The past two weeks...

....have been great. I remember the anticipation I had riding on the MRT to the airport in the middle of the night giddy with excitement and then finally seeing Brian walk through the arrival gate, my suitcases in tow. We explored, ate and bitched our way through a three nation cultural and gastronomic tour in 14 days flat and avoided the tearful spats and over dramatic apologies we were so used to back in DC.
Brian was a great sport and my family marvelled at his willingness to try the various spicy, smelly, sour and sweet cuisines of the region. I learned as much from his trip here as he probably did, visiting sights in Penang that I took for granted on previous trips to the island. Of course it was nice to have an ever available lunch buddy and we sampled food from a few restaurants I had been meaning to try but never knew who to go with. We had foot massages and hair cuts but stopped short of the manicures and aromatherapy massages. I took pictures of him with famous landmarks in the background for his benefit and for my memories. He met my friends and family and they got along well. We went to the gym.
I would like to think that Brian enjoyed himself despite a few tense moments. I'd also like to think that like the sunburn on my shoulders that is just beginning to heal, we are both trying to get used to not having each other around for a hug or a kiss, an understanding ear or a voice of opinion and most importantly a professional critic of hot men.

Photos

Photos from Brian's vacation in Asia are up in the Photo Album. Check them out!

Interviews, Tests and a Visitor

If the past weeks were filled with interviews and inane questions like "What are your career goals?" this week was about recalling basic arithmetics to calculate compounded interest rates and currency exchanges, writing essays about the Malaysian economy and attempting to solve impossible IQ questions in my elusive hunt for a job. I can't say I'm any closer to finding a promising job that I could imagine myself not disliking after a month but therein too lies the problem since I'm always confounded by questions about my interests and future plans -- I don't know if I have too many or none at all.
It makes it easier to put all the career thoughts behind me and look ahead to my guest who will be arriving in Singapore tomorrow night, probably cranky from a 30 hour flight from the capital of the free world. There's a lot of anticipation and anxiety on my part regarding Brian's arrival and I definitely want to show him everything that this region has to offer. Here's to hoping that Mr. Whinypants doesn't let the heat get to him first :)

It's Brian's birthday!

He's out of breath from blowing the candles on his cake.


Happy Birthday!