race plan revisited, losing some yet gaining more

we've revisited the race plan earlier made and made some revision to it.

Majority of the races would be running events, with 2 tris and perhaps 1 du.

Races keep training focused and jazz up boring work days.

In an overview, we will be doing 1 race per month, with some runs with groups slotted in as well.

i'm looking forward to having more time to train in the morning on weekends.. working on the weekends from day to night really wears me out and often i'll end up sleeping in because i'm just way too tired to drag myself out for a bike ride. now as i set the part time job aside, i'm hoping to be able to do early morning bike rides, brick runs, join safra running club maybe and still have time to slowly enjoy a good breakfast. best thing is being able to rest through early afternoon then pick up on studies in late noon..and to end off the nice weekend, join my mum for dinner =) that is the ideal which i hope to be working towards.

i lose earning extra savings but i gain time for myself and with my loved ones. it's an exchange. every choice comes with an opportunity cost.

like mum and mr guava both commented, and which i concur, i just have to be a bit more thrifty and i can still save as much, without the part time job.

tricia, you must hang on. =)

waiting and thinking

Going in hand with the 2008 budget, those pursuing undergraduate studies will now receive more subsidy than before. I checked out unisim website and read that students can receive up to 40% subsidy on tuition fees. Wow. I would really love to utilize that substantial subsidy the government is offering; I would love to experience varsity education as well. but I guess I’m going to be left off the bandwagon as it’s only available for those pursuing undergraduate studies. Argh. I hope they’ll extend it further to post graduate studies as well.

I don’t think I will give up obu to do a 3years stint with unisim.

Meantime, let’s hope when I eventually get to realize my NTU dream, the subsidy would have reached out to postgraduate studies too.

I’m suddenly pretty free during this 2^nd half of the day, eve of Good Friday holiday. I’m awaiting for the confirmation to come back before I can email it back to HK, I am waiting for the FD to be renewed so that I can pass entries, I am waiting for the POs from Indonesia and hence, that leave me waiting with nothing much on hand to do.

Snaking around, I’m jotting my thoughts now and soon will proceed to forward enquiries to Mr Yong on OBU.

On the happy note, the skies are drying up. There are still occasional showers but it usually doesn’t last the entire day.

Mr Guava said once the trail gets drier (not muddy), we’ll start running macrit. Wee!! I love the idea of it. running off road is a whole lot more fun than tarmac pounding. At least I’ll get to wear those underutilized TNF shoes. Got to quickly wear them off before I can get the Salomons.

My hope is to do the x-country marathon. So I hope weather holds in order to allow training to proceed.

I’ve been considering the link between the motivation factors with accounting. It’s a degree on applied accounting, not simply human resource management. The obvious is how motivated staff, being more involved in the organisation’s business, would unleash profits. But how much of the project should be on the factors? What proportion of it should it be on the effects?

Questions questions questions…. I am a little..lost.

there's truth in this

extracted from a book on human resource management.

it can be so true, isn't it?

if and only if

I think I have Seasonal Affective Disorder. The rain makes me sulk. Being able to run on a dry day is bliss. I will soon become a depressive if the rain does not come to a halt soon.

I haven’t made any good progress in my hill training recently. my best time for yesterday’s hills is 2 seconds slower than my personal best last month. Bleah.

I started on a new workout I found on runner’s world magazine. I’m not expecting it to work miracles on slow-coach tricia, but I would try any methods that’ll keep me running harder.

After much deliberation, I decided to quit the job at RL. There are 3 reasons I would keep staying on and handfuls of reasons I’ll want to leave. After weighing out the opportunity costs, I felt to opt out of the job is the better option. There was already some accumulation of unhappiness through the months and I felt by staying on it would just add on to it. Instead of letting myself become more disgruntle with the situation, I’ll rather bail myself out of it now.

If, and only if (dream on), things could end a good note, I hope I could get that $200 voucher that I thought I should have be entitled to but never gotten. Yati once helped me ask about it but as the pre-requisite was to clock 240hrs in 3 months, I never got close to it. Not even after working there for the past 2yrs+, not even when I have been running with velocity since its founding days. I remember recce runs with Kelvin, Sebastian, Thomas, mr guava and iskandar before we launched velocity. I remember organizing a trail relay challenge, which I managed to gather a small group of velocity runners for a morning of fun at macritchie. so I thought I was a volunteer, but to management, I’m not.

