Melbourne Days 2 & 3

I used to wonder why the weather was a common conversation topic, but having experienced the vagaries of the weather here in Melbourne, I can understand how it can provide much fodder for discussion even among strangers. In the book I am reading now ('Making the Most of Midlife') there is a quote from Jung on midlife - "We cannot live the afternoon of life according to life's morning; for what in the morning was true will at evening have become a lie." I can't help thinking this describes Melbourne's weather perfectly :)

Yesterday and today were far better than my first day here - largely because the sun came out! Today I actually didn't put on my jacket the whole day until around 4pm when I began to feel a chill. Unfortunately the weather forecasts warn me that this is going to last only one more day so I shall enjoy it while it lasts. 

On Sunday I went with R to the Arkhouse which is the home church where she worships. I liked the homely feel of the church and the sermon was thoughtful. I liked how the group was small enough for people to ask questions to clarify their understanding of the sermon. R played the keyboard and the worship songs were familiar. I was uncomfortable, though, with the way communion was administered and I missed the comforting voice of Joshua / Rennis pronouncing the absolution and benediction. R and I decided our spirituality was tied to our personality - I just like structure :)

After church my dear friends G and P picked us up and we went to a Greek tavern for lunch. I've known their children since they were babies and it seemed unreal to see them as strapping 19 and 17 year olds. Yet they are still the same sweet kids, willing to hug and tolerate being hugged. I hope to spend more time with them the next weekend.  As usual G ordered far too much food and R & I ended up packing our leftovers. 

The restaurant was hosting two big parties and I think there was a lot of food ordered because the waiter gave us free food - free vegetables, a free Greek salad and free baklava for dessert! Both parties were of old people. The party just behind our table seemed to be celebrating the birthday of a lady and at the end she stood up to make  a speech. She held up a hand-drawn diagram of a concentric circle and spoke of how that represented our life's journey. She said we began our life on the outer most ring and along the winding ring were all life's experiences - school, friends, marriage, childbirth, illnesses - and as we age we travel more and more inward towards our self. In the end, she said we move towards being just our Self, moving past all life experiences, and we will have only our Self at the end. The reaction to this at her table was mixed - one old gentleman shouted "You are a pessimist!" :) My table was busy making fun of me for being intrigued by her circle and predicting how I was going to plagirise the digram and make a speech at my 80th and pretend it was an original idea.

Today, I met up with N. I love our friendship. I don't think we have talked in a  year, yet we could talk easily, the years fell away and it was as if we were back in uni. Our life experiences are so very different, but there is comfort in talking to N. The best bit about her is she gives me permission to be me. And I as I type this, I realise that is an endearing part of G as well - he lets me be me, much as he disagrees with my choices, beliefs, even values. These are good friends and I am glad I made this visit.

This holiday is supposed to be about me finding my voice. About me making a decision and more importantly knowing why I made the decision. I have tried consciously not to do what I usually do like make lists, plan what I was going to do each day. I am trying to take each day as it comes. I am focusing on having honest conversations; on doing things I like doing, even if it is doing nothing. What I keep hearing is Benny's words - "please yourself."

A New Thing

Today I got contact lenses :) I have been thinking about getting them ever since I read about the new range of contact lenses available for presbyopia. I thought about getting the lens implant done but couldn't bring myself to try it so I have opted to try out contact lens first. I had the tests done and ordered the contact lenses before my Israel trip but I couldn't find the time to go to the optometrist before I left. I regretted it a great deal during the trip because I had to keep switching between my reading glasses and my sun glasses as it was blindingly hot yet I also had to refer to the guides and the Bible during the tour. So I ended up wearing my sun glasses on top of my reading glasses :) Yes, I bet I looked like a dork.

So today I went and got my lenses fitted :) They fit comfortably but my brain seems to have trouble adjusting to them so though I don't need my reading glasses now (I'm typing this without my glasses! Yay!), I can't see far objects clearly! I am supposed to try them for 2 weeks then go back to see if my brain has caught up with my eyes or whether I need a new pair of contacts. For now, it is pretty exciting though I keep reaching for my reading glasses automatically when I sit down at the computer or pick up something to read. Hahahaha. Old habits die hard.

My Solo Spa Holiday: Day 1

I have so much to tell you about my wonderful weekend retreat to Javana Spa Resort. I went for a 3D2N trip over the Vesak Day weekend to this resort that is set on a hill. Believe it or not, I first read about this spa in Her World in 1998 and I have been wanting to go there ever since. But money was tight and it wasn't exactly a place one can take children to, so the trip did not become a reality. Till now.

