Precipice

Standing at the edge of a precipice
You wonder, should I jump or just walk away?
The promise of change is luring you to leap on faith
But the breath of difference brings fear to your heart

I wonder why I am afraid to jump
Is the idea of failure that strong?
But victory does not come to the weak
One must hold it and take a chance

I have to believe that anything new is not a foe
That I will manage and persevere regardless
How can I inspire belief and trust from others
When I tremble at the idea of taking a different turn

Jump. Stay.

What happens now is up to you.

My Journey Towards PMP Certification

A few days before end of August, I suddenly made a decision to get a PMP certification.  I've done the study group a year before (Mar - June) so it has been a while.

When the project I was managing at that time went live, as I was mostly in the office for moral support and other admin help, I filled up my application and submitted it on the same day.  I did prepare beforehand in a spreadsheet the necessary hours I spent for each project, phase I have handled in the past few years.

In early September, I scheduled my exam (November 6) as it was in line with a planned vacation so I figured I will have enough time to prepare.

Or so I thought.

I have to admit that I was arrogant enough to try taking a mock exam (Oliver Lehmann's 175 free sample questions -- printed).  I have been a project manager for almost four years so I figured that it should count for something.  Of course, I failed miserably, garnering 58% correct answers.  

After that, I read Rita Mulcahy's book.  It definitely is a book one can depend on as it provides good explanations and not just trying to bore you to death with theoretical details.  The PMBOK, I'm sorry, is just so boring. I love to read but that was a very difficult challenge for me.  So in the time I have to prepare myself, I did not, in any instance, read the PMBOK.

They said you should read RITA at least 2 or 3 times. I didn't have the time as I was thrown in into one project or another.

Couple it with a trip to London that totally changed my schedule.

After reading Rita's book, I then moved to doing mock exams using iPhone apps.  And I had several.  A number of them were crap so I deleted them at once.

The best one I would recommend is the PMPro application.  It is not perfect.  It has a number of editing errors (which I advised them already to correct).  But based on the ones I've seen, this is quite a good one.  

Pros

• It allows you to do a mock PMP, a full PMP or test by Knowledge group
• It saves results
• You can save ongoing exam and come back to it again (there is a bug with the full PMP as it saves once but goes back to the first saved number every time)
• The tests are quite good especially on understanding the formulas.  I am telling you, the easiest part of the PMP exam for me were when I had to do calculations.  I aced that. And all because of this app
• The format of the exams were close to the actual PMP exam I took -- so I was not really surprised
• There is in most cases, an accompanying explanation for the answers.  So this helped me to further understand and not just memorise things

Cons

• The full exam is a bit pricey at I think around $12++ but if i can spend so much more on my games, I think this is something I should shell out money for 
• Lots of editing errors. Some of the sentences are missing first letters
• Some of the questions overflow to the answers
• Some of the questions have no question and you have to deduce the answer based on the options

It does have a number of bugs but it definitely was a very useful tool for understanding the concepts and getting to know the formulas and gauging how ready you are.

Similar questions also came in the PMP test I took so it was a bonus.

Other exams I took include the 75 question from an online test by Oliver Lehmann and the PMP First exam (printed).   But other than that, the main one I relied on was PMPro.  

I did try some of the exams from PMPocketFree ($3+ for one full exam).  However, it is all theory, not much of calculations like PMPro, no explanation and you cannot save exams for later.  But there are some questions there that also helped me so I give it a small credit. 

So, by now I think you would have guessed that I passed my exam.   

I would recommend reading Rita (although I saw Head First also and it looked like a good book too) several times!  And really understand, not just memorise. 

Also, take a lot of practice exams!  It really is key to your success in getting PMP certified.

Seeing Double

I am half of an identical twin.  My friends already know this but there's always someone who would tap me on my shoulder or wave at me thinking I am my twin.  And it happens to her too.  Especially since we work and live at the same area.

Some would automatically be able to see the difference between us, but oftentimes, it takes a while before we can be differentiated easily.

We may look alike but we cannot be more different to each other.

I like rock/alternative music and she likes pop. Bleh.

She's nicer, friendlier while I am more aloof, preferring to observe and don't open up easily.

