I had a call with the teams that are heading the conferences next week and I realized that I need to extend my stay in Singapore because there is no way I can finish all the tasks I am set to do. My boss told me yes, please extend because I need to meet Singapore candidate reporters as well. My colleague in Singapore will be taking her CFA Level 2 exam in November and after she passes that, I don’t have anything to offer her besides making her officially my deputy, which does not make any dent compared to other prospects that she will have. Even with a promotion and raise, what other financial institution can offer her would significantly be higher.

So I must do some succession planning. I need to hire one or two new Singapore reporters and if I need to go back in September, then I should, even though I would like to limit my travel overseas. I need to make room for my S.Korea working-holiday in October-November.

If this colleague-friend would leave soon, then there would be a big gaping wound in my team because she is very good. It’s going to be a huge wound, I tell you.

So there, I would be arriving from Singapore on 2 August and would be fetched by my mom’s driver from the airport at midnight and sleep in my mom’s house for a few hours then go straight to my college’s testimonial and recognition rites. Then my mom’s driver would bring me back to QC.

Today is hectic with calls, editing, and the amount of writing I must do. I’m still creating charts now to include in my crystal ball-gazing article for the region, which our commercial team is asking me to finish NOW because they will include this in the conference next week.

With the amount of ass-kicking I’m doing, I must really ask for another round of raise by the end of this year.

I have four to five pending articles I must write this week. Heaven knows how I would be able to shoehorn it tomorrow when I need to fetch my car, do more food shopping because I would be out of this house for 10 days, and I also need to buy a dress.

My head is swimming. I am wearing four hats all at once and I don’t have mental space for anything else.

That makes my S. Korea holiday a welcome respite from this chaos.

I decided I would be working in Seoul for the first week I would be there and just rent a unit via Airbnb and wait for my friends to arrive the following week. I was already exchanging emails this morning with the PE that I would be visiting there in October. I would just fix my schedule there after this SG trip since I would be meeting some Korean LPs in Singapore. Then I would just let my friends take charge of the itinerary because I’m tired of managing my life. I’ll be happy just being dragged along and be brainless. Anyway, I don’t have any real target that I must achieve/see in Seoul or wherever we would be going. Until Japan opens up to individual tourists without Japan-based family (and not group tours), Korea would be my best alternative holiday destination for this year.

OK, I must go back to my writing chore. The commercial team is waiting for my draft.

TIMECHECK: 12:35 am 21 July —> submitted draft to commercial team and to editing pool

I’M ALREADY BRAIN-DEAD.