Heart Space #25: Life Stories I

Wonder if I should start a series detailing my life stories... or stories that are very close to my heart. Since this blog is about most of my thoughts and things that affected me, I guess Life Stories series must cover beyond these things, maybe extend to the stories of my friends.

I began this story, as a result of my wife stumbling across a blog of friend of our friend (TH). TH was our university mate, and in fact, she was a housemate of my wife. We were all very close, because we were international students, in a foreign country, and being Asians, bonded us even more. We celebrated countless birthdays, had pizza parties, potlucks and trips and these moments are etched deeply in our memories.

During the summer, TH's boyfriend came from Malaysia to visit her. He was really a simple and nice chap, and we had so much fun together and he had no problem integrating with us. Before this, we knew there was another guy (R) at the university who seems really interested in TH. He was so obviously in courtship (not love yet) with her and we were all so concerned about them. TH always brushed it off with "impossible", "nothing", "don't be silly" remarks. I guess on a hindsight, we had let our brotherly and sisterly love clouded our judgement and that TH was matured enough to make her own decision.

Fast forward to today. TH is happily married to R, and had a baby girl. They are really happy, and things are looking great. We will never know what happened to the boyfriend, after he had left Australia or any other events leading up to today. Was there someone in the wrong; nobody cares about it anymore.

What I wanted to say is that in life, not just during school days are ever changing. 1 short year in university, has spun out so many successful marriages (I last counted at least 4) and probably more unsuccessful ones. We make so many decisions daily, and these steer the direction of our lives and affect some others'. We do not know how far the ripples of our decisions will travel, but always bear in mind that ultimately, it's these decisions that make us who we are.

P.s you might forget through the hourglass of time, but photographs are forever.

Heart Space #24: Taiwan Trip 2008

I guess I better write this before I get swarmed by other things.

We've decided to take a trip now, despite bad season in Taiwan for numerous reasons; the most compelling is that there are no other times than now.

We chose the free & easy approach, because we just wanted a getaway, not some crazy schedule chasing trip. Thank God that we didn't get to follow tour, for they probably got stuck in some places in Taiwan.

This trip was really a mad rush up to the point we actually left. We were still trying to book hotels that morning, and we left with 阿里山not planned. It was really a dedicate job planning that route, for the timing and stuff has to be pinpoint accurate.
We decided Taipei as first stopover before heading to 高雄the next morning. It was a blessing because the last minute hostel we got, was really a nightmare. We saw roaches the moment we stepped into the room.

The next morning, we quickly had breakfast outside and took a train to 高雄. The hotel was not too bad but however we were caught in typhoon 凤凰, and were pretty much restricted in the places we could go. Luckily, we could still take cabs to the malls which were crowded by the like-minded. Since our hotel was not near to the centre of attractions, we took a good number of cab rides. On the second day, since 阿里山is definitely out, we figured the best way without disrupting the rest of our itinerary, is to skip 阿里山and stayed another day in 高雄.

When the typhoon and rain has subsided, we took the High Speed Rail (HSR) back to 台中,南投. This place has the connecting ride to the 日月谭. We paid a premium for the hotel's transport to come pick us up at the terminal for 1800NT$ 1 way. (approx $81). The hotel was indeed breathtaking, and we did enjoyed the spa too.. (which charges astronomical rates too)

Next stop, we went to 乌来 for yet another day; relaxing amid natural hot spring resort. We skipped the common baths, we figured there was no point, since we get the same "hot spring water" in our room. The hotel was pretty okay, except that I can hear my neighbour's snoring, plus some idiot who is using the hot spring in the middle of the night. (You can hear the pumps and water pipes...) :(

The last few days we finally manage to visit some attractions. This is something we have not got a chance to do in the earlier locations. Presents / tidbits are so hard to buy, because there are just not unique or worth buying, plus they are not really cheap too.

