Virtual Birthday Dinner

Hey all - today is my 30th birthday!  If we were in the same place, I'd imagine that we'd be going out for a fabulous and delicious dinner tonight.  Here are some of the things that I think we'd talk about...

.. my trip to London.  It was absolutely awesome.  I will share some pictures and more details later, but suffice it to say that I loved it!  And the weather was so gorgeous!!

.. my weekend in Bintan.  We are taking the ferry over to Indonesia on Saturday morning, and I'm really looking forward to spending some quality time with friends at the swim up bar.

.. how it feels to be 30.  Not so different haha.  My life has changed so much over the past 12 months, so it feels like today is just another day in this whirlwind.

.. how you still owe me a giant birthday party once we are back in the same place.

.. what I'm doing today.  I took the day off work, and I'll be going to have high tea with some friends at one of the fancy hotels this afternoon.  Then, we are headed to a BBQ!

.. what's next.  I think that there are some decisions that need to be made (or are already in the process of being made) in the near future.  It's a little scary.  I love the doors of possibility, but the unknown is always so scary to me.

Cheers to 30!

Saturday on Wednesday

Today is a public holiday in Singapore, so I've got the day off work.  Unfortunately, I'm still working :(

Having a day off in the middle of the week might seem a bit useless since you don't get to have a long weekend, but I've actually found several highlights:

- Tuesday was basically Friday
- I got to sleep in (relatively) today
- I got to go to yoga this morning
- I'm working from a coffee shop right now
- I only have one day of work left until I go to London

I know that I say this every month, but I really cannot believe how quickly time flies.  It is already May.  My birthday is next week!  This month marks my nine month anniversary in Singapore.  It is shocking how much things can change in nine months.  (I guess all my friends with babies probably already know that haha.)  At the nine month mark, I am feeling:

- I love my life in Singapore
- I love my friends in Singapore
- I am still finding work to be challenging (I have good days and bad days.. it really just depends)
- I miss my friends at home
- I have travelled to some amazing places
- I've learned a lot more British slang
- I'm not as culturally flexible as I wish I was

I probably won't do any blogging for a few days while I am gone, but I hope everyone is having a good week!  See you on the other side of my twenties!

A few random snapshots

Still obsessed with coffee and Game of Thrones

Pho for lunch!

I found a store that still sells scrunchies

I snapped this picture in the elevator at work one day.  I am wearing a black skirt and holding my blue wallet.  A girl in a green dress is standing in front of me, and someone with black pants on is standing to my right.  Notice how I have ZERO personal space.

Red bean green tea frappuccino - apparently, this is what summer tastes like in Asia.  A lot different than grilled corn on the cob and blueberries...

Changing it up - avocado sandwich instead of avocado toast

I brought Girl Scout cookies to my team.  They brought me crab flavored snacks.

I've officially become a regular at my neighborhood sushi place - they know that I get the sushi and udon set!

A British Weekend

I'm lucky that there is quite a large community of ex-pats here in Singapore.  Although I naturally gravitate towards the Americans, I've become friends with a circle of Brits as well, and now a good portion of my social circle is comprised of British ex-pats.  This weekend, I had a bunch of Anglo activities on the agenda. Just prepping for my trip to London haha :)

Friday night, my friends and I headed up to the Turf Club for some horse racing!!  Previously, the only horse race that I'd ever been to was Steeplechase in Nashville, where you don't even see the horses, so this was quite the new experience for me.  The girls had even taken me shopping for a proper hat to wear!  (Then I decided to wear a different dress, so my hat no longer went with my outfit, but luckily, Rachel let me borrow a hairpiece.)

Girls with hair accessories

I actually had a really great time!  The guys taught me how to read the program and the odds, and it was fun to cheer on the horses during the races.  I only placed one bet, but I won $24!!

Horses lining up to start a race

Fuzzy picture.. but there they are!

I won!!

