Secretary's week

Friends who read this blog entry muz be wondering why is the Secretary's Week is one of my topic this time? What's the linkage? Well, my team of IRs are very sweet, and invite the 3 of us - the CSAs (cum Secretaries) to a Buffet Lunch @ Ritz Carlton (Greenhouse) as a way of rewarding us! Even thou I jus join not too long ago, I was lucky to get this free treat! haha...Never did I imagine that I will be called as "Secretary" !

The Team lunch was great!! It was fun and entertaining hearing the IRs joke around, and also sitting in a posh BMW car to travel to Ritz. And this is my 1st time going to Ritz Carlton!! Su ku right?haha.. I know..

There was a lucky draw but only one winner! chey! We din win anything lah.

It is really a team bonding session as I can feel some improvement in the work relationship with them!

Jobs vs Work vs Career

Why is it that I always feel that people around me have found the jobs
of their heart? Something they like to work in? As counsellor lah,
events coordinator lah, teacher lah, marketing lah..I can feel the
satisfaction & happiness they felt. Why is it that I can't feel the
same for myself? I feel empty, except for the high pay, gd benefits,
and prestigious company name and reputation. Why is it I keep feeling
there is a mismatch somehow, despite the people there are willing to
teach me, willing to accept me thou I come from a non-financial
background and having this carelessness-prone attitude?



I ask myself: What do I actually like? What am I looking for in a job?
I just need a job to keep my income constant so that I can finance my
expenses such as housing, renovation, holidays, wedding plans, etc..Not
to forget my family's monthly allowances and study loans. Sigh...I am
willing to sacrifice everything for the $$$? Why am I so practical? Why
am I forgetting the little voice inside me who wants to do something I
like?



I remembered once I went for a job interview that I know I would
definitely like - Its to be a teacher for Brain Training School "The
Shachita Method". I would love to teach those young adorable kids who
have marvellous learning skills! I would love to see how parents learn
and bond with their kids...But because of the non-office working hours
that require me to work weekends full time, and also to get only $1.4k
for the first 1 year probation, and if you quit before that, you still
have to pay them back the training costs! How can I survive with that
pay?!? Its even lesser than a fresh Diploma holder! So I gave up the
chance thou the person in charge shortlisted me for 2nd interview
within the same day.



Why do I have to make sacrifices for living? for survivin? for material purposes?



I hope to do something I like in the future, without causing a strain in income allowance.

Step 1 to our New House: Choosing Tiles

Today we met up with our Interior Designer to choose floor and wall tiles at Soon Bee Huat which is located at Toh Guan Road. Its a big showroom with lotsa lotsa choices of tiles!! We are able to make our choices for the Living Room and Kitchen Tiles, but had difficulty in finding the right match for our Master Bathroom floor and wall tiles! All because of our toilet bowl being in GREY color that we are unable to choose the Natural Brown series to give that SPA look..So in the end, we have to choose grey series. It isnt that bad for dark Grey series for the floor tiles, but had difficulty in matching with the wall tiles which has to be light Grey series.

Expected Date of Start Work: 29th April (Sat) as its an auspiscious day to 动土.

Current Processes:
1) To get Renovation Loan from either RHB Bank or NTUC Thrift.
2) To get prices for Air Cons as we are meeting the Electrician on 29th too.

We then had dinner @ Kyo-Nichin Ramen Restaurant which serves fabulous Ramen! Dear even said something that is unexpected & touching *Censored* Luckily the restaurant is quite empty except for us and the waiters/ waitresses. Haha.. I'll always remember his sweet words..

Good Buy For the Day!

