Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)

One of the perks about living in Europe was, irrespective of month or season, there is always something to look forward to. Europe offers a proliferation of events throughout the course of the calendar year. Festivals that cater for every walk of life. This includes whiskey, cheese, toy, food, cultural not to mention the various music festivals always keep you looking forward to the next event. Some events of course form the cornerstone of the European calendar: Glastonbury, The Running of the Bulls, Oktoberfest and Christmas Festivals round up the bigger ticket items.

Thankfully Asia also has its share of events. Chinese New Year, The Full Moon Party in Koh Samui, Cherry Blossoms in Japan, the Hong Kong Sevens are some that come to mind. Which brings me to the next event, Singapore F1. It's a time where Singapore hotels rates increase up to 150%, where flights to the island become more regular and where tickets to the hottest night race of the year get sold out. Due to reasons unknown, I missed out on last year's F1. I never heard the end of it, "You missed out on an excellent weekend! You should have come". So here I am 12 months later, in Singapore, managing my expectations for a great weekend.

The siblings joined us for the weekend; a reunion in Singapore. Funnily enough we ended up watching the race from our Marina Bay Sands room all while the cars whirred around the hotel. Excellent weekend, hanging with the sister, relaxing by the pool and  attending possibly the best Sunday party I have been to in Amber Lounge. Read,  €500 per person for entry,  €12,000 for a table of 8. This includes, brushing shoulders with the drivers, live performances by Lemar and free flow Champagne. Suffice to say, my 6 am Monday morning flight was hell. I arrived at work smelling distinctly drunk and wishing I were in bed. Now I understand what they were talking about.

Next thing you know, they're all grown up ...

It's a little sad actually, not having somebody to chat with when you get home from work. Actually, even if you don't talk to them it's nice to know that there's somebody there. After 10 months, my living room has been returned and I have lost a house mate. Good story actually, despite the initial set back he managed to find a job at Goldman Sachs and find his own apartment. Don't think he could have planned it better.

So with my living room back and less obligation, I find myself with a lot more spare time. Better start getting this blog back up to date, especially since I've received a "Thanks for letting me crash on your couch" gift (see below). Thanks bud!

Sam

Despite my Swiss Cheese-esque memory one of the more vivid memories is the arrival of our first pet. I'm not talking about that goldfish that died after one night back in Stone Street or the time we looked after that bird or our neighbour's flea-harbouring pooch (Simba), that pet I refer to is the wily, enthusiastic Weimaraner.

It was thirteen odd years ago, while I was still in Highschool when the gray puppy arrived in Earlwood. I remember there was discussion on what to name our first dog. The names Cookie, Max, Rover were thrown around but we eventually decided on Sam (He would also eventually take on the names, Great Stone Dragon and Horse). At that time, the household was busy. The adults were off at work and the children were at school, which meant we had to cage Sam in the basement of our house. We (well mostly Dad) constructed a fence at the base of the staircase to prevent him from roaming up in the house.

I remember my sister and I returning home from school excited to see our pet for the first time after school. We rushed down to the basement and lo' and behold the barricade had been pushed aside and the pup' was no longer downstairs. Lesson #1, puppies that have been recently separates from the litter cannot be left alone in the basement of a Malaysian house for an extended solitary period. We searched the house and eventually found him on the top level in my bedroom. He was cowering in the corner with his big floppy ears next to a bright yellow puddle of urine. The sight of people made him instantly happy although getting him to get downstairs proved a little more tricky. Lesson #2, going up stairs can sometimes be easier than going down stairs for puppies.

Admittedly, I felt a little bad for not being able to spend more time with him, especially during the later part of his life. I still remember the walks, him standing outside the door waiting to rush in, his hip surgery, him eating bees, him killing kittens, him killing blue tongue lizards, him drinking one litre of chicken oil and him sniffing my crotch. Hope we were as enjoyable as you were Sam.

One of my favourite photos of him kicking back on the lawn with a tub of crunchy Peanut butter. Rest in Peace.

"Woof" - Sam

Singaporean Whim

The perks of being in Asia with access to a budget airlines. Fresh Air, clear skies, plenty of room service and a little bit of magic.

The Yips

Pardon the accuracy of this account. It has been close to a year since the actual event so the details may prove to be just down right wrong. Since arriving in Hong Kong I've been adopted by two groups of friends. The multi-cultural Hong Kong group, majority of these guys relocated to Asia to start graduate programs with the large investment banks. The other group is an extension of the London group, consisting mostly of Sydney based ex-patriots. From the later group, two University sweethearts decided to tie the knot in Thailand. To be honest, I was a little taken back that I had received an invite to the wedding, especially since I had only known the couple of a year or so. Not one to complain and feeling honored that I was invited, I booked flights and joined the group in Thailand for the destination wedding of the year.

This is where the details escape me. What usually happens is that if I'm too lazy to write a post (mostly, always) is that I will jot down a handful of memorable points to kick start the creative juices. For reasons unknown to me, I only drafted the following points: "Stressed about work", "Horrible weather", "beautiful", "excess alcohol" and "so much fun".

So here goes - I remember that we spent the initial few days in Bangkok, where of course we stayed at the Lebua for the stag-do processions. The wedding itself was held over in Krabi. The reason I was stressed out about work because in my haste I had accidentally forgotten to re-schedule a meeting keeping me worried the entire trip (this would come back to haunt me). Horrible weather, seems rather self explanatory, I believe it was the start of the Monsoon season and during our stay in Krabi we were presented with only clouds and rain. In fact the night of the reception was cut short due to inclement weather. This brings me to the next adjective - Beautiful, which is exactly what the wedding was, irrespective of the weather the ceremony was extravagant and the international turn out was sensational.

Excess Alcohol most definitely refers to the BYO efforts of the bride and groom. Knowing that the after party would be held in the private villa the couple brought over so much Duty Free Alcohol that come morning, the entire pool reeked of alcohol and our hangovers confirmed this. Despite this mammoth effort, the amount of residual, unconsumed alcohol was staggering. Most of the guests left Thailand with at least two bottles of leftover alcohol.

The last point sums up the entire trip. It was a blast and potentially one of the most fun weddings that I have attended. Congrats to the new couple!

Always

"So if by the time the bar closes, and you feel like falling down, I'll carry you home tonight" - We Are Young

The next milestone

High school, University, Enjoy life, Career, Marriage, Property, Family. Welcome to my rough list of milestones that my generation have come to experience in their short lives. It's funny to think that not 10 years ago we were all at the same stage. Yet, as I retrospectively look at how we've progressed I can see how our time has been distributed across these milestones. For some, all these points have been fulfilled, whilst for others they have invested their time more heavily in some areas.

I found out earlier this week that the girl that I asked to my year 12 formal recently passed away. Shocked, I zoned off into a 20 minute internal eulogy. I still remember calling her and after the initial greetings the first thing she said was "Why is your voice shaking?". To which I nervously squeak out "Would you like to be my partner to my formal?". The elation of her saying "yes" was instantly reversed when she called back not 5 minutes later saying that she couldn't make it. I can't help but laugh as that was the fondest memory of her. I wonder if she would have laughed if I told her that at her death bed.

With that, I add two slightly more final milestones to the list: Retirement and Death. It's scary to think that I know people who have managed to cross off every item in the list. At my passing, what will be your fondest memory of me?