Ping and Observations

Ah. The end of November is upon us again, and soon December will arise. Already there are noticeably fewer people on the roads, which of course grants me the opportunity to sleep in just a little bit more since the incidence of slowing traffic jams is just that much reduced.

It's very early a week since I've returned to the usual apartment, having bivouacked at my sister's place for nearly three weeks while they were doing some government mandated/subsidised block-level renovation programme. Things have finally started to become more normal, and as such, my mood has been steadily improving. Elysie-II has been hooked up again, and is currently undergoing various software updates as I am writing here. I had to borrow a power cable because I left the original one in the office when I was moving her there to be out of the dusts' way.

Of course, I've brought my dizi back as well. Cannot do without them, especially since I really need to practise more because I have stupidly decided to take part in a dizi choir. The dizi choir isn't stupid---I am the stupid one here because it is obvious that they are operating at a much higher level than I care to be. Most of them have performance degrees or related certification/awards for dizi playing, while I'm just that guy who plays in a neighbourhood (literally!) Chinese orchestra who hasn't had a proper lesson for a very very long time.

Come to think of it, I think I haven't had a proper lesson from sifu for nearly a decade. A very sobering thought.

But we'll see how it goes. If they want me, hooray! If not, well, no loss. I can still make music no matter where I am.

It's kind of funny. Here I am, at the near perfect witching hour for writing a blog entry and what do I have to gripe about in my mind? Almost nothing. Perhaps it is a sign of good things to come.

Or I'm just too damn tired to do any more writing. Work throughout the week has been quite interesting but draining. I'm not complaining though, just observing---in this economy, finding a job can be considered much harder than it was before (was it ever easy?), and in some ways it is nice that I have a job doing what I like that pays me so I can pay the bills.

Of course the pay isn't fantastic---that's what one gets from a quasi-government outfit. Quasi-government statuses generally imply that we get the worst of the possible pool of accessible private/public traits. Like many things, it's a trade-off---quasi-government status usually implies company longevity, and potentially enough research in the pipeline that they are a little more willing than the government proper to take calculated risks. In that sense, there is some job security.

Alright, till the next reply then.