Hurmmm...

phdcomics

It is summer now!

An afternoon at work with Mr Zhuang

Having some company that you really enjoy around you, especially at work, changes your day completely.

Mr Zhuang came to my office and joyfully leaped around and playfully nudge my shins every now and then. This young chihuahua cross has got endless energy until he drained himself and settled for some vibration-mode-off photography.

Nevertheless, the afternoon seems easier to work-by.

Goodnight Mr Zhuang..

Daddy, I want to come home

I had wanted to spill it all out to my dad tonight. Want to tell him the truth. Want to have his blessings. Want him to understand how important it is to me. Want him to know what I have been through.

Determined, I called. Hoping that dad will answer and we will have a heart to heart talk. I love how dad squeal in delight whenever I surprised him by calling his office. Reminds me of how much I miss spending time with him at home. And how much our character resembles each other.

The ringing lasted forever.

At last, there were no answer.

Is this an omen?

I won't want to break my old man's heart...

After all, he is the most important man in my life.

Caught In between

I need the strength.

I need the answers.

I need a friend.

I felt lost and unfulfilled in this journey. I was very contented before.

But now...

I felt something is missing. I felt a part of me has been taken away.

Is this truly what I had wanted?

Or is this how I am awarded for stepping on the pedal?

A deserted campus

Easter's long holiday is finally here. Campus is literally empty for the time being. Long holidays in HK is really rare; unlike Msia. We were too slacking and unfortunately, still.

So.... What will I be doing?

Well, I have a few good books to keep me company. Plus, all the time in the world to do whatever I want. And lots of drops from the sky to keep me curled up in bed the whole day. Spacious gym and all the luxurious access to any equipments I want. No queue!!!

Hopefully.

Nevertheless, will be a nice weekend of a much needed rest...

The rare speech

These words will always ring in my ear.

"You have learned and achieved a lot;

especially considering where you have come from."

"I'm surprised and truly amazed at

how tolerant and enduring of a person you are."

Thanks boss.

Those are the kindest words I need at one of the bottom-est time of a head damaging journey.

Overwork kills

Spending too much time at work can be the ultimate reason we lose ourselves, body, mind and soul. Don't take it for granted that you are still young and having plenty to fight for.

What is the price in place for the gamble?

The following post is from People's Daily Online.

Pan Jie, 25, died on Sunday of acute cerebral meningitis, which is caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Symptoms include severe headache and fever.

"Based on her symptoms and her low white blood cell count, it's reasonable to conclude that overwork led to a weakened immune system, which makes her more vulnerable to infections," Wang said. "When an infection worsens over time, people can develop acute cerebral meningitis."

Pan seemed to be aware something was wrong. On March 31, Pan wrote on her microblog: "Whenever there's a chance to take a break, a fever comes. My body, I am at a loss whether I should praise you for being understanding or just the opposite."

"I can accept overtime. I can also accept out-of-town business trips. But on learning a young worker died from fatigue at kp (KPMG), I feel something has broken my bottom line to endure," she wrote.

To be honest, I am scared. I worked more than 12hours a day, 7days a week. And my boss don't give a damn. I should quit my job. But I can't.

Taken for granted

Have we loved our father enough?

I just learned that my colleague's dad literally died dropped dead. He was walking on the street and fell down and died. Just like that. Of course, the news was well hidden and I learnt it secretly from my boss.

The girl is still quite young and so far away from her home in the Europe. The news must be a horrible one. She have grown quiet and vary of everyone in the department. She is not as cheerful as before. It was quite sad, now that I learnt that she had gone through all that by herself.

Dad, I miss you terribly.

Life as a teacher assistant

Half marking lab assignments, I fell asleep.

Now I think of it,

I don't think I am suitable to be a teacher...

Then again,

I don't think the students want me to be their teacher...

... which is totally fine with me!!!

Work ethics

Hard work pays off in the future.

Lazy-ness pays off now.

What you shouldn't say in front of your boss

G : Hey Teng, come join us for a drink!

T : No I can't. Thanks for the invite.

G : You were doing so well at the pool game!!!

N : Yeah, and you guys did it after I left!!!

T : Yeah, and I was unprotected.

Oooppssss................. I felt instant suicidal.

Fears

One of my biggest fear is playing with blades.

Tomorrow I'm going to be tested on one.

Blade oh Blade, Please don't fly out.

Fear oh Fear, Please subside.

Your presence matters

It felt really good, to finally share my life in HK with those who matters most to me. Though I'm sitting alone in my room now and then, but the feeling is not going to be the same again. Their presence still lingers strongly wherever I go.


Carrying them close to my heart, reminds me how well I've been surviving alone in HK all these while. Now, even better with their continuous blessings and silent prayers. Keeping me stronger and embraced in unseen warmth.

Thanks to them, I know my battle has been worthwhile. The battle is already half won.

Bliss.... I finally felt lighter.

This is for all of you - FAMILY.

A holiday....

Everyone in my office has left for their respective holidays. Back to their own home (I mean country)... celebrating with their loved ones...

Alex said to me, "Merry Christmas!!!" before she left the office just now. I turned and asked her, "You're leaving already??" She answered yes excitedly, and bid goodbye to her pathetic office table opposite mine. :)

I don't realize time travelled that fast.

It's 20mins past eight now... And I'm still in the office.

A breakaway from work

7 Things you should stop doing at work

1. Being too busy for breaks (you’re better at everything when you’re rested).

2. Replying to email instantly (if they’re really waiting, they’ll call you).

3. Getting caught up in politics (it’s rarely worth it and never fun).

4. Pretending you’re saving lives (if you actually are, no need to pretend).

5. Refusing to give yourself uninterrupted time for work (they don’t need you that much).

6. Complaining about how little money you make (the people you’re complaining to can’t change it).

7. Forgetting to laugh and have fun (this can take work some days but is always worth it).

Bonus round: Stop eating lunch at your desk. You really deserve a walk, conversation with a friend, or a quiet hour away from your desk.

