Wishing...and Hoping..

Back to work it is! Glum glum glum...

The interview yesterday blessedly went brilliantly. I met 2 very nice gentlemen, Jan (vice provost and another Chinese man who I am abashed to admit I forgot his name). I was 15minutes late for the interview and I was not too excited to be doing a written test "...your greatest achievements in your career in the last 2 years...

I must thank my lucky stars that I pulled myself together to complete a decent piece of essay. Jan, one of the interviewers, said he liked what I wrote. Thank god! I admit the writing might appear a little informal to some but I decided to take a gamble and risk it. I expected it would evoke a love it or hate it reaction. Fortunately it was the former. I must accredit my recent re-born love for reading that made a huge difference, I couldnt have written so well otherwise.

Unfortunately that's not all. There is another round of interview to go, which I would be informed in 2 weeks' time if I am selected for the next round. I would bashfully admit I think I stand a good chance of a second interview. The 2 guys were great, they were straight to the point and didnt waste them asking difficult questions to put me in the spot. I love such interviews! However that doesnt quite make my chances any higher.

Whether I receive an offer, or not, depends ultimately on the next interviewer who is going to be my boss if I get the job. Fortunately I already know who the interviewer will be... Dr Lee Sing Kong, the head of NIE no less! He's spearheading this new initiative that created my job. I must do my best to research around more. Hopefully Regina and Bee Lian would have returned before my second interview! *praying hard*

I am excited because a) this is my meal ticket out of ELIS, my best (and only) hope so far, b) sounds likely that NTU benefits are going to be quite alright, and c) the timing of the interview at this time means I can still safely have my year-end bonus before I tender.

It will be an exciting new start and I expect no less than a demanding and challenging job. There will be no hand-holding and very minimal guidance working for such a high profile boss. I will have to fight hard for his time and attention to discuss work matters and work as efficiently and cleverly as I possibly can. Looking on the bright side, it would be an honour to work directly under such a distinguished man (few get the chance) and if I do well in this job, it will be a great personal satisfaction which will not go unnoticed I believe.

All in all, wish me luck!! I really want this! I dont know how I am gonna survive the next 2 weeks till I get the call! sigh...

Wish me luck later!

I'm on leave today! yipee! 3rd day of leave this month. oops! I can barely remember a time I took so much leave in the same mth. haha

my primary reason for taking leave... a 3pm interview@NTU later - Assistant Manager, New Media & Governance. Finally I have an interview! I've been really applying hard, to no avail. So when I finally got this call, it was like YES! Finally! Wish me luck! With lotsa help from above and abundant grace, this might just be my ticket out of my present cursed situation.

Perhaps I might be ungrateful to call it cursed, seeing they have been kind to me all along, if not I couldnt have lasted nearly a year in a job that felt so wrong as early as the very first month. If not for ELIS, I couldnt have received the mid-year bonus or upcoming end of year bonus. If not for ELIS, I wouldnt have met the wonderful SWF team and the various other wonderful Arts people I have enjoyed meeting... Still, nothing can hide that this job is wrong for me. All along! I have never experienced such sickening incompetency or lack of confidence for my job for such a long time. The closest was probably back in the early Citigroup days! Of course there's no telling if this NTU job is gonna make it all alright again. and the job scope sounded great at the time, now I am not that sure. But still, its my meal ticket out of this current less than desired situation. So wish me lotsa luck please!!

Btw, I just finished another wonderful book last night (or 4.30am this morning to be exact). The Spymaster's Lady, by Joanna Bourne. Wonderful book! Its set in historical era, but carried no traces of Earls or Dukes or other snoobish, lazy and boring aristos. It was a spy thriller, and a great romance (of course!). I liked that the heroine is so strong and capable in many ways, and the hero is so swoonsome, talk strong and a senior Head of Special Services no less. But what was also great, was the many little twists and scenes that the author so thoughtfully inserted to add to the richness of the whole story. The heroine's shocking blind state at the beginning, their romance, and the twist that her parents were spies for British (which I did guessed!). Nice book all in all!

a busy weekend, but well spent I believe :)

its another Monday and I'm back at my desk again. Sigh...

But looking back, it's been a busy weekend!

Fri - nature walk, and I attended Alvin Tan's wedding with my bunny. The wedding itself was a bore, a great seat facing a thick pillar in a cramped ballroom which really killed our excitement all night.

Sat was great though. Bunny and I actually dragged ourselves out of bed early, and had our fav Chinatown charcoal porkie porridge. Yum yum! We even had that famous glutinous rice. Afternoon I met my MRM gang for a nice dim sum lunch (at my fav Wah Lok no less), coffee at Dome@SAM and a nice movie marathon date with my bunny at Marina Sq.

