Tales from the (almost) Tripped

After several days of celebrating my grandmother's life, my aunts, uncles and cousins are returning to their provinces, countries, and continents to get back to 'normal' life.  I hear it was quite the weekend - tears, memories, music, beautiful ceremonies, laughter... and new memories.  Fifteen of the 20 grandchildren made it home for the wake and funeral.  I was one of the five that didn't make it home and definitely felt the distance.  But I am grateful for Facebook.  I received fairly regular updates and could be there vicariously through photos and short chats.  Technological advancement can be very good.

In fact, advancement in many forms can be very good.  I think I advanced my personal empowerment last week when I gave my notice and left my job.

After six weeks of feeling completely out of alignment, I confronted my boss and suggested his organization needed something different than what I can give at this time - he needed long-term change management (and if you saw my growing belly, you'd know I don't have long-term availability).  He invited me to return after baby is born, but I'm going back to Canada.  I learned.  I met some great people.  I experienced a completely multi-cultural environment.  I got some insight into a whole new industry.  And I really think I made a slight impact.  It wasn't all bad at all.  But each day, I started with a renewed spirit and returned home deflated and de-energized.  It would have been a great challenge to stay long-term and lead change, but it really wasn't the right place for me.  Once I made the decision to move on, I felt empowered.  I really stuck to my values.  On my last day, I said my good-byes to everyone and I think it was the most energized I felt in six weeks.  It was the right decision.

My days began with trying to fit into clothes.  I LOVE this new invention called a Belly Belt!  There were no Belly Belts 18 years ago.  All was well until I hit the train station each day.  After talking to people who lived in Shanghai and London, I learned Singapore got nothin' on them for the train madness.  However, at peak hours, it goes like this.... squeeze, skip, push, shove, skip, rush, skip... then, after missing 2-3 trains, stand like a squished sardine for 45 minutes.  It's much worse than Tokyo.  People are generally pleasant and polite in Japan.  Oh, but I discovered another route.... it took 1 hour and 15 minutes, but I most often got a seat.  (Would you believe that most women here wear stilettos to work?  I had blisters wearing flats or pumps!  They are decked out like a fashion show too - complete with jewelry, make-up, etc.)

A highlight of my workday (if I got a seat) was reading on the train.  I had over an hour in each direction with dedicated reading time!  Woohoo!  I most often read the local newspaper in the morning, but I read my business and  psychology books in the evening.  I kinda needed the inspiration.  I tried... I really tried... to read some finance magazines to learn more about the industry I was working in.  I couldn't keep my eyes open.

I worked in the financial district of Singapore.  I quite liked the environment.  I found a couple of fabulous restaurants in the area and had some nice chats with people I worked with when we went out to lunch a few times.  Eighty percent of the time I had these amazing salads for lunch.... a lot of expats seemed to go to this salad place... it had everything you can imagine for salad.  Fantastic!  And crowded!  In true Singapore style, though, there were three queues (one for ordering, one for paying, and one for receiving), and once you got the hang of it, it was quite organized.  There were benches outside overlooking the river - a magnificent environment for eating lunch.... but there were never any free benches to sit on.

During my six week stint, the building I worked in got a bit of an overhaul.  They put a coffee/snack bar in the main lobby along with an indoor jungle and security stations that locked you out AND IN if you didn't have your security card.  I'm not really sure why they needed the reconstruction and enhanced security, but that's Singapore.  Buildings are constantly being torn down and new ones built.  When my building 'unveiled' the indoor jungle, they had a bit of a fancy 'do'.... must have been a bit of a big deal.  I think it was the first indoor jungle... they like being first around here.

My workstation changed places four times.  (That was far from the issues I faced.)  My last location had a great view of the famous Marina Bay Sands... yep, the hotel everyone emailed photos of to me before I moved here... it has the infinity pool on top and was featured in The Amazing Race.  Anyway, it was a great view... much better than my first workstation where I had three chairs, a stool, three umbrellas, and the storage area all in my little corner space with no viewing of the rest of the office (or outside).  People regularly came to my desk to use the binding machine or went to the storage area for supplies.  (I did have little chats with people when they 'visited' though:)  One lady, a temp, would sometimes sit on one of the chairs and do nothing but stare straight ahead while she waited for her 'boss' to tell her what to do.... yes, a chair in my space - and she didn't talk.  I found it all a bit strange.

So I didn't trip on the train - although if I was wearing stilettos maybe I would have.  And I didn't trip in my personal or professional development.  In fact, I think I've risen a wee bit.  Now, I'm searching for a volunteer gig... if a paid one comes along where I'm in alignment, great!  But I can't just work for a pay cheque.  For me, right now, that would be tripping.