What a s-t-r-e-t-c-h.......

I'm not complaining.

But it has been a stretch over the past month. Had been jolted out of my comfort zone to put up with these inconveniences like:

1) longer commuting time
2) longer work hours
3) shorter weekends
4) scarce personal time
5) lastly - weight gain (sigh...)

What do I get out of it?

If I don't stretch myself to accomplish something new, will I still be happy?
I seriously doubt so.

My gains so far:

1) making myself more relevant in the marketplace
2) gaining niche skillsets
3) Invaluable gains as I being trained to be an all rounded worker
3) new network of contacts
4) generous colleagues who are always fighting to pay for lunches

Its hard not to make comparisons... especially when one is still in a transition stage. On the whole, gains still outweighs losses. Am giving myself another 6 months to see how things turn out to be.

Maiden trip to a national icon

Finally made my first maiden trip to the national museum yesterday and chanced upon a rare and spectacular sight....

This is the first ever Night Festival organised by the museum which started last week.

The exterior of the building was illuminated by soft laser beams which contrasted sharply against the dark backdrop. The ambience was simply romantic!

A gigantic statue, measuring about 2 storeys high, on display at the main entrance. Made of fibre glass with surface covered in kebaya, it is the center of attraction at the museum.

Snapshot of some uniques artworks on display at the gallery

The awakening

I'm not especially pleased about the fact that at least one weekend per month will have to be burnt for work - Exco meetings, DnD preparation, multiple events and team building sessions will be consuming my precious break.

Then again, disregarding the overtime work, there is a lot of scope for professional growth. Colleagues are veterans in the field of industrial relations who are articulate, professional and generous with knowledge sharing. None are too insecure to give their best during the 1-2-1 mentoring sessions. I appreciate having them around and the inexhaustive level of passion displayed in coaching newbies.

Not to forget...the excellent location at Katong where gourmet food at affordable prices are aplenty. However accessibility is a big problem though. Gotta put up with this for 6 whole months!

Uncertainty

Felt that a tsunami has just hit me...

Received an email this morning about my attachment program which consists of 8 modules with nearly 500 hours of mandatory training - it's over 80 hrs per month for half a yr! Already clocking 5 times more than what IE stipulates for officers within a year.

Keeping my fingers crossed that the experience will be positive

Perpetually tired....and its only the first week of my new job!

Scope of an industrial relations officer involves countless training sessions, camps, briefings, gala dinners, delegate conferences, D&Ds, external meetings, travelling and so on. Already had more than 10 emails on the list of mandatory courses to attend.

Upside of it all is the endless flow of gourmet food and mobility of this job. Only had to pay for 1 meal this entire week and the rest (breakfast, teabreaks and dinners) were taken care of by the hosts.

Downside? Tiredness, insomnia, weight gain and unhappiness...

Learning curve

7.7.08 - An auspicious day to start a new job cos seven is a perfect number!
Started work today with renewed hopes. Am facing a new learning curve at a new job with more professional and experienced colleagues - I love it! There is even a mentorship dept to guide newbies!

Day 1:
Morning - heavy duty briefing to tax a super confused mind that has yet to recover from the cameron trip. Reached home at 12 midnight.
Afternoon - more meetings with countless acronyms to steepen the learning curve
Late afternoon - could barely open my eyes!
Night - Couldn't wait to update my blog to detail the super long but fruitful day :)

Sex and the City

Romantic comedy...ooh I love it!

Have been faithfully going through the entire 7 seasons on DVD and I'm hooked - Miranda is so much like me... objective, career minded and independent... and sometimes coming across as aloof and distant. Why are we so alike? It could be my upbringing as the eldest child in the house.

Thanks to good friends who have been giving feedback about my personality. Am trying to improve the way I handle people and being less passive. Feedback about anything is most welcome... but be more tactful please. ;)