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!

In Transit

Lots of things are happening in my life now. Just by looking at me, most people would not be able sense that I am undergoing some fundamental changes in my daily life. People, including myself, say that change is good. I still think this classical adage is still true. But being the person experiencing the changes sure give one a whole new perspective.

All that I no is that life will be dramatically different, just like watching EPL on Singtel’s Mio next year, come the end of the year. Well, at least change is coming at a time when change is expected. Don’t you sometime just feel that life changes at the turn of the year? 2010 will indeed be a brand new chapter, or phase, in my life.

Turning Point

I share something common with those young couples who chose to get hitched today because the date 9/9/09 denotes ‘longevity’ when read in chinese. Today could mark a key turning point in my life. Well I am not certain what the change will bring, but I am certain that it will definitely be a change for the better.

Writer’s Block

Have not been posting recently as I have been suffering from some form of writer’s block. Anyway, just to update my friends, I came back from a tour to Korea in in early May, then I got myself a new set of wheels (for the first time in my life) and now my wheels are guided by a spiffy GPS system, which only means…

• I still have three packs of 1kg kimchi in my fridge (woohoo!)
• Loads of Jeju chocolates in the fridge (bleh…)
• Friends are likely to see more of me now
• Gone are the days of furiously flipping the street director (Woot!)
• I still need to get my licence :P

Yeah, Life’s Good!

Pigs can fly

Temperatures around the world has risen a notch since the last weekend. I am not talking about the warmer weather due to climatic changes. Rather, I am referring to the number of people getting temperatures after being infected with the swine flu, if that’s the aapropriate name for it.

Perhaps it is fortuitous that the swine flu struck instead of the more fatal, unless proven otherwise later, H5N1 avian flu strain which the world has been preparing for over the last few years.

While deaths related to the swine variant of the flu is still contained to people in Mexico, the speed and extent of its spread is astounding. No thanks to the highly connected network of international air travel these days.

Since the time I first heard of the outbreak in Mexico, last Sunday, countries across the globe have started to report cases of infection. US, Canada, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, are just a handful of countries with ‘confirmed’ cases while a dozen others are awaiting results on tests conducted on suspected cases.

While I would normally be concerned with such adverse developments, this potential flu pandemic is more worrisome since I will be flying off to South Korea later today.

Well, there’s only so much one can do. Just need to ensure that my hands are properly washed before touching my eyes, nose and mouth. It’s surprising that one will unconsiously touch these body parts multiple times within an hour. I know since I have tried refraining such contact in preparation for the more stringent ‘efforts’ once I enter the airport and board the plane.

It’s gonna be a painful experience.

Well, my bags all packed. I am just looking forward to a nice holiday over the next couple of days.

Aware

Being a male, the ferocious catfight (pun intended) amongst the new and old Aware Ex-Co have little to no impact on me.

However, I still follow the Aware ruckus with some interest since there’s some hints of an underlying conspiracy in the ‘brazen’ power-grab by the ‘new team’.

Allegations that the coup was ochestrated by people belonging to a particular religion is of particular interest. While I am a Catholic, I always believe that some things are best left to secular decision-making and that the Church can always deliver its differing message or teachings through its own formal channels.

Thus, I find it rather inappropriate, and dangerous, if a group of persons with similar religious inclinations, not to mention, attending the same church, takes over a secular organisation, with the objective of imposing their religious values/beliefs on the organisation, if that’s proven to be true over time.

While the verdict is still out. I find myself drawn towards the arguments of the ousted so-called ‘old-guards’.

The new Ex-Co members have so far failed to account, unless simply worded replies are to be taken at face value, for some of their actions/deeds. Nor their allegations that Aware is turning into a single-issue organisation, read pro-homosexuality/lesbianism, is clearly elaborated nor justified in their latest press releases.

Aware’s in-fighting problems are unlikely to end quickly nor amicably.

 Despite many stating that the election process in Aware as democratic, I would liken the current situation to a country being suddenly flooded by foreign immigrants, whose enbloc voting powers unseats the government that welcomed them. Imagine Singapore being governed by ‘citizens’ who had entered the country for only months/or weeks.

The lesson for the old guards perhaps is to give new members a period of assimilation as a “PR” before deciding if these new member truly buy into the values of the organisation. Those that disagree should (a) voice their concerns, and (b) move on, i.e. get out, and form their own organisations if their views differ greatly from those of the organisation’s.

