2018 – 350 days In
It’s almost 350 days in to 2018 and it has been a very tiring year indeed.
I’m not sure why, not sure what exactly but I found this year to be challenging and I seem to be ending the year more lost than when I first started it.
The year started out on a sad note with my cousin in hospital. He passed away in March with the family around. It’s strange, looking back, I don’t particularly recall the tiring vigils we took in the hospital, the ins and outs, the endless waiting, the daily crying. I only remember that his hand was never without someone holding it, I remember his bedside was always accompanied, I remember the smile in his eyes as we try and make him laugh. I remember the tears in his eyes as we said I love you everyday but most of all, I just remember the love from everyone towards an amazing soul. I remember his passing, I remember the wrecking sobs of my family and the cries as we watched the cremation. I remember the flood of memories that filled us as we mourn the loss of a beloved family member.
What followed for me personally were the sleepless nights and aching sorrows throughout the days. I remembered crying to Kelvin telling him I don’t want to go to Shanghai for business just because I didn’t want to spend a night alone by myself. After the funeral, I couldn’t sleep alone for a month.
March was a month of distractions- IoW visit, Ram and Ross wedding followed by Paris with HN. March was when I discovered F45, it was when the first draft of the risk competency was conceptualised in my apartment.
April was my trip to Osaka with Ryan, Aunty Connie and Mum. That was fun. Bella and my sis joined us in Hong Kong and we had a great BBQ session. April was also when I decided to be better in my fitness stats and got into this crazy obsession with measuring all my stats all the time.
May was when Sophia Hills was finally ready and I signed the keys to my second property in Singapore. May was also the highly memorable trip to Da Nang. Not because it was Sam’s first completed half-iron man, but because our relationship took a rocky turn then. Sam and I worked out our differences in our trip to Tokyo that month but we both knew we needed to be sure in our relationship if we wanted to make it work. We had the bangkok conference in May too which ended on a high note. May was truly a super roller coaster month for sure.
June was Change Voyage’s turn to shine with us winning a small but challenging piece of work, integrating the business canvas into a team building workshop. July was creative month with Alixir taking focus, designing the packaging and website layout. It also marked our final run for our change management workshop – a project that was running for 1.5 years. July ended on a high note, literally when I climbed Mount Fuji with Franck and Kelvin.
August began in KL with me on stage as a keynote speaker and a moderator. I brought Bella to USS for the first time, nothing beats the joy of seeing her face light up when the Sesame street characters. Milly came to visit us in HK and for the first time, I played multiplayer VR in HK and we ended up with loads of giggles and a cache of embarrassing videos. August marked my new foray into communications consulting with yet another new client for Change Voyage. Sam’s birthday was celebrated in style as always but Sue and I were proud of the Alixir mock up cards we drew for him as a gift. It was also an exciting month as I started my new sidekick position as Teaching Mentor in SMU.
We spent September in Spain celebrating Caroline’s wedding and hanging out with the family. This was probably one of the few trips I have ever taken where there was no rush, no deadlines, no lengthy car rides. It was relaxed wandering around the village and glasses of wine everyday. September also saw the ramp up of more communications gig and Sam’s experiments with the wood fired pizza oven he lovingly carried from London. I don’t know how many parties we have had since then in the 2 months we’ve set up the pizza oven. Hopefully there will be much more. I worked like crazy on a new bid in September, amidst trips to Philippines (where i was once again a moderator on stage), Hong Kong and KL. This was in addition to negotiating a no-deal with a 3rd party and securing Change Voyage’s supplier registration status that required a full financial reporting all done in the space of 3 days. September truly proved the impossible of what we can achieve if we are desperate and resourceful enough.
October – more pizzas, gear up towards the Tokyo conference where I presented on stage in Japanese and what was to me, the most successful conference for PARIMA so far. October was the month of competency where my energy was solely devoted on those damn skills definition and leveling criteria. Lots of NOC, Lots of F45, Lots of SOHO (Small Office Home Office) set-up. Re-branding of PARIMA’s brochure, winning yet another bid for Change Voyage.
November in Bali, partying with Sam and friends, riding a bike and exploring the beauty of Bali and surfing and actually enjoying it! Bali was truly a memorable trip. November was yet again preparing for another bid, staying on my own in a hotel for a week in Singapore, finishing my term in SMU mentoring the students in their project work. Non stop flights between Singapore and HK to ensure I was in Singapore every week to be there for class every wednesday and Thursday 7 to 10pm. November was also the month Chris and Sue flew over to Singapore and then to HK. A treat for them to be around, we took them to Marina Bay Sands, Garden by the Bays, Jumbo Seafood, Chicken Rice, Hawkers, art and Science museum etc. We also in their words “spoilt” them when they came to HK for the next 1 week. I truly love having them around, especially bringing them to see Sai Kung, a good break for myself too.
Sam and I celebrated my birthday, our anniversary and Devin’s and Vic’s wedding in Borocay in the first week of December. The beautiful beaches with waters that can make you cry and dancing the night away. The next week, I flew to Thailand to be on my own for a few days where I checked into a Muay Thai camp and pounded boxing bags for the next 3 days, 4 hours a day. Koh Samui has definitely marked a special place for me, not just becuase of Muay Thai but also because I claimed back my independence and witnessed Jamie’s and Sabrina’s wedding too. It was absolutely heartwarming to be amongst friends and a group that danced in the rain, partied as one and genuinely love each other and celebrating life. I’m back in Singapore now working on yet another bid but i’ve just finished one week of intense brainstorming with my team members who all flew in from Philippines. And the year hasn’t even ended.
What else do I have? Well submitting our last bid for the year, a Ski trip to Tokyo and perhaps more memories along the way. We still have 15 days to go.
