Late night thoughts...

Two things.
1) I have one of the best bosses in the world (hyperbole, i know) and i'm dang bloody grateful for it. Must let him know next monday

2) I need to not angst so much over whether i'm doing a good job.

Ajantis will be less bluesy tomorrow...

Marathoning for life

Finished the marathon in sub 5 hours. 4 hrs and 51 minutes to be exact! 25 minutes better than my previous marathon time. Guess that's the difference when you run the marathon with 6 hours of sleep and no flu (yes, i ran with a flu in 2006).

The sun and heat were tiring, but all in all, it was a great run. The toughest part of the run was walking back to my car after the finish. I was so tired, i was shuffling like a 60 year old man, leaning on the pole while waiting for the traffic light to change. The multiple abrasions on my waist, thigh and knees didn't help either....

But still, i'm glad i did this 2nd marathon. Thanks everyone for coming down, even if i finished before you guys got there!

Ajantis is tired, hungry, sleepy but contented...

Loneliness of being

I've had to make a couple of really tough decisions the past couple of weeks. It's made me realise how lonely leadership can be, because i couldn't really talk about the full picture except with my boss or with H.

Guess that's why it becomes so difficult for leaders to do the right but tough things sometimes. Something that i'm still coming to terms with but am ready to accept. Good thing H is always there to provide a listening ear (and soon, a shoulder to rest on!)

On a less maudlin' note, the marathon is tomorrow. Don't know why i'm so nervous since i ran it the last time in worse shape (cos of a dang flu). Guess it's just nerves, or maybe it's because I stupidly told EVERYONE i was doing it and asked friends to come down and support me -.-

Oh well. Need to go rush down to buy a pair of earphones now.

Ajantis has butterflies in his chest....

Weeks that are eventful

Just some random updates this time around

Had to do a tough but neccessary thing this past week. Still closing the matter, and felt like a rotten person for a few days after, but i'll get over it.

Had a moment a few days ago where i desperately missed H so much it was hard to breathe. People keep saying to me : how do you and H do it? The answer is that we tough it out day by day, get caught up in work and catch our precious moments together during vacation and phone calls. 5 more months to reunion!

Ran 30km last Monday! Am as ready as i'll ever be for the marathon. Can't believe i promised to never run one again after the last one 2 years ago! The day after, i went dancing, and then... yesterday, i foolishly played midfield on a fullsized football field for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Oh... the aching. I literally have to use my hands to move my legs when i sit down -.-

Funniest video ever. Cruel i know, but i saw this video and couldn't stop laughing for about 5 minutes. I love it when the cat goes flying into the wall....

Am reading Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma". Great read recommended to me by H, and i recommend it to you or any of your friends. Well written, engaging, thought provoking about food, how food is constructed and created in our minds and in society. And kinda turns you off your local grocery -.-

Was involved in a conversation today where i was mightily irritated by one twerp who kept interjecting himself into the conversation, to show that he was knowledgeable about the topic at hand. No interest in finding out what other people thought, or what they were talking about. Argh! Such insecurity! I thought i kept my irritation hidden pretty well, but not as well as I thought :P

Back on World of Warcraft (WoW!) but have managed to avoid getting addicted... this time. Maybe because most of the players are Aussies who go to bed earlier than me in Singapore :)
Bought Fallout 3 as well. Truly beautiful game...

Ok that's all for now. Can't really come up with an coherent post at the moment. Happy December!

Ajantis can't stand know-it-alls....

Games Shows Are Japanese

Forgot to blog about this. Discovered a new fav reality show recently : "I Survived a Japanese Game Show!"

Hilarious and fun, although they try too hard to squeeze drama out of it.

Favorite games : Sticky Sticky Bang Bang, Conveyor Restaurant, Baby Go Boom Boom.

Those are real names. Go check out the clips on youtube.

Annoyed but maybe not so much....

The title reflects the fact that i just got irritated with my mom, who has to ask me if i want some medicine everytime i start coughing more than usual. Argh! I hate how she has to over-mother for every single thing. At the same time, i do enable her, since i ask her to help sometimes. Things will get easier when H gets here, because then at least she'll have two people to smother... :)

These two weeks have been kinda busy. Was in Taiwan for a company outing with a large group of colleagues. Travelled to some places for work, got VERY tipsy (lost count of the number of drinks), and got to explore Taipei for 2 days. The first impression i had when reaching Taipei was : "where's the skyline?" All the buildings are relatively old, and there are not many skyscrapers to speak of. Most of the shops are also streetfront shops, with very few malls to speak of. Lotsa traffic, with a whole bunch of scooters (and even a dedicated scooter line at lights). In short, quite different from Singapore (duh!).

