Getting wiser - Day 2

Day 2 saw a spew of blood-tinted saliva on my pillowcase. Yucks. The effect of anaesthesia, a swollen cheek and leaking saliva.

But on the brighter side of things, I actually survived Day 2 without painkillers! It has to be a combination of one or more of these factors: (1) a wonderful God, (2) a wonderful highly skilled surgeon, (3) wonderfully high platelet count, (4) wonderfully high threshold of pain.

In any case, given that I'm not as 'impaired' as I imagined I would be (I mean just think about sawing bones, cutting gums, drilling teeth...it ain't pretty right?) - I got around to thinking about loads of stuff today. One of which was about life and career etc.

It dawned upon me that the notion that one can do anything is clearly liberating. But life without constraints has also proved a recipe for endless searching, endless questioning of aspirations. It has made our generation obsessed with self-development but eventually, living is as much about closing possibilities as it is about creating them.

I came up with the 3 things important to job satisfaction in a job:

1) Clear relationship between effort and reward
2) Complexity/ Steep learning curve
3) Autonomy

Do you agree? Do you not? Am I missing anything?

Not so 'wise' anymore - Day 1

Since it's not everyday that we move wisdom tooth, I decided to blog abt it. I had watched crazy videos about it on youtube:

So I kinda knew what I was getting in to, only the night before the surgery. Thankfully, my experience was quite ok. AT LEAST FOR NOW since I'm still numb. I changed my appt from 9am to 2pm so I could go stuff myself full and not have to eat dinner after the operation. That didn't know our and thank God for friends like Ger who brought me preserved egg porridge!~ :-)

Anyway, I got to the clinic. First, I was pasted with stickers that monitored the heart beat, blood pressure etc. then they used a (strawberry flavored!) gel to numb the gums. Then I was sedated via jabs to the right hand. That one was a little painful when Dr. Elliot tried to inject the anaesthetic. However, my hand soon got swollen as she found out that the anaesthetic was going into other veins and not the main one (!!!), and I got ANOTHER jab this time on my right inner wrist. GrRrRr... anyway, I almost don't know what happened because I don't recall them asking me to open my mouth or to tell me that they were going to inject the anaesthetic into my gums...I must have already been konked out.

By the time I regained consciousness (yes, I must have zonked out since I don't remember my inquisitive mind asking them any question about what they were doing..LOL), I heard some funny sounds (drilling? / sewing?) and I was told that my surgery was completed. Crazy fast - like 40mins or something.

Dr. Elliot had a SAW ...apparently she does facial reconstruction at Mount E - which was why Dr. Lee Hsien Loong recommended me to her. :-) For the top dollars I was paying, I must say she did a great job! :) at least for now. Post surgery, I was able to eat an egg tart, and also finish Ger's porridge. =) The bleeding has also stopped/ lessened. Good job, Platelets!

I was told the pain and swelling will probably set in on the 2nd day... so I'll write tomorrow and we'll see! :) I guess when you SAW THROUGH A BONE, RIP OPEN GUMS and DRILL THROUGH TEETH, it would be unbelievable to believe that there's no pain! :(

Serendipitous Coalescence of Fate

I met Mr. K today in a "Serendipitous coalescence of fate" (as he puts it), who taught me many things.

1. Be audacious
   
2. Build bridges, not walls
   
   
3. You don't always have to be right
4. Do your homework
   
   
5. Find common grounds
   
   
6. Don't be contaminated
   
   
7. Think creative and invest early
   
   
8. Think long term
   
   
9. You reap what you sow
   
   
10. Stand tall and look far from your rubble of failures
11. Enjoy life and take time to recharge
    
    

And then I saw all these lessons repeated on this really incredible blog. WOW. You really have to go check this blog out.

On Eulogies

I've sometimes wondered How I would die. Scary, I know. And I have an almost eerie track record of predicting the inevitable. As a kid, my prayers always ended off with, "Dear God, please don't let an Aedes mosquito sting me tonight so I won't die of dengue fever". That was about the worst way I knew of dying as an eight-year old. I ended up mistaking my dengue fever in 2006 as an exam fever.

