Some People Say I've Done Alright For a Girl

Thank You!

2015-04-14T21:36:00.000-06:00

For those of you who attended our wedding back in January, we are finally getting the thank-you cards out this week. They were originally ordered back on January 20th, but there were so many issues with the company that we didn't get them until two days ago, and half of them weren't trimmed correctly. Arg.

I have been writing thank you messages ever since and will get them in the mail this week.

Our apologies in the delays, and please spread the word to anyone else who was at our wedding. We are so grateful for your attendance and generosity and we are sorry that it has taken so long to put that in writing and send across the ocean to you, but they should reach you soon.

I'm so married, now I'm a "we". Funny.

Extras

2015-02-23T01:10:00.002-07:00

I love Ricky Gervais' comedy series, one of them being Extras. It's about an actor who isn't getting any work, so he has to work as an extra on film sets and things always go wrong. It's hilarious and features a well-known celebrity in each episode, such as David Bowie and Daniel Radcliffe.

Why am I bringing this up? Well, this month Danielle and I got to experience the life of an extra. That's right, we were on a film set. Apparently the film studio on our island is the biggest in Southeast Asia and has had all sorts of TV shows and movies shot there. Who knew? Not me.

A few weeks ago one of my expat friends here told me that the studio was looking for Caucasian women and told me I should sign up. I wasn't too keen, but she kept bringing it up and so I thought it was worth checking out. Nobody knew much about the film, but we were told vague things about aliens, pregnant women, and spaceships. Sure, sign me up. I called the casting director, and that's all it took. I even got the sister on board.

Danielle and I arrived at the studio about a half hour before the call time, so we took a spot in the shade across from the offices. I was wearing baggy workout pants, and a striped long-sleeved shirt under a black t-shirt. Danielle's outfit was similar, and all black. We had been told to wear old clothes because we were going to be playing dead and covered in black goo. Since they didn't have any cloths in wardrobe that would fit our "white people" sizes, we were told to wear black. We were also told that we would be getting hair and makeup done before going on set, so we didn't bother doing any primping that morning.

While sitting there on the curb, we felt less confident as we watched the vans pull up, one by one, dropping off the production crew, which we later learned were mostly from LA and Paris. They looked like cool film people, and we looked like we had forgotten to change out of our pyjamas and comb our hair.

At 10:30 am we found our casting director, Y. He introduced us to his assistant, who was literally half my height and he looked to be about 16 years old. They are both Indonesian and work at the studio full-time. I could never remember the assistant's name, so we were told that we could call him "kurcaci" (pronounced cor-cha-chi), which means "gnome" in English. He loved it.

Kurcaci led us to the other side of the studio where we passed an outdoor cafeteria where the crew were eating, and we were taken to a tented area just outside of the cafeteria and instructed to sit in the plastic chairs made for people the size of children. This is where we were going to spend the majority of our day sitting/waiting/eating/repeat. It was a very long day.

After eating the first meal, Danielle and I were taken to the costume crew to see what they could do to make us look more "LA". See, they told us to just wear old clothes that were black, but they really wanted us to look like we were plucked off the trendy streets of LA. We weren't it. So, there we stood, these tall, awkwardly dressed white women, while a group of small, hipster Indonesians looked us up and down and hemmed and hawed about what they could do to improve our look. After much discussion and mild irritation, they settled to put a scarf around Danielle's neck, and they put a wool band around my head. We went from looking like women who rolled out of bed to looking like homeless women. If that's what they want, so be it.

What was most annoying about that situation is that there were three Caucasian men with us who were much taller and larger than us, but they were able to fit them with full outfits and shoes. Why do they prepare for male sizing of Caucasians, but not female sizing? That's for another discussion, but I also would have preferred to look more LA and less recovering-from-days-in-bed-with-the-flu style.

Costumes ready, back to the chairs for more wait/eat/repeat.

The rest of the day went like that until the late afternoon when we were invited into the studio to meet the director. We were led into the giant mystery building which was cold and dark. There was a foggy haze throughout the air and I noticed some people wearing face masks. The studio was full of equipment, cameras, people, lights, and in the center was the set. It was designed to be the interior of a spaceship, all black. The ground was made of several small hills and covered in black plastic sheets. As we stood taking in our surroundings, the directors came over to us. They thanked us for coming and told us a little about the film. They were very kind and laid back. The director is also the writer for the film, and it's a sequel to the first film that he wrote called Skyline.

We were then taken outside and back to the plastic chairs to wait, again. Another meal later and several water bottles, at 7:00 pm that night, we were finally taken back into the studio for our acting debut. It was pretty thrilling, I'm not going to lie.

Just when we thought that the waiting was finally over, we were invited to sit in yet another section of tiny plastic chairs just to the left of the set, until we were finally instructed to walk onto the black plastic alien ship.

We were strategically placed, with the white LA folk placed in the center of the scene, and with about 20 Indonesians scattered around us. Once the directors were happy with our placements, we were told to close our eyes because it was time to spray us with slime. When I saw a man walk on set with a fire hose, I got a bit anxious. I closed my eyes and heard the sound of a wet substance hitting the plastic, and then I could hear it getting closer, and then the warm goo hit my face and was sprayed all across my body. As I lay there I felt the sludge dripping into my ear canal, and climbing in between my eyelashes. Even though the goo was warm, it didn't take long to feel damp, and then cold as it soaked through our clothing. It was such a strange thing to be lying there on this hill, right in the focus of bright spotlights and camera lenses, with hundreds of sets of eyes on us.

Once we were ready to go, it was time to call in the main actor, who hangs out in his own green room, and he got covered in the goo in a more gentle manner before joining us on the set. He climbed over our legs and laid down just above Danielle, and to my right.

He discussed a few things about the scene with the director, then it was,"Quiet on the set!" "Sound check!" "Action" and we were on. We did a few takes, then the cameras moved, and we did a few more. This all took about two hours. We were all shivering by then, so in between takes some of the crew ran hot tea over for us.

The frustrating thing about playing a dead person in a scene is that you can't see what is happening. In this scene the main actor wakes up to see where he is and then his friend is snatched by an alien. Every time they called, "cut", I would quickly open my eyes to see the stunt man who had been lying a couple of bodies over from me, hanging from the ceiling.

When we were finally told we could go, we all carefully exited the set, not without a few slides and tumbles. The set has essentially turned into a slip-n'-slide, so that was comical. All 25 of us then rushed to the three outdoor showers to try and get off all of the goo. My scalp was blue for days.

The next day we did the same thing, but the shooting happened sooner and we were done by 9:00 pm, as opposed to 11:00 pm like the night before. The really cool thing about the second night was that the husbands finished at work at 4:30 pm, so we got them to come and join us and be extras as well. They got to be in a different scene from us where the lead actor crawls through the slime and through the bodies. Dave was closest to the camera and actually got kicked in the head in one of the takes, which is now his claim to fame.

A week after that shoot and when we thought our Hollywood days were over, Danielle and I were called back because they needed women to play dead again, but this time after our babies had been ripped out of us. We were all over that, and we got to star in our first horror scene. This time the set was a river of the black liquid and we were surrounded by body parts. I actually gagged a few times because they looked so realistic.

We aren't allowed to post photos and say too much about the film, but I can tell you that it's called Beyond Skyline, and here is one sneak peek of our costumes for the last shoot.

