Wow, donkey years had passed since I last updated this blog. Hooo.....nearly 1.5 years.

Saw Teck's entry  on the mahjong rules earlier, so thought of adding some comments. But forgot my password (yup, my memory now not so good already, heee....), then reset it and thought hmmm...good chance to pen something down.

First, visited other friends' xanga links Other than yifeng, teck, maan, zhuan with occasional updates till now, for most of us, the "blogging life" stops sometime in 2005.

Many things happened, many things change along the way, some good some bad... Hmmmmm..... Nope!! being a optimistic person, should rephrase. Should say "normal, good & better, heee.....!!!

Within this short span of time, those who are overseas came back (Wenlong and our Bin Bin Jason). Those who are not overseas went overseas (Teck and maan maan) and of course the remaining not overseas still remain not overseas (yifeng, weibin, zhuan...etc and me!!) haa...haaaa

Those not married 1.5 years ago got married, those who are single got attached, those who attached got reattached (yup, with different partners), single ones suddenly got married, single ones remain still single, attached ones continue to get attached (yup, with same partner), some attached ones became single, married ones give birth.....aiyo, simply too many permutations....

In terms of careers, some continue to stay in their 1st job, some switching to 2nd one, some heading on to 3rd and some already had 10 different jobs under their belt! Also, some went to on study masters & PHDs, some went to study part-time, some still deciding what else to do...etc etc

For me, yup still selling soft drinks!! though upgraded to another job scope last year. Whew....., finally no more replenishing stocks and climbing ladders!! So, as most of you are aware, visiting cinemas, fast food restaurants, the Zoo & shopping in personal beauty stores is part of my job now.

Oh and not forgetting my beloved cute little nephew, Zachary Xiao Baby (the photo on top left hand corner)!! 13 mths old now, learning to walk and starting to mumble now. Really a BIG bundle of joy to the entire family. Anyway, my sister recently switched job, and would be going to Germany for 6 mths training. So, being her only sibling, I'm tasked in a way to "take care" of this little boy in addition to my brother-in-law, my parents, her in-laws.... in all, ratio is 6 adults: 1 small boy. Heee...like what Teck says, it's good training for me. So we see how things go....but anyway, 6 mths will pass by super fast. In another 6 months, my sister will be back, Teck also back, and our maan maan will be back soon + another 6 mths to go.

New hobbies! Now seldom run as much, no time and no shoes leh....... Took up rollerblading lessons, but before I start to get the hang of it and enjoying it, think I'm losing interest already (opps!!)..... so fun to see people blade to & fro, while me struggle to stay balanced.... guess need more practice & more practice!!!! Now play mahjong more frequently. With JC friends, uni friends, colleagues......play so much but skills still not much improvement. Compared to our 4 Heavenly mahjong Kings (Y, T, W, Z), think still about 42 KM away.....

Opps, already 1.26am. Must sleep soon.

OK Before I pen off so abruptly, wishing U all a Happy Piggy Year ahead!!  Oink oink!!!!!!

Ta...ta, see you back in xanga in 1.5 years time!! Mid 2008, hee.............

Cleared my desk today at work. Throw away unwanted stufff and packed the wanted stuff in cartons. Today marks the last day at my old office at level 2..............

Come next Monday, I would be promoted (physically promoted I meant) to level 4! Actually a temporary re-allocation for one month because our entire sales department is undergoing a major major revamp.

For 16 years, it's the same furnitures and carpet (from pink to grey to black, hee...). You can just imagine the not so conducive work environment that we had. So the new renovation is certainty a long awaited & welcomed move.

For the past dew days, our entire sales force (close to hundred plus) are busy with throwing away rubbish and more rubbish. You can't imagine the tonnes of junk we throw, 16 years worth of unwanted furniture, premiums, outdated posters, banners, files, documents....etc Trolleys and more trolleys move up and down, left and right, everyone moving around, clearing stuff and searching other people's unwanted stuff (see if can recycle and can reuse). I come to one conclusion: What may seem like rubbish to you may seem like TREASURE to another! hee...hee

But frankly, it's good to clear away unnecessary things. As you clear these clutter, you will become more organized and more calm, able to think in a clearer mind too (hey, speaking of that, should do this to my own bedroom soon) . Hmmm...now I know why Mr. Lee Kuan Yew likes his desk to be neat and tidy, spick and span.

Anyway, this coming Monday marks the end of my 6 months probation period. 99.99% will be confirmed, as don't think I had done anything seriously wrong for them to extend my probation.....

