June has been a jam packed month filled with many activities and events. The month started with Vesak celebration. I went vegetarian for a full week prior to the day and finally went to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple on the day itself. The temple was packed with worshippers as expected. I went with Lincoln and finished in about 30 minutes before finally going back home.
 |
| Happy Vesak Day From Buddha Tooth Relic Temple - Galaxy Note 9 |
May has been a month that is nothing short of maddening. Despite the short break to Bali, I have been afflicted with all kinds of sickness, some of which are old problems that have became worst.
 |
| Waiting to Board at T4 - Galaxy Note 9 |
Day 2 started with a trip to Kuta Beachwalk again as the missus wanted to exchange the kiddos' swimwears. After the quick trip to Kuta Beachwalk, our next stop was Seminyak where we tried to trace back the trails of our past trip back in 2019.
 |
| Let's Explore Seminyak - A7RMk3 + FE 20mm F1.8G |
So about more than 1 week ago, the missus and I made an impromptu trip to Bali. It was a last minute trip as one of our houses there was finally going to be sold. I'm so relieved that one of those "burdens" is finally gone.
 |
| Some Shophouse Installation in T4 - A7RMk3 + FE20mm F1.8G |
A nice word for a change. I can't remember when was the last time I used such a positive word to wrap up my month. This has been a crazy busy month at work with some days going as long as 14 hours. But this is also the month when I received my bonus, the most I have ever received in my entire career to date.
March has been pretty much the same except for some eventful happenings at home. Work has been very tough too as usual, with it's own share of dramas. One major story we worked on had some features rolled back even after UAT as the local users thought the feature could possibly spam the customers. Well... just give them what they want.
 |
| Early Friday Meeting - Galaxy Note 9 |
Goodbye February... Although February is usually a month supposed to be full of celebrations such as Valentine's, Lindsay' birthday & my wedding anniversary, I am saddened to learn of my cousin's passing. She had contracted cancer back in 2021 and went for treatments in Hong Kong & Guangzhou, even got her hand amputated from the shoulder. And yet despite all that she still succumbed to it. My heart is really broken.. my sister and I used to play together with her and her sisters when we were kids in Jakarta. She also lived in my parents' house in Surabaya when she was still studying in Petra. Of all my cousins, she and her sisters are the ones my siblings and I are closest with. She leaves behind her husband and two young sons, one of whom is about the same age as Lincoln.
 |
| Farewell Se Se... |
 |
| Studying JIRA on Youtube - Galaxy Note 9 |
Today's the last day of December; 2022 will end in about three and a half hours. Work has been crazy busy as usual. I wish I can do less work so that I have more time to think. I've been wanting to explore how to use App Sheets and be able to create my own apps. But I just haven't got the chance to do so just yet, even yesterday night I was still submitting tickets for new user ID creations.
 |
| Work Never Ends - Galaxy Note 9 |
November has been an important month for both me and my son. For me, I finally got confirmed as a staff of Ocean Network Express after 2 months, 1 month earlier than expected. As for Lincoln, he received his PSLE results, which was very far from stellar.
 |
| Welcome to The Mill - Galaxy Note 9 |
On this last day of October, I start my 7th week with ONE. It has been a very packed journey so far. I've been very busy with work. Not very difficult, except when it comes to "alignment", but there's just too many things going.
 |
| Rainy Day in Orchard - Galaxy Note 9 |
As I started September, I was full of hope. I really looked forward to my last day in Klook, it has been a hell of a ride for sure. Well, all experience bad or good are all learning experience. I did learn a lot from many people there too and I will bring the knowledge with me to ONE.
 |
| My Last Days in Klook, Rainy Day Over ACM - Galaxy Note 9 |
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 |
My mind is drawing a blank on this month's adjective, so it's just "July 2022". I've been really stressed out this month due to work and fruitless job search. The other company (a French shipping company) that I thought had lost interest in me finally called me for a 1st round interview, however I was very disappointed at the outcome of the interview. The interviewers had asked questions that were irrelevant to the role I was applying for, so of course, I did not "wow" them. Throughout the interview, not only did I feel that the questions were misdirected, they had set the wrong expectations for the role. It was a complete f💩💣king waste of my time, considering that I had prepared extensively for the interview.
The other company (a German shipping company) with whom I had completed the 1st round of interview also did not return to me, but I noticed that they had downgraded the title for the job from manager to senior executive. I've had several calls from companies I applied to as well, but nothing happened after the first call. I even did a screening test for a job I applied for at DBS and I'm still wondering whether I'll get it or not.
It has been an absolutely disappointing month on the job search front. I can't help but turn to prayers all the time, hoping for some kind of a divine intervention.
 |
| Decorations at Yueh Hai Ching Temple - Galaxy Note 9 |
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 |
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 |
What a crazy month April has been. Sometimes I'm under the impression that my manager thinks I'm very free from the way he kept on throwing work my way. What broke the straw for me was when during our bi-weekly 1-on-1 he mentioned how I hadn't touched on the Process part of my job scope. That was when I snapped within, to the point that I showed him my daily activity records to make a point that I have certainly not been slacking. And earlier today when I took stock of my tasks, I realized that I have 11 ongoing tasks on hand. I really feel that whatever was described to me during the interview are not materializing and it really is time for me to move on, even if I have to forgo the sign-on bonus. I really couldn't care about the money anymore. Ever since the announcement that 100% of the workforce can return to office, I've been returning 3 days a week and even left office after 7 despite starting at 9 this week.
 |
| One of Those Days in Office - Galaxy Note 9 |
In a blink of an eye, March has come to a near end. I really felt like my life just zipped past by me. Work has been tiring - there has been no time for rest in between tasks, and I happily welcome the early release Fridays at the end of each month which is the only reprieve I get from work. I'm really feeling the burnout from countless mindless executions. I seldom have time to sit back and reflect on how I can do things better or utilise the tools that are available. It has been a very tiring journey so far in Klook.
 |
| A Faint Rainbow For Good Luck - Galaxy Note 9 |
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 |
So here's my first post for 2022. January started quite uneventfully. The kids returned to school and our lives pretty much returned to our old routines. Just before school and work started we went to a small ice cream cafe called Geometry at Brickworks Estate. It was like, starting the year on a sweet tooth. The missus was hooked on the Earl Grey Tie Guan Yin gelato, which I must admit is a very unique flavour with a very pleasant fragrance.
 |
| Waffle With Earl Grey Tie Guan Yin & Pistachio Gelato - Galaxy Note 9 |
