Worms are gross...and so are mornings

After enjoying a 4-day weekend, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to wake up on time for work on Tuesday morning, especially since I went to bed after midnight. Turns out that fear was unfounded... I was up before 5am, and got to the office at the crack of dawn.

Of course, everyone feigned shocked to see me in so early.

I did it again today. Only worse, because I haven't slept a wink! Decided that I'd passed the point of no return once it hit 3.30, started getting ready at 4, took my time, even had time to go to the shops to pick up some stuff for the office. Arrived at 5.40, when the yard was still pitch black. First in the office today!

The great thing about coming in so early is that I get loads done. Yesterday was especially busy; Mondays and Tuesdays are my busiest day, and the last/first days of the month are too. I had Friday off, and Monday was a holiday, so I had to cram 3 days of work into one, including the busy end-month + weekly reporting. I was awfully productive though!

The horrid thing about coming in so early is that the day just goes on foreeever. It's only 9 now, and I've already been here for more than 3 hours. I think I'll skip out sharp at 4pm today.

3 hours to go before it's 4 hours to go.

I can do this.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzz

but the early worm gets eaten...

Back in the Boondocks

Started a new contract last month, and it's been pretty brilliant so far! I like the team, my Project Manager seems pretty cool, and I'm back in familiar territory again.

I'm just amused that I'm out by the docks, in my red stilettos. Not quite meeting safety standards! But as long as I stay in the office, I'm good to go.

I was just thinking that I'm hungry, and I wonder how long more I have to wait til lunch, when I looked at the clock. It's 1130! Means lunchtaim!

It's kinda weird with two of the guys on my team. My PJM has a similar accent and mumble to Doof, and is (I think) about Doof's height. The other guy looks a bit like Doof, but is a hella lot shorter. I think he's only slightly taller than me, and shorter than me when I'm in heels!

Neither of them are as skinny as Doof, though. 2nd Guy is a lot stockier, in fact.

But yeah, I'm reminded of Doof every single day. Not necessarily a bad thing, of course!

I was telling Nekowife about someone that was really irritating me, and that I need to come up with nicknames for everyone. She suggested a few, but none of them really fit. Like I told her, the thing about nicknames is that they just sorta happen.  Case in point, my favourite nickname (but far from my favourite person!) was Brick. Because she was as dumb as.

But yeah, working here is pretty cool. I get a lot of flexibility and autonomy, and it seems like a company that I could really flourish in.

Oh,and Nekowife works from home on Mondays. Which means she's now not online for me to bother. Wth wife.

I forgot my earphones today! Which means no music in the office. And no music on the ride home. At least I remembered my book though! Perhaps I'll just play music anyway. I doubt anyone would mind, and if they do, they should say something.

SO much has happened this whole year, and I'm pretty fatigued. AT the same time, I'm pretty damn happy. So there's that. XD

How is it some days I'm so busy I can barely breathe, when other days I have so little to do that even breathing seems boring?

Lots has been happening...long story short, I've been pretty busy with work. Also busy with assignments; been pulling all-nighters and almost-all-nighters to meet deadlines. Of course, I wouldn't have gone into panic station had I actually managed my time better and not procrastinated so bloody much.

I have one paper due in two weeks, another paper due in four weeks, and the last one in six weeks. I'd best get cracking on all three, seeing as how December is always beyond manic.

I think I'm going to cut back on my gift-giving this year. I have a much smaller budget to work with, and I gotta be careful with funds, seeing as how my contract is coming to an end.
Shame, I actually really like it here.

Ah well, such is life, and I chose the contract life, anyway.

But December! I'll be going to Pattaya! An extended weekend in Thailand, I foresee lots of fun...and far more booze than is wise.

Alrighty then, back to work I go.

I haven't blogged in a while. Can you tell that I've been incredibly busy?

So yeah, I've been busy, mostly with work. Like everyone else. The thing is though, with this job, I'm loving it! Manager is pretty terrific, in fact, he's the best boss I've ever had. I really do hope I get to work with/for him on future projects. My colleagues are pretty cool too, and I daresay I've made a few friends. It's weird; I was in my previous company/team for 4 years, and while we got along alright, I never really clicked with any of them, and didn't make any close friends. Here, I've clicked with quite a few people, and there are people I will definitely keep in touch with after this project comes to a close.

