Had dinner with crochet guy earlier today, so that he could update me about my hospital insurance. did i mention he's now my agent for that plan? i figured since my cousin left AIA and i don't have a relationship with the replacement they assigned to me, i might as well choose someone who i know personally and interact with more often. he actually called me last night to tell me about the changes, and suggested we meet up so he could explain it more clearly since the deadline is 11:59pm tonight. i wasn't planning on changing anything (the new plan offers the option to pay cheaper premiums at the cost of a higher co-pay) and told him as much on the call. but since he suggested meeting up, sure. i'm generally happy to see him and it seems the feeling is mutual. we did dinner, the explanation, and he even dragged me to play the taiko game at the arcade afterwards. quite a nice evening, all told!

not exactly sure why, but i've been feeling that something's a bit off lately in the health/fitness realm. muscle aches aside, i feel like something is missing from my diet...and i can't identify what it is. that's manifested as a feeling of craving something. and in the process of finding out what it might be, i've learnt that it's not ice cream, not chocolate, not sweet drinks, not spice/chili, not chips, not nuts, not fried stuff, not baked goods. fortunately, that's most of the unhealthy stuff. on the flipside, it's not meat or vegetables, either. maybe it's a flavour or a category of food, like "things i can prepare within 5 minutes"? drawback is that those kinds of food tend to be highly processed. now that i think about it, it might be bread...more experimentation should help me confirm or refute that.

one kind of drawback about living alone is that i have to handle all the domestic things, like cleaning, laundry, etc. that's not so bad, but what's worse is that i'm also facing a minor cockroach infestation. i'm careful to not leave food scraps/remnants behind, but those buggers run everywhere when i'm sleeping and the lights are off. the bait/poison seems to have helped, but i still see the occasional dead body under the sink or randomly on the floor. worst was when i saw a dead one in my newly-assembled ikea drawer! thank goodness i'm not squeamish towards cockroaches, or i would have called an exterminator long ago. i have no idea how or why they're dying out in the open (and in the drawer), but it makes me think i should put some poison pods around my computer area. i also need to figure out organization solutions for my knickknacks, especially in the kitchen.

today's the last day of march, which means that i'll be submitting cases to my mentor again starting tomorrow. ambivalent about it as of now, but i think i should double check each case before sending it in, especially cases that i haven't looked at in a while. don't want too many rounds of review, since that would slow the process down. also good news to close out the quarter, my performance bonus came in! not as high as i was hoping for, but any extra money is welcome. a large portion of it went towards clearing scary JC friend's commission and paying my income tax, and most of the remainder will be put into savings and investments. i do plan on getting myself something nice and functional, which is/are an electric toothbrush and water flosser. wonder what dentist friend will say about my teeth at the next appointment...which is  this coming thursday. friday is a public holiday, but i still have tuition and possibly a gym session. didn't go to the gay bar last sunday, so i may make it up with an extra session this week. or not, which would help me save money. i guess we'll see how i feel closer to the day(s).

-random thought of the day: Be more active!-

Quarterly reviews haven't really featured very prominently on this blog, but i figured i might as well try it this year, since i've got important targets to meet and having more check-ins should help me spot any potential issues earlier.

before that, i want to talk about this past week. it's the second week of full work from home, and i honestly think it's a viable long-term option. but because the company has to justify renting such a nice office space, it's making us go back. while i do prefer working from home, i'm also not against the current hybrid model since it helps me get some social interaction in.

for some reason, i'm not feeling too good. just general nose symptoms and muscle soreness. if i had to guess at a reason for the former, i'd say it's the haze - i've noticed a burning smell in the air at night as i'm walking home from the gym. thankfully, air-con in my room seems to help keep it at bay. i'm more certain as to a reason for the latter, which is my gym workouts. not sure if i overdid it, but i've been feeling an ache in my lower back for the past few days. and the fact that my next workout is pull day (which includes deadlifts) makes me a bit nervous. well...while it's not my intention to slack off, i also need to recognize that training while my body isn't up to the task is a recipe for disaster. i'm going to try taking a 2-day break between workouts, which means that my workout days will vary from week to week. figure i can adapt.

