2023 - Balancing Acts

This is my annual reflections ahead of the year end. I will leave for China tonight and I probably will not be able to pen my entry on New Year's Eve. 2023 has been an interesting - one that culminated in my decision to make a major change in my career direction. Let's have a run through on 2023.

Professional Life: Keeping the Future in Sight

I started 2023 wanting to improve my workplace conditions but in the end, made the decision to quit my job. I will leave my company end-Dec 23 after 7 full years and 4 different positions. It was a bitter sweet decision for me as objectively speaking, despite the highs and lows, I had had a relatively good 7 years. I had known that at some point in time, I will need to start preparing for my retirement. The lack of motivation in recent months due to the leaders, restructuring and frequent policy flip-flops hastened my decision to quit. I also realized that with my declining energy levels as I age, it would probably be a good time to initiate this process now. Lastly, I was getting too comfortable and needed to put myself into a state of discomfort so that I can push myself to re-establish myself in a new state of balance - one that I can sustain beyond my retirement age.

General Health: Same Old… Almost

There were a couple of health-related worries - a chest pain (cardiac-related) and another where I experienced flashing lights in my left eye. Both turned out to be a one-time off thing and the doctors attributed them to aging. Otherwise, it was the usual URTI issues that I get every couple of months. But I do note that since my COVID infection last year, simple a sore throat tend to drag on for days and develop into extended periods of flu these days. Not very comfortable. And I do see the same happening to people around me. I supposed this will be the new order of things and norm for all of us.

Physical Well-Being: Balancing Act (I)

Apart from the usual age-related pains, I managed to keep my health relatively stable. I had gone for my regular health, heart, kidney etc check-ups and were assured by the doctors/ specialists that I was well and stable. And I attribute this to the daily walks and fresh air that I insisted on even when I work late. Apart from that, I continued to keep my lifestyle balanced - no over-indulgences in anything - food, alcohol, etc. and to ensure I maintained my weight within a specific range. I could not afford to risk long term issues with short term over-indulgences. 

Mental Well-Being: Balancing Act (II)

I did relatively ok in managing my mental well-being this year. Objectively, I had my fair share of highs and lows this year in many aspects of my life - personal, relationship, friends, family, work, etc. Many a times, these threatened to derail my overall mental well-being. And similar to the physical health, there were numerous trade offs. A simple example would be - despite knowing my plans to leave the company (and where I will have no income), I decided to continue with my travel plans. But knowing the potential financial impact, I focused on regional locations that were relatively cheaper. Otherwise, being blessed with supportive family, friends and colleagues gave me the support I needed during moments when I needed it. 

Professional Life: A New Beginning

I started this reflection talking about my professional life and I would like to end it with the same. Since I made my decision to leave my job in the early part of the year, I have managed to get myself two professional certificates - one as a certified senior practitioner in the space I've been in since I left the military, and the other as a certified adult educator. Truth be told, my decision to leave my job also meant I have effectively decided to leave the industry that I had chosen to join since leaving the military. The certified senior professional status I attained was a personal target I set for myself - to know I am credible and can stand alongside many of my colleagues. For the latter, I do hope it help me open more doors in the times ahead. 

My thoughts might have come across as a little disorganised in this post. But that perhaps captured how my year went in both my professional and personal lives - ups and downs, positives and negatives. On hindsight, I can truly say that 2023 was a year where I did relatively ok, balancing between long and short term needs. I head into 2024 with the aim to reinvent myself. Not too sure what this journey will be like but I need to remind myself to keep healthy and well as I do so. Wish me luck!

I wish one and all a Merriest Christmas and a most Happy and Healthy 2024!

7 years

My last day of employment is Christmas Day. And being a public holiday, I returned all my stuff last Friday. So, I have technically left my company. Must admit I felt somewhat lost... after all, it's been a good 7 full years with the company. 

Gonna take break in China over the next 2 weeks before deciding my next steps.

:-)

I Passed

I passed the paper that I did not make it in my first attempt and in doing so, achieved the requirements needed to qualify for the professional certification. 

So yeah, I’ve done it!

Resignation approved

My resignation has finally been approved. 

A new beginning awaits!

Sick

I’m not sure if it’s anything to do with the fact that I resigned, or that the planning team of the regional summit finally departed for Bangkok, but I came down with a superbly nasty flu almost immediately after that. Took an MC yesterday and slept for almost a solid 24hours after that…

Heavy head, fever, sore throat, lost my voice, terrible cough and the whole works. Otherwise, my ART was negative. I think I’ll have to do my COVID-19 booster soon, it’s been almost a year.