That said, there were a lot of things that felt familiar as well. The food was a lot more palatable than the stuff we had in Beijing last year. except for one meal in Shilin Night Market, where we ordered meat balls (direct translation!) which turned out to be some weird melange of minced meat wrapped in a ball of gluten and drizzled over with some fluorescent orange sauce. Needless to say, i was the only one idiotic enough to take two bites of it....

I also found it easier to speak Mandarin in Taipei than Beijing. The mandarin was more conversational and less formal in nature, and there were far fewer references to Chinese history and culture. The only problem would be business Mandarin (what's the translation for capitalisation again?)

Back in Singapore, i had to host my 3 big bosses on a visit, so i spent a day frantically swotting up on facts (A level deja vu!). Thankfully, the preparation came in handy as i got bombarded with about a thousand and one questions during the travel. The travel went well, and it helped that we had great results to shout about.

On other non-work related fronts, i managed to run a 28km run 2 weeks ago on way too little food. Stumbled to a McDonald's after that for a Mega Mac, a Cornetto McFlurry (yum!) and a Himalayan Tea Latte. Felt a lot happier after that pit stop :)

Marathon in 3 more weeks. Here's to my 2nd marathon!

Ajantis is feeling less frussed up now....

Something lost and something found....

So the big meeting is over, and my big presentations are over.

First, a couple of downers
- the traffic in KL - 1.5 hours on the first day to get to official dinner... i was about to chew my seat for food! and then followed by 2 hours back and forth from Bangsar on 2nd day to get to Miss M's swing class....good lord!
- left my handphone in KL. Grrrr. the cost is one thing, but the sheer inconvenience of dealing with being disconnected, and transferring all the numbers, is what's most annoying. Although it's probably scary how much of an unbilical cord the blackberry is now....

The much much more exciting uppers (is that even the proper use of the word?)
- presentations went unbelievably, exceptionally, amazingly well. 5 different countries asked me for my presentations, and i got tons of "good job", "congratulations", "impressive" comments during the last 3 days.

The best part of it all? It's not everyday that the WORLDWIDE COO of your company stands up at the end of your presentation and says that it was a best practice for everyone to learn from, and says it to all the Asia Managing Directors in the room. And it's not everyday that he mentions your name twice during his closing remarks, using your name as an example of how it's important for company to bring in outside talent selectively to challenge and stretch the company's thinking. Wow. All i know is i left the room smiling :)

Ok, enough shoulder patting and self-congratulations. Time to go running.

Update : Just got a sms that they found my handphone! And i'll get it back on Sunday!

Ajantis is way way way too connected (or addicted) to the digital world....

The km, it is a a calling

Just ran 27km. Now feeling like an old man. A proud old man who just ran for 2 hrs and 51 min. According to the treadmill, a proud old man who just burnt 1945 calories. That's how much one person needs in a day!

Ajantis is rummaging for icepacks and looking forward to a hearty meal.....

Mooning the reminisce

Was reading some old posts and smiling a bit (in a not-bad way) about the things that i wrote, especially as i was transitioning to this job. Can't believe i've posted 167 times since starting this blog! Have posted a lot less this year though... wonder if it's because i've gotten busier.

Am officially in love with the NPR website. Can't believe i never stumbled on it before till Heath told me about it....

Ajantis is semi-working on his day off....

Jobbo jobbos jobama

Updated my blog template today. It's been a while, but it was time to finally update with the latest gadgets and geegaws.

First, a random series of updates.
1. Finally set the highest score among all my friends in Word Challenge, a facebook game!

2. Bought a new car (Lexus IS 250). It's a real nice car, even if i still feel like it cost a ton. Part of the job, i guess

3. Ran 25km last week. On track for the marathon! (i hope). Can't believe i committed myself to doing it again....

4. Thinking of trying for a vacation in November, but not sure if i want to really rough it in Laos. Plus i can always see T when she comes back to Singapore end November.

