Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Time to do a tri

I always tell myself "somedays are good, somedays are bad". I had a twitching right lower eyelid. I attribute that to stress. A quick google of the eyelid however result in the superstitious me also believing it could really be a touch of bad luck, even though other articles are strongly suggesting good luck could possibly be coming my way. So which is which? Which do i believe?

Rather than making myself panic thinking which to believe, i have started daydreaming. I've wondered about the day i get back on my bicycle. My beloved p2c. And that fear, and excitement rolled into one. Or i would love to attempt another triathlon. I always wondered where did i ever summon the energy or that motivation and the determination from my one and only attempt at Ironman70.3 a couple of years ago. I marveled at my friends' accomplishments of finishing numerous ironman races. Wow, where did they find that motivation?

I then looked at one tri event. Seems long enough to whet my appetite, yet a little too long to think twice. Even more so, when this is post wedding : 7 weeks. I used to just go with the wind. But i guess i have too much on my plate then. A place i will then call home, a new room to adjust myself to, more new family members to embrace & to love (ok, throw in some hate, and disgust too), and a slight change to my lifestyle. That would be my longest race, which takes a whole load of commitment.

So am i ready? Or am i going to wallow in my clout of bad luck? Or wait!
The good luck's coming my way.

Saturday, April 02, 2011

To be a good boss?

What does it take to be a good boss? Offering better pay? Better perks in life? Better work-life balance? I think i have not offered better pay nor any of those things above. I am a Chinese (Asian) boss, akin to dragon mother. The term "dragon mother" has taken a whole new buzz, after Amy Chua (a very famous author, if you haven't read Joy Luck Club) wrote on a book about them. I expect the best for my employees, similarly the same way i've driven myself : to be the best in work.

Unfortunately, some things came about unexpectedly. I had to cease a project. A project i had hired more than 40 employees for. 40 employees with families and cars to feed. This is not going to be easy. I had spent a few nights tossing in bed, weighing the pros and cons of terminating this project, whom i had spent most of my time 24/7 with through the past year and half. The pros were simple : i get my life back, i get to go back to triathlon, i will get married without much worries, and even go for a long term holiday. The cons are : many lives are dependent on me and the project generates 'X' revenue for me to live out my dreams. The cons overweigh the pros, resulting in sleepless nights, and extra wrinkles on my sad face. I don't know how i am going to do this.

In a matter of minutes, i need to announce the exit strategy to my team : the last day is 31st June 2011. Goodbye my team, some of you are awesome, some of you are not.

Time to hunt for another "baby" to nurture, to grow and to prosper.