PS: I was, with less than 2 months, tasked to organise a regional summit. And this was a third time this year, being tasked to organise something major at the last minute - just because they trust I can deliver. Despite my protest given my preoccupations with many other pressing tasks, my (now) immediate boss, gave me no choice and literally forced it onto me. I did it very unwillingly cos the team that was supposed to organise it, didn’t act on it until it was too late and I was roped in as “I had done a good job before”. It’s probably my record to organise a regional summit within 2 months. So, enough is enough.

8th Anniversary

 It’s my mum’s 8th death anniversary today.

Tendered

I tendered my resignation today.

I Failed

I did not make it for the certification. In another word, I failed. 

I must admit I felt disappointed. Failing is not something I experience very often. The next thing that went through my mind was - how do I even break this news to the rest of my colleagues? Then again, screw it, it is not something that defines me and I should not be embarrassed about it. It is just a small blip and probably not something I should be surprise, considering employment act and legislation is not something I have to manage on a daily basis as I am a specialist and not a generalist. But whatever it is, it simply reflect the level of unpreparedness and that I have to accept it. It is just a little sour aftertaste for me as I had wanted this to be my swan song before I leave the industry. But I supposed it is not to be. I have written in to ask how I can take a reassessment. 

Until then, let's just move along. 

Certification

I attended my professional certification exams last Thursday.

It was really intense - one that had me walking out feeling dazed and wondering wtf I had just gone through. The exams consisted of 2 papers. The first comprised 30 MCQs that assesses ones’ understanding and applications of local employment laws and legislations. One need to score 50% to pass this paper. The second paper was scenario-based. Four scenarios were provided based on the context of a start up, an SME, an MNC and a government statutory board. Against these background, 8 MCQ questions were asked per scenario that requires the individual, in the capacity of the CHRO, to address specific HR-related issues. Thing is, all answers are logical and right but depending on the context, some answers are more appropriate than the others. So it is almost impossible to know whether one had selected the right answer. And the passing mark for the second paper is 70%! 

Anyway, let's just wait for the results to be announced. It will be a 3-week wait. So, let's see if I passed.

:-)

Slight regrets

Decline…

White Canvas

I had a dream this morning.

In my dream, there were unfamiliar people - and there was someone with a fully tattooed leg. The space I existed in in my dream was white. So white I was almost blinded by it. I was holding on to a canvas board. The kinda board where one would expect lots of scribbles and doodles. But the one I was holding on to was blank. Pure white. Other than this, I cannot recall much about the dream.

It’s the kinda dream that leaves you wondering wtf did I just dream of when you wake up. But yeah, reflecting, I supposed it reflected the anxieties behind my intention to resign. I have a date in my head as to when I should do it and it’s within weeks. Apart from that, I have no plans whatsoever with regards what I should do, where I should go or, for that matter, how I should unfold this next chapter of mine.

Maybe that’s the white board I was holding.

Let’s see…

Being Selfless

I took a pause when I typed the title. I wondered if it would be more apt to title this post “Being Selfish”. Anyway…

I must say I have often asked if I should be more selfish in how I conduct my life. Have often been taken for granted in life - both professionally and personally - and it felt shitty. And during such moments, thoughts like - I care for this or that, but who’s there to care for me? Where’s the reciprocal engagement when I need it? Or, you can add more and more things onto my plate because I can deliver, but where is the tangible recognition when it is due? Perhaps such moments hit hard when you feel down. And it also comes with the realization that there are unstated expectations of some form of gratifications, or even a simple acknowledgment/ thank you. That is not too much to ask, right? 

I am human; and there is a limit to how much I can give, before I breakdown.

Words & Questions

When uttering words, be very careful. Words can heal and words can kill. Sometimes, asking questions can be a better start to a conversation.

When asking questions, be extra careful. Questions with implied answers can damage relationships. Examples of such questions include - do you expect me to…

Interesting Turn of Events

I almost terminate my employment two weeks back. But I held back as I didn't want to take that action when I was so emotional. I will probably not go into the details of why I was emotional but suffice to say I felt taken for granted when I was asked to undertake the planning of a major regional event as the person who was tasked to do it sat on it till it was too late and my chief conveniently tasked it to me as "I had the experience of planning it and I can do so again". To top it off, my reporting manager didn't support me despite me calling out that it would be too stretch for me as I was heavily involved in another major project. 

