Research!
- Spent quite a bit of time today in the Lifelong Learning Library (LLiBrary) at Paya Lebar. Amazing facility! Got my first book on the food and beverage industry- a how-to book on setting up a restaurant. While it is definitely more detailed than I need at the moment, it is a good starter into this new world.
I also took a look at reviews of SaladStop! and blogs on the salad-scene in Singapore to get an idea of what people like/dislike about salad shops here. My first impression is that variety and flexibility are major plus-points for SaladStop!, while cost is a bit of a concern. More surprisingly, service quality is a major issue - while people expect quick and efficient service, they would like smiles too. Quite a demanding bunch!
Interestingly, I didn't see too many people laud SaladStop! for their work in sourcing ingredients from nearby (less than 72 hours of travel time) as well as good quality and sustainable meat. I wonder if people are actually interested in this at all. More importantly, I wonder if other salad shops source their ingredients responsibly. This is something that I will need to look into -> my next research idea.
- Spent some time in the Alliance Francaise library. Sadly, it turns out that the other beginner books I picked up weren't as easy to read as I had thought they would be. So Zoe was leading me on... haha! On the plus side, this means that I have quite a bit of new vocabulary to pick up!
Lessons Learnt:
There is an infinite amount of information and tools out there.
With determination, there is nothing that one cannot accomplish!
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 19 September (Monday)
Another day, another record
- Started the week by swimming 800m. New personal best!
I have reached a stage where I can speed up and relax while swimming to modulate my breathing and make sure that I don't get out of breath. This is an amazing feeling.
- First evening shift on the salad-floor! Definitely not as hectic as the lunch-crowd, but I don't know how they manage with just two people. Good to know that I'm helping out!
Arsay mentioned that he would show me how to work the cashier during my next shift, on Wednesday. Progress! :)
- Started the week by swimming 800m. New personal best!
I have reached a stage where I can speed up and relax while swimming to modulate my breathing and make sure that I don't get out of breath. This is an amazing feeling.
- First evening shift on the salad-floor! Definitely not as hectic as the lunch-crowd, but I don't know how they manage with just two people. Good to know that I'm helping out!
Arsay mentioned that he would show me how to work the cashier during my next shift, on Wednesday. Progress! :)
Journal of My Joblessness!- 16 September (Friday)
New mission!
- Today was my follow-up interview with Adrian of SaladStop!, two weeks after our first meetup.
I had gone in with little expectations for the discussion. I have only worked three shifts on the shop-floor and have a very basic idea of everything- from the menu to the way the restaurant operates. But I had planned to tell him that I was still intrigued and that I wanted to learn and work more.
The interview started of a bit shakily, I must say. Adrian was shocked that I had only done three shifts and that I knew so little. While this was a jarring, I finally understood that he had had some expectations of me. So I asked him: 'What do you suggest I do?'
He gave me two broad questions to answer:
1) What makes SaladStop! special? Why do people come to it, over other food establishments? And why do they come back?
2) What do people want next... where is this market segment of the F&B business moving?
Tough questions, for sure, but I am glad to have something to think about over the next few weeks while I work on the shop floor.
And it seems like I will have to start eating salads myself as well!
So, I've been set a new challenge!
I will try to learn as much as I can, about both the F&B business in general and salad-based restaurants, over the next month and do my best to answer Adrian's questions. In fact, I can't think of a better way to figure out if I want to get more involved with them as well.
So, all in all, this is good!
Lessons Learnt:
Clarifying expectations is the way to go!
That being said, I will try my best to learn as much as I can, without pushing Arsay too much. I've still got to make it worth his while to teach me things.
- Today was my follow-up interview with Adrian of SaladStop!, two weeks after our first meetup.
I had gone in with little expectations for the discussion. I have only worked three shifts on the shop-floor and have a very basic idea of everything- from the menu to the way the restaurant operates. But I had planned to tell him that I was still intrigued and that I wanted to learn and work more.
The interview started of a bit shakily, I must say. Adrian was shocked that I had only done three shifts and that I knew so little. While this was a jarring, I finally understood that he had had some expectations of me. So I asked him: 'What do you suggest I do?'
He gave me two broad questions to answer:
1) What makes SaladStop! special? Why do people come to it, over other food establishments? And why do they come back?
2) What do people want next... where is this market segment of the F&B business moving?
Tough questions, for sure, but I am glad to have something to think about over the next few weeks while I work on the shop floor.
And it seems like I will have to start eating salads myself as well!
So, I've been set a new challenge!
I will try to learn as much as I can, about both the F&B business in general and salad-based restaurants, over the next month and do my best to answer Adrian's questions. In fact, I can't think of a better way to figure out if I want to get more involved with them as well.
So, all in all, this is good!
Lessons Learnt:
Clarifying expectations is the way to go!
That being said, I will try my best to learn as much as I can, without pushing Arsay too much. I've still got to make it worth his while to teach me things.
Monday, September 19, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 15 September (Thursday)
The times, they are a changing
- Met Tushar for a coffee in Simei. Great to see him post-FGE and after he pulled off quite an amazing transformation.
He is now the Director of his own consultancy. In fact, hemet me after signing the contract for a new project.
While I have always heard of people going down this road, it is still amazing to see it happen first-hand. I admire his guts in choosing to go down this road. Much more experienced people would not want to face the insecurity and the huge unknowns of self-employment. And I admit, it is quite a scary prospect.
But it seems to be one with huge upsides. I can imagine that it changes your mentality towards others in the industry... from just focusing on work, attention must be placed on business development, building your reputation and your list of contacts as well. So even if it doesn't work out for him, I can imagine that he will end up in a position of greater strength at the end of this period.
If nothing else, people will definitely admire his resolve for going at it alone, and appreciate his capabilities on finishing projects single-handed.
In fact, I could notice the change in him as well. I have never seen him so humble and found his attitude towards FGE totally reasonable and respectable. With such an attitude (backed by his solid experience), I am sure he can go far.
Good luck to him!
Lessons Learnt:
It never helps to burn bridges.
I am glad to have established a respectful relationship with Tushar and with everyone in FGE, for that matter.
If for nothing else, this just makes it all the more pleasant when we do eventually bump into each on the street.
That being said, I really appreciate Tushar's offer to collaborate with him. I will definitely take a serious look into this once I'm back from France.
- Met Tushar for a coffee in Simei. Great to see him post-FGE and after he pulled off quite an amazing transformation.
He is now the Director of his own consultancy. In fact, hemet me after signing the contract for a new project.
While I have always heard of people going down this road, it is still amazing to see it happen first-hand. I admire his guts in choosing to go down this road. Much more experienced people would not want to face the insecurity and the huge unknowns of self-employment. And I admit, it is quite a scary prospect.
But it seems to be one with huge upsides. I can imagine that it changes your mentality towards others in the industry... from just focusing on work, attention must be placed on business development, building your reputation and your list of contacts as well. So even if it doesn't work out for him, I can imagine that he will end up in a position of greater strength at the end of this period.
If nothing else, people will definitely admire his resolve for going at it alone, and appreciate his capabilities on finishing projects single-handed.
In fact, I could notice the change in him as well. I have never seen him so humble and found his attitude towards FGE totally reasonable and respectable. With such an attitude (backed by his solid experience), I am sure he can go far.
Good luck to him!
Lessons Learnt:
It never helps to burn bridges.
I am glad to have established a respectful relationship with Tushar and with everyone in FGE, for that matter.
If for nothing else, this just makes it all the more pleasant when we do eventually bump into each on the street.
That being said, I really appreciate Tushar's offer to collaborate with him. I will definitely take a serious look into this once I'm back from France.
Journal of My Joblessness!- 14 September (Wednesday)
Happy O-what?!
- Second shift at SaladStop! and first one at Fusionopolis. As I had suspected, the staff are really great and a lot of fun to work with.
The lunch shift was less hectic than Metropolis, but it can still get quite intense.
However, I still haven't figured out when/how to fit in my lunch... Being hungry around food is torture.
- Onam dinner with Lisa and Colin at Preemas, Little India. First Onam celebration after five/six years, I think.
Good food, but the place was crowded, as expected. This wouldn't have been a problem if they hadn't chosen to hurry us up at the end of our meal. As a result I had to gulp down all four desserts, which were all in a competition to see which was the sweetest of them all. That was no fun.
Next time I'll just go to Muthu's Curry.
- Of late I have been suspecting that I should take a break from my friends... just so that we all have time to do our own things.
After my last gym session with the Faz I decided to do the same. It's odd, but I feel that our interests have gone off in totally different directions. This is fine, of course. But it just makes hanging out really difficult, especially because we don't have hobbies that we share.
Anyway, I'll try this out for a while and see how it goes.
Lessons Learnt:
There is a reason that they say 'absence makes the heart grow fonder!'
Right now, a break from the 'usual' sounds like a great idea.
Note to self: Do try to stay open to meeting/interacting with new people!
- Second shift at SaladStop! and first one at Fusionopolis. As I had suspected, the staff are really great and a lot of fun to work with.
The lunch shift was less hectic than Metropolis, but it can still get quite intense.
However, I still haven't figured out when/how to fit in my lunch... Being hungry around food is torture.
- Onam dinner with Lisa and Colin at Preemas, Little India. First Onam celebration after five/six years, I think.
Good food, but the place was crowded, as expected. This wouldn't have been a problem if they hadn't chosen to hurry us up at the end of our meal. As a result I had to gulp down all four desserts, which were all in a competition to see which was the sweetest of them all. That was no fun.
Next time I'll just go to Muthu's Curry.
- Of late I have been suspecting that I should take a break from my friends... just so that we all have time to do our own things.
After my last gym session with the Faz I decided to do the same. It's odd, but I feel that our interests have gone off in totally different directions. This is fine, of course. But it just makes hanging out really difficult, especially because we don't have hobbies that we share.
Anyway, I'll try this out for a while and see how it goes.
Lessons Learnt:
There is a reason that they say 'absence makes the heart grow fonder!'
Right now, a break from the 'usual' sounds like a great idea.
Note to self: Do try to stay open to meeting/interacting with new people!
Journal of My Joblessness!- 13 September (Tuesday)
Mission Accomplished?!
- Delivered my submissions for Stage 2 of the MDS part-time educator application process.
