Back With A Bounce!

I'm back with a bounce! Back from the illness and sadness of early last week, when I was so down because of work. Yes, work is always cyclical. There are periods when I happily dress up for work and smile to everyone in the office for the whole day, but there are days when I can't be bothered about how I look, can't keep my eyes open regardless of how much essence of chicken or Chinese tea I drink and cry at the end of the day because I'm just so exhausted and harassed.

Well, things are still the same. There's the same amount of work, the same people who irritate and frustrate me, the same circumstances I can't change. But I think I'm learning how to manage it better. When I returned to work from MC on Thursday, there was an awful lot to do but I told myself to take it easy and just do one thing at a time. I could barely drag myself out of bed that morning, but somehow when I started doing work, I gained a new energy that had been lacking on those two days that I'd been sick. Thank God for answering my prayers for help! I can't explain it. I just felt better even with the situation as it is in the office. But yes I'm still hoping for a replacement for my colleague. For that day when I will no longer have to do someone else's work.

I had a really great time yesterday too. After attending the 11am novena where I took time to pray for about 25 minutes in the beautiful silence of the church, I had a nice yuppie lunch alone (caesar chicken salad, pumpkin and tofu salad and a strawberry banana smoothie) at one of my favourite cafes, Toast at Ngee Ann City. For those of you who go for salads, sandwiches and desserts and are longing for a bit of peace and quiet, head for Toast, a member of the Marmalade group. Prices are a little steep but still affordable at less than $10 for a sandwich/wrap/salad. Not surprisingly, Toast has a huge yuppie and expat clientele. The interior's also a cheery strawberry milk colour and cosy. Where is Toast? It's a well-kept secret. Head for the taxi stand from inside Ngee Ann City. Once you exit to street level, turn right and keep walking. You'll hit Toast in no time.

After lunch, I headed to Kallang Theatre to watch RENT with an honours classmate. The beginning was a little slow, but the pace and energy picked up and it was on the whole, quite an enjoyable show. Karen Mok disappointed though, with her "sandy" voice. I can't believe she qualified as a member of a musical cast! But credit does go to her for playing the part of Mimi well. RENT's a great musical and I'm glad they brought the original cast from New York here.

After RENT I joined my cousins, aunt and brother for dinner at Tony Roma's Suntec and dessert after at NYDC. It was a treat from my aunt for those whose birthdays fall in November. We had a wonderful time just enjoying the food and laughing about the little things in life. My spirits liftes significantly too from walking through the shops at Suntec with Christmas carols ringing in my ears.

I have decided to play really hard every weekend, given that I'm going to work like a crazy horse (pardon the bad pun, there's been so much hype on this lately) on weekdays. I believe that's the only way I can recharge for yet another intense week at work. Tomorrow is the start of another busy week. It won't be easy but I believe that with God at my side, I can afford to smile a bit more, not take things so hard and just simply, manage. God, help me to hang in there!

The Beautiful People at Giordano

There's been alot of talk lately about how to improve the really pathetic service standards in Singapore. In relation to this topic, I'd like to commend the beautiful people at Giordano who are eternally smiley, helpful and just a joy to be around. It's as if every Giordano salesgirl/boy has popped a 'happy' pill before they start work. I'm always greeted with a smile and "can I help you with anything", and mind you it's not said in a resigned, obligatory tone, but in a really sincere way. That's what I like about Giordano staff. They're REAL, they love their job and they really just want to help you get the right clothes.

Yesterday I popped in to the Junction 8 outlet and was greeted by the same two smiley girls who've served me before. I have to say that they're both quite good-looking and their cheeriness is infectious so they can make you (especially if you're a guy) buy something even if you're not planning on spending any money. I bought a white T-shirt that was worth $14, but one of the salesgirls gave me a discount, so I ended up paying $11.90 instead. I asked her "why so good give me discount". She smiled shyly and said, "Oh nothing lah, I always see you here mah." I protested, saying I haven't bought that many things from this particular outlet. Then she blushed and said: "Oh, we (her and another salesgirl) just like you very much because we find you very pretty lah. We are also human you know." When I heard that, I beamed from ear to ear and blushed with the reply: "Aiyah, I have bad skin." She smiled and said: "No lah, still very pretty!" Wow, so I AM pretty despite having zitty skin. That's certainly boosted my esteem by a mile especially since my 5-year battle with acne has always been a thorn in my flesh.

The above episode serves to reinforce what is already common knowledge: good-looking people more often have it their way. But I believe that no matter how you look, Giordano staff will be nice to you under most circumstances. Kudos to the management for training your staff well. They deserve to be Singapore's good service ambassadors. Giordano, you're my friend always. But my favourite is still the sweet and pretty girl at the Junction 8 outlet who made my day :)

Sick

I'm down with a virus attack. A sign of working too hard. Can you believe I was so delighted to be declared sick by the doctor yesterday night? Brilliant! An MC to force me to vegetate at home and stay away from the office.

It's been tough. A colleague just left and most of her work has been handed over to me. Worse, I don't know when a replacement is going to come in, which means I have to tahan the extra workload for an indefinite period. I'm very tired, I've been staying late, I've been harassed by phone calls and emails to help others with this and that. I really just want to get away from it all. I feel like quitting sometimes.

God, help me to tide over this difficult period. To find meaning in my work, to not complain about the mountain that sits on my table, to not get so easily overwhelmed, to not bring my unhappiness back home, to not let it affect my weekend. Help me to find you in the chaos, to remember you are still with me through the encouraging words of my friends. Help me to get well soon, to be renewed by your divine strength, and to get up and going with the power of your spirit. Help me, oh God!