23/03: Back to blog.
It's been awhile since I blogged - maybe because I didn't have very much to say, or that I was lazy.
I've started my short term contract at Touchstone - they have a much larger MSCRM team than Aspective, and although the aren't as polished in terms of their policies and procedures, their fundamentals appear strong.
I miss my team - the magic we had and the seamless way we communicated and got things done. It felt a bit like a 'hive' in terms of how they knew what I meant, and would sometimes even pre-empt me. I don't know if I will ever encounter such a magical team again, but feel incredibly priviledged to have been part of it.
I thought of starting a separate baby blog, to journal my feelings and the experience of being pregnant so the twins would have something interesting to read when they grow up, but then I thought that I'd just blog it here - there is no sense starting something else. I also wondered about actually writing a journal as opposed to typing one out on the blogosphere - but my handwriting has become more atrocious through lack of use, and my typing skills are far superior and quicker than I could ever write.
Which sometimes is both a good and a bad thing, especially since my fingers sometimes move a lot faster than my brain, and make the freudian slip before I am even aware of it.
It's week 18, and I am getting quite big. Most of it blubber I think. I haven't felt any kicking yet although Jeff has been trying to feel for them every chance he gets, and he places his ear against my belly in the hopes that one of them will say 'Hello!'
I am tired easily, and I feel like a whale sometimes. It is very easy to over-exert myself, and the other day when I went to the post office to post the very large and heavy tape drive that we sold on eBay, I almost passed out. Jeff had put it in a suitcase so that I could drag it along but even then I couldn't seem to do the approximately 50m from Sainsbury's car park to the post office.
My heartbeat is incredibly quick - about 120 at rest and about 140 or so when have walked up the stairs or something. I'll have to talk to Dr Tam about this tomorrow when I go for my first ante-natal appointment.
People ask about the gender - the last scan we had in Malaysia was a bit too early to tell. At our next scan - the 20 week anomaly one at Watford, apparently they will not tell us because of the high Asian population in the area who appear to be quite fond of accidentally 'losing' their baby whilst on holiday in Pakistan once they find out that they are having a girl. How sad. I think that a healthy baby is all that we can ask for. I don't mind what we have, although a girl and a boy would nicely balance the family out. And I'd like a bigger family - perhaps 4.
I'm currently on my way to a Project Board Meeting in Mornington Crescent, so have time to do a bit of writing on the train. Sometimes I feel like I don't have enough 'quiet time' such as this todo it. But that's my own fault - I really don't have to work but I got bored easily, and the money is nice. Especially since we will have quite a large expenditure when the twins arrive.
I'm looking forward to mum coming in May - mostly so we can spend some time together. It will have been 10 years since I left Malaysia, and while I do get to spend some time with them when I go back, this will be different as I will have her to myself.
Anyway, that's it for now.
Posted at 01:11 AM
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I've started my short term contract at Touchstone - they have a much larger MSCRM team than Aspective, and although the aren't as polished in terms of their policies and procedures, their fundamentals appear strong.
I miss my team - the magic we had and the seamless way we communicated and got things done. It felt a bit like a 'hive' in terms of how they knew what I meant, and would sometimes even pre-empt me. I don't know if I will ever encounter such a magical team again, but feel incredibly priviledged to have been part of it.
I thought of starting a separate baby blog, to journal my feelings and the experience of being pregnant so the twins would have something interesting to read when they grow up, but then I thought that I'd just blog it here - there is no sense starting something else. I also wondered about actually writing a journal as opposed to typing one out on the blogosphere - but my handwriting has become more atrocious through lack of use, and my typing skills are far superior and quicker than I could ever write.
Which sometimes is both a good and a bad thing, especially since my fingers sometimes move a lot faster than my brain, and make the freudian slip before I am even aware of it.
It's week 18, and I am getting quite big. Most of it blubber I think. I haven't felt any kicking yet although Jeff has been trying to feel for them every chance he gets, and he places his ear against my belly in the hopes that one of them will say 'Hello!'
I am tired easily, and I feel like a whale sometimes. It is very easy to over-exert myself, and the other day when I went to the post office to post the very large and heavy tape drive that we sold on eBay, I almost passed out. Jeff had put it in a suitcase so that I could drag it along but even then I couldn't seem to do the approximately 50m from Sainsbury's car park to the post office.
My heartbeat is incredibly quick - about 120 at rest and about 140 or so when have walked up the stairs or something. I'll have to talk to Dr Tam about this tomorrow when I go for my first ante-natal appointment.