The pressure really did build up at the end. Gosh, the last piece was as hard as I had imagined. Not the best time to be right.
I sent over my videos at about 7:30pm, after a long day of practicing and recording. Admittedly nothing was excellent about my application- the recording quality, my drumming and the sound quality.
But I did exactly what I had set out to do... do the best I could do in the time provided. I could've obsessed about the recording quality, but that would have taken time away from practicing, which was so much more important.
Here are the results:
- Delivered my submissions for Stage 2 of the MDS part-time educator application process.
The pressure really did build up at the end. Gosh, the last piece was as hard as I had imagined. Not the best time to be right.
I sent over my videos at about 7:30pm, after a long day of practicing and recording. Admittedly nothing was excellent about my application- the recording quality, my drumming and the sound quality.
But I did exactly what I had set out to do... do the best I could do in the time provided. I could've obsessed about the recording quality, but that would have taken time away from practicing, which was so much more important.
Here are the results:
Video link 1: https://youtu.be/
Video link 2: https://youtu.be/
Video link 3: https://youtu.be/
- Celebrated the end of my mission by watching "J'aime regarder les filles" at Alliance Francaise. My complicated relationship with French cinema continues... I can't help thinking that the process in deciding what makes a movie isn't too restrictive in France.
Lessons Learnt:
Stage 2 of the interview process with MDS was a loosing battle for me. From the beginning I knew that I wouldn't be able to deliver a mind-blowing performance. And that sucked!
But still, it was worth my best effort.
I was right... I didn't deliver a mind-blowing performance after all. But it wasn't all that shabby neither!
Most importantly, the process, the practice, the experience of recording myself, these were all worth the sweat and tears.
In the end, I have no regrets about the application.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 9 September (Friday)
Another day, another new experience...
Things done:
- First day as a NECDC facilitator assisting Atiqa with teaching the mechanics of motors to kids at Tampines Primary School. The session was from 9am to 1pm, and boy was it tiring! Please read that considering that I wasn't the one doing most of the talking!
Overall, it was a really good experience. It was great to see enthusiasm in the kids and also to see them actually make things, even if they aren't all successes. It was really quite priceless explaining to them that they could make anything they wanted- pokeball helicopter? Sure... Starbucks cup that moves around the table? Sure... Airplane that is also a helicopter (but also an airplane)? Sure. Their minds were blown by the fact that they didn't have to make something logical, and their eyes would really light up!
On a more serious note... it is quite hard drawing the line between having fun with the kids and remaining in charge. I realized that once they view you as a friend, then you've lost all control. With that in mind, it might be better to maintain a certain amount of distance, just for my own good.
- Drum practice followed by a movie over dinner- Deathproof. Was a pretty slow movie, but the end sequence was just fantastic!
Things done:
- First day as a NECDC facilitator assisting Atiqa with teaching the mechanics of motors to kids at Tampines Primary School. The session was from 9am to 1pm, and boy was it tiring! Please read that considering that I wasn't the one doing most of the talking!
Overall, it was a really good experience. It was great to see enthusiasm in the kids and also to see them actually make things, even if they aren't all successes. It was really quite priceless explaining to them that they could make anything they wanted- pokeball helicopter? Sure... Starbucks cup that moves around the table? Sure... Airplane that is also a helicopter (but also an airplane)? Sure. Their minds were blown by the fact that they didn't have to make something logical, and their eyes would really light up!
On a more serious note... it is quite hard drawing the line between having fun with the kids and remaining in charge. I realized that once they view you as a friend, then you've lost all control. With that in mind, it might be better to maintain a certain amount of distance, just for my own good.
- Drum practice followed by a movie over dinner- Deathproof. Was a pretty slow movie, but the end sequence was just fantastic!
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 8 September (Thursday)
Crisis of confidence?
Things done:
- Major day for drum practice! Finally got into the Grade 6 drum solo. This is totally uncharted territory for me. While it is definitely challenging, again, I am so happy that I applied to MDS just because they are pushing my drumming so much right now.
- Watched 'The Chef' during lunch. Both the movie and (our homemade) lunch were super good!
- Talk at Camper's Corner on one lady's experience at the Tour de Mont Blanc. It wasn't really what I expected, but I do appreciate that she decided to share her experiences with us. Considering that there were some seriously seasoned hikers in the crowd, I admire her guts in sharing her story, including all her cock-ups as well!
- Saw Fang in the audience at Camper's Corner. This was the first time I've seen anyone from FGE (other than Marc) since I left the company. I didn't go up and say hello. In my mind I imagined our conversation going as follows:
R:Hey Fang, how are you?
F:Wow! Ryan... wow! You look different, really different. What happened?!
R;Ahh.. nothing much. Just thought of trying something different. I don't have a good reason to shave these days. Haha
So how are things going?
F: Alright. Things are quite busy at work as usual. Haha. But going ok. What about you? What are you doing now? Are you working?
R: Oh no. I'm still taking a break actually. So, no...not working. I'm just taking time off, planning my next move and also doing some small part-time work here and there.
F: Hmmm... oh ok.....
(awkward silence, followed by me jumping out the window)
In retrospect, it's too bad that I didn't go up and say hello. I would have liked to hear how things are going back in the office (although I don't know why exactly) as well as how things are going for her (again, not sure why really!).
I guess I was worried that she would judge me and so I shied away from the encounter. While that would definitely happen, I really shouldn't be worried about it. The fact is that people always judge other people and that's ok.
In the end, I have nothing to prove to anyone. Just myself.
I wasn't too happy with my brief (but telling!) crisis of confidence.
Lessons learnt: (see above)
Things done:
- Major day for drum practice! Finally got into the Grade 6 drum solo. This is totally uncharted territory for me. While it is definitely challenging, again, I am so happy that I applied to MDS just because they are pushing my drumming so much right now.
- Watched 'The Chef' during lunch. Both the movie and (our homemade) lunch were super good!
- Talk at Camper's Corner on one lady's experience at the Tour de Mont Blanc. It wasn't really what I expected, but I do appreciate that she decided to share her experiences with us. Considering that there were some seriously seasoned hikers in the crowd, I admire her guts in sharing her story, including all her cock-ups as well!
- Saw Fang in the audience at Camper's Corner. This was the first time I've seen anyone from FGE (other than Marc) since I left the company. I didn't go up and say hello. In my mind I imagined our conversation going as follows:
R:Hey Fang, how are you?
F:Wow! Ryan... wow! You look different, really different. What happened?!
R;Ahh.. nothing much. Just thought of trying something different. I don't have a good reason to shave these days. Haha
So how are things going?
F: Alright. Things are quite busy at work as usual. Haha. But going ok. What about you? What are you doing now? Are you working?
R: Oh no. I'm still taking a break actually. So, no...not working. I'm just taking time off, planning my next move and also doing some small part-time work here and there.
F: Hmmm... oh ok.....
(awkward silence, followed by me jumping out the window)
In retrospect, it's too bad that I didn't go up and say hello. I would have liked to hear how things are going back in the office (although I don't know why exactly) as well as how things are going for her (again, not sure why really!).
I guess I was worried that she would judge me and so I shied away from the encounter. While that would definitely happen, I really shouldn't be worried about it. The fact is that people always judge other people and that's ok.
In the end, I have nothing to prove to anyone. Just myself.
I wasn't too happy with my brief (but telling!) crisis of confidence.
Lessons learnt: (see above)
Journal of My Joblessness!- 7 September (Wednesday)
Going green!
Things done:
- Today was my first day working at SaladStop! While I had a rocky start because they hadn't really assigned me to an outlet (which resulted in me first going to Fusionopolis and then Metropolis), it was a good starter into their world.
Working the lunch shift was quite an eye-opening experience. Work was tough, but not in a way that I'm really used to. Things are really hectic during the lunch-rush. I was standing for 3-4 hours straight and I didn't feel in control of my time (because it is really determined by how many customers came in). But it isn't a mentally challenging job, which ultimately is the deal breaker for me.
On the plus side, working was quite fun thanks to the cool people working there - they are nice, fun, easy-going and open to welcoming new people onto the floor. Thanks to them for making my first day of work pretty cool.
Thinking about what I'd like to tell Adrian during our follow-up interview next Friday... I'm not too keen in working the store really, although I value the experience of knowing how things work there. But what interests me is how they source their food... how they check/validate their suppliers and figure out the different menus for the different stores. That, to me, would be pretty cool. But I wonder if they'll let an inexperienced joker (such as yours truly) get in on any of that...
- Drum practice continues... It have become evident to me that I've almost entirely dropped my French practice, as well as my reading sessions in Starbucks for the drums these days.
While I am definitely sad to have dropped French, I am happy to be spending so much time on the drums. This is really the best thing that has ever happened to my drumming career! Whatever happens with this interview process, I must give myself such a target/deadline in the future, to keep my enthusiasm and my drive going. I have already noticed improvements in my drumming, and this can only get better!
- Dinner with Veronica and Lisa at Crystal Jade, Holland Village. Great to finally try this place out. While I have never been a huge fan of dim sum in general, this is a nice place to have a chilled-out and long dinner (compared to the churning treadmill that is Din Tai Fung!).
Interesting to hang-out with Veronica, as well- Lisa's semi-friend from Sweden. Great to hear that she finds Singapore a friendly place, as opposed to a land of poke-zombies, a land of inedible food, or perhaps even a land of incessant shoppers.
Lessons Learnt:
A positive attitude goes a long way! I know it sounds a bit far-out (dude!), but approaching things with a positive attitude has really made a big difference during my time off so far. That has kept my ideas flowing, my experiences/memories positive (so far) and any rejection totally forgettable.
Of course, all the people who have been involved so far have been a great help! Special shout-out to Lisa, the guys at The Pit, SaladStop! and My Drum School for keeping my dreams alive. :)
Things done:
- Today was my first day working at SaladStop! While I had a rocky start because they hadn't really assigned me to an outlet (which resulted in me first going to Fusionopolis and then Metropolis), it was a good starter into their world.
Working the lunch shift was quite an eye-opening experience. Work was tough, but not in a way that I'm really used to. Things are really hectic during the lunch-rush. I was standing for 3-4 hours straight and I didn't feel in control of my time (because it is really determined by how many customers came in). But it isn't a mentally challenging job, which ultimately is the deal breaker for me.
