New Year, New Beginnings

Happy New Year everyone. May 2007 bring you lashings of happiness, good fortune and health. May you find what it is you are looking for.

I certainly hope I do.

The fact that my microwave broke down as it was defrosting my leftover lasagna and my new-ish Nokia decided not to work as I was receiving new year messages left me wondering. As I pondered whether someone upstairs was trying to tell me something about my life, the pen I was writing with broke in half and my son dropped the house phone thereby rendering it unworkable.

This is after I discovered a few days before 2006 closed its sleepy eyes that my maid had been sneaking out of the house to meet her Mexican boyfriend and giving out my home address to literally, every Tom, Dick and Harry.

Then a series of little mishaps, my Touch 'N Go card refusing to work as I exited a shopping mall, my electric gate refusing to lock, my cheques bouncing because of the holiday period and the bank charging me RM100 for it, my son starting school with a schedule that no flexi-time could possibly adhere to. All this culminated in some rapid decision-making as 2006 handed over the torch to 2007. The live in maid structure goes, I will do everything myself with the help of a part timer. I am selling my house and buying a new apartment. Returning to full time and a full bank account has to wait until some dust settles.

I don't mean to begin the new year with a big whinge and frankly, I don't see it that way at all. In fact, I have discovered that while gardening is absilutely no fun at all, hanging clothes up to dry is.

Yes it's certainly an unusual situation to find oneself in and though some may argue I am denial, I think not. I am sitting alone in a dark house after throwing out the garbage with a wry smile on my face rather that in a pond of salty tears. The shit has hit the fan and funnily enough,I reckon that shit raining down on you is an experience one must savour at least once in their life time.

I guess, it's all a message, a cause and effect. Perhaps I ventured on with my life too soon. Rushed into things. Ran a hasty race. Cut too many corners. Too eager to get to the finish line first with all the trophies in hand. And certain foundations, pillars and corner stones were not put in place.

Lesson No. 1: You can't get from A to Z and bypass all the letters in the alphabet without a proper infrastructure in place.

So 2007 begins back at square 1. It's back to basics beginning with a process of re-evaluation, putting workable and reliable systems in place and only thereafter can the building blocks come out to play.

I suppose not everyone will have a blast doing this. It is in essence, taking several steps backwards, but a move that is both necessary and essential for any future growth. I am as ever, grateful for this to happen now - better sooner than later I have been saying.

This is not about of horrid luck, in fact, its a blessing in disguise.

So whilst I don't wish shit to rain down on everyone (there must be a better way of doing this!), but I do wish you all progress, smooth transitions and welcoming chapters.