5. Laughed my head off at the latest SNL spoofs on Palin, but also got scared witless by her interview on CNBC.

Other thoughts :
Felt amazingly happy about my job the other day. You know, one of those feelings you get which make you feel all light on the inside and smiley silly on the outside. Never felt that way about a job before, so i took the moment to savour a little. Maybe that's why i felt it a little when some teammates gave me feedback that they felt i was a little too distant and stern sometimes, especially when i didn't smile much. I love my job, so when i feel like i'm letting people down, then it gets a little to me. But i thought it through, and as always, got over it resolving to take the feedback as it was : a feedback given in the spirit of improvement.

Being in the private sector now, the recent economic crisis does of course leave me a little spooked, knowing that business could tumble and i could potentially lose my job. But it's almost my responsibility as a leader to keep the business going and ensure that everyone keeps their jobs.

My stocks have basically plummeted but i've decided to just not panic and check only sporadically. The key thing is to think long term, which is what my financial planner basically said to me : that i was in a good position, savings wise, and that i should focus on the long term. In fact, i only need to save 10 more years to be in a good position. That's a nice conclusion to hear :)

Anyway, been following the whole Obama-McCain saga lately. The vitriolic outbursts from some of the McCain/Palin rallies are downright disheartening and scary. I really do hope Obama wins, if only because Republicans are getting scarier each election. Don't get me wrong, radical Democrats are equally frightening, but Republicans just have that extra scary edge to them. Let me quote what someone said from a NYT article :

"Her fellow bartender, Crystal Porter, chimed in. “I know his wife runs a liberalist camp for teenagers, and when he gets elected, he wants to make it mandatory for all teenagers to go there. I also heard as a hobby he makes flags, like home made flags, one for each race. He has one for black people and one for white people and one for Indians.”

Alright, enough of such scary talk. Tomorrow is my day off, and i've cleared most of my work for this week. Time to sit back, play the computer game, and go running (so i can smell the roses)

Ajantis is wondering whether to go for vacation....

The unbearable lightness of Jedi mind tricks

Been a busy busy month!

Spent a week in London with mom and H. Surprisingly, mom did not get on my nerves as much, perhaps because H was there. I did, however, end up being guilt-tripped by mom several times who would say that H was a better son than I was -.- H observed that i started becoming snippy only towards the end, which was true. Don't get me wrong. I love my mom lots, but i guess i have a love-hate relationship with the way she tries to take care of my every need. It's nice to have someone take care of you, but it's also extremely annoying when that translates into an ignorance of your personal space! (case in point : reaching over to check what kind of potato chips i was eating on the plane!!!)

London was fun. Weather was good, and sunny (surprisingly!) and we walked all around town. In fact, mom was a real trooper, walking all over with us. We visited a ton of museums, as well as a lot of the well known attractions like Greenwich and Tower of London. My favorite two were Borough Market (tons of great artisanal food!) and Gordon Ramsey! Gordon Ramsey was truly a 3 star Michelin experience. Every dish was flavorful, and the service gave new meaning to the term "food theatre". The waiters would literally be inspected before they were allowed to serve you in unison.... Funny thing was, everyone kept asking me if i saw the ill-tempered Mr. Ramsey haranguing people in the kitchen.

What was not so fun : the prices. I ended up multiplying everything by three, which made prices astronomically high in Sing dollars. Case in point : Gordon Ramsey, dinner for 2 = 360 pounds or 1080 bucks....

We then came back to Singapore, where i got to spend a week with H. We ran the half marathon together. Although it was a little disappointing that H couldn't run it straight through, i was happy that we finished it together. During the time in Singapore, we also picked up my new car, a Lexus IS 250. Way too posh a car for me, although i have to have it for work. That said, it does treat me really nice. I'll aways miss my cute little Honda Jazz (aka Duke), but the Lexus (aka Basie) is quite a step up. Took me a while to get used to the different dimensions, and i'm still paranoid about scratching it, but Basie sure drives nice.

While H was in town, i also experienced the unfamiliar sensation of being torn between work and relationship. Maybe it's because i'm a lot more engaged with this job, but i found myself sneaking out of bed in the morning to get some work done, which was bizarre. I think that i'm definitely gonna have to schedule date time when H comes here in April next year so i don't end up sacrificing relationship for work.

Went back to work in September, and started the big transition this month along with a whole crapload of work. Just finally got some time to breathe, and now i need to think through how i need to lead in the next phase of my career.

