The beauty to understanding more is by exploring and expediting while asking questions and being vulnerable. Moving to Singapore while an incredible opportunity hasn't been without its elements of stress. From trying to meet and exceed work expectations and settling in to my new condo. Speaking of which, it's already hosted its first overnight guest. (A drunken coworker that arrived at my door with another drunk coworker that later abandoned us. Longer story... maybe I'll share later. I digress...) And after a BBQ hosted by another coworker about ten or so friends caught an MRT train to my place where we drank more beers, listened to music and watched the twinkling lights of Bukit Panjang. Everyone that visits falls in love in my home and I'm so glad it's mine. My owner and I have a great relationship and connect as needed and he helped me finally unbox my sewing machine when he came to check on something else. All of that being said, life is good here! I'm ready to host anyone willing to make the trip and next week I will get my first visitor that shares a love for traveling alone. It will be so nice to have someone visit from the states! Speaking of which, at work yesterday I walked into the Cafe and found a credit card on the ground. It was a Costco credit card and I knew it couldn't belong to anyone else but someone traveling from back home. Sure enough, I later received an email from the cards owner and she was so grateful I turned it in from lost and found as she was on Apple campus from Cupertino working on a project. We chatted for a bit and I gave her a few recommendations of things to do, places to eat and see while in Singapore. In a very short while, it's becoming and feeling like home and my coworkers and adopted brothers and sisters have made the uneasiness of this move much easier than I imagined it would be. My new mattress and stereo system and so much more have come together with their help and hands on occasions and I'm so grateful to have them and to build on these connections. This International band of brothers and sisters (Hey Cindy and Leonie!) will be the foundation for not just the two years minimum I will live in The Little Red Dot but for many years to come.
Although I'm pretty laid back, thanks to great friends I've had some pretty epic birthday experiences in the past. Mariah Carey's Residency inaugural debut weekend in Vegas. Angela Johnson comedy show. TinkerBell 1/2 Marathon run in Disneyland. Just to name a few. Dinner with the Babe Brigade is usually always guaranteed to happen but the most important thing is making new memories with those that I hold most dear. This year is a little different. This is the very first year that at minimum I'm not with Jamie and Jennifer and he rest of the Brigade. At a minimum J&J have been with me on every birthday going back at least a decade. It's hard to imagine a birthday without them. But, living in Singapore it's the first of many things to be different. My passion and excitement for my birthday has diminished a little bit and it doesn't feel like it's in two days. This year an impromptu trip to Vietnam with fourteen pretty new friends is how I will spend the next four days. I miss my girls but I wouldn't have it any other way. This is what life is about. Taking life, like a bull by the horns, and going in the direction you see fit. The only wrong thing is not doing anything at all and wishing I had. I've lived 36 years so far and would hate to see anymore pass me by without doing me one thing I've always wanted to do more of...travel.
So this birthday weekend I'll explore a bit of Hanoi, Vietnam. A country where my dad completed two tours during the war and still has a frosty relationship with the US. With less than two months in Singapore, I didn't think that my first trip while living here would happen so soon. But, when a 4-day weekend gets announced it seemed like as good of a time as in to further my exploration into SE Asia. There's truly no time like the present. Not to mention when I converted money, I get to play millionaire for the weekend. Who doesn't love a beneficial currency exchange rate?! So this trip is one of many birthday presents to myself. Instead of asking why, it was more like why not?!
So this is the first blog to be crafted at 35,000 feet above sea level. But, possibly not the last. There are people seated near me speaking a language I don't understand - possibly Vietnamese but I can tell by their intonation and smiles that they're happy. Smiling and laughter is universal. Happiness can be contagious. I'm here and couldn't be happier. I kept thinking of what this years birthday would be and initially Bali and Bangkok came to mind and I thought it would be perfect and the perfect hashtag to commemorate the weekend, #BaliBirthday or #BangkokBirthday. At the end of the day, #HappyHanoi isn't half bad either! Until next post, take life by the horns and be present in the moments that make life worth living!
Love & Light... from my flight!
~Charmayne
Say Cheers everyone!
Kissing the sky above Singapore...
Who wants to be a millionaire?