And last week, my reporting manager informed me that come 1 Oct, there will be a department reorg and I will be reporting to the guy who sat on the project. With this announcement, it is even more difficult for me to terminate my service. Doing so would to send a wrong message that my termination of service is because of him. It would make the whole thing too personal. Regardless, I will definitely want to leave the company very soon. If I do not do so soon, I will never ever move away from my comfort zone and this will slow down my transition process. I just need to bite the bullet, suffer the financial setback for the immediate short term and rebuild my career again. At age 57, it is definitely risky but I supposed water will always find its own level eventually. 

I just need to start the process.

Sick

I’ve never experience a flu so bad I was given a total of 3 days MC and 2 weeks of antibiotics, cold tablets, cough mixture, etc. Had initially thought it was Covid but it wasn’t. 

It all started 2 Thursdays ago when I felt a little oozy. And on Friday, the flu got bad. I had assumed I would be able to recover over the weekend, but no, it gotten even worst on Sunday and I went to see my family physician. I was given an MC on Monday, but I was still totally bad when I returned to work on Tuesday. The company doctor gave me an additional 2 days MC and a whole lot of medications - cold tabs, cough syrup, antibiotics, something to dissolve my phlegm, etc… the condition didn’t improve… 

I lost my voice, had superbly bad congestion, and couldn’t speak without breaking into violent cough. This was one week out since the flu started. Went back to the doctor and was given another bag of medications, this time round she increased the dosage and added a few other stronger medication including nasal spray, steroids, etc. She jokingly said what I have is akin to bronchitis and if the condition doesn’t improve, she will have to send me for further checks and x-ray…

Sighs. 

Postponed to Sep

Had previously signed up for my professional certification end-Aug but felt it was too rush and have since postponed it to end-Sep. Gonna get back to mugging! 

:-)

Completed ACLP2.0

I have finally completed my module 3 and with this, I have fulfilled the full requirements of ACLP2.0! Here’re some key reflections of my 4-month journey:

• The course content itself was not difficult tbh. But I felt the course design was a tat too skewed towards formal instructions. Given current industry shift towards workplace learning, I thought it would be more effective if more hours could be allocated to workplace learning.

• My biggest takeaway from the course was the people. The instructors were warm and made good efforts to help us through the course. And my coursemates were a bunch of really nice people. They were really supportive and fun to be with. I must confessed that I was more energised when I was attending class compared to when I go to work. 

• Also, several of the instructors in the institute were ex-military persons whom I know. They had left the forces some time back and have established themselves well in the adult training field. Blessed to reconnect with them and they gave me good suggestions with regards how to transition out of corporate life.

Looking forward to planning for my transition.

Completed Module 2

I’ve completed my Module 2. One more to go before I head off for my break and then to prepare for my certification that will take place end of Aug! 

Pant pant!

:-)

Forgetfulness

For the first time, I forgot to turn off the flame when I made hard boiled egg today… 

Certification

Had signed up for a professional certification in HR. Exams projected end-Aug 23. Hope I can make it. Otherwise, will have to postpone to a later date.

Completed Module 1

I had completed my first module and am well into my second module. Looking forward to complete the whole course by mid-Aug 23.

Why have I not resigned...

I am totally not motivated at work. The reasons range from me having absolutely no chemistry with my immediate boss, being disillusioned with the leadership team, and feeling overwhelmed with work. These led to me feeling unappreciated, and disengaged. There were days where I totally didn't want to go to work. And this is probably why I have been feeling exhausted and prone to falling sick these days. But despite the strong desire to move on, I am still working becos I want to:

• Complete the course I am currently attending first (by Aug 23)
• Settle my new hire in properly (possibly by Oct 23? Nov 23?)
• Stretch my current salary for as long as I can...

So for as long as I am still in my current company, I will continue to be professional and do what I need to do. And while at it, I hope to be able to do:

• Establish a new stream of steady income
• Establish a network of professional contacts

To be really honest, stretching my current salary for as long as I can is not realistic as I need to devote energies to the latter 2. It would be wearing me too thin if I were to do them while working. And even as I am writing this, it is clear to me that I have been circling around and around the whole idea of financial stability. And this, I reckoned, is based on the assumption that I will be a lot worst off once I lost my current source of income. Perhaps I am just too risk averse and have made unjustified assumptions that I will not be able to earn a reasonable income to sustain after I resign. Maybe...

I think should take a leap of faith and just resign when the time comes. 

And that time is Oct 23? Nov 23? 

Interesting month...