Hollywood, here we come.

Christmas in Canada

2015-02-20T01:07:00.002-07:00

As per usual, this post is way behind schedule. I think it's time that I just admit to myself that I will never be a social media guru, nor a professional blogger. That crushes all of my hopes and dreams, but c'est la vie.

You will have noticed from the title that I am posting about Christmas, which was a couple of months ago now, but everyone was so excited about the wedding photos, I had to focus on those first.

So, let's go back in time and get a glimpse of the holidays at home with my dear family and the big introduction of Dave to my people.

Christmas Eve carolling. The girls love it, Dad obliges, and the brothers act out their ADHD behaviours.

The finale: an all-male chorus. That was sweet.

See the 6'7" elf? That is my baby bro, always putting on the laughs.

After singing and parting with C&J and kiddies, the giant elf convinced us to go out and see some Christmas lights. I was not thrilled about facing the cold, but we had to give Dave the Canadian Christmas works.

So we went down to 14th Street and did something that I have never done before in my life: we got out of the car. We walked very carefully, trying our best not to let our legs fly out from under us on all the ice. There was music playing throughout the park and as we reached the end of the walk and realized all we could do was turn around and walk back, the elf started dancing. How could he resist? they were playing So This is Christmas by John Lennon. Classic. The next thing I knew, we were all singing and dancing, Mum and Dad included. It was the best Christmas moment of my life.

The Magic Christmas Elf.

Post Christmas, the boys look on the new TV which they purchased for Don, as they could no longer accept that he was watching TV on one of the original small box televisions. It was time for an upgrade.

After Christmas I took Dave to the mountains for his birthday present.

And this was it. It was hella cold out there, but we both got to experience dog sledding for the first time and it was so cool!

As I said, hella cold.

And later in the week most of the kids (sans C&J and kiddies) went out to Lake Louise and Banff. Dave was in awe of the frozen lake and that we could walk on it.

"Look, Ma, I'm standing on water!"

One of the greatest things about having a guy around, especially one who finds all things cold and wintery to be a novelty, is that he gets excited to scrape the windows! A dream come true.

It's funny being in your homeland with someone who comes from a completely different part of the world. Things that seem so normal are so fascinating, such as how do the animals survive the cold?

And how do people live in the cold?

Well, we just make everything out of ice.

And there we are, the newlyweds in Canada. What a great time.

Thanks, Evans crew, for all of the fun and love. It was so wonderful to be with each of you!

The Reception

2015-02-06T22:38:00.001-07:00

The Ceremony

2015-02-06T22:17:00.002-07:00

BEST.DAY.EVER.

2015-01-25T19:52:00.002-07:00

Several years ago I wrote a post about the best night of my life, which was seeing Coldplay perform live from the front row with some of my best friends. That was a great night, but time has passed and now it's a fond memory, but not one I revisit often. Many events have happened in my life since that night, and nothing can really be called the "best ever", because my life is full of great moments from so many different perspectives, and in so many different situations.

However, for this post, I will use the "best day ever" phrase, because January 2, 2015 was the best day of my life, and I plan to forever carry this day in my memory as such. That was the day that I married Mr. David Sage, the love of my life.

We don't have too many photos at this time because the photographer is still working on them, but here is a sneak peek, and some fun photos from friends.

My perfect-for-me guy.

Going against tradition, I walked into the church just before the ceremony and saw David. We were surrounded by family and friends, and I saw people whom I hadn't seen in years, but then my eyes met with Dave's, and suddenly it was as though we were the only people in that foyer. We walked to each other and embraced, and time stopped.

I had always said that God would give me a tall man.

At this point the photographer, who was awesome by the way, asked me if I wanted her to give me some alone time. I asked her why, and then she said that sometimes brides want a moment alone before walking into the chapel. I told her to stay because I was just so excited and it was fun to chat with someone.

Mormon weddings usually take place in temples and so there are no photos, and brides do not walk down the aisle. I am so grateful that I was able to walk down the aisle holding on to my dad's arm.

I LOVE this photo. I didn't expect to have any photos from the ceremony since photography is not permitted in the chapel, but I'm so glad to have this moment with my dad. Our smiles say it all.

Another sneaky photo, but I'm so grateful for this memory of Rachelle, a long time bestie, singing at our ceremony.

Just married.

The coldest moment ever, but so worth it for the falling snow!

Standing proud and happy at our barn reception on a cold, winter's night.

Cosy by the wood burning fireplace.

The best gluten-free cake ever, thanks to another long time bestie, Jennett, and her genius cake-making sister.

My bouquet. I made it with greenery and pine cones from our yard, but it wilted overnight and was rescued by SA and Melissa right in the nick of time.

Tall friends. We all became close when we were 18, tall, and awkwardly standing on the sides of the gym floor hoping boys would ask us to dance. Ah, the plight of the tall girl. Besides marrying David that day, the best part was reuniting with friends whom I haven't seen in years. We all live in different cities, but as Sarah said, "we met in our formative years", and we will always be bonded.

BYU roommates reunited!

What touched me most was the effort that people made to attend our wedding. Many friends drove in blizzard conditions from various parts of Alberta. I also had a friend from Australia and friends from the US make it for the big day. They helped decorate, save my bouquet, bead my dress, and do my hair. It was amazing to see them and have them share this moment of my life with me.

And let's not forget the whole reason that Dave and I chose to be married in Canada.

This group right here. My dear family (minus the niece and nephew). I am so thankful to Dave and his family for choosing for us to be married in Calgary over the Christmas break. It was a huge sacrifice for Dave and his family and I'm so grateful to have had my family by my side, and to hear my dad give a speech at my reception. These moments were all a part of the best day ever.

My dear parents. Words can't describe how much I love them, and how special it was to have them there for this day. Thank you, Mum and Dad for raising me to be the kind of woman who waited to meet David.

I'm not sure if this photo was taken before or after the ceremony, but it's my favourite. It has always been crucial for me to find a man who would fit with my family. David does fit, and he has been welcomed by each member of my family, even Dad. Seeing this photo of my husband and my father hugging brings tears of joy to my eyes each time. A father's approval means everything, no matter how old you get.

Thank you for being my friends, thank you to my wonderful family for all of your support, thank you to David's family for encouraging and supporting us to get married in Canada, and thank you to David for choosing me and for being a wonderful husband.

More Shots from Thailand

2015-01-11T03:56:00.001-07:00

This post was supposed to follow the proposal post, but I'm a little late since I was planning a wedding and all that. Even though the trip to Thailand was several months ago, I had to share a little more from the magical trip when David asked me to marry him, before I do the post about when I did marry him.

Here are some photos from the village near our resort and the surrounding islands of Krabi.

Thailand: where else in the world can you buy a bag a chips, exchange money, and get a massage all in one stop? That's service, I tell ya.

A sleeping cat, or a dead cat? The hot sun makes us all need a nanna nap.

There seems to be a trend with the Chinese tourists to get matching swimming costumes made. Dave isn't keen on the idea.

And another one. I made Dave take these creeper photos, by the way. He did not approve.

Swimming with the fish. Fish always look like grumpy, old men.

The result of throwing rice into the water.

Our breakfast by the sea. Each morning we had a buffet of fresh fruit, veggies, cured meats, and baked goods. I pretty much ate smoked duck every morning for breakfast. Duck, for breakfast!