On the whole, I did enjoy this trip. Although I was sick for most of the time, it was a good break mentally; though my colleagues felt that I looked worse than before I left. Also, it left a big dent on my wallet considering we could go Japan for that money, and definitely way more than joining a tour.

I have compiled a list of the "best and worst" of my trip for summation.
Best Buy - Wii (10350NT$)
Best Hotel - The Lalu
Best Snack - Taipei MRT, 甜不辣
Best Night Market - ShihLin
Best Mall - Dream Mall
Best Attraction - Taipei 101
Best Train - HSR Business
Worst Attraction - MaoKong at night
Worst Night Market - 六合, but it has some nice food.
Worst food - 铁蛋

Oh, the video doesn't allow me for Chinese input, so the names are loosely translated.

Heart Space #23: CEO Takeaways (2 July 2008)

This is going to be a long blog entry, with intertwined topics.

I had breakfast with CEO sometime last week (my 2nd time). This breakfast session serves as an avenue for a informal feedback and dialogue between CEO and his top performers. I feel that this kind of session is really insightful, because he shares very personal thoughts and ideology that he holds close of his heart.
I am going to illustrate 1 of the takeaway keynote here;

A staff has 3 spheres surrounding him (imagine a picture of an egg). The innermost is the scope of this person, and how much he is doing right now. The next sphere is what this person thinks he can actually do. So for some of us, we actually doing close to what we think our maximum level is, and a few of us are FAR from doing what we are truly capable of. The last sphere, the outermost is how others perceive your true capabilities. He cited an example when his ex-boss said to him, during his initial years, that one day, he is going to be a CEO. It spurred him on, thinking if that's is his outermost sphere, because at that time, he never knew what lies in the last sphere.

I had a talk with my colleague, K one of the days last week. It started off when I told him that a colleague who was seconded to another client is getting additional bonus payout up to 8 months! We know that there are lot of "same level" staffs as me, who are never in office (because situated at client sites), are solely doing that particular project. Meanwhile, I am in office, getting all the hits, managing tons of projects (true enough, these are smaller projects, granted). I have to significantly cover a lot more ground, in terms of scope, as compared to them. Of course, to that, he said, we knew this all along, and each is governed by their own agenda. We have to stop comparing at all... because it serves no purpose anymore.

Anyway, the discussion was that, I was telling K, that even I am complaining, I am still treating these as a learning experience, because I have never done these before. K argued that there should be a threshold and he never sees me as a "No" person. Whatever gets thrown to me, I will not say 'No' and will do the job well. He has seen it happened too many times in this company. Just because the managers found someone to do the dirty jobs, they will keep giving that person, knowing that the person will never say no. I agree on the threshold, and said that as long as I am learning something new, I am fine. He said, he has never seen my threshold, and it's not right. He said trust is a very important issue, and as long as you trust your boss (or boss's boss, J in this case), then it should be fine (Of course the compensation part of it must not be undermined). But be warned that this trust is not misplaced, less of a more appropriate word. He cited an example of how this department is still staying afloat, is that there are still people like us, who are still committed in doing a good job regardless of whatever the politics or bad vibes are. He warned me of over trusting, and one day, I probably have to say No in time. Question is... will I? I guess I will say enough first then No..,

My boss was away for a good week plus in the states, and I have to cover his duties. I discovered a lot that was in his scope of work, was left pretty much unattended. I learnt SO much in this short span of time, because J painstaking go through all the stuff with me. He is probably hoping that I will one day be able to take up that role. After going through so many numbers, files, spreadsheets... I began to worry. Last time when I was asked the question if one day I will be able to take up the job, I will say with guidance, definitely. Now, I am not so certain anymore. Have I reached my outermost sphere? Am I cut out for it? Suddenly it all seemed too much work. J seems to have a knack for everything, from stocks, numbers, project management, everything under the sky... and I really do not want to disappoint. Maybe it's because I have projects that I cannot fully let go yet. I guess there's no other ways except to really go through my projects, pay extra attention to details, every dollar every cent. As he puts it, "You think I am really good? There no other ways, except hard work and paying extra attention to details."