She loves to socialise while I prefer to curl up at home and read a book.  Not that she doesn't like reading books because I think my love of reading has rubbed off on her too.

She flares up faster and although I do too, my tolerance is a bit higher than her.

She's prettier.  But I am smarter.  he he.

I am so glad that the two of us never had the inclination to compete.  We knew what our strengths were and we complement each other.

Having a twin means always having someone on your side.  Someone who would never judge you or your decisions.  Someone who would always tell the truth and make you realise your mistakes.

Having a twin is having a friend for life.  Here's to my other half of the egg.  Muah!

Obsession

How does one say that you love someone when the person that you claim to love does not respect the person that you are?  Accepting a person's short coming is one thing but blatantly accepting the malicious and disrespectful activities of a person, especially when it is aimed towards your family, not just you, is just plain blindness.

I don't consider that love.  I consider that obsession.  

An obsession to make things right.  An obsession to correct something or someone that you know cannot be corrected.  How do you change the stripe of a Zebra? You don't.  You can paint it all red or white but in the end, the stripes will always remain.

You and me against the world.  That's their motto.  And it is literal in its meaning.  Disregard everything that everyone else says.  Even if you are a witness to the disrespect to your family.  You still continue to hold on to the person who instead of bringing new members to the family is splitting it apart, I just don't get it.

It is not my fight but I cannot help but to observe the futile path of this relationship.

I wonder how long it will last and how much more pain he has to suffer before he finally understand that it's just not meant to be.  I guess some people just have to learn their mistake by living the coerced life that they want.  Maybe in the end the Zebra will change its stripe.  I just won't hold my breath for that.

Restoring Stickies Database in Mac

In the excitement of having a new laptop, I had my old one reset without thinking that I may need some files in there.  Yes, usually you can copy them over but not when it's the Stickies Database that we're talking about.

So here's the 3 different ways I discovered in restoring the Stickies database from my backup.

How to restore from timeline backup
So the first thing I did was to research how to restore the Stickies Database from a timeline backup.  I think it would work if I was restoring from my old laptop.  But since it has already been reset, I was unable to use this process.

Showing hidden files using disk utilities

Next up was looking for ways on how to unhide hidden files.  I know the Stickies Database is located in the Library folder and is hidden.  I just need to see it to be able to copy it.  This article provides instructions on how to unhide hidden files using disk utilities.  I thought it was too much hassle so I looked on further and found....

the winner: Showing hidden files using Funter

In searching for alternatives to the disk utilities steps, I found this cool little tool called Funter.  At this point in time, I've wasted so much effort already and when I found this tool, I wished this was the first thing I searched for.

Funter is so easy to use (if you read the instructions).  And a freeware too!

Long story short, i used this new tool to unhide hidden files, looked for my StickiesDatabase in my timeline backup and voila! My old StickiesDatabase is now in my new mac.

Happy!

Images courtesy of the following websites: apple, web weaver.nu and examiner

Tag, You're It!

I have not written a while here.  I usually say it's because I'm busy.  True.  But I think it's also because I was feeling lazy.  :)

However, since I was challenged to list down the 10 books that stay with me, I thought I'd head down here and list them down with a bit of snippets.

• Bible - Old Testament - Don't balk.  I did read it from front to back, twice.  As a young reader, I was fascinated with all of the different stories.

• The Silver Chalice by Thomas B. Costain - this was a gem of a book I found in our library.  My mom probably read the book before and it definitely was one of my most interesting read.

• The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean - I saw the movie first and it got me interested enough to hunt down the book.  And from that first book on, I became a fan and avid reader of the author's books.  

• Brotherhood of the Rose by David Morrell - There was actually a TV mini-series that aired first before I read the book.  The book is always better but this is how I also discovered another one of my favorite authors.

• Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer - One great book that I've read multiple times. If you have not read this book yet, you are missing a lot.

• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - A friend of mine introduced this book to me and I ate it all up! It's very funny although the movie does not give the book any justice.

• Eragon by Christopher Paolini - The book that I hastily bought for our travel from Rome to Florence.  It quite surprised me as I didn't think I would like it a lot.  I love the whole series.

