Darth Vader's & Towelheads

So my flight out of DC was pretty much uneventful until I hit Doha. I was kinda knackered, so for the most part just slept waking up in time to watch one movie before we touched down in Doha.

I get off and am wondering do I go thru transfer and wait out the next 7+ hrs or am I going to meet up with Girlie and Ramish. I turn my phone on and hope to have a txt mssg from them...none...sigh...so transfer lounge it is.

For those of you who know me, will know that i HAVE to stay connected to the world of family and friends :D Yup i get on YM, Facebook and check my emails (dammit work emails too....i'm a sucker for my clients). And there it is, a wall post from G saying that their internet was down so when i get in to give them a call. I call Ramish and half an hour he says...."go thru immigration and i'll be there"

Well for one ladies, one could move mountains just by being of the non-covering fairer sex in that country. Flash a smile and barriers were lifted and i mean this literally. So i'm 'escorted' right up to the immigration officer in all of 2 mins. Of course I get one who is fully covered except for her eyes...the kind I fondly refer to as the Darth Vader's :0) I swear to God, these women don't speak louder than a whisper. I'm straining to hear what she is saying and asking and am all but literally climbed half way over the counter top....geez almighty, speak up woman!!

That done i head out and stopped dead in my tracks. Was I in the right country? A sea of indians and bangladeshi's greated me. Nope, nope, wait I see the towelheads dressed in bedsheets (this ref I have to give credit to a friend of mine who was at the same time ym'ing with me and giving me a bloody hard time of my 'trials')

An hour later, he comes and by this time i'm thinking I so need a bath to take away the leerie looks and glares. I jumped into the vehicle and off we went. Destination - bbq at a malaysian friends place. Now what happens when a bunch of Malaysian's get-together no matter where in the world? We talk politics, the m'sian situation and drink!

11.30pm i jump and realise that i am late back to the airport, connecting flight is at 1am and that is when i realised too that I was not too steady on my feet. I'd polished off an entire bottle of wine on my own. Crap! Somehow I made it thru security and onto the plane, praying that I was not going to up-chuck any time soon. That my dear friends is what u get when u drink on an empty stomach. I passed out...no idea when we had taken off or when the guy next to me came to take up his seat. I woke up 10mins before touch down in KL, to find the barf bag clutched in my hand and a crick in my neck, the seatr was still in its up right position! What had I been thinking? I never drink and fly...needless to say I woke up with a hangover.

Treasure throve of keepsakes and memories

1. Issues of The Green Triangle (CGL newsletter) of which I was the Editor for (16yrs & 17yrs old)
2. A champagne cork from my 21st b'day
3. Badges earned while I was a Brownie in UK (8yrs old)
4. Tickets for KDU Nite held at Shangri-La, Penang (a-hem Devika, I'm sure you remember this night!!) (19yrs old)
5. A huge Valentine's card from my first true love (18yrs old)
6. Photo of "the Gang" back in the day (16yrs old)
7. A letter from my mother in response to me complaining she never had enough time for me (15yrs old)
8. An autograph book (12yrs old)
9. The slip saying I'd passed my driving test (17yrs old)
10. A love letter from an ex stating his undying love (hahaha he's happily married with 2 little ones now) (20yrs old)
11. Tons and tons of photos, cards and letters
12. My BSc commencement booklet (22 yrs old)

These are only a sampling of things I've collected over the years until pretty much my 21st b'day. My box of treasures had been sitting in my parents store room not having seen the light of day for yonks. Since I was shipping stuff back after my stint in Kuala Lumpur, they insisted that I take my 'junk' with me. And my 'junk' I did take only to sit in my attic until yesterday.

I sat for a couple of hours taking things out, smiling, laughing at some points and remembering the good times associated with each item. The Friday afternoons with the editorial team of The Green Triangle plotting and planning along with Mr. De Virus (oops the name kinda stuck!). KDU Nite....hhmmmm...wow! is all i can and will say :0) My 21st b'day party, which was a nice one but it also brought back memories of me sneaking out for a bit (hehehe)...not something in the box but when I think 21st b'day it reminds me of that too :D Each item, and therefore memory was so vivid.