This last few weeks were rather interesting. I literally see the major milestones of life happening almost altogether at once.

I welcomed the arrival of a newborn boy yesterday - that of a friend who had acknowledged me as his godfather. I visited the couple at the hospital and it felt really good to be able to welcome a newborn into this world - all the more so when this baby is as good as my god-grandchild. It was also really interesting to see them learn how to handle a newborn baby. I also got invited to a wedding of a cousin's son (my nephew). I had seen how this nephew of mine grow up and now he is getting married! Time really flies. And lastly, five deaths happened - my ex-boss's mother, my aunt, my old neighbour's mother, ex-army mate's father and a distant cousin. All these happened almost back-to-back. Certainly not the best news to receive especially when it was news of a relative and a close neighbour who had watched my grow up. But it was good to be able to catch up with old connections. Just wished it was for better reasons. 

I supposed I am at the stage in life where I will get to experience a lot of such life's celebrations. More to come in the very near future I'm sure. 

Preparing for career transition

I am currently into the third week of a course on adult learning. The certificate I will obtain upon graduation will contribute to my journey as a trainer in the Singapore training landscape. Been quite refreshing so far interacting with my course mates who are all younger than me and come from different industries. Am almost completing my first module. Two more to go and I should complete the course early Aug 23.

Looking forward to completing this first milestone in my career transition journey.

Energizing chat

I had a most energising chat with my ex-CHRO from my previous company yesterday. I had kept in contact with her over the last decade and we have become good friends. Through the many years, she had given me invaluable advice with regards my career, and this time round was no exception. And so, over afternoon tea yesterday, I shared about the key developments over the last 8 months or so - my counseling sessions, my relationship with my boss, work environment, colleagues, etc. She, in turn, shared with me her perspectives about the situation. Here're the long and short of her sharing:

• Since I already know what I want, I should just spearhead forward and focus on building for the future. Take the courses I want to take, and don't waste my energies trying to be too safe in wanting to hold on to a job that is dragging me down, not withstanding the fact that it is paying me quite decently. Objectively and realistically, I will experience a period of uncertain renumeration, but in the long run, things will stabilise and I should be able to reach a new equilibrium - one that will be able to see me through beyond my retirement age.

• From her observations of me and my work attitudes, it would be, in her opinion, very difficult for me to divide my energies on 2 major fronts at the same time. She rightfully pointed out that I have always been the type of person who would focus all my energies to get what I want done, and do it well. And so, by trying to hold on to a job while concurrently juggling my energies to prepare myself for my next phase of my career, I might end up not being effective in both. And for that, I would be doing myself a disservice.

• As for my boss, her take is that I have achieved so much things in my professional life and I am far more qualified and abled than what I had deemed myself to be. As such, I should not put myself through all the nonsense that my boss is subjecting me to - trying to box me into a role that is way below what I am capable of. She reminded me that by doing so, I may end up doubting my own abilities without realizing it and become demoralised, and that was how I ended up needing to go through counseling.

But she acknowledged and respected the fact that I am very much the product of the Singaporean system and tend to be more risk adverse and am very careful in my decision-making. Nonetheless, she is of the opinion that at my age (we are about the same age), I should seriously consider going ahead and jump head on with my next phase in my career choice. I do thank her for very candid and upfront sharing. 

It was a good reminder... 

A wake up call

Two weeks ago, I experienced frequent bouts of breathlessness. For some weird reasons, I couldn't breathe and had to take very deep breaths. And despite that, I couldn't seemed to get my lungs filled and I ended up gasping for breath - not dissimilar to how a fish would struggle when it is out of water.

These experiences troubled me enough to make me seek medical help. I visited my company doctor who, in turn, referred me to my cardiologist and they both put me through a series of tests. The tests included a blood test, x-ray, ecg, ultrasound of the heart, etc... as they wanted to ascertain if my breathlessness was due to a recurrence of asthma, or something more dangerous - that of a heart failure or some lung issue. Thankfully, the test results turn out fine - my heart was ok, and so was the lungs. But the blood test showed some abnormality - my white blood cell count was a tat lower than what it should have been. The doctors concluded that I could possibly have an internal viral infection that would clear after a couple of days but otherwise, there was nothing that I should be too concerned about. 

Admittedly, going through the tests and hearing the cardiologist explaining about the possibility of a heart failure, or lung issues, etc made me realise how close I was to having a life threatening situation. I never felt so vulnerable until then and it made me to sit up and rethink about life...

