Change of Environment

We are planning a trip to the beach this weekend to have a change of environment. The weather has been unpredictably annoying lately and it is giving us a hard time coping with our health.

My son has allergic rhinitis and is severely affected by a sudden change of weather. While there is very little we can do about it, we're thinking that a quick trip the sea shore might give us the breather we need.

We thought of flying to Bangkok too but the ocean trip offers more to the health of of our kid. Plus, lesser expenses.

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I also need a change of environment when it comes to my career. My current company, as I have previously written, is coming to an end. And because of that, jobs that we do on a daily basis are getting less and less.

Apart from the fact that I needed a new job, I also think that it's about time to move on and have a change of environment. I am hoping to get a work somewhere else and leave Cambodia for good (and I pray for this to happen).

We have stayed here for almost 6 years now and it's getting comfortable. Something that I wanted to avoid because once you get comfortable with the environment, chances are you won't want to leave.  And as an expat, that may not be what you want and it isn't in my case. While it is not at all bad to get comfortable on a certain place, chances are your career growth will also be impeded at some point. (although I have to admit that that's case by case)

Anyway, a change of environment would be a great opportunity for us as a family so that's our next goal.

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At least for now I have something to look forward to. Something to aim and go for. It excites me just thinking that we're going to start somewhere. Hopefully, we're going to do this soon.

Partners

In life there is always that someone who will help you through thick and thin. Maybe we don't seem to see it and we think that there's always more than one. We don't realise that there always that someone who seems to stand-out.

In my case, my wife.

We always cuddle up, with our son, before going to bed. Last night was no different. We always try to have our family talk before going to bed when something went wrong on that day. It's our way of 'reviewing' what went wrong and what lessons it taught us. Yesterday my son got cranky about his school homework. My wife did everything she could to help him out by suggesting alternatives on what he could do. But instead of listening and tried solving his dilemma, he cried.

As we were trying to recall the situation studying the lessons it brought and how that situation will help him in future incidents, he, again, cried. We've known for a while now that he has difficulties accepting his mistakes. Though we are working on that on a regular basis, keeping his emotions in check, is really tough for the kid. We knew though that he learns from all of this but when you're just a kid, your perspective of things are just different. Perhaps being an only child helps less.

When all is well and we knew that he got the message we wanted to relay, my wife thanked me for helping up with house chores. I said that t'was nothing because she also helped me a lot. Then she asked me how? I told her that she helped me in decisions that I have made. In pointing out my weaknesses and mistakes.

This morning, I realised that, those were not the only things that she is helping me with. There are tons of things she does that helps me a lot. From just doing everything at home to helping me with ideas how to deal with problems at work.

Marriage, I suppose, is not just a union of two people, it's also a partnership. We've been married for over 10 years now. We've had rough times, ups and downs and a lot of misunderstandings too.

However what I've realised is that we've overcome all of those because we are partners. A team who can solve more together.

If you treat you're wife more than just a person you are married to or just a mother to your child(ren) but a partner, a friend, a confidante, things will be different. It helps you become more sensitive and aware of things that are happening at home. It makes marriage... marriage :)

While I always thought that I knew the meaning of the saying "marriage is a two way highway...", now think I know it even more.     

COC, A Family Affair

Clash of Clans (CoC) is now a pastime at home, even a ‘thing’ perhaps. The game is just entertaining and quite honestly, addicting.

I used to play it before but withdrawn from it because I misunderstood some of the game’s rules as the level of experience go up. My son played it before too, but it’s just out of curiosity and probably because he has nobody to play it with. Joining a clan in the game (a group is called ‘clan’ in the game) can be quite frustrating especially when you don’t know anyone in there.

Anyway, when we visited Taiwan in the fall of last year, a big CoC event was happening in Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall grounds. It was probably a regional or national competition between clashers. My son and I started talking about the characters of the game whose banners and replicas were on display. So the moment we got home, I downloaded the game once again and started playing it, only this time I play now with him.

