Choices

We make choices everyday, choices about what we wear, where we go, what we do, what we eat, who we see.

Having worked in somewhat healthcare related projects over the past year and a half (unfortunately not doctors, more the planners and strategists around the concept of healthcare), there has been growing awareness about exercise and food choices which we make on a day to day basis. When you're faced with questions on a population level basis i.e. "How can we change the behaviour and habits of a certain subset of the population who never exercises, never stretches, eats nasi lemak every day for breakfast and wonders why they have diabetes/high cholesteral/stroke...-.-". Seriously people.

It's a choice, life has always been choices, despite the inherent boundaries which we are born with, we can and do find ways to work beyond that. I am intolerant of the people who rant about their situation but when asked to confront or do something to change it, back away almost immediately. There is absolutely no love or empathy for me in that situation, in fact I'd likely be more peeved than anything else.

This is also a reminder to myself, that, exercise and fitness isn't done for the sake of looking good, it's as much about feeling good and feeling strong and truly inhabiting your body and being able to push it to its maximum capabilities. This is why I exercise and this is why I dance and yes, in the middle of crazy projects where every day sucks bits and pieces of your soul, being able to remember that we are a physical being (and not just our brain and eyes) is so, so important. Confront the pain, push through and challenge yourself.

Back to Bootcamp it is. 

Of Beer and Crabs

I was always an awkward teenager. I don't think there's any way to deny it, but teenage years sucked between the acne, glasses and untameable hair.

Somewhere in between stuff grew out. The hair became far more versatile, acne finally cleared post uni with a dosage of Roac and the glasses was the last to go at the ripe old age of 25. Despite that, there's another set of worries coming about such as the impending wrinkles and tired eyes that don't seem to be going away. There really is such a thing as wearing your age on your face, and apparently I'm a bit too readable.

But obviously this is probably the top of the curve and it's all downhill from here, man I really need to be more optimistic.

Had a great time last weekend catching up with someone that I'd only really met in the earlier part of the year, but sometimes you do realise that you click with people in sudden and unexpected ways. Barring age differences. Conversations about family, about life, about food, about dancing. When conversation isn't forced it is so comfortable and I've realised that people I click with all have family issues. Don't know what it is, maybe it translates into a certain personality that has learnt how to deal with adversity from a very young age.

Besides that tried my first AcroYoga class with C and dinner at Newton after before rushing back to get ready for Sunday's milonga which was fun, other than a very violent crash of heels of which I was not the recipient of. Oops.

Good weekend are of course followed up with Mondays from hell. The usual.

Back home this weekend, CAN'T WAIT!

Foodie trips

Had a quick getaway this past weekend to Ipoh and Penang with the Ethos bunch before the workload starts for the next 3 months. I foresee no holidays until Rinjani, but at least the dry-spell of no public holidays gets broken next Thursday, woot!

Went to Ipoh, ate brekkie stuff, waited eons for the chicken hor fun at Thean Chun before wondering around the Kong Heng/Plan B around the corner. Left for Penang, stopped by Jalan Penang for Cendol and Assam Laksa, then got into the hotel and promptly ended up by the poolside sipping cocktails. Seafood dinner finally arrived at 9:30pm and was gone in 10 mins flat before we went for a foot massage and realised that some of us are super sensitive to pain.

Woke up at 8 to play tennis with the boys before walloping a huge breakfast and floated dugong like in the pool...sat around for awhile more since checkout got extended to 2pm. Drove into town and past Karpal Singh's house, found Ayer Itam Assam Laksa, Mua Chee and amazing sugarcane juice which I promptly spilled all over myself. Also the cleanest public toilets in Malaysia.

Passed out on the way back to KL, before ending up eating dinner in TTDI-yet again, hungry.

Was a good trip! Off to Sg for more project work in the upcoming weeks, ah the travelling life of a consultant, airports need to be closer to home!!!

Mad Men Finale

I cannot believe it's the start of the final season. But before I start lamenting the end of one of the greatest shows I've watched, there's still a full 7 episodes to predict, dissect and figure out for this year and 7 more for next. Shows and books often show you why it's better to leave things to the imagination rather than being too literal, after all, the moment it lingers for too long then it plunges into being quite a bit boring and more like real life than anything else.

It was painful to watch the opening. Don don don, like Harvey Spector but 40 years previously, confident, mysterious, old school charm and looks-left broken on a lonely apartment balcony on a wintry January night. Eeps, how far you have come.

