I Will Miss ...

1. Family

Some are my hot mug of teh tarik on a frosty winter morning and others are the blazing rock & roll on my otherwise quiet stereo. They are my joy. My sparkle. My confidantes.
'Families are like fudge - always sweet with a few nuts.' - Quote from my MILK calendar

2. Elevate

This is my young adults community at church where new friendships blossom every new season and the winds of change coupled with accountability keep me growing in character. This is where I am stretched under positive spiritual pressure.

3. Cafe Culture

Mocha Jos, Coco Lounge, Bar Bosch ... these local hangouts signify moments of contemplation when I need the space, impromptu catch-ups and laughs with girlfriends, large gatherings of seldom seen friends to celebrate a birthday, date nights and delicious coffees.

4. Home

Simple. Comfortable. Clean. Modern Rustic. Warm. A Refuge. A place of Belonging. A space with Memories. A Garden to cultivate. Land to produce herbs salads and vegetables. I will miss not so much my house but my home.

5. Cooking & Entertaining

Cooking is an expression of love and one of my creative avenues. My most favourite meals to make are simple, healthy meals with the freshest of ingredients and colours to whet an appetite. My top 3 favourite meals to entertain with at the moment are duck glass noodle salad, lemon rocket & chilli tagliatelle and chicken nasi briyani.

6. Water on Tap

Fresh air, clean drinking water, lighting heating or cooling at the flick of a switch. Life in Melbourne is effortless! I am a water-holic. I drink lots of water (and a coffee and a couple of teas) each day. To have to purchase drinking water and water clean enough to brush my teeth while travelling will be tiring over time ...

7. Wide Open Spaces

An endless stretch of the beach, grassy golden bushlands, magnificently sculpted gardens, clean green parks for families to BBQ and frolic in, playgrounds, jogging and bike tracks, public spaces like Federation Square. No guns. No earthquakes. No eerie silences.

8. Work

Work can sometimes be a hard slog. But more often than not it gives me that sense of productivity and pride when I can measure an achievement in a tangible way and when I can truly help someone who wouldn't be otherwise equipped to solve their own problems. I can never work and accomplish the goals set for me in my own strength. Work keeps me learning and growing. Work keeps me worshipping on a day to day basis.

Oh! I will also miss the $3 lunchtime pilates sessions in the seminar room!

9. Skinny Jeans & Dresses

I know I am a girly girl. But not girly enough to say "No" to travelling to exotic and dangerous destinations with only 10 - 15 kilos on my back! Too bad I cannot afford to carry the impractical clothing items. I am on a mission to 'wash and wear' the few items of clothing I will be taking with me and if I must buy a new item of clothing because it will make me appear more culturally non-descript (or simply because I like it!), then i will have to give away another item in my pack at the same time. It will make for an interesting "letting go and live" kind of lifestyle!

10. Boronia

Boronia is a suburb about 30 kms east of the Melbourne CBD. This is where I have lived for slightly over 2 years now. It is nestled at the foot of the Dandenong mountains and at the doorway to the sprawling Yarra Valley. I will miss the cheeriness of my friendly neighbours, the chorus of cockatoos and the possums on the power lines on my evening walks - they are our local trapeze artists! I leave you with a picture of another commonly found wildlife in our backyard - a rosella which Kenneth found a few days ago. Unfortunately, this one was dead but it did give us a closer look at its wing design and its amazing colours!

Last Days

It was my final routine start to a week day morning. The last alarm ring from my blackberry at 6:10 am. The last routine thump on the snooze button. The last sleepy eyed roll out of bed at 6:30am, willing myself to think of something to praise God for. This is a habit I have cultivated because someone once said "Your first thoughts of the day will be the dominant thought of your day and is likely to dictate rest of your day". I stumble, bleary eyed to the bathroom to splash my face with cold water and brush up. I feel awake. I take my time putting the kettle on to boil and settle into the comforts of my couch and cushions. I didn't feel like reading. So I closed my eyes to just meditate on this theme of thankfulness. I thank Him for His goodness and provision in my life. I bring before Him my friend's grief and the funeral service I can't attend today because I am expected at a farewell lunch. It is comforting to know that He can lend His strength to her when I feel short of being able to. I talk to Him. He talks to me. I move on from the serious stuff to the fun stuff. I sip on my morning coffee... this is when I always imagine I am having a coffee with Him, chatting away... simply catching up. He is asking me "Hey, how've you been, Steph?" and i am asking "How are you feeling, Lord?"

I always leave home a bit later than intended so the rest of the morning is a blur or haphazard personal grooming. It is casual Friday so I take a bit longer to decide on what to wear. I zip off in my car to the cheeriness of Luke and Lucy on the Morning Wakeup.

