Relieved

Just receieved a piece of news that will change my professional life come early 2010. Having endured some of the most challenging times of my working life in my current job, I am happy, but mostly relieved, that I can finally close this chapter of my professional life.

While I’d be lying to say that I didn’t learn a single thing in the past 4 years, I would be lying to say that the work has enriched me at the personal and professional level. Stagnation is a more suitable word to define this period of time. There were times where I had to shift into “reverse gear” just to cater to the whims and fancies of certain people.

I am just glad that all of the above will come to pass come next year. It is difficult to know how I will thrive in my next phase of my working life, but I do know that I am going to a better place and my skills and qualities will be more fully engaged and utilised.

Till then, my focus now would be a smooth transition to my in-laws place, have a great year end festive celebrations and then usher in the life-changing 2010!

Therapy for pain

I overheard on the radio today that researchers have found out that the very act of having a mental picture of your loved one, i.e. spouse or partner, has the effect of lessening physical pain felt by a person.

The DJ jested that we should place a photo of spouse in the working environment so that we can enjoy this psychological benefit.

Being the sceptical person that I am, I do believe that the photo, of me and my wife, placed on my office desk has subconsiously got me through emotionally painful and stressful moments when handling certain people at work.

I have just changed the ‘lock screen’ picture of my handphone with a photo of me and my wife too.

Moving on

In slightly more than 3 weeks, I will be moving out of my comfort zone into the unknown. Perhaps that’s an exaggeration since it’s simply a physical shift from having my own place to living with the in-laws.

To be honest, my wife’s parents are easy to get a long and they both dote us. According to my wife, her mother has a soft spot for me. Well, I can only hope that the ’spot’ remains soft when we stay under one roof. That’s when she will see all my good and, mostly bad, habits, which only my wife is aware of.

I really do not know what to expect since I have never stayed with my in-laws for extended periods of time. That said, I am prepared to lose some of my much treasured privacy and freedom to do whatever I like.

Spending countless hours in front of the PC monitor, for a nice game of WoW, or the telly, to watch my Korean dramas, could be a thing of the past. Perhaps the only positive thing is that I got to keep my current tv in our future bedroom. That means watching movies or tv programmes while lazing on the bed would finally be a dream come true.

Guess you can say that you win some, and you lose some.

On hindsight, the fact that I thought about this in this manner means I am a self-centred person who only cares for my own needs. Spending time with our parents should be a gift treasured and not something to dread. With that said, I think I am ready to transit to that new lifestyle with its new set of house rules and expectations.

Wish me luck!