Long haul flight essentials

Hi friends - I'm headed off to my third continent this month tomorrow night.  I'll be in Johannesburg and Capetown over the next couple of days, and I couldn't be more excited.  We've got a great itinerary planned, including a safari, hiking, city exploration, and a bicycle winery tour!  So I'll be staying busy and probably not blogging for about a week or so.

Since moving to Asia, I've gotten really good at taking really long flights.  My general feeling is that once you've done the 25 hour trip between the US and Singapore, everything else seems completely manageable. It's funny how in the US, I felt like anything more than 2 hours was a long flight, but now I think an 8 hour flight isn't too bad!  Perspective is definitely part of the game, but there are also a few things that I consider to be incredibly helpful for a pleasant 8+ hour flight experience.

1.  Status - If you can get status on an airline, do everything you can to get it!  I have most of my miles on Star Alliance, which United and Singapore Airlines are both part of.  Your own check in line, priority baggage, early boarding, and of course.. the lounge.

2.  Airport lounges - I am telling you, the airport lounge totally changes the travel game.  Oddly, you can't get into the United Club on a domestic flight in the US with status, but on an international flight you can.  Star Alliance also lets you into their member lounges when you are flying.  (Lufthansa lounge in Frankfurt is the best one I've seen so far!)  Anyway, the lounge is always a really nice place to relax, have a snack or a drink, and easily charge your phone, iPad, laptop etc.  It also tends to be very calm and quiet - not at all like some terminals that have crowds of kids running and screaming everywhere.  A lot of them also have showers etc for you to clean up in if needed.

3.  iPad - If you are lucky, you will have your own television to watch on the flight.  If you are on United, you won't.  An iPad loaded with books, movies, or TV shows is essential!!  I always have at least one book or magazine downloaded, and if I am flying an airline where I won't have my own TV, I usually just rent a movie from iTunes - it only costs a few dollars, and it is well worth it!  Also, don't forget your headphones.

4.  Something warm - I am always cold on airplanes, so I bring something to keep me warm.  Usually it is my favorite American Apparel circle scarf, which can be used as a blanket too, or a hoodie or jacket of some sort.

5.  Socks - I am obsessed with SmartWool socks!  These have quickly become my go-to socks, and that definitely includes travel.  If you're on a plane for 10 hours, you definitely want to be able to take your shoes off and curl your feet up.

6.  Small bag of toiletries - I usually put a few essentials in my carry on, just in case.  (Side note - I always check my luggage on these long flights - it's free, and it is one less thing to carry around.)  I always have my contact case and solution (I wear my glasses when I fly so that I can sleep!), a toothbrush and small tube of toothpaste, and maybe some hand lotion and/or face wash just to freshen up.  Sometimes I also put a small shampoo and body wash just in case my luggage doesn't make it.

7.  Other things that I usually have in my carry on - chargers and an international outlet adapter, my work laptop, makeup, extra hair ties, and a random snack (in case the food on the plane is terrible).

Lately

Lately I've been feeling at a bit of a crossroads.  I tweeted the other day "My life is awesome and a total mess all at the same time."

As you might be able to tell from this blog, my personal life is an absolute blast right now.  I am having an incredible experience being able to travel so much.  I love my group of friends that I've made in Singapore and feel so lucky to always have fun people to go do fun things with.  Life is really good these days.

But on the other hand, there are a lot of things weighing on my mind that are giving me anxiety.  My professional experience here hasn't been quite the same amount of awesome as my personal experience.  As someone who absolutely loved her job in the US, it's hard to no longer be so lucky.  Don't get me wrong - work is generally fine, but it is tough, and there are a lot of differences that I'm still having trouble adjusting to, even as I approach the one year mark.  Some of it is me, I realize that, and some of it is Singapore, and some of it is random things specific to my situation.  But I haven't really figured out how to comfortably navigate through all of that.  But maybe that is the point?  To be a bit uncomfortable?

Also, I've alluded to this a bit before, but I feel like some big decisions are coming up for me, and I literally change my mind every other day.  I've often felt that when there are too many options available, I panic a little bit and let indecision paralyze me.  I'm hoping that doors will open and close in such a way that the right thing will be clear to me.  That method has worked well for me in the past, but I also want to be mindful of the fact that inaction is also a decision.

Heavy stuff.  Just thought I should be transparent about what's going on in my head these days.  It's not all vacations and fun ;)  Although I do have some great vacations and fun coming up.  In the meantime, if anyone has any advice or insight to share, please do.  Thanks guys!

Birthday recap and Bintan

After my super awesome trip to London, I got back to Singapore to celebrate my 30th birthday.  And while I had a virtual birthday dinner on the blog, I actually spent the afternoon at high tea!  A few friends and I went to one of the fancy hotels in town and indulged in their awesome afternoon high tea.  (I made sure to bring along a Brit so that I would do it right!)