If I were to summarise what I have written, it would be, "Take a good reflection of my spheres, and be to be self-driven to reach there."

Heart Space #22: This is My Story #5

Daddy is really catching up. This chapter 5 contains picture from my 11th - 17th weeks. I am only into my 24th so it's pretty close.

I still can't do a lot of things on my own yet, so hang in there with me...and I will show you what I can do!

Heart Space #21: Net Worth (19 June 2008)

Recently there are a lot of talks about salary and how much one should get. One can't help but to feel sore about himself when he sees other people getting a huge increment when they join another firm. Never is the case about someone taking a pay cut and changing jobs. It's always that talk about the 20% increment, huge travel opportunities, prestigious companies and so on. Jealousy and envy set in when you realized you are stuck in the position and feel so hard and difficult to move out. These feelings eventually eat you from within, making your job sucks more than ever, leaving you disillusioned and lost.

It's never fair when it comes to equating the amount of work to the salary that you are getting. It complicates further when you compare pay packages with your peers. CEOs are getting out of the world pay packages even when the company is making huge losses. Who decides your net worth? Is it the market, the company, your boss or yourself? If you never make known that you are feeling unsatisfied with your package, then how would you expect your boss to know? Having said that, it will also be futile if you just storm into your bosses' room and demand a raise. Go in with a justification and the stronger the justification, the higher your chance of getting that raise. No point in complaining day in and day out, and yet do nothing about it. Do your best to make a change, and if that doesn't happen, wouldn't the choice then be clear?

On the other hand, every decision a company makes is about maximizing profits. Profit is the difference between the amount paid to an employee and the economic value of the employee's output. There are no moral, emotional or financial obligations to any employee. No matter what the core values or charter that the company portrays, the bottom-line is that every single employee is expendable. There is no one single employee that the company can do without. Replacements are plentiful and readily, and in most cases, cheaper.

The silver lining is that different companies have different guidelines and thus varied idea of a person's net worth. You might worth $3000 to one company, but as long as some other company willing to pay you $8000, why not right? Who then question if you are worth that much... because apparently there's someone who thinks so. :P

Heart Space #20: This is My Story #4

In Chapter 4, you will get to see more of the usual stuff, i.e my sleeping patterns. Well, this has an painful experience as you shall see...

You might notice that I am already 5 months and 1 week old and yet my old daddy still working on my 6-11 weeks montage. You must forgive him, because there’s work, and myself to keep him really occupied. I am sure he will catch up… thanks dad!

Heart Space #19: Just don't force me anymore

I had it up to my neck. Enough is enough. I am so at the edge, that I can't even guarantee what I would do beyond this cliff of mine.

I am strained 3 ways between my parents, my wife, and my work. I have been doing this tender balancing act for the longest time, and the pressure has always been on me. I really do not want to consciously tread carefully around the premises that I call home. If I have to, what kind of home is that? Everyone is so self centered, putting their own priorities up front, when the most important person of all is so obvious? Why can't we all see that there's really no one out to harm Faith, intentionally, and everyone from the bottom of their hearts want the best for their daughter, grandchild? Can't we live happily and manage towards this common goal? Why can't we see each other contributions, instead of harping on what's wrong in the past? Nobody likes everyone, and nobody is liked by everyone. Does anyone ever spare a thought for me; their son, their husband?

Really, what's so difficult? It aches my very heart, that of all people, my immediate family can't see eye to eye. Many a times, I came across news of losing their loved ones, sick child, bed ridden parents, a guy who sold everything to cure his wife's cancer. Does any one of you give thanks daily? I never believed till recently, I have been giving thanks daily; for the roof above my head, for the lovely food that many yearn; for a healthy family; for a wonderful baby; for wonderful colleagues, of course being well alive to enjoy all these, among many other things...most recently of all, strength.