"Mad men is a show about how we never really get over our own shit, instead, the best any of us can do is learn to accept our shit and work within the boundaries of our own paradigms."~tomandlorenzo

Under a starry sky

Sipadan Jan 2014

I am facing a dotted night sky, as clear as only island skies can be. Free from smog and light pollution that blanket a city skyline, the stars come out to play, sparkling lights on a black canvas, irreplaceable by the flashing bulbs of the tallest tower.

Waves lap back and forth, surging, rippling sounds as they crash into the stilts below me and the band plays on with a screech, Coldplay's Yellow suits the mood to a tee. One of their many hodgepodge covers ranging from Richie Ren's "Dui Mian de Nu Hai" to Italian songs such as "La Bamba". Around me the village folks have come to their Saturday night Zouk aka Uncle Chang's, half drunk off cheap alcohol and dancing to Gangnam Style. You know you've made it when a village in the middle of the ocean knows how to dance your dance.

Shoulders acheing from hauling friggin heavy equipment, BCD's and the whole gamut of equipment, oh and my own fats and weightbelt obviously. Putting on flippers with equipment hanging half off the side of the boat and your butt balancing precariously on the edge while wielding your spit filled goggles and shoving your regulator in your mouth before entering the water upsidedown counts as an intense workout in its own right. So does exiting to get onto the boat and trying to put your tank into the right hole.

Other than that, pretty decent dives, but still didn't live up to expectations. I was expecting barracuda's by the thousands and big whales or something, but obviously life doesn't work like that. Got acquainted with tons of turtles and white tip reef sharks though, and a lot of beautiful wall coral. Stunning stuff, like hovering above a garden. 7 dives in, and back into the groove! Also staring into the vast unknown below and around you is totally scary. Utterly out of elements. Human's are so useless in water.

Good company, decent room, toilet and food and this was a fun trip. Relaxing tanning times and no sun burns, woohoo. Deep conversations under night skies and acquaintances become the people who know more about you than some of your lifelong buddies do. Life is often such a mixture of circumstances. Interactions as we trundle along on the tracks that overlap briefly back and forth, forward and back. 

Chase

I. Am. Quite. Exhausted.

Just a little. This year has been a disjoint and draining on a level that I've never quite experienced before. Bipolar too. Next time I'll just count my blessings and be done with it. If there's anything that this year has taught me, is that it has pushed to the forefront the realities that life is never going to be always the same and status quos always change.

So, hold on, because life is and has always been a bumpy ride, but really, make your choices and do your best with whatever you choose.

This weekend came off a high of wrapping up a busy piece at work and started out on a Friday with KFC, two cakes, satay and plenty of booze, finishing off with champagne in the pool, boisterous chicken fights-where I almost drowned- and a rambunctious game of Marco Polo which basically wiped all us 20 something's out. Man, what happened to playing in the pool for hours at a time?

This was followed up with a bridal party on saturday with spa dates and hi-tea at Carcosa, then a 12 hours tango marathon where we smashed the last record of 7am, finishing at 8am with pancakes and bacon (which I did not get any of). Passed out for 6 hours before heading to La Boca and DJ-ing at Radius where by that time I was totally uninspired to dance. It's true! Too much of a good thing isn't really good either...

Anyway, December. Jeezus, this year has just gone and disappeared down some black hole again.

Of Stag nights and Superman

Awesomely drunken night that I haven't reached the levels of, since Cancun 2010. When the world doesn't stop spinning after a couple of retchings, then you know you're truly fucked.

Pub golf 2/3 done, to be fair the bars were shutting already by the time we wanted to attempt #7 and not wearing heels was a good call on my part. Earlier that day did a 3 hour trek on Bukit Apek, 6 km and incredibly hilly slopes to a quiet, decent waterfall where we bumped into more people separated by 2 degrees of separation. Following that a hearty bowl of pork, pork, pork at Kui Lam after travelling through serai, durian, bawang lanes in Cheras. Awesome stuff man, the soup is extremely addictive.

As much as my time with Ethos has ended, it gave me awesome friends, that's for sure. Friends that started off as colleagues but soon became family really, seeing how they are the people I spent the most time with in the past 2 years.

To be alive. This is what it means.

Purgatory

I'm fighting a lot of inner demons recently but I'm sure I'll come out the stronger of it eventually.