When it turned out that J was not going to be back from the US and K was going home for the summer and I was going to be alone for the long weekend, I decided it would be a perfect opportunity to put into effect my new goal - if I have to choose between sitting it out or dance, I will choose to dance! So I booked myself into the Javana Spa Resort...

Day 1: Fri 28 May 2010

Well, the first day, frankly, was awful.

I had been booked on a 7.00am flight on Garuda ( I hope never to fly it again!) so I had to leave home at 4.50am to be in time for check in. Learning point - never let travel agents book you in flights leaving before 8.30am or you will spend a fortune in taxi fare to the airport because the midnight charges are in effect till 6.00am!

Well, to be fair, my trip started nicely enough - I got a cab, got in time to the airport, checking in was a breeze, I had a leisurely breakfast at Starbucks....mmmm. The flight to Jakarta lasted an hour. As Jakarta is an hour behind us, I landed at 8.00am. I sailed through immigration as well and waiting at the arrival gate was the Javana Spa rep with a placard. Then started the first of my irritances. I was told I had to wait 20 minutes for another party of 6 women who were also going to Javana but were on another flight. I ended up waiting 50 minutes. They were in an SIA flight which carried far more passengers and consequently took far longer at immigration.

But that ended up being the shortest of waits that day. I was wondering why the Javana rep was so edgy while waiting for the group to arrive and soon enough I learnt the reason... The traffic was horrendous! What was described as a 2 1/2 hour ride took us 5 hours!!!! The traffic literally crawled. In fact the traffic was moving so slowly on the expressway that scores of children were walking around hawking drinks and snacks.



The kids were all lined up along the expressway and some of them lugged cartons of mineral water, fruit baskets, keropok down from what appeared to be a kampung inside the thick vegetation. It was then that i realised this traffic jam must be a regular affair!

By the time we got to the spa I was hot, tired, sore-bottomed, frazzled and definitely in a foul mood. But the spa staff was wonderful. They made soothing noises, clucked at the traffic and the heat and promised us that we would soon feel relaxed, now that we were at Javana...

I had a prettily laid out lunch with a really cold glass of water-melon juice. See those breadsticks? They undid all the effects of the spa food. Lethal.



My first experience of eating alone was not pleasant. Strangely, I felt exposed. This surprised me because I have spent many hours in HV Starbucks or Coffee Club by myself and all I had needed was coffee and a book. Yet on this holiday, that I was dining alone seemed to stand out. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that Javana had few amenities , with no internet, no phone, no TV and nowhere to go other than round the compound. So almost everyone was there either in a group or as a couple. I'm sure many of the guests must have been puzzled about my solo visit to a place where there was little to do except talk and read.

Anyway, I found day meals easier to handle than the evening meals, maybe because of the ducks. This was the outdoor table that was my refuge and if you look closely behind me you will see my dining companions :)



Well, after lunch I was shown to my room....


... a king-sized bed with french windows that opened out to this view...



But I was freaked out. Because before the manager opened the door of the room, he rang the doorbell. To warn the spirits.... Aaaagh!!! The moment I closed the door behind him I dropped my bag and prayed over the room!!! Made sure the Holy Spirit was the only spirit occupying my room that night!

Because we had arrived so late, I missed the afternoon nature hike, but I had the first of my 3 massages that afternoon.... blissssss.... The massages were the most indulgent part of my trip. A massage every day.... But after the massage the day went downhill.

At 6.30 they served mocktails by a fireside. I walked into the lounge and felt like I was back in the school canteen, with all the benches full and no one making space for me. I walked straight through the lounge, out to the lobby and circled back to my room again. I sat and read for half hour then ventured to the dining room and sat at the table by myself and felt the first wave of loneliness.

I don't even remember what I ate the first night of my solo holiday. I kept my eyes glued on my book, smiled at the waiter, and when dinner ended (at 8!) I went back to my room and cried. I prayed and wrote in my journal and harangued God and had a full blown pity party for myself, saying over and over again I shouldn't have come, I should have found stuff to do in Singapore (visit my sister, clean the house, finish up office work, shop, watch movies) and asking God how was I going to survive another 2 days.... The silence was the deepest I have ever experienced. I think I would have even welcomed the sound of the cicak that I hate. I finally fell asleep.

The next morning, I danced with God.

