.::. A Purposeful Life .::.

It's Teachers' Day again, and I'm always very thankful to receive anything from my students.  It's very difficult to explain the warm fuzzy feeling of satisfaction that I get only from teaching; the feeling I get only from these children that I know I have made an impact on.

I have always wondered why, after to many jobs in the past 15 years, why do teaching still rank top on my list.  During the drive home tonight, I pondered and I think that I might finally have an answer.  Teaching itself is not the most enjoyable thing really, and anyone who has ever tried to teach someone anything will know.  Some days it drains and frustrates me, especially after a long day in the office, but it always pays off.  Apart from knowing that your students really like and appreciate you, I think the most important thing is that children are inherently innocent and straight-forward.  You always know if they are happy or upset, or if they are telling the truth.  However, I realized that the best thing about teaching is that I can truly be myself when I teach.  I am the most honest and sincere when I'm with my students (and their parents).  It's something that truly aligns with my principles and values as a person.  And of course, knowing that you make an impact on someone's life is itself really satisfying.  Every single student that came to me made great improvements.  One of the most memorable moments was when a few of my tuitee saved 20 cents each from their pocket money to buy me a lemon tea from the nearby coffeeshop (because they knew that I like it).  You know that they really like you when they saved their pocket money just to get you something to make you happy.

All these set me thinking yet again.

Recently, a friend said that her son do not really enjoy going to school and prefers to 'nua' at home.  It's partially because the dad is in the property line and is usually 'nua-ing' at home on weekdays, at least that is how the son sees it.  Thus, the son perhaps looks up to his father and naturally wants to mimic him.  In another conversation with a colleague at work, she said that some of her very rich friends continue working simply because they want to lead by example and let their children know that they should work hard in life to get what they want.  They do not want to sit around and let their children know that they can live a good life even without working

These conversations made an impact on me, and made me rethink about quite a few things.  I do believe that the best way to teach your child is to lead by example.  I'm not sure what I might get out of this, but it sure set me thinking.  What values do you want to impart to your children and how do you align yourself with these values?

I think I have more than I ever need, I don't care for power nor title, I don't care to be 'rich' to lead a lavish lifestyle and afford material wants.  I am contented and more than happy with all that I already have, and honestly, I'm not sure if there's anything else that I really want or really matters.  I'm this contented with my life the past 30 years that even if I were to die now, I would die with no regrets.

So, what makes a life worth living?  What makes a purposeful life when at the end of the day nothing really matters, or does it?

.::. People .::.

I came across a quote that resonates deeply with me that day - "No one can ever pay you what your free time is truly worth." 

Ahh. Time. Most (if not all) exchange our time for money. While we may (or may not) enjoy work, there's always an opportunity cost when we choose how to spend our time. At work, I often see people who are so fixated on climbing the corporate ladder in pursuit of certain titles and pay. When they get promoted, they inevitably spend more time on work with more responsibilities, stress and travel. Then, they buy bigger cars, move to bigger houses, yet have less time for their children, family and themselves. It's almost amusing to observe these behavior and wonder, are these truly worth your time? 

It all boils down to priorities, maybe they are truly happy with what they have achieved in life - a title that they wear proudly and the high standard of living.

While work can bring purpose in life, is it truly meaningful when people spend all their time on work to maintain a certain quality of life?

.::. Cra-cray Days .::.

Some days, my schedule goes like this:

0700 Get out of bed
0830 - 1730 Work
1800 - 1845 Piano Lesson
1915 - 2000 Violin Lesson
2030 - 2300 Conference Calls
0000 Bedtime!

Thursdays are always crazy, but Thursday is almost Friday so it's okay (it rhythms!).

Today was exceptionally crazy, because it's quarter-end closing week and yesterday was a public holiday.  Losing one day on quarter-close week is bad timing.  I hope I don't have to work till midnight like the last quarter!  It's going to be a long day tomorrow.  I'm in between calls now, and tired.

Weekdays are mostly crazy, and fulfilling.  I teach tuition on 2 other days and often have conference calls at night.  I always have Friday nights free, and usually another weekday night free.  Some days I rush back to cook and food-prep the day before, other days I use the slow cooker to cook soup.

