My Beloved Granny

I just came back from Switzerland and Paris - the 11 best days this year! Why? Because I have spent some real quality time with my family. I'm really glad with have all of them in my life. My granny is getting old, and I'm feeling quite terrified as she's starting to feel weak in her knees and sometimes is not be able to get up on her own. We ferried her throughout the trip in a wheelchair. It got worst in Paris when there were hardly any lifts, and so she walked the stairs while we carried her wheelchair up and down the subway. She said she likes the subway as much as the tour bus but i think she's lying.

She sacrifices many things in life .... just to give us the perfect life. I'm really thankful for everything i have in my life, nothing to complain about really. She taught me kindness, forgiveness and most importantly she taught me love. Thanks to her, I am now a much better person than before. She has given me enough to last me a lifetime... I really do love her very much and think she's the best granny in the whole wide world!

I'm going to make her read this post! :)

A day out blading!

SO fun!

I truly enjoyed myself today!

I am looking forward to floorball. :P

Smiley Face

Oooohhh i can't help but think that i am the right place and the right time. Some of my boss sensed my enthusiasm in coming to work and running projects. Little do they know that i am really excited. I even think about work even at home coz it keeps me high. Madness indeed.

I'm in the right department and in the right team. I'm getting the right projects and most impotantly I'm having the right attitude to bring me through this whole financial crisis unscathed. At least i believe so. :)

Right now in the banking industry, there's so much emphasis on internal controls and risk management. So if you're doing audit, don't fret. Stay where you are and you'll bear the fruits of your labour soon.

Ahh... I am so happy with everything in my life.

Let's end off with what Helen Keller said:
" Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence! "

Eeeks

Look at Mocca, lying on my favourite doormat.

He's bald. I'm horrified with his new look.

I thought he was another dog.

I didn't know my dad brought him to the "stylist".

Hul...Where's all your pretty fur?

My New Friend

A number of thoughts crossed my mind as I write this.

I am in the middle of my VBA class right now while the lecturer goes on to recap what we did yesterday. In my mind, I am thinking of what breakfast to buy during the break. I am also thinking about how I should write this post. So yes, I know what you are thinking... Guilty as charged; I'm not exactly paying attention.

Anyway, I got acquainted with a new friend just 3 days ago. He's called VBA... sounds cheesy yeah. Please do not think that my relationship with my new VBA friend is unique, it’s none other than a normal relationship you have with your friends or family.

Why would I say this? It’s only when you know more about a person before you really appreciate him or her for who she is. Before that, the person is either irritating if not mostly normal. I’m giving VBA the benefit of the doubt because I have read and witnessed many of the interesting things he can do. He is probably not going to be my best buddy. Still, I regard him as a worthwhile friend to have.

I foresee getting to know VBA as an arduous task as he speaks in a language totally foreign to me. So far, I understand that he is a very logical person, so if you don’t make sense to him, he will tell you that, “Sorry! I can’t do it. ” and does not propose any solution. In his world, that is called “Error”. He tests my patience half the time… sometimes I feel like shutting him up.

Miscommunication happens when you don’t understand the other party or vice versa and probably will not get resolved if you don’t bother understanding. Just like how VBA will continue to vomit an error message until I learn and fix his problems correctly. For each time that I managed to troubleshoot successfully; I feel that I know him better. He gives me this sense of satisfaction that I can’t get from Daniel. Hope my relationship with VBA will reach greater heights.

St. Nicks Values

When my friends asked me what were my school values, I recalled at best, my school's motto which is ----> Simple in virtue, Steadfast in duty德纯义坚.

Now...feeling really ashamed of myself, I shall put this up on here to remind me in living up to them everyday.

Our Values 学校价值观

1. Truth 真诚
2. Justice 正直
3. Freedom 自由
4. Love 博爱

Gratitude and humility饮水思源

To be thankful for our talents and abilities, to appreciate and acknowledge all who have enabled us, and to always be mindful that there is much more that we can learn from everyone.

Sisterly Love 姐妹同心
To treasure one another in the SNG family by always speaking the truth in love and supporting and encouraging one another in all ways.

