A Change will do you good

I have an apartment! Finally!!!

It’s old, its huge, its expensive, its air-ey, its near town, its not fancy, its 2 bus stops from my office! So it’s not perfect, but in this market, it comes close! I still love our current place muchly, but somehow, I’m not attached to it. Maybe it’s because it’s only been one year. Maybe because I was rarely at home to make it feel like “home”. Or maybe after staying in a different room on campus every year, I’m used to packing up my belongings and moving on.

In the next 9 days, my life is going to revolve around packing, shifting, unpacking, cable, internet, utilities accounts; year end closing, forecast accuracy, etc. etc. oh, I forgot to mention that with June comes the end of the fiscal year, and being in the finance function, it means it’s the busiest time of the year! God bless them accountants who have to manage the “books.”! My sympathies!

Lately, my mind’s been racing at a pace too fast for the rest of me to keep up, and the whole day seems like a struggle for the rest of the body to keep up with it.

I want a holiday. Not a long weekend get away in Bkk where I get absolutely no breathing space. I need solitude, a change of scene, and a place where my brain goes in overdrive trying to absorb all the new sights and sounds. Or a quiet place where it slows down to match the stillness of the surroundings. Or a place with new people and refreshing conversation. Just something different from the present, a dream that I don’t want to wake up from.

No, i don’t wish to escape from the present. I just want some diversity in the present. A new flavor. A different note.

Hong Kong Diaries - Part I

The magic that is Disney...

China Diaries - Part I

I type this from my hotel bed, on my second night in China. The room does not have wireless and the broadband cable is on the desk – thus this post will be published much later.

2 days in China and I’m loving it. I’m in Guangzhou, which isn’t as modernized or commercial as Shanghai, or as historical and preserved as Beijing, but it’s a mélange of the two.

The weather - pleasantly cool at 11-14 degrees, but the wind makes your teeth chatter as you walk along the roads after dark. I am envious of them Chinese women, in their over coats and their boots, but I don’t find it essential, as it is really not THAT cold after all! A thin couple of layers of clothes serve me just fine, and once indoors, it’s rather warm. It’s a welcome change from the monotony of gray days and rain in Singapore lately!

The city has an uncanny resemblance to Delhi, and if it wasn’t for the signboards that are in Chinese (of course), and the oriental faces, one could look around and think they were in Delhi. High rise buildings and crumbling old apartments, flyovers, and slum-like housing, neon-lighted malls, and small shops – its got everything. Guangzhou isn’t much of a tourist destination, but it is a booming city with several MNC’s. Cab’s are reasonable, food is cheap, shopping isn’t extraordinary, but one can find souvenirs, and the people are friendly. I am surprised by their command of English – and feel less mute than I thought I would be. The 8 of us walked up and down Beijing Lu this evening and found everything – men trying to sell us imitation goods, nike outlets, McDonalds every 300m, Espirit, and trinket shops. We’ve been trying local cuisine and have had good luck so far! The tea lover in me woke up yesterday when I decided to just try the complimentary infusion offered with my meal. It was a herbal/floral infusion and the delicate aroma, and subtle but refreshing flavor was all I needed to refresh me from a long day! I have never loved Chinese tea more!

Something unusual – while walking along Beijing Lu, shopping, chatting and clicking photos, we saw a man run past us – followed closely by two policemen who were trying to chase him down. While the 8 of us were shocked, the remaining crowd seemed to carry on like nothing out of the ordinary had happened! Oh, btw, no one seemed to stop and help the police chase that guy either.

***

This is where I stopped typing and fell asleep, I think! ;)
So much to say, but have to catch up on work first; More updates abt the rest of the days in China and HK coming up later!

I'm leaving your town again

Its been quite a week…and weekend … and the Monday

- 3 of my closest friends were born within 4 days! Plenty of birthday parties and socializing!

- The boss insisted that the first weekend after work starts must be spent partying. So invites were sent, and a whole group of colleagues went bar hopping at The Cannery. Champagne flowed very fashionably at The Fashion Bar – a pretty classy place, followed by stop overs at 3 other bars! Unfortunately, the music sucked, thus, no dancing!

- Salsa Intermediate has begun! And the turns, the spins, the music – ahhhh, we like muchly. “Muchly” is my new favorite term, coined by one of my favorite ppl ever!

- The Clapton concert was amazing, to say the least. It is breathtaking, the things that man can do with his guitar. As expected, he did not play Tears In Heaven, but he did play Wonderful Tonight, and I swear, I was in another world. N it takes a lot to get me that mushy! I still go sighhhh as I think of it. Sighhh

- Checked out the boys new house – and now we have a new place to party, have poker night, order pizza, and hang out till daybreak!

- The Little Devil’s birthday was fun fun with the girlies all dressed up and posing non stop for le camera! Ahhh, how vain we are!

- After the excessive fashion, partying, alcohol, socializing, cake, music, chilling, shopping, and kick – ass weekend, I definitely didn’t deserve this Monday. 12 hrs of non stop working on the same damn thing, I kid you not. This has resulted in crazy mood swings, borderline snappy emails, and far too much cursing.

