It's been a long long time

But no, i'm not working like a dog.

Ok i have to admit, been distracted by World of Warcraft, and my newest toy, Lord of the Rings Online! I swear, it's never been more fun to be a hobbit and fight wights in the wight barrows! OR to pretend to be like Gandalf and whirl my staff at enemies! Yes, that's the geek side of me showing.

Anyhoo, i've been busy catching up with work and moving into my new portfolio after getting back from Hawaii. My responsibilities and targets next year are a little intimidating, so i decided to not take another trip to Vietnam with some friends and spend the time just chilling and planning a little bit at the end of the year. I'm hoping that this will keep me from getting too swamped next year.

In other news, I need to lose some weight! Can't seem to lose the weight i gained in June when i went to Australia and the US. It doesn't help that everyone in the company saw me in Jan-Mar when i was at my skinniest. I still feel pretty fit, but that doesn't really make you feel better when you try on some old pants and find that they won't fit anymore! ARGH! Anyway, i'm setting a goal of running the night marathon in May next year, so maybe that will give me impetus to train harder. Or maybe i just need to stop snacking on so many chocolates :)

Was really distraught lately when i lost my wallet at the swimming pool. Having to replace all my cards was a hassle in itself, but i left my wedding ring in the wallet cos i was swimming. That's probably the closest i've been to tears in a while. The good news is that although some lout took the wallet, took the money and tossed it aside, a Good Samaritan picked it up after that and returned it to me! Although i lost about 60 bucks, it was well worth it to get the ring back, and to realise how much sentimental value it had for me...

Random thought i had the other day when i was feeling lonely and missing H : i wonder if i would be any different if i had siblings growing up?

Ok, that's enough of an update for now. If i don't see you before then, have a Happy New Year!

Ajantis is lindy hopping into 2008...

Walking to Taihiti, or Swahili, or Hawaii

The vacation is over, and it's back to work again.

It was a good vacation, even if it was a lot of nature (for me, but not for H).

Key highlights :

Volcano National Park. Hiking through an old volcano caldera, and knowing that the rock only solidified 12 years ago, seeing steam come out from vents because the rocks below were so hot that they would boil any rainwater that seeped down to them. Driving all the way down to see where lava had entered the ocean and formed new land. Seeing old Hawaiian petroglyphs (ancient carvings).

Staying in one of the coolest Bed and Breakfasts ever. Huge tall windows in an octogonal cottage, with a forest surrounding you. Felt like camping, but with all the comforts of home.

Snorkeling for the first time ever in Hamauna Bay, where i got to see fish and coral and sea urchins up close. On a side note, snorkeling is tough, especially when you have to breathe through what is essentially a big straw.

Attending my first luau. It was a fun experience, but as H said at the end of it, the luau reminded us why we didn't like group tours. Lowest common denominator and all that.

Well, at least i convinced H that i can actually tolerate some nature - especially if it's not too wet or muddy, or both :)

Now, where to next?

Ajantis is back to his daily grind, or tea, or walk, or whatever you wanna call it...

Blogging to eternity

4 hours before i fly off to Beijing for the company's annual convention, and a couple of days till i see H. Then it's off to St. Louis and Hawaii

Haven't blogged lately, cos of work getting busier and WoW eating up all my spare time. But here are a couple of big things that have happened lately

1) Got promoted to Senior Director! Was very good, pleasant news. Did well when presenting to higher ups in regional meetings, so this promotion helps round out the good vibes that come with doing a good job :) A nice raise helps too.

2) Told my boss about H. He was completely fine with it. A major milestone, but one that feels like a natural progression. It's nice to no longer be closeted at work, even if i don't want to hang a big neon sign over my head talking about it.

3) Stopped going to Lindy hop on thursdays. I could feel this coming, as the number of good dancers at swing fling kept decreasing. In fact, the divine Miss T was one of the reasons i still kept going. Oh well, life must move on i guess. I'll still keep dancing, but not as regularly any more. And if i get rusty at it, then oh well....

4) Bonded with Miss T much this past trip. We are very different soulmates, her and I. She the academic, me the corporate executive, but i guess we both have expansive enough views of the world that we find common spaces in which to intertwine. See you soon, Miss T!

Ok, that's enough for now. Back to packing and packing and getting ready for travel through many countries :)

Knees hurt, speed spurt

Wow it's been a while since the long blog. Just a quick update on what's happened in August

1) Ran the Army Half Marathon in 1 hour 59 min and 36 seconds! Met my objective of 2 hours... and finished feeling energised. Now looking forward to the Standard Chartered ....

2) Unfortunately, been having knee problems over the past week since the Army Half Marathon. Been resting for a bit, so hoping to try a 4km run tonight without my knee acting up

3) Started World of Warcraft again, which is also part of the reason why i haven't blogged for a while :) Forgotten how addictive it can be. The good news though is that i no longer end up sleeping only 4 hours a night as a result of playing WoW all night.

