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!

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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?

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.

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?

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!