Today we went back to the Furniture Club with my parents in law to look at the furniture set again and we had a good bargain, all thanks to my 厉害 hubby bargaining skills! Haha...As mentioned in the previous blog, we bought a set of the L-Shaped Sofa (picture shown) + 2 given cushions + 2 Free cushions + TV Console + Coffee Table (The picture on the left) + Dining Table + 4 Dining Chairs + 2 Free Chairs + 1 Free Bedside Table. Hahaha... wat a good bargain. All at $3388 (We bought extra sofa cover set at $480). My parents in law also bought the same Dining Table + 4 Chairs + 2 Free Chairs = $1288, UP @ $1488 + $99/extra chair. Its really a good buy thou the Showroom is at quite a distance away from our house.

Good Friday..cuz its a holiday!!

Good Friday - 14th April 2006

Yipee!! Its a long awaited public holiday and a break away from work FINALLY!! I had a busy schedule for that day, starting with Dim Sum brunch @ Yan Restaurant (Chinatown) with Dear's colleagues, then to one of his colleagues' condo @ Bukit Timah for games - I play Monopoly while Dear play mahjong lor. Initially planned to have tennis games and swimming but weather was not good for outdoor sports.

Then I went to attend a musical performance presented by the Moriah Assembly of "You are Special!" Its an interesting show which is inspired by Max Lucado's classic storybook. I find a heartwarming meaning in the show, that people around you give you when you do something good/correct, but they give you greyspots when you do something bad/wrong. But it is how others determine whether you get a or a , if you do not care about how the others think of you, the greyspots will eventually drop off. So its most importantly on how YOU determine yourself, as being SPECIAL. I find it very close to my heart cuz always I care alot of how others think of me, of what I do and often I got upset and disturbed cuz I am afraid of others' judgement of me. Well, this story inspires me to focuz on my own "Specialness" and not always think of how others think of me...I can't say I can do 100% of what I have reflected upon, but I will try my best to achieve that.

Midway thru the show, I left for my dinner appointment with our friends at Phin's Steakhouse @ Liang Seah Street. The food is not bad, thou Dear felt that the steak is done better @ the Tampines branch. The HOT chocolate is not so HOT after all! Chek! We wanted HOT drinks for a cold weather, instead we get such a not Hot drink! Dear was not feelin that well the whole day, so we left for home right after dinner.

Sadly to mention, one of our Emcees - Zhiwei told us that he is being posted to overseas reservist on our wedding So disappointing! Cuz he is a great fren of Dear, and he was originally asked to be his Brother + Chauffer+Emcee. Now we are facing problems with the Emcee issue again. Sigh...How I envy Melissa, who can get everythin settled with her friends' help. Me leh? I have been facing such problems since from the start cuz my frens can't help to be my Emcee. I really really really pray hard that my wedding preparations can be carried out smoothly with my friends' help. If not, it is really not easy to handle everything on our own... Probably I have lack of 贵人 bah, sad to say... Maybe its time for me to sit down with my fellow frens to discuss my wedding plans soon liao...I feel so unprepared for my wedding!! OMG!!

Busy Sat - 15th Apr 2006

Today Dear no need to go for tuition! yeh!! so I can have him for the whole day!! We started of our day @ IMM whereby we CONFIRM our Interior Designer for our house - Weiken Construction & Renovation Works after consulting about 6 - 7 Interior Designers. Its really time spending on all these researching, sourcing and discussion session. Well, both of us are happy with the recommended Senior Interior Designer - Lisa Toh, of her services and approach, of cuz not to mention her ideas and designs. The quotation is within our budget and we even got some discounts here and there, with Dear's tactics! haha...

After the signing of the contract, we feel happy and relieved cuz one big decision is finalized and we can start our renovations very soon, probably in May. Then we walk around IMM to see see look look furniture, mainly sofas. By chance, we saw some interesting L-Shaped sofas with mechanisms built in which can adjust the sofa in and out. From there, we decided to take a trip down to The Furniture Club @ Sungei Kadut (Warehouse Showroom). At there, we were being offered an attractive package of: A L-Shaped Sofa set with mechanisms built-in+ Matching TV console+Matching Coffee Table+Matching Dining Table+4 Dining Chairs = $3388 !!! Wow!! The style and designs are just what we like, and they are in a set! The quality and materials wise are good too! And they come with warranty! Tml we are going down with my father-in-law cuz he was a carpenter. If the package is good and worth it, we will buy bah. (We are actually very very tempted liao..hee...) Next week we will start to choose our floor and wall tiles liao..So excited for the start of our house reno!!