It’s disappointing how the system works some times. i'm tired of being a pawn on it.

Well, i guess the last thing I could get for myself for all the work done is a decent testimonial.

I learnt from my part time work: don’t expect too much, so there won’t be disappointment. The more you hope for, the more disappointed you’ll be when it doesn’t happen. When you expect nothing and something comes along, it’ll be an added surprise.

All I am asking for a testimonial and nothing more, so don’t relinquish the little hope that remains.

shoo rain

I hate rain, most of the time.

I only love the rain when I’ve finished my work, completed my training and I’m ready to jump into bed. The rain makes it cooling for a nice sleep.

Yet, 90% of the time I hate it.

I hate getting my shoes wet and having to wear them on makes my feet cold and damp. I feel like it’s ready to go mouldy already!

The rain makes the atmosphere so humid; it takes eons to dry my laundry.

I hate not being able to train – no running, no swimming and no biking outside. I hate hate hate it.

The cold weather makes one go hungry fast. And in turn, I end up eating more.

No exercise + More food = Fat Tricia

I feel miserable when it rains. I can only stand indoor, look up into the sky and lament, “when is this going to stop?”

Rain, rain, go away!

going on & giving up

I had a shitty task to do yesterday and I confess I grumbled at the start of it.

Why am I doing it?

Shit. So many pages. When am I going to finish?

Can tie or not? So many entries, I make one mistake that’s it. can’t reconcile again.

They didn’t manage to reconcile it last year what.

I whined, I ranted and I had to curb a temper that was flaring from within.

But I peservered.

As mr guava sms-ed me to pacify me, the better part of me gradually took over.

I can do it.

I must tie it.

Who says they can’t do it last year means I can’t do it this year?

Jia you. finishing soon. I can do it by today.

Before I leave work today I must make sure I reconcile this.

With almost 7million worth of transactions, 25+56 pages of listing from both companies and a $300k difference to reconcile, I did it.

Yes, I did it before I left work yesterday. At the stroke of 5pm, I stood up with glee, yes! I reconciled it!

There was a sweet sense of satisfaction, akin to the feeling of crossing the finishing line at the end of a marathon.

I’m just glad I didn’t give up on the task, nor gave up on myself.

Sometimes, it’s that bit of perseverance that makes the difference from going on and giving up.

luck? work harder

christin and i met up for a brainstorm session(obu paper).. it was not just a good time of talking about the project, we shared updates in our lives too..and before we parted for the night, we cheered each other on to press on in life..

i sms-ed her.. "we must work hard for our dreams..because we have dreams, so that hard work is worth it".

i like what i found in my fortune cookie last wk for it reminded me not to lament on not being lucky..but to review on myself whether i've worked hard enough.

"Don't always depend on luck, work harder".

reach for the dream

Dreams. We talked about dreams yesterday.

We dream that one day we would be successful. I dream that one day I would be dorned in a powersuit armed with my laptop and carrying myself with diginity and pride.

I dream one day I would do well enough to get into a varsity. I always feel this is a part of my life I missed out on – to be a part of a large varsity, to study within a campus. I’ve never experienced campus life, I’ve never gone through a convocation nor shook a dean’s hand. I dream one day I can do that.

Amusingly, my dream 2 years ago during this same time of the year was to complete an ironman. My whole body and mind just felt it was a dream I must pursue and I must accomplish in my life time. To my own dismay, I’ve never attained that dream.

Knowing mr guava changed my perspective. I began to ask myself what matters more in life. at the end of the day, I could cross the finishing line of the ironman race but yet still be a nobody in life. doing ironman does not make a nobody turn into somebody. (neither does going to jean yip do that)

What makes a nobody become somebody is how hard ms nobody is going to work and strive. To upgrade myself constantly, to read vivaciously, to learn keenly and to love with no inhabitation. There’s a limitless sky up there to soar on; don’t just be satisfied rolling in the mud pile.

I am telling myself I’m not going to resign stopping where I am now. I must move on and move UP. The desire to learn should be like an interminable thirst that has to be quenched; a flame that has to be fuelled constantly.

The voyage to greater heights can often be peppered with hindrances – treacherous storms and towering waves. Nonetheless, I know when I look over my shoulder, there will be people I love, standing by me all the way.

