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....