PhyQuirks
Personal Misadventures, Lifestyle Blog, Reviews, Opinions & Rants
Daily Quirks

The Big 2017 Roundup

The Big 2017 Roundup

2017 is coming to an end. My last post was written on 7th Dec 2016, coincidentally.
I guess with November ending and December just a day away, it’s a time of reflection and collection.

This year, as always, was a flurry of activity…

Home

On the homefront, a number of disappointments, some carried over from the year before, that I’m not prepared to share with the world. Sometimes I ask God what all this training is for. He hasn’t answered yet but I’m sure I’ll find out someday. Mum had a health issue that’s now been taken care of and I’m thankful.

All in all, I still have so much to be thankful for. Countless blessings in the form of amazing people around me, the support, the lifelines that continue to hold me up each time I trip and ‘almost’ fall.

Travel

Dec 2016 was the first time I stepped foot in Taiwan. It was a great trip and also a first with Adrian & Adeline. They make awesome travel buddies! Looking forward to more!

July 2017 – Went shopping crazy in Seoul, South Korea. Absolutely loved the place even if it’s my 3rd time there. Love the food (you can read all about what I ate in Seoul here)

Took a short trip to Bali for work, but that doesn’t count! Didn’t even get to dip in the pool even though we stayed at a beautiful hotel in Nusa Dua!

To sum it all, there’s never enough travelling for me! Still craving more!

Work

On the work front, we have a new company going – Phlocode – that operates in both Singapore and Malaysia. We decided to offer our services to the world, from website design to SEO and Digital Marketing.

We wanted to offer our services mostly to SMEs as we felt that these companies often have websites that need updating or are obsolete because they don’t know how to manage/update it. We wanted to fill the gap by offering training or our services for a small and very affordable fee.

Faith

I went on my very first 4D3N silent retreat, thanks to the Journey Series I signed up for. What a journey it was! Many thanks to my small group leader, spiritual director and fellow journeyers. Learnt so much and grew so much in faith =)

Going through somewhat of a ‘dark night’ now but I’m sure I’ll come out of it =)

Yoga

Still attending yoga classes and loving it! I can touch my toes now!! Weeeee!!!

The Korean Craze

Still totally crazy about Korean dramas. They were the only TV programs I watched for a looonnnggg time until Designated Survivor on Netflix!

Shan’t name the dramas I watched … it’s a terribly long list … lol

Rounding Up

Kinda lost at this point. Not even at crossroads, but I’m lost in the wilderness. My life seems to be branching out in all directions but yet I don’t want to take a single direction.

Where is this all taking me, God?
Where are You taking me, God?

Daily Quirks

The Big 2016 Roundup

The Big 2016 Roundup

2016, just like all the other years in my life, has been full of ups and down. But hey, we’ve all made it to December 2016! And it’s a big thank you to the big guy up in heaven. I couldn’t have come this far on my own. =)

Home

This year started off rough. I wasn’t on talking terms with my youngest sister in the beginning and that continued for months. And as we all know, our DHF (Dear Heavenly Father) always has a plan for us, whether we like it or not. And by some crooked twist, my sister and I broke our cold war and together with my other sister and mum, we battled our way through the rest of the year, banding closer than ever together, tears, fights and whatever you may have.

My grandma has also gone home to be with the Lord and I continue to miss her everyday. Some nights, I see her face so clearly in my mind and I miss her dearly, for all her clever and witty anecdotes and wise sayings – these I continue to hold close to my heart.

At home (KL), my little family of 3 (dog included) has grown, emotionally, and probably physically too. haha! Our little fella loves group hugs and hugs in general and continues to keep me entertained everyday with her strange age-defying antics. At 13 years of age, she continues to jump and run and paw-slide (as opposed to knee slide) around the apartment. She can also now tell me when she’s hungry and wants to be fed, and when she needs to go pee/poop so I can wipe her butt and clear the soiled newspapers and give her a fresh set for her next toilet visit. I continue to be her slave =).

My husband has been most supportive despite my sluggishness. lol. And I couldn’t ask for more.

Travel

This year, I had the privilege to travel to Hongkong, London and in a weeks’ time, Taiwan to end off the year with a bang! Travelling to Hongkong and London allowed me to spend much precious time with my toddler niece, Charlotte, without which, I would be a stranger-aunt to her. These 2 trips also allowed me to spend time with my mother who lives in Singapore, without which, I wouldn’t have seen much of her considering I only spent a total of about 1 week in Singapore this year.

Work

Work-wise, this year was emotionally sluggish for me, personally. I have been bumbling around, kinda lost. I just do what I need to, when I need to. But otherwise, without motivation or passion. I’m still in the midst of digging deep. Probably need to dig deeper.

Faith

The one thing that I have kept going is the church website. After my baptism in December 2015, I offered to revamp our church’s website and I have since done so and kept it updated, with the help of our communications committee. This month marks 1 year of service in Trinity Methodist PJ‘s communications committee and hopefully, many more years to come. This month also marks the beginning of service in yet another ministry – Membership Committee (Greet, Meet, Connect (GMC)). As our church undergoes positive changes, I am glad to have played a part, no matter how small.

December also marks 1 year since we joined our Small Group that meets up fortnightly, which has allowed us to get to know our DHF more dearly and given us a support group that I never knew could be so helpful.

Yoga

Come 2nd Jan 2017, I would have had 1 year of yoga classes under my belt. I thoroughly enjoy my yoga classes, usually attending 3 sessions per week and each session lasting about 1-1.5 hours. I am certainly more flexible now and I have found myself being able to do many more poses than I could ever imagine myself to. I also did my first supported headstand and hope to accomplish more in 2017!

