Review of 2024 (that I forced myself to do)

HAHA it was only in February 2025 that it dawned on me that I had not started reflecting on the previous year, something that I had diligently done for the last what, 20 years or something? Dragging myself to maintain this regime now, I mean how can I not, it was 2024 the year I TURN 40!?

First things first: After action review of Goals for 2024!

- GAIN 2KG

DID NOT ACHIEVE. Well it's not a failure nor sth to feel disappointed over haha. I have my good genes to thank.

- DO SOMETHING OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE

I DID NOT REALISE I HAD SET THIS GOAL UNTIL NOW, SIGH.

- CELEBRATE 10 YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY (by celebrate I mean like spend the day special and memorable)

An unforgettable 5 days of me-and-you-only in Taiwan we did! =D

- CELEBRATE MY TURNING 40 WTFFFFFFFF

NOTHING TO SHOUT ABOUT but I am adequately contented of my family, my health, my job security and my life on the whole.

What did I accomplish in 2024?

- Awarded Phase 2 tender, the final piece of the puzzle and the biggest. Worked many late nights to expedite seeking variation in budget from IAA through MCM, AM and MOT. 

- Completed Phase 1A, like FINALLY. A huge rock that has been hanging from my chest since Aug 2021, was finally, finally let go. The beauty was that this was achieved before Phase 2 commencement (by god's grace), was the best testament to the reason why we barged and pulled off the contract novation in Nov 2023. A major accomplishment which I led was the cut-and-joint connection from existing to new domestic and fire tank and pumps! I think there wasn't a better person in the team to do it, with my prior experience and network in M&E and the maintenance contractor. Owing to the works that were intentionally scheduled after office hours to avoid disruption to ops, I burnt weekends and late nights to supervise and update the progress of works, motivate the workers (bought them snacks and drinks cos no F&B establishments nearby) and also helped resolved when the planned works bizarrely halted water supply to the canteen! When the as-built plans were only as good as half a clue, we had to innovate another connection joint to temporarily resolve the problem whilst there was still light. Imagine the horror, when after hours of work and sweat, I turned on the tap in the canteen and out poured MILK TEA!!! 😱 HAD I NOT CHECKED...!??!?! It took us 40 mins with all the water points running before the water finally flushed clear... on the contrary, thankfully, the sprinkler and hydrant systems were completed without much fanfare. 

- A first overseas by-flight holiday with my family! Man, so many beautiful and wonderful memories!!!

- Marked my pre-MR by reporting for what was only my 4th high-key ICT at Kranji camp in July. Pleasantly shocked to learn that 4th HK was a milestone which rewarded me with some grand in Cpf and $200 in LifeSG credits, I recount? Not that bad! The 2 week programme comprised some lecture training, weapons refresher, hands-on tentage practical and a 2d1n outfield exercise! I participated actively in none other than the last one and it was only because (I had no choice) it would be a memorable way to remember it by. The weather in July was HOT AND DRY man. Being outfield in that green uniform and donning a SBO and rifle PLUS camo creambon face made it extremely unbearable! I was given traffic marshall duty so I had to be at the grounds 2 hours ahead of everyone WTH. Finally nightfall came and boy, how much I enjoyed using the wet soapy cloth thingy that SAF invented only recently to wipe down before changing into slacks. Sleeping under the starry night was a very unique experience by itself, save for the lame stand Two drill that nobody could relate to. The next day, we survived a 2hour bumpy ride-cum-wait on the back of a 5-tonner back to camp, unloaded, returned stores, washed up. Imagine how infuriated I was when I learnt some peers had an easier trg prog at another camp.

This ICT, I also cleared my annual IPPT, ate assam stingray from that canteen, splurged my eMart credits on things I may use once and throw away, spent hours sweating in the bunk. On the last of the 14 day, exiting the camp in Jarrod's car, I had to hold back myself from winding down the window and waving my fist, declaring "ROD LOH!!!" to the hundreds of others dragging their barang along. I took a final look at Kranji camp and smiled as we drove into the sunset. See you never again. By December, I had disposed all of my army issued kits into the bin at Safra, happily joyfully and gracefully.

- A couple more of short trips to Desaru in June, Legoland in Dec... 

- Work work work. 

- Toyed with the idea of doing a 10km run for the 2nd consecutive year, but decided not to spend money on torture. Right??

====================

GOALS for 2025!

It's already 1st March LOL. Who are u kidding you mean you want to set and eventually find out that you failed to accomplish them? 👻

See you next year. 👐

Review of 2023 - boo!

...And I thought 2022 was bad and 2023 could only be better...!? How naive! 😂

On a few occasions of 2023 I felt low. I felt depressed and unmotivated, on the work front. The primary issue was that site work was only BUDGING. Seriously affected my mood and mental well-being. I often find myself, at times just before I fall asleep, asking whether I have done all that I can. And the answer is, yes. The situation was just due to circumstances beyond my control. The predicament ultimately led to us, the project team, bashing through and achieving firsts the organisation has ever done before in the procurement aspect:

- Direct payment to sub contractors

- Novation of contract to another party. A total of 3 agreements were drafted, reviewed multiple times and negotiated. We worked within a compressed timeline. Huge pats on our backs, we really accomplished the unprecedented and unimaginable (admittedly I sniggered when my supervisor asked us to press for this option)! If not for all our persistent and incessant nudging of the supporting business units, it seriously would not have been possible. We finally emerged from the tunnel in November.

Who say I not engineer?

There were also conflicts with my co-worker. It's come to a point when I have to be extremely careful about what I say/write/text, because she would find faults with what I say off the cuff. It's not the most ideal situation, but we're co-project owners and we do need to maintain close working contact, so I try to keep our r/s professional and at arms length. A consolation is that I believe she takes work objectively so we still lunch sometimes. 

Other than work, other aspects of my life were pretty good, I think. More on that after a review of the goals set:

======================

Goals for 2023!

1) Obtain my GMAP certification!