Its amazing how much I still remember, especially since I've been feeling like life is just rushing on by faster and faster each year. I guess it just needed a catalyst to bring it all flooding back. The reason I'd opened the box was to sort through stuff and throw the bulk of it out. I needed space in my attic for storage but for the life of me could not throw anything.

I've been on the low side the past couple of weeks with certain happenings but this was a damn fine pick me-upper. I feel vibrant and alive with a gurgle of laughter in my chest just waiting to burst and all thanks to childhood memories. I guess there are times we do need to go back in order to move forward again.

So to those who hoard their treasures, keep it up!


p.s Saranya, I now have material to blackmail you with so BE NICE! ;0)

01.20.2009

The alarm goes off with a loud shrilly noise and my first thought for 1.20.09 is that the bloody alarm could wake the dead! It's 4am and I need to get up and haul ass into the shower if I am to make it for the inauguration.  It's cold and I'm warm and comfy under the goose down comforter.  I spend the next half hour fighting with myself.  For every pro I listed, I could come up with 2 cons. Finally the adventurous side of me hauls butt outta bed.

5am. I'm now in my car heading towards DC armed with a huge cuppa coffee ~ strong~ and dressed like a baby eskimo! I park in the WB garage, which is just a couple of blocks from the National Mall.  Saved me the otherwise nightmare of having had to take the Metro in, which by the way, I later find out that 900,000 people rode that day, packed in like sardines in a tin can.

So I park and start my walk to the Mall. It's still dark out but there are already tons of people on the streets heading in the same direction towards Capitol Hill.  We first pass the Monument and here is the first Jumbotron.  Naah, still too far away from the action.  Continue walking I shall. I see the Capitol looming closer.  There's strong presence of security of all branches.  Snipers are seen on all roof tops and that's a fair number coz after all the National Mall is flanked by the smithsonian museum buildings.

I find my spot and already at 5.30ish it's packed.  We are standing shoulder to shoulder, not the place to be if you have an issue with personal space.  I meet people who have come from California, Texas and even as far as New Zealand. Spirits are high and the energy levels are electrifying. One could not help but get drawn into it.  I went initially to be an observer of a historical event but as minutes passed took on  a sense of pride for the country I had now resided in for almost 10 years.  So, I'm there singing, dancing, chanting and talking up a storm with fellow supporters trying very hard to shut out the cold which was beginning to twine its icy fingers around my toes and fingers.  Being frost bitten was not what I wanted to remember of 01.20.09!

The concert begins at the Lincoln Memorial to lots of cheers as it signifies the beginning of the days events.  I can feel the excitement build around and in me.  There's a bit of a lull during events where by I go buy that cuppa coffee I have been dying for and of course that means losing my spot ~ not that I would ever have been able to get back to it!

Capitol Hill is all abuzz.  Bush makes his entrance to a sea of boos.  I feel sorry for the guy.  Obama makes his entrance and by jove, one would have thought it was the second coming of the Lord! It's an overwhelming feeling. I could hear women around me swooning over how 'fine' Obama looked :0). i had to smile and nod in agreement coz he sure as hell did look stately and dignified as he made his entrance.  The much anticipated swearing in took place with a little mistake which made it all the more humane.  2 million people cheered and alternated between screaming "Obama!" and "Yes, we can!" His speech got the attention of not only the American people but the World.  All major issues were addressed and hope and faith is once more instilled.

Now while Obama and his guest sit down for their luncheon, during which Ted Kennedy collapses, thousands of us try to find a way to exit the Mall.  I don't know who was the super genius behind strategizing exit plans but this was by far the worse.  God help us if there had been a threat or anything as serious as such.  Chaos and mayhem would have ruled the day.  An hour and a half later, I am back in the NW quardrant of DC. By this time I'm knackered, cold and cold :) but extremely thrilled at having been apart of this momentous occasion.