Dignity for all 互相敬重
To recognize that everyone is unique and has value, and to treat all people equally, with respect and concern.

Lead and serve 发挥潜能
To have integrity and honesty in word and deed when enabling, motivating, and supporting others, and to always use our talents and abilities for the betterment of all.

Create and celebrate 富有创意
To pursue excellence in work that benefits all, and to acknowledge and encourage good work and effort.

Learn from life活学巧用
To seek truth and beauty in all that is around us, and wisdom and knowledge beyond what is taught in class, and to share what we learn, in a spirit of love, with the people we encounter

Being Happy! Every single day!

Somehow, I hate hanging around with angsty people. That's because I have to expense a lot of effort trying to fight all these negative thoughts away.

I want to stay happy. I want to stay happy!!!!!!!!!!!

More so, I want the people I love to be happy!

Do you realise somehow Singaporeans just love to complain? From Inflation, ERP, educational system, foreign immigrants to inconsiderate Singaporeans. Besides, these people usually do not do anything about it.

Honestly, I really see no point in doing so; since it doesn't make things better. YES, sometimes it's good to vent these frustrations once in a while so that you might feel better. But little do some of us realise how detrimental vocalising these negative thoughts can be on our physiological health and the people around us.

I wouldn't say I am indifferent to the imperfections in the world. Seriously, we've have got to learn to live and deal with imperfections. They will always be around. So why not, view it as part as parcel of life? You'll be a much happier person.

Mapping my career

Ahhhh...I am seriously quite lost at this point in time. I have a rough picture of where I wanna be in future. I aim to a Business Consultant specialising in Financial Institutions. I aspire to gain enough domain and industry knowledge to become a subject matter expert to be a competent consultant in time to come.

I did a business analyst profile mapping today. Results shows that my role is primarily a business consultant role and my secondary role is a business MIS Analyst. Nevertheless, I know that I would definitely require 5 yrs of experience in order to perform the role well.

Well the ideal situation is that, my ultimate placement at the end of the programme would be in Operational Risk and Controls. I wish to stay in that area for at least 3 years to qualify for CPA, and thereafter pursue Masters in Corporate and Financial Law and then work for a Consulting Firm. MBA will come only in the later part of my life.

Though nothing is for certain, at least, I feel that I am at the right place at the right time and I will make the best out of it.

Olympics Fever

I found myself drawn to catching Olympics this whole week. I miss all that adrenalin, the smell of winning and the touch of a trophy. It’s so exciting to see these athletes compete with one another; see how they deal with disappointment and make a comeback within seconds; see how they coordinate and perfect their routine. When they win, you feel their happiness. When they lose, you somehow share their pain.

But what we don’t usually see is the hard work behind their success. The kind of training they have been put through is beyond my imagination. Not many of us can withstand such a life.

As I type this, the fireworks are exploding into the skies. What an awesome view I from my room! Non-stop action since 9 o’clock. :)

No longer a privileged student

Truly, I am faced with a steep learning curve in Standard Chartered Bank, involving not only financial knowledge but people knowledge. It’s not at all about the quality of work I produce because that is largely within my realm of control. Instead, it’s about managing people at my workplace. Things are no longer as straightforward as they were in school. No one will tell you what is right or wrong. In fact, there’s no right or wrong. In reality, we all know we live in an imperfect world. Hence, knowing how to manage these imperfections is crucial. This is where EQ comes into the picture, more so than IQ. IQ only gets us through the door but it does not account for the uncertainties in life; EQ does.

Coming from operations, I deal with more people than one would think. Unlike other BAs in my programme who stay in a particular business much longer, I rotate close to every month, constantly having to adapt to new teams, bosses, processes, and environment. Every time, it is a whole new experience and challenge. Every day, I am learning to cope with different team dynamics, individual working styles, attitudes and personalities. Indeed, these people do not usually behave the way you wish they would. Otherwise, I would say we live in a perfect world.