Today, my friend told me that she only gets to see her under-nourished 3 months old baby three times a week (Wednesday and weekend). This is because her mother-in-law simply refuses to let her have her baby more often. To add the suffering, the husband listens to his mum completely, and agrees with this "wrongdoing". I strongly believe a baby should spend more time with the parents, and my aim has always been this; Be fair, be really objective and do not take sides.

Again, I felt fortunate, that I get to see Faith every single day possible.

Are things as bad?!?! Did anything say to themselves, ever, "For Edwin's sake?". This could jolly well be my last blog entry. I have no home to go to, not my marital home, not my paternal home. Where is my fortress of solitude... Like I said, there's only so much I can take... and I know for sure, once I crossed that line... ... ...

Heart Space #18: Not Particularly Proud

Last week, I pulled a leaf from the Sun Tzu Art of War to achieve something for one of my client. I had no other choice for things have been stagnant for ages and there have been no breakthrough for weeks. I find it so hard to deal with someone who had mix personal emotions with work, and practically with no support from my management.

The plan worked, and though I was happy that it did, I can't help but feel more ashamed of myself.. More ashamed that I have to exercise the plan through another person, for it would not have work if I done it myself. In business, trickery and mind games are part and parcel of fighting a war, but does anyone care about the process or only about who won the war?

To my client, they would have gotten what they wanted, but they will never know at what price; for it's a weight that will weigh me down for a long long time. I wish I never have to do such things again, the first and last time of my life.

Thank you lambchop, I really hope you know it was nothing more than just a ploy.

Heart Space #17: Are you saying 'Yes' into the mirror?

Recently I stumbled upon and got so inspired by an old transcript by Steve Jobs at a Stanford Uni graduation ceremony in 2005. One of the thing he said was this, "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" If you have been saying "no" for the most days in a row, there's something that you need to change.

Of course, a lot of us would say "No", because of our family commitments. Many of us would rather stay at home, and spend the remaining minutes with our loved ones. I guess he meant it in the work context. I admit, I am a work addict, as work is an integral part of me. I can't imagine a life without work. My colleague Kumar was shocked of my response to his hypothetical question; 'If everything is provided for, will anyone still work?'.

I must say, I am blessed in the course of my work life for I have enjoyed the most bits. However, on hindsight, was I the one who made it bearable (except for friends and colleagues)? I meant, did my mentality help me survive the ordeals of those tough times? Did I manage to convince myself that satisfaction from getting the job done is greater than the amount they give you monthly? Even up to now, I still firmly believe that no doubt you should be rewarded for your work well done, but prove that you can contribute at that level first, before making any senseless complains.

I have seen both sides of the corporate worlds, and I wonder how many sides are there, really. I have come from a place, where the general workforce is motivated, and yet so motivated that politics become de facto. Another traits of this side, is that some of them are blindly motivated, and the end result, is over motivated, and lose sight on what's really important in life. I nearly (maybe I did) fell into this trap.

The other side of the world, the general workforce is not motivated by work, but by the salary, or the bonus payout. They made fast comparisons without first comparing the amount of contribution they have given. They request to be rewarded upfront, before taking on a new task or role. Being on the job, means doing as little, avoiding responsibilities and never stepping out of their comfort zone. How could one expect to have huge increment then?

I have been saying 'Yes' to that mirror, because I know I love my job, the pay's alright, I have wonderful colleagues, great boss. Recently, the recent events are leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. My colleagues' scenarios are making me see that the staffs are just but a face they put to a project without thinking if it's a good fit. To make matter worse, they are forgotten once they are placed in the project, and not managed. In our line of business, how could one forget that staffs are our best and only asset?

I don't know how long I would say 'Yes', but I leave you with a quote from our Charter... have a think about it.

"People generally don't leave their job, they leave their supervisors."


Transcript available at : http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

Heart Space #16: This is My Story #3

In my chapter 3, You will get to see a few major events. Firstly the hand/feet imprint for a plaque, the traditional hair cut and how can one forget the 1st month celebration.