On the plus side, working was quite fun thanks to the cool people working there - they are nice, fun, easy-going and open to welcoming new people onto the floor. Thanks to them for making my first day of work pretty cool.
Thinking about what I'd like to tell Adrian during our follow-up interview next Friday... I'm not too keen in working the store really, although I value the experience of knowing how things work there. But what interests me is how they source their food... how they check/validate their suppliers and figure out the different menus for the different stores. That, to me, would be pretty cool. But I wonder if they'll let an inexperienced joker (such as yours truly) get in on any of that...
- Drum practice continues... It have become evident to me that I've almost entirely dropped my French practice, as well as my reading sessions in Starbucks for the drums these days.
While I am definitely sad to have dropped French, I am happy to be spending so much time on the drums. This is really the best thing that has ever happened to my drumming career! Whatever happens with this interview process, I must give myself such a target/deadline in the future, to keep my enthusiasm and my drive going. I have already noticed improvements in my drumming, and this can only get better!
- Dinner with Veronica and Lisa at Crystal Jade, Holland Village. Great to finally try this place out. While I have never been a huge fan of dim sum in general, this is a nice place to have a chilled-out and long dinner (compared to the churning treadmill that is Din Tai Fung!).
Interesting to hang-out with Veronica, as well- Lisa's semi-friend from Sweden. Great to hear that she finds Singapore a friendly place, as opposed to a land of poke-zombies, a land of inedible food, or perhaps even a land of incessant shoppers.
Lessons Learnt:
A positive attitude goes a long way! I know it sounds a bit far-out (dude!), but approaching things with a positive attitude has really made a big difference during my time off so far. That has kept my ideas flowing, my experiences/memories positive (so far) and any rejection totally forgettable.
Of course, all the people who have been involved so far have been a great help! Special shout-out to Lisa, the guys at The Pit, SaladStop! and My Drum School for keeping my dreams alive. :)
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 6 September (Tuesday)
Of the past and future...
Things done:
- Morning workout at Fitness First. Added one more set to each of my workouts. Great to feel that I'm making progress. It's great to have some amount of weights in my workout schedule... but I've decided that once a week is enough.
- Lunch with Marc in the uber fancy MBFC. Great to see him and great to hear that he's up to some seriously cool things in Platts. I told him about the non-oil/gas stuff I was getting into... while he wasn't unsupportive, he did encourage me not to get out of the business.
I am surprised sometimes at how naive I am. Of course, my friends/contacts from the business won't really be interested in what I'm doing outside of oil/gas! That's what connects us... and anyway, we're not really close friends after all, just work colleagues.
I should only try to meet-up when I am serious about discussing oil/gas opportunities. Otherwise, it isn't really worth their/my time, although it is always great to see old faces.
- Filmed the first video for the MDS drum educator application process. Majorly relieved to have made some measurable progress!
- French film at Alliance Francaise... 'Un amour de jeunesse.' Another very typical French movie (which means that I'm not too sure I got it), but it was good to take a break and catch a movie.
Lessons Learnt:
I am likely to get quite a bit of cynicism from people because what I'm doing doesn't fit in with their typical idea of success. But that doesn't mean that it's wrong, or that I shouldn't do it.
But hey, I knew that already.
Things done:
- Morning workout at Fitness First. Added one more set to each of my workouts. Great to feel that I'm making progress. It's great to have some amount of weights in my workout schedule... but I've decided that once a week is enough.
- Lunch with Marc in the uber fancy MBFC. Great to see him and great to hear that he's up to some seriously cool things in Platts. I told him about the non-oil/gas stuff I was getting into... while he wasn't unsupportive, he did encourage me not to get out of the business.
I am surprised sometimes at how naive I am. Of course, my friends/contacts from the business won't really be interested in what I'm doing outside of oil/gas! That's what connects us... and anyway, we're not really close friends after all, just work colleagues.
I should only try to meet-up when I am serious about discussing oil/gas opportunities. Otherwise, it isn't really worth their/my time, although it is always great to see old faces.
- Filmed the first video for the MDS drum educator application process. Majorly relieved to have made some measurable progress!
- French film at Alliance Francaise... 'Un amour de jeunesse.' Another very typical French movie (which means that I'm not too sure I got it), but it was good to take a break and catch a movie.
Lessons Learnt:
I am likely to get quite a bit of cynicism from people because what I'm doing doesn't fit in with their typical idea of success. But that doesn't mean that it's wrong, or that I shouldn't do it.
But hey, I knew that already.
Journal of My Joblessness!- 5 September (Monday)
Have a little faith!
Things done:
- 700m swim to start off the day. Managed to finish it in half an hour! Great to see progress... now I'll slowly work my way up to 1km.
- Odd conversation with Dad. He called because he was worried about me. Worried that my time off may be negatively affecting Lisa's perception of me and our relationship. I think he's worried that she'll be vastly more qualified than me pretty soon - or perhaps supporting me from now on? - which is a huge no-no in Indian culture.
I am definitely touched that he's worried about he, but the negativity does affect my confidence. I have explained things to him quite a few times already... and convincing him each and every time that I'm alright takes quite a bit out of me.
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I need to be more clear with him about my plans and also make him understand that encouragement from him would be greatly appreciated. Just have a little faith Dad... I'm working on it.
- Drum educator preparation continues. Came up with a script for my first video submission, continued working on the mind-boggling para-diddle exercise, and researched on poly-rhythms for the ANZCA drum solo. 'Poly-rhythm' is now officially the new definition of mind-boggling!
- Excellent cooking session with Lisa. We were more adventurous today - baked pumpkins, stir-fried chicken and coconut-flavored vegetable curry. And on top of all of that, the green beans came out amazingly well!
Lessons Learnt:
It is definitely great when friends/family support you (and I am extremely lucky to have Lisa supporting me in my journey so far), but it is not always a given and it's not always necessary.
I can't convince everyone that I'm doing the right thing, or even something positive! But all that matters is that I think it's right.
Things done:
- 700m swim to start off the day. Managed to finish it in half an hour! Great to see progress... now I'll slowly work my way up to 1km.
- Odd conversation with Dad. He called because he was worried about me. Worried that my time off may be negatively affecting Lisa's perception of me and our relationship. I think he's worried that she'll be vastly more qualified than me pretty soon - or perhaps supporting me from now on? - which is a huge no-no in Indian culture.
I am definitely touched that he's worried about he, but the negativity does affect my confidence. I have explained things to him quite a few times already... and convincing him each and every time that I'm alright takes quite a bit out of me.
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I need to be more clear with him about my plans and also make him understand that encouragement from him would be greatly appreciated. Just have a little faith Dad... I'm working on it.
- Drum educator preparation continues. Came up with a script for my first video submission, continued working on the mind-boggling para-diddle exercise, and researched on poly-rhythms for the ANZCA drum solo. 'Poly-rhythm' is now officially the new definition of mind-boggling!
- Excellent cooking session with Lisa. We were more adventurous today - baked pumpkins, stir-fried chicken and coconut-flavored vegetable curry. And on top of all of that, the green beans came out amazingly well!
Lessons Learnt:
It is definitely great when friends/family support you (and I am extremely lucky to have Lisa supporting me in my journey so far), but it is not always a given and it's not always necessary.
I can't convince everyone that I'm doing the right thing, or even something positive! But all that matters is that I think it's right.
Monday, September 5, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 02 September (Friday)
A little bit of company makes a big difference
Lisa was feeling under the weather today. So much so that she wasn't able to make it to work. While it sucked that she was feeling lousy, it was great to have her company!
Things done:
- Breakfast at home with Lisa... one of the simple pleasures of my life!
- Interview with SaladStop! for a part-time position. This went in a direction I totally did not expect! The President (Adrien Desbaillets) met with me. After seeing my CV he figured that there might be more to my application and decided to have a chat with me. Turns out that SaladStop! is looking to expand their operations within Singapore and regionally as well. So, he talked to me about potentially being more than just a part-timer with them. We agreed that I would first work part-time and then talk about what I may be able to do with them in the future.
The whole experience blew my mind!
I told him that I would be happy to take him up on his offer to try things out and see if I'm keen to make a career in SaladStop! And I totally am! It sounds like great experience in running an F&B business and also identifying and expanding to new markets.
But I won't get ahead of myself... I'll try working part-time with them first and see how it goes.
- Dinner with Kev and Jess at Woodlands. Always great to see Singapore's most awesome couple. If we believe Florence aunty, Eva is set to enter the world anytime soon! Can't wait.
Sadly, we spent quite a bit of time talking about the problems the two of them are having with mom and dad. The lack of frank and direct communication really seems to be hurting the relationship.
Lessons Learnt:
Today was another positive experience reassuring me that if I have the right attitude, things will happen.
Work hard, stay true to yourself and remain open to everything that life has to offer! These 1.5 months have shown me that fear of the unknown (previously disguised as logical thinking) does nothing positive and just traps people where they may not want to be.
Quote from Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar, by Cheryl Strayed:
"You don't have to get a job that makes others feel comfortable about what they perceive as your success. You don't have to explain what you plan to do with your life. You don't have to justify your education by demonstrating its financial rewards. You don't have to maintain an impeccable credit score. Anyone who expects you to do any of those things has no sense of history or economics or science or the arts.
You have to pay your own electric bill. You have to be kind. You have to give it all you got. You have to find people who love you truly and love them back with the same truth. But that's all."
Beautiful!
Lisa was feeling under the weather today. So much so that she wasn't able to make it to work. While it sucked that she was feeling lousy, it was great to have her company!
Things done:
- Breakfast at home with Lisa... one of the simple pleasures of my life!
- Interview with SaladStop! for a part-time position. This went in a direction I totally did not expect! The President (Adrien Desbaillets) met with me. After seeing my CV he figured that there might be more to my application and decided to have a chat with me. Turns out that SaladStop! is looking to expand their operations within Singapore and regionally as well. So, he talked to me about potentially being more than just a part-timer with them. We agreed that I would first work part-time and then talk about what I may be able to do with them in the future.
The whole experience blew my mind!
