What's next?

Just had my appraisal today. It goes according to my expectations. A boring *guess?* for work done in the last 5 months. Was told that I did my work well and can be trusted to perform the tasks efficiently. However, my performance rating will be benchmarked against every executive in the department. Against Mark (4 years in product control), Hengyi (1.5 years) etc. Certainly dun think this is fair but I kept my mouth shut given that it would be a futile attempt. How can I be benchmarked against seniors who are aiming for managerial positions soon? Looks like the coming 2 months would be my last in Middle Office.

Had lunch with my former boss today to seek his opinion on my next rotation. One of the few Christians I know in Barcap and whom I can seek godly advice. Once again, it seems that prospects within Finance are quite limited (for me, who's keen on research and analytical stuff). Even his department, which seems rather interesting, only takes in MBA graduates.

So what's next for me? Do a MBA? Hang in there and hope for the best? Really got to trust God with His plans for me. A place where I can shine forth His Glory and be a "salt and light" to the world. Indeed a struggle between personal desires and godly destiny. May I be atuned to His Heart and be obedient to His cause, whatever it be for me.

Is this a travel blog?

I can't imagine this blog, which was meant to detail our lives here, has actually grown to be a "semi-travel" blog. Time to revamp?

Anyway the first day of the work week for us has got us kan-cheong. For Xueyan, it's the thought of going through the week "smoking". For myself, hoping to survive tonight's late shift with just Mark and Alastair (Hengyi, Andy and David are on leave!). Good thing, trades were closed early for me to complete the lates for tonight.

Xueyan cooked a marvellous meal tonight with steamed cod fish, fried egg with prawns and crabstick and sambal calamari! Time for me to feast into the seafood feast!

Spending April in Sweden/Finland

Yes, yet another travel. This time we will be going to Helsinki/Stockholm over the Good Friday and Easter long weekend (6 - 9 April).

We will be flying into Helsinki with Mark/Francine (at least them at the moment), and thereafter taking a cruise over the Baltic Sea with Viking Line. Yes, this ship...

... will take us from Helsinki to Stockholm via Mariehamn. An overnight cruise which would allow us to see the beautiful Swedish islands when we awake in the morning. All these at the recommendation of Tua Yee which travelled this route with her husband many years back. Haha, time for us to savour the moment!

Thanks for 2006, looking forward to 2007

Just came back from CG an hour ago. The theme for tonight was for us to remember 10 things (at least!) to thank God for 2006 and things to pray for in 2007. Initially I thought it would be difficult to remember 10 things, turned out 10's not enough. Anyway here's the ten...

1. For Xueyan to come over to London for us to enjoy life together as a couple in a foreign environment;
2. For Xueyan to amazingly find a job on her last day in London (back in Jan-06) before she returned to Singapore for CNY;
3. Finding and settling into Emmanuel Evangelical Church and the Canary Wharf Young Adults care group;
4. Good health and peace in my family back in Singapore (so glad to be back in Singapore come Feb for CNY!);
5. For my current job rotation (though I have been complaining at times being scolded by the traders);
6. Journey mercy on all our Europe travels;
7. My knee which survived the skiing in Zermatt, Switzerland;
8. For Kia Ngee who so faithfully blessed us by fetching us to church every Sunday;
9. Assimilation into London, getting used to the food/weather/culture (and enjoying dim sum every other weekend);
10. For every new day God has given to us to live and witness His Glory in action!

Prayer items for the new year

1. Personal - being able to spend more time reading His Word, reading more literature and brushing up on my guitar skills;
2. Cell - more active in worship and (prayerfully) leading more worship and bible study sessions;
3. Church - currently not in any ministry but hopes to get more involved in church activities and to attend more Christian Education sessions such as Spiritual Parenting

AND on a personal basis...

Good bonuses for 2006 (to be declared end Feb-07) and an exciting third and final rotation (I am praying for Strategic Planning!)...

Exciting days ahead!

RM9.99 from Malaysia to London

Unbelievable but it's true! Check out the link. So who's visiting us?!?!?