Just to keep stock of what's going on:

1) Tango weekend next weekend with Wesak day+Tangoblitz starting on Thursday + Chinese Tea Ceremony on Saturday!
2) Skytrex + Wedding
3) Singapore with Lulu!
4) 2 week Europe Vacay
5) Stanchart Marathon
6) Melaka Wedding
7) Shanghai

This will last me the next 2 months. Chaos & Fun, here I come!

Hmmm

Random thought, but it's worrying when someone has to self-promote how happy they are. Seems a bit strained and...scary really, like delusional scary. Know what I mean?

Kind of how I had to convince myself I was happy and didn't care until one day I realize that the way to reach that wasn't by acting it out, but actually letting time make it a reality. Which it kind of has. Hmm.

Anyway, good girly weekend (after a psycho week of matching lands and delayed dinners), Saturday early morning runs around Bukit Tunku, Banana Leaf Rice + HnM shopping-Sephora rained in-makeup trying-perfume spritzing-blusher streaking-coffee n pastries-shisha St Patty's Eve, Sunday Briyani-nutella roti overload-subsequent comotose state-Genting Oldies and back to a Monday Bootcamp sesh. Phew.

WANTS WANTS WANTS. Too many wants huhuhu. =.="

A Letter to 2012

Hi 2012,

Dragon year, 24. The year the world would end supposedly. You started out so nice, a pool-side read with the Hobbit and book-ended with the Hobbit Part 1 movie at the end of the year. You were a year I wanted to seize, to capture and to note down every key event possible. A year for me to never say no, but rather be spontaneous and do things. Things that would look good on film, that would be dug out over and over again as memories of a 'time that used to be'. Whether it be sneaking on creaking balconies ninja-style at 2 am in the morning, weekend sojourns to luxury Bali estates, eating the best Gelato in the world under the shadows of monomental millenia old buildings, diving at temple of the seas'. I went around the world and back and had a great time all around.

I was sad you were leaving me really, at the cusp of the end I didn't know how to set goals anymore, I didn't know 'what next'. I wanted something different for this year, but I realized, hey, why don't I just continue what I've been doing. There really are moments that don't need anything changing, moments that are so spontaneous that all you can do is make sure you create the right circumstances for them to happen again. Like saying yes to almost everything.

Growth. That word would sum you up. Growth and challenges.

Goodbye. I will miss you, however I also know that you were a prototype of sorts. What next, what next indeed.

x

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming 'WOO HOO what a ride!'"
-Hunter S. Thompson 

Now 2012, what shall I do with you?

1) Get promoted
2) Run a half marathon
3) Travel to someplace new
4) Kick bootcamp ass!
5) Keep saving money!  
DONE!

Silver bells

Hear the snow crunch
See the kids bunch
This is Santa's big scene
And above all this bustle
You'll hear...
Silver bells, silver bells

Picturesque scenes taken from the 5th floor window of Apt 507-721 South Forest, Ann Arbor. Earlier while ordering my Mario Badescu, I was digging through old emails to find my original signup address, and for a moment smiled as I remembered the tons of packages that would come knocking on 721 S. Forest every so often.

I signed my painting 1/11/12 and only just realized yesterday that it should have read 1/12/12. It has only just hit me that it's already December, I don't know where this year went, and I always repeat it, but this year has been nothing short of eventful.

Jan:  Resolutions, bootcamp starts in a bid to fit into my skirts
Feb: Impromptu Bali lush getaways
March: St Patty's day, lost my itouch
April: Ong Shunmugam cheongsam making, family portraits, Shanghai visiting
May:Work crazies
June: Italy trips, tea times with friends
July: More Italy trips, KLASSICS reunited-KLASSICS un-reunited
August: Hong Kong visiting, Perhentian dive times, Italians visiting
Sept: Pool side chills, itching, Sashimi buying, white water rafting
Oct: Birthdays, crazy script shooting, cupcake making
Nov: Bangkok visiting, go-kart racing, saying goodbyes
Dec: Jlo concerts, art weekends, Christmas Parties and holidays, NYE with a bang

October Finale Weeks

Good workout this morning with ropes, running, burns, tyres, mud, sore. Sim tries to kill us everytime he sees us, I swear. But a good start to the week!

On the cards for this week: Penang work trip-ping, pedi-manis, Friday off work, b'day dinner, clubbing, shopping for heels, general pampering. Mmm, looking forward to it!

