead. She also highlighted the bosses would provide whatever support that I needed to complete the analysis including running through with me some of their focus areas so that I would not go on a wild goose chase of information to reach a finding that might not be as relevant.
I was very grateful for the talk. It was a vote of confidence by my boss. At the same time, it also showed that my boss was not blind to the stresses that we all faced one time or another with the challenges that came our way. I nearly teared during the talk from being moved by her concern and support. I was truly glad I had such a supportive and knowledgeable boss who could guide and support me through work challenges.
I have always have a rather open communication with my boss. Hence, I have no qualms being upfront with her on my worries about my latest portfolio change when I was tasked to cover a colleague on maternity leave. This colleague's portfolio was already quite big in itself. I have only relinquished half of my existing portfolio. Moreover, this was the budget period. I had to cram all the product knowledge within a short period of time and to be able to intelligently apply all business knowledge to the budget submitted. Business acumen could only be built over time through product and market familiarity. I usually held high expectations of myself. Hence, I was very apprehensive about whether I would be able to do a good job.
My boss after hearing my concerns assured me that they had confidence that I would be able to pull through all the challenges ahead. She also highlighted the bosses would provide whatever support that I needed to complete the analysis including running through with me some of their focus areas so that I would not go on a wild goose chase of information to reach a finding that might not be as relevant.
I was very grateful for the talk. It was a vote of confidence by my boss. At the same time, it also showed that my boss was not blind to the stresses that we all faced one time or another with the challenges that came our way. I nearly teared during the talk from being moved by her concern and support. I was truly glad I had such a supportive and knowledgeable boss who could guide and support me through work challenges.
December 14, 2009
Christmas Lighting
I have enjoyed walking down Orchard Road admiring the Christmas Lighting put up by the STB. Each year, the Christmas lightings drew varied and even opposing comments. This year is no exception. Some of my colleagues prefer the white lightings at Marina Area. I, on the other hand, welcome the more traditional red lightings especially with the drip-drop blue lights.
There has never and most likely will never be a white Christmas in Singapore. Unlike the temperate countries where they can probably hurdle around their furnace with their families and friends for a cosy and heartwarming Christmas. Christmas in Singapore can be equally heartwarming with a walk down the Orchard Road admiring the lightings.
If you have time, why not take a stroll down Orchard Road with your family and friends to bask in the festive mood?
December 12, 2009
Pu Tien
Pu Tien is one of the up-and-coming restaurants in Singapore offering Heng Hua cuisines. Heng Hua dialect is one of the less common dialects in Singapore. Similarly, its cuisine is also less well-known, unlike the Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese food.
Maybe I am too used to Teochew and Cantonese cuisines, Heng Hua cuisine may be more of an acquired taste. The aloe vera soup may be refreshing but being more used to the clear watery soup, the starchy version takes a while to get used to. The steamed sliced pork was slightly more salty for my liking. The home-made toufu was my favourite. The stir-fried bee hoon was its specialty. Perhaps I had too high an expectation and was slightly disappointed when I could not detect any specialty of the bee hoon.
Anyway, as with all food, sometimes the most important is not the food itself but the company. If you have the food with some of your closest friends, then the food only plays a secondary role.
Maybe I am too used to Teochew and Cantonese cuisines, Heng Hua cuisine may be more of an acquired taste. The aloe vera soup may be refreshing but being more used to the clear watery soup, the starchy version takes a while to get used to. The steamed sliced pork was slightly more salty for my liking. The home-made toufu was my favourite. The stir-fried bee hoon was its specialty. Perhaps I had too high an expectation and was slightly disappointed when I could not detect any specialty of the bee hoon.
Anyway, as with all food, sometimes the most important is not the food itself but the company. If you have the food with some of your closest friends, then the food only plays a secondary role.
Planet 51
I have not watched an animated film for a long time. I cannot remember the last animated movie I have watched - perhaps Shrek 2? It sounds like ancient times.