4) Work has really picked up. Am now covering someone's job as part of my training, on top of my own training and meetings. Fun, tiring, but also exciting :)

5) Got a little curveball thrown at me yesterday. Taking on my full portfolio in November, but got asked whether i wanted to take on another department.... which means i will be heading up 5 portfolios.... It's intimidating, but exciting, and also comes with a new title and pay rise...

Been spending some time with the fabulous Miss T. Glad to have a lindy gal pal who i can hang out with again, even if i get blogged about. She asked me the other day whether i hang out with any other friends outside of Lindy. And my honest answer was ... not really. Maybe it's because i find it easier to hang out when it's a regular activity like Lindy.

But part of it is the return of Miss T to our wonderful shores. Somehow, we just connect. Perhaps it's because we have both been overseas, and feel somewhat disjointed from where we live. But either way, I'm glad she's back, even if just for a short while.

Ajantis is dancing...

Going on to the rainbow

Been in Sydney this past week for meetings. Reminded again what a nice city it is, with great skyscapes, a view of the harbour and amazing weather. Spent half a day just sailing around on a yacht in the sunny Australian winter. Completely awesome. Also managed to make my way down to lindy hop night in Newtown. While there were more people there this time, the level of dancing wasn't amazingly high. Still, it's always good to go dancing in other scenes. About the only thing i don't like is the high price of food here -.-

Another regret : not getting to run in the Sydney Botanical Gardens (especially since it's right opposite my hotel). Will definitely have to bring H back here so we can explore more.

Ran into an old secondary school classmate online. Reminds you how small Singapore is. Also brought back some not so good memories of me bullying this classmate, but then again, who likes to be reminded of his own bad behaviors in the past?

Interesting phenomenon : Wizard rock!

These next 3 months are going to be very busy. Army Half marathon coming up Aug 26, along with a very tight training schedule and being accountable for the first time this year in September for business results. Both exciting and intimidating. All good!

Ajantis is all excellent....

The Mckellan of Physics

So i went to watch Asian Boys vol 3 with a friend this past Sunday. Couple of reflections

1) Somewhat didactic, with 2 characters onstage debating different points of view that didn't break much new ground. Felt like watching Alfian's plays in school again.

2) The part of the play that covered relationships was a lot more poignant. At the end, the main character says... "this is the only way i know how to be happy". The point that the character was making was that we don't choose to be gay, especially given how much more difficult it is to be gay than straight. That's true, for me, at least. If i had a choice, i would probably choose to be straight. But i can't. I can't imagine being as happy with one of my gal pals as i am with H.

3) On a lighter note, the first half of the play was set in RJC. Given that Alfian is from the same year as me, and that the novel is set a couple of years before i was there, a lot of the references felt eerily familiar :P

Exciting thing that happened during the play : Ian McKellan showed up! So cool! And he does sound as magnificient and stately as Gandalf in real life :)

Bought Harry Potter book 7 on Saturday and finished reading it on Sunday. Brought the book to a nice close for me, with all loose ends tied up. But no, i won't reveal who died....

Got my final set of credit card bills. My god, i did max out the credit limit on my American Express as a result of the 5 week office trip. That's kinda scary. I don't want to get used to spending that kind of money -.- Hopefully, things will be better with this upcoming trip (going to Sydney for business).

And i'm taking another mega-windy journey in November. Singapore-Beijing-Detroit-St. Louis-Hawaii-Beijing-Singapore. Again, hoping i won't spend too much money then.

We'll see....

Ajantis must be frugal!

The price is right

All about money and schtuff this post.

Feeling somewhat broke now. Just paid my whole income tax for 2006 at one ago, followed by two really expensive dinners. Funnily enough, these were my first two fine dining experiences ever in Singapore, and they happened within a week of each other. Total damage for the 1st dinner, over $1k, split among 3 people (cos we were treating the groom for his bachelor party), while the 2nd one was $360 for 2 persons.

Worth the experience and the food, but not something i would repeat again.

Good thing the stock market went up, along with all my stocks :P

Speaking of money, i'm really tempted to buy the Wii..... turns out the modified version (that allows you to play pirated games) is available in Singapore AND you can download games through bittorrent!!!! Wii sports, here i come! What a great excuse to get exercise while playing video games!

Other ravings :

Need to lose weight ; gained 2-3 kg on this last overseas trip, and feeling it in the pants, and in the comments by office colleagues. Was doing well until the fine dining dinners (yet another reason to take a break from those for a while)

Going to Sydney again end of this month for work. That should be fun.

Sore from my first 13km run in a while. A backrub sure would be nice right now. Need to start ramping up for the Army Half Marathon.

Ajantis is sleepy and will now conk out...

Back home to the dining room

Back after a 5 week round the pacific journey. It's been a good trip, with lots of learning and lots of seeing new things, but i was ready to go home.