Indeed, after 6 months, had more or less settled into this job. Learnt a lot and realise that much that there is a thousand and one things that need to be done, one can only complete so much and the important thing is to know how to priortise and pace oneself. Still learning on that and brushing on my time management skills. Hopefully these skills will improve over time. Wish me luck !

Went with Teck to Pontian on Sunday to visit my ex-colleague. anyway, Pontian is a town in Malaysia, hmmm.... or should I say a province, it's on the left of  JB (where, right of JB is Kota Tinggi).

Pontian definitely not as developed as JB or KL but still a nice place to spend a day or two. Pace is slower, no tall buildings but lots of double storey shophouses.

My colleague's husband happen to own a small orchard (or should I say, it's a fruit garden with different types of fruits trees sprouting here and there). 

Now is the "King and Queen of fruits season". Armed with empty buckets and long sleeve shirts (too many mosquitoes), we set off to his mini orchard to begin our day of picking durians & mangosteens. We saw many fallen durians on the ground, so EXCITINGGG!! Of course not that we never saw durians before....hee hee... but because 1st time see durians under a real durian tree mah....! Went around analysing each durian, taking pictures, throwing the good ones into the buckets and discarding the not-so-good behind. Also have a chance to pluck a mangosteen straight from a tree and eat it. Talking about freshness, what can beat this? so sweet so yummy............. At the end of our 'harvest', we have in total 4 buckets of durians and mangosteens!

hmmmm.....should do this more often. Always good to take a few days' leave, cross the causeway to relax and recharge ourselves. Always feel comfortable when back in Malaysia, like my 2nd home.  Should plan for something in August.......... Melaka or KL or Penang???

Looking back, it's been > 4 mths since I last posted an entry. Amazing..., it just shows how poor my time management is and how I can really "delay" things.

Since Feb, been wanting to update my blog on my return, new job...etc but never got the chance. Reason initially was bec' no PC, but in March when I had a new PC, still I did not do it. Lack of time? probably...but not a good excuse. Too busy running outside and visiting stores? maybe but still not a good reason... afterall everyone is this world has 24 hrs to use. So, ultimately up to you to decide how you want to use your time and how priorities are placed.

Lately, life seem to be busy and getting busier each day. Workload seems to be increasing... to the point whereby I keep coming back home later and later. It now reaches a point where I find hey, I'm not in control of my life. My life seems to be controlled by work!!! Time to sit back and think and not running around like a rat trying to do more and more things in shorter time.

New work environment does indeed changed or influenced oneself and looking back at how I spent my time now and in the past when I was KL, really poles apart....

In KL, work was pretty manageable and no tight or last minute deadlines to meet (unlike now). After work, I had ample time to exercise, go for a run in the park, have a leisure swim in the pool, cook my meals, watch TV, read papers, read books, log on internet to chat and catch up with friends, call Teck to update and chat on everything, & look forward to coming back every 2-3 weeks to meet up with friends and plan gatherings & activities. Though life was predictable & I had to hop in and out of Malaysia, I was right in control. Know my priorties and life was fulfilling, I was basically a happy  gal.

The only thing not satisfactory was, work is getting mundane and challenges diminishing.... to the point that in Dec 2004, I decided it's time to leave Tollyjoy's comfort zone and seek a new career.

Found one in Jan 2005 in a very short time and life had been a whirlpool since I returned. Trying to adapt into my new job and learning as many things that I could in the shortest time possible. Pace in this new company is certainty faster and one really got to be very very independent in order to survive. 

First and foremost, had to learn how to get around from place to place. Still remembered when I first drove, the other vehicles, especially the big lorries and truck definitely look intimdating....situation made worse when I was unfamiliar with the roads. Practically getting 'lost' so many times that I am immune. Learning new roads, looking thro' street directory, going into curvy,  and dark basement carparks and having to drive in rainy days where sometimes I can't even see what's 3m ahead of me. Just don't know why rain in Tuas area seems super heavy.... and situation made worse when in your next lane is a container truck. When they drove past you, puddles of water just splashed onto your windscreen and no matter how fast your wiper moves, you just can't see what's in front of you (for first time drivers, this can be quite a daunting experience). But no choice, no one can help you when you are on the road except yourself so just tell myself to keep on going. If other people can do it, I can do it too. Finally, after 4 mths of daily driving and having clocked > 12,000 km in mileage, skills and familarity of roads are much better now.....

Hmmm...by right driving saves us more time right? Bec' we don't have to wait and Q, no need to change buses or trains....  Strange!!!   then why don't I reach home earlier? why then do I seem busier than before? Believe the time saved is re-invested in doing more tasks at work. 

