No longer a ‘Guy Tai’: Working once again as Week 16 Ends.

Here we are close to the end of 16 weeks. Yes, 16 weeks. It seems to have gone by very fast. It seems we have been here much longer. It seems we have a long way to go. I think sometimes our “seems” are coming apart! Yes, things have been hectic these last few weeks and I have not had time for my weekly rants. Therefore, now that my workday is done (yes, I’ll cover the fact I work now), it is time for a little reflection. What the heck has been going on?

YAW is still struggling with work. Maybe juggling is the more appropriate term actually. I don’t think either of us thought a 40-hour workweek would become such a distant memory, like the thread of a happier time tugging away at the back of your mind. Aaaah, remember a 9-hour day? Those were nice too! I don’t really write about my wife’s work but its crazy!! She is like a pet storeowner coming in after the monkey has opened the cages and the mice and cats are running around! You know those cats… Just think about your team and coworkers. If, within 2 days total, one tells you they are writing a resignation letter, another walks out and comes back a few days later and a 3rd does all they can so that the customer doesn’t like them and kicks them out, well how do you think that is working out?

The good news or at least my version of it? It is all coming to a head. It will either be a big awesome blowout or someone will finally come to their senses and support the wife’s plan to slow things down, smooth them out, and get it done! I am keeping a close eye. I could write several pages about the work issue. I have plenty of Kevin thoughts on this but I will refrain. She knows what she is doing. Let’s just say if I knew what this would be like and how it would impact my wife, I might be still driving a car down PCH.

Since we don’t have cars here, and I have to sometimes go to work now, I have been trying out the bus system. Once you learn how to read one of their maps, which looks like the pipe system in the basement of a hospital, it is very convenient. I actually took the bus today a whole 1.5 kilometers! I went to my first customer visit now that I am back working. It was pouring rain, as it tends to do starting this time of year, therefore a taxi to the customer and a bus back seemed the drier thing to do.

Three weeks ago I started as a contractor working for a previous US employer. They are continuing to expand in this region and knew I am living here. This means my three months of leisure (pool, gym, pool, mall, subway, food, mall, food, etc.) has come to an end. A few days after I started, I spent a week in Boston with the International team for their kick-off. This was great because I had to wear a jacket! It was cold out. I even went shopping at Costco. Oh that brought back memories.  I also had to pack and wear pants. Hello! Do they not know I didn’t wear pants for three months! Don’t forget the tie; I hadn’t worn one for 7 months! (I was very proud to do my last four months at the hospital with no tie). You should have seen the beard! I even had YAW help pick the twigs out of my hair before hopping on the plane. All that cleaning up was exhausting.

Ah Boston was fun. I met some great people, many in the regions near me, and it was worth the 4 airports, 3 plane rides, 30+ hours each way (as long as once a year, no more!). I also got to see my cousin who I had not visited with for a long time. I think 10-12 years! Not so good at remembering those past events (sorry sis).

But here we are, fully back and awake in the Singapore time zone. We joined the gym I mentioned in a previous post and spend several hours a week in our black outfits. I still think there is a secret room for Ninja school. I know some of the classes feel like their testing my tolerance for pain. It is a great gym though. We can go at 6:30 PM and the classes don’t feel crowded. I highly recommend a visit to Pure Fitness if you are in the neighborhood.

Things are progressing. I spend my time working at home, getting caught up with software and systems I have not played with for a few years, while YAW gets up and goes to the Octagon for a bit of business warfare. We are settling in. Now we have to get off our duffs and start calling the people we have met since arriving here. Well, that and go see James Bond this Sunday. Yes!! Bond, James Bond.