People ask about the gender - the last scan we had in Malaysia was a bit too early to tell. At our next scan - the 20 week anomaly one at Watford, apparently they will not tell us because of the high Asian population in the area who appear to be quite fond of accidentally 'losing' their baby whilst on holiday in Pakistan once they find out that they are having a girl. How sad. I think that a healthy baby is all that we can ask for. I don't mind what we have, although a girl and a boy would nicely balance the family out. And I'd like a bigger family - perhaps 4.
I'm currently on my way to a Project Board Meeting in Mornington Crescent, so have time to do a bit of writing on the train. Sometimes I feel like I don't have enough 'quiet time' such as this todo it. But that's my own fault - I really don't have to work but I got bored easily, and the money is nice. Especially since we will have quite a large expenditure when the twins arrive.
I'm looking forward to mum coming in May - mostly so we can spend some time together. It will have been 10 years since I left Malaysia, and while I do get to spend some time with them when I go back, this will be different as I will have her to myself.
Anyway, that's it for now.
Posted at 01:11 AM
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05/01: It's been awhile
Lots have happened.
Stopped work.
Started ivf.
Been stressful.
Got 'stabbed' with hormone syringes.
Awful mood swings.
Not working driving me up the wall.
The awful awful waiting.
The positive result!
Tried to get book published.
Sybex was interested, but I didn't quite like the acquisition editor (blame it on the hormones).
Didn't think I could stick to a timetable any way.
Christmas and New Year holidays and stuff.
I felt that the whole process was a bit too personal to blog, on top of feeling depressed about not working meant that I didn't feel like sharing very much.
This will be it until I feel like sharing some more. But the positive result was pretty cool though :)
Posted at 19:14 PM
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Stopped work.
Started ivf.
Been stressful.
Got 'stabbed' with hormone syringes.
Awful mood swings.
Not working driving me up the wall.
The awful awful waiting.
The positive result!
Tried to get book published.
Sybex was interested, but I didn't quite like the acquisition editor (blame it on the hormones).
Didn't think I could stick to a timetable any way.
Christmas and New Year holidays and stuff.
I felt that the whole process was a bit too personal to blog, on top of feeling depressed about not working meant that I didn't feel like sharing very much.
This will be it until I feel like sharing some more. But the positive result was pretty cool though :)
Posted at 19:14 PM
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09/10: One more week to go
I've been super busy. Project just completing systems test cycle 2, which has been a monumental effort by both our and customer's team to get it here - man years' worth of work as Nick would say. It's looking good, although the BI part of the project has been having some challenges of its own.
Next Friday is my last week at work, and there will be no let up. Tomorrow I will be doing a 1-day trip to Manchester, returning on Monday to complete a high level discovery of their MS CRM roadmap.
This Saturday, I'm organising a scavenger/treasure hunt of sorts for some friends to celebrate my birthday, I will probably post pictures and news about it later.
Just wanted to do a quick update, as I will probably have more time for blogging after I've finished. That's about it for now.
Posted at 21:42 PM
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Next Friday is my last week at work, and there will be no let up. Tomorrow I will be doing a 1-day trip to Manchester, returning on Monday to complete a high level discovery of their MS CRM roadmap.
This Saturday, I'm organising a scavenger/treasure hunt of sorts for some friends to celebrate my birthday, I will probably post pictures and news about it later.
Just wanted to do a quick update, as I will probably have more time for blogging after I've finished. That's about it for now.
Posted at 21:42 PM
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01/10: Anyone else find this scary?
I've been following the US campaign quite closely, especially the Palin GOP pick. The machinations of American politics astounds me sometimes, as does this exchange from Couric's Palin Interview:
Couric: And when it comes to establishing your worldview, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?
Palin: I've read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media.
Couric: What, specifically?
Palin: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.
Couric: Can you name a few?
Palin: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news, too. Alaska isn't a foreign country, where it's kind of suggested, "Wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?" Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America.
She can't even name any magazine or media she's read? That's such an obvious answer that she hasn't read any. She sounds like me when I was questioned about homework I hadn't done. It's mind boggling how juvenile that sounds.
Posted at 08:38 AM
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Couric: And when it comes to establishing your worldview, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?
Palin: I've read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media.
Couric: What, specifically?
Palin: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.
Couric: Can you name a few?
Palin: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news, too. Alaska isn't a foreign country, where it's kind of suggested, "Wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?" Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America.
She can't even name any magazine or media she's read? That's such an obvious answer that she hasn't read any. She sounds like me when I was questioned about homework I hadn't done. It's mind boggling how juvenile that sounds.
Posted at 08:38 AM
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19/09: Plan B
It's been awhile since I've blogged properly, with the exception of the odd piece of news, such as the Nike Human race.