Nightmare

Something must be bugging my subconscious mind. There has to be a reason for the rather tiring and stressful dream I had last night.

In that nightmare, I was in a perpetual state of rushing for work, which mystifies the me, since I detest my job. I can still recall the vivid sensation of stress and pressure as I rushed madly to iron my office attire, only to see that the shirt is in tatters. Then trying in vain to get on some transport to get me to office.

What is the source of the nightmare? I am not particularly stressed at work. Nor do I have any outstanding personal or official issues that need to be dealt with urgently.

Perhaps it’s my subconsious mind telling me that I am rushing to nowhere as I hit the middle age slump, and that I should really look for a new direction in life – professionally.

But like many Singaporeans, my options are restricted since I still have a sizeable housing loan over my head. I would be more convinced to take action if my subconsious mind penned a resignation letter while I am asleep rather than triggering energy sapping nightmares like that one I had.

Jokes aside, I really feel a mid-life crisis up the next alley. The sense that I am letting my life pass me by is getting stronger. Problem is, I have yet to fully understand what I want with the limited time I have on earth.

Now, it’s my turn to fret.

Findings show that promotion is ‘bad for mental health’

Read in the BBC article below that getting a promotion may not be necessarily be better for us. This is perhaps another reason why we should all take a more laid back approach to work and career.

 We have always assumed that Promotion = More Money = More Happiness.

In reality, Promotion = More Money ≠More Happiness

More correctly put, Promotion = More Money = More Responsibility = More Stress = Bad Mental Health.

 

Promotion ‘bad for mental health’

Getting promoted at work may be bad for a person’s mental health, a study suggests. Warwick University researchers quizzed 1,000 workers who had been promoted into supervisory or management roles in the past five years.

They were asked about about their health, mental well-being and use of health services.

The study found that after promotion the quality of an individual’s mental health deteriorated by 10% on average.

Experts said being given extra responsibility could lead to more stress, anxiety and depression. “ People given senior positions need to be given the proper support and training to handle the extra responsibility ” Chris Boyce, lead researcher.

They said the problems could be exacerbated by workers who were promoted having less time to access health services.

GP visits fell by 20% to less than two a year after promotion, the study found.

It has long been assumed that a person’s job status directly results in better health.

While the study found no effect on a person’s physical health over the period, researchers warned the mental strain could lead to serious problems.

Lead researcher Chris Boyce said: “Getting promoted at work is not as great as people think.

“Our research finds that the mental health of managers typically deteriorates after a job promotion and in a way that goes beyond merely a short-term change.

“People given senior positions need to be given the proper support and training to handle the extra responsibility.”

 The research will be presented at the Royal Economic Society’s conference later this month.

Change is good

I am sure that you’d have noticed by now that this blog has undergone a fundamental design change. Apart from the superficial design template change, to a cleaner minimalist look, I have also shifted the focus of my posts back to more personal musings, reflections, observations on life and photography.

Expect to see more acerbic posts on social and political issues and less posts on entertainment. I will also be sharing more photos as I embark on the journey of uncovering the photographer in me.

Let the journey begin.

Home cooked food

I miss the usual routine of rushing home in time to make dinner. Yes, I do wear the cooking apron at home. Washing, cutting and preparing the ingredients for a wholesome home cooked dinner has a therapeutic effect on me.

The whole process of preparation to the final act of cooking the dishes engages me fully at both the physical and psychological levels. Sad to say, the short time spent on cooking engages me more than the 10 hours I spend in my office.

Nowadays with most of the dinners I prepare are based on a super ingredient rich, yet easy to cook, porridge (you get dried mushrooms, pork ribs, carrots, celery, dried scallops, cabbage etc) , has meant that it has been some time since I last whipped up more than a 2 dishes for dinner.

Don’t get me wrong. I do enjoy cooking that particular porridge dish. But I miss the more complex act of concocting just the right amount of  spices and sauces required for stir frying vegetables or other meat dishes.

This week will be another week of takeaways since my fridge is empty of fresh produce. Well, I can’t complain much since tonight’s dinner will be shredded chicken porridge from the famous Chinatown porridge place – Tiong Shan Porridge Centre (or 长城粥).

What bothers me is that fact that I know that takeaways, no matter how healthy the food seems, are definitely not as healthy as the low fat, low salt and non-msg fare I used to whip up at home.

Think a trip to the neighbourhood supermarket is long overdue.