Walks in the furniture store

I find the visits to Ikea very therapetic. After a long day at work, i sometimes take a drive to Ikea @ Alexandra & take a browse at their stuff. That place never fails to make me spend some money.

Some might think i have alot of time to kill but well, apart from heading to Raffles Plc after work to have dinner with KL ( if i don't do that, i won't get to see him @ all!), i either head home to do some household chores or sit in front of the telly for 2+ hours before turning in for the night. Yep, i have become more of a homebody after marriage. Even weekends are spent at home since our friend hardly has the time to sit on the couch.

Maybe this' marriage life? Rather mundane & boring? I do agree that one needs to create the sparks & create some activities for the weekend but for KL, much of his time is spent in the room in his office so i can understand why he prefers to be a homebody, taking dips in the pool and just catching a DVD together. I suppose this' "spending time together". In any case, as long as it's quality time, i am satisfied!

Well, i am still sourcing around for a nice, cheap painting for the hall. Maybe visits to other furniture store will help me find a suitable one...

The lack of maternal instinct?

I took my virgin experience in touching a pregnant belly today and quite franky, the experience left me daunted & kinda put me off.

This "belly" belongs to a colleague of mine who's gonna pop anytime in the next 3 weeks. The active little one was moving alot within her, causing mummy to be pukey all day. She offered to have us "feel" the little one and warned us that there are split feelings abt the baby's movement. A couple of colleagues of mine had their go 1st & were delighted to feel the active one moving within so when it was my turn to "feel" the belly, i freaked out when the little one moved!!! It was pretty scary to feel something moving inside a human being & yes, while it's a life within, i can't help but feel yucky! The experience was rather gross and i yelped when i felt the baby. Of course, the troop teased me at my lack of maternal instincts but i just can't get over the scary feeling of touching the pregnant belly.

The moment is still lingering in me & while making my way to the carpark this evening, i began to think that i'll never look at a pregnant belly the same way again... the feeling of the delicate life moving within has freaked me out, clearly confirming that i am sooo not ready for this next phase of life.

An inner worry... recession looming

Grapevine is that MS will be bought over too. The drastic turn in the financial mkts is indeed depressing. In the office, teleconferences are ongoing all the time, with instructions to freeze biz with so-&-so. Advertising budgets will continue to shrink as banks prepare for the depressing times ahead. Just heard the news on CNA that financial mkts will tighten its belts on hiring & wages will start falling. If MS were to merge with a commercial bank, am sure the axes will fall & KL will most likely to be hit.

These days he comes home without complaining abt the horried hrs & that piles of papers he has to look thru. I think the financial disaster has finally struck him - that with 25000 bankers worldwide from Lehman straying on the streets, one should count his lucky stars that they are still on payroll. I am beginning to sense the tension in the office too and well, bonus & increments will likely be hurt.

Seems like we are always hitting bad times. Sometimes i ask myself why didn't i have the luxury of jumping on the rosy job market bandwagon just 1 yr ago when salaries were on the rise & the hiring environment was all rosy and positive. I try to console myself that i should do things that are within my control instead of worrying abt things that are outta my control. Some part of me, I am glad that i accepted the new role in Group but erm, with the looming recession, it'll be more challenging for me to request for an increment. I don't think if this'll just make me stagnate even more. For sure, i am thankful that i'll definately NOT be located in the new building in Changi but in Marina financial centre come 2010 (if i am still around).

What goes up must come down & vice versa. I pray deep within that KL will be ok but i am also prepared to carry the burden of the axe with him. Pray for the best, & be prepared for the worst...

The fall of an icon

Literally, i took Lehman Brothers Building in NYC as an icon to my favourite Sapporro ramen shop. The scrolling text and aura of the building makes it hard to miss. KL introduced me to it during our 1st trip to NYC, saying that he might wanna work there 1 day. Well, not sure if it's a lucky step not to but it's just a pity that this 158 yr old icon has collapsed.

