Mouthing Off...: wanderlust

Showing posts with label wanderlust. Show all posts

Celebrating a year in the life

Come to think of it, this year was pretty darned exciting. It was a year of learning to overcome new challenges. I moved to a new country, made new friends, got stranded by the very same company that hired me, worked my ass off, cut a dead relationship and toxic people off from my life, learned that people change along with their political alliances and that friends, no matter where you are, will always support you and be there for you.

‘Finding yourself’ is not just a stupid term coined by people with a hollow self-fulfilling prophesy. You just need the time and space to do it. Space to breathe, take in where you are and realize that things aren't so bad after all... You can DO this!

There were a few firsts: went on secret booze runs, learned how to ski, that great paragliding attempt, moved into the world’s most Spartan house, went travelling with my sister, saw more of the Middle East and actually quite liked it, and welcomed both friends and family to the new crib.

How the hell do you cram everything into one damned collage? LOL

And with the good, came the challenges. I guess that being more gung-ho than your average schmo, I was always up for a new challenge. Stepping outside of a comfort zone is never easy. I made a decision and then jumped straight in. Was it the best decision I ever made? Let me get back to you on that… I have to confess that it brought about one of the biggest frustrations ever. For a foreigner in this country, I was faced with the most unhelpful people who refused to step even an inch out of their designated work scope. Everyone was too mired in their own bureaucratic bullshit to realize that hey, the person you hired doesn't know how things work – this shit is new *rolls eyes* Get over yourselves, people!

Professionally, I quickly remembered what it was like to work in-house. To succeed means to be able to successfully navigate political landmines in order to deliver what you are hired for: the work. At times it feels like I am both the conductor and the musician in an orchestra. You just want to kick everyone and yell, WAKE THE FUCK UP! That said I realized that the woman who used to so readily agree to things is no longer. While there are no stupid ideas, at least come with one that can be executed in a reasonable way.

In terms of new adventures and people. Zumba became part of my new regimen, while social dancing introduced me to more dancers and I continued to feed my wanderlust. New friends remain in the same vein as the old ones, boozy, mouthy and full of surprises. It is just cool to find people with a similar sense of fun or silliness that you can just hang out with. Hail to banditry and shenanigans!

Checking out Jordan, Oman and Abu Dhabi

Of banditry and shenanigans

On a personal note, I found that when you take chances, sometimes good things happen. It opens your heart to new experiences or even a new people. While I won’t go into details on the blog, close friends should know what I am talking about. Maybe it is because I shed unrealistic expectations and baggage, maybe I just happened to be at the right place at the right time, maybe I am ready to move forward. Who knows? I am ever thankful for all the good, the bad and the challenges.

And so, here’s my wish to you for the New Year

posted under 2013, family, friends, life, love, musings, wanderlust, work | 0 Comments

A decade in the making

Holidays can sometimes be a bitch to plan. BUT I am quite-the-excited (I tend to turn SGean at the weirdest times) about the upcoming vacation! Or rather Sheikh-a-tion! WOOT!

It's oh-so-easy to just speculate on a grand trip and envision the places you can go and all the amazing things you want to do and see while you are on this amazing journey. It is quite another thing when you hardly have the time to sit down and plan. The trip takes on a whole new dimension when you are planning it when both parties are not in the same location.

Case in point: the Great Sheikh-a-tion. Destination: Spain. Travel buddy: my sister. ETT: about two weeks to kick-off. It took almost 10 years to happen and very nearly didn't. Our friends are kind of right, saying that it's unusual for the both of us to travel because we both have our own circle of friends. But I say that you should travel with as many friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, family members (if you can stand them) and just about anyone, at least once. It is about the adventure and learning more about others :) You also learn about who and what you can tolerate. Heh.

Actually, compared to last year's South American jaunt, this one seems much easier to plan, especially once we go the dates sorted out. The problem with last year's trip was that we were all so busy with our jobs that we hardly had time to think about things until we landed in Rio.