Italy

Duomo Milano

Working somehow has not diminished the idea of "Summer holiday" for me. Granted, this has turned into week long sojourns, but it's good how much you can really fit into that 1 week break if you really wanted to. So this years' destination was....ITALY!

Yes, Italy, gorgeous gorgeous Europe. I figured I've never really been on mainland Europe, save Austria and a day trip to France. But going around Italy was amazing especially when you have a friend doing all the planning/arranging/booking/buying tickets for you =P.

Oh Romeo, Romeo...

Started out in Milan for 2 days, first day was spent napping and went out for dinner at a bar place where for the price of a drink you also get a buffet spread of pasta/breads/rice etc. Then amazing pistachio ice cream and an early night.

Spent the next day tiring the feet out to the point, that we had to end up buying Birkenstocks!  Duomo climbing, oh was soooo gorgeous. Amazingly gothic architecture, castles, more gelato! Dinner across the little canal.

Masquerade!

Early start the next day to start the week long sojourn. First stop...Venizia!

After getting horribly lost in the small windy streets, we went for lunch and wondered around St Mark's Square for a bit. Checked in, freshened up, and up we went into St Mark's Duomo and the adjacent Doge's palace where we crossed the bridge of sighs and got lost a bit more in the cellars down below (the first of many times we get lost on this trip! Lost in alleyways, lost in prisons, lost in gardens, lost in Rome, lost in streets...yeah). Then up to St Mark's Campanile to take in the view from up top. Breathtaking stuff.

Japanese Tea Houses

Next day went to the morning markets. Eating cherries in the shade of the fish market on a Monday morning is a must do for anyone. So far removed from work! Then, on a hunt for Lonely Planet's recommendations of places to eat...only to find teahouses shut..as always. Also, Venice's roads on maps can be meter wide passages between buildings =S. Settled on a small restaurant instead, then taking water taxis down to Ca'Rezzonico museum, nothing too interesting in that one besides expensive rooms and Murano Chandeliers. Found Grom after that, and a lovely little Japanese themed teahouse (come to think of it, reminded me of AA Cafe Japon).

Bling Hoops

Modern Art Museum was tremendously different, horses stuck in walls, chandelier basketball hoops, prostitute themed exhibitions, clowns yelling at each other through TV's....enjoyed it immensely, just for the fact it was kinda grotesque!

The Pumpkin

Found La Zucca and had good pumpkin appetizers and a vegetarian lasagne. Ginger, prosecco and melon ice cream was something else. Proceeded to get lost in the streets of Venice with a full moon and not too much lighting, but before we knew it we had ended up back at the main Rialto bridge somehow. Ridiculous stuff.

Florence BnB's

Next day we bid adieu to Venice and it was off to Florence. The BnB was a GORGEOUS place, pale blue walls, terracota coloured flooring, a cooling breeze and a street-side view. Sigh, I could've stayed there forever. But yes, Florence! A little less touristy than Venice, but still quite touristy. Headed to yet another Duomo, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, this time a gorgeous little number with pale green and pink accents. Looked like a dollhouse really.  Climbed up the the top of the dome.

Perfection

Then to the Uffizi museum where we spent an hour+ queueing and another hour speeding past most of the pieces...main thing there was Botticelli's Venus. Other than that, I have no clue of appreciating art =S. Total fail.

Florence bridges

Took a walk to the bridge past dinner where sunsets start at 930pm. Was nice sitting bridgeside with a cool breeze and a 99% moon above.

Had a half day to kill the next day so we decided to choose the Boboli gardens and the Pitti Palace as our morning activity. Nothing too interesting in Pitti besides the amazing jewels and really nice dresses! Boboli gardens were way too big, steep and hot, not to mention so gravelly. I then also got lost in the Bardini garden for about a half hour.  Not enjoyable.

By the time we got to Rome I was slightly exhausted (highlight was sitting next to a guy studying William Blake). Dinner where we stuffed ourselves too much of antipasti to actually enjoy the mains! (veal half finished and the guy is convinced I can still eat). The Trevi fountain definitely made things more amazing. 3 coins and 3 wishes!

