Say a prayer for Boston

Woke up to some really shocking news this morning and learned of the bombing at the Boston Marathon.  Memories flashed as I watched the scenes on the television, ‘Hey, we were there last year.’  I was AT the finish line waiting for the Man to finish his race just last year.  The runners, the supporters, the people behind Boston Marathon – I cannot imagine what they went through in those split seconds when the bombs set off.

This was close to the Finish line.  This was the place where we tried to find a spot to wait for our respective other halves to finish the grueling race.  The streets were jam-packed and it was almost impossible to find a spot where we will not be pushed.  In the end, we gave up trying to secure a spot and moved to the nearest mall which provided an unblocked view of the street with the runners in sight.

It was somewhere along this spot that the blasts happened.  A day of joy and celebration for runners and supporters alike quickly turned into a day of horror.  A day where the city comes out to support the runners and mark their achievements as they crossed the finish line turned to little importance.  Truly a sad day indeed.

This incident is probably a little closer to our hearts  because we were there.  We were amongst the many who participated in this world-celebrated running event, we knew how important the weekend was to Boston who went all out to make us feel welcomed during this event.

During the course of my work, I also met with some of the organisers of the Boston Marathon.  I’ve had the privilege to work with some of them and learned of what they do at the Boston Marathon.  Thankfully, they are all safe and my prayers go to them and their teams during this difficult time.

When President Obama addressed the Boston Marathon explosions, he said. “Boston is a tough and resilient town. So are its people. I’m supremely confident that Bostonians will pull together, take care of each other, and move forward – as one proud city.”

And it’s true, I know in my heart that Boston will get through this trying time and will rise victoriously as Champions again.

Visit Japan

Japan will forever hold a special place in our hearts. It’s the place where the Man and I dated long distance after he proposed to me, packed his suitcases and left our tiny island to the land of the Rising Sun to start a new job. It was there where we lived for about a year straight after we got married. It was somewhat the land of many firsts for me in my life – where I learned a new language, learned to do housework properly, cooked a proper meal and of course, learned that I could be independent.

The day we received news that we had to relocate back to Singapore, I actually felt a sense of sadness. I didn’t want to leave this country that I had somewhat grew extremely fond of in a short span of time. So, we made a point to try and visit Japan at least once a year if we could.

Sadly, after the tsunami, we didn’t really get a chance to for we moved to Geneva. I missed Japan to bits – the food, the culture, the nature and the bustling city. When the pals decided that Hakuba was the place to head to for our annual winter hols, I was thrilled. The snowboarding trip was long and the stay in Tokyo was rather short. I left the city craving for another trip and guess what? My wish came true!

The Man is heading to Tokes for some business and I’m tagging along this long weekend! Woo hoo!!! And you know what’s the best part?

Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) are in full bloom!! The last I saw this pretty flowers was in 2007 and I can’t wait to see this marvelous sight! Keeping my fingers crossed that it will still be blossoming when I head there.

And vain me even got a set of Sakura nails to go for the floral viewing. Hehe… Friends said this set was rather unlike me and I have to agree for given a choice, I would go with shocking pink nails with skulls and cross.

Until then, will catch you again next week. Enjoy the long weekend break!

a shade of green

Been going through a little green-eyed monster and envy phase of late.  Not that I want to, but I guess it’s only human nature to always look at the other side of the fence and see that it’s so much greener than the one that I’m currently on.

An old schoolmate reconnected with me recently and in the midst of our text messages shared some good news.  While I’m happy for her, I can’t help but wish I could I could be in  the same shoes as her.

It’s not easy for me to bring this topic up.  Most times, I shrug it off and try to brush it off in jest , not wanting to deal with consequences of it.  Maybe one day I will find the courage to tell you all about it.  But for now, I can only pray and hope that “In his time, he will provide.”

[Photo taken off the World Wide Web]

Imma old fart

As much as I hate to admit it, I think I’m now at old fart.  It’s time to hang those dancing shoes and just be nostalgic about the hey-days where I could party 4 times a week plus still able to make it to work/school the next day in one piece.  Those are the good ol’days and it should remain as a memory, not to be repeated.