Without further ado, here it is.

Heart Space #15: Short Ramblings.

A quick post to summarise what has happened in my life in recent weeks, besides the usual Faith stuffs. :P This blog is still mine, just in case we all have forgotten.

The 10 things that deserve a mention (in no particular order except item 1).
1. Top of the list, it has to be the birthday gift of an Iphone from a friend, although he calls it "friendship and everything" gift. Nonetheless... awesome, shocked and out of this world crazy pretty sums it all up.

2. Wife wanted to buy the same thing for me as well off my "lobang". So end up the monies will be used to upgrade my seriously "much needed" wardrobe. Still haven't got round to doing it yet. Still feel that tailored shirts are expensive, but I guess at some point, I just have to do it.

3. I really want to be a taxi driver for a day. Drive around Singapore, go to the airport, be on the road the whole day, and really experience first hand how much a taxi driver can make in a day. Some of the people should do this, before they make passing remarks (good or bad) about them, unless they experience it themselves.

4. Saw an accident that was reported on the news. The passenger car squashed between a car in front and a truck behind. According to the news, he has already slowed down, but the truck came along and totally sandwiched his car. He died on the spot. It made me think that it could jolly well be just a normal day for him, going to work; going home or whatever. But that's the last that anyone could see him alive. :( Make you really think about life and how unpredictable it is.

5. My colleague has been sick for the longest stretch of time. He had an extensive variety of viruses that struck him, and his array of medications did not cure him. He told me he was looking for a holistic approach to medication and diagnosis of his illness. As of writing, he slowly returning to normal routine, which is excellent news.

6. Been more watching about the food on my plate. Based from last experience, learnt that not everything on my plate should and can be eaten. I have begun eating slower and making sure I don't eat anything that my body will strongly object. Oh, on a separate note, I have been feeling more hungry than usual.

7. Realised I have less of 3 things in my life. 1. Sleep, 2. Time and 3. Money. Must really think about how to make more money. It's draining so much faster than I earn. I guess for the first 2, I just have to make do.

8. Work has been really bad. I mean, we are constantly being held ransom by our subcontractors. In my working world, I am constantly caught in a 3 way tussle; my management, my subcon and the clients. Everyone thinks a few sweet conversations, pat on the backs, will make everything go away. In fact, nothing moves without me applying the grease while trying desperate to crank the wheels into motion. They only probably realised when there's no one applying the grease or turning the wheel. These few episodes of trying to save dollars for my department, getting squeezed from all angles had made me considered moving out. I have a great boss, (which I think now is boss's boss), but that alone, will not be enough to entice me to stay.

9. We are all eagerly waiting for April to come, because that's when the bonus will be paid out. The company had made record earnings and going by that yardstick alone, we should be given quite a handout. According to the CEO, he said the bonus pool is doubled. Let's just hope some of that really dribble down and make all our wishes come true, and whatever I was promised, will be given.

10. I guess item 10 would be something of an emotional run. It has been a rollercoaster ride these days, with so much weighing on my mind. Sometimes, we have to be more spiritual than practical to make things work, for many a times, things were beyond our control. Let's hope the coming months will not be such a challenge to get by. Everyone being more harmonious, cooperative and a little less political. :)

Heart Space #14 : A Day in Sickness

Today is really a weird roll coaster day. I started the morning all fine, went through a series of meetings.

For lunch, I ate Nasi Briyani and drank Lemon Tea with some friends. The drink really tasted so weird, as if a cuttlefish swam in it. After which, I really needed a cup of hot tea to wash the taste down. That's when my body totally rejecting the whole lunch. I felt nauseous, and I simply could not stay around for the next meeting at 2pm. I took time off to see the doctor and get some prescription and went home with medical leave.

The drive home was equally bad. I had to make a stop to get milk powder for Faith. All along the way, the rice really wanted to be expelled from my body. Thankfully I reached home with nothing disastrous. I took the medication and went to sleep. It was pouring so heavily outside but I could not move a limb. I was feeling so hot, and indeed, the thermometer reads 38.5 degrees.

