Reso-lations of 2014

News Year’s “reso-lations”
(see what I did there?)

 EVERY year, I make resolutions because it’s a new year new you (insert an eye roll) right? Mmm, I somehow feel almost exactly the same on Jan 1 as I did on Dec 31. I am no resolution hater-I actually sort of love them, until I get to the end of the year and realize I never did knit my own scarf, exercise everyday, or solve the 2013 mega crossword puzzle from the Augusta Chronicle. 

So this year I have made a resolution that I will reframe my resolutions to be reso-lations, revelations from 2013 to resolve to learn from in 2014 because let’s face it, I did not read 5 classics last year, and I was not an extra in any movie so here’s the new game plan:

 1. Worry less (much less) about flight delays.
 Most of the time All of the time, I just feel like a dum-dum for worrying about something so out of my control. There are worse places to be than in the airport (especially this one)
 

2. Remember people’s names…the very first time they introduce themselves.
 

3. “Don’t be scared to walk alone, don’t be scared to like it” I’m not proud that this is a John Mayer lyric BUT take what you will from it, I like it. 

4. Find your place in the story, don’t fight the story you're in. While I was traveling in Thailand in November, a fellow sunriser bestowed some very wise advice to me – don’t fight what is, find your place with it. Whether it is test-taking, yours (or others’) circumstances, work, football game outcomes, etc. it IS happening so fighting its existence just ensures your loss. Figure out where you stand with it- to change your place or embrace it. But the point being approach unfavorable challenges, circumstances, and events with a sense of zen and find your place there.

 5. Southern hospitality is a beautiful thing, bless its heart. When I was home for Christmas, I stepped in the grocery story with Dave on day 1 of being home. Someone accidentally knocked into me and immediately turned to say, "Oh I'm sorry sweetheart" and I all but asked for their address to send a thank you note. There's something really special to carry forth about kindness anywhere in the world. 

6. Carry an umbrella. It’s just a good habit.

7.  DON'T LOSE YOUR SUNGLASSES.
No monkeys. No excuses. No more replacements.
 

8.  Also, don’t lose your cool (See #1)
Singtel does not in fact stay up at night thinking of ways to torture me (I'm about 85% sure) so Sarah, lose the badittude entitlement for customer service on a silver platter and remember any job you've ever had in customer service or retail.
 

9. Invite people for dinner more often. In Singapore, people have been so generous in inviting me to their homes for dinner-- friends, sort-of-strangers, and colleagues. It is so special, and I want to take that trait home to the US and invite more people to dinner. Cooking TBD. 

Hellllo 2014 Bring it!

Listening to: "Age of Worry" -John Mayer

Eat. Pray. Bali.

Going to Bali reminded me of my love for Eat, Pray, Love. Call me cliche...I deserve it. So it is there I'll begin:

In the end, I've come to believe in something I call "The Physics of the Quest." A force in nature governed by laws as real as the laws of gravity. The rule of Quest Physics goes something like this: If you're brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting, which can be anything from your house to bitter, old resentments, and set out on a truth-seeking journey, either externally or internally, and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher and if you are prepared, most of all, to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself, then the truth will not be withheld from you.

Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love. 

Physics was never really my subject. And by that I mean, I hated physics, and I was terrible at it. BUT I did retain Newton's first law-the law of inertia (obviously the most important...): The tendency of an object to resist changes in motion/velocity and to maintain its current state of motion.

"The vis insita, or innate force of matter, is a power of resisting by which every body... endeavours to preserve its present state, whether it be of rest or of moving uniformly forward in a straight line."

...A human tendency that keeps me from uncovering other truths because my nature is to follow the same trajectory, to be housed in old resentments and the gravitational pull towards what's comfortable to "endeavour to preserve my present state" even if it's not ideal/healthy/productive- Because we all know what change means...the existential questioning, push the red button crisis. But I've come to realize that it's impossible to live unaffected by the people you meet along the way, and thank goodness-it is only through that reflection of ourselves that we can even begin to face and forgive some realities about ourselves, learn funnier jokes, discover new recipes, learn Gangnam style, see things differently or marvel at something in spite of our baggage. 

