Work

Wazzaup @ NextBlock

Before I kicked off; you can download NextBlock via both Google Play & App Store! Use my referral here!

So in short, what exactly is NextBlock? A few things to clarify;

  1. Are we a Blockchain co? Not yet
  2. Are we doing something like Grassroots or PA? In a way, yes but we are of a neutral stands, apolitical and we are not Goverment-funded or linked.
  3. Do we have a solid team? Yes, of course. The people in the team are seasoned entrepreneurs and not fresh graduates. We have went through all the é£Žé£Žé›Øé›Ø, nothing to be fearful of. Our tech team is in-house (mai siao siao)…
  4. Do we have a business plan/ monetization model in place? Yes! PING ME FOR MORE INFO!

So, what exactly we/ NextBlock want to do har?

In summary, we aim to build a vibrant neighbourhood network and ecosystem, connecting the neighbours (real and verified), the small businesses and the public agencies together.

In the good O’days, kampung spirit was strongly embraced thus everyone knew each other and their stories thus putting into the digital context, here we are building the digital kampung, helping one another to build cohesiveness and all.

What you can do with NextBlock?

  • Setup your own account however you need to get yourself verified (Either key in the verification code exclusive to your estate through the postal mailers OR submit proof of residency) to post things and connect.
  • Create interest groups and build your own kakis within or across the different estates.
  • Share deals, get updates of the latest event happenings and what’s trending in the neighbourhood.
  • Declutter your house through our Buy and Sell group!
  • And ohyes, do you know you have this NB User Perks that you can utilize?

Mai tu liao, go download NextBlock nao!

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Crypto, Reflections

Crypto Winter? What’s Web3?

Shucks, I know that feeling of a downward falls after going through that high peak and stuff. My portfolio suffered and I decide to shut off the app and come back in another 5 years. šŸ˜

It’s obviously a coordinated move by the institutional and with all the geopolitical stuff happening, this hit was exceptionally bad. However in Crypto, the other way from down is up so give it some time, the bounce back will be real. #HODL

As I took a break from the intense rat race, I realised a few things that there’s a paradigm shift from the concept to creation and many focus too much on the hype instead of what the exact values it can bring.

I came across a few projects and while chatting over dinner with D, Martin and 2 business associates previously, we spoke about the essence of Web3. Alot of people have the misconception about it bring just a digital economy focusing on virtual currency.

I personally feel its more than that. Blockchain is a technology that highly emphasized on being a trusted and secured network. Note the difference yeah~ D’s POV is that it’s decentralized, no monopolization of regulators making it a fair and unbiased view. I think it’s very important and it’s a huge step to leap, be it from a technology perspective, a hedge fund perspective or anything else in particular. šŸ™‚

Am looking forward to it as the new generations are a generation who are more open minded with decentralized economy as compared to other generations.

Winter or not, it’s really HODL and to phase this out with time and a wise eye.

Crypto, Healing, Heartbreaks, Reflections, VFood

3 Months Break

Decided to make it or break it and thus left NTUitive/ NAMIC in Apr 2021 to help to pave ways for the family business despite perhaps I know this ain’t an easy journey and at the same time, took a break to work on myself, mental health and reassessing my path forward.

And then I realised – things will never work out the way it is despite how much you have planned including your back up plans.

1 week before I left NTUitive, my crypto trading went beyond the negative for the first time as I didn’t pay attention to my stop losses plan. For short trade, it’s heart breaking but I decided to HODL. And the best, R crashed my car and I just need to bring forward to scrap it. (Edited to include that he went on well and survived the crash. Er hmm.)

1 week after I left NTUitive, the spike in the community cases and clusters made me foresee a dejavu which honestly is driving me nuts due to the incident that happened last year that left me with trust issues with relationships ever since. I told myself that I will fight and win this war but internally, it gave me insomnia and etc. Thank god for my closest kins standing by me and distracting me wherever possible.

My said concerns were formalized with the Phase 2 Heightened Alert aka semi lockdowns. I’m forever amazed with the names that the Government has come up with, the circuit breaker, etc.

