It's hard to believe how long it has been since I last posted anything, and a lot has happened in that time. So while this blog is about the major changes that happened when I turned 40, the hardest changes have been since then. I'm not complaining, I'm happier now than I have been in a very long time and the world is a brighter place because of it.
Frankly, there is so much that has happened that I am going to skip right past it all and focus on what is most recent and in the immediate future. Yes, that might disappoint a few people but oh well. :)
Last weekend I finally got to spend some time in Singapore, outside of the airport. It is amazing how big the differences are between different countries in Asia, despite no real distance between them. Singapore is certainly the most rigidly controlled, yet best organized city I have been to recently. The roads a perfect, there is good traffic control, and well developed public transportation. Kuala Lumpur, in comparison, is moving in that direction yet still has a ways to go, but is pushing hard to get there. Jakarta, in contrast, has a massive distance to cover and will not get there anytime soon without some significant social and political changes. While some of the roads here are decent, they are few and far between and end up being thoroughly messed up by the intersections with the tiny goat-path sized roads along their lengths. You can tell a lot about a city by the way it handles its infrastructure.
Singapore is not a place to travel if you are looking for anything truly inexpensive. Much of what you might think of as cheap tourist stuff is much more expensive in Singapore than it is in Indonesia or in Malaysia. That isn't to say that you can't get Singapore-specific swag for cheap prices, but if you want to find low-cost mementos, don't plan on a shopping trip in Singapore. That said, there was some great stuff to be found anyways with a few notable locations to visit. Chinatown is one location for some fun shopping and good eats, but beware, what you think might be a simple lunch can easily climb close to $100 US. What I saw of Little India didn't have all that much to recommend it, but Haji Lane is a wonderfully kitchy/hipster place for those looking to find something more unique or special.
We visited the Art Science Museum while we were there too, and were lucky enough to see three different traveling exhibits. First was a display of 50 of the best National Geographic photos ever taken. From the girl in Afghanistan to Jane Goodall, the photos were enlarged and well curated to display them without interference from other photos. Second, was a mummy exhibit on loan from the British Museum of National History. Again, the exhibit was well curated and took visitors on a trip through the mummification process and showed a very good 3D movie of CT scans of the mummy. Finally, and surprisingly our favorite exhibit, was a wonderful display on the works of Charles and Ray Eames. From their early days before being married, through the end of their lives, the exhibit showed many of the different items they created. The famous Eames Chair. The Eames Deck of Cards and the Hang Everything. Some of the different houses they built, and a few of the movies they made. All in the service of their vision and process. All-in-all, it was inspiring and educational, without being in the slightest bit boring or tedious.
Looking forward, I am now less than 80 days from leaving Indonesia and preparing or my next assignment. It has been a tour filled with joy and laughter, tears and sorrow, victories and failures, and a whole hell of a lot of learning. I am not the same person that arrived here in 2011, and I am thankful for that. I have a clearer vision of who I am and what I want, and my goals for the next few years of my life are clearer. My life has even bigger changes in store for me, more great adventures, and further opportunities for me to dance across the world.
