so much to do...

at some point in time, we all find ourselves barely keeping our heads above water, amidst all the things we have, nay, must do. it's my time now, dear reader, to try to get my life in order so there can be a return to normality. allow me to elaborate.

i don't even know where to start! probably the biggest and baddest problem is that we've only just found out that we have to move from our apartment @ the end of july. major pain in the as. i won't bore you with the how's and why's, but suffice it to say that we are moving. @ the end of july, we only plan to stay in taiwan for another 6 months, so moving into a new pad, then getting settled, then moving again isn't too appealing.

holidays are coming fast as well so now's the time to start booking. our plan was to take 3 weeks and visit some pesky countries we've been meaning to see. namely, singapore, malaysia and the phillipines. another ambitious adventure i know, but the timing and travel are right so why not? that was the school of thought on the subject last week. before i asked my boss about the dates of vacation and discovered that we only share 2 week, not 3. so some tweaking to the travel itinerary will have to be done. the forthcoming move also plays a role in our decision-making process as moving day lies @ the beginning of our holidays.

speaking of work, it's decision time there as well. my contract will come to an end @ the end of july so do i stay or do i go? i like my school, generally. the kids are great, co-workers are really nice, job's not too difficult...the only thing really is that it's too far away. the commute to work has worn me out and i seem to be spending a small fortune on taxi cabs as i can bear the bus ride no more. the tricky part here is because of work visas, i can't just quit and then come back. it's a whole, long process that is involved. i would have to get that bureaucratic ball moving before i left and hope that there would be no problems whilst away on vacay. likelihood of that happening is not good, so we shall see.

the next few weekends are taken care of as well as friends begin to exit taiwan en masse. the usual stream of last-time's and farewell parties are beginning to ensue. this leaves little time to actually plan or make-good on any decisions as the weekend seems to be the time in which to do so.

the last item on this ever-growing "to do" list is our future plans. we've talked, at great length, about travelling for a few few months after leaving taiwan. that plan takes us to about spring 2007, but what's next? more travel? set up in a different country again? settle down? house? job? kids??? shudder.

the truth is we haven't thought too much about it. more food for thought i guess, but there still is some time to plan the next 40 years of my life yet....i think i'll wait until after the big move @ any rates.