On top of projects and daily work, my work revolves around questioning, “why things are being done in this manner”, “how we can better improve processes”. Piecing bits and pieces of information from different groups of people to form a larger sensible picture of the bank and thereafter making sense of it all. Having to deliver a management review presentation at the end of every rotation stresses out me quite a great deal as I have to factor in considerations such as: “ what the bosses want to hear, what my colleagues want to hear, what is good for the company and the purpose of the presentation”. A lot of times, they are in conflict, making it almost impossible to get the message across to these diverse people effectively at the same time.

Coincidentally, I received an interesting course lately– how to facilitate events to achieve its stated objectives. It exposed me to 4 different types of learning styles, namely Activist, Pragmatist, Reflector and Theorist. I scored the highest in “reflector”, followed closely by “Pragmatists”.

As a reflector, I prefer to keep a low profile in discussions, to observe and listen before I make any contribution. When pressured, I can think on my feet to a certain extent but I must say I feel really uncomfortable in such situations. I rather have time to ponder over issues that have been raised, do some thorough research and analysis before I make my stand. :)

The noise, the action and the energy... what do you make out of it?

With high stress levels, work life balance doesn’t come naturally. A lot of effort is required. I have been juggling with studying for CFA, undertaking greater responsibility at work, staying fit, spending time with my love, family and friends… and not forgetting my little dog. I hope I don’t burn out. It’s not helping when I’m working in this unnamed department which is seriously draining my energy level. I’m glad I’m here for only a month else I wouldn’t know who I will become. Concurrently, I have recently taken on this really messy reconciliation project from another department which stresses me out big time as it requires lots of VBA work (which I am really bad at) and understanding nature of all structured product bookings. I relish the challenge though.

Now, someone has to suck it all up for a greater goal and that someone is me. Anyway, everyone has to be this someone every now and then.

I guess any job can be boring after a while; I am taking a lot of measures to counteract the negative forces/feeling I face here. I tell myself, I have to keep cool at all times! Stay happy and enthusiastic! There is always a choice about the way we do your work, even if there is not a choice about the work itself. We can choose the attitude we bring to work which can help determine the way we are at work. It’s simple to understand but so difficult to act upon and make it sustainable.

Now, kick me in the butt!

Vices at work

I never like to get myself involved in polictics. In fact, I used to despise people who play politics. I thought that if you have the substance, you'll fare better if not as well than those who play politics. Sadly, this is not the case at the workplace where competition is pervasive.

As a new member of my organsation, I have learnt a lot just by observing and assessing the political landscape. Much of it is subtle and unspoken, but nearly everyone is competing for something or the other; opportunities, recognition, status, compensation, manpower, space, budgets etc.

I believe sooner or later, some politicking is required to get me to my destination.

Fix IT

Hmm.. so I happen to read about some sob stories and thought about the all problems the people around me have. Here's some tips from me.

All of us somehow have insecurities and issues we wished we could change about ourselves. There is really little point in wallowing in self-pity. Man, we can’t run away from the fact that there are just some things about us we just can’t change. Nevertheless, we can still maximize the value of ourselves by overcoming or fixing those things that are within our power to change. It's never too late to start today.

Mindset

I often reflect on things that happens in the day, but it is rarely that i pen them down like this. Recently, I reflect a lot more than usual and realised that how much growing up I have done. I learnt a lot of things that hard way by experiencing it myself. Despite its wisdom, books are of little help. Most of the help comes from within. More often than not, you only learn when you get burnt and its only then , that you understand the true meaning intented by the author. Just like how your parents' nagging suddenly can seem heartwarming to you.

Life takes on a 180 when your perspective of things change. This has been the case for me eversince I started working. Big things in the past become nothing but a speck of dust in my eye. Its nothing more than removing that piece of dirt to get on with life. My key takeaway from all my reflections thus far is that mindset is the key to all success. Because with the right mindset, it can help pull you away from undesirable thoughts and feelings that could hinder success. As it is important to exercise to stay healthy, it is equally important to take time off to understand how your body is feeling. It is always good to know how you are feeling so that you can fine-tune your emotions. After you know what you are dealing with, it would be way easier in managing emotions. i.e pitching it at the right level, making it work for you rather than against you. Everyone has their own formulae, there is no right way of doing things. I have found mine but it is going to take time to nurture it to become receptive to all situations.

Air Supply

It was a great concert! unfortunately, only managed to video at the end. ha.

Bombshell and its impact

Horrified and disappointed. Ronaldo drops bombshell on United. Check this out! http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=768745.html What exactly is he trying to do? Is this some publicity stunt of his? Could he be thriving on the attention from club managers worldwide? or maybe, it's one of his strategy for a pay increment. oh well, he is a smart guy, he must know what to do. As my favourite player, he has indeed improved in leaps and bounds since years ago and plus, he has played a really great game this season. :)

Another shocking news hit me when I got home today. I found the tap running on full "power". This means that it has been on for the past 10 hours. Thinking about all that water wasted gets on my nerves. It could be used for at least a 100 baths and car washes. I'm really feeling the pinch even though the bill is not coming from my pocket. All the talk about global conservation.. being green and all, and yet my family is not doing the right thing! I'm going to find out who is the little culprit and give him a good scolding.

Wet morning but sexy saturday ahead~

Oh my, it’s a wet morning today! I'm feeling great. I'll be having yoga class soon. My trainer is really nice, probably in her mid-thirties or so. Didn’t dare to ask coz age is a sensitive issue yea? Even at my previous workplace, we celebrate birthdays with only one candle! Ho ho, just browse through Kerly’s blog, so fun so fun! She is having so much fun and I am happy for her. Kerly’s blog is the only blog I can remember, I have lost all of my friends bog after formatting my computer. Sigh. I need to get back all of them again.

Yesterday, I went out with the girls and it was so much fun again. I wished I have digital cam so that I can post them up for you to see. Anyhow, Gina has already posted them in facebook; there are quite many silly pictures of me. Gosh, I can’t wait for Bangkok trip!

Now that I am working, people ask me how’s work? Well, work has been great so far. I really love everything about SCB, it’s a wonderful place to work in, especially in FMO. I have learnt heaps about products, structures, processes, risk management and made brilliant friends from the programme especially. Even then, there are some days which I wanna go home and sleep instead of working or wanna leave to go out with my baby more. This is where I can see myself developing into something more so even when things are not so great, I have to remind myself that I have to stick my head in it and carry on coz life is a marathon and not a race. Thus, Standard Chartered Marathon!

Oh shucks, I have to leave for yoga already. Stay tuned for more!

CHANGE

Many of us are resistant to change. Especially when things have been going so well for you, why would want to move out of your comfort zone?

Change, be it internal or external, signals the end of the tried, trusted and familiar but change is also a new beginning, a potentially exciting future. More often than not, we are unaware that we need change and that change can be beneficial. We are usually more comfortable with changes that we have control over. Take for example, getting a new mobile vs getting retrenched. Today I had a course on “How to turn Change into Opportunities” and I would like to share with you some interesting points.

We have to accept that changes happen. We need to be on our toes, to anticipate changes and adapt quickly. This can be done easily if you adopt the growth mindset, always have the learning aptitudes in you. Your earnings power is stagnant if your learning stops. For any change, view it in a positive light so that you can move out of the denial, resistance stages earlier.

This has worked for me throughout my life; I hope it’ll help you too!

Jokes in the Woks

Some jokes to keep you entertained.


"HOW was your blind date?" a college student asked her room-mate."Terrible!" the room-mate answered."He showed up in his 1932 Rolls Royce.""Wow! That's a very expensive car. What's so bad about that?""He was the original owner."-----

Patient: It's been one month since my last visit and I still feel miserable.Doctor: Did you follow the instructions on the medicine I gave you?Patient: I sure did. The bottle said, "keep tightly closed."-----

Girl : Do you love me ?Boy : Yes DearGirl : Would you die for me ?Boy : No, mine is undying love-----

Man : How old is your father ?Boy : As old as meMan : How can that be ?Boy : He became a father only when I was born-----

Waiter : I've stewed liver, boiled tongue and frog's leg.Customer : Don't tell me your problems. Give the menu card.-----

