2011 in short

Last day of 2011. The year ends in another 1 hour 45 minutes. It’s the end of a good run in darlie, and I’m really blessed to have had the good fortune of starting out there. The new place takes over on Tuesday and I guess it is normal to feel anxious about the unknown. However change is the only constant in life and it’s good to be forced to move around so that you never get too comfortable with your situation.

The world has changed so much, and the way we use technology is different from just a few years ago. So what gets to stick around? Very little and there’s only your memory to go by. Even then collective memories disappear after a while.

Here’s to a safe, healthy and kind new year. Never the one to make resolutions, I’m just happy to make it through to the next year.

Change is afoot

Having been away from this for so long, it feels odd to want to keep this going. Just back from a fantastic holiday in Perth, feeling energised. It was amazing to have been able to see Jupiter and some of her moons through a telescope (my first time seeing anything through a telescope). It was nice spending time with the kids and the acute sense of loss after arriving back home is palpable. I am still withholding my feelings about the impending change in 1 months’ time, now that I know what’s next.

I don’t know what to expect, just like every other time when change is afoot. Perhaps it’s best not to dwell on such matters, nor over-worry that things will be disastrous, because I think things always turn out ok.

It’s been a great run in Darlie and I think I’m going to miss everyone.

It’s been good

I have stopped posting for too long. Maybe I’ve been caught up with work and can’t muster enough energy to type anything, or maybe it’s just that I’ve nearly stopped using my trusty laptop which is far too ancient.

Maybe I should download the wordpress app to facilitate entry-typing on the iPad.

What has transpired over the past 6 months of absence? There was a nice holiday in Europe in June. There was the blitz of interviews in May/June, which I will know of the outcome in October. There is the never-ending work, which I am still enjoying (most of the time), except for foul Mondays. I think my temper is rather short on Mondays and I’m sorry some people have to bear the brunt of it.

So bopefully i will be a little more active on this space. After all, it’s been good to me for so long.

Clueless

Hardly any posts because I haven’t have had much to say. There is some strangeness at work, but I’m trying to push it out of sight because there’s just too many things to look into. Sometimes I wonder if everything that is happening, is worth the effort or is it just a futile exercise that benefits no one.

I really am not sure of what’s going to happen next. Am I that clueless or am I rudderless? One of these days I’m going to have to find out.

Nesting

The long 4 day weekend is coming to an end. It was extremely productive, having cleared a huge pile of backlogged work. I’m pretty sure there isn’t such a word as backlogged. I’m beginning to understand why it’s difficult to sustain this level of energy without having any breaks in between to mix things up a little.

It takes me a while to feel comfortable enough to build a nest and roost, and when the nest is nearing completion, the bulldozer comes along and razes it to the ground. I haven’t heard the bulldozer, but it’s there in the distance. Would the next nesting spot be warm and inviting? Then again, where would the next spot be? Out where the vultures lie in waiting?

I always say that I would read my previous entries but I never get down to doing it, partially because I lack the drive to get down to it and also because I don’t see a point.

If so, the only reason for keeping this going is a sense of nostalgia, for the years that have passed by, for a time when things were different. It’s startling when you count with your fingers and realise that you have ran out of digits.

Odd Feelings

A little scary to see how quickly time flies. I’m trepidated all of a sudden, and I can’t explain why. Am I enjoying myself at work? I can’t bring myself to give a resounding yes as an answer. Somehow something doesn’t feel right. Is this what life has to offer?

Virgin post using ipad

2.5 hours to go before the start of a new year. Somehow the work engine has started to crank up in speed all of a sudden over the past 3 days. Feeling a little overwhelmed by the amount of planning because I have procrastinated for far too long. This is not a good occupation for procrastinators. You end up with too much piled up.

As a first, this is my first entry typed on my iPad. This blog has come a very long way and I’m hopeful it will continue to exist.

Any wishes for 2011? I don’t usually make wishes so I’m going to leave it as that. Yes, the early entry just means I’m not going to wait up till the clock strikes 12. Too old for that.

I have an outstanding Entry about my december holidays which I suppose I must write it over the weekend. Else it will never be written. So here’s to another good year ahead. 2010 hasn’t been too shabby. And I thank the people around me for it.

Anachronism

I haven’t a clue what I’m going to write about. It’s an attempt at trying to keep a record of what’s been happening. I finished 1Q84 Volume 3. Perhaps Murakami is going to write a prequel or a sequel to the series, for there are many unanswered questions. But I think I’m happy reading Murakami in Chinese, given that its publication date is earlier than the English translated version.

Admittedly blogging is very 2000s. As we make it over to a new decade, there are numerous web 2.0 tools that we can exploit and utilise in our lives. Of course, it should be incorporated into the classrooms as well. Somehow we are trapped in an anachronistic classroom (I feel that way sometimes).

1 more week to the holidays to escape from the tedium.

Reading

Sigh, I always end up spending too much money at the bookstore.
I have 5 unread books now.

1) Murakami’s 1Q84 Vol.3 (1/3 through)
2) Jonathan Safran Foer’s Everything Is Illuminated
3) Howard Jacobson’s The Finkler Question
4) A Primary 3-level reader in Japanese
5) 500 Essential Japanese Expressions (JLPT N1 – JLPT N3)

Clearly, I have 2 months to blitz through Books 1 to 4. It’s really the only time when I have the space to read books.

I’m thinking if I should get a new camera or a new laptop next year. Waiting for the new MacBook lineup to be announced in 2011. If they make that announcement, I think it’s a good time to replace a laptop that’s already 5 years old. Of course, the utility gained from the laptop would be much greater than one from the camera. But my camera is 8 years old. Hmm… it’s amazingly durable! It definitely pales in comparison to the array of cameras available today, but it’s still trusty.

Right, I should stop thinking about these equipment! They are money suckers.

Triumvirate

When so many people tell you things about themselves that involve other people you know, does it come to a point when you can no longer hold everything inside and something leaks out?

Or it becomes no longer pertinent that it recedes into the recesses of your memory?

Or it fades with time and it becomes no longer of value to tell anyone else about it?

It’s the season to take stock of the year and when that time comes along, we usually reconsider our options. Well, I don’t think I have much of an option at this moment in time. There’s some room for negotiation but apart from that, there isn’t any leeway for major changes.

I’m happy for now, maybe that’s because of circumstances beyond my control. I can’t control the way people think or behave.