- The clothes for tomorrow are yet to be ironed, dishes from the crappy dinner are still in the sink, and if the phone rings again, with someone from the team, telling me another something that to be dealt with, I swear to god, the phone or the laptop goes out of the window! *breathe in, breathe out* okay, maybe not.

- In other news, I have tickets to China & Hong Kong, hotel bookings for China, and absolutely no plans for HK. This means I don’t know who else is coming with me, I don’t have a hotel, and my best friend who used to live there, has moved to Scotland. She’s provided her best advice via MSN – places to shop at and places to eat at. She knows me well! But considering the trip’s happening in less than a week’s time, I should start worrying just a wee bit!

- I’m so excited, I can’t wait!

"I'm leaving your town again" from Plane, by Jason Mraz

Where I spent the day after X-mas

...trying to leave footsteps behind...

...n watching them get washed away...

...sinking...

...reaching out....

...n planning my next trip...

Two Weeks. In Key Words.

So things have slowed down a bit. Diwali is over. Off – site is over. And Global visit is over. I can finally catch my breath. The remaining 3 days are packed 9-6 with meetings but it’s okay. The worst is over. I still have a job!

the weekend at home was great. As usual, too short. But great nonetheless.

The off site was a huge success. I’d organized a Halloween dinner which kicked major ass. I was very appropriately dressed as a devil! The second night was spent dining in style at Sirocco, located high up on the 64^th floor, with even higher prices. Totally worth it. Partying at Bed Supper Club was a mandatory touristy activity and we did due diligence. Day 3 was a sticky one – wanted to come back early to settle work but couldn’t pre-pone the flight. The day was well spent however, shopping, and meeting a friend for lunch. At Siam Paragon. Day 1 had a half spa treatment – foot massage, reflexology, and pedicure! For an unbelievable price. A large part of day 2 was spent at the spa, to escape the afternoon heat, which was phenomenal. So looks like I covered everything that was on the Bangkok list.

Being back was a nightmare, because the following week, i.e. this week, is packed with meetings and the global guests visit. Thankfully, the visit went fine and I have successfully done my first senior management presentation. *yay*

The guests have been entertained well and are on their way back tomorrow. Meetings will be taken care of tomorrow, and the work computer is not to be switched on tonight!

After what seems like a sabbatical, I’ve been on a movie binge. In the past 2 weeks I have seen Devil Wears Prada, The Break Up, Friends with Money, Man of the Year, Don, Prestige, The Good Year & The guardian. Prestige was twisted. Good year – sweet. Not life changing. The guardian – freezing. Devil – entertaining. Don – sleep – inducing. The rest – worth watching on 2X.

Speaking of which, life seems to be running at 2x lately. Everything’s moving fast, and I’m loving every bit of it. The most stressful time at work is over, and after this week, I’ll have more breathing space – which I’m looking forward to. Tickets for India have been booked. Plans to meet up with cousins in progress – and yes, I know a 6-day trip is too short!

New plans in the pipeline are a business trip to china – which would lead to a vacation either in Beijing or Hong Kong. A trip to the US later in the year, which would then lead to a flight up to Canada to see the little one, or visit friends and travel in the States. Hoping to squeeze another site visit on the way. The business trips are confirmed. The vacation plans are in the air. But I’m excited anyways!

Its bedtime – because this entire week is 9am or earlier, which sucks! Team dinner tonight. Company dinner tomorrow. Celebration dinner Friday. How am I expected to fit in my clothes?

Snow on the Sahara

*Post written on Thursday night*

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I’m going to Bangkok at the end of the month! For a whole of 6 days, and I can’t wait!

Not because I get to go home, but also because I get to stay downtown, without family, and experience the city like a tourist! Why the big deal – because although I spent a major part of my life in Thailand, I was living with family, AND I was a high school kid, so age limit, parents, yadi yadi ya! But this time, it’ll be different. I’m going on a company off-site, but I’m flying in early, so that I can spend the weekend with my parents, and then spend the week with the team at a luxurious hotel, spoil myself silly with shopping, spas, partying, and have no curfews and no one to answer to! Yeh, I know I can do it here in Singapore too – but I’ve always wanted to check out Bangkok like a tourist. N I have a head start, since I’ve already seen the monuments, museums, and other touristy places, I can focus all my energy on shopping, eating, partying, massages, spas, and the like! *yay* I know I can use a holiday by the end of the month, thanks to the ever increasing work load!

Life seems to be in a good place, today. *touch wood* Hope I don’t jinx anything! Tomorrow’s Friday and I am booked all day at a new hire session – which means that a break from regular work! A deadline’s been extended due to this session, and I couldn’t have asked for more!

Sometimes, on good days, I do think that I’ve gotten lucky with most things! Not all, mind you, but most! It’s a good feeling – knowing that I have so much to be grateful for. I think it’s moments like these that replenish my tolerance and the ability to bite it down, when I’m about to lose it! *content smile*

I miss RIS friends today. Think its the talk of the upcoming trip!

The memories that never fail to make me smile. Time, work and distance have come in the way in keeping in touch with everyone – but they haven’t taken away the years I so fondly remember.