Opaque October

I felt like October just whizzed past me.  So many things happened over a span of less than 31 days.  Work has been unforgiving as usual.  I'm strongly considering to ask for an internal transfer as soon as I'm eligible because I really cannot stand the pace and an ambitious team mate who's willing to make me look bad so that he can get ahead.  There's also this other colleague who's so stubborn, sitting with him for a meeting earlier this month almost triggered my panic attack again.  It was a sensation that I haven't felt in a while but suddenly returned this month.  I guess I have been quite stressed out at work.  I have finished almost 24 muscle relaxant pills this month.....  That's how difficult this month has been... 

Waiting to See The Doctor - Galaxy S23+

Advancing August

August has been a mixed bag, but more towards the positive side.  It has been quite an amazing month on the job search front as I finally landed myself a new position in the maritime industry again.  I am so relieved to finally going to leave Klook.  But that job move came with a heavy price tag.  I returned my sign-on bonus and bought out 1 month of my notice period too.  It was such an expensive breakup.  And leaving Klook also means I will have worked for 2 years with no bonus at all.  It is such an expensive lesson....  I have a lot to say during the exit interview for sure...  At least I think I will.  

A Familiar Sight - Galaxy Note 9

Jiggly June

Hello June, it's been a rough ride isn't it?  Things have been changing from one end of the spectrum to the other so diversely, hence...  "jigly". 

I've been doing a lot of praying as of late, I really hope that something good will come out.  Whenever I go to office, I never fail to go to Yueh Hai Ching temple which is just nearby to pray for good luck in my job search.  

Yueh Hai Ching Temple's Facade - Galaxy Note 9

Manic May

I've used "Manic" before in one of my entries back in 2020.  Now is about a good time as any to use it again.  May has been an emotional roller coaster and a very loathsome month where work is concerned.  Well..  I'll get to that...   

One of Those Beautiful Sunrises - Galaxy Note 9

Finding February

As we inch closer towards the end of February, the question on everybody's mind is, what the hell is Russia doing???  War, is something that happened in history text books, it must not and should not have had to happen in our time.  How can this madness possibly unfold in our era??  I feel very sorry for the Ukranians and hope that something will happen somehow to stop this senseless invasion by the Russians.  Closer to home, the Myanmar crisis is also not showing any signs of improvement while further up north, missiles are still being fired into the sea on almost a weekly basis.  I can't help but think why are there still crazies in ruling positions in this world.  The world needs to find its sanity back.  What a concerning February this has been.

Feeling Nostalgic Looking at My Old House - Galaxy Note 9

Doozy December

A doozy December it has been.  1 month into probation at work, a short and much welcomed break and the year is ending.  My 2nd Dan certificate arrived early this month, I still can't decide whether to laminate or frame it, along with my 1st Dan certificate.  I also decided to get just a K10 jacket, to replace the one I'm using now.  As I mentioned before, I loved my new KC10 so much I couldn't bear to wear it just yet, I'm keeping it for grading and perhaps other things, but I won't be wearing that for regular training.  By the way, Tan Sensei also taught me the Shitoryu kata Seienchin.  I had always wanted to learn this kata ever since I saw Antonio Diaz & Rika Usami's performance.  Now I just have to slowly learn and master it.  I have also developed an interest in Suparimpei and slowly learning it.  At the same time, I'm practicing my Nijushiho, Meikyo and Sochin again.  I haven't done them in such a long time, my movements are not as fluid as they used to be, and I plan to use one of them for my 3rd Dan grading.

2nd Dan Gear - Galaxy Note 9

Shangri-La Staycation 2021

In mid-December, we went on a 3 days 2 nights staycation at Shangri-La Orchard.  It was an amazing staycation that brought about a much welcome break for everyone.  The kids had been cooped up in the house for most of their holidays while the missus and I had been buried at work for quite sometime, especially for myself as I was heavily involved in my previous company's e-Claims systems launch.  

Waiting For Our Room at The Lobby - RX100 Mk3

Novel November

November is "the" month of a novel new beginning for me.  After 8 years and 9 months of working for "K" Line Pte Ltd, I finally left the company - which I should probably have done 3 years ago.  But through the graces of the forces that may be, I had remained with "K" Line and rode through the worst period of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the time to disembark from this lengthy voyage has finally come this month.  And yes, I paid my dues already with the various projects I delivered during the pandemic.  As I left this month, I have just completed an e-claims project for the company too.  I left many good ex-colleagues and collaborators who have generously contributed to my development in "K" Line while at the same time I excitedly look forward to the new journey that I will be undertaking with the new company.  

Going Up From Starbucks Guoco Tower One Last Time - Galaxy Note 9

Just July - Again

I've used "Just" last year.  Somehow I've ran out of vocabularies by now.  My bread baking spree continued into July with a renewed frenzy.  In all I baked 6 loaves over a span of 3 weeks.