Life's cra-cray, but good.  Weekends are always gym and mini-holidays around our little island.  It gives me immense pleasure when my tuitee who got 17 marks last year and failed all his tests improve to a good 57 marks the last exams.  My tuitee adores me and sometimes I threaten to 'quit' if he doesn't work hard.  It makes me feel great that I'm making a difference to someone's life.  Work pays the bills and helps me to be financially free, but it really helps when the company has values that align with your own and we get to give back to the community often.  Violin and piano is challenging, I wished I had more time, but the progress I make gives me a huge sense of achievement.  I'm nearer to my goals everyday and most importantly, I'm happy.

Happy with everything.

Time for next call!

.::. Productive Years .::.

I was reading this article on Bloomberg sometime back. It says that the first 10 years of one’s career would determine the amount of wealth one can make. It makes sense doesn’t it? If you start with a low salary, increment will be slow and people always benchmark your pay based on your last drawn pay. Some may get promoted quickly with some luck, but the odds are against the majority of us. Basically, what it says is that after 35, chances of your pay increasing significantly is very low. This corresponds with the well-known fact that it becomes a lot harder to find another job after you hit 40s. Of course there are always exceptions and outliners, but this probably holds true for majority of us normal people. 

This has triggered a string of thoughts, with the backdrop of across-the-industry job cuts in O&G where I’m currently in. The struggle is real. It can be very unsettling and uncomfortable seeing people you see everyday disappear just like that. We get immediate dismissal here. Get called into a meeting, and someone will inform you that you’re dismissed with immediate effect and you are not even allowed to go back to your desk to pack your stuff or bid your team goodbye. HR and your manager will pack your things for you and escort you out. That’s it, the people you see everyday will just become a memory. People disappear, leave without saying goodbye and come to work not knowing if today will be their last day at work. It doesn't help that they don't do it all at once, and news simply keep coming from everywhere, all the time.

It makes me very sad, though life goes on and people move on. Afterall, a job isn’t everything and losing a job isn’t the end of the world, for most of us anyway. Looking at these unfolding makes me even more wary and determined to work towards financial freedom. Despite being able to survive for easily a year without a job, I really don’t appreciate any setbacks to my retirement plans. I’m most afraid of increasing monthly fixed expenses. As it is now, daily household expenses and insurance comes up to quite a tidy sum of fixed expenses. I can’t imagine how things will become with kids and I can’t understand how people cope with a home with car and maid plus kids. If fixed expenses come up to a few grand a month, how does one save and how long can they survive if they lose their jobs?

It’s so easy to project an increase in salary over the years and correspondingly upgrade your lifestyle. What people don’t seem to take into account into the whole equation is the increasing risk of losing a job as one ages. One may earn more when they are 40s and in a managerial role, but also has a higher risk of losing the job when there’s a downturn and find it harder to find a similar-paid job. Even for civil servants with relatively secured jobs or professionals with specialized skill, one mistake or accident and they may lose their jobs.

Some people tell me not to plan or worry, live a day as it comes. Really? I can’t. I need to work towards my goals to feel secure and fulfilled. I know what it feels like to not have enough money and worry about the next paycheck. It’s not something that I would like to go through again this lifetime. I want to know that I can have the option of not spending my time working for money when I am in my 40s and can instead choose to do something I love with my time, regardless of how much I make. I can imagine spending my time teaching and volunteering, spending time with children and animals, playing music and doing yoga.

I can’t imagine how people could say that they want to continue working for corporations and do not want to retire. It may be great if one really love the job so much, but what I see alot is fear, that they do not know what to do with their free time and themselves. They’ve become so used to the routine of work-life and letting work dictate most of what they do with their time (and life) till they have forgotten how it feels like to spend time doing what they really want or like. Maybe they have forgotten what they wanted and it’s easier to continue a routine without having to give much thought to it.

