Time is flying by so amazingly quick!
I feel like I've been so busy but I don't know with what. But I'm enjoying life with great people at work.
Going for F1 tomorrow as my boss doesn't want to go because he has church. Which I could/should say the same but... Not going to make excuses.
Feeling really worn out right now!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Tired
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Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Righteousness counts
There was an internal department get together today and the special get together was held in a karaoke... center (my lack of confidence in finding the right word to describe it should tell you I am an infrequent visitor of such places)?
I intensely dislike singing karaoke as I am uncomfortable singing in public. Ask me to lead worship in church even in front of a crowd of over hundred I am fine, because I am doing it for God. Ask me to sing for fun... mehh!
Needless to say, in such occasions, alcohol consumption is a given. By the time some of us were ready to depart, I was already shattered, even if it was just the early evening (we started in the afternoon). Not from excess of alcohol consumption but from being a mother hen worrying over the heavier drinkers who had already passed their thresholds.
I felt weary like a seasoned veteran of such business-social obligations. They say as a sales person I need to learn to drink to close deals, but as "seasoned" as I feel, I'm glad I've never have had to compromise heavily on my limits for the sake of work before.
It helps to learn lessons at an earlier age and in safer conditions. It also helps to inherit your father's genes of high intolerance to alcohol.
What you cannot achieve through intoxication such as higher levels of rapport with people you depend on for work purposes, you just have to achieve through GREAT levels of coordinated effort of tricks, wiles, flattery, movements, acting and a huge dose of genuine sincerity and niceness. As long as you create and leave people a feel-good factor, no one truly cares about the method.
It helps that this time round, I actually have a manager more pious than me and makes me feel like I should watch my conduct even more tightly. He had been criticized in the past for not drinking, not smoking and doesn't play golf. He doesn't entertain clients of questionable conduct, but his results has always spoken for him.
Even my Group Managing Director holds to strict principles over the way a business is conducted and just this morning telling me stories from his past experience.
You cannot believe how extremely thankful I am for God's favor over my current work stint, in this great convergence of people of principles and values. While the devil tries to convince people righteousness is over valued and it is naivety that cannot gain any advantage, I cannot agree in any way with that. However, you CAN step on anyone you want and you CAN gain billions of dollars for your effort.
But at end of the day, you're going to die and you're going to face the Judge for an account of your life. Seriously, by that time you're really going to care how much you earned and how comfortable you were with your life? Come on.
And hang on, if you think as long as your good outweighs your bad you should be able to justify yourself before God, stop being a dimwit. That's self-righteousness and that's ugly as hell in itself.
I intensely dislike singing karaoke as I am uncomfortable singing in public. Ask me to lead worship in church even in front of a crowd of over hundred I am fine, because I am doing it for God. Ask me to sing for fun... mehh!
Needless to say, in such occasions, alcohol consumption is a given. By the time some of us were ready to depart, I was already shattered, even if it was just the early evening (we started in the afternoon). Not from excess of alcohol consumption but from being a mother hen worrying over the heavier drinkers who had already passed their thresholds.
I felt weary like a seasoned veteran of such business-social obligations. They say as a sales person I need to learn to drink to close deals, but as "seasoned" as I feel, I'm glad I've never have had to compromise heavily on my limits for the sake of work before.
It helps to learn lessons at an earlier age and in safer conditions. It also helps to inherit your father's genes of high intolerance to alcohol.
What you cannot achieve through intoxication such as higher levels of rapport with people you depend on for work purposes, you just have to achieve through GREAT levels of coordinated effort of tricks, wiles, flattery, movements, acting and a huge dose of genuine sincerity and niceness. As long as you create and leave people a feel-good factor, no one truly cares about the method.
It helps that this time round, I actually have a manager more pious than me and makes me feel like I should watch my conduct even more tightly. He had been criticized in the past for not drinking, not smoking and doesn't play golf. He doesn't entertain clients of questionable conduct, but his results has always spoken for him.
Even my Group Managing Director holds to strict principles over the way a business is conducted and just this morning telling me stories from his past experience.
You cannot believe how extremely thankful I am for God's favor over my current work stint, in this great convergence of people of principles and values. While the devil tries to convince people righteousness is over valued and it is naivety that cannot gain any advantage, I cannot agree in any way with that. However, you CAN step on anyone you want and you CAN gain billions of dollars for your effort.
But at end of the day, you're going to die and you're going to face the Judge for an account of your life. Seriously, by that time you're really going to care how much you earned and how comfortable you were with your life? Come on.
And hang on, if you think as long as your good outweighs your bad you should be able to justify yourself before God, stop being a dimwit. That's self-righteousness and that's ugly as hell in itself.
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Apple is Really conquering the world
Ok, I love my iPad.
I was adamant of being nonchalant about owning the device just because it has the cool factor. After all, I am no sheep to popularism.
But iPad AND Starhubs' unlimited data plan makes it so awesome to be constantly connected to the great big World Wide Web.
For someone reason, DHS' smirking expression just flashed in my head.
*Mentally shoo-ing the image away*
The few things that has already got me hooked on to it (since I've not yet fully explored the world of iPads) is the free books on iBook store and how Straits Times papers come free on iPad and I can enlarge the fonts easily at the tip of my fingers without having the hassle of holding up, turning or folding clumsily the super large papers.
