The importance of group dynamics

This semester is my most difficult. Not becoz the workload is heavier than usual but becoz i finally get the taste of the saying "Group dynamics is the most important part of project work".

It all started when an exchange student joint the project group without our acknowledgement. Well, let's not point fingers to say that one should be sought group consensus/ agreement before letting him join. I received an email from him 2 night ago, asking us to send in our portions within 24hrs coz he's leaving on vacation to Cambodia & only returning 1 day before submission date! There was no whiff of this info during our grp discussions & the best part, our dear friend didn't even turn up for class, despite know that we had to tie-up some loose ends of for the project.

I am usually very cautious abt who i work with & always choose part-time Singaporean students as project teammates. Simple reason, becoz we understand the pains of juggling work + studies & honestly, how irresponsible can a Singaporean get? We burn our wkends and well, generally have the same whines about classes & papers. The Friday class i am taking has lesser SG students from my cohort & majority were made of Yr 1 students. Joined a new group & well, this had to happen. & the best part, the group seems to be too presumptous about many thgs.

I don't know how i am getting past this wkend. No paper submitted = No US trip = No graduation = No wedding = No brand new start in HK.

Gosh, pray for me. I need to absent myself from work on Mon.

Nightmares = wedding jitters?

Everytime i get stressed up over my papers and work, i'll pop by the wedding website to destress. I just did before writing this post & noticed that errm, the no. of days to the wedding date is gonna fall to a 2-digit soon! My, suddenly this's turning into a reality!!!

KL told me that he's been having recurring dreams about the wedding lately & incidentally, SO AM I!!! All sorts of dreams i have - dress tore, groom left me at the altar, beautiful dress smeared with tyre oils etc. & well, for KL, he dreamt that he was 6 hours late for the wedding!

Not too sure why the coincidental bad dreams lately. Wonder if it's becoz of the high tension @ during this final lap (for me) & the stress for KL to do as well as he did in previous semesters. For sure, we certainly don't want these dreams to turn into reality. I think we just need a good night's sleep, without all the work & neverending research at the back of our heads. I hope to turn in by 12am every night but the nights seem to be ending later... Sleeping at 2am and waking up at 7am is now a norm in this final lap...

Change is the only constant

The rumours are finally confirmed today. The Marketing and BIU (Business Intelligence Unit) finally have a new boss. It's an internal trsf and well, none of us forsee this impending change till there were talks on the floor that this black (i meant SG inter-racial harmony black) is taking over the top position. I had my 1st meeting with him today & the CB Head & i had to hold back my giggles coz the accent was simply so strong.

April's the time when most departments see changes. GMs change portfolios & there are bound to be some unhappy folks who sulk at the bonus payouts & decide to seek greener pastures. Well, i suppose change is the only constant. With the changes happening to the top seeds, i doubt my international trsf will pull thru. I have decided to open myself to new opportunities & seek out a regional role once again. I suppose when i 1st started my career, though it was a regional role but i managed much operational stuff. Now that i absorbed more experience & gained more confidence in my abilities, i hope to return to a regional role again, this time, more strategic in job function/ nature. I believe i can stomach changes & well, even if a local role is what i eventually accept in HK, at least i opened myself to new opportunties.

Yep, that's the decision i have made! Kinda counting down to my US trip. KL & i have decided to head to Boston to see Harvard University, Las Vegas for some lights & NYC (again!) for some outlet shopping. The only difference this time, KL's mum & aunt will be with us for the last 2 locations. Finally, graduation day from Wharton is finally nearing for our boy. He deserves to have his loved ones applauding him on the big day. We so look forward to that!

I met up with one of KL's fren's spouse today over tea. This lady is enroute to her HK job assignment had well, since we had meals together while in Philly, i took the chance to do some catching up & to find out abt the housing tips she had for me for HK. From her candid description, seems that the property mkt is competitive & well, being able to locate an apartment to suit your liking is a challenge. HK apartments are darn tiny & well, imagine that property agents are marketing flats of 250 sq feet! That's like a studio, with a bed that can be hoisted up the wall, to give extra moving space! & sadly, i was told that many of the flats for rent are UNFURNISHED! Haiz, that'd meant more hassle shopping for furnishings & electrical appliances. I am more concerned abt hw we are gonna get rid of them, when we leave HK 1 day.

Well, the apartment talk came about coz we recently received the relocation package from MS. Apart from the allowances, it also detailed the visa requirements, as well as the housing agent that's assigned to ensure that we locate a perm housing of our budget/ choice. I think i'll have to work via emails & view the photos of the property. We are hoping to rent a decent 2-3 bedroom apartment in a convenient location & hopefully, in Kowloon. However, the downside is that the rent in Kowloon is pricier. Other alternatives that i suss out are Sheung Wan or Wan Chai. These are on HK island.

Well, this's the next legwork i need to do after the exams are over. Sianz...

Creating mutually benefical relationships thru networking

I attended my first external training course today on Networking. Yes, folks in my line of work need to know how to effectively create small talk & cleverly sustain it thru, even if the other party is a hard nut to crack. In fact, i constantly debate of the "ethical" component of networking. When u go for business lunches or simply 1 of those media bashes, there's always this need to put on a warm smile & hold the cleverest conversation with the other party. More often than not, this stems from a selfish reason that u need to harvest on opportunities and help harnessed from such newly-fostered relationships. This makes me sick of myself, for the fact that i ain't being sincere & after a while, u turn yourself off.

However, what the trainer said today that networking actually helps u form new connections to help one another. It can stem from an extension of help from you to the other party. As the saying goes,

It's not who you know, but who knows u.

