Tag: life

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the otnaicus daily

Edition 288 – Morning Prayer Meetings

And so I attended all the morning prayer meetings last week. Okay, 4 morning and 1 evening. To say that it was tough is an understatement. Struggeled with waking up and staying awake. But it was definitely worth it. Even though I struggled a bit to stay awake, the amazing thing was that I was functioning at almost peak efficiency. Got my work done on time and never did once feel sluggish. Praise the Lord for that!!

Valentine’s Day this year was quite a boo-boo because I didn’t plan for it, and coupled with the fact that it landed on a weekend. I gotta start getting off my lazy laurels and make things happen. The rest of this year WILL be different.

Work-wise, it’s all good. I’m still not a very independent worker yet because there are still plenty of things to learn. But I do hope that I’m gradually moving towards there. I want to come to a stage where I’m assigned a job and then can get it done without asking too many questions. Not that asking questions is bad, but I feel that as an independent worker, one should be resourceful and with enough knowledge such that the task can be accomplished efficiently. Definitely wanna move in that direction….

The 2nd month of 2009 is approaching an end. Time really does fly, whether you’re having fun or not. Until the next time, cheers… :Þ

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the otnaicus daily

Edition 285 – Happy New Year

And so I welcomed 2009 in a very different way this year. Instead of staying at home, or going to some countdown party, I was with a group of friends from church. And we crossed the new year by spending time with God. I guess that’s as good a start as anyone could have. I mean, what could be better than starting that?

I haven’t had the chance to sit down to do some real reflections but here are some quick ones:

  1. 2008 started out with me still working out of Taipei. To me, this is a love-hate thingie. From one point of view, it was a fantastic opportunity to learn and experience new things because the working environment is totally different than sitting in an office in Singapore. But on the other hand, my relationship with Debbie turned into somewhat like a long distance relationship. But I’m glad that God gave us the strength and determination to make things work.
  2. Highlight of 2008 was Asia Conference. I took a week off from work for this one. I was given a chance to be part of the production and I think my capacity really expanded. In short, I was running around multitasking like I’ve never done before. I helped in producing some motion graphics for praise and worship songs, helped in troubleshooting editing problems, dumping out videos to XDCam discs, and directed. It was tiring, but definitely worth it.
  3. Career change. An opportunity with Xtron came about and after much consideration, I decided to go ahead with the change.
  4. Financial blessings in the form of bonuses from my company.

A quick one that I can remember at the top of my mind, but definitely will spend time to reflect on deeper thoughts.

So I say farewell to 2008 and all the achievements and setbacks, and I look forward to a fantastic 2009 and all its challenges. Here’s wishing everybody a Happy New Year!!!

Cheers…. :Þ

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the otnaicus daily

Edition 284 – Christmas….

After going through so many Christmas drama rehearsals, and watching the rehearsal DVD, I just feel that we’re back to square one in terms of shots. It’s very different watching from a makeshift stage and watching when the dramatists are on the actual set. Camera angles change, more cameras become available for use. And when that happens, I feel lost. Well, we just have to buck up during the rehearsals tomorrow.

Recently, I don’t know why but I started learning PHP. That’s a scripting language use for the web. And my first project as I’m picking it up is to create a management system for the TV ministry. Actually, I wanted to use the language that I’m good in, which is Java, but it seems much more complicated than a PHP-based website. So I’m taking this opportunity to work on one and to pick up a new language. Hope this steam that I have to work on this will not die out… Haha…

Don’t know why, but recently there seems to be nothing to blog about. Maybe it’s been really a slow month. So until the next time, cheers… :Þ

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the otnaicus daily

Edition 283 – Slow Month

Yup, it has been indeed a slow month. Actually, it has been a slow couple of months. I’m talking here about work. Majority of my project has been completed and we spent about half a month waiting for it to be put into production because of some changes in schedule and scope, which is another story of frustration in itself….