 I learned one of those truths through a friend we met along the way in Bali, Adi. Adi was our driver and host at Dara Ayu, a villa we stayed in. He was so kind and in the short time we stayed there, he taught me so much. He lived in a house just beyond the rice fields and he walked in to work. Dona and I had decided to wake up for the sunrise (gasp, I know what you're thinking, "YOU, up BEFORE the sun?" Well believe it, friend. Talk about transformation...) and have some time out in the rice terraces before it got too hot. When Adi came up, he took us on a trek down through the rice fields and taught us about the process of harvesting rice.

Did you know that EVERY SINGLE little rice stalk is planted BY HAND. EVERY stalk. Can you imagine? He also showed us a fresh water spring where he and several of the rice harvesters have created a temple to honor the gift of this spring. They take nothing for granted and are driven by their faith to give praise for gifts of natural water and for places where big trees grow. Things like this bring me toe to toe with the things I take for granted and the people's truths I might have otherwise overlooked. But physics tell us that those forces are the ones that help us change our linear path and move towards a path appreciating the truths of others and to live affected by the realities of them.

While staying at Dara Ayu, we visited the volcano located in the center of Bali. Adi told us about the destruction there and the resilience of the people in Bali over this incredible view during lunch.

Then I looked around in this place at the chaos its endured. The way its been adapted, burned, pillaged, and found a way to build itself back up again...and I was reassured. Maybe my life hasn't been so chaotic, It's just the world that is. And the only real trap is getting attached to any of it. Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation.... we must always be prepared for endless waves of transformation. 

-Elizabeth Gilbert

I was so inspired by Bali's strength and beauty despite tragedy and wreckage from past events. Ruin is a road to transformation.

Tanah Lot  was one of my favorite temples and you can only get to it during certain tides so we were lucky enough to get to explore it a bit (This is also the scene of  my first and probably last bit of mistaken fame with my paparazzi moment).

I was also incredibly lucky to have such WONDERFUL travel companions and some new friends! Dona, Deo, Mhalu are in my community group through Every Nation Church and Liane and Jill are friends from the Philippines. We had such an adventure together with our pisang goreng, midnight Balinese massages, and even the car rides were entertaining :) Especially with our sweet corn and karaoke! So so thankful for such a lovely group of friends to trek Bali together! 

Want to see some more? Snapshots of Bali

I'm SINGing: "Heart of Gold" Neil Young

Fake it til you Make it

So I've been dragging my feet on posting about Bali because there's just so much beauty to write about. So instead of posting about how it truly awakened and fed my soul (just yet), I am going to first tell you about what I think must have been some David Blaine mind trick that may have caused my Indonesian 15 minutes of fame...but hey, I'll take it. While visiting Tanah Lot, my friends and I started taking some group pics in front of the temple (as per usual), and I noticed some onlookers using the strategy of getting your friend to pose and then the friend sort of ducks out of the way so you can really take a pic of something behind your friend but not look sketchy...little did they know I too have mastered this art capturing the glorious mullets of the South, USA. Busted. Anyways, so a few people came over to me and asked what I thought was, "Will you take a picture of us" so I said "sure" and then about 10 people came putting arms around me and throwing up token peace signs smiling for our paparazzi picture. After that first picture, there began a queue of people waiting to take a picture with me-mob mentality is real-for the next 20 minutes. It probably didn't help that my sweet friends were egging it on with comments about filming the sequel to Eat.Pray.Love. and how was I doing "Mrs. Roberts." I should have asked them who they thought I was or why they even wanted a picture together but I was too star struck by my new found fame so I just soaked it in because if my dream of becoming Joan's long lost sister on Mad Men falls through, this may have been my only shot at celebrity status.

But really, I could see where they might get confused. After many many years of practice (Morgan Smith circa kindergraden and on) I did do a pretty good Ariel hair flip:

I'm SINGing: "Fame" -David Bowie

Gong Xi Fa Cai! (Happy Chinese New Year!)