I told him that I would be happy to take him up on his offer to try things out and see if I'm keen to make a career in SaladStop! And I totally am! It sounds like great experience in running an F&B business and also identifying and expanding to new markets.
But I won't get ahead of myself... I'll try working part-time with them first and see how it goes.
- Dinner with Kev and Jess at Woodlands. Always great to see Singapore's most awesome couple. If we believe Florence aunty, Eva is set to enter the world anytime soon! Can't wait.
Sadly, we spent quite a bit of time talking about the problems the two of them are having with mom and dad. The lack of frank and direct communication really seems to be hurting the relationship.
Lessons Learnt:
Today was another positive experience reassuring me that if I have the right attitude, things will happen.
Work hard, stay true to yourself and remain open to everything that life has to offer! These 1.5 months have shown me that fear of the unknown (previously disguised as logical thinking) does nothing positive and just traps people where they may not want to be.
Quote from Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar, by Cheryl Strayed:
"You don't have to get a job that makes others feel comfortable about what they perceive as your success. You don't have to explain what you plan to do with your life. You don't have to justify your education by demonstrating its financial rewards. You don't have to maintain an impeccable credit score. Anyone who expects you to do any of those things has no sense of history or economics or science or the arts.
You have to pay your own electric bill. You have to be kind. You have to give it all you got. You have to find people who love you truly and love them back with the same truth. But that's all."
Beautiful!
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 01 September (Thursday)
Perspective helps
Things done:
- Drum practice continues. I'm glad that I've managed to keep working on the exercises every day. That's the only way that I'll internalize them properly! So far, I'm making slow but steady progress on Exercise 1 (Para-diddles).
Drum practice at 'The Retreat' in the Central Library (Bugis). Good place to get away from the bustle of the city, while still being in it!
- Coffee and kueh at Harianns after drum class. Nice place to sit and read.
Started reading 'Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar' by Cheryl Strayed. Great book. It really helps to put things in perspective... While sometimes I feel that I am really struggling to make sense of my world, I am definitely not alone. And moreover, some people are fighting against seriously tougher odds.
- Evening with Lisa. We spent a great evening talking, eating, hugging, kissing and watching a (pretty lousy) movie. While I feel that I don't spend enough time with her, I am still glad to have put aside some time today.
Lessons learnt:
There was a good article in 'Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar', by Cheryl Strayed, that talked about how we have to invest time and effort in our relationships with family and friends... and how we should allow others to express their opinions about ourselves but also try to explain why we do things a certain way.
This I guess is perfect timing :). I should keep sharing my ideas with my Dad and also be open to understanding his ideas and suggestions. That's really the only way that the two of us can continue to keep our relationship going forward. And that's really worth the time and effort involved.
Things done:
- Drum practice continues. I'm glad that I've managed to keep working on the exercises every day. That's the only way that I'll internalize them properly! So far, I'm making slow but steady progress on Exercise 1 (Para-diddles).
Drum practice at 'The Retreat' in the Central Library (Bugis). Good place to get away from the bustle of the city, while still being in it!
- Coffee and kueh at Harianns after drum class. Nice place to sit and read.
Started reading 'Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar' by Cheryl Strayed. Great book. It really helps to put things in perspective... While sometimes I feel that I am really struggling to make sense of my world, I am definitely not alone. And moreover, some people are fighting against seriously tougher odds.
- Evening with Lisa. We spent a great evening talking, eating, hugging, kissing and watching a (pretty lousy) movie. While I feel that I don't spend enough time with her, I am still glad to have put aside some time today.
Lessons learnt:
There was a good article in 'Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar', by Cheryl Strayed, that talked about how we have to invest time and effort in our relationships with family and friends... and how we should allow others to express their opinions about ourselves but also try to explain why we do things a certain way.
This I guess is perfect timing :). I should keep sharing my ideas with my Dad and also be open to understanding his ideas and suggestions. That's really the only way that the two of us can continue to keep our relationship going forward. And that's really worth the time and effort involved.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 31 August (Wednesday)
Stick to your guns!
It's interesting to see other people's reaction to the things that I am doing/going through. While there are many who are very supportive and in fact help by giving/talking through ideas, there are also those who are either not interested, who dismiss my ideas, or worse belittle them.
It is surprising that these negative reactions are not limited to strangers and people I know superficially, but also good friends and family. While this is understandable, because everyone has their own problems/belief systems, I should be sure not to get discouraged by such reactions.
Stick to your guns!
Things done:
- Great yoga session in the morning, followed by Yah Kun breakfast.
- Started to put together documents for my visa application to France. I'll need to figure out my travel dates next... things are getting serious. Nice!
- Started working on Stage 2 of the MDS interview process. The first exercise, on para-diddles, totally blew me out of the water. Luckily, the following exercises weren't as difficult, otherwise I might have just given up. However, as of now I'm still quite optimistic, and I'm looking forward to giving it my best shot!
- Good gym session with the Faz. Still not a big fan of hitting the gym at night. Oh well... let's see how long this lasts.
Lessons Learnt:
Stick to doing what you believe you should be doing... the things that give you shivers and challenge your limits. Don't let others make you doubt yourself. In most cases, they are just projecting their own insecurities onto you.
Stick to your guns!
It's interesting to see other people's reaction to the things that I am doing/going through. While there are many who are very supportive and in fact help by giving/talking through ideas, there are also those who are either not interested, who dismiss my ideas, or worse belittle them.
It is surprising that these negative reactions are not limited to strangers and people I know superficially, but also good friends and family. While this is understandable, because everyone has their own problems/belief systems, I should be sure not to get discouraged by such reactions.
Stick to your guns!
Things done:
- Great yoga session in the morning, followed by Yah Kun breakfast.
- Started to put together documents for my visa application to France. I'll need to figure out my travel dates next... things are getting serious. Nice!
- Started working on Stage 2 of the MDS interview process. The first exercise, on para-diddles, totally blew me out of the water. Luckily, the following exercises weren't as difficult, otherwise I might have just given up. However, as of now I'm still quite optimistic, and I'm looking forward to giving it my best shot!
- Good gym session with the Faz. Still not a big fan of hitting the gym at night. Oh well... let's see how long this lasts.
Lessons Learnt:
Stick to doing what you believe you should be doing... the things that give you shivers and challenge your limits. Don't let others make you doubt yourself. In most cases, they are just projecting their own insecurities onto you.
Stick to your guns!
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 30 August (Tuesday)
The benefit of trying...
...is that sometimes you succeed! For sure this won't be the case every single time. But every time things don't work out, we've just got to try harder. As Menna van Praag says in her book 'Men, Money, and Chocolate' (a decent read), you've got to be bold in order to make things happen for you. And when they still don't work out, be bolder!
Things done:
- Passed Stage One of MDS' interview process. Now on to Stage Two! This time I've got two weeks, but from the looks of what they're asking for, I'll need every single minute!
- Got my pre-registration certificate from Alliance Francaise Strasbourg. I'm good to start my visa application now. The dream is slowly but surely (ou lentement, mais sûrement) becoming real!
- Great workout at Fitness First, Metropolis. Was quite exhausted at the start of the day, but I am glad that I still stuck with my training regime. I am proud of my body and how positively it is responding to being pushed.
- Recorded my third French blog- 'Ma belle soeur.' On that note, it's less than one month now to my niece's arrival! Can't wait.
- Sent in my application for a part-time position at SaladStop! Hope this goes better than my application to Lean Bento. :P
Lessons Learnt:
I am proud of the positive developments I got today in the two areas that I have chosen to focus quite a bit of my time and energy during my break. But one thing is for sure... that this is still just the beginning.
Good quote from Fat, Forty and Fired' by Nigel Marsh (quoting George Bernard Shaw):
"The true joy in life is being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, that being a force of nature instead of a feverish little clump of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live in it, it's my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."
...is that sometimes you succeed! For sure this won't be the case every single time. But every time things don't work out, we've just got to try harder. As Menna van Praag says in her book 'Men, Money, and Chocolate' (a decent read), you've got to be bold in order to make things happen for you. And when they still don't work out, be bolder!
Things done:
- Passed Stage One of MDS' interview process. Now on to Stage Two! This time I've got two weeks, but from the looks of what they're asking for, I'll need every single minute!
- Got my pre-registration certificate from Alliance Francaise Strasbourg. I'm good to start my visa application now. The dream is slowly but surely (ou lentement, mais sûrement) becoming real!
- Great workout at Fitness First, Metropolis. Was quite exhausted at the start of the day, but I am glad that I still stuck with my training regime. I am proud of my body and how positively it is responding to being pushed.
- Recorded my third French blog- 'Ma belle soeur.' On that note, it's less than one month now to my niece's arrival! Can't wait.
- Sent in my application for a part-time position at SaladStop! Hope this goes better than my application to Lean Bento. :P
Lessons Learnt:
I am proud of the positive developments I got today in the two areas that I have chosen to focus quite a bit of my time and energy during my break. But one thing is for sure... that this is still just the beginning.
Good quote from Fat, Forty and Fired' by Nigel Marsh (quoting George Bernard Shaw):
"The true joy in life is being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, that being a force of nature instead of a feverish little clump of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live in it, it's my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."
Journal of My Joblessness!- 26 August (Friday)
Holiday just around the corner!
Although it seems quite weird to be taking a break when I'm technically already on a break (What am I running away from?), I am looking forward to spending the weekend in Tioman with Lisa. Not only because it will be a good break from my usual routine, but also because it will allow me to spend some quality time with her, which is a high priority during my time off.
Things done:
- Breakfast date with Lisa at Holland Road food center. Another great family tradition!
- Gardening got cancelled! Instead Yong Shen and I went to The Coffee Academics (Scotts Square). Of course this was Yong Shen's idea, because I was thinking of Yah Kun when I suggested we get coffee. But I was not at all disappointed! I had a great coffee, sprinkled with pepper. Kudos to Yong Shen for the great coffee suggestion.
- Movie with Rishil and his friend- Rustom. Much better than I expected.. and heck, it was good to watch something different for a change.
- Submitted my application for Stage One of MDS' interview process. High five to me!
- Finished a good book- Fat, Forty and Fired, by Nigel Marsh.
