30 seconds ago, I have -finally- gotten connected to the internet at home! So HURRAY to blog updates & the ability to go on trading sites. >.<"' I've missed out on so many market rallies because of the inability to get online at work. (the trading sites are all blocked) Ugh.
But for now, something more serious stops me from these- My house was broken into last Mon (!!!) and the burglar(s) (& you thought they only appeared in primary 1 essays!) took away many things (e.g. electronics, watches, bags, wallets, cash, credit cards) and freeformed thousands of dollars on my credit cards. Ughhhhh. >.<''' I was tempted to ask, "Why do so many bad things keep happening to me one after another?" (e.g. unkind folks, car accident, getting a viral infection that left me sick for 3 weeks, house break-in)...And whether it was simply a wrong decision to come to the USA. Then today, revelation struck me. Instead of asking "why", it's more constructive to dissect the matter by asking "how"(yes, age old analytical me that needs an explanation for most things).
"How can I learn to be adaptable under all circumstances?"
"How can I find joy and manage emotions?"
"How can I be resilient?"
"How can I surrender, trust and accept, even if I don't understand?"
It increasingly seems to me like each lesson happens to bring me to the next level that I need to go. I'm a pretty let go, let flow person without much worries but I think these experiences have taught me really not to sweat the small stuff (& to increasingly expand the context of what "small" means!!) Sure, these lessons could have come in kinder forms like learning from the mistakes/ experiences of others - but maybe God wanted to give me a steeper, first-hand learning curve. So anyway, I have digressed from my original point. The burglary has taken up a lot of time from me, from the police reports to looking for a new house so now I have a HUGEEEEEE backlog of CFA studying and work to do...so maybe my blog posts will be sporadic :( Still, I'll stay in touch!!! ^_^
Lesson learned: No one can rob you of your happiness but yourself. :)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The worst is not over...
I see him every night- at 9+pm, 11.30+pm, sometimes 2+am. I only just started seeing him lately around the office since my CFA books arrived. And in the past week, we've become good friends- maybe because there's nobody else in the office after 6pm. Or maybe that's because that's so much I can learn from people who are so humble and have been through different experiences in life. But tonight, he came by my desk and told me it's his last night. He's the security guard patrolling my level. When it comes down to this, you know Corporate America is really hurting. It's a really bad feeling when you can put faces to layoff statistics, one after another. I feel the pain.
Friday, March 27, 2009
18 pounds of knowledge
I discovered today that there's literally weight in knowledge- my 18 pounds (~8.16kg) of CFA books arrived today. (>.<)''' My life now revolves around 4 main buckets:
- Legal rotation assignment
- Corporate finance work, projects, financial model, readings
- CFA preparation
- Volunteer work, church, Couchsurfing gatherings
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Life in the U.S.
Things about me recently:
1. I got Bronchitis and am still recovering from it
2. I've moved to a new place in Koreatown- it's a lovely apt but it has NO INTERNET (yet!)
3. I've been spending a lot of time getting immersed in investment stuff- reading up on corporate finance, building my financial model, books on valuation, keeping abreast of market news, investment perspectives etc. Let the bottom fishing begin!
Ok. boring updates aside, this post promises to be fun and exciting! It is intended to give you an overall view of how life in the U.S. has been for me! :)
Basically, I was -so- flooded with finance stuff, I decided to give myself a break. (Can't believe I gave up going to Las Vegas to read finance right...) And I decided to make a photo & story log of my life in the U.S given how that's what EVERYBODY asks me about when I returned to Singapore. I realized I have been snapping all these photos but I've not been posting most of my life story up cos' of work (accounting was such a pain!).
So THE STORY GOES...
I left my former company on Sept 11 (yes 911) after spending 1 year 1 month 11 days with them... On Sept 12 the very next day, I headed to the U.S. where a different phase of life awaited me:
What am I doing:
I'm basically in a Glooobel Rotation Ploglam (I don't want this to pop up in a search engine) consisting of six 4-month long rotations (that's 2 years) within the investment management business. There's a huge amount of flexibility (& uncertainty) because I never know what I'm going to do next. I've done my first rotation in Finance & Accounting (Irvine, OC) and now, I'm doing my 2nd rotation in Legal/ Compliance (downtown LA) but nobody knows what I'm doing next (& I'll only know 2 weeks PRIOR to starting it).