Saturday night, we had tickets to see Othello at Shakespeare in the Park at Fort Canning.  I actually live right next to Fort Canning, so it was pretty convenient.  We all packed a picnic and grabbed some space on the lawn to watch the play.  I've got to say - the Brits that I went with are much more well-versed in their Shakespeare than I am!  At one point during the first half, I actually Googled the plot to Othello to make sure that I was following along correctly :)

So this advertisement is a bit deceiving, as Desdemona (and about half the cast) was actually Asian

\

Cheeses, dips, chips, etc

The stage looks a bit weird in this picture, but I was really impressed with how well they managed to stage a play in the middle of Fort Canning

The rest of the weekend was pretty low key.  I've got an insane schedule for May, so I'm resting up while I can.  We have a public holiday on Wednesday this week, and then I am heading to London on Friday!  So excited!!  And when I get back to Singapore, I will officially be THIRTY.

Things I'm Loving Lately

Here are some random things that I have recently become obsessed with!

Feedly - Since Google Reader is biting the dust pretty soon, I've made the switch over the Feedly, which has gained some buzz as the best replacement.  I have to say that I love it, and it syncs with your current Google Reader to import all your feeds seamlessly!

SmartWool Socks - I bought a pair of SmartWool socks on a whim after Lena lent me her pair while I was in the US.  I absolutely love them!  They aren't cheap, but they are so comfortable, so warm, and super great - especially on a long flight!

Game of Thrones - I recently got the books, and I am hooked!!  I don't have cable out here, but I watched the first season on the way back from the US (thanks Singapore Airlines!) and I love it.

Trip It - I just started using this app within the last year or so, but it is really great.  It helps keep you organized with all your travel, and you can share itineraries with friends!  That way, if one person books the hotel, you can still all have access to the information.  Really great!!

JPMorgan Corporate Challange

This past Thursday, I participated in the JPMorgan Corporate Challange.   The event is held in numerous locations globally, but this was my first year living in a city large enough to host!  It was a 5.6K charity run that tons of companies participated in.  My company actually had the highest number of participants - we represented about 665 of the 16,500 people.

Even though the race didn't start until 5:30pm, it was SO incredibly hot outside.  I was sweating just making the walk from our office to the starting line, and then once we got into the crowds, it got even hotter.

The course was heavily shaded, which I was really thankful for, and it wasn't too crowded, considering the amount of people there.  I was really impressed with the way that the race organizers were able to effectively use the different waves to manage the race, even though it was a shorter distance.  I ran the race with my friend Rachel, and we finished in 36:32.  Average pace of 10:27 per mile - a bit slower than I would've liked, but considering the heat and the crowds, I was more than pleased.

The race ended right under the Singapore Flyer, and after we hung around the corporate tents for a while, a group of us went out for some post-race treats.

Group dinner at a hawker center

I haven't been running as much as I would like to, but I've started running with a group of girls after work on Mondays, so hopefully I am back on the wagon soon.  In the wake of what's happened in Boston, I've kind of wanted to get into the running community a bit more.  My friend Stephanie and I just signed up for a race in Auckland, New Zealand in November.  She is doing the full marathon in tribute to Boston, but I am just doing the half.  I know that November is really far away, so I could do the full marathon as well, but I am just trying to be realistic about my tendency to not stick to training plans.  Plus, I feel like my lifestyle out here is a bit less conducive to marathon training.  One day, I'll run 26.2 - but probably not for a while :)

Speaking of Boston, the Watertown situation has been unfolding over the past 24 hours or so at this point.  Definitely in these times, I really wish that I had American television, but I am super thankful for Twitter, even though sometimes there is a lot of conflicting information that can lead to confusion.  Technology is amazing.  So is America.

I'm off to get started on my typical weekend activities - yoga, work, chores, friends, etc.  Hope you guys all have a great weekend too!

Some blog updates

Hi friends.  I've been up since 3:30 am today.. just woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, so I figured I might as well do some blogging.

I made some updates to some things - including adding a new page with some recaps of my travels!  Feel free to visit my Travel Log section if you are curious about some of the trips I've done while out here.

Other fun things that are currently on my agenda are to plan out some more of my fall travel - I'm thinking Cambodia and New Zealand! - and finalizing some details for my upcoming trips.  I am racking up my Star Alliance miles!!

Also, I tweeted this yesterday, but I really loved this post by a blogger that I read on her thoughts and feelings following the explosions at the Boston Marathon.  It is definitely worth a read, for runners and non-runners alike.