The move, part ii

I am now settled in my new office.
I have identified one new skill that I need to learn.
That is, to have the ability to talk on the phone softly and yet only be heard by the person from the other end of the line!
Which is what my temporary supporting officer has been able to do.
Although she sits diagonally across me, I had not been able to hear a thing from her end when she had been speaking on the phone.
Not that I was deliberately trying to hear what she was saying.
Her voice was so low and so soft that it was amazing that the other person could hear her!

My other colleague (the complain-'king') has been at it again.
He was rather rude to me when I tried to find out a work-related situation as I was copied onto the email about it.
Since I had taken over that aspect of the work from him and his subordinate, it was in my position to follow up and to make an email-reply to the person who sent it.
That's my working style, as I feel that the original sender would appreciate some sort of response (especially when it's marked 'urgent', even if it were simply to tell the sender that the matter is being followed up).
This complain-'king' thought otherwise.
He said - in a stroppy manner - that I shouldn't be so ready to respond to every email that comes my way.
I don't do that (reply to every email), but I couldn't be bothered to tell him that.
Instead of putting him in his place about his rudeness, I merely mentioned that he appeared to be sounding stressed.
He barked back, saying that he was merely complaining to me, and wasn't stressed.
All that exchange was made early in the morning.
What a 'great' way to start the day, eh?

Anyway, he didn't apologise.
To apologise is not in his style - I found.
He had done other 'misdeeds' pertaining to work, which he didn't apologise for either (this, I was told by other colleagues).
Hence, I have been employed to help rebuild the reputation of the department (this was also what I had found out).

The complain-'king' is now aware that his head is on the line.
He will face the 'chop' if he doesn't deliver his goods with the looming deadline, now that I am sharing half of his workload.
With 2 extra pairs of hands helping him and I have none, he has been able to leave the office at 5:30 pm virtually everyday, and still complains that he is stressed!
Bearing in mind that I have been working till 8 pm in the last few weeks and still hadn't been complaining, I don't know what his problem is.

Anyway, my colleagues all know that I am working hard...doing most stuff myself, and working late.
That's because they have rung me on the phone a few times, and were trying their luck to see if they could get me after official work hours.
What luck!
Ha.

The move, part i

I've just moved into my new shared office earlier today.
I spent part of the afternoon packing up yesterday.
I didn't manage to fill 3 of the large boxes I was given.
And today, while the movers were helping me move my boxes, I was happily attending an in-house statistics course all morning.

It was after lunchtime by the time I managed to get to the new office venue.
No furniture was in order yet.
So I had to wait around for things to be sorted out, and I ended up only unpacking from 3+ pm onwards.
I was done just after 5 pm, but wanted to start clearing some work (yes, already!) before I left my new office at 8 pm.
By 6 pm, everyone else had gone.
And everyone else hadn't even finished unpacking yet.
Considering that I was unpacking everything by myself and my other fellow-colleague had 2 pairs of extra hands to help him sort things out, they sure have many things to unload.
Plus, perhaps they weren't that efficient too.
Whatever it is, as long as I can start work as soon as I step into the office in the morning, I don't care what they will be doing or want to do.
At least that much I have already ensured that I will be able to do. :o)
Meeting my deadline is more important than all these unrelated matters...

I continue to be neutral to whatever news or gossip that colleagues would like to share with me about things and people around the work place.
I am someone who is receptive to all sorts of people generally, so I know that one person's opinion of another may not be the same as mine, due to our differing personalities.
I may be able to get along well with a person, but another person may not necessarily get on as well with the same person in question.
Of course, if a person has crossed my path and offended me directly (and unreasonably), I won't hesitate to voice out my opinion about that person.
But that's because it has to do with me.

All the hearty laughs that I tend to have on the work phone when some of my colleagues share interesting jokes won't be forthcoming anymore.
That's because I warned my colleagues about the open-space concept, where everyone is in full view and within enclosed compounds.
Having said that, my personal fridge has it's own little corner now.

