SOMETHING NEW FOR 2008

As a project manager, my job requires me to very good in planning. Good projects are ones that involved very thoughtful planning, so that when it's time to execute, you have everything considered, even the contingencies in case anything goes awry.

I cannot say the same for my personal life. I've stopped planning how I will live out my life the day I buried my father. My dad has this tendency to plan everything. He had everything laid out for us: how many kids he will have, where they will go to school, where the family will have vacations every year, at what age he will retire, where he will retire. All that. But he didn't plan on being told he had cancer and he had only four months to live. Hell, he didn't even know he had four months to live. He just sort of knew it would be coming soon from looking in our eyes everytime he can manage to stay coherent after bouts of chemotherapy. I don't want to go that path.

But somehow, being Switzerland means you have to do some sort of "planning". The whole country is obsessed by it! In a country where the trains arrive and leave on the dot, your daily life depends on good planning. Sometimes, it gets to a point where it is outrageous. We had sort of discussed over lunch about going out one Friday for after-work drinks. Before the day was over, the Swiss guy already had it all planned out: what time we will leave for the office, who's riding with who, where we will go, the bar's drinklist, who the designated drivers are, and the train schedule in case the designated driver forget that they're the designated driver.

So here's a list of something new that I want to do for 2008. I know I've already lost two months, but I think these are makeable, given that we have ten more months to go:

1. Learn a new sport - Switzerland = Swiss Alps = Snow. I have to learn either skiing or snowboarding. Everybody in the office tells me my European experience will not be complete without learning how to ski. Should I ask them if that will include getting the broken ankle as well?

2. A European car - When in Rome... And this may be the only chance I will ever afford a BMW or a Benz.

3. A new language - I have to learn High German. This is the universally accepted German language in this part of Europe. There's also such a thing as Swiss German, but the Germans tell me that even they would take years to be able to decipher it. Besides, it would be nice to go to a coiffure not worrying if I will end up looking like a poodle rather than Pitt.

4. Playstation 3 - Not really high on the list, considering that my wife and I plan to spend more time outside of the house and doing some travelling, rather than staying in for the weekend.

5. A baby - We'll see... Hahaha!