It's been quite awhile since I've blogged, and today, quite alot has happened, which prompted me to think about the past couple of months, where so much has happened. I just thought I'll blog it down for the record.

Things are at a peak now, its amazing. I can't think of a single thing that will get me down, so far things are great. I love how my life is going on now, and I understand that this is the zenith point of my supposedly rollercoaster lifecycle. The nadir will come around, but for now, let me just enjoy this zenith.

I've been back for slightly less than 4 months to date, and wow, I continue to be amazed at how much can happen in such a seemingly short period of time. People say that a month is a very short time, let alone a year, but for me, one month ago and one month later continues to be a big difference. I guess this is the development period of my life, where I struggle and strive to carve something for myself somewhere and settle down. It's exciting, its fun, its tiring but it sure is meaningful.

Lets see. Less than 2 months since I'm back, I came by a good opportunity to take over a functioning and profitable business, albeit only with a 6 months lease left on the premises. Yep, it's Settlers Cafe. I don't know what struck me, but when I heard it was for sale, I just got excited, and one thing led to another and a group of us took over the business. Many advised against it, citing uncertainty and unreadiness, but I guess I just can't follow others on seeking stability over running a business.

And it has been a great sampler on the efforts involved. You might think it to be a small thing, but just getting the relevant papers and licenses itself is a chore. Good thing the customer base, suppliers and staff has been established; even with only half the tasks involved in setting up a fresh business, it is definitely demanding. But it's a good experience, and certainly gave me alot of insight into dealing with cashflows, HR issues and of course, the level of committment involved in running a business.

Oh, and then I got myself a job. This is only the second week of my 6 months contract with Citibank. Why am I there I'm not too sure; the salary is quite alot lower than what I expected, even what I minimally wanted. But I took a wager in that it is a job that has little need for OT, and one whereby I would be able to have time for my other committments, which, thankfully, was indeed the case (so far). I know I always has been against a job, but now to me it is something I do to fill in the time and to force me to manage my time more efficiently and to be more motivated about all my other projects. Additionally, think of it as diversification; eBay could go bust in a day (it happened once, nearly, for a month), SARS could come by again, but well, at least I get severance pay if I lose my job, so why not? The work environment is great, so far, with everyone helpful and willing to teach and not alot of politics. Or maybe I haven't been immersed enough.

And I went on to revamp my eBay listings, for the first time ever. I thought it's time I made things more professional (to the best of my ability and limited resources) and I think I did quite ok. Oh, and I also hit my 1000th feedback this year, which I guess is a milestone in its own. I'm still some way off from recovering from the loss of my previous collection from being caught for theft, but at least it's some headway. The next, and most probably final, improvement would be to commission a bot to run things automatically as much as possible and to leverage time. That has to wait until V3 is out, which from the looks of it, has been delayed time and again.

Also, I acquired three students at Zhizhong's tuition centre, teaching English to a P3, 5 and 6 kid. While, I have had to drop the P3 kid due to my job, but the P5 and 6 kid is still there. I agreed to help him out with the English aspect, and I think it is more for the experience than the money. Teaching is a real patience trainer (as long as you are not the actual teacher in schools; that's a real patience drainer according to my beloved aspiring-to-be-teacher girlfriend), and the sense of satisfaction is something that is different from the sound of kaching that I love so much. I actually quite enjoy it, and it's a pleasant diversion from the usual 'productive' activities I engage in.

Then there's my results! Well, school's out for me, and I don't want to go for convo for a inferior Australian degree. I mean, face the facts, NTU/NUS/SMU degrees are worth more than UWA, so I'm not terribly proud that that's what I got enough to want to splash over 1k just to go through a ceremony to receive my degree. But I've got to say, my final semester was amazing. I don't know what got to me, but I think the thought of finally being able to move on to the next phase of my life and ending the often torturous stay in Perth perked me up. I know I hermited myself in the final month, especially having sold my car. And the bliss of the relationship with baobei made things better, with just enough to keep me going but not enough to draw me away from my studies totally. I actually achieved the best results in all my uni life in my final sem. Nope, I never got the fabled 4HDs that I obsessed over, but close enough, I did get 3HDs and 1D. Results don't count for much now that you are working; employers aren't that interested in the specifics anyway. But I did tell myself that I wanted to go out with a blast, and I did! In another way, which I never actually specifically aimed for. I actually managed to top an entire unit! That's TSM. I actually topped the midsem with 90% and no one with the same mark, and I actually considered trying to top the cohort. I think it was about 200+, sizable enough to make it difficult. My final mark was only a 82, and I thought I missed it. But no, Jinwen came along one day with a letter that verified that I did indeed top the unit.

So while I never got my 4HDs, at least I got first in one of the units I took. Might have been more if I actually applied more fervour into my studies, but it's not too shabby, right? And the fact that I did it in my 3rd year, and not my first, makes it just that bit more sweeter. (Also that I scraped a HD for AFM without ever attending a single lecture or tutorial past week 3. Or even doing my ilects on time).

Next up, I've practically taken up residence at Aljunied. It's alot, alot more convenient to work and to everywhere, and at the same time it means that I get to spend almost all of my free time with baobei. I know, with so much commitments, friends, as always, will be at the bottom of the list. I'm sorry to all of the friends out there whom I've neglected, but for now I really want to make a hard push towards a substantial position. Being at baobei's house is like being in a new family altogether, with new parents and new surroundings. Although I do spend quite alot of time outside, and alot of time at home on the computer, it is just different, and something which I never expected.

Hence, life now is like what baobei says, chong shi. I have alot to do, and I have to plan my time carefully to be able to accomplish as much as I can. People always say that making money is difficult. I don't think it is difficult. It is tiring, and involves effort, but it isn't difficult. It merely depends on how much are you willing to sacrifice to put it in, and towards what end are you doing it for. Some people speculate in shares to try and profit, but if you ask me, if I was good enough I'll be given an entire fund to manage, and if I wasn't then I'll lose out to those who did. We all have different ways, different investments, but I think the best way to be different would be to do things differently.

And the other thing; your goal. Right now, there are two goals I'm trying to meet with money. The first is to have enough money to invest and make more money. Invest in businesses, real estate, or anything that comes along, money means the means to make more. The second is to have enough money to have a smashing good wedding. Other guys might be thinking of a car, maybe a house, or flashy gadgets, but for me, I don't really need gadgets. I mean, I get by well enough with post-its in place of PDAs, and do I really need PSPs or iPhones? Better to use those money to get more. A house is needed, but right now the prices are abit too high to think about. Car, why not? But to me, a car is not so much about a status symbol, but rather a way to squeeze out more time. There will come a time when time is really at a premium, and with a car comes convenience that can help save time (and energy, it's easier to drive than to take the train all the time. Or hail a cab). So until I reach that point, I'm holding off on a car.

So that's it. For my plan for the rest of this year, it is to try and maintain the level of activity that I have and make something out of it. If things go well I can embark on my Cold Rock plan! Who knows what 4 more months will bring about? The thing is do things differently, and you'll have a better chance of a different outcome. So here's to my zenith, and hope that it'll last longer than the previous ones!