The work itself is challenging, without being impossible. I feel validated, and I know I'm doing a good job. Not perfect, still room for improvement, but I daresay I've impressed a few people.
As Doof put it though, these people might just think I'm some kind of fembot!

Went on my first worktrip a couple weeks ago, to Manila. It was my first work trip, and the first event that I was in organising. So far, it's always been someone else in charge, and I provided support. This time, other people were supporting me, and I was in charge. A terrific amount of responsibility, and I could never have done it without such great support from my colleagues!
A bit of a hiccup, what with the typhoon and the floods, which was a huge spanner in the works, but somehow or other, it all worked out great. The wet weather didn't even put a damper on my spirits (hehe, see what I did there?); we were spending every evening drinking at the hotel bar.

Waking up on my birthday in a king-sized bed in a 5-star hotel. It was pretty lovely, I'll tell you that! And Boss and the Lads (greatest boy band ever) gave me a wonderfully memorable birthday, complete with much inebriation!

The really bad thing about it was that a colleague suffered a stroke while he was there, so that was rather worrying. Thankfully, the logistics were sorted out, and he managed to return to Singapore after a week. He's shown incredible progress in the past three weeks...a simple stroke isn't keeping the stubborn bastard down! This colleague is great, and I really miss him and his loud jokes in the office. Hopefully, he'll be able to return to bother us all again soon.

So much more has been happening, hanging out with family and friends....Neal turned 6 (SIX! OMG!) last month. Godson is a lovely little cheeky chubbawubbs. And the rest of the kids...oh, they are just perfect.

I've rambled on enough, mostly about work, and right now, I have a cider to finish up. :D

Life is good, man. Life is good.

Great Start to the Week

It wasn't the best start to the week. I went to bed kinda late last night (surprise surprise) and woke up late this morning (hey surprise again) and had to cab it to work (big surprise) and got to the office a few minutes late (bigger surprise).

And now the word 'surprise' has lost all meaning.

But the day picked up pretty well after that. I knew that I'd have a lot of work waiting for me. It's usually busy on Monday mornings, especially if I didn't work on the previous Saturday. Today was no different... busy busy busy! It was the good kind of busy though, where I just had a constant flow of work to do, and there was nothing super urgent to take care of. Unlike some other times, where I'm so harried and everyone needs something done five minutes ago and there's barely enough time to breathe let alone have a coffee and the phone is ringing non-stop and I'm running around like a headless chicken.

Uh, so yeah. Today was the good kind of busy.

Then mid-morning, I heard Coworker!S on the phone, giving directions to someone who was clearly coming to the office to visit. Shortly after she hung up, she went down to the lobby to greet said visitor. I thought nothing of it, until she walked back to the office with visitor, and then said to me, "Look who's here!"

I looked up, and there was one of our former team members, here on a brief stopover visit. Now there was a real surprise, and a lovely one at that! Didn't really get to talk much, as he was here to see Boss, then they and Lead guys went on the rig for most of the afternoon.

After work, I went over to Shoes' place for my usual revision session with the kids. That too went rather well. They were all rather tired, but they did sit down to do their work without complaint. And J was extremely proud of himself for getting full marks for his spelling. And I'm proud of him too. I see such potential in all three of them, and I really hope I can help them fulfill their potential.

On that note, I'm going to watch a couple episodes of my latest addiction (is anyone surprised that I'm hooked on yet another tv show?), then go to bed.

For some strange reason, I now have a craving for a chocolate egg containing a small toy.

I like rainbows, but I'd prefer the toy.

First Thing In The Morning

First thing in the morning, Boss walks into my office.


Boss: Ki, I need the XYZ documents that I gave you last month.
Ki: Which documents are these?
Boss: They were for the CO7.
Boss: You know, they were in a yellow folder.
Note: Ki gets documents in/out in yellow folders almost every day.
Ki: .....Ok.
Boss: They were documents from Vendor C, and were signed by MG when he was here.
Ki: I know the documents you're talking about, but why would you have given them to me?
Boss: I asked you to file them.
Ki searches high and low for said yellow folder.
Ki gives up and goes to Boss' office.
Ki: Are they part of another system that I might have filed it under? I don't have it in my office.
Boss: Hmm...hang on.
Boss opens bag and voila! Yellow folder containing XYZ documents are in his bag. Boss grins sheepishly.
Boss: Could you file these under the CO7?

