Friday Five 7-July-2023

thefridayfive 

1. How's your summer (winter) going so far?
I suppose it's going rather well. It's actually not so bad here because there are A/C. I know there are people who can't stand the A/C, but when you're in this heat, you'll wish for it.

2. Have you made any special summer (winter) plans?
With the parents out and me perpetually in dog duty during their absence, I won't be able to make any stretched out plans. Anything I do will have to be half-day things. I'm still thinking about going to Shenzhen that one Sunday, but I'm still waiting for the event schedule so that I can know whether I have enough time to get on the return ferry back.

3. What are your traditional activities in summer (winter)?
haha, now that I'm in the workforce, and since I don't have kids, there's no need to plan for anything for summer. When I was still in school, summer was gaming time. My Mom worked as a school headmistress, so home life was rather strict. No gaming consoles during school time! So the Super Famicom and Playstaytions only came out during the summer holidays and Christmas break. And wow we did spend all day just playing. Look at us now, the consoles are sitting out but only collecting dust.
My work colleagues with kids would always hog the summer holidays and christmas break times, as well as other major public holidays, so I never really planned my funsies on those times.
And usually in the summer when the parents are in Europe, I take Fridays off for long weekends, but can't do it this year either because I've calculated my time off balance, and I wouldn't have enough if I want to take my Italy trip this October/November.

4. Are there special summer (winter) foods or drinks you're enjoying?
Ice lollies I suppose?

5. What is one thing you need to do this summer (winter)?
There's nothing in particular I must do... maybe except to survive it LOL. I'm doing rather well, if I do say so myself!


F.riday5.com

1. What has been a nice surprise in this first half of the year?
I don't know. Nothing pops up right now. Ah we did get the second half of our annual bonus the other day, but since that happened in July so it's not first half of the year haha!

2. What’s the best new (new-to-you or brand-new) music, TV, or reading you consumed this year?
Can't think of any one thing in particular. I did watch that movie but I forget if it was this year or last year, The Garden of Evening Mists, that quite liked. I'm now reading the book, still a tad dry now in the beginning part but hopefully it gets better.

3. What have you learned so far in 2023?
This sounds like it's asking for life lessons which frankly I haven't had any great epiphanies yet. I can say I went for the ceramics class and that pet aroma products class.

4. What is the outlook for the rest of your 2023?
So we got the second half of our annual bonus, the government has given out their "wealth sharing scheme" also the other day, in September there's going to be the new round of "Education subsidy" scheme as well, so yeah, everyone's gonig to be looking for stuff to learn soon.

5. What can you do this week to make someone else’s 2023 better?
I have absolutely no idea. I figure I'm making the parent's 2023 rather well. The Boss too. I may have been neglecting my friends, but I just can't right now. My life revolves around the dogs more than myself. I wake up, I walk the dogs, then three days a week I wait for the cleaner to arrive, then I get to work. Because one of the dogs have some kind of separation anxiety thing going, "visitors" cannot leave, so the cleaner always has a problem by the end of the cleaning schedule. So I have to rush back home around 11:30am so that I can lock that dog up while the cleaner leaves. On non-cleaner days I still have to go back over lunch or after lunch, because for Max who can't walk, I have to walk him to the verandah and see if he does his mid-day wee and drink of water (can't put water near him as he may knock the bowl over then he's wet). I then go back to work, work till 6pm sharp and rush back home again, feed the dogs, get my dinner going, if any groceries need to be bought then I go do that too. By then Sis comes back, has her dinner, then dogs to their night time walk.

Since there's only 2 of us, and for safety reasons, we only take 2 dogs out, then the 3rd dog needs to be taken out separately, that happens to be me always. And then I shower, before I retire to my room I prepare the dogs' dinner for the following day. Finally, it's me time, but by then it's like 11pm. I'm tired. So I'll just go sleep.

I suppose I'm making the dogs' 2023 the best there is.