A friend posted this on his facebook page. I read the article and enjoyed the read. Thought I’ll keep it in my blogsite for keepsake.

The entry below is extracted from this website, http://www.solitarywanderer.com/2012/02/date-a-girl-who-travels/

Date a girl who travels. Date a girl who would rather save up for out of town trips or day trips than buy new shoes or clothes. She may not look like a fashion plate, but behind that tanned and freckled face from all the days out in the sun, lies a mind that can take you places and an open heart that will take you for what you are, not for what you can be.

Date a girl who travels. You’ll recognize her by the backpack she always carries. She won’t be carrying a dainty handbag; where will she put her travel journal, her pens, and the LED flashlight that’s always attached to her bag’s zipper? In a small purse, how can she bring the small coil of travel string, the wet tissues, the box of cracker, and the bottle of water she’s always ready with, just in case something happens and she can’t go home yet?

Yes, a girl who travels knows that anytime, anything can happen and she just has to be prepared with it. Nothing takes her by surprise; she takes everything with equanimity, knowing that such things are always a part of life. She’s reliable and dependable, traits that she’s learned while on the road.

You’ll also recognize a girl who travels by the fact that she’s always amazed at the world around her, no matter if she’s in her home town or in a place that’s totally new. She sees beauty all around her, not just the ones featured in travel guides or shown in postcards. A girl who travels has developed a deeper appreciation for life. She won’t judge you, or pressure you to do things you don’t want to do. She knows too much about the importance of identity and self-efficacy, and she will appreciate all the more if you won’t pretend to be who you’re not.

You can lie to a girl who travels and make mistakes, and you can also be as idiosyncratic as you can be. Trust me, she has seen so much worse in her travels, and knows firsthand the vagaries of human nature.

Date a girl who travels, because when you’re with her, you’ll realize that even though she’s napped at a temple in Angkor Wat, went boating down the Mekong Delta, ran by the streets of Saigon, or went skinny-dipping in the caves in the Philippines, she still retains that humility that is the mark of a real traveler. She knows she’s been to a lot of places, but she’s humbled by the fact that the world is still a big place and she’s only seen a small part of it. Seeing this in her can make you feel all right with yourself too; there’s no need for you to do more, to be more. What you are is enough.

When you meet a girl who travels, ask her where she’s been and what she’s going to do next. She will appreciate your interest, and if you’re lucky, she may even invite you to join her. When she does, do. Nothing bonds people better than traveling. On your trips, you will both see each other’s best and worst characteristics, and you can then decide whether she’s worth fighting for.

It’s easy enough to date a girl who travels. She won’t want expensive gifts; you can buy her (or both of you) cheap tickets to Thailand for the weekend, and she’ll be more than happy to take you to the longest wooden bridge in the country.  You don’t even have to go overseas; you can take her out on day trips, caving or hiking, or treat her to a full body massage.

 You can also buy her the little things that she keeps forgetting to buy for herself; that carabiner that will attach her backpack to her seat so that she will feel easier about sleeping on her bus trip, or a backpack cover, a small alarm clock, a  money belt, or maybe another sarong that will replace the one she lost in China.

She won’t mind if you get lost on your way to a date. She knows that often times, the journey is more important than the destination. She will help you see the lighter side of things. She’ll walk along with you, not behind you, pointing out the interesting bits of things you’ll see on the way. Before long, you’ll realize that yes, the journey has been more memorable than the destination that you’ve planned to take her to.

Is a girl who travels worth it? Yes, she is. So when you find her, keep her. Don’t lose her with your insecurities and doubts. Because when she says she loves you, she really does. After all, she’s seen so many things, met so many people, and if she had chosen you, better grab that opportunity and thank the gods that you were lucky enough she’s chosen you and not that bloke she met while watching the sun rise in Angkor Wat, or while whitewater rafting in the Padas Gorge in Sabah.

If she says she loves you, she must have seen something in you, something that can always call her back from her travels, something that can anchor her to the world in the way that she wants to after weeks and months of being on the road.

Date a girl who travels. Make her feel safe, warm, and secure. Make her believe that no matter where she goes, and however long she’s gone, you’ll always be there for her, the one that she can call home.