>>> YESSSSSSSSS!!!!! ^_^ Have been working on this since 2018! It wouldn't been possible if I were stuck in my previous section, hence my request to transfer and to work on this project since 2020... Covid hit, work stalled, a few years later the pre-requisites were achieved and now I boast a Green Mark Accredited Professional certificate to add on to my CV.

2) A holiday with my family that involves taking the plane!

>>> Nope. Ticket prices were extremely high??! SIAO. Instead, we went on a cruise (Mar) in addition to road trips up north and discovered Malaysia is a very wallet friendly destination whilst also full of entertainment! We did Desaru (Jun), Legoland (Dec), and a couple of short staycays both locally and in JB.

3) Gain 2kg weight. Been receiving comments that I seem to have slimmed down. I'm currently hovering at 59-60kg. I saw from a dated FB/blog entry that I used to be 68kg?? (during $mrt days I think?) I don't recall being so heavy at all but I can imagine how tardy I'd have felt!!? How did I ?!

>>> I increased my food intake deliberately and had supper /snacks at night even though I was mindful it wasn't good to my health. I failed to put on measurable weight, weighing about 60.2kg in December but that was because I was training/jogging quite a bit in Nov.

=============================

Was reflecting with RMJ on the year that zoomed past and Busy Roys asked what were our top 3 achievements of the year. I think it is a very good question. Nothing beats listing achievements down as words. Real accomplishments. Tangibles. For me, they were:

1) Obtaining that project approval of $xxx million that I sure put in hella hard work over a couple of years. It is a personal accomplishment because it is the largest project sum undertaken by BP section, and I was the project leader.  

2) I was at arguably my fittest of the decade. I kept up my regime of push-ups every alternate day. 2 months leading up to my IPPT, I trained (relatively) harder. Weekly jogs. Daily sit ups. I got Silver for IPPT, and I didn't feel like I had to stretch. That's the outcome of regular training! 

Furthermore, in December, I went for my first Standard Chartered 10km run and came in at a respectable timing of 1:08. During the run I contemplated to myself why I signed up for torture, it got more unbearable at the 7km when I suffered a stitch but I didn't stop; I just jogged very slowly. Finally, I was overcome with euphoria crossing the finishing line. Strangely after the run, I entertained thoughts of repeating this next year. What ever happened to regretting it during? No, I want to do it again. Because I know I can do better! 😃 And can I also say I have maaad respect for my FIL? At 69 he came in only 10 mins behind me and his timing last year was 1:10! He's my role model when it comes to "active ageing" man. I don't think I lose to him in terms of enthusiasm, it's my creaking knees I'm worried about lol.

3) Obtaining my GMAP certification. It's a professional certification and recognised by the industry. 

Yup... I think the above are achievements I strived for and I am proud of. ✌😊

In addition, something memorable this year was our family photoshoot! I intended to capture moments of our family during this chapter during which the kids are still very close to us and that we relish and are very comfortable with the physical intimacy. The photos turned out very natural and extremely nice :)

=============================

Goals for 2024!

- GAIN 2KG

- DO SOMETHING OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE

- CELEBRATE 10 YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY (by celebrate I mean like spend the day special and memorable)

- CELEBRATE MY TURNING 40 WTFFFFFFFF

Have got quite a few vacations planned this year already. So excited!!! 😁

Review of shitty 2022

Did not feel like I wanted/needed to do a review of 2022 but last night I chanced upon this post and I was reminded I had intended to do a 'hindsight review' of how accurate the 6-month fengshui prediction was!

Shall not go into details but I'd say the accuracy was 50-50. Ultimately, any general saying can come true if you bias your thoughts into it; that's why there is this term called 'self fulfilling prophecy' innit? For example, if one draws a lot at the temple and it says "you will get into trouble with someone close to you" it will almost come true if you intentionally matchmake unrelated incidents together. Anyway, I digressed - what turned out most factual from the prediction was that I would face external challenges at work (but I can discount it cos I already saw it coming even before the crystals were drawn). On the other hand, the crystals failed to highlight the tension I faced with my family later in the year... SO TO SUM UP, take predictions with a generous pinch of salt and that's what I usually do. Forecasts say the year of 2023 Rabbit belongs to the Rat (scores a A in every aspect!) but, we'll see about this next year! 😛

----- 

Here goes: Review of 2022

Looking back at the Goals set for myself:

1) Achieve silver for IPPT - after a near miss this year, I realised silver is achievable, only if I put in more effort. The monetary increment is only $100 which is no big deal, so achieving this will be more of a personal challenge for myself.

^^ OMG I ACHIEVED THIS =D Thought I wouldn't come close but I did!

1) Help more people in need - I've been lucky. Even during the brink of a economy recession in 2020/2021, my pay was not negatively impacted. My family and I are also lucky to be living comfortably without debts, and occasionally indulging in a good meal, upgrading IT gadgets etc. I believe I can contribute more towards the less privileged.

^^ Hmm I believe I donated clothes and bags and some money to a hand/foot/mouth organisation... can do better.

2) Nil??

Don't really have other exceptional goals because don't feel like there'll be much to aim for. Having to do well at work is fundamental, can't list it as a target. Health wise just continue to maintain my keep fit regime, choice of healthier food etc. Don't intend to further studies and/or pick up a new skill. Life is boring.

2) Obtain my Green Mark Accredited Professional (GMAP) certification. It's my personal achievement and then I can add a title behind my name, if I BHB! Hawhawhaw. Planned for this since 3 years ago (attended the BCA course in Feb 2019), and finally this year it will be bearing fruit!

