Farewell Letters

And on 26//5/2015, I end my career at DBS after a year and 2 weeks since 12/05/2015.

It's been an interesting journey and what not, a domineering female boss whose passion is overwhelming and inspiring at the same time.

Great colleagues that have become dear friends. 

There's always a reason for a season, and whoever we have been allowed to meet and touch lives with, I truly am grateful,

Perhaps the best summation would be this collection of emails that I've sent to them just before posting this post... and prolly best left here before some email server crash does me in so here goes!

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Farewell :)

Hi Rxxxy,

Dropping a note to say thank you for making my stay here a wonderful one that I will remember and treasure in the days ahead!

Thank you for being patient with me and helping me during my 1 year 2 week stay here, time really flies very quickly and I pray that you and your family will continue to be under the Lord's protection.

Appreciate you sharing and reminding me to be rooted in the House of God even when I am overseas and the encouragement to pursue what I have set my heart on doing, its the little things that mean alot to me.

I still remember when you helped me setup my systems during my first 2 weeks and the lunch at koo kee yong tau hu; over the many makan sessions and just chatting, I feel you're a really great person and I just want you to know that.

May your journey ahead with the Lord be fruitful in all areas of your life be it work, family, health and even dreams that you wish to achieve.

Wishing you all the best and do stay in touch!

Cheers!

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Farewell :)

HI Bxx Lxxg,

Just dropping an email to say thank you for making my stay here a memorable one.

From simple lunches or sharing of snacks and even the dinner over at Syrena's place, you're a really fun person to be with and I wish you and your family well.

May your journey with DBS continue to be fruitful and many happy endeavours ahead in the days to come.

Do stay in touch!

Cheers,

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Farewell Dubai Momma!

Heya Sxxxdy!

I'm old school like that but i still like to write to people that have impacted my life one way or another :)

Thanks for being a great person, someone I can talk to and share life with and the occasional.... ok... perhaps more than occasional cold jokes to cool you down on a terribly warm day. And many a time I remember whispering a good morning from my old spot as we are usually the earliest and you'll pick it up and good morning back or just simply trotting over to your desk and telling a story or bad joke before beginning the day.

Your presence in the team is one of reassurance and stability and as a colleague i truly appreciate that. And as a friend that I've known over the past 1 yr and 2 weeks, i think you're truly amazing and have a great sense of when to have fun and when to be proper (unlike me hahahahhaha).

Just want to tell you that I'm thankful for the assistance and support over the past year, the advise, listening year, just being there has made this journey better and i just want you to know that.

Wishing you the Lord's blessings as you undertake this decision to move on to Dubai to be with your family; I truly support your decision whole-heartedly as I believe a family that eats, plays, does things together will go the distance as a unit and not separated by distance. I truly believe that you're doing a great thing for your kids with respect to your career and relationship with your other half

May you raise the 2 kiddos into 2 fine adults in time that bear the mark of Shandy-ism and the Fair-skinned hubby and the house be full of cheer and laughter in the days ahead!

Stay in touch, the world is a smaller place now with the internet and Skype and Facebook. I look forward to alot more photos of food, your kids and family in the days to come!

Keep Smiling! And if its worth your time, keep this email in your personal mail by replying me and your personal mail address as well and we can write.

Cheers! Dee

P.S. 

Wifey says we should bunk over at your place when we decide to go Dubai hahahahahaha

P.P.S 

Look after that Samsung screen, don't wanna have to replace the protector for you again =P

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Farewell :)

Hi Xxxx Bai!

It still feels funny calling you Xiao Bai after so long, so perhaps Xuechen will be better :)

I remember your first riposte of my cold joke over lunch at Chinatown, Rainbow Cafe the first time we met hahahahahha and I was like, jialat, cannot make cold jokes with this one.

Then, i persisted anyway and thanks for accepting me the way I am by trying to punch me with 我可以揍你吗？hahahaha 

Somehow its amazing how time passes and thank you for letting me accompany you on your smoke breaks, tea breaks, coffee breaks. Being just a part of another person's life is so much fun. 

I thrive on these interactions and spending time with you has been both enriching and fulfilling hearing your perspectives and wise crack one-liners you seem to deliver with perfect timing.

I pray that you'll be happy, fulfilled and find your way about life the way you desire to as I've always felt you're searching for a little more perhaps... meaning? fulfilment? direction?. I'm not sure but I've always had that vibe when I think of you and when I pray for the team. May His hand guide you gently and show you the way to be the Xuechen He wants you to be, a person of destiny and doing great things in this short journey we call life.