Lessons Learnt:
Good quote from the book:
"Anais Nin once remarked that life expands or contracts in direct proportion to one's courage... I didn't want to settle for a life of regret and disappointment. I passionately believe that if you eradicate your limiting assumptions, raise your expectations and work damn hard at your goals, it's remarkable what you can achieve. If you have the right attitude you can have a damn good laugh while you're at it as well."- I like this and want to remember it.
Although it seems quite weird to be taking a break when I'm technically already on a break (What am I running away from?), I am looking forward to spending the weekend in Tioman with Lisa. Not only because it will be a good break from my usual routine, but also because it will allow me to spend some quality time with her, which is a high priority during my time off.
Things done:
- Breakfast date with Lisa at Holland Road food center. Another great family tradition!
- Gardening got cancelled! Instead Yong Shen and I went to The Coffee Academics (Scotts Square). Of course this was Yong Shen's idea, because I was thinking of Yah Kun when I suggested we get coffee. But I was not at all disappointed! I had a great coffee, sprinkled with pepper. Kudos to Yong Shen for the great coffee suggestion.
- Movie with Rishil and his friend- Rustom. Much better than I expected.. and heck, it was good to watch something different for a change.
- Submitted my application for Stage One of MDS' interview process. High five to me!
- Finished a good book- Fat, Forty and Fired, by Nigel Marsh.
Lessons Learnt:
Good quote from the book:
"Anais Nin once remarked that life expands or contracts in direct proportion to one's courage... I didn't want to settle for a life of regret and disappointment. I passionately believe that if you eradicate your limiting assumptions, raise your expectations and work damn hard at your goals, it's remarkable what you can achieve. If you have the right attitude you can have a damn good laugh while you're at it as well."- I like this and want to remember it.
Monday, August 29, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 25 August (Thursday)
Simple day!
Things done:
- Breakfast at home with Lisa. Great to start the day with her. I'm glad I haven't signed up for SITC workouts every morning of the week. I would be missing out.
- Got my French speech corrected. Quite a few suggestions - that's great! A lot to learn.
- Finalized my application to MDS and sent it over to Kevin and Lisa for their comments. I'm happy that I am still able to set and meet personal deadlines.
- Drum class at Lavender. Four-way coordination work is getting more intense and way more interesting. Added double stroke rolls into our practice. These are all areas where I need to do quite a significant amount of work personally!
- French practice over a cup of kopi, at Harianns (Bugis Junction). It is moments like this that make me happy to be alive and extremely happy that I decided to take a break from work.
It is quite surprising that I have never once regretted quitting my job at FGE. Despite their offer of added responsibility, extra money and the potential to be recognized as one of the key contributors to FGE's research work, the negatives really outweighed the positives. The fact that I have no second thoughts or regrets now is proof to me that I made the right choice.
- Late afternoon swim. Tried to find my 'jogging' speed and it worked! Swam 700m without stopping... well if you don't count the time an uncle next to me asked me how I was able to keep going. Hahaha.. if only he knew what a noob I was!
Looking forward to swimming again next week... I have officially pushed the bar way higher!
- Dinner with Lisa at Holland Village food court followed my dessert at Project Acai. Keeping one day a week as our Quality Couple Time (QCT) is a really great idea. Doesn't matter what we do, as long as we spend a good time together. Of course, sex afterwards is always a major plus. :)
Lessons Learnt:
Simple isn't always bad. I had a really low-key and simple Thursday. But it was great.
Things done:
- Breakfast at home with Lisa. Great to start the day with her. I'm glad I haven't signed up for SITC workouts every morning of the week. I would be missing out.
- Got my French speech corrected. Quite a few suggestions - that's great! A lot to learn.
- Finalized my application to MDS and sent it over to Kevin and Lisa for their comments. I'm happy that I am still able to set and meet personal deadlines.
- Drum class at Lavender. Four-way coordination work is getting more intense and way more interesting. Added double stroke rolls into our practice. These are all areas where I need to do quite a significant amount of work personally!
- French practice over a cup of kopi, at Harianns (Bugis Junction). It is moments like this that make me happy to be alive and extremely happy that I decided to take a break from work.
It is quite surprising that I have never once regretted quitting my job at FGE. Despite their offer of added responsibility, extra money and the potential to be recognized as one of the key contributors to FGE's research work, the negatives really outweighed the positives. The fact that I have no second thoughts or regrets now is proof to me that I made the right choice.
- Late afternoon swim. Tried to find my 'jogging' speed and it worked! Swam 700m without stopping... well if you don't count the time an uncle next to me asked me how I was able to keep going. Hahaha.. if only he knew what a noob I was!
Looking forward to swimming again next week... I have officially pushed the bar way higher!
- Dinner with Lisa at Holland Village food court followed my dessert at Project Acai. Keeping one day a week as our Quality Couple Time (QCT) is a really great idea. Doesn't matter what we do, as long as we spend a good time together. Of course, sex afterwards is always a major plus. :)
Lessons Learnt:
Simple isn't always bad. I had a really low-key and simple Thursday. But it was great.
Journal of My Joblessness!- 24 August (Wednesday)
Great save!
Went for a long walk today. Was a great way to spend my Wednesday evening, especially considering that I had no other plans and that I was looking to take a break from my usual routine.
I'm glad I did it and I made a mental note to take a walk whenever I am struggling to motivate myself.
Things done:
- Yoga session at Bugis. Sweating buckets every Wednesday morning is not what I would normally call a good start to the day, but it is quite nice. And I really enjoy feeling my lower back stretch... feels like I'm cleaning out all the cobwebs from that part of my back.
- Finished the first draft of my application to MDS at Level 7 of the National Library. Excellent place to get some work done. Love the view of Victoria Street from above - looks like a whole new world!
- Wrote out my French speech for the week - 'Ma belle soeur.' This one goes out to my amazing sister in law. :)
- Walked almost all the way to Bukit Batok, from Bouna Vista. Was great to just get out and just walk.
- Met up with Devin to discuss his business proposition. Was not what I was expecting, and wasn't something that really excited me... but I'm glad to have taken the time to listen to him. Got to stay open to new people and new ideas!
Lessons Learnt:
It's not a new lesson, but it's still an important one - don't push yourself so much. Take the time to look around, empty your head and just think (or not!) every once in a while.
The more free my mind is, the easier it is for me to think of new ideas.
Went for a long walk today. Was a great way to spend my Wednesday evening, especially considering that I had no other plans and that I was looking to take a break from my usual routine.
I'm glad I did it and I made a mental note to take a walk whenever I am struggling to motivate myself.
Things done:
- Yoga session at Bugis. Sweating buckets every Wednesday morning is not what I would normally call a good start to the day, but it is quite nice. And I really enjoy feeling my lower back stretch... feels like I'm cleaning out all the cobwebs from that part of my back.
- Finished the first draft of my application to MDS at Level 7 of the National Library. Excellent place to get some work done. Love the view of Victoria Street from above - looks like a whole new world!
- Wrote out my French speech for the week - 'Ma belle soeur.' This one goes out to my amazing sister in law. :)
- Walked almost all the way to Bukit Batok, from Bouna Vista. Was great to just get out and just walk.
- Met up with Devin to discuss his business proposition. Was not what I was expecting, and wasn't something that really excited me... but I'm glad to have taken the time to listen to him. Got to stay open to new people and new ideas!
Lessons Learnt:
It's not a new lesson, but it's still an important one - don't push yourself so much. Take the time to look around, empty your head and just think (or not!) every once in a while.
The more free my mind is, the easier it is for me to think of new ideas.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 23 August (Tuesday)
Making it up as I go along..
When I first stopped working, I spent quite a bit of time coming up with a structured plan of what I would accomplish during my time off work. While I guess this was partly to make sure that I got the most out of the experience (instead of spending all my time with my hand down my pants), I realize that another reason I did this was because I wanted to show those around me that I had my shit together.
I didn't (and don't) want people, particularly my friends, to look at me like a loser without a job. While I realize that this is shallow, the truth is that I don't really have a long-term plan currently and I don't know how to get one. I'm just making things up as I go along, and to be honest that's alright for now.
Things done:
- Workout at Fitness First followed by a nice, strong coffee in their Member's lounge. I wonder if the fact that I don't pay membership fees makes it taste better, but I really enjoy that coffee. Great start to the day!
- Arranged for a Cat & the Fiddle cake to be sent over to Kevin and Jess for their anniversary. Salted Caramel. Yum!
- Lunch with Edwin. Good to meet him again as a jobless person. As expected, he had the usual 'I wish I could take a break like you' reaction, while focusing only on the positives of my situation. But he was refreshingly open to discussing potential jobs within and outside of the LNG space. Kudos to him and I owe him for the great kway teow.
- Continued working on the 20 questions for the MDS interview process. I feel that at the end of this process the interviewers may know me better than Lisa does, or frankly even better than I know myself!
- Dinner with Lisa at Lakeside. Unfortunately the evening was marred by the fact that I behaved like a child and got annoyed at how simple our evening was. I should really learn to let things go, not get pressured by my own expectations and most importantly, to enjoy my time with people, especially those dear to me.
Lessons Learnt: I don't have to have all the answers at this point. In fact I may never have them. And rather than fight that fact, shouldn't I work on just getting comfortable with it?
I should use my time off to strengthen my relationship with Lisa. I hope to make our coming years even better than our previous two years together have been.
When I first stopped working, I spent quite a bit of time coming up with a structured plan of what I would accomplish during my time off work. While I guess this was partly to make sure that I got the most out of the experience (instead of spending all my time with my hand down my pants), I realize that another reason I did this was because I wanted to show those around me that I had my shit together.
I didn't (and don't) want people, particularly my friends, to look at me like a loser without a job. While I realize that this is shallow, the truth is that I don't really have a long-term plan currently and I don't know how to get one. I'm just making things up as I go along, and to be honest that's alright for now.
Things done:
- Workout at Fitness First followed by a nice, strong coffee in their Member's lounge. I wonder if the fact that I don't pay membership fees makes it taste better, but I really enjoy that coffee. Great start to the day!
- Arranged for a Cat & the Fiddle cake to be sent over to Kevin and Jess for their anniversary. Salted Caramel. Yum!