I've actually got exactly 1 more month before my last day at Aspective, where I will have worked for more than 2 years. Jeremy was quite sad and disappointed when I handed my notice, and I was also trying my best to hold back the tears.
Why did I decide to leave if it was such a great place to work? Well, I left for personal reasons, which I am not quite ready to share with the blogosphere, but I have no fault with the people, the team, the company or even the work. Anyone who has been following my blog will know how very much I enjoy what I do, and the company that I keep.
I'm not leaving for another company, although I've had no shortage of job offers from headhunters and recruitment agencies. I had a very defined career path, which was actually quite exciting. To walk away from that was quite scary, although I tell myself that I can always go back. Jeremy would probably take me back if there was a place for me when I was ready.
What am I going to do then, when I leave? I'll start with taking some time off just to relax, read a few books, really visit London and do the touristy thing, do some writing and explore my life and my options.
Granted, it is not a great time to do this, what with the credit crunch and the state of the world economy, but I have to do this. And maybe it is a good thing.
Well, I've got that book you see, and I have not had much encouraging responses from publishers. Saying that, the editor at Wiley was really nice and supportive, although he apologised for not being able to take on my proposal due to the fact that it did not fit his budget and publishing portfolio.
I am not discouraged, as I have an idea of what to do with it. I will probably publish it on the web for awhile before I think about self-publishing it. We'll see.
I want to read a lot more as well, non work related. I have started getting into business books not because I had to (such as during my mba period), but because I am genuinely interested.
I've missed writing things as how I did it when I first started. I think I was more interesting then, and then work got in the way. I missed having a life outside of work. I truly did enjoy my work, and the strength of relationships and connections I made really enriched my life. But I made it the only thing in my life by banishing all the 'time bandits'. I was no longer fun outside of work. I lived for my projects.
This break will be good for me in more ways than one. But Jeff will have to shoulder the single income situation for awhile, until I can generate income myself through some means. Thankfully I don't think he has my restlessness, and therefore his chosen path, while currently stressful, does not cause him too much angst.
Lehman Brothers employees had a job last week, but walked into their office, only to walk straight out again in shock, without a job. I'm guessing that most do not have a Plan B. Those interviewed in the news were in shock, disbelief - some were even hysterical.
I think that the advice to initiate change in your life, as opposed to having change forced upon you - is the best advice I've heard in a long time.
Jeff and I have always been an advocate of this, although Jeff's probably more risk averse than I am in terms of life choices. In return, he tempers my impulsive enthusiasm and provides grounding for my pie in the sky ideas.
But this is good - not in the way that lots of people losing their job and money good, but good in the sense that it shakes up people's faith in the status quo. Life shouldn't be just about existing, it should be about living, experiencing, touching, tasting, feeling, loving, seeing, growing, expanding and just knowing that even if you lived a thousand lives, you will never taste everything there is to experience.
The change that I have initiated in my life is both a bit scary and new. But isn't that what life's about?
Posted at 13:20 PM
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I've actually got exactly 1 more month before my last day at Aspective, where I will have worked for more than 2 years. Jeremy was quite sad and disappointed when I handed my notice, and I was also trying my best to hold back the tears.
Why did I decide to leave if it was such a great place to work? Well, I left for personal reasons, which I am not quite ready to share with the blogosphere, but I have no fault with the people, the team, the company or even the work. Anyone who has been following my blog will know how very much I enjoy what I do, and the company that I keep.
I'm not leaving for another company, although I've had no shortage of job offers from headhunters and recruitment agencies. I had a very defined career path, which was actually quite exciting. To walk away from that was quite scary, although I tell myself that I can always go back. Jeremy would probably take me back if there was a place for me when I was ready.
What am I going to do then, when I leave? I'll start with taking some time off just to relax, read a few books, really visit London and do the touristy thing, do some writing and explore my life and my options.
Granted, it is not a great time to do this, what with the credit crunch and the state of the world economy, but I have to do this. And maybe it is a good thing.
Well, I've got that book you see, and I have not had much encouraging responses from publishers. Saying that, the editor at Wiley was really nice and supportive, although he apologised for not being able to take on my proposal due to the fact that it did not fit his budget and publishing portfolio.
I am not discouraged, as I have an idea of what to do with it. I will probably publish it on the web for awhile before I think about self-publishing it. We'll see.
I want to read a lot more as well, non work related. I have started getting into business books not because I had to (such as during my mba period), but because I am genuinely interested.
I've missed writing things as how I did it when I first started. I think I was more interesting then, and then work got in the way. I missed having a life outside of work. I truly did enjoy my work, and the strength of relationships and connections I made really enriched my life. But I made it the only thing in my life by banishing all the 'time bandits'. I was no longer fun outside of work. I lived for my projects.