^^ CLOSE!!! My projects attained the BCA GM awards in Dec 2022 (phew~) and I will be applying for the professional accreditation soon.

~~~~

Will not go into a month-by-month review this year. Just gonna say that 2022 was a DAM SHITTY year and I can't be more glad that it's over!!!

Granted the year also celebrated events which were positive and lifted spirits... like opening of borders, lifting of Covid restrictions (to almost pre-covid!), resumption of weekly futsal, announcement of a salary review (that it was ongoing, not that our salary increased), we did a couple of staycations (Voco, Hotel Jen) and a wonderful holiday to Legoland...

But we were also saddened by news of a few relatives who passed away... 姨丈 most unexpected and most sudden passing away, wifey's ahma after a long battle with covid and complications that followed, wifey's xiaoyi zhang....

Stress and challenges faced at work... 

- One particular email I took personally for it was a negative comment directed towards the project team (he said, "don't be a postman") and coming from no other but this colleague infamous for his incompetence?? Mind you, he is even of a LOWER designation than me! It seriously bothered me for a few days, affecting my mood and sleep. I was meanwhile anticipating if my supervisor LC would do anything about it but her lack of action disappointed me. I decided I wouldn't take it lying down and replied with a passive aggressive email and quoted facts, I rebuked "your remark is uncalled for and most unkind" and that was the best action I did all year, for he replied with an apology and his attitude and tone after that event switched for the better. Major win.

- Consultants stopping work abruptly cos they demanded compensation. Partially resolved after a few months of negotiations, sending legal-cleared emails, staffing to bosses etc. The war is still ongoing behind the scenes.

Tension at home... sandwiched in the middle and feeling helpless. I'm not one good at handling conflicts. At the same time exactly because of my position I am the one who should be the middleman, the mediator. But I'm really not adept at this. Sticky situation when both have quite big egos. There is potentially a lot to lose. Till today, the problem exists. I silently prayed for divine intervention but it's yet to come.

GOODBYE AND FO, Tiger 2022! 😠😠😠

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Goals for 2023!

1) Obtain my GMAP certification!

2) A holiday with my family that involves taking the plane!

3) Gain 2kg weight. Been receiving comments that I seem to have slimmed down. I'm currently hovering at 59-60kg. I saw from a dated FB/blog entry that I used to be 68kg?? (during $mrt days I think?) I don't recall being so heavy at all but I can imagine how tardy I'd have felt!!? How did I ?!

Review of 2021

2021 was a very immobile year. =( WFH was the default from May to December. No futsal in the same period. I indulged in supper on many occasions. All these resulted in a flabby tummy, love handles and very poor stamina. Oh, and I am office worker in the day, couch potato every dam night.

But but but, highlight of this year: I won a number of FB lucky draw contests, heh! I didn't use to believe in my chances before, but when I accidentally won the first (Pokka), then the second, participating soon became a 'hobby' hahaha! My biggest hoot has to be the Secret Lab chair, followed by an opulent $200 dining experience at Opio! A couple of my friends joked that if I conducted "How to win lucky draw" classes, they would sign up! Lol. Ok I'm no guru and no blessed soul but if you want to know - THERE ARE NO SECRETS. If the draw is asking for creative posts, effort has to be invested to create a creative entry. Right? Can't expect to win with 1 or 2 simple lines or cooking up some cringy sob story.  Second tip? Just spam, just cast your net, since commenting/liking/ sharing/following takes almost nothing at all! Like throwing a dice lor, the more throws you get, it's just a matter of time before you tio. So, good luck! Hahaha.

Being stuck at home most of the days also made my mind and body quite restless. I turned to simple hobbies in gardening and weight lighting. The corridor space outside of our house increased from a couple of pots to 10, then 20...? Haha. I even bought a wooden rack to increase vertical space. Gardening is not as simple as it seemed. After seeing some of my plants die, I followed a FB hobbiest group to pick up tips and from there I also learnt that gardening is full of science! Moreover, plants are like humans la, they behave and respond differently to external factors and their survivability depends on "mood" too. Well, but I don't have green fingers and neither am I a hardworking gardener, but I hope to keep up the passion and continue to enjoy upkeeping and admiring the little green space outside my home.

In 2021, we went for not one staycation, but THREE! Prior to Covid, I was strongly against paying a few hundred bucks just to stay in a local hotel. With overseas travels no longer viable, staycays became vv popular among citizens, especially the families with young children. Gahmen also gave $100 SG Rediscover Vouchers (SRV) per citizen to spend la! We did Shangri-La Orchard in March, Equarius (Sentosa) in Sep and Fairmont in Nov. My kids lurvvve staycay. All kids do!

Lastly, I finally learnt how to juggle 3 balls. Haha. Not at clown level of course, but comfortable enough? Does even count as an achievement???? LoL... 

Alright, moving on to a review of the hopes I made for 2021:

1) Stay healthy. 

- Big yes? I needed an outlet for the pent up frustration and energy for all the wfh, so I bought two 7kg dumbbells. Quite proud that I used them averaging twice a week, and I can feel and see the muscle growth! Well, that sounds mean but no haha sorry to disappoint, I am still a lean thin, far from being associated as "muscular", but my arms and upper torso are certainly more toned than before! Furthermore, I was proud to have put in more effort to train for IPPT. I did sit ups, ran once a week (how pathetic lol) on top of my regular weight lighting exercises. For the record, I did 47 push ups for IPPT! 

2) Help more people in need.

I signed up as a Friend for Aviation (FFA) and was the lead to distribute goodies to the frontline workers, who suffered the most when Changi Airport closed to public in May. Donated $56 to SG Hearts organisation (on 31 Dec lol) for 7 packs of rice.

-------------

Jan - NA

Feb - NA

Mar - NA

Fully vaccinated after receiving 2 doses of Pfizer. Staycay at Shangri-La Orchard. Enjoyed it extremely. Resort-like!

Apr - NA

May - NA