Challah + Ovomaltime = 😋 - Galaxy Note 9

Frolic February

I risk sounding like a broken record here, but February is a month of celebrations.  I'm pretty sure I must have said that sometime back.  First, we had the Chinese New Year which came quite late this year on 12th February.  Unlike previous years, we couldn't travel back to Indonesia to celebrate with our families.  So this year it was just a quiet steamboat at home with my sister.  

1st Steamboat Dinner - Galaxy Note 9

Just a few days later we had another steamboat dinner at my home with the lady boss of Little Nyonya Batik and her husband, as well as another bestie of both the lady boss and my wife.  2 steamboat dinners over a span of 3 days.

The Cat Cafe Bugis Visit

On Sunday we visited The Cat Cafe in Bugis.  The pricing is $16 for 2 hours with a free soft drink per person.  That is quite reasonable actually, when compared to other cat cafes in Singapore. Linc & Lind were excited from the start, the thought of getting up close to furry felines, petting and playing with the furballs got them somewhat impatient throughout the morning.  After a quick breakfast in Bugis, we climbed up 3 storeys in an old shophouse outside Bugis Street.  

Here We Are - RX100 Mk3

Just July

As July comes to an end, the past 3 weeks have been crazy stressful at work.  The e-approval processes I have set up suddenly required urgent fixes because the send mail notification and the approval connectors were decommissioned (deprecated in Microsoft lingo).  The approval connector deprecation is especially hard to swallow, as I will need to re-design 6 of my flows - which I'm still figuring out...  At least, the other 43 are already OK...  I tried parallel branching, which brought down the nesting level to 9, just one over the maximum allowable 8.  I also looked at using Child Flows, but after careful consideration, I will end up with more flows to manage if I use this technique. Not forgetting to mention that this technique also requires premium subscription and a crash course on JSON, so...  nope, using child flow is also out.  The last technique I need to explore is variable initialization.  And I somehow must make this work.  Prior to this "breakdown" there were the usual office drama, politicking and reading between the lines which really, really drained me... man...  I really wish I could just jump ship.  

Along Alexandra Road - Galaxy Note 9

June Cycling Diary

I have been cycling once a week with the missus in the past 3 weeks.  So far we've been to Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by The Bay and Henderson Waves.  From Alexandra Canal Park which is right in front of our apartment, we could go all the way to East Coast Park if we'd like to.  It really is amazing how we can get to experience so many places with our bicycles.  

Stopping by Rodalink Commonwealth to Adjust My Bike's Saddle Post - Galaxy Note 9

Jakarta Chinese New Year Trip 2020 - Day 4

Day 4, time to go back to Singapore.  We started with a simple breakfast at Mie Aloi which is just next door.  After the delightful breakfast, we returned to the hotel and the kids wanted a little swim.  So we obliged and let them have their splashy moment. 

The Kids Having Fun in The Pool - Galaxy Note 9

Jakarta Chinese New Year 2020 Trip - Day 3

Day 3 - 春到大地.  No rain this morning and I started the day with a prayer at Vihara Satya Dharma with my father and Lincoln.  That was the first time Lincoln joined me and my father for new year's day prayers.   

Just Right For Spring - RX100 Mk3

Jakarta Chinese New Year 2020 Trip - Day 2

Well, well....  Look and behold!  Dark clouds, grey skies and a pouring rain!!  And from our hotel room, we could see some parts of the streets submerged in water.  So it could flood after all! 

Heavy Rain in PIK - RX100 Mk3

Jakarta Chinese New Year 2020 Trip - Day 1

We just came back from Jakarta for Chinese New Year on Sunday.  It was a rather quick 4 days and 3 nights trip.  The most important thing is, we got to see 婆婆 again.  We departed from Changi Airport's Terminal 2 this time.  

Just Some Greenery Near The Eating Area - RX100 Mk3

Dear December

A more cheerful month it has been.  I guess the short break to my hometown was very much needed after all.  And the lesser workload also helped to alleviate my mood.  The nice cold weather at the first half of the month made the year end a lot more tolerable too. 

To end off 2019, I went to Lian Shan Shuang Lin (连山双林) monastery earlier today with the kids.  I should have gone more, but this year I only managed 1 visit.  That's not good.  I should resolve to go more in 2020 I guess. It'll do me some good spiritually. 

Cheng Huang Miao (城隍庙) - RX100 Mk3

Surabaya Trip - Day 4

Day 4 of the trip!  Our tickets allowed us a second round entry into Taman Safari Prigen, so we asked the kids if they wanted another go and got a resounding "yes" from them.  But before that, we had to have our breakfast first, so we were back in the same restaurant where we had dinner on the previous night.

Breakfast in Baobab - Galaxy Note 9

Surabaya Trip - Day 3

Okay!  Day 3!  Things got exciting as we set off for Taman Safari Prigen with a night's stay at Baobab Safari Resort.  The kids were looking forward to it.  

Bye Bye Ibis Budget - Galaxy Note 9