And to think that I was previously told my space was going to be small, and that my fridge may not be able to fit in.

It's away from everyone else's desk, since I was given the work space right at the end of the room!
To be honest, as long as I get a decent PC, a phone and a proper desk to work on, I am happy already.
In short, it means I am not about to complain about anything, unlike my fellow-colleague who said that the toilet is too far away.
Actually, it's about 25 m away.
In my view, that's nothing.
So I don't know what he's complaining about...(to be continued)

Checking in at random...part 2

Personal

I met up with 2 ex-colleagues (now friends) on Thursday evening.

One of them had just returned for a flying visit from having moved to Canada.

The other I hadn't seen for oh, something like 8 months before.

They both looked well, and we updated one another about what our previous employer is up to.

The happiest thing was that I managed to pass my visiting/returning friend some gifts that he seemed appreciative for! :o)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh, I failed to mention that I went to an Irish pub to support a friend's cousin and her 2-piece band last Friday.

I also met my friend's family, and they were rather nice people too!

Sadly, I was so worn out after a full day's work that I had to leave earlier.

But I thoroughly enjoyed myself, nonetheless. :o)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yesterday (Sat) was a day that started with me seeing my physiotherapist.

I complained of lower back pain and a bad left shoulder.

He managed to pop something back on the left shoulder-blade, and also did something similar with another area of my back.

Both times were painful, but he said "good" each time he managed each 'pop'.

I then met up with a friend for a late lunch and dinner.

We spent time shopping in-between the 2 meals.

It was a fruitful time for me, as I managed to find (and bought) a lovely dress.

My body-frame is such that it's hard to buy any dresses that would fit me (so I was delighted, of course!).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had another invitation to meet up with another friend of mine whom I have also not seen for long awhile.

(In fact, this was one of 2 invites that I had got.)

I decided not to meet up with this friend, as I am unsure of what he is expecting from me, after having told me he hasn't found his ideal partner yet in a brief, recent catch-up chat online.

Having had the chance to see his latest photograph (and knowing that he is a couple of years younger than me), he sure does look like he has changed.

And this is for the worse, not for the better!

Looks like he has decided not to take care of his health, and has gone the 'heavier' way.

I am health-conscious, and although I have never dieted, and continue to eat whatever/whenever, at least I am still looking like a 20-something as opposed to being at the actual threshold of the 30s.

I also make an effort to groom myself to look presentable, so if I have a friend who doesn't bother to do the same, I don't feel quite comfortable.

To me, how you take care of yourself is already rather revealing.

I know on initial reading, a reader may think I am somewhat shallow, but think deeper and he/she will know what I mean.

In short, I don't want to have someone for company...one who may keel over and die on me halfway through a meal (ok, ok, you may say I am a drama-queen, but at least I hope you catch the drift!).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next week will be an interesting one, as I already have social things being planned... ;o)

Checking in at random...part 1

The past few days have been really hectic.
So hectic that I suspect I may just accidentally leave out some things I would've liked to mention here.
Anyway, a summary is grouped as follows:

Work

My deadline is looming, but I have managed to confirm that the deadline has
been exclusively extended to the first week of next month for me, even
without my request for one.

Whoopee! :o)

As for my other colleague within the same department whom I share the
workload with, he has to ask for his own extension date himself as I have
been told that date doesn't apply to him.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next, I am eagerly awaiting my new recruited staff joining me on 08 May, so
that I am able to start training him for all the things he needs to help me do.

It's really no joke when right now, I have been dumped with doing most of the administrative work myself, along with whatever else that I am rushing out work for, in spite of the extended deadline.

My temporary support-staff has been instructed by her boss (that peer colleague of mine) not to assist me as much as possible, giving the excuse that there are too many things at his end to take care of, and she would not have the time to help me out.

