Looking Back and Moving Forward

I can't believe that it will be Christmas in just two days. People always say that time flies, but it really has this year!

2006 has been pretty eventful and in a way, I'm relieved that it is almost time for a fresh start. However, though there have been difficult experiences over the months, I've also had some of the most amazing times of my life.

On the down side, I lost my good friend Lane in April and my aunt in May to cancer. I still think about them everyday and I don't think that will ever change. But it's because of what happened to them that I realize life IS short and try to appreciate more of the good things that I DO have.

Around the same time, I left a job that I loved at a non-profit organization to join an investment bank. This was so that I could earn more money to finance the gorgeous apartment I bought last year. The stress I've had to go through hasn't always been easy, but I knew it was the trade off I had to make.

I miss my old boss a lot and she will always have my utmost respect, but I've also learnt so much on the new job. I entered an industry in which I had basically no knowledge. In just eight months, I've found out much more about the stock market and also started an investment fund for my retirement. I have met some great people here and it's always a bonus when you like colleagues enough to make them your friends. I think this job will challenge me for a while to come and that is a good thing as I never want to stop learning.

On a positive note, my relationships with my dad and his girlfriend (whom I jokingly refer to as 'my stepmum') have improved tremendously. It is an ongoing process of getting to know each other. My dad has mellowed over the years and does his best. But sometimes, he still rubs me up the wrong way! People say it's because we are so similar and I guess they are right. We are both stubborn, outspoken and on occasion, grumpy b*ggers! But, I love him anyway and he's always good for a laugh. How many people can boast about hanging out with their dad at a biker bar?! Not that many I would imagine!

I also spent most of 2006 without a 'significant other' and I can say with all honesty that I really enjoyed being single. But don't misunderstand me. P is the mirror of who I am and I wouldn't trade him for anyone else. However, getting comfortable with myself was one of the greatest things I did for me this year. I know that P respects me more because I can take care of myself and am with him not out of need, but out of love.

It has not been all roses for us though. Aside from the uncertainty and stress stemming from his job search, we are both fiercely independent people who had pretty much accepted that we would be single for the rest of our lives. It is taking us time to get used to the 'change of status' and all the issues that being in a relationship brings. We didn't date like most other couples and within a 24-hour period, went from 'single and carefree' to 'living together'. Not the most ideal situation, but that is just the way it happened.

For all of you who are still looking for someone not just to love, but to really be IN love with, I believe that the key is to be happy with yourself first. It has taken me almost 37 years to find P, and it came at a juncture in my life where I was finally comfortable with being on my own. At my dad's birthday dinner earlier this week, he told P and me, "When you are in a relationship with the wrong person, it diminishes who you are. But when you are with the right person, it makes you the best person that you can be." This is the relationship that I've always wanted but never had. P is my "Best Friend Plus" and I am thankful for all the wonderful things that he has brought into my life.

Like my respected friend Gim (Gorgeous Italian Man) once told me, life is made up of positive and negative experiences and you don't have one without the other. I am lucky to have a very tight circle of friends, both on our small island and overseas. But I've also had to cut two women out of my life this year. It wasn't decisions that I took lightly as I did care for them a lot. But I know that it was the right thing to do as they were just sucking my energy dry. I've come to the conclusion that it is very difficult to be friends with insecure women, as they are constantly needing reassurance that they are not fat, old, ugly (fill in the blank), etc. BORING! Because they are so unsure of themselves, they also then do things that are detrimental to the friendship. That is just not something I am interested in being around. My time is precious and I don't want to waste it hanging out with people that I cannot learn from.

As 2007 approaches, I want to take stock of all the things that I am thankful for and to focus on what I would like to achieve next year. For the former, it is pretty easy i.e. my family, friends, good health, a wonderful man who loves and accepts me as I am and the opportunity to develop my skills at work.

In terms of the latter, I want to continue to evolve as a person and to always remain centered, regardless of what is going on around me. To do this, I need to meditate more and to party less (so much easier said than done!). I want to continue to show my loved ones how much I appreciate them and on a larger scale, give as much as I can afford to charity.