My wife plays some games too but never with the games that we, the boys, play (and we do play a lot of RPGs). However, we got her to play this one because my son likes to tell her stories of what he’d done with his game whenever they’re alone together. The responses she could give him that time were only ‘Uhmm & OK’. We were able to persuade her to play the game eventually and now whenever the topic is CoC, she's no longer an outcast. 

Soon enough, our weekend ‘Family Affair’ was born and we called it 'CoC Wizards'.

CoC is a game of strategy so you’re going to need a lot of planning and patience (it will test a lot of your patience). My son is already very good in planning skills but is still learning to how to be patient. It seems that, with wisdom comes patience.

The game has a lot of twists, turns and surprises. You will feel that at times, any plan you prepare isn’t good enough to face adversities. You’re going to learn how to settle with what you have and get the best defence out of it. You will need to find ways to increase your resources in a given time frame. And, over time, you’ll get enough experience to know what the do’s and don’ts of the game are. 

This, in a way, is how we live our lives. 

From this though, I have learned that by doing anything together as a family on a regular basis can make your relationship tighter, in harmony with one another and more open. I was surpriseof the things that I was able to in these activities that I think I’ll never gonna get in any other situation. I was also surprised by how much I am teaching my child values in a language he can easily understand thru situational examples. It happened to me a lot.

Role Playing Games (RPG) such as this one can be really interesting. It might even tell a lot about yourself and the people you're playing it with. So, why not add some colours to your lives and play some family games.

El Nino Phenomenon, A Personal Version

It's really difficult to imagine that in a few more months, the network we built from scratch will vanish into thin air. Yes, the telecom network that we constructed a few years ago had been sold to one of the bigger operators in the country. Although this was anticipated when our the former major shareholder, an international operator itself, sold its entire share to its local partner.

Well the process actually started almost a year ago, but it didn't sink in until now. A lot of employees have already been released since it all started. Only a few of us are now working to finish the remaining tasks.

As it all happen, you come to think that things do really have their beginnings and ends. For ours, once a major threat in the industry, the end is here.

The question for me now, is what lies ahead after all of this?

I chose this role over the other offer I had prior to moving to this country because; 1) It's a better career option & 2) It presented a better opportunity for my career growth. The career growth was really there as I was able to achieve what I never thought was possible. I moved up the corporate ladder so fast that at one point, I  begin to question whether all the decisions I was making were the right ones. It seemed to be that way until all the mergers and sellouts happened.

You must be prepared when the worst of things come and that's what I regret the most, I didn't prepare myself enough. It's true that you should not dwell on things of the past but it is a lot easier said than done. You should live the present and prepare on what lies ahead or better yet plan ahead, a thought I should have kept with me all these times. There are lot's of what-if's now, a lot of what-could-have-been's.

The thing is, I find it more difficult to find a new job now than I used to before. While those who knew me seems to be optimistic of my professional future, I can't say the same for myself. I feel like there's an El Nino Phenomenon in my career nowadays and I can't seem to be on the same page with them. Not when you're receiving rejections and lots of dead-air responses from your job hunting.

It should have been a lot easier now that I have gained so much more experience. But I can't seem to hit the right spot, I can't seem to find the right gig for me. These predicaments are haunting me for a while now. I can't help but to think that I'm now insufficient to fit any role than I was before. It seems that I'm still not good enough (Talking about drought).

There was a time when my self esteem was so high I think I could jump off a twelve floor building and run away unscathed. I can't say the same... at least for now.

Then again, it's not all that bad (yet). I'm still in the payroll until all this handover is completed so that should calm me down, at least until the end. I'd like to think that a new seedling will emerge from the soil where the plant used to be.

But while all of my concerns remain valid and true, I hope, that things will fall into places at the right time. These are my tough days and probably a tough year ahead too, but I know that with the right attitude and perseverance, the grass will be greener. I just need to keep reminding myself of this day and that I should learn a thing or two from all of this, to better provide for my family now and for the years ahead.