Sitting on the Spanish Steps

Next day consisted of Pantheon, Spanish Steps and Bernini fountain visiting, before the Vatican city for the second half of the day. Vatican museum was amazing, Michelangelo! Leonardo! Raphael! Sistine Chapel! Gosh. Too much to take in! Sat in on mass at St Peter's Basilica, definitely a highlight of the day! Ate fried artichoke at Giggetto, then proceeded to get lost trying to find Tango that night. :( unfortunately did not get to tango. boo.

Hello God, can you hear me?

Forum

Coliseum visiting and the Roman Forum the next day while navigating un-working subways due to strikes. Monumental crumbling structures requiring quite a bit of imagination and the Big House...original! Coffee at Sant Eustachio and final night in Rome with a dinner at Leoncino's pizza! mmmmm, then ice cream by the Pantheon while watching a march go by and capped off with people watching on the Spanish Steps. Such fun times!

Back to Milan the next day and meeting Mattio, a spot of shopping, last gelato's, 3/4 of Serendipity and a send off :(. Arriverdaci Italia! You were amazing.

Blackholes

Swirling instances of time passing, laughter, clinking glasses of wine, late night scrapbooking, pink toenails and slate grey fingertips. Hours and hours spent crunching numbers, flights to catch, moments away from this reality. THIS reality.

Running on a never ending road, being chased by zombies and memories of imagination. The silent pounding of half marathon runners at 6 am starts in the dark and rompe played at full blast. Pacing. Pacing. Pacing.

Goals achieved. Let's rewind this year again. More goals.


Now 2012, what shall I do with you?

1) Get promoted
2) Run a half marathon
3) Travel to someplace new
4) Kick bootcamp ass!
5) Keep saving money!

Jetset Lifestyles

New lifegoal=learn how to fly

I have found my latest motivation to earn money, jetset weekends to wherever I want to with no thought of money. (good god, I'm so far removed from YHO days that it's kind of embarassing =.=')

Weekend Bali trip on the tab of colleague with cancelled family vacations = the sort of lifestyle that I can only dream of living.

Friday excitement building and leaving for airport at 5pm. Buzz was inimitable and we were practically bouncing out of our seats around 4pm.

Got into Bali at 11:30 pm that night and was poolside by 12:30 am, mojitos in the pool and rose petal sprinkled bathtubs at 3 am.

The Istana

Woke up the next morning to a sunny beautiful day cliffside in Bali. Routine went something like this- breakfast, swim, BBQ lunch, massage, TV, capturing sunsets. Absolutely fantastic holiday if I must say so myself.

Cliffside views

Hot stone massages are also very different, not sure hot rocks suddenly landing on my legs constitutes relaxation, but it was good!

Amazing sunsets, missed the actual sun-setting by minutes but got fantastic watercolour clouds instead.

Sunsets

Ku De Ta for dinner and clubbing after, bloody expensive Risotto, delicious Peach Bellini, guess it's all in the vein of expensive holidays! Clubbing at h'uu after, however music wasn't really up to the tastebuds (trashy Ke$ha anytime) so decided to head back earlier.



Next day we did a little bit of shopping and walking around in Seminyak, new bikini purchased! Then off to the airport and an end to a fantastic, refreshing weekend. <3

Love this action shot!

Panorama

Finally

When you really concentrate on getting something done you can rule the world...

2 shelves, some lights, paint and a wall decal and my room feels oh so cozy and..mine. Like it's my taste and choices =). Now to finish that cross stitch!

Tyre lifts, sprints, sideways gorilla walking-bootcamp owned! Now to a 4 day weekend, ring making classes, waterfall adventures and bliss. So happy =)

Watercolour Sunsets

Ah, Bali, land of gods, chaotic traffic and a few too many Aussies.

This time round hectic-ness that extended into the wee mornings, surprising live salsa moments and tearing around dance floors laughing with friends. Late night pounding waves and running on beaches barefoot-ed under the full moons with beer highs. Mmm.

Frangipani drops over a beautiful swimming pool and night swims. Chaotic vacation but definitely memorable.

Reunions on friday, woot!

Hail to the Victors!

A day isn't really limited by the hours, it's more limited by the duration of sleep, and really, the necessity OF  sleep =). It's been a whirlwind of a weekend that started out with a drive down to Singapore and a beautiful hotel room with a way too amazing bath overlooking Singapore. Dinns with the family, a spot of Tango (which was rather disappointing, and reminds me that I REALLY need new shoes), and a 4 hour 'The Game' at a random golf virtual driving range with Sg Mich Alumni's.