In the first year, I'm based in Los Angeles because there are 3 classes (4 months each) that I need to attend. They are taught by graduate professors from universities here, including even the Dean from LMU himself! So I take 4 months of Accounting class (recently completed), followed by 4 months of Corporate Finance class (I'm doing that now), followed by 4 months of Investments class. Along with classes come LOTS of homework and readings, exams and projects... which can eat into personal time and get painful at times. But it's all part of the package. After the 1st year, there is much more flexibility in where I'm placed. Past candidates have gone to Geneva, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Canada, New York, DC etc. basically out of LA, depending on business needs and opportunities available.
I was housed in a very pretty beach-side fully furnished corporate apartment (each time I have an assignment OUT of LA, I will be given such luxury!) but as always, the initial pain is in stocking up the food & supplies from scratch...
A new relocation wasn't easy. I had to get used to many things- the road (left hand drive), the crazy traffic, the fact that things are not all in 1 place like a mall in Singapore (they are all stand alone units in different parts of town), LA is really NOT 1 city - rather, it comprises MANY small cities (e.g. Koreatown, Santa Monica, Westside, Brentwood, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance etc.) And then there's the pain of getting a credit card where building a credit history is vitally important. No one here cares if you are earning $1m back home and you come to the U.S - you start from Ground Zero and nobody will give you a credit card cos' they think you're poor and delinquent. -_-"'
I've known my current company is big...But I didn't know it was SOOOOOO big and respected in the industry and that it's really hard to get in (average of 20 interviews to land a job is common). Apparently once someone gets in, they usually spend the rest of their lifetime here. I know this is not easy to fathom, nor can I imagine myself spending the next 40 years of my life here... but increasingly, it looks quite quite plausible as the work-life balance is ridiculously good!! (The office is all empty by like 4pm/5pm) and the compensation in the long run is comfortable as I'm told.
After my initial 3-4 weeks near the beach (Playa del Rey, near Santa Monica), I had to start my first rotation in Irvine, Orange County. Typically, people get 6 weeks of bask-in-the-sun-and-no-need-to-go-to-work-time (yes, that's life huh!) but mine is shorter as I came in later (bummer!). But no complains though as being in OC meant my accommodation was again, provided by the company. :)
The thing about my relocation was I only started packing the night after I ended work on Sept 11 so I literally spent my whole night packing and in the furry, FORGOT TO EXCHANGE ANY USD!!!! (& my credit cards didn't work in the U.S!) In retrospect, maybe it's good since now I can 100% tell that all the $ in my bank account now is 100% income earned from being in the U.S. - scrimping and saving, sometimes suffering and really trying to make ends meet from scratch like an immigrant, you know. :) Along with that, I had to be prudent in my spending so I bought a little car with my signing bonus while the rest of my friends bought sexy Mercedes, Acuras, Mini Cooper etc.
The initial relocation was pretty challenging (we'll get to the REALLY tough part later) so I'm really glad I had people come over to visit: Huiyang, Alissa, my sister, my sworn sister, XT... and more recently, the SMU Cognitare team.
What's my take on being in Los Angeles?
I've already been on several roadtrips in the U.S. when I did all the touristy stuff: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Seattle, Napa Valley, Death Valley and also been to other parts of the U.S. e.g. Washington DC, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Bethlehem, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Reno .... so in a way, being in LA now is kinda relaxing. I don't have the need to go Disneyland or Hollywood or Universal Studios or anything like that for the matter. So it's good just being chilled out like a local... (which's great given that I've soooooo much work to do e.g. accounting, corp finance). I do enjoy taking time to do local stuff e.g. checking out Pumpkin patches during Halloween! :)
In a way, I'm happy for the relocation because I have gotten new experiences and new knowledge: E.g. Halloween, Thanksgiving, knowledge of the U.S. financial markets, fund management etc. But of course, there's always tradeoffs in everything that we do in life and there have also been times when I'm left questioning if this was the right decision...But I guess at some point, I just have to trust that it's all part of "The Divine Plan" God has for me and to live bravely forward and onward! Life is already complicated as it is...there's no need to add on the "What Ifs"...
But along with the apparent "fun" (I think I just look happy because for some reason, we are all engineered to SMILE in PHOTOS)..., this period of relocation has truly been THE MOST CHALLENGING POINT of my life. It could be that life has been relatively straightforward/ smooth-sailing for me in Singapore and being all alone in a foreign land really kicked me out of my comfort zone. At times, I wonder about my past international experience and how they've been GREAT e.g. months in Mexico, Central America, China, India, U.S. respectively etc. but then I realized the difference now is that I'm WORKING, there's NO TURNING BACK/ NO END-POINT and there's NO FRIENDS. vs. exchange programs are somewhat fun, friends-filled trips.
