(2038) After 5 months..
I figured I was taking so long to update the last segment of the previous post I might as well write a new post almost 6 months after the event. (increasingly procrastinating on blogging)
Let me quickly get the updates down from the last few months after coming back from Paris. Blog post about the wedding still in draft mode and pending...
1. Missed life in Paris terribly after we were back. Highly motivated to learn French again and I'm proud to say I've completed the Duolingo French lessons! (48% fluency according to them heehee) I'm trying to aim to pass the APEF test level 3 by end of the year. - plans to do this have been postponed due to the extremely time-consuming nature of point 3 below.
2. Job ended (again) because the overall contract between the companies were not extended again. With the previous experience, this time I noted down all necessary set up userID and passwords and backed up all my stuff so that I could still use the laptop before the MS alias was removed again. Of course, all files saved to OneDrive so nothing was lost.
3. Spent some time enjoying all the free time again thinking if I should find a real job in Japan and while I was wondering, 2 projects dropped on me. Since they were stuff I could do anywhere, and on my own time, and an acceptable level of pay, I was more than willing to do these. However, the deliverable for both projects are quite time-consuming actually, and I realised I don't have that much time to do the work even though I'm supposedly a housewife. After pottering about the house, the day just doesn't have many hours left. - After 3 months of doing this, realised this is crazily time-consuming. The weekly quota of work takes 4-5 hours a day to complete and that's if I am in full concentration mode. ARGH!!!
4. We just went to Hokkaido, Asahikawa/Biel/Furano Area for a short weekend trip (sort of a bucket list thing) and the place was beautiful. I had been feeling slightly down (for no reason, maybe just the general aimless feeling of life and the weather being so hot lately) and the trip being super free and easy cheered me up quite a bit. Of course the beginning of the trip was ruined by bb tantrums (because her dad was around) but they got better towards the end with all the beautiful flowers.
5. We deposited the bb at her Grandparents' in Singapore and went to Koh Samui for a much awaited couple trip. Even though it's Koh Samui, we spent about 10 days doing absolutely nothing (I read finished maybe 5-6 books there by the poolside and our days were just swimming, eating and reading.) Good weather most of the days, it was a much-needed trip to just get some R&R away from bb and recharge alot. Only grouse was that the hotel had really bad wifi - which does not help me relax but causes me more irritation instead.
6. From Koh Samui, we headed back to SG for a day or so before heading to Busan for Mr Chan's wedding (without the bb) ! So happy for him! (Finally I'm not the only one who's married a foreigner!) We headed in one day early thinking we could sightsee a little but it turns out that day there were major storms and we were just rained out. The taxi system was horrible (similar to the uncivilised way in China of just trying to snatch as fast as you can w/o a queue..) and in the rains, it was 10x worse. In the end we just became drenched ducks and headed back to the hotel after dinner w/o much hope for the next day. The wedding day turned out to be bright and sunny, which was great! The wedding was in the hotel though, so not much difference even if it rains but at least the atmosphere was cheery. The whole event was quite interesting, somewhat similar to the Japanese way, alot of crying by the mums but less emphasis on special effects and more heartwarming performances by family members. Food was pretty good, we were so full we could barely eat at the dinner which was a buffet.
7. After that, Ryo went back to JP from Korea, I went back SG for the whole of September and with the DTL up and running, it was so convenient to go anywhere and very hard for me to come back to JP. Pokemon were alot more available, Pokemon-playing friends were more readily available too, and even though I was mostly doing work at home during the weekdays, it was just different being in a country where I can readily ask friends out for meals or just wander around in slippers and shorts all the time without feeling concerned if I was doing anything that was being inconsiderate. The library was fantastic, I had help from the village with bb, and I had a social life again! Sighz... I am finding it more and more difficult to come back to JP as the years go by..
8. Ryo joined the Osaka marathon this year! I felt quite lazy to support him after the hiatus of being a supporter for the past few years, but as the dutiful wife, I went with him to the expo and of course brought bb around the routes at about 5 stops to cheer him on. It was surprisingly easy somehow this time, maybe because I wasn't rushing, and I didn't have to carry bb. She just followed me around happily, and I prepared paper for her to sit on the ground when waiting (great idea by moi..) The only worry I had were toilets but luckily I thought ahead of time where we needed toilets at less crowded spots and there were no accidents.
9. Went to Tokyo in Nov for a few days to meet with friends there, because the hb had the weeklong trip which coincided with his birthday. It was good to just have a change of environment and enjoy different air in a different city for a while. If only there was a bit more time, but was good to catch up with the folks there.
Plans for the last 2 months of the year.. Just hoping for a quiet and not too cold winter, perhaps, even though I haven't seen any autumn leaves yet! More time to be a better teacher to bb in her homeschooling, I am always surprised to get any progress from her when I haven't been teaching her anything. With all my time now trying to finish work, she is mainly just doing Kumon/Gakken books and I have been lazy in reading to her plus I'm a very impatient teacher. But she can read a little (which surprises me.. maybe by osmosis somehow haha) and even remembers some Chinese poems my mum thought her, so maybe I just need to put in more effort to teach her.