The Korean Craze

Lastly, in more light-hearted news, it has been a year of me going gaga over Korean dramas, Descendents of the Sun starring Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo and Love in the Moonlight starring Park Bo Gum and Kim Yoo Jung. These two dramas have officially made it to the top of my Must-Watch Korean Dramas list. And Song Joong Ki and Park Bo Gum have surpassed Lee Min Ho’s ranks in my list of Korean heartthrobs.

Rounding Up

I couldn’t be more grateful for the people I have drawn closer to this year and for the many new friendships forged. I also couldn’t be happier with all that I have. I am indeed blessed.

Thank you DHF!

Daily Quirks

The Freedoms We Most Take For Granted

I received this article in my email from my TIME magazine subscription – a weekly email written by Motto’s Editorial Director, Callie Schweitzer. I look forward to each short article she writes to remind us about the different aspects of life, some of which we often overlook.

In this article, The Freedoms We Most Take For Granted, it touches a part of me. Indeed, so often, we take for granted the many freedoms we enjoy. We forget to even just be appreciative of the simple freedoms we enjoy. To say something along the lines of “I live in (insert name of first world nation) and not in (insert name of third world country). Hence it’s not that I take my freedom for granted. It was given to me,” is to be ignorant and arrogant. The least we can do is to be appreciative of what we have that others don’t.

And to end, a quick excerpt from the article :

“And so it comes down to choice. So often a hot button topic when we talk about women. Choosing our professions. Choosing whom (or whether) to marry. Choosing when (or if) we have kids. But life is full of smaller choices too, every day, and they can make a difference: what to wear, when to speak up, how to treat others.

Today, take a moment and think about the freedoms, big and small, that let you be who you want to be.”

~ Callie Schweitzer,
Editorial Director, Motto

Daily Quirks

Tackling Clients : 4 Tips To Get From Good To Great

Tackling Clients : 4 Tips To Get From Good To Great

Tackling Clients : 4 Tips To Get From Good To Great

I was reading this article written by Jennifer Aldrich on the Invision website and it make me think about how many people I know who allow themselves to become “victims” of their clients. Yes, I use the words “allow themselves to become”. The clients don’t victimize them. More often than not, we allow ourselves to be victimized.

How often have we become upset and face unnecessary stress and temper flares when our clients cannot make up their minds, or perhaps think we can work a miracle? No doubt, sometimes they really are too much. But I believe that all this can be nipped in the bud.

1. Do not be a Yes Man. Be honest.

Many of us are guilty of being Yes men, just so we clinch the deal. Do not be afraid to say no. Do not be afraid to say you don’t know how to do something. Just be plain honest about what you can or cannot do. I have seen and met 1 too many clients who just love honesty over everything else. If you’re honest, some clients are even willing to accept your inabilities and tackle that learning curve with you.

2. Ask questions. Ask, even if you end up looking stupid.

In Asia, there is this thing called Face Value. In the western part of the world, it’s called an ego or pride. People, especially Asians, do not want to look stupid or look any less than their counterparts. So in a struggle to not look stupid, we do not ask questions even when we don’t know what the **** the other person is talking about. Oh trust me, even my own hubby does this. And sometimes at the end of a long monologue, I get a question that tells me he totally didn’t get what I said. And I’ll go, “You didn’t even get what I was saying all this time, did you?” and give him a really withering look. And so back I go to the beginning, explaining in greater detail. Gee.

So my husband is certainly not the only person I’ve encountered, who is like that. Countless. And this huge question pops in my head, “Why didn’t you stop me to explain? Why didn’t you tell me you don’t understand what I’m talking about?!”

Trust me, if you just say “sorry, I didn’t understand that…” or “what is ____ ?” They aren’t gonna think you stupid. In fact, they’ll be more than happy to simply explain. If that person belittles you for asking, it just says ALOT about their own character.

3. DIG DEEP

More often than not, clients do not understand what we do, in every industry. It is our duty, as service providers, to explain how things go and set the “ground rules”. If you set the ground rules right, right out from the beginning, your work together will be a lot less hasslesome.

Digging deep also pertains to what the client wants. Get to the bottom line – what they want to achieve, what they want to do, what they have in mind. Make sure you understand fully what the client wants. Ask each question a few times to ensure they stick to their guns. That they truly know what they want. Do not be afraid to question a client who keeps shifting gears and doesn’t seem to know what they want at all.

Digging deep also sometimes brings out information that will otherwise be hidden from you. Most clients only tell us about the tip of the iceberg. Dig deep and keep digging to have a good feel of how huge this iceberg is gonna be.

4. Be Responsible. You Are Your Word.

We are our word. In other words, our words make us who we are. At least, a large part of who we are. So be responsible for your words and actions. Do not over-promise and under-deliver. And when shit hits the fan, be responsible and take action. The blame game is old and sick.

Being responsible also means not playing the victim and taking responsibility for your own actions or inactions. If you could have done something about it in the beginning, and you didn’t, suck it up and learn your lesson and make sure you set your ground rules right in the beginning.

Daily Quirks

Day 10 of 10 of my #ThankYouNotes Challenge

10-Day #ThankYouNotes Challenge to Kill Writer's Block

It’s the last day of my 10-day Challenge. I sure took more than 10 days to complete this, but nonetheless, it’s the end. I’m thankful for this challenge I embarked on. It has forced me to focus on only the good of everything in my life. Some days I struggled to find something to be thankful for.

Dig deep, that’s what I told myself. When you dig deep, there’s bound to be something/someone to be thankful for.