PonyTales

Time literally flies for me now and as I checked, my last post was more than a month ago.

I am sorry for this pitiful blog of mine that I was away for so long. Work has been piling up for me now as well as for my hubby. Sometimes, I wonder what other stuff could keep us that busy….wonder …wonder….

I hope to post some updates soon as we did manage to bring Zoe to a few places…just nearby to satisfy her curiosity nature now.

I am soooo looking forward to our next holiday now…just cannot wait…

A lot of photos to share…still trying to find time to post them….

please bear with me yea….

Yes, the title says it all! (no cash for guessing) I was retrenched recently and to think I was going to sail thru this economy downturn quietly just before CNY. I got the news just right after I return from CNY break and a week later I was looking for a job again. That’s why the long absence from blogging – downsizing war, feeling unappreciated/unwanted/redundant, recuperating, joining the 30k of people hunting, multiple interviews and finally landed on something….phew! It has been a whirlwind 3 weeks odd…

This is the first time in my not that long career life that I have faced such a situation. I have definitely lost a job but learned quite a fair bit too. That’s why this post to share my very own experience – auntie style of course!

The 10 do’s …

1.     Accept the harsh reality and do a reality check – family, finance and do a little planning on how to fill up the many free days ahead. It helps to keep me busy and focus on my job hunting more positively. I found that I do not go around telling people my sad story so much and that is definitely not helpful during interviews. Companies only want to know what you can do, not why you are retrenched!
2.     Do some planning on how to stretch the severity/termination benefits received. It’s usually not a small amount and if put to use wisely, can sustain for many months ahead. I landed a job pretty fast, so that’s a bonus now which should still be wisely kept or invested on something profitable. If you think you will be spared, think again…nobody is indispensable.
3.     Take a break. I spend quality time with my daughter, husband and my parents. I never knew how much I have missed before this. Just sitting there and looking at my daughter play and talk is so fulfilling – for both of us. Listening to my parents and being their child again, makes me feel that I am all connected once more. That, I will never walk alone.
4.     Do things that you never had the time doing while working. Go to bookshops and read books for hours, you have all the time to browse thru all the books on the special discount section.  Cook a tedious meal for the family every day, it definitely takes time and is appreciated by the people I loved the most in this world. I manage to create a few new and quick recipes on my own and that will definitely be helpful when I start work again – full speed.
5.     Re-organized the house. I never knew how many cluttered place I have in my own home till I have some time to look at it now. I thot I just did a splendid clean up before CNY. I was wrong. I did it all over again and things really look pretty tidy now. I still have the study room to do and that looks like a place that just got hit by a hurricane. It’s a tedious nobody wants to do job, but it gets the fats burning and mind working and some meaningful shopping.
6.     Watch “The Nanny” and “Oprah” on the Hallmark channel in the morning – it’s a luxury and fun!
7.     Do price check during grocery shopping. I have plenty of time now and do not really need to do the just grab and go. I found that many essential things can be purchased at a fraction of the price I paid previously – I just need to know where to get it. This certainly help in a bad economy…haha
8.     Do the things that you enjoy doing but it takes time previously. I bake muffins and went to the local baking store to check out everything. It’s a good feeling and I plan to sign up for baking class too. I think it will be fun and I may learn quite a bit.
9.     Organize lunch appointments with friends. It’s the best time to catch up! Go all the way to meet my hubby for lunch too – weekdays lunch together (just the 2 of us) is rare when both are working. Seize the opportunity!
10.  Do a detox or slimming program at home.  I am still working on this one and now probably have to add in some gym session too. The objective can be anything but mine was to feel healthy and great before I start a new job.  Who don’t love looking good and feeling great!?

The 10 don’ts…

1.     Spend like there is no tomorrow. Yeah, one get quite a sum when retrenched and it is so easy to spend and thot you will still have the money tomorrow. Do check your transactions daily on credit card or cash and the bank account. The figure keeps the mind sane.
2.     Be angry for too long. It will make one a bitter person and it certainly does not help. Find someone you can trust and talk and let go.
3.     Eat in front of the TV while watching AFC channel. That will jeopardize the looking good and feeling great program – definitely.
4.     Stay at home and do not go out at all or sleep too much. You are still a human, just temporary jobless. Treat yourself to some fresh air outside at least, have mercy!