I always talk about retiring, and people are always shell-shocked and ask what am I going to do? Oh my, there are so many possibilities! These are the same people who tell me that they have ‘no time’ to learn a new instrument that they have always wanted, no time to cook for their families because they have ‘no time’.

For now, I can continue dreaming and work towards the day when I can finally be free to do whatever my heart desires.

.::. The Paradox .::.

I might have shared this before. It's one of my favorite quotes from Dalai Lama and one that I keep close to my heart, to remind myself of what is truly important.

The heart is feeling heavy tonight. Its been a long day that ended with tuition. The tuitees are preparing for exams, and there's all that prep talk about life and their future. But the real reason for my heavy heart was work. Not exactly work, but a conversation I had with my colleagues at work.

One of the managers said that he realized early in his life that you need to make friends that enrich your life and have something to offer. It's important to learn how to spend time nurturing meaningful relationships and network with people who could help propel you forward in life. The other management trainee said that it is like a business transaction, there's an exchange of something that each party is interested in.

It makes me sad.

I suppose there is some truth in it, that one should not spend time with people who makes you feel bad or put you down. But somehow I can't bring myself to agree that the basis of a friendship should be whether or not they can give you something in return. I don't befriend someone because I think I can get something from them!

My question to them is, what happens if you are down and out and do not have anything to offer anymore? Does the 'friendship' then breakdown?

Most of the time, I feel like there's a mismatch between me and my work persona. I don't feel like I'm on the same wavelength as the people I work with. I feel suffocated by the power struggles by observing how things unfold in the corporate world, how quickly people fall out of favor, how people go all out to butter up strategically, how people change for the sake of power and money.

It's always about power and money isn't it?

It's during your climb up that your values become important as they define you as a person. Will you go against your values or bring harm to others just so you can profit from it? I can't see myself there. I suppose that these are just things which we have to grapple with in today's world. No matter how I dissociate myself with these, I'm still part of the game.

Sometimes, it's not easy to hold on tight to what is important and make it a priority.

THE PARADOX OF OUR TIMES

Is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers

Wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints

We spend more, but we have less.

We have bigger houses, but smaller families

More conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees, but less sense

More knowledge, but less judgement

More experts, but more problems

More medicines, but less wellness.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often

We have learnt how to make a living, but not a life.

We have added years to life, but not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back

But have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbour.

We have conquered outer space, but not inner space.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted our soul.

We've split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We've higher incomes, but lower morals.

We've become long on quantity but short on quality.

These are the times of tall men, and short character;

Steep profits, and shallow relationships.

These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare,

More leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are the days of two incomes, but more divorces;

Of fancier houses, but broken homes.

It is a time when there is much in the show window, and nothing in the stockroom.

.::. Largest Companies in the world .::.

Part of my job, the more interesting part, involves market research. I’m not in an industry that I’m really interested in, but I am intrigued by some aspects of it. Sometimes, my results lead me to deviate from my original intent out of curiosity. It’s like a chain of thoughts and I research about many different topics constantly, just because. I’m constantly amazed by the things I find, and surprised to find that a lot of the brands are actually under one same company. Did you know that Sealy, Stearns & Foster, and Bassett are all under Tempur? There are many things that you spend so much time choosing between 2 brands, but they are actually; the same company and probably uses the same suppliers with little real differentiation in quality.

I have yet again deviated from my point. The intent was to share my shock and disbelief when I found out which are the largest companies in the world. Make a guess? I bet that probably not many people know that the top 3 companies in the world is actually Chinese. ICBC bank is top, followed by China Construction Bank and Agriculture Bank of China. JP Morgan is 4^th while Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway is 5^th, with Exxon Mobil at 6^th place. Apple is only ranked 15^th. So yes, the tide is changing. Chinese companies now take up the most slots in the Top 2000 ranking, 674 places to be exact. Oil and Gas companies also take up quite a few top places.

Food for thought for those who dislike mandarin, and those stupid policies that reduce the importance of mandarin in Singapore. Even if you do not work in a Chinese company, there are high chances that you will get to work with the Chinese or have Chinese vendors or customers. Being able to speak mandarin fluently will definitely help and make things a lot easier, even if the Chinese do speak English.