• Ice Station by Matthew Reilly - read the book and you'll find out why I love the author and the main character in this book

• The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory - This was not considered a historically accurate book and has a lot of negative reviews.  But I didn't read it to understand history but to enjoy the book. It definitely delivered.

• Dracula by Bram Stoker - I've read this book several times already and consider it a very good read every time

My list may seem commercial for some but I stand by this list.  They are some of the most enjoyable books I've ever read.  I agree that the number ten seems a bit limiting as there are a few other authors/books that I would love to bring into the circle. But if I start including almost all of my favourites,  I would probably reach more than 50 and that would still not be enough.  So for now, let's stick to ten.  

Thanks Becky!


*note: image courtesy of The Bookworm Net

Valentine 2011

There were a lot of years in between my last serious relationship and my marriage. A lot of years when I sometimes want to avoid February because of the almost accusatory look I receive from couples when they see you celebrating Valentine with your girl friends. More so when you don't celebrate it at all! Sometimes, the accusatory look can turn into a pitying look. As if not having someone in your life during Valentine's Day is a crime.

I will not settle. This is what I used to tell my sisters and my friends. Why would I allow myself to be in a relationship just for the sake of being in one? I cannot be so petty that I'd allow society to dictate what I should and should not do. You've got to love your self enough to know that going into a "dummy" relationship is also cheating yourself out of a possibly great one.

But I guess that's the problem sometimes. The world can be so big that you might not meet the person that's meant for you at all in your lifetime. And wouldn't that be a shame?

I guess I lucked out.

Here are some excerpts of what I wrote in my diary in different times of my life:

October 1999
Everyday, I live with the knowledge that the right person will come at the right time. I know it like I know that I need to breathe. I am not afraid that I'd grow old alone and lonely. I have faith in my partner. I know that one day he'd find me. And then I won't be afraid to love anymore.

June 2001
I miss the giddy feeling you get when you're in love. And what's more glorious than knowing that the man you love loves you in return? I want to have someone look at me like I'm a gift from God. Someone who knows me well but still loves and accepts me just the same. Someone I can wake up to in the morning and see the sun reflected in his eyes, the promise of the day in his smile.


I'm glad I waited and did not settle.

Today's The Day

8:30am @ NUH Kentridge Wing

2010 Year Ender

It's that time of the year again. To look back at the year that was, counting your blessings while learning from the bad experiences.

The Bad

• I changed my line manager 3 times this year. 3 different expectations, 3 different styles. So difficult.
  
• Work issues. Things are just so hectic. And at a time when I'm expecting. There was even a joke about my baby being born to be a support person because of all the stress she's been in while I was working.
  
• I gained more than 10 kilos. Does it count if I'm pregnant?

The Good

• Wedding in May. It was a blur for me but I'm glad it was over
  
• Learning I'm pregnant just a few days before the wedding! Good thing my dress design allowed for the bigger tummy. :)
  
• iPad from my hubby

The Great

• Just a few more days to wait for my baby girl to arrive

If 2009 was difficult, 2010 topped it off by a long measure. With the multiple tasks of managing your work and team and planning my wedding, it was definitely not a breeze. Then there's all the difficult complications with my pregnancy that saw me having the most number of medical leaves in my whole career in the company.

Working with different managers who have different styles and different expectations is also not a walk in the park. I had to adjust 3 times this year due to the changes in my direct line manager. The one thing that helped me through all this was the support of my family and my hubby. It was also not easy for my team due to the different changes in team dynamics and leaderships. But the team persevered and endured and hopefully became stronger in the face of all the difficulties we've been through together.

For 2011, the one thing I am looking forward to is being a mother to our baby girl. I'm sure she's going to be a handful if she was to take from either her father or her mother. :) Even as I feel afraid in holding a fragile little thing in my arms, I can't wait to see her. I'm sure I'll need to learn a lot of things but I'll again have the support of my family and husband so I'm not doing this alone.

I am hoping 2011 is sunnier and less stressful than the last 2 years. My team and I definitely need a break. Well, since I'll be on maternity leave for a while, I am technically on work break.

Happy New Year everyone and may the coming year bring all of you good blessings and good cheer!

Strangers

I discovered a direct bus from our place that goes to Shenton Way. So every morning, at 7:45am, I take the same bus to get to ORQ. The bus goes through BKE, PIE and through Orchard.

