2024 Week 9: Not What I Expected

I went for a travel meetup group this week and realised my life isn't quite normal. Of course, my sample size is limited to just the handful of women I was seated with. Most of them have stable white-collar 9-to-5 jobs and see travel as a way to escape the ordinary and experience "nice" things (as in "nice scenery" "nice food" etc.)

My lifestyle isn't settled like theirs. There's a lot more uncertainty in my life, even without relocating. I feel like I'm already on an adventure just trying to figure out what's next... So I don't derive quite the same things from travel as they. Lately I view travel as reconnaissance for potential places to stay or ways to live. I'm more interested in the local groceries, stray animals, the insides of people's homes, and the public transport system.

Anyway it was nice going for a Meetup cos I seldom meet people who actually want to make friends (without an agenda). 

Also hung out with Joel and we went to Upper Seletar Reservoir by accident. It's a nice place, though marred by people from a folding bike brand doing a photoshoot - we witnessed the live commodification of leisure. ("Buy Now!")

Had some good hawker food this week; standouts were Heaven's thosai and appam on the last day of operations before Ghim Moh market closes for 2 months!

And mutton briyani at Geylang East market Animah's Prata. I guess it's a prata stall (dude pictured below makes 800 balls of prata dough a day) but I saw many people eating briyani so I went for that. The briyani was very fragrant and had mint leaves in it. Mutton was fall-off-the-bone tender.

The week was not at all what I expected. I thought it would be another slow week. Originally planned to do some longstanding maintenance work - update the Pets Hideout site (neglected since last July lol) and put up posters and mirrors in my room. 

Instead I had several movements on the job front. I got a callback for an early childhood educator job, an interview for a communications position, and a response to my request for an internship. All this activity makes me realise that I may have cast the net too wide. There's a huge diversity in both the organisations (who they serve) and the job functions available. I have to think about what I want (and can commit to) rather than what I can get.

I also got an unusual request for long-term rabbit boarding - practically fostering. If this goes through then I will be committed to taking care of the bunny for most of the year. Hmm. I had put the pets thing on the backburner, but now it seems like this "career" is choosing me. It all feels very new age-y. Like I've accidentally "manifested abundance" or something.

On a pet-related note we are looking for a second bunny. After enjoying bachelorhood for the past year, Eeyore has started snuggling with and grooming his cushion. So we think he wants a partner now. Not sure what this all means for our vague plans to relocate, but I'm very excited to have 2 bunnies again. 

Other stuff this week:

• Cut my hair short
• Ate McDonald's and drank bubble tea/Mr Coconut twice
• Saw the doctor for my eczema (she thinks it might be hives tho)
• Booked hotels and trains for Jogja & Bali
• Did an approx 3km jog
• Bought bedding and food containers from IKEA