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....