Chronicle 80 - Reprieve

This is a very late post as I've been rather busy of late. I am writing this post from London. It's always an experience to put up a post overseas. I have now posted from Tokyo and London, and going by schedule, I might have another post from Rome next month. More details about London will come, but for now, let's backtrack to February.

Having survived for half a year with a phone that can't last more than 10 seconds in operation, I was mighty glad to finally change my phone. The new phone (Sony Xperia Z3) is wonderful for the fact that its battery life is 2 days. That is a huge plus on top of all the other features.

February was real busy at work but at the very least granted a Chinese New Year break. As usual, there was no pickup in CNY visiting activity as our extended families continue to drift apart. I don't even know how many nieces and nephews I have at the moment. 阿嬤啊! 

I took a walk through Chinatown with SO just before CNY. Haven't walked through Chinatown in ages but it was a pretty enjoyable walk. It was also pretty amusing seeing SO so fascinated with all the Chinese themes and vibes.

Our company has recently hired a senior journalist to be the editor of all content that we send out. So in a way, she is now the boss of us analysts. She came over to Singapore in February to get to know us better and seems rather nice. Hopefully she stays that way.

Technology usually brings with it changes in processes and the way things are done. However, these changes if not communicated clearly usually result in conflicts between the visionaries and the ones doing the job itself. For February, the analysts in Singapore belong to the second group. While pointing out some of the limitations (and my frustrations) of the new technology, I might have lost some goodwill there. What bad timing to be making enemies when I'm about to go over to London to meet them. At least it's getting better now, so hope things work out.

I went for badminton a few weeks back and as usual, the workout felt pretty good. It's also good that we now have a new buddy to play the sport.

On night, while JZ and I were working late, I asked her why she was so cranky since the start of 2015. She told me that she was going through some rough times of her own and that it wasn't personal. Good to hear that.

On Friday, my boss took me out for lunch and we had quite an enjoyable chat about London and some of my thoughts regarding working at Tulchan. I had to navigate some sensitive stuff around office politics but managed to keep the conversation casual and friendly. That evening, the analysts went for drinks to see me off and perhaps it was the influence of alcohol, but an interesting revelation was made that night.

I just reached London today and it has been a tiring journey. I tried my best to sleep on the 13 hour plane ride but just couldn't. Two Americans behind me were constantly trying to extend their legs into my seat; how inconsiderate. There were two infants on board that kept screaming too. When I finally reached the London airport, the immigration officer seemed pretty suspicious of me when I said I was in London for work and asked for supporting documents to prove I'll be working there. I didn't have any and just showed her my laptop with all the work emails in it. That took up quite a bit of my time; wonder if it's because I am Asian. It was quite a experience to walk out of the airport with your luggage and see sometime holding a sign with your name on it - although it's just the taxi driver. That felt good!

But a shock awaited me when I reached the hotel. Turns out that my company did not factor in the fact that I would reach on a Sunday and booked the hotel from Monday onwards. Thank God, they had a spare room for tonight and I paid for it first. I certainly don't want to be sleeping on the streets! I have underestimated the weather again. On Friday, Google told me it was 15 degrees. How did it drop to 5 degrees today? My dry skin is still acting up and giving me problems even as I type this post. Gonna need to buy something for that tomorrow.

A secondary school friend that I have not met for a long time would be meeting me in two weeks to show me around London. As she's coming from Portsmouth to London, she'll need accommodation while she's here. Looks like I'll have to give up the bed for her while I make friends with the floor during that weekend.

My vision is rather blurry at the moment. I am unsure if it is an effect of jet lag or if my eyesight is indeed getting worse. Anyway, I seriously need to get some rest as I'll be starting work tomorrow. In all my excitement of being alone in a foreign country, I must constantly remind myself that I'm here for work! All other entertainment though, is part of the package.

And one last thing, I received a text message from someone last week wishing me well for my trip. For some reason, that completely made my day.

[Quotes]
"Language… has created the word “loneliness” to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word “solitude” to express the glory of being alone." - Paul Johaness Tillich

"Sins cannot be undone, only forgiven." - Igor Stravinsky