 

Whoa. Is Me?

Woe is me. Woe is you.
WHOA! STOP!!
Stop whining. Pity party. Don't care.
STOP! GO!!
Go get help. Go get Prozac.
Make changes. DO something. Different.
Otherwise...
Deal. Get over it. Face reality.
Not gettin' it?
Not gettin it.
Never will.
Pathetic.
Reality slap.
Needed said.

What's on my plate?

One week down and fifty-one more to go! My highlights have been:

1.  Accident to my new RAV4 and sustaining a mild concussion

2.  NY Giants losing to the Eagles (guess it was going to happen sooner or later)

3.  Issuing a redundancy memo to a staff member (felt like the bloody New Year grinch and to make matters worse I had to deliver it as the staff's Manager was out on vacation!)

4.  Recruitment of 2 high profile managers for the Caribbean fragile state, Haiti and

5.  Finally getting the unpacking from my year abroad completed and putting away all x'mas decos...the basement is back to its original state....yippie...this was really bugging me

I was looking at my calender as I normally  do at the beginning of every year planning my trips, both business and pleasure, and I found that I'm pretty much booked and busy till March. How did that happen?  I have to say I do like being kept busy (haha keeps me outta trouble) and see that my year is actually moving as opposed to being at a stand still moving at a snails pace but till March?? hhmmm that's a 1/4 of the year gone by...loooove it!

So what's on my plate till March?  

1.  A nice long 5day weekend at the end of this week

2.  Presidential Inauguration on 1.20.09

3.  A vacation back to KL and with a possibility of a sub holiday to Bangkok, all depending on some going ons

4.  High School Reunion....can already foresee the havoc which is going to take place :D

5.  A mission trip to Jamaica and Guyana 

6.  alot of get-togethers and of course

7.  WORK

So folks this thus far is my 2009 and a nutshell look into what's coming up for me in the next few weeks.  What's on your agenda?

  

Welcome 2009

So here we are at the start of 2009...what does the next 12 months hold for us eh? More challenges, stressors, excitement, adventures, tears, laughter....what? And that in itself is tingling anticipation!

The past couple of days i'd been wanting to write a goodbye 2008 blog but as usual time just flew by and as i usually say 'work got in the way of life'. So altho we are in the new year and have said our goodbyes, i'd like to do a bit of a recap of how i'd seen the past 12 mths.

2008 brought me many challenges, adventures, insights into myself and drama.  I formed new friendships and even lost some. My patience was severely put to the test, my sense of loyalty challenged and  integrity questioned.  I enjoyed the company of my parents and relatives for the first 8 months of the year, which re-cemented our bonds.  I returned from Malaysia to the World Bank and took up a new HR position in the Latin America & Caribbean region. The biggest lesson from having spent the past year in KL is that the grass is most definitely not always greener on the other side :)  

So therefore the question that begs to be asked and answered is if i would change anything in 2008? Not a damn thing!  Yes there was heartache and pain, bitterness and tears but there also was much laughter and joy and for me that out weighs all the negativity. 

So, we sang Auld Lang Syne last night to ABBA (really hilarious), bid farewell to 2008 and ushered in 2009 with lots of bubbly while scoffing down 12 grapes (swedish tradition), putting away a pinch of lenthils into ur pocketbooks/wallets (italian tradition), melted tin and then casted it in cold water just to predict our future in the hardened mold (finnish tradition)and picked hidden objects also to predict the next 12 mths ( i got a champagne cork signifying a year of celebrations).  Bring me 2009...i am ready for you!

Resolution? None what so ever...never see it past 2 weeks in any case. But what i will hold myself to is living this year with much gusto, laughter, energy and passion. So watch this space as i journey and blog the coming 12 months.

To all of you, I wish you much love, joy, happiness, peace and above all laughter...keep 'em smiles plastered and your spirits soaring....

