Big Move

We have to move office due to some restructuring of office space. 

I went back to move today. I had lots of stuff because I have stuff since 2004. It was really bad for my back as I was moving on my own even though I could use the trolley for the moving back and fro between the old and new office. There were others who enlisted the help of their RAs. Personally, I don't feel right doing that as it is my affair, not my RAs' business. I have moved most of the bigger, important stuff into the new office but there is still more nitty-gritty stuff to be moved. Need another few more days but right now, I need to rest my back. Really feeling my age! :D     

Winter/ Spring Cleaning

Took advantage of my leave to do some winter/ spring cleaning of my room! 
I seriously need to reorganise how I organise things! At least I still have time before Chinese New Year in February 2018 haha.

Take Leave?

I have a few outstanding writing tasks. Thinking of taking leave to write lol. 

Approved!

Wow, this must be the fastest approval ever! I only put in my SDL application yesterday and it has been approved today! I am right. When no money is involved to be paid out, it is so much easier to approve. :P 

SDL

I almost forgot to apply for Staff Development Leave (SDL) for my overseas conference in June. It must be applied 4-5 weeks before the conference. I figured that since I am not seeking for financial assistance (yes, I am paying for myself as my presentation is not project-related but on my research niche), it would be relatively easy to approve. 

Exam Leave

I took leave this week to supervise my girls while they revise for their examinations. I know it is sad that I am doing this and that their exams are stressing me in a big way, especially when I am in the education profession and assessment is my research interest. :( :( But as a parent, when faced with my girls, the researcher's hat disappeared most quickly into thin air even before I could say the word "exam"! I guess only parents will understand how I feel...

On Leave

So NICE to be doing nothing! Didn't check emails, didn't do work, didn't write, just didn't do anything lol. Actually, I did do something. I spent time with my girls again lol.

Applied

I finally applied for my leave in June. Planned to bring my girls back to Taipei for another visit to the Taiwan side (maternal) of my family. :) I look forward to going back too. :) All the yummy food lol. :P

Green Light

My staff development leave has been approved! I can go ahead to register for the conference held in Sydney at the end of the year, book my accommodation and my air ticket. I have also made arrangement to meet up with my best friend, Min in Sydney. :) Although I was just in Sydney last June with my girls, I am looking forward to going back to Sydney and Australia in general. :)

Leave Cancellation

Since the Tokyo trip has been cancelled, I might as well go back to work and save my leave for some other occasion. I guess I have psyched myself up that I won't be doing work for the entire week that I would be in Tokyo! It felt really strange going back to work lol.

"Compassionate" Leave

At my workplace, compassionate leave is applicable only for immediate family: parents, siblings, spouse, and grandparents. Parents-in-law are still considered as immediate family but others are not. Others mean siblings-in-law and grandparents-in-law. Sigh. I will use my annual leave as compassionate leave then for the grandmother-in-law's wake and funeral.

Approved

My conference leave has been approved. :) I didn't know if it would be as I applied for it 2 months past the deadline for submission of leave application. I know, my bad. I was procrastinating, deciding if I should go for the conference even though my abstract has been accepted. It is on my Phd so I would have to go on my expenses and it won't be a small sum, at least $3000 minimum. A good friend's advice finally persuaded me.

"You know, it is not easy to get one's abstract accepted, especially at an international conference?"

With that, I decided to go for it. I shouldn't just throw away the opportunity I have gotten to present on my Phd work.