2011 was a year of many adjustments. (Those who know me well will understand this phrase well enough). Here's the transformations experienced this year...



Career growth

2010 was a dead year, with endless job applications and zero result. The decision to quit Norway and move to Singapore/Malaysia in 2011 greatly turned this situation around. I landed a great job which I liked and blessed me with good working experience.

The 2012 goal will be to take on more responsibilities at work. And be more accurate in my copyediting.



Friendships

In 2010, my quest to make new friends in Norway was near dismal. Social interaction was limited to talking with the bff on gmail chat and random skype dates here and there. It was not an experience I'd want to repeat.

Highlight for 2011: I still love my girls in Canada, and nothing can ever replace them. When I heard that Jen + JC were going to tie the know, a decision was made to fly all the way from Singapore to Canada to attend their wedding. One of the best choices I've made this year - it was a good holiday, a shopping fiesta, a reunion, a nostalgic trip down memory lane and an awesome wedding all rolled into one. And I actually finished my aeroplan miles when I redeemed for that long-distance plane ticket. LOL.

Old friendships were revived: seeing my bff on a regular basis was pure joy, and so was meeting up with high school friends. Makes you realise that it was 10 years since you graduated from the O Levels!

Apart from that, I also made many new friends in Singapore - mostly from the lifegroup at church. I was so blessed to have a lifegroup which comprised mainly of Malaysians working in Singapore, too! Being able to fellowship with other Christians on a regular basis also improved spiritual growth, which leads to...



Spiritual Matters


2010 saw the wheels of forgiveness in action. Letting go of a lot of past and starting anew. This may seem small but it was a crucial step in laying the foundation for a walk with God.

There was multiple spiritual breakthrough in 2011: better understanding of grace (especially grace vs law), repentance, drawing closer to god, prayer and fasting, more prayer for other people instead of myself, and understanding the need for evangelism.

There's much to be desired in this department, however. Regular devotional habits need to take place. Also, currently, I mainly read the bible and pray only on the MRT on the way to work. Such actions, i tend to justify with the lack of time. But this means that I'm only giving God what is convenient. HE has to come first, in all matters, and be given the best, not a convenient time slot.

(Time to replace the MRT bible with a Nintendo DS. :P )



Family


Relationship improved with my mother and first brother beyond my imagination. This i attribute to the grace of God, who has the power to heal all brokenness. I also started giving $$ to my father and aunt, and since then they started to see me in a different light. More respect, less nagging, more personal autonomy and more say in household matters.

The marriage, however, went downhill. Being on long-distance, although necessary for sanity (and it allowed growth for all these other areas), made it hard to sustain. We're still trying. Hopefully as soon as the hubby finishes his PhD, the long distance will end and things would get better. Our vows "for better or worse" have never been more relevant.



Others

Health things: Got a gym membership. I workout regularly now, and I feel better, too. During the University days I used to dance salsa intensely at least 3 times a week, in addition to the random swimming and long-walks. Having an office job makes it so easy to have a sedentary life, so I try to combat it by going for my gym's classes at least 3-4 times a week.

And I developed a newfound love for Yoga. Hehehe.

Habits: Sadly, I stopped cooking. There was no motivation to cook just for one person.



Here's wishing a blessed-filled year for 2012, greater breakthroughs on personal fronts, improved career, family, relational and spiritual aspects, and for a wonderful year ahead!