Went through my first PCR. It was mandatory for all airport community, after it became a cluster whose numbers spread exponentially. It was a tad uncomfortable, then nose swab felt like someone stuck a wallop of wasabi up your nose and twirled it 10 times inside your nostril. Tip is to close your eyes and breathe normally. To sneeze during and immediately after is normal. Anyway, PCR came back negative. As I tucked into my noodles after the swab, I read news that measures would be tightened, dining in would be prohibited, and social gatherings reduced from 5 to 2 pax. FML!

Futsal ceased. My life ceased, too.

Jun - NA

Jul - NA

Promoted to Principal Engr, status sounds like a big deal but my merit increment was a pathetic $300. Ryan switched teams so I was designated as Project Officer for 5GS building expansion.

Aug -NA

Sep - Staycay at Equarius Sentosa 2D1N. Very shiok. Because it's away from mainland SG, the tourist attractions felt indeed like a getaway. Noticed I have love handles and bigger tummy accumulated from very frequent supper. Began my "detox" of not eating after dinner, as well as more disciplined situp/pushup training, so as to be in peak form for IPPT scheduled in Nov.

Oct - NA

Nov - Staycay at Fairmont. Took mandatory block leave and didnt touch work for a week. So when I returned to work, it really did feel like I came back from an overseas holiday haha.

Dec - NA

Ended the year on a high! December's always awesome, isn't it!?

My birthday. Christmas. Year end feel. Cool weather. MAC was increased by $500. Civil servant bonus 1.0 month (compared to 0 and 0.1 the previous years?). Announcement of further relaxation of Covid measures! Wfh to be 50% wef 1 Jan 2022. Plus plus, I received my booster vaccine, did Modena and escaped unscathed phew!

(But Omicron variant has taken over many countries, with many announcing lockdown and closing down of international borders... Singapore has had a few isolated cases and no community spread (yet??)) [Post edit: This para was written in early/mid Dec. Spoke too soon. Now Omicron 438 cases, of which 347 are imported and 91 are local. Community infection rate has just risen above 1.0 since Nov 12. SIGHHHHHHHHHHH]

=========

Barring the impact that Omicron will potentially have on Sg, I feel that recent news hint that 2022 will be a better year! From 3000+ cases a day to 200+ in mid Dec, I sincerely hope the worst has passed. Air traffic has also somewhat picked up the last few months with VTL and global optimism. There are forecasts that salaries are expected to increase next year.

Goals for myself in 2022:

1) Achieve silver for IPPT - after a near miss this year, I realised silver is achievable, only if I put in more effort. The monetary increment is only $100 which is no big deal, so achieving this will be more of a personal challenge for myself.

1) Help more people in need - I've been lucky. Even during the brink of a economy recession in 2020/2021, my pay was not negatively impacted. My family and I are also lucky to be living comfortably without debts, and occasionally indulging in a good meal, upgrading IT gadgets etc. I believe I can contribute more towards the less privileged.

2) Nil??

Don't really have other exceptional goals because don't feel like there'll be much to aim for. Having to do well at work is fundamental, can't list it as a target. Health wise just continue to maintain my keep fit regime, choice of healthier food etc. Don't intend to further studies and/or pick up a new skill. Life is boring.

<Update 27 Jan 2022>

2) Obtain my Green Mark Accredited Professional (GMAP) certification. It's my personal achievement and then I can add a title behind my name, if I BHB! Hawhawhaw. Planned for this since 3 years ago (attended the BCA course in Feb 2019), and finally this year it will be bearing fruit!

Review of 2020 (the year nobody ever imagined it to be)

Bidding farewell to the year 2020 that everyone wished it didn't turn out the way it did. All thanks to Covid-19, the year actually felt like this:

Jan-Mar: Alternate day WFH
Apr-Aug: Circuit Breaker. Cooped up indoors
Sep-Dec: Alternate day WFH

We saw and experienced many firsts this year. Who brought about digilisation in your office?

a) Chief Exec Officer
b) Chief Finance Officer
c) Chief Development Officer
d) Covid-19.

Fortunately to technology, work was able to resume up to 80-90% for most of us white collar workers. Zoom meetings were the new norm. Blurring of "working hours" and replying to emails late at night were no longer uncommon. Am grateful and thankful that during this pandemic and the large impact on the economy, close family and friends around me and I are still holding on to our jobs and gainfully employed.

Here's looking back at my targets set for 2020:

1) Be prominent in my new work role

Assessment: Happy to be working with multi agencies and picking up construction knowledge in the midst. An irony is that while I officially rotated to BMEP, there was no replacement for my previous EM role (the guy left after 3 months) so I had to double-hat; as a result I led the joint-investigation of the false fire alarm incident on 23 JAN (just two days before CNY, huge phew!) and that earned me opportunities to present to the Management and now I am known within the company as the go-to guy with regard to FM200. 

2) Train earlier for IPPT.

Circuit breaker brought my fitness to a new low. My weekly futsal sessions were abruptly stopped in Apr 2020 together with the closure of sports facilities and non-essential services. Although exercising outdoors was allowed, lazy bum me hated running and I all but jogged only twice. However, lesson learnt from previous years was that I diligently trained sit-ups and push-ups. At my IPPT, I clocked 14 mins for the run (I started walking from 3rd round onwards) but my static stations (39 situps, 35 push ups) helped to secure a pass with incentive (could even get the award with a run time of 15:20mins). 

-----------------------------------------------------

Not much happened this year, but still going ahead with the month by month review of 2020:

Jan
How lucky that we were able to celebrate CNY before the full force of Covid-19 hit us.

Feb
Despite the increase in local and imported Covid-19 cases, the Airshow would go on, albeit it was significantly scaled down. Many organisations pulled out of the exhibitions, many foreign delegates preferred not to travel (and some by travel advisory) and local visitors also chose to err on the safe side and did not visit the biannual global event. I was tasked to do up the staff transport for Management, staff and exhibitors. It ran really smoothly across the 4 days. It could have been that the demand was more manageable, but credit to our meticulous planning, we had already catered measures to cope with it (increased buses during peak hours, signages, bus stubs, bus ridership list) anyway. As per all events, there was slight hiccup with wayfinding at the bus pick-up point at CEC, but my awesome part-timers resolved it on their own. Damn brilliant and proactive and on the ball they all were, I sent them and their employer a well-deserved compliment.

Mar

Apr