This time, all it took were a couple of Skype calls and crazy emails to sort things out. Stuff like the attractions we want to see, any sort of food indulgences, do we want to party? That was a surprising no, from both sides. I should say that it is quite cool when you are both on agreement with a few things:

We are travel nerds. We won't just see all the attractions but also look out for interesting litttle finds
Shopping will be kept to a as-needed basis. It's not a priority for either one of us
Getting lost is also fun. Well, not literally lost but the experience of wandering around places far outweighs the need to stick to a mad schedule
Princess who? While there will be no 5-star hotels on this trip, there sure as hell won't be any hostels where we have to bunk in with fellow weirdos
Good food and wine makes us happy. There is nothing more delightful than just walking into some random place to eat or drink if you think it is interesting. I love my fancy times too but sometimes the best indulgences are to be found by your nose or through some random person you happened to chat with.

I am quite bloody relieved that for once, I don't have to speed through some event, throw my stuff together and literally hop a plane for this trip. God knows, I was hardly in any sort of anticipation for my last couple of trips due to all sorts of stresses. The countdown begins now!

posted under family, holiday, wanderlust | 0 Comments

Away and back again

I was recently back in Asia for a short holiday and work. All I can say is phew! For someone who’s on her first international job posting, coming back to home base brings immense joy and at the same time, an acute sense of nostalgia. You go back to the things that you love with family and friends who’ve been there for the ride. And there is simply nothing better :)

Prior to the Little Red Dot, I first landed in Hong Kong for a short three-day stint of press interviews for the company. One thing I have to say is that, boy it feels good to be back in Asia. For all its trappings, Dubai can’t seem to capture the authenticity of the food and hospitality found in Asia. Hear that dim sum makers? Even Malaysia has you beat in this one.

It was all gloomy on the outside plus work interviews and a partial food coma thereafter

Then it was home-bound! One thing I have to say is that, home is a lot more bearable when you don’t live with your parents. Ironically, it feels that mum and I are a lot closer now that we are out of each other’s hair.

So what really is the difference between Singapore and Dubai, you ask? Well, to me it's a case of convenience vs familiarity. On home ground, you have sop much less to worry about. You have your friends, your family, you know how everything works, your home is there and you know where to get things, should anything happen to fail.

In Dubai, I learnt that you can have almost anything and everything that you want. At a certain price…. Aha! You can get groceries delivered, maids will come clean your house, you can book a massage and have the masseuse come to your door step. So many conveniences! But at the same time, it takes ages to get paper work filled out, there is just too many red tape to get through when you need something done at work and people just cling to their archaic beliefs no matter what. I guess familiarity is something that you will eventually grasp.

Heh, so what did I get up to at home then?

It happened to be the worst haze that Singapore has ever had. To capitalize on it, we had our demo at the top of the Marina Bay Sands so that we can get our haze on!

And of course, when you are in Singapore, there is always time for indulgence of the gastronomic kind 

And this is just the tip of the iceberg...

I think it’s a give and take. While I certainly do love my conveniences, I am not so set in my ways that I insist on doing things in certain ways. I believe in learning new things and adapting to other ways too. Therefore, I am quite happy to report that I quite like it here in sandy Dubai. It’s much easier to adapt when you’ve made solid connections with really lovely people. There are lesser things to whinge about, espeically in times where you wake up and think: how the hell did I end up here?

Well, everything happens for a reason, right? ;)

posted under holiday, home, musing, wanderlust, work | 0 Comments

Oh Yeendia!

Back from India, all refreshed and browner :)

I have to say that this time around, the trip was a heck lot more enjoyable because we didn't rush around as much. We had time to do the workshops that we really wanted and also time to wind down and simply relax in Goa. That, overall was awesome.

Overall, the India Fiesta Latina was a great festival. We made new friends, got to know some old friends better and danced all night since the time we landed till the end of the festival. I have to say that there are some pretty impressive Indian salsa teams, and some, like Bad Salsa were jaw-droppingly good.