ok, first quarterly check-in. officially, i'm slightly behind KPI on work, but i should be good due to the cases i have on hand but have not submitted yet. reason i'm not submitting them is that my group lead is moving into a new role, which means that i'll be submitting work to my mentor again come april. while i should get files back more quickly, my mentor's thoroughness means that there might be more rounds of amendments, which may slow the overall process down. will have to discuss/confirm expectations with her.

plan "tend the garden" is coming along ok, i guess. not losing as much weight as i'd like, partly due to putting on weight while in japan. gym is going well enough when i'm not achy. weights are getting heavier, i feel less dead after workouts. so that's progress. socially, the gay bar is doing wonders for my social life. meeting cute guys (and one cute girl!) and having some of them be interested in me is a huge ego boost. i've also realized, generally speaking, that people want what they can't have the most, ie. desire is proportional to scarcity. having established that some guys are interested in me and having done stuff with them, i now don't feel like i need/want to get every single guy i interact with in that setting into bed. it also empowers me to be more selective. and here i have to remember to stay kind, because i know what it feels like to be rejected.

in the next quarter, the plan is to keep up what i've been doing so far at the bare minimum, ideally improving on areas where i've been lacking. a couple of areas that come to mind are just physical activity in general, improving the quality of my work, and practising more impulse control in terms of snacks, as well as in general. i also want to start using my pens and do some writing. been saying that for a while, and i think it should be closer to fruition now that i've bought the ikea drawers. need to clean up my desk as well; the sea of paper is triggering my internal screaming. all in all, the trajectory's been good so far, and i hope it gets even better in quarter 2.

think i might go to the gym tomorrow, if my back allows it. i'll also plan to go to the gay bar; tomorrow night's theme seems interesting. apart from that, it's just work as usual next week. third (and last) week of working from home! we'll be on the new hybrid arrangement from the following monday onwards, which should be easy-ish to get used to. have to use the time to prepare files for submission to my mentor again, my KPI score needs a boost!

-random thought of the day: Odd ice cream craving now.-

Got back in the gym today after a long break. thankfully it doesn't seem like i regressed too much on weights; i either maintained or went a step lighter for the bigger lifts. i realize (again, for the umpteenth time) that the hardest part of working out is really overcoming the inertia to get out of the house and to the gym. one way to help myself is to make things easier when going to the gym - allowing myself to take the bus, for instance, then walking home.

also worked my mind out at the gym. remember i said that i had to find a suitable gym routine? i thought about it in between sets, and i think i managed to figure it out. the conditions are that i have to go to the office on mondays, thursdays, and one other day. at present, i'm thinking friday since i can leave my laptop in the office over the weekend. other considerations are that there should be at least one day between gym days for sufficient recovery. the current best (in my opinion) idea looks like this:

monday: work in office, take laptop home

tuesday: work from home, go to the gym

wednesday: work from home, tuition

thursday: take laptop to office

friday: work in office, go to the gym

saturday: tuition

sunday: go to the gym

this seems to be the best plan i can find, since it gives me some flexibility on my gym day (either tuesday or wednesday, thursday is also possible in a worst-case scenario). i've also accepted another tuition assignment, the one recommended by my JC classmate S. despite saying that i'm retired from one-to-one private tuition, the money looks good (pending final confirmation), and it'll only last until the O-levels, which is another half a year? so i figured that i'd take the opportunity to earn a bit more. the downside is that this plan contains a sunday gym day, which i kind of want to avoid as the PLQ area will be super crowded. but i figure that's a small issue.

ok, i really should shower and sleep. the coming week brings exciting things like my ikea delivery, having crochet guy over, potentially another gay bar visit, and more new cases for work! 