- Lunch with Edwin. Good to meet him again as a jobless person. As expected, he had the usual 'I wish I could take a break like you' reaction, while focusing only on the positives of my situation. But he was refreshingly open to discussing potential jobs within and outside of the LNG space. Kudos to him and I owe him for the great kway teow.
- Continued working on the 20 questions for the MDS interview process. I feel that at the end of this process the interviewers may know me better than Lisa does, or frankly even better than I know myself!
- Dinner with Lisa at Lakeside. Unfortunately the evening was marred by the fact that I behaved like a child and got annoyed at how simple our evening was. I should really learn to let things go, not get pressured by my own expectations and most importantly, to enjoy my time with people, especially those dear to me.
Lessons Learnt: I don't have to have all the answers at this point. In fact I may never have them. And rather than fight that fact, shouldn't I work on just getting comfortable with it?
I should use my time off to strengthen my relationship with Lisa. I hope to make our coming years even better than our previous two years together have been.
Journal of My Joblessness!- 22 August (Monday)
Being thankful!
I realized that while I am going this hullabaloo of improving my life and finding things that are more aligned with my likes and my values, I should be really grateful for all the things that I already have. By my own merit, but mostly by sheer dumb luck, I have been blessed with quite a number of things that I value quite a lot, especially now. I write them out here as a way of acknowledging what they mean to me and also to serve as a reminder that I am one really lucky mallu man.
- I am really lucky to have Lisa in my life. I could never have asked for a more kind and supportive partner, who is patiently supporting me in my own mission and inspiring me by her own life. She has been an unending source of happiness for me and I am sure that I wouldn't still be as optimistic as I am today without her.
- I am grateful for my family. In this I include my parents, my brothers and my close friends, who have all been so supportive of me so far and who have given me the benefit of the doubt and not dismissed me as crazy, at least not yet.
- I am happy for all the things I have added to my life. From French to drumming to Sunday soccer and to the random people who make guest appearances every once in a while, they add quite a lot of color to my life and bring me happiness.
Things done:
- 500m (or maybe more) in the Queenstown's sweaty swimming pool. Judging by how hungry I was after, I think that it was a good swim!
- Applied for a kitchen helper position at Lean Bento, Bouna Vista. Fingers crossed.
- Started working on Stage 1 of my MDS Part-Time Educator application. I am definitely nervous about this application. But I think that's a good thing.
- Bought groceries and had a good cooking session with Lisa. Did my first improvised dal recipe. Not the best... but edible! Major victory!
Lessons Learnt: The world does not exist to make Ryan Victor Lawrence happy. Neither does it exist so that I can make a lot of money, have a big house, or be famous.
I am here to do something to make the world a better place, even if it's just a small something.
I realized that while I am going this hullabaloo of improving my life and finding things that are more aligned with my likes and my values, I should be really grateful for all the things that I already have. By my own merit, but mostly by sheer dumb luck, I have been blessed with quite a number of things that I value quite a lot, especially now. I write them out here as a way of acknowledging what they mean to me and also to serve as a reminder that I am one really lucky mallu man.
- I am really lucky to have Lisa in my life. I could never have asked for a more kind and supportive partner, who is patiently supporting me in my own mission and inspiring me by her own life. She has been an unending source of happiness for me and I am sure that I wouldn't still be as optimistic as I am today without her.
- I am grateful for my family. In this I include my parents, my brothers and my close friends, who have all been so supportive of me so far and who have given me the benefit of the doubt and not dismissed me as crazy, at least not yet.
- I am happy for all the things I have added to my life. From French to drumming to Sunday soccer and to the random people who make guest appearances every once in a while, they add quite a lot of color to my life and bring me happiness.
Things done:
- 500m (or maybe more) in the Queenstown's sweaty swimming pool. Judging by how hungry I was after, I think that it was a good swim!
- Applied for a kitchen helper position at Lean Bento, Bouna Vista. Fingers crossed.
- Started working on Stage 1 of my MDS Part-Time Educator application. I am definitely nervous about this application. But I think that's a good thing.
- Bought groceries and had a good cooking session with Lisa. Did my first improvised dal recipe. Not the best... but edible! Major victory!
Lessons Learnt: The world does not exist to make Ryan Victor Lawrence happy. Neither does it exist so that I can make a lot of money, have a big house, or be famous.
I am here to do something to make the world a better place, even if it's just a small something.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 19 August (Friday)
Struggle continues..
Quite a difficult day to convince myself to get about to anything productive!
Things done:
- Posted my second French video blog... 'mon restaurant préféré.' Ended up being much longer than expected, at 2min! Showed it to Lisa, who gave it a PASS mark. No life-threatening mistakes.
- Messed around on the drum kit for a good hour. Added Muse's Time is Running Out to the list of songs to work on. The drummer's tom-work on that song is quite new to me... so a good thing to pick up.
- Went for a swim at Queenstown swimming pool. After getting over my initial sensation that I was swimming in a big pool of sweat, I had a good swim. 500m with a few breaks. Good start with quite a few things to work on.
- French Friday with Lisa. A lot of fun! Managed to meet a few new people, which was nice. Got to speak in French to at least ONE person. Major victory! Had quite a good time with Kumanan and Yong shen too. After French Friday, Lisa and I stayed for the movie- Je fais le mort. Decent movie and a good end to the day.
- Not mentioned was the amount of time I wasted watching YouTube because I couldn't get myself to do things. Not the most encouraging at all!
Lessons Learnt: Sometimes, I should just take a break! Next week, I'll plan for something fun (movie perhaps?) towards the end of the week. That will give me something to work towards and serve as a reward for remaining productive. Otherwise, I start to get cranky!
Quite a difficult day to convince myself to get about to anything productive!
Things done:
- Posted my second French video blog... 'mon restaurant préféré.' Ended up being much longer than expected, at 2min! Showed it to Lisa, who gave it a PASS mark. No life-threatening mistakes.
- Messed around on the drum kit for a good hour. Added Muse's Time is Running Out to the list of songs to work on. The drummer's tom-work on that song is quite new to me... so a good thing to pick up.
- Went for a swim at Queenstown swimming pool. After getting over my initial sensation that I was swimming in a big pool of sweat, I had a good swim. 500m with a few breaks. Good start with quite a few things to work on.
- French Friday with Lisa. A lot of fun! Managed to meet a few new people, which was nice. Got to speak in French to at least ONE person. Major victory! Had quite a good time with Kumanan and Yong shen too. After French Friday, Lisa and I stayed for the movie- Je fais le mort. Decent movie and a good end to the day.
- Not mentioned was the amount of time I wasted watching YouTube because I couldn't get myself to do things. Not the most encouraging at all!
Lessons Learnt: Sometimes, I should just take a break! Next week, I'll plan for something fun (movie perhaps?) towards the end of the week. That will give me something to work towards and serve as a reward for remaining productive. Otherwise, I start to get cranky!
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 18 August (Thursday)
Slowly running out of steam...
Things done:
- Exercise class in the morning at Physical ABuse. It was a good class, but I decided that I should limit myself to two classes a week. That gives me the chance to do other things (like run and swim) and gives me the chance to get a bit more sleep! :p
- Breakfast opposite Raffles Hotel (average kaya toast), followed by small French session at NLB. Studied my second speech, entitled Mon restaurant préféré .. coming soon!
- Submitted my part-time job application to MDS. Big step towards figuring out what else I can do with myself. I'm genuinely happy that this idea came to me. Of course, only time will tell how far this goes.
- Drum class at MDS. Not the best class today.. spent more time gossiping with Rudy rather than playing. Let's not do that again.
- Sat at a Starbucks at the Concourse. Worked on my resume... Added quite a bit more on my time with FGE and tweaked the format. Looks good, but it's now 1.5 pages.. like I was stopped half-way while writing it. Will keep looking into it.
- Football match at Jalan Besar Stadium with Shan. I'll be honest, I didn't expect it to be great.. but it was a lot of fun! It's good that most people don't go watch these games.. that way you notice the weirdos more easily... especially BulBul! Let me just say that the crowd really helped with the experience.
Lessons Learnt: I had a hard time convincing myself to do my vocabulary training today. I feel exhausted and like I'm forcing myself to go through the motions... perhaps it's time for some changes to my routine?
Things done:
- Exercise class in the morning at Physical ABuse. It was a good class, but I decided that I should limit myself to two classes a week. That gives me the chance to do other things (like run and swim) and gives me the chance to get a bit more sleep! :p
- Breakfast opposite Raffles Hotel (average kaya toast), followed by small French session at NLB. Studied my second speech, entitled Mon restaurant préféré .. coming soon!
- Submitted my part-time job application to MDS. Big step towards figuring out what else I can do with myself. I'm genuinely happy that this idea came to me. Of course, only time will tell how far this goes.
- Drum class at MDS. Not the best class today.. spent more time gossiping with Rudy rather than playing. Let's not do that again.
- Sat at a Starbucks at the Concourse. Worked on my resume... Added quite a bit more on my time with FGE and tweaked the format. Looks good, but it's now 1.5 pages.. like I was stopped half-way while writing it. Will keep looking into it.
- Football match at Jalan Besar Stadium with Shan. I'll be honest, I didn't expect it to be great.. but it was a lot of fun! It's good that most people don't go watch these games.. that way you notice the weirdos more easily... especially BulBul! Let me just say that the crowd really helped with the experience.
Lessons Learnt: I had a hard time convincing myself to do my vocabulary training today. I feel exhausted and like I'm forcing myself to go through the motions... perhaps it's time for some changes to my routine?
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 17 August (Wednesday)
Things done today:
- Yoga class in the morning. The SITC workout at One Wellness Fitness Club, Bugis is seriously intense. I was sweating like a man on trial! At least now I know that being bald doesn't help reduce my sweating. Lesson learnt!
- Met Devin after yoga class.Will be getting a coffee with him next week (Wednesday, 24 August) to talk about potential ways in which I can work with him in his start-up. That could be very interesting, but let's see. I do look forward to the conversation.
- Breakfast at Yah Kun, Bugis Junction (peanut butter kaya toast is the best!) and read the newspaper. The debate/fanfare on Joseph Schooling continues. Meanwhile I wonder about the not-successful Singaporean athletes and how they are mostly being ignored. It is true after all... everyone loves a winner.
- Solid one hour of French practice followed by a good drum practice session at home. May not seem like much, but that's a major victory for me!