It's different when you are sleeping in a different hotel and different city every week, with work and vacation time interspersed in between.

The good thing was that i got to spend time with H; 2 weekends in Chicago, 4 days in San Fran. In San Fran, we got to meet up with the divine miss M, catch a couple of dances with her and the rest of the crazy SF lindy scene, walk around with a couple of friends from college, and see Gay Pride!

Gay Pride was especially awesome. Seeing the policemen and firemen walking down the street holding hands, seeing the gay and lesbian couples with their kids, watching the one couple who had been together for FIFTY SIX years, all made for very inspiring yet bittersweet moments. Sometimes it's hard to be reminded of what you miss in Singapore.

H, as usual, dragged me up and down all the hills and stairs of SF. He had used his birthday present from me to buy walking tour guide books for SF (note to self : be more careful whene buying amazon vouchers). While i also whinged and complained as usual, it was a great experience. SF is an amazing city. The slopes, the views (for which you pay ultra-expensive property prices), the quaint little neighborhood stores every several blocks, the cool weather in summer. Definitely a good time. I will not, however, miss being hit by beggars every few blocks.
All in all, i got some great quality couple time exploring the city, along with sore legs and some sunburn.

Hong Kong, on the other hand, left me feeling a bit cold. Maybe it was because i was tired towards the end of my trip, nursing a proto-cold, but i think it also had to do with the fact that it was rainy and humid, extremely crowded, plus everyone kept assuming i was from Hong Kong and talking to me in Cantonese, which left me feeling oddly left out. That, and the air quality was definitely NOT great. Oh well, maybe another time.

So now, i'm back at home, facing a ton of bills and envelopes, feeling glad to be back, but also apprehensive about the work that lies ahead. Even though i'm still in training, i now have to start working with others on next year's plan. So now's when the rubber truly hits the road, so guess i have to roll up my sleeves and get down and dirty...

But that's a thought for another time.

Here's some frivolous stuff....
1) Finally got on facebook (eep! darn Bee)

2) #1 game on my wishlist

3) Favorite movie

Ajantis is burping, and laughing, and burping, and laughing....

Pacific Tour Part 2 Addendum B

Forgot to blog a bit more. Saw So You Think You Can Dance. Some amazing dancing.... Wade Robson's pop-jazz routine called Tramp Cabaret literally blew my mind away and left me near tears. Even a boring dance like the smooth Waltz became magical... I would seriously pay money for the DVDs of the past seasons. Dance=awesome.

Updated networth today.

Ajantis is done....

Pacific Tour, Part 2

Interesting sights on the tour

1) 70 year old man on roller skates with headphones twirling some juggling sticks on a main road in a Chicago burb. Highly incongruous

2) Dancing in Sydney. Hopped onto the train for a 30 min ride on a rainy night, hoping that things would work out despite not knowing where the hell the location for the night's social dancing was. Danced for 45 minutes, but the Sydney dancers thankfully went out of their way to welcome me.

3) Cicadas!It's apparently their mating season here in Chicago, and man they are LOUD! Also, numerous. Kinda fun to see these slow things flying around. Until they smack into you while you're running. I'm ashamed to admit it, but i squealed a little.

4) Flying business class on SIA and United. SIA was that much better. The food was better, you could forward and rewind through movies (unlike United) on 40 channels (compared to United's paltry 9) and and and.... you could order HOT CHOCOLATE. Bonus! Still couldn't avoid the crying babies though. I somehow end up next to babies on a lot fo these flights....

Spending the weekend with H was nice, and it feels odd, but nice, to be able to see H every weekend for 3 weeks. Plus, we get to spend 4 days in San Francisco during Gay Pride weekend! That'll be exciting. Plus seeing Miss M and another close friend of ours.

Work is going well so far. Need to start making some decisions next month, but am really happy with what the company is investing in me. Now let's hope i can pay it back :)

Time to sign off.

Ajantis is ironing his wrinkled business shirts...

Pacific Tour

Had an awesome week in Brisbane. Great city by the riverside, wonderful place for walking and running, ran 3 times along the river in different directions in 20 degree weather. Gonna be tough to go back to running in the Singapore humidity. Ah well. The Chinatown was kinda disappointing, and a bit too quiet on weekdays for my taste (what self-respecting shop closes at 5!?) but the city was nice, and had that walkable and welcoming feel. Also drove out to Gundy, a small little town 4 hours out to visit a store, and saw about 432 dead roos along the way (yay roadkill!).

