Saying goodbye

I found this draft from April 2022! Finally posting this after adding on point 16 onwards:

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18 years of education; 18 years in civil service including breaks. Excluding breaks, I clocked in at 15 years - just heard that I got my long service award, ha!

Looking back at the past 18 years, I am glad to say that I have done meaningful and fulfilling things in my 15 years of work. Most memorable were the years of 2004-2009 and 2015-2021.

Fresh out of school in end 2003, I wanted to do family work but there was no vacancy. I took on what was available then but that somehow led lucky me to marriage and parenthood work three years later - I liked it a lot! I didn't enjoy my portfolio after Evanston so I found my way back to the family sector again, this time dealing with (potential) family conflicts - I liked this a lot too! 

Even though I liked my job, I had been feeling the heat for some time, having to manage demanding work and demanding kids. When part-time didn't cut it anymore, it was time to go. It is very clear to me which one to choose. 

So on Friday, 7 Jan 2022, I returned my laptop and PS card. Not the first time returning these two things that identify me as a civil servant - MCYS to NPS; no-pay leave in Evanston; NPTD to MSF. But this time, it's different; the chances of me returning to work are way slimmer...

My first office - bye after de-kit!

My last office desk at Enabling Village - before packing

After packing - the mirror was from 2003, for us to remember to smile when picking up phone!!

Returning to office aka second home the following Wednesday to bring back stuff

There were happy times, frustrating times and even boring times. I have been lucky to meet mostly (gotta be honest) nice colleagues and some remain friends. 

Let me reminisce about some memorable things...

1. Playing Scrabble during lunch time in my first posting. Back then, things were less hectic. Even though we packed lunch to eat in the pantry, there was time for chatter and games. None of us logged off at 5.30 pm anyway! And I didn't have kids yet :p
2. Getting my first laptop a few months into the job. Yes, I started with only a desktop! At one point, I had both a desktop and a laptop, which made it much easier to go party after work coz no need to worry about losing the laptop haha! (Always brought laptop home to OT after partying!)
3. Feeling scared, alone in the office on a Saturday or PH afternoon, coz desktop. Stories of printer starting on its own. Sounds of chairs moving. Help!
4. Dialling in to log on while sitting on the floor in AMK, before the HDB upgrading was completed in 2007. No broadband at home *.* Once, wrote two papers in TPY Macs coz I was hungry - couldn't remain in office - and there was wifi in Macs.
5. Chitchatting with the canteen staff who knew some of us very well coz we always bought from them. Unfortunately, I missed their last day as I was on an overseas work trip.
6. Being part of a "secretariat" - more than arranging meetings. Learnt so much and got to know so many people in this role which I held from 2004 to 2010.
7. My first COS in 2007, of many many to come *.* But none could beat that first one in terms of camaraderie.
8. The first Singapore Day in 2007, of a few more to come. But again, none could beat this first one!
9. Hearing discussions at high-level meetings in 2008 - just shiok, haha! But it was a lot of work. Missed the highest level though, even though I put in a lot of work. But it was for a dancing competition with Sito so ok :p
10. Major announcement in 2008 and attending NDR to hear it live. From policy to public comms. I was also emcee at the media conference. Pulled on a nice suit, ha! Nothing ever beat this piece of work. Ever. 
11. Going through hundreds of feedback, queries and appeals following the announcement.
12. Having two dinners during super peak in 2008 - one in the evening and one at any time between midnight and 3 am on my way home. Better to manage the tummy and mind than image.
13. Getting a shock when I heard a shout in the staircase area while waiting for the lift in the middle of the night. This office had always felt very "safe". No issue staying there on my own at 2 am type. But who shouted?! Still a mystery...
14. Mid week Zouk. Enough said :p
15. Running a "clinic" at my desk in MSF at EV. Stole an Ikea chair from a meeting room to put it next to my desk so that people who came to find me could have a seat instead of sitting on the floor! Eventually, it was known as the clinic and I was the doc of course!
16. Working with social service agencies who are very, very nice people. Learnt so much about their work and from their experience as my team planned for new services.
17. Suicide case was quite an experience! Got a call from an agency after dinner. Thankfully, I had just this one emergency to deal with in the course of my work in service management. Other incidents were relatively minor data cases. 
18. Mad MS Excel days and nights with three of us discussing in the day, and then taking turns to log on to check etc. I logged in just past 9 pm, then RT at 10 pm, then DL past midnight. I slept by midnight but I started before 8 am and could go through stuff before they got in.
19. Enjoying part-time work for the first year. Thanks to the team then, it worked. 
20. Launching new services just before I left. It's an islandwide initiative with phased rollout so the team continued with the rollout after me. 

Now, I'm more than a year into my no-pay leave. Two weeks after moving in, I got a call from HR to say a director asked for my number - she texted me and I declined politely for now. Also had a chat with my DD a couple of days later - director thought I could go back to work now so um, no... But it's inevitable. I need to think about whether or not to go back!

Wait, this is goodbye post! Haha! Ok, bye!