2006 2007

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity.

Last weekend, I got back from my shortest trip to HK - total of seven days from Christmas Day through to New Years Eve. We hit the ground running from day one, as every day was jam packed full of family gatherings (lunches with relatives, group dinners) and occasionally meeting friends while also squeezing in some rushed shopping sprees due to the limited time. Thankfully, the flight over to HK was alleviated by six complimentary upgrades for my entire family. Managed to celebrate three birthdays (well, technically four if I include Jesus) over that time but I did cut out a lot of shopping (heck I only came back with a suitcase weighing close to 20kg). One can imagine the logistics of organising groups of 27+ for dinners and family outings in HK. On the way back, there was no upgrade, and my did I feel it. However, maximised the usage of the lounge by grabbing some drinks and taking a shower before boarding.

Upon arriving back in Syd, I managed to have an early dinner and then went out to Bradleys Head or some fireworks action. To be honest, I was not as impressed with the fireworks as I had been in the past years, but overall, it was good to get out and about on the first day of the year. Traffic conditions were definitely not ideal upon leaving the vantage point.

Apart from mundane activities, such as being a designated driver as people returned from overseas, I finally managed to get a couple of rounds of golf in - out at Liverpool Golf Course and St Michaels. Both courses have very nice surrounds, but the views at St Michaels can hardly be topped. This resulted in some serious tans as my trusty sunscreen had expired...in 2001. Oh well! The bad news is that my swing is still MIA (although I suspect that it was never really in action in the first place). So that is one new goal for the new year...

Also managed to make it out to do some snorkelling and relax at the beach. Unfortunately, there was not a lot to see, but one group of people with a spear and knife managed to get a whole bag full of sea urchins, abalone and fish! It was definitely a sight to see!

Due to my usual tardiness, I went to book flights overseas today - only to find that due to a late Chinese New Year this year, the flights are full from the 11th to the 28th February. Great... This has resulted in some last minute juggling of flights and so forth, but thankfully, all has worked out well. **phew**

So 2007 has already begun, and I have barely had enough time to get used to writing the dates with 2007. I guess the last couple of weeks of 2006 pretty much sum up the entire 2006 - flying in and out of Sydney, a bit of thinking about my future and trying to catch up more with family.

In any case, it's time to put the past behind and look forward to 2007!