Words of Wisdom

"I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career"
Gloria Steinem

I guess it's true. It's usually the women who grapple with this issue, especially if they have kids. Maybe it's in the genetic make-up of a woman, or perhaps it's due to society's expectation of a woman's role in the family. Whatever the reason, I believe each woman has to choose her own path.

I have known women with children who work full time and known others who gave up their careers to look after their children. Some have gone back to work after their children are grown. They have struggled to re-learn skills and acquire new skills before re-joining the workforce. Some countries have a system in place to assist these women. In other countries, you have to do it on your own.

It's tough. But women have prevailed. Eleanor Roosevelt puts it aptly when she said "A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water"

Sanity Tips For Working From Home

I came across an article from the News Straits Times on working from home tips. I've extracted and posted it below:

1) Get Out
Getting out of the house once a day is a great way to energize yourself and prevent boredom.
Comment: It is easy to be be stuck at your desk when it's a busy period. I'm glad that I have Kess. Going for walks with her gets me out of the house twice a day for exercise.

2) Workspace
Keep your work place separate from the rest of the house. By keeping the area you work out of sight, it is easier to relax when you're not working. It also prevents family members from picking things up or moving projects you could be working on.
Comment: This tip was the reason why I decided to designate a separate room as my home office as opposed to working in the living or dining room. Besides, it also helps put me in a working frame of mind without the distraction of the TV.

3) Take Short Breaks
By taking a few minutes off to load laundry, read the papers or do the dishes, you will be able to relax and come back refreshed.
Comment: Taking short breaks applies whether you work in an office or at home. Our brains and body needs a short break to recharge. Of course, the infamous long tea breaks typically associated with certain organisations does not fall into this category.

4) Hours
Decide on number of acceptable hours to work each day and stick with it.
Comment: I agree that one should be disciplined, especially when working from home. However, the beauty of working from home is having the flexibility. So, if something else pops up, I would just make up for it another time - as long as I can meet my deadline. One just need to be sensible with time management.

Words of Wisdom

“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” Unknown

Last week, I was busy reorganising my study to become a proper home office. This required planning the most efficient work area and acquiring new bookcases for filing. At the end, I felt a satisfaction knowing that the time spent organising was well spent.

Best New York View - Empire or The Rock?

I have always had a soft spot for the Empire State Building ever since I watched the movie Sleepless in Seattle. It was such a classic scene when Meg Ryan's character was supposed to finally meet with Tom Hank's character at the top of the Empire State Building after a build-up of near misses through out the movie. So when we went to NY, I really wanted to go to the top of the Empire State Building.

In the end, I opted for Top of the Rock based on visitor reviews on Frommers as well as recommendation from a New Yorker friend. Whilst the Empire is higher than the Rock, you get the best of both worlds with the Rock. You get to see great NY views as well as front row seat view of the Empire itself (see photo on the top left).

To top it off, there was hardly any queue to get into the Rock, unlike the Empire. Our friends who opted for the Empire queued under the hot summer sun for 3 hours. We were in and up in less than 15 minutes! The ride on the lift is really cool. You have to ride it to believe it.

Entrance of the Rock

Magnificent chandelier at the staircase

Souvenier shot to remember our visit

A little bit of history

View of Central Park

Perfect Timing

Ecclesiastes 3:11
"He has made everything beautiful in its time..."

God's timing is always perfect. Just as I was ready to end my self-gifted sabbatical, He provided me the job that I was looking for. Now, I'm working from home and am happy that I don't have to get stuck in traffic commuting to work. Truly He has made everything beautiful in its time!

My Favourite New York Shopping Spots

I love shopping in New York. There are bargains galore during the summer sale period that will drive any shopaholic crazy! Here is a list of my favourite New York shopping spots:

1) Macy's Herald Square

For its central location (151 West 34th Street), Macy's is my pick for city shopping. This Macy's is located in historic charming buildings (yes, it spans over more than 1 building) and claims to be the world's largest store. If you're an international visitor, head up to the Visitors Service Centre to apply for a Welcome International Savings Card, which offers 11% savings in all Macy's stores for 30 days after validation. The savings also applies for items already discounted! There is a great selection of branded names. I loved their Clearance sections and was pleased with my purchase of DKNY jeans and Le Sport Sac bags at great prices.

2) Century 21

Em & I stumbled upon Century 21 (22 Cortlandt Street) when we ventured downtown to buy discounted Broadway tickets (a subject of another post yet to be written...). Em had read about it in a NY brochure and we decided to check it out. What a find! They stock designer merchandise at bargain prices. During the weekend, "Fashion Worth Fighting For"their motto comes to life. The place is jam-packed with locals and tourists rummaging (or fighting ...) haphazardly through stocks of designer goods ranging from clothes, bags, shoes, electrical, household, etc, etc. You really require lots of patience to shop as some sections, especially the women's clothing area tends to be rather dishevelled. But it is well worth the reward. Count on making more than 1 trip!

3) Woodbury Common Premium Outlet

Set in the lush Central Valley, about an hour's drive out of Manhattan, Woodbury Common is the mother of shopping centres! With 220 premium outlet stores which offers fantastic savings, you may not even notice the scenic backdrop of the surrounding green hills. And if you want to save even more, register online to join their VIP club to get exclusive online coupons and a free VIP coupon book. One word of advice. Go early to find a good parking spot, wear comfortable shoes and then shop till you drop. There is something for everyone - from Coach (there was even a queue to go into the outlet) to Corningware, Osh Kosh to Brook Brothers, Samsonite to Tag Heuer. This is a shopping paradise!

After one full day of traipsing from 1 outlet to another, it was so good to be able to relax at the Inn at Stony Creek, a bed and breakfast located in Warwick, about 20 minutes drive from Woodbury (for more pictures, read my post on bed and breakfasts) . We just kicked off our shoes, sat on the porch and enjoyed nature's bright fire-fly show and listened to the symphony of crickets. Then, we headed up to our cosy room in this lovingly restored historical farmhouse for a well-deserved rest. The next morning, we were treated to a scrumptious breakfast of oven-baked french toast and sausage patties. What a lovely way to end a shopping spree!

4) Waterloo Premium Outlet

You would have thought that after all that shopping, we would have had enough. But during our travel around the scenic Finger Lakes Region, we couldn't resist dropping by Waterloo Premium Outlet on Route 318, Waterloo. Somehow, we managed to clear some space in our car to add more shopping bags. After that, we had to call it a day. No more shopping for me until for a long while...Well, at least I got all my Christmas shopping done :-)

Words of Wisdom

"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill

Following through my last post on our visit to Philea Home, I wanted to share a quote on giving. Giving isn't just about money. It's also giving of our love and time. In the busy world we live in, we are sometimes so preoccupied with getting more. Sometimes it feeds itself, the more we get, the more we want. And in the quest of making a living, we forget to make a life. We have no time and energy to give to our loved ones, let alone strangers. So, take a step back to reflect and make a life by giving.