Planet 51 was about human landing on a planet which was at the level of civilisation of Earth's Fifties. The human surprised at landing in a place of aliens (lives in other planets) was more astounded when he was being hunted as the 'alien'. Of course, friendships blossomed between a few aliens and the human and eventually, the human and the alien helped each other to grow.
There are a few scenes which are rather slapstick humour making a dig at a typical outer space exploration, such as the astronaut pretending to moon-walk and striking the American flag on the ground of the planet. The process of self-discovery and having faith in one's ability were also emphasized.
It was an average film. If you wish for a short, brainless entertainment, then this will be a good show, but not an appropriate show if you have higher expectations.
Planet 51 was about human landing on a planet which was at the level of civilisation of Earth's Fifties. The human surprised at landing in a place of aliens (lives in other planets) was more astounded when he was being hunted as the 'alien'. Of course, friendships blossomed between a few aliens and the human and eventually, the human and the alien helped each other to grow.
There are a few scenes which are rather slapstick humour making a dig at a typical outer space exploration, such as the astronaut pretending to moon-walk and striking the American flag on the ground of the planet. The process of self-discovery and having faith in one's ability were also emphasized.
It was an average film. If you wish for a short, brainless entertainment, then this will be a good show, but not an appropriate show if you have higher expectations.
Back at Sticky Rice Again
If you ask for me for recommendations on value-for-money Thai food, I would definitely suggest Sticky Rice at Ang Mo Kio Hub. The promotion is more attractive for weekday lunches as well as for Citibank's credit card holders. 
There is also a wide selection of dishes from meat, vegetables, seafood to even soups. When eating Thai food, how can we miss some of the signature dishes such as tom yam soup, pandan chicken and thai prawn cakes.
The dishes are not served in large portions. For those who craved to try many dishes at one go, the smaller portions mean that you can have room in your stomach for many dishes. If you always avoided Thai food for its spiciness, then the dishes at Sticky Rice will suit you better. For someone who often choke on Tom Yam soup elsewhere due to its spiciness, Sticky Rice is the only Thai restaurant in Singapore where I can drink at least a bowl of Tom Yam soup without gulping a glass full of water. It also has a variety of non-spicy dishes for those who do not take spicy food at all, such as stir fried kai lan, prawn cakes, fish cakes, honey drumlets etc. Its food has rich flavours without being too overpowering. 
If you recently run out of options for a weekend meal, I will certainly recommend Sticky Rice at Ang mo Kio Hub.
December 09, 2009
Efficient Christmas Shopping
I tend to procrastinate on things that I am not good at. One of them is buying Christmas gifts for friends and colleagues. I have never prided creativity as my forte and I prefer to get pragmatic gifts, so usually food and towel sets rank high on my preferred gift choice.
This is the first time that I have bought all the gifts in a single shopping trip. As it was still about 3 weeks before Christmas, the popular Takashimaya departmental store was still relatively crowdless. I heaved a sigh of relief as I have never been one comfortable in crowds.
This year, I have decided to get flora teas for my better female colleagues. I have gotten photo frames for another colleague and a friend. Hopefully, these practical gifts would bring smiles to my friends' faces.
This is the first time that I have bought all the gifts in a single shopping trip. As it was still about 3 weeks before Christmas, the popular Takashimaya departmental store was still relatively crowdless. I heaved a sigh of relief as I have never been one comfortable in crowds.
This year, I have decided to get flora teas for my better female colleagues. I have gotten photo frames for another colleague and a friend. Hopefully, these practical gifts would bring smiles to my friends' faces.
December 08, 2009
Avatar Burger
The Avatar Burger is a new burger introduced by McDonald's in conjunction with the new movie. The Avatar burger consisted of two pieces of sesamed sandwich and succulent pieces of chicken tigh meat. The patty is grilled with teriyaki sauce and reminds me somewhat of the smaller version offered at Mos Burger. Compared to its deep-fried counterpart, the grilled version is slightly healthier, or so I try to deceive myself. The burger is quite substantial for a not-too-big eater like me, but the delicious taste will lure you to eat more than your usual portion.
