Even though it has only been three days at the office with no internet, it feels like much longer. I don't know if I should be more amazed that we are so dependent on technology or the fact that we could still function and get work done without. I have been rather disconnected during the day and never feel like taking care of business when I get back for the night, so getting it back will certainly boost my productivity. It will be nice to have the resources I need to get work done properly now.
Today both Marylin and I got to a point where we were just like, ok we've gotten our work done... now what? There's more we need to do, but we just can't because it requires internet access! This has been an interesting period, what with the move and all. I really like how the new office has come together so nicely! Amazing what getting some furniture can do for a place. I feel so professional now.
Dealing with the challenges of a move and a new space in this case was merged with my overall adjustment, so I'm quite comfortable with it all. I think everyone else is happy and excited about it too, though the old place was nice in its coziness and forced proximity. Not that we're suddenly all ignoring each other, but it's easier to get absorbed in our own worlds of work now that we've got our own space to crowd up. But I digress.
I am looking forward to having our "connection to the world" again, starting sometime tomorrow. Otherwise I feel like I'm in this little microcosm that doesn't interact much with the outside world. I am very much about interactions and people (lots of people), so that will be nice. The internet is at once a great resource and tool, but also a great distraction (if you let it be)! A mixed blessing, I suppose, as was the lack of it for a few days. Not having such easy access to things forces to reevaluate how you do things.
In this globalizing world, it's hard not to stay so highly connected to everyone and everything. I've been avoiding getting a phone with internet just so I won't constantly be online and tied down to the digital world. I've not doubt it will happen someday though. This progression blurs the lines and boundaries start to disappear, or at least become rather fuzzy. Personal life and work life can merge, home and office can become one, and countries that may take hours to get to are very accessible via the web. I'm sure the Type As out there are pleased (and probably more stressed). Now they can work all the time!
Alright, that's all from me for now, it's time to get some rest.
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Had a long day at work, so I'm pulling from a back-up stash of entries for when I just don't have the time. It never ceases to amaze me how my life has taken some very unexpected turns in the past couple of months. Somehow I went from my ten year plan to flying out to Singapore to work with one of my closest friends and "British" twin of sorts. Now I'm in a foreign country in a region of the world that has always been a mystery to me and I'm trying to come to terms with how it at once reminds me very much of my Chinese roots and British immersion, yet still doesn't resemble either of those countries. One thing I am really enjoying about living and working with Marylin is all the great conversations we've been having. From work related musings to discussions about life's various issues, there's an endless array of topics for us to cover. We have similar enough interests to have a lot to talk about, but we're not clones, so we do have differing opinions to share. Sometimes I am still amazed at how similar we are (yet how slightly different we can be too). I honestly feel like she and I were twins separated at birth, naturally inclined to the same things, but taught and raised differently and thus diverging in certain opinions. It makes me wonder if having a sibling near your age who you are close to feels like this, but somewhat opposite, with natural inclinations differing, but the common upbringing bridging the gap. Whatever it is like, I appreciate the time we've had together and the discourse we've shared. Part of the acclimation here is getting used to the language patterns. The good thing is that people in Singapore primarily speak English and some Chinese, both of which I am fluent in. However, as it is with any country, it takes time to get used to the accent, language patterns, and slang. This takes me back to my first night in my flat in England, gathered around the kitchen table with my neighbors, freaking out to myself because I could not understand a word of what they were saying. After dinner today everyone made a mass effort to start moving things from the old office over to the new space. Stuck wearing heels, exhausted from the day, and left without insurance, I wasn't much use. Plus, the boss kindly remembered my strained back and didn't want me to exert myself too heavily. So, I did a lot of hobbling back and forth carrying light items, as well as more of the thinking work, like figuring out where things would go and what we still needed to get for the place. Tonight was the first time that it rained heavily here since I arrived, with the thunder and lightning rolling in soon after the winds forewarned us of their arrival. It started to pour right before we got on the bus to go home, so it didn't affect us until we reached our stop and found that we'd get absolutely drenched if we so much as went five feet in the downpour. So, to avoid ruining our nice clothes and shoes, Marylin's mom kindly drove out to meet us. Even in the mere seconds we took to get into the car, we got quite wet! It seems that a conscious effort has to be made to find non-spicy foods around here. I suppose the Singaporeans tolerate pain better than I do. And yes, extreme spices can qualify as forms of pain - after all, capsaicin creates that burning sensation and activates nerves much like painful sensations do. It's no wonder my insides still hurt from ingesting those spices. The weeks leading up to my departure I had been returning home rather late at night on a daily basis and I was always paranoid about an accident. I am always amazed at how many accidents there are on the roads. One drive down from Valencia to Westwood saw three crashes! Thankfully, they were all small fender benders, though one did leave a bumper in the middle of the road and another somehow threw a mattress into a lane. I just arrived in Singapore a few hours ago and I'm having trouble sleeping, so I found myself mentally going through the contents of my suitcases, trying to remember if I brought that darned toothbrush or not. I swear there are items that I specifically packed, but I was unable to find them last night as I was getting ready for bed. I'm willing to bet that it's not my memory playing tricks on me, but my luggage. Smart buggers. So, I will try again in a bit as Marylin and I get ready to start our first day at work together! Until everything is unpacked and stowed away, I am not giving up on finding my favorite facewash and that silly toothbrush. Thank goodness they give you a temp one to use on the plane, or else I'd be using my finger and gargling a lot. |
laelene My philosophy is simple: things change. Therefore, we are all on a lifelong journey of discovery. We should be flexible, questioning, learning, adapting, and growing. Always. Archives
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