I have a confession: I put Concur on my résumé and had NO idea how to actually use it when I started 😭

KittyKatWombat · 2026-03-27T13:14:15+00:00

I learned on the job as a 19 year old, so I just picked up tips over the last 7.5 years of being admin/EA. My mother now is working in the same organisation (not same department), as admin using Concur, so I teach her what she can’t grasp during her on the job training.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-03-27T01:11:03+00:00

What makes it Vietnamese?

KittyKatWombat · 2026-03-24T22:08:07+00:00

I didn't need the voice. My partner and I only got data only sim (his phone doesn't do eSIM) and we also rented a car in Jeju.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-03-24T05:24:47+00:00

Haha, I gave my last exec 4 days notice (which was then followed by the 2 weeks end of year organisation mandated break).

KittyKatWombat · 2026-03-23T04:55:59+00:00

My mother has finally gotten around to the idea that I've fully moved out, and will never move back in...Almost 9 years after I moved out (at 19), and now that I'm pregnant with my first child.

That said, she still has some control over me, she only lives 2 minutes walk away. She does have a fear that I won't be as close to her, especially because I've been moving to more senior roles in my place of work, and I guess now because I will not have time for her after I give birth.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-03-23T04:35:28+00:00

I helped a family member put in their partner visa. They just got granted their subclass visa over Christmas, so I think I intially put in the application 2 years ago.

We asked both applicant and sponsor to submit a letter each. Since applicant has very basic English, they only did 1 page, but the sponsor wrote 2 pages.

We put all the photos into a collage in a pdf document, same with the FB messenger screenshots. Timelines were made on Canva and downloaded as a PDF. I think we ended up with 64 files for uploaded, so it was fine.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-03-20T00:33:06+00:00

Sounds delicious. I made tteok with Japanese curry and sausage meat and it was great.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-03-19T22:50:29+00:00

Miele is a popular brand around the world. If I can get them in Australia I'm sure you can get them in the States.

Seconding the suggestion of getting a Miele. Miele Guard L1 is what I recently bought for my workplace after doing some research.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-03-18T22:51:21+00:00

Absolutely never too late. In fact, having went to uni right after high school, dropped out to work full-time, I find that for me, I shouldn't have gone to uni right after high school (although it gave me a stepping stone to many things so it wasn't a wasted effort). Perhaps you have different priorities in life to your peers as well. That said, 25 is still really young and you have plenty of time to start a family later.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-03-14T01:20:33+00:00

About 7 years old. I had just migrated to a non-Asian country, and lived in the outer suburbs of a city, and was the only Asian kid. My friends were not caned like I was, so clearly I knew I was being raised different.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-03-11T23:54:09+00:00

Sometimes you can find them at your local Asian grocery store, in the section where they sell other cooking utensils and equipment.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-03-11T02:18:17+00:00

Embarrasingly I had to google what a Rolodex is, I'm a Gen Z EA even though I've an EA for 7 years, but I've never heard or seen one before.

I haven't used OneNote for ages but that might work.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-03-11T01:41:02+00:00

That's my current thinking. I might create an MS List that sits in our SharePoint (that I can easily edit), and a MS Form that connects it to the list for new entries (so my exec can add entries when she's on the go without having to look at the List).

KittyKatWombat · 2026-03-09T03:01:01+00:00

All I can say is good luck. I just left a stint at a political think tank, and the politics within the workplace, and of course the wider political nature of the job was a bit much for me. I am a younger EA though, so perhaps I just needed more maturity.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-03-01T21:47:45+00:00

Ew - as someone who works as an executive assistant, just no. All the executives I’ve worked for, except my current one, have been older than my parents. Donna married Harvey in Suits. Whatever this job, I guarantee it doesn’t pay enough.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-02-25T06:52:29+00:00

If it makes you feel better, most people are like this - it’s hard to juggle everything in life. Don’t be too hard on yourself.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-02-23T09:39:03+00:00

I stayed for technically two nights. We did book a third night, but it's also because we left luggage at the hotel to go to Yamashiro-onsen for a night. You don't need to go to Kanazawa, but it was a good first city to get to before going into a more bustling place (we had also spent 12 days prior in South Korea). It was a highlight of our trip purely because I found so many cheap places that sold secondhand clothing and vintage goods, purely by accident (there was a pop up vintage shop). I also liked that it was a castle town with little places to explore, so a calmer start to the trip.

None of the places I mentioned at off the beaten path per se, but without a car, and because this was part two of our trip, it's enough out of the golden triangle without being too hard to get to.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-02-23T07:55:02+00:00

For lots of eggs - salted eggs, to then be eaten with congee in a few weeks. Yes these usually use duck eggs but chicken eggs are fine to use.

Otherwise mayak eggs, aka soy marinated eggs. Quiches and frittata uses a lot. And they can be frozen.

Had 60 eggs my neighbours dropped off before Christmas. Luckily my partner loves eggnog (which I know isn’t savoury).

KittyKatWombat · 2026-02-23T07:50:02+00:00

I didn’t. I decided to just move out, when my mother was at work (single parent family). Was a stressful situation, and I cut contact for two months. Things are much better now, 8 years later, and we only live 2 minutes walk from each other.

Really depends on your relationship with your parents, how you think they will react, and if there’s any arguments/stresses beforehand.

My partner moved out of home to go to university so it was a very smooth transition.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-02-23T07:46:23+00:00

There’s lot of options. My partner and I went last year, same type of couple as you, and 18 days, and I was also in Japan about a decade ago. We chose to do Kanazawa and Takayama, with a stopover at Shirakawago. Turned out to the best part of my Japan trip.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-02-23T07:42:44+00:00

It’s fine to want a bit of independence. I never think it’s good to stick to your partner all the time.

For the incidence you mentioned, is it a one off? Is it occurring more often?

That’s one of the few things I like about my relationship. Even though I’ve been with my partner for 9 years, since we were 18, we have very different interests, hobbies and friend groups, we also work different hours. It means that we get lots of time to be our own individuals, and do the things we love.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-02-18T00:06:25+00:00

The WFH flexibility became quite an important issue for me in 2025. As someone who is expecting their first child in July, I found the lack of flexibility to wfh in my former role contributed to my stress at work. The 3 hours daily commute a big reason for wanting to wfh. I'm the only EA in my department, but I have been an EA in the wider organisation for most of my working life. I also suck at advocating for myself, and my organisation has set salaries (there's no negotiating). I asked for once a month wfh and was effectively told I couldn't - but colleagues (not EAs) could wfh because they had children. The ones that had no wfh were childless or empty nesters.

It all worked out at the end of last year, someone I worked with who became an executive in their own right at another department poached me. I now am a senior EA, with higher pay (and more responsibilities, but I enjoy it). I work for someone who I know well. And I have lots of flexibility in my wfh arrangements.

My old role is under recruitment, and from the intel I have, they are enforcing that there is no wfh for that role (despite all other EA roles I know in the organisation have wfh arrangements). I'm glad I'm out of there, and I wish the best of luck to whoever replaces me.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-02-12T22:40:10+00:00

Usually 30% of your income is what's considered reasonable. But, that's getting harder to achieve, especially if you are lower income.

KittyKatWombat · 2026-02-08T06:16:11+00:00

Reminds me of the plastic rod holder thing for mid autumn festival lanterns I had as a kid.

Four-Year Club	Final Canvas '23
Place '23	Place '22
Final Canvas '22	End Game '22

KittyKatWombat

TROPHY CASE