The attachment was great. It helped me to crystallise some of the thoughts i'd been having, and to find some new ideas, bounce some concepts off others. Some people commented that it was amazing how much i knew given my short time in the company. I get that a lot. Sometimes i do forget how fast i learn and put things together, and getting comments like that is nice, and also a reminder that sometimes i need to be patient cos other people take a bit longer (which is normal). H is rolling his eyes right now cos i'm always refusing to admit the statement above :)
Anyway, this job is working out really well. It's a chance to do what i like and what i'm good at (in reference to Miss M's post)

Now in Sydney on the next stop of my great pacific adventure. Spent most of yesterday exploring the CBD for 6 hours. Today, i took the ferry across the bay (great views!), got to see Manly Bay, and visited the zoo. Lots more walking. My lower back is sore, but no regrets! Sydney is a great city to visit. Awesome views, wonderful walking, wonderful sights. A little bit like Vancouver, really. Got to see the Sydney Bridge, and the Opera House. But best of all, i got to see koalas!!!! Bought one koala doll for H too :P

Was thinking of doing the bridge climb, but was a little too ex. Will do it next time with H.

Only beef with Sydney? Things are too damn expensive. But that's a post for another time.

Alright, time to sign off. Course tomorrow, and i need to not fall asleep on the first day of class :)

Ajantis is happy happy happy...

Doom doom doom doom doom

Grrr i wrote this all up, and then stupid blogger forgot to save it :(

Anyhoo, i'm doomed. We're all doomed. Why? Because according to this New York Times article, 70% of our weight is determined by our genes. Not that surprising a conclusion, but what was particularly impactful was reading about how overweight people who had dieted themselves to normal weights, displayed physical and emotional symptoms akin to starvation (!!!!). That's kinda scary. Yet H asked a good question : if that is the case, why is America getting fatter and fatter? I have no answer to that, cos the logical answer would also be the scariest one. That artificial food can overwhelm even the power of our genes....

I read a lot of NY Times. That includes a recent article about duck phalluses. Apparently, some ducks can grow phalluses every year (that's dicks, for us plebian folks) as long as their body? Why? Well, because female ducks have extremely long and twisty oviducts. That's to prevent extremely amorous males from raping them and fertilising their eggs against their will. Their maze-like oviducts enable them to shunt the sperm of the male ducks away into little pockets. Whatever you do, don't piss off mother evolution.... I sent the article to Grace, who scolded me, cos she was thinking of having duck rice.

My brain is a garbage can. I remember articles about weight gain, duck phalluses, you name it, i remember it. The other day, someone was talking about India, and i basically talked about this article i'd read about the labor shortage in India as a result of the poor educational landscpae there. Someone asked me how i knew so much about India.... if only they knew it was cos my brain is like a flytrap when it comes to strange titibits like India's labor situation. And yet, i get lost all the time, and i often have to ask someone 5-10 times before i remember their name.

On a separate note, i've gotten used to spending 30 min driving in my car. Argh! It is true thought that your quality of life goes up. Just having someowhere to put your shoes so you can go running whenever you like, is awesome.

Car = awesome, Ajantis = priceless ;)

Bemusement beside amusement on the carousel

Am feeling kinda proud. Managed to get in my gym sessions and running this week, even if it meant gymming yesterday and today and running 13km today. H usually rolls his eyes when I say that ;)

Some interesting incidents. Got hit on by a 17 year old boy at a company function. Part of me was flattered, but the other part was bemused and glad that nothing happened. Alarm bells were going off in my head, so i quickly pulled away and made light of it. But i made the point of chatting with him later so he would know everything was ok.

At the same function, sang 3 acapella songs with some colleagues. Was good to be singing again. Tons of fun, really, even if i was really rusty. I do miss singing and it will be good to go back it again, especially now that lindy seems to be dying down. Hopefully, we can keep this going.

Also went to St. James last night with a friend. WAY TOO CROWDED, even if the music was pretty good. Haven't really gone out clubbing in a long long time, so it was an interesting experience.

Another random thought. It struck me as i was running today that political science was the perfect training ground for what i have been doing for the past few years. It's about analysis, hypothesis, deduction, decision and then execution. Political science graduate school covered all of that, except for decision and execution, which i learnt in the previous job as a GM. Kinda funny to see how your life decisions can sometimes play out, especially since political science was a subject i picked for its similarity to History, and cos i thought it was easier to get a non-teaching scholarship in that subject. (History = teaching ! Blech! - another irony since i was also administering teaching scholarships for a bit after coming back to Singapore).

Life is funny sometimes.

Ajantis is bemused and amused.

Side shots in the corner pocket

Random titbits today.

1) H and I watched The Namesake the other day. Good movie, better than the book in some ways, because I still don't think Kal Penn is all that good an actor, but the actors playing his parents were amazing, so it helped that the movie put more emphasis on his parents. I like Asian-American tales, always have, always will. So it was good to catch the movie.

2) Saw an interesting NYT article about how someone in Thailand is designing durians that don't stink! What is the world coming to?

