Jubilant June

The kids' mid-year break kicked into full swing this month.  It was a time to slow the pace down a bit, although for Lindsay this period meant she has to catch up on her work as PSLE prelims will start on the 3rd week of July, which is not that far away.  

Beautiful Sunset in Harbourbay - Galaxy S23+

It was also a time for me to slow down with work, I arrived about 10-15 minutes later at work and started at about 7:45 in the morning.  I've frankly had it with work....  I didn't get the position I interviewed for, the hiring team decided on my friend from the customer service department, which kind of made sense since she actually did the customer service work in her previous role.  Although I didn't get the role, I'm very happy for her, as I know how toxic her manager was and how she was treated at work.  Not only that, my team mate also finally got the green light to transfer to another department.  That means 2 members of "Project Exodus" have finally graduated, leaving me as the last person still stuck in a shitty predicament at work.

Not one to give up easily, I decided to try for another role, this time in customer channel strategy planning.  In fact I just had the interview this Wednesday and I'm still waiting for an update from the hiring team.  It wasn't a difficult interview per se, but more about establishing a good connection with the bosses.  It was the first time I had to answer a case study in an interview that lasted 90 minutes.   I worked really hard for that interview; I unofficially approached the hiring manager to get an idea about the role, actively pursued the approval for transfer, went through the JD and tried matching it with my resume, even practiced with Copilot 3 nights in a row to handle some questions that I think will come up.  At this point, I've somewhat come to terms with the possibility that they could very likely turn down my application.  It's not that I've given up, but rather, I know that I've given my best, and yet my best might not be enough, which frankly is out of my hands.  So if that fails, I will try again when the right opportunity comes along.  Anyway.... that's what's work life is like this month.  

For this month's short break, we took a trip to Batam with Lindsay.  Lincoln went to Bintan for 2 weeks, trying his hands at working in my father's properties.  As for me and the missus, we had to meet a consultant to help us setup the up and coming Kuta Kute cafe.  

Hiring the consultant was the best decision we've made, we learned a lot from him, from setting up the kitchen, shopping for kitchen equipments, utensils and cutleries, even got some ideas from him for our existing restaurant that's not doing that well.  

Amid the busy schedule we also had some good family time.  Lindsay and I went for hair treatment while the missus had her eyelashes done.  Lindsay also got her hair tidied up in the salon.  

Lindasy Getting Her Hair Trimmed - Galaxy S23+

The rest of the trip was mostly exploring Batam's F&B scene so that the consultant knows what Kuta Kute will be up against.  

At Domo, a Fancy Bakery and Cafe in Bengkong - Galaxy S23+

I also visited SNL for the first time, I was very impressed that someone can set up a luxury supermarket in Batam.  Batam is really booming right now, as in the place is getting more affluent.  Although at times I wonder how the local population can afford shopping at SNL as their prices are not something a regular person can afford on a daily basis. 

Inside SNL's Dining Area - Galaxy S23+

We also stumbled upon a cat fair in BCS mall where Lindsay had some fun with cute cats and kittens that were on show.

Cute Kittens! - Galaxy S23+

On a brighter note, the hotel finally made substantial profit for the months of May and June (although the final P&L for June hasn't come out yet), and the missus can finally get rewarded for her hard work for the past 1 year.  In the month of May the hotel made 680 million rupiah while for June they are set to break 700 million, the highest we've ever achieved in the last 1 year.  I need to ensure this momentum continues so that we have enough funds for future projects to make the hotel even better.

Upon returning to work, it was back to business as usual.  Amazing how 4 days off translated to more than 300 emails.  I spent 1 day (which happens to be a Friday) to clear my inbox and catching up with work.  Although frankly, I'm not doing anything meaningful in the team anymore.

Disgusting.... And That Was Just The Main Inbox - Galaxy S23+

Not long after, it was time to pick Lincoln up as he returned from Bintan.  Then we celebrated the missus' birthday with a lunch treat at Osteria Mozza in Hilton hotel.  

Only These Were Good - Galaxy S23+

The current Osteria Mozza is not like what I remembered when they were back at MBS.  The pasta we ordered were underwhelming.  The pizza was OK although the kids somehow still prefer Peperoni's.  The highlight of the lunch were the desserts which were mostly caramel based.   

Last Saturday I brought my mom out for lunch and then to a watch shop to get her watch repaired in China Town.  From Chinatown Point we walked to Outram Park MRT and stopped by 99 Old Tree Durian cafe for durian mousse and durian chendol.  I also bought 2 boxes of vacuumed black thorns for myself and my mom. 

Dessert From 99 Old Tree Durian Cafe - Galaxy S23+

I've also tried to increase my running distance now as I've been plagued with a frozen right shoulder and tennis elbow on my left hand.  From when I first started at about 3-4 km a week, I can now average 12 km/week, on some good weeks I even ran up to almost 16 km.  I rewarded myself with a pair of Asics Kayano 31 and another pair of Asics Kayano 32.  I bought the Kayano 31 during the mid-year sale, but shortly after, the Kayano 32 came out.  At first I wasn't interested to get the Kayano 32, but after trying it on I immediately fell in love with the feeling and decided to purchase it on the spot.  I also got the missus a pair of Kayano 32 as an early birthday present. 

This Thursday I had a scare after I completed a 4 km run.  Right after the run I felt breathless and sweated profusely with a lower back pain on my left side that went all the way up to the shoulder blade and my arm pit.  One particular spot on my middle back hurt really bad.  I was so afraid that I had a heart attack I used an Omron ECG machine at home but the scan indicated normal sinus rhythm.  Luckily on the following day I consulted my endocrinologist, she said it couldn't have been a heart attack, because if it were I wouldn't have been able to run at all.  She suggested I consult an orthopaedic specialist to see if some of my muscle issues resulted in a nerve pinch.  Right now I'm strongly considering that option, I'll have to first get a referral letter from the company's GP...  Speaking of which...  the visit to my specialist also revealed that my HbA1c trend has increased to around 7.1%, which I blamed on the stress at work as the cause.  Although I had chosen to slow down, others didn't rite?  Anyway....  she increased my medication and I'll have to be more disciplined with my eating for the next 3 months.

Earlier today we just celebrated Lincoln's birthday.  I started the day by picking up his cake at Chef Yamashita - mango short cake.  I decided to skip karate class today as I had very bad sore throat.  And he wanted dinner at Prego, so we headed to Prego for an early intimate dinner before finally joining my parents, my sister, her husband and her son at Crystal Jade Palace Takashimaya for 2nd round of dinner.  

Chocolate Tart and Vongole - Galaxy S23+

And when we got home we finally celebrated his birthday. 

Birthday Boy With His Cake - Galaxy S23+

Next week June's coming to a close and I will finally get to hear about my interview results as well.  I hope July will be better.

Here's a closing shot for this month's entry: 

She Really Is The Prettiest Thing That Ever Happened To Me - A7RMk3 + FE24mm F1.4GM

~ Photos Taken With Samsung Galaxy S23+ ~