Wednesday...

I napped for a whopping 5hrs! Can't believe it when I saw the time on my laptop...
Yah, lack of sleep can make even the nicest person grumpy...and I am human too...I need sleep too....
After coming home from work, I almost immediately juz laid down on my bed...That was slightly past 7pm...and the alarm clock, sms, calendar notes were all unable to wake me up...until my housemate opened my door and came into my room....that physical interference was wat roused me from my deep sleep....
Maybe if she hadn't come into the room, I would be able to sleep till morning, and in fact, I wouldn't mind that you know... =p

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I have a final presentation to make tomorrow morning at 830am...A final presentation to my boss, my program director and consulting professor on my experience with my company and with the NOC program overall for this one year....I have already come up with the basic slides...lemme juz go through roughly what i will be saying for each slide....cos one of tis daes in June, as I finish up the reports for NOC, i will need to go through a similar thought process too...
and I can say that even after I'm back in Singapore, and even 6 mths from now, I'd still be thinking of the entire experience, what I have learnt from it, etc etc...


This one year really has had a very deep impact on my life...
A Paradigm Shift as NOC had promised....I've experienced that....
What is a paradigm shift? It is simply a change in the way one views the same issues after having undergone some changes....
For instance, in the past, I was enthusiastic about entrepreneurship, about wanting to start my business before I graduate or after I graduate....but as much as I had confidence in my abilities and the desire was burning within me, the perspective was that it was going to be hard to realise that dream....
BUT, after this one year, I feel much more confident of actually doing it, IF i want to do it....
And that paradigm shift is brought about by being immersed in the highly pro-entrepreneurship culture here in the US, by listening and looking at the success stories of inspirational people here (a simple illustration would be the CEO of Facebook, who is only in his 20s), successes in the business plan competitions, etc....


Next, PayQuik....the high-tech startup company which I have been with, involved in its rapid growth and witnessed the expansion of its business over the last 11 months....
Arriving at PayQuik back in July 2006, I remembered the kinda lost look on my face....C'mon, u can't blame me...First time in the US, facing a long one year ahead in a totally new environment with no familiar faces or people physically around me, excited but a little nervous of what to expect...first time working in a startup environment which is so different from established companies, first time working with all americans...there are tons of more 'firsts'.....
In my first week, or rather, even first day of work, I was immediately 'thrown' into the hands of our Vice VP of Sales...and 'thrown' is perhaps one of the most suitable words to use...I was literally asked to do this and that and with tight time constraints....cos we were launching a direct sales campaign; there was a manpower shortage (a problem commonly faced in startups), and my arrival was timely, in his opinion at least...
never mind that I have never had any experience with direct sales, never mind i'm still not familiar with wat the company does, never mind that it's my first day! =p
those were wat I was told...i vividly remember...
I remember alot alot more...i remember the silent cursing after being subjected to time pressure....i remember the hrs and hrs of sifting through the data as part of market research, i remember sooooo much....
and they are all part of my fond memories and great experience now...
I moved on to other departments in the company thereafter....I will elaborate on that later....Information overload if I talk about them now....


Again, I don't feel like typing out all that I wanted to initially...there's just too much content...and I believe one will feel my excitement and all kinds of emotions more when I relate to you in person....

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I feel my EQ coming back to its original level....and that is a direct result of the 5hr nap....
Sleep is so powerful aint it? I felt so crappy this morning, but look at me now...I feel so energized!

Life is sometimes boring; other times, it is exciting...
I have been thinking about my plans for the next 1 year and laying down the options I have upon graduation....and that excites me...
But there's still a lot I have to do...

That is about work...
Ultimately, I want my social life to be as great as it has always been....
I was pondering this afternoon on what my greatest strength is....
This sort of question is always subjective...it can be perceived differently by different people, and in different contexts, my answer might differ...
It's a tough choice too...
But probably I'd say that my greatest strength, in general, is my EQ....It has served me well, better than my IQ has served me in fact....hahahaz....
Well, it is important for everyone to be balanced....and I seek balance in all that I do too....so, of cos, having high EQ alone is definitely insufficient....
Aniwaiz, back to the original topic, I want to make sure that my social life is as vibrant as always....Meeting new people, gathering with friends, sharing, listening, giving....etc....

Of course, family and r/s are even more important to me...
My family has always been there for me no matter when and what kind of situations I've had to face...
they have never left me alone before....and I am also very close to them...
In fact, they are definitely much more important to me than I am to myself...
R/S is a little trickier though...
It will be my focus, it is important to me, but cos it takes 2 hands to clap, the nature of it is definitely more complicated....I will do my utmost for it....
and learning from past experiences, I am careful not to commit the same mistakes again....
Well, it is alwaiz easier than done...but I am ready to do anything within my means to make it work out fine...
that is how important it is to me.... =)

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Actually, I think it is pretty apparent how I value my r/s with family and mj and friendships with other friends...

Despite my tight schedule everyday, I spend a considerable amount of time maintaining my networks...And I really appreciate those people who appreciate my efforts and in turn, reciprocate...
Certainly, not everyone does, but that is life...

Alright, more of my thots and philosophies another day....
Moving on to other work now...

Nitez all...
7th June...exactly 11mths of my arrival in the US....

Thots, Feelings, Experiences...
Tons of them...