Jan 23, 2009 11:12 PM
work, work and more work
joyce and i were just talking about how jan has zoomed us by. it's near the end of jan and it just seemed like it was yesterday that it was the turn of 2009! it's scary in that way 'cause when i look back and reflect on what exactly did i accomplish in jan, the result is that it's virtually nothing except working. work has been really boring but i suppose all jobs are boring after a while. the great thing about this job is that if you're not busy, you can do your own stuff like read books or mags but i suppose the pay isn't that good since the hours are relatively short compared to other desk jobs and the darn cpf deduction ): can't wait for the pay rise in feb!
work has also opened my eyes to different kinds of people. i must admit i'm not used to it. i've been brought up in an english speaking environment and most of my groups of friends converse in eng, with the exception of the conversations i have with ah-ma. but i'm perfectly comfortable with her speaking in mandarin and me replying in english. i've grown so used to it that i don't even notice it but people do comment the manner we converse in is funny but it works for us (:
at work though, quite a number of them converse in mandarin and when they talk to me, naturally i reply in english and the subsequent replies by the other party switch from eng to mandarin and back again. it's pretty weird that way and i'm still trying to get used to it. they also have pretty different mentalities from me like they may be more traditional. i guess it's all about keeping an open mind.
one thing work has done for me though, is to revive my chinese. i know i suck pretty much at it. in dec when i had to start conversing in mandarin on the phone again, i was really rusty. most of the chinese words flew out of my head after 1 year of not using it and i really hated receiving chinese calls. but right now i'm more neutral to receiving chinese calls and my chinese vocabulary has expanded although i still communicate in broken chinese. my mum is very pleased that i have to communicate in chinese, she's all for conversing more in mandarin since she thinks china is gonna be a superpower with job opportunities and all.
speaking of job opportunities, that reminds me that i'm blessed to have this job although it's boring and doesn't have a very good pay. everyone's saying that unemployment rate is going up and i know it's quite tough to get jobs now for those who are waiting for results. the additional point of this job is that it has pretty good credentials. i have to thank joyce and hannah for getting me this job. (:
this post seems to be all about my job which is pretty apt since it's what my life revolves around now. it isn't exactly healthy since i should be having a balance and focusing on my personal life and what i want to do as well. so far it's just driving, shopping and movie outings (caught twilight, transporter 3 and ip man) so i'll probably have to be more active in pursuing my other interests. oh and planning for sydney trip! (: