List of 30 things to do before I turn 30

tough? mayb.. since i'm so busy with work and what not...

1) go to Bali with mum, or at least book the flight to go lar..
2) fast for 2 weeks - no food during sun light, water is allowed
3) plan a surprise birthday party for a friend
4) watch Harry Potter's movie marathon - well, i downloaded the box set.. dunno when will have time to watch though..
5) go sailing with dad
6) bake a cake
7) re-arrange the furniture in my room
8) get a pair of new glasses - got new pair of contact lenses cause power changed..
9) lose 5 kgs
10) get a gel manicure - DONE
11) go for a long weekend holiday
12) play the piano - a full song or at least 5 scales smoothly
13) drive a super car - does an Altezza count?
14) go bungee jumping
15) learn to go to work before stipulated time for at least 1 week
16) learn to cook 2 types of curry - thai & indian
17) participate in a pillow fight
18) participate in a food fight
19) drink 5 shots of tequila in one night
20) get a chinese traditional dinner outfit
21) donate blood - did that when I was in high school :p besides, I donate monthly to the goddess of Venus also..
22) shoot an arrow / a gun (blank rounds) - BB gun.. from Marv's room... can't remember who's car we were targeting
23) play one game of tennis
24) try figure skating
25) try one class of kick boxing
26) get my tattoo expanded or get another tattoo
27) go for a concert - RAIN, I LOVE YOU!!!
28) ask for an increment *hint hint*
29) get my signature changed in all official documents
30) NOT PLAN MY OWN BIRTHDAY PARTY~!

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"RAIN @ Sepang! Absolutely A.W.E.S.O.M.E!!"

Day 7 - 9: the fellowship of the flyers

It's day 6 of the festival, and starting day 2, Teresa and I had already split out to attend different classes, trying as much to cover the variety of classes available and what lessons that apply to either of us. Being an extrovert person, you don't go to a new place without meeting new friends.

And then again, my style when meeting new friends is to be quiet and observe, silently sizing them up and "warming-up" to the new friends, even if it had to take a few days. What can I say, I'm a slow learner.

Let me speak about the 4 close friends Teresa & I made over the last two days.

Digna - sweet chica from mumbai who also has a penchant for dancing and yoga like teresa and i
Sanjeev - tall indian dude from Jaipur who has a double meaning with almost everything said. that is to say, pun intended
Kelly - rock climbing dude from Colorado who acts like a kid in a playground
Katya - a real kid with gorgeous bright blue eyes and the ability to perceive like an adult

Teresa was in "silence" when she saw someone 'flying', and couldn't help herself but to remove her "silence" tag to start flying as well (as one needs to communicate while flying, or else they will crash). This activity kept us busily happy between classes.

on a personal note :
It took me 2-3 days to pluck the courage to release the inner fear and fly. also, it was a trust thing. I have issues trusting new people sometimes. Colorado asked everyday if I would fly with him, and yet, I was hesitant. I mean, he's a rock climber, he deals with people whom he has to trust and be trusted in return with their lives. So why was I scared? I'm not afraid of heights or afraid of falling, mind you. However, I was definitely being self conscious though, with my weight, size and flexibility.

I also think it was a person thing. I just didn't know if I could trust Colorado to fly me, among other things. And I was unusually more quiet and reflective during the whole time. Something else was stirring inside me, digging up past emotions and memories.

I became more like the person who enjoyed being behind the camera than being present in front of it. So I spent a considerable amount of time that first 2-3 days taking pictures instead.

During this period, I find myself wondering around alone alot, thinking about home, thinking about the past, and not truly participating in the present. Even though I was listening to the conversations, but it was obvious from my feedback that I wasn't really there.

It was time to stop dwelling and start living. of course, having Teresa around also helped to clear some clutter that was going through my mind and heart. I did take some time to hang out with Mother Ganges, to tell her my fears and to help let go of my haunted past. I did finally let the ghosts from my past be swept away by Mother Ganges, and also learn to trust Colorado to fly me.

Day 4 - 6 : oh what a headache!

Teresa says not to judge the pain I'm going thru as I'm going through a cleansing and clearing process.
I miss the morning session only cause my head was pounding like a bitch! I did get up for the mid morning session, which was DeepYoga. Another celebration of life through yoga with loads of movement and music. Not intense at all.
And then, I had my second reiki class, to help clear my energy further. I could feel the warmth from the energy surrounding my very being during the meditation.
My third class was therapy for the spine, helping me to un tense my shoulders and re-align my spine. Alot of lessons learnt to help me with my back problems.
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Today was also the Shivarati festival. It was the celebration to worship Lord Shiva, the god of destruction and rebirth.
I went for the pooja ceremony, with beautiful chanting and energy going around. When the prayer started, we could feel the wind building up, and just before we finished, the rain started to pour, followed by the storm that lasted through the night.
I heard back home started pouring about the same time. It's the destruction and cleansing process, to wash away the negative energies and karma and the past. Giving us the opportunity to start anew and live a more fulfilling and enriching life!
I'm still asking myself why am I here. What is the lesson that I'm suppose to gain out of this trip. A few things pop into my head. So far, it's been courage, patience, meditation and focus.

Day 2 & 3 : brrrrrrr... It's freezing!

Teresa arrived safely on my first day in Delhi. I broke the news to her bout having to bathe primal style and waking up early to get our tickets or we may not make it to Rishikesh.

We had a few more glasses of Baileys to help us sleep through the night bustle. Not that she needed it as she was dead tired from her flight and work.

The next morning, we got up about 8 and went thru the ritual of gathering hot water to bathe before heading out. I gave her the same warnings as I gave myself the day before. Watch where you walk and don't let the locals try to talk u into anything. Some on the street that I spoke to the day before recognise me and greeted us good morning :)

While waiting in line to get our tickets sorted, we met an Indian family from South Africa who were backpacking in India visiting family at various provinces and cities. Seeing our enthusiasm to go to Rishikesh, they were tempted to change course for a bit.

It was an afternoon train, so we had some briyani for lunch before heading back to the hotel to pack and checkout.

We polished the bottle of Baileys with the guy at the front desk. A very nice guy who's been very generous with his advice while I was alone on the first day.

During the 4 hour journey to Haridwar, I couldn't help but play some salsa music on my phone with Teresa listening in from one of the ear pieces.

After a couple of gossips, we both knocked out for a while. Neither of us dared to use the toilet throughout the journey, as Teresa passed it earlier and almost barfed.

We got a seat with a table between us, naturally giving us more leg space, fortunately for me.

On board the same coach as us were a few hippy backpackers as well. One from Italy n another from Singapore. The Singaporean has been travelling all over India and Thailand for the last, oh, 20 years mayb.

The Indian couple next to Teresa shared some of their home made snacks while the Russian couple next to me were in their own world. And they had the cheek to ask one of us to give up our seat so they could sit together.

By the time we arrived in Haridwar, it was nightfall. It took another 45 min by cab and half hour walk to get to the ashram.

By the time we had our dinner and unpack, we were thoroughly exhausted.

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We had a fairly relaxing first day at the ashram. Our first class was the kundalini. It was like daylight trance by the riverbed. The experience is very freeing, and fairly warming, especially when the cold river wind was blowing at our faces during this whole session.

Then Teresa and I split to go try out different classes. I went for a talk on Ayurveda lifestyle and diet. I think the reason why almost the whole class stayed on was not so much interest in the subject but because the speaker was hot!

Ok, u might think that doing yoga is all just about purity. But no one ever said anything about celibacy. I mean, come on, yogis are also hippies. U know what hippies are popularly known for. Peace and love! The ashram is not a temple. Yea, it's a spiritual place, but it's not a religious one. Being spiritual is not bound to any religion.

Then I went for an introduction to reiki class. It is a subject I want to pursue. The study of energy. And in this case, the healing of energy. It's my next phase in life.

The foods been awesome so far. Same Indian food I get back home. No diarrhoeaaaaa.