CIRCUIT BREAKER imposed - Other than essential services, every shop and facility to close! Even hairdresser and salons! No dining outside absolutely! Bubble tea shops also cannot operate! 100% work from home. Things we did to keep us sane:

- growing bean sprouts from beans
- performing a ukulele-shaker duo with yx
- going downstairs with yx to look at the ant mounds and long wild grasses, which have been able to sprout because of the reduced horticulture activities
- dancing to Just Dance on Youtube
- Netflix became my daily nightly routine!

May
CCB (Continued Circuit breaker), some term it as PCB (Prolonged CB) - same as above. Cabin fever was very tortorous for me, and I sought respite from lunch breaks and supermarket grocery shopping. 

Jun
Phase 2! With a large decline in community cases, some CB measures were lifted. Welcoming social gatherings up to 3 visitors a day allowed. Can dine in but subject to safe distancing measures (such as wearing mask, 1m spacing between tables, safe entry in/out).

Jul
EPL restart. Was going bonkers going without sports/entertainment after 4 months! Arsenal lifted the FA Cup woohoo! Can't remember the details but I think phase 2 also improved from 3 visitors to 5 visitors.

Aug
Did a major overhaul of electronics! Refer to previous post. On hindsight, should have gotten the 65" instead of the 55"... lol...

Nov
Due to a reschedule in timing of her Teacher Chloe's weekly classes, yx didn't continue with term 4. So we signed her up for other enrichment classes in gym and ballet (at her request), she was most delighted. A blessing in disguise, probably, for her to gain exposure in non-academic cirriculum.

Dec
Phase 3 lifted wef 28 Dec. Social gatherings up to 8 pax, max 8 visitors per residence at any one time. Futsal 4v4 allowed is the greatest news!

-------------------------

Targets for 2021:

Life is kinda at a plateau for me right now. Career/job is fulfilling and paying well, family bonds and relationships are close, I'm not actively looking to further my studies or seek alternative income; so I guess the most important aspect to maintain and/or improve is 'health'. 

1) Stay healthy.
2) Help more people in need.

Bye to 2019 and to the decade!

It's 2020. Believe it. The first year of yet another decade. OMGGGG. How did 2010-2019 pass??!

Time for a yearly review...



Review of targets set for 2019:

- Achieve Silver for IPPT

Result: Failed. 

I really hate the new system la. It's tweaked to decrease the number of people who fail. It is very very easy to pass and if you're a little bit less pathetic, pass with incentive ($300). But at the same time it's made it more difficult to achieve silver. I trained harder than last year but it was really tough to break through.

- Be more involved at work

Result: Yes, albeit in terms of CCAs. Was heavily involved in WCACEF, Charity Comm and then WIP for SA2020. My primary job not so. Was actively looking for a transfer and there were a few opportunities: 1) PM for SAA Spatial Transformation; 2) Head(FM) for SAA and 3) BMEP. After considering many factors, I decided on 3. No doubt the job will be busier but it will be more fulfilling and allow increased exposure to mgmt and the industry. To be effective 2 Jan 2020!

- Bless Yx with a healthy sibling

Result: TG for a healthy baby :)

- Try to spend less money

Result: Maintained our financial situation, which is sustainable and good.

----------------------------------------

Reflections of 2019:

Health
I went to the gym many times this year! Feel so proud at how disciplined I was, lol. Started going once a week in June to serve as training for ippt. A few years later, I was surprised to see and feel the effects on my body. I actually developed bigger biceps! They're not a size to show off but they're definitely 100% firmer and felt more 'solid'. After my ippt, I continued to visit the gym once a week. It wasn't easy; to go to the gym firstly I had to convince my lazy body; secondly it was the sian decision to forgo usual lunch/kopi with my talk cock lunch clique! But every gym session was gratifying from the increase in adrenaline and the calming hot shower thereafter... and I would reward myself with a bowl of thai beef noodles. HAHA. But as time would tell, I became lazier and lazier and gave excuses to myself... weekly gym became fortnightly became triweekly... =X

Family
No amount of words can describe the gratitude and appreciation I have towards my family and in-laws for all the help we've received. Cliche as it sounds - it takes a village to raise a child, let alone two children with one being an infant! Truly thankful for all the extra hands and legs to allow us a breather every now and then, or when the need arises.

Religion
No new updates.

Next, a quick recap of the monthly highlights in 2019!

January - 
Cruise with in-laws on Genting Dream. Very shiok, ate like a king, entertained non-stop.

March - 
Casual visit to Bangkok (again lol).

April -
Silver for WSHC Contest. Proud achievement sia.
LO (3rd time in my career liao!) for Wcacef, enjoyed the camaraderie with my colleagues nonetheless.

Act cool like boyband only

This fruit tart was simply unforgettable. I kept stuffing myself with it cos it was just plain delicious!

May -
Was invited by INSPIRIT to be one of the panel speakers for Advisory.sg's Discovery Series.This was a session targeted at youths who're considering a career in aviation/engineering fields. I felt really privileged to have the opportunity to share my experiences and insights!

July - 
Long-awaited Busy Roys' wedding. I was the emcee for their outdoor solemnization ceremony. Many asked Roy and Hm if they engaged a professional, hahaha.

Felt grateful to be a great part of Busy's big day before babywye popped a few hours later!


October - 
Simple ukulele performance at SAA's annual cultural night.

Busiest time of the year running the Charity Event. Proud moment of the year seeing to the planning and successful operation of the event. Received many positive reviews from management and guests.

My trophy cheque-mates who made it great

November - 
My first biggest scale performance at our company's DnD. Was my idea, we successfully integrated ukulele with the ATS acoustic band and we entertained the crowd with a few songs that got the audience whipping out their mobile phones and swaying the flashlights macam concert! Bucket list ticked... :)

We were on stage for 30 mins or so, but the preparatory work was immense. From the selection of songs to the recruitment of players, to the many hours jamming together at an old school music room at Aljunied (which was dam fun by the way), and not forgetting the countless times I looped the same songs over and over again every night.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Targets for 2020:

1) Be prominent in my new work role.

Actionables: Pick up quickly to establish myself as the primary officer in-charge. Speak up during meetings. Be involved.

