rewind, replay
And so I've been away from this journal for so long it seems almost impossible to pick up where I left off. I had meant to write at the end of 2008, I had meant to write at the start of 2009, I had meant to write last week, etc, but my mind and my words all seemed to be so scattered in one big mess that I started to think of it like the storeroom in my flat (i.e. a door best left unopened). At least I've faithfully stuck to my photo-a-day project flash365 which is back on track with daily updates (all previous entries from December and early January are backdated and do not appear on friends' pages). All my efforts in chronicling the last two years have really paid off (for me at least) and the swirl of nostalgia and recollection, the very change in the atmosphere as I go through them - all that makes it worthwhile for me to continue with flash365, disappearances, unannounced hiatuses and all.
With all that out of the way, here's a quick fast-forward rewind-playback update on what-where-why of the last couple of months:
~ I spent most of December surgically attached to my laptop (not that this is new), pounding out the final words of my thesis, on a search-and-destroy mission for logical missteps and loose ends. The most difficult thing about all this was not the writing or the editing, but in taking a step back to look at things with an objective eye. After a while you get so sick of your own work you feel like just printing it and throwing it at the department, never to see it again. Revisions may come back in February; I'm SO not looking forward to that. Looks like the notes-bonfire party might have to be postponed for a little while.
~ Just before Christmas, J's sister got married. Now, I really must be missing some sort of Bridezilla gene in me, because when I got married I did my planning six months beforehand, said 'okay' to most of the dress designs shown to me, and only made a very slight fuss about the music that would be played at the wedding. I didn't write a speech, didn't bother to video-record any of it, didn't do facials/hair masks/any sort of pampering before the big day. I just sat back and let it all sweep over me. Anyway, J's sister is a planner, but thankfully not in a Bridezilla-meltdown way, and her wedding showed that planning really does pay off. It was a lovely lovely evening, she looked fabulous and everyone in the wedding party was relaxed and had a good time. The photos that were taken on that day were magnificent too, and the photographer's attitude really made all the difference in making it a spectacular event.
~ Four days after the wedding, J and I flew to BKK for Christmas, and to see C graduate from her pastry course at Le Cordon Bleu. There was an intimate graduation ceremony and C topped her class, ending her nine months in BKK on a high note. I can't describe how proud I was of her when she was onstage receiving her giant certificate, her high-top chef's hat and her medal. It was an amazing step she took to quit her job in Singapore, spend nine months taking on a totally new path in a foreign land, embracing all the changes along the way.
~ All of us spent three days in Hua Hin together, walking possibly a maximum of 500m all day (hotel room to breakfast bar, breakfast to poolside, poolside to lunch, more lolling about the pool, time for dinner) and turning ourselves into sunbaked slugs. We stayed in a wonderful resort called Rest Detail Hotel which featured wonderful design, great breakfast spreads, and a pool we literally lost ourselves in. Great way to decompress, but the bubble was rather rapidly broken when we got back to BKK and faced the task of helping C gather all her stuff and drag it all back to Singapore, all 97kg worth (okay, some of the stuff was mine too). I'm just so glad to have her back home.
~ January has passed by in a flash. I'm more or less unemployed, for reasons I'll explain in another post, but even then the days just whip past. Chinese New Year is coming up, so I'm busy preparing for that and helping my mother out with our annual cookie-fest. There are big and small projects lined up ahead, so there's always lots to think about even though I don't have a 9-to-5 job. Also, I think I've spent most of January catching my breath from December.
Nothing huge that took me away from writing, really, but after churning out so many words in December for my thesis, I felt hard-pressed to sit in front of the laptop to write more. But there's lots more to write about, and more to share, and now hopefully I'm back in my rhythm, ready to write more. Because 2009 looks like an exciting year ahead, and as ever, I'll want to record it all for some sort of posterity.
With all that out of the way, here's a quick fast-forward rewind-playback update on what-where-why of the last couple of months:
~ I spent most of December surgically attached to my laptop (not that this is new), pounding out the final words of my thesis, on a search-and-destroy mission for logical missteps and loose ends. The most difficult thing about all this was not the writing or the editing, but in taking a step back to look at things with an objective eye. After a while you get so sick of your own work you feel like just printing it and throwing it at the department, never to see it again. Revisions may come back in February; I'm SO not looking forward to that. Looks like the notes-bonfire party might have to be postponed for a little while.
~ Just before Christmas, J's sister got married. Now, I really must be missing some sort of Bridezilla gene in me, because when I got married I did my planning six months beforehand, said 'okay' to most of the dress designs shown to me, and only made a very slight fuss about the music that would be played at the wedding. I didn't write a speech, didn't bother to video-record any of it, didn't do facials/hair masks/any sort of pampering before the big day. I just sat back and let it all sweep over me. Anyway, J's sister is a planner, but thankfully not in a Bridezilla-meltdown way, and her wedding showed that planning really does pay off. It was a lovely lovely evening, she looked fabulous and everyone in the wedding party was relaxed and had a good time. The photos that were taken on that day were magnificent too, and the photographer's attitude really made all the difference in making it a spectacular event.
~ Four days after the wedding, J and I flew to BKK for Christmas, and to see C graduate from her pastry course at Le Cordon Bleu. There was an intimate graduation ceremony and C topped her class, ending her nine months in BKK on a high note. I can't describe how proud I was of her when she was onstage receiving her giant certificate, her high-top chef's hat and her medal. It was an amazing step she took to quit her job in Singapore, spend nine months taking on a totally new path in a foreign land, embracing all the changes along the way.
~ All of us spent three days in Hua Hin together, walking possibly a maximum of 500m all day (hotel room to breakfast bar, breakfast to poolside, poolside to lunch, more lolling about the pool, time for dinner) and turning ourselves into sunbaked slugs. We stayed in a wonderful resort called Rest Detail Hotel which featured wonderful design, great breakfast spreads, and a pool we literally lost ourselves in. Great way to decompress, but the bubble was rather rapidly broken when we got back to BKK and faced the task of helping C gather all her stuff and drag it all back to Singapore, all 97kg worth (okay, some of the stuff was mine too). I'm just so glad to have her back home.
~ January has passed by in a flash. I'm more or less unemployed, for reasons I'll explain in another post, but even then the days just whip past. Chinese New Year is coming up, so I'm busy preparing for that and helping my mother out with our annual cookie-fest. There are big and small projects lined up ahead, so there's always lots to think about even though I don't have a 9-to-5 job. Also, I think I've spent most of January catching my breath from December.
Nothing huge that took me away from writing, really, but after churning out so many words in December for my thesis, I felt hard-pressed to sit in front of the laptop to write more. But there's lots more to write about, and more to share, and now hopefully I'm back in my rhythm, ready to write more. Because 2009 looks like an exciting year ahead, and as ever, I'll want to record it all for some sort of posterity.