- 3-7PM at The Pit. Talked to Raphael about his experience at the bar. He has the over-confidence of a kid (which he is) but some good ideas on how to run the business as well. In particular he mentioned how the lack of a good food menu doesn't help the bar differentiate itself. I agree that this would make a difference, particularly in bringing in new customers, especially those who aren't really big drinkers.
Case and point- look at Smokeys (which I feel does have a similar ambiance), where the beer is part of the experience, but not all of it.
- Cooking session with Lisa. Cooked my first batch of mung beans under the influence of one pint of Archipelago's Summer IPA. Something tastes funny...
Lessons learnt: Be open to people and try to listen to what they have to say. They may have thought of things that I never came up with, which could be really helpful in this process.
- Yoga class in the morning. The SITC workout at One Wellness Fitness Club, Bugis is seriously intense. I was sweating like a man on trial! At least now I know that being bald doesn't help reduce my sweating. Lesson learnt!
- Met Devin after yoga class.Will be getting a coffee with him next week (Wednesday, 24 August) to talk about potential ways in which I can work with him in his start-up. That could be very interesting, but let's see. I do look forward to the conversation.
- Breakfast at Yah Kun, Bugis Junction (peanut butter kaya toast is the best!) and read the newspaper. The debate/fanfare on Joseph Schooling continues. Meanwhile I wonder about the not-successful Singaporean athletes and how they are mostly being ignored. It is true after all... everyone loves a winner.
- Solid one hour of French practice followed by a good drum practice session at home. May not seem like much, but that's a major victory for me!
- 3-7PM at The Pit. Talked to Raphael about his experience at the bar. He has the over-confidence of a kid (which he is) but some good ideas on how to run the business as well. In particular he mentioned how the lack of a good food menu doesn't help the bar differentiate itself. I agree that this would make a difference, particularly in bringing in new customers, especially those who aren't really big drinkers.
Case and point- look at Smokeys (which I feel does have a similar ambiance), where the beer is part of the experience, but not all of it.
- Cooking session with Lisa. Cooked my first batch of mung beans under the influence of one pint of Archipelago's Summer IPA. Something tastes funny...
Lessons learnt: Be open to people and try to listen to what they have to say. They may have thought of things that I never came up with, which could be really helpful in this process.
Journal of My Joblessness!- 16 August (Tuesday)
Back into exercise mode!
Things done:
- Good morning session at Fitness First. The SITC Hardcore workout in the morning, followed by some free training in the gym is really very useful for me (although the instructor is psychotic). Will try to keep doing this every week.
And.. the free coffee after the workout is a great plus!
- Breakfast at Starbucks, Rochester. Good reading session on developments in India (read up on Modi's Independence Day speech). Also drafted my application for a part-time position at My Drum School.
- Lunch at Star Vista followed by some French homework. So far so good on keeping in touch with French at least once a day!
- Went home to do some drum practice. Instead, I ended up sorting and uploading our photos from the Scotland-Dublin-Dubai trip. Great to see the photos again. Unfortunately, we aren't that good at taking too many of them. Haha!
- Evening movie with Lisa (and Yong Shen!) at Alliance Francaise. As with most French movies, I left the cinema shrugging.. but I did enjoy it. Gare du Nord- worth the watch.
Lessons learnt: Mixing in important tasks with some more impulsive activities (like sorting out the holiday photos) was really rewarding. The last thing I want is for every day to feel like a chore!
After all, I am the one deciding my schedule nowadays... I should be a lot better at tailoring it to myself.. right?
Things done:
- Good morning session at Fitness First. The SITC Hardcore workout in the morning, followed by some free training in the gym is really very useful for me (although the instructor is psychotic). Will try to keep doing this every week.
And.. the free coffee after the workout is a great plus!
- Breakfast at Starbucks, Rochester. Good reading session on developments in India (read up on Modi's Independence Day speech). Also drafted my application for a part-time position at My Drum School.
- Lunch at Star Vista followed by some French homework. So far so good on keeping in touch with French at least once a day!
- Went home to do some drum practice. Instead, I ended up sorting and uploading our photos from the Scotland-Dublin-Dubai trip. Great to see the photos again. Unfortunately, we aren't that good at taking too many of them. Haha!
- Evening movie with Lisa (and Yong Shen!) at Alliance Francaise. As with most French movies, I left the cinema shrugging.. but I did enjoy it. Gare du Nord- worth the watch.
Lessons learnt: Mixing in important tasks with some more impulsive activities (like sorting out the holiday photos) was really rewarding. The last thing I want is for every day to feel like a chore!
After all, I am the one deciding my schedule nowadays... I should be a lot better at tailoring it to myself.. right?
Monday, August 15, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 15 August (Monday)
One month since my joblessness began!
Things done:
- Drafted the script for my second French blog. It's called.. 'Mon restaurant préféré'.
- Finally changed my official address at the Holland Drive police station. Quite a pleasant experience.
- Drum practice. Set a new target of learning Paramore's Playing God and started incorporating JP Bouvet's tips on ghost-notes in my practice. Good tips for building up left-hand coordination.
- Ran to Commonwealth Stadium for some speed training. Two speed laps on the field followed by two slow rounds of the pitch, and repeat. Good workout.
- Went to Clementi to return a book and have dinner. Good cycling route there- Ulu Pandan park connector.
Lessons learnt: Today I got bored! Having only development-related tasks to do for the day can be tiring! Try to mix them with fun/social activities if possible.
On that note, I'm glad I have a movie lined up for Tuesday night. Something to look forward to.
Things done:
- Drafted the script for my second French blog. It's called.. 'Mon restaurant préféré'.
- Finally changed my official address at the Holland Drive police station. Quite a pleasant experience.
- Drum practice. Set a new target of learning Paramore's Playing God and started incorporating JP Bouvet's tips on ghost-notes in my practice. Good tips for building up left-hand coordination.
- Ran to Commonwealth Stadium for some speed training. Two speed laps on the field followed by two slow rounds of the pitch, and repeat. Good workout.
- Went to Clementi to return a book and have dinner. Good cycling route there- Ulu Pandan park connector.
Lessons learnt: Today I got bored! Having only development-related tasks to do for the day can be tiring! Try to mix them with fun/social activities if possible.
On that note, I'm glad I have a movie lined up for Tuesday night. Something to look forward to.
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 12 August 2016 (Friday)
Interesting day out on the town!
Things done:
- Joined the NParks volunteer group at Fort Canning's Spice Garden in the morning. Interesting and very friendly group of people. Spent my morning transplanting Stevia from waterlogged soil to slightly drier soil. Very relaxing to spend the morning using my hands and hear about things I have never done/thought of before. Also got the chance to try bilimbi, a sour fruit that was previously used for cooking, but isn't very widely available anymore. Sour!
- Met Yong Shen for lunch at Tiong Bahru. Talked to him about joblessness and how to deal with it. Not surprisingly (and unfortunately!), there is no secret to dealing with it. On the plus side, he was reasonably keen to get involved with the video blog idea- I'll check up with him on this later...
- First night shift at The Pit. 6-11PM. Interesting experience.. to say the least. Not the best to be handing out beers to people and not getting to drink myself, but it's nice to be 'working' in such a lively environment. It's quite a fun place. Good atmosphere. Good music.
Lessons Learnt: I had an interesting day because I put things together- working at the Pit, volunteering with the NParks and lunch with Yong Shen. Keep putting together interesting days for yourself, Ryan!
Things done:
- Joined the NParks volunteer group at Fort Canning's Spice Garden in the morning. Interesting and very friendly group of people. Spent my morning transplanting Stevia from waterlogged soil to slightly drier soil. Very relaxing to spend the morning using my hands and hear about things I have never done/thought of before. Also got the chance to try bilimbi, a sour fruit that was previously used for cooking, but isn't very widely available anymore. Sour!
- Met Yong Shen for lunch at Tiong Bahru. Talked to him about joblessness and how to deal with it. Not surprisingly (and unfortunately!), there is no secret to dealing with it. On the plus side, he was reasonably keen to get involved with the video blog idea- I'll check up with him on this later...
- First night shift at The Pit. 6-11PM. Interesting experience.. to say the least. Not the best to be handing out beers to people and not getting to drink myself, but it's nice to be 'working' in such a lively environment. It's quite a fun place. Good atmosphere. Good music.
Lessons Learnt: I had an interesting day because I put things together- working at the Pit, volunteering with the NParks and lunch with Yong Shen. Keep putting together interesting days for yourself, Ryan!
Journal of My Joblessness!- 11 August 2016 (Thursday)
Back in action!
Things done:
- Relaxing morning session in Starbucks, behind Rochester Mall. Found out that it is possible to order 'short' glasses after all! Finally the secret is out.
- Through Foodscape Collective, found out that the NParks has a volunteer gardening session on Friday mornings. Keen to check this out tomorrow (Yup, there really are a lot of interesting people doing cool things out there!)
- Shaved my head after drum class. Immediately I realize that I miss running my hands through my hair. Hahaha!
- Recorded my first French video and uploaded it on Youtube. Happy to have stuck to my word on this. Look out world... there's more to come!
- Celebrated Epi-Lisa with Lisa in Tiong Bahru. After she got over my new look (let's just say she isn't too fond of it!), we had a good time. Got a refreshing Magner's cider at Coq and Balls.
Lessons Learnt: Some things are a lot easier than they may seem at first... like shaving my head! Stick to what you want to do and don't be afraid of the consequences, especially if you've assessed them to be minimal.
Things done:
- Relaxing morning session in Starbucks, behind Rochester Mall. Found out that it is possible to order 'short' glasses after all! Finally the secret is out.
- Through Foodscape Collective, found out that the NParks has a volunteer gardening session on Friday mornings. Keen to check this out tomorrow (Yup, there really are a lot of interesting people doing cool things out there!)
- Shaved my head after drum class. Immediately I realize that I miss running my hands through my hair. Hahaha!
- Recorded my first French video and uploaded it on Youtube. Happy to have stuck to my word on this. Look out world... there's more to come!
- Celebrated Epi-Lisa with Lisa in Tiong Bahru. After she got over my new look (let's just say she isn't too fond of it!), we had a good time. Got a refreshing Magner's cider at Coq and Balls.
