4 Years And Still Going Strong... Sort Of

I sort of missed this blog's anniversary, as it came on October 1st, which this year is Lebaran. Usually I write some sort of flashback or imaginary future post... but for the first part of this post, let's see what went right and what went wrong:

I am writing this while I am waiting for my plane to take me back home. I always try to get to the airport early, but the airline I'm taking always manages to delay their flight by an hour at least. At least the airport has free wifi, so I've been browsing and chatting the hour away (and of course, writing this post), stuff I wouldn't be able to do on an average working day.

Well I definitely didn't do any travelling this month. And I don't think I ever have time to lounge around at the airport and do some blogging.

I really want to get back home soon because my wife is coming close to her delivery date; it's such a strange feeling! I can't describe it; a mix of anticipation and anxiety, excitement with a tad of fear that I'll screw things up. Oh well, I guess that's how all fathers-to-be would feel. Looking forward, I just hope I'm not too old to play basketball or something with my son when he's older (and I start greying hair). But something tells me that it's a girl; I've always wanted a daugther, being a man who loves women, hehe... but my wife insists that it's a boy. Well, whether it will be a boy or a girl, I'm pretty sure my enamour with gadgets will definitely pass on :D. God knows, the house is filled with stuff to play with...

My wife isn't even pregnant yet, unless she isn't telling me something :P

But the house is definitely filled with various gadgets, although never as many as I'd like :D

Work is terrible, as always, but terrible in a sort of good way. The workloads and deadlines never end, but that's always good for a small company. Growth has levelled off a bit in Indonesia, but we're anticipating that with a few more tricks up our sleeve, and my parent company has asked us to assist forming similar companies in the other territories. Consulting comes with a price, of course, and it's a bit ironic that my own parent company is now my client in other countries. So... I think we have some comfortable targets to reach for 2009.

These days, what job isn't terrible? But the context seems to insinuate that I am not working at my current company, or work on a consulting basis for my current company. Well... no such luck. This is my 4th year with this company, with huge targets to reach in 2009.

It's unfortunate that I had to cut my Lebaran holiday short for this trip, although it was only for a few days, but business is business, and not everything can be done on weekdays. We hammered most of the details over the weekend (over good food, of course) and this morning we spat out all the emails and communications needed to get the ball rolling, so the local guys can run it from there. I just miss my wife a lot; and as trying as the days have been during her pregnancy, at the end of the day I swallow my pride and hold her hand; and when she smiles back and holds my hand tighter, all becomes right with the world. I had time to shop here but I refrained myself from buying unecessary baby stuff, as the accumulation of whim purchases is already overwhelming, haha... but I'm sure I can justify some of the purchases to my wife :D.

These days I never, ever, cut my holiday short for work. :D

Oh, there's the call for the plane. I'll SMS my wife on the plane and call the office driver to confirm picking me up at the airport...

Well, you still can't make calls or send SMSes on a plane right now... although it may become reality some time in the future...

So second part of this post is for a bit of reflection...

For every year we grow, we change into something, which could be the same, but could also be a little different. Over the years I have learnt that work isn't everything, but if you want to fill your life with work, make sure it's something you love. There is never enough money so make do - at some point you'd have to let go of worldly belongings anyway. Compromise is your greatest negotiation asset. And... patience really is a virtue.

So here's to the 4th year of this blog, and the 4th year at a company that never gets boring.