New year and our new lives

The Year of the Rabbit started out quite differently from usual. First, I didn't make Osechi just like I usually did for the last how many years I forgot.  Why?  It was simply because there were no ingredients that I could get here in the Czech Republic to make Osechi.  Instead, I got a pack of very tired Shimesaba, which was not that wonderful, and a frozen package of Ebi Fry, which my hubby seemed to like but not me.  I then made Sunomono just with Wakame and cucumbers, since I could not find any octopus.  I, however, managed to make Ozouni as I got some Mochi when I went back to the US in Dec. But, of course, I could not find the right kind of greens, so I ended up using Hakusai instead.  :( 

So, it started out rather lame, and then the consulting gig that I was engaged in was giving me lots of headaches. Yes, I am a consultant, so I should do whatever my sponsor tells me to. But, no, I just couldn't, although a couple of people tried to force me into it. If I had, it would have not only jeopardized my to-dos but also the integrity of the project team.  So, I acted as a backstage person to guide and lead the key stakeholders for the project, which was also frustrating to me.

Then in mid-January, even a sadder turn of event happened; my hubby ended his relationship with the company he worked for the last year and a half. It was really unfortunate that it ended this way, as my hubby was indeed passionate about changing the company's future. If you know anything about the localization business, you would feel the same way as my hubby did. The industry is slowly going into a commodity business. In order to break through the drastic change in technology and world in general, you really need to think and act differently. Unfortunately, I suppose the company didn't see it that way.  But, I have to say it is also unfortunately true that you tend not to see the technology change so clearly if you are in the Czech Republic, if you do not pay attention. For instance, I heard that one senior executive at the company astonished a client visiting from the US by not knowing what Twitter was. One thing that I was amazed at during my quick visit to the US in Dec was the massive change in technology and how people interact with the new technology. In the short year since we left the US, it seems like "everyone" has gotten either an iPad or a Kindle. The new paradigm around streaming video and TV apps has arrived, and we saw new names such as "roku", "boxee", and "apple tv" all around. Things are definitely changing, and the way people interact with new technology is certainly evolving.
That said, I strongly support what my hubby was trying to do and has done in the company, and this turn of events will give us another opportunity to really look into the way we want to work, live, and contribute to the society going forward.