The menu for dinner was fish soup, boy it was kind of a good mistake. With the fish porridge in the stomach, I guess it just gone nuclear! I am shocked to still see the spices of the rice I had for lunch being expelled from my body. I certainly felt much much better after this, for all that remains is just a feverish body with massive body aches.

Updates: I learnt (the hard way) from Kumar that not all spices found in Biryani can be eaten. In my case, Clove is a deadly no no, which was the main cause for this upset.

Heart Space #13 : This is My Story #2

It has been a busy one month for me, and time really flies, especially when all I do is just drink and sleep.
I have been growing well, my cradle cap is getting much better after the olive oil and jasmine flower treatment that daddy/mummy is giving me. Hope I will be pretty by March.

I am 6 weeks and 2 days old as of writing, weighing about 5kgs now. It has been an eventful month; had my first hair cut and my very first party bash, although I slept through it all. I'll show these pictures in Chapter III.

Right now, here are some of the pictures I would love to share. Thank you for your watching and comments.

Heart Space #12 : My Birthday Thoughts.

So much had happened since I blogged one month ago. I just could not find the time and energy to pen my thoughts. Everyday for me was transiting between working, cooking and taking care of the baby.

Since it's my birthday, figured I should summarize some of the points here.

I have no desires for any present this year, perhaps presents to me, have lost its meaning. I believe that buying presents for someone, takes a great deal of thought and effort. You have to really think about what the person likes, and if the person really would want the present. It's not something you could buy at the last minute unless you really know him, or pass him the money. Bottomline is, you don't have to give a present unless you really want to.
I am just thankful that this year, I do not really want anything, or anything that I could not get myself. So, anything I got is extra to me. Those who have given me presents, my heartfelt thanks still go out to you. Thank you so much.

Birthday Cards... does anyone write them anymore? Do you write the same thing year in and year out? Or do you simply get your personal assistant to remember and you just scribble something on it and sign off? This goes to show just how much you care about your staff.

My thanks also go to my dear friends who made it a point to remember my birthday. It doesn't matter if you got reminded by your calendar, PDA, notes, Facebook whatever. The thing is that you made a point to note it in there in the first place. Thank you.

I do have 1 wish though. I wish that all the family members are healthy, happy and harmonious throughout. Hope that they have more "turtle qualities" (read patience), and respect each other more...

That's all I ever wish for ... this year.

Heart Space #11 : This is My Story #1

Hi, I'm Faith Tan. I am blogging through my daddy's website. Once in a while, I will share with you my story, and today I am going to tell you the very first Chapter... Hope you enjoy it.



Be sure to leave behind your comments!!!

Heart Space #10 : Leap of Faith.

This is a late post, for obvious reasons. :p

Today is Jan 15, 2nd and last day of my stay in Thomson Medical Center.
It has been truly a life changing experience, and I feel that no words can really describe how I feel these 2 days. However, I am going to give a rundown of the sequence of events, and hopefully you can follow our journey.

10th Jan, 1500hrs:- Wife was having pains since last night but refused to go to the gynae, since tomorrow is the appointment already. I called up Dr Kee clinic and talked to the nurse. Nurse thought it was urine infection since it's only when passing urine that it will hurt. Finally convinced her to visit Dr Kee by saying it could be very serious. The doctor ran a check and found that she was having mild contractions and the cervix is getting softer. We were asked to monitor for symptoms and to come back Saturday morning if nothing happens between then and Saturday.

12th Jan, 0915hrs:- Still nothing had happened. Brought her in as scheduled but the doctor was busy delivering another baby. He made us waited for ages, and her checkup only took 5 minutes. He found her to have dilated 1cm and contracting already. Again we were asked to go back to wait for signs, and if nothing happens, check in regardless on Sunday night 2330hrs. (Sounds familiar)

13th Jan, 2020hrs:- Still nothing has happened, so wife decided to go to the salon for hair wash.