One day, a lady asked me about the same bus as she was not sure if it's going to Orchard or not. And from that first conversation, we've been exchanging small talk every now and then whenever we take the same bus. We have somehow became acquaintances who exchange pleasantries as and when we see each other.

Last Friday though that changed. She asked to seat beside me. And instead of reading a book all the way to my destination, I found myself having a conversation with her about anything and everything. And this with a Singaporean. I rarely find a Singaporean who is willing to talk to strangers.

We talked about how in certain places we've been, people actually greet each other even if they are strangers (e.g. Paris, Tokyo, Vienna, etc.). And I compared that to how doing that here would actually gain you strange and suspicious looks.

The conversation even veered into talks about red light districts in Paris and Amsterdam as we seem to have a common travel experience.

My friend is a school teacher who have taught Science, Math, Philosophy and English. But currently, she is focused on teaching English to a few locals and expatriates alike. So of course, our conversation also ended up talking about the English language and Singlish. I talked about how American English is considered wrong by some people I talk to just because they are used to British English. It seems in her class, she actually compare the differences between American and British English.

Anyhow, it is refreshing to talk to someone who actually enjoy conversing with strangers. As I said, it is a rare thing to see a Singaporean who does that as they seem to be so guarded. I guess there is still something new to discover about this place after all.

A Day Full of Promise

Tomorrow I am going to marry the man I love.

Who would have thought that I would say that in my lifetime?

I have almost given up.

I thought he will never find me.

But he did.

And I'm glad and happy. ♥

Kindle

Santa's early this year for me because I got my Kindle already. =P

I am still in the middle of a book but I can't wait to read from my new toy.




And for some reason, I am able to buy from Amazon directly using my credit card here in SG. But I haven't tried again now that my Kindle is here. I hope I won't have any problem in buying books directly.

Traditions

It was late but we finally brought out our Christmas tree yesterday. I had the best crooners guiding and inspiring me along as I put on different decorations. Now, the festive season is evident in our house and what a good way to end the last two months of the year.

Can you believe it? It's already November. With all the hardship we've experienced in work, you sometimes lose focus of the things you need to be thankful for.

I am looking forward to filling the bottom of the tree with gifts and make our Christmas tree feel complete.


It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere I go....

Books In Threes

Three books I recently finished reading


1. Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy Book 1) - Good book. The first paragraph of the book got me interested and I knew it was not a book that's for young audiences.

2. Remember Me? - Funny in a way but I thought it was not as good as Confessions of a Shopaholic.

3. Frostbite (Vampire Academy Book 2) - Hmmm. I finished this book so fast but I can't seem to remember much! oh yeah! i was reading this then I went back to Manila. The memories there overshadowed everything else. he he.



The book I am currently reading (I know it's not three!)


1. The Time of Terror - a bit serious but interesting. it has its fun moments.



Three books that's next in line


1. Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy Book 3) by Richelle Mead

2. The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory

3. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris


copied this meme from Kristin Cashore's blogsite

Promotion Gift

During our promotion drinks, the Development team surprised me and the others with a promotion card. I don't think anyone of us expected it. When my team arrived (the production support team), I told them about the card and how the dev team remembered me and they didn't! And I did a regular litany of the same line for everyone who comes and visit the production support table. In the end, my team told me that they did have something they are preparing but it is still in progress.

This is what they gave me today:


It's a picture puzzle! (yes, go ahead and state the obvious).

This was handed over to me by little Lulu during lunch but to keep the suspense, she tore the puzzle apart and asked me to build it myself. At the start, I was making some progress, albeit at a very slow pace. In the end, we all helped together (meaning, my team did most of it). I was useless. I would pick up a piece, go around the whole puzzle trying to figure out where it fits only to bring it down again because I can't find it! He he. So they told me to stop pretending that I'm trying to solve it. Of course I still did try but I really don't have a talent for it.

I really love the gift and told my team that it is definitely 1000x better than the card I got from the development team. He he.

Yey!

Let's do the dance of joy!

My younger sister Mary just received her confirmation for her Staff Nurse position. I'm so proud of you sister!

Tara na! Bingo na! =)

Water Fun

Woohoo! After a very long time, I finally got the chance to swim again.