How could I have lived my last 24 years without celebrating CNY? There is something really magical about everyone's gladittude approaching the Lunar New Year...I woke up on Chinese New Year's Eve and skipped down the street (literally) and hugged the first person who told me "Gong Xi Fa Cai!" 

Out with the year of the Dragon (my year) and in with the year of the Snake. When it's your year, it is supposed to be the hardest on you as much is expected from you so hel-lo year of the snake! 

Here's a little peak into some of the festivities-

The Lion dancers at the temple next door:

Different lion dancing groups came throughout the day and played drums coming down the street (starting at 8am...) so I had my shoes ready and when I heard them drop the beat, I would run over!

Welcoming the New Year in Chinatown with firecrackers/fireworks:

The static-y noise you hear are millions of firecrackers (imagine mega-sized Black Cats from Wacky Waynes) lit on the ground

Pictures of CNY in Singapore (click here) 

Here's a guide for how to "fit in" at your next Chinese New Year (haha who are we kidding, "fitting in" might be a reach, at least for me): 

1. Red envelopes ("angbaus"): Basically when all your married friends give you money (in a red envelope) for being single. wooooo wooooo! Fist bump, high five, cue the Taylor Swift song. Red envelopes are given the first time you see the intended recipient after it has turned the New Year. There are some rules to keep in mind: The amount of money inside should always be an even number, and should never include a "4" in the digits of the amount (because the pronunciation of "4" resembles death...)

 1b. So, as a counter offer, you need some Mandarin Oranges: This is the return gift for someone giving you an angbau. They also must be given in even numbers (again, never giving 4 or anything with 4 in the amount). Also, don't try to get fancy and spring for a pear-that will be extra insulting as that would mean you wishing separation for that person and his/her loved ones. Irre-PEAR-able faux pas. 

2. No sweeping, no problem: You don't have to tell me twice...It is traditional to do Spring cleaning on the days leading up to the Chinese New Year b/c after it reaches midnight on the beginning of the New Year, you should not sweep your house for at least the next 2 days. Otherwise, you will be sweeping all the blessings and good luck out. If you're feeling a bit resentful to someone, you could take a very crumbly dish when visiting family and friends because it would be bad luck for them to sweep after.

3. Lo Hei: A Singaporean tradition of tossing a salad symbolizing all prosperous things for the new year, because Who doesn't like a good group toss?

The higher you toss the salad, the more prosperous you will be for the next year.

So HAPPY NEW YEAR, welcome the year of the water snake. So far, I've had some very lucky and unlucky occurrences (e.g. I found $10 in my jeans pocket but also there is a monkey in MacRitchie now wearing my Raybans so the verdict is still out on what kind of year the snake has brought)

But one thing I do know, the promise of a new year brings the hope for something great! Gong Xi Fa Cai!

I'm SINGing: "This is the New Year" -Glee cast

WARM Christmas Wishes from the Equator

Singapore is like Clark Griswold for Christmas (click here)...and I love it! Sing, I wholeheartedly appreciate your enthusiasm for holidays! Double-confirm. 

Orchard Road (at the heart of the city) is famous for its Christmas lights and this year is no exception. Some of these pictures are mine and some I borrowed but please know, these are only a few snapshots, the Christmas mega-decoration goes further beyond your wildest Christmas decorated dreams. 

I.LOVE.CHRISTMAS!...and better yet, I will be hugging on some Comers this Christmas! Making the trip home to South Carolina TOMORROW to a shocking below 80 degree climate. (yesssss!) My hair is already singing the hallelujah chorus. 

But before I go, here are some highlights:

The Singapore Flyer (officially the tallest Ferris Wheel in the world) converted into the tallest Christmas tree. Genius.

Orchard Road                           

Lights over Orchard Road

Tangs department store front on Orchard

                                    

Raffles Hotel

Ion Mall on Orchard Road 

Just couldn't get enough Christmas lights?? (Can never have enough Christmas lights, right?) 

See more here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UnSC4e_lsQ

Singing: "I'll be Home for Christmas" -She & Him