Eventually I hope you'll open yourself up to trying more things in life, experiences you've perhaps never dared to try, or shut them away thinking perhaps its not for you. You're really bright and I feel there's so much more life in you that can show and be a blessing to those around you, like a little sun or perhaps described better in mandarin like 小太阳！

Wishing you all the best in your walk ahead, smoke less, laugh more and punch less haha!

Keep in touch and perhaps as a group make it a point to catch up and share life as we have had over the year, the people here are really awesome and i'm prolly sounding a bit long winded already so i'll stop my pen (typing) here.

Stay feisty and fun babe! And if you don't mind and wanna keep this email for memories sake, reply me and cc your personal email lah, haha i'm prone to the pen and prefer writing like this many a time. That's why I keep a private blog where i journal life with.

Cheers!

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Farewell Buddy!

Heya Bxxxe! 贝儿！

Dropping an email to say thank you very much for being the person that's paired with me in seating and as a friend i've come to appreciate in my 1 yr 2 weeks here. Your presence has always been reassuring despite my incessant questions and just not catching on very fast at work at all.

What really pleasantly surprised me the most was when you finally laughed instead of just smile at my bad jokes perhaps a month into work? That meant alot to me, perhaps relationships mean more to me than just work in itself. I always believe we meet people and are placed wherever we are for a reason :)

From covering each other's work, to having a common recycling box and then two! Every sheet of paper placed in there is like time, and when the boxes are full and sealed, time moves on and i'm truly, truly sad to leave but I feel if I don't try now, then I don't know when will i ever get an opportunity such as this again to pursue what I've never dared to.

If i've fallen short in my duties as a colleague, I sincerely ask for your forgiveness. I've always felt abit like a fish out of water right after my leg surgery and after my relationship with Ess went seemingly south thereafter. I'm sure Ess must have encouraged you to mentor me more than once.

I'm truly thankful you took the time to share more than you should, both at work, perspectives about family, friends, superiors and life itself. I'm also so very happy and excited for you that you're going to be a mother soon! I'm sure being the stable and zai3 person you are, everything sure steady one!

I pray that you and your family will be happy, healthy, and the household full of hearty laughter as you walk this journey into parenthood. Belle will always find a solution for the problems that come her way, i'm sure of that :)

I will remember you offering me fruits and snacks and expressing concern when I am unwell and a listening ear cum friend that i've come to appreciate and enjoy the company of over the time we've had.

Stay in touch and I look forward to catching up with you all again really soon! It's rare to find such a great team of people that enjoy each other's presence, let's not let the gift we've been given pass like that yup?

If you want to keep this letter as a keepsake (i'm shameless like that), then reply me, and CC your personal email yup? I'm prone to writing letters many a time and enjoy reading them back as well.

There's nothing more enjoyable than a mail that's thought out and written just for you.

Cheers

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Why did the chicken cross the road?

The title was really meant to say "Farewell my dearest buddy" but as i typed that, i figure i might as well place that as the title instead cuz i'm sure you know why I do what I do hahahahhahah.

I saved your mail for the last as its prolly going to be the longest one and too many places to start.

I begin by remembering waiting in expectancy who the newbie that will be coming in 2 weeks to accompany my newbness will be like, and how would we get along? Guessing from your very first hearty laughs and departure message of " 小女子 先行告退！", life would become quite interesting quickly and i certainly wasn't proven wrong.

You were prolly the most enthusiastic to have lunch when jio'ed and i'm not referring to your love for food (ok maybe i might have been), but rather, changing the team atmosphere just by being you. If I may shamelessly state it, 我们是太阳！

From 番茄炒蛋 to 水煮牛肉 to all the various meals like Grilled Chicken, Yong Tau Foo, Kopi Milo discoveries, Pastas, MOF etc (omg we really ate alot), I realise the food always tasted better, with the right company of course.

Thank you buddy for being such an amazing person, whether you believe it or not, you truly are and i'm very grateful for the friendship we've established and shared for exactly a year since today is your anniversary in DBS.

We seldom find people who get our bad jokes, idiosyncrasies, weird habits and be open, like truly open with and I'm truly happy to say that I've found a friend like that.

Thank you for being a listening ear, thank you for reciprocating the cold jokes, thank you for warming up the place at office and assuming that role of 姐姐 when you're essentially not that old. Perhaps I should call you 姐姐 just for kicks too wahahhahahahha! But most importantly, thank you for sharing life over lunches, dinners and beers with me. I don't know what i've done that made you comfortable with sharing your innermost thoughts, but I do know that your secrets been kept safe for a long time and I'm sure you've known alot more of my life than any of the other peeps besides Boon who's had the benefit of a longer friendship with me.

