Perspectives.

Exactly a week ago, I was sipping on a glass of wine with the sound of crashing waves in the background. Today, I'm home exceptionally early on a Friday with a stack of ozalids waiting to be proofread by morning. The contrast is fascinating - life certainly takes us places doesn't it? :)

It's been awhile since I had a small pocket of time to reflect back on the days gone by, and it seems like a lot has happened in the past few weeks. There's been a couple of rough patches on the personal front, but I do believe that the best way to live is to let the bad things go, and I think I've bumped my way through just fine.

Life on the work front's busy, as is the usual, but very exciting too with lots of new happenings. I remember my days as a communications intern at Sentosa when I had to constantly call writers up to chase for their RSVPs, and telling myself that I would never do that to someone else when I'm on the other side of the fence. Fast forward five years and I have become exactly that sort of writer. I always tell myself I'll try to sort my schedule out to see if I can fit the event in, only to forget about it entirely when work piles up.

Talk about ironic! But I'm trying to rectify that.

For now, it's TGIF (for a little bit) and back to work. :)

Walking in paradise.

Walking in paradise.

Falling asleep to the crashing waves outside my door and waking up to a private pool. Definitely not the kind of luxe I'd splash out on myself but man... it feels good.

In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high.

Now that I officially write for a living, writing purely for my own pleasure is no longer as cathartic as it used to be, but it is still a good form of release whenever and wherever introspection strikes.
I've been at this job for awhile now and it hits me, every now and then, just how lucky I am to be doing what I love. And I try as much as I can not to take it for granted and to grasp on to that tiny bit of magic beneath the daily grind. There are times when I bumble about trying to find my footing; others when things go so well I feel like I own it - the former keeps me in check and serves as a reminder of how much more I have to learn; the latter serves as a tiny pat on the back on my growth so far. Most importantly, the fluctuating balances keep me on my toes so I don't slip into a rut.

I will be embarking on one of my career's firsts in less than two days - something short, but nonetheless exciting, thrilling and just that bit nerve-wrecking. Thank you stars, for aligning the way you do for me. :)

Serendipity.

Serendipity.

It's beyond happenstance.

Normalcy.

Normalcy.

The thing about integration is that you can never remove one part without compromising the others. These interminable links and the unfamiliar need to watch my tongue in front of these others has tipped the balance. Where can I go where I need not fear the grapevine? Who should I turn to when I really just want to be me?

What's left after I've bypassed my support system to guilt and a weighing sense of responsiblity? I would like my life back but I'm not sure that's possible anymore.

30 days later.

30 days later.

It's certainly been awhile, slightly over a month actually. That's how long it took to document my entire Aussie trip but I'm glad that's done and I can get back to web catharsis. Several things have happened while my introspection was on hiatus, of which the most momentous would be starting work full-time. I can't quite believe it's been a month actually - I've gone full throttle from day one and time has whizzed by.

It was, as jumping headfirst into new situations tend to be, a little trying at the beginning as I struggled to find my footing (after a long vacation!), but I've since settled into the job. I guess I forget sometimes, especially when work gets really intense, how lucky I am to be doing and loving what I'm doing. I love experiencing all that my work exposes me to and there's so much to learn from the excellent mentors around me. Blessed I am indeed.

I have at the same time closed a chapter in my life. All that's happened this year has really got me thinking about what I want in life and I realised that I'm not willing to trade in the many things this relationship required me to in order for it to work. Right person wrong time or wrong person right time - I don't know. What I do know is that there's still that insatiable hunger in me to lead my life according to my own rules and I'm not ready to compromise any of it for anyone just yet. It's taken me awhile to get here but the freedom is liberating.

Stay tuned. :)