Out of Steam

I was super productive the first half of this week. I was working through half the lunch hour, I stayed late one evening, and I got a lot accomplished.

At home, I went into a cleaning frenzy; I cleaned out my closet and got rid of quite a lot of clothes. I did some major cleaning out of my desk and dresser area. I'm waiting for my brother and bro-in-law to be around over the weekend, so they can do some heavy lifting. Getting rid of the table/shelves in my room, and moving a shelving unit from Mum's room to mine.

In short, I accomplished a lot in a couple days. And I had such fun too! Don't even get me started on how happy I get when I'm organising things.

Yesterday and today, however...my mojo seems to have taken a break. I'm all bleh and meh now, and quite unmotivated indeed. Did I use up all of my productivity quota at the beginning of the week?

Good thing it's FRIIIIDAAAAYY.


I need a nap. Preferably one lasting at least 3 hours.

This just in...

More than two feet of paperwork, you guys! And yes, instead of rolling up my sleeves and tackling the stack, I blog about it. Is that wrong?

Oh hello, overtime!

Good times, man. Good times.

Manic Monday

What an apt song for today.

6 o'clock, and I was really in the middle of a dream. In fact, it was a dream about BBC!Sherlock. Why? Because my alarm tone is the BBC!Sherlock theme, that's why.

I was kissing...someone, but I don't recall who. I'm pretty sure it wasn't Valentino, though.

Needed to be at work at 7.30, not 9. But yeah, was late.

And I was up late last night, not because of a lover, but because of my sister.

Still, a fun song for a Monday in which I don't really have time to breathe.
And now...I'm going put all that aside, take a breath...and my first sip of coffee for the day.

Drowning at my Desk

from braincellsoup.com - check it out

I'm super busy at work today. A typical Monday, it seems. No sooner do I get a hold on my workload than another huge pile gets dumped on my desk. I suspect I'll be putting in at least 2 hours an evening OT this week, plus a full day on Saturday. I'm even considering coming in on Wednesday, which is a public holiday here! Honestly, this enjoying work thing? It's so unlike the Ki of old, don't you think?

There are days, I'll be honest, that I just hate my job, that I feel like just jacking it in. Last week was a prime example; I was just fed up all the time, and I was complaining loads to Mum. It didn't help that I'd come back from a lovely getaway to a lot of rubbish. That, and I was tired my first day back, after only 3 hours of sleep, and that just got worse through the week.

I seem to have picked up loads this week though. Turned in fairly early last night, and woke up just before 6 this morning. True, I only actually got up at about five past, but that's still earlier than usual. I had time to sit down and have a leisurely breakfast (only yoghurt and apple, so that was easy enough, really), and didn't have to rush the way I usually do. So a relatively relaxed morning, which just set the tone for the rest of the day.

I'm really swamped, but I think it helped that I put a whole pile of papers in a box on the floor. It calms me when I'm not surrounded by pillars of paper. Of course, I still have to get through all the paperwork in that box, and I'm not letting it become a case of 'out of sight, out of mind'.

Anyway. I'm here, with so much work to do, that I'm working overtime - work hours officially ended 20 minutes ago - and it took me a while to decide which task to start on first.

Decided on the best option, obviously: blogging about how busy I am.

Oh, and this is very important! I'm now looking forward to bus/train rides. I've downloaded the VLC app for my phone, which means that I can watch AVI files on my phone without all that hassle of converting them. Love it! I have the first series of The Office, and the first two episodes of The Walking Dead. That's one way to stop myself from cabbing it everywhere! As long as I can watch telly on my phone, I daresay I can put up with the idiots that surround me.
Neko: That's one way to catch up on Grey's Anatomy, don't you think? :)

Right then. Back to treading water.

The 6-Day Work Week

Here I am, once again spending a Saturday in the office. It's almost 4pm, and it looks like I'm going to stick around for a couple hours at least.