One day while I was laying out at the pool, one of the pool attendants came over to tell me that some monkeys were in the trees at the other side of the pool, so I grabbed my camera and joined the other group of tourists snapping pics, but they didn't have telescopic lenses, suckas.

I took way too many photos, but I'll only submit you to viewing four.

I had to show you this one. Apparently the babies only stay orange for a short time in their infancy, so the Thais were just as excited to see this little guy.

First class service. On one of our boat outings with our new besties who were honeymooning, this is how we had lunch.

Alright, that's the last of 2014, so now I'll get current and tell you about the exciting holiday back in Canada and the wedding!

The Proposal

2014-10-28T02:11:00.001-06:00

In the words of CeCe Peniston,

Finally it has happened to me
Right in front of my face
And I just cannot hide it

Meeting Mr. Right, the man of my dreams
The one who shows me true love...

Those words have played through my mind so much over the last few weeks. It's a song that I have always remembered since my time as a teen in the 90s and I had always hoped that I would one day be able to shout out the chorus.

It's not about finally being able to say I'm engaged or that it's finally my time to have the story, but rather, finally, I get to know what love is.

And so, after dating Dave for just under a year, he took me on a surprise trip to Thailand last month and asked me to marry him. I of course said yes, and now we are happily engaged, planning a wedding for next year.

The proposal was magical and more than I could have dreamed. I didn't know where we were going, only that it was in Thailand. When we got to the airport I saw that we were going to Krabi, but with my poor memory of foreign words and geography, I still had no idea where we were going.

On the plane I pulled out the airline's magazine and saw that Krabi was on the cover. I of course had to check out the article to learn about our destination. It was written by a man taking his young family around to the best spots on the main islands around Krabi. His last stop was the Rayavadee. It was described as a 5-star Hobbiton. I thought to myself that one day I would want to go there, but didn't want to bring it up with Dave and look greedy. Can you guess where this story is going?

Before we landed, we were filling out our immigration cards and when I asked Dave what to put down for the address of where we were staying, he got out the magazine and looked up the article and pointed to the Rayavadee. "Write down that", he instructed with a cheeky grin.

The next few hours were unreal (except for that really long line in Customs) as we were taken to a car, and then to a flash speedboat.

And then finally to the island where were were given fresh coconut lime drinks and a fresh flower wristlet, and basically treated like celebrities.

The resort is amazing. It covers a large piece of land which accesses both sides of the island,

with lots of beach,

a few restaurants,

and an infinity pool!

But we'll get to all that stuff later. First, I'll tell you of the proposal.

After being on the holiday for several days and having all sorts of adventures, our trip was coming to an end. Dave had made all of the plans, and he said there would be a boat trip to the islands on Friday. On Thursday morning he told me that guest services had called and said that because it was going to rain tomorrow, the trip was being moved up a day, and we had to leave at 9:00 am. We quickly got ready and geared up with our cameras.

I was surprised to see that we were the only couple going on the tour, because they said they cancel them if they don't have at least four people. Dave just told me that it was due to the last minute change, and the hotel felt bad for accidentally giving me a gluten-coated meal one night.

When we got to the resort entrance to meet the boat, we were greeted with another team of friendly staff wishing us a good trip. We were then led by Ai (pronounced "eye") onto the boat, which was being captained by two chaps with lovely Thai names, but sadly I never could pronounce or remember them.

The speedboat took off on the glassy sea and Ai sat with us and told us about the islands we were seeing. She then tucked into the back of the boat while Dave and I laughed at each other's hair.

As we approached one of the islands I could see that it was hollow in the centre as light reflected off the greenery. I was commenting on this when we started to slow down and then as we went around the island we came to an opening that led into a lagoon.

Ai said, "do you want me to take a photo?" and then Dave went to the back of the boat to get the camera. I kept telling him to hurry so that he wouldn't miss the first view of it all, but he just kept telling me to stand up and look at it.

The engine was shut off and we coasted in. I did as I was told, enjoying the serenity. Dave then snuck up beside me, and put his hand on my back. I looked at him to see that he was trying to stand on one knee, and then he presented an open ring box and asked me to marry him.

Well, as much as he could be on one knee.

I of course got emotional, said yes, and then threw my arms around him. All the while our private paparazzi were snapping away to capture the moment. See, Dave had this all planned out in advance and Ai had arranged to give him the code phrase by asking if we wanted a photo. He then knew that was the spot to go and get the ring.

He also arranged to get this beautiful bouquet with my favourite colour. He is the flower guy, after all.

I've never been happier.

The team of secret agents who made it all happen.

So that is where my David proposed. Perfect day, perfect location, perfect execution.

We spent the rest of the morning exploring the islands and were then taken to another great spot for swimming and snorkelling.

Ai was with us everywhere we went and set up our beach spot and provided us with gear and cold beverages. She stayed with our belongings so that we could go swim and explore. She was such a gem.

When we came back from the water, this was how I found my sandals. Seriously, Ai is such a star. The proposal was enough to make me feel so special, but then each little gesture made the day that much more wonderful.

The proposal morning was over and we were brought back to the resort where Dave and I spent the afternoon by the pool, enjoying every moment with rays of sunshine and incredible views.

It was a most magical day, and one we'll remember forever. Finally, I found the man of my dreams and I'm excited to spend the rest of my life with him.

Thank you, David!

Meet the Parents

2014-08-15T01:57:00.000-06:00

As per usual, I am behind in my blogging. Well, this is the follow-up to my last post about my birthday. A day after my birthday Dave and I were off to Singapore to catch a midnight flight to Darwin. It was pretty much the worst 4-hour flight either of us had ever experienced. Between the hours of midnight and 4 am a person just wants to sleep, but we were right next to the kitchen area where one of the flight attendants kept dropping trays. He must have been in training, or so I said to myself so as to not hate him.

Once we got to Darwin, we were picked up by Dave's uncle and taken to their property on the outskirts of the city. There we met the rest of the family, which included cousins, children, aunty, aunty's mum, and an older lady who fought me for dishes duty. They prepared an amazing breakfast with all the works, which was such a warm welcome, especially having come from Indonesia where we don't get those kinds of foods.

After spending the morning with the extended family, Dave and I were taken back to the airport to jump aboard the next plane which would take us to Alice Springs, the centre of Australia. That was a shorter flight, but probably the most expensive one in all of Australia. Ridiculous. We do not love Qantas Airlines.

In Alice we were greeted by Dave's parents. They are a lovely couple, and surprisingly not very tall, considering Dave's height and that of his cousins and uncle. They took us out for dinner and we got to chat and I was immediately at ease with them. In many ways they are similar to my parents. They were so generous towards us and made sure that I was comfortable and that I was able to get gluten-free options wherever we went. His mum also had heaps of gluten-free goodies for me and gave me a beautiful scarf, which you'll see in some of my photos.

The following day Dave and I popped into the School of the Air museum, which is just a few blocks from his parents' home.

Back in the day, kids who lived 'out bush' (meaning the ones who lived on stations and were far from schools) would do school by radio, but to power the radio they would have to pedal. It's amazing what people did to make life work out in these parts of the country. It was a hard life with extreme heat and isolation, but they pushed forward and left legacies for those who followed.