3) Looks like i'm going to Denver instead of Columbus in June, with a short vacation with H in SF. Should be fun. Plus... i get to stay over in Hong Kong for a day. Hopefully i get some swing in. Definitely going to check out the Queer Jitterbugs group in SF. H has promised to give lindy a try (woo hoo!) although it still sounds like i'm pulling his teeth.

4) Updated my latest networth. Kinda fun!

5) Been addicted to my Playstation portable (finally, found a good game!)... ARGH!

Ok, i lied. Not so random titbit time. Oats asked me about my thoughts on the whole ministerial/civil service pay review. My take can basically be summarised as follows

1) Our public policies are far better than those of other countries. Just take a look at the health and education systems in US, and you'll know what i mean. We pay less for more, effectively.
So i agree that government should pay for performance and i personally think the pay rises are justified.

2) People who are interested in public policy or have had the chance to personally experience/learn about public policy/systems in other countries would probably hold the same point of view.

3) Most people, however, are rightly more concerned about where their next paycheck will come from, or how to afford the next tuition/car payment (for middle-class folks). These people would not have had the chance to learn/experience other countries, and would be justifiably upset. Their point of view is valid in its own way, especially with the GST hike coming in July.

So in a nutshell? I agree with the payrise, but i definitely think more could and should have been done to prepare and educate the community.

Ok, exposition done.

Ajantis is going back to his PSP...

Blogging in paradise

Going back for the 10th anniversary concert was surreal. It was great to sing with old friends again. We sang 6 songs at the concert, and sang some more. I don't think my throat has been that sore in a while. Caught up with some old friends. It was good. But i think this is the probably the last time i will go back for a Gimble concert; going back for the reunion concert also made me quite aware that Gimble is something squarely in my past. I will look back on it with great fondness and affection, but we have all moved on beyond it into the working world.

H asked me : "How do you think Gimble has impacted you?" My answer; that it helped me become more aware of my own quirks and issues, and learn how to manage them better. In turn, this made more ready and able to learn from all the stuff that was thrown at me when i worked. So yes, i am grateful for everything that i got from being in the group. H is too. He said that he picked up quite a few management skills from learning how to push and manage a group of 16 very strong willed people ;)

H and i also took the chance to get out of town and go to Saugautuck, Michigan for a couple of days. It's a nice sleepy resort town, very different from extremely urban Singapore. But i think H got it right when he turned to me at dinner and said, "i think we're both urban people... most people would be enjoying this right now, but both of us are thinking how we're going to occupy ourselves tonight and tomorrow". Which was oh so true.... cos the next day we drove 45 minutes away to visit a sculpture garden in a nearby town....

All in all, though, the whole visit was very nice, especially since i didn't have to worry about work at all. Even though the Michigan weather was being crazy as usual (from 20 degrees celsius to -4 and snowing the next day), it was good to spend time with H, with old friends, with memories and recollections. And H cooked for me on the last night ;)

In other news, H and I have set a date for him to move here. April 2009. We finally have a date! Now the real planning for his bakery begins. I am a little worried about the amount of investment needed, but we will work through the numbers and business plan first.

Back to work tomorrow. Feels like i've been away a long time. And looks like i will be travelling a lot this year :
May - KL
Jun - Whole month in Melbourne, Sydney, Chicago, Columbus
Aug - Sydney
Sep - Beijing
Oct - Manila
Nov - St. Louis, USA (for friend's wedding).

Guess i'll see how much of a traveller i really am.

Ajantis will not get air-sick....

Scoring my way to Gimble...

Today was the first day off i've had in 8 days. Spent 5 days on course and 2 days working. Was nice to just wake up a bit later, recover some sleep, spend some time catching up with ex-colleagues.

Spent several hours today learning some acapella scores for the Gimble 10th anniversary concert this Saturday in the US. Discovered a couple of things

1) My vocal range has gone lower. I can now sing a low E very easily but find it tough to sing above a middle C...

2) I can still kinda pick out my notes pretty easily, even for songs i haven't learnt before. Nice to know that those musical skills aren't too rusty

3) I still miss acapella singing. Maybe i can kinda scratch that itch through the barbershop quartet/quintent we will be forming in the office :P

Finished up The Namesake as well. First Asian-American book i've read in a while, and probably the first one i've read about the Indian-American experience. Very well written, no cliches. Definitely intend to check out the film version by Mira Nair. Who knew Kal Penn could actually act?

3 more days to flying off!

Ajantis is still memorising songs...

Last night I was dreaming...

Been meaning to blog about last weekend.

It was great! I got to spend good time with friends, got some great music and dances, and even played badminton! That was exactly how i envisioned spending my birthday (weekend). Quality time with friends is extremely precious, especially as we all continue to move on with our lives.

Was on course this past week, which was an interesting change of pace, as I got to spend time with another set of colleagues (junior managers), and also refresh my memory about some of the stuff i had learnt earlier when starting this new job.