The loneliness can sometimes be too hard to bear...so I'm always excited and delighted to hear that there are people visiting me! :P In particular, I need to give thanks to Jason - who has been a big help during the times when I was so lonely. It turned out that he was stationed in San Diego for training with the U.S. Navy (just 1.5hours drive from Orange County) for like 3-4months... This period of time was also where I distinguished -real- friends from -french fries- friends (as kids, you know you have friends that just disappear when the french fries were gone?) So certain people just became more important in my life (you know who you are) and this cementing of our bond is something irreplaceable in my life. :) I will forever be deeply grateful to you. :) The same goes to my family... esp. my mom!! our conversations...oh boy... n my sisters and their encouraging emails...
Given that I decided to take up the job because I wanted to combine international experience with professional experience, how could I resist the times to go do fun stuff? :P Whenever someone visits (e.g. Cheryl, XT) and time works out on my end, we try to do "uncommon" stuff together e.g. heading to snow play at BIG BEAR!!! (sorry Alissa mi amor, I was -sooooo00- swamped n boring when you visited me... :(( )
and to take the chance to explore the area. E.g. I only really traveled to the beaches in Orange County when Versaille's mom and XT were here. :P So I went to work at 6am so I could leave at 3pm to catch the sunset at the beach with them :)) See what I mean by good work life balance? :)
Post the horrible car accident, I got myself a new car...which marked a momentarily upward reversal of my life when colleagues played a crucial part in raising my happiness index. They opened up their homes and opened up their hearts and it was a moment to be thankful about at Thanksgiving :P
For those who don't quite know why relocation has been tough for me, I guess it's part loneliness, part solitude, part feeling like I don't know why I'm spending weekends on academic work and not going out to explore (there's always this travel bug in me), part car accident and part opportunity costs of home and friends and probably, part realization that there's only -this- much you can get closer to people here and that many things are not within your control. Much of it has to do with being in touch with myself and learning that I cannot please everyone.
Thankfully though, I have also met some REALLY nice people and lifelong friends! :p
So basically that's my life story from 12 Sept 2008 till 26 Jan 2009 when I went back to Singapore. The next post and photos on my Singapore CNY trip will come soon! followed by photos and the day-by-day building of my new house in Koreatown! :) Stay tuned! ^_^ Oh..and don't forget, I still don't have internet connection so my next post might take a while. :)
1. I got Bronchitis and am still recovering from it
2. I've moved to a new place in Koreatown- it's a lovely apt but it has NO INTERNET (yet!)
3. I've been spending a lot of time getting immersed in investment stuff- reading up on corporate finance, building my financial model, books on valuation, keeping abreast of market news, investment perspectives etc. Let the bottom fishing begin!
Ok. boring updates aside, this post promises to be fun and exciting! It is intended to give you an overall view of how life in the U.S. has been for me! :)
Basically, I was -so- flooded with finance stuff, I decided to give myself a break. (Can't believe I gave up going to Las Vegas to read finance right...) And I decided to make a photo & story log of my life in the U.S given how that's what EVERYBODY asks me about when I returned to Singapore. I realized I have been snapping all these photos but I've not been posting most of my life story up cos' of work (accounting was such a pain!).
So THE STORY GOES...
I left my former company on Sept 11 (yes 911) after spending 1 year 1 month 11 days with them... On Sept 12 the very next day, I headed to the U.S. where a different phase of life awaited me:
What am I doing:
I'm basically in a Glooobel Rotation Ploglam (I don't want this to pop up in a search engine) consisting of six 4-month long rotations (that's 2 years) within the investment management business. There's a huge amount of flexibility (& uncertainty) because I never know what I'm going to do next. I've done my first rotation in Finance & Accounting (Irvine, OC) and now, I'm doing my 2nd rotation in Legal/ Compliance (downtown LA) but nobody knows what I'm doing next (& I'll only know 2 weeks PRIOR to starting it).