I'm knackered. I do love my job though, and for that, I'm thankful. Also, I do love working in the office when I'm alone. There are no interruptions, and I can blast my music as loud as I want. Slightly different today though - Manager is here as well, and she got a temp girl (I used to work with her; DC from other Yard) to help out on Saturday afternoons, at least for a couple weeks. They're doing the filing, and helping to clear the backlog that was left behind by the previous girl. As much as it irks me to not be overseeing the filing of the documents, it's a huge relief to know that it's getting done. It was really overwhelming to know that I had to clear so much, and unfortunately for the world, there's only one of me.

Also, I do love the word 'oversee'. It isn't synonymous with 'overlook', 'oversight' and 'overview'.
English makes no sense whatsoever, but I do love it so.

Alright then. Time to utter those three dreaded words: Back to work.

Weekend Woes

I didn't have a weekend again. I enjoy my work, but this is getting quite ridiculous. I'm well, well knackered.

Had a bit of a scare on Saturday night. We have an altar downstairs, and we light tealight candles on it. They're in tealight holders, so the breeze (if any) doesn't blow them out. I lit the candles, hung around for a bit, then went to bed at midnight. At 2 am, Mum comes a-knocking at my bedroom door. She heard a loud pop, and then when she came out of her room, she saw that it was really bright downstairs, as though the altar had caught fire.

I rushed downstairs in a panic, just out of the throes of a nightmare and still half-asleep, to see that one of the tealight holders had somehow broken, and the flame was now huge. Grabbed the spray bottle of water that Mum keeps for her plants, and sprayed some water on it. At first, the flame just flared up even more, which scared me, but it got put out pretty quickly after that.

The adrenaline that shot through me upon hearing the words "I think the altar's on fire" set my heart racing and left me trembling. What scared me the most was that, should there have been a fire, if Mum hadn't been awake to hear that pop, we would all have been stuck upstairs. My brother wasn't home, so that means that I would have been in charge. My mum can't walk too fast, and someone would have had to get my sis out as well.

I'm so thankful that everything turned out alright.

After a fitful sleep, I got up to go to work. On a Sunday. Worked til about 6:30pm, but had the beginnings of a migraine, so decided to head home. After spending about half an hour attempting to call a cab, I finally got one. On the way home, my headache just worsened, and I started feeling really nauseated. When I got home, I was barely able to function; it was what I've classified a Level 8 migraine. Level 10 being "Call an ambulance, I'm dying". The pain was on my right, and it even hurt behind my eye.

I grabbed an ice-pack from the freezer, swallowed a couple painkillers, and tried to rest on the couch. But the noise from the telly and all the light was making me feel worse, so I decided to go to bed, even though as a general rule, I don't turn in until my sis is in bed. Drew the curtains, turned on the fan full-blast, lay down with ice-pack on my head.

And I slept.

A good 11 hours later, I woke up feeling groggy, but oh so much better. The only pains I'm suffering are hunger pangs, and those are much easier to handle.

I love today's affirmation too.

I forgive others and now create my own life the way I want it.

Ki vs The Crunch

Was at work yesterday until 11pm, and didn't go to sleep until nearly 2am. Didn't sleep too well; woke up every hour or so, and at one point, I woke up and sneezed at least a dozen times before finally managing to go back to sleep.

Finally got up at 6:30, and here I am, feeling like death warmed up. The good thing about dressing up for work is that I feel slightly better....I'd definitely feel a lot worse if I'd been wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

Another really late night tonight, then all day tomorrow, and quite possibly Sunday as well.

I know I've been talking about this period being crunch time, but this is just getting ridiculous!

But I am thankful that I am capable of hard work, and I'm grateful that I have a job that I enjoy.

Besides, I have a can of red bull sitting in the fridge, and three more cans in my cupboard.

Ding ding, let the fight begin!

Paper Swamp

Yep, that's pretty much me. Except with glasses on.

Worked all weekend. That makes today the 16th straight day that I've come in to work.
Looks like I'll be working this weekend too. Yes, even over the public holiday.

It's a good thing I like my job!

Weekend? What Weekend?

Worked on Saturday; was at the new project office, and while I did manage to get things done (for one, I reorganised the entire stationery cupboard; it had been in such a mess!), I felt I would have been more productive at the old project office.

Had planned to go to old project office in the afternoon, but didn't have time; left new office at about 3 and rushed home for a shower, then off to Nephew2's birthday party.

