Voices from within

4Jan/104

Goodbye 2009!

It's the time of the year for a major recap again.
I realised 2009 was not great for me after all. Nothing much has been achieved but there were some highlights in between. Here are some thoughts and new year's resolutions:


Taken at Esplanade Waterfront on 1st Jan, 2010

Career
2009 was an important year, in which I made the biggest decision thus far - to work in Singapore. I began to doubt the path I am heading towards, whether I am on the right or wrong direction. 4.5 years down the road, have I achieved enough? I want to think my current and first job in Singapore as nothing more than a temp job, one that should only last me for 12 months, one for me to gauge where do I stand in this foreign country (although it should not be the perfect measurement) and one for me to soar higher next. There are still 8 months to go from now, it is still too soon to begin to plan where next. However, one thing is positive in my mind, that I want to be more than a 100% software developer. I want to have more control over the decision making in a project.

Family and Friends
This should be the year when I spend lesser time with my family. However, I hope the tie remains the same :-)
This is also the time when I learn to be more independent. It reminded me of how tough it was in year 2001 when my family left me with my huggy in Malacca.
I am the last person one could think of when it comes to socializing. I have never been the best friend of a friend. I hope I could meet up with friends more often this year, before each one of them starts being busy moms and dads :p

My Site
I have always been searching and thinking of a business idea but never really got an interesting one to begin. I recalled how I almost started a real estate portal with a close friend back in 2006/2007. Hopefully I will be able to find one this year for chinsrus.net!

Relationship
2009 was also the year when one magical thing happened. Meeting him was nothing more than a coincidence. Getting to know him was nothing more than an interest. Having him was nothing more than a fortune.

My Family Home
Here's seriously hoping I will be able to own the keys to my family's dream house before I come to list my 2011 new year's resolutions.

Lifelong Resolutions
To continue capturing more interesting photographs, to land on Egypt!, to bring Mom on a cruise, to bring Mom to wherever she wishes to visit, to open my own coffee house (Mmm...), to... stop dreaming and get those resolutions resolved!

1Dec/092

There was more..

I was out with Pei Yee the whole morning. We only came back around 5PM. We went out empty-handed but came home with a bag of electronic gadgets and a hole in the pocket. When we were outside, Mom sent a text message to Pei Yee to tell her that there was a parcel for me but she was not supposed to tell me what was the item. I did not ask a thing. I wasn't curious at all, seriously. When we finally reached home, I found out that it was a bouquet of roses! As I looked at the gift card on top, I thought it must be Uncle Vincent (the florist's address is from Sri Hartamas). It turned out to be a bouquet from KC :-) He was really the last person I would be expecting to receive flowers from.

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Hiew Ming came about an hour later. She had earlier told me that she wanted to show me something. Being the me, who never question if the other person did not continue mentioning anything, I just followed her. From being told to help to choose a dress for herself, I ended up receiving a sweet-looking dress from her =( I feel so bad for not being able to get anything for her.

She said.. drinks will be on me later. So, I was supposed to figure out where to go while she drove back to Kajang. We ended going back to my house first as she wanted to visit the restroom. When I stepped down from the car, the lights were all off. I thought, Wow.. it's only 8:30. They went upstairs already? As I stepped into the house, I saw KC in front of me, with a cake in his hands. When the lights were turned on, I saw Ying Ying! And also the birthday decorations in the house. Oh my gosh. I was stumped. This is the second time I am receiving such surprise from my family. I could not remember who was the event planner few years back when my university coursemates came all the way from Malacca to my house for the same kind of surprise. It must be Chin Pei Yee, who was the event planner this time around.

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*hugs*

More photos taken on this night can be found here. Thanks, Ying Ying :-)
After the party, I was brought to Puchong. I blew candles a second time this year. Hehe. Thanks to Yee Chia and Kar Khan (my ex-colleagues) for being there.

I had to travel back to Singapore at 10AM the next morning. Breakfast was fun with my brother and Mom. We laughed at how he almost bocor rahsia when he texted me the night before with the message, Happy Birthday !! Surprise !! I was still in Hiew Ming's car at that time while he was studying at his friend's house. He claimed that Mom told him the party would start at 8PM. Hence, he thought the party has begun and he forwarded the text message at 8PM sharp. Haha.