Later that day we went to Dave's boarding school, which is where he started attending at the age of 10 years. His dad worked on the station during the week, but Dave, his sister, and his mum lived in Ti Tree, a tiny town that was central to several big stations. Kids were sent to boarding school in Alice Springs to give them more opportunities and a better education.

We were lucky to run into the deputy principal who had actually been there when Dave was a student. He remember Dave and offered to guide us around the school. It was so kind of him and we got all backstage access of the campus. We ran into two more teachers who remembered Dave. I don't know how they do it; I can barely remember students from 4 years ago.

When we passed through the boys' dorms and saw Dave's old room, we cracked up seeing that it is now a computer room, which is fitting for the now IT career man.

The old dorm layout.

A view of Alice Springs from a lookout.

The following day took another trip down memory lane and we went out to Ti Tree to see where the life of David began.

Dave was super stoked to finally be behind the wheel again.

Even more stoked to be behind the wheel on a road with no speed limit!

A stop at a camel farm. How funny is this photo? "Alice the camel has, two heads..."

Typical landscape along the drive.

This sight was also typical. I was so fascinated with the "red tower-like structures", as I called them. It turns out that they are ant hills.

I was so taken with the landscapes and the sky. It was a beautiful drive.

Destination: Ti Tree, famous for having the most central pub in Australia, or so they claim...

A visit at Dave's old school. We were let into the history room and found an old picture with proof of his existence there. It was a very different time for the town which used to win Tidy Town awards. A community that lived and worked together peacefully, without concern of race.

Back to Alice that night for some pizza with Dave's parents. So much incredible beauty in the desert sky.

After our fun with Dave's history, we got in the car for a longer road trip to to see The Rock, AKA Ayer's Rock, AKA Uluru.

The more we drove, the more expensive the petrol. That is $2.15 per litre.

I love this photo because of the salt flats, but I also wanted to demonstrate the weather. From the pictures you would expect it to be hot, but it is winter in Australia, and it does get chilly in the desert.

And there it is. Uluru. It is quite stunning, and so much larger than you would expect.

The climb. I had to include this one to show how steep it is to climb the rock. If you fall, there are no trees to stop you. That's it.

But, I did make it, with lots of encouragement and patience from Dave. There may have been some complaining on my part...

That same day Dave took me on a camel ride, which was pretty cool. They are similar to horses, and each have their own personalities.

Our camel was named Diesel, and he bites all the other camel's bums, except for the one female camel who rode in front of us. He knows not to mess with her, because she's got a fierce spit.

The Olgas. They are a formation of several dome-like rocks, which are actually much more visually interesting than Uluru, so I'm surprised that it doesn't get more attention. Sadly my camera is acting up and the photos we took of the sunset here are corrupted, but it was beautiful to see the sun go down and light up the rocks, bringing out the radiant oranges and reds.

Sunset in the desert and a Cheshire Cat moon.

Desert Peas, a flower native to these parts of Australia. They are pretty and creepy at the same time. They have such an insect-like appearance.

Our flight back to Darwin for the journey home. Dave wanted me to take this to show how small-town things are out there.

I wish I could provide a better summary of this week, as it was perfect and I'm so glad that I got to spend time with some of Dave's family and friends. It was amazing to spend time with Dave's parents and to hear their stories about growing up, and life as parents in the bush. Times were so different then, and it made me sad knowing how progress hasn't always been about improvement.

I've met the parents, and passed the test.

36

2014-07-31T22:30:00.001-06:00

See that number up there? That is me admitting something that I never admit, and it's the one thing that I feel is okay to lie about, my true age. July is my birthday month and this year I turned 36 years old. Why do numbers sound older than they feel?

On my birthday morning I awoke to find that my room had been attacked with streamers at some point during the night. The funny thing is that I wasn't actually sleeping because I was a bit unwell, so I was pretty much awake all night, much to Danielle's frustration. She spent two hours outside of my bedroom trying to hang each streamer, one by one, on every window, without making a sound. I was completely oblivious to it all because I was too busy watching a documentary on a polygamist cult. Creepy stuff.

The workings of my ninja sister.

The night before I was given my birthday present from Dave; a large, inflatable, orange penguin. My real birthday presents were a tablet and a trip to Autralia, so I was really spoiled. Anyway, so Josh challenged me to take Pengi with me on my birthday excursion the following day and to try and get 9 photos with her (3+6=9). I accepted because I figured that I might as well take advantage of the fact that I am always stared at wherever I go anyway, so I might as well be ridiculous.

Here we are, about the start the adventures in Batam.

A birthday foot massage. Heaven.

And it's finished off with a shoulder massage.

After getting our muscles relaxed, we went out for lunch at a spot that serves the best lychee mojitos, and the most bizarre beef bacon.

Mmmm, lychee mojito.

Pengi is Celiac like me, so we stared at the cute cheesecake-in-jars with sadness.

You should always hold hands with the little ones when crossing the road.

Even penguins need support.

Choosing together which DVDs to buy. It's not all about me.

We always love a treat at the checkouts.

Getting Pengi on board with our new exercise regime. She just doesn't have the limbs to do the Tracy Anderson Method with Danielle and me, poor thing.

And lastly, a trip to the local Mini-Mart where the men take their kids to sit in scary animal cars which play Christmas tunes, and then stand aside and smoke. It was my birthday, and I wanted to be a kid. It was only fitting to end the day here.

That night Danielle and I joined up with the boys and had a delicious meal cooked by Dave. He had a few fiascos with the oven, but he did well and impressed me once again.

Steak salad with mustard potatoes.

Birthday sundae because the cake was not yet ready.

Next-day breakfast birthday cake.

Paleo banana and peanut butter chocolate ice-cream cake, courtesy of Danielle, the domestic goddess.

Much love to my Indo family for making it such a special day!

More in Singapore

2014-07-12T04:54:00.000-06:00

As stated in a previous post, I have to go to Singapore at least once every 30 days to renew my visa. This time came up in June while Dave was going there for some courses, so I tagged along and took care of all sorts of errands. Before heading over I had spent hours googling shops and locations for specific things that I needed (okay, wanted).

I kept very busy during the days, going to particular shops, wandering the streets and markets, and navigating the train system. You wouldn't believe the effort I went to in order to find a specific brand of fish sauce--only to not actually find it.

Singapore is easy to navigate, and I was able to mostly do so on foot.

Photos on the back streets.

In the evenings, with my aching feet covered in blisters, I met up with Dave and we would do dinner at some new spot. We tried to hit a variety of cuisine to take advantage of the cultural diversity which is not found in Batam.

On one of our date nights Dave took me up to the top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. It was impressive just walking through the lobby of that place. One day I hope to be able to stay there so that I can also swim on the roof, which is where I took these photos, except that we were limited to a small corner for the roof for the peasants. Imagine swimming with that view!

On another night we went to Little Italy to get some authentic curry. We had to go on a weeknight because Dave was warned not to take a "white, blonde woman" there on the busy nights. We took the advice.

Little India

We went to a restaurant that had great reviews, and I was sold when I found out that we would be served our food on banana leaves. How cool is that?

Dave's giant hand and the yummy curries.

I tried to eat the authentic food in the traditionally manner, but I could only do it for photo purposes. Too messy.

Some of the other yummy food nights included Mexican, gluten-free pizza, Vietnamese, and German. It was all amazing. Obsessive research for the best restaurants really pays off.

