CH259: Seniority

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

Brunch with friends before going for an indoor climb 

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!

Selfie with my Australian BFF

Sundate and seeing Autumn in action

A picture at a client site during my colleague's last day

Indoor graffiti in a cafe in Erskineville

Trying out the new Maccas - gourmet burger of my own making :) Yum!

Sundate with ice cream made from Liquid Nitrogen

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 

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

Brunch special somewhere in the border of Alexandria and Erskineville

More pictures to bombard you with!

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. 

More shopping fix a week after the last one! Buying winter jackets and overcoat

Had Ube Macapuno cake in one of the Filipino restaurants in Central

And then Vivid happened. This was from the opening night May 22 by the Customs House at Circular Quay

More exhibits

Pictures from Canon's exhibition - Light Portraits!

Tetris happening on the facade of the Museum of Contemporary Arts. 

Decided to rest from walking around for Vivid and went for drinks at Glenmore Hotel's Rooftop bar

Saturday - went for a trial tennis class and eventually signed up for a 10 week 2 hour class

After which (the tennis class), I went to meet friends to do more indoor climbing.

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!

Saturdate schnitzel

More Vivid shows - this time in Central Park

At Central Park

Beautiful! So tantalizing just watching the show unfold

Made our way to Darling Harbour and accidentally catching the 830 weekly fireworks

Sundate drive along ANZAC bridge on the way to the outlet mall for some shopping (I only got underwear and bath towels lol)

Sunday, finally caught up with one of my closest friends from Singapore - Paul! Catch up over some white wine at Beresford Hotel

Starting off the week working at a client site!

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

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

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

CH258: A Posse Ad Esse

...from possibility to actuality.

The more I stay here in Sydney, the more I realize that there is so much to be thankful for. Prior to moving, I've had all these fuzzy dreams and ideologies and wishful thinking on how my life will be like when I move. I was going around Europe comparing and noting down how I was shaping my hopes and expectation for Sydney in my head. (Call it wishful thinking)

While things did not exactly start the way I had hope for them to be, I still feel immensely blessed. I sometimes wonder to myself before going to sleep (I like to introspect and digest thoughts before transitioning to the next day) why so much good has come my way. If karma was real, I feel the scales have tipped over.

Career
I was preparing for the worst case of not finding a job for 6 months and struggling to settle here in Australia. There were a lot of people saying that it will be tough to find a job - on the lines of - give yourself at least 3 months or 6 or a year to find job. I got a job short of 3 months (10 weeks) and I am more than thank ful for that.

It's a job that is in the field I am in and it's a progression from where I left off in Singapore. It's a Senior consultant position with a small consulting firm, and from the get-go, I am liking the vibe of the office. I get to work with other senior consultants and for the ~2 weeks I've been here, I can tell I can get along with the people I will be working with.

What overwhelms me with this blessing is that from a lot of people I've gotten to know here in Sydney, a lot of them found jobs that were off tangent to the track they were on. Lower salary grade, zero experience, start from scratch.

Friends and Family
I am thankful for the friends I have. Old friends, new friends. I stayed with one of my closest friends from University for the first 10 weeks that I lived here in Sydney. She's one of the truest friends I have and she's also my confidant. I'm the type of person who gauges my affinity to people based on "wavelength" and she is one of the few people I am definitely 100% in-sync with. 

When the year started off and I was in New York, I told myself that for 2015, my resolution is to be a better son, better sibling, better uncle and better friend. I came up with that resolution after I met a great set of amazing people when I was in New York. (I had a friend I met when I was on vacation in Bangkok (almost a year ago from now) who introduced me to this friend in New York). I told myself that for 2015, I will work on being the person who my friends would want to go to - to talk, to have a drink with, to hang out, to be the person who would listen to their problems, to be the person they could trust.

I've come to a point in my life (nearing 3-0) that I enjoy a small group of people I trust and love being with, than a big group of unfocused relationships.

A huge chunk on how I managed to make it through to moving and finally starting to settle here in Sydney is due to my family. I love the kind of dynamic I have with them now. I'm happy to have received such strong support from my parents and siblings - on the financial and emotional aspect of the move. It's humbling to realize that despite the distances we have from another (Los Angeles, Auckland, Sydney, Quezon City, Middle East) we are able to be there for each other when needed - in part due to technological advances.

More than anything, I am thankful for the friends and family who believed ...




More than anything, I am thankful for the friends and family who believed I will be able to make it and push through the challenges of moving to a new city and country without a job and with only savings in tow. There were several occasions on the 10 weeks of being jobless (longer than 10 weeks if you count the trip to US, Europe and a couple of weeks in Manila) where I questioned the timing and decision to move. I was comfortable living in Singapore - with a stable job, a good source of cash flow, etc. But I knew I wanted something more ... more stability and security. And after everything, I finally reached a point in my life where those possibilities can become an actuality.

Sydney

I am thankful that I was able to apply and get approved for Permanent residency here in Australia. Now that I found a job and have started working here for almost two weeks, I am excited by the other possibilities I can think of making an actuality. Despite being relatively the same in terms of expensiveness as compared to Singapore, there is a difference in the quality of life. On one front, the amount I am paying for rent in the place I am staying in here is about the same as in Singapore - except it's more spacious. On another front that I was surprised about is that despite having higher tax than Singapore, based on my initial computation, my net here will still be higher than my gross in Singapore. That lead me to realize that Singapore has become a saturated market for my skills.

Pictures!

CH257: Start of things to come

This week was rather busy. From finding a place to move to, to looking for the best FOREX place to change the USD I brought with me, to applying for a credit card, I couldn't be any happier that things are about to change.