KC and I went to Vivo City for dinner after we settled down (unpacked and showered).
Vivo City again?! Yeah.
We had Carl's Jr. and journeyed to the sky park once again, hoping that the 101-feet tall artificial christmas tree would have been lighted up already. The christmas tree was still dead when we were there few weeks ago (when Pei Ling was in Singapore).

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Happy Birthday, to Hiew Ming (and myself).
I am very lucky to have such an ex-colleague-cum-big sis, who is always so kind and caring of my well-being.
I am still mesmerised at this moment.
Thanks, Ying Ying, for the delicious cookies. I finally got to taste so many blueberry cheese cookies at one go. Muaks!
Thanks, the Soh Lou, for the beautiful bouquet. He has been pestering me the past two weeks so I could tell him what I would like to receive on my birthday.
Thanks to my Ma cha for the delicious fried beehoon, chicken curry and tong sui.
Thank you, Kong cha, for all the lame jokes/riddles and hand-made birthday card.
Thank you, Ling cha, for skipping church haha and make sure you pay your share to Bit cha (mp3 player).
Thank you, Bit cha, for being the mastermind behind all these.
You guys are the best!

28Nov/092

A gift from heaven

I arrived at the train station at 7 plus this morning. The train was delayed for at least one hour the night before. Before that, I had to queue at both Woodlands and Johor Bahru checkpoints for almost 2 hours in total. It was the most tiring Singapore-KL trip I've experienced! Hence, I slept through most of the hours after reaching home.

Mom cooked yummy lunch for me. And for dinner, my family and I went to Susan's Bistro at Sg. Long for an advance Birthday dinner for ME! Susan's Bistro serves Italianese food. We ordered fish and chips, chicken cordon, salmon steak, pizza, carbonara pasta, etc. We were all stuffed and could hardly walk to the car.

I received a string of surprises from my family. Look! A cute handmade birthday card from my cute brother, a lovely ring from my Ma cha (I have been complaining that my ring doesn't fit me anymore, that it's getting looser and looser) and an mp3 walkman from both sisters.

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I love them, the gifts and my family! :D :D

12Nov/092

Recap

This weekend marks the third month since I left home to work in Singapore. How has life been treating me so far? It's time I sit and ponder a little - career wise, financial terms, family, friends.

Is this what I have yearned for? Ehh, it's not that there was huge sacrifices involved but sometimes when you just feel that you're old enough and should not be wasting too much time, hence, you ought to recap once in a certain time span.

CAREER - Totally discouraging in the first two months. It was the first time I felt work is a nine to six thing. I had this in my mindset that I would not be renewing this contract when it ends next year August. Things started to pick up slowly. I began to feel that I am somewhat useful to the company. I found someone whom I can look upon at - a sales guy who is technically literate here and there. I was assigned to do what I wanted to do in my previous company - system/framework design. I am suddenly in charge of the system design task of a project which consists of another technical adviser who is based in Malaysia, a Project Manager and three other developers. The nine-to-six subconsciousness is slowly fading.

FINANCIAL - This was the main force that has driven me this far. Have I received the compensation that I have wanted? Hmm.. not yet. Maybe this is still too soon to gauge. Heck, I have already started to evaluate properties by visiting forums and show houses, continuously scout for new projects and increase my understanding on housing loans.
My fellow Starbucks kaki always ask one question: I don't understand why you wanna buy a house. You already have a house that is not small at all.
I have always left him unanswered. But still he would drive me to some new property sites and start introducing them to me.
But, seriously... it's like... a commitment. One other person may work to fund her thirst for travelling. Another may work to source money to complete their collection. I have both in my list but I felt that they can be done in the second half of my days. I want Mom to live in a house that I built (not literally). I want to contribute to the family.

FAMILY - I guess nothing much has changed here although I now see them twice a month for less than 48 hours each time. Maybe because I still get disturbed daily, without fail.

Conclusion - Am I happy?

14Oct/093

Morning shocker

I was on medical leave today. It was a joy to continue sleeping and only wake up when Mr. Sun is above your head :D

Alright, I left a note for my landlord this morning before I left for work (before I decided to skip work). When I woke up from my nap, I went into the kitchen and saw a new note for me. There was a small bird on the note. I got the shock of my life.

Oh my god.. how do I shoo it away???

I looked closely and realised it is a paperweight! Still I was so reluctant to touch it. It looked so real!!

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I am scccccarrrryyyy..