On one of my wandering days of adventure I went to Chinatown (they really have them everywhere, even in Asia), to hit the fabric district. The shops all have their own schedules, which was annoying, but I had success, and I waited around long enough to get into Bee Bee Fabrics, which is run by this adorable, little lady.

She was great, and kept throwing discounts at me, and I took them.

On our last night in Singapore, after a week of school (for Dave), and fun errands (for me), Dave and I went to the Singapore Art Museum. It was contemporary art done by Asian artists, many of whom were from Singapore. Surprisingly, I'm not a huge fan of a lot of contemporary art, despite being an art teacher and teaching the concepts to young minds. It was still a fun night, and I did see some interesting works of art.

The beautiful sky as the sun was setting before we walked in.

These pieces were part of a series of six small sculptures. Any idea of the material used?

Yep, they were made from foot skin. I gagged as well.

This work resonated with me. As with most contemporary art, the work doesn't mean much to me until I read the didactic.

I definitely saw this when teaching in Taiwan years ago, but I also struggled with it when teaching high school in Australia. As much as I love working with youth, I struggle with the education system and didn't like being a part of the pressure put on young people.

Here is another cool one.

That says shampoo bottle caps.

Here a another couple of random works which made me smile:

After the gallery, Dave and I wandered the streets towards where we were staying, when we came to a German restaurant called, Stuttgart Cafe. What a treasure of a find was this! They had live music, great ambience, and lots of friendly staff.

After I sat down, I went to put my purse on the floor when this basket was quickly place by my chair. What a thoughtful gesture. I never like putting a good handbag on the floor. Another five points for zee Germans.

The musicians loved us, probably because we were the only fair-haired people there, so they went out of their way to chat with us on their break and to take some requests. They played all sorts of classic rock and I loved every minute of it.

Even though it was a fantastic find, I was somewhat limited on the menu options, since most German food revolves around sausage and pasta, all containing wheat. I had a salad which was quite nice, but had zero luck with the dessert menu. Dave, however, went for the Blackforest Cake. When in Stuttgart...

The beginning.

The end. Yes, I had to watch him eat that, but I didn't mind. I was busy singing along with my band.

The Break-Up

2014-06-26T20:53:00.000-06:00

Don't worry, I'm not talking about Dave, he's lovely. I'm talking about the once favourite dish of mine: sweet and sour chicken.

Last week our friend Paulie was visiting from Australia and we took him to a market eatery. It's always difficult for me to find something that isn't a) battered with wheat flour or, b) doused with soy sauce, so I felt a sense of relief when I saw sweet and sour on the menu. Yes, I just said that I was happy to see the option of sweet and sour, until I remembered.

Could I do it again? Could I give him one more shot after all that he had done to me? I looked at Danielle who gave me a nod of encouragement. She helped me up and pushed me back out there to fight back and show the world that no bacteria-ridden dish would keep me down. Not anymore!

And so, I ordered the sweet and sour chicken. I thought it was time to forgive and move on; to rekindle this relationship once again.

The dish arrived and I dove in, not letting my thoughts and memories get the best of me. I pushed out the recollection of the last time I inhaled that scent, and where I was situated. I focused on eating and enjoying the time with my companions.

It didn't work.

I ate a few bites, but the flavours brought back too much trauma, and with each bite, I felt the nausea creep into my stomach. I knew it was time to stop. I knew that it was over this time. We've shared many lovely years with all sorts of combinations; sometimes with chicken, other times ham, usually pineapple, sometimes tomatoes. He was often found in some variety on every Asian menu; always a tasty, reliable friend. Well, that's how things used to be.

The end. Thanks for the memories, but I need to move on.

Now I need a blind date with a new go-to dish (sigh).

Welcome to the Jungle!

2014-06-24T23:02:00.000-06:00

Apologies for not posting this sooner, but this is the much anticipated post where I tell you about how sick I got on a holiday in Indonesia, but let's build up to it first.

So, a few weeks ago there were some national holidays in Indonesia and Josh wanted to make the most of his time off. Dave couldn't take anymore work off, so it was me and the marrieds. I'm well-practised in the art of being third wheel, so I sucked it up and went along to take advantage of an opportunity to see more of Indo. As much as I love my current living situation, I knew from my travels at Christmas that Batam island does not reflect real Indonesian culture, so it's great to get out.

Our plan was to go to the island of North Sumatra and see the famous Lake Toba. It's the biggest lake in Indonesia, and the deepest volcanic lake in the world. I was keen to see a lake. There is something so peaceful about lakes and they always remind me of growing up in Canada.

I'm not much of a details person (neither is D, but don't tell her I told you), so Josh did most of the organising. Bless his heart. While digging around he found out about a place along the journey to the lake called Bukit Lawang. It's located in the rainforests and you can do wild-water tubing and see orangutans in the jungle. I was most definitely up for that.

We flew into the city of Medan where we stayed in a normal hotel, got up for church, and then the journey began Sunday afternoon. We hired a driver who would drive us to the different destinations, as it's more reliable than public transport, and supposedly faster. More like "supposedly".

So, in the later afternoon we pulled into a little village with gravel roads and small shops where we were met by Andy, who told us to park and grab our stuff. I was a little confused when I didn't see anything that looked like a decent place to stay, when I realised that our stop was as far as vehicles could take us. Andy, who turned out to be such a gem on our visit there, took my little suitcase and off we went.

We walked down narrow pathways and crossed a very, very delicate suspension bridge. The locals monitor it and ensure that not too many people cross it at the same time.

This was a common sight along the walk. Tubes are everywhere and they tie them together, depending on the size of your group. Guides sit in the front and back with long bamboo poles so that you don't crash into the rocks or flip over in the rapids.

As we passed through the village we constantly had the locals shouting to us, "Welcome to the jungle!" I loved it.

Here is a set up for a big group.

After passing through the village we came to a big staircase that led us up to On The Rocks, where we were staying. There were many steps, but it was worth it. We were greeted at the top with some cold juice and invited to sit in the open patio with views overlooking the trees. It was gorgeous.

Our hut, called The Family Cottage.

The interior. That is my bed ahead.

The toilet area.

Once the sweat had stopped gushing from every pore, we got changed and headed into the jungle with Andy and Nanda to see the orangutans.

Found one. It was crazy how close we were to them. They just swung around and didn't seem to fazed by us. The guides know the orangutans by name and so they are used to seeing humans.

We saw about seven in total.

I am a little bit afraid of seeing animals in the wild, mostly because I didn't get the rabies shots before coming here, so I tried to establish if the orangutans are ever hostile. We were told no, except that there is one big female orangutan, named Meena who has been known to grab backpacks and anything she can get. I didn't worry though because I had Andy and Nanda by my side. I didn't worry until later on the trail when we stopped to admire a young ape swinging through the trees and our guides started looking around behind us.

The little ape came close to us and then landed on the ground near our guides. They then looked and saw that a much larger ape had landed behind us and was creeping up the trail.

See that spot of orange in the back of the photo? That is Meena.

The guides were slightly panicked and then said, "We must go quickly now. Get away from Meena." When the locals panic, I panic. We had been hiking for a couple of hours at this stage, mostly uphill, and I was tired, and soaked from my own sweat. However, being told that you are being stalked by a large and dangerous orangutan makes the adrenaline kick in. We started speed walking over branches and rolling over logs while the brave Nanda followed behind tossing food away from us to throw Meena off our track. Andy led from the front and would keep checking behind us and after communicating with Nanda, would then say, "We must go faster." Scary.