Why the sudden outburst?  The Man just turned another year older.  Reflecting on his glory days, he shoved his mobile showing me an article he read before blowing out his candle.

Brilliant article by Ryan O’Connell that just hit the sweet spot.  I was left speechless as it is oh-so-true!  Go on, have a read and if you were partying just as I did for close to a decade, you may just relate to this too.

7 Signs You Can’t Party As Much As You Used To

1. There was a period of time in your life when every night out seemed to end at 4 a.m. no matter what. It wasn’t seen as being a big deal either. Like, duh, of course you’re not going to go home till the bars close. Is there an alternative? Also, you had endless amounts of energy. You were never tired and even if you were, you could always power through it. You never surrendered to fatigue, are you kidding? Now, when you think of those nights, you immediately get flashbacks of a hangover and think, “How did I do that? Also, how did my party mentality change so quickly? I thought my thirties were my time to be a grandma, not 26.”

2. You’re picky about the kind of alcohol you drink. Recently, I was at a house party and I saw some dude just take giant swigs of whiskey out of a bottle. When I turned to my friend, I asked her, “Um, what is that guy doing?” and she responded, “Oh, he’s 21,” which explained everything. One of the major differences in drinking at 21 versus, well, any other subsequent age is that you actually have had time to find alcohol you enjoy. Since you can’t possibly get wasted every time you drink, you have to stick to what you like. Today I don’t venture much outside of wine. In the summer, I’ll drink margaritas and in the winter, I’ll have hot toddies but that’s about as adventurous I’ll go. If I must, I’ll get a gin and a tonic because, for some reason, I can’t  seem to ever get drunk off of them so it’s a safe choice. Plus, I like that gin tastes like you’re licking a battery. Oops!

3. You drink more often than you did in college but you have less amounts. So, for example, in college I probably drank two to three nights a week but when I did, I would get WASTED. Like, puking in my apartment at 6 a.m. and losing my underwear wasted. Now, I probably drink five nights a week but I usually only have one or two drinks. I used to make fun of people who came home after a long day at work and were like, “I need to have a glass of wine to take the edge off!” but now I totally get it. Having one glass of wine just makes you feel normal again, which is sort of #dark but real nonetheless.

4. Again, seriously, nothing makes it more resoundingly clear that you can’t party like you used to than drinking with anyone who’s 21 or younger. You think you’re cool, you think you can hang, and then you spend some time with a college student and realize that you’re a fucking wimp when it comes to boozing — which, I mean, thank God. As fun as it was to be a borderline alcoholic for four years, it was also incredibly painful physically, emotionally, and occasionally sexually.

5. You seriously start to worry about your looks. When a friend asks you why you can’t come to an all-night rager, you simply send them a picture of Lindsay Lohan circa today and write, “Because I don’t want this to happen to me.”

6. Part of the reason why you went out so much and partied was because you suffered from Fear Of Missing Out or, as some people like to call it, F.O.M.O. As you get older, however, you realize that the only thing you miss out on after 2 a.m. is someone calling their coke dealer and a woman in a cupcake dress with smeared eye makeup crying in the bathroom.

7. You have hangovers that are sort of unreal. It didn’t used to be this bad but now whenever you have four or five drinks, you can pretty much guarantee that the next day is going to be entirely deleted. It used to be fun spending your entire day in bed hungover watching Netflix and ordering Seamless but now it’s just depressing. To feel better, you’ll sit in the shower for an inordinate amount of time and let the water wash over you, feeling like a total screw up. It’s a steep price to pay for one night of so-called fun.

Article written by Ryan O’Connell and available here at Thought Catalog

PS: Prior to wanting posting this, my male cousins whom I partied with when I was younger started a What’s App group chat asking me to join them for Mambo Jumbo next Wednesday.  I laughed and just turned down the invitation flatly.

 

My 2012 in review

Just like that 2012, you are coming to an end and what do I make of you this year?