Ok, that's a long enough update for now.

Ajantis is breathing, and pilate-ing, and yoga-ing, but is too stiff

New adventures and new transitions

Hey there! Got back from New Zealand over a week ago, where i thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Drove 500km by myself, went zorbing, schweebing, and freefalling in a wind tunnel on the 1st day in Rotorua, followed by sledging down some grade 3 rapids in the afternoon and a Maori cultural show at night. The next day, i went down to Hobbiton farms at Matamata, where the only remaining sets from Lord of the Rings were to be found (aka the Shire). The highlight of the day, though, was tubing down the underwater river in Waitomo Caves while seeing the glow-worms drift by ahead.

All in all, i am so glad that i did this, and proud that i did it all by myself. Had some truly unforgettable experiences. Many people ask me what zorbing is like, and it's like being inside a big gigantic washing machine of an amusement ride :) Sledging was fun, tiring, humbling (cos i obviously cannot survive without guides in rapids) while seeing the Shire and travelling through Waitomo Caves were truly one of a kind experiences that i couldn't get anywhere else. Truly awesome! Next time, i'm going back with H to do some tandem skydiving :P

Back on Planet Singapore, i'm currently preparing myself mentally for a big career move. I know i'm probably 99% ready, but my heart is still worried about the remaining 1%. That said, i also decided to make some tough calls on who i want in my new team, and it's NOT going to be easy to break the decision to my folks. Ah well, them's the perks of leadership i guess. Will definitely sleep over this over the next few days...

Ajantis is finally uploading some photos...

Long time no see you no see me

Hello! Been a long time since the last post.

A couple of quick updates.

Been meeting up with a lot of pals from secondary school and JC lately. Not by design... rather, it just happened. Guess i never got around to it because i was a very different person in school, and so i never felt a need to connect with my old school mates. But i'm glad that we got back in touch. It's amazing how much difference a little more maturity, confidence and self-assurance makes. The old me would have felt awkward, but the conversations with my old schoolmates were great, and i connected with a few of them.

Lately, an old secondary school mate also got back in touch. Have a little bit of history with this guy, because i used to bully him in secondary school. Been trying to get back in touch with him because i felt a little guilty i guess, and wanted to be proper friends. But i probably need to back off a little because he's been a little reticent in replying to some of my messages.

On a separate note, i'll be going to New Zealand in a couple of days for work! The best part is, i'm extending by two days and heading down to Rotorua. Itinerary as follows
1st day - Sledging, zorbing, schweebing, free falling (if you don't know the terms go search for it on google - hee)
2nd day - Walk around Rotorua, take a tour of the Shire (!!!!)

Am very excited :) Then, heading to London for vacation with mom and H 2 weeks after that. Yay!

After that, i'll need to continue my car hunt. Need to switch cars to a model more "befitting" my upcoming promotion (sigh). Right now, everyone has a different point of view on what car to buy. I've narrowed it down to the Lexus/Audi versus something more mid range like the Mazda 6. It comes down to whether i'm willing to pay 50k more for the wow factor. Seriously, i felt like such a country bumpkin in the Lexus. The saleswoman had to show me how to turn on the car, and use the keyless ignition. Nearly fell off my chair when i felt the aircon blow out from the seats (seat warmers, seat air-con .... stars and garters!). Well, still have a few more months before i have to blow a wad of money on another fast-depreciating asset!

Saw Dark Knight and Hellboy. Dark Knight was a great piece of art, while Hellboy was a better piece of popcorn. In some ways, Hellboy had a stronger visual imagery, that almost reminded me of Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke. Dark Knight, though, left me on the edge of my seat the ENTIRE movie, even when i knew what was coming. That made the tragedy of the situation harder to bear, yet more impactful. Go watch it if you haven't already!

Decided i would be stubborn and do the marathon this year since i didn't do the Sundown... Ran 2 hours and 20 minutes today! That's.... half the time for a marathon! :P

Ajantis has not blogged in a long time...

Blood + Sweat = Reward

Been spending a lot of time lately working on this one presentation. First time i was basically doing this kind of work by myself, albeit with LOTS of comments from everyone around.

Don't think i've worked so hard or long on something for a while, but it paid off. Got good compliments all around. Now to move on to the next presentation. :P

Flying a lot this month. Just came back from Kota Kinabalu, where i did some work, did some team games, and went snorkeling. Also played soccer for the first time in ten years and realised how i rusty i was. In the process, i also got smacked by a soccer ball in the face, and woke up with extremely tight hamsprings from running like a headless chicken around the field.

