I spent this morning listening to a bossa nova version of U2's "With Or Without You" on a taxi's stereo as I was heading to the airport in Davao City to fly home to Hong Kong.
(How weird does it feel to be writing that!?!)
The song was by Sitti, a Filipino singer, and the CD also included versions of "My Ever Changing Moods" by The Style Council and "2 Become 1" by the Spice Girls.
Needless to say, it was the perfect soundtrack on this bittersweet morning.
And, thanks to our cab driver this week, who's now a friend, I have the CD in my bag to take home with me.
I'm not going to get all serious but this has been a magical two weeks:
I met the woman who is now my girlfriend, I had 2 back-to-back interviews at a great company which lead to my accepting a job at the same company, and then I spent 5 days in the Philippines with my girlfriend.
These 10 days have been so great that I felt a bit like George Costanza:
"God would never let me be successful; he'd kill me first. He'd never let me be happy."
But, this last week has almost made me believe in God again.
If not quite a sense of a faith, at least one of thankfulness.
I am a very lucky/fortunate/blessed guy.
Having seen the poverty in the Philippines, I think that's an obvious thing to feel.
But it's not just that. It's the sense that I need to be grateful to The Universe for where my life is at right now.
I don't want to screw this up.
I quit my job, moved to Hong Kong, and got a job and a girlfriend.
Now am I up to the responsibilities of each?
This is where things get difficult.
Time to step up to the plate and make the best effort I've ever made in my previously lazy-and-carefree life.
I'm not talking about financial success but, rather, the personal kind.
If I could be that happy last week, then surely I can be that happy in the future, right?