Took the whole month trying to find the right business model, right fit and also, spending time with the kiddos and the trying to upskill my knowledge. Decided that I need to really focus on agile methodologies to focus on matters thus I signed up for the course – Certified Scrum Master by NTUC Learning Hub (RTP: S$214) as I have utilized my Skillsfuture credits, I’m glad that I’m still eligible to get an one-off subsidy from NTUC UTAP programme and only paid S$107 to attend this.

This decision was made when I am thinking hard to push forward with my Masters or just, going through the skillsets based programme. Went for the latter as I’m afraid that I couldn’t commit with my careers and kids and I believed that academic credentials is important but being “human” and humane definitely bring it to another level. šŸ™‚

Took these months to catch up on things that I couldn’t afford to do when I was in a full-time job and managing kids and finally made the efforts to declutter the house.

Check out my decluttering list via https://t.me/decluttersbylynn

Went to catch up with a few friends when Government announced Phase 3 Heightened Alert where dining for 2 has been made possible. Also went for a dinner with R at newly opened Saute Sushi at Paya Lebar Square. Love their menu and the train conveyor belt that enhanced the whole dining experience. Hopefully as people are more conscious about the health and climate change, people will swing over to a healthier and vegetarian/ vegan diet. šŸ™‚

Check out their spread and their prices are priced at an affordable pricing. šŸ™‚ Currently, no reservations can be made and we queued for 30 mins (BFF queued for 50 mins) prior to get the seats.

Honestly, hope things get better for Singapore and looking forward to better years ahead. šŸ™‚

During these 3 months, I learnt to be a better person and definitely shall not lower my standards from this moment on. šŸ™‚ Empowering mind, empowering lives.

Rants, Work

Entrepreneurship Journey Thus Far

Sometimes I don’t understand my mum because the double standard-ness is at sky high level that sometimes I can’t comprehend with her thoughts.

She always said that; “Wah, you can be a boss leh because you got the brains and the guts” but on another hand “Why you wanna be a boss ah? Find a proper job lah. You need to feed your kids. Be a boss hor, very stress one leh.

Like hello mum, a boss is a proper job. Ok perhaps my entrepreneurship was never a smooth sailing one. My first venture was into blogshops in Year 2011 if I remember correctly?

The idea came about during some free times during the maternity leave and it triggered me to explore a second income but it becomes a good learning ground despite the fact that it’s the blogshop bloom era where majority are hosted via either blogspot or livejournal.

Venture1.PNG
First Venture — Female Apparels Blogshop

But apparently I didn’t become the next Love, Bonito. šŸ™‚ I feel that the reason was that the instability and the full-time job are already too overwhelmed to handle so it didn’t give me the diehard PUSH factor.

So I closed down the now-defunct blogshop and donated all my new clothing to SCWO for the name of charity and hopefully finder keepers theory.

SCWO.JPG

This is not the end. I didn’t give up and work on the — many ideas which came upon me during the pregnancy, maternity period and post-period. Helping to solve my “own” personal issue as a mother of one, two, three and now, four kids (plus 2 furkids) and this is how it evolved to Scentimental and Piggyback.

Failure is not everything. It’s a good lesson learnt and it made me a stronger person. Sometimes you win some, you lose some.

It was never easy to hold a full-time job and work on the other portfolios during the wee hours. Sometimes I only get to have 2-hours of sleep each day and at times when I got burnt out but at the end of the day, it’s to solve a particular problem, a common problem.

Perhaps will share more about each company in coming future. šŸ™‚

Rants, Work

Workplace 101: Leaders versus Managers

6c19b075-d7c4-424e-bb25-02b3a1159877.jpg
Managers versus Leaders

“Manager says: GO! but a Leader will always says: Let’s GO!”

Recently, there is so much negativity that overwhelmed me that I relooked back on what I’ve done, learned and where can I improve. Then it reminded and re-emphasized on the theory of leadership.

There is so much to learn and I sincerely hope that all these can be taught to the younger one since young.

One needs to create an impact and not just direct blindly.

Comfort zone should not be embraced that much if one wants to grow significantly. Saw this picture on Facebook and finally understand how much one can achieve if there is less resistance, So ta-da. šŸ™‚

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Credits to DAN LOK.

Just got to keep reminding myself to look forward, keep going and stay sane.

Life, Rants, Work

Entrepreneurship, was never an easy feat.