Here are the links if you’re interested:

http://www.forbes.com/global2000/list/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/liyanchen/2014/05/07/the-worlds-largest-companies-china-takes-over-the-top-three-spots/

.::. 2014: Q1 update .::.

Here we are, with quarter one behind us. Judging from the lack of updates, it’s apparent that things have been crazy. I’ve no idea where all the time went, and the pace keeps getting faster and faster. Most of the days, I’m too tired to even on my laptop when I get home. It has never happened, till recent years.  During the days that I’m home early, I usually cook and just want to watch some television and laze on my sofa/bed. There isn’t that much time after the cleaning-up anyway. My iphone becomes the most used device ever, and contains fragments of whatever worth remembering. Life has been good, and I have been happy, in a calm and contented sort of way. Nothing too exciting, but nothing to feel upset about either, but I've been overworked and tired. My schedule is so packed that days simply fly by. I tell myself it’s alright to work harder now, just so we can slow down when kids come along and focus on them instead. There’s a lot of anticipation for our future, things that we’re working towards, things that keep us going. And yes, having a warm and loving home to come home to everyday makes everything else feel insignificant. =)

I’m getting used to the new role, and getting up at 5am every morning. There’s a lot to learn and do, but there are things that I like about the working environment, especially being able to end work at 4.30pm. The best thing about working in Tuas is that it makes me pack my own lunchboxes (healthier and cheaper!) and there’s no way I can spend money. I don’t have that much of ambition when it comes to work, and working is just a means to an end of being financially free someday. Someday, when my investments pay me as much as my job do or rather enough for a comfortable lifestyle. No plans for any long vacation this year because I'm too busy, next year perhaps.

Looking at my resolutions, I’ve been disciplined and on track financially, growing my portfolio and passive income. I’m not so sure about the physical and studies part though. I haven’t had enough time for enough exercise and I’m feeling lethargic and tired a lot. I think it’s probably the lack of sleep – 5 hours a day isn’t enough for me and trying to sleep before midnight is a challenge. I haven’t even started revising for my exam in June and it doesn’t help that it’s a weekend of weddings right before my exams. I’m looking forward to the 2 girlfriends’ wedding though!

A typical week is now 45 hours of work, 5 hours of tuition, 7 hours of class. Oh, and one hour of ironing on Sundays, some hours of cooking. Weekends are spent working on our little online business, sometimes on sourcing trips or fleas and other administrative stuff. I’m just struggling to get whatever I can done, including housework and packing lunches. What I learnt recent years is to take a day at a time and just focus on what needs to be done to avoid feeling overwhelmed and stressed-up.

I haven’t been lucky these days. 2 weeks ago, I had a bad fall and sprained my feet. We were hailing a cab to meet his friends and it took some time to get one. I hate being late and was rushing through the grass by the road. The husband went in first while I slipped and closed the taxi door as I fell. I fell right on the road, between the curb and the taxi, stuck in a small space and in pain. The husband who has went in first couldn’t see me from inside the cab and took him some time to open the taxi door to find me. There I was on the road, in a weird angle and knocking on the taxi, fearing that it may drive off. And so, I was in a lot of pain the next morning and limped off to a TCM. Thankfully, the pain subsided quite abit the next day and I only limped for 2 days. Did I mention that the husband was laughing and saying that he should take a picture of me?

The last day of the quarter was probably one of the worst days. It’s a Monday. My iPhone dropped into the toilet bowl! It began flashing the apple logo and weird stuff after I off it. It’s now dead even after lying in a ziplock bag full of rice in my dry cabinet. I didn’t back-up my stuff! And when I decided that I can’t go to class without a phone and went home, bird shit fell on my shoulders and bag. It was a 5 minute walk from the bus-stop! What are the odds of everything happening at the same time?! It’s so horrible that it almost sound funny.

And so, I believe that the year can only get better. Afterall, it really isn’t that bad, just small things that I probably wouldn’t remember if I didn’t get this down.

To better quarters ahead ~

.::. Herbal Black Chicken Soup .::.