2) Train earlier for IPPT.

Actionable: Weekly gym 2 months' in advance. (dreading it as I'm typing this...)


And stay healthy and free from illnesses! Being sick compromises on the quality of time spent with my family.

Have a fruitful year too, my friends!

Review of 2018

2018 went by in a flash. Agree?

Actually, every year flies past in this manner:

January
January
January
March
April
May
July
Augus-
Sep-
Octo-
Novechristmas

HAHAHA. True to some extent, albeit the above is exaggerated.

2018 was a pretty smooth-going year. Nothing extraordinary. But we spent loads of family time. Family time is like this - you spend time together and do mundane stuff like having meals tog, visiting the mall and not doing anything exceptionally memorable; but you enjoy it. Family time is like sofa time - couching in your living room sofa for hours and doing nothing much other than watching tv or surfing the internet on your phone; they're nothing exciting but you like to do it nonetheless. You can even do it everyday. That said, quality sofa time and family time are so precious and are nothing to be taken for granted. You can't have quality sofa time if your wifi/tv is down; neither can you have quality family time if you don't enjoy good health, can you? Good health musn't be taken for granted, okay?

On my health downtime

I suffered a considerable amount of health downtime this year. Suffered ankle swelling and very serious neck sprain, both derived from football. My neck sprain was so bad it lasted for a week plus. I had to turn my whole body in order to look the other direction; after a night's sleep I wasn't able to wake up from sleeping position immediately - I had to slowly push myself up with my arms and through an excruciating amount of pain. The neck sprain was really very intolerable. Thankfully for a comprehensive accident insurance coverage, I was able to engage a licenced TCM physician for help which resolved both my neck sprain and ankle swell very quickly.

In addition, I also encountered an in-explainable partial ear blockage in Oct. One day, I woke up and I couldn't hear v well with my left ear. Went on a few days, took medicine, did ear syringing - doc couldn't find anything amiss and asked that I wait it out. It felt like I could only hear with my right ear, while the other ear was drowned in silence. Had to ask friends/colls to repeat what they said. Thankfully, a week later the problem went away.

Finally, the pain from my wisdom tooth extraction lasted about a week plus, I wasn't able to chew properly for that period. If you know me you know food is my religion - not being able to enjoy my food was quite depressing. Albeit my taste buds were working fine but the nagging pain from every mastication took the joy away.

Above unfortunate incidents apartd, I realised my regular intake of multi-vit and/or Vit C supplements boosted my immunity. As compared to last time when I would find myself nursing a runny nose or cold once a month, 2018 was a relatively 'healthy' year. :)

On my attempt to accept Christ

This year 2018, I attempted opening up my mind to accept Christ. Attended church a few times and tried to understand His teachings.  Also watched a few videos and read some testimonials. Read comic version of Bible. Initiated a meet up with Fab and QY with intention to get some answers to my questions. One of my questions to Christians is, how do you know what you believe in is real? From what I picked up, it seemed to me that to many Christians, their turning point occurred when song lyrics suddenly hit them or when a miracle they prayed for came true. And that was when they started to believe that Christ was real and true. Well, at this point of time I am not a full believer, for many questions I still have, and lack of being touched or experiencing miracles. Plus, the manner that the pastors preach and give praise are abit too overboard and animated, imo. Having being educated by scientific facts I am a firm believer of Darwin's Theory of Evolution - that all living beings were created from nothing but a single cell organism from the ocean. But what QY said slightly convinced me humans are works of a Creator. He said, why do you think all humans are wowed by scenery (think mountains, clear blue skies), why do all humans enjoy music? Why are the conditions on Earth and only Earth, so conducive it can support life - is it a mere coincidence? There must be some unifying factor that created our living and defines us as humans. What he said is true, isn't it? Nobody ever hates music or beautiful scenery.

Another of my burning questions is: Assuming Jesus is true and Jesus sincerely wants all humanity to be saved and join him in Heaven, why hasn't He done it already? What's stopping him from doing it? Every Christian believes that their Saviour will come and save them again, that "Judgement Day will come!", you better believe in Jesus, for one day Jesus will cleanse them of their sins and accept them into Heaven. And if you don't, sorry no cure, you will not enjoy everlasting happiness in the Garden of Eden. To me, this preaching resembles the nags from a typical Asian mom, "You better study hard, if not you will become a rubbish collector!" I mean it sounds more like a scare tactic than positive motivation (though I und some Christians believe in Jesus for they can enjoy everlasting life in Heaven with their loved ones). Back to my question what is holding Jesus back, QY provided me a very solid answer, he explained why Jesus hasn't come and assess everyone yet is because He wants as many of His children to be believers; that His believers can have time to spread His words; that more humans can be saved. Okay, I'll buy that.

I do have more questions like:

- Why do positive things happen only when you pray to Him? For e.g. one is praying for speedy recovery, for extra energy, for good weather. If Jesus is omnipotent why can't he already know what we want/need, without us having to verbalise it? To this, wifey explained that when one prays to Jesus it means he/she wants it bad enough.
- If one prayed for a positive thing to happen, what would it mean if the turn out was negative? (Expected answers: (a) "It's a test of my resolve"; and (b) "God has things planned out")
- Is it true Jesus only accepts those who believe in him? What does he do with babies/young children/intellectually disabled i.e. humans who do not possess the mental capacity to understand, accept and believe in Him? Same goes for kind-hearted humans who commit no crime and have done much good in their lives (e.g. Buddhist monks, Catholic priests even)?
- If the next life is to be "in a happier place", do Christians look forward to dying?
- When Christians pass away and meet again in Heaven, what is their physical form? Will they look the same as when they pass away? Will a 100yo look like an ageing, wrinkled 100yo; whereas a 1yo toddler be crawling? Will disabled believers lose their disabilities, if any?