I arrive at work at 8:20 am and finally get to see my team mates. I give out my gifts and cards - heartfelt words enveloped in them. Words that never seem to get said often enough or at all during those months and years of routine. "So how are you feeling?" one of them ask looking intently into my eyes. I can't answer her. There is a lump in my heart. I feel a wave of emotion. It takes 5 seconds for me to realise what's happening and for me to softly choke out the words "Pretty sad, actually." She looks a bit surprised. I think she expected me to answer "Excited!" She responds with "It's hard, isn't it?" I nod.

I beaver away dictating file memos on where my matters are at. I instruct my assistant to close some files. I chase debtors. I try to iron out a dispute so my team leader would not have to deal with the mess. It can't be settled today - the mess would have to be dealt with another time. That's the nature of what we do - to clean the mess by reaching a resolution, as cheaply as possible. I am fed chocolate. I dictate some letters. I answer some phone calls. I try to persuade a client to settle now and avoid the costs of litigation. I chat nonchalantly with colleagues who walk past with questions about my plans. I read some emails from clients - their expressions of gratitude overwhelm me despite their failure to acknowledge how difficult a transaction was during the transaction! I realise I too, fall short of expressing gratitude to others. I make a mental note to pause, and express gratitude more frequently.

I delight in the savourings of my smoked salmon pizza at Airstream, knowing this will cost a bomb in a place like Shanghai. My best friends from work are all there, showing me care and support on my final day with them by taking me out for lunch - about 25 of them. What a party! I feel remiss not to be able to have decent conversation with each of them.

Back at the office, I beaver away again. I am also thinking about my friend's father's funeral. I am comforted knowing my husband was there to represent us. I hope he remembered to give her my card.

3:30pm. My presentation.
Daimon rolls a box of tissues my way across the boardroom table, calling out "Steph, I know you're a sop.... here!" I roll them back to him calling back "I'm leaving.. it's you who should be crying!" and everyone laughs. My principal said the nicest things, even to the point of saying "We look forward to seeing you again when you return". I took it in turn to say my piece, my thoughts... and share my feelings. Most of all, I had people to thank - my principals especially the three I works for in the last 3 years. My team members - each thanked individually by name for specific reasons. I felt the public acknowledgement and affirmation was important.

I carry on with the presentation smoothly, calmly, smiley-ley ... not reaching once for the box of tissues. I had prepared myself earlier in the week, you see. I had thought of all the good memories, of all the people I would miss and saddened my heart earlier to deal with those emotions so the dam would not burst on my last day. It seemed to work! After my speech, my team leader expressed praise and thanks and even said he'd welcome me back with open arms. I am presented with wonderful practical gifts from travel from Kathmandu. I also get cash - can't get more practical than that! I am also given a leather travel diary and matching travel wallet in a yummy lemon hue from Kikki-K.... I am thrilled and express my thanks to everyone's generous contribution in bidding me farewell.

I surrender my blackberry to my IT department and my security pass to my HR department. I surprise myself in not being plagued by any sense of losing security. Yet I am not experiencing the euphoria of freedom either. I am just numb. Numb and exhausted from a day saturated with people, farewells, hugs, kisses, repeating my plans, working and packing.

I did not cry on that last Friday. Yesterday. I was too exhausted to cry. I had to be strong.

But this morning, after a dream riddled night, I awoke abruptly. It was already 11:00 am. Whilst still in bed, the previous day's events re-played in my mind like a movie. The dam finally burst and my pillow is damp with tears.

I am a sop afterall ...

My Mandarin

After being sent home to re-do in detail our travel itinerary in order to obtain that currently elusive Chinese visa by the Chinese Consulate in Toorak, we have finally come close to finalising that itinerary save for some minor tweaking here and there. The one country we will be spending most time in will be China - that great and vast motherland of ours! Our days in China will add up to a whole 2 months (out of our 6 month journey).

We figured that since Kenneth can only speak Japanese and zilch Mandarin, I'd better brush up on my Grade 1 Mandarin pronto! One of the ways I am doing this is by watching a Korean drama series called "Autumn In My Heart" and watching it dubbed in Mandarin. I am picking up a lot of Mandarin this way. Unfortunately, the rate at which hot wet tears are streaming down my cheeks during each episode outweighs my language absorption! Why do they make them so sad? Why am I so prone to tears? The storyline must strike a chord with me. Asian dramas and movies are usually over-the-top dramatic, corny and cheesy but they move my emotions, nevertheless. I always cry watching Korean dramas and this one is leaving me too spent after each session to do further research on the travel destinations I am headed for or to start packing up!