-random thought of the day: Need to get groceries tomorrow.-

During one of our late-night talks in japan, scary JC friend asked me if i could date a trans girl. not having the relevant experience at that time, i told her that i didn't know, but i think it would be possible if the trans girl had the right anatomy. after this week's experience at the gay bar, i can confidently say the answer is "yes". i met a trans girl who's on estrogen, and who hasn't had bottom surgery. from this encounter, i know for sure that i can be attracted to any gender as long as the anatomy is right. good to know! this one isn't a dating prospect though, she's a bit too different from me in terms of mentality. not to mention she's only 21, and she herself says she isn't ready to date. but i wouldn't mind getting to know her better as friends.

other gay bar stuff - met the cute bartender again, who was there but not working. he was sick, so no making out. kind of sad, but health over hormones. there was another cute guy, who seemed to be into me as well. i must admit, it feels good! but i noticed that i've gained a bit of weight thanks to all the eating in japan. need to start hitting the gym again! in more platonic news, we're (me and the cute guy) due for dinner sometime, to be confirmed.

work this past week was slightly below average. had a slightly prolonged back and forth with my group lead over one case, but we managed to send it out before the week ended. i think we cleared 3-4 cases over 3 days? i also submitted one more case, and have another 2 related ones to go. since they're related, i should be able to send my first draft in early next week. also need to ask for new cases soon. based on rough calculations, i'm probably slightly behind the promotion goal after the one week break. catching up should still be doable at this point.

yesterday was 20 march, which means the transfer results for schools in kochi is out. i saw the transfer list this morning, and noticed that the english teacher from the big school is transferring out! like i said before, i don't think she's a bad person...but character and teaching ability are independent of each other. her new role appears to be more administrative in nature at the prefectural board of education, so i hope she'll be happier there. hoping that the new teacher transferring in will be better for the kids too! the strict teacher i have no quarrel with but would prefer not to interact with so often is also transferring out. don't feel any particular way about it. no news about the transfers in the town hall or the smaller school, but i'm sure i'll be able to get the info if i need it.

not sure if thinking of the schools because of the transfer had anything to do with it, but i had a super weird dream. i was in the staff room of the big school, which had a classroom layout (the real staff room doesn't). the weird thing was that i was naked and sitting at my desk. for some reason, we had to stand up and salute the principal when he came in, which i didn't do because you know...naked. the principal (who was dressed in a blue military-type uniform) then yelled at me about not being respectful, and that's all i remember. super weird! wonder what it could possibly mean.

finally went down to ikea today and got a bunch of stuff, including 2 metal drawer things to put under my computer table, organizer boxes, a dustbin, and a couple of candles to try and remove the cockroach smell in the space under the sink. thought i'd grab back, but then the grab fare came up to $25, plus there were so many items that i couldn't carry them all. opted for delivery instead, which is $10 more expensive but way more convenient. i guess the fact that i bought more items makes delivery worthwhile.

more work from home next week, plus some social things. my plan is to figure out how i can plan my gym days so that i only carry one bag a day - either my laptop bag or gym bag. i'll talk about that in the next post i guess, this one seems long enough as it is!

-random thought of the day: Sleepy.-

Annual trip to japan, complete! well, i say annual, but it's more like annual at the minimum. if my KPI and leave allow, i might make another trip to a different part of japan later this year. but let me process this trip first before i start thinking about the next one(s).

overall, it was a resounding success! i think each of us contributed in ways most suited to our strengths - scary JC friend managing navigation and tracking our spending; mentor figure helping us see japan again through fresh eyes and sponsoring a few of our more extravagant meals; me doing the heavy lifting (carrying our purchases) and handling more complex japanese conversation. my linguistic ability deproved as expected, but not to as large an extent as i'd feared. we managed to do all the items on our to-do list, and even accomplished some spontaneous goals! definitely a win.

not going to do a verbatim recount, but i'll just mention some highlights. 10 sentences per point, to prevent the post from getting too long.