I add 1 more line:

It's not who you know, but who knows u & who WANTS to know you.

How so very true. My greatest challenge is to sustain the conversation and most importantly, stop turning myself off networking. The course was pretty insightful as it teaches you what are some key topics to start of a conversation, body language, tonation etc. Well, certainly recommend anyone who shares the same issue as me to attend such courses. Haha, it's a paid holiday away from work anyway!!!!

Mint Museum of Toys @ Seah Street

I received an invite from a colleague to attend her son's 1 yr old bday bash, held at Mint Musuem of Toys along Seah Street.

Our birthday boy doesn't quite know what's happening around him. I suppose such parties are mainly for the parents. I doubt the per pax cost was cheap as the entire 3rd storey of the museum was booked out. Food was so-so but i must say that the toy museum took my breath away.

Call me "sua ku" but i never know this place existed. The party included a musuem tour and i actually enjoyed it! I saw pioneer versions of the toys i played when i was little. This musuem is owned by an engineering consultant who's a toy fanatic! The toys displayed in the museum are from his personal collection & it's only 1/10 of it! The rest are all stored in a warehouse & our friend pays over $4000/mth to store them. The toys are worth over a million S$! Phew! They even built special lighting & ventilation to ensure optimal moisture & light so as not to damage the toys.

Here are some photos to share. I saw my fav Strawberry Shortcake! & the early versions of Barbie & Ken. Oh, also the tubes of "DARKIE" toothpaste. Mickey Mouse looks awful in its earlier days. Apparently, these ugly ones were made in Germany.

Baby bonus and a hesitant indulgence

The news finally broke today. Stanchart is one of the banks (our other sole competitor is OCBC) to be awarded the Baby Bonus scheme tender by MCYS. In a move to encourage births in the country, the govt will top up your account for the 2nd, 3rd & 4th child. Basically, get an ang pow from the govt (of up to $12K) for your child's education and nursery expenses. There was hoohaa in the office today coz we made it to the front page of Business Times & yep, this's the campaign that yours truly will not have a chance to see thru. The official launch will be in August & well, by then, i'd have shifted to HK. But anyway, preps for the campaign are ongoing & i'd be able to see it thru the 1st phase, which'll happen in May.

Despite Stanchart being political, i must admit that i have been given pretty gd opportunities. With the marathon & now this Baby Bonus campaign, i hope it'll add some value to my resume.

Don't know if it's becoz i am stressed up lately but i can't seem to take my mind off my "symbol of achievement" - the LV Epi Leather Montagine Sac handbag in black. I spotted this baby in Dec07 in the LV store in Taka. I told myself that i'll splurge on it when i attain my career goals & a reasonable amt of bonus this March. Now that the money is pocketed, i can't bear to part with the money, especially when the cost of the handbag equals to my airticket to the US!!! Some might say it's silly to spend this hefty amt on a handbag but i actually view the bag as a tangible reward for working hard & achieving what i set out to achieve. Each luxury handbag serves as a reminder of which occasion i purchased it for & reason behind the purchase. I dream of opening a cupboard full of bags, which meant that i'd have rewarded myself for many occasions. Haha! If that ever happens, i'd be fairly accomplished in life! Oh well, i know it's silly but hey, that's just placing a symbolic meaning to luxury handbags ya? I won't splurge unnecessarily so if i ever were to purchase one, it'd meant that i'd have produced a pretty good "report card" for the yr.

Let me continue to dream... Maybe it'll spend the $$$... Haha, a bag is with me forever & has longlasting durability!!!! :-p

Amazing Bare Escentuals foundation

This foundation is amazing. I actually thought it was some kinda loose powder foundation & wasn't too keen to buying it but well, with all raving reviews, i "tombang" a friend on a recent trip to NYC to get one for me too. I tried it on for the first time today. Like the instruction on the website, i dabbed a little on the brush, shake off the excess, letting them fall on the lid & apply over your face & WOW, it changes to creamy foundation. It actually works as a concealer too. Just use a concealer brush & apply it over your spots/ blemishes & it's all gone! Woohoo!!! How did it work?? This is what i call SCIENCE AT WORK!

The next leap yr is 4 years away

Feb 29, a once-in-4-years affair. I remember during NUS days, there was this gal that i knew whose birthday falls on Feb 29th. Haha, she should be only 7 this yr, if she's born in 1980 coz every 4 years then her bdays comes! The news reported that over 70 couples registered their marriage on Feb 29. Hmm, wonder why the ladies are so silly to allow that coz it'd meant that wedding anniversary dates are once in every 4 yrs!!! Save alot of $$ for the hubbies!

Ironically, the key lesson i learnt today was to be PROFESSIONAL at work. How insulting, after working for close to 6 yrs, i am told to be PROFESSIONAL. In case u think it's a negative comment, i didn't view it that way. Why? Well, coz someone told me that i bend my back for others too often & when i get "stabbed in the back", i feel resentful & upset. So the easiest way out is simply to be professional. If it can't be done, just go by the book. Don't put in extra effort to folks who don't appreciate or worse, give u a "treat" when your back turns. Sometimes we get into squabbles at work for the slightest incidents. Anal people push work around and eventually, when things go wrong, are the first to point fingers at others.

I suppose that's really something i have to learn. Just go by the book. Afterall, i already pocketed the bonus! Oh, for those who read the news, Stanchart achieved record profit numbers & the Consumer Bank (where moi hails from) grew the most! Oh well, all i can say is that the bonus we received didn't equate to the bank's earnings. Like what i told the ad sales folks. Profit is achieved when people work damn hard & save damn alot!!!