Luckily we did go fast enough, and Nanda was able to get rid of Meena, but the escape lasted for about 15 minutes.

After we felt safe again, the guides told us that we were done with most of the uphill, and that we would stop to get some 'energy' to help us get through the last bit of trail before our descent to the water. I've done my fair share of hiking. Of course I have, I'm Canadian. I've hiked the Rockies, I've hiked waterfalls and terrain in rainforests, but this was one of the most challenging trails. We were dealing with mud, steep slopes, and narrow cliff edges. We were like the orangutans, swinging from the thick vines and branches. I was looking forward to eating some energy.

We arrived at the rest stop which was a small waterfall. The boys pulled out some fresh fruit and started cutting it up. Yummmm, energy.

At the end of our hike we came out to the rocky embankment of the river and found a man smoking by the fire in his underwear. He was to be one of our river guides. We each sat in one of the tubes, and then off we went, wild rapids style to be returned to the bottom of the stairs at On the Rocks. Yes, after hiking for three hours, we again had to ascent up a mountain. That day really kicked my butt.

The next morning we got up and did the river ride again, but this time it went for two hours. It was awesome.

After that we met our driver and embarked on the long, long journey north towards Lake Toba. What should have taken about four hours, took about eleven hours. I won't bore you with the details, but traffic, narrow roads, and having to wait two hours just for the ferry terminal to open up made it a long day and night.

It was a long drive, but beautiful. I was mesmerized by the palm sugar tree fields. They looked like illustrations out of Where the Wild Things Are.

The first night in Lake Toba wasn't pleasant for me, as we didn't get our rooms until 1:00 am, and I had all sorts of nightmares that I was going to catch some form of disease from my bed. It also felt like I was lying on a collapsing cardboard box.

It wasn't a restful night, but I did wake up to this view. Gorgeous. Oh wait, I didn't wake up to that, I woke up to some obnoxious woman who was riding around on a jetski at 7:30 am screaming her head off. She was even screaming when they had pulled up to the dock. I woke up to the hideous sound and decided that I needed to punch her, so I got up, and then I saw this view. Gorgeous. Okay, heart softened. Will not punch her.

After having breakfast we went and checked out another hotel with vacancies so that I could get a better room. I'm so glad that we did, but that makes all the difference to my story of the second night.

We spent the morning driving around the island and taking heaps of photos. I have a bunch from both trips on Facebook, so have a look there if you are looking for the visual gaps in my stories.

These houses are a common sight on the island. They are traditional Batak houses and they have small staircases that lead you up through a small door, which requires you to bow when entering the house, showing respect to the owner.

The rest of the day we saw the sights, bought souvenirs, and then had some lunch at a well-recommended restaurant called Jenny's. We were served by a young girl, while her little brother took his clothes off and ran around. I got a traditional Indonesian dish called Rendang, which I have found to be both yummy and always gluten-free. It was delicious. Danielle and Josh were happy with their meals as well, so we decided to go back there for dinner, since we knew it was a safe bet.

In the afternoon we swam in the lake and jumped off the diving board and tried to out water-bomb each other. Apparently we Evans girls are quite shameful with our form

After a nice evening and watching the sunset, we ventured back to Jenny's for round two. I decided to go with the sweet and sour chicken, since Josh had had the sweet and sour beef at lunch and gave it two thumbs up. It was delicious, and I ordered two fresh coconut juices to compliment the meal. I was happy. I was happy for about the next hour, until the tummy started to rumble.

I had a bit of sickness before I went to bed, but I figured I would be fine. Fine I was not when I awoke at 2:00 am in agony and felt pain throughout every muscle in my body. I was also very cold, which was weird, because it was a hot room in a tropical climate without a fan or air con. I also knew that the feeling in my stomach was the feeling of something wanting to get out. I heard the voice of my mother in my mind, "Quick, get a bucket, she's going to barf!" I got the rubbish bin from the bathroom and was ready.

Now, I must state the significance of this; I don't vomit. We Evanses don't vomit much, which is something that we attribute to our mother's great fear of it. I can count on one hand each time that I have vomited, and it has all been due to hospital visits or extreme sickness. The last time had been ten years ago after a minor surgery. I guess it was time for my ten-year reunion.

I'll save you from the rest of the details (because when Dave read what I had first posted he said, "geez, did you have to put so much detail in?"). The rest of the early morning consisted of me being more sick than I have ever been in my life, and dealing with the water being shut off. That was awful. Luckily we were next to a lake, and Danielle was there looking after me.

We had to catch a 7:30 am ferry, so we were up at 6:00 am and got packed and ready to meet a driver to take us to the ferry terminal. I felt wretched and knew that my body wasn't finished, but I had no idea what was going to hit next, and I knew that I was going to be in a boat, a car, a plane, and then another car for the rest of the day. Cross my fingers.

All packed and armed with a bottle of Coke, we went to meet our driver. In typical Indo style we had to find someone at the front desk to find our driver, which meant going into the room next to the cars and waking someone up. Ten minutes later we were on the bumpy ride to the ferry. I rolled down my window and stayed close to the edge.

We arrived at a gravel road that led to a dock with a boat, but no signage or any people, other than some women washing dishes in the lake. We were left there, so we walked to the edge of the dock and waited. I laid down, not giving a care in the world about how it looked, but I did note the women in the water washing those dishes, on which they likely serve food to fools like me. Hence my current condition.

It was beautiful though. This photo was taken by Josh, as I was too ill to care about holding a camera.

This was also taken by Josh. There I am; on my deathbed. But no, this was not the end, and rather the beginning of a long, long day back to Batam.

I survived the day, but it was painful and uncomfortable. My diet consisted of water and Coke, and even the scent of any food added to the nausea. I could barely hold my body up, and so I spent the day either lying down or leaning on something.

By 6:00 pm that night, I was home. It was a day full of trains, planes, and automobiles, but we made it. I crashed in bed soon after getting home and had the most glorious 12-hour sleep of my life.

I was sick for the next few days, and slowly started introducing food. The food poisoning took about a week of my life, but my appetite is now back in full force and I'm feeling good once again.

Conclusion: I would return to Bukit Lawang in a heartbeat. Lake Toba was nice, but not worth the effort to get there. I may never eat sweet and sour anything, ever again.

My Work

2014-06-07T04:33:00.000-06:00

You should all know by now that despite my numerous moves and career changes, making art is my true passion. Now that I have been blessed with the luxury of free time, I have been getting back into art making and I'm trying to strengthen my skills in portraiture.

We have also set up the sewing room and I have a pile of fabric awaiting my cutting and stitching, which I plan to tackle next week. So exciting!

This is a painting that I did from a photo I took over the Christmas holidays while travelling here in Indonesia. Katie and I ventured to the local town and were chased by a group of young kids. They laughed hysterically while chasing us through the village pushing one another, jumping, attempting cartwheels, all in attempt to get our attention and by snapped by our lenses.

This painting is rather large, and also from a photo taken over that Christmas holiday. It was taken in Gili Meno, and that is a volcano in the haze. I really wanted to capture the contrast of the hazy, grey sky with the vibrant blues in the water and on the boats.