This break will be good for me in more ways than one. But Jeff will have to shoulder the single income situation for awhile, until I can generate income myself through some means. Thankfully I don't think he has my restlessness, and therefore his chosen path, while currently stressful, does not cause him too much angst.
Lehman Brothers employees had a job last week, but walked into their office, only to walk straight out again in shock, without a job. I'm guessing that most do not have a Plan B. Those interviewed in the news were in shock, disbelief - some were even hysterical.
I think that the advice to initiate change in your life, as opposed to having change forced upon you - is the best advice I've heard in a long time.
Jeff and I have always been an advocate of this, although Jeff's probably more risk averse than I am in terms of life choices. In return, he tempers my impulsive enthusiasm and provides grounding for my pie in the sky ideas.
But this is good - not in the way that lots of people losing their job and money good, but good in the sense that it shakes up people's faith in the status quo. Life shouldn't be just about existing, it should be about living, experiencing, touching, tasting, feeling, loving, seeing, growing, expanding and just knowing that even if you lived a thousand lives, you will never taste everything there is to experience.
The change that I have initiated in my life is both a bit scary and new. But isn't that what life's about?
Posted at 13:20 PM
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16/09: Nike Human Race.
So on 31 August, I did the Nikeplus Human Race at Wembley. It was really quite cool, as we started with a concert gig thing at about 7pm with Moby and Pendulim - with more music along the way. The atmosphere was great, very buzzy, and I got Jeff and Waz tickets to the gig. It rained though, but that just made it more fun.
However, I only finished 1:15:13, which was quite poor, but when I found out how the rest of the world did, I just realized that I was average for the 'chinese' population so I wasn't that upset! :)
Here are some photos of the day.
Here are the participants streaming into Wembley stadium prior to the start
Red runners getting pumped up during the concert in the stadium
Approaching finishing line at about 9pm!
Posted at 23:43 PM
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However, I only finished 1:15:13, which was quite poor, but when I found out how the rest of the world did, I just realized that I was average for the 'chinese' population so I wasn't that upset! :)
Here are some photos of the day.
Here are the participants streaming into Wembley stadium prior to the start
Red runners getting pumped up during the concert in the stadium
Approaching finishing line at about 9pm!
Posted at 23:43 PM
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GIBSON: What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of the state give you?
PALIN: They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.
Posted at 15:16 PM
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PALIN: They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.
Posted at 15:16 PM
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28/08: My Cardiff trips...
Cardiff is actually a nice place, but the stress of the project has made me dread going there some times. Fortunately the last few times I went with Nick and Simon, which made it more bearable.
Nick liked going to Zero Degrees, which was an Italian restaurant and a micro brewery as well. He especially loved the different beers he got to try all the time, such as Elderflower beer, or Golden Ale and Black Lager along with a pot of mussels, which were gorgeous but incredibly rich and very very bad!
They brewed their own beer in these tanks.
It was quite nicely designed inside as well - bar & restaurant.
Nick's pretty cool - he's a real tech daddy and is very very good at what he does. We went to Houston together, and are now on this project at the same time, so we are going through some rough patches. He's been mad at me sometimes, which I guess I deserve. Some stuff were not entirely my fault, but I could have reacted in a more resourceful manner.
In any case - I think we have quite a lot of mutual respect, and I really like that. In fact, I think I have that magical relationship with all my team members with the exception of the newbies whom I have not had the pleasure of working with. Saying that, Nick D and Anton has proven to be wonderful additions - especially since I had a chance to chat with them on our team night out last month.
I'm hoping that I don't have to go to Cardiff that much longer though, the project is approaching systems test phase and I'll be gone before they go live. More about that later...
Posted at 00:11 AM
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Nick liked going to Zero Degrees, which was an Italian restaurant and a micro brewery as well. He especially loved the different beers he got to try all the time, such as Elderflower beer, or Golden Ale and Black Lager along with a pot of mussels, which were gorgeous but incredibly rich and very very bad!
They brewed their own beer in these tanks.
It was quite nicely designed inside as well - bar & restaurant.
Nick's pretty cool - he's a real tech daddy and is very very good at what he does. We went to Houston together, and are now on this project at the same time, so we are going through some rough patches. He's been mad at me sometimes, which I guess I deserve. Some stuff were not entirely my fault, but I could have reacted in a more resourceful manner.
In any case - I think we have quite a lot of mutual respect, and I really like that. In fact, I think I have that magical relationship with all my team members with the exception of the newbies whom I have not had the pleasure of working with. Saying that, Nick D and Anton has proven to be wonderful additions - especially since I had a chance to chat with them on our team night out last month.
