Can't believe the year is coming to an end already. Things that I enjoyed/accomplished this year:

1) I finished the bloody thesis!!! It's like, finally! Took me forever to do that and managed to submit it one day before he deadline. No more going to library and read those boring shit. No more writing of those paragraphs of words that doesn't mean anything to me. Academic courses to get another paper? NEVER AGAIN!

2) LASIK. No more specs for me. Possibly one of the best, if not the best, things that I had ever done for myself. 

3) company trip at Club Med Bintan. So many people had been complaining about the trip. The location, the programme, the resort itself. To me, as long as it's out of Singapore, I am happy. I had organised such things and I know it's not easy. Choice of location depends on budget. Budget depends on the mood of top management. If the intention of the budget cut is to discourage us from organising such events, they are wrong. We, locals can still do it,  and enjoyed it, even though it's just a short one-night stay.

4) D&D. After 13.5 years in this company, this is the 2nd time I won a lucky draw prize. First time was during my first year here. Is this a sign of 有始有终? Does that mean this is going to be my last D&D at Sumi? The camera wasn't in my wish list but that's not the point. I enjoyed the D&D. The opening dance, the OMG, the people around me that night.

5) taking over of the KL office work. OK, this is not really much of an accomplishment per se. More like this big pile of shit was thrown at me. When the bosses announced that we are going to take over this thing, I smell the stink. In April (or was it May) when we officially took over, the shit hits the fan and most of it flew in my direction. It took me a few month to clear away the filth and smell. Now, not only everything is fine, I had also made some great friends in our KL office! A far cry from those days when nasty emails were flying to and from cross the Causeway. (note: the person who sent those nasty emails is not one of the "great friends" I am referring to)

All in all, the year was not so bad, although some things could definitely be a lot better. But I shall not be greedy for such kind of things. As long as my family, my friends and I are in good health, and no major problems, and I am still able to stay young at heart, that's all I am asking for.  

It's my 4th cruise and seems weird to me that each time I went on cruise, it's like a different stage of my life.

1st cruise: with wife (then girlfriend).

2nd cruise: company trip

3rd cruise: with wife, in laws, etc

4th cruise: with whole clan and this time, with 2 kids.

though the cruise itself is definitely not my kind of holiday, it's still a good place to go with kids. I like the idea of staying in a place near to the sea to introduce things like sea, sky etc. Anything that shows them that the world doesn't just consist of TV, books and Barney. 

It's a good thing that they like playing with water. Hopefully, this means it's easier for them to learn swimming.

or even be a captain and sail the seven seas......

I have no idea where did she learn this pose from. 

Boring it might be for me, the 2-night cruise is still way too short for me. It's hard to believe that I only escaped from office for just one day. Most of my recent holidays are way too short. I wish I can have a chance to just leave everything behind and go bumming around the world, exploring islands, staying at the beach and watching oceans all day long.

Still, I am glad that my kids had fun. That's the whole purpose of this trip. 

till the next holiday......

Been quite a while since my last entry. Nothing much seems interesting enough for me to remember. The highlight from the time of my previous entry till now is probably the company trip at Club Med Bintan (31 Jul-1 Aug). Many people complained about the duration and the location. For me, yeah, the duration sucks. Does the management really expect us to be happy about a one-night vacation? Can we even call that a vacation?! Before you even really relax and start to forget about work, back home, it's time to return to harsh reality.

But for me, the location sort of compensate any other shortcomings. Those who complained are mainly those who wanted to go a place that offers shopping. I cannot understand that. There's shopping here. People come to this country to shop. When we have a chance to get out, they still want to shop. Whatever happen to getting back to nature? There's a beautiful beach with nice sea water. Something that Singapore does NOT have. Don't these people like that?

I enjoyed the trip. Very much actually, even though there wasn't too much to do. Chatting with friends all day, catching sunrise (well, sort of), close proximity to beach. Sounds like paradise to me. Too bad, it's likely to be the last. Even if I am to be stuck in this fuck up company till next year, benefit like company trip is likely to be "reviewed" aka scrapped. It doesn't matter whether they compensate with a one-off cash replacement. Cash is king, yes. But it really cannot replace the fun in having a holiday with friends. Chances to go overseas is rare for me. I cherish every single chance of overseas holiday. It's something that I look forward to every year. And they have to take this away from me.

Appraisal is over and it sucks. Bonus time is over and the amount sucks even more. Hate it when others scrutinize my work and subtly compare me and others. Never even think of every individual is in different situation. Just glad that it's over and just have to think that I got bonus rather than what I had lose out.

But the worst had yet to come. It seems like punishment when they start dumping work on me. Taking over a more senior position's job scope with no real increment is just another big push factor for me. And to report to another joker who knows nuts about my operations is another joke of this stupid company. 

Hope they got all sent back to their hometown soon.