Find a girl who travels. Date her, love her, and marry her, and your world will never be the same again.

Here’s my short list of to dos in 2011

It’s the first day of 2011 as I am typing away. I’m not sure how the new year will turn out but I will seek out interesting adventures, both at work and play. Sometimes, things that happen in life are beyond our control  but I certainly hope the new 2011 will be more eventful and exciting than 2010. Here’s the list of some of the to-do list for 2011.

1)  Visiting HSCV (Humanitarian Services for Children of Vietnam, Hanoi)

I’ve been a volunteer editor for HSCV for over three years but I’ve never met any of the HSCV folks  in person though I’m been in contact with the staff, especially Thuy. I’ve always wanted to go to Vietnam to see the wheelchair distribution ceremony and the other initiatives that this ngo has been doing but have not got around to realise it. In this new year.  I hope to realise this wish and visit the staff of HSCV. To give myself a further push,  I’ve also shared this intention to  Thuy and suggested to her that I would be happy to conduct a writing workshop for those writers whose works I’ve been editing in the past year. By telling Thuy, I hope to anchor this commitments so that  I would work towards before the close of 2011.

It’s 1st March  2012 now. I’m finally going to take action on this unfulfilled and over-due new year resolution. Here’s the letter i wrote to HSCV. This weekend’s agenda- prepare powerpoint slides and book airticket from HCMC to Hanoi on 8 April.  It’s going to be a different holiday I’m sure. I can’t wait for April to come.

Letter to HSCV folks.

Some time in 2007 or 2008, when I quit my job in the museum, I decided that I wanted to do many things that are close to my heart, but never got around to doing them because of work.

Community work ranked top. I wanted to volunteer for causes that I believe in. With that thought in mind, I surfed the google search website, and randomly typed “volunteer + copywriting”. I stumbled upon HSCV’s website then and coincidentally, they were looking for volunteer editors and copywriters. A few email exchanges and I became a volunteer copyeditor for HSCV.

It has been five years since. Though I have not met any of the HSCV folks in person, HSCV is close to my heart. Through the proofreading and editorial assignments, I’ve learnt about the wheelchair distribution ceremony, the rice distribution programme and other initiatives of HSCV.

I’ve always wanted to visit HSCV and meet the writers whose articles I have edited over the years. My company trip to Ho Chi Minh in April has provided me with the great opportunity  to plan a trip to Hanoi to make this a reality.

This get-together session will be a relaxed one where I can share some of tips on how to write better and how to proofread one another’s works. I will also incorporate some activities during the session so that we can have some hands-on practice. I’m not an expert in English but I’ll be happy to share what I know.

Here are the details:-

Event : An English Workshop -Tips on proofreading and writing

Date : 9 April 2012, Monday

Time : 2pm – 5pm

Venue : Hanh to advise

In order to make this session more beneficial, I would like to request for some information about yourself and samples of your writing in the form as seen. This would allow me to better prepare the workshop. Please send the details to me at dottiedot77@gmail.com by Thursday, 15 March 2012.

I hope this session will help you in your future writing assignments and I look forward to meet you in person soon.

Sincerely,

Dorothy Ng

An English Workshop: Tips on proofreading and writing

9 April 2012, 2pm – 5pm

Name :

Age :

• A short write-up about yourself (About 400 – 500 words)Please feel free to share your hobbies, what you do in HSCV and other interesting things that you would like to share with others.

  What do you hope to learn from this workshop?

  A recent assignment that you have done for HSCV or any writing that you have done recently (Please either paste the text into this form or send me the document separately. It would be great if you can send me a photograph of yourself too.

Two weeks may be short to know a person but sometimes chemistry works wonders in making two strangers click.

I believe in the laws of attraction, and people with good hearts tend to gravitate towards one another. By sheer coincidence, it brought you as a stranger to Singapore, the sunny island I call home. 

Some things happen for a reason, and I’m glad we got acquainted in the process, and clicked.

It is with immense pleasure and amusement as I see you and Scooby tuck into the steampot at the Chinese restaurant, enjoying the food that is ever so foreign to you. It takes an open mind to accept a foreign culture so receptively and the diverse food cultures. And though you may be the only red-face in the restaurant, besides Scooby, it didn’t stop you from soaking  in the culture and having a good time.

I know you find it amusing to hear me calling you Uncle Tom but it’s purely out of respect that I do so in the Asian context as my dad is around your age.  

Your birthday celebration was probably a first of its kind, with you – the birthday boy shopping at the supermarket and preparing Australia-imported steak for us  instead of celebrating in a posh restaurant. The cozy feel of a good steak meal in the comforts of home with nice folks will be well-treasured.  I hope you have enjoyed your chocolate birthday cake and the home-cooked meal.

You have been a great companion to bring around Singapore, ever so willing to raise questions with your curiosity about Asia, its history and the people. Sorry, I almost busted your knee-caps with the long hours of walking at these places but I do hope the trips to the National Museum of Singapore and Chinatown Heritage Centre have shed some light to your understanding of the modern-Singapore in the old days. 

Thanks for sharing your elephant memory and the hilarious and entertaining stories of your teenage rebel stories, the “freshly-pressed ham” incident, your not-so-glamourous buck-teeth adolescent years,  your misunderstood identity as Scooby’s dad during your travels in Cambodia and your overseas misadventures.  Your strong connection with Scooby as great pals is obvious and heart-warming. Your candid disposition and the cheeky twinkle in the eye will be dearly missed. 

Thank you for your kind compliments about my travel stories  as they will serve as motivation for me to continue pursuing my interest in travel writing.Your thoughtful gesture of stuffing the stash of money to Scooby under his pillow is sweeter than all my presents combined.

I wished I had bade you a proper goodbye on the last night before you left, but I know you didn’t want to inconvenience us going all the way to Changi and said that you wanted to chill at the hotel instead.  Since it is your wish, we respected that.

As my Youtube Channel plays one of your favourite tunes, Stay by Sugarland, I’m crossing my fingers for you to safely catch all the transit planes in Japan and San Francisco and return home to your high school sweet-heart, Judy and your beloved dogs.

Uncle Tom, I hope you have enjoyed your stay in Singapore despite the short duration. Hope the photo frame and the book on Singapore will  serve as mementoes to remind you of this visit to the sunny island, Singapore.  

Thank you for the travel guide books and I sincerely hope that our paths will cross soon.

Hopefully, in the near future, I will come knocking on your door for the ingredients-laden pizzas that cost a mere $5 compared to those $25 pizzas in Singapore, get a taste of your excellent culinary skills and play with your furry pets, and of course, see the legendary Judy.

Till then, take care and remember, if  you ever venture into this part of the world again, don’t forget that you have a friend in the faraway Singapore.

Cheers to great health, good investments and may all the nice things come your way.

Big hugs,

Dot

Ingredients
2 hard-boiled eggs
Half a cucumber
Carrot (1/3)
Potatoes (4-5 medium hard ones)
1 teaspoon of rice vinegar (optional)
Japanese mayonnaise (3-4 tablespoons)
Salt & Pepper to taste

 (Serves 3 to 4 people)

Preparing the cucumber slices
Slice the cucumber thinly.
Add a pinch of salt
Squeeze water out from the cucumber slices before use

Preparing the hard-boiled eggs
Put the water to boil
Once the water is boiling, add the eggs into the water for 10-15 minutes
Remove shell of eggs and chop the eggs finely for use

Preparing the sliced carrot
Cut the carrots into thin slices and quartered
Boil the slices for about 1 minute and drain water
Squeeze excess water from the sliced carrot before use.

Preparing the potatoes
Wash potatoes to remove the dirt on the outer skin
Remove the skin and cut the potatoes into quarters
Put water to boil & when the water is boiling, add a pinch of salt into the water
Boil the potatoes for about 30 -35 minutes
Once the potatoes are softened, drain the water
Add a pinch of salt and pepper and mash the potatoes
Add the sliced carrot into the mashed potato
Leave it to cool till room temperature before adding the other ingredients.

When the mashed potato is cooled, add the cucumber slices
Add four tablespoons of Japanese mayonaise and mix well.
Add more pepper for taste
Chill for at least one hour before serving.

Some friends are strong believers of the notion, that when you want something bad enough, the entire universe will converge to help one fulfil that. I had  my doubts initially.  During the organising of the charity walkathon, Let’s Take A Walk,  I did feel the universe converging and offering helping hands to bring the walk to fruition.  

 This year, I’ve been talking about doing a few projects, but complacency has left the projects  barely inching forward.  Except the weekly Bukit Timah trek which is ongoing, the other projects remained very much in their infancy stage though half the year has already whizzed past. Setting specific goals and deadlines hopefully will accelerate the process.

Travels

March - Tasik Chini, April - Shanghai, Hangzhou and Huangshan. Come June, several trips are also in the pipeline. 11 May - Gunung Batur, the following weekend, last train ride from Tanjong Pagar train station, July - Bali.  And the long 3-weeks trip is slated for September/October.

- Painting a big mural using mixed medium. To complete by end June 2011. Find a hobby group in Singapore that shares the same interest.

- Powerpoint presentation on India (for Sg travelcafe) By 11 June 2011.

- Children’s book project with Sis Cat - to start by 28 May 2011

- Travel book project - To reinstate in July and add more stories

- To plan a trip to HSCV in Vietnam (November)

Ingredients
1 box of tofu (Marinade) -1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 1/2 teaspoon corn starch
- Cut toufu into small squares,cut bamboo shoots into thin strips and then into fine slices

Other ingredients
- Mushrooms - cut into stripes
- 1/2 cup of bamboo shoots (canned) - cut into thin strips
- 2 tableshppons of black fungus (soak for 20-30 minutes,then cut into big chunks)
- 3-4 fresh shitake mushrooms (cut into stripes)
- 1 small pack of vermicelli (to soak in water for 20-30 minutes and drain thereafter) - cut for easier consumption
- 1 teaspoon of salt
-1 teaspoon of granulated sugar or any tea
-2 tablespoons of red rice vinegar/white rice vinegar
-1 teaspoon of sesame oil
-1 tablespoon of cornstarch (dissolved in 1/5 cup of water)
- 1 egg (beaten)
-1 green onion (finely chopped)
- white pepper to taste
- hot chilli oil to taste

Preparing the chicken broth
-6 cups of water, to bring to boil
- Chicken bones
- 2 stalks of celery
- half a carrot
- one white onion
- Put all these ingredients into the pot with the chicken (add a pinch of salt and a dash of black pepper)
- Put the pot to high heat for 30 minutes
- Simmer for another 30 minutes
- Once the chicken stock has cooled, remove the ingredients and the chicken.

Preparing the chicken
- Remove the chunks of chicken from the chicken bone and place it into a bowl
- Add some sesame oil, pepper and half a teaspoon of light soya sauce
- Marinate for about 20 to 30 minutes
- The chicken can be replaced with pork as well

Steps
- Heat up the chicken stock
- When the chicken stock is boiling, add bamboo shoots, mushrooms, fungus and lily buds (optional)
- Later, add toufu
-Bring the heat to a boil and add the marinated shredded chicken into the pot
- Add the salt (1/2 teaspoon), sugar (1 teaspoon), soya sauce (1 teaspoon), vinegar (2-3 tablespoons) and 1 teaspoon of white pepper
- Pour in the vermicelli
- To thicken the soup, mix cornstarch with water
- Slowly pour the cornstarch mixture into the soup, stirring while it is being added.
- Let broth come to a boil, as soon as it is boiling, remove the broth from the stove
- Slowly pour the beaten egg, stirring in one direction at the same time.
- Add green onion or white pepper to taste (green onion is optional)
- Add more vinegar, pepper and light soya sauce to suit your taste
- Can add chilli oil if desired.
- Best served hot
- Serves 2-3 people

Ingredients

500 g of of big prawns (deshell)

Dipping sauce:
2 full teaspoons of wasabi paste
2 tablespoons of mayo (either the Heinz mayo or the Japanese mayo)
1 teaspoon of condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon of sugar (optional)
salt to taste
Mix everything until the paste is smoothened out

Prawns
Deshell the prawns
Leave prawns in 2-3 minutes of lenmon juice and salt
Drain prawns

Preparing the tempura flour
2-3 full tablespoons of tempura flour
Add water bit by bit so that the paste is thickened
Mix well till the paste is smoothened

Steps
Coat the prawns with flour mixture, fry all the prawns until golden brow
Let prawns sit on top of baking ppaper or paper towel to drain excess oil drips

Preparing the mango salsa sauce
1 ripe mango (diced)
1/2 medium red onion (optional)
1 tomato (diced)
1 Japanese cucumber (diced)
3 fresh parsley leaves (chopped)
3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
Mix, add salt and pepper to taste.

Once the prawns are fried, add  wasabi mayo sauce into the prawns.
Add the mango salsa sauce on top of the prawns.

Best served hot.
Serves 1-2 persons.

Ingredients
3-4 potatoes 
2 eggs
Serves 1-2 persons
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of black and white pepper’
2 tablespoons of baked beans (Heinz brand)

Steps
Remove the skin of the potatoes and cut the potatoes into thick slices
Heat oil and fry the potato slices for 2-3 minutes till they turned slightly toasted (golden brown at the side)
Once the potatoes are fried, remove them and place them on a plate and sprinkle a dash of salt on them.
Crack two eggs into a bowl, add a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper
Beat the eggs, salt and pepper together
Heat up the frying pan and pour the egg mixture, place the pieces of potatoes into the ommelette
Add a dash of black pepper and a slight pinch of salt for flavour
Add 3 teaspoons of baked beans and mix it into the egg and potatoes for 1-2 minutes.
Best served when it is hot.
Best served wtih Maggi garlic chilli sauce and tomato sauce.

Since young, the little brown bear, Brownie loves sticking its paws into the pots of honey, chasing little butterflies. Brownie loves to give a helping hand. Lending its little paw to inch the snail back to its home, catching a few flies to place in her neighbour (Spidey’s) home-woven web never fails to bring a smile to her face.

During her leisure time, she enjoys hopping from stone to stone along the riverbank. Her other favourite pastime was to  throw pebbles into the water surface, watching in amusement as the pebble skips along.

Brownie grew up in the forest and has been immersed in the environment where masterpieces of nature, waterfalls, greenery and natural surroundings are aplenty. In the big mystical forest she calls home, Brownie has many friends, some are mere passerbys who happen to share the common interest of pebble-throwing and some are life-long friends she has known since she was a little baby bear.

Life is good, but the playful Brownie still longs for more adventures, more new friends and more excitement in her life.

One summer, a little honeybee, Ratata stumbled into the forest, while on its way to Island M. The fragrance of the freshly made honey distracted Ratata and it had to scout around in search of it. Ratata traced the smell and finally came to a halt. Ratata  saw Brownie, the little cute brown bear sitting upon a bedrock just outside the cave, with its paws deep in the honeypot. Just then, a pretty blue spotted butterfly flitted by. Ratata immediately whizzed towards the butterfly. Brownie was bemused that there are others out who love butterflies as much as he does.

Brownie started chatting with Ratata. From butterflies, waterfalls, honey, they chatted about anything under the skies and became instant friends.  Soon, it was nightfall. Ratata had to bid farewell to her newfound friend, Brownie before the skies turned completely dark. They made a pact to meet  the next Wednesday, under the big oak tree, to go butterflies catching. For months, Brownie and Ratata become regular butterflies-chasers. tbc.

2010 was a good and eventful year.

Gallivanting to foreign lands, travel writing and community work remained high on the agenda for me in 2010. As I looked back in the past year on the first day of the year, 2010 had been a fulfilling year.  Here’s a summary of the good things and bad in 2010.

1) Removing Braces

My two-year-old braces was finally taken off in March. Finally, I can eat my corns,  muffins and cakes at ease without fearing them getting stuck in between my teeth and the metal frames. It’s a good change after wearing  the braces for such a long time.

2)  A surprise present from the tooth fairy

The tooth fairy had to give me a surprise gift - my tooth needed a tiara, to be specific, a crown. Though it was not in my to-do list, I had to unwillingly part  with about $500 to get the tooth fixed and crowned.

3) A short trip to the cradle  of Chinese civilisation, the historic Beijing

A company retreat brought me to Beijing, China in April.  There,  i witnessed the grandeur of the Great Wall of China, tasted the famous Datong Beijing Roasted Duck and other sights in China.  I extended another one week to roam around as a tourist and caught up with  my uni mate, Chunying who has been working in a PR firm in Beijing for a couple of years. For once, I carried a luggage instead of a backpack for my travel and almost couldnt recognise the luggage that I borrowed from my sister at the airport.

4) The Greek Experience

 In June, a colleague’s change of portfolio at work became an accidental push for my travels. I had to go to Greece for the major shipping show in Athens. Though I couldn’t extend my leave after the one-week worktrip in Greece, I found a good friend in a Greek lady, Ina through couchsurfing and we went out several times during my short stay there.  Ina came to Malacca in the later part of 2010 and I took a coach there with another Singaporean friend, C and spent a fun getaway showing her some interesting sights in Malacca. The trip was a great opening experience to see the sheer magnitude of the maritime sector in Greece, to sample the excellent seafood at the alfresco restaurants. Once I even took the subway back to the hotel on my own at 2.30am, thankfully I managed to make it home safely.

 5) The Nippon Dash - catching autumn colours, rapids and rails

I once said that I would go to Japan the year I took my braces off so that I can eat to my heart’s contents without the hindrance of metal. And Japan I went indeed, with Mae. In the 23 days in  Japan, we travelled extensively in search of autumn colours, new adventures and fun things to do. Visiting the onsen, cliff-jumping, white-water rafting, hiking and frivolous shopping, we did them all. The trip was hectic but the gorgeous autumn colours and the cool temperate made it all worthwhile.

6) Weekend escapades

Weekend getaways with The Company, my usual travel buddies continued, though we did not venture out as much as the previous years. We went gallivanting in JB to fulfill some of the girls’ property-viewing’s desire and to visit Lynn’s condo there,  had a fun getaway in Bangkok and Kanchanapuri with Mae, June, Xiufang just before the Japan trip.

7) Getting in touch with art

I’ve always enjoyed art, visiting art galleries and museums creating  my own artworks.  The regular art lessons at Tanjong Pagar was a good way to realise that art is still something close to my heart. Though the $50 per weekly lesson was  not cut-throat, I’ve decided to pursue drawing and art in  my own free time instead and put the money to better use  elsewhere.

My saddest day,saying goodbye to my dear little friend

Little Jess, my little friend from Club Rainbow passed away in January after a  three weeks battle at the ICU in KK Hospital. I’ve become a close family friend to the mom since  I got to know the family and witnessed the ordeals that the family had to go through since the operation last December.  Sending her off at the Garden of Remembrance with her family and her loved ones and seeing her buried in the little white coffin was the saddest day of my life ever but the comforting fact is that she did not have to suffer further.  Though she’s gone for good,  I’m still in touch with her twin, M and her mom and these are people that I’ll keep for life, and the wonderful memories I had with J during the Club Rainbow will stay with me too.

9) Let’s Take A Walk -An endurance walk, for self for other

This year’s Let’s Take A Walk happened to co-incide with my birthday. Yousi approached me to help out in the publicity matters for the charity walkathon and I agreed since I did the 2008 publicity and it was for a good cause. In the process of organising this event, I befriended several interesting and nice like-minded folks who participated in this meaningful event and worked alongside friends to bring this event to fruition.

Many friends  that I know from different phases of my life were roped into Let’s Take A Walk to help as volunteer photographers and  musicians. The event turned out really well and I’m grateful to all these friends and sharing their talents to make this event a more meaningful and successful one.

Our impromptu emcee, Bridget made the 10km Jalanwalkers sing me a birthday song at the flag-off point at Clarke Quay near the Singapore River. This birthday must be the most hectic and meaningful one that I’ve ever had and I’m glad all turned out well for the event.

10) Holistic Wellness Symposium 2010

A friend roped me to help with the publicity matters for this holistic wellness symposium organised by Kampong Senang. The people and doctors that I’ve had the chance to work with  are really amazing people who have  been quietly contributing to our society in their own little ways. Through this event, I’ve gained insights and invaluable knowledge about holistic wellness and people who have devoted their life to this passion that they strongly hold.

11) Bringing Christmas Cheers to others

This Christmas was unlike other years . Usually I would just laze around at home or hang out with some friends A friend from Raleigh rallied a group of us to sing carols at the KK Hospital’s Children Cancer ward to bring some festive Christmas cheers to the children there. At the foot court, we wrapped the presents, dressed our Santa and rehearsed the Christmas songs.  Seeing the children’s faces light up at the sight of Santa and the presents made it all worthwhile and of course, we entertained them and ourselves with the not-so-syncronised Christmas carolling, all in the name of fun and bringing cheers to others.

12) Published travel features

Over the years, I’ve written travel stories in Mandarin and English, for Lianhe Zaobao, My Paper, The Straits Times. It’s not the money that I’m after for this submission but the published articles are a great way to encapsulate the memories of each travel experience and the interesting facets of these journey. This year, I wrote a travel feature that was published in The Straits Times Special NATAS travel supplement, on a trip that happened about 2 years ago, a fun whitewater rafting and a night’s stay in the Glass House at Selangor. I also wrote another travel feature on the Japan trip for a magazine and they featured the photographs in a two-page spread. Though I only got paid for the travel article and not the pictures, it was still nice to see the travel pictures getting published.  These articles also gave me a llittle extra injection of cash which will be used to satisfy my travel lust.

13) Fulfilling dreams - Helping friends to fulfil their dreams & aspirations

I enjoy writing, be it in my own travel blog or travel features. A Taste of China is the first book by two young gals,  Fubi and Baoling who are students of Bob. They approached me to help with the proofreading and editorial work for their travel publication. I obliged. It has always been a dream to be  able to publish my own travel publication, so if someone else have the passion  and drive to do so, I’ll happily to be part of their project, never mind that I was not paid heaps of money. Vetting and re-writing the copy of their publication was also a good way for me to learn about the perspectives of China as seen through the eyes of these youth.

14) Turning 33

I turned 33 in 2010.  It’s a surreal feeling as I looked around and realised that friends that I grew up and went to school with are now mothers, pregnant mommies. I didn’t seek out to be different but somehow I seem to move in a different time-zone and planet from them. Thankfully, I do have a group of friends who share the same interest in travel and exploring our little island we call home.

 Here’s my short list of to dos in 2011

It’s the first day of 2011 as I am typing away. I’m not sure how the new year will turn out but I will seek out interesting adventures, both at work and play. Sometimes, things that happen in life are beyond our control  but I certainly hope the new 2011 will be more eventful and exciting than 2010. Here’s the list of some of the to-do list for 2011

1)  Visiting HSCV (Humanitarian Services for Children of Vietnam, Hanoi)

 I’ve been a volunteer editor for HSCV for over three years but I’ve never met any of the HSCV folks  in person though I’m been in contact with the staff, especially Thuy. I’ve always wanted to go to Vietnam to see the wheelchair distribution ceremony and the other initiatives that this ngo has been doing but have not got around to realise it. In this new year.  I hope to realise this wish and visit the staff of HSCV. To give myself a further push,  I’ve also shared this intention to  Thuy and suggested to her that I would be happy to conduct a writing workshop for those writers whose works I’ve been editing in the past year. By telling Thuy, I hope to anchor this commitments so that  I would work towards before the close of 2011.

2) Travelling to a cold country - Spain & Portugal

Travel to either Spain & Portugal or somewhere interesting that I’ve never been during the cool season My occasional heat-rashes are telling signs of how I should not venture beyond to tropical beaches or sunny spots in the globe. This year, my eyes are set on cool and cold countries.

3) Publicity work for a heritage children’s book by fifi

I’ve committed to do media and pr work for a friend, fifi who is going to launch her third children’s book in Singapore. It will be fun to do the marketing and PR work for this book launch.  I’ve done publicity for a local heritage film, exhibitions and symposiums and it will be fun to do the PR for this book and I hope I can secure good media coverage for this book project.

 4) Write more, read more.

5) Re-start the Bukit Timah hiking regime as a weekly exercise routine.

6) Learn a new language.

7) Re-ignite my passion in art

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