We performed a more polished cha cha piece and the extra effort showed. The only downside is that my partner fractured his foot and was unable to perform, hence I only worked the shines with the ladies...but still. I have to say though, that the thrill for performing is still there. Even though the butterflies have diminished over time, when you are on stage and presenting a piece that you've all worked so hard for, it IS worth it.

Dance Unlimited Singapore performance team

In addition to the usual partner/shines/styling workshops that we all did, I managed to snag a place in the workshop with Meher Malik. I had no idea who she was at first, but after watching some videos of her dancing on Youtube, I was really excited. Because there are run-of-the mill belly dancers and then there are belly dancers who simply dance with a joy de vive that is absolutely a delight to watch. The only downside of her workshop was that it was overrun by over enthusiastic, rabid fans who were more interested in watching and talking with her over learning something substantial. That said, I still went for the workshop and came out with this:

Would someone please bring this woman down to Singapore for classes? There are so many things we can learn from her! Heh...

There is just so much to cover with the trip and all but then again, you can see those photos for yourself. Enjoy! For I surely did :)

posted under belly dancing, dance, Dance Unlimited Singapore, India Fiesta Latina, wanderlust | 0 Comments

Days of inspiration

People. They drive me bonkers.

Confounding, complex and oftimes just a pain in the arse. This year is filled with so many different people, characters and personalities that I feel like I am in a comic book or in Les Mis. This is the year I learned how complicated people can make my life, how even the smallest thing can trigger the biggest changes and how sometimes, those who you regard as your closest allies can cling to their own beliefs with such ardor that they are blind to anything else.

This post is dedicated to the people who made my ride all the more colorful. You made me swear incessantly at you (some in person, some in other forms) or with you. Thanks to you, I laugh more, found a new job with great support from a strong team, refined my hobbies, lowered tolerance for idiots and become less passive-aggressive. You encouraged me step out of my comfort zone to meet new people and do things that I probably wouldn't even consider because I am such a lazy arse.

To the lost friends, too bloody bad. Yes, God may have brought you back to my life for whatever reason. One of it is probably for me to personally tell you fuck off. It's cold, but what can I say? While I like reconnecting with lost friends, I also believe that some should just remain lost. Not every connection is for the better. Especially if it reminds you of a particularly horrible time in your life. Just bloody move on.

If you are wondering how the fricking hell I managed to work around all these people, don't. Staying in touch is not rocket science. It's about reaching out and strengthening ties to the people who are already there. So friends are outside of your work environment, it doesn't mean that they should be neglected or accorded less respect just because you have a high-and-mighty job. If you don't take the time to meet up, chat or even do something...anything together, then what's the point of remaining friends? Who will want to make time for someone who doesn't bother? It's not only about you...it's also about the other party who has taken the time to reconnect. Uh huh, it is just like a relationship, people, except you don't have to sleep with your friend (unless you want to...but that is a whole different story).

It takes effort on all sides to do this but believe me, the pay-offs are pretty great :o) The proof is in the pictures.

posted under dance, friends, pictures, wanderlust, work | 0 Comments

There and back again

There, that is my Hobbit reference for this post. Sadly, I didn't find any evil ring to go along with it but I had interesting adventures, nonetheless.

San Diego is definitely one of the cooler cities in the US, made more so by good friends who live in it :o) From this trip I've learned that:

Their zoo is way better than ours. There is a travellator! And pandas! And kiwis! And a cable car! Sadly, no Ron Burgundy.
The weather rocks. As does the Mexican food and oddly enough, the sushi in Seau's.
Sitting in front of a Japanese snack shack in the park could result in inadvertently selling bowls of teriyaki chicken to passers-by.
I can actually drink red wine in the house, outside or anywhere I damn well like it. Anytime I like it.
Tokyo Iced Teas are dangerous, no matter how high your alcohol tolerance level is. You'll end up stumbling home like drunken sailors.
No matter where you are, McDonald's has the best cures for hangovers.
I really am Filipino.
I am not a mail order bride. Damn Yu!
The best spot to see the city skyline is from the bay, in a boat.