These days, of course, I've learned countless new ways of dying. My car accident in Los Angeles was one such reminder. So were the bombs in Mumbai, the floods I swam in, the riots metres from me, and the armed stalker in D.C.

Perhaps too much of self-help literature and philosophy have gotten to me that I have always found the greatest lessons in Eulogies, or of books related to dying. Think "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "The Last Lecture". The best way to live is when you've learned to die. Of course no one really knows what it's like - but just imagine how much more passionate and vivacious one's day would be if one knew Today's It.

I just spent nearly an hour pouring through Mrs. Lee's eulogies. I left feeling deeply saddened that we have lost her. Our lives have not crossed up till now. Yet it's proof that if someone can make an impact when she's not around, just think about the opportunity right here, right now to make an impact when you're still alive.

Some takeaways: always be there for your spouse and children, shine bright, live humbly, treat people with kindness, work hard - yet know that work isn't everything, make time to write letters, read widely, smile often, develop intuition, think long-term, make a difference.

I've sometimes wondered How I would die. But I guess the better question is, How would I live.

My World's #1 Jiemei! ^_^

A good life means sharing the good times...

the bad times and also the silly times...

You're my #1 Jiemei! Thank you for all that you are, and have been. Patience, creativity, voice of reason, the big brain... Couldn't have asked for more. Sworn!! See what you're missing??? We miss you!!!

Beautiful people

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”

It is really the most heartfelt sharing that really bonds the soul and uplifts the spirit. Tough times reveal the most beautiful spirits and genuine hearts. I'm so glad old friends are here to keep each other grounded and real. :)

The Bet

Hi Chris: Please help me win a $10 bet with Z. I bet her that the first guy who takes her to lunch in SIN (where she begins Aug 10) will hold her chair as she sits. She says no way any guy in Asia will do that (only Americans!) but I am sure she is wrong. Please take her to lunch the first day, hold her chair for her, and I will split the $10 with you. Many thanks, Paul

Paul won the bet. :) How not to when he's the vice-chairman of the company and industry heavyweight? But to have someone so senior do this - it sometimes makes me think I made the right choice when I chose to leave SG. Anyway... I think I wasn't supposed to deface the bill...oops. -_-'''

Becoming an analyst

So...an article was written today... about my job.

"What qualifies university psychology majors, Fulbright scholars or students of medieval history to be part of Co. C? For one thing, they need to be exceptional at their endeavors.

Today, Co. C recruits globally and reviews several thousand resumés annually (for just 5 spots).

How are “smart” candidates identified? Of course, they must be accomplished academically, from a very young age. But that’s just one of many criteria.

“We look for super-curious people who are always exploring new things,” says Will. “We also want them to have strong, demonstrated problem-solving skills. Overall, we’re looking for those who are exceptional and have potential to be long-term contributors, but don’t know exactly what they want to do."

But ... I'm not sure if it's that straightforward as proving your worth as a long-term contributor. I'm feeling so lonely in SF now. This is just Day 3 of a 1 week business trip and I can almost hardly bear it. Maybe it's the dinner too - I hate eating alone. Wenwen told me, "You should not become an analyst, I think it is lonely". I agree.

Stars and Planets out there

A good buddy of mine said this to me today, in the context of a conversation where we were talking about just how uncannily similar we were -

"I have the crazy stamina perhaps for running/outdoors sports...you have the intensity and focus that I could only dream for...you work hard at working/studying....I work extremely hard at trying not to work...so the roots of our energies are similar, but their manifestations, starkly different. If you are from Venus, then I am from Mars. But we are both out there."

I thought it was really elegant. And I'm posting this as a reminder to myself that this is one thing (friend) I'll miss when I have to leave in 2 weeks... But at least something good's come out of these 2 years!

"The stars are out there for a reason, however. To remind us that it is not about us, it is about them...we are inconsequential in the larger scheme of things. So strive to be happy in the moment, and cherish the good times we do have right now:)"

When one door closes,

at least another opens. Or maybe if you look hard enough, a window opens. Hopefully, a window of opportunity? Sometimes you just can't be greedy. You have to say no to things/ people that don't matter, so that you can say yes to those that do.

Just half a month more and I will have to say byebye to the USA...time really flies... I'm feeling nostalgic already!