knife shopping

went to the sakai blacksmithing district with the goal of getting a smaller knife than the one i currently have. thank goodness mentor figure rang the bell although the shop looked closed! the shop is almost 200 years old, the current owner is 5th generation, and his (really cute) son is apprenticing now and preparing to take over. scary JC friend said there's be no 7th generation if i dated the son, which made me laugh. they were really nice, inviting us to stand behind the forge where he showed us how he estimated the forge temperature by the colour/brightness of the coals. ended up getting 2 knives and a 5000 yen discount. that's my main objective complete!

otori shrine

scary JC friend showed me a video of the お守り sold at this shrine, and i knew i had to get (at least) one. they're transparent! the marketing was something about seeing through them and towards the future. i was mildly disappointed that they were acrylic, and not glass like i'd assumed. still, they're good! we also did another signature thing of the shrine, which was to write our names on (separate) plastic pieces made to look like gold coins/tablets, then throw them into the roots of a special tree for financial success. hopefully that will manifest as things going well for both of us in the work sphere.

arima onsen

the town was nice, but i must say that the onsen itself was a bit of a letdown. there was only one bath, instead of the maybe 3 to 4 i would expect from a place that markets the onsen as a selling point. one of the bathhouses was under renovation though, so perhaps we came at a bad time? unexpectedly, we found a shop selling solid cologne/fragrance, and i got a small pot of something ambergris-based. might be fun to combine that with my usual spray-on thing. i enjoyed the brewery. although beer is not my alcohol of choice, i realize that i can accept light beers more readily than dark ones. i'm happy that we made it in and out according to plan, since we literally caught the last bus back to kobe. also now that i know what to expect, i don't think i would recommend specially going there.

food

there's no way i'd be able to keep within the 10 sentence limit if i recounted every meal. suffice to say we ate extremely well! we even stopped by kobe to go to the wagyu place that i brought SRC to that time we met up there. scary JC friend initially thought it looked familiar...then realized by scrolling through her photos that she'd been there 2 years ago - literally a few months after i was there! i finally understand the extent of her bad memory. that meal was #1 for sure, but there were so many other meals that i'd have difficulty ranking the rest. we also had a few conversations over late-night suppers, which were enjoyable not just because of the food, but also because we found out more about each other.

deepening friendships

i suppose there are only 2 outcomes after a prolonged duration of living with each other - you either get closer, or the friendship crashes. thankfully it was the former outcome for us! even though i've known mentor figure for 20-ish years, i'd consider my relationship with him as cordial, but not quite close. i mean, i came out to him many years ago so the trust is there, but there's still some distance. i'm happy that we got closer over this trip, and that opens up more learning opportunities. as for scary JC friend, we were close already, so i wasn't expecting much change. that's where i was wrong - i certainly didn't expect to discuss certain aspects of our sex lives! i think it shows a deeper level of trust...or maybe i just never broached that topic because it felt kind of TMI. looks like we'll have more interesting things to share in the future!

travelling with old people

in case i haven't mentioned it, mentor figure is in his late 70s. that being said, he still went with us to most of the destinations with nary a complaint, only stopping at a cafe when scary jc friend and i went to do some extra shopping. i really admire his fitness at his age, not to mention his positive attitude! if there was one point of friction, it would be that he always encouraged us to ask passers-by when we were trying to figure out directions. i understand why he does it - for efficiency - but both scary JC friend and i are not strangers to japan, and we'd be able to figure it out on our own...just that it would take a bit more time. guess why it rubbed me the wrong way a little is because i personally see it as a point of pride that i don't have to rely on others for such small things in japan. it's a lesson for me in seeing things from his point of view, as well as in patience when presented with other solutions that i may not necessarily agree with. scary JC friend suggested just asking, since the important thing wasn't the outcome but that i actually heeded his advice. i paid more attention to that on the last few days, and i think that might have smoothened any tension, and even earned me some points. despite that, i'd definitely travel with him again now that expectations have been calibrated.