The dramatic turn of the financial mkts left everyone puzzled & worried. KL has been glued onto CNBC if he's at home & is coming home earlier than previous (as compared to the nights where he jumps into bed in the wee hrs). Ironically, i should be pleased that he's home to accompany me but eh, for frontliners, the busier u are, the more secure your job is. A friend of mine doing Sales & Derivatives was telling me that he's been so free lately.

The mths ahead are gonna be tough & well, while retrenchment in financial sector is no longer a thing of the past, we gotta be prepared that the axe can fall anytime. I was telling KL to seek solace that at least he already pocketed a fat sign-on bonus that can act as his severance package should the axe fall.

Well, we can only count 1 step at a time. Suddenly my job seems to be the most secure. Well, while i wonder what lies ahead, we can only move on & take things in our stride. This bear market will become bullish... someday...

I finally made the call

I am moving onto a regional role in Nov. Nope, not outside but ironically, within the bank. It was a tough call to make, especially in the current mkt situation. Frankly, i had the option of moving out but apart from the fact that the role wasn't exactly exciting (in fact, an exact replica of my existing role but with another competitor), i was hungry for the probable increment. Despite the fact that they eventually didn't select me after 5 rounds, new opportunities were really what i was after.

I felt stagnated so requested for a move to the regional team, if the chance arises. I am immensely grateful to my bosses for paving the way for me, introducing me to the relevant heads & eventually when a role from up there came about, they had me in mind & gave me the 1st right of refusal over an external candidate. Well, internal trsfs are lateral so apart from the fact that every HR matters remain status quo, it was a tough call to make - IN or OUT.

In this current financial mkt (where 3 of the top investment banks have fallen in this yr), the job mkt is gonna be a gloomy one in 2009. I don't wanna lament on the fact that i missed the boat when the job mkt was rosy (becoz of KL's posting back to SG) but since i already feel stagnated & am hungry for new challenges, i made the call to give the regional team a shot. Afterall, there's a 50-50 chance that things will/ will not work out but at least i tried. Might as well stay till bonus is paid out in March.

I don't know what lies ahead. Harder work, more politics, tough human relations but well, let's take a step at a time. My new role is slightly different & i probably won't get to work on marketing campaigns as much as i am doing now but well, never try never know. My new team comprises of an international bunch so apart from the fact that the boss is a Singaporean, i got multicultural folks to manage. I need to map out my handover & transition plan. Hopefully, it'll be a clean move from Nov onwards.

Hong Kong (4-8Sep08)

Images from Hong Kong! We finally spared time to do the tourist-y stuff afterall! Look at the sickening face of OKL in the last pix! That was snapped at Ngong Ping, where the bronze buddha statue was. If u climb to the top, u'll get to the resting place of Anita Mui. Pretty tranquil environment. Well, afterall, it's in Lantau Island. The next time i head to HK, i wanna go to Lamma Island. Never been there before, heard it's another nice & tranquil place to go to. Till then, time to work hard in the office...

Thank you cards finally mailed!

The thank you cards with the individual table shots are finally all printed & mailed out to the guests. My work for the wedding is finally over! Hope all the guests like the card & will display them since it's afterall a self-standing photo frame!

KL will finally be back tmr. I went over to HK last wkend for a visit & his service apartment was really nice. We took time off to check out the bronze buddha at Ngong Ping & went up to the Peak. Pity we didn't have the chance to head to Ocean Park. I really wanted to go there since i went there once when i was 7. Haha, both of us are kinda old for Ocean Park i know but well... Shopping was ok... Not extremely satisfying as compared to NYC though H&M never fails me.

Gotta go clean up Parc Vista tmr to welcome our "king" home... More & more like yellow-skin wife... :(

Happy 28th birthday CY!

1 generation to another

I really like this shot, even though KL can't seem to understand why. Hand-shots always tell alot about the minute moments of an event. Maybe becoz i know that Grandma took pains to think of an appropriate gift for KL and eventually, bought him a ring (that i chose) as a memento. I just like the shot of the wrinkled hands passing over the gift to a young man.

Am glad that this was snapped for memory... Beats all those pose-y shots, anytime.