Minor mixed feelings about a piece of news i just got - ACS boy has decided not to continue with me, and will be relying on his tuition centres. i'm like 10% sad because the money was good, but 90% happy/relieved because i no longer have to sacrifice a weekend night, go down to his place, chase him for work, etc....so maybe my feelings aren't that mixed after all. his mother told me that he failed his mid-years by 3 marks, which is kind of depressing (for me, and i'd imagine even more so for him). i mean, it's an improvement, so i'll take some credit there. but it's also below my expectations, and i'll equally take the blame for that. good thing that i didn't factor this extra income into my financial planning!

one thing about the whole exchange i wasn't very happy about was that the kid himself didn't reply to me at all. even though the message i sent him showed as "read" within the same day, i ended up having to reach out to his mother for a response. it's not like i would have been offended or upset at him wanting to stop; i even offered him a lifeline in the form of "it's ok if you don't want to continue, just let me know so i can plan". but nope, still nothing. i guess this is how guys (or maybe people in general) start the ghosting habit. to be fair, his mother did say that she (and maybe others in the family too) came down with COVID last week, so everything ran haywire. even then, i do believe in basic accountability, especially when it's a business dealing. but well, you know the thing about circuses and monkeys. i just hope he learns the lesson in time before he loses a significant person or opportunity because of it.

related to tuition, i had a short conversation with my friend last saturday. seems like the centre will be moving due to demolition and reconstruction of the entire building, and the new venue is a couple of MRT stations further away. good news is that i still have a direct bus from the alumni gathering, just that i have to take the bus for 5 stops further. not a big deal, though the timing will require some adjustment. i also told him that i will finish sec 4 with these kids, but whether i continue (either with these same kids to JC, or take a new class) or not after that is a separate issue. i'm like...85% inclined to "no" at this point. the extra money is nice, but i think that i might want fewer balls to juggle in view of the upcoming increases in workload. he also asked me if i was still interested to help open/invest in a centre as a partner. not sure about that, either. my ideal role would just be to throw money in and let the others take care of the day-to-day running of the place, but something tells me that that's not going to fly.

feeling accomplished on the housekeeping front, because i cleared out one box! one out of like, 7 or 8, but it's still progress! this particular box contained stationery, as well as my academic stuff (school magazines, report books, degree certificates, transcripts, etc.). the downside is that i have no place to put some of the contents at the moment - i need more storage solutions, like a shelf or more metal cabinets. that'll be another ikea trip i guess, possibly after tuition this coming saturday. or maybe i should do magazine racks/holders and plastic boxes/containers on an open rack/trolley/shelf. also reminder to myself that i don't need to keep everything; i can sell things, give them away, or even dispose of them. i kind of have an idea to donate books to the nearby school, but i don't know if they'll be accepted. might also want to do a round of wardrobe culling - there are some things which i haven't worn in literal years, and are there for purely sentimental reasons.

what else is there to talk about? gym guy is asking me to go to thailand next month, and i'm seeing how feasible it is. also decided to exchange some of my rewards points to miles - it was very easy with OCBC, much less so for UOB. worst part is that i have excess UOB points after one round of exchange, but not enough for a second one. well...i'll figure something out. worst case would be letting the points expire, best case would be getting another point-earning credit card and accumulating enough points for another exchange.

what else is on my schedule this week? getting back to the gym, for one. haven't been in 2 weeks due to thailand and the brief bout of illness. i think i might want to re-look what i'm doing in the gym...the ratio of time and effort to benefits/gains feels off. and as much as i'm reluctant to, i might have to introduce a cardio day. considering either inclined treadmill or swimming, although both sound equally bad to me. guess i'll give both a try and see which one i dislike less. and yes, i know the main change should be watching my intake - both in what and how much i eat. bio phd guy asked me out for dinner on wednesday, and we're tentatively going to the fancy unagi place. i'll see if i want to go to the gay bar after that; the night's theme is "sportswear", which isn't very difficult. hopefully meeting the other guy on friday...i realize i don't have a codename for him yet. while i usually try to choose things that stand out to me, my immediate thought for him is something a bit private between us, not to mention M18. have to think of an alternative. as for work, i think i can submit 2 substantial cases this week, which will put me comfortably ahead of the december goal, and probably in good pace for september too. let's hope things continue on this trajectory!

-random thought of the day: Need to re-optimize finances a bit.-