feelings towards japan

might exceed 10 sentences here due to the myriad feelings that came up. this trip to japan was good as mentioned above, but the japan experience was a bit less than optimal. not in terms of the sights and tastes, but in terms of interactions with people. it started at the airport, when mentor figure didn't know how to navigate the automated customs gate and a chinese? korean? woman yelled "バック! バック!" at him to get him to move back and try again. that, along with some service staff being more brusque than what i'm used to, made me feel that that people were less friendly in general on this trip. might be because mentor figure doesn't speak japanese and some staff don't have enough practice in dealing with that. having said that, it would be unfair of me not to acknowledge the instances of excellent service i received, particularly at the post office where i was trying to mail my pension paperwork and some singapore snacks to my town hall. the lady was so kind and patient, even recommending i choose tracked/signed mail to ensure it was delivered. i think it's better if i choose to remember the good things and forget about the bad. i still plan on going back, probably next year or around this autumn at the earliest.

immediate future

work resumes on wednesday, so i've got one more day of freedom. the plan is to finish unpacking and doing rubbish disposal, plus cleaning my computer desk up and laying down the desk mats which arrived like, more than a week ago. planning to go for a massage if time permits, before meeting a potential tuition kid recommended through my JC classmate S's connection in the evening. good thing is that work from home is starting from wednesday, so i don't have to go to the office for essentially the next 3 weeks. i also went down this afternoon to distribute snacks, so at least that's covered. i also learnt during lunch with my batchmates that one of them intends to resign and go back into R&D, which seems to be a better move for her. the slight irony is that the office structure reorganization would have probably solved the problem that she'd had previously, but it seems that she accepted the other offer before the reorganization became public news. well...things happen for a reason.

that's about it, i guess. got tomorrow to shake off the post-holiday blues, then start work again reenergized and thinking about the next trip. my colleagues also say that there'll be a bonus at the end of this month, so that's something to look forward to as well. should be able to clear scary JC friend's commission and undo some of the wallet damage from this trip. let's make tomorrow a productive day!

-random thought of the day: Where to visit next?-

This past week (and the week before that as well, now that i think about it) was/were less than stellar. not bad by any means, just on the wrong side of "normal". there were bright spots, of course, but let's talk about the overall feel first.

if i had to sum up the past 1-2 weeks in a word, i would choose "unmotivated". getting through my assigned cases felt like a chore, which is weird because i usually see them as interesting, albeit a bit annoying sometimes when the application is poorly drafted. i put it down to anticipation of japan making me restless, so i'm expecting myself to be recharged and refreshed after i come back! another word i would use is "withdrawn". like, i didn't really have much social interaction, and even forgot i had dinner plans with some guild members this past wednesday.

there were a few bright spots though, in that crochet guy (is that going to be my codename for him?) spent the night from thursday to friday. i realize i enjoy having him around more than i do transformation kink guy, and that could be because he (crochet guy) is more personable? minor considerations are that he looks better (to me), and grooms himself better too. the realization that i'm more of a face person is getting reinforced...unless the body is super nice - i'll have more examples later. talking with crochet guy is nice, plus point is that i'm his type so i feel he's more enthusiastic overall. the small hang-up i have over there is that he's an insurance agent, so he may still see me as a potential client. i've told him that my insurance needs are covered and i'll approach him if i need anything, so if he's engaging with me in hopes of selling something, that's on him. fun fact: he's half vietnamese, but sounds completely local because he's lived here for most of his life. i wouldn't have known if he didn't mention it!

second bright spot was going to the gay bar last night. i got the contact details of 2 guys who are not my usual type - they both had facial hair! guy #1 is actually the cute bartender i've been sort of flirting with. he's super cute/handsome, plus he seems nice. i finally got to see him with less clothes on! guy #2 has an awesome smile and voice, and the added bonus is that he gives off that "soft" vibe. like, someone you want to hug and protect. quite unusual, considering he's quite tall! there was another guy who had a super nice body - like probably under 10% body fat, interesting tattoos, but i just found we didn't vibe all that well. maybe because he wasn't into me but was too polite to say anything. in my defense, i asked him for permission and told him not to feel bad about declining. he said yes to everything i asked, so i'm just going to take it at face value.