I’m glad my parents came down for a week. Gave me an opportunity to spend some time with them. Highlight of this trip: home-cooked meals. Even though they were simple fares, I totally enjoyed the meals. And I miss my mum’s cooking. Got some pointers from her on how to cook simple stuff like soup stock, delicious pan-grilled salmon, and chicken chop with a fantastic gravy. Am already thinking about how I can modify the gravy. Suffice it to say, it was a wondrous week. Also helped that I had an ultra long weekend that stretched from the afternoon of 5 December all the way to 9 December.

Christmas is coming up… I hope that it’s not another year of the no-Christmas-mood Christmas. I shall be attending my first Christmas drama rehearsals tonight. Can’t wait to see what the story is like this year. The title sounds catchy enough, "Operation Save The World". I’m sure the story will be just as catchy…

Okay, back to work now. Until the next time, cheers… :Þ

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the otnaicus daily

Edition 282 – First Service After Asia Conference

It felt very very very very slow. No pre-service rush. No last minute announcements to dump out. No last minute playback tests to do. No rushing in and out of the control room to grab a bite in between the playback tests. Just the good ol’ pre-service setup, colour balance, briefing, service and the debrief thereafter. Sure feels weird…

It definitely feels different after running on high gear for a while. Everything definitely seems slow, and at times, one may feel very lost. But I guess, after going through Asia Conference, we have been stretched. And when the pressure is let go, our capacity has been increased. We have learnt from our mistakes. We have learnt new and more efficient ways to achieve the same results. We have learnt to think under tremendous pressure and on our feet. Suffice it to say that Asia Conference has certainly been a learning experience, if not for all, as least for myself.

And it’s time to get ready for Christmas. Seems very low-key this year, but we have still got to make things happen. Not a lot of rehearsals and hopefully the drama will be technically simple, yet with a very rich story and substance. And I believe it’s going to be a great time.

Until the next time, cheers…. Þ

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the otnaicus daily

Edition 281 – Post Asia Conference

asia_conference

It has been a very busy and hectic week. All the rushing of videos, last minute dumping out of videos, running around to make sure that crews are ready and last minute requests have ended. But it was all worth it. Asia Conference was definitely a success, even with the glitches here and there.

Personally, I’ve never ever run, or helped run a production of this scale. I thought Emerge was big, but what Pastor said was true. After Asia Conference, Emerge will look like chicken feet. But I took something away from the past week. Learning how to keep one’s cool under all the pressure is a must, as well as being able to think fast on your feet.

The crew has been fantastic as well. There were a few who were there practically everyday and from early hours as well, even though they were not on duty. My appreciation goes out to them. They are the faithful and will go the extra mile. That said, every single crew is appreciated and they have definitely contributed to the success of the Asia Conference.

Just received the rehearsal schedule for Christmas 2008. Just reading the email made me feel a bit tired. But it’s the last lap and I’m determined to finish this year well. 6 services for Christmas this year; 3 in Jurong West and 3 in Expo. Hope the drama is not a complex one.

Time to go get some sleep. Still trying to recover from the lack of during the past week. So until the next time, cheers… :Þ

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the otnaicus daily

Edition 280 – Spring Cleaning

For the blog, that is… Too many cobwebs…

Well, haven’t been very motivated to blog at all since I got back. A lot of things have happened that cannot be really penned here. Those who know me will already know the things that have or are happening in my life right now. Don’t worry, I’m doing okay. Just going through a valley right now.

Just a quick update here and there. Work has been alright. Current work status is slacking with spurts of work to do every now and then. Currently prepping for quite a major patch of the project that I’m working on. This patch, or rather upgrade, will introduce a whole lot of features. Hope I’ve gotten every aspect covered. And hope that the actual upgrade goes on fine without a hitch. It’s quite scary actually.

Been also helping out quite a fair bit over this week at Xtron. Asia Conference is rolling up very fast and very furious. Can’t believe it’s just another 5 days to the conference. Next week is going to be a very exciting time and I’m looking very much forward to it. Keep us in prayer and pray that everything goes on smoothly.

That’s all for now folks. Do keep me in prayer especially during this season of my life. Until the next time, cheers… :Þ

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the otnaicus daily

Edition 279 – Long Time No See

Tadaaa…. Yes, that’s me making an appearance after a looonnnggg absence.

