First Anniversary

It's quite a milestone, the first year in the workforce. As with most things, I went with my gut. I didn't get a lot of offers and when I got this, I accepted it readily. I didn't know that quite a few people interviewed for my position. I just thought that ti'd be fun to do communications in a steel manufacturing company.

No, but seriously. How cool is that! 

One year on I'm pleasantly surprised that despite the travel to work, which I despise, I'm quite happy working here. I can see myself staying on for awhile. I have my fingers in quite a few pies (very me). I've nice colleagues. I've had good opportunities. I learn something new all the time, interact with new people all the time. It's good fun.

That's what I think work is, I guess. I hope I'll be inspired, that I'd enjoy doing it. Every problem is just something that needs to be dealt with and not an obstacle. The tougher the job, the greater the satisfaction. I think I'm still getting the hang of that. Despite being grateful I still complain a bit at times! Need to tone that down. But so far so good.

Many good years ahead. 

Music in the UK

I cannot describe the thrill from downloading my favourite songs from iTunes.

I've been digging out a couple of old songs from memory. In the early '00s I was obsessed with the music that was coming out of the UK. There were cheesy #1s (yes the stations were forced to play Bob The Builder when Can We Fix It? became #1) and there were epic chart battles (S Club's Reach lost to Sonique's Feels So Good, which went on to stay #1 for 3 weeks). Those were the songs of my life and truth be told, not many of my friends were in sync with the music I was in to.

I loved the distinctly British sound and character, always quirky, fun, never taking itself too seriously, yet producing some of the most wonderful voices (Gabrielle and Simply Red spring to mind). There were the amazing dance-tracks that ruled the chart, those days were DJs could be number one with epic dance tracks that spun and gained fame in the underground before exploding into mainstream consciousness (Roger Sanchez's Another Chance, Rui Da Silva's Touch Me). There were the already mainstream acts like Atomic Kitten, Blue, Kylie and Daniel Bedingfield, S Club 7, who relentless notched up hits every couple of months. The Spice Girls broke up and found #1s - Geri Halliwell's Bag It Up, Mel C's I Turn To You, Emma Bunton's What Took You So Long?. Victoria Beckham bagged a huge, huge #2 with Out Of Your Mind (I bought the physical, CD single), losing out by a small margin to Sophie Ellis-Baxtor's Groovejet!

To me there's always a bit of magic in British music. Something unexpected, something surprising. The songs on the chart don't sound much like each other - it's hard to capture in a single adjective (except those Westlife singles, for which the word would be "bleargh!").

My favourite artistes (except Britney Spears) have all come from the UK. However it took a relatively young, unknown, dramatic songstress (not you Cheryl) to blow everyone worldwide out of the water with her amazing vocals very very recently. It's about time, you know, for British music to surface to English-speaking territories far and wide instead of rolling in the deep.

This Body of Mine

It gets on my nerves when people comment on my physique, thinking that I need to look a certain way, that I'm too scrawny and I need to bulk up.

With me it has always been function over form. I want my body to be able climb mountains, to react to danger, to play sports, to run marathons, to carry groceries. 

Yes, I may be vain at times. But I'm at the point in my life that the "look" isn't such a big deal any more. 

There's so much more to fitness and sports than fitting perfectly into a T-shirt. There's so much to be gained from pursuing passion, standing for something, displaying sportsmanship and from there, celebrating the human spirit. I respect my peers for being interesting, changing things up, keeping at it and not giving up. One of my friends is an avid runner. From participating in every single race I've heard, to travelling to Australia for a marathon and ending up in hospital, he is the kind of guy I respect. He has a story. His journey has meaning. His spirit is inspiring.

What I put my body through will not be for vanity. It'll be because I like being active. I'd like to let people know that they can push themselves more. I want to stand for something. It's the one thing that I had with me since I was young; it's the only thing that will be with me till I die. This body, bones, muscles, scars and all, is my temple. 

What I achieve with it will always be more important than how it looks. 

Half-Time Commentary

Half a year has gone past, swift as the wind.

Am I happy with how it turned out so far? Yes I must say I'm satisfied.  Have I done what I set out to accomplish? I've been like a leaf, going where the wind blows... so it's a half-half I think. Have I been outstanding and ridiculously proud of all that I've done. Not really. I believe that I could've done better in some aspects.

There has been some good surprises. Back-to-back trip to Phuket and then Darwin; there were also two trips to Bintan with my CS friends. Then the past few weekends flew by in a blur, with lots of loud music, fantastic beer and even better company. The fitness theme for this year is running and I've been running like crazy, possibly more than the past couple of years added together. Completed races and won medals. The most memorable were Urbanathlon and Sundown. They were great because they were difficult and completing them was such a rush. As for concerts, well, the high from witnessing Lady Gaga is enough to last the whole year! There were also two huge KKJ gigs that I went for. I'm glad they're back in a big way.

Looking into the crystal ball, it's going to be more of the same, but a tad more exciting. Three more races have already been booked, one of which, the adidas King of the Road, is in KL. That's in September. One month before that I'll be flying to KL but this time, to Taman Negara, the world's oldest tropical rainforest. I'm quite tempted to visit Bintan for another short trip to discover what I haven't had the chance to and Batam to cable-ski for a day. Also, more clubbing, yes, more booze, more dancing. 

Family's fine. Friends are fine. Work's fine. My health is fine. My financial health., er, will be like wine, and grow fine with time. The world of Pop is fine. 

I like how the year is unfolding slowly, revealing secrets to me about myself and my part in the world. Every step is a step in the right direction; every mistake is a step to perfection.