In the first year, I'm based in Los Angeles because there are 3 classes (4 months each) that I need to attend. They are taught by graduate professors from universities here, including even the Dean from LMU himself! So I take 4 months of Accounting class (recently completed), followed by 4 months of Corporate Finance class (I'm doing that now), followed by 4 months of Investments class. Along with classes come LOTS of homework and readings, exams and projects... which can eat into personal time and get painful at times. But it's all part of the package. After the 1st year, there is much more flexibility in where I'm placed. Past candidates have gone to Geneva, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Canada, New York, DC etc. basically out of LA, depending on business needs and opportunities available.
I was housed in a very pretty beach-side fully furnished corporate apartment (each time I have an assignment OUT of LA, I will be given such luxury!) but as always, the initial pain is in stocking up the food & supplies from scratch...
A new relocation wasn't easy. I had to get used to many things- the road (left hand drive), the crazy traffic, the fact that things are not all in 1 place like a mall in Singapore (they are all stand alone units in different parts of town), LA is really NOT 1 city - rather, it comprises MANY small cities (e.g. Koreatown, Santa Monica, Westside, Brentwood, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance etc.) And then there's the pain of getting a credit card where building a credit history is vitally important. No one here cares if you are earning $1m back home and you come to the U.S - you start from Ground Zero and nobody will give you a credit card cos' they think you're poor and delinquent. -_-"'
I've known my current company is big...But I didn't know it was SOOOOOO big and respected in the industry and that it's really hard to get in (average of 20 interviews to land a job is common). Apparently once someone gets in, they usually spend the rest of their lifetime here. I know this is not easy to fathom, nor can I imagine myself spending the next 40 years of my life here... but increasingly, it looks quite quite plausible as the work-life balance is ridiculously good!! (The office is all empty by like 4pm/5pm) and the compensation in the long run is comfortable as I'm told.
After my initial 3-4 weeks near the beach (Playa del Rey, near Santa Monica), I had to start my first rotation in Irvine, Orange County. Typically, people get 6 weeks of bask-in-the-sun-and-no-need-to-go-to-work-time (yes, that's life huh!) but mine is shorter as I came in later (bummer!). But no complains though as being in OC meant my accommodation was again, provided by the company. :)
The thing about my relocation was I only started packing the night after I ended work on Sept 11 so I literally spent my whole night packing and in the furry, FORGOT TO EXCHANGE ANY USD!!!! (& my credit cards didn't work in the U.S!) In retrospect, maybe it's good since now I can 100% tell that all the $ in my bank account now is 100% income earned from being in the U.S. - scrimping and saving, sometimes suffering and really trying to make ends meet from scratch like an immigrant, you know. :) Along with that, I had to be prudent in my spending so I bought a little car with my signing bonus while the rest of my friends bought sexy Mercedes, Acuras, Mini Cooper etc.
The initial relocation was pretty challenging (we'll get to the REALLY tough part later) so I'm really glad I had people come over to visit: Huiyang, Alissa, my sister, my sworn sister, XT... and more recently, the SMU Cognitare team.
What's my take on being in Los Angeles?
I've already been on several roadtrips in the U.S. when I did all the touristy stuff: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Seattle, Napa Valley, Death Valley and also been to other parts of the U.S. e.g. Washington DC, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Bethlehem, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Reno .... so in a way, being in LA now is kinda relaxing. I don't have the need to go Disneyland or Hollywood or Universal Studios or anything like that for the matter. So it's good just being chilled out like a local... (which's great given that I've soooooo much work to do e.g. accounting, corp finance). I do enjoy taking time to do local stuff e.g. checking out Pumpkin patches during Halloween! :)
In a way, I'm happy for the relocation because I have gotten new experiences and new knowledge: E.g. Halloween, Thanksgiving, knowledge of the U.S. financial markets, fund management etc. But of course, there's always tradeoffs in everything that we do in life and there have also been times when I'm left questioning if this was the right decision...But I guess at some point, I just have to trust that it's all part of "The Divine Plan" God has for me and to live bravely forward and onward! Life is already complicated as it is...there's no need to add on the "What Ifs"...
But along with the apparent "fun" (I think I just look happy because for some reason, we are all engineered to SMILE in PHOTOS)..., this period of relocation has truly been THE MOST CHALLENGING POINT of my life. It could be that life has been relatively straightforward/ smooth-sailing for me in Singapore and being all alone in a foreign land really kicked me out of my comfort zone. At times, I wonder about my past international experience and how they've been GREAT e.g. months in Mexico, Central America, China, India, U.S. respectively etc. but then I realized the difference now is that I'm WORKING, there's NO TURNING BACK/ NO END-POINT and there's NO FRIENDS. vs. exchange programs are somewhat fun, friends-filled trips.