I’m back in Singapore, but it seems like I’m busier back at home than when I’m travelling overseas. Anyway, the trip to Taipei this time was pretty easygoing. The testing that I did with my clients went reasonable smooth and as such, there was very little of those late nights staying up and catching bugs like a few months back. Thank God for that.

Beginning to get back into the thickness of all the busyness surrounding us as Asia Conference approaches. A lot of changes happening in the ministry as we are migrating from an SD system to a HD system. The more frustrating thing is that the equipments are coming in piece by piece and this has hindered us from switching at one shot to HD. Every weekend’s setup is pretty confusing for now. But I’m looking forward to the day when the system is fully operational.

I guess that’s all for this update. Killing some time before I knock off and go back home. Until the next time, cheers… :Þ

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the otnaicus daily

Edition 277 – Life In Taipei

It has been one and a half weeks since I got to Taipei. It’s been a hectic time, with all the testing and bug fixing going on. But it has been much better than the last time we did the SIT and UAT here. Still, there are frustrations here and there, and that can be solved with some ranting. But all in all, work is proceeding quite smoothly and thank God for that.

Okay, enough about work……

Moving along, I noticed that this time round, I want to get out on weekends and go out of the hotel room. The last weekend, I went out to roam the streets a bit and did a bit of window shopping. And the best part, I did it all on public transport. Yeah, that means taking the subway. And this weekend, I intend to go up to the National Palace Museum to take in the sights. My parents went last year when they were around in Taipei and I’ve been wanting to go ever since. Now, this weekend, I’m getting my chance.

Oh yes! I discovered Cold Stone Creamery in Taipei!! And I’ve been there a few times. My favourite: Apple Pie A La Cold Stone. Not that I’ve tried all their creations, but that is what excites me most at the moment. Their ice-cream is fantastic to say the least. Hopefully, it comes to Singapore soon. But for sure I’ll be headed back there a few more times before heading back to Singapore.

I’m looking forward to getting back to Singapore. Miss the dear, miss church, miss ministry and miss my friends. Pray that the remaining time I have here in Taipei will be smooth going.

I’m going to stop here to retire. Until the next time, cheers… :Þ

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the otnaicus daily

Edition 276 – Diverted

I’m back in Taiwan. This time for 3 weeks. Going to conduct the Systems Integration Tests (SIT) and User Acceptance Tests (UAT) during this trip. Pray that everything will go smoothly.

My flight to Taipei yesterday was 8 hours long! That’s right, 8 hours. Why? Typhoon! We were about an hour out from Taipei when I noticed on the moving map display that we have made a U-turn. After a while, the captain came on the PA and said that we were diverting to Hong Kong as the Taipei airport was closed. My first diversion ever in my flying "career". In any case, we landed at Hong Kong International Airport, parked at a remote stand and wasn’t allowed to de-plane.

Thank God that I upgraded this sector of my flight to business class. The entertainment system was left on and I watched movies to kill time. But I noticed that economy class people didn’t have any headsets. Oops, must have been collected earlier prior to landing.

After two hours of waiting, captain said we were good to go and we departed Hong Kong at 2000hrs. Surprisingly smooth approach to Taipei and we landed at 2130hrs.

Then the next wait began. After clearing customs and immigration, I was met by a very very long queue of people waiting for taxis. Apparently, all the taxis have left as they didn’t expect any flights coming in yesterday. To make things worse, all the flights diverted were coming in at the same time and the queue just grew and grew. I ended up waiting for about 1.5 hours. And mind you, at this time, I haven’t even eaten dinner.

Finally got into the hotel at about midnight. After checking in, went to 7-11 to get cup noodles to eat first. And after talking to Debbie, crashed. Thank God today has been declared a typhoon holiday. Got chance to rest.

Eventful day indeed. Like I said, thank God I was in business class for that flight. If not, I think I would have been a very irate passenger. Some consolations. I was able to peek out of the door of the plane to take in the view of the tarmac. And the cockpit door was open so I peeked in and caught a glimpse of the cockpit. Quite a consolation for plane nut like me.

Signing off now. Want to get ready to go out and grab lunch and maybe shop around a bit for some stuff. Until the next time, cheers… :Þ