Fate is when you are close but not close enough

It's been a while since i last wrote. Been so busy with work, chores, and more importantly meeting new people that will help steer me back in the right career direction.

I begin to understand the difference between a "job" and "career". It's funny how many people actually lump these 2 together. I also think it's personality type that probably allows one to distinguish between the 2. I know that I can have queer thoughts most of the time but I see the former as "responsibility" - where u come in, do your best to get the job done well and move along. The latter is really more personal - where u want to see career growth/ movement/ prospect. I am gradually feeling that i lack the latter. I see the importance of steering it back in the right direction and the longer it drags, the more concerned I am.

I recall a recruiter laughing at how i correlate the concept of FATE in candidate selection. I really feel that it's true. Look, when u do your best at every meeting, garnering positive feedback but ultimately the role didn't land on your lap (either due to change in structure, or resource rationalization), it's all a consequence of FATE. U are close but just not close enough. It's all timing.

KL once told me that i have always been very persistent but i constantly meet "challenging" people that will always help mould my character and outlook. On the contrary, he's not as persistent as I am but always meet very friendly folks. Life's ironic but i guess everything happens for a reason, at least i'd like to think so. It's alright, life goes on. I am sure there'll be a right opportunity waiting for me in some nook and corner. Anyway, i also let FATE decide on whether we have fate to be parents or not. So let's see which comes first! :)

They finally tied the knot!

Friends since JC and after 13 years, they started their journey as husband and wife. So sweet!

The new oven journey

When the old one goes, the new arrives. I got lucky and sold the old oven on Craiglist for $168. Scoured food blogs and the web about this new water oven that allows you to steam, bake, roast and microwave and yes, thanks to the OCBC cardmember special, i bought it!

The first attempt. I won't say it is successful since the steak was somewhat overcooked (stupid me... the chicken breast is thicker but the steak is thinner). Apart from that, the fries turned out well. The supersteam function allowed u to brown the outside yet leaving the inside moist.

Looks like there's gonna be more food journeys ahead :)

Cooking is theraputic

Healthy food is expensive in the CBD. I figured out that if I am paying others to have the same food, i might as well pay myself to cook them. And hopefully, i can lose the 2kgs gained from Tokyo and 3 more additional kgs to bring my BMI to below 23.

Inspired by CY...

Oven baked salmon

Steam red snapper with garlic portebello mushrooms

Elena and the kids

Ain't these 2 cute? Babies of my girlfrens. One is a hybrid of French and Asian while the other is simply pure breed Singaporean! Alexis is the gal and Aegon is the boy. I just love their drooling faces...

Some snaps from the weekend...

Wedding on Friday

Happy bunny on Saturday

Healthy dinner on Sunday

Pride vs ego

Someone asked me today if i'd ever work for free, if it's in a super-large scale, prestigious MNC that everyone's dying to be part of. My answer was "NO". Why? Yes i may be money-minded but the real reason was not because it's money that i am pursuing but really, my personal belief that "good people never come cheap". One may not be the most expensive but the best people should never offer themselves to work for free. Well, if u can't even believe in yourself, then how to do u expect the person who's planning to hire u, believe in your abilities and capabilities? I am not demeaning "work for free" but it really depends on what u are working for free for. If it's for your own business or volunteering for a good cause, perfectly justified! But for the corporate world, i don't think so. The value that others pay u to work for them is a symbolic representation of your value of work. So if u work for free, others will not value u too, since they aren't making any "contribution" to your value of work.

There's a very fine line between ego and pride. When i rejected the idea of "working for free", I got rebuked as being ego-crazy when i said that i'll never work for free (unless it's for my own business). But nope, i disagree that this is ego. Ego to me, is the fear of being seen as weak or less powerful. For example, refusing to ask for help when clearly, the help of others is required to finish the task. In my term, not wanting to work for free is purely PRIDE, not ego.

I remember some homosexual dude once said to me "there's no such thing as cheap and good. There's only cheap OR good. U gotta choose one." Haha, come to think of it, how true. Good things ain't cheap and cheap things may not be good.

The day has finally arrived. I am 30.

Here's me, on my 30th, with an "interim" birthday cake. Why "interim"? Coz i was in Tokyo Disneyland and there wasn't any decent birthday cake so he bought this, promising that a nicer one will come along very soon!

I officially bid my 20s goodbye and welcome the turn of a new decade. When i was 18, i asked myself how'd life be when i was 30 and in a flash, here i am. No different, except that i no longer looked 18, owner of a property (actually u never really own it since it's on a 99 year lease from the government), owner of a depreciating asset (car) and legally married.

So yes, 30s... I am here with u now and I am sure it's gonna be a good decade!

The "hole" theory

Someone once told me, "u can never declare that u love your job, unless you ain't working for money". This phrase just walked into my brain couple of days back and wow, can't agree more.

I mean look, when one's unhappy with the job, they start seeking greener pastures, hoping that the new place is going to make them happier. But haven't they realised that seriously, it's always a move from one s%^thole to another? I am not depicting the term "s%^thole" negatively but it's just that, when people come together, there's bound to be friction and challenges, owing to the varied personalities. Pressure will arrive and stress mounts so, a s%^thole is formed. Of course, the going get tougher then the people around are A#sholes but hey, i suppose this is just work! A recruiter once told me this "since it's a move from one s%^thole to another, what happens is u get compensated for being in one. Aaaaahhhh, i realise the beauty and magic of this statement now... This is the backroom generator for the reason why people move on - to take on new s%^t at a better price!

October just came knocking by without much realization and while i am really looking forward to the grand "turn of a decade", i also compare the difference b/w the last "grand turn of a decade" and the impending "grand turn of a decade". For sure, I am more certain of my personality, needs and wants, goals and objectives, abilities and weaknesses. However, the greatest difference (at least to me, no qualms or tinge of unhappiness) is a shrunk social circle. In the last "grand turn of the decade" u had so many chums all celebrating the day with u and as u get older, the rarer it's to have friends who remember (ok, people still do but it's the good work of FB), much less give u a birthday hug or gift. Not their fault, but purely, we have all progressed onto different lifestages and everyone's priority is different now. For this "grand turn of a decade", I am heading to Disneyland Tokyo! I'll embrace the days ahead and I wonder how the next "grand turn of a decade" will be... I certainly hope i won't be whining about dark spots, rubber tyre around the waist and mammograms.

18 September 2010 - what a popular wedding day this is!

Kang Lin's best bud got hitched today to his gf of 8 long years! And my, what a popular day for weddings it was. Apart from the fact that there were 3 weddings ongoing at the same time, in the ballrooms located on the 2nd floor, it was a busy day for the 2 of us. KL finally got gaveaway his "virgin" attempt and was bestman for the very first time today too.

Beautiful couple, beautiful wedding. Blessings to a holy matrimony!