Below was my schedule for the past 3 days:

Tuesday, 27 March

08:00 - 12:00 Family Day in Mika’s school. Wearing newspaper hat, ribbon on my arms, running around like mad woman, completely made a fool of my self but it was really fun. It was like the initiation period (formerly known as Ospek) back in the University. I had a good time and meeting other parents were also great.

12:00 - 14:00 Cool my head off in salon having my hair curled. I love it! I hope it can stay until tomorrow. Perhaps it could cloud some mind so what-I-thought-would-be-a-tough-meeting hopefully will run smoother.

14:00 - 16:00 Busted my butt trying to tied up as many loose end as possible before travelling to Gresik. Drove my colleague crazy and literally running around the office to chase some things up.

16:00 - 18:00 Go to the airport and found out the plane got delayed. I changed my flight to 17:00 flight that delayed to 18:00 flight. Sipping capuccino in the lounge with my mind wandering around.

20:00 - 23:00 Reach the hotel and worked my butt of trying to finish some work with a crappy old lap top whose screen kept on freezing and the 1 button must be pressed with herculian power. I was so frustrated. Whenever I need to link a formula it freezed for God knows how long.

23:00 - 03:00 Tossing & turning in bed, cursing the lap top, drank a lot of water, cursing the lap top, calm my self down, control my self not to throw it to the wall, take a nap, woke up and cursing the lap top. Promised my self to kill the IT Manager slowly and hung him up side down in the ceiling for giving me a pre historic lap top.

Wednesday, 28 March

03:00 - 03:30 Managed to get some finish done with the lap top and catched some sleep.

05:30 - 07:00 Take a bath, grabbed 2 pieces of wheat bread and jumped into the company shuttle bus to the On Shore Production Facilities. Sitting in the middle of the Operations uniformed people, chatted away the morning in frenzy. Surabaya enveloped by thin midst. It was beautiful early morning.

07:00 - 17:30 Having one on one meeting mediating management and 29 employees with borrowed lap top from a dear old friend of mine who had been very kind in letting me used his lap top whilst he used the PC. Thank you, dearest friend, you just saved my butt from being kicked around. I owe you one.

17:30 - 20:00 Another friend of mine who relocated to Surabaya took us out for dinner. His son was very cute and talkative, he really made my day. I missed Mika more than ever seeing him so chatty. I love you, kiddo.

20:00 - 03:30 Drink antimo to catch some sleep. Still tossing & turning in bed but it is now because of excitement of having one helluva day instead of stress. Finally managed to get some sleep, snored my self away until the morning call rang twice.

Thursday, 29 March

04:00 - 06:00 With the mighty willingness & self discipline that would make Spartan people proud of me, I dragged my self off the bed, took shower, put on some make up, packed up and went to the airport to catch the 6 am flight to Jakarta. Thinking things I should not be thinking. Feeling things I should not be feeling. Caring things I should not be cared about. It just a job. It just a job. It just a job. One helluva job.

06:00 - 07:15 I slept during the flight, woke up for breakfast before falling asleep again. My hair looked disheveled and terrible - there goes my pretty curly from the salon, my eyes are red and puffy and my mind is working ten time faster than ever due to coffees I drank lavishly on the plane.

07: 30 - 16:00 Worked my butt off in the office, verbally abusing the IT Manager endlessly until he promised me a new lap top and now I am heading home for a long sleep.

Good day everybody…I am going to my own bed now…

We had Company Annual Dinner couple of week a go where we were required to wear our traditional dress. Being a pure bred introvert, at first I did not want to come. The thought of having to wear traditional dress was major turn off. Heck, I skipped it when there was no dress code, why should I come now? Anyway, the spirit jived the whole office and I got jazzed up. The last thing I know I had agreed to wear Srikandi costume.

For those of you who do not know Srikandi, she is a female heroine from Bharatayudha war epic. An archer from Wirata Kingdom. She was married (dating? sleeping partner only? I don’t really know her moral stand point) to Arjuna, the most handsome brother of Pandawa who was very good in archery, including piercing his love arrow into a woman’s heart. Yes, Arjuna was a major player and a major babe. However, Srikandi, being an independent female heroine, did not really bother by it. She fought side by side with her husband (boy friend? sleeping partner?) leading an army fighting the bad guy, whilst her husband’s other wives (girl friends? concubines?) were left behind or hide in a tent. At least that’s what I thought happened for there was no story about other female heroine in Bharatayudha story. You can check the story here.

Anyway, I got so hang up with the thought of wearing Srikandi’s dress and carrying arrow, I was so excited and could not wait for the event to come. And when the event comes, I was really busy in the office and was one of the last who left to the hotel. By the time I got there, my friend Ratna, who played Dewi Shinta (a queen from Ramayana war epic who was kidnapped by a giant of Alengka) has already dressed up. That was the first time I realized how low the blouse was cut. It’s sort of tube dress and I could see my friend’s cleavage peeping on top of it. Yikes! I suddenly had cold feet and decided against it.

However, another friend of mine, who had spent nights hunting for the costume looked at me in rage so I changed my mind again. If looks could kill, hers was. Hence, I dare my self to put on the dress and heavy make up and decided to have a great evening. And regardless the fact that I had additional accessories (check blackberry on my waist - I was on ER duty that night, hence should be on call at anytime) and that my arrows has knocked down a glass of red wine and tore some my friends’ kebaya + stuck in their sanggul, I did had a great evening.

From the colorful dress people wearing and the spirit it was a great night. I had a great time blending with others and the dresses were really a feast for my eyes. My friend Ratna won the female best dress and our GM, ehm!, won the male best dress. A major K.A was on its way, I would say, but shhh…I kept my silence and try to ignore the cold fact.

2 months to production and all hell break loose.

Without me realising it, I had slide back to my working habit 10 years a go. That means work 12 - 14 hours a day. Lack of sleep, only 3 - 4 hours sleep. Eat little, drink (coffee) a lot. Thinking things I should not be thinking. Feeling things I should not be feeling. Caring things I should not be cared about. I am on a fast lane to suicidal mood.

I kept on telling my self. It just a job. It just a job. But I guess things can not be ignored that easily if you really like what you are doing and have passion for it. Oh well, never mind. Maybe this is only a 10 years cycle but let see what is the difference.

Well, I was single and 8 kilos lighter back on 1997. No responsibility. No plan in mind other than get more money. Broke up with my boy friend and had one hell of a rebound time before making up and got engage several months later. And where I am at now? Well, married with 2 children. Loads of responsibility. Planning to balance my life and work. And have one helluva time with my kids and (currently) thinking to have another one. Hah!! (Hubby, don’t pass out!).

What will happen 10 years from now?