We also took a side trip to Vegas and the Hoover Dam and therein lies more learning points:

If you are a woman in Vegas, the dress code is always: party slut-ish. The shorter and tighter, the higher the heels, the better. Sadly, I failed in that aspect having no short, tight dress or heels despite being hobbit-ish.
If you are cute, it doesn't matter whose fake ID you use. Even if it is the same as the person standing next to you.
Sex sells. Even if you are lighted balls that swim in a pond, set to music and interesting lighting. People will watch and wonder, what the heck was I thinking.
At any given time, something has to cum. This I learnt at breakfast when I stupidly stirred my coke float. The ensuing mess was not looked upon kindly.
The damn Dam, as we like to call it is massive and awesome. Plus you can fry an egg on the top of it too.
Drunken-ness is a state of normalcy. We were headed to the pool at around 5pm where a guy was being escorted away on a wheel chair with a plastic baggie around his ears. Noice.
The pool is really a pick-up joint, not a place for excercising.
Chupakabras are one of my new favourite drinks. Puts a fire in the belly.

Clock-wise from top: Mel & I, Tokyo Iced Ts, the damn Dam, everyone at Lei Lounge, chupacabras and the three amigos at SeaWorld.

That said, I would definitely make a return trip in future! I still have to get INTO freaking Comic Con to live out my geekish aspirations even if I have to get that freaking Princess Leia costume. All in a trip's work, I say.

posted under friends, san diego, wanderlust | 0 Comments

On the lam

It's vacation time and this girl is all set to go :o) I'll try to blog as I go along but it's tough writing on the road as all I have is my phone and my journal. Sure, I can lug along a tablet but that is just one device too many for me. See y'all soon!

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Breaking free

And so, after about three months, I bid adieu to online dating. Guess I was not as adventurous as I should’ve been and I just didn’t want to meet any strange people. Especially people who cannot spell my name properly or think that I am a phone service that wants to call them just to say hi.

The guys who wanted to meet me were either getting long in the tooth themselves, were really keen on getting married or were keen on a fling. I'm no saint but it gets my back up when guys that i have never met declare that they want a serious relationship and intend to get married soon. It's all good telling telling me what you aspire to but don’t get too carried away with your ideals and assume that I would blindly follow. Men are weird…they claim to know what they want and once they’ve made up their minds, all I keep hearing is them expounding their key message ad nauseum.

As for me, I have to meet the person to get a sense of who they are. What is the point of building castles in the air only to meet the person and discover that you are incompatible? Emails and all are fine as an introductory measure but I still have to meet the person. Hang out, talk and generally see where things go from there. Email helps me filter out the pests too. It may sound weird to you but if the emails are too fluffy or too horrendously written, I won't consider writing back. Sometimes a cursory message will do. Chances are, if you can't be bothered to write properly, you probably won't be able to hold a conversation too.

A week before I cancelled the account, it suddenly picked up. I received a couple of emails from a few interesting people and decided to communicate with them via personal email. Where were these fellas before? Sheesh. While I don’t have the most exciting personality, I’d still give them a shot to see where they are coming from. Despite that, I still got rid of the account over the weekend. Online dating is nice if you have the will to carry through with it or if you like to tease. I am hardly a tease and acting cute just makes me queasy so it’s not really for me. Maybe I have to be of a different mindset for this.

As such, I’ve decided to focus on other ventures, like planning my next holiday! There is only so much I can do to plot to ensnare a man and it takes two to tango. So, why keep pushing things? It didn’t take me long to realize that I’ve been happy running my life as it is. There are not many complications and I have the freedom to fit things into my schedule as I like.

