Forever 15

At this time of the year, things are already are slowing down on the workfront. This is expected in the maritime industry which is known to be quite cyclical.

During the good years, my European associates would be escaping from the bitter cold to sunny places while I would be off exploring new destinations. Things are different this year of course. The big players in the shipping industry are still bleeding as I write, so the mood remains sombre. A small company like ours is more agile and less affected. Still, I'm holding back on frivolous spending until the industry recovers.

Having said that, I'm treating myself to a short holiday in Hanoi with my old school friends. They've called it the "Forever 15" reunion because we were good friends at 15.

We must have exchanged few hundred emails amongst us. ML, who is based in Hanoi, has been tasked to find out if there are any good tailors, leather shoes, delicious local food, famous French and Japanese restaurants, wholesale centres and tourists attractions.

She has painstakingly drawn up an itinerary to keep us occupied, fed and entertained for the five days in Hanoi. The highlight would be the birthday bash of course. ML's birthday is on 15 December while mine's on 15 September. Another friend's on 15th of March (I think), so we're having a big Forever 15 celebration.

At 15.