And I may have mentioned several times now, that not only is he not doing what we are both supposedly sharing the workload for, but he has delegated what he should be doing to his supporting staff and the temp-staff hired (for his exclusive use).

Instead, he has been able to knock off work at 5:30pm or thereabouts, and has voulntarily taken on tasks that he doesn't need to do, but would be nice to do in order to chalk up brownie points for.

I have not uttered a word of this to my boss.

I feel that whatever the case may be, the truth would surface by itself.

Yes, I may have shared these observations with a few close colleagues of mine, but they are those who also keep things to themselves, for fear of winding up in undesirable situations otherwise.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday was a special day.

I was invited to be present at a briefing - along with other newbies who joined in the last few months - to be formally introduced to the administrative staff.

It was also a belated, informal celebration of my organisation's 1st Anniversary after that briefing, with a photo-taking and cake-cutting session, since last Friday was Good Friday - the date which my organisation started a year ago; therefore, we couldn't celebrate the occasion.

And due to scheduling problems, we didn't have this occasion till Thursday.

The flattering and embarrassing thing was the fact that I was introduced to the administrative staff first by my organisation's President, with my qualification status revealed.

Considering that I hadn't mentioned my qualification level to some of the administrative staff whom I've got to know and am already friendly with, it came as a surprise to them, of course!

But the most flattering and embarrassing thing was when we adjourned to the Staff Lounge for the cake-cutting ceremony, when I seemed to be the only one asked by the President whether I would like a slice of the cake, and with him serving me exclusively!

I wonder what the rest of the administrative staff who witnessed this had thought...scary.

Ha.

Needless to say, I was teased by some of my colleagues after.

And please - my President is a happily married man with a loving wife and kids!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next week will be hectic, as I will be moving to a temporary office premise come the end of the week...sigh...

Time is slipping away

Time has a habit of slipping away when you don't think about it.
But by the time you do/did, it is already too late.
I hadn't realised my last blog is already a few days old.
And from that last blog, I was happily saying how much I was looking forward to my Sat outing!

Well, I have dunnit.
Sat's outing was great, as I did most of what I set out to do.
Everything - except collecting my executive wear that I needed alteration for (the pants).
By the time evening came, I was sooo tired that I decided to call it a day of doing errands, eating, and shopping.
I ended up visiting my Godma's shop, instead of going for a dinner appointment.

It was a good visit for a couple of reasons:

1. I seemed to have brought good sales to her so-so daily takings so far.
   Not only did one customer buy a few hundred dollars' worth of clothing, I came away with 2 lovely dresses that were $15 each, a skirt going for $10, and a top for $5!
2. I haven't seen my Godma since she moved to the new shop premise almost a month ago, and she had previously rung me to say she has missed me.

My Godma is making a loss for now with the sale items, but she is trying to clear her stock so that she could get some new stuff for her shop.
The business being that good for the day, my Godma treated me to a scrumptuous seafood dinner (more like supper, as it was something like 10:15 pm by the time we sat down at the restaurant!).
Later, my Godma's bosom buddy and her buddy's 2 children joined us for dinner too.
I was so tired at the end of it all that I had to excuse myself and head home first, before they were done.

That was my Sat.
Sun was spent recovering at home from the day before.
I even turned down a shopping trip with my mother and sister-in-law, would you believe?!
Even I was surprised.
Ha.

Lovely doing nothing

It has been quite awhile since I have stayed home and did nothing.
Shiok (this is one of the Chinese dialect's equivalent to meaning "great", except that it is more shiok to mention "shiok" - haha)!!!

Actually, I am resting and gearing myself up for the almost-full day of outing tomorrow.
I will be running some personal errands, along with having company for lunch, afternoon tea, and then dinner.
All-in-all, it should be an interesting day.
And knowing that I then have the Sun afterwards to recover from my Sat's outing is even better!
Ha.

Will go do nothing some more.
Over and out.

"Love (?)...popped out"?