The loneliness can sometimes be too hard to bear...so I'm always excited and delighted to hear that there are people visiting me! :P In particular, I need to give thanks to Jason - who has been a big help during the times when I was so lonely. It turned out that he was stationed in San Diego for training with the U.S. Navy (just 1.5hours drive from Orange County) for like 3-4months... This period of time was also where I distinguished -real- friends from -french fries- friends (as kids, you know you have friends that just disappear when the french fries were gone?) So certain people just became more important in my life (you know who you are) and this cementing of our bond is something irreplaceable in my life. :) I will forever be deeply grateful to you. :) The same goes to my family... esp. my mom!! our conversations...oh boy... n my sisters and their encouraging emails...
Given that I decided to take up the job because I wanted to combine international experience with professional experience, how could I resist the times to go do fun stuff? :P Whenever someone visits (e.g. Cheryl, XT) and time works out on my end, we try to do "uncommon" stuff together e.g. heading to snow play at BIG BEAR!!! (sorry Alissa mi amor, I was -sooooo00- swamped n boring when you visited me... :(( )
and to take the chance to explore the area. E.g. I only really traveled to the beaches in Orange County when Versaille's mom and XT were here. :P So I went to work at 6am so I could leave at 3pm to catch the sunset at the beach with them :)) See what I mean by good work life balance? :)
Post the horrible car accident, I got myself a new car...which marked a momentarily upward reversal of my life when colleagues played a crucial part in raising my happiness index. They opened up their homes and opened up their hearts and it was a moment to be thankful about at Thanksgiving :P
For those who don't quite know why relocation has been tough for me, I guess it's part loneliness, part solitude, part feeling like I don't know why I'm spending weekends on academic work and not going out to explore (there's always this travel bug in me), part car accident and part opportunity costs of home and friends and probably, part realization that there's only -this- much you can get closer to people here and that many things are not within your control. Much of it has to do with being in touch with myself and learning that I cannot please everyone.
Thankfully though, I have also met some REALLY nice people and lifelong friends! :p
So basically that's my life story from 12 Sept 2008 till 26 Jan 2009 when I went back to Singapore. The next post and photos on my Singapore CNY trip will come soon! followed by photos and the day-by-day building of my new house in Koreatown! :) Stay tuned! ^_^ Oh..and don't forget, I still don't have internet connection so my next post might take a while. :)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
I am sick!
... And that isn't a great feeling. I'm blowing hot & cold, having achey bones, feeling feverish, coughing like I've got tuberculosis, waking up at night with bloody phlegm stuck in my throat, losing my voice, having a nose that has a marathon of its own... ugh. It's TERRIBLE... I'm really starting to think that my falling sick index has an inverse relationship with my happiness index. (ie. when happiness index goes down, sick index goes up!)
It's also terrible that I don't know what clinic to go to. I've got the PPO health insurance that's supposed to cover my medical expenses but I have no idea what clinic is available. Blackberry is flat and so is handphone. Good thing is...Sworn just arrived to Los Angeles - so I drove 1.5hours to pick her up (bad peak hour traffic) but ended up as a cold wrapped up turkey on her bed. It's 10.30pm- we've talked for 3 hours non-stop and we're both HUNGRY... Hopefully I can push back my meeting tmr and go see the doctor... Ugh... :(
On an aside note, Sworn is TERRIBLE! I called her first thing after I ended my Corp Finance class and she could evidently hear that I was sick and the first thing she said was, "Huh....then if I stay with you, will I fall sick anot?" WAH. CHAMPION lor... -_-"' hrmmmmmpf. So thoughtful leh. >.<
It's also terrible that I don't know what clinic to go to. I've got the PPO health insurance that's supposed to cover my medical expenses but I have no idea what clinic is available. Blackberry is flat and so is handphone. Good thing is...Sworn just arrived to Los Angeles - so I drove 1.5hours to pick her up (bad peak hour traffic) but ended up as a cold wrapped up turkey on her bed. It's 10.30pm- we've talked for 3 hours non-stop and we're both HUNGRY... Hopefully I can push back my meeting tmr and go see the doctor... Ugh... :(
On an aside note, Sworn is TERRIBLE! I called her first thing after I ended my Corp Finance class and she could evidently hear that I was sick and the first thing she said was, "Huh....then if I stay with you, will I fall sick anot?" WAH. CHAMPION lor... -_-"' hrmmmmmpf. So thoughtful leh. >.<
Friday, February 27, 2009
taxes & legal woes
I can no longer resist not blogging - so I'm now using my company's network to blog. >.< Filing taxes are such a pain. They're taking forever...and all these forms (e.g. Form 1099-SA & U.S. Form 5498-SA) don't make any sense to me. I'm going to let my Deloitte tax planners take over - I guess they're here for a reason.