Things I do not miss about Peterborough
 
- how peeps from Toronto buy houses in Petey to rent out to students
- Aramak at Trent
- the frequency at which bicycles are stolen
 
 
Things i forgot about Peterborough... until a re-encounter takes place
 
- orange bus stops
- the taste of Peterborough's tap water
- hippie music playing in the background of independent restaurants
 

Things I really, REALLY miss about Peterborough
 
- the Planet bakery
- sweet potato fries at hot belly mamas
- 2nd hand bookstores on Water Street
- how beautiful Trent university looks while crossing the bridge between the East and West Banks
- Traill College
- dipping my feet in the water while reading a book at the Otonabee River
- my old apartment at Queen Street
- picturesque bike trails
- The Free Market. And Farmer's Market
- how you keep bumping into people you know downtown
- walking on George street
- The Eco Laundry
- The Seasoned Spoon
- I also miss the fact that I know nearly every single street, every nook and cranny, down to the shortcuts via railway/obscure paths
 
 
What i miss the most about Peterborough
 
Past memories. University days with my dear friends; playing board games, having potlucks, cramming through exam periods together. Familiarity. And the presence of my other half. Wished he could be here again; walking around the nature trails, eating together, and chatting while feeding the ducks at millenia park. I miss you...
 

On a Pensive Note:
 
There's so much more to be said and described that merely putting it on a blog post is insufficient. What I truly hope to express cannot be described anyway. Yesterday I found out that one of my dear Professors recently passed away; reinforcing how life can be so fragile and unpredictable. The Prof died of cancer, and the news was hard to stomach as I remembered him as a wonderful teacher who was passionate about poetry and had a gift of sharing that passion with his students. If you have the time, this man will change the way you think about life, even in his death. God bless his soul.
 
Rest in peace, Professor David Glassco.



 

Job Interview!

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011 12:56
Yesterday, I had an interview at 10am on the eastern side of Singapore. This meant getting up early to beat the traffic jam into singapore, which i was not looking forward to. The Malaysian govt made the new building seriously inconvenient for commuters - the old one was fast, quick, and straightforward... and this new 'flashy' building with all its shops - properly ensured that everyone who had to go to Singapore walked at least a mile through the shops upstairs and downstairs and all the way around to get the bus. Which is pretty retarded, IMHO.

Only my country's govt. will spend millions to make lives more inconvenient for people :(

Anyways, i left early; woke up at 6am and left the house by 7am. Which was a good thing - the queue for Bus 170 was horrendous on a monday morning, and apparently now there are TWO lines for the bus - one line for seats in the bus, the other line for standing. (Price of bus ride, however was still the same... come on this is seriously retarded). Got myself across the border as quickly as I could run across the customs, and took the MRT to my final destination.

When i arrived there, i was given a copy-edit test to do - which wasn't too hard. Drel saw me, waved and went back to her work. I secretly gave her my camera so she could extract my picts from Japan.

The interview itself was surprisingly well; like Drel, i also spent most of the interview making them laugh. There were 3 interviewers - GE, M, and S. M did most of the talking/conversation, and I just went along...


Them: So, what do you think are the responsibilities involved with the job?
Me: Assist the head Editor with proofreading, copy-editing, checking for plagiarism etc... and making coffee for you all
M : LOL, what can of coffee can you make?
Me: What kind do you want?
M: Cappuccino, Macchiato, the kinds with salt...
Me: 3-in-1 can?
Them: LOL
Me: With or without ice?
Them: LOLOL


On my journey to Singapore: past, present, & future

GE: So, you came all the way from JB this morning?
Me: Yeah. But I'm used to it, I've done that in Primary and Secondary school - going across the causeway in the mornings, and home to JB in the evenings. It was like going overseas everyday!
Them: LOL
S: So if you got the job, will you commute like this everyday:
Me: Maybe i will for the first month, but not after that. I still want to find a place to stay in Singapore. Ever since that new Casino opened, the traffic jams have gotten worse - all the Malaysians have been crossing the border to gamble...
Them: HAHAHA
Me: And Malaysia is in the process of building a casino too; so I want to get a place before it opens and the Singaporeans start cramming the causeway as well...
Them: LOLOLOL!