Also by right, a car should make it easier to be accessible to many places, right? Initially, I thought hey with car, I can meet with Teck and friends more often and can go venture out to places for suppers and to places where previously is quite inaccessible (like Mt. Faber, sentosa, changi village, west coast, Jalan kayu, pasir ris beach...etc). I could also bring my parents out shopping and bring them out to dinners....so many things that I could do. Though a few times it did materialised but the frequency was not as what I had expected. Instead, most of my time was spent visiting stores and staying back in office.   

I enjoyed my work indeed initially and whenever I saw a convenience store, I would pop in and do a short survey. Work doesn't seem like work and I don't really mind going the extra mile as I enjoy what I'm doing. However, little did I realised that I was slowing letting work creep into my personal life (without my knowledge) and it came to a point whereby I cannot differientate when I'm working and when I'm not..... not a good sign .

In addition, I seem to be planning less activities and spending less time with friends. There is a change in attitude too, starting to lose my patience and getting irritated easily. When I once was always chatty and most talkative and happy go lucky, I can sometimes turn 'quiet & blank' suddenly and don't feel like talking. My shopping habits changed too, when I was once very thrifty to now buying so many things on impulse and spending so much, to the point that Teck raised his concerns on how I spent my $ (which he never did before). The final straw came when my ex-colleagues and a NTU friend commented that how sometimes, they 'did not dare' to call me for gatherings because they had this feeling that they are 'imposing' on my time (as they know I'm always working late). Some also added that I looked sterner or colder and looked a bit stressed out.

It never crossed my mind that I am stressed but now I think maybe I am..., and signs are showing.

For these past 4 mths, all I ever thought was how to adapt to my new work environment and culture in the shortest time possible,  how to exceed my boss and bosses' and my own expectations, how to be even more independent and more resourceful, how to manage my team of merchandisers, how I can best cover > 270 stores within a few months......

"Do we work to live" or "Do we live to work"?

Is it so important that we excel in work and exceed expectations? One thing proven is (which maan maan has previously touched on too), if you manage to meet deadlines and proven able to multi-task and do more things, you would end up be delegated to more and more work.

Is a balanced life important? Yes, it is.

So, am I leading a balanced life now? No.   

I have colleagues who stay late in office, those who stay beyond 10pm frequently. My sales director works till 3 to 4 am.....and her sales driven and work attitude had influenced the entire sales dept such that all of us  are constantly measured by work effectiveness and work efficiencies. Now I know why our staff turnover is above average, as not everyone likes such a fast paced system and culture..... where standards are set so high that it's sometimes unattainable.

But hey... wait, though people come and leave, there are still many staff here who work and survive for > 10 years, 20 years in this company. Then how they do it?

Work environment & peer pressure can definitely influence people....but they should not control. Ultimately, only our own selves can decide whether we want  to be influenced or not. We have to set our own priorities (family, friends, relationships, personal development, work...etc) right. We must learn to say NO at times. 

We have to accept the fact that we are humans and not robots and there's a limit to how much we can do. We have to learn how to take breaks periodically and recharge ourselves. Whew....so easy to say and so tough to do. But's that's life. Who says life's easy right?

Most importantly, we must be happy. If we're not, then it means some part of our lives is not right somewhere and thus needs to be corrected. I'm glad to have a partner and friends who remind me when they sense that I'm steering out of path. Thank you indeed for the 'red alert'. Hope it's not too late to realise this.

To all my friends, stay happy. Enjoy the weekend &  Happy Vesak Day  

Last night in KL tonight, just came back from sort of a farewell dinner with my KL colleagues, where I receive farewell gifts; necklace and watch. 

Came back home and tonight probably feel a bit sentimental. Took my camera and start shooting the various corners of the house to keep as memories...The living room where I always have my dinner and watch TV at the same time, the kitchen, the cooking area, the dinosaur TV who kept me company thro' many nights, the bathroom where I call my personal corner, the 2 other empty rooms which I do not use but where my friends stay when they came over, the balcony where I breath in fresh air every morning while viewing the hill in front , the bedroom with my favourite lime green bedsheet & blue comforter, the lizards and other funny insects who seem to pop up from nowhere everything I open the windows and sliding door....etc.

Hmmm...guess it's only when you are leaving the place that you begin to treasure it even more.

Lastly, thx to my colleagues, esp. good buddy Aiping. If without you, don't think I would have survived throughout this past 2 years in this foreign land. Also, really appreciate the warm hospitality that you have shown to all my friends everytime they came over..., how you always make an effort to fetch my friends no matter how late in the night, brought us to supper and help in everyway you possibly can.

"You certainty make my stay here more memorable, thx friend for everything, really everything".