Let me quickly get the updates down from the last few months after coming back from Paris. Blog post about the wedding still in draft mode and pending...
1. Missed life in Paris terribly after we were back. Highly motivated to learn French again and I'm proud to say I've completed the Duolingo French lessons! (48% fluency according to them heehee) I'm trying to aim to pass the APEF test level 3 by end of the year. - plans to do this have been postponed due to the extremely time-consuming nature of point 3 below.2. Job ended (again) because the overall contract between the companies were not extended again. With the previous experience, this time I noted down all necessary set up userID and passwords and backed up all my stuff so that I could still use the laptop before the MS alias was removed again. Of course, all files saved to OneDrive so nothing was lost.
3. Spent some time enjoying all the free time again thinking if I should find a real job in Japan and while I was wondering, 2 projects dropped on me. Since they were stuff I could do anywhere, and on my own time, and an acceptable level of pay, I was more than willing to do these. However, the deliverable for both projects are quite time-consuming actually, and I realised I don't have that much time to do the work even though I'm supposedly a housewife. After pottering about the house, the day just doesn't have many hours left. - After 3 months of doing this, realised this is crazily time-consuming. The weekly quota of work takes 4-5 hours a day to complete and that's if I am in full concentration mode. ARGH!!!
4. We just went to Hokkaido, Asahikawa/Biel/Furano Area for a short weekend trip (sort of a bucket list thing) and the place was beautiful. I had been feeling slightly down (for no reason, maybe just the general aimless feeling of life and the weather being so hot lately) and the trip being super free and easy cheered me up quite a bit. Of course the beginning of the trip was ruined by bb tantrums (because her dad was around) but they got better towards the end with all the beautiful flowers.
5. We deposited the bb at her Grandparents' in Singapore and went to Koh Samui for a much awaited couple trip. Even though it's Koh Samui, we spent about 10 days doing absolutely nothing (I read finished maybe 5-6 books there by the poolside and our days were just swimming, eating and reading.) Good weather most of the days, it was a much-needed trip to just get some R&R away from bb and recharge alot. Only grouse was that the hotel had really bad wifi - which does not help me relax but causes me more irritation instead.6. From Koh Samui, we headed back to SG for a day or so before heading to Busan for Mr Chan's wedding (without the bb) ! So happy for him! (Finally I'm not the only one who's married a foreigner!) We headed in one day early thinking we could sightsee a little but it turns out that day there were major storms and we were just rained out. The taxi system was horrible (similar to the uncivilised way in China of just trying to snatch as fast as you can w/o a queue..) and in the rains, it was 10x worse. In the end we just became drenched ducks and headed back to the hotel after dinner w/o much hope for the next day. The wedding day turned out to be bright and sunny, which was great! The wedding was in the hotel though, so not much difference even if it rains but at least the atmosphere was cheery. The whole event was quite interesting, somewhat similar to the Japanese way, alot of crying by the mums but less emphasis on special effects and more heartwarming performances by family members. Food was pretty good, we were so full we could barely eat at the dinner which was a buffet.
7. After that, Ryo went back to JP from Korea, I went back SG for the whole of September and with the DTL up and running, it was so convenient to go anywhere and very hard for me to come back to JP. Pokemon were alot more available, Pokemon-playing friends were more readily available too, and even though I was mostly doing work at home during the weekdays, it was just different being in a country where I can readily ask friends out for meals or just wander around in slippers and shorts all the time without feeling concerned if I was doing anything that was being inconsiderate. The library was fantastic, I had help from the village with bb, and I had a social life again! Sighz... I am finding it more and more difficult to come back to JP as the years go by..
8. Ryo joined the Osaka marathon this year! I felt quite lazy to support him after the hiatus of being a supporter for the past few years, but as the dutiful wife, I went with him to the expo and of course brought bb around the routes at about 5 stops to cheer him on. It was surprisingly easy somehow this time, maybe because I wasn't rushing, and I didn't have to carry bb. She just followed me around happily, and I prepared paper for her to sit on the ground when waiting (great idea by moi..) The only worry I had were toilets but luckily I thought ahead of time where we needed toilets at less crowded spots and there were no accidents.
9. Went to Tokyo in Nov for a few days to meet with friends there, because the hb had the weeklong trip which coincided with his birthday. It was good to just have a change of environment and enjoy different air in a different city for a while. If only there was a bit more time, but was good to catch up with the folks there.
Plans for the last 2 months of the year.. Just hoping for a quiet and not too cold winter, perhaps, even though I haven't seen any autumn leaves yet! More time to be a better teacher to bb in her homeschooling, I am always surprised to get any progress from her when I haven't been teaching her anything. With all my time now trying to finish work, she is mainly just doing Kumon/Gakken books and I have been lazy in reading to her plus I'm a very impatient teacher. But she can read a little (which surprises me.. maybe by osmosis somehow haha) and even remembers some Chinese poems my mum thought her, so maybe I just need to put in more effort to teach her.
- booboogal scribbled @ 2:00 am
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1 Comments:
Nice blog! Inspired by your travels!
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