Woke early today, but it was raining and bed was so cosy that I snuggled in for a while more. How heavenly to sleep in! It rained all morning, and I couldn't wait for it to stop; went in to the (old) office to do as much as I could. A fairly productive afternoon it was too!

Left the office at 7.30pm, and am typing this out in the cab. I'm nearly at my destination, so I'll stop now.

The week ahead is going to be even crazier than the last...I must be mad, for I'm looking forward to it.

Crunch Time

I might have piled my plate a little too high. What can I say? The buffet offered so much that I just couldn't resist.

Project is coming to a close, and the amount of paperwork is staggering. I'm also starting work on the new project, and there's loads to do there as well.
It's a huge challenge, and the days that I'm not at class or tutoring, I'm staying late. The past few Saturdays, and the next few Saturdays, will be spent at work. Plus, I'm seriously considering going in on Sundays, at least for half a day.

Work is seriously becoming a challenge. Not so much that it's difficult, it's just that there's so MUCH of it!

I brought work home with me today, and am finally finished. I would have been done earlier (or I would have just stayed late at the office), but I had a tutoring session, and I refuse to miss those unless absolutely necessary.


Speaking of which, tutoring is going steady, and I'm seeing tiny improvements with the kid. Some days it seems like I'm just not doing a good job, and I find myself at a loss. But I live for the moments when everything just clicks for her, and she's eager and excited, and I am reminded of why I love teaching. It's yet another challenge, and a huge responsibility to boot. I've finally managed to sway public opinion that I'm irresponsible, and I'm maintaining my reputation for never backing down from a challenge.


Classes...wow. Classes are drawing to an end. A couple more weeks, and I'm done with them. It's the final stretch, and it's always that last mile that's the hardest. I still have my practicum to do, and to be honest, this is the first time that I'm actually worried about it.

For my PPS class, I have unbelievably high expectations for myself, and that makes me apprehensive. For my final TESOL module, my practicum partner is...well, this is the first time I've had an assigned partner, and while he's a great person, it might be challenging to work with him. He doesn't have any experience, which is fine, really. The tricky part is that we're not on the same wavelength, and I've noticed that we don't bounce ideas off each other the way my previous class partners and I used to.

But challenges were made to be overcome, and overcome challenges I shall.

I was thinking earlier that it feels like I'm approaching burnout, when I realised that this time last year...I was in a far, far worse situation, and I was holding my own. As I learnt from Conan the Barbarian, that which does not kill us makes us stronger. Perhaps it was Nietzsche. But 'Conan' is a lot easier to spell, so let's go with that. In any case, I've thrown myself the gauntlet, and I've willingly picked it up.


Ready or not, this is crunch time.

Bits and bobs

Today's affirmation made me grin:
I am organised and productive. I have lots of energy, and I enjoy getting my life in order.

Moi? Enjoy getting my life in order? YOU DON'T SAY.

~~~

Had a really weird dream last night. Won't go into detail, mostly because I'd rather forget it. Not a nightmare per se, but just...strange.

~~~

Heard Mac Daddy and Daddy Mac on the radio this morning. One of the two songs that I actually remember.

~~~

Federal judge Vaughn Walker this morning overturned California's Proposition 8, which had denied marriage to same-sex couples. This makes me happy and warm and fuzzy.

~~~

Stayed at work til 10pm last night. Managed to get quite a bit done. Still full of energy today, and will be home late after class. How do I do it? I don't know! To celebrate my duck-like qualities (i.e. calm and unruffled on the surface, paddling like crazy underneath), I'm wearing yellow today. Also, it's a happy colour. Also, I look amazing in yellow.

~~~

Today is Psych day. Yesterday was White Collar day. I look forward to watching both episodes on the weekend.

~~~

Wearing a white bottom when Aunt Flo's in town. Brave or brainless? You decide. But I do so love my Thai silk trouser-skirts. So comfortable, yet looks so good. I have them in white (wearing it today), dusty rose, turquoise and purple. Was thinking of wearing the white one tomorrow, with a red top, in celebration of National Day...but...nah. I'll save the patriotic outfit for the weekend, and decided to go with the white one today, visiting relatives be damned.

~~~

My sinuses are acting up again. Right now, it's not so much an infection as my body trying to tell me to get more sleep already! Have popped two Clarinase tablets in the past couple hours, but to no avail. Hopefully I feel better soon. And fingers crossed, I might be able to get a quick nap in at lunchtime.