Living with COVID

It's interesting to see how people respond to the latest spike in COVID cases. I see governments in the region advising their people to wear masks to protect themselves, avoid crowded places, etc. 

But what is interesting is that the Singapore government is simply telling us to make sure our vaccinations is current, and that we should just go on with life and be socially responsible as we do so. This includes maintaining good personal hygiene, don a mask if we are unwell, do our ART before interacting with elders and people whose immunity are compromised, and so on. Of cos, there is a caveat - should the capacities of public health facilities be overwhelmed, public safe measures like restricting crowds might be done. Otherwise, we should learn to live with the virus and just go on with our lives as normally as possible. This, I believe, is the right approach.

We must accept that the virus is not going away anytime soon, will continue to mutate and more of us will get re-infected as we live with the virus. Objectively, getting reinfected may not necessary be a bad thing. It helps our immunity get updated with the latest strain of the virus. And the next time when a new, and possibly, a more lethal strain appears, we will be better protected. As for why regional governments are asking their citizens to don the masks and minimise going out, I can only suspect their vaccinated/ boosted rate is a lot a lot lower than Singapore and many may have lost their immunity to the virus.

Well, whatever the case, please keep well, keep calm and…

Live on.

Embarrassed

Lately, I reconnected with some long time friends and learned about things that made me feel bad and embarrassed.

What they shared was consistent - it’s about things my ex did - from borrowing large amounts of money and not repaying, to cheating, to lying to gain favours, etc. One of them had even gotten into troubles because of this. And despite him not repaying or creating troubles for them, they have kept quiet about it cos they didn’t want to embarrass me.

What made me felt bad was that they entertained him because of me. And they have not spoken about it until now. It’s been some time and they have acknowledged their misjudgment and accepted that they will probably not get their monies back.

Sighs.

Time waits for no man

I went to see my family doctor this morning. Had visited this doctor since 5 years old and understood from my mum he operated on me when they discovered a growth on my neck. It’s been almost 52 years.

The doctor is now in his 80s and in recent years, his son (who is also a general practitioner) has taken more responsibilities treating patients at the clinic. As a patient, it is not my habit to ask after the doctor’s  health and I’ve never done so in my life. But today, seeing this old, weak and feeble doctor, I couldn’t help but asked him how he has been and if his health is ok. It must have surprised him for his face lit up a little as he explained that he had had a fall 3 months ago. The fall left him with a broken humerus and till today, has not fully recovered. I also noted he now walks unsteadily. I asked him to take care of himself before leaving the consultation room.

We may have a patient-doctor relationship but this man is one whom I have deep respects for. He has been a very caring person who, in the years passed, went beyond his call of duty to attend to the community and many spoke fondly of him. He has at times refused payment especially for people who were struggling financially. Over the years I have established a form of relationship that’s hard to explain. He knows my whole family and often asked about them. Anyway, I wished him well and left. I couldn’t help but wonder if I will ever get to see him again if and when I fall sick next. 

We all walk the same passage of time and I acknowledge the mortality of everyone. His time is not too far given his advanced age. One day, my time will come too. Birth, aging, sickness and death - all inevitable fact and passage of life that all of us have to go through. 

I wish him well, I really do.

It's mid-Feb 23

It's already mid-Feb 23. Time passes very quickly these days. Maybe it’s an age thing. Here's a run down of my last month:

• Hong Kong came and went. I was glad I insisted on the trip. HK had just done away with quarantine and regular tests, and was on the verge of opening fully to China. So the trip, that occurred during the first week of Lunar New Year, wasn't too packed with PRCs. The weather, at 10 - 20C, was perfect for hikes. We hiked the Lantau Peak and the Lion Rock. We encountered more foreigners as we climbed higher (seemed to be the same everywhere). We also managed to walk around Mongkok, TST, Causeway Bay, visited temples, and enjoyed the local foods. It was a really lovely trip.

• Family featured significantly over the last few weeks. The highlight was my second niece's wedding. I was surprised to get her invite last year, as I wasn't invited to her sister's wedding 8 years back. It reflected the improved relationship between my eldest sis and I. At the church, I was that proud uncle who watched my niece take her vows. I asked my eldest if I would be involved in the tea ceremony. She said - of course, you are the uncle and have a very high status. And so for the very first time, I had the honour of being served tea by my niece and her husband. To top it off, my grand-nephew (my eldest niece's son, who was already 5 years old) chatted with me and called me ku-kong (maternal grand uncle). It felt really good.