Today is one of those days when I feel like work has sucked all my energy from me and there's nothing left in me. Perhaps it's PMS, or maybe it's been a stressful period trying to juggle everything, but I simply feel so spent.

Luckily, there was herbal black chicken soup at home waiting for me on a rainy evening. I cooked it since morning in the slow cooker.

And...it's yummy! I bought the herbs individually instead of buying those ready-packed ones. It tastes a lot nicer. There's quite a few versions of 'herbal black chicken soup', but I used the most common one. Black chicken soup is supposedly very nourishing and good for the body.

These are what I used with one small black chicken:

Chinese dates or red jujube - 红枣 (3-5 depending on size)

Chinese wolfberries or goji berries - 枸杞子 (a few teaspoons)

Polygonatum odoratum - 玉竹 (about half a palm-full)

Astragalus propinquus - 北芪 (3-4 pieces)

Angelica sinensis - 当归 (2-4 pieces)

Codonopsitis Pilosulae - 党参 (2-3 long sticks)

Dioscoreae Oppositae - 淮山 (about 3 stripes)

I simply threw a whole black chicken and all the herbs in the slow cooker and put the pot in the fridge. Just fill the pot with water in the morning before leaving house and on the slow cooker at low. By evening, the chicken would have been very soft and the soup yummy. I add in the red dates/wolfberries and a pinch of salt to taste when I'm back in the evening. You can add those chinese mushrooms, ginger slices or fresh wild chinese yam (淮山). Other variations includes things like white fungus, dried longan, peanuts/black beans, cordyceps, ginseng and even scallops.

This soup makes a simple and nourishing meal and is extremely simple to cook! I usually throw in some noodles - it goes well with rice too. And if you're too lazy to buy every herb individually, the packet ones will do too, though it doesn't taste as good. =)

.::. New Beginnings .::.

It’s already my 4th week at the new job. It’s a pretty big change from the previous job.  For one, I now start work at 8am and the alarm rings at an unearthly hour of 6am. I crawl out of bed when the skies are still dark and follow dad’s car out with my sisters who go to school.

It’s like going back to school, and it’s tough for me since I’m really not a morning person. The first day was hell, it took so much to concentration to stay awake and absorb new stuff. It got better as the week progressed, and I’m trying to sleep by 11pm (or latest by midnight) these days.

Work wise, it’s all good. So much to learn, a lot more technical things to know. From reading about alcohol and the luxury industry to cementing is a huge change, yet there’s something about oil and gas that fascinates me. It’s just like banking, fascinating yet somewhat a bore.

I love my huge work area (almost twice my old desk), the huge pantry that is stocked with the usual beverages and fresh milk for my coffee and Japanese green tea (no more Lipton green tea that makes me giddy), how everyone starts knocking off by 430pm, how the intranet has a huge wealth of information, how everything is so systematic and results oriented, how everyone seem to know their roles well, the decent notebooks and Pilot G2 pens (ex-company gave really lousy notebooks and cheap ball point pens despite being in the luxury industry), the staff-pass with my face on it, how little money I spend daily.

I dislike the location (super far especially if I want to head to town after work) and early hours (yet I like knocking off at 5pm), dislike it that I can’t have good lunches (but I like saving money). I reckon the worst part is the location and having to wake up so early! The husband keeps laughing at me, telling me that I’ll get used to it. It’ll be great after I move over to the new place and can start cooking dinner by 6pm or going to jog after work.

Meanwhile, it’s all about working towards our future together.  There’s so much going on, so much to do, so much to think about, so much to plan.  I’m still in search of that perfect job that pays well.

.::. Loving Work? .::.

Today, I visited my place after work and hosted an almost stranger who requested to view our place.  I'm pretty open in that sense, I wouldn't mind sharing my place with people, and getting to know different people.  I would like to invite people to my home.  It's like the many Swedish and friends who welcomed me into their homes with open arms while I was alone in a foreign land.  It was so heartwarming, and makes the world a better place when people are so open and friendly.  If all of them closed their doors and seen me as a strange Asian, I suppose my experience in Sweden wouldn't have been as great as it has been.