- / -
SMU friends from the Business Case team are here to compete in the Case Competition at USC (University of Southern California). ATAS school, seriously pretty & super expensive. I have to go back some time to snap photos on a weekend or something. For now, these friends are keeping me really busy. Since moving to LA, I've also gotten to know a whole big bunch of Singaporeans! - most are studying at USC (grad sch mostly), some are working. We've been hanging out, doing what Singaporeans do best- EATING!!!! almost every day!, so that's really really cool!! :) It's a super welcoming, refreshing change from my somewhat lonely Orange County OC life.
- / -
I have moved into my new place in Korea Town and I'm LOVING IT!!!! It's really nice & spacious, cool and bright. And I'm having alot of fun doing it up since it came completely unfurnished. But given that I'm here for only 4 months, it's a personal challenge trying to make it nice without burning too much holes in the pocket. :) I've been taking photos faithfully to all the day-by-day improvements/ additions to the house but I have no internet in the house yet (USD$79/mth just for basic Wi-Fi!!!) so maybe photos will come later...
- / -
SIA tickets to LA are just SGD$1500 round trip!!! (all surcharges included). China Airlines is charging SGD$1200 from what I hear. Craziness!!! So if you're thinking of coming up, let me know! I am going to buy 2 more Queen size beds tomorrow since my family is coming up in June... so you are always invited to come visit! (with a nice comfy bed for you!) ^_^
- / -
Back to filing taxes... :( Jeremy's driving down from San Francisco while my sister is having her layover up in San Francisco this weekend. So near yet so far. Till later, take care -
- / -
SMU friends from the Business Case team are here to compete in the Case Competition at USC (University of Southern California). ATAS school, seriously pretty & super expensive. I have to go back some time to snap photos on a weekend or something. For now, these friends are keeping me really busy. Since moving to LA, I've also gotten to know a whole big bunch of Singaporeans! - most are studying at USC (grad sch mostly), some are working. We've been hanging out, doing what Singaporeans do best- EATING!!!! almost every day!, so that's really really cool!! :) It's a super welcoming, refreshing change from my somewhat lonely Orange County OC life.
- / -
I have moved into my new place in Korea Town and I'm LOVING IT!!!! It's really nice & spacious, cool and bright. And I'm having alot of fun doing it up since it came completely unfurnished. But given that I'm here for only 4 months, it's a personal challenge trying to make it nice without burning too much holes in the pocket. :) I've been taking photos faithfully to all the day-by-day improvements/ additions to the house but I have no internet in the house yet (USD$79/mth just for basic Wi-Fi!!!) so maybe photos will come later...
- / -
SIA tickets to LA are just SGD$1500 round trip!!! (all surcharges included). China Airlines is charging SGD$1200 from what I hear. Craziness!!! So if you're thinking of coming up, let me know! I am going to buy 2 more Queen size beds tomorrow since my family is coming up in June... so you are always invited to come visit! (with a nice comfy bed for you!) ^_^
- / -
Back to filing taxes... :( Jeremy's driving down from San Francisco while my sister is having her layover up in San Francisco this weekend. So near yet so far. Till later, take care -
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Out of action
I've been seemingly out of action but really, it's just been too much action. Was in downtown LA / korea town over the weekend checking out apartments after apartments. The week was then spent wrapping up by current project work, completing numerous reviews: rotational review, accounting class review, annual review...
One key component of the program I'm in is really in the self-awareness/ review piece. Reviews seem to be endless! But beyond the professional reviews, there have been many times when the personal piece comes into play. I've been in situations that test my perception of myself and others. They rebuild my understanding of life with foundational blocks of self and people awareness.
Ok, it's 12mn now and I need to get up at 4am to head to LA.. More packing to go. Will update again soon! Fyi- I have finished my 1st rotation in Finance & Accounting and will be moving to Downtown Los Angeles for my 2nd rotation in Legal- hence, the need to relocate all over again...
