How I'm adjusting to my new job (b'day month & books)

[00:00:01][music] [music] >> Hey you. It's [music] been about a month since my new job. Time flies.

[00:00:28]My bus ride in the morning is a lot shorter [music] now because I mainly take the train. Sometimes I get a seat, other times I don't.

[00:00:38]I do still try to read, especially in the mornings though.

[00:00:43]>> [music and singing] >> Work was pretty overwhelming, especially in my first week.

[00:00:48]A rush of new information, [music] new faces, a never-ending list of acronyms, and I felt out of my depth.

[00:00:56]>> [music] >> But the work is meaningful and colleagues have been lovely, too.

[00:01:02]>> [music] >> My lunches are sometimes with colleagues, sometimes alone, but I appreciate [music] my solo lunches because it's nice to stare into space and decompress.

[00:01:13]My job is not desk-bound and every day looks slightly [music] different, which makes work interesting and dynamic, but it's also socially quite exhausting, [music] especially at the start. I've met many inspiring people who have done wonderful work for the space and the community, though.

[00:01:29]So many stories to share, perhaps one day.

[00:01:34]>> [music] [singing] [music] [music] [music] >> How do I make you mine?

[00:02:20]>> [music] >> Maybe time will tell.

[00:02:28]>> [music] >> Perhaps I'm bad for you.

[00:02:39]And I ask myself why I am.

[00:02:46]And I ask myself why I am.

[00:02:50]>> [music] [music] >> Who's to blame?

[00:03:02]>> [music] >> Who's to say that I love?

[00:03:10]Who's to blame that [music] I feel this way?

[00:03:23]>> [music] >> I said >> Oh, and I was so excited to hear [music] that this job offers birthday leave. So, I decided to take a day off on a separate week and [music] spent it with myself.

[00:03:38]I wanted to have an unhurried day to just enjoy a meal.

[00:03:43]>> [music] >> This was raw salmon on avocado with a slightly tangy [music] and nutty cream soup / sauce, which was a nice and refreshing starter.

[00:03:56]>> [music] [music] >> You know, I've been looking forward to this day all week now. [music] The new job fatigue is real and I feel like I've introduced myself no less than 50 [music] times now. And there's still so much to learn and to understand.

[00:04:18]And I'm just so thankful to have my friend at work who has been so [music] patient answering all of my silly questions. So all in all for now, I don't think I can [music] ask for much else.

[00:04:34]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> So the good and maybe bad thing [music] about this job is that occasionally I'll have to work on weekends. So I'll get to claim [music] time off when I do.

[00:05:05]Right now I already have 7 hours to offset, so maybe the next solo cafe weekday trip won't be that far away.

[00:05:18]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> A lot of papers washed.

[00:05:54]>> What was the date?

[00:05:56]>> What is on this table?

[00:05:56]>> That's dirty.

[00:06:00]>> [music] [singing and music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Holy cow.

[00:07:48]>> [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [music and singing] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music and singing] [music] >> Honestly, I can't believe that it has already been a month [music] since work started. I guess creating and posting [music] these vlogs also helped me to be more accountable to my time.

[00:09:16]I'm just glad that I'm starting to very [music] slowly ease into the rhythm of work, and my brain doesn't feel like it's at its saturation point all [music] the time anymore.

[00:09:26]But, I also tell myself to expect that mistakes will be inevitable and to be kinder [music] to myself when that happens.

[00:09:33]Either way, I'm beyond thrilled that this chapter feels right. Also, can't complain [music] that this job has work from home arrangements.

[00:09:49]So it's been a while, but I'm here to share about the books that I've read recently. So I've definitely slowed down in terms of my reading speed, but it's okay. I tell myself that consistency is better than quantity. So, yeah.

[00:10:04]Anyway, I read two books recently, and the first is a non-fiction book called Rewire: Break the Cycle, Alter Your Thoughts, and Create Lasting Change. So this book is essentially about neuroplasticity, about how our brains are malleable and can be reprogrammed to cultivate new habits and develop new thought patterns. So to save energy, our brain will tend to run on autopilot when it comes to routines or habits. So for instance, when we're brushing our teeth, our brains don't necessarily register what we are doing anymore. We don't actively think about which tooth we are brushing or how many times we're brushing because we've done it so many times. Therefore, when we're trying to change a negative habit that we have or to create new habits, the key is really to give it attention and intention. So to pay attention to what we are doing and to intentionally choose the right action. And when we repeat it enough, it will actually create new pathways in our brain, and that will then form a habit.

[00:11:09]This book therefore talks about how important repetition is to developing new habits, and as an extension, how discipline can sometimes be a lot more important than motivation. And I think this kind of echoes what I've written other books before in that sometimes it's important to separate our emotions from our actions. So for example, you you think, "Oh, I'm not in the mood to do something or I'm not in the zone.

[00:11:34]Therefore, today is not a good day for me to do it." Even though it might hold some truth, a lot of the times it's important for us to start doing it and believe that even though I might not feel like it, it doesn't mean that I cannot do it. The last thing that I found quite insightful is the idea that how we perceive stress can very often affect the way we respond to it. So, in the book they talked about an experiment where there were two groups of people.

[00:11:59]The first group of people was told that stress is destructive, detrimental, can break you down, and the second group of people were told that stress can be positive and can even be motivating.

[00:12:11]When they tested these two groups of people on their reactions to stress, it was found that the second group who was told that stress can be positive actually reacted to the task better.

[00:12:22]They were able to stay focused and stay calm even in a stressful situation. And I guess reading about it was quite beneficial because now that I'm starting a new job, tell myself that, "Okay, stress is inevitable, but it can sometimes, to a certain degree, be helpful. So, let's not immediately jump to conclusions that stress is a bad thing."

[00:12:44]So, in general, my gripe about non-fiction books is that they can tend to be quite repetitive, but I did still find some insightful things about this book. Okay, then the next book that I read is All Fours by Miranda July, which is about a middle-aged woman having some kind of a crisis/reawakening in many aspects of her life. So, in her romantic relationships, in her identity, in her career. And it really is a pretty wild ride, and some parts can get pretty explicit. Funnily enough, I think this kind of reminds me of Sally Rooney that the characters are flawed and messy, and more often than not they choose to be truthful as opposed to being right. And I think it's interesting how I find myself both sympathetic, yet not to the main protagonist in many ways. She is not likable and makes very questionable decisions. I think it does explore important themes. It's just that I think it could have been done in a more succinct and less self-absorby way, in my opinion. Okay, so that's all for today's video. My next vlog will most likely be a travel one because I actually recently went to Cameron Highlands with my family. The trip actually took place on my fourth day of work. So, in my first week of work on Thursday, I went for this holiday. In hindsight, I'm quite glad that it happened that way. Um but yeah, that will probably be my next vlog. So, yeah.

[00:14:14]Thank you always for watching and I will see you in my next video.

[00:14:19]Bye.