~~~

It's taken me about an hour to write this between bouts of work. Going to focus on work proper now.

But here, have a video. Hopefully this song gets stuck in your head too.

Treading Water

I've been so busy lately that it seems I barely have enough time to breathe.


At work, this project is coming to a close, and there is an unbelievable amount of work to be done. The next project is starting up, and I'm working on that too. I've been coming in to work earlier than usual, and putting in a tremendous amount of overtime.

Working 16-hour days are fast becoming the norm for me. What's frustrating is that just when I think I'm getting a handle on my workload, another huge pile comes in. It's all I can do to keep my head above water.

Most days, I don't have time for lunch - I take 20 minutes at most. I refuse to log on to Twitter, as that would just eat up loads of my time. I rarely log on to Facebook.

Thank goodness for people like Neko - when she's not online, I feel like something's missing. Also, she makes me smile and laugh, which goes a long way in chasing away the Monday doldrums.

Then there are classes for TESOL. I'm on my final module for the Advanced Diploma, and then I'll have to complete my assignments, which will take an awfully long time. I'm also doing the course to attain a Certificate in Teaching Phonetics, Phonics and Speech. I'm finding it really easy, and sometimes it gets boring. I've done all of it before, and even the first time I studied it in school, it was a cinch. I might have slacked off a lot as a student, but that was a class I aced with the barest of efforts.

Of course, this doesn't bode well for my attention span; Last night's class was extremely boring, and I'm afraid I might have let that show. I quite like and respect Trainer P, and I think it was awfully rude of me. He is fully aware that I know the material and he's smart enough to realise it'd bore me, so hopefully he didn't overly mind. Also, everyone's expecting me to score a distinction...and I'll be dissatisfied with anything less.

I desperately need to get moving on my assignments, as I am so far behind and the longer I take to finish them, the longer it'll take for me to get my certificates.

Once come September, I'll have more time - classes end then. Of course, then I'll still have my assignments to complete. And that will be done...just in time for me to do my Masters next year.

I'm really happy right now; despite my exhaustion, I do so love the adrenaline rush that comes with meeting challenges and deadlines head on. I love that the head honchos find me competent and capable. I love the satisfaction that comes with completing tasks well, and doing a good job.

I'm so excited about how each new day brings new challenges and opportunities. With each passing day, I receive even more blessings. I know that all my hard work will pay off; I'm already reaping small rewards.

But I'm also feeling rather overwhelmed right now. I am only one person, and there are only so many hours in a day. There are moments, like this one, when I don't know how to handle it all, and I feel like I'm on the verge of collapse.

Then again, this too shall pass. And like all other times when I feel myself losing it, I shall take a deep breath (and a sip of coffee), and all will be right in my world again.


And this is one of the (many) reasons I want and need to start running again:
Running is a statement to society. It is saying 'no' to always being on call, to sacrificing our daily runs for others' needs. When we run we are doing something for ourselves.

-- Phoebe Jones, runner

And goodness knows I need to do something for myself right now.

Uncanny

I sent out a few emails to the Head Guys. The instant I clicked 'send', I panicked and started second-guessing myself. I'd thought I'd made mistakes in the emails/attachments/recipient list.

Before I could go into full blown Ki Panic Mode, I received the following in an email:


Ki, trust yourself.
The Universe


I calmed down instantly. When I looked at the emails I sent out, they were, of course, perfect.

Taking Monday Morning Off

Taking Monday morning off is a brilliant idea.
1. It's Monday morning. Duh.
2. Monday becomes a lot shorter.
3. I'm a lot more productive.

Taking Monday morning off is a bad idea.
1. There's so much work to do in the afternoon!

...Ok, taking a half-day wins. I should do this every week! Then again, if I do that, Monday afternoons will be the new Monday morning. Plus, I'll prolly get fired.

I'm reminded of the old "Good Idea, Bad Idea" segments from Animaniacs.
Note to self: YouTube "Good Idea, Bad Idea" tonight.