last wee bit of australia

We’re in Singapore! 

After an 8 hour flight I had much, much more energy than I could have imagined. I was all ready to head to the hotel gym this evening, but my yearning for exercise coincided with a need for dinner and dinner won. I settled for a Giant Bath for energy depletion instead.

This was my first long haul flight alcohol-free. I stuck with water because, well, the alcohol-less options were really shit – tetra-pak orange juice or coke &etc. Booze options – much greater variety. Note to self – buy own drinks before boarding.

I also avoided mimosas for breakfast in the qantas club lounge. Old me would have been all over that – because, holiday!

I definitely think there is a relationship between the no alcohol on the flight and the resultant boundless energy. I did still swell up like a balloon though, so there’s that theory quashed. 

We’re here overnight and then on to Siem Reap tomorrow. And Holiday! begins in earnest.

Already I feel the tension (very slowly) seeping out of my body – it’s really been a crazy couple of months! 

I’m very much looking forward to this break.

Holiday goals: reading | feasting | sleeping | gym at least once every two days | avoiding alcohol – anything else is a bonus!

I’ve just wrapped up worky-work for the evening. It was actually immensely satisfying to make as much progress as I did and sets me up for a (hopefully) clear run to HOLIDAY!

Immensely satisfying maybe, but this is the latest I’ve been working for an age. Actually it’s the latest I’ve been awake for an age!

My very highly paid employee today told me I was a great role model. After establishing that she wasn’t taking the piss, I thanked her graciously. My radical honesty and candor is apparently admirable. 

Tonight for the first time in I-don’t-know-how-long I only spent half the night working – hurrah!

The other half I spent folding laundry – which was actually really very soothing.

Two more working days until vacation. 

The tax year here ends in June, and this evening we finally gathered our documents together and sent them to the accountant for the 2015-16 year. Thanks to the ever excellent Katy who unintentionally reminded me to do so! I now feel like an Achiever.

I’m slowly working my way through a mountain of pre-holiday tasks at SML. It’s occasionally overwhelming and I’m a little scattered, so much so that I forwarded an offer letter to a candidate today with the wrong salary on it (oops). Not such an Achiever there.

I still have a couple of outstanding Action Items for the holiday prep. Those I’m not even thinking about. I do need to stack the kindle though – so recommendations very welcome. 

I am not getting a cold

I am not getting a cold

I am not getting a cold

I am not getting a cold

1. Knut is leaving SML and it’s his last week! After quite the rocky start I would say we are now reasonably close pals, but he is a completely terrible colleague – not at all a team player (which is the worst kind of insult I can hurl at anyone).

2. Five working days and then we leave for holidays! Boy howdy, I really need this break!

3. Even though I could not access any files on the SML network via the VPN today, I made sufficient progress on my worky-work (by scrabbling through old emails) that future me is going to be very appreciative.

4. I’m meeting the CEO for coffee to discuss my thoughts on SML’s culture – this is one of my very favourite topics! I’m quite excited about it.

5. My two new hires are fantastic! I now have a very kick-ass team. And we’re interviewing a candidate tomorrow who comes highly recommended – I will be pleased to have recruitment sorted before I leave. The last time Bobs and KingLouis hired someone while I was on holidays it ended in utter disaster.

Whenever I have very important, mildly challenging, worky work that is a smidge overdue, I find some way (okay, many ways) of avoiding completing it.

What’s all that about?

Action Items (in no particular order):
➕ write Action Items list
➕ decide what I’d like to read on hols – acquire same
➕ steam mop floors (where applicable)
➕ make Action Items list of worky-work
➕ do worky-work
➕ run ~ 7km
➕ meal plan
➕ make that cake I’ve been threatening to
➕ ironing / laundry
➕ re-start with the headspace app
➕ potter about
➕ be aghast at pedestrian nature of list
➕ resolve to make future lists less snooze-inducing

It has been an exhausting week – the last two nights have seen me working until 10pm (after an 8am start). 

Fortunately the evening component has been at home with the trusty laptop. But yipes, I hope this is not going to be a pattern – though it will definitely continue until we leave for our desperately needed holiday.

I’m not at all sure how people maintain this pace for any length of time without becoming physical and mental wrecks!