Anyway, it doesn't matter if one is or isn't a believer in Christ; for in His teachings there are many good moral values to pick up, for e.g. caring for others, self reflection, be less prideful, act like someone is watching you etc. Sometimes, you may get a lesson or two from Church, such as how to respect your spouse and the 3'R's when dealing with distractions - Remove, Repent, Replace.


On going green

Earlier in the year, I started bringing my own mug for daily coffee/tea with my colls. We have  coffee/tea almost everyday after lunch. Whilst the act garnered curiosity and sparked a conversation amongst my colls, disappointedly it wasn't enough to influence them to BYOB as well, except for just 1 coll. Their primary excuse was, "I am lazy to wash the mug after using it", but when I volunteered to wash for them they would bring up another excuse like, "But I don't have a mug." Well, I can understand it is quite a hassle carrying a mug around whilst walking to /fro the canteen... and on some days when I forget to bring my mug my colls will suan me, but as I explain to them, "If I manage to save 200 a cups a year, it is 200 cups less that goes into the waste a year."


On financial matters

My second consecutive year storing some savings into SRS. I read my Tax Notice for the previous year and calculated that I had saved a significant sum by paying less tax.

Stocks wise, almost all my counters are negative. Hai. Sometimes, not doing anything isn't a bad idea. So I chose to invest some sum in less risk and very safe pockets, such as in SG bonds and GE 3-year guaranteed savings plan.


On work

Nothing exciting... expected default grading for my appraisal... hope that 2019 will be more fulfilling.


-----------------------------------

AAR of past resolutions

As like always, here's an AAR of my list of actionables and "resolutions" for 2018:

- Go for a family holiday

AAR: YES! (see month-by-month review to follow)

- Attain Silver for IPPT

AAR: YES!! Though it wouldn't have had been possible if the test was not taken during ICT... Anyway a wake-up call to have to train harder. And be fitter.

- Create and update a master copy of all my insurance and investment plans

AAR: YES

- Extract my remaining 2 wisdom tooth

AAR: YES! July 2018.

- Bless Yx with a sibling, god willing.

AAR: We leave it to God's planning. :)


----------------

Here's a look-back at the major events of 2018:

Jan -

Yx goes to school. Playgroup session was a few blocks away from my parents' and my mom could pick her up easily. Yes, yx cried the first few days, just like any other kid would. But very quickly she warmed up to Teacher L and although playgroup was only 2 hours a day, yx enjoyed school and often chirped new songs.

Feb -

My first ICT. Called up for the first time finally, after ORD in 2005. Thankfully in the same unit and platoon with a few familiar faces, and our unit not very shiong.

April - 

Gunung Lambak hike with in-laws. Always enjoyed trekking so this was an enjoyable short trip, save for the terribly arduous 5-hr causeway jam.

June - 

Cruise with my family on Royal Carribean's Voyager of the Seas.
Organised an inter-AIG volunteering event for the second year running, this time at Metta Home.

Jul - 

Byebye to old house. Shifted out furniture together and sold a few items (washing machine, bed frame, wall photo). So much childhood memories back at block 123. So happened to bump into ex-neighbour who was still staying there. We last met in 2008 (the year my fam shifted) and how interesting that both of us still recognised each other!

Sep -

My first emcee experience at a TedxTalk organised by my company. Celebrated Yx's 3rd bday.
Went on Perth holiday with my parents. Wifey tendered but her boss asked her to consider, and both agreed that she could work part-time on 50%. This was an ideal arrangement because on one hand she had time for yx and on the other, she could bring home some much needed moolah.

Oct - 

Participated in my first musical.

Nov - 

Won a big prize at a lucky draw at my company's Family Day. It was a latest iPad worth more than $600. Was totally astounded when I heard my name being announced over the PA. So this year happened to be a great 'lucky' year for my family members as well, for e.g. my bro also won a TV. I had also won 2 grandstand tickets to F1 finals.

4d3n to Bangkok with sis. Itinerary revolved around Yx -  Kidzania and  Ocean World aquarium were the highlights. Otherwise, we didn't accomplish much other than the usual light shopping and thankfully we did manage to squeeze in a massage session somehow. Haha.


Targets setting for 2019:

- Achieve Silver for IPPT

Actionable: (i) Jog once a month; (ii) Consciously run more during weekly football and (iii) Train hard for IPPT in Jul 19 (coinciding with ICT).

- Be more involved at work

Actionable: Look out for projects and/or opportunities, volunteer to be involved in extra curricular projects.

- Bless Yx with a healthy sibling

Actionable: It shall be God's blessing :)

- Try to spend less money

Actionable: Soon our family will be on single income. With 9% GST impending and rumours that global recession is just round the corner (already there are tell-tale signs on the news), it is most wise to spend less and/or get more money.

(i) By spending less I think we could visit restaurant less often, or if we crave for more comfort we could choose to dine at restaurants which are more value for money. Of course, our fav restaurant Saizeriya comes to mind. Very affordable dishes, wide variety, no service charge and GST, free flow drinks at only $2.99 - I don't know about you but every meal at Saizeriya makes me feel at home.

(ii) By getting more money, on top of monthly bread that my employer gives, we could be more vigilant about promotions, offers, bundle deals and/or be more credit card savvy. For e.g. 3rd party websites like BankBazaar, Singsaver etc offer very attractive cash by just signing up credit cards via their platform. Furthermore, one could also get additional few tens of dollars a month by just maximising your bank saving account's interest rate and/or using the right credit card for your various expenditure. Thirdly, have you heard of Shopback? Surprisingly, many don't. You could rake up hundreds of dollars by owning a Shopback account! Ask me how, ok?


-------

Have a bountiful 2019, my friends! Stay healthy and happy!!!

2017 review

2017 passed by in a flash, didn't it! It doesn't seem too long ago that I was penning down my review for 2016 and in a twinkling of an eye, it was December already.... man.

Looking back at my resolutions set for 2017:

Resolutions for 2017:

1) Maintain silver for IPPT 

