Category Archives: Life

Writer’s Block

Posted on by
Reply

Some days writing is sheer bliss – words just flow from the keyboard and the final output is something I don’t really have to tinker much with.

Some days, it is the reverse – try as I may, the right words do not come by and I struggle to write even a single coherent sentence….This is after I have a bunch of ideas to be used as posts ☺️

  

So what does a writer do in this case – why write up a post on Writer’s Block of course!

Some people who have researched this phenomena say that there is no such thing as Writer’s Block – you just need to write, even if it is drivel and from that something good will come up, something you can publish without feeling mortified!

One thing to do to overcome Writer’s Block is to carry a small notebook with you at all times to jot down when the spark of an idea comes by.

 

I do something like that, only electronically. Since most of us have smart phones, I have Google Docs in my phone which is also synced to my desktop. I have a file there where I type out blog ideas, start blog posts etc and when inspiration strikes, irrespective of where I am, I whip out my phone, power the app and note it down. As simple as that!

Experts also say clearing your mind of cobwebs and doing something physical also gets those creative juices flowing. I don’t know about doing something physical, but my creativity is best when I am about to fall asleep or in the shower – two places where I am unable to type it immediately.

2015 Week 12 Updates

Posted on by
Reply

This week has been dominated by the passing away of Mr. Lee Kwan Yew. Feeds in Facebook plus the other media spoke about the love that people has for this man, who single-handedly was responsible for making Singapore what it is today. I too penned a few words on this blog. People were queuing over 8-10 hours just for that one minute where they could pay their last respects to Mr. Lee.

Other than that, a very uneventful week, one where a lot of us did some soul-searching. I too did and have come to some decisions, one of which was the rewriting of my resume. It is going on as we speak and once that is done, I will start, if not searching for new opportunities, but atleast have the chance to do that when a good opportunity comes my way.

Goodbye Mr. Lee and Thank You

Posted on by
1

Singapore woke up on Monday morning to a news they all feared and dreaded. Mr. Lee Kwan Yew, the man who is credited for making Singapore the world-class city state it is today, was no more. 

 

Mr. Lee or LKY as he is known, had been in hospital for over a month, battling pneumonia and had been deteriorating in the past week. 

Widely regarded as the man most intrumental in shaping the path to Singapore’s prosperity, he was a man who was loved and feared in equal intensity while alive. However, it is in death that an entire nation – from young to the old, from citizens to residents – mourn together for the man who is synonymous with the nation.. 

He fought for our independence, built a nation where there was none and made us proud to be Singaporeans. We won’t see another man like him.  

These words from PM Lee Hsien Loong’s televised message to the nation reflect perhaps what a lot of people were feeling. 

He gave us a country we can be proud of, a home to bring up our family and a better life we can aspire to…Much of today’s ‘Singapore DNA’ can be traced to his personal character, philosophy and values – Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong in a letter to the late Mr. Lee’s son Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. 

National Day this year is going to be bittersweet. Singapore is celebrating 50 years of independence and the architect and man responsible for this celebration will not be around to celebrate with the nation he helped found. SG50 will not be the same without LKY. 

This post isn’t going to be about LKY’s vast achievements which can be found online and in the various media, but a small tribute to a great man who shaped this country I now call home. 

Later today, I am going to take BB & GG with me to our nearest CC to write in the condolence book and in our own small way, honour the man, they have the privilege to share a birthday with. I always tell them even if they are able to do a fraction of Mr. Lee’s achievements in their life, they would achieve a lot in this life. 

 

Goodbye Mr Lee Kwan Yew and a heartfelt THANK YOU for making Singapore what it is today – a place we are proud to call home and be a part of. Each time I come home from a trip, when I land in Changi airport, I am so happy to be home. The Singapore efficiency, especially when you compare to the country you’ve just come from, makes you happy to call this place yours and it is all due to your foresight and planning.

To his family, be strong – the whole of Singapore is with you in your time of grief. 

#ThankyouLKY #RIPLKY #LeeKwanYew

2015 Week 11 Updates

Posted on by
Reply

A very uneventful week for us. The children has their school holidays about which I mentioned yesterday. 

Work has been pretty much in a suspended state for me now. My new boss comes in in the end of April and that’s when I plan to speak to him about my future here. But, I did start one thing though – I contacted a resume writing company and have started working with them to get my resume properly done. Even if I stay on here, I am sure they will want to see a copy of my resume. So it better to have a nice, polished copy 😊

Woke up today to learn that another of Singapore’s founding fathers (random thought – why are there hardly any founding mothers?) and Singapore’s first Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Kwan Yew passed away early this morning. He had been in hospital for more than a month now and in the last week had been deteriorating almost daily. 

 RIP Mr. Lee. 

You were perhaps the single person who was the architect of Singapore’s sucess and in my opinion the person responsible for making Singapore what it is today – a first world country! You will be sorely missed, especially since Singapore celebrates its 50th year of Independence this year.#RIPLKY

We actually share something with LKY – BB & GG were born on his 80th birthday and I remember the nurses in the hospital asking me if I had planned this! I always tell BB & GG that even if they achieve in their lives, a tenth of what Mr. Lee did, they would still have done so much and be so much successful…

Friends: Someone with whom you can dare to be Yourself!

Posted on by
Reply

Everyone has friends, these are the people you choose to have in your lives – for better or worse. You meet people, strike conversations and suddenly there’s that zing which comes because you click so well with each other and a friendship is born! You can go days and even years where you don’t speak to each other, but can pick up almost instantly when you meet next.

Social media has a allowed a lot of people to reconnect with old friends. When I moved to Singapore, I completely disconnected with most of my friends. This was pre-social media days and so we used to exchange emails thats all. But with Facebook and now Whatsapp, friendships which were last seen a very very long time ago has been revived! I now regularly communicate with school friends, most whom I have not seen since the day we collected our school leaving exam results. Yesterday, I reconnected with my MBA friends, again whom I have not seen of or heard in ages!

We also make friends where we work in, but are these friendships true? Yes, sometimes, there are people with whom you have that connection and you go on to remain friends for the rest of your life and I have such friends too. But most of ‘work friendships’ are friendships which are ‘convenient friendships’. You are friends with someone at work because it is helpful to you. Do these friendships sustain themselves outside of work?

I have such friends too A friends I could talk about pretty anything in the sun and she would be my sounding board – it was like being with a therapist and counsellor together. Her answers would be unbiased and with an outsiders view and I suddenly got insights that I never had thought of. Or if I wanted to vent about work, she was there with her two cents worth, which would make me see the issue from another angle. But, and a big but, we didn’t socialise outside of work. After we both left the organisation (she first and then me after about a year), we have met for the grand total of…..Once!! We still text each other once a while – think birthdays and festivals and keep talking of meeting up, but that never happens.

Slowly I realised that office friendships don’t really work. People in most workplaces want to be friends with you for a reason – once that reason is over, they tend to ignore you and you keep wondering what went wrong, or they continue to talk to you, just to get information from you which will benefit them.

Now I may sound cynical, but this has been a long drawn-out lesson in the world! I am pretty naive like that – I like to see the goodness of people and prefer not to think that people have ulterior motives, but then that is the truth in today’s world.

It’s taken me this long to realise this – have a small number of true friends – friends you can share anything with – and not be judged rather than having a large number of acquaintances.

But if you have a true friend, cherish them and keep them close to your heart, as in the words of Mastercard – true friends are PRICELESS!