There's a sense of nostalgia thinking about how the world I grew up in is quickly disappearing.
Now on with the future.
I was adamant of being nonchalant about owning the device just because it has the cool factor. After all, I am no sheep to popularism.
But iPad AND Starhubs' unlimited data plan makes it so awesome to be constantly connected to the great big World Wide Web.
For someone reason, DHS' smirking expression just flashed in my head.
*Mentally shoo-ing the image away*
The few things that has already got me hooked on to it (since I've not yet fully explored the world of iPads) is the free books on iBook store and how Straits Times papers come free on iPad and I can enlarge the fonts easily at the tip of my fingers without having the hassle of holding up, turning or folding clumsily the super large papers.
There's a sense of nostalgia thinking about how the world I grew up in is quickly disappearing.
Now on with the future.
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Apple will conquer the world
Everyone but two of us in the team have iPads but despite attempts to convince me to get one, I considered it and decided against it.
It definitely had a cool factor to it, but when I weighed the devices I already had, there wasn't a compelling need for me to get an iPad. A laptop was sufficient for me for work and personal use, and my iPod Touch is really good for music on the go. My Blackberry could access emails and tweet. An iPad was just an overlap to every other device I had.
Last Friday I got myself an iPad.
Reason #1: I booked my flights to London for Christmas, on Jet Airways. No, not Jetstar. Jet Airways.
Which carrier is that you ask? What does that matter, your face asks?
It is an Indian carrier, that will transit in Mumbai both ways.
At $500 difference to MAS, which was the next cheapest and fastest route without crazy stopovers, I succumbed to greed ok! Greed to save $500 which is a lot of money to me! And yes, it is cheaper and more convenient than AirAsia.
I am already mentally preparing amenities that I may need to survive the trip to and fro, and an iPad stocked with movies and shows is one of them.
I love travelling on a long distance flight. The thing I look forward to most is snuggling into my seat and watching 1 American romantic comedy and whatever Asian (Cantonese/Korean/Japanese) movies the airline would have. Thus my preference for asian carriers like MAS, SQ or Cathay. Since it is my first time on an Indian carrier, I'm not taking chances.
I do not want to watch Bollywood movies all the way.
*Groan* The more I think about it, the more I feel like I should have taken MAS.
Reason #2 : The thing about being in an IT industry is that you need to embrace IT. iPads has a direct impact to my area of work. My manager had been repeatedly tried to explain the impact and while I hear the words, the mind hasn't fully grasped it entirely yet. So on Friday, when he had to repeat himself yet again, his frustration caused his words to ring when he declared, "You just have to try it out for yourself to understand!"
I had been thinking and thinking for months whether to get an iPad but never got round to it because I felt I could still do without it. But my manager gave me the needed bullet to bite.
Shanx2 in her uncanny discerning manner has been the only one who ever pointed out my tendency to need a minimum of 2 reasons to do anything. If I perceive there is only 1 reason to do things, I would not. Not enough value for time and energy apparently.
When I am decided in my mind the rightness of an action, I would do it quickly and decisively. So in the same day after having the conversation with my manager I went off to get the iPad.
It definitely had a cool factor to it, but when I weighed the devices I already had, there wasn't a compelling need for me to get an iPad. A laptop was sufficient for me for work and personal use, and my iPod Touch is really good for music on the go. My Blackberry could access emails and tweet. An iPad was just an overlap to every other device I had.
Last Friday I got myself an iPad.
Reason #1: I booked my flights to London for Christmas, on Jet Airways. No, not Jetstar. Jet Airways.
Which carrier is that you ask? What does that matter, your face asks?
It is an Indian carrier, that will transit in Mumbai both ways.
At $500 difference to MAS, which was the next cheapest and fastest route without crazy stopovers, I succumbed to greed ok! Greed to save $500 which is a lot of money to me! And yes, it is cheaper and more convenient than AirAsia.
I am already mentally preparing amenities that I may need to survive the trip to and fro, and an iPad stocked with movies and shows is one of them.
I love travelling on a long distance flight. The thing I look forward to most is snuggling into my seat and watching 1 American romantic comedy and whatever Asian (Cantonese/Korean/Japanese) movies the airline would have. Thus my preference for asian carriers like MAS, SQ or Cathay. Since it is my first time on an Indian carrier, I'm not taking chances.
I do not want to watch Bollywood movies all the way.
*Groan* The more I think about it, the more I feel like I should have taken MAS.
Reason #2 : The thing about being in an IT industry is that you need to embrace IT. iPads has a direct impact to my area of work. My manager had been repeatedly tried to explain the impact and while I hear the words, the mind hasn't fully grasped it entirely yet. So on Friday, when he had to repeat himself yet again, his frustration caused his words to ring when he declared, "You just have to try it out for yourself to understand!"
I had been thinking and thinking for months whether to get an iPad but never got round to it because I felt I could still do without it. But my manager gave me the needed bullet to bite.
Shanx2 in her uncanny discerning manner has been the only one who ever pointed out my tendency to need a minimum of 2 reasons to do anything. If I perceive there is only 1 reason to do things, I would not. Not enough value for time and energy apparently.
When I am decided in my mind the rightness of an action, I would do it quickly and decisively. So in the same day after having the conversation with my manager I went off to get the iPad.