Result - I am guilty of not training for it. Or rightly, not training sufficiently for it. Knowing I fare worst at push ups, I only focused on training for push ups and nothing else. For previous years I used to train for sit ups, but this year I didn't cos I thought I'll scrap through (which I did); I ran twice (the first 2 months before IPPT, the other 2 days before, and the latter gave me leg muscle aches which didn't recuperate in time). Thus during my 2.4km run my pre-existing muscle aches were so bad I stopped to brisk walk a couple of times and it resulted in a miserable timing. But haha, the advantage of the revamped IPPT system is that the margin between silver and pass with incentive is very broad - I could even run 2 mins slower and still attain pass with incentive. Okay all in all, lessons learnt, I can no longer depend on weekly futsal sessions as stamina training, and I need to train in push ups and sit ups in future. Bah. Old liao :(

2) Travel!

Result - as compared to only once in 2016, we travelled significantly more in 2017! Penang, cruise, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and a few trips across the causeway. More about them in the month by month summary to follow.

3) Challenge myself at work

Result - did a little more in CCAs (Employment Engagement Survey, Futures Advance) but failed to grow as much as I would like to in the technical aspect. Projects were dull and mundane and learning opportunities were limited. 

4) More outdoor activities with family

Result - Went Pasir Ris park, Cafe Melba, Marina Barrage, Sunplaza Park, visits to the neighbourhood playground... Not bad ba? Otherwise it's really sian to head outdoors given that Singapore's weather is mostly >30 deg C, I mean, you can't expect us to lay out a mat at east coast park and have a picnic as and when we want? 

5) Contribute to society - 

Result - Yeap! More about that in 'May' summary.

 -------------------------------------

Highlights of 2017:

January

- Yx walks independently!

I bumped into my primary school classmate who shared that her daughter started walking only after they brought her to a huge grass patch in Perth. The theory was that in such an environment, they are less afraid of falling. One weekend we brought yx to UE Biz Hub where we allowed yx to roam the NTUC aisles and the outdoors. After that day yx began to walk independently, hurray!

- Penang

Quite a pre-CNY spontaneous trip with a family of 4, we stayed together in a beautiful Airbnb apartment overlooking the straits and Penang Bridge. It was fun yet not the most relaxing. Although we couldn't cover as many places as we wanted to it was good we had one another for company and if we need a reminder we're not suffering the worst as parents we could just look at the other family, haha.

February

A vacation we booked vvvv long ago finally arrived! We were excited from the sharing by my parents of the endless activities, places to explore and the 24/7 restaurants and cafes. Prior to this, wifey has never gone on a cruise before whereas my last and only was on Star Cruise in 2001. Royal Carribean Cruises, my parents said, is on a completely different level as Star Cruise. Indeed, despite having a baby in toll we enjoyed the time to ourselves and in our compact yet comfortable cabin room, and being pampered by the meticulous staff who took care of the finest details. 

April

- Work trip

Was I excited to embark on my first overseas work trip at my present job! And the destination was to the US, lagi excited! We didn't have a packed schedule and I really enjoyed the mini holiday in a familiar city. Of course, I love plane rides and a short transit at Narita made it more enjoyable.

Factory Acceptance Test

- Hong Kong vacation

Our Krisflyer miles was expiring so we redeemed 2 adult air tickets to HK. We covered many famous eateries and my personal highlight was the scenic trek along Dragon's Back Trail. Otherwise, we didn't have much to do in between and we found ourselves in a museum and queueing to get up The Peak (again)... -_-" 

May

My Ukulele AIG was losing steam with no new activities to look forward to. With only the intention to provide some company to elderly folk through music, I invited like-minded colleagues to join us and we received overwhelming response - on the actual day, we had a total of 5 AIGs (uke, balloon, zumba, baking/cooking, photography) comprising about 30 members creating a memorable day for the elderly at KC Happy Lodge! It was very well received and many residents urged us to make it an annual affair.

Little did I expect that my effort in coordinating and promoting this inaugural ground-up CSR initiative would see me receive a SPICE@Work Award (one of a few recipients) for modelling exemplary core values :)

July

Happy like a bird to receive news of my promotion! Numbers wise the pay jump isn't fantastic at all but any increment is welcome la, plus the promotion is a positive affirmation of my contribution at work.

At a biannual WCACEF it was a pleasure to be Liaison Officer to a guest from a very interesting country, so interesting I have to google again to get the name correctly - St. Kitts and Nevis. This was her first time here and I was proud to play part-time tour guide too. I was also LO to a guest from Laos, but he was so familiar with SG and his regional counterparts, most of the time he stuck to his kawan kawan and devised their own plans.

Celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary cum wifey's bday by having a local staycation and toured the area on foot and MRT, like tourists.

Some internationally recognised and preserved building at the back

The popular Man Man jap restaurant was a stone's throw away but when we got there next day around noon to find there was already a queue! Chanced upon a cosy book cafe and spent some time inside. Had lunch at Toa Payoh where a blogger I was following recently opened a stall selling her own recipe of halal prawn mee (which later turned out to be a hit and has appeared on media and everywhere). 

We also spent a staycation with wifey's family at Capella Sentosa Hotel, boy it was the most comfortable and beautiful room ever!

September

Yx turns 2:

October

Short getaway to Khao Yai and Bkk. 4d3n not enough leh. Haha. 

November

My parents went for their holiday so we brought yx for a staycation near Hello Kitty Town.

Okay la on the whole it's quite fun, the shows were good and it's more value for money if your kid likes exploring indoor playgrounds. But the stretch of F&B along Puteri Harbour makes it ideal for an affordable, stress-free staycation.

December

- My birthday 

Failed attempt at recording her wishing me 'happy bday', during our daily morning bonding otw to my parents' home

-------------------------------

Ending this review with a list of actionables and "resolutions" for 2018:

- Go for a family holiday
- Attain Silver for IPPT
- Create and update a master copy of all my insurance and investment plans
- Extract my remaining 2 wisdom tooth
- Bless Yx with a sibling, god willing.

Wish you all good health and a smooth sailing year. See you all next year!