on the other side of the desk...

In the taxi ride on my way to IJ, I imagined myself walking up the central stairs and pass the good old ‘gong’. It wasn’t till I walk into school that I realized that IJ is not the IJ I imagined it to be. Its different now… IJ is now more beautiful than ever, it carries with it a very rustic feel, a charm that is more majestic than ever and the pride of calling it my Alma Mata is unbelievable.

When I was in Primary school, I would often look over to the secondary school and wonder about life as a secondary school student, I was drawn to the art pieces displayed outside the ART room, the heavily buttered cookies and cupcakes coming from the home-economics room and crazy bottles filled with unidentified substance in the science labs. The Art room, Home-Economics and Science Labs were on the first floor and I walked by those rooms each time I had the opportunity to. I was inspired by the older girls wearing the same uniform as I was wearing. During my trip back to IJ, it is so heart warming to see the younger girls watching the older girls play netball and running on the school field. If I am not mistaken, they must be inspired too !

Nothing is more comforting than going back to familiar place, seeing familiar faces and knowing that you can get sound advice from wise peeps. It has been almost 8 years since I graduated from IJ, I carried with me school values to Canada and I carried the words of my teachers. CHIJ has some really wonderful teachers, they seem to know you better than yourself and they seem to know what to say. I know two teachers ‘charted’ my life back in school and ‘kudos’ to them for doing so, failing which, I would not have been where I am today. It is almost scary to know that 8 years later, they are still able to offer advice to me and as much as I hate to follow their advice, I know they are right.

The other side of the teacher’s desk is the extra care and concern that the teachers at IJ had given to each girl that walked through the gates of IJ. Besides the knowledge and the exposure to extra-curriculum activities,it is the special attention that the teachers had given each girl. The teachers had quickly become for me icons for the school, school would not have been the same if I did not have those teachers. For I would never have gone to university and graduated.

So, for each and every IJ girl that walks through the doors of IJ. Treasure your teachers, they might seem to be nagging but they wouldn’t nag if they didn’t care.

There's more to the truth than just the facts

Its more to life, the truth than just the facts. I saw a couple of lines on television, and they struck me real hard. I believe I saw it on Sex and the City.

“When you are young, your whole life is about the pursuit of fun, then you grow up and learn to be cautious, you could break a bone or heart, you look before you leap and sometimes you don’t leap at all because there is not always someone there to catch you. I life there is no safety net, when did it stop being fun and start being scary ?’’

Truth is, people will tell you facts about growing up and they will tell you how they managed to scrap by. Too many times, they forgot that it was the feelings, the emotions and the pain of being confused and lost that really got to them.

More often than not, you see life ( commonly associated with the truth... ), not just the facts, its scary and you learn to be careful with each new step you take. It hurts to want everything and nothing at the same time. It sucks to be confused and most of the time, life is easier just running away from it – not talking about it or just hoping that tomorrow comes quickly and the awkwardness goes away soon.

Adults say that our generation is swayed by MTV and pop music... I've heard my aunt told me when I was 13 that I seem to know every song on the radio. I am addicted to music, I can shut myself in a room and listen to music all day without communication to the outside word , not even to my parents.. Why do kids 'relate' better to their music ? the MTV, the songs ? Guess what ? 'they' sing about music !

So…there is more to truth, not just the facts,. Think about it....

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Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.

Love this phrase,.. some enjoy the rain coming down from the sky, some just grumble about getting wet… since its Chinese new year and since this is the first time I get to be home with family in a long time, I am going to spend it right. Enjoying the laughs, celebrating the silliness of my slightly dysfunctional family and their peeves. This new year is the year of dog and its my year… I am going to walk in the rain…

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity

Work is getting more and more challenging and I must admit that it takes more than going to work everyday and working diligently at my desk. Its more than cracking your head and solving problems, more than answering the phone call with good manners no matter how tired or pissed off you are. It is the discipline to maintain a good disposition when dealing with a client, the steadfastness that keeps you going through the night, the commitment you make to your bosses and your clients, loyalty and pride you have for your company.

In a way, its like school, but instead of getting grades at the end of a semester, you get a paycheck. So.. thinking back on the times when I was in school.. in the middle of a difficult, lies an opportunity for me to get that extra marks on the assignment. I guess it is the same with work… in the middle of a challenge, lies opportunity for me to learn ?

Sometimes I wonder if I am just more optimistic about work.. or will my optimism fade ? Sometimes I wonder and I look around me, my friends seem to be less optimistic then I am… did I bring some good air back from Victoria ? or did AIESEC trained me well ? Hmmm…..

Me

A Phone Call

I made a phone call today to a very dear friend.
That one short 20 minute phone call made everything go away for a while. I sat in office chair at 1.20am and was talking away to Jenny. Work can be piling up and Stress building up but a call was enough to re-charge me. Thanks Jenny.

First and lazy Blog

I came home from Taipei, Taiwan to find 241 emails in my inbox ! My original intention was to sit down and write a good long opening blog for 2006. Looking at 241 emails... I think I am going to take a raincheck.

I took a few crazy test that came in my inbox ! ( what a lazy way to write a blog entry ! )

What's your colour ?


Your color is black. The color of night. Serene and mysterious, black conjures up images of elegant evening gowns, dashing tuxedos, and gleaming limousines. Traditionally a symbol of success, black also represents power and an uncompromising demand for perfection. Not surprisingly, you tend to set challenging goals for yourself and do whatever it takes to achieve them — your strength of character is second to none. This unfaltering determination, along with your natural elegance, impresses people. But keep in mind that your personality might be intimidating to some. Try to temper your demanding side with a little softness — trust us, it won't kill you. Overall, though, black is the color of professionalism and achievement, which means it's clearly the color for you.

The Influence of Birth Order



Your position as eldest child shows most strongly in your self-esteem.

Similar to other eldest children, you are probably in tune with who you are and what you want. You are conscious of your limitations but you are more aware of your positive qualities. Being the eldest child put you in a leadership role. To sustain this position, you learned at a young age how to leverage your positive qualities, or things you were better at than your younger siblings, to your advantage. This natural, though possibly unconscious, insight into your own personality enabled you to obtain whatever you set your sights on. People tend to enjoy your company because you are confident and have a positive outlook on life.

Birth order influences your relationship with your parents, siblings (if you have them) and how you ultimately learn to interact with the world. It can provide an insightful way to better understand your approach to friendships, romance, and how you meet life's challenges.

Time for bed

Enuff said.. 9am at the office.