Checking in

I know I have not blogged over a week.
Well, I had been busy (still am actually).
I have been trying to sort out work that is slowly coming in as the deadline for it draws near (i.e. end of the month, which happens in a few days).
This is work submitted to me, which I then have to "magically transform" to make it become user-friendly to our "customers".
This is the back-end job that I do, which I rather like.
Having said that, I am fortunate that some of the work has already been done.
I only have 3 more lots to do.
Considering that I have yet to get my new support staff in to help me out, I am truly lucky that I only have these 3 lots to do for end of April.
Talking about new support staff, my boss hastened me to go ahead with my hire.
So I have block-booked his time for the second round of interviews he will be doing this coming Friday.
I told him that I won't be telling him who I have in mind to hire from the 2 I have now shortlisted and interviewed in the first round.
I said I would like to see if his eventual choice would be the same as mine.
He joked, asking me what if he didn't like either of the 2 candidates I have shortlisted.
I said I will have to start looking for reserves then...(ok, I was joking too).
I already have my mind set on this particular guy.
He has the right skills and experience, and then some.
His other skills are going to be handy when my department expands.
In fact, there will be a new unit that will be set up which I can potentially see him in, in time to come.
That is, if he is determined and interested enough to stay on after the 3-month probation!
I am hoping that he can be groomed to become one at the mangerial level, since his current work experience and skills will stand him in good stead.

Anyway, a bit about my personal life.
I have not really gone out of my way to do social things.
For one, quite a number of my weekends was taken up by work-related duties.
For another, I am still holding faith that my sweet someone is going to be around for awhile.
I say that as we have re-started our communication again.
This is be it via text-messaging on our mobilephones, or chatting on the phone.

The 2-week army reservist stint seemed to have done him some good.
He probably had a chance to break away from the hectic work routine, and although tiring (he has said), I'm sure the personal space that I gave him in that time turned out good.
That is, I didn't attempt to touch base with him much in the time he was training in camp.
He must have had the time to catch up with his army mates, and probably exchanged news of one another's lives.
From the most recent text messages that I have received so far, I get the sense that although he is polite, he is also "testing waters" by the warm way in which he wrote his messages.
Some of which were in response to a couple of emails I penned to him, reflecting my thoughts about us.
He also gave me a flying kiss on the phone only just yesterday, which was surprising but nice, of course!

We have even agreed to set aside time to meet up next week, in order for me to pass him his belated birthday pressie and to give him a belated birthday dinner treat.
You see, his birthday was spent in the army camp last Saturday.
So he thoroughly deserved his pressie and the dinner treat from me! :o)

Yikes!
It is already way past my bedtime.
Looking at the clock, I will only have 5 hours' sleep.
I better sign off now.

Ciao...