Coming back

Time really flies. It's been over 2 years since I last posted. So much has happened. So many memories. I really feel older. Heck I even started calling the service desk team 'kids'!

A New Chapter

Today I had my last ACS branch meeting for 2008. Seeing that I will be overseas for the Dec meeting and I'm not standing for next year I'll have to say that's it for this year folks.

The past 3.5 years had been a real eye-opener working with leaders of the industry and seeing how they think. On top of that, these are genuinely good people who want to do something for the society, contributing their otherwise $500/hr time. It's been an all-round fantastic experience and I'm ready for a break giving myself some time to soak it all in.

Where am I going again?

I have a real dilema with my career atm. On the one hand, I've been tapped on the shoulder to be part of the technical architecture team, which sounds like an awesome opportunity to anyone with less than 3 years of IT experience. Problem is the team is so new and the new manager has so no clue that I'm not doing anything interesting, nor is there any guidance from senior architects which I was promised to before my move. Formal architecture is really an unexplored territory where I am and I need a starting point. Say what are our short term and long term IT goals to start off with. I still haven't got my answer. I've been given a task of creating a pattern for a specific function. Thing is the solution down to the technical level has already been pre-determined. I'm retro-fitting the pattern to the solution. Not only that, I do not come from a software development background so this stuff is somewhat alien to me. I will try my best though but I can't see myself doing this more than one time because it seems all that I am doing is documentation and not architecture. It's not where I want to go.

The other hand of my dilema is that I am always welcomed to return to my old team. With me leaving there is really no one left who knows enough about the applications and systems we support without spending some decent time poking around, which the team can't really afford with all the fire fighting going on, which is why I left the team in the first place. I'm sick of fire fighting. I don't get to learn anything new. The only knowledge I get more of is in-depth understanding of the systems we have. That does not help me with my career and I'm not interested in working here forever. It's not where I want to be.

I've talked about picking option 3 before which is leaving the place and my boss was cool about it a month ago. She somehow heard from ppl around the woods that I'm looking for a new job and came over to me yesterday asking me if I would change my mind if I'm offered a 2-level pay rise. What is she thinking? Did she think I was kidding when I told her I choose to leave?

I need to keep looking but finding a right job isn't easy, especially with the list of criteria I have. I thought about getting a BA gig to get a change of scenary and I'm prepared for a pay cut for that but having attended a SQL Server user group tonight, my hands are itching to get busy with SQL again.

Sana got engaged!

I went to Sana's engagement last night. It was a big night with 60+ ppl. Sana was really happy. The food was beautiful too. Here're some pics ...

Watch out here comes the straightening iron. Sana had these massive earrings that took about 5 minutes to put on.

The lovely couple and the in-laws. Pictured here are the brother and the sister in-laws, Sana's dad and someone's flashing white arms. It was paparazzi mania.

Sana, Zia and Ruba (I can't spell Sana sister's name. Mind enlightening me anyone?)

Blow monkey blow!

This has to be the cutest monkey I've ever seen! Pity I don't paint my nails, but even if I do I am sure I won't think it's as cute once I have it so I'll just visit the link once in a while...