I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted an entry. It's unbelievable how time went by so quickly! I've been so busy with work and most of my weekend were being spent on trying to recuperate and recharge for the following week - if not doing my chores. I've been conscientiously planning out my weekend to get the most out of it.
I find that sometimes, because of how hectic my work schedule is with all the project I'm juggling and the few support / administration requests I get, that, I just want to surround myself in a bubble and just enjoy the quiet (or sometimes with music) by myself.
Getting back to work as a senior consultant has its challenges as well as rewards. I've been assigned very challenging projects one on top of the other where the stakes are quite high. I appreciate the trust my company is giving me and I am enjoying it a lot! Although, the pressure is quite high, I'm still managing things well. It's been especially tough because one of the consultants left a week after my last entry so I had a lot to take in and manage and basically pick up the things that were left hanging.
It's finally starting to sink in that I'm in a senior position. The degree of difficulty and the number of responsibilities I have to manage is something I'm trying to get a fit into. I'm also trying to adjust to the different work culture here in Australia. I've been used to working overtime and long hours to finish projects, but here, the attitude seems more like "I'll work within the time I'm paid for and only go over hours when necessary." There was one night when I was working late in the office (10pm), where my HR messaged me asking me if I was still in the office. I replied yes. She told me to go home otherwise she won't be able to sleep - so I did :). Working with older people who are in really senior roles, sometimes, I feel because I'm one of the youngest (our youngest is 24 - who works on the infrastructure and network side), I feel intimidated. Although I think I'm getting over that sense of intimidation at this point. But, because of my age and looking younger than my actual age, I sometimes feel I need to compensate by working harder to be taken seriously.
It feels weird sometimes when I sit down and think about it how this is career progression. I'm doing bigger and bigger things with the stakes getting higher. It's comforting to know that after everything I had to go through - Philippines - Singapore - Funemployment - Australia and now my current work, that the choices I've made are validated by the fact that I am where I am because I've made the right choices...because right now feels absolutely right.
PS: Because of the constant cash flow that is now in place (salary), I feel I need to learn to save up for something in order to get it. From getting employment, aside from putting money aside for savings, I feel compelled to get the things I need and want right here right now (as evidenced by the online shopping I did) - simply because I can afford them. But I think I need to learn to discipline myself more. I need to save for bigger things - like an investment property/my own house now that I can safely say that Australia is home.
What happened the past month?
In pictures
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| Brunch with friends before going for an indoor climb |
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| A very fun activity! Scaling walls to the point of exhaustion! At some point, I didn't get to do a climb on a stalactite because my grip was so weak! |
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| Selfie with my Australian BFF |
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| Sundate and seeing Autumn in action |
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| A picture at a client site during my colleague's last day |
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| Indoor graffiti in a cafe in Erskineville |
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| Trying out the new Maccas - gourmet burger of my own making :) Yum! |
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| Sundate with ice cream made from Liquid Nitrogen |
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| Getting a heater for the coming winter! I decided to buy one when the temperature on one night dropped to 10 deg C in the evening |
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| Getting my fix with some online shopping. I finally got a better backpack because my shoulder was starting to hurt from carrying my laptop shoulder bag |
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| Brunch special somewhere in the border of Alexandria and Erskineville |
More pictures to bombard you with!
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| One of my closest friends Norman was by Sydney. He brought me to one of the Chinese restaurants by the place he used to live in. |
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| More shopping fix a week after the last one! Buying winter jackets and overcoat |
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| Had Ube Macapuno cake in one of the Filipino restaurants in Central |
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| And then Vivid happened. This was from the opening night May 22 by the Customs House at Circular Quay |
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| More exhibits |
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| Pictures from Canon's exhibition - Light Portraits! |
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| Tetris happening on the facade of the Museum of Contemporary Arts. |
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| Decided to rest from walking around for Vivid and went for drinks at Glenmore Hotel's Rooftop bar |
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| Saturday - went for a trial tennis class and eventually signed up for a 10 week 2 hour class |
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| After which (the tennis class), I went to meet friends to do more indoor climbing. |
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| I finally managed to conquer the Stalactite challenge. The fear of heights still occur, but the adrenaline it brings along with it can be addicting! |
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| Saturdate schnitzel |
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| More Vivid shows - this time in Central Park |
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| At Central Park |
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| Beautiful! So tantalizing just watching the show unfold |
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| Made our way to Darling Harbour and accidentally catching the 830 weekly fireworks |
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| Sundate drive along ANZAC bridge on the way to the outlet mall for some shopping (I only got underwear and bath towels lol) |
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| Sunday, finally caught up with one of my closest friends from Singapore - Paul! Catch up over some white wine at Beresford Hotel |
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| Starting off the week working at a client site! |
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| Wednesday - after a week and a half of staying over at my place, this was Norman's last day in Sydney (again) before he moves back out west |
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| Was supposed to have dinner with some other friends by the Rocks, but it didnt push through, so after Issa (my aussie BFF) and I had dinner and drinks, we walked around and stopped by Martin Place to see some of the Vivid exhibits there |
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| Taken earlier when I was having my 3pm coffee break. The building on the right reminds me of Stamford Swiss Hotel in Singapore mostly because of it's shape (cylindrical). It was another busy week at work, but I'm thankful for all it brings - fulfillment and a wad of cash! haha |
