March? I can't believe it. Time seems to both stand still and fly past at the same time for me. Funny that - how in certain areas of your life you long for time to stretch itself out as long as possible whilst at the same time willing the days and months to dispose in others. Have had to remind myself recently of my 'Bangkok mantra' - Live in the moment!
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| At least we won't get lost at night! |
It's been a while since my last post. I always knew we'd get to this point where you feel like your steps are finally falling into time with the beat of life in a different place. In some ways life has 'normalised' in that I've made some lovely friends and the coffee, lunch and dinner dates have become more regular. My last coffee date with the girls might as well have been a UN meeting with representatives present from South Africa, Peru, Germany and Turkey! Amazingly, girls are girls wherever you go and conversations touched all the same subjects including, politics, love, children, shopping and next holiday destinations. Thankfully Nick and I have been running a lot more, inspired by our recently purchased ridiculously lumo trainers. It makes me feel better after all the cappuccinos and muffins :) I'm enjoying my Pilates classes twice a week in Orchard, even though I think my instructor Eric thinks I'm super human for some reason. I fear he is dismally disappointed after every session :( but I'm certainly feeling the difference and my but cheeks aren't as squishy as they used to be :)
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| Sweaty post Pilates kisses! |
I'm spending more time out and about rather than contemplating life from inside the 4 walls of our flat. As always, there have been highlights and low lights. I remember saying to Nick before we left Johannesburg that I knew we would come back home changed forever. The unknown, of course, was what the change would be! I can report that it is change on all levels, on all fronts, in all regards. We are different but the same. Perhaps the biggest change is that when we left I couldn't get further away from JHB or quick enough had I tried. Right now as I sit here I feel an aching longing for JHB, for familiar faces, for familiar chaos, for home. How fabulous it is to know that just as I begin to miss it I will soon be returning. On the 28th of May 2012 we'll be back on South African soil. Back to our beautiful, complicated, full, contradictory, blessed life in JHB.
However, the line up here is pretty packed until then with anticipated visits from M&M Grootes on the back of their South China Sea Cruise. Then a visit from my lovely friend Bonnie (for her 1 week 'Me' holiday). We have Jax and Garth visiting us for a week over Easter followed by Sarah and Jamie for 2 weeks at the end of April and into early May. On top of all of that we are looking forward to welcoming Rafe and Jean to Singapore in a week or two and also look forward to Lucy and Alan's visit in May whilst they prepare for a piece of work in Singapore. We certainly will be leaving on a high note with weeks of holiday before we return to SA. Coupled with the excitement of being reunited with friends and family as well as a new niece or nephew who is due to arrive at the end of March, the smell of home is growing stronger!
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| Singapore Air Show - VERY busy! |
We've managed to get quite a few things in over the past month including a second visit to the National Museum of Singapore, a completely disastrous trip to the Singapore Air Show, our fare share of dim sum and noodles as well as discovering a few more parks and 'green' areas in Singapore. I've been through the training to start volunteering in the KidsREAD programme, which will kick off next week Thursday. I'll be based at East Coast Primary and the programme involves storytelling and doing activities with little ones (3-8 years old) which makes me nervous as my teaching experience has been very limited to high school. Anyway! I'm sure it will be fun! It's definitely a model that I'd like to bring home to SA and start implementing in our schools and nurseries.
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| Dinner at Chris and Agus - Yum! |
Unfortunately the work front hasn't slowed down for my Nick - he headed back into the office last night at 10pm after dinner at Christine and Agus's house. Thankfully he wasn't too late but to be honest, I'm not sure how much he would have been able to concentrate after the delicious meal that Christine prepared for us! 'Sop Buntut', i.e. Oxtail Soup with a traditional Indonesian salad and peanut dressing! Delicious!!
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| Wedding Invite :) |
Nick is quite literally dreaming of the Volvo these days and I'm sure there will be a very emotional reunion in the leafy suburb of Kloof over the weekend of the 1st of June. Other exciting news is that the soon-to-be-wed Brent and Navashni have asked Nick to be the MC at their wedding on our first weekend back home! How fabulous is that? Very excited for that wedding.
Talking about weddings, we are so looking forward to our first traditional Chinese wedding tomorrow night. Yu En and Celine are getting hitched and we've been invited to celebrate with them. I've been shopping and have a new pair of shoes, a new clutch bag and earrings. I'll be sure to take lots of pics.
We had our first movie watching experience in Singapore last weekend when we saw 'The Grey' with Liam Neeson. Strange movie but quite well shot. I'm a big fan of Liam Neeson so I wasn't too phased about the content really :) We decided to follow up with Wednesday night movies and saw 'Iron Lady' with Meryl Streep. She is, as always, exceptional in her role and kudos to her for being able to legitimately pull off being 80-something for the duration of almost an entire movie!! We have decided that our next visit to the movies will be to the Gold Class cinemas at 112 Katong - double couches with foot rests etc and a waitress on standby throughout. Just so decadent!
It's been pouring with rain for the last 2 hours and it looks like 'London' sky outside. I'm going to go and think about what we're having for dinner and maybe do the last of the ironing before the weekend officially starts! Domestic bliss? Mmmm.....
xx