Unfortunately, i didn't get a chance to go parasailing due to the inclement weather. Oh well, will have to plan for another trip to Kota Kinabalu to do all of that, and also climb Mount Kinabalu!

Off to Bali this Sun for another round of meetings.

Life is otherwise mundane. Got to start shopping for a car, but that's the only big development at the moment.

Ajantis is just giving you a boring little update...

Much ado since blogging

Ok. This is probably be a somewhat longish post. Many things to blog about

First up, went to the company convention in Orlando. The convention was in some ways, as expected, but in other ways, eye-opening. It really affirmed that the company was much bigger and different in some ways than it is in Singapore. In some ways, it's almost more about the franchisees than about the company. And that is how it should be.

After that, went to NYC to spend some time with H. Got to run in Central Park, hang out with Fish in Park Slope, and catch some really good Broadway stuff. Rent was probably the least impressive, but at least now i can say that i saw it on Broadway before it closed. Avenue Q was clever and side-splitting, while Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was pretty interesting. Gypsy was hands-down the best production though. Patti LuPone was absolutely amazing, surrounded by a first-rate cast. This was the first time seeing an actress get a standing ovation in the middle of a production.

Also got a chance to get some really good food at Gramercy Tavern, as well as check out a weird place that sold all kinds of flavored rice puddings. Add to that a trip to Coney Island and see it in all its denuded glamour. Kinda like an old run down pasar malam lost in its old glories. But still fun.

It's funny how NYC grows on me every time we go there. I like it a lot more now, but i'm still not sure i would visit.

Got back and dove straight into work, then flew to Tokyo for a meeting. Tokyo was fun, but intimidating (as usual) due to the relative lack of English-friendliness. The meeting went well, and i managed to impress the bosses there at the meeting, including one i chatted with for 1 hour on the way back to the airport.

Makes me feel good about my job, and also makes me feel very fortunate to be where i am today. Somehow, i've managed to perform well through all the various situations i get thrown in. Recently, i was headhunted for another job heading up a medium sized company in the entertainment industry. Even got the job offer (surprisingly enough), but i love my job too much to consider leaving. Lucky. That's me.

Anyway, got a few more travels coming up. Have never travelled so much before, although definitely not as much as the regional folks in the company. But am starting to run through all the movies on the plane... even had to watch the lifestyle shows!!! There are perks to travelling so much though. I now get first dibs on aisle/window seats, and access to the lounge with good food. The little victories of being on the road :)

Ajantis is a roadie, not a road-warrior....

Believe the beguine

So i turned 31 last Friday the 14th of March.

Even though i didn't organise my usual dinner with friends, and didn't do the customary birthday dance with Jitterbugs, it was extremely heart-warming to get all the well-wishes from friends near and far, and from colleagues in the office.

Over email, over phone or sms, over msn, or even in person... i appreciated each and every one of you that took time to say a simply happy birthday. My colleagues even bought a surprise birthday cake and sang happy birthday in front of the entire office!

Turning older has never been so much fun. Thanks everyone. I felt like the luckiest person on earth yesterday.

Ajantis is embracing the 30s and looking for his zoot suit....

Jumping at the JAM side

Another SEA Jam is over. 7th SeaJam for me. Has it been that long?

SEA Jam socials were definitely more fun this time. The level of dancing was less uneven, and the Beijing dancers were mostly all quite good! Didn't get much out of the classes (as expected). Next time, i'll either go as a follow, or just take privates.

It was nice to hear Frankie talk again about his life and career as a swing dancer. Amazing to see the guy still hale and hearty at 94, although it is also sad to see how he does slow down somewhat with each year. Got to ferry him in my car. A little bit of a cheap thrill, but how often can you say that you've driven someone who spoke to and danced with Ella Fitzgerald!!! He also showed this pretty amazing clip... I'll never look down on tap dancing again :P

H was here the 2 weeks before SEAJam. A very pleasant time together. We didn't have any big fights (for the 3rd trip in a row!) and we talked a lot more about H setting up a bakery up here. I'm still a little wary of the huge investment required, but H's promised to do a lot more homework this time. Anyway, this was also the first time i couldn't completely tear myself away from work, which made me feel a little guilty. H was fine with it... his easygoing nature is part of what makes our relationship work. We even spent the last night watching some swing clips after i came home from Frankie's talk. Even though H doesn't like to dance, he has a great appreciation of dance and of music, so it was nice to share this time and this interest together on the night before he flew off.