Back to Singapore Part II

SQ319

Depart London - 10 Feb, 18:15

Arrive Singapore - 11 Feb, 14:55

SQ322

Depart Singapore - 25 Feb, 23:20

Arrive London - 26 Feb, 05:25

Switzerland (22 to 26 Dec 2006)

Guess you folks back home must have read/heard about the fog in London. Yes it was very terrible, basically once you stepped out of the house, you can't see anything more than 50m. In fact, you can't even see Canary Wharf from where we are staying (check out the photos).

Our flight got delayed for a day. This after fighting to get a transfer to another Zurich flight at Luton (taxi fare S$450 from London City Airport). We were told of the cancellation and postponement after getting onto the plane! We finally left London for Zurich at 12noon Sat, a good 30 hours from our initial booking.

We finally get into Zurich, from there we took a train to Zermatt (good 4.5 hours away). Zermatt is simply too beautiful, although it's very commercialised. Matterhorn, in life, looks so much prettier than what I see in photos. 2 days of skiing took its toll on us as we left with swollen calves and tired arms. But it's definitely worth it and we will definitely want to return to Zermatt soon!

Valencia (9 to 10 Dec 2006)

Yes, yet another holiday. But this was a short weekend getaway via Ryanair @ 1p! So off we went with Serene, stayed in a reasonable good hotel and had breakfast for three! All at £63, good deal!
Despite Valencia being Spain's third largest city, it looks remarkably quaint and closed (not many Asian faces around - sense of tourism) and felt a lot smaller than Barcelona. We could walk around the town on foot and cover most places.
Have a feel via our pictures!

Peace ensues

A good 1 week since the "incident". Thankfully common sense prevails. The best thing out of it was that I became more sensitive to her feelings. Maybe it's just difficult for her to be here alone - in some sense. As a man, it might be easy to rationalise certain things but you know gals... haiz...

On an even better note, Xueyan's going for another internal interview again - this time with Emerging Market Product Control. Apparently headed by a Singaporean who incidentally applied to my former FP&A department. This looks like a permanent posting which means 1) better for her career and future posting to Singapore BUT 2)slightly worse off in cash flow. Structured Equities, Cash Equities and, now, Emerging Markets - looks like a good rotation on its own too!

Beer - Man's comforter

Alas, it took me so long to realise when grown-up men turn to beer on TV, after after a quarrel (usually involving relationships).

As said earlier, I had an argument with Xueyan on Friday night. Things certainly got worse on Saturday. Can count on one hand the number of sentences exchanged. Have I misunderstood her? Am I getting complacent in this relationship? Has my apology not suffice?

I went to bed last night without saying anything. I remember Ephesians 4:26 (In your anger, do not sin; DO NOT LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON YOUR ANGER). Yet I am powerless to reconcile this. I just cannot understand her. Does she not know with every "It's none of your business", "please dun disturb me", "go away" is tantamount to a knife that cuts deeper into my heart. I have condoned and disregarded this for years, in hope that she will eventually understand. Does she not understand that with love comes respect? Love is not JUST a ragged doll waiting for more punches. And I simply forget about this each time she apologises.

It's definitely harder this time. I went up to her after church this morning and asked a simple question about the wedding dinner she attended last night and got a "It's none of your business". I went silent but if she could hear, there was a heart crying. We went our separate ways after church. I had instant noodles while she had dim sum. I went to sleep in the afternoon and was awakened by a SMS - "Serene asked me out for dinner tonight. Settle yours yourself".

Now I know what beer's for. As I looked at the ice-cold Foster that stood untouched in the fridge for the last 6 months, I know it has been watching all these unfold. Quietly but knowingly. It has suddenly become a friend that just listened to my sorrows.

Terrible weekend?

Should it be since I am doing this blog on a cold Sunday evening?

Admittedly it must have some time since I last blogged. This weekend certainly didn't start well with someone "flying my plane" having arranged a game at Canada Water at 10am. I was there at 1010 and had a call (from this person, who's a friend of a friend). Guess what? Still at home with the TV in the background and had the audacity to say "I am on my way. In 10 minutes". What a way to start the weekend, with me having a silent argument with Xueyan last night over this.

