Hurrah!

I'm jumping for joy! My leave has finally been approved. I'll be off to Italy for a two-week holiday in late March.

Things have gone off to a great start this year, and I'm thankful for it. I just got a promotion and have more say at work now. Our magazine is going for a revamp so there will be exciting times ahead. My leave application was left hanging in the past few weeks, but - phew- all that is more or less sorted.

I'm pleased to report that I've been enjoying better sleep these few days than I have in the past few weeks (due to being overworked, including freelance jobs, and bearing the thought of having my holiday held over till August, thanks to the revamp). I was told that I grind my teeth in my sleep, and once, I woke up to the sound of the grr-grr-grr coming from my mouth. This is the first time I have displayed the symptom of a condition called bruxism, and it affects people who are stressed, anxious and have the type A personality. It's not as serious as it sounds, except for the possibility of getting jagged teeth. Hope it goes away for good!

I'm really looking forward to the trip as I haven't gone on a proper long holiday in the past two years. Libero! I'm taking a "survival" Italian language lessons at the Italian Cultural Institute, and it's all going very well :)

My violin lessons are also going very well, and my instructor (a former lawyer and the same age as me) is very encouraging, praising me for getting my posture right by the second lesson and having a sense of rhythm, although I still have to work on my legato (bowing). I can now play Twinkle Twinkle Star, Lightly Bow, Song of the Wind and Go Tell Aunt Roddy fairly smoothly. Kiddy stuffs but hey, I'm a beginner! I also get to play with my instructor's three cats, one of which loves the sound of the violin (even my terrible playing!) and always park herself next to my feet (without budging from the spot, despite my accidental stepping on her tail occasionally).

Preparation for the trip is going great. Booked my flight earlier today. Made some contacts at couchsurfing.com, where natives offer to host you in their homes and take you around their city. Surprisingly, only the male ones replied. Everyone thinks I'm crazy, but hey it's a leap of faith, and I can always check into a hostel if anyone tries anything funny.

This post is just an update of what's been going on over my side, and to sum it up: life has been kind to me.

Have many good days!