Journal Died

So it's pretty evident that both Kanika and myself have abandoned the journal challenge. LOL. Did not expect that to die out so quickly but I guess it did - I was kind of bored. Nevertheless, I'm going to do my best to get up to date with the pictures but it seems like it's going to take forever.

18th December: Julitta & Kino

Photos from the rare day that I got to do a little bit of work at home before having the pleasure of catching up with a dear friend, then shopping at a pre-sale event, and then an evening of lovely banter and puppies. It was a great day if I do say so myself:

Rare meeting with this girl, she even gave me a Christmas present even though I still have yet to pass her the gift I got her from Korea LAST JUNE (I am the worst really).

Pre-sale at Space Invasion with my favourite baby Chase who was a little grumpy at first.

But soon settled into a better mood after loads of carrying and jiggling. 

I'm so far behind my posts - I know this because he's so much bigger now compared to these pictures oh dear.

Evening spent with one of my favourites. 

Kat & Gab were babysitting this baby too so it was double happiness for me. 

Kino with mami

<3

Journal Day 4

So it turns out that I have been mistaken, the 30 day journal challenge includes daily prompts to address. I did not know this and have carelessly skated through the past 3 days, oops. As requested, I'll do a make-up for day 2 and start on day 4 proper as well.

Day 2: On this day, I was supposed to come up with a 6-word memoir of my life so far - which I was immediately daunted by. Hahaha, wtf a 6 word memoir???????????? I don't know if this is any good or if its truly representative but here we go:

"Missed the train, caught the bus."

Day 4: Pick a habit that you'd like to eliminate from your life. Bad habits are like armpits, we all have 'em and they all stink (......) think about the steps you'll take in order to put the kibosh on that negative habit. And again, also think about how you'll keep yourself accountable to that goal.

I think that when it comes to Sam, I sometimes lose my temper too quickly when I'm upset - especially when he doesn't seem to understand why. With anyone else, it would be much easier for me to voice my issue calmly but with him, I get set off pretty quickly if he doesn't catch on soon enough. This could also be because we have such a close relationship that there are very few social norms or etiquette that effectively bar me from going crazy without thinking about the consequences. This is tricky because when there's a lot of heat, it's highly likely that that I will explode. The cooling down method doesn't work for me either because when I have an issue, I tend to want to tackle it immediately so that I can calm myself down with a resolution. Waiting or cooling off periods generally make me antsy and even more upset - sometimes way more upset than required.

I don't know if this counts as a tangible step exactly, but I hope that in the event this happens again (who am I kidding, it definitely will lol), I'll be able to recall this exercise and remind myself to speak nicely and effectively. The thing with Sam is that sometimes when I speak nicely, he doesn't think that what I'm saying is a big deal so it's important to choose my words wisely. Perhaps I'll try to remember a couple of nice things that he did for me before going all batshit cray.

Accountability? Hmmm baby steps me thinks, I guess I will ask my trusty Kanikaaaaaa if the way I reacted/responded was justified or not.

^Okay definitely not great progress but hey at least I tried? Wink ;)

15th - 17th Dec: Work

Some updates from work days in December, it feels like such a long time ago. Back then we were making preparations to launch BFFsg and now we're well into the evaluation stage. Successfully handed in our final report this afternoon but the campaign will still continue to run as per normal. I'm not sure where is the end game but I'm glad that all has been proceeding well. Anyway pictures:

Postcard all the way from Exeter, posted by Hazel :3 

Coffee meeting with one of our earlier sponsors. 

Saw the cutest little bebby.

December was my last month teaching the munchkins at Clementi. 

Drawing show and tell. 

Hopheads for their wings promo. The pasta is pretty damn amazing. 

Died from spiciness. 

Day of BFFsg photoshoot!

My favourite baby Chase was in attendance!

Yummy mummies and their babies :')

Baby yoga.

Little pupper all pooped out.

<3

Journal Exercise Day 3

Just a quick one again tonight because it's already 0300 and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to last the entire day tomorrow. Our FYP final report is due at 2pm and its the reason why I'm still up at this hour, combing the report for errors, adjusting borders and correcting formatting issues. I'm feeling a little antsy and rattled at having to work on this at the eleventh hour. My personal working style rejects doing any work outside of administration on the last day. All cognitive work should be completed at least 2 days before the deadline with the buffer time left to make final checks and to ensure ample time for processing in case of any administration error (printing/binding issues). This by no means suggest that I am always on a time crunch and have to work late to adhere to my self-imposed deadlines - No, I simply start early and take a systematic approach so that I do not have the extra chore of having to reorganise my work after "vomiting" out content.

So I don't take kindly to staying up all night to complete an assignment that is due the next day, let alone the biggest assignment of my undergraduate life. Don't get me wrong, I am not placing blame; the reality of working in groups is that you have to adjust to the work-style of your teammates and I am not one to refuse to be a team player. Besides, they are great teammates who are responsible and produce quality work. I'm just saying that this style exhausts me and as a result, I am up here at 0308 rattling on because my mind is now too stimulated to sleep. I look forward to saying goodbye to such a lifestyle ASAP.

Allow me one complaint: I have a full day of work tomorrow followed by evening lessons and I already feel grumpy because I know that I will be fighting fatigue. Does not help that the following day lends no opportunity for rest either. I can't wait for this week to be over!

In more positive news, I received my first acceptance letter this afternoon so that's pretty great. One more hurdle to get pass before I can finally heave a sigh of relief, one step closer to setting the scene for the proceeding years after graduation :3

14th December: FYP Christmas Party

So last Christmas, my FYP group decided to have our own little Christmas party to wind down and chill out together. Now that I'm writing this, I wish that I've been more timely in updating because I remember that it was an awesome night but no longer remember more specific information that would make this post more interesting :S

But first, Italian food at Wicked Garlic! I love their pasta and risotto, awesome taste at affordable prices (: 

Then dessert at a quaint little cafe called Banana Tree. I love the natural lighting and the cute decor!

That potted plant is actually our dessert!

Shopping for more food to contribute to our potluck!

A little bubbly for celebrations. 

Post-Dinner.

Birthday surprise!

<3

Journal Exercise Day 2

I honestly don't quite know how I'm still alert at 2:18am after getting up at 0700 and working almost literally from day to night. The day didn't start too peachy but I'd like to think that I got through it pretty well. To be honest, I think I have a love-hate relationship with work. Half the time I long for just enough free time to lounge in bed and do absolutely nothing but eat and watch garbage, yet on the other hand, job satisfaction keeps me whirring and running. Still, I look forward for things to quieten down a little bit in the coming weeks so that I can regulate the system and prevent overheating before I get fried. Just a short entry tonight, I need to rest.