It's interesting, really, how people all tend to remark that i come across as having spent several years in this new job already. The same people also tend to comment that i seem to definitely be enjoying this new job. And you know what? It's true. I really enjoy it. The learning, the new experiences, the fact that i'm in an organisation that tries its best to value people and whose own values are more aligned with mine... it's all great!

And to cap off a great week, I was just informally told by my boss that i've been confirmed in this position, and that the company will be speeding up my progression to the next level. More details to follow next Tuesday when we will have a more formal discussion about this. Although that also raises the question of where I will move for this next job, and whether H and I are prepared to move there.

But that's a question for another time. For now, I will just be appreciative and glad.

Ajantis is banana-rama-ing....

10 years and counting

Ten years ago, i could not have imagined how things would turn out over the next decade... i hadn't even come out yet! In these past ten years, i've come to terms with myself, met a person whom i want to spend the rest of my life with, discovered lindy hop and a whole new group of friends with it, held 4 different jobs (albeit with two employers - the funny thing is, i recall worrying when i turned 20 about whether i would be able to adjust to a workplace after having enjoyed the relatively unstructured setting/life of college) The list is endless. But i am grateful for all that has happened.

On a less mushy note, Bee tagged me so now i must respond, with my own little twist. Thought i would start off with 5 things that most of my close friends know about me

Ajantis :
1) Hates eggs and leafy vegetables
2) Loves chocolates, green tea, and sambal salted fried rice
3) Is in a long distance relationship
4) Has a hard disk for a brain
5) Is a computer/video game/dungeons and dragons addict

Here's 5 things that you might not know

Ajantis :
1) Is quite insecure about work most of the time (i usually spend at least 10-20 minutes at the end of the day in recrimination mode, involuntarily going over what could have been done better)
2) Favorite movie : Before Sunset
3) Loves getting massages
4) Has 2 half-siblings
5) Nickname in primary school : Pink Elephant (don't ask me why, really)

Ok that's enough. Time to actually get some decent sleep for the night.

Ajantis is out of facts....

I am 30 going on 40....

This is going to sound cliched, but i do feel a little odd, turning 30 (in 2 hours time!)

Guess it feels like a semicolon in my life, a pause in the sentence which involuntarily makes me evaluate where i am, where things stand, where they should preferably be (of course, i do that ALL the time, anyway). And there is particular poignance this time because it comes right as many things have changed in my life. Getting a new job, running a marathon, losing weight....
But some things also stay the same, and I am eternally grateful for that. Being with H (even if we are still 6000 miles aprt), Lindy, Lindy friends, family.

So how do i plan to spend tomorrow? Grabbing a swim. Spending 3 hours talking with a restaurant manager for training, then going through some course materials with another trainer, then hopefully catching Je'Taime Paris (not sure if the spelling is correct), 18 short stories by 18 directors about love in Paris, the City of Love and dinner with a friend.

And reflecting, and reflecting. And also not looking forward to working at 6 am the next day. And looking forward to getting some good leads at a birthday jam on Thursday :)

Ajantis loves his life, and wouldn't trade it.. unless it was for a green tea tiramisu cheesecake...

Weeks to Go : 3

Today was a tiring day at work. Started at 7am and was on my feet running like a mad chicken around the place till about 3, before i knocked off at 4. For the first time, i could literally feel myself flagging. But it was a good experience. If this is what it's like for the team every weekend....

Been reading a fair number of personal finance blogs. In the process, came across an interesting site. Allows you to track your networth from month to month. Gonna try it out and see how it goes. One interesting side effect was that it made me think about my CPF as part of my assets. Guess i had been blanking it out when thinking about assets, because you can't really access it till you retire or become a citizen of another country, but it is part of one's assets after all. I've also decided to actually record down EVERY expenditure item for this March, just to see where the money is going. Am usually quite frugal and good about spending, but it's a good exercise to see where money is going (or leaking). One person who did it exclaimed about spending $30 on her turtle :)

What do you do when you disagree with a friend's actions? Perhaps disappointment would be a better way to put it. Been thinking about that lately. The conclusion, unfortunately, is to keep my mouth shut. It's none of my business, at the end of the day, at this point in time. What i can and should do is to continue being a friend and be supportive. After all, the last time this happened and i kinda made my opinions known, i was proven wrong (kind of). He did leave his girlfriend (temporarily), but things did work out between them because it gave them space to evaluate the relationship, and now they're getting married. So who am i to give relationship advice, right?

Ok, ok, Ajantis, focus on the fact that vacation starts on Mar 29th!

Ajantis is zoning....

My blogger... it is a-going crazy

I am writing this to you while resting on night shift, so excuse the random ramblings. Perhaps this is also the reason that my Blogger account is doing strange things. Logged in to find my home page yelling at me in... Mandarin! Ack!