Welcome to La Familia babe :)

I pray for you that you'll find a place that's just for you. Not a physical workplace or that sort, but rather, be at peace with yourself, be at ease with yourself, and know that you are made in His image and you are greatly loved.

I hope that your heart's desires will come to pass, and that being vulnerable is beautiful, and don't let the past catch up with you because those are merely fleeting shadows if we do not pay attention to them; they simply remain where they are, the past.

Try new things my friend, go see the world, go for the Contiki tours with a female friend that's looking to get hitched like you. Not with a person or group that has decided their lot in life is singlehood. 

Then go see the world, try new things, see new sights, and meet new people and along the way, find the place and person you want to become, and to be with. Otherwise i'm gonna say that the 8th wonder of the world has been found, that is, why is Ms Tan not attached! I mean, why does she not like Banana's? ^^

I believe you'll make a great partner, friend and soulmate for the person that chooses you and that you have chosen in due course. If you will let yourself out more, and if you would put yourself out there a tad more, better things will come.

And if you ever need a listening ear or a bad joke, SG is a really small place you know, and east and north east isn't very far apart. What's the worst thing that could happen? Start cycling, running and swimming la! Ahahahhahahhahahahah

I believe you already know what I'm saying, and i'll prolly keep being that friend that will remind you over and over until you finally get to the place you desire to be, if you'll let me have that opportunity to nag at you the days ahead.

Stay awesome xen.

There's no farewell in this letter, just more hello's, beers, and meetups ahead and i'm sure we can make that happen as a group. We've all been placed here together for this season, for a reason, and I truly love all you guys.

See you on Thursday, and Saturday w Boon!

P.s. See its not so difficult to meet even when i'm not in offce.

P.s.s. I'll let you buy the beer~

P.s.s.s. I'll repeat again, stay awesome!

P.s.s.s.s. I don't have to change my statement above that this email was sent on your anniversary plus 1 day cuz i finished at 1159. Woohoooo!

Farewell my ex-UOB and now, ex-DBS friend :)

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Hello Sxx Qx!

How should i start this email? Hahaha

I'll prolly begin by being very pleasantly surprised to find a familiar face on my first day of work. For no reason or rhyme, it provided a sense of familiarity and comfort that the journey ahead would not be lonely or uncertain.

I will also fondly remember calling you Shuqiang, which has evolved now to Qiang by the rest hahahaha! I'm so sorry k? Ok, maybe I'm not but i'm terribad like that ^^

Really appreciate that over the time, you've come to trust in me and tell me that i'm essentially harmless, that's exactly what my wife says about me all the time (i assume i'm not a pushover) and that by proxy, bond with Boon and the rest of the team also. 

I've always believed that positivity breeds positivity and good things come to those who wait. I always remember the time you asked me how can i stay so happy and positive all the time, and my answer to you, besides God, is that we have to be, or try to be what we want others to be and in time, they will become that as well.

I always truly believed sharing good things, good news, good thoughts, would help every person i meet feel better about life, feel positive about themselves and in turn they can share the same with others. If everyone does this, wouldn't every place we end up in become an awesome place? :) as much as others shape us, we shape other too!

I guess i'm in a position to share about the ups and downs about this 1 year and 2 weeks here, and i believe you truly can be as cheerful and fun loving as you allow yourself to be. I speak with certainty that the spark lies in you somewhere and once you find it, nurture it and never look back yup?

I remember when you first joined us for lunch, after finding it so hard to date you for makan many a times and when it did happen, I knew it was the start of many more to come following that and i recall fondly that lunch at Bangkok Jam at Marina Square with the girls.

You give me the vibe that you always do try to deliberately become pragmatic about things, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that :) but i always seem to feel that there's a side of you that wants to break out, be hopeful, be joyful and have expectancy of better things in life. If i may suggest, when you have those happy thoughts, don't arrest them but meditate on them and rejoice in them. Don't second guess yourself, don't second guess those you hold dear and wish to be close with and i'm sure you'll have alot more to experience and offer both to others and yourself.

When I pray for the team on the way to work in the many mornings, i've always felt this burden to share the above with you, so with my farewell letter, i guess there's no better time than now haha.

Do keep in touch, lunches, emails calls anything, and i'm more than happy to be the Emcee for your wedding that will come. It's rare, and there's a reason that we have all been allowed to cross paths as a team, and i feel the same for every single person in this beautiful team we've had the joy to partake in.

Stay in touch and meet up as a group often yup?

Cheerios!

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