I have quite a few parties over the Christmas and New Year period and I look forward to spending time with those that I love. I also want to thank all of you who have supported me through the tough times this year, especially my dad and 'stepmum', my flatmate Rachel and my friends living in Bali, Copenhagen, London, Memphis, Nottingham and Zurich.

Let the good times roll!

Men Behaving Madly!

I bet many of you thought that my life would become a lot tamer now that I've met P and settled down. I wish I could say that this was true, but B and P have added their own twists to our group of friends and given us plenty of excitement over the last month and a half!

I will start with B, who is Paul's travelling companion on their 'aborted' round-the-world trip. Five weeks after meeting Sexy Scooter (they hooked up the same night that I met P), B proposed to her and they are now engaged! No, don't rub your eyes, it isn't a typo. I swear, hand on heart, that this is true. When all of us first found out, we were in complete and utter shock. I know that B and P's friends from back home were equally skeptical and thought this was a wind up. Well, apparently it isn't a joke and they are seriously going through with this. It may seem like insanity to the rest of us, but I still wish them the best of luck and much happiness for the future.

We also celebrated P's 37th birthday earlier this week with a close bunch of friends. The party ended up at a motorcycle bar, where the owner (who also did our tattoos) treated P to a drink called Loopy Juice (the recipe is a secret). Essentially, it is a tower of glasses with very potent alcohol at the bottom. The bartender sets another glass of alcohol on fire and pours it down the glasses, in essence, creating a towering inferno. See the accompanying photo which I took with my phone camera.

Having drunk a litre or two of vodka cranberry earlier in the night, P lost his sense of judgment and decided that sucking down the Loopy Juice was the best way to go, so that is exactly what he did. He downed it in about three seconds flat. Well, things quickly went pear-shaped after that, starting with the taxi ride home.

My flatmate Rachel, her colleague Dina, P and I shared a cab home. As we were on her way, Dina was going to drop us off and then head on further. I only realized how drunk P was when we reached our condo and he refused to get out of the taxi. Rachel had already given Dina $10 to pay for the fare, but P insisted that the taxi driver take money from him even though he refused to accept it. I told P several times to get out of the taxi but he didn't pay me any attention until I shouted, "Get out of the taxi now or else I'm going to slap you!". The taxi driver just started laughing but P finally got out.

We started to walk back towards the apartment (or so I thought) when I suddenly realized that I was on my own. I turned around and saw P hugging the life out of poor Rachel, all the while saying, "Thank you so much for letting me stay, thank you for all your support, I love you!" The ramblings of a drunken man, which I thought were pretty sweet.

We got into the apartment and P somehow managed to take his shirt off and even put it in the laundry basket. He walked into the bedroom, turned on the light, unbuckled his belt and got his jeans to his knees before collapsing on our bed face up. Luckily, his underpants were still on. He had his eyes shut and looked like he had passed out. I called Rachel to come over and have a look (a bit mean on my part I admit) and we stood at the doorway and had a quiet laugh at his expense.

With his eyes still closed, P suddenly started calling, "Raaaaaacheeeeeeel, Raaaaacheeeeeeel, come here!!!". Laughing, she went into the room and he held his arms up and said, "Give me a hug!!", which she did. Then he said again, "I love you! I love you!". My only regret of the night is forgetting to take a photo as I was too busy trying not to p*ss myself!

After this, Rachel wisely went to bed and I was tidying up when P suddenly came to and said to me, "Baybeeeeeeeeeeeee, there is something heavy on my knees!". The jeans and his belt were still around his knees and restricting his movements! I finally managed to get him sorted out and he passed out for real this time.

Rachel and I had another good laugh in the kitchen the next morning while P was still sleeping off his hangover. I told P what happened the next day and he cannot remember any of it. He was absolutely mortified when I told him what he had done and quickly sent an apologetic text to Rachel. In fact, he has spent the subsequent days trying to avoid running into her ha ha ha.

Let this be a lesson to all of you out there. Even when you think you're too old to misbehave, believe me, when alcohol is involved, nothing is impossible!