For those who replied to my previous post, thanks for all the suggestions. The car is hereby christened... Ellington! :)

Got my first burn from work. Now i really feel like an employee. Speaking of work, will be moving to a new restaurant again after tomorrow. Time really flies. Can't believe i'm moving to my third restaurant.

SEAJam was this weekend. It was fun as usual, although i got more out of the socials. Still, it didn't quite have the same magic for me as previous camps. Why? Well, a lot of the old gang that I grew up in lindy with weren't there anymore. Bee, Oats (well you guys were there on Sat, but it's not the same!), Eun, HM (again, only on Sat!), Therese, Ming, Pam.... heck, even Kat will be moving away this year. Makes me kinda nostalgic, but i guess we all have to recognise that things change and people's lives move on. Still, it was nice to go out to supper on Sat night with some of the gang. Felt like old times.

Had two really kick-ass privates with Matthias and Carla. Gave me a lot of new food for thought and new things to try... so follows, please forgive me for the next few months if my lead gets very odd :P. I think i'm at the stage where i'm gonna get a lot more out of privates than classes. And part of that could be because i'm not a professional dancer who can easily internalise and adapt my body to what the teacher throws at me. Privates give me the chance to get more individualised ideas and feedback.

Had some REALLY awesome dances with Carla as well. It always stokes a guy's ego when she says you were her favorite lead at the camp :P. Yeah, i'm definitely going to try and pay a visit to her classes in San Fran if i get the chance. She planted the idea of going to the DC exchange when i go to the US in March....

1 more month to vacation! Get to see H and get to see my acapella group's 10th anniversary! Can't wait!

Ajantis is shifting the night....

Car car car car car

I took my car in for servicing on Friday, and had take a cab back and to the workshop. In the process, i realised i've gotten quite attached to the Jazz, and probably can't go back to taking cabs again. Now that i've gotten over the stress of relearning driving and parking, i quite enjoy the sense of freedom and control that comes with having a car. Now the only thing is to stick the season parking tickets and the vehicle licence properly so that it doesn't slide all over the dash board, and most importantly, to find a name for the car! Any ideas, anyone?

Work has been going really well. Thoroughly enjoying the new experiences, and the sheer amount of learning and observation that i get to do. Friends have been remarking that i seem like i've been in this job for a long time. In an earlier post, I remarked that one of the challenges would be to be as passionate about this job as the rest of the team. Right now, that's not feeling like a challenge. Hope this trend continues....

This CNY is going to be fairly quiet. The usual visits, but not much big family festivities going on. Mom didn't feel up to it. It's kinda strange; cos i'm working on Day 3, which is still a public holiday. Guess that's what happens when you work on shift -- your week/calendar is dictated by your shift, and not by the normal traditional 5 day work week. Kinda interesting :)

Interesting factoid for the week : Yu Sheng was invented in Singapore in the 70s!!!

Ajantis wishes all friends a Prosperous Chinese New Year....

Errands and errands

I have to attend a charity auction tonight at Malayan motors. Doesn't involve me really except i helped set it up in my previous job, and the organiser asked me (with a fair topping of guilt-tripping) to come as a guest.

Then, tomorrow, i am helping to entertain some head honchos from my company at a very swanky club.

Part of me feels a little bemused; these are events i normally wouldn't attend on my own. I'm quite happy "entertaining" friends in a kopitiam, not attending events that feel like they would be reported in Tatler or the Peak. So it makes me feel a little caught between worlds, but perhaps it is a sign of where i am currently heading in my work life.

On a less serious note, i have to wear an oriental outfit for the dinner tomorrow. So will go gallivanting around Chinatown today, on the advice of all my friends who were frantically IMed last night about this emergency fashion matter. Shanghai Tang was also suggested-- the clothes are nice, but who in their right mind would pay USD785 for a jacket! I mean, it's a nice two-tone reversible jacket but over a 1000 bucks!!!???

ok, so maybe i'm still a little miserly when it comes to clothes :)

Ajantis is stretching his back....

Fragile and fragiler

Have been stricken by a series of physical ailments over the past week.

First my right back started spasming, followed by my left back. Despite that, i managed to get a workout at the gym but ended up with a tight left calf, followed by a strained right shoulder and then a strained left shoulder on consecutive days. Couple that with some unidentified bug over the past few days, and i was basically feeling not so well the past week.

Although i managed to get in some dancing on Thursday, my left shoulder stiffened up further after that, to the point where i could barely lift my hands comfortably to the steering wheel :P

So am taking it easy today even though i had the afternoon off.

This is probably what it feels like to be a weekend warrior...

Ajantis is suffering from Gen-X-itis...

You can drive my car...

So i'm now the proud owner of a metallic blue Honda Jazz.

Feels kinda strange.

In the past 2.5 days, i've :
- driven over 200km
- had only one scary driving moment (when a motorcyclist came whizzing out of nowhere as i was changing lanes)
- managed to reverse park 3 times! (albeit with no adjacent cars)
- paid over 25 bucks in parking fees (cry)
- pumped petrol for the first time (well had an attendant do it, but that counts!)

