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!