I was reading a friend's latest blog earlier.
On the right side of his webpage, under 'Previous Posts', I noticed 2 separate blog titles that made some sense about how his life is right now.
That is, 'Love?' and 'Popped Out'.
Hence the title of my blog for the day.

In some ways, his once-enjoyable and unique relationship with this other lady has indeed 'popped out' - much like his ruby on the ring - as opposed to still being ongoing.
But what caught my attention was the statement he made about LOVE being from the heart and giving (it) without expecting something (or even anything) in return.
In some ways, that is something hard to achieve, although technically speaking, could be achievable.

I say it is hard, because even if we managed to be able to give love willingly, after the initial stages, we will need reciprocation in one form or another.
At least, we expect a response in order to react accordingly.
By reacting, I mean whether to continue loving that person, or to let go of that love.
Isn't life such?
Therefore, there is still an expectation there.

We all would like to be appreciated - showing a person more care and concern, for instance (even in the platonic sense) would render a response (and hopefully a positive one!).
On reflection, it may seem that I am selfless at showing continued care and concern towards my sweet someone.
And that is in spite of the fact that we are putting our relationship on hold while he re-establishes his career.
To anyone who is aware of my (/our) situation, he/she would think that is unconditional love.
I now realised that I am continuing to show my support to my sweet someone because I am hoping (albeit subconsciously) that we will have a positive outcome (i.e. getting back together) in time to come.
And likewise for him, he is reciprocating in kind as he (subconsciously?) also hopes that I will still be around for him when he is finally rid of his current in-between job situation.
Otherwise, why are we both still making the effort to stay in touch and be around for each other?
All it takes is just either party not to be reachable, i.e. not to take the other person's calls, or to reply to the text messages on the mobilephone, etc.
But we are both doing neither of those things mentioned.

SO, I may have just opened up a topic for discussion.
Or for reflection.

Gotta go.
Lunchtime over (at work)....

Better to be a bit late than never

I was flooded with work yesterday (Sat).
As a result, I totally forgot about blogging while in the office.
I was suffering from a frozen shoulder (still am actually).
Doesn't help that my lower back is also painful.
This says a lot - that there are lots(!) of work to be done.
My deadline is 31 April.
And I am actually managing administrative work on top of doing what I am doing.
My other colleague keeps on changing his mind about providing me with administrative support.
One minute he said I shouldn't be doing some of the stuff and to ask his support staff (who is also supposedly supporting me temporarily) to do it.
The next minute he said I should be doing those things myself.
In the end, I have decided to do them myself.
Which meant that time was lost when I could be doing what I am supposed to be doing!
At least I got to complete one main piece of work.
Which is great, as it means I could start on another new one.
Ha.

Friday was a good start to the day.
A colleague (whom I feel will become a potential great friend in time to come) made a cheese cake and dropped by to let me sample a slice.
She also told me many things about our working organisation that I was surprised to hear.
But I continue to be objective towards what I have learnt so far.
The comforting thing is that I am slowly being accepted for who I am.
I don't want any 'skeletons hidden in the closet', so am determined to start on the right foot at work.

Right, about the weekend so far...

I went for drinks to catch up with my cousin whom I've never been close to before.
And I am glad I did.
We exchanged news about our respective parents, and how similar their views are at bringing us up.
It was a different kind of conversation, and a refreshing one for me too.
Before I made this move to ask my cousin to catch up, I realised that keeping family ties is actually quite important.
Your cousins from your generation are probably the ones who will be around during your lifetime, longer than your parents.
They are the ones who will be able to remind you about your parents, keeping the thoughts and memories alive!
So from an initial parental obligation to introduce more female friends into my cousin's life (as if he doesn't have enough already), this get-together with him evolved into one that is definitely more constructive than I had imagined.

Perhaps this could be a timely reminder to my readers that you should try to get together with your relations too.
You'll never know what nice things will come out of it...

Not quite end of the week

...for me, anyway.
I am due to work at the office later in the morning.
Yes, on a Saturday.