Manager : Sorry,but I can't give u a job. I don't need much help.Job Applicant: That's all right. In fact I'm just the right person in this case. You see, I won't be of much help anyway!!-----Dad : "Son, how can you call your aunt stupid? Go and say sorry to her."Son : (goes over to the aunt) "Aunt, I am sorry you are stupid.-----

Teacher: "How do u think Shakespeare wrote such master pieces?"College student: "With a pencil, maam, either a 2B or not 2B."-----

"Mum, teacher was asking me today if I have any brothers or sisters who will be coming to school.""That's nice of her to take such an interest. What did she say when u told her u are the only child?""She just said, 'Thank goodness!'"-----

Teacher: "Chong, u missed school last Friday."Chong : "You're wrong, Sir."Teacher: "Wrong, how is that?"Chong : "I was absent, yes but I certainly didn't miss it!"-----A teacher was asking her class: "What is the difference between 'unlawful' and 'illegal'?"Only one hand shot up. "Ok, answer, Joan," said the teacher."'unlawful' is when u do something the law doesn't allow and 'illegal' is a sick eagle."-----

Tooth extractionPatient : How much to have this tooth pulled?Dentist : $90.00.Patient : $90.00 for just a few minutes work???Dentist : I can extract it very slowly if you like.-----

Teacher : "How come you do not comb your hair?"Ah Kow : "No comb, Sir."Teacher : "Use your dad's then."Ah Kow : "No hair, Sir."

My Week

Finally, it's a Friday! Yay! This means the weekend is here. 5 days in the mine for 2 days of paradise! But I do enjoy what I doing at work plus my colleagues (in my dept) are really fun. Going to their house to play mahjong tmr, captain's ball next week and cycling at Ubin the following week. Never expected so have fited in so well. :)

I'm sitting at home chilling out with my family and mocca. It feels really good to have them all here. On wed, I had my driving test at 3.45pm. I thought I could pass. Sigh. Guess what stupid move I made? I inched forward to wait at a "imaginary pocket" in an attempt make a right turn at the junction despite the red arrow. This was an immediate failure! SObz!

Later that night, I went for Asoc Gala Dinner with my Asocies gang. Seeing many of my old friends once again reminded me of the fun times I had in school with them all. Sadly due to work, tim chloe and I were unable to join the rest for drinks and more action.

Well, I am glad today ended well. Looking forward to tomorrow!

Badminton with my family!

MoCCa - my little baby

Woohoo. I just woke up, it's a brand new day. my dog mocca is missing! I found out that it went jogging with my aunt. heehe. I miss my mocca. We call him mocca because he fur is that colour. he is one greedy little shih tzu which found my home by accident one day at he start of this year. before that, I have been seeing him wandering around my estate pitifully as if he were lost. I have no idea why the owner chose to let him go, he is such a cute little baby. I have advertised for mocca to have his owner claim him but no one has called so far. He is 7 years old, really obedient, one who hardly barks. I sometimes carry him like one and rock him to sleep. He loves to follow me into my room and sleep with me. I am more than glad so as long he doesnt poo or pee in my room. :P I love my mocca.

Past and Present

Hello, it is by chance that I decided to start blogging again. weird huh? I guess i can blog anonymously or at best not compromising on my privacy. Ha, I didnt add on to my previous blog as I think its good on its own. I reckon it'll be there even when my grandchildren are born. Let's see if I am right.

Anyway, having re-read my previous blog, I realised how much my life has changed since then. I still hold on to some of the core values mentioned. Other than that, I am less angsty, more receptive to other people's opinions and idiosyncrasies. I have let go of someone who meant the world to me for extenuating circumstances. For better or worse, no one knows. Even so, I know life will unwind itself naturally; that things will eventually work out for me. :)

Currently, I am seeing someone. This someone is special; he could very well be the right person. For some unspecifed reason, I just cant bring myself to love him. Maybe it's because we dont spend enough time together, maybe its because my heart has lost its capacity to love or maybe it's because i just wanna be alone. So many maybes to my lack of love, what could it be? I doubt I will ever find an answer but it's ok, I will work on my heart to love this someone special.

Free feel to visit my old blog at http://kooshiekwek.blogspot.com/.