Now that Dayre is shutting down, I am back to WordPress again. Not that I used this platform regularly, in fact I almost forgot that I had an account. So hello WordPress once again!

2012 :)

Happy New Year one and all!

I did not have the chance to blog on new year’s eve as I was too busy squeezing with the rest of Singapore to catch the all-so-awesome fireworks. I concluded few months ago that the best spot to watch fireworks without any obstructions is the area just outside Jack’s Place at Marina Square. The view is splendid and the air is much fresher than anywhere else because there is comparatively fewer people over there. I caught the National Day’s fireworks at exactly the same place. The view is as good as watching it from one of the hotel rooms in Marina Mandarin. And most importantly is free. =) I think the fireworks lasted for a good eight minutes, way better and nicer than National Day’s. Million of dollars bursting into the sky just for the thrill of it. haha. But I still love to watch even though it was quite abit of a struggle back home.

2011 has not been an easy year for the rabbits. It felt as though the final year project has taken away my first half of the year. But well, at least we reap what we sow, painful but fulfilling experience. The graduation ceremony was the next big event of 2011. I still vivdly remembered the times when Lily and I were selling the graudation plaques in NUS and NTU. We felt so happy for all the graduates at that point of time and we couldn’t wait to be like them as well. Before even realising, we had already reach the final phase of our own academic life. A piece of paper that cost us dearly, including all our efforts, tears and hard work. At least it landed me with a good job. I must say that the job-searching experience was a smooth sailing one for me. I am truly thankful and grateful for that. I managed to continue working with IVS and to contribute my two cents worth. The adjustment from school to work life was never easy. It obvioulsy came with more responsibilities and discipline. The drive to excel is constantly present and my learning journey was made easier with ever-so-understanding senior and managers. The year concluded with an awesome trip to Durban, an experience that I would never ever forget. 2012 will be a better year for the rabbits and I certainly hope that it’s true. And I shall end off my entry with the boring new year resolutions.

New year resolutions:

– to exercise regularly so that I can slim down abit (same as fel’s ;))

– to read more books

– to be more inquisitive and learn more at work

– to be more optimistic and decisive

Trust that four will be enough to keep me busy with fulfilling them. =D

Durban, South Africa

It started off when my boss sent me a message on one particular night to ask if I was interested to visit Durban for 3 weeks. My heart was overwhemled with joy upon reading his message. It was a very short notice and I had to get myself  mentally and phycially ready in just one week’s time. Nicole and some of my friends mentioned that Durban is not a very safe place. Coupled with the fact that I had to travel only with my boss, I started to feel worried. Anyhow, the business class seat on SIA was definitely much more than just a consolation for me. It was awesome. The service, food and seat came at an exorbitant cost but they are all top-notch. I had a good sleep on the ten and a half hour flight to Joburg and another one hour to Durban. The hotel that we stayed in was fantastic too. It had a nice view of the beach front, Golden Mile Beach. One could even hear the sound of the waves when inside the room. I had a good rest in the room before meeting all my durban counterparts in the Grindrod office the next day.

We had a whole building to ourselves in Durban. And the office was damn huge. Even though I am just a small fry, I was given a grand introduction to everyone in IVS and Unicorn. All thanks to Mark, the General Manager of the Durban Office. I was the only asian in the whole office, beside Tad from our IVS Tokyo office who was also there for the cocktail party. It was interesting to meet everyone, those whom I had spoken to over the phone and those whom I didn’t but heard quite abit about them. And obviously my mind would have generate certain impressions of them which were quite different when I actually met them in person. I was dedicated a seat in the chartering department after the “orientation”. 3 full days of events unfolded from the first day that I stepped into the office. We had this curry lunch in the office where we invited some guests and our ivs counterparts from other countries. The food was damn appetising. At night, we went to this restaurant in a shopping mall for our ivs dinner. It was a good get-together for all the ivs peeps and some of the guests. The party was on the next day in the hotel ball room. Prior to the party, we had tours organised for us. The bosses went for their usual golf sessions and the rest of the people will go for the tour. We had this Karloff Canopy tour this year and it was a good two hours drive up the mountains to the rainforest. We had the opportunities to slide down steel ropes , something simialr to flying-fox but much more adventurous and exciting. There was eight slides in total and some of them were pretty long. It was quite a pity that the weather wasn’t too good, and we missed out the eye-catching scenary just beneath our feet. But it was all good fun! Had a nice and warm shower back in the hotel and was all ready for the cocktail party. I like the way the ball room was decorated and they served a variety of cuisine. I had the chance to meet a lot of people and had random chats with a few of them. It was pretty cool. Brokers’ lunch at Butcher Boys marked the end of the 3 days of events. =D I really enjoyed every bit of it but it can get quite tiring having to socialise and create meaningful conversations with people.

The next two weeks were a training with the chartering and operations department. I have learnt quite a lot from the chartering and operations desk. And I am so grateful that everyone took great care of me during my stay. They brought me for shopping, safari tour as well as for lunch and dinner. The tour to the game reserve and the lion park was an awesome experience for me. I have never had such close encounters with the animals in the safari, especially the lions. One of the beasts actually made a hole in my colleague’s car bumper when we drove into the lion park to have a closer look at them. And all that happened within second, scary but fun! The food in Durban was mouthwatering. I had lots of curries during my stay. For  your information, Durban has the second largest indian population aside India. So it’s definitely not surprising if I had curry everyday. I enjoyed my trip a lot and I want to thank all my colleagues for taking care of my welfare and of course my boss for giving me a chance to have such a fun and fulfilling trip. =D

Work, work and more work!

Life at work has been a full 2 months for now. I definitely felt more accomplished as compared to my internship days. Well, at least taking up more responsibilities for my own work and being inquisitive all the time.  A precipitous increase in work load, making me so occupied almost the whole day everyday. This means my slacking time will be minimised extremely. =( I don’t know when it started but the negativity within me seems to be multiplying the past two weeks or so. But I am so thankful that lambo has been so encouraging which made me feel way much better now. I am learning to stay positive and look on the bright side of things and probably life. 🙂 I guessed I am still new, inexperience and amateurish in the eyes of others right now. But rest assure, I will not stay this way for long. I am going to work hard and learn as much as I can for now, for a better future in due course. All the way, Joan!

My company will be moving to a new office on the 19th this month. I seriously can’t wait for it to happen. Meanwhile, I shall take a few photos of my old office and post them right here. And of course to make a comparison with the new one in time to come. cheers.

Hello World!

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