I've decided to just for the time being find a room instead of my own flat. Getting a flat here would usually entail it being unfurnished so there would be costs like getting my own refrigerator, furniture, setting up internet etc. I found a place which would just be a 5 min walk from a train station that is 4 stations away from my workplace. It's all settled and done. I'll move into it on the 25th as the place is new and they had renovation works.

Another pleasant news was getting approved for my ANZ credit card (ANZ frequent flyer black) two hours after they received the documents they requested from me! Now I can start building up my credit score :)

Patience does pay off.

CH255: Number 2.

....In the calming noise of the vacuum cleaner, I find myself immersed in thoughts of nothing, flushing out the negativity to start a day anew.

...In the cool breeze, warm sun and soothing sound of the sea, I realized how similar I am at from Grade 5 - high school senior.

Most of the time just in second place running for honors. It was a fun competition then. I'm not sure I can say the same with now.

For the interviews I've had, I seem to be edged out by 1 more person. One had more experience with SAP mobility. Another one had SAP Hana experience. And the last one, for a contract role, I didn't bother to ask. I was just told there has been a request for budgetary approval to have another person on board - me - the number 2.

There has been a sort of cycle with these. Thursday I hear the news, Thursday I get another interview scheduled.

I can't say I'm sad. I'm actually fine. A little feeling of frustration would come by and then go. (Maybe if I didn't have savings, then I'd be depressed). This is what life is, you don't always get what you want. That, in a race, you may not have finished first, but there's comfort in knowing you finished second, still ahead of the rest. And the other thought, at least I'm making it through shortlisting and getting to final round of interviews. It should come eventually.

For now, I'm still on vacation! :)

CH232: Contemplation on Starting Over

Life has been easy. A little bit too easy I should say.

On the forefront, in the larger scheme of things, the only struggles I would consider I had in my life, were more trivial things like academics (getting good greats and striving to be on top) as well as career (getting skilled employment that pays well and performing well). I've never had to struggle with trying to make ends meet. I don't think I ever had to worry about money. I've written about it before how thankful I am to my parents for what they have provided for me. They've taken away the concerns most of the people (pertaining to the global population rather than the Philippines in itself) will have like finding food, getting education and seeking out opportunities to make their life better.

I'm acutely aware of the struggles there are in the world. Gaza, Hamas and Israel. Ebola Outbreak in Africa. ISIS in the middle east. Ukraine, Russia and the West, etc. These current events make my worries so small compared to the rest of the world, that sometimes, I feel it's unfair to acknowledge the fears I have to face when I move to Australia. I guess, the more you become aware of the state of the world, the less enthralled you become with acknowledging and working on the things in your life that scare you. Something sort of like that.

The most obvious fear of course with moving and starting over in Australia - finding a job. With just my meager savings in tow, the fear of the possible difficulty of finding work and depleting the savings can be scary. But, what scares me more, is the complacency I have in the back of my head, that if worse comes to worst, my family will be there to bail me out (in this sense - monetary aid). I mean, I'm turning 29 a couple of months from my planned arrival in Australia. It scares me in the sense that despite having a family there to back me up and wish me success, I'm scared of having to rely on them to make my dreams come true. The support I will be getting from them, will make my endeavor for independence and succeeding by myself seem like a failure (well, based on how I've contemplated it). Don't mistake my tone though. I am always thankful that I have a supportive family behind me who I can rely on should I be in deep shit.

I guess, I'm coming from the mindset that my move to Australia will usher in my version of becoming an adult. An adult who will worry about mortgage, an adult who is saving up for retirement, an adult paying for insurance, an adult paying for loans to pay for a car, an adult who is trying to make a new life in a new place with the hopes of having a new mindset fit to survive the realities to come.

I just feel I had it too easy, and my move to Australia will be the true test of character for me. A test for the character and person I've become over the 28+ years of living in this world and knowing people, friends and family who have shaped my being. If I had to struggle to get to where I am now - well not just financially but that seems to be most fundamental problem most of the people in the world face - will I be less afraid of moving? If my parents, after graduating from college, had made me responsible for some finances at home, will that have shaped my character to be ready to face the hardships I might face in Australia? Am I well equipped to handle the pressures and struggles I will face? I guess, for now, I will never know until I get there and actually live it through.

Contemplating. Anticipating.

How escapist can I be to actually start planning on going to Europe for December and US for January? I put the plan under the banner of wanting to take a break and a sabbatical before I face the hardships I will need to face (which hopefully will be non-existent (?) when the time comes or as the days come closer). But I can't help but feel that the complacency at the back of my head is what's fueling the escapism - because why worry about the struggle to come, when you can do something you're passionate about - travelling. Why worry when your family will be there to back you up when all the shit hits the fan?

How petty of me. Blah blah blah.
[Edit] - I'm having the mindset now that to think about the problems I might be facing in Australia will only romanticize the notion of struggling to achieve success, which is not what I want.

CH163: Certified

I finally passed my SAP certification exam! I'm now officially a SAP Certified Technology Associate - System Administrator (Oracle DB) with Netweaver 7.0. So what does this bring forth? I'm not sure really. Better days surely

I must admit, it was so hard balancing work, review and random tidbits here and there with CP. I was anxious the weekend before the exam as I was in Malaysia with CP and family. But, as the results show, I've pulled through and passed. I couldn't be any happier!

Had I failed, it would have been a huge disappointment and I would be crying right now in my room. After a while when I've moved on, I will remember that I paid 650+ SGD for the exam and get depressed again.

The total number of pages I had to skim through totaled 3000+ pages. That's consisting of 5 modules. TADM10 1, TADM10 2, TADM12 1, TADM12 2 and TADM51. The night before the exam I sped-read through about 1400 pages XD. It's such a humbling feat and I'm so so so soooooo thankful that it's over.

Now, on to other things and better days!

PS: CP booked a yacht tour in Groupon for his friends in UK. Very timely celebration later!