My Solo Spa Holiday : Day 2

Day 2: Sat 29 May 2010
My second day began with a loud knock on my door - a knock guaranteed to wake up even the soundest of sleepers with a start - at 5.30 am! Thankfully that meant it was 6.30 am in Singapore and that wasn't too early for me (plus I had slept really early the previous night...).

This was the sight that greeted us as we gathered to set off for our first activity of the day - a hike to Waterfall Nombor Dua (No. 2). What I really wanted was a cup of coffee. What we got was herbal tea. Sigh.

Well, I was pretty excited about the hike really. I had stopped exercising for a while and I must say the hike has in a way jump-started my exercising again. The hike was a great ice-breaker and by the time we reached the waterfall half an hour later, I had 6 friends - 2 Indonesian men who belonged to the same sports club abd travelled together, a Japanese couple (and the husband looked like Ng Eng Hen, I swear) and a gay couple, one of whom had lived in Singapore for a few years before. They all had one thing in common - at various times they all either caught me when I slipped, or helped me over tricky bits :)

The highlight of my second day came at the end of this trek -Waterfall No. 2. The manager had encouraged us to wear our swimsuits under our trackpants for the trek so we could swim in the waterfall. I was very very sure I was not going to put my feet into the freezing water let alone get into the pool, but I wore my swim suit anyway. And I am so glad I did! Because when we reached the beautiful waterfall, I stood there on the edge of the pool, watching some people jump in, screaming because of the cold, and remembered, dear Wai Yin, my promise that if I had to choose to sit it out or dance, I will dance.

So I danced....







The water was freeezing, but this was the highlight of my holiday - the time I decided to get in and walk through the waterfall!!! I really thought I was going to drown and I couldn't see anything because of all the water pouring down on me. But I had a great sense of accomplishment. The feeling is indescribable. And when we got out of the pool, the guide had towels and steaming cups of ginger tea waiting for us! It was easily the best ginger tea I have ever had :)

When we got back, it was past 7 am and we had breakfast. Each day, a staff would plan my day's programme for me and give it to me at breakfast. My second day's programme included an aerobics class (a fantatstic aerobics instructor! How I wish he was teaching in Singapore and not Javana...), another massage (mmmm), a pedicure with foot reflexology and an exercise class called 'Below the Belt' (well you can guess what areas were targetted in the class).

I also went on a nature appreciation walk...





and that sums up my second day at Javana.

Dinner that second night was a much more pleasant affair. The morning hike had broken the ice and when I walked into the dining room, the group of Indonesians who had helped me in the pool waved me over to join them and though I had a hard time following the conversation at the table (because they spoke Bahasa Indonesia), I was grateful for the friendship.

Sleep came easy....

My Solo Spa Holiday: Day 3

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of His hands..." (Ps 19:1)

These beautiful skies and towering mountain greeted us on Day 3 when we gathered again for an early morning hike to another waterfall - Nombor Empat (No. 4). The guide promised us that this one was bigger and the most beautiful of all. He also warned us that the climb was more difficult.

I was really buoyed up by my encounter with Waterfall No.2 and wasn't going to miss No. 4! My new found courage began to fail me quite soon because the path to this waterfall was indeed more treacherous than the day before. It had rained the previous night and the rocks were very slippery. My shoes had seen nothing more challenging than the floor of the aerobics room in MOE and the roads of Dover and I slipped, slid and slithered with abandon.

Our trekking group was severely reduced as many who had been to Waterfall No. 2 had decided one waterfall was all they needed to see. The going was the roughest I have tried. Footholds were cut into the rocky face but it was a steep descent and the makeshift bamboo handrail that kind souls had put in place did not extend along the whole trail. But again, as in the day before, I found many helping hands. A gentleman who had just arrived in Javana the night before, broke off a sturdy branch and offered it to me - "nak tongkat?" - and it literally was a life-saver. A Caucasian man who was behind me regaling me with stories of the years he had spent in Singapore assured me - "Don't look ahead at the rest of them. Just walk at your own pace. We aren't in any hurry..." and then when the going got tough he sidled past me and went ahead so he could lead me over the rough patches. The worst bit of the trek was when the footholds stopped and we had to walk sideways along a ledge of rock. That's when I wanted to turn right around and go back!

But I made it to Waterfall No. 4!!!



And though it looks like I am cavorting with strange men in these pictures, I assure you my dears, that these were just really, really kind strangers who encouraged me and guided me across the rocks to walk into the waterfall :) And it was a wonderful feeling!