One key component of the program I'm in is really in the self-awareness/ review piece. Reviews seem to be endless! But beyond the professional reviews, there have been many times when the personal piece comes into play. I've been in situations that test my perception of myself and others. They rebuild my understanding of life with foundational blocks of self and people awareness.
Ok, it's 12mn now and I need to get up at 4am to head to LA.. More packing to go. Will update again soon! Fyi- I have finished my 1st rotation in Finance & Accounting and will be moving to Downtown Los Angeles for my 2nd rotation in Legal- hence, the need to relocate all over again...
Saturday, February 14, 2009
The New Jumping Shot
I'm going to try this the next time instead of the usual jumping shots I do.. :p
Thursday, February 12, 2009
PIMCO
Met up with T for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant before he lives for Taiwan & China tomorrow. Also took the chance to visit his office in PIMCO - the world-class fixed income manager right here in Orange County. Emmm....it didn't feel special and when I asked about the company's culture, he told me they were only a bunch of extreme workaholics.
They laid testament to the oft-repeated, "Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration"; and once again, reaffirmed my believe that I am really lucky to be working where I am- a place where people don't feel like they're machines. Feels like this is a company with a soul.
- / -
I'm going to spend Valentine's Day apartment-viewing! I've got 12 viewings scheduled over the weekend in Korea Town (less than 10km from Hollywood) so hopefully I can find a nice place for myself! :) I hope they allow me to paint the walls...I'm already thinking of all the ways I can make my new home truly mine.
They laid testament to the oft-repeated, "Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration"; and once again, reaffirmed my believe that I am really lucky to be working where I am- a place where people don't feel like they're machines. Feels like this is a company with a soul.
- / -
I'm going to spend Valentine's Day apartment-viewing! I've got 12 viewings scheduled over the weekend in Korea Town (less than 10km from Hollywood) so hopefully I can find a nice place for myself! :) I hope they allow me to paint the walls...I'm already thinking of all the ways I can make my new home truly mine.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Back Home
1 day before I came back, my manager asked me, "So are you all ready to come home?"
Funny. He meant home as in Los Angeles. But as I wondered about it, I'm not quite sure where home is. They say, home is where the heart is. But where is my heart exactly? I don't know the definitive answer to that. Thoughts that bounce in my head include:
- Professionally for now, it could really be in Los Angeles where I have my independence. In the short 2 weeks that I was in Singapore, I've constantly felt overwhelmed by the working class with the trudging feet and clicking heels that swarmed Raffles Place. It made me feel like a part of my individuality was lost.
- Personally, I'd definitely like to go back to work/ live in Asia. And of course, family and friends matter so much! It was definitely therapeutic just to be back, soaking in the comfort of familiarity and relationships.
- But another thought entered my head. If home is where the heart is, maybe anywhere can be home if I find the love of my life. A friend recently told me, "Women are like Christmas Log Cakes." He left me to guess why.
I have the supposed answer - "Nobody touches them after the 25th" - ugh, great. This is my year.
- / -
Am swamped with catching up with my Finance class, wrapping up my current project, packing up and looking for a new place to live as I have to move out by next Saturday 2359 hrs! If I don't blog that often, you know why!
Funny. He meant home as in Los Angeles. But as I wondered about it, I'm not quite sure where home is. They say, home is where the heart is. But where is my heart exactly? I don't know the definitive answer to that. Thoughts that bounce in my head include:
- Professionally for now, it could really be in Los Angeles where I have my independence. In the short 2 weeks that I was in Singapore, I've constantly felt overwhelmed by the working class with the trudging feet and clicking heels that swarmed Raffles Place. It made me feel like a part of my individuality was lost.
- Personally, I'd definitely like to go back to work/ live in Asia. And of course, family and friends matter so much! It was definitely therapeutic just to be back, soaking in the comfort of familiarity and relationships.
- But another thought entered my head. If home is where the heart is, maybe anywhere can be home if I find the love of my life. A friend recently told me, "Women are like Christmas Log Cakes." He left me to guess why.
I have the supposed answer - "Nobody touches them after the 25th" - ugh, great. This is my year.
- / -
Am swamped with catching up with my Finance class, wrapping up my current project, packing up and looking for a new place to live as I have to move out by next Saturday 2359 hrs! If I don't blog that often, you know why!
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