There was the usual talk, showing him around and discussing how we intend to do up our place.  He just returned to Singapore after spending a few years abroad.  He's in the financial sector and I shared that I was sort of in finance too.  Then, he asked me a question out of the blue.

He asked me if I liked my job.

I was taken aback and dumbfounded for a moment.  Little did I expect this from a near stranger who I met for the first time.  I blinked twice and didn't know exactly what to say for a moment.

Then, I said no.  Quietly.  Guiltily.

This is a question which haunts me all the time.  This is the question which I have been asking myself for a long time.  I knew the answer, and have never stopped searching for what I liked doing.  Keep searching, Steve Jobs said.  I never stopped, yet I don't feel like I'm nearer to the answer.

It's the first time someone actually asked me this.  The first time I actually said it out loud and conceded that I do not like my job very much.

It's apparent that he's jaded and also searching.  Well, it pays the bills I said.  It isn't that bad, since I'm in an industry that was fun and glamourous.  There were perks like having great food and drinking nice champagne often.  But when it comes to the job itself, I guess I'll have to admit that I don't like it that much.  It isn't a difficult job, isn't that challenging but it can be frustrating and very operational at times.

I don't hate my job, it's alright.  But there's a huge difference between being passionate about what you do and finding your job bearable isn't it?  And it is after being in the workforce for some time that I finally admit that you can't excel in something you are not passionate in.  It's one thing being good at what you do, and another excelling in what you do.  

It comes back to the question, what do I like to do?

It's complicated, because you might not be good in what you like to do and what you like to do may not pay the bills.  Someone once told me in a matter of fact - then be good at what you like to do.  It sounded so simple, coming from someone who is actually good at what she likes to do.  Yet she chose to leave what she liked to do for a better paid job.  She told me that it wasn't worth it and she might well go back to what she likes to do soon.

It's those people who get to do what they like to do whom I deeply admire.  Anyone can give you any advice and tell you how difficult and realistic this world is.  Yet how many could actually go against all forces and pursue what they like?

No, I haven't found the answer.  And yes, I'll keep searching.  

Maybe one day, I can get to admire myself and my courage.

Thank you for making an impact today stranger.

.::. Week in pictures .::.

It was a killer week, tiring but pretty interesting.  The highlight of the week was dinner at Jaan at Swissotel.  It was really good!  Pardon the iPhone pictures though.



We arrived early and this was the view that greeted us.



The view was amazing.  I love the twilights.  And admiring this after a long day at work with a glass of champagne in hand makes me really feel at peace with the world.



It turned dark after awhile.



We had a private area for our dinner.



And this was the view we ate to.



The menu.



Some mushroom with tea dish.  It was really good!



I think it was sea bass, my first time eating it, raw.  It was refreshing, I liked it.



I'm not a fan of ravioli but this was the best I ever had!  It had tasty crab/lobster meat in it and the sauces went well together.



Foie gras with mango and some caramel biscuit.  *yummy!



I think this was fish, I am not very sure.  But I didn't like leek, so this was probably my least favorite though it was still good.



Very unique dessert but definitely not my favorite - there was coconut (I don't fancy coconut) with pineapple, very hawaiian feel.

I really liked the mini baguette too, I had quite a few throughout the night.

This was the best french restaurant I've been to in Singapore!  I was disappointed by quite a few, in fact all of the previous dinner places.

Perhaps I will be back with the husband someday, but I reckon the prices ain't cheap!



The next stop - St James' Dragonfly.  It was Canto night, the crowd was old and they were singing very old songs!



It wasn't that bad, since I realized that I can sing to the old songs.  =_="  The french were very amused though.



Huge bottles of champagne with sparklers.  We had VSOP mixers too.



2nd stop was to Mink at Pan Pacific Hotel.  It was a club, really loud, and the lights were giving me a headache.



These people really get high on a Wednesday night.  I barely stayed for 5 minutes before calling it a night while some of them stayed to party and drink more vodka.