Courtesty of Stepcase Lifehack

The difference between my neighbour and I

Ackley, Sophie and TT

Ackley : Hey TT, this is Sophie.

Sophie : Hi. [and looked elsewhere]

TT : Hi Sophie!! Erm, hello! [confused]

TT : Are you from HKU?

Sophie : Mm. [and looked away]

Ackley : Sophie's from Biological Sciences. [trying to connect dots]

TT : Ok. [smile]

TT : So, you're a grad student from HK?

Sophie : I'm half Australian. Half Singaporean.

TT : Oh, I see. [smile]

Sophie : You?? YOu are M'sia right??? [eyes rolled]

TT : Yeah, I'm your neighbour. [calmly]

Sophie : Ah. That's what I thought. You can't be S'porean. You're too polite. [look who's talking]

TT : [smile]

-pointless chatter took place over wine between the three. 90% of the time, Sophie was all over Ackley.

Sophie : Hey, let's go grab dinner, shall we? [looking entirely at Ackley]

Ackley : Sure! [who have been looking at TT all the time]

Sophie : great [still looking at Ackley]

TT : Great! Then you guys can go ahead without me. I've other dinner to attend to.

Ackley : Awww... too bad... You sure?

Sophie : [failed to hide her wide curved lips] Really??!!

TT : Yup, you guys have fun. [smile]

TT : Nice to meet you Sophie [smileeeeeee]

TT : Take care!

Sophie : You too. [mimicking a cat's purring]

Sophie : Ok! Let's go. [aimed at Ackley]

Sophie : Bye.

In the end, TT could not retrieved her rolling head...

oh, by the way, Ackley is a blond American.

Why am I here now?

" Teng,

You are being trained to be a Professor.

Not to be a student. "

Do you realize that?

Careers that depress you

Is your job stressing you out?

Check out whether your career is the actual thing that made you depressed.

10 careers with high rates of depression.




I'm sure mine is.

Happy 1st Anniversary

Hi Hong Kong,

I remembered clearly 01/09/2009. The first time I stepped into Hong Kong. A foreign land. No idea of what awaits me. No expectation of what lies ahead. Not well prepared to embrace the cultural shock and differences. Not knowing that I'd sustain here until now.

I vividly recall when I first step down from the plane. Ok. I was all alone. Lost and unsure. Blur and insecure. I really do not know, where did courage found its way and accompanied me all the way. It is indeed, a BIG step.

I still remember how shocked I was every time I had an encounter with Hongkie. Startled by their straight-forward and none-of-my-business manners, I was always victimised emotionally. Now, I understood. IT is in their culture. Sarcasm is their manners. Realistic is how they view. Highly system- and policy-oriented SAR. The business manifested society. A financial hub.

Hong Kong surprised me in many way, as much as how I surprised myself. And there's never an end to new discoveries and learning to overcome or embrace them. Small but compact. Flexible in many ways but still rigid.

Hong Kong proved to be a good touristy place. Excellent transportation. Informative resources. Accessible in every way. A planned society. Too many things to see and to be delighted with. But, only short term. Nobody would tourist for 4 years in Hong Kong.

One thing I learned, in a multicultural society, we blend in not by adapting and losing our own cultures. But to adapt and enrich the society with my culture. I am not a local, I am a foreigner.

I found the most ideal [quite] way to adjust to you. I just hope that your people would smile more. Coz I won't give up my smile.

Hong Kong, you're part of my life now.

HAPPY 1ST ANNIVERSARY...

Relationship ≠ work

There is personal life in work.

And there is also work in personal life.

But, be clear, relationship is not work.

It's a relationship. It's not work. We cannot just set a goal, and aim to achieve it.

That's far too realistic, ignorant, shallow and cold.

Relationships, especially between two person in love, needs a lot of compromising, understanding and acceptance. They give, they take. They need time. They need space. They need the truth. They need exploration. They need supplements. They need intellectual feedbacks. They need a solid foundation. They need backup plans.

Nothing simple mentioned. Simplicity is just the gimmick for the mind.

Nothing straight-forward as well. Relationships are complicated in every ways.

Having a target means looking forward, good.

However, setting a target doesn't mean you have to score them.

Having too high of a target, sometimes succumbs you to your own expectations.

Maybe you thought you were ready, when you are not?

Or perhaps, the aim is too high beyond reach, at current?

Are you on the right track?

Worst, you both are having different targets???

Should you set aside and let patience and more understanding to grow over time?

We never know for sure, how our paths cross, how they divert and how we are lead back on together. Sometimes, no matter how much effort has been put in, things still fall apart. Because, you 'worked' too hard, alone. You need to look back at the essentials, communication. You need another team player, and you need to put trust in him/her.

In relationships, there are two workers. And rule of the thumb, is to work together. Put efforts to build up a groundwork where both parties contributed almost equally. One thing leading on to another - mostly bitter-sweet. The final product can well be envisioned as much as success comes drooling in. And what matters most, is how the entire working process takes place to pull things together.

Bear in mind, the success, is not yours alone. You did it with a partner, whom you can depend and work with for the rest of your life.

That's the one you need.

Relationships are like colours to a drawing.

When there are colours, the plain drawing becomes a painting.

When more colours set in, the painting becomes interesting.

When all colours blend in nicely, the painting becomes a work of art.

Reaching the set target, is just a bonus in the end.

Both parties share the merits.