Diving back into work now, and enjoying it. Been talking a lot with my boss about changes for this and next year. Kind of intimidating, but that's part of what stimulates us to learn and grow.

As a break from work, we all went to Harry's last night to hear this amazing black singer on his last night. On the last number, Route 66, he did an awesome call and response wit the trombone player. You had to be there to appreciate it, but it was pretty amazing. Oh, and me and Miss T also scandalised our friends and half the bar with our ribald Foucault repartee. Ah Miss T, how much less fun life would be if you weren't around.

Ajantis will go have a slippery nipple with a screwdriver and a screaming orgasm with T now....

Storm before the wind before the calm

In the blink of an eye, Chinese New Year is here again.

Every year it seems a little bit less festive. The family still meets up, but it seems like less of an event every year.

I used to recall being really excited as Chinese New Year came around. It was a chance to see everyone again, play some buan luck (teochew version of blackjack), get ang baos, eat food, staying up to see the yearly CNY special. But i guess that kind of faded after my grandmother passed away, because she was the point around which my family congregated.

Nowadays, i still see my eldest aunt and cousin once in a while, but that festive environment will probably never come back.

Still, as i sit here typing this post, i am grateful for all the memories i have of Chinese New Years past. Here's to memories that are yet to come!

Ajantis is full of CNY treats....

Entrance to the Maha la o ja

Places i still wanna visit
- New Zealand (to go running in a big ball down a hill!)
- Vietnam (before it gets all touristy and stuff)
- England (and most of Europe)
- Customised African safari (where you pay a load of money and fly in and out of places as you choose)
- Herrang (and i keep saying that!)

Work's been ultra-busy lately. I guess it's what i'm paid for. Taking on another department in 2 weeks, and one more in a few more months. But that's part of the training i guess. Part of me still boggles at how much responsibility and opportunity i'm getting, but now's the time to do it, while i'm still young.

Young. That's an interesting term. I'll be 31 years young in less than 2 months. Bizarre. I can seriously barely remember being in my teens anymore. College years are a lot more vivid for me than my JC or secondary school years. Maybe that's because i took away a lot more from college...

On other fronts, have been on alittle bit of an eating binge but that's par for the course with CNY coming up i guess. went to Relish recently. Had a good, yummy burger with sarawak pepper sauce and bacon. Nice decor with high roofs, and good juicy meat.

Also went to Lawry's in Hong Kong. USDA prime rib. Seared on the spot for you. YUM. But i've had enough beef for a while.

Going to Dubai in March, which will be interesting, but more importantly, H will be here in less than 3 weeks. Yay! followed by SEAJAM! Double yay!

Ok time to konk out and end this series of random sentences

Ajantis is a little zonked...

This week was good... and then sucky

So this week started out well. Slowly felt like i was getting a handle on my job scope, decided to take on a new portfolio in Feb as part of my career progression, and even got a full time personal assistant again! Equally important, someone in my team who was having trouble with his job finally got his act together with some coaching from me. A manager also expressed his appreciation for helping him to secure some help for his team. Little things like these, where i can have a positive impact on someone's life, always make me feel good about my job and what i do.

Other good things that happened during the week : got an offer from a headhunter, so it's nice to know that my resume means something in the world out there; had a really good swing fling for the first time in months!

So yeah, the week was trending well, until someone stole my wallet this evening at the swimming pool. What's frustrating is that this is the 2nd time i've lost my wallet there, AND i was especially careful this time, but apparently someone filched it out of my bag when i turned around to shower for literally 5 seconds. What's also frustrating is that incidents like this just completely tarnish my faith in that weird thing we call human nature. Someone returned the wallet, sans money, and of course, some friends asked if i suspected him. But by that time, i was just too frustrated to think about it. What upsets me the most is that i took off something of great sentimental value and placed it in the wallet since i was swimming. So OF COURSE it's gone!

Ah well. I will eat my stress away the next day or two. All will be well. I know that. Life will go on. I have a good life, and i will be thankful for it. Thanks for listening friends...

Ajantis is frustrated but still wants a half-full glass...