1045 - I had enough. And indeed the call came soon after. "We have an issue. Did not manage to book the court last night. But NO worries. We will try to sort this out. Have you managed to get your friends?" HELLO!!! I had enough (Part II). WTF, I replied in a really kind way, just to let them know I am no longer keen. Good thing he called 30 minutes later to apologise.

It certainly didn't get better as I watched Arsenal laboured to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates. Cheers to my mate Alex for getting the tickets (last saw the ticket going for ₤85). Good stadium, nice weather but bad result.

Brazil 3 Argentina 0

Click the link for more pictures as Brazil turned out to be worthy winners.

Vienna (27 to 29 August 2006)

Vienna - a city that loved and loved by Mozart. A pity over commercialised in my opinion and, having visited Salzburg, a bit of anti-climax for me. While peace was a premium, its architecture certainly hold its weight against the likes of Paris and Rome. St Stephanson Cathedral was a tad too similar to Duomo in Florence though.

Vienna is a paradise for photographers and I did like the historical significance of the place, despite Ms Wee's boredom after "churches-and-museums again?!?".

To be continued

Salzburg (26 to 27 August 2006)

We arrived in Salzburg in the early hours and took a train directly into the city centre. Knowing that we only have a day and half in Salzburg, we have long decided to max out our time here with 2 day trips planned for Ice Caves near the Salzburg Alps and Eagles Nest at Berchtesgaden, Germany. Yes we know that the "Sound of Music" tour is usually the key highlight, but knowing we could cover some of the places e.g. Mirabell Garden on our own as well as negative feedback from friends who have been to Salzburg.
In short, Salzburg is a beautiful place. Very peaceful and quiet; charming as a old city yet we know its violent place and historical significance - birthplace of Mozart, previous "country" of its own.


We took a quick walk from our hotel at Haupbahnhof to Mirabellplatz, taking in the sights of this small town. We then moved around Mirabell Garden, crossing the Danuhe to the outskirts of the old town before returning to Mirabellplatz for the tour to Ice Caves. The Ice Cave is at Werfen, about an hour drive south from Salzburg. Reputed to the BIGGEST ice cave in the world, the entire cave stretches an amzing 42km, with the first 1km covered in ice. As we were told, 772 steps up and 772 steps down. We had to cover 20 minutes uphill after alighting from the coach, a quick cable ride up Europe's steepest cable car (in less than a minute!) and then another 25 minutes walk to the cave (Read here for more details).


Breakfast in the morning was a little yucky, with slices of ham, lotsa cheeses and bread - typical Austrian stuff. Our hope for a full continental breakfast has to be postponed to Vienna. The cold/rainy weather didn't add to our joy as we waited to be fetched to the Eagles Nest in the Bavarian Alps, briefly crossing the German border into Berchtesgaden. The tour took us the entire morning, with a ride up the Alps and about 45 minutes at the 2nd headquarters of the Nazi Party and Adolf Hilter's home. Click here to see the pictures.


We spend the rest of the day touring the old town and going up to the Festung, a Salzburg fortress, and a key highlight of the Salzburg city. View up there was beautiful and it certainly didn't make us feel like leaving. Although we did eventually depart for Vienna in the late evening, saying a sad goodbye to this charming town and hoping to return for another visit.

Brazil vs Argentina (3 September 2006)

Emirates Stadium here we come!

Salzburg & Vienna (26 to 29 August 2006)

Please pray for us as we prepare for a 4-day getaway to Austria. Travelling has not been easy since 12 August but pray that everything will go smoothly. The last major travelling before we return to Singapore! Will share more about the trip and the pictures soon!

Back to Singapore Part I

Tickets bought. We are going home on 7 Sept!

Details:
SQ321
Depart London - 7 Sep, 22:15
Arrive Singapore - 8 Sep, 18:00

SQ320
Depart Singapore - 18 Sep, 12:40
Arrive London - 18 Sep, 19:10

The journey so far...

It wasn't so long ago that I came over to London. Hmmm, some ask: "So how has it been?", "feelings after 8 months?". Feelings? Well, I can still remember:
- The apprehension that I had when I first heard of Barclays Capital's interview;
- Confidence when I was interviewed by Mark and George;
- Anxiety of waiting for the results;
- Relief when I got the offer;
- Confusion when I had to break the news to Chin and Shu Ping;
- Excitement in the days leading up to the departure (for London);
- Sadness on the day of departure, leaving my family and friends; and
- Lostness in my first month in London, and;
- Inexplicable joy when I saw Xueyan at Heathrow.

