寂寞寂寞就好

陳淑樺 問

I must have listened to this for 999 times. And the more I did, the sadder I became. Just couldn't stop tearing last night, especially when it reminded me of the plight she is in. 

How is Sarah Chen now?

Team Building

Attended a one day team building event at HortPark today.

Though the activities were not new to me, and I had gone through them at least once, the experience felt was as though it was the first.

It relived the moments when I just joined the company, when still grasping the organisation's values. I was green then...

Still indulging in the feelings of reconnection, focusing on a common goal and the sense of human touch.

Let it stay, at least for a while

Do You Believe in Stars?

my horoscope predicted that things would go retrospect this month - sluggish developments for new initiatives but good time to reconnect with old ties, misunderstandings would also occur.

up to now and with only one and a half week to go, it seems quite accurate.  have been busy for nothing for the past one month, when i thought i had caught the glimpse of new things; got associated with old contacts out of the blue.

is it mere coincidence or is it really the stars? not sure, just hope this month would pass soon.

who wants to live in the past? back to the future?

House Visit

Accompanied a friend to her friend's place last weekend. Have heard quite a fair bit about this friend, hence was curious how his place looked like.

It was a neat place with not much decoration. The dominating white colour created a zen yet cold feel.

I looked at the books on his bookshelves (am always curious about the books people read).  He is bilingual, reads both Chinese and English books; he has wide interests, from home interior design to animals; he strives for success yet constantly in touch with his emotions.

Though the owner and I have never met (he was not at home when we visited), I could sense his presence within the next one hour, visualising him opening the door, stepping into the house, moving into his room. Suddenly I felt I had known him.

It is amazing how a place could be associated with a person, how a small table candle and aroma essence could reflect his way of relaxation, how his photographs provided a stranger with a sneak preview of his life.

好一个美丽的懈逅！

Sumiko Tan Is Getting Married

PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES

Sumiko Tan made headlines last Friday. The famous, single and successful columnist, Sumiko Tan, is getting married at the age of 46 with her junior college sweetheart whom she reunited with last year, after three decades.

Next month, she will ditch her much publicised singlehood and walk down the aisle with her junior college crush, nicknamed Hurricane. In September when she resumes her column, she will be known as Mrs Quek. She will write on married life, rather than singlehood.

I had been very much disturbed since I read the article. Isn't it just too fast, too sudden and surreal? How many movies had they watched together? How many meals have they had had together? How many times had they seen each other after they reunited?

I read the article over and over again. I had been spending the weekends trying to rationalise it, even though I had been following her columns closely.  What made her take the plunge and say yes? What made him want to commit after just been divorced for barely a year? Could it really be separation that makes the hearts grow fonder? I needed someone badly to share this with.

Thank goodness I was not alone.  Her colleague Ignatius Low was equally excited that he "could hardly concentrate on his work" when he learnt that she was tying the knot a couple of months back. I felt so much better after reading his column this morning.

Love doesn't require any explanation or scientific analysis. When the time is right, it is right. For two lovebirds who had missed each other for three decades, why wait?

Though not every reunion works, Sumiko Tan's definitely does.

Hershey's @ Universal Studios

My nephew, Cedric, Hershey's new "spokesperson" :)

A Honest Answer

Recently, I met a mid-level management of a private organisation. He took a 40% pay cut to move from public to private sector after six years in the former industry.

He advised that if I am serious about making a switch to the private sector, I should do so now to avoid greater pains, in terms of higher opportunity cost.

Job-hunting becomes more difficult as there are more emotional hurdles to overcome and higher opportunity cost to incur.

Planning, as what often highlighted by successful people, is extremely crucial yet often neglected by most of us who are drifted by daily chores and settle for comfort.

If you happen to chance upon this blog and would like to shed some light,  your kind gesture will be deeply appreciated.

Before I return to browsing of job advertisments, there is this question that I cannot avoid "what do I want out of my life, honestly" .

What May Have Been

"It is a sobering truth that almost every decision we make closes more doors that it opens... When we take up a certain profession, we turn our backs on a whole host of alternatives. Every decision brings with it the very real possibility of regret."

"Most of the respondents (around 75 per cent) said their biggest regret involved something they did not do, while only a minority (around 25 per cent) said their biggest regret involved something they did it.

... the part of the reason is because we can see clearly the consequences of things we did do, but are free to imagine what might have been the consequences of things we did not do... we torture ourselves with the thought of joys, loves and successes that would have been ours even if we had done things differently."

"It is worth bearing in mind that our biggest sources of regret are likely to be the things we did not do rather than the things we did."

Do it or do not do it - you will regret both.

- Article by Gary Hayden, The Straits Times - Mind Your Body, 11 March 2010

The Internet Age

"In the Internet age, we get so much information at a phenomenal rate, but that means nothing unless some of that information causes us to change how we do some things. That is when real learning has taken place"

- Mr Victor Gomez, The Straits Times Recruit, 12 March 2010

The Illusionist 魔幻视界

I have been looking forward to this drama ever since I first knew about the production.

Though this drama is not as fantasic as Perfect Cut, it is still a touching drama. I cried at every episode.

因为这是用心的制作.

你相信人间有奇迹吗?

Busy Day.. at Sentosa ;)

Had a busy day, busy taking photos at Sentosa.

Will have a busy Sat this week. Will be busy taking photos at Chingay Parade 2010 :)

A Chinese Tradition

There is one cupboard that I would not touch during spring cleaning.  It contains all my old toys and dolls which did not have the courage to throw, especially those with the eyes and mouth. 

Today, I suddently felt an urge to discard some of the old toys. While doing that, I wondered why I would I have kept things which I had not seen or touched for more than a decade.

I didn't throw all.  In fact I passed some building blocks and jigsaw puzzles (all in good condition, just see the 出前一丁 collectible on the left that I have kept for nearly 2 decades) to my nephew. My mum who was happily cleaning some of the plastic toys before passing them to my nephew, exclaimed that I do not have to buy him toys anymore.

Not only is my cupboard now becomes now spacious, there is this internal part of me that felt relieved.

Chinese tradition is not without its reason.

How To Be In The Radar? Get Noticed in the Corporate World

See yourself and your role in another perspective. You:

1. Are a business, not an employee;
2. Earn a fee-for-service, not salary;
3. Work, instead of having a job;
4. Are in control and avoid a false sense of security;
5. Are employable, and not employed;
6. Have skills sets and competencies, not job descriptions and titles; and
7. Have a portfolio career, not one career.

Extracted from Recruit dated 2 Feb 10, contributed by Sattar Bawany.

How To Champion the Executive Look

You should have:-
1. A world of self-belief;
2. Strong communication skill;
3. Pleasant disposition;
4. A sense of style; and
5. The quintessential corporate savviness!!

Think you possess all? Sign up for the My Paper Executive Look.