expanding a bit on guy #1, he's partnered and in an open relationship - closed romantically, open physically. side note, that's guy #2's situation as well. i think that's fine for where we're at - i'm not looking for a relationship, but open to making friends and having physical encounters. the mild snag is that guy #1 has got another admirer in the form of an older guy, who i guessed was between 55 to 63, but whose actual age is 50. hey, it was dark in the bar! this older guy says he's jealous/possessive, while acknowledging that he has no right to control who guy #1 sees. me being me, i'm just going to cut through the drama and do what i feel is right while not being an ass. it's not like i'm looking to date or marry, right?

oddly, going to the gay bar restored some motivation. and by that, i mean for gym. reason being is that it reminded me how much more i still have to go in terms of reaching my desired look. again, aesthetics is a better motivator than health. but i figure, whatever works, right? as long as it gets me to my goal in a healthy-ish way, i figure it's not bad.

last we counted this morning, we've got 60 hours before flying to japan. by now, it's probably closer to 50. in these 50 hours, i have to pack, do a bit more cleaning and a load of laundry, squeeze in another gym visit, spend a day at work, and settle whatever else i'm not remembering at this time. given the mess of things in the house, it isn't efficient to use the robot vacuum. i decided to get a xiaomi stick vacuum just so i could do some cleaning and prevent my dust allergy from acting up. my aunt got the basic model for marine parade, which i thought was good but not fantastic. so, i got the mid-tier model which comes with different power settings and a couple more attachments. despite doing a few rounds of sweeping and mopping since moving in, the vacuum cleaner picked up a shocking amount of dust and other things. need to clean more often, it seems...although that can wait till after japan! 

-random thought of the day: Still feeling lazy.-

When caught in the humdrum/tedium of daily life, we (or i, specifically) sometimes lose sight of what i'm living for. that's exacerbated when things go wrong, as you may remember in the month leading up to the breakup last year. if i could go back in time to tell past me about one amazing (SFW) event that i would miss out on by offing myself then, i'd choose to tell him about this JC class gathering. similar to the events of that one day last december, i wish i could bottle up how i'm feeling now and carry it with me as a reminder/example of why life is worth living.

14/26 people showed up, which is more than 50%. quite pleased with that! i am not exaggerating when i say i've not seen some of them in more than 10 years. catching up with everyone was fun; conversation flowed easily and there was no conflict or awkwardness. i laughed more (both in duration and intensity) in one evening than i have for probably the past 3 months. i don't know whether to say "surprisingly" or "as expected", but some things haven't changed even after 20 years. people look the same, or at least i would recognize them if i met them on the street. their personalities and mannerisms too...i could just as easily visualize today's gathering taking place with all of us in school uniforms and sat in the school canteen. i'm so happy that everyone seems to be doing well, and that life seems to have been good to all of us. or at least, we're doing our best down each of our chosen paths.

there is a bit of envy too, i guess, about how some of my classmates have found great(er) success in their professional, romantic, or general pursuits. like N, who's on track to retire in his 40s, or the classmates who have families and yet are still able to shell out for luxurious overseas trips. take L and G for example, 2 classmates who followed the typical singaporean dream - got together shortly before or after we graduated, stayed together through NS and university, had 3 kids, and are now living an upper-class life. or H, who has 2 kids and plans for a big holiday every year. i know feelings of envy are pointless, because everyone faces unique challenges and circumstances, not to mention people have a habit of showcasing only their best side. but yes. i should also mention that my feelings of happiness by far and large outweigh any envy/negativity.

embarrassing confession time...i might have had crushes on some of my classmates in the past, some of whom may have attended the gathering today. i was talking to one of them, and remembered that although he's very attractive, the way he talks isn't attractive to me. like, he dodges questions and gives non-answers. but well...i know for a fact it's not meant to be, so a fantasy/what-if thing it shall stay.

