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...

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 :)