• I joined my paternal aunts and cousins for their annual Lunar New Year steamboat dinner. I do not  always look forward to such gatherings, but I will make it a point to attend reunion dinners. I am not sure if it is an ominous sign but for the first time this year, my elderly (second) uncle didn't attend the dinner. Also, I noted that my (eldest) aunt had started to show signs of water retention in her legs. It reminded me of my mum in her final months. I hope I am wrong, but I fear the worst to come in the coming year. 

• I cancelled my counselling sessions and the appointment with the mental health specialist. I know perfectly well the issues behind my transition anxiety and what I must do about it. Admittedly, work was a key reason. Apart from talking to my boss, a clear course of action was to leave my company. These are things that need time to plan. And I didn't want to feel pressured into taking actions if I were to visit the specialist/ counsellors. I also think my anxiety was made worst by my tendency to overthink issues. I need to learn to manage myself.

• Work has stabilised - for now. And with this, the anxiety had eased off. But the thought of moving on remained. I chatted with some colleagues who was serving their notice. They shared that progression, promotions, etc motivated them to move on. For me objectively, I am at the stage of my life where I do not want to invest more energies to restart myself in another senior corporate role. It is too draining. And I want to focus on preparing for retirement. So for now, I want to stretch my current employment for as long as I can as I prepare myself for my transition. 

• I recently caught up with a long time friend. He was retrenched late last year and had chosen to retire. Since then, he had been keeping busy with traveling and enjoying his life. I had known him since we were 14 years old and had grown up (and old) with him. Our lives couldn't be more different. For one, he has amassed enough resources to ensure his wife and children are all well-provided for for their current and next life if he were to pass away now (so he claimed). I do not think I will ever retire the way he did. I just do not have the resources to do so, and even if I do, I will still want to work. In our earlier years, we work for the money. In our more mature years, we work to keep ourselves mentally engaged. 

• And oh, I have some days of leave to clear before end-Mar and I have just booked another trip to HK. So yeah, come mid-Mar I will be in HK for a good 5 days. Going away is what I want to do and I do have several key considerations when planning trips. For short 3-5 day trips, I would prefer places I am familiar with, not too expensive, and importantly, weather must be cooling as far as possible. I want to be very focused - fly, land, enjoy... don't sweat over stuff like - having to learn the local transport system, navigate the people and place, etc. So, yeah, HK is it. Again. Haha!

I look forward to Mar 23. 

A slow but good start to 2023

This is my first actual post of 2023 and I want to call out some of the positives. They include:

• Will be making a trip to Hong Kong this coming CNY week. I really felt the itch to go overseas. Will spend 5 days there and we have made plans to climb the Lantau Peak. I am uncertain if I can still make it up the 934m peak but I’ll try. To give myself peace of mind, I included existing illness in my travel insurance in case I get any heart complications during the trip. Wish me luck. 

• Went for my cardio check up last week. It so happened that I had some stabbing chest pains lately and the cardiologist decided to put me on the treadmill after I told him of my impending trip. Despite missing a couple of heartbeats, I managed to continue running for 12min. This was 1min more compared to last years’ test. So, I passed the test and he cleared me for the trip!

• Spent some good time with a long time friend who returned from the States with his family late-Dec 22. During his 2-weeks here, I managed to meet up with him twice - once in a group setting with our fellow army friends and again with him alone for lunch. Despite the short duration of the meet ups, it felt good to be able to catch up face-to-face after 4 years. All too soon, he had to return home to San Jose, CA. 

• Went for 2 sessions of counseling in mid-Jan to help me manage my transition anxiety. One session was with the medical social worker and the other with a professional counsellor. The sessions were arranged to let me to experience the difference in the 2. I thought the private counsellor did a much better job. Objectively, I actually know what the issues were and what I needed to do. Nonetheless, the counseling sessions gave me an outlet to vent.

• On the work front, the boss went on an extended vacation. Together with the year end/ new year breaks, things at work were so much less stressful. And for the first time in the last 6-7 years, I was almost not involved in the annual planning exercise. As a result, much of my transition anxieties eased off. Let’s hope it stays this way.

Ok, those were some of the highlights over the last couple of weeks. 2023 started off relatively slow for all of us, given the extended holiday feel since last Christmas. Looking forward to my HK trip. Things will likely pick up after that. Happy Lunar New Year to all!

:-)

2023 - My Focus

Here's consolidated list of what I want to focus on in 2023:

• Keep healthy and well
• Travel
• Seek better workplace conditions
• Play my role well
• Value people who trust me
• Create a better home environment

Let's go!