Hence I am plotting to run away yet again. My mid-year break will take me half way around the world to friends that I’ve promised to visit for years. I love these wanderlust journeys…refreshes my mind and shows me that there is much more to experience in the world other than only in my environment. Who knows what other adventures may beckon then? *rubs hands in glee*

posted under life, musings, relationships, wanderlust | 0 Comments

A wee taste of the highlands

And wow, what a fantastic taste indeed. I have to say that this holiday was great because there were friends to catch up with, new people to meet and amazing sights, sounds and tastes experienced.

So bags were packed and three women from Singapore and the US headed to London for about 10 days to catch up with our fourth friend, who lives there. The most amazing bit about this trip and the friends I traveled with is that they came from one of the unlikely-est social groups that I've been with. The Canadian Dragons - yes, these are the dragon boaters. No, I never rowed, but the friends that I've made from this group I've remained pretty close with.

That said, 10 days in London and Scotland is not enough. I've seen most of the sights in London during my first trip and this time, I tried not to go too mad with the shopping. On the other hand, Edinburgh as a city was amazing. We took a train to Edinburgh (four hours) and let me say that the first look at the city as you come up from the train station is quite a sight. Where else can you see a cosmopolitan city, surrounded by really old monuments plus a castle in the background?

Mel and I went on our own little trip and spent most of the time exploring the city, its historic castles, the cosy pubs and of course, going on their ever famous ghost tours. I swear, those Scots do love a good ol' blood bath. I can probably think of a person or three I'd like to see strung up and tortured...I'd even bring my own popcorn. Every other corner or rather junction of the city is marked by either a hanging or execution site. We took a day trip up to Oban, Iverary and Loch Lomond and were amazed by the highlands and the gorgeous lochs (or lakes, for you pleebs).

The weather was cold in Scotland. We're talking 1-3 degrees in the day, with frost on the ground in the highlands. Windy and sometimes rain. At one point, we actually came across girls who were wearing short dresses with no tights and slippers - bloody hell...and here we were, all bundled up. The consolation to that is of course the whiskey. Sadly, I'm not much of a whiskey girl - Sue was the one who got the most out of this. Mel & I had many a pint in the pubs to warm up instead.

Back in London, we managed to catch Dirty Dancing. I've always loved the movie but seeing it as a musical had definite perks. That plus a sizzling leading man. *drool* Overall, an astounding trip. Pictures to come in the Flickr box :o)

posted under friends, wanderlust | 0 Comments

The happy wanderer

I love to go a-wandering....

Despite my eternal disdain of airports, I love the freedom of travel. There is something about packing up and going to another country that really perks me up – That and getting the chance to wander around a new country, city or just place.

A ‘hello world, here I come!’ So yea, you have to save some money, depending on where you want to go but just the thought of leaving to explore new ground cheers me immensely. The other thing that travel brings is the opportunity to catch up with friends who are no longer in Singapore. More often than not, it is these friends that I stay with on my trips. I don’t have expectations of partying till dawn or wining and dining...just of great company. After all, emails and chats only work up to a point.

Don’t get me wrong, Singapore is great. It is part of who I am and my family and closest friends are here. Somehow I don’t feel as connected or as settled. There is an innate restlessness and dissatisfaction that makes me want to head out and take my chances elsewhere. It extends to more than just travelling, sometimes I just feel like running off and never returning. Talk about issues. Ha.

Part of this desire stems from the love of the road. The other one is probably just me being grouchy but Singaporeans are getting more passive-aggressive. Over time, I realise that the people around me either lose their identity to become ‘Singaporeanized’ (eg. constantly moaning and complaining that they have no choice in life) or eventually becoming so complacent that they go through the motions because things are simpler that way. Why fight the system when you can never win?

