Year of the Dog!

A Happy New Year 2006 Originally uploaded by yamaken.

Chinese New Year is around the corner! I love this time of year, no... not because of ang-pows (red packets filled with money), but I simply love the atmosphere.


Dog 2006
Originally uploaded by Dirk Rösler.

Relatives will converge together in our house. My close relatives live in HK, Taipei & KL. And as my dad is the eldest in the family, everyone comes together at our place . We would have reunion dinner on the night before the first day of CNY, just like most traditional Chinese families would do. Grandma would cook her specialty- Hainanese Chicken.. and we'd have a great time catching up.


year of the dog
Originally uploaded by dog's age.

When I was younger, (and before they outlaw the playing of fireworks in the M'sian households) my siblings, my cousins and I will be out infront of our yard to lit up fireworks. I love it!!


[year of the dog]
Originally uploaded by vinka*.

Around midnight, the whole neighbourhood would be roaring with the noise of the fireworks. I ABSOLUTELY love this.. !! Hahahahaha.. I know most people detest it and find it an intrusion. Not me. I find it gives a sense of "festivity". Ahh.. But of course, it should not last for too long, they should stop after 10mins after midnight, and for the first and last 2 days, hmm...

I'd be back to M'sia for CNY this year. Can't wait!

ps: Aren't those dog-decorations cute? Some of them do look a little like cats though..

2006 A New Year promises new beginnings!


My New Lens
Originally uploaded by konaboy.

The last day of 2005, M & I invited a couple of a couple of our close friends over for a small steamboat feast at our place. M's friends came over from the west side while my friends, the chip-pea couple, came all the way from Northampton.

We started heating up the steamboat pot at 7pm and the dinner lasted for almost 2 hours. Balls of all kinds, prawns, wanton pieces, vegetable and since we could not get Shabu-Shabu, we got some rather thinly-sliced meat to dip into the soup. Although almost full, we still had some leftovers.

After that, M enticed the rest with a Mahjong game. And some of them got hooked. Tssk tskk!

Before the clock strikes 12midnight , we stopped the game and watched various countdowns around the world. We counted down watching the London countdown at Thames where London Eye is. Such spectacular fireworks displays this time around!!
(Someone told me it is in preparation for the Olympics 2012).

I counted down with close friends around me and M beside me. What a lovely way to start off a brand new year. What matters most to me is spending a memorable day with people closest to me, enjoying each other's company..
This is one of my happiest and most memorable New Year's eve!

Most people reflect on life in 2005. I don't have much to reflect on although i did make one of the biggest jump in my life- Quitting my job and trying to start out in a new country thousands of miles off the equator with M! 2005 was filled with travels around Europe and that kept me happy, for i have always loved travelling. There is something missing for me in 2005, and if there is one wish for me in 2006, it is to get a job here in London.

I never make resolutions for the longest time. I believe if I set out to do something, I should be able to follow through with it, so no point making new year's resolutions just to break it a month into the new year. I make decisions along the way in different chapters of my life and go with the flow (so cliche!)...

Goodbye 2005, Hello 2006!
Wishing all (and myself) a year of happiness, health and prosperity!
May this be a new beginning to good things.

Christmas Shopping On Oxford St.

** Dusting of snow **
No, not even some dusting of snow will deter determined shoppers! This morning's light snowing has caused some mild excitement in me (as i normally do not like snow), with the result of me sticking my tongue out hoping a small snowflake will land at the tip of the tongue. Alas, I still have not tasted snow!

The chip-pea couple experienced more snow than we do at London, whiter than white! Isn't it lovely? Happy Christmas to you, chip-peas!

London: The shopping experience

Christmas Shopping On Oxford St. < Originally uploaded by BKMworld.

Look at what we need to brave on Boxing Day and the day after!! The crowd, the crowd!
Elbow to elbow, every shop, every street. Unbelieavable Christmas in London. It's the sale again.

I did not see this but that would be interesting.

Some antics of non-shoppers:

Buy_Nothing_Day_Xmess 05073 Originally uploaded by reubeniz.

Buy_Nothing_Day_Xmess 05057 Originally uploaded by reubeniz.

Things that make my blood boil.

1) Defensive & Offensive (job) interviewer(s).

Recently, I went for an interview as a Snr Allocator.
The interviewer (Yes, ONE interviewer!) was good in her questions but she needs to be less defensive and offensive. By offensive, I mean, she kept cutting me off mid-sentence! Anyway, looking through their financial performance, i am absolutely shocked that their majority shareholder is still keeping this company. They posted a loss of £0.4M last year, which is AN IMPROVEMENT form the previous years. I know improvements are always good. But they need to really have a paradigm shift in the way they do business.
My impression of what they are doing now is, (this is what i gather from the interviewer) that they are still dictated by suppliers. Recently there was an article on the papers (Metro) highlighting that consumers are not too happy about buying their furniture and only getting them delivered in average of 42 days. That translates to 6 weeks. And from my research on their website, this company has an average delivery lead of 8 weeks, and they sometime even go as long as 13 weeks! And when i pose this question to the interviewer, she said they're still working closely with suppliers to improve this. Still, I’m not at all convinced that they are willing to work outside their comfort zone. They better be prepared when the cheese have been moved!


2) I will not even try to justify this piece of article with an opinion!!

http://www.metro.co.uk/metro/standard/article.html?in_article_id=32662&in_page_id=1

Quoted

“CONVICTED CRIMINALS COULD soon be sent to the front of the queue at Jobcentres in a drive to stop them re-offending.

The ex-cons, who fall into the 'hardest to help' category alongside single parents and people with disabilities, will then be given priority in finding work.”

