Go With The Flow

It feels extremely good to be on leave. Would have loved being in Bangkok, but I guess staying in Singapore not doing anything is rather enjoyable too.

When I go for holidays, I don't like to plan. I do not enjoy travelling with people who like to do meticulous planning such that every hour must be fully maximised by some activity. I feel extremely rushed. The reason why I have no qualms about travelling alone is because I have no itinerary most of the time.

If anyone has been following my Auckland trip diary, you'll probably know that I like to go with the flow. Wake up as and when I like, and then decide what to do.

My work is already hectic enough. The last thing I want to do on a holiday is to adhere to a schedule. I'll like to laze around in the pool, read a magazine, and when time comes, maybe go for a meal. Sightseeing has never interested me that much. I had friends asking, in that case why don't you just book a hotel room in Singapore? My answer is simple. The feeling is just different. I enjoy going overseas and plane travel is part of the experience. Which is why I'd rather not go on a trip if I have to take budget air. If I don't have money, then I'd not go. So am I being difficult here?

I work 12 hrs nearly every single day. Every minute is an adrenaline rush, watching the market indices move and hitting deals to generate revenue, as well as having to be careful with mistakes otherwise we have to bear the costs. Perhaps due to my work nature, time is money.

I remember when I first started working, one of my bosses had plenty of leave to clear, given his seniority, and work commitments, he hardly had any time to clear. I asked him why doesn't he cash them out since his pay must be quite high (and I'm not even talking about 10-20k a month, it's much higher), and he'll get quite a lot of money. He looked at me and laughed, "I'd rather take the leave."

Little did I know two and a half years down the road, I'll feel the same too. (Disclaimer - I don't earn that kind of money haha)

Some think that my direct SQ flight to Auckland is wasteful, but here's what I think. I'd rather spend a bit more on a direct flight than having to transit. I can save a few hundred, but I will need more leave. The same analogy applies to cab rides. I pay a bit more and get there faster. That's how I logic things out.

Over the weekend, I was at the Chevrolet roadshow at STC. I went to check out the prices and was seriously tempted to get one on the spot. Before I started working, I did tell myself that the moment I hit a certain income level, I want to get a car for myself. But yet, with the economy in recession, and my job so uncertain given my industry and employer, I'm afraid to commit. I've got some kind friends who say, just go with the flow, buy first, think about it later.

My current boss has been nudging me to buy a car for the longest time. He will always say in Mandarin, 小钱不出，大钱那里会进来, which means if you don't spend little money, the big money will not come in. Strangely enough, many of the high ranking people think the same too. If you don't spend money, you don't feel the pinch, you won't have the drive to go out and earn more. I have not really come to terms with that philosophy.

I've only got 2 indulgences in life. Food and travel. I like to eat at restaurants. I like travel and I usually spare no expense to give myself a good time. I hardly buy anything else. Shopping? Nah, not for me. I don't even buy Xmas presents! I'm a mean old scrooge here who doesn't celebrate Xmas.

Anyway, I don't really know what I'm writing here, or what objective I'm achieving, but because I'm on leave and just relaxing, I'm just writing my thoughts here. I really like to do things depending on my moods.

When I'm busy at work, I grumble, wishing that I was on leave so I can do this and that. Then when I'm on leave, I don't feel like doing anything! There's a lot of things for me to do actually... I can pack my stuff, everything's in a mess, I can watch some DVD movies, I can read the three books I just bought, I can go swim, I can go other instructor's classes... Bottomline, there's so many things to do, but I just don't feel like doing anything.

In the end this probably feels the best, because this is my idea of a holiday.