wanderlust

So, late last November, I stumbled onto this video.

This film is dedicated to those who love to travel, those who have never traveled, and those about to travel for the very first time.

It's an ad for Contiki, but there was something in that phrase that had my wanderlust knocking.

So, I decided that this year, I'll finally tour Europe. (This year marks my fifth year working, so I figured it's high time I rewarded myself for all that hard work!)

Join me?

so, what have you been up to?

We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time
and no imagination left for being. -Thomas Merton

"So, what have you been up to?"

It's a common conversation starter, but it's one that always leaves me stumped whenever I try to answer it. Not that I haven't been up to anything -- it's more like I'm not sure whether anything I've done is worth sharing with other people.

Or maybe I just take small talk too seriously.

But, I haven't blogged much over the past year, so I figure maybe I'd be able to come up with something slightly interesting from a year's worth of experiences.

Let's see.

I started over by moving to a new team at work. Spent two days in an airplane to attend a three-day meeting in the UK. Lugged home a giant bag of stroopwafels and cheese from the Amsterdam airport. Rechristened myself as the Dual Maintenance Goddess at the office. Burned out. Got sick. Got better. Taught myself the art of looking like you know what you're talking about, when you're actually clueless as hell. Spent the summer learning how to do a proper freestyle, crawl, and backstroke... plus a not-so-proper butterfly. Sailed around Boracay. Discovered that nothing beats the calm of being in the middle of the sea, with no sound but the wind flapping against your sails. Got sick again. Got better again. Adopted two dogs, Goldie Woldie and Tagpi. Spent a week falling in love with the Japanese culture (and Kobe beef) in Kobe. Mastered the art of cooking something out of any ingredients on hand. Swung by Singapore and relived the Toronto and Montreal turista days with Iris. Lugged home an overweight maleta filled with shoes and Bee Cheng Hiang pork, beef, and chicken jerkies. Worked some more. Discovered a secret recipe for making fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs Swiss Chalet-style. Booked a long-overdue family outing to Bohol, bonding with my mom, dad, and sister over seashells, Chocolate Hills and tarsiers. Kayaked. Discovered the tranquility of lying down in a kayak in the middle of the sea, watching clouds roll by. Took on a project management role at work. Got my hair straightened, then accidentally had it cut to chin length. Fulfilled childhood dreams in Hong Kong Disneyland. Got carpal tunnel syndrome and started wearing a splint. Rekindled my relationship with God. Learned to appreciate the blessings I have and the people around me. Learned to take care of myself.

Fell in love.

Whew.