I was completely over the moon when I received my job promotion last week. It was just soOoo unexpected. Although we maybe technically out of the recession now but I never expect to receive my promotion this year.

A promotion means (slightly) more money, more respect, but it also involves more duties and responsibilities. I want to meet the expectations of my superiors and prove to them that they didn’t make a mistake in promoting me.

I have been working with this company for almost six years. I’ve gone through many stages of my life here – from single to married, and now a mother. It’s amazing; I can’t believe that I’m still here. What’s wrong with me?

The beginning of this career was extremely tough for me. I worked twelve hours a day and even on weekends. The semiconductor supply chain is very challenging and complex. Rapidly fluctuating product demands are coupled with long manufacturing leadtimes. Manufacturing involves complex product routings that span the globe. Sudden demand upsides, materials shortage and capacity shortfalls are my biggest nightmares.

With proper guidance from my mentors and encouragement from my superiors, I learnt to deal with these challenges and overcame my fear. Now, I’m glad to say that I’m a ‘seasoned worker’ in this industry. I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, and I’ve matured.

Although this is not my first promotion in this company, I still feel as happy as ever. I also think about how fortunate I am and am grateful for the things that I do have in my life. This positive attitude is the key of my life. I will continue to work hard for my future, my family and my Little Edison.

Jia You!

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When I was young, I observed that almost all mothers looked the same – hardly any make-up on them, wore frumpy looking clothes and always a tired expression on their faces. In between diaper changes and midnight feedings, somehow they forgot to enjoy the privileges of being a woman.

When I was dining at MacDonald’s last weekend, I had my first real glimpse of a fashionable, confident and beautiful mother-of-two. With two toddlers in-tow (without a maid), she wore high heels, pretty make-up, kept her hair long, curled and well groomed. I was completely in awe of her.

This incident made a big impression on me, and I think that it’s important for all mothers, regardless of age, to put forth the effort to look nice. It doesn’t require a lot of money though, but it’s the time and dedication.

I looked at myself and I realized that I’m also in the midst of transforming from a woman to a mother! My cute little purses have changed into big and bulky diaper bags. I traded in my heels and platform shoes for more sensible flat shoes. After all, I can’t chase after Little Edison in heels.

When I was a single, I used to spend hours grooming my hair. Now, most of the time, I just throw it into a ponytail to avoid it being ripped out by his little hands. For the same reason, I stopped wearing accessories too. In terms of outfits, I don’t think I would wear a mini skirt or a tube top.

Time is another issue; I don’t have time to mix-and-match my clothes, accessories and shoes. I just have about ten minutes to dress-up with a little make-up on before leaving the house in a jiffy. I’m glad that I have a helper. Otherwise, I probably don’t even have ten minutes!

How did I end up this way? I definitely need to find my womanly self again. I need to wear heels one day. I miss my tube tops too. I want to stay fashionable, chic and confident while juggling my duties as a mother! Can I really do that?

~~ A quick post on a super busy Tuesday ~~

Life of a working mother is always so hectic. We all need some good time management tips to get things under control. Here are some of my time management tips to prevent myself from burnt out.

Quality family time
I set-up time when I don’t check e-mails and I don’t answer phone calls (except for emergencies). This is the most important time of the day where I spend quality time with my family without any distractions. On weekdays 7pm – 9pm, I’m automatically switched on to the “no-disturb” mode.

First half an hour
First thing in the morning when I reach my office, I spend half an hour to plan my tasks for the day. Leave it. Can’t leave it. Urgent. Not urgent. Have a realistic To-Do list. I don’t want to over-schedule myself and constantly feel like a hamster on a wheel. At the end of the day, I still want to go home on-time to see my one-minute clingy, the next-minute freedom-seeking son.

Learn to say “No”
When it comes to after-work dinner appointments and overtime, I will usually decline, unless it is absolutely necessary. I’m not anti-social, but family dinner matters more to me. This is the time for listening to each other, sharing the day’s stories and nurturing the family connection. Why waste it on somebody else?

House chores that will never be finished
Cleaning, organizing, washing, ironing etc – these are all the house chores that will never be finished. On-going, yet tedious. Get the helper to do it. Even if you don’t have a live-in maid, part-time helper is easily available in Singapore. It’s just $10/hour.

A few simple time management tips will give us some breathing space and to get our lives back!

Recently, many people have been asking me whether I’m planning to have my second baby soon. Their reasons are all the same – Little Edison is turning two soon and if I were to give birth to my second child next year, then there will be a nice 3 years age gap between them.

Yes, three years age gap sounds ideal to me too. In fact, most researchers agree that waiting 18 to 23 months after the birth of our last child before conceiving another seems best for the new baby’s health.

Besides the health factor, dealing with the demands of a toddler and a baby can be very stressful. With bigger age gap (3-4 years), the older kid is more willing to share and help out their younger sibling. Sibling rivalry may be less likely too.

When I saw him playing with his cousins (during my last home trip), I knew that he needs a sister or brother to play with. I can feel that my poor little boy is quite lonely. Despite having lots of toys, he lacks a playmate. He is yearning for a company of a little brother or a sister.

Little Edison has always been a sweet and loving boy at home. If number two comes on-board next year, I’m sure he will welcome his brother or sister with lots of love and affection. 

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Yes, we are going back to full force starting this week. No more Friday off-day for me. *Sobz* Actually, I should be happy about it because there will be no more unpaid leave in my paycheck.

But somehow, having worked 4 days/week for the past few months makes me lazy now. I need to boot up my ‘system’ to work 5 days again.

The global semiconductor fab utilization rates have bounced back in the second quarter after a gloomy Q1. We are expecting a gradual rise through 2010 as the semiconductor industry has entered into its recovery phase (finally!)

My big boss gave us a serious warning last week, “Please do not commit shipment to your customers unless you have a commit fab-out date from the wafer fabs.” Reason is simple – all the major fab foundries are > 100% utilized. Standard lead time doesn’t apply anymore. We can’t assume that we can get our parts within the normal lead time. Chasing and expediting are now back in my routine.

To add insult to injury, we are giving too much leverages to our customers to change their orders and priorities. As a result, our planning department is fire-fighting everyday. It’s like a mathematical equation with too much variables over constants. Even the best planner-on-earth can’t derive a plan that can fulfill all the requirements!

Anyway, I’m expecting a busy schedule this quarter. It’s good; it’s certainly looking good now!

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