On Editing:

Them: So, what did you think of the test we gave you?
Me: Hmm. One article had no grammatical or spelling mistakes, but it was written very informally - lots of colloquial terms, emotional language, very convoluted sometimes, not specific enough ,needs more statistics. The other article was very formal, had good scientific language, well-organized - but riddled with grammar and spelling errors. I'd say they are opposites of each other.
S: Did you enjoy the process?
Me: Yeah. Actually I have done this in the past - when marking my students' assignments. I get to tell them what they did wrong, how they did wrong, and how it should be corrected. I liked bossing them around.
Them: LOLz


On my linguistic abilities:

M: So, you're a Malaysian, but you've lived in so many places, and you speak many languages! I see that you've got Spanish on your transcript!
Me: Oh, during my 4th year, I just needed one extra credit to graduate... and that course didn't have classes on Mondays, Fridays, or lectures at 9am in the morning...
Them: LOL
Me: And in Norway, I learnt Norwegian cause I couldn't stand not being able to read the labels on food packages at the grocery store. Before I took Norwegian class, I once bought Rum essence instead of Vanilla essence cause they had the same colour!
Them: HAHAHAHA
Me: Sadly Norwegian is not a very broadly used language; but it's still nice that I can potentially speak to an additional 4 million people in this world...
Them: LOL
Me: However I can understand written Swedish and Danish cause it is similar enough.
Them: Wow, that's interesting :)
Me: *on a roll* And, because of my husband, I also do speak some Japanese - you can throw me in Japan and I'd be able to get around. I can say "Hungry. Want This. 2 pieces. How much? Can give Discount?" Or I can say, "Help. Toilet. Where. REALLY. NEED. IT." and look panicky.
Them: LOLOL!!!


On my very international background:

Them: So, why do you want to live in Singapore, why not Canada or Norway?
Me: Cause I like Singapore the best!
Them: Why?
Me: For starters, there is no Char Kuey Tiao in North America or Europe...
Them: LOL
Me: But it's also too cold in Canada and Norway - about -20 right now over there! *inserts blahblah about winter + the lack of sunlight in winter/too much sun in summer* It snows right up to my waist, and unlike the westerners I'm really short, if i ever fell into a pile I'd need someone to dig me out...
Them: HAHAHA
Me: *gives serious answers about future, plans, being close to family and other plus points about Singapore*
M: I knew it, Char Kuey Tiao wasn't a enough reason on its own...
Me: Of course not. There's also mee pok, yong tau foo, orh luah and roti prata...
Them: LOLOLOL!!!


On my seriousness about this position

Them: How can we be sure that you really want to be an Editor, that you want THIS position, and not something else?
Me: I woke up at 6am, braved the traffic jam coming into Singapore, ran under the rain... and you still think I don't want this job?
Them: LOL
M: And you'll make us coffee too, eh?
Me: Yeah
M: ahahaha, you're desperate, eh?
Me: Not that bad. But if you want me too, i will!
Them: LOL.

Other things we talked about included the structure of the organization itself, potential duties, my future goals, why should they give me the job + other standard interview questions. But overall, it was probably the most fun interview I'd ever have. Very relaxed, and it was great to make good conversation with people who kept you on going :)

Later that day, i met an old friend SH from BP and we had lunch and chatted a bit, and puttered around ION Orchard. SH shopped around for his Chinese New Year clothes. At 6.30pm I met Drel for dinner and we decided to have dessert first - since i had a Swensen's voucher for 1-for-1 ice cream, we decided to feast on sundaes. Then we promptly exited Swensens, walked around a bit, and after 15 mins went BACK to Swensens to use another of my vouchers for 1-for-1 appetizers :P The head waiter, i think, was supremely amused at our kiasu-ness. (Who ask them to say that their vouchers 'cannot be combined with other offers'? Hah!)

Then came the traumatic traffic jam home to JB after that >_<

But overall, an eventful day. Hopefully I'll get called for the 2nd round of interview and be given a job soon. *crossed fingers*

Profile

cookiecutter

January 2014

S M T W T F S
   1234
5678 91011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 

Syndicate

RSS Atom

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Thursday, June 12th, 2025 19:26
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios