Day One in the USA - San Francisco!

I'm officially here.  In the USA.  San Francisco, to be exact. Like, finally. I mean, considering how I've been saving up for four years, ever since my childhood friend Johanna migrated here to start her own family... It's almost surreal.  But the cold wind nipping my face when I walk along the streets, the boots clipping the tiled sidewalk, and the huge shopping outlets lining the roads are proof enough.  Not to mention the cute ang moh guys round about.  It's gonna be lots of city hopping, this first trip.  Fun activities and hanging out with friends in different cities. And yes, I am happy. And excited. Exploring new places in different countries and experiencing new things stirrs my blood. :)  Today, San Francisco; tomorrow, Las Vegas! PS. pardon the formatting of these posts.. iPads apparently DO have some limitations! Grr... :p

Thoughts from among the Clouds

Long flights are a brilliant time for thinking and reflection.   Not only are you physically forced to remain in a constricted area due to the plane's size, but the fact that you are thousands of feet up in the air allows a sense of mental detachment from earth and the little world of our own where there are thousands of things to distract us. After months of silence on my little space here, I finally have time to sit down and properly translate my thoughts and recent events into words on screen. Life, as always, has been an incredible journey.  It has been weeks of nonstop work, school, events, and activities.  That, for one thing, has not changed.  To a certain extent, I have gotten so used to the crazy pace that when I have a rare hour to myself, I almost don't  know what to do or how to pamper myself.  It has also been a time of growth for myself as an individual, as life provided me many opportunities to learn and experience new things.  In work, I got experience working with bigger companies than those I worked with last year.  Receiving the position of Key Accounts Manager at the start of this new financial year has allowed me room to grow and improve while expanding my range and expertise in this industry.  I've also started to reap some rewards from the hard work I had been throwing into my cases for the past months.  My biggest milestone was sealing a half a million dollar deal with one of my customers in November.  With exams also in November, I have completed my second year of part-time studies.  The time is flying by faster than I expected, and i am now past the halfway mark to getting my degree!  It's not been all work and no play, however.  There has been those awesome times spent meeting ups with friends, spending time with loved ones, Christmas gatherings, the annual gift exchange within our family (thank you for all the thoughtful gifts!), Wakeboarding sessions, helping out with Girls Brigade, and of course.. The FX Christmas party.  More pictures next time, but for now, suffice to say that our team came in top 3 (even with the challenging theme of Bollywood) out of 7 contesting teams! I am so proud of my team for their efforts and contributions to put up a good show.  And thanks to my awesome friends and colleagues who voted for me, I also received the prize for Best Dressed at the party! I daresay I've fallen in love with the sari now, it is such an amazing piece of cloth. ;) New friends made and old friends cherished.. I have felt sadness, loss, happiness, fear, and achievement...but most of all, I have felt GRATITUDE.  I am blessed with so much.  I may not have everything, but I have enough. My new year's resolution is to spend more time with my loved ones.  Life is crazy and has a way of rushing by like a river, but I am determined to strike a healthier balance with my time management and stay true to my libra instincts. ;)