I added disappointment to the list when I was first assigned to Financial Planning and Analysis. Quite a funky title but not quite the technical stuff I was hoping for. How that mindset changes in 8 months. I have indeed learnt a lot during the last 8 months. And most glad to be given (limited) access to management and the trust to handle certain key stuff. The good appraisal simply topped the icing on the cake. I shall NOW replace disappointment with bliss. Most things aren't the way they sound or seem. The low expectations I had made it easier for me to enjoy and whatever good fun I had were bonuses to me.

I look back with fond memories, especially the friendships cultivated with Viv, Anthony, Mark, Sarah, Alex and Matt. Pity Rosy came over just when I was about to leave. Next stop - Fixed Income Exotics and Quantos. Quite a mouthful but I asked for it this time. Prayfully it would turn out equally well, if not better.

Away from the topic, we (group of 10 Singaporeans, Malaysians and Australians) went to join the NEL Ramblers for a 13-miles walk at Hastings last Saturday. What an introduction to walking in UK. Click on the link for some (few) pictures of our time there. Good scenery, nice hot/cold weather and, undeniably, 10 pairs of sore legs after 7 hours of brisk walking. With old folks no less.

Barcelona Buzz (28 June to 1 July 2006)

It was just hot hot hot, which simply reminded me of Singapore. The first day saw us arriving in Girona @ 10am, thereafter making a 1hr+ journey via Barcelona bus into the heart of Barcelona, dropping us at Arc de Triomf.
We made our way to La Rambla, just 3 stops away, at a budget hostel called Apartments in Barcelona II. How apt. Despite the seemingly nice place (La Rambla), our hostel was situated on a quiet street - extremely dodgy. This wasn't helped by frequent "reports" of how unsafe Barcelona was and the potential encounters with thieves and robbers. We were, however, blessed to survive Barcelona unscathed.

I had great expectations of Barcelona, from the various reviews and kind remarks by friends and the rave feedback on the internet. The first day saw us hitting the various "touristy" attractions - La Rambla, Casa Mila, Plaza Catalunya and Sagrada Familia, the last one being extremely impressive and I must say the highlight of this trip, along with Montserrat (see below). Climbing up 100m of narrow spiral stairway is no mean feat and the clean breeze and nice view of Barcelona from the top makes it rewarding. The heart, though, shouldn't take such stress unless properly trained. The night was spent wandering around the Ancient City, near La Rambla.

The second day saw us heading towards the "serrated mountains" - Montserrat. We set off at 9am to catch the train leaving from Espanya. After what resembled a wild goose chase and €25, we set off for Monistrol for the tram up the mountains to Montserrat. The journey took us more than an hour. We rested i.e. slept, along the way and woke up to beautiful, nature-sculptured mountains.

Montserrat was certainly an awesome sight, which ranks alongside Colosseum and the Vatican City as highlights of our trips so far. We spend about an hour at the monastery before embarking on the various routes which you could see on the photo forum. The searing heat plus the long dirt roads make for tired legs and we could only manage 3 routes before calling it a day at Montserrat. We then began our journey back to Barcelona. We stopped at Espanya, just minutes away from the Olympic site of Montjuic.

We spent our last full day in Barcelona by visting Parc Guell and FC Barcelona, the latter second-best club after Arsenal FC. The stadium was awesome and a very well-maintained field which, again, will rank second to the Emirates Stadium. We were shown around the stadium, the museum and saw the CL cup (incidently stolen from the Marble Hall). I actually had a TV interview there (how I felt about the place) by TV3! It took a whole full day to tour the two places. We then spend the evening at Barceloneta and Port Olimpico. The beach was (quite) nice and we had paella rice as a final flourish to our enjoyable time in Barcelona.

Guess I will end here as words speak later than words. So check out our photo album!

Barcelona

Road Trip to Cornwall (27 to 29 May 2006)

Attacking King Arthur's Mount... You can tell how dangerous and tiring it was...