And

“The Government insists the system would not favour a particular type of job-seeker but would 'recognise the barriers offenders face to get a job'.”

ONLY IN THE UK!! I say. I sighed.

Eye in the Sky

Weekends..

Those who work usually wait longingly for the arrival of Friday, because it's nearer to the weekend. Weekends are for relaxation.

But to me.. It's time to get out and about.

This is what i did last weekend.



London Underground was having a promotion -"Everyone's London" (link available here http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/everyones-london/index_flash.asp) and one of their attractions was for the British Airway's London Eye. Ticket prices were a steal @ 2 for 1 (adult tickets)prices, which is exclusive to Oyster Card holders.

** Editted**

I have always wanted to go visit this overrated, expensive tourist trap lovely architectural landmark of London.. so it was well worth it! We even get conned managed to browse through their strategically placed souvenir counter and bought ourselves a personalised gift- £10 for a medium-sized photo and 1 keychain and 1 fridge magnet!

Also.. it's a THURSDAY! One more day before the weekend starts!

Dinners @ M's!

Now, just because we cook dinner every night doesn't mean our dinners have to be boring, does it?

One good thing that came out of the situation in the last post, is of course my improvement in whipping out dishes and them tasting good!

Last week, I managed to grab some (grocery) shopping after the photography session. Part of my shopping included some scallops. They do stock some pretty good-looking scallops at M&S.

During the weekend, I decided to cook them using the absolutely DELICIOUS sauce* that M's mom brought over during their last visit. This is an excellent sauce and hey, it makes cooking so much more delightful! (Of course it is. Wonderful for people like me!)

I let the picture speaks for itself... with instructions and all.

And yes, you should add some garnish to the dish. I couldn't find any in my kitchen.. so had to do without!
(Look! You're drooling on your keyboard!)

*absolutely DELICIOUS sauce= Nyonya-sauce-in-a-bottle by Gimson

Hope

Mangrove seedling Originally uploaded by Marwano.

Another interview came and gone. Days before this, I spent most of my time reading up on the furnishing sector, Mkt analysts’ reports and the Furniture Retailing business. All these in anticipation of the big day.
So, looking back, what went wrong? Obviously, I am not very happy with the outcome. And judging from my luck these days, I am least optimistic about securing a job anytime soon.
It’s a depressing situation. I have not taken this long looking for work. Was it simpler back in the days when I just graduated? Not at all. Was I more well prepared then? Don’t think so. So, what gives? Surely having experience working in the Energy Industry previously must have helped right? So why am I going backward instead?

I have heard many stories about people having a difficult time looking for jobs. Now I have first hand experience. And it is not exactly something you can put at the back of your mind and only take it out when you want. If I have a family depending on me, I would have starved them ages ago! So anyway, I never believed (before this) that it is THAT depressing. When people tell me about this getting a job situation, I have always rationalized that you just need to put more effort into it. Stop moping and get the job done. Yes, that is until I am faced with this myself.

So, back to my question: So what gives?
1. Out of touch. After so long being in a limbo and adding to the fact that I have very little social contact with people in the industry (any industries). I have somewhat lost that zest, and the ability to grasp and articulate my thoughts in business sense.
2. Inferior complex. British accent makes me feel inferior. I cannot comprehend this complexity.
3. Half hearted effort. Really? Well, so I did read all the market reports, the company profile. But did I really put myself to understand it? I tried, but I didn’t try enough, probably.

Stuck in a rut
Often, situation like this would spiral out of control and if I don’t get a grip on myself soon enough, I would spiral into oblivion and get myself hurt in the process.

Time to get the whip out and start whipping!!
Moving here without a job can be quite a worry, not because I need the money, but because I need to feel useful, I need to feel BUSY. But I never stopped asking (praying) for a passionate job!
I need a financial and personal breakthrough soon. I anxiously need a revelation on where I should go with my career..

Meanwhile, let this remind me why I am here:

Faith

Makes all things possible..

Hope

Makes all things work..

Love

Makes all things beautiful.

Starry starry night....

After gym yesterday evening, I had to stop by the nearby M&S to pick up some food (and to wait for M). They have started to lit up the trees in More London Place. Glittery-bling-blings make me happy! So I decided to stop to snap some photos (with my cameraphone, mind you)..
The results do not do justice to the awe of the place. And it was actually a crescent moon last night but the photo came out a full moon. Well, it is afterall a cameraphone.

90º to the left, this is what i see. Nice 6 More London Place (walls painted in red on the left) and the restaurant/bars on the right carefully (but shamefully) framed the not-very-distant Tower Bridge. Nearby is the (London) Major's office, a unique landmark by itself.

The Christmas atmosphere in London is awesome!

Double 7.

The anxiousness of this morning went smoother than i had imagined. After breakfast, I proceeded to read up and try to cram as much as i can into the little brain in anticipation of what may lie ahead.

The agreed time was 11.30am but at 11am, the call came. We introduced ourselves and the process began. I gave a brief introduction of my past experiences and at the end, he managed to comment "Alot of numbers crunching then!". Yes. I hope it's a good thing.

It was quite a pleasant conversation with a duration of 45 mins.
At the end of it, I guess i have managed to persuade him that my past experiences were of good use to this role :) But there are tests, of course. Numeracy test and writing tests to ensure that I will be a fit Analyst.

I will probably know the outcome soon. Hope all goes well!

the interview
Originally uploaded by flickerbook1.

Nervous... and new background!

Hope all goes well tomorrow. And that is why i haven't anytime to update here..
And due to request, i have taken out my previous post.

And Merry Christmas.. i designed this background using Photoshop. I know, green and pink.. is not exactly christmassy.. hehe..! But it has to jive with my whole scheme of colours.