You hit a home run with the stretch metaphor.

Over the first 2 months, I was tired, anxious, under pressure, occasionally emotional, impatient, irritable .. But not sure if it’s due to “overstretch”.

My father and some other people enjoy hours of concentration each day. 10 hours a day, 7 days a week was enjoyable for him at my age. He had some exercise too. Other people like him work even longer and still have time for rest and exercise.

On the other hand, some people suffer physically when they have to work even 8 hours a day. Consider that I was spending 2 to 3 hours a day on the road.

Maybe i was indeed, as you described, trying to do too many things in too short a time. Many issues have to get resolved in a short time, such as
– looking for accommodation
– looking for phone cards for international and long-distance (domestic)
– buying a cell phone
– paying bills on time
– correcting visa mistakes
– learning online banking
– filling up forms for salary deposit
– applying for bank accounts and credit cards
– looking for a clinic,
– buying a laptop, wireless adapter, headphone (for skype)

I think i have already postponed some low priorities.

Overall, I frequently (perhaps incorrectly) feel life in this country really demands more effort and faster thinking and faster action than in S’pore.

Sometimes I ask myself why clients (be it Citibank or Universal Studio) pays for me 3-10 times higher than they pay an off-shore developer in India or elsewhere. I think the #1 reason is this speed — onsite developers produce much faster.

Thanks again for your insights — enjoying, appreciation, planning,