In the 1 1/2 years of staying in Yew Tee, I've never had a chance to visit the sports complex because it was out of the way although not very far from where I stay.

Today, I finally made the decision to visit it and confirm if there is a swimming pool. I've got my swimming gears inside my tote just in case.

When I finally saw the place, I can't help but smile. The pool area has several big pools that cater for all types of swimmers, young and adult alike. One was designed for small children and has a lot of playing spots inside the pool. The other has occasional waves that looks really inviting. But the best of all is the big 50 meter pool at the side.

I was glad to note that there were not that many swimmers. Actually, there were a lot of small children who were taking swimming lessons and they were occupying both sides of the pool. The adult swimmers were in the middle. All in all, there were only 5 - 6 of us doing lapses.

I usually swim at the sides as a precaution in case I get cramps. But in this case, I had no choice because there were way too many kids staying at the sides.

The length of the pool was a bit intimidating for me. I've never swam in as big a pool as that. I think it was bigger than the pool we used to swim in in Paris.

After one crossing, I was ready to give up. My breathing was not regular and my arms were not used to the continuous strokes. But I forced myself to continue. Whenever I felt myself tensing, I consciously made myself relax. I was there to have a relaxing time. And I did! After 8 rounds, I called it a day.

It was tiring for me but I am just glad that I finally found a way to enjoy something I really love. I hope I find the time to always go back.

InkHeart

Warning! Spoilers ahead.

The book's title is based on, would you believe it, one of the villains. Capricorn is mean, unfeeling and a very bad man. Although there are part of the books where they describe his evil works, the details failed to jump at me and make me believe it in my bones. Sometimes I wonder if it was lost in translation. The original was written in German.

Now, back to the title. It's simple really. It has something to do with Capricorn's heart, how it is black as ink. Thus, the title InkHeart.

The concept certainly is something any book lover could understand. Imagine being able to read your favorite book characters to life. Wouldn't it be cool to actually bring Eragon and Saphira out of their book? Although I guess I have to be real careful with Saphira as she's one mean dragon.

If I have that ability, I wonder if I will use it. Will I bring to life the Kings, Queens and Princesses from my Philippa Gregory books. But then again, they might think I'm their maid and ask me to do a lot of things so I better not get those snotty royalties out then. Maybe treasures will come tumbling down and make me rich. Rubies, diamonds, gold. Hmmmm. That can definitely work for me.

But will I do it if I knew there is a consequence for everything I bring out here from books. Maybe not. But who knows? Maybe I don't know myself well enough. =)

image from wikipedia

An Award!

In the few years that I've been blogging, never have I received an award for anything. Okay, so I was nominated for the blog of the week but didn't quite make it. He he. So now, this award is my first so it's special.

To receive this award your blog must be exceptional in design and content; presenting us with new knowledge, a sense of style, or at times just giving us a smile!

Each recipient of the award will acknowledge the person who honored them with the award and then go to http://overthetopaprons.blogspot.com to copy/paste the award : Your Blog is Over The Top. (located on the right sidebar, scroll down)

Just for fun; I would like to invite you to hit on the Blog Award to see a neat, new website!

The recipient may then pass the award on to 5 others that they feel meet the above criteria.

Please enjoy this honor and consider yourself just a little bit "Over The Top".

This award was given to me by Vanessa. Thanks!


Here are blogs that I think deserve this award.

Diaries of A Domestic Goddess
Sasha says...
Maiylah's Snippets
Traipsey Turvey
My Pink Shoelace

New template

I recently commissioned for a new blog template. I get a bit irritated when I see another blog with the same design as mine. So I used some of my paypal money to pay for the new template. Here's the old and new design:



The colors of the new design are fresh and inviting. The design is simple but then again I don't like over complicated designs as they end up being too messy.

My new design is a product of Vanessa from Paperback Designs. We worked together to come up with the color and design that I want. My page design captured two of the things I love: books and coffee. The laid back attitude of the picture also gives more credit to the theme of my site "It's A Wonderful Life!".

Anyhow, if you're looking for someone to help you out with your blog design, head on to paperback design and allow Vanessa to assist you in achieving the design that captures your personality and blog theme.