13th Jan , 2330hrs:- No incidents still, so we lugged our bags for the third and last time and got ourselves admitted.

14th Jan, 0030hrs:- It was only 2-3cm dilated when admitted. It was the beginning of a very long wait....

14th Jan, 0343hrs:- Water bag burst.. Finally.. *phew*

14th Jan, 0510hrs:- Epidural given, wife has endured since. The operation lasted a good 30 minutes.

14th Jan, 0830hrs:- Gynae arrives, and think wife is ready to give birth and advises us to try.

14th Jan, 0840hrs:- Gynae found that no nurses are there to encourage us, got mad. The nurses got madder, since they feel it's too early. They needed the epidural to wear off before wife has more sensation to push.

14th Jan, 0900hrs:- The pushing commences...

14th Jan, 0936hrs:- Faith arrives!!!

Heart Space #9 : End of Year 2007

Another year is almost over, and gosh, many of us must be wondering where did all the time gone to? I know for sure, a great deal went to my work, for I never been so busy in this company before.

Here's a short recap of what happened in 2007.

1. Family
Well, my cousin delivered; which makes the total now stands at 4.
i. 2 girls (My Brother's and Louis's)
ii. 2 boys (Mag's and Serena's)
iii. Mine is on the way... hopefully in '08.
I don't think there will be anymore coming in '08, although one cousin is trying. I guess all the other mums are taking a break. I do hope my youngest cousin will get hitched in '08... before she really gets left on the shelf.. (She's really not bad looking ;P. You can check out my Facebook.)

2. Friends
Fulfilled my target of 5 new friends. I have made many new friends during my Euro trip. I guess on this front, friends have been really good this year. From the event in December, I’ve met even more friends, which is really good but I should have got their contact details. A couple of my other friends/(ex) colleagues got married (Ziyi, Chee Kian, Francis, Stephanie, Josephine, Shi Huey), a couple others gave/giving birth soon..so my wishes to all of them...

3. Family
Family has been great as well and about. I guess sometimes we got so bogged down by work, and we forget what is really important to us. My mum really deserves the MUM of the Year Award; She helped nonstop at my place, bought stuff for her granddaughter, joined me in the volunteer event... all these without expecting anything in return.

4. Work
There have been so much upheaval in work. More colleagues have left; Stanley, Grace, Peter, Trupti, Kah Tat, Cynthia, KaiJie, Yuan Leng, Ham Li Lian, Kwee Moi. One of them was forced to leave under dire and unmanaged circumstances that leave us all with a bad aftertaste. I am supposed to take on more roles and responsibilities in 2008, but there are just too many unsettled issues. My RO changed so many times, and for now, I never met up with my RO yet. Someone really needs to take care of my existing projects, and thankfully Stephanie is doing a good job. In addition, the most urgent project is on the verge of rollout (on target!), and thankfully there are still some people who are committed to finishing the project, and not let the negative thoughts prevent them from doing their best. However, in Phase 1A of this project, I could not longer afford my time as BA, PJM or even technical developer for this project. I put on so hats for this project rollout that it hit upon me as if I was still with Accenture. This has to stop, I mean everyone should play their roles well, and not just clock time, and not performing what they are tasked to.
Also, working with my subcontractor had such a drastic impact on my work life. It's so funny, we own a majority stake in the company and yet we absolutely have no say in anything. I am always left in a bad position with nothing much I can do, except to clean up the mess or to be held ransom. Furthermore, I am constantly caught in between of wanting to do the right thing and whether can I do the right thing. I guess the air up there in the management cloud, is something I will never understand for a while, but from the looks of it, I don't think it's that sweet smelling.

Well, the outlook for my work bodes ill, according to this Chinese almanac thing. A lot of office politics and backstabbing will occur next year. I guess this is so much in line, from what I understood from the role and position that I am supposing in. Sigh. Let’s see, for I am not a person liking such politics in office.