The Perfect Christmas Tree

Well I finally did the deed and got my christmas tree but it was not without an adventure for sure.

I love nature and plants but this is my one biggest sin against nature....I get a live christmas tree to decorate each year. Which basically means I visit the christmas tree farm, walk among dozens of trees of all sizes (breadth and height) and types, until I hear and see one that beckons me.

So off we go. After about 50mins of driving on back roads we come to Naughty Pine, yes no joke this was its name, Farm with saw and cutter in hand. We park the car and are greeted my very red nose farm owners who basically give us the low down of what to do and to finally say in a very stern voice " do not go beyond the yellow tape!". Me being me, i head in that direction first and damn it the trees are so much nicer beyond the yellow tape!

I'm walking and walking inspecting the trees and none seem to jump out and say "it's me u want" By this time i'm beginning to loose patience and feeling in my fingers. It's bloody cold and i've lost my gloves!! Should i abandon this foolishness and just go buy a cut tree already?? I'm cursing and swearing at the cold when i nearly fall into a hole....seriously, people have not only chosen their tree but have uprooted it roots and all leaving a mega hole in the ground! What are they planning on doing? Planting it in the front lawn? or repotting it in their house?? I give myself another 5 mins before i give up.

And there it is, MY 2008 tree, all perfect and full and so very green. I mention the color just cause everything else is dead and without leaves! With frozen hands we saw the tree....beware now....timber!! And what adds to the joy, it starts snowing :D Just earlier today I'd been telling a friend that we'd not see snow any time before Jan but I was proved wrong. Made it all worth the while and the effort. Course I still had to haul the 8ft tree back to be shaken and netted. They even took a polaroid picture of me and my tree...hahaha...thus the love affair begins.

Had to take a slow drive back home as there have been stories of owners returning home only to find that the tree is no longer on the rack of their vehicle :) I am happy to say that I have my tree up in my sunroom, looking very pretty, and the entire house is now smelling of natural pine...aahhh x'mas is here!

I now go to put on the lights, decorate it with red ornaments (my color theme this year) and have a glass of brandy to warm me up.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, babes!

Just For Fun

As adults, we often get so caught up in "grown up" business that we can forget how to have pure fun. This isn’t the kind of fun that comes from doing a specific kind of activity or being in a specific mood for fun. Rather, this is the fun born from the state of pure being. We see this kind of fun in small children who are so busy being fully present to their lives and in their own bodies that the glow of fun radiates from them just because they are alive: the delight that flashes across the eyes of a child who discovers that water flows with the turn of the tap knob or the squeal of pleasure from a young baby whose tongue is being tickled by cold ice cream; then there’s the full, infectious laughter of a child watching the same hat trick for the fiftieth time.

Back when we were children, this experience of pure delight didn’t have to come from a heightened, heady event in order for us to feel like our day had been made; and it can be that way for us again - if we are willing to remember and reconnect with that part of ourselves that knows how to be in the flow of fun. We can begin this process by reminiscing on what was fun for us as a child. Think about what caused you to giggle in delight or wriggle in pleasure or burst into endless laughter that you couldn’t sit up straight no matter how much you wanted to. It lives, in us – that feeling. It can’t be bottled, manufactured, or sold. You just have to call it back up in order to experience it again.

Pure fun happens when we are fully engaged with ourselves and our world in each moment. It is the spontaneous delight that bubbles out of us when we let go long enough to bring it through; it is the experience of natural, organic pleasure that springs up from our bellies, through our souls, up through our faces, and down to our toes. We’ve naturally known how to have pure fun since we were babies and the flicker of lights caused us to jump to attention from the sheer enjoyment of being able to see.

As you go about the holiday season remember that pure fun isn’t something that is given or done to you; rather, it is something that you allow yourself to experience.

ps. feel free to share a belly aching, tear inducing, funny as hell incident which u have experienced for all of us to enjoy and have a laugh over too :0)