Knowing the goal makes getting there, a whole lot easier. =) and the process, a whole lot more meaningful.

Reach (Gloria Estefan)

Some dreams live on in time forever
Those dreams, you want with all your heart
And I'll do whatever it takes
Follow through with the promise I made
Put it all on the line
What I hoped for at last would be mine

If I could reach, higher
Just for one moment touch the sky
From that one moment in my life
I'm gonna be stronger
Know that I've tried my very best
I'd put my spirit to the test
If I could reach

Some days are meant to be remembered
Those days we rise above the stars
So I'll go the distance this time
Seeing more the higher I climb
That the more I believe
All the more that this dream will be mine

If I could reach, higher
Just for one moment touch the sky
From that one moment in my life
Im gonna be stronger
Know that Ive tried my very best
Id put my spirit to the test
If I could reach

rl woes

I thought about devoting more time into the upcoming research paper. I’ve yet to get into full gear ahead but I thought if I would want to put more weekends into it. that’ll probably jeopardize my job at rl..which I’ve been hanging on for a few reasons. I’ve got to rant about the fact that discounts are no longer attractive nor are there any sponsorships I’ve heard about for this year. There are no pull factors, apart from the pay, that’ll make me want to stay on.

It started pretty well, to be honest. However, there’ve been so much cut in the perks these days. In fact, mr guava would be getting $200 sponsorship for being a volunteer runner, but how about me? (being there on Tuesdays for the runs, for nothing!bleah!) I’ve worked for 2yrs+ at rl and I’ve never qualified for this sponsorship either.

Seems like being a volunteer counts better than being a part time staff.

Sian.

If I quit being a staff, mr guava would still be entitled to staff purchase for being a volunteer. And I might just sign up as volunteer too, anyway when mr guava goes for the runs, I’m always there too.

1 more month before announcement of pay increment. Let’s pray I get one that’s substantial enough, then I’ll probably quit rl.

So much for rl woes. On the flip side of the coin, by working 5mths at rl, I’ll be able to afford the pink sony cr-35! Vanity! Vanity!!

oh look! the cr35 in white which mr guava says it's pretty!

sweet fetish

As we were conversing in the car during the weekend, mr guava brought into perspective the likelihood of getting a new laptop if my studies require. I’ll definitely be working a lot more on the laptop and when I have to present my research paper, I must have my own laptop to do so. I can’t possibly borrow ct’s laptop (she has to work too) and I’m currently using a desktop in the office.

However, as I tussle with the vanity, I know my dell laptop is working well (erm,notwithstanding the occasional virus alert pop-up) and the only thing I often whine about is its size and weight. Apart from that, I really haven’t got much to complain about it. It’s slightly over 3 years old (can’t remember exactly how old but I got it during NL time which was I think should be late 04- early 05 period). I had no idea what kind to get and what to look out for, hence I simply yi-ni-mi-ni-ma-ni-mo one off the dell brochure I receive every now and then kiap-ed in between my daily Straits Times.

It’s just a vanity thing I concur with the devilish side of me and the sony cr 35 really gets my eyes popping out large O_o pinkkkk! Irresistible pink! It’s really sweet. Sweet. Sweet!!

Sweetness comes with a whopping price tag of $1,999!! O_O sigh. If I hadn’t got to pay the hefty amount for the subscription, I would have loved to bag this baby home.

Hence after rationalizing that I would probably need the money for travel, I’m somehow going to let go of the idea.= (

Or perhaps, I might just earn enough from my part time job to get myself a decent laptop that isn’t so expensive.

Gosh. See la. That’s how money makes the world go round. No money, can only just stand outside the shop and drool. Can see, can feel, but cannot bring home and own it.

I feel like the hungry kid starving for days, pasting her face on the bakery, staring and drooling hungrily at the freshly baked bread. Reaching into my pocket, I only find $0.50, not even enough to buy a bun these days. Feeling disheartened, I can only swallow hard and walk away miserably. $0.50 enough to buy some sweets from the mama shop. Unwrapping the hacks lemon sweet, I slowly place it on my tongue. Taking my time to savour its sweetness and letting that sweetness numb the disappointment that this is all I can afford. Indeed, money does make the world go round, doesn’t it?