I was writing this during my gap time commuting to work. Sometimes I think back, everyone just envied the lives of Entrepreneurs but no one exactly knows the pain and fears behind one’s hard work to build a budding team, dream and perhaps, an empire.

For 1st time Entrepreneur, it will always be a steep learning curve where every steps and the path is relatively unknown but on another hand, I think it would be exciting.

I always believe finding a mentor to guide will help if one do not have the gift of business acumen as experiences will help to build it.

Sometimes I would to travel back time and advise my younger self,

I would say,

Start early because the first mover advantage will definitely help in Business.

And also be a bigger person.

People will laugh at your idea, shame your idea, put you down and etc. Dont bother to argue. The time spent to argue can be out into better use to build the business.

The biggest takeaway that I learnt during this tenure would be, the ability to say no and the ability to walk away. Both sometimes coincide but again, it takes a courage to say NO in Business.

When everyone always praised, “I wish that I can also earn this amount as you.” and all the I wish that I am you. But none will actually look beyond to realise whats the amount of efforts to reach where one is today. If one actually says, “I lauded your efforts and perseverance.” Most prolly, he/she is an Entrepreneur too.

So, support small and local business. You are helping one to build that dream and collectively build a sustainable business.

Thus I made it a point to support a friend’s business first prior to anything else. šŸ™‚

Life, Rants, Reflections, Work

5 Great Reasons to Move Out from the “Comfort Zone”​.

Was chancing upon this article that I shared via my LinkedIn, 2.5 years back and thus thought that I shall repost this as a reminder. X


The economy is bleak with a gloomy outlook shadowing the small red dot… This doesn’t stop me from finding an opportunity out there, out and away from my so-called “comfort zone”.

To be frank, I am comfortable with the work that I am doing, for the true fact that I had been in the company for 6 years, doing the same routine and the lifestyle of having to do shift works had been accustomed to. The colleagues are like my family and the workplace is just like a second home furthermore, I am in the Public Service, it would be a real stable job and importantly, stable amidst the uncertain economy thus many ask me the million-dollar question…

WHY DO YOU WANT TO MOVE OUT FROM THE COMFORT ZONE?

I took 2 months to decide on my new career path and I made it based on a few reasons and thought, perhaps it’s good to share in order to help those in a similar situation when they are deciding on the switch.

1) BROADEN YOUR PERSPECTIVE

I guess many of us always hear from the bosses that we need to inject new ideas to propel forward however this could be a double-edged sword to an extent. For organizations exclude the Government servants, profits are the main key to drive the company forward. Staying in the comfort zone would not broaden your perspective as everyone had been instilled the mindset that certain things need to be done only this way. It’s a repeated formula and a successful one but nowadays people are educated with the given technology, one will always need to break the norm and to do so, one needs to go out to see what is out of that comfort circle. It’s like the mundane education that we promote from Grade to Grade.

Just imagine this that we do not propel forward if we stay put in Grade 1,Ā forever. Or do we still remember that we took on Science at Grade 3 and it was a subject that was not taught in Grade 1 and 2 and everyone was just excited to know about thisĀ newĀ subject and realized the fact that there is THIS SUBJECT and the anticipation to know more awaits?

Travelling does has the same effect. šŸ™‚

 

2) TO LEARN NEW THINGS/ KNOW NEW PEOPLE.

With that perspective being different, one would be anticipating a new life ahead in a strange environment, with an open mind. It’s important to throw away the mindset from the previous job to stick to the norm as the successful formula may differ from the job. Having an open mind, one would be able to learn new things and forged new friendships. One should never stop learning and learning at times will give us surprises in Life and perhaps unearthed our hidden talent. Think about this… Ever thought that in life you might not even know how to fry an egg? But again, all thanks to cookbooks, MasterChef shows and tons of practice, you manage to fry not just an egg, but perhaps, steam an egg, make an omelette and etc… How does one do that? Learn and practice and somehow it repeats. No one knows how to do that job in the first place, everyone started from somewhere and learn along the way, from people and from many other sources.