I walked through that wall of water, not able to open my eyes, gasping from the sheer coldness and volume of water pouring down on me... and then in just a few heart-stopping seconds, I was on the other side of the fall ... and it was absolutely calm. Whenever I read again the words of God in Isaiah, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you", this is the experience I will remember.

The other Singaporeans and I had decided not to risk being stuck in the return jam, so we left early before the rest of the guests checked out. So I had time only for one more massage and an aerobics class.

Isn't it a pretty room? No stuffy airconditioned room smelling of stale sweat. Just open windows and a lovely scenery to look at while exercising.

Well that ended the nicest part of the day, because things went downhill again after that. There was a traffic jam - not as bad as the one we were stuck in on Friday - but energy-sapping nevertheless. The Garuda flight I was on was delayed by an hour - and the only one in the boarding area who reacted to the announcement of the delay was ME....

It was 11.45pm by the time I got home on Sunday. It had been a tiring trip and that seems ironical when you consider the fact that it had been a spa retreat on a hill. But the aspects that had spoilt the trip - the traffic jam, the delayed flight - were not really the fault of the spa management and there was nothing they could have done about it. But I have no regrets. I learnt of a strength within me I did not know I had. And I rested in God's love.

Excited!!!!

YAY!!!! I am going to be ticking off one from my To-Do list! I am going on a spa holiday on my own this weekend!!!! I just had the tickets and the booking details delivered to me at my office! I am super excited! I'm going to the Javan Spa Resort which is a 2 hour drive from Jakarta. It is totally rustic, with no telephone, no tv, no internet. It is just going to be God and me. When I come back on Sunday I will either be a raving loonie driven to distraction by all that solitude or an ascetic saint who will resign to go live in the mountains.... :) Woooo hoooo!

A Good Week

After I stopped trying to do new things (my failed experiment) it turns out I did do somethings new after all... On Tuesday, we had a Car Rally organised as a bonding activity for my division and I went to parts of Singapore that I had not seen. And yesterday I went to the Asian Civilisations Museum on my own in the evening and surprisingly enjoyed wandering around the exhibits quite a bit.

This week is our Public Service Week. This is an annual event that encourages us civil servants to think about our jobs, find meaning in what we do and also build better ties. The Car Rally on Tues was organised to commemorate CPDD Day. 5 of us piled into my colleague Flo's car and went in search of clues from Waterloo Street to Bussorah Street to Onan Road in the east before heading out to west to Hort Park and back to MOE.

This is my team... Mental note to self - NEVER stand next to Flo :)



Some of the highlights were:

• eating ice cream within 1 minute - ouch my teeth hurt.

• discovering that the base of the golden dome of the Arab Street mosque was made of soya suace bottles!
• trying and miserably failing to play 'chatek' (if my sister-in-law had been on our team, we would have aced it!)
  
• trying to decipher the answers to inane, ridiculous clues such as "what house?" (huh?) and "where is love?" - definitely the most frustrating bit for me!
• having to eat piping hot and mouth-searingly, tongue-numbingly chilli paste saturated curry puffs within 5 minutes. This was easily the most tortourous activity for me

Note: this pic was taken BEFORE we bit into the puff!



As part of PS Week, we are also encouraged to go on Learning Journeys and I chose to go to the ACM yesterday and I will be going to Fusionopolis tomorrow (no prizes for guessing why). Although there were many intriguing exhibits I decided to start with the special exhibition 'Treasury of the World' as the exhibition is scheduled to end in June. I thought I would have time to see the rest after that, but the bejewelled exhibits were so beautiful I hardly noticed 2 hours passing. If my bag had not been so heavy, I would have stayed till the museum closed at 7pm.

It has been a good week. I feel my world has been widened, my soul stretched.

Get a First!

For one week I resolve to do something new every day. It will be a list of 'Firsts' for me. Why? Because I am going to celebrate every new day that God gives me.

Day 1: 7 May 2010 - I used Google Map on my iPhone to find my way to Westbourne Road. YAY!!

Day 2: Sat 8 May 2010 - I learnt how to blog through my mobile phone today. YAY!!!

Day 3: Sun 9 May 2010 - Ate almonds coated in dark chocolate with sea salt and turbinado sugar. YUCKS!!!!!

Day 4: Mon 10 May 2010 - I did something new but it is secret and J can vouch for it. Shhh...

Day 5: Tue 11 May 2010 - I paid a deposit for my first ever SOLO holiday!! YAY!!!

Day 6: Wed 12 May 2010 - Sadly, I didn't do anything new today :( Fail...

Day 7: Thu 13 May 2010 - I have given up on this list.... :)