Sunday was simple, we had lunch and chilled at home. At night I had an impromptu dinner date with Alynn and Cinnie, and another movie. Lol

3 movies I saw over 2 days!!

Twilight - Loved loved it. Bella looked gorgeous! And even Edward looked good himself. The cinematography was amazing, beautiful beautiful sets in every scene and small details e.g. makeup that was done to perfection.

Puss in Boots and Already Famous (yi2 pao4 er2 hong2) was alright, average at best. I think I am really getting too old for the wholesome values centred animation, I felt detached from the movie half the time. Already famous was cheesy, too much essences of local tv industry, cheap cast, even CHEAPER play on accents and Michelle Chong who looks too old for the role she is supposed to play. Not to mention the awful wardrobe choices. Lol. the only highlight has to be Xiao Gui! He looked cute and winsome and really had the best lines!

The weekend wrapped with another reading session for me. "The spymaster's lady" loving it so far! Grey & Annique! Grey - WOooo... I crawled into bed reluctantly only at 4am today. Oops wish me luck to make it through this day!

But another highlight this weekend - my bunny and I have pledged to put in some efforts finally, to eat healthier and lighter! :) Wish us luck in our undertaking!!

I could nod off at any time!

Strangely, I am extremely sluggish and sleepy at work today. Right from the early morning till now, clock is almost 1pm, but I have been yawning and resisting the temptation to just nod off. I have already made 3 trips to the loo in the short span of a morning, now do you see what I mean?

This is peculiar considering I had a nice, easy evening. Bunny and I had a simple dinner at Alexandra Village and headed home before 9pm. I even manage to make coffee for bunny (it's been a loooooong time and by grace and luck, the coffee actually turned out nice!), had a loving time and even did some reading. Fortunately this time, I slept by 1am and not read till the sun came up. Hah!

I have been trying unsuccessfully to write and complete my Marketing paper, with the deadline next week looming ever closer. Fortunately I had a bright spark for some 10minutes just now and finally managed to come up with a decent framework for my paper. PREFERS it is then!

I am heading out to NTU in another 3 hours. I was targeting to actually complete my paper before the BT Induction tomorrow, but it doesnt seem likely it is going to happen anymore. Hopefully with grace and luck, I could perhaps get the skeleton and main gist of framework done by today still? That would just leave me with the activities to be pen in!

Oops finished another book!

Amazingly I finished another book last night. This time I have to say it was unintentional to finish it but it just happened. I read Seduction at Christmas by Cathy Maxwell. The love story of Duke of Holbourn (Nick) and Fiona (Fee).





I'm glad to say this book was better than "the earl claims his wife" of Gillian & Wright (Brian). Not that Earl Claims is bad, somehow the intensity level of Holbourn's story was deeper and more what I personally like in a good historical romance.



Fortunately I didnt crawl into bed at daylight this time! I went to bed at about 2am++. Oops!

Wedding of June and Jeffrey

I attended a wedding lunch of my ex-jc classmate, June Shun this afternoon.

It was a western lunch at Goodwood park. It was a buffet lunch, with rows of long tables. Alas, The food was decent but unfortunately forgettable. Oops sorry. Somehow I still prefer the Chinese style! The grand dishes served and the opportunities for chatter in between dishes.

June looked really pretty of course. Their video was a really nice touch! It must have cost a 5-figure bomb but it truly was nicely done, songs well picked and the acting was pretty good for amateurs!

All the best June & Jeffrey!

Secrets of the Night - loved the book!

Yup, it's another weekend of indulging in my recent reborn passion for reading historical romances.

Sat morn saw bunnies getting up early to attend to our dearest geezie. Our car just went out completely after our movie date to great world city after work on Fri. The movie Immortal was a bore! Back to Geezie, fortunately A quick replacement of battery by Ivan seemed to do the trick. Whew $100 it was. As pained as bbb was over it, I know $100 is counting ourselves lucky already!

After a lunch sojourn to amk, we came home. My dear bunny slept and slept! I myself dozed on the couch till 8pm. Lovely nap!

Then... Gingerly picking up Secrets of The Night, and after just a mere few pages. I was hooked!!! I knew it would be a struggle to finish the whole book but I just COULD NOT BRING MYSF TO STOP! My goodness, Jo Beverley did an amazing job. I was touched by the way Brand was brave to put words to his feelings, not afraid to be vulnerable before Rosamunde. It was a sweet, poignant book and Brand Malloren was so well written - handsome, charming, witty, really clever, astute, honorable, shinning knight.. As as result, I slept at 7am! Lol

Back again on yet another blog attempt!

Halo! It's me again, trying yet again to do another blog. haha wellz let's see how long I can keep this up this time!

Can't wait to share and later on, read all my thoughts regularly online again! :)

3 cheers!