Recently I started a black book.

I bought a black leather notebook, hence a "black book."

I realized no matter what i read, nothing sticks.

So it dawned on me that i needed to capture the essentials which could be useful.

The inspiration came from a friend whom i attended a weekend course with.

He used a notebook to jot down the subtleties while he was learning C++.

So far, this way has worked well for me.

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For the past few days at work, I went through any documentation I could find.

It was quite disappointing having no direction. I wanted to get ahead but I was getting nowhere.

The worst thing is not knowing what you don't know.

And I wonder why things are fragmented.

On my own, I am still using weekends to catch up.

it's almost 2 weeks into work.

i miss my days wearing t shirt, shorts and slippers,

although i readily embraced the experience of swimming in a big firm.

it's a boundless sea of systems & procedures. terms & abbreviations.

likewise, there is no dearth of new skills and knowledge to pick up.

team meetings were often. there were overseas visitors too.

emails came in hundreds every day. 2 weeks of email can easily beat my one year's worth of personal mail.

the corporate world surely exposed the chinks in my armor.

i was a wet blanket at recent social occasions because i was afraid to speak up. i couldn't articulate well at meetings too.

Certainly it's a high paced environment.

but i believe, slowly but surely, i will bridge my weaknesses.

I secretly wish time wouldn't pass so fast.

I want more time to get ready.

Finally the lazy man has new blog design templates to choose from.

It's been a while since I truly did my own blog template.

I've always emphasized simplicity, clarity and all about being a minimalist.

That has some truth. But the other side of the coin is that I've gotten sick of custom designs.

This blog finally had a makeover. But it has fallen to disuse. Heck.

Recently, I have been doing things I never believed in.

First, I registered for corporate photography. I actually enjoyed the process. I didn't have to bring anything. The folks at the studio had the blazer, formal shirt, and tie. A makeup artist did some light makeup for me. It did for a moment felt quite fun.

Secondly, I tailored more formal shirts with bold colors. And I visited the tailor a few times. Each time I gathered more fabric knowledge through casual conversation with the store owner.

Thirdly, I signed up for a weekend course and went in for the first lesson in slippers and shorts. The material are a bit dry though. A few people looked drowsy after lunch. There were group work and presentations. My group members either ignored what I said or spoke so fast that I stood no chance to pick up any meaningful idea of what was said.

4 more days to end of national service.

I can already see in my mind's eye my pink identity card.

Thanks to a friend, I found a job. I'm excited about starting work, probably because I have been a workaholic all these years. I want to learn new skills and make new friends.

2 more weeks to the end of NS.

The nearer the date, the further it seemed.

I just applied for 3 days of leave followed by Saturday and Sunday which effectively bailed me out from camp for the past few days.

I had good reasons for doing so, for I attended a job interview on Friday and took prior 2 days to prepare. If the interviewing game is not my nature, then nurture be the way.

I revised my Java topics wholeheartedly and researched the company. I felt the interview was okay. It all depends on them now.

Five more days and I would know if my research paper has been accepted for conference. I hope it does. Then, I would get a chance to travel and to present.

Untitled

Exactly one month to 10 August 2010.

Operationally released date.

And thank god, I have 6 days of unused leave.

That amounts to 1 whole week off duty.

What's my story so far?

Convocation/graduation ceremony just ended 3 days ago.

Took lots of photos with lots of people.

Also made an appearance on live broadcast during the graduation.

Have been using weekends to get enough rest at home and also work on improving/upgrading skills. Also achieved certain milestones over the past 1-2 months.

- Self-learnt the basics of economics and finance

- Currently learning to program in Perl

- Set up a linked in profile

- Set up a personal website

- Cleared 3-4 paperbacks

Truly a good time for self-reflection while waiting for recruiters to call.