A Germ of an Idea

I chanced upon a blog today that has captured my imagination. It is written by a lady who is determined to "age disgracefully" :) I love that idea! I have been focusing on doing this gracefully and realise, hey, it is so much more fun being disgraceful about it :) My daughters, you have been warned.

Anyway, this lady (who currently feels like a bff) also maintains a website on travelling solo. And I love it! It was comforting to read about other women who feel that same nagging feeling I had yesterday but get off their butt and travel anyway. And there is a whole community of them whom I am longing to connect with. Their travel tales excite me and I feel I really want to do this - travelling solo. It is not an instinct for me. I still prefer to travel with my daughters and /or friends. But I am beginning to think, maybe, just maybe, there is another way. After all, after my first miserable night - which, my new bff assures me is a loneliness felt by every one of these solo travellers :) - I did enjoy my spa holiday at Javana.

So ... I just might ...

Counting Down...

6 days to go! The reality hit me yesterday that my tour of Israel was oh so near! Last night I dusted off my suitcase, heaved it up on a chair and began my ritual of packing for a trip. One week before I leave, this is what I do. Then over the week I put stuff in, and take stuff out, and buy stuff I need... I think I actually enjoy the process of packing :) Being the compulsive list-er that I am, of course I have a travel packing list - 2 actually, one on my iPhone and one on my laptop - and tomorrow I will whip it out and start going through the list to be sure I have everything I need. No doubt, this is the reason my suitcases weigh a ton whenever I travel :)

I have mixed feelings about my impending trip. It is one of two "trips-of-my-lifetime" and part of me is looking forward to it very excitedly. But there is also a part of me that is anxious. You see, by nature, I am cautious. The time-tested road is the one that instinctively appeals to me. But over the years I have challenged myself in small ways to take the road less travelled, to take risks and to be open to new experiences. Many times I have succeeded and had a great time. Some times I have stayed safe. But every time a new opportunity presents itself, I feel the now familiar tug-of-war between cautious-me and intrepid-me.

There is no reason for my anxiety. I will be on an organised tour group, I am travelling with a trusted friend, J and R are fine in their own lives, work is at a low season and except for an aching knee, my health is good. Yet, there is a small familiar tug. I recognise it; I know it will go away. It feels like homesickness. But it's just resistance to change :)

My 53rd...

Every year I gain 2 kgs in the week of my birthday. This year has not proved to be an exception :) My fondness for chocolate has become too much of a common knowledge and so yes, there has been an abundance of chocolate, chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream...

The best cake award of this year goes to the yummilicious cake bought by my CYAN cell group - a creation called Grand Cru Royale by Centre-ps which is a cakeshop in Tiong Bahru. They have an irritatingly slow website so I am not linking, but the cake was superb. It had a hazelnut praline crunch base and a chocolate mousse top and was absolutely delicious :) Thus began my eating odyssey on Wednesday, 4 days before my birthday...



On Friday, 5th Nov, which was also Deepavali Day, Johnson, Yvonne and Freya took me out for dinner at chili's. I have been wanting to try this restaurant for a while but just didn't get around to so I enjoyed the experience quite a bit. Dear Yvonne arranged for a surprise song from the restaurant staff and I got a birthday balloon too :)

And flowers, and books and a fridge magnet :)

On the eve of my birthday, I went on a day spa trip to Batam with my sister, J and Kelsey. It was a quaint place called Tempat Senang and we booked in for a 3 hour spa session. It felt like a mini holiday, boarding the ferry and getting picked up and driven to the spa. The spa owner had arranged for a birthday cake for me but it was delivered in such an awkward manner that it was laughable rather than a touching gesture!

I was quite disappointed by our reception because no one seemed to notice we had arrived. Then a lady came and asked us to choose our treatments and while we were looking at the spa menu, the chef came and said there was a cake for us. The lady was very puzzled and said she had no idea what that was about, she asked the owner who came and said vaguely, "Oh you didn't ask for a cake? Ok then" and wandered off! So we left the cake alone and went off to have lunch. During lunch, the cake made an appearance again. This time it had been cut and we were served 4 slices with a candle stuck on! Hmph! Like I said, a little more panache would have made it a thoughtful gesture instead of the awkward one it turned out to be :( That said, the masseuse was awesome!

My birthday was on the first Sunday of November so all of us with birthdays and anniversaries in November got prayed for at the E2 service. I was really glad my sister came to church with us and liked the sermon as well. Here I am with CYAN people and dear Emma and Ale (that baby is growing fast!)

I must say I had a GREAT birthday. Because J arranged for surprise visits by my friends. I must confess I messed up her plans quite a bit by refusing to have dinner and insisting on watching a movie at 7.30 pm when she had arranged a surprise dinner for me :) Poor Jen.

After church we went to Krish for tea but J wasn't done with surprises yet and I had 3 more surprise visitors for tea, bearing cake from - where else - Awfully Chocolate :) My dear friends, who shall remain unidentified and unnamed by request, I appreciate you :)

And my darling orchestrator of my birthday, thank you. I love you.

We went to watch 'It's a Wonderful After Life' in the evening and I liked the movie except for one sequence at the engagement party which was too long and too ridiculous to be funny. And ended the day at Swenson's... I should have taken the pic BEFORE we demolished the sundae instead of after it ;)

My birthday celeration did not, however, end on Sunday. My CYAN cell celebrated my birthday jointly with Emmy at Penang Kitchen on Monday night... Embarrassed me no end :)

Following this, my old friend Andy bought me lunch at Thai Express on Tuesday and I celebrated a joint birthday with my friend Fiona whose birthday is today by having brunch at Dome...

I think I'm done now... It has been a week of excesses :)