Hi all! 

Thank you for the patience. This shall be first post of many posts to come of my brand new blog! Since this is the first post, allow me to share the general theme and concept of the blog before properly getting into the main content of today's post.

I got the inspiration for this type of blog/diary from multiple sources and books that I had read during my long hiatus. Basically, the premise is to record a notebook or diary of the good things that happen and come across in your life. It helps you by bringing into the spotlight the often overlooked happiness and abundance that we experience daily and allows us to be thankful and grateful for all the blessings we experience, no matter how big or small. 

You see, the funny thing about our mind, is that we like to overthink things. And I definitely am culprit #1 when it comes to overthinking and over-analyzing things. On top of that, it has been found that the bias for reflecting on our past experience tends to be overwhelmingly negative. Therefore, the purpose of this exercise is to balance that out by bringing the good stuff to the forefront. 

How to do it? Well, there is no exact instructions so we'll figure it out as we go! But the main things to note are to state the things that I am grateful for during a particular interval (daily or weekly). And also to be specific on the details for it to be more effective and impactful. So while you may be thankful for your friend, it would be best to state what trait/action/things made you feel that way.

So let's get started!

Since this is the first post, let me try to retroactively identify all the stuff that happened this past week. Because there are many. First up, is the so-called trial by fire that I survived. For the past 3 months, I was under the probation period for the new job that I had started. I started out pretty good by completing the first assignment well, but the second assignment was much tougher and I had a lot of room for improvement. Thankfully, my revised approach was generally okay in principle with the boss. More importantly, my evaluation went way better than I had expected after my struggles with the second assignment. Basically, I passed the evaluation and my position was confirmed. And for that, I am grateful. 

Next, was the department lunch that happened after my evaluation. I find it nice that the company was offering to give each department a lunch treat to allow us to bond over fancy food. And yes, I do mean fancy like fine dining. The last round, we went to Wakanui to eat and it was pretty good. This time round, we went to Lawry's for lunch and the steak was oh so good. Not to mention, our Grab transport to and fro was claimable. Shiok right? I don't think many would really think too much to reflect on it, but it is damn nice that they are doing this lah. Along with the other benefits and the company trip (rip COVID), I think that for a SME this company really does know how to look after its employees well. And for that, I am grateful. 

I think the hardest one for me to pen down, and the one that at first glance makes no sense to me, is to be thankful for my work? I mean, if you logically look at it, mostly people would say you are crazy to be thankful for more work right? But if I were to change my perspective and look at it from another angle. The fact that my boss is willing to confirm me, and to assign me more responsibilities, is the clearest sign that he trusts me to be capable enough to handle the job, does it not? So, while I would be lying if I said I wasn't struggling with my current work, and the fact that there are more coming in tomorrow, it's not as bad as I make it out to be. And I certainly should not feel overly down about it. It's a chance to prove myself. So far, I had led about 2-3 meetings including a company wide one and one with the offshore vendor. I can say that I am gradually building up my "mojo", and impressing more people along the way. And for that progress, I am thankful. 

Last but certainly not least, I am thankful for my best friend who stuck with me all this time, through my darkest days, and also through the most fun times we had in Japan. I know I am probably not the most likable person to interact with, and I frequently dump my psychological issues on him as a way to vent and discuss my many inner challenges. But no matter what, he will try to make some time to meet up with me to have dinner and catch up, just as we did on last Friday. It will certainly be more challenging for us to frequently meet up as work builds up and our schedules start to get busier. But I certainly hope to not lose touch with one of the most open, like-minded, and empathetic friends I have. I appreciate his unique perspectives and listening ear that played a big part in helping me through my most trying times. And for that, I am grateful. 

Let's end off with an old happy song shall we? 

Just an old song that suddenly popped up and got stuck in my head. English lyrics

As I alluded to in the above paragraphs, I am sure that this week will be another eventful week with many challenges, but also many blessings to be thankful for. Next week will be the start of "back to office" under a partial rotating roster, and will actually be my first time visiting our office. Should be an interesting experience, not to mention the new list of tasks that my boss will be passing to me tomorrow. Nevertheless, I am certain that there is definitely happiness to be found, no matter how big or small, if we pay attention and go out to look for it. 

So until my next post, thanks for reading! :)