Lessons Learnt: Some things are a lot easier than they may seem at first... like shaving my head! Stick to what you want to do and don't be afraid of the consequences, especially if you've assessed them to be minimal.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 10 August 2016 (Wednesday)
Lack of productivity continues!
Recovering from my bout of food poisoning, but not really getting up to much productive work... (sadly!)
Things done:
- Slow morning after a nervous breakfast with Lisa. Got a bit of food down but was worried if I would get another chance to see it again soon.
- Lunch with Faruq. Good to see him again and shoot the breeze with him. Good also to be in town again among all the beautiful and busy people. I could feel my heart rate pick up the minute I stepped out of Raffles Place MRT!
- Reading session at NLB. It's a nice place to just sit, if you ever just want to quietly pass some time.
- Meeting with Agatha (from the Sustainable Living Labs). Very interesting person! Gave up her job at NEA to work on things she is more passionate about- sustainable fashion and other sustainable living initiatives (check Connected Threads, on Facebook). I hope to work with her as a facilitator for her Science Explorer program in September.
- Tea with Lisa after her very successful TAC meeting followed by a great cooking session.
Lessons Learnt: There are very interesting people out there, doing lots of great things! Keep yourself open and available to meeting them!
Recovering from my bout of food poisoning, but not really getting up to much productive work... (sadly!)
Things done:
- Slow morning after a nervous breakfast with Lisa. Got a bit of food down but was worried if I would get another chance to see it again soon.
- Lunch with Faruq. Good to see him again and shoot the breeze with him. Good also to be in town again among all the beautiful and busy people. I could feel my heart rate pick up the minute I stepped out of Raffles Place MRT!
- Reading session at NLB. It's a nice place to just sit, if you ever just want to quietly pass some time.
- Meeting with Agatha (from the Sustainable Living Labs). Very interesting person! Gave up her job at NEA to work on things she is more passionate about- sustainable fashion and other sustainable living initiatives (check Connected Threads, on Facebook). I hope to work with her as a facilitator for her Science Explorer program in September.
- Tea with Lisa after her very successful TAC meeting followed by a great cooking session.
Lessons Learnt: There are very interesting people out there, doing lots of great things! Keep yourself open and available to meeting them!
Journal of My Joblessness!- 08 August 2016 (Monday)
Things slow down!!!
Not the most productive of days... time seemed to just go by me.
- Spruced up the house and the toilet.
- Lunch at Holland Village, followed by a good reading session of "Notes from an Even Smaller Island." Interesting to hear an unbiased view of Singapore from a foreigners point of view. While it does exaggerate some of the negative points of Singapore, they are quite characteristic of the things that I also do see here. I do hope, though, that Neil Humphries goes on to mention some of the good things about it.. or some of the nicer things to do!
- First stint at 'The Pit'. Monday, 3PM-7PM. Quite a boring time, because there was really hardly anyone there. BUT, I got to serve my first beer, ever, and poured out my first pint, ever! Not too shabby, I must say.
- Dinner with Colin after work. Good to catch up with him, but I want to talk less about what I am up to and listen more to what other people are doing and thinking!
Lessons learnt: I have got to stay focused if I do want to accomplish some of my goals for drum practice, French and exercising, especially now that some of my time is spoken for.
Listen more to people, instead of talking. Socializing with different people is important now, I feel.
Not the most productive of days... time seemed to just go by me.
- Spruced up the house and the toilet.
- Lunch at Holland Village, followed by a good reading session of "Notes from an Even Smaller Island." Interesting to hear an unbiased view of Singapore from a foreigners point of view. While it does exaggerate some of the negative points of Singapore, they are quite characteristic of the things that I also do see here. I do hope, though, that Neil Humphries goes on to mention some of the good things about it.. or some of the nicer things to do!
- First stint at 'The Pit'. Monday, 3PM-7PM. Quite a boring time, because there was really hardly anyone there. BUT, I got to serve my first beer, ever, and poured out my first pint, ever! Not too shabby, I must say.
- Dinner with Colin after work. Good to catch up with him, but I want to talk less about what I am up to and listen more to what other people are doing and thinking!
Lessons learnt: I have got to stay focused if I do want to accomplish some of my goals for drum practice, French and exercising, especially now that some of my time is spoken for.
Listen more to people, instead of talking. Socializing with different people is important now, I feel.
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Journal of My Joblessness!- 05 August 2016 (Friday)
A very different day!
- Attended talks at Fusionopolis. Great talk on Artificial Intelligence, Cube Satellites and Allergies. Good to know that people are coming up with some really great things these days.
- Met Lisa for a tea, after which I wrote my first segment for my French video blog.
- Got a call from Murali (from The Pit), who asked me to go down and work from 3PM-7PM on Monday, 8th August. I'm in!
- Met Fazil for dinner. Seeing him for the first time after quite a long time.
Lessons learnt: Change is good!
Attending talks and meeting a friend for dinner was a refreshing change from my usual schedule!
Also, things happen only when you try! I am glad I am getting a chance to work at The Pit. But it just goes to show that nothing will happen unless I push for it.
Journal of My Joblessness!- 04 August 2016 (Thursday)
Things done:
- Yoga session in the morning. Not as intense as yesterday's session, but great to keep active.
- Breakfast at Starbucks. Finalized my resume, sent it to Kevin and Lisa for their comments. Also sent it to Anardako's Gonzalo Cabrera. First job application!
- Figured out that the reply from AF Strasbourg had gone to my junk email. Replied to them and sent the necessary forms to Lisa to print.
- Finished my French homework. Read quite a bit more of the 'Fluent in 3 months' book. Thinking of starting a French video blog during these months before I head to Strasbourg.
- Talked to Awfully Chocolate about the details of their service crew opening. The requirement is 76 hours a month at SG$7/hour. Not great really and the job doesn't look too engaging. Will keep looking.
- Was exhausted by the evening. So I decided to head home early and have a French movie night! Watched "Les Noms Des Gens." Slightly weird movie...
Lessons learnt: Thinking of new ways to learn/having new targets keeps my enthusiasm alive.
I am looking forward to starting my French video blog.
Journal of My Joblessness!- 03 August 2016 (Wednesday)
Productivity continues...
Things done:
- Yoga session at Bugis Village. Really intense. But a good way to start the morning, nonetheless.
- Breakfast at Yah Kun while reading the Today paper. Devoured my breakfast and the paper as well.
- Sat at Starbucks, Bugis Junction, and completed the first draft of my new resume. Kept it short (one page, this time!) and more punchy. I noticed another plus to having interests/hobbies... they make me seem interesting!
- Printed a photo, of Lisa and myself at Kovalam Beach, for Lisa's gift bag tonight. I would like to settle our outstanding argument. It is no longer important who is right or wrong. This has gone on too long.
- Lunch at Bras Basah Complex. My old refuge during my days of depression.
- Salted caramel cone at McD. Not as nice as I thought it would be.
- Browsing session at Central Library. Found some volunteering opportunities at local Family Service Centers. Will keep them in mind and try to email them in the coming days.
- Started the Journal of My Joblessness.
- Spent some time reading 'Fluent in 3 months.' Good inspiration for getting more serious about French.
- Squeezed in half an hour of drum practice.
- Called Alliance Francaise Strasbourg. They mentioned they will respond to my email and that others have also been having issues with their new, improved website. I should have spoken in French to the lady!
- Bought a carrot cake for Lisa. Spent a nice evening with her. She bought me a hot chocolate (76% cocoa!) and I bought her dessert. We agreed not to let our fight go on any further.
Lessons learnt: Quite a lot can be accomplished if i stay focused!
(I am now in good shape to have my updated CV ready by the end of the week. I have also had one exercise session a day and practiced the drums every day so far this week. However, I still have to incorporate French into my daily activities, which I am sure will push me out of my current learning 'plateau.')
Journal of My Joblessness!- 02 August 2016 (Tuesday)
Things done:
- Went to Fitness First for 1 hour of free-training followed by the SITC Hard-Core class. Great start to the SITC campaign.
- Spent the morning in Starbucks, Rochester, working on a new cover letter for future job applications.
- Lunch at home, with Jon Oliver. Lost track of time while watching the show.
- Drum practice for about 1.5 hours.
- Went for Les Femmes du 6e etage with Lisa. Ended up arguing with her over the entire course of the evening and into the night as well. Didn't manage to settle the argument before going to sleep. Was a very nice movie though.
Lessons learnt: There is no point in dragging an argument on for so long. Push yourself to say what needs to be said and move on. The longer it lasts, the more baggage gets added on to an argument. Before you know it, you have a mountain to deal with!
Also, keep track of time and your goals for the day.
Journal of My Joblessness!- 01 August 2016 (Monday)
First FULL week of joblessness.
Things done:
- Started off the day in a grumpy mood. Annoyed Lisa over breakfast.
- Decided not to be unhappy for the whole day.
- Did 1.5 hours of drum practice
- Went to Suntec City to watch 'League of Gods.' Not the best movie choice.
- Had potatoes, IKEA fish and vegetables for lunch at Suntec's Sky Garden
- Updated my French vocabulary book.
- Talked to mom for a while.
- Talked to Murali, at The Pit, about potentially helping out at the bar. Positive first step for trying out 'unconventional jobs.'
- Went for a 6.5 km run and broke my shoes in the process.
- Cooked food for the week with Lisa.
Lessons learnt: It's not going to be easy to stay happy when there is not too much to do. But I must keep putting in effort to stay happy!
Things done:
- Started off the day in a grumpy mood. Annoyed Lisa over breakfast.
- Decided not to be unhappy for the whole day.
- Did 1.5 hours of drum practice
- Went to Suntec City to watch 'League of Gods.' Not the best movie choice.
- Had potatoes, IKEA fish and vegetables for lunch at Suntec's Sky Garden
- Updated my French vocabulary book.
- Talked to mom for a while.
- Talked to Murali, at The Pit, about potentially helping out at the bar. Positive first step for trying out 'unconventional jobs.'
- Went for a 6.5 km run and broke my shoes in the process.
- Cooked food for the week with Lisa.
Lessons learnt: It's not going to be easy to stay happy when there is not too much to do. But I must keep putting in effort to stay happy!
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