Surprisingly, everything seems to be coming back to me. Surprisingly, driving brings a sense of freedom, even if i did get stuck in expressway traffic jams for 30 min today, and even parking is beginning to seem slightly less intimidating.

It's expensive though.... i don't even want to think about all the money being pumped into the car. Oh well.

Ajantis will drive to the restaurant for the first time tomorrow...

Resolving to resolve

I nearly forgot to make new year resolutions! Not that i usually make them, but in line with the theme of a new job and new beginnings, here they are :

1) To be better about researching and keeping track of my finances
2) To keep exercising, stay fit, and lose weight
3) To improve my Mandarin
4) To make a decision on opening an artisan bakery by the end of the year

Ajantis is about to begin his first overnight shift....

Begin the beguine

Haven't had a chance to blog for a while. Here goes...

Spending time with H was fun. It was the right decision not to go overseas this time. We were both less stressed because we didn't have to worry about planning a trip, and we could take the additional time to just hang out, and catch up with friends. I got to play some video games while H read, and we played a ton of card games and badminton. Although i still felt a little embarassed watching the schoolkids playing far better badminton than H and I....

We talked some about what our plans were for the future. For now, it seems like it would be feasible to set up an artisan bakery, but now we gotta do the costing and figure out the mechanics of getting H here. But we've set ourselves one year to figure it out, and another year to get H here. So at least an end is in sight. Although i might actually get to see H less, given how busy H will be setting up the bakery.

Started the new job on Monday. It's at a quick-service joint, but i won't say which one :) I had some qualms at first, cos people who know me will also know that i :

1) am sucky at cooking
2) hate eggs, and have never cracked one in my entire life
3) am not very dextrous

Well, it's been a good experience so far. The culture is good (which is reassuring), the people are good, and i'm beginning to see how the operations and management decisions fit together. I've managed to learn most of the stations, even if i am compressing 4 months worth of stuff into 2 weeks :P, and have even managed to crack an egg! My knees and lower back were really sore though, but i am hoping that that will pass as i adjust to the working environment.

In news on other fronts, i paid for my car yesterday! It will be ready for pickup around the 23rd of August. So if you drive, beware!

Ajantis is driver supreme... not!

Mish-mash and bangers

Haven't updated in a while, so here's some random bits and pieces.

Put the booking fee on my new car! It's a metallic blue (although the brochure says Vivid Blue Pearl ... WTH does that mean??)... HONDA JAZZ! Which, strangely enough, is also the car that we drive in the US. The car will only be available end-feb, which is actually a good thing since i need to sign up for refresher lessons. That was pretty clear to me when i did the test-driving. I have trouble judging turning distances cos i'm used to left-hand driving, and i think i would also have trouble parking (this was kinda apparent from the stressed out look of the first car salesman who accompanied me on the test drive). And what is this obsession with 4D? Both my mom and aunt asked for the licence plate number, and the car salesman also mis-read my eagerness and told me he could get me the number one day before the car arrived for 4D purposes.

Also managed to spend a lot of time with both old and new friends this week, and also with family (more on that later). On Thursday, I hung out with L for 3 hours, just bull-shitting and shooting the breeze while having good japanese curry and chai. Somehow, I get along with L despite the age difference and there's just a certain comfort level. That, and he's really the only guy/friend i just bull-shit with. Maybe it's because he's an old soul in a young body (as i've told him so many times before).

After that, went to hang out with another friend (a new one, this time!) and watch Budak Pantai. Which was a throughly enjoyable show, by the way. Although it wasn't technically a full a capella concert cos there was a guitar for part of the show, i still found it entertaining. Which is surprising given how much of an acapella purist i can be. But perhaps it's because there was a sheer amount of creativity, geeky/corny humor and showmanship and chemistry on display that night. 10 years together definitely does make for some good chemistry. I'm glad that they also did some straight up acapella numbers though, cos that allowed the audience to see their musical chops. Also brought back some memories, since those songs were the closest in style to the stuff that i did in my college a capella group.

Performed at an event on New Year's Eve. Getting home was a nightmare. People crossing the roads en-masse, cars blaring their horns to get pedestrians out of the way, everyone scampering like little lemmings over railings and drains. If I ever get the idea of wanting to spend New Year's Eve in the city, please shoot me?

Other news : Got addicted to Bleach (for those who are wondering what the hell it is, check out this website ). I ended up reading all 258 chapters (or 4 years of weekly issues) over 3-4 nights, and also completed Final Fantasy 12.

Alright, this is probably my last post for a bit. H is coming to town (and i have been nice, not naughty) and i start training at the new job after that. So life will get busy (but interesting!) again.

Ajantis is ringing in the new year....