Life vs Work

For a while, I think I've been confused by my own questions. I've been trying to explain away an incongruence between my deep sense of satisfaction and contentment with life with this inability to answer the question of meaning and purpose. Afterall, should I not be feeling rather depressed and "lost" from lack of meaning? Rather, my soul is simply bursting with joy! My days are filled with laughter and love, my heart free as a hawk on a sunny Melbourne autumn day.

I realise I do have meaning, I do have purpose.

I know that I am wonderfully and intricately created, knitted together with a definite destiny. I feel loved, utterly content, brimming with joy. The only reason for this is because my Maker and lover of my soul Jesus Christ is with me and I in Him.

He is my meaning.

Phew! What a relief! I realise that it is no longer a pointless search. The answer is not in some isolated hilltop monestary, and I certainly do not need to hang naked on a tree for 30 days to attain nirvana.

It would seem that I am not seeking the meaning of life at all! Rather it is the meaning of my work, the way I wile the hours away contributing, building, making, creating, managing, working. What is it? I have Life, but have not answered the question of Work. They are not one and the same thing.

What lasting good will I leave on this planet after the vapour that is my life has vanished? What would I have built?

That is the question.

So this quest, this leap into the unknown of gainful unemployment, is simply to discover possibilities of where I can be of greatest use. Not merely to provide for sustenance, but can I contribute to some-thing, some-body, some-place? Doing what? Is there a hope that what my hands find to do for the next 10 years will be not "meaningless", in other words, of some lasting value? Can it be that my work can be of some significanse?

The Guest Blogger

My last blog entry at my old blog site, 'Creme de la Creme' was written in July 2006 and it was about the euphoria of belonging. Belonging to someone, having recently accepted a proposal of marriage!

Two and a half years on, I find myself being invited to be the Guest Blogger at this brand spankin' new site! It is my husband's first attempt at blogging and I am impressed with the way he has managed to articulate some of his thoughts and emotions in writing in his first entry.

In a sense, this is a first for me too. A first at being a Guest Blogger. I am not too sure about how it will differ from being the Head Honcho Blogger but I am looking forward to yet another partnership with my adventure partner!

Life is surprisingly still pretty routine, pretty full and pretty wonderfully ordinary! I love the seemingly mundane, simple happenings in my life like hanging up the clothes to dry. I feel productively relaxed and I feel ordered, organised and fresh. I am going to miss this life when we travel as much as I am itching for our journey to begin! Afterall, it was not too long ago when I finally felt like I'd set up our simple and humble abode but not without its own trappings of our creature comforts.

Part of my desire to travel is to explore the out-of-the-ordinary and to shake things up a bit! To step out of my comfort zone and take that leap of faith! In many ways, the journey has already begun. The mental, emotional and spiritual journey began a few months back for me and slowly, as the weeks and days rolls on... the practicalities of our travel dreams are crystallising.

We have just spent 2 days and nights over the Easter long weekend staying at Parkview hotel along St. Kilda Road (fabulous spa!) and playing tourists in our own beautiful city of Melbourne, in celebration of our 2nd wedding anniversary. One of the highlights of my stay in the city would be chancing upon the weekend market at the Royal Botanical Gardens, savouring the sweetness of a delicious 'all natural' gelati for breakfast whilst browsing the stalls and moments later, wolfing down gourmet hotdogs on the grass under the sun watching toddlers tumble around us. It was bliss as I then sipped on my latte while skimming over the day's news at the nearby cafe. We then took a slow jog around the affectionately known 'Tan' track. I realise now that it is possible to feel nostalgic about a place and about people I have not yet left.

To travel or not to travel....

That is the question.

Well, not really.

The travel is nothing. I am so CONTENT, so happy where I am. Whether in Melbourne or the back streets of Delhi India, my happiness comes with me, in my mind, my heart, my spirit. My soul sees beauty in the golden light of sunset over the Dandenong Hills across the road as I did in front of the Taj Mahal at twilight.

Really, it is to jump out of the pre-ordained, pre-scribed, the pre-dictable.

If i kept on doing what I'm doing, will this trajectory bring me to where I actually want to be in 10 years? What is this short life, that is no longer than a vapour, all about? What am I meant to be doing with my years ahead? How can I be useful for the next 10 years? To who can I be useful to? What have I been created for? Do I have a specific purpose?

So many questions! What an amazing quest! In many ways, this is not the beginning of this quest which is being eked out every moment of every day. The travel is but an excuse to allow my mind to experience, to think beyond what is safe and comfortable now. To be open to the extension of my world, to take in new horizons and probably reveal a whole bunch of new questions that will take a lifetime to answer. I have a fear. It is not that something will happen during our travels. It is that nothing will happen!

So, we invite you to join us, through these simple words and a few (hopefully) vivid photos to journey with us. Through deep longings and ventures into the very serious quest for meaning and significance, to our struggles with foreign visas in alien languages which should all be quite amusing!