5. Money
Didn't save lot of money this year, nor invest any. My boss said if you have not made money this year, you have missed a great year. Well, that's easy for him to say, with money to spare. This is one area I really need to look into.. hmm.

6. Leisure
Hasn't really learn anything new, but have done a weenie bit of vb.net troubleshooting. Decided to learn French formally in 2008, hope the baby will not take up TOO much of my time, but I guess that's not possible. :P

Finally got down to it, and organised an event for the Club Rainbow kids. It was not possible without Felicia who coordinated with Club Rainbow and Made With Love for this event. We have a good number of volunteers (thanks, you guys!), food, fun activity and lots of presents to give away. We had one preparation class to prepare the kits required for the actual event. On the actual day, there was so much excitement and anxiety when the kids arrived. The kids (as well as the volunteers) really had a great time!!! Gotta start thinking of the next one... but next year.. not anytime soon.

7. Thanks and goals.
In this closing, would like to thank the following people for making 2007 bearable and most part of it, enjoyable.
(in no particular order...)
i. My folks and in laws (for the frequent cleaning and stuff they bought for us and the baby)
ii. To my wife, for bearing the weight of my little darling for a good 9 months.
iii. To Kumar, Thin, Huiling for being so committed to meet Maybank's impossible timeline. I guess you guys should really feel proud of yourselves.
iv. For my brother & cousins, Mag and Serena; for the wonderful and beautiful dresses, and hand-down stuff for the baby, which saves a lot for us.
v. For Felicia and the rest of the gang who participated in the Charity event on Dec 15, kudos to you too! Hope we made a small difference that day!
vi. Goals for 2008 is 3 "mores". More Time for my loved ones, More Money, More Knowledge (for work and leisure)

Heart Space #8 : Josephine Wedding

One of my closest female secondary schoolmates got married over the weekend. Theirs was a 13 year courtship, and it definitely had its share of ups and down. She asked me to be one of the "sisters", and well I agreed; in fact I even offered to take additional photographs for her. Besides, I never attended a church wedding yet, so figured it would really cool.

Hope she really loves my photos, though it would be very much better if the groom does look my way a bit more. Here's wishing her all the best and have a blissful marriage and life.

This montage is optimized for web viewing but still, it's a 30MB stream.

Click here to see the John & Josephine Wedding (Full 30MB) with ProShow

p.s. It's not fun to shoot in shirt and pants, with working shoes. :(

Heart Space #7 : Baby Faith

I came across this program that allows me to easily create a slideshow using photos. Had a hard time figuring out why it didn't work on Blogspot. Turns out that the server where I host the files is acting weird. So... if the slideshow doesn't start, load this page in a totally new browser window. Hope you guys like it, and do turn on your speakers. (works best with FlashPlayer 9.0)

It's amazing how much my wife has grown in size. Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of ultrascan pictures from the gynae; He probably has a thing for not giving out the pictures. What is so difficult about clicking the print button (besides, we are paying for it)? So instead, I posted pictures of my wife.

Just a month away before we can see her. She's been really active these weeks, wanting to brush her hands, legs, butt, head against our skin. Can't really wait to see her in person, just hope that we got everything prepared for her arrival.

Heart Space #6 : Charity Event of the Year

Preparations for this event has finally kicked off, well, at least for me. My good friend, Felicia has already done an excellent job; making contacts, gathered the necessary parties, arranged for a meeting.

Our little AGM last Saturday, we managed to discuss the outline, set out action items, and now the hunt for volunteers begin. I roped in a few of my colleagues (my direct team members not exactly supporting me for this... :() We have a target of 10-15 volunteers... Current count : 2

We will be having a train-the-trainers session prior to the event, so that we are in good shape to coach the kids. (Date to be advised)

I will update this space as soon I get more volunteers... Com'on sign up by emailing me at edwintan76@yahoo.com

Do look at the Flyer for more details.