I completed this painting in about 20 minutes. I just wanted to try being more loose with my brush strokes.

Raffles

2014-06-04T05:01:00.000-06:00

I am way behind in blogging the latest events. Last weekend I finally experienced my first bout of travel sickness, and man, it wasn't pretty. More on that in the next post. This post will focus on the cleanliness, high medical standards, and fun on the island of Singapore.

A couple of weeks ago I took Dave over to Singapore so that he could have a scheduled medical procedure. All of the expats are sent to Singapore for medical treatment; no matter how serious the issue, they will never risk sending you to a local hospital. Apparently they really are that bad. Dave once passed out at work and was quite unwell, so the paramedics took him to the ferry terminal, waited to board, sat on the ferry for 40 minutes, went through Customs, and then went to the hospital. That's how bad things are here in Indonesia.

Since this was a planned trip, we made a weekend out of it. Dave would lie in a gown, and I would shop. What a good deal for me. It was time to renew my relationship with Sephora.

And so, one Friday night, off we went onto the choppy sea. I don't know what it is about the waters in these parts, but they are full of freight ships which really fascinate me. I think it's their massive size, and the fact that the cargo isn't strapped on. Apparently containers like these are lost at sea all the time in wild waters. That would really suck to lose one of those.

Common sight on the sea when floating along between Batam and Singapore.

And once in Singapore, off to Raffles we went, which is the suburb with the hospital, shopping, and all that my heart desired in the 7-Eleven across the street from the hotel.

Arab Street.

Mosque on Arab Street.

Dave about to go under and be probed.

Asian hospital beds just don't fit the tall.

Once Dave was up and well, I dragged him out on the town with me. I have been quite taken with this building since I first saw it on another visit. I decided it was time to check it out.

One of the few times in which you'll see me wearing my hair down. The heat and humidity make my hair feel like a wool Hudson Bay blanket wrapped around my neck.

The entryway to the courtyard.

Where did Dave go?

Fancy courtyard.

Fancy exterior.

Fancy lobby.

So all this fanciness and I expected this building to be a grand hotel, but no, it's just a business building. What a shame. I wonder if the business folk going to and fro in their black and grey stop to take in the beauty and fine detail of their surroundings. I hope so.

The famous Marina Bay Sands hotel. It's got this funky eel shaped deck with a swimming pool on the top of three towers.

Panorama, and me drinking my carrot juice.

On our last day we went to the isle of Sentosa, a resort island just off Singapore. That is the home of Universal Studios and a bunch of other parks. By the time we got there, Dave and I were starvin' Marvins. This wouldn't normally be a big deal, but as a Celiac in an Asian country, finding a meal is actually really, really difficult at times.

All of the places which were open were offering all sorts of gluten-filled fare, so we waited an hour for the Hard Rock Cafe to open. Nothing like a familiar menu when feeling ravenous in a foreign land.

And while we waited:

Dav-e-licious

Such inspiring words.

I found Peanut Butter M&Ms in this store. That made me really happy, and $10 poorer.

Dave about to get his $47 steak. Here he is admiring classic 80s' hits in the Hard Rock Cafe. We nearly passed out in anticipation of the safe meals, but it was well worth it.

Dave knows my love of orange, and since it was raining, he couldn't pass by the orange 'brellies and not get me one. That is the Singapore Merlion in the background. Head of a lion, body of a fish. Next time I'll get a pic from his mouth.

The gondola.

Universal Studios Singapore.

I love the graininess of these photos. I'm not sure what it was about these gondolas, but I couldn't help but feel like I was in a space pod travelling into the future.

David and Tara.

It was a great weekend, and all is good with Dave post surgical procedure, so that is a relief.

See you in the next post where I tell you all about the fun I had after a bad batch of sweet and sour chicken.

New Digs

2014-05-23T02:18:00.000-06:00

As promised, I am blogging more. Thanks for the comments to the last post! Great to hear from each of you.

I would like to give a couple of shout outs to Carla, whom I'm told is pregnant. Congratulations! Also, a big congratulations to my friends, Mel and Jacob, who just welcomed their first baby, Xavier, into the world. I'm so happy for you both!

In this post I am going to show you where I live, but before I get to the photos, I want to explain my situation. Right now I have the privilege of not working while living in a resort in a beautiful part of the world. I am very lucky to be where I am, and it's because of the hard work of Danielle's husband, Josh, and the hard work of Dave. Because of their jobs, which require them to be gone from home for 12 hours-a-day, 6 days-a-week, I am able to live in a resort with my sis and focus on creating endeavours and be with Dave.

This is not my typical lifestyle, and each day I wake up feeling extremely privileged. I don't want to take any moments for granted. I also want to say that while we can post photos and share the great aspects of our lives, we are only showing one side. The expat life is not easy and it does come with its share of challenges along with all the perks.

With all that said, now you can have a look at where I live!

Bathroom

Shower. That is my closet next to (in) the shower. There are some tricky moments that take me back to changing in a swimming pool locker room.

Toilet. I have a great view of the neighbour's house, and they have a great view of me. Good thing the blinds are working, and I'm pretty sure that nobody lives there right now. I hope so anyway, or I may regret not using the blinds more often...

View from bathroom/closet area.

Hammock outside room. I have sliding doors along the one wall which lead to a porch.

View from my balcony.

Other view from the balcony. That is the ocean out there.

Downstairs space which will soon be our sewing room.

Spare bedroom.

Kitchen. Unfortunately this isn't the most flattering of my sister, but she just got back from doing Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Yeah, she's pretty hardcore. You go, girl.

Balcony off kitchen.

Bat living on the balcony ceiling. The rest of his family was murdered by the ceiling fan out there. That was a sad day.

Living room.

Sitting/TV/yoga/dance room.

Master bathroom.

Master bedroom.

Stunning views from master bedroom.

Some of the local flora.

Walkway behind the house.

Dave's street.

One of the pools in view from Dave's house.

The main pool.

Ocean view from ground level.

The pier of danger. The woman out there is risking her life to walk those planks. We all do it, even though it's blocked with signs warning of the danger. The horizontal boards are broken or weak, so you have to carefully walk along the vertical 2" x 4" beams. It's a bit scary.

It's a long walk, but you get some pretty cool views of Singapore.

Stormy sky on it's way in.

So, there is my Batam set-up. Now my decision to quit my job and move to Indonesia is probably less puzzling. A big thank-you to Danielle and Josh for taking me in! Much love to you both!

Happy 9th International Move!

2014-05-06T03:36:00.002-06:00

I'm terrible with numbers, but sometimes I like to tally up totals of things that I have done with my life, like that time when I counted up all the different room-mates with whom I've lived. That was crazy.

When thinking about what to title this post, I had decided to figure out how many international moves I have made in my adult years. The total is nine; some are repeats. It goes like this:

Canada to US
US to Taiwan
Taiwan to Canada
Canada to UK
UK to Canada
Canada to Australia
Australia to Canada
Canada to Australia
Australia to Indonesia

Yep, so I'm now living in Indonesia. After reading that you will have many questions.

What are you doing there?
Are you in Bali?
How long will you stay?
Are you working?