LAS VEGAS Dinner & Dance 2006

French maid costume - She's really chio bu lor! She was one of the selected constants for the outstanding costume show

Event: Morgan Stanley Dinner & Dance 2006
Date: 7th Apr 2006
Venuw: The Oriental - Grand Ballroom
Theme: LAS VEGAS
Dress Code: Extravagant
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It was a night of dressing up in EXTRAVAGANT costumes and having lotsa fun throughout the whole night. This is my 1st formal (own) D&D that I have ever attended in my whole life and its very fun!
There are "fake" gambling areas being set up outside the ballroom, and there are indeed people playing with the chips that we were given at the entrance. Entering the ballroom through a fake "airplane entrance", which leads to Viva Las Vegas. Then there is a stage being set up with poker cards, and numbers etc.

It was so interesting looking at how the other people dress up according to the theme, some look very nice, some look like monster (cuz they dress up in monster mask mah!) haha...Its really a glamorous nite.

We had 4 courses of Western dinner, which is exquisite and the food quality is still ok (only). Exquisite dinner = small portions. Sigh, lucky I was full with lemon tea.

The Emcee for the night really captures everyone's attention cuz he is really humorous and stimes he talk those dirty jokes in cover. So funny they way how he teased the contestants! There were games like S'pore version of "Scissors, Paper, Stone" that is replaced by "Bird, Water, Stone". The "lucky" contestants have to stand on the chair and play with opponents across the tables.We even have 4 selected contestants of the night, who have the most outstanding outfits, and they have to do an "out of the blue" catwalk on the stage. Of cuz the lucky draw is definitely one of the highlights of the night, and lucky me, I got the 15th Prize! ( Prize to be revealed later..hee...) I was talking to my friend, and din even realise that they are calling my name! haha..As wat Aipoh says, 傻人有傻福..haha..cuz initially I was thinking I can do with the IKEA, Carrefour vouchers which are given at the last few prizes. But din know I can get something better! haha...

By incident, I was being asked to help out Aipoh's team in their talent time performance at last minute. Thank god its a small (but impt!) role leh! To flip the music notes for the pianist! hahaha... I m "impt" cuz if dun have me, the pianist cant play the whole song, then the singer cant sing with the music and the performance cant be accompolished! haha.. Wat a joke right?

To end the final note, I am glad that Aipoh decided to accompany me to the D&D..I truly enjoyed myself even after a bad day @ work that day.

Life Challenges..Good or Bad?

    We meet with life challenges everyday...In work, whereby one meets deadlines, tight demands, facing of problems vs solving with solutions, unlimited learning of new knowledge n information...Being ignorant doesnt bring you anywhere..you have to absorb no matter how interested or focuz are you.

In life, you face unexpected happenings that you can't forsee, or you face different versions of Ups and Downs, and that is another form of challenge. You have to learn how to cope with them, and learn how to move on...

Even when facing people around you - family, close friends, loved ones, colleagues, strangers, are also a challenge to you! You never know when they disappoint you, or when you have unhappiness with them, or how to communicate with them in the way both of you understand.

Making choices in our life path are also a challenge..You will never know what are the consequences if you do not make the first step, but will you be able to bear the consequences if they are not to your liking? There are so many alternatives and disruptions in our life, that sometimes we are lost in choosing the desired path that we like or we want.

One big question for the day: Are life challenges good or bad? Do we need these challenges to make us a better and stronger person? What happened if we succeed in overcoming the challenges? Satisfactory from your achievements? So what happened if the process of overcoming them are tough? So tough that they bring you down? Really really very down...Why are we trying so hard to meet daily challenges? Why is life so tough?