All that was going around

Kids always provide alot of laughter during family gatherings. My 2 nieces (also flowergirls for my wedding) just acquired a new song from playschool & are absolutely spontaneous when it comes to performance.

Grandma's birthday also falls in the period of CNY. Guess what was the must-have dish?

Preps for CNY

Mum made me display these in the home, for good luck & prosperity... Well, Cantonese tradition so just do it. Apart from the lonesome tin of pineapple tarts, i didn't buy anything for the new yr. This time, parties aren't held in our place so no point stocking up & we are also trying to avoid relatives from coming by. Not being hosile but erm, really no point, house is bare anyway...

With the yr of the Ox coming our way, i pray for good health, a smooth-sailing yr & may the financial meltdown create less stress that it should to all i know.

Maybe i should be smaller

I had lunch with a friend currently on maternity leave & hearing her ups & downs since the last 3 mths have been heartwrenching. Marriage probs right after the little one is born, stress at home and many other issues troubling this mentally strong lass really makes my heart goes out to her When i try to put myself in her shoes, i really don't know how to survive thru this tough period. Managing a newborn should be a stressful task & doesn't help when marriage is on the rocks. I always thought that having a child will strengthen the family bond, especially when raising the child well should be a mutual goal. However, in this case, i am really not sure but i am glad she's coping well.

Her experience made me relook at my own marriage. Sometimes i feel that he's relying on me too much. I wanna be smaller, so that he can be larger. I wanna manage less of the household stuff, and hope that he can learn to improve his initative to assist on the chores when i am tied up. I hope that thru this, i can make him think that it's his responsibility to take care of the family (yes though it's just me for now) and that he's the MAN in the house. I don't wanna land up like my friend... whose hubby, in my perspective, has grown to take her for granted. I think it's only smart that i retract myself & learn how to rely more on others. Afterall, a marriage is a partnership & there needs to be a complement of strengths & weaknesses to make it work.

Does incompetency mean you can get away with murder...

The past week have been extremely hectic in the office. There are so many deliverables & preparation work needed for the upcoming regional conference. Unlike while i was in the country team, i find my brains working alot harder, thinking of how to position statements & messages to senior staff, cracking my head over the scope of the agenda. I must agree that alot more strategic input is required, vs the operational requirements i was exposed to back in the country team. Of course, in hectic times is also when u get to realise who are the competent folks & who aren't...

Someone made me this comment today - does it mean that when u are incompetent, u can get away with "murder"? I guess fustration must have clouded this person's mind when the comment was made but well, it indeed got me thinking... How very true. Why are there still incompetent folks floating around, getting away with shoddy work & lacklustre contributions? Does it mean that if i were to be less competent, i can have less work on my plate & get away with responsibilities too? I don't know about that but i suppose the issue lies with pride & integrity. While i do believe that one needs to cleverly master the art of "tai-ji" at work, there needs to be a fine balance b/w passing off YOUR responsibility & taking on unnecessary work.

Life's gonna be hell for the next 1 month. I need to review thru 5 decks of reports from the consultant and decipher what's needed for the conference. I wish myself luck... The laptop is my best friend over the upcoming weekends.

29th wedding anniversary

Finally extracted the pics from my mobile phone. Snapped during theoir 29th wedding anniversary... Haha, 1 of them imprompto attempts when i came home with a cake in hand.

Mum's now working in an ultra-secured job in NTU while dad's taking a break from work.

Aa new yr, a new pot

Ironic as it may seem but i have just taken on another new portfolio, aside to what i am doing - new media and online strategic marketing. This is somewhat an extension of what i dabbled in during days in the SG marketing team. Those days, i was encouraged to take on this pot becoz there was no 1 else in the team wanting to take it on. Of course, the upsides are its visibility and new learning experience. In this new era, gone are the days where we can only rely on the traditional media. Marketeers now need to consider other alternatives for a bang for their buck, especially in times like these where advertising budgets are slashed and pressure is on to continue to deliver the numbers.

I can't deny that apart from the fact that i am always game to learn new stuffs and expand my knowledge, a teeny part of me readily agreed to take up the new pot becoz it allowed me to gain more knowledge in this field but more importantly, gain more expertise in this subject than my B***. It's probably important to acquire expertise that no one has and alongside, secure some form of job security. Of course, some side perks include the low yardstick of measurement.

I am thankful for the opportunity & best of all, the interest to send me on training to acquire new skills. New year, new pot. Looks like there's something to look forward to :)

Friends since JC & Uni

Thanks to Lilin's homecoming else we wouldn't be able to capture this shot. Everyone looks so happy. I really don't wanna compare this to 1 of those pixs we took long time back... It's either u find that some of us changed horizontally or that u'll find threads of age on our faces. But for sure, we are still as happy as before!

My hopes & wishes for 2009

Like everyone, i pray for good health & happiness for all my friends and family & wish that the recession will blow over with minimal effect on anyone close to me. While i am not really the sort to like to make new yr resolutions, deep in my heart, there are 2 things that i'd wanna fulfill/achieve and shockingly, it's not career-related!

1) To be a happier & less lonely person inside & outside

Looking back, 2008 was a lonely year. Yes, i got my postgrad and got married but i don't know why the immense feeling of loneliness within haunts me. I feel very empty and cold on the inside. The only warmth i get it really from KL (when he's at home) or from my family. I begin to feel that i have lost touch with friends and life, on the whole. I have to admit that there are times when i feel upset and constantly wonder how to salvage the inner emptiness. So for 2009, i really wanna be a happier & less lonely person on the inside & out. I wanna go out more with my friends & hope i'll be remembered as a nice & sincere person. Sounds stupid i know but really, sometimes i wonder if it's the near 30-syndrome but i am determined to shake it off.

2) Buy a Vespa scooter after i get a bike liscence

Ok this sounds silly i know but ever since i snapped the wedding pix on a Vespa, i have been extremely drawn to one when it scoots by on the road! I am keen to get a bike liscence (despite not even knowing how to ride a bicycle) so that i can buy one! It'll be fun to scoot around but erm, this'll be underwraps from the family... Later mum nagged me to death!!!!

Resolution 1 is really something i hold dear to my heart & hope that i can emerge a happier person at the end of 2009. Resolution 2 is just silly but hey, what's a new yr resolution without the silliness and fun?