I love my new business laptop - Dell D510.

Ok lah, it's not as sleek and small as my 12.1" Fujitsu, but at 14", it's still not big / chunky enough to overwhelm me.

Actually, anything is better than the model I was previously using. Not so much the model's fault, but at the ancient age of 3 (computer) years, my previous lappy was pretty much hobbling along.

It took 5 mins just to start up.
Its battery can last for a grand total of 15 minutes before I have to scramble for the powerplug.
Its keyboard is jammed full of crumbs (ok, that was my doing, mostly).
I literally counted the seconds go by while waiting for my Excel models / Powerpoint presentations / Word documents to fully open.
And I waited somemore for it to recalculate my Excel formulas.

Ah, truly a test of perseverance. In some ways, I'll miss my good ol' black lappy. After all, there's always a special place in the heart for life's 1sts, in which case, the lappy has the honour of being my first business laptop.

Still - treasure the old, welcome the new!

I had a farewell lunch at Jade Restaurant @ The Fullerton today. It cost $68+++ a head, and was a 6-course meal. That means each course is about $11+++, and each bite is about $2+++!!!

Each bite can buy you one plate of chicken rice!

Sure puts things in perspective, eh?

But I must say, the quality of the food is EXCELLENT. Every bite was bursting with flavour, and it says a lot when the restaurant is PACKED during lunchtime, DESPITE the price of the meals. In fact, I was told it'd be hard to get a place there if it wasn't reserved in advance...

How much would Singaporeans, or anyone in general, pay for good food?

Definitely not meant to be part of a regular lifestyle, but for one-offs...

Definitely good stuff.

Well, tomorrow's my last day at GE Money before I move on to my new rotation next week. Mixed feelings. I've just grown comfortable in my role here, with the people I've been working with too, but I'm definitely looking forward to the stretch that the new role will provide, though I suspect I'll be spending some of my CNY poring over reports in my office laptop...

Well, just give me a cup of coffee, and I'll be ready for almost anything :)

Thank GOD for Kopi!!!

Actually there's so much on my heart & mind, I'm not sure exactly where to start.

It's always the case - a thought comes to mind, that I know will be perfect when put down in words, but the moment is always inconvenient for that, and when it does become convenient, the moment is lost.

Ok, let's start then with one of the things that has been floating around in my mind recently, and I'm sure, in the minds of many others as well - the dreaded New Year's Resolutions.

I really didn't wanna be mundane about it. Of course, there are the usual suspects like losing weight (have put on copious amounts of cellulite on my arms, waist & thighs, not that you'd wanna read about it), learning how to drive (heh), and so on. But really, when you really think and reflect on it, it's rather superficial and fruitless, ain't it? So what if I'm slim & know how to drive? Ok, the former will make me feel better about myself, but wouldn't it be lame to base my self-confidence on my BMI and fat %? And if I know how to drive, so? Driving = less walking = less exercise = backfiring on resolution #1.

Life can sometimes be its own vicious cycle.

So I got to thinking - there must be more. And my thoughts have been narrowed down to one:

What is my purpose in life for this year?

I'm not talking about something as fluffy as "oh, I wanna make this world a better place, and I wish for world peace, and that everyone would be happy, and etc etc". But something concrete, something quantifiable.

I want to know my purpose and part to play in the grand scheme of things. I don't need to know where I'll be 10 years down the road - I just want to know what I am to do and focus on THIS YEAR.

Humanly, so many thoughts and what-ifs and questions have been plaguing me, e.g. how am I supposed to do anything in my current condition? Rather, anything more, over and above my job? And yet, my job is NOT my God! Still, I know I am to be in this job in this season of my life, and thus should work at it with all my heart, as unto the Lord. And moreover, part of my management program would require me to work overseas in the second half of this year. So really, what can I do, if I seem to have to be all over the place?

I dunno, I really don't. I know that only God has the answer. My heart has been crying out, I've been searching and thinking, but it's time for me to go to the source, to the only One who can answer me.

The price to pay is to go to the foot of the Cross.

It's been a while since I last posted. Almost 1 month now, and the 2 festive seasons of Christmas and the New Year has passed, heralding yet another time of celebration & gatherings - Chinese New Year.

But within that span of a month, so much has happened, especially work-wise. Already, I'll be entering my final week at my current rotation with GE Money come Monday, and will be moving on to a new role at GE Energy Services. I'm excited, yet anxious, and what has been on my lips in prayer is that God will help me adjust to the change. I'm beginning to fully appreciate the mark of strength of a person who's able to deal with change well, especially since change is life's only constant (aside from death, taxes, and Jesus :)). There'll be new managers, new reporting lines, new expectations, new job scope, new work hours, new office location & desk, so many unknowns. And it's inherent in every human to prefer a certain level of familiarity, I guess.

But change IS exciting, and since it can't be avoided, might as well embrace it, eh?

I just came back from Hong Kong, as a matter of fact. Spent a week there cross-training, learning about my new role. It's worlds apart from my current job scope, but that's where my interest is - a whole new area of learning and experiences!

It's all in the attitude. Something to always cling on to, especially when it's tempting to just let oneself slide along with the situation.

Meanwhile, my room is due for change soon too - SPRINGCLEANING... *groan*

So, guess what I'll be doing during my free time this week, aside from inhaling dust balls? :)