I am off for another trip. Hope to continue writing & posting; but if not, pls accept my apologies :) I'm probably having too much fun to be able to write...
ha ha ha...

A mid-year assessment

Its almost 6 months into the year; and I've been attending Parent Teacher conferences to figure out how my kids are doing in school. I figured I must also do an assessment of my life and set direction for the next 6 months.

So here are the highs and lows of my life in 2009.
- Started my blog
- Discontinued my Mandarin lessons
- Lost my uncle to cancer
- Was thrilled to watch my friends have a long awaited baby
- Swam a width of the pool for the first time in my life
- Saw the Taj Mahal, Sydney Harbour, Fiords, Dolphins, Glaciers and lots of other things
- Saw sides of people like I've never seen before - from graciousness to stupidity to utter pettiness
- After 3 years of quitting, finally put my work related documents in order
- Got the most amazing mother's day card from my son - it said "Thank You for giving me life & birth"
- Got introduced to concert music
- Blew up my only job opportunity in 2 years
- Had a disagreement with my mother which I can still not let go
- Earned 30 ringgits from a cake that I baked
- Started running as exercise to lose weight
- Heard praise for both my kids from their teachers
- Stopped exercising & regained all the lost weight
- Spring cleaned my house; and vowed never to buy trish-trash again

Still way to go. Here's what I still need to finish in this year

- Get a job; Or atleast, sell more cakes for more money
- Resume mandarin lessons
- Buy a new laptop
- Resume running & swimming & LOSE ALL THAT EXTRA WEIGHT
- Have more patience with my kids (PS: This will be hard. I'm ready to scream on one right now)
- Bake less cakes, eat less cakes & pay more attention to my poor teeth
- Take a trip to Paris with Husband

My solo trip.

Recently I went to Sydney on a solo trip - just me & myself; leaving behind my 2 kids and my husband.
The trip was supposed to be sort of a self discovery.

I discovered after we get married, its considered sacrilegious to take off on your own. Some of the reactions I got from people when I told them I was going alone -
- You've got to be kidding me!
- You want a holiday without your kids ?
- You're leaving your husband & kids with the maid ?
- Why do you need to go alone ?
- You shouldn't do this...
- I could never leave me children.

I discovered I don't give a damn about what people say

I also discovered I can have fun alone
It was wonderful not to worry about either kids or husband; and just do the things I enjoyed doing. I walked, I got lost. I attracted looks from some people who wondered if I'd been stood up.
I strolled through gardens, went to galleries to see art I'd never buy, sat by on a windy evening to enjoy my cup of coffee while my butt froze, climbed a bridge, loafed around in a flea market, watched movies back to back, read books, visited garage sales to bargain-hunt, cooked for friends, gossiped late into nights, met friends I haven't seen in ages. It was fun !

I discovered (actually re-discovered) I have a fantastic husband - one who's cool about such things & encourages me to do what I want

I discovered I want to travel more (the Frankenstein that wants to travel more, more, more...)

I discovered a more happy me...

What's with friends ?

Sometimes, I feel I'd be lost without my friends... My friends are my partners in mischief, my confidants, my coffee pals, my companions and what-nots.

In the last 3 months, I've lost an old friendship, deepened another one; and am in the process of making a new friend... Just thinking about these three persons made me reflect how relationships with older & newer friends can be soooo different.

With older friends, there's the beauty of comfort & of trust; of knowing where you stand; of truthfulness & lack of judgement; and of course of support.

Relationships with newer friends are different. To me, the first few times you try to fathom if you have anything in common... Once you decide there is some potential, then there's that excitement & curiousity of wanting to explore the person; learning more & trying to figure them out; to learn whether this is a transient friendship or one to last forever. Isn't it almost like meeting a man to decide whether he's worthy of becoming a new boyfriend or lover ?

So today I'm left wondering whether old friends are like spouses (they know all your secrets) and new ones are like lovers - you don't want them to know your secrets - not quite yet, anyway!

What do you think...