My parents was here for a visit for the past few days and I brought them around and had them tastes the best of everyday Singapore food at an authentic local experience of eating in hawker centres. I believe I already mentioned that it’s very busy time at work and it still is so I think for the next couple of weeks.
I’ve been scratching off items almost half as many as the new ones I add on my to do list for the past couple of weeks. Today, I was able to scratch of more than the ones I added, which is good in a lot of ways. Many people cope with multi-tasking and task management in different ways and I believe that whatever works well for you would be the best way. I do mine on a physical notepad and scratch off each item that gets done, it’s old school and there are loop holes but it’s what works well for me.
One item at a time and surely the list will get shorter.
My parents are visiting for two weeks and we were out and about the island to show them around, procure essentials and update ourselves with news from back home. It’s been a couple of months since I last saw my parents and I’m happy to see them. Hopefully, the family and I will be the ones visiting Cebu soon. I have lined-up a couple of must Singapore experiences for them and I can already scratch off a couple. Ride the MRT, Bus, Ikea, Suntec City and the fountain of Wealth, Carls Jr. and Orchard Road, White Carrot Cake, Kopi-O, Teh-O, Kaya toast, Roti Prata and Chicken Rice. I’ll still need to schedule a visit to Mustafa and Little India and Museums and try out some more Singapore staple dishes such as Roti John, Satay, Hokien Mee, Hor Fun and Biryani, hopefully we get to find time this weekend for all of these.
I’m working on analyzing downloaded web server logs and it took a while to find a suitable tool for it. I tried a couple of installables but the reports and information where just not up to par. If only Google analytics would accept these files then I would have been set. Anyways, I finally settled on using AWSTATS, I already had experience with it before and from the alternatives, it was as closest to a full featured analytical tool that is free I could come close to.
Is there any word which means more than busy? If there is, let’s use that to describe my team’s current situation. It seems 24 hours is not nearly enough but we stride on. Moving forward, pushing forward, tackling one task at a time, counting, one, two, three…. every task accomplished is a celebration in itself. One down! I shout in my mind. After scratching off a more than a handful on my list, a couple more are appended. Despite of it all, it still is truly a satisfying as it is more than challenging.
It has been so hot the past couple of days that it feels like the world has become a global sauna. Airconditioning units are struggling to keep up to no avail, we had to turn it off and open the windows, but in a very humid country such as Singapore it sometimes is futile. We’ll have to trudge along and try to cope up. One very popular sandwich store at the office yesterday closed shop, a sign was left for their avid customer, “Went off to escape the heat, will be back monday”. I was cursing the cold weather in London last November, how I wish it was that cold now, around 10 degrees I think is just a good temperature. Last I hear, London was also nearing 30. Siberia might be a good place to scape and cool off ? Showers over the weekend is the forecast, I hope it brings lots of cool breeze and bring the temperature downwards. Is hoping for 14% hoping for too much?
It has been a whirlwind of activities for the past couple of months but hopefully I’ll be able to update more often from now on. A couple of projects which lead to major releases to the product I work for has kept the entire team a buzz with sometimes sleepless nights, honestly, I think my colleagues in the team probably have some secret potion on how to stay awake, keep sharp and go on working. That potion might be a local concoction in the UK but I’m sure to find a similar and with the same effecacy here in Singapore with so many traditional chinese medicines around.
The past weeks have passed by really fast, we had a lot on our plates as a team and at times I would feel swamped. Although, thanks to my manager, A quick catch-up or discussion would clear up my mind and set me up for a clear direction and rev-up my engine once more for the next sprint.
I have for some time engages in sefl-service, on-demand learning through the internet. A couple of well established institutions have provided for free their course materials. Most of the day I am working at the office and the rest goes to my family, I am unable to engage on formal learning sessions, so distance learning comes in very handy.
Keeping your focus and sticking to the plan does not come easy to some but are natural to others. For those who are finding it a hard time to focus, here’s a couple of Ts, I hope this will work for you. But do remember that each one of us is unique and what may work for me might not work for you so do try to find your own groove.
It helps to consider being focused as a habit, be consistent and do it regularly, as they say, 21 days to make it a habit.