Xin.
~~Searching for a goal, a purpose, a value in life which is worthwhile as an end in itself and not merely as a means to some other ends~~

Life's journey.
Life is not gentle - far from it. From time to time, it will hand you disappointment, grief, loss, a formidable difficulty, often when least expected. But never forget you can surmount the worst it brings, keep on going, and make your way up again. You will find that you are stronger and maybe better off for having had some bad experience. No matter what has happened to a person, that individual still has within vast undamaged areas. Nature always tries to repair, so don't be discouraged when you suffer a blow - Norman Vincent Peale

Inspirational quotes.
It is in your moment of decision that your destiny is shaped - Anthony Robbins

You'll always rise in life to the level of responsibility that you're willing to accept - Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nothing has any power over me than that which I give it through my conscious thoughts - Anthony Robbins

What lies behind us and what lies beyond us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The highest reward for man's toil is not what he gets for it but what he becomes of it - John Ruskin

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference - St Francis of Assisi

Anyone can be angry, that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, at the right time, for the right reason, to the right degree, in the right way, this is not easy - Aristotle


ramblings.


archives.
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
November 2007
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
August 2009

mates.
Bro
Apis
Bei Xuan
Cindy
Kristin
Maureen
Terence
Wei Hong
Zhi Liang

credit.
designer: x
resources: x x x

I'm glad it's all over now. Was so worried just a few days ago. Think I shall be more cautious in future.

Many people flying in and out of the office lately. Trung was in town for the past 2 weeks. This is the second time I see him around in Singapore. It was also this time round did I realised he's actually a really nice guy.

Went out for lunch with him last wednesday to Fullerton Hotel. Imagine, just to have lunch! I think only he can afford to spend company money like that.. When I saw the bill at the end of it, it was like a hundred over bucks.. just for two and he didn't even eat much (he has to eat like 4 meals a day, for entertaining purposes). I had the buffet even though I wasn't really hungry. Hack.. I don't have to pay for it anyways & he was really cool about it XD.. The best part of the buffet was the desserts..they were superb. My first shot at having Creme Burlee. All along I have heard people raving about it, but I never knew it was this good until I have tasted it for myself. There were a whole lot of other desserts and they were all damn good (it's a pity I couldn't stomach all of them).

Anyways Trung a really interesting guy, with years of experience and knowledge to boot and what's more, he's really concerned about my well- being. In another incident, he has shown how protective he can be. In fact, I've never seen a guy so protective before, especially since I don't know him that well yet.

The (21st to 15th) week is actually Family Week and many talks were held around raffles area, in NTUC auditorium, etc.. ABN Amro has been an active participant, with one of the talks held in our premises. Well, it's actually good that there are this kinda programmes so people can take this opportunity to look back on their families and spend some quality time together. Friday the 25th, was National Eat With Your Family Day, so staff can leave at 5pm, which was really good. So I took this opportunity to have Zhi Cha with my family on this very day, cause my colleagues keep reminding me: ' Better go eat with your family ar, dun go gallivanting around ar', which I didn't lah, anyways...

Anyways, Nigel asked me and Brenda to PostBar on wednesday to have some catching on session. This time round, Brenda joined, which is good as it signifies she has loosen up a little, despite the midst of tension. It's the first time I'm in one and I really appreciate the effort he takes to have this kinda thing going on for the team. So we drank while he updates us on what's going on elsewhere in the world, for Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, India, etc..

Trung joined us half hour later and he & Nigel started drinking and talking about global stuff, considering both of them are Regional Heads. Could tell the both of them are really stressed as they drink so much. Brenda only had a glass of wine and I could tell she was gone already.. She looked extremely frightening with her whole face red, trying to smile and yet not able to do so.. she's really not a drinker..

Anyways, Ajay rang Trung up like an hour later? I have no idea and wasn't exactly keeping track of the time anymore. Ajay's the big guy, all of us' bosses, so we waited about half hour for him to arrive. It was funny to see how Trung was trying to get him drunk and persuade him about some proposal, but could tell that he himself was dead drunk already. Too bad Ajay only had one glass of wine and left soon after with Trung to have dinner.

Anyways, me and Nigel continue drinking till we almost finish the whole bottle while Brenda was stoning. Probably due to the influence of alcohol, he was getting all emotional about all his work and work ties. I so wanted to hug and comfort him but guess it just wasn't appropriate. Think he was thinking of sobering himself up with some coffee but in the end his coffee didn't came and he gave his to mine. All this while, we were shooting SMSes across to each other and that is where we decided to go to Balaclava after that.

So after paying the bill, we took the opportunity to slip off in a cab while Brenda was in the ladies. Haha, it was exhilarating. I never knew he would do this kinda thing but with office politics going on, it's a thin line which should never be crossed, and I understood that without having to be told.

At Balaclava, we took to the bar area once inside, as it was really crowded. Trung was supposed to join us but we got no reply from him so guess he was probably dead drunk. This the first time I've been at such close proximity from my caucasian boss, somemore at such a crowded bar. Kinda hard to imagine it. I took beer.. learnt that he doesn't as he is allergic to yeast.. and found it weird that he actually took one later on as he just said he was allergic -_-"

I dunno if it was because if the allergy or what, I thought he wasn't so alright after on. In fact, I think I must have been really blur. I should have been more conscious of the fact that he had been drinking a lot and shouldn't be very stable by then. But probably, he just don't wanna show that side of it so I couldn't tell.

Some gripes.. While getting out of the club later on, there was this guy who simply refused to move his legs out of my way, to allow me to get through the crowd. Pretty scary stuff.. He was seated near the entrance, thus with the packed crowd, pretty much blocked most of the way. Luckily Nigel cleared it for me.

He's a really concerned boss, first about my safety, as well as whether he will be getting me into trouble :) He must have asked me a million times later on if I was okay. I don't know if he thought I was traumatised or drunk, both of which I wasn't. In fact I was bright awake, which I myself find weird.

Two people I got to know better this week: Trung and Nigel. Trung as a colleague, shows great concern for his younger staff. Nigel as my boss, he feels very responsible towards me, for my well-being as well as my safety, so much so that he resembles a father figure to me.

*At the end of this blog post, I wanna apologise to ZL for making a wasted trip the other day. Thanks anyways amd glad that you don't mind.