Oh, I've just realised the time.
I won't have enough hours of sleep again.
I will end off here and blog again when I am at work later.

Ciao for now.

Post-dinner

I was just about to start this blog when I heard my mobilephone ringing.
It was from someone (which I later found out) who had tried to call me 4 times previously before I took the call.
This person expressed an interest at wanting me to head out and have a drink with him.
I know he's interested in getting to know me better, but I am just not keen.
He's the kind who likes to flit in and out of your life like a butterfly.
And for that reason alone, I am not encouraging him to meet up.

Besides, I've just come home from having dinner with my sweet someone.
He is still as sweet as ever, and looking rather smart in the new dress shirt (and a tie) that I got him.
The colour suited him (just as I thought!), but he prefers the other white one that I got him at the same time.
He said he would've worn the other shirt, except that it has not been ironed yet.

This dinner was a belated birthday treat that I had said I would give him.
[That is in addition to the new polo-neck t-shirt that costs quite a bit (for a t-shirt anyway), but I know would look rather nice on him.]

We went to a nice, Russian restaurant tucked away in a corner of town.
It was so exclusive that there were only the 2 of us in the entire restaurant the whole 2 hours we were there.
The beef and lamb shashlik were good.
But the highlight of the dinner wasn't on the food.
Between us, there were so many things to talk about, and yet on thinking back, we didn't talk about much!
Strange, isn't it?
Anyway, one thing we both have done was to let each other know how we each felt/feel about each other.
As I had concluded rightly, it was/is the uncertain financial situation that my sweet someone is in right now that caused him to decide he wasn't ready for a relationship.
The chemistry was/is still there, and he admittedly said he still loves me and I am precious to him.
It's just that he prefers to focus on getting back on his feet again, career-wise, before he thinks about anything else.

I have always known he is a very determined and responsible guy, and one who ensures that he could offer some security in life to the other partner before he is ready to commit in a relationship.
Just like how he was in his last relationship, when he had a job that was going well for him.
So we have mutually agreed that it is best to take one day at a time - just like what I said in my blog before this current one!
I also mentioned that I am a firm believer that all things happen for a reason.
And that whatever the reason may be, it has at least helped the 2 of us realise that we have been truthful to each other in our communication.
Not to mention that I really mean what I said when I told him I would stand by him, no matter what.
Of course, that has been thoroughly appreciated by my sweet someone, so I am happy already.

I have not felt so comfortable with anyone I had dated previously.
My sweet someone and I didn't seem to run out of things to say to each other - be it sharing jokes or the more serious stuff!
He may not be the best-looking guy in the whole world, but somehow, I still appreciate the way he is.
OK, he may seem a little tough (much like a smaller version of a bouncer at the door of any club), and talks and walks like he is about to get into a fight with someone, but hey, I don't find that off-putting at all!
I guess I have met too many men who have tried to impress me by putting on their so-called 'best' behaviour.
Unfortuanately for those men, I am not usually that easily impressed by anyone, unless they are being totally themselves!

My sweet someone had a cold, so we shared a cab to head home straight after the dinner.
Poor thing - he was blowing his nose and sneezing so many times!

All in all, it was great to see him again, and know that he is taking things in his stride.
That's all I care about right now, over and above everything else...

Blogger at work

No, seriously - I (the blogger) am at work.
For the first time since I started on this job, I am putting my thoughts down from the big office that I have been given.
To have an office all to myself is already a luxury, but to have a big one is something else.
I see that as a bonus.
In fact, I see most things as a bonus.

Life is not all about expectations.
The more one expects, the more one gets disappointed if an expectation is not met.
I have learnt not to expect much these days.
And this has actually come in useful in coping with the latest relationship that I started with my sweet someone some months back.
His constant work travels (and busy work schedule, in general) conditioned me to appreciate the limited time we spent together.
All the simple things like strolling in a park or chatting at my home was so enjoyable, I found.