I’m not fighting the system neither am I saying that you should (well, unless you have a good solution to back you up). I believe that a more fulfilling life means experiencing things; to have an opinion which fuels your passion for living. There has to be some form of fire of spark that fuels you! Somehow that bit is lacking in a lot of the people I encounter here. Even squeezing an honest opinion out is like squeezing a stone for milk. The most tiring thing being that people feel that their opinion is the opinion of the masses. Good lord. Grow some balls.

Ah well, to each his own, I suppose.

For now, I’m going to pack my bags and head off for another adventure.

posted under musings, wanderlust | 0 Comments

Jumble sale!!!

I’m back from a whirlwind trip to Hong Kong. Am still a frog – it’s my personal tell for tiredness. I must say, HK during sale period is bloody madness! The good news? It’s a shopper’s paradise where almost everything and the kitchen sink is discounted. The bad news? The weather just about killed the lot of us traveling from one place to another.

But what I really enjoyed this trip was that I was able to finally see HK at my own pace. Check out the photos! I can now make recommendations of where to go. The last time, we just ran from one place to another without pausing to explore – I hardly knew where I was half the time!. This time round, we stayed in the Metropark Mongkok which was easy access to the trains. What almost made up for the appalling weather was the cute bellboy when we arrived which is a bonus good (no pictures, he declined a photo. Ooo!) Must train Teresia not to faint at the sight of cute guys, though. Otherwise, we took our time at the various shopping places, pausing for great dessert moments and went to some places which not many people have been to.

Then there were the unforgettable moments, (of which we had many but I’ll restrict myself to 10):

Food & dessert – Thank god for the endless walking cos we’d never work off the appalling amount of food we stuffed ourselves with! I decided to forego the Krispy Kremes this time due to heatstroke.
Na’s apartment – Is smaller than my bedroom and costs twice as much!!! She also has an aircon that sounds like a plane taking off – I could never sleep with noise like that. Am very proud of her for doing the internship and finding independence in HK.
Shopping – ROCKS! I ‘heart’ H&M. I need to take my sister shopping here and gosh…I ‘heart’ everything! I usually hate shopping but not taking advantage of the sale is just stupid.
The beach – Yes, there are beaches in HK and they are gorgeous. Hello beach bunnies, hello gorgeous men, hello, hello, hello! The one scary thing? It’s only public showers so everyone has to shower in the open (to the delight of lecherous ah peks everywhere). Shameless exhibitionists love this though and take it as some sort of Sports Illustrated shoot…which irritated the crap out of me.
The Peak – offers one of the best city views. Ever. It gave me the chills because of its sheer height and the tram ride was bloody scary. Thanks to the enormous guy who stood in front of us…imagine an elephant falling on you at while you were climbing up at 45 degrees? Fuck.
Sunday mass – dang near killed us. The first church we went to was packed to gills and they thought I was Filipino – hookaay. The second church we went to, took us halfway up the Peak – which would’ve been a great workout – if we had breakfast first. Honestly, by the time I got there, I had no clue what was going on and kneeling on the floor was one way of preventing myself from falling over.
Lama island – is like Singapore’s Pulau Ubin. Damn nostalgic looking – we only went there for dinner – Honestly, who the hell could hike the island in summer?! Are you MAD?!
DIY facials – are the perfect way to end off a long, hard day of shopping. It recharged the batteries and made us look good the next day
Friends – we caught up with almost everyone who was in HK. And amazingly, there were A LOT of people to meet…sadly, we couldn’t squeeze in everyone but, it was fantastic to meet up with long-lost friends J
Disclaimer – contrary to popular belief, I did not pick up Terence in Geylang. When and how he got there has nothing to do with me.

Sadly, we didn’t make it to salsa but, I finally got to see HK and make a new friend in Teresia. The family madness which was Alicia, Na and me almost killed the lot of people we met but, we made an impression, lah!

The fact that we almost missed the flight back home and delayed the plane by 15mins was only a tiny glitch in an otherwise fantastic holiday.

posted under musings, wanderlust | 2 Comments

Mouthing Off...