Intern woes

Pop the prosecco - it's 1 Dicembre! Cool bananas cos in 3 weeks I will be on that plane back to Motherland! I've gotten most of the Xmas gifts for L's famiglia - including a durian bar from Davao for L, who's craving my spicy tom yums and curries too. Aspetta un po' caro! He said winter has finally arrived and the temperature has dropped to 2-3 degs at night and 15 degs+ in the day. Luckily my sis is lending me her glam winter jacket with a warm rabbit-fur lined collar (ok i know not v politically correct but I do eat rabbit). I've been trying to eat better these days too ever since I've started our cats on a trial raw meat diet (grazie Jan!). If I can bother with their health, what about mine?!

With all the recent health scare, I have thought twice about all the food that goes into my body. After all, we are what we eat right? My new food guide rule no.1 is to eat more vegetables and fruits (esp organic ones), and will try to stick to 3 vegetarian days in a week. I don't think I will ever give up fish and seafood, but will slowly wean myself off red meat for a start (meat production is a factor that's also contributing to the declining global climate - becos more resources such as animal feed go into it).

I also try to buy more environmentally-friendly natural products ('Yes To Carrots' is a good label, avail at Watsons) and recycle wastes including open envelopes/used mags/papers/plastic bottles/ etc. Personally I also have been carrying my own shopping bag for more than 1 year now and in the office we have been using our own lunch boxes to tah-bao food for more than 2 years now! Perseverance, my child! :)

However our new intern K needs a little lesson in this - he has been bringing in daily sandwiches packed by mommy in those plastic triangular boxes. And everytime he finishes them, he throws them away. N literally asks him to skip the boxes but I still see them on his desk. He's a tough nut to crack. Also since I've come back, I've heard nothing but complaints about him from the girls that he's an unmotivated blur sotong. I tried the 'soft approach' - being the funny, easygoing, approachable boss - but it didn't work as he continues to show a lack of initiative and enthuasiam.

One day the dam broke, V lost her cool and we lashed out at him which made him cry. I actually said 'You should learn to use your brains!' He's a little better now but we have no great expectations from him. Already we've secured a new intern from my alumni Comm Studies at NTU for next year - she seems hopeful; in fact an over-achiever who has a black belt in karate (national athlete leh, don't pray pray), who started her own online portal for the youths, partakes in theatre and charity, and has learnt Korean! Truth be said, girls make better interns because most guys can't multi-task well and are less mature at that age. It's true!