5.     Cut down everything! Does one in this situation still need to get cut down anymore? Balance is the keyword and stick to “The Plan”.
6.     Keep talking about the retrenchment in a long winded way to everybody. It is scary to others who hear it and nobody will truly 100% understood it like you do. You do not owe the explanation to anybody. Keep it smart and simple if asked. Period.
7.     Dress down daily. Do not look as pathetic as the economy; it gives people the wrong impression.  The two do not directly relate anyway…
8.     Grab the first job that comes your way – any job will do. Stick to your preference as much as one can, do not shortchanged too much or you will be going thru another sad cycle soon.
9.     Cut away entirely from the company and the people in the previous organization. Part professionally but still remain contactable and helpful.
10.  Put on a sad long “cucumber” face for too long. That will make all the beauty products investment go to waste!

There you go, just the few things I want to share at this interim period.
Now that the clock is ticking again and my carefree days are numbered, I think I want to catch a nap and savor the moment at home in the breezy mid afternoon – birds chirping and all J

Thank God I am able to post again today. For the past 2 days, a lot have happened unexpected. I felt like a series of unfortunate events just happen to me…

• After the last post, my laptop crash in the afternoon, I need to reformat and re-install everything…loose some mails and documents. The IT guy accidentally formatted my backup drive…arrrrgggghhh!!!
• Daddy got food poisoning on Tue nite, vomitting and purging like mad…poor Daddy looked so pale and tired…
• Zoe is teething and have been pooing too much. Babysitter did not realise she poo poo little by little and did not clean her up regularly…she got very bad rash at her bottom…it is very bad and this is the 2nd time over a week! It pains me to see her suffer and cry even when she pee. I gotta wash her up every now and then and put the soothing cream for her.
• My work is catching up and I don’t want to  apply any leave now as I think it is not appropriate.
• My phlegm and cough been continuing for a month ++ but I am feeling better now…I think I will…

I have two sick babies at home - 1 big and 1 small…

Anyway, I still thank God for these angels He sent me…

1. WY for standing by me when I needed a helping hand the most. I thank her and her 2 lovely helpful angels from the bottom of my heart. Thanks WY for your help and support! Thanks to my 2 favourite girls (A and H) for sharing your Mommy with Zoe and me for a while yea
2. Thanks to my colleague and also my neighbour for the free ride to work and home. He is really kind and considerate
3. Thanks to everyone else who know me for keeping us in their prayers…

Life goes on…one day at a time…

I keep my fingers crossed that everyone will be well and good as Christmas and New Year is approaching. We really don’t want to miss out all the fun rite!?

I am also in the midst of planning for Zoe’s 1st Birthday party. It will be at home by the pool. I hope everything turns out well and that everyone will have a good time and good food.

Ooh yea, I need to take out the Christmas tree also, to dust it and put it up…HaHaHa! I just love Christmas and everything that comes with it. I gotta have more stuff like this to cheer me up…hehehe

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…

Today is my 3rd day of work at my new company. Everything is so new here…new floor, new cubicle, new carpet, new seat and a brand new spanking Dell Latitude D630. This is the first time I am given a laptop for work instead of a PC - it felt different as if I own the laptop. But now I understand that carrying this baby around is a heavy task….tsk tsk tsk…not complaining, just heavy la. Thank God I am no longer using the LRT to go to work, I might accidentally squashed a few poor school kids with this….hahaha!

The environment is good so far, colleagues are generally nice and friendly. I got a buddy with me, so he showed me all the stuff I need to know. A friendly and fun loving fella. Thank God for that as I have been praying for friendly and helpful colleagues. My boss is not back yet for his weeklong vacation back to his hometown. So, I will keep my fingers crossed. Pray for a good Boss.

As the company is expanding rapidly, they have acquired a new floor to place all the resources, including me. The new floor comes with a really nice lounge area and pantry with 3 dining tables, all furnised by Ikea. I have yet to have tea and laze there, maybe later once I am more settled down. I really don’t want to be seen as a "tan pok yau" (in Cantonese means lazy) so early into my employment rite!?

The funiture and fittings here are mostly in red color. I have been seeing quite a number of this sorta setting ever since Air Asia became so incredibly famous and indispensable (at least to me la). Red is bold and stunning and sexy…I am not complaining la…

Ooh, another plus point is they also pratice smart casual dressing here. So, it means it is okay to wear jeans and polo-T to work everyday, just like my previous company. I was thinking I gotta let go of that flexibility earlier and was taking out all my so called professional work attires and ironing all of them during my break…hahaha…so much for singing, "I’m gonna get dressed, for success!". I like the flexibility, another note to thank God for this, He see it thru for me even up to this small detail. God is Awesome!