I was drained by the time we ended at about 1am.  After all, we had champagne, white wine, red wine, rose champagne, VSOP mixers, champagne again and vodka mixers all in a night.  It's ridiculous, but it ups your alcohol threshold really quick.

It's Sunday already, which means Monday is around the corner. =(

.::. Last week in pictures .::.

Last week was a full week of regional meeting yet again.  Did 6 months just pass me by?  I can't believe it's almost a year on the job.

To our dismay, this regional meeting was in Singapore.  Again. They used to have it in Ireland, Paris, London, Macau.  But the last 2 since I joined was in Singapore.  *cries.

Regional meeting week is always very tiring.  The day starts at 8am and ends at 11pm, with full day meeting till about 4pm, some activities, then dinner.  I usually drop dead once I'm home and crawl out of bed the next day.  It doesn't help that we drink every night - Champagne, white wine, red wine.


















This time, it was at Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa.  It's pretty, but I still prefer Four Seasons!  Four Seasons have free flow of TWG tea and Nespresso coffee, with more comfortable beds.  Rasa Sentosa had pretty good service and food too, but somehow, it just failed to impress.  The only nice thing was the view.

For team building activities, we had a bowling game of 2 hours (damn tiring) and a cable car ride and some games organized by those team-building companies.

This is the view from the cable car.  Nothing fantastic.

The first night's dinner was at Flutes at the Fort which had pretty good reviews.  Many people recommended it for celebrations and said that it was a romantic place.  It's a French Restaurant by the way.

The table setting.  We ordered a set menu which was already pre-chosen.  The only choice we had was the main course and dessert.




The starter was tiger prawns with avocado and mango.  Mediocre.  The beans soup we had next was also forgettable.

Then came the main course, I had high hopes.  But sadly, it was tasteless and simply isn't a good steak.  The roast beef at Rasa's and Melt's buffet was better than this.





The only redemption was the earl grey creme brûlée with sesame ice-cream.  I liked it.  It wasn't fantastic but it's the kind of dessert which you can keep eating and didn't feel like stopping.

The food at Flutes on the Fort is disappointing.  Luckily I'm not paying a cent for the meal, else I would have been sorely disappointed.  The nice colonial building surrounded by trees couldn't make up for the food and price at all.

The next day was free-and-easy dinner, we chose Melt at Mandarin Oriental because I wanted to try it!

It lived up to the reviews.  Delicious!  And the service was great.



My favorite dessert was the waffle.  It was delicious.  The home-made ice-cream was also good.  I had 2 of these even though I was stuffed.



There was also boston lobsters served.  It was good, though not as good as the one I had at Rockpot.  The best lobster I've had in Singapore so far.



And there's the usual sashimi which was very fresh.  I love parma ham and this one was darn good!  It was sliced very thin with the machine on the spot.  The best parma ham I've had so far.  Better than Bonta and La Catina.

We had Thai food at Sabai Thai, Custom's house on the third day.  I forgot to take any pictures, but the atmosphere and food was really good!  Everything was great.  We were laughing so much that day.  People really do open up after some drinks.



And there's the drinks.  We had the best drinks the last night because the regional CFO was supposed to join us.  He didn't make it, but we enjoyed the great drinks nevertheless.

We had Dom Perignon 2002 and 2003, Krug Grand Cuvee and 1998 Vintage, Cliquot, Moet, Cape Mentell, Cloudy Bay, Cheval des Andes and Henessey Prive!  I still love Krug, though Dom Perignon is great too.  I'm working with people who really loves and knows wines.  I'm amazed by how much I can drink without being near drunk at all. And the more you drink, the more you learn how to appreciate and enjoy it.  I'm totally spoilt.



Last night's dinner was at Rochester's Min Jiang which was really good too!

By the end of 4 days, I was dead tired, just like the last time.  They're saying that the next regional meeting in October will not be in Singapore anymore.  I sure hope so!  I don't really mind anywhere, except for maybe KL.

It's been 2 tiring weeks since I'm back from Nepal.  First week was spent nursing my bad throat infection and rushing through work.  Last week was absolutely draining.

It's another week tomorrow.

.::. I'm Back .::.