Having an opportunity to sing The Victors is always gold. Surprising seeing how Football was definitely more than a nuisance than anything 'fun' when I was there, but there are some moments such as stepping into a filled Notre Dame game stadium and seeing the sea of maize that honestly takes your breathe away. Not to mention the excitement of a nail biting close call win that is forever exciting in the world of sports. Nothing comes close to that level of chaotic energy.

Good lunches at 'Wild Honey' and catching up over long convos of life and updates. HnM shopping and pouring thunderstorms on Orchard Road. MBS gambling and walks around the bay area at midnight. Then drives back home and birthdays over FishnChips and High School reminiscing.

Kickoff to another worldwind travel times soon, and I still want to catch up with you. Sometimes the swells of regret wave upon the shores of my mind and all I can is hope that the breakwater is strong enough this time.

多麼熟悉的聲音 陪我多少年風和雨
從來不需要想起 永遠也不會忘記 沒有天那有地
沒有地那有家 沒有家那有你 沒有你那有我
假如你不曾養育我 給我溫暖的生活
假如你不曾保護我 我的命運將會是什麼
是你撫養我長大 對我說第一句話
是你給我一個家 讓我與你共同擁有它 

Mad Men

Latest addiction of mine has to be this gorgeous TV series that provides so much food for thought across various aspects of intellectual curiosity-gender roles, fashion, norms, paradigms, historical events, wars, racial divides, workplace, family dynamics-

Maybe a throwback to perceptions of what the 60's were like from a glossy fictional standpoint. If anything, every decade can be distilled into key bullet points that when brought up, immediate identify exactly where in time the reference is to. I've often pondered whether each decade believes itself as cutting edge, and is shortly proven wrong in a few years. Case example: FB in recent years evolving with me during college times.

Anyway, mad men really is a rehash of a bygone era, curves and all especially addressing the roles of women and expectation of the era-the housewife, career girl and utterly delicious Christina Hendricks as the completely and utterly feminine WOMAN, who somehow manages to balance the divide between being in control and being female with all its connotations, shortfalls and advantages.

It's intriguing, because the one person that I would have thought I identify least with would actually be Joanie's character, especially in the earlier part where she's sleeping around with Sterling and I dismissed her as another airhead bitch. But she acts entirely like a man in her treatment of her very useless husband and is subservient to a point that isn't petulant like Betty, or awkwardly unfitting in a man's world like Peggy. Surprisingly it takes someone who on the outset seems to embody the feminine ideal to act like the one with the most balls of them all.

Somehow the series seems to indicate that things havn't changed too much, that issues we still grapple with are still around-that cars don't fly and NYC is still a very coveted place to work and live in. Ah, life. Thing is, if someone were to look back at GG as an embodiment of the end-of-21st-century-first-decade time, I would cringe because it is entirely superficial and quite ridiculous, yet at the same time, quite an accurate parody of current times in some aspects.

God I love this series. And Don is still a cad, and a very hot one at that.

Musings

One thing that starting a job and moving past the eduction system has taught me is that, beyond the boundaries of school-primary, secondary and Uni- there exists a world that doesn't care what grade you got, doesn't care what you've done up to that point in time, doesn't care of your past achievement, but cares about what you are going to do. Right now.

Grades stand as markers of achievement, as a signalling effect that you can achieve high standards and you will be held accountable to that. Every job creates a new slate-albeit with expectations from higher ups-but above all, the challenge should be to yourself and no one else. Set your own goals and tick the list one by one.

Somehow it's November already. Where has this year gone? The variety of subjects that I've covered this year has been rather astounding, as is the ease at which I forget information nowadays, because sometimes you just cannot, cannot, cannot care too deeply about everything w/o killing yourself in the process.

The depth of musing that occurred over the last stretch of senior year has been replaced by rather mundane worries-a daily trudge of sort that is alleviated by catching up with colleagues, the people who determine how smoothly your forehead will look, or how etched with stress it is going to be.

But thankfully it's been a blast-support support!

Also good bday with friends around, grown exponentially from last years birthday for sure-thankful to have everyone in the same spot for awhile at least. Transitions, all the time.

Also an ability to make friends quickly, to project your best face forward that is not hampered by teenage drama and gossip. It doesn't really change, no, you still get your stereotypes in the real world, but at least this time you're not trapped in the ecosystem of school for years on end.

I'm kinda liking this grown up messiness =).