Tray of treats - top row of sweets, middle row of savories, bottom row of sweets.  This tray was refillable and came with delicious scones and clotted cream and fresh jam!

After tea, we went over to another friend's apartment for a going away barbecue.  My friend Kat is coming to the end of her secondment (last day in the office is this Friday) and is leaving Singapore to head back to the UK.  Kat is the first friend I've had in Singapore to go back home (except for when Lena left the day after I arrived), so it's a bit weird for me to not really know if I will ever see her again!  We aren't incredibly close or anything, it's just weird to think about...

Anyway, I wrapped up my 30th birthday celebration this past weekend in Bintan, Indonesia.  Bintan is only about an hour away by ferry, so it was a quick and easy trip!  A group of about ten of us went over and had a fun weekend at the pool!

We stayed at a fun resort and never left the property.  When the bus from the ferry terminal dropped us off, we were greeted by some Indonesian dancers..

A friendly sign ensured that the resort wouldn't be smelly :)

The resort itself was pretty massive.  It had several restaurants and bars, and a few different types of accommodations.  We opted for a big villa!!

Pool!!!

We spent pretty much all day Saturday hanging out at the pool.  It was nice because it wasn't too crowded.  We had lunch and some drinks in the afternoon, and then we had dinner at a restaurant on the property in the evening.  Stephanie had bought me a "Happy Birthday" headband to wear, so everyone at the resort knew it was my birthday - that was pretty fun :)

Sunday was more pool time before getting on the ferry and heading back to Singapore and real life :(

Luckily, we are half-way through this week already!  I plan to have a pretty low key weekend, and then I leave for Africa next Tuesday night!!!!!

London Calling

Hi friends - just got back from London.  What a great city!!  I got to spend five days there, and it absolutely flew by.  There was so much to see and do and eat!  The weather was incredible while I was there.  Sunshine every day, and temperatures in the 60s for most of the day - I hadn't seen weather so nice since I was in Austin last fall.  I definitely welcomed the opportunity to comfortably walk around the city in jeans and a jacket :)

I landed late Friday afternoon.  There was enough time to do some strolling around (it stays light outside until at least 8pm) before an easy dinner and drinks night.

Saturday, I got to check out Borough Market, which was right next to our hotel.  Seriously - I felt like this place was made specifically for me.  I didn't snap a ton of pictures while we were there because I was too busy drooling over all the food, but seriously, this place was so awesome.  Tons of tasty stalls and shops selling all kinds of delicious things.  I could've spent all day there.

We were there for a couple of hours, and I enjoyed a delicious chorizo sandwich with rocket and roasted piquillo peppers, the best almond croissant I've ever had, a carrot-orange-lemon juice, my first Scotch egg, and tons of samples.  SO DELICIOUS.  Seriously, I can't tell you guys how much this place was right up my alley.  Such a shame that it wasn't open every day that I was there - I would've eaten all my meals there if I could!

As it stands, Borough Market is not open during the evenings, and most stalls are not open during the beginning of the week.  No matter - I still managed to eat very well in London!  Some of the highlights were fish & chips, Sunday roast, caramel biscuits, a smoked hake and tomato salad, and a super charming coffee shop that was everything you could ask for (great coffee, great food, great staff).

Most of the trip was just a lot of city exploring.  The weather was so great, and London is a fantastic place for walking.  We walked all along the Thames and throughout most of central London.

Bridge over the Thames - reminds me of the helix bridge in Singapore

St. Paul's Cathedral.  I love old churches - so beautiful

I loved all the architecture so much.

London Eye!

Tower Bridge

London Bridge

We also ended up walking through a bunch of the parks - Richmond, St James, Green Park, Hyde Park.. they were all so gorgeous.  And tons of people were out enjoying the weather!  It was really nice to be outside and be comfortable.  Singapore is usually pretty sunny, but it is basically unbearably hot, so you never really see people just hanging out outside.  It was such a nice change to be in London and see everyone with their picnic blankets just lazing in the sunshine.

Pathways in Richmond Park.  I really loved this park and was really regretful that I didn't bring any running clothes with me.

Loved all the green spaces

 

Just look at those flowers!!

We also spent an afternoon hitting a bunch of the museums.  I went to the Tate Modern, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, and the V&A Museum.  All of them were so different.  One of the highlights was actually a little tea break that we took while we were at the V&A. There is a really nice courtyard in the middle of the museum.. the sun was shining.. we had a casual cup of afternoon tea.. it was great.

Tate Modern

Courtyard at V&A

Tea break in the sunshine

 On my last night in London, we saw a show in the West End!  I had never heard of this particular play, but it was absolutely hilarious!!  A great end to a great trip.

One Man Two Guvnors at Haymarket

I seriously loved London so so so much.  After a couple of days at home in Singapore, I'm off to Indonesia this morning!  Hope everyone has a good weekend!

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!