December 07, 2009
White Cranes
Being Alone
In one of the scenes in My Queen, Wushuang was so used to doing things on her own that she often neglected the people around her. Both Lucas and Yunhao had to remind her to watch out for the person besides her as she was no longer alone.
Sometimes when we have been used to doing things independently, especially when our friends are equally independent, we tend to be more self-centred. We walk at a pace that is only comfortable to ourselves, oblivious to the person who may be in front or behind. When we eat, we forget that the person has not yet started or that the person is eating more slowly than we do. We neglect to wait for our companions. We forget the joy of doing things and sharing moments together. Doing things alone and having lines of sight of only 10cm radius around us may arise out of habit and necessity but may inadvertently breed self-centeredness.
I can feel myself slowly degenerating to exhibiting such atrocious behaviour. Is this a result of my own doing or am I being influenced by the macro culture?
Blurness partly contributed to my oblivion to my surroundings, including the people in my surroundings. I have once left my classmate behind while walking home together, not realising that she has almost fainted. I realised her absence only when I reached the train station a good 15 min away. During those times, there was no mobile phone to contact each other. Hence, I had just continued my way home thinking that her mum might have decided to fetch her after all.
I dislike such blase attitude towards friends and family. I have to put a stop to such self-centeredness before any damage became irreversible. I had to be more mindful of the person beside me. I must remember to slow down my pace if the person is not catching up. I have to learn to be more expressive of my concerns towards friends to let them know that I too notice their frowns. I must remind myself that I may not be alone all times.
Sometimes when we have been used to doing things independently, especially when our friends are equally independent, we tend to be more self-centred. We walk at a pace that is only comfortable to ourselves, oblivious to the person who may be in front or behind. When we eat, we forget that the person has not yet started or that the person is eating more slowly than we do. We neglect to wait for our companions. We forget the joy of doing things and sharing moments together. Doing things alone and having lines of sight of only 10cm radius around us may arise out of habit and necessity but may inadvertently breed self-centeredness.
I can feel myself slowly degenerating to exhibiting such atrocious behaviour. Is this a result of my own doing or am I being influenced by the macro culture?
Blurness partly contributed to my oblivion to my surroundings, including the people in my surroundings. I have once left my classmate behind while walking home together, not realising that she has almost fainted. I realised her absence only when I reached the train station a good 15 min away. During those times, there was no mobile phone to contact each other. Hence, I had just continued my way home thinking that her mum might have decided to fetch her after all.
I dislike such blase attitude towards friends and family. I have to put a stop to such self-centeredness before any damage became irreversible. I had to be more mindful of the person beside me. I must remember to slow down my pace if the person is not catching up. I have to learn to be more expressive of my concerns towards friends to let them know that I too notice their frowns. I must remind myself that I may not be alone all times.
December 06, 2009
Shokudo Pasta
I did not particularly like Shokudo Pasta the last time I visited. Of all the fusion food, I think I have only prefer Chinese-Western fusion. Italian-Japanese fusion is not exactly my cup of tea.Nevertheless, I still decide to give it a try.
When it is first served, the display of the food looks good. However, the creamy pasta is too rich for my liking. The meat balls had too much spices added for my liking. I am not someone who is big on spices. As the taste is too rich, I feel full soon even before I finish the pasta.
New Moon
This is the sequel to Twilight. The story has moved away from focusing on the Cullens family to that of the blossoming friendship between Bella and Jacob Black. Jacob took over as the new best friend of Bella when the Cullens moved away from Fork. Spending time with Jacob allowed Bella to temporarily forget about the void in her heart from the departure of Edward.
Just as Jacob and Bella might have taken their friendship further, Edward was in danger as he thought that Bella had died. Bella decided to go to Italy to stop Edward from doing something stupid to end his life.
