It has been a millenia since my last update. Things got so busy that I just didn't have the motivation to blog. So many things have happened since February.

1. My colleague quit on me. I always thought she'd be around longer, and I felt a little stupid and betrayed for having given up my secondment to London on the basis that she might not have been able to cope with the extra work so I delayed it. That was dumb. One should learn at work that it's every man for himself. Her last day fell on my birthday. Some birthday present.

The departure meant that the dynamics at work changed very significantly. I no longer have lunch or dinner outside 'cos I don't feel like eating with strangers. My new roommate doesn't really eat, so I've missed a number of dinners simply because I didn't really fancy going to eat dinner alone.

My stress at work has increased a little 'cos I now have to take a supervisory role over the new associates. The HR department deigned me buddy-material so I've been assigned buddies to 3/3 interns within 2 months. It all means increased responsibility. Stress.

2. I moved in. Another reason for the long delay was that I was busy trying to sort out what to do with my house. As a first time home owner, I had no idea what to do with the place. It took me 7 months (from Oct 2006) to decide what I wanted and to complete it.

Hunting for furniture was very stressful and took up most of my weekends. Most of the time was taken just to see things and discover what I like and what I don't like. Unfortunately, there is a great disconnect between what you like and what is a reasonable price to pay for it.

Anyhow, official shifting took place in May, which marked another milestone in life -- one of bills, bills and more bills. Being an adult is no fun I swear. I'm still glad I have my own pad and moved out of the shithole that is Tampines St 41, where the washing machine doesn't bloody work, the doors on the toilets cannot lock, the baby doesn't stop screaming. Ah, the bliss of silence. It's quite liberating to decide that I don't feel like washing dishes and therefore I will leave them in the sink until the weekend.

3. Months of hell -- these two months were really busy 'cos our European clients were busy trying to finish stuff so that they can go off for their summer holidays.

4. Concert preparations -- concert preparations started to pick up, and we got busy. I got to know some of the new people better and their characters and mannerisms. Some of them are really quite funny. One idolises the K with memorable quotes such as:

QUOTE

When the song ended, I can only stand in awe at the lone person standing in front of the choir... He is to us what Jose Mourinho is to Chelsea, what Rafa Benitez is to Liverpool, what Sir Alex is to ManU... He is (as they say in football) one of the best... Truly The Special One indeed!

UNQUOTE

aka God.

Another has now taken to calling himself God No. 2.

The newbies all have really great voices which makes singing with them quite enjoyable. Except when they go flat. Which is quite often. Gah.

5. Concert proper -- that was last Sunday -- we had our biennial concert at Esplanade. I thought it went rather well -- I enjoyed singing the first half more than the second half. 1st tenors forgot a line, so it was all I could do during performance to stop myself from reaching out to the tenor immediately in front of me -- that would be Calvin and junyi -- and strangling them. All in I thought we put in a credible peformance.

What's next? Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue. I think I might want to go to London in March for secondment, but I'm undecided.