Needless to say, I have changed - of course.
From someone who used to be very anxious to the point of paranoia(!) if I didn't hear from each of the guys whom I was in exclusive relationships with at various points in my life, to someone who is able to take things in her stride even if she didn't hear from her sweet someone for days while he had been overseas is, I feel, a positive change.
Perhaps being older has something to do with it too.

Knowing that I have simple needs and being able to be contented with the barest minimum gives me a more positive outlook.
Some may argue that I am taking things too easy.
But I would like to think it's because I am more confident about what I want out of life, and that if things are meant (or not meant) to be, so be it.

I am having dinner with my sweet someone later this evening.
Looking back, I think this is the first sit-down dinner that we are having at a restaurant!
This is also the first time we are out and about together in town.
Strange, I know, but this outing is only possible because he is officially in-between jobs as of yesterday.
He hasn't wasted any time though.
He has already sent off his CV to headhunting companies locally and overseas.
If he really finds a job overseas, that will probably be another hurdle to cross in the relationship.
But we will cross that hurdle when we come to it.
One day at a time, eh?

Oh yes, about the dinner later this evening.
I will keep you readers posted.
Stay tuned...

A year on...

I just realised that I have blogged for over a year now.
Time flies!

This blogging business is tricky.
While I use my blogs as a means for my overseas friends to be updated with what has been happening in my life, I am also aware that my blogs have probably been read by strangers who have chanced upon them.
I think my blogs are only interesting to those people who know me personally.
For those who don't, they will think it's a bit boring.
Especially when I have been slack at blogging in the last month or so.

I have been following a couple of friends' blogs too.
One of whom have had a 'roller-coaster ride' in the last few months too.
I won't be one to judge, but whatever he did, I did mention to him ages ago not to even think about it, least of all try.
He got himself into a problematic situation anyway, and somehow appears to be regretting it.
I guess in life, we tend to learn better the hard way.
Even though there are times when we know what we are about to do is wrong, we do it anyway.
Just for the hell of it.
But there are others who use the new situation as a outlet to get away from another unhappy one.

I am one who believes that all things happen for a reason.
Be it good or bad, such times allow us to re-assess our lives and to reflect on what we want out of life.
That was what I told my sweet someone.
Speaking of which, we are still communicating fine, and he even called me before he left for his short business trip to a neighbouring country a few days ago.
He will be back this coming new week, and we will be meeting for dinner.
And I know I have mentioned this in my earlier blog. :o)

A gal friend has approached me with her long-distance relationship problem.
Unlike me, she is involved with a Caucasian based in New York whom she met last year while travelling, whereas my sweet someone is a local (like me) who has been travelling extensively for work.
She is a little too anxious about wanting to be in the exclusive relationship with this fella.
But this guy is taking things a little easier, especially when it is a long-distance thing for them.
I told her to take things easy too.
And to enjoy the process of development naturally, instead of forcing things to happen too quickly.
I warned her that if she hastens things, the balance may be upset, and things will not go the way she wants - no matter how in love they are with each other.
I used my situation as an example.
And told her much as I would like to have this relationship progress in the way I would like it to progress, I have to let things progress naturally and in its own time.
She said she's got a lot to learn from me.
I am flattered, of course! :o)

I have now been appraised ahead of my 3-month probation on the new job.
I will officially be confirmed come 9th April, but unofficially, I have secured the position!
That has delighted me to no end.
But, this month is also a busy month for me.
It's the peak season for things coming in, and because my new staff isn't going to join my organisation till a month from now, I have to do everything on my own in the meantime.
Oh well.
I am willing to take up the challenge.
Especially when my other colleague has 3 pairs of helping hands to do the work (him included).

Anyway, this new week is going to be a busy one for me.
Work-wise I have already mentioned, but socially, I am determined to allocate time to it too.
Am making a conscious effort for the latter...starting from this coming new week anyway.