Still Thinking…

And so I am finally back in the quiet, serene world of Ruskin. The sounds of water flowing from the creek behind our yard never sounded so beautiful, and peace in the country seems so alluring.

10 days, 3 cities and almost many meetings later is no fun for anyone.It felt like the Duracell Bunny, on and on and on. I hardly had time to get out of the hotel in Washington DC, a whopping total of 5 hours was all I had,that is also because we had to get out of the hotel food cycle. There is only so much crabcakes I can take, delicious as they were.

We had great meetings in Washington, the summit was fruitful but the toll on our coordination skills were killing. There were times when a colleague who was with me addressed a NatGeo executive as a Discovery director, you get the idea. Shows we have done slipped like butter, and my HappyBerry did not help (that’s Blackberry for you non-geeks). I soon learn to hate that red flashing light indicating an incoming email or SMS, while you are thick in a meeting.

Montreal, I must say is gorgeous. The fashion is marvellous. It was a good thing I was focused not to shop, or I would have hurt my wallet. I did succumb and bought a silver belt but other than that, the snow falling on old ancient buildings facing wrought-iron statues, nestled in between oak benches were romantic enough. Sad that I was walking with ZB, we were both drowned in thoughts on how we wish our husbands were with us instead.

The big surprise was Toronto. My Singaporean instinct used logic to predict the weather, so I thought Montreal being way east would be welcoming me with a nasty winter . I was warned of frozen eyelashes when one visit Montreal in winter.

But I was wrong. Toronto, as energetic as it is – came blasting with -30 degrees. The windchill were biting, it felt like a bulldog who refused to let go of your leg. We dont walk in Toronto, we jog. TV news warned of frostbites, and the idea of having a finger chopped off while walking in the streets is not very funny.

Back in Vancouver, the 8 degrees is oh-so-warm. Like hot chocolate with marshmallows. Yes, THAT warm. Delishhh…

Someone from Singapore recently asked why Canadians like to talk about the weather. Oh well.

My niece got her O level results yesterday. I was as anxious as her, even though 18,000 miles away. I fell sleep and was woken up by her call at midnight and her tears. No fun, this O levels !Couldn’t sleep, and kept thinking of her options. When I asked her what she wanted to do and liked, she said journalism.

Oh dear. What have I done. But I know my niece, she has a lot of spunk and I know that didn’t come from me. She had always been a hyper kid since young. She thinks she is not a writer, and I am adamant that she is. She is. Mark my words.

What an exciting time for her, I wish I am a teen again. At least, I dont have to travel through cold cities in winter and be warm to people all at the same time 🙂