Another Chapter Closes

My 19 year old, male cousin laughed at me on Thanksgiving because I was saying something about friends from each chapter in my life.  He asked if I thought of my life in chapters, and I totally do. :)  Originally this blog was about my adventures in Singapore.  Since I've been home from Singapore, the blogs entries have been irregular and inconsistent.  To stay true to the theme of the original intention, I am going to leave Chiro Chick officially in the "Singapore" chapter.  I want to thank everyone who followed me on my journey to Singapore and back.  I'm really grateful that I got to share my experiences with you.  I hope you enjoyed reading and maybe learned a thing or two about life, love and the pursuit of happiness (or just about SE Asia :-P).  I know I did!  It was truly the most amazing experience and gave me a new perspective on life.  Here's to the next chapter I'm about to embark on!  Cheers!
Signing off,
Chiro Chick 

What's next?

I have some ideas what might be next, but we'll save that for later. :)  For now, we will start with the journey that began back in the US (career-wise).

Life

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."  I'm not going to lie.  This is not how I pictured myself 2.75 years later.  And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed.  I've had quite the adventure the last 2.75 years.  I've learned a lot career-wise, lived in different places, and met many awesome people along the way.  I wouldn't change any of that for the world, especially the living in different places part (and of course meeting the awesome people!)  I wouldn't be happy today if I hadn't done all that.  But as I sit here, that small part of me is thinking of the "shoulda, coulda, woulda".  But since we can't change the past, all we can do is live for today, and hope for the best for the future!  I made another rage comic poking fun at what has been my adventure the last 2.75 years. Enjoy :)

      

The Game

My good friend introduced me to making rage comics which has become a fun, creative outlet for me.  Here is one on playing "The Game".

Updates

I've officially been back for over a month.  It has been a hectic month traveling and checking out practices, visiting with everyone, and taking care of my cat the last two weeks.  I think the craziness that has been my life for the last 5 weeks is now calming down.  I now understand why I must have been so calm the last day of Singapore.  It really was the calm before the storm!!  I'm grateful the storm is over.  I feel like it's the end of an era.  A brand new chapter of my life is about to open up now that I took care of all the business the universe had me take care of.

I'm working on something now that I'll keep under wraps for now. :-P I ask that you all send your positive energy my way as I work on this "project".  I'm ready for some infinite possibilities! Weip?

Do you think life is always crazy or do you think it comes in waves like I do?     

Tribute to Gremlin

Yesterday I had to put my cat Gremlin down. :(  I got Gremlin 2 years ago after I moved into my own apartment after graduation.  He has been on quite the adventure with me over the last two years, living in four different places with me.  It was very sad because he was about middle-aged for a cat; not too old yet.  Something with his brain was causing him paralysis and he had no quality of life anymore.  He was a great companion for me and I will miss having him around!

Have you ever lost a pet you loved?  

Transition Time

Apologies for the lag in blog entries.  I don't intend to stop blogging just because I'm back in the US.  While the entries may be further apart, I plan to continue to write about the transition and life in the US.  Hopefully you don't find my life in the US too dull to continue reading. ;-)

The transition to the US has been the most unexpected and pleasant surprise of my life.  I would say the first 3-4 months in Singapore were the happiest of my career and adult life after school.  I thought the transition back to the US was going to be hard, awkward, uncomfortable, etc.  It has been the most wonderful feeling to be back and spend time with family and friends, and to just be here.  I thought I would feel out of place and not be able to connect to anyone.  I thought I was going to feel so different.  It has been the exact opposite--I feel like I'm right where I belong at this point in my life and feel like I have not been gone for 6 months.  Singapore feels like a dream.  I really can't believe that I just lived in another country for 6 months.  That above all is the weirdest thing to me right now.  I really don't understand it. 

I do understand that Singapore is exactly what I needed.  I needed to get away.  I don't even know why anymore, but the travel and adventure is what I needed  before I settle somewhere long term.  It's so hard to describe how contented (correct grammar?) I feel.  The experience abroad has fulfilled whatever it was that was lacking in my life that needed to happen.

The happiness I feel being back in the US is most unexpected.  While the US sucks on many levels right now (sorry USA....), it is still a wonderful country.  I love everything and everyone right now.  I teared up about three times during the Browns game today (first Browns game in my life!)  And no the tailgating festivities that took place before the game had absolutely nothing to do with the increase in emotions. ;-) Hahaha.
I lost it during the national anthem.  Thank goodness for sunglasses!      