3) CAREER PROGRESSION/ MAKE YOURSELF MARKETABLE

Always move for career progression if your current place is stagnant. Please do not get me wrong, I am not recommending job-hopping. Someone should stay at least 3 years to learn almost ALL the ropes within the Organisation. Compare this.Ā Candidate AĀ with 10 years in the same company butĀ with/Ā withoutĀ steady progression but on another hand, CandidateĀ B withĀ 10 years in 2 companies with the fact that it’sĀ always a career progression path (Executive >>> Manager). Employers will look at both and perhaps,Ā Candidate B pose more exposure which meant, they are open to changes (it’s a hard truth that it’s evitable in current world)Ā and perhaps had more experience in dealing with sticky situations. Employers want to employ talents to solve their problems BUTĀ not to create more problems or left the problems unsolved. Getting out of comfort zone proved your willingness to take up risks and challenges, this gonna be a competitive advantage from the peers who followed the norm. Successful people alwaysĀ do notĀ follow the norm. Quote Steve Jobs.

4) YOU WON’T FEEL THAT PINCH – MONETARY CONTENTMENT

Especially you are doing a total career switch of industry. As you climbed higherĀ and normally the more years you spend in the organization, you command more pay but if you are going to do that switch, the other industry might not meet your current pay package and you might suffer a big gap. The sooner you start to figure out what you want, the lesser pinch you will feel in terms of monetary contentment. And in reality, we need that money to finance whatever we have and to keep us going.

 

5) THE #YOLOĀ THEORY

#YOLO. There will neverĀ be a good time to move out from comfort zone and when the right opportunity come by, why notĀ especially when one had no commitments – kids and one is still young especially. The younger generations will need to explore out from their comfort zone because this is an advantage. If the opportunity came and it wasn’t the right one, the young ones can restart the career again as they had plenty of time to catch up. On a bonus note, if the opportunity tends to be a passion/ hobby. šŸ™‚ Importantly, no regrets till the very last breath. I heard feedback from my current colleagues whom some had stayed in the job for more than 30 years and regretted not stepping out to see the world.

AND A BONUS POINTER,

If you wake up in the morningĀ and dreads going to work. It’s time for a change. Research says that the more motivated you are towardsĀ yourĀ work, it drives aĀ higherĀ efficiency in the job.Ā Also, someĀ ofĀ you mightĀ just wantĀ to get away from negative energy/ toxic people.

Importantly, weĀ must always enjoy what we are doing andĀ STAY HUMBLE.

 

Good Luck.

SPECIAL SHOUT OUT:

To my colleagues (Jolene, Radzi, Andrew, July, Esther, Ervin, Andy, Michael, Qinghui, Mdm Lau, Angela, Noraini, Ris and etc…) who enriched, endured and endeared myĀ 6 years stay in People’s Association who made me feelĀ like homeĀ andĀ treated me as a family member.Ā I will miss you all.

To myĀ superiors, family members and close friends who are supportive of my move.Ā I will be grateful as it gives me a push to leap forward.

I would like to thank theĀ superiors (ex-superiors too) and the current organization for all the opportunities given.

To all the friends who I had made during these 6 years, thank you because I am glad to have known you all and it’s you who madeĀ Who-I-AmĀ today.

Cheers.

Life, Reflections, Work

Hold Back

In life, the greatest regret that one might have would be giving in to procrastination. I always remember that story when one just sit on something and did not find the time, motivation and made the efforts to pursue and wait for someone else to work on it.

I guess this is just human nature that one gave in to failures and stop trying. And I am guilty as charged.

Thus I made it a point that I will just walk through the years and hopefully hardwork will reap the fruit of success. šŸ™‚ I need the second income to facilitate, work from home had always been a dream of mine where I can really spend time with the family and the kids. šŸ™‚

Financial freedom and commercializing both Scentimental and Piggyback shall be the goals of Year 2019.

Good luck and bless me. I will not hold back anymore.

Reflections, Work

Tech Life/ Lie

LOL. Tech firms burn the most money and sometimes I wonder why did I try to pursue this line of industry when I do not have the CTO experience. I need to cut cost and believe in myself till the extend that I draw up my own wire frame from scratch.

That’s like OUCH. Because not being an artistic person, I need to always trial and error. God damn it and I am always so close in giving up or rather I kept asking myself, why didn’t I give up?!

Hardwork will reap the fruits of success. Ok, no cold blankets please. Mark my words.