E also told a few of our classmates about his recent feelings of aimlessness and all the associated issues. we kind of summarized it as E, having been handed everything on a silver platter, doesn't have anything to strive for. worse, he feels guilty about taking his father's money and yet not following his father's wishes. so complicated. ultimately, we agreed that while we can give advice and suggestions, only E can get himself out of the situation. i also got a contact for free therapy, so that might be something i can look into as well.

since our talk ended late, gym today is a bust. that means i have to fit 4 sessions in between now and next monday, before flying to japan. seems easy enough - going on monday, wednesday, friday, sunday would give me a day's rest between each session. barring any unexpected changes, i think that's how it's going to go. also have to find time to pack, and continue the crochet project. should be doable!

Of late, life has been about rearranging my routine around my commitments/engagements and physical condition. i mean, it's always been that way, but even more so in the past few weeks. i think most of it is because of gym, since that's the thing that's getting shuffled around the most. not that i'm complaining; it's a good life skill to have.

initial plan was to go to the gym this morning after missing it on friday night, but sleeping at 3+am and waking up at 10+ feeling absolutely wrecked made that unfeasible. so, the plan is to gym later tonight, after my JC class gathering which should end early-ish since i think some of my former classmates will have kids to go back to. the reason i slept so late last night was because of the guild CNY gathering. my friends/guildmates (married couple who met in game) hosted it as usual at their place. i realize i've known them for 7, if not 8 years. my friend's son was in secondary school back in 2020, and he's now 3 months into NS. that's mad! i enjoyed catching up with the guildmates who attended, especially since i don't see some of them in person except during this annual gathering. also considering that i'm less active in-game now, having things like this helps keep the bond there. we also briefly talked about the annual guild chalet thing, and that looks like it'll be happening this year as well. figure i should contribute a little to the expenses, since i'm now a bit more established in my job.

also got the opportunity to talk to one (kind of attractive) guildmate whom i've seen in previous years, but never really interacted with both in-person and in-game. he was wearing an NUS med-law games t-shirt, so i just asked him if he was a doctor or a lawyer. turns out he's the latter, and he's making big money drafting documents for banks and other such financial institutions. "well into 5 digits" was how he described his salary, and he also shared that he bought a condo after working for about 4 years. for perspective, if i saved every single cent of my current salary (including bonuses), i might just be able to afford the down payment and renovations for a 1-bedder condo in the area he bought his. that high salary also comes with the downside of long/unpredictable hours and heavy workload. the company is basically paying for his availability, including at odd hours. while i won't deny being envious of his salary, i realize i treasure my current work-life balance that allows me time for my own pursuits. more importantly, i can leave work at work, and never have to worry about being on-call after office hours. although i'm sure there's a certain tipping point between workload and salary where i'd be willing to sacrifice some life for work...

the reason i slept so little from friday to saturday was because i was baking cookies for the various gatherings and events. first time trying a double batch of cookie dough, which turned out well! not too keen on handling ingredients at that large a scale though. the cookies were well-received in general, and my mentor figure (who is a self-proclaimed anti-cookie guy) said they were "very acceptable". i'll take it! something he suggested, and which i did for him, was to add raisins into the cookies. not sure if i'll make that a permanent addition, but then again it doesn't have to be permanent, does it? that's the beauty of cooking - you can customize your recipe according to people's tastes.

we're just about a week out from japan. need to find time to pack and decide what i really want to buy due to limited luggage space (more due to limited budget!). my division lead scheduled a one-on-one talk with me tomorrow afternoon, and the sneak preview he gave me was that i'll continue working under him. i'm happy because i think it's the best possible outcome! not having to get used to a new boss, and more importantly, not ending up with the division lead i definitely don't want to work with. i'm sure that there are other things on the agenda as well, so i'm a little curious. should also use this opportunity to check in and just make sure we're still aligned in terms of work quality, promotion target, etc. while i admit there's a small amount of nerves, i think that might be me overthinking. it should be fine!

-random thought of the day: Buy ziploc bags.-