Unlike Twilight where I have read the book before I saw the movie, I have not read New Moon. The Movie was simply about a good looking cast with the typical ingredients of touching romance, but the plot was unexciting. At least in Twilight, there was some humorous scenes but in New Moon, the development of the friendships between Jacob and Bella was slightly draggy. The different things that Bella attempted while she was trying to find adrenaline to compensate for the emptiness she felt was also draggy.
The only entertainment came not from the movie but from the audience. During critical scenes, the audience was making cat calls. There were also other sound effects that were emitted from the audience. This was the interesting part. In the end, the whole movie appeared corny because of all these sound effects.
Just as Jacob and Bella might have taken their friendship further, Edward was in danger as he thought that Bella had died. Bella decided to go to Italy to stop Edward from doing something stupid to end his life.
Unlike Twilight where I have read the book before I saw the movie, I have not read New Moon. The Movie was simply about a good looking cast with the typical ingredients of touching romance, but the plot was unexciting. At least in Twilight, there was some humorous scenes but in New Moon, the development of the friendships between Jacob and Bella was slightly draggy. The different things that Bella attempted while she was trying to find adrenaline to compensate for the emptiness she felt was also draggy.
The only entertainment came not from the movie but from the audience. During critical scenes, the audience was making cat calls. There were also other sound effects that were emitted from the audience. This was the interesting part. In the end, the whole movie appeared corny because of all these sound effects.
December 03, 2009
313 @ Somerset
This was the most exciting event of the year - the grand opening of a new mall and Uniqlo's megastore. We were anticipating this grand opening since we saw the advertisements. Moreover, this was right beside our office. How could we give this a miss?
We were so excited about this day and had been talking about it for ages. When we met the throngs of crowd who were as eager as us to see the mall on its opening day, our excitement was heightened. We could not wait to rush to Uniqlo.
Oh no, the queue waiting to get into the boutique snaked about at least 500 metres from the entrance. We decided to abandon our original mission of shopping at Uniqlo. Instead, we just went for the food at Food Republic. Oh dear, the queue continued here. There was a queue length of at least about 8 to 10 people for almost every stall. I was getting abit nervous about whether I could make it back in time for a 115 pm meeting.
I ordered handmade noodles which was quite good. However, the queue was quite slow. My colleagues had Yong Tau Hoo and sliced fish noodles. In the end, we really did not make it back in time. We only managed to reach office at 130pm. I guessed we would have to wait till the crowd die off at 313@ Somerset before we ventured here again.
We were so excited about this day and had been talking about it for ages. When we met the throngs of crowd who were as eager as us to see the mall on its opening day, our excitement was heightened. We could not wait to rush to Uniqlo.
Oh no, the queue waiting to get into the boutique snaked about at least 500 metres from the entrance. We decided to abandon our original mission of shopping at Uniqlo. Instead, we just went for the food at Food Republic. Oh dear, the queue continued here. There was a queue length of at least about 8 to 10 people for almost every stall. I was getting abit nervous about whether I could make it back in time for a 115 pm meeting.
I ordered handmade noodles which was quite good. However, the queue was quite slow. My colleagues had Yong Tau Hoo and sliced fish noodles. In the end, we really did not make it back in time. We only managed to reach office at 130pm. I guessed we would have to wait till the crowd die off at 313@ Somerset before we ventured here again.
December 01, 2009
More Abalone Dishes At Ah Yat
Ah Yat has offered more promotional abalone dishes. As we still have $5 vouchers from our last visit, we decide to utilise them before they expire.
The promotion for second serving of abalone rice dish at $5 has been expanded to include new abalone rice dishes. Of course, we have to try them. Yum yum!
The $5 vouchers can only be used on ala carte dishes at regular price. We order a soup and some fish cakes.
Overall, we are still very satisfied with the meal.
The promotion for second serving of abalone rice dish at $5 has been expanded to include new abalone rice dishes. Of course, we have to try them. Yum yum!
The $5 vouchers can only be used on ala carte dishes at regular price. We order a soup and some fish cakes.
Overall, we are still very satisfied with the meal.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)