Commuting to/fro work now is much better, no more LRT battles and hours long journey. However, hubby gotta chauffer me around until we get our new ride. I need to settle down and get steady here before we could decide to take on the new ride - new liability. Another 7 years!? **try not to think too hard again…**

Lunch hour is pretty okay, colleagues will hunt around for nice PJ food, so I tag along. Hope when I start driving, I can offer them a ride as well - to be fair lor. Anyway, there is a canteen in the building with simple food there. Definitely, I will not die of hunger here. To think positively, I can really save on lunch and my waistline…hehehe

That’s all I could say for now since I am barely a week here. While it is still a slow start and I have the time, I better just learn as much as I can before the wave of works drown me. Do all I could now and the rest, I will pray and seek for God’s hand to be with me. Amen!

Today is my last working day in my company located in KLCC. It has been 2 years plus - 2 years plus of ups and down.

Let’s forget about the downs and just focus on the good memories…hee hee

I must say working in KLCC is a luxury. These are the things I have enjoyed for the past 2 years plus:

• Working in a posh office located in the tallest building in the region!?
• Working above the most happening shopping complex (Suria KLCC)
• The never ending sales (Isetan sale!!)
• The food haven…you name it, they have it here
• Shopping during lunch hour (almost everyday)
• Toilet with automatic flush and automatic water tap. It never really run out of toilet rolls or paper napkins.
• Unlimited supply of soft drinks and a few varieties of biscuit to staff.
• Walking down 34 floors when there is a fire drill ….opps!!
• Abundant public transports with the fastest mode available too (P**** L**) - but that doesn’t mean it’ll get u where u wanna go…hahaha)
• Simple workload and I rarely have to stay back at work.

Hmm…at times, I still wonder whether I will ever regret leaving here but I got to move on. I have made the decision in the first place - for good or for bad, I will face it.

The song Take a bow by Madonna just keep going on in my brain as I sit at my cubicle for the last few hours…

Take a bow from YouTube

Take a bow, the night is over
This masquerade is getting older
Light are low, the curtains down
There’s no one here
[There’s no one here, there’s no one in the crowd]
Say your lines but do you feel them
Do you mean what you say when there’s no one around [no one around]
Watching you, watching me, one lonely star
[One lonely star you don’t know who you are]

Chorus:

I’ve always been in love with you [always with you]
I guess you’ve always known it’s true [you know it’s true]
You took my love for granted, why oh why
The show is over, say good-bye

Say good-bye [bye bye], say good-bye

Make them laugh, it comes so easy
When you get to the part
Where you’re breaking my heart [breaking my heart]
Hide behind your smile, all the world loves a clown
[Just make ‘em smile the whole world loves a clown]
Wish you well, I cannot stay
You deserve an award for the role that you played [role that you played]
No more masquerade, you’re one lonely star
[One lonely star and you don’t know who you are]

(chorus, repeat)

Say good-bye [bye bye], say good-bye

All the world is a stage [world is a stage]
And everyone has their part [has their part]
But how was I to know which way the story’d go
How was I to know you’d break
[You’d break, you’d break, you’d break]
You’d break my heart

I’ve always been in love with you
[I’ve always been in love with you]
Guess you’ve always known
You took my love for granted, why oh why
The show is over, say good-bye

(chorus)

Say good-bye [bye bye], say good-bye
Say good-bye

I’ll Miss the Shoppingggggg!!!!

I am kinda shocked!!!

I remember just about 1 month back, I told a colleague who is leaving that if this Assistant Manager that is seated in front of me leaves. It would really be a lost to the company. If she leaves, it is so sad…

It is her last day today! I just found out cause she was taking photos around with her team mates and I can see her sad face…

She will be missed!

I am moving on too…now I think I have made the right decision.

God be with me.

I have been very busy with work lately. After work, I am still busy travelling home and when I am at home, I will be busy taking care of Zoe and doing house chores. Busy, Busy, Busy….

Apologise for the lack of updates to all of you that read my blog.

I will try to write at home once my Streamyx is up and working. Maybe I can do it while I am doing toilet business   Ewwww!

Quote of the Day: Real-time Multitasking happens once you are a mother + wife + career woman that needs to rely on unreliable LRT to work + without a maid!