Answers:

Many things
No
Until November 12, 2014
No

Vague responses, I do realize, but they are the truth. In February of this year I got sick and was not able to work for a while. During that time I thought a lot about what I was doing in my life and how much I wanted to focus on the things that I love; meaningful relationships and my creative passions. Two meaningful relationships in my life are with my sister, and with Flower Guy, also known as Dave. Since they both live in Indonesia, and since I seem to need to change cities every two years, it seemed fitting that I quit my job, sell my bed, send Rosie to the wrecker, and put Asia back on the list.

Farewell, Rosie Ratbag, the most reliable little car. She ain't pretty, but she gave me and Danielle the most unforgettable memories in Australia.

Last week I flew over to Singapore and was greeted by Dave and a beautiful bouquet of flowers. The funny thing about the greeting is that all of my friends in Oz were teasing me about Dave giving me a sailor's kiss when he saw me.

They were hoping for this.

It didn't quite happen that way. Dave had the idea of hiding behind a post and then surprising me, but the idea didn't come to fruition, because just as I was walking out, Dave was responding to a text from Josh, asking if I had arrived yet. So, I walked out only to see a few men who looked nothing like Dave, and I just kept walking until I found him, sitting behind a post, deep in texting.

It was a still a lovely reception and I loved the flowers.

Another success for Flower Guy.

And a success for me was finding this place!

This photo will probably only mean something to my friend, Mary (university room-mate, sewing room co-worker, co-adventurer to Taiwan, and BFF). She introduced me to Garrett's Popcorn on my first visit to her home in Chicago. It is the most amazing mix of cheese and caramel popcorn. I'm not usually a fan of store-bought popcorn, but this stuff is magic. It literally is; it turns your fingers yellow for days.

While following Dave around in the shopping centre and taking in all of the familiar shops from back home (Mary, they also have a Sephora!), I saw the Garrett's logo and freaked out. I was like a pre-teen seeing One Direction in concert. I grabbed Dave and started blabbing on about eating it in Chicago, and then about the tin that was sent to Mary when we lived in Taiwan, and how they are famous for only having two flavours, and that their recipes are so top secret that they won't let you take photos inside their shops. He just laughed at me while I rambled on, and then he encouraged me to buy some. And buy some I did. Jumbo bag, please and thank you.

I'm ashamed to say that those are the only photos that I have from my two days in Singapore. Well, the good news is that I will be able to make up for that when I return there in 30 days. In fact, I will be returning there every 30 days because my visitor visa only lasts for that amount of time.

As for the move to Indonesia, I have now been here for just over a week. I have settled in to my life in Batam, and I'm enjoying the time with the sis and hubby, and of course with Dave. So far I have helped Danielle move house with a golf buggy, swam in the pool, learned how to shop in Indonesia, and I'm now facing one of the biggest challenges of my life: sharing my meals with a man. I've heard the rumours, but man, guys sure know how to eat! Gone are the days of cooking something that lasts for a week.

Beach resort style moving.

I will soon be getting out and taking some pics, and since I'm now unemployed and in touch with my creative side, I intend to be blogging more and getting back into my writing. I hope that someone is still out there...

The Flower Guy

2014-02-21T00:09:00.003-07:00

There is a man in my life who is known at work as, The Flower Guy. He's not too keen on that nickname, but after 5 deliveries sent to me over a 5 month period, it's no wonder that he's earned the name. The men feel that he makes them look bad, and the women think I'm the luckiest woman. I tend to agree with them.

So where will Tara travel this time? Well, if things keep going well with my flower man, I'll just have to follow him overseas.

Next stop: Indonesia.

The Solomon Islands

2013-08-24T19:24:00.001-06:00

Here is the story of my trip -- in photos.

Happy Birthday, Bro!

2013-06-22T05:24:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday, Little Brother!

For years he was my punk young brother; now he is a married man and father.

He used to destroy my super cool Lego houses; now we play Dr Mario together.

He used to call me names; now he's my friend to whom I turn for advice.

He used to be skinny; now he has arms bigger than his head.

Have a great day, Bro. Love you heaps!

Currently listening to....

2013-06-18T04:36:00.004-06:00

....Cub Scouts. They are from Brisbane. They look 17. Love them anyway.

Corporate Tara Returns

2013-06-13T17:53:00.000-06:00

Back in my Edmonton days when spending a lot of time with Danielle and Sarah, we started to label different aspects of our personalities. Sarah was often referred to as "Baby Baugh" (she's the youngest of six kids) and I was often referred to as "Corporate Tara". What can I say; I get things done. Danielle was usually referred to as "Foofy", but I'm not sure how that fits with a personality description. She's fluffy and cute? Anyway, so when I left the engineering firm, I left behind the tough business side of me and embraced my creative and free spirited side as a high school art teacher. Sometimes Corporate Tara has been missed, especially by Danielle when I do dumb things.

Well, the big news in my life is that I just terminated my teaching contract. In one week I will be working with a training organization doing business training in various areas, but mostly focused on the Early School Leavers. This is the group of youth who haven't coped well in school, and likely have spent time in detention centres. The population which I love. I will be leading courses to help prepare them to find and keep work. I'm really excited about it, but of course devastated to say good-bye to the teenage girls. There have already been some tears (mostly from me) and I'm dreading all the emotional farewells next week. I've had so many amazing experiences while teaching, but I feel that this next opportunity will lead me into a career with stability and more opportunity for challenge and growth. It's not quite the corporate sector again, but I have a feeling that wearing business shirts each day will bring back a little bit of the CT.

Happy Mother's Day!

2013-05-11T16:32:00.000-06:00

"My mum, a strange creature from the time when a gherkin was still the height of sophistication."

- Bridget Jones

I love that quote, and I use it a lot around my mum. It's not that my mother is strange, but she is quirky and often has us all chuckling, especially when she is laughing about something. When Mum thinks something is funny she will laugh until she cries.

So how does one express the true love and value of a mother? My mum has always been a constant crutch in my life and there to take care of all my needs as her daughter. It's hard living on the other side of the world from her. I miss her often, especially when I see other people with their mums in the shops, just doing those every day things. I want to do that with my mum, but I've chosen a life on the other side of the world.

Despite the distance, my mum is always in my thoughts, and my life. My parents are the first people I go to when I have something to celebrate, or to cry about. They are always there for me. Mum is always there with a shoulder to cry on and some loving advice. She is the strongest woman I know, and she has always been a tremendous example to me.

Here is one of my favourite photos from a few years back which I recently found in the files.

Love you, Mum! xoxo

Gwen's New Band

2013-05-10T23:45:00.000-06:00

This week's conversation in my year 10 art class.

O: Hey, did you guys know that Gwen Stefani is in a new band?
Me: They are called No Doubt. It's not a new band, it's the band that started her career before she was ever Gwen Stefani.
O: No, it's like a band with guys and stuff. They have a new song I like.
E: Yeah, they are really cool. It's really different from her other stuff.
Me: Girls, have you really never heard of No Doubt? They are a legendary ska punk band from when I was your age.
O: Miss E, we don't know music that is that old.
Me: Okay girls, today you are going to be introduced to No Doubt. This was before Gwen sold out and started dancing around in fishnets and bodysuits.
O: I love art class because we get to paint, and get musically educated.

Edmonton Memories

2013-05-03T16:39:00.002-06:00

Danielle requested some photos from our Edmonton days. These will likely only be interesting to us!