Grubbs n Critters

January 3, 2012

What we’ve been up to

The last few days have gone by so quickly that I struggle to keep up with the things we have been up to leading to New Year.

The last 48 hours of 2011 has not been all that eventful, but somehow, everything had seemed like a mad rush. Usually, by the last week of the year, I would be clearing my annual leave, which means I would have ample time to amble my way through the week in slow motion. Unfortunately, I have none of that in Dec 2011 as I had to barrel through the never-ending pile of “urgent” work that needed to get done.

While there were a couple of public holidays accorded to us, I was quite bummed to have to waste it on my being out of commission for 2 unexpected solid days of not being able to do anything as I was a little under the weather. That had also meant me delaying my plans to cook a feast on New Year’s Eve like what I usually did in the last few years.

This time round, I only had time to make a pathetic one-dish meal of Mee Siam for dinner on New Year’s Eve. The turkey only made it into the oven at 7pm – which meant that it was only ready after 10 pm! In fact, if it weren’t for Silver Bullet, I don’t think I would be able to get the turkey done in time for us to host lunch on New Year’s Day when we had plans to invite some friends over!

While making the turkey can be considered a joint-effort, the credit should really go to Silver Bullet this time as he tended to most of it as I was mostly out of commission to do just about anything. It was a struggle for me to keep myself awake till midnight to even welcome 2012 – how sad is that!

Although the Spiced Roast Turkey was not served in time for our usual New Year’s Eve meal, it turned out just as lovely to be served to the guests the next day.

It was a simple New Year’s Day lunch for Mommies and Tots Play-date session (we missed one other Mom this year), but it sure was fun to catch up with these Moms whom I have been friends with since our kids are still in our stomach almost 2 years ago!

We have had several play-dates before, and for some reason, I have yet to put up their pictures! The other 2 girls are exactly 5 days apart from Spud (Spud is the youngest), and it is really amazing to see how much they have changed and see the difference in how they interacted when compared to months and months ago.

Given the excitement, apparently none of the girls cared for any naps in the afternoon. We had to try several times before Spud finally went down for a 20 minutes nap, and I was glad that Spud behaved pretty well and was not at all too cranky. I think she enjoyed herself and it was such a joy to see these babies eating their hearts out! (Spud however, was the only one not too thrilled with the turkey – could be a texture thing)

One thing for sure though, it really has been hard trying to get the 3 girls together in 1 picture. I really should dig up those shots from the past one of these days to see how much they all have grown!

Twenty -11 into Twenty-12

Category: Random

Three years of blogging and despite the dwindling number of posts I published on a monthly basis since I first started, I am still beaming with glee that to date, I still have not run out of things to say.

I guess that can only be a good thing.

While I sometimes do hit a mental-block in trying to figure out what to write, there are always the random, mundane but sometimes funny every-day stuff which I may be able to count on to add to my daily musings and thoughts.

I’ll remember 2011 as the year in which I struggle with a lot of work-life challenges as I cope with the toxic environment of negative office politics while I try to maintain some sense of sanity in my work-life-baby balance.

For a while now, unbeknown to most, the negativity at work got under my skin so bad that I lose my self-confidence as a qualified professional in my industry.Somehow, there seem to be a force strong enough to make my every day work life a living hell with the existence of an “upper-hand”; mainly in the form of very unsavoury and uncalled for behaviors and/or remarks being hurled towards me. Not for any particular reasons that I know of, but “just because” this person can.

I began to question myself and my capability as I got bullied into a corner I can’t seem to get out of. It was not healthy. I was at my lowest low.

Despite having my fair share of nasty and wicked clients in my more than a decade of experience in this industry, I have never experienced first-hand a very negative office environment for months on end where I witnessed (and personally experienced) several cases of utter unfairness, “effective” bullying, dramatised story-lines and exaggerated pretension driven by just one person.

The “competition” perpetrated within was unhealthy, making the local Thais feel small, and me feel incompetent as someone else gets singled out for most of the time with what seemed like a preferential treatment.

It was a rather tough time for me as decisions were made to pull subordinates out of my team. In my absence. Twice. Leaving me and 2 other remaining members to sort out all the shit, while I try to deflect the poisonous arrows that come my way when they do.

I’d like to believe that karma exists and from my observation, all that happened to me in the work place was just a classic case of bullying and I happen to be the flavour of the month(s).

While it still happens every now and then (lesser these days), I’d like to think that I have come out of it stronger by merely disassociating myself with people whom I don’t give a crap about. While I acknowledge that while this person still has authority over me, I am adamant that my life is not going to be destroyed just because of how they behave towards me while this person lobbies support for their camp as they need to feel so much more superior and smarter than everyone else.

I have since peeled myself away from all that nonsense and am now only associating myself with them on a “need-to” basis.

They are exactly the type of people I don’t desire to be friends with or have any respect for. To put it in my context, I am, after all, an introvert in the extroverts’ world. They don’t add value to my life, and besides, I have better things to worry about.

I don’t foresee Twenty-12 being a breeze for me on the work-front, but Twenty-11 has left me with a lot of new enlightenment not only as a person, but as a wife and as a mother. I have come out the other end a little scarred, but unscathed…hopefully with a lot more wits about me from the school of life.

The journey of life continues and to my readers out there, thank you once again for your readership, contribution and most of all for being on this journey with me so far.

Here’s wishing you all a fabulous holiday season, and may the joy and happiness follow you all the way through 2012. Happy New Year!