Mountains ahead

The days of disciplined, command and order training is nearing, and my preparation must begin. For six months, I'll have to be in KL and all around for the compulsory course - a course of not just lectures and books, but also seas, rivers, mountains and jungles. The course will not only cover aspects of the corporate world but will include police, military and army training. I feel adrenaline rising as the day draws nearer - tentatively January 8, 2007.

It sure sounds thrilling on one hand, but I have never been trained in such tough conditions, never been away on such outdoor camps. The last I went camping was when I was Form 1, with the Girl Guides. I am not in any way a woman of steel, and needless to say, I have my fears. I can only pray for strength in the petite structure that I posess.

My list of things to buy is on my desk now. Just jotted them down from e-mails shared by my fellow colleagues, with whom I'll be on this journey. Boy, quite a number of things on the list:-
travelling bag, backpack, waist pouch, white long sleeve t-shirts, plenty of undewear, t-shirts and pants, track-bottoms, swimsuit, court shoes, lots of biscuits and cereals and a lap-top.

Do you have any other tips to add, to my experienced friends out there?

As for now, I have an outstation function to attend, practically every week of December. Will be in KL this Friday and the next, following that is a 3-day meeting in Frasers Hill....can't wait to go home for Christmas..a short break before a whole new world begins.

Just the other day, I was watching my favourite series on TV - Seventh Heaven, TV 1, 11.oo pm on Tuesday. It's a series that I completed wathching on Singapore channel when I was in my teens, back in Kluang. It's a family story - about a pastor's family, parenting and the challenges each family member faces in differents phases of their life, and how they faced it. That particular day, the pastor's father was advising his youngest granddaughter on facing a totally new environment, and he used his experience as an example. He told about how he boarded the bus to join the army when he was 17, and left behind his family and everything else that he ever knew about, into the world of the unknown. The 6-year-old kid asked him how he did it, and he said, "I took it one day at a time. I told myself that if I can get through this day, I'll be allright..and a day became weeks and weeks became months...soon it was over." He went on to day that if he didn't join the army, he would have never become a colonel, and never would have married his wife, and never would have had that sweet granddaughter he was speaking to..not of the would have happened if he never boarded that bus when he was seventeen.

That day, I felt that that was a sermon for me...it spoke directly to me and I was thingking, yes , life's like that. Sometimes it's not that we don't know. We just need to be reminded every now and then, and God just has His way doing doing that...even through television.

So to my mountains ahead....I'll take them one day at a time...come to think of it, 6 long months is just 24 short weeks. They'll fly before I know it. The amazing grace of God has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.

And you know what, it's Tuesday today! I can catch yet another hour of my favourite show tonight!

Take care and God bless you!:) Missing all of you.

Life at work

Being the rose among the thorns and being termed 'Sang Puteri' is something I'm beginning to get accustomed to. This state is a big place, and travelling to smaller towns take about 2 hours. Many times, I'm the only girl, or non-uniformed member in the office van or car, but the others sure treat me like a princess, giving me the whole front row to myself in the van. Almost every time there is an invitation to a work related function, at the dinner, I would be the youngest and only lady at the allocated table. Most of the time, after relishing the delicious variety of food, one by one, every other person around the table would light up a cigarette and take a puff. There I would sit and be forced to inhale polluted air. Could I take my leave, even for a short while? I don't think so...how could I before the the VVIP takes his..Forced to sit at the table while the others discuss matters of their age in their line of service, I would be forced to fake a smile and nod every now and then to imply that I was there. Then I would return reeking of cigarette, which I why I make it a point to carry a tiny bottle of perfume in my handbag. But this is just part of my job...wouldn't the world be a better place without cigarettes ever tried!

It sure feels like a man's world in the top level of this field, but only in this department in this state, I suppose. My batchmates in other states have more women company. Nevertheless, the office staff consist mainly of women, and they are pleasant to work with. That kind of makes up for things.

Sometimes, work tends to get a little not so enjoyable, difficult too, because of my inexperience,and I feel like a tiny fish in the open ocean, and I'm not exceptionally passionate about what I'm doing if compared to my personal goals...which makes me wonder whether this is really what I want in life...but i do realize it's too early to answer that question. Being surrounded by pleasant people here at work, but none that I could really trust and share with or someone to really call a friend, it can get really lonely, although I always have smiley faces for company at work...but who knows what's behind those smiles...But God is good all the time...Last week when I began to feel a little down, my senior, from my hometown to (head of a different division) in the office gave me a call and gently pointed out some things to take precaution of at work - things that I was not aware of..He even assured me that I could always go to him for guidance, which made me feel like I found myself a mentor..He needn't have told me those things,but the fact the he did, made a difference, and things didn't feel so bad after all, after that. Although he is also one of them who smokes at the table, at least I have a 'friend' as far as work is concerned.

I'm also learning that I need not always take the blame,especially when it's not my fault, when people throw the ball to my division. Being new, others try to sweep all rubbish under my department's door when things don't turn out right..and I have the tendency to just accept it, and apologize. Besides, it's something that I have been practicing over the years in my personal life, but it's time to change....I thank God that here at work, I have very supportive staff, who speak up with me for our division, when it's our call to do so. Even my 'mentor' spoke up for my division once when complaints were hurled by a customer against a new staff. It made me realize that it's not always about accepting the blame or not, instead, I little explanation can go a long way for the better. God is teaching me quite a number of personal lessons through work.

Today is the last day for practical training for two college girls in my department. Just got them two little gifts from the 7-eleven outlet neat office as there are no giftshops around. Thankfully, there was something cute in the store. They are around my age, and we chit-chat every now and then about handphones and clothes, etc..They reminded me a lot of my times as an industrial trainee back in Kluang. I tried to be a nice as I could to them, as nice, or (if possible, even nicer) as my supervisor was to me back in Revertex. Industrial training should be a time of learning, but also an enjoyable part of college life. Mistakes can always be found in freshies, myself included, but patience and guidance is the key to correction. I'm really going to miss them. They were very helpful in the office work and never complained...I'll have another new trainee coming in next month...Looking forward to her,..or him.

Ok, got to go....Till i write again. Take care and God bless you.