I often describe life as a roller-coaster ride in Space Mountain. There are ups and downs. You take the good as it comes along with the bad. You don’t know what each turn may bring as the ride happens inside a dark tunnel. But you either scream to chase away those fears or squeal in delight when it’s just a bump that doesn’t send your heart plummeting.

That’s what 2012 has been for me. The highlights? The travels we’ve done in Europe before packing our bags and moving back to Singers. Despite me saying that I don’t really enjoy living in Geneva, it has been kind. We made some really good friends and it was the perfect springboard to most of our winter snowboarding trips.

The Man and I finally got to spend more time with my fur-kid and my loved ones. We welcomed a new nephew to the family and we saw many of our dear friends add a new life to theirs. My youngest sis is back for good and embarked on her career. While I initially experienced difficulty in going back to the workforce but eventually went back to The Company. Phew! On retrospect, the couple of months that I took looking for a suitable job saw me embarking on a daily exercise regime and taking up a hobby which I always wanted to do – floral arrangement.

The low-lights for the year? There are some but the one that tops it all is tumbling down the stairs. I now gotta pay extra attention when climbing up or down the stairs. Thankfully the episode left me with some superficial scars and not anything more.

So 2012. You have been good to me really on this roller-coaster ride and I hope that 2013 will be kind to me as I buckle my seat-belt in anticipation for the ride when the clock strikes 12 tonight.

To all who has been following my adventures or misadventures on this little blog of mine in 2012, a BIG THANK YOU to you! I hope 2012 has treated you well and I would like to take the opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a Happy 2013!

Another year

Today I add another candle on the birthday cake. I celebrate with joy in a foreign land with the Man and friends who made a special trip here. I’m happy but I also can’t help but feel a little homesick; missing my little fur-kid and other dear ones terribly. Then there’s sinking feeling of a pile load of work waiting for my return when I head back to office Monday morning.

But since I’m in one of my fave cities celebrating my special day, I guess no better time to indulge and go on all out to treat myself a little with this all-time fave mantra of mine! >_<

50 shades of trouble caused

Yes, yes.. I couldn’t help but jump on the bandwagon to get my hands on Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James. I have to admit, I didn’t do much research on the book. In between work and home, I only had time to wonder why almost every other female on my Facebook feed was raving about the book. I wanted to see what the fuss was about and the only way to do so is to get my hands on it.

Tried looking for it at the bookstores near the office but unfortunately, they don’t stock it. So I got my friend who makes a weekly trip to the bookstore with her kids to help get it. My brief description about the book was just Erotic Literature. Her lil girl’s ears perked up when she heard us adults whispering and giggling away. I guess curiosity got the better of the lil’ girl and she knew we adults were up to no good.

So when friend went to the book-store, she managed to hunt the book down for me. Unfortunately, she had loads of other bags to carry and couldn’t reach the top shelves to pick the book up. Without giving it much thought, she asked the lil’ girl to help reach and get the book for this Aunty here (aka me). You gotta admit the cover does look pretty harmless.

Imagine this, a lil’ girl probably jumping to reach the book while the Mom was standing over at the queue with big bags. A store assistant came by, saw the lil’ girl jumping and helped her get the book. When the store assistant saw the book, he/she was momentarily shocked and told lil’ girl: ‘Girl, this book is not suitable for you.‘ Lil’ girl replied loudly, ‘It’s not for me. It’s for my mommy over there.‘, points at friend who wanted the floor to open and swallow her up.

Friend related the story and I honestly felt bad for putting her through the trouble. Who would have thought it caused such a commotion in her household? I thought it was just a matter of picking up a book and paying for it. I learned my lesson of course. Note to self: always check contents of book and whether it’s suitable for young children, which in my case, was clearly not.

Now back to the book, was it that good a read? I’d say it was a delicious yet trashy read. In another friend’s words ‘A book trying to pass off as a great literary read.’ I’d have to agree with on her on this one, some parts were truly unbelievable (I won’t go on to disclose more). But yet, I got ‘sucked’ in the storyline and finished the trilogy. ;p

Note: Lady J did not cause any more embarrassment to Friend and went on to purchase e-versions of books 2 and 3.