I'm hoping that I don't have to go to Cardiff that much longer though, the project is approaching systems test phase and I'll be gone before they go live. More about that later...
Posted at 00:11 AM
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So during the conference, I attended the 'Speed of Trust' seminar by Stephen Covey jr. I think he must get a lot of people who confuse him with his dad. I've listened to a lot of Covey's 7 habits, as well as the 8th Habit and various other audio tapes, and I think that his son still has some way to go.
In any case, his book, 'Speed of Trust' is a very good one, which I promptly purchased and read prior to his speech. Whilst it isn't anything new, it had a really good angle about it which I hadn't thought of before - how trust can be broken down to several components, and defines how a person's interaction with another can be articulated.
For example, trust can be broken down into Character and Competency. Character is broken down into Intent and Integrity, while Competency is broken down into Capabilities and Results. That explains why I sometimes don't trust Jeremy (boss) very much in terms of delivering his promises. He is a wonderful guy, and a great manager, but he has so very much on his plate that he sometimes drops some balls, which can cause issues. I brought this up with him during the conference, and he listened and responded very well.
We (myself, Nick and Jeremy) then took a day out to work out a lot of things which we can improve from within the team putting together a list of actions in order to address it. It was a really really useful meeting, probably one of the most productive meetings I have ever had.
What's really really cool in my team, and I've probably mentioned this a few times - is that the level of trust is so high. We are absolutely committed to helping each other in any way we can, and there is none of the 'This is not my problem' business that you see elsewhere. It is really amazing, how the team adapts and works with each other.
How our team works is very much like a great music - everyone works in harmony and it sounds great. Each person brings their own style and flow, and everyone else takes on their beat and makes new music, very enjoyable to hear.
It's pure magic, and I want very desperately to ensure that we continue to make beautiful music. Our team is growing - we had 2 new guys join the last month - Anton and Nick D, and a new girl joined yesterday and another 2 more in a couple of weeks. I think we should be fine, as long as they fit the team.
It probably sounds very 'exclusionist' but I truly believe that what makes us outstanding is the strength of our team.
I'd have to say that if it wasn't for the trust in our team, we'd be a lot more dysfunctional - especially when under the stress of project pressure. It's amazing that we haven't imploded yet, with the number of projects all running with minimal contingency.
And so, Covey's book show me why and how the magic worked. And I'm just thinking - wouldn't it be cool if we can replicate it? And sow seeds of trust rather than distrust amongst warring parties?
The world would really be a much better place indeed...
Posted at 22:10 PM
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In any case, his book, 'Speed of Trust' is a very good one, which I promptly purchased and read prior to his speech. Whilst it isn't anything new, it had a really good angle about it which I hadn't thought of before - how trust can be broken down to several components, and defines how a person's interaction with another can be articulated.
For example, trust can be broken down into Character and Competency. Character is broken down into Intent and Integrity, while Competency is broken down into Capabilities and Results. That explains why I sometimes don't trust Jeremy (boss) very much in terms of delivering his promises. He is a wonderful guy, and a great manager, but he has so very much on his plate that he sometimes drops some balls, which can cause issues. I brought this up with him during the conference, and he listened and responded very well.
We (myself, Nick and Jeremy) then took a day out to work out a lot of things which we can improve from within the team putting together a list of actions in order to address it. It was a really really useful meeting, probably one of the most productive meetings I have ever had.
What's really really cool in my team, and I've probably mentioned this a few times - is that the level of trust is so high. We are absolutely committed to helping each other in any way we can, and there is none of the 'This is not my problem' business that you see elsewhere. It is really amazing, how the team adapts and works with each other.
How our team works is very much like a great music - everyone works in harmony and it sounds great. Each person brings their own style and flow, and everyone else takes on their beat and makes new music, very enjoyable to hear.
It's pure magic, and I want very desperately to ensure that we continue to make beautiful music. Our team is growing - we had 2 new guys join the last month - Anton and Nick D, and a new girl joined yesterday and another 2 more in a couple of weeks. I think we should be fine, as long as they fit the team.
It probably sounds very 'exclusionist' but I truly believe that what makes us outstanding is the strength of our team.
I'd have to say that if it wasn't for the trust in our team, we'd be a lot more dysfunctional - especially when under the stress of project pressure. It's amazing that we haven't imploded yet, with the number of projects all running with minimal contingency.
And so, Covey's book show me why and how the magic worked. And I'm just thinking - wouldn't it be cool if we can replicate it? And sow seeds of trust rather than distrust amongst warring parties?
The world would really be a much better place indeed...
Posted at 22:10 PM
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