I'm back.

And I'm really happy to be back.  I'm even happy to head back to work despite a bad throat infection (that lasted the past 2 weeks) and an MC.

Strange.  Very strange indeed.

This trip is...extraordinary.  Totally not the type of holiday I'm used to.  It was an incredible experience though.

So much to say, a whirl of emotions.

I'm thankful.



And here's one of my favorite shots of the trip - our signature jumping shots at the Everest Viewpoint near Namche.  It's about 3500m, and the highest we managed to climb.

It's the first holiday that I kept a diary and wrote down my experience everyday.  I'm not sure if I'm going to manage posting about it all there though.  I just managed to upload all the pictures, almost 8GB of them - lesser than I thought I would take.

Very busy month ahead.  So much to do, so much happening at the work and personal front.  With 2 weeks worth of emails and deadlines to meet and the regional meeting next week, plus collection of keys for our flat and some wedding preparations and renovation research, I'm up to my neck.

Is it March already?!

Breathe.

.::. Lunch @ Ikea .::.

Went for lunch at Ikea with my colleagues this afternoon and had a very rare long lunch.

I love love love long lunches.

The queue was so long!  We starting queuing from outside the restaurant, though it didn't take that long.

Ikea is serving Christmas sets which I ordered.  There's 2 different kind of ham, fries, sausages and broccoli with a corn soup and pancake.  It was pretty good, except that I can't take so much salty meat at a go.  But I sure loved the all-time favorite chicken wings and meatballs.

By the way, Ikea has a damn good deal now!

For every $20 you spend in the restaurant, you get a $5 voucher which you can use to buy anything in Ikea!  There's no minimum spending and you can simply get anything!  I think the deal lasts till end of December, but I'm not very sure.

So, I'm really happy because I got my 3-tier muffin stand for FREE!  I shamelessly used all $20 of the vouchers for myself since my colleagues did not buy anything.  Luckily I didn't spend $50 for the porcelain one we saw at Tangs last weekend.  *wee.  Although the Ikea one is plain transparent glass, I can imagine decorating it with my Tiffany blue ribbons and perhaps heart-shaped chocolates.

.::. Thursday in Pictures .::.

My the 4th day, I was totally wiped out.

After 3 full 8am-11pm days and drinking, all of us were half-dead.

Our meeting over-run and my portion of the presentation took like 10 minutes.

Then, it was over.

Goodbye to my free flow TWG tea and Nespresso coffee.

I had the chance to lie on the bed in Four Seasons as my very kind Thai colleague invited me to her room to lie down for a while before we left for night activities. It was oh-so-good! The best bed I have ever slept on. Very firm, yet soft and you simply sink into it.

Moreover, the service at Four Seasons was really good.

Last day's activity was cycling at East Coast Park.

With my pretty Thai colleague. She looks so much younger than her actual age!!!

Most of us weren't very keen on cycling. Someone stopped by a bar, then everyone followed suit and we ended up drinking beer after cycling for like 400m.

It was really funny, for our director (the one who chose this activity) was happily cycling away while we drank and laughed.

Dinner was at Red House. Food was alright, chill crab was too sweet to my liking. I think I prefer Jumbo still.

.::. Wednesday in Pictures .::.

It was the first day of our regional meeting. Nothing exciting to talk about.

It's always the nights that are fun.

We were off to our Moet capsule on the Singapore Flyer.

View from the top.

The Moet counter and our champagnes!

All of us were pretty excited and enjoying ourselves up there.

The feature bottle display. It was dusty.

A group picture of half of us.

The Thai girls were really fun and nice!

3 Singaporeans. 1 Hong Konger.

Dinner was at a French Restaurant at Club Street with good reviews.

We had champagne and wine again!

The steak was pretty good! I love the oven-baked tomatoes.

The snails was very delicious.

The interior of the restaurant.

They served warm chocolate cake and creme brûlée, both very traditional French desserts. Sadly, my chocolate cake wasn't that nice. The creme brûlée was huge and very creamy.

Overall, the food was still pretty good, but may easily cost almost 100 per head.