I am extremely happy right now and have no idea what the rest of this year holds....Except lots of fun times with all the people that I love so much in my life!  Hdigabtt? :) 

Steve Jobs' Commencement Address

My uncle sent an email forward of Steve Jobs' commencement address to the Stanford graduating class of 2005.  It was perfect timing for me to receive this video.  I am at a crossroads in my life and I'm not sure which way to go.  The video hasn't necessarily helped me to make a choice yet but it has given me new perspectives as I contemplate the two roads.  Hdigabtt?

Adapting to the US

Now that I'm back, it feels like I was never gone.  Singapore feels like a dream to me.  Part of it is that I've been running around the eastern half of the US doing interviews and second interviews and visiting friends and family.  I haven't stopped since I've been back and I know it will be this way for at least the next two weeks.  There's a lot I have to focus on for the next month. 

Adapting to the US again was no problem at all.  I thought it would be weird for awhile but it's been quite normal.  Driving a car again was only shaky for about ten minutes.  It was fun taking a drive to VA with my fave Glee tunes blasting in the car.  Until I had a car again, I didn't realize that I actually miss it.  It can be time consuming and exhausting taking public transportation all the time.  Places that take ten minutes to drive to might take 30 minutes via public transport by the time you walk/bus to the train, wait for train, and so on. 

I thought I would be freezing after being in constant heat and humidity.  Luckily I arrived to beautiful fall weather.  Now that it's getting colder---yeah I'm cold and shivering but not any less than last fall.  It's just normal midwest fall weather to me.     

My favorite part of being back is eating American food again.  I've been eating all the different things that I missed while in Singapore. 

I am not sure where I am moving yet but I've been blessed with a couple wonderful possibilities.  I will make a choice sometime this week and let y'all know! :)



 

I'm baaack

I am back on US soil and in my favorite city in the world. :)  NYC was probably a good first stop on the way back from Singapore.  The two cities are very comparable.  Walking in midtown Manhattan reminded me of being in Singapore with it's diversity, the tourists, and the tall buildings.  NY has at least triple what Singapore has but it wasn't as drastic of a change as going right to suburbia America.  Everytime I'm here it puts a big smile on my face.  I was riding the subway yesterday and had to hold back grinning like an idiot while I was sitting there.  People always say it's the little things---this is so true.  The bud light ad for NFL.  Hearing the English conversations on the train.  The beautiful fall weather.  :-D  <---Me

Last Day

I am very calm.  I'm leaving tonight and I'm calm, neutral, indifferent, not really having any feelings.  I was really excited last week and now I'm very cool and composed.  Not sure if I already experienced all the up and down emotions that I got those out of the way?  Maybe I am just focused on the tasks at hand today preparing to leave?  Or maybe it's the Wayne Dyer book I started reading yesterday that has created this attitude?  Whatever the reason, this is unexpected.    

~14 more hours in Singapore...

The Countdown and Reflection Continues

Friday was my last day of work.  I was super high strung all day and felt out of touch with reality.  The day flew by and felt like a dream.  It feels unreal that I'm leaving here and it's really hard to imagine what it's going feel like to be in the US again.  I think this experience has changed me in ways that I don't even realize.  It's hard to describe in words what it's truly like to live in another country.  Sure I can describe the food and the culture, but to actually give someone an idea of how it feels to live in Asia is very difficult.  For starters, it's the most amazing experience I've been through in my life.  It has put me above and beyond my comfort zone.  I feel like if I can move to another country and make it, then I can do just about anything.  I feel like I'm a stronger and more independent person.  Sometimes life abroad is frustrating.  You don't always understand cultural habits and anything that is different is uncomfortable at first.  But nowadays, it's merely amusing.  It's common for me and my friends to say, "Oh Asia...." or "Oh Singapore...." with a sentiment that only expats in Singapore understand.  Living abroad was a time of deep reflection for me.  I've been through quite a journey the last couple of years and I just wanted to get away from everything and have this kind of experience to reflect on everything that's happened the last couple of years.  I'm so grateful that I was able to do that. 

I know with all my heart that it's time to come back to the US for awhile.  I'm not sure why but the universe has really pushed me to go back for some reason.  Deep down inside this whole time, I just had this feeling that I wasn't going to be here for as long as I said that I was.  It also seems since I've been here, my intuition and gut have been the strongest as ever in my life.  I'm not sure what to attribute this heightened sensitivity to.  I hope to use this as I continue on and figure out where i'm suppose to be next. :)

So let the countdown continue:
2 more days left in Singapore
3 more days until US (NY)
7 more days until Cle

See some of you soon! :)    

POA

The next few weeks are going to be crazy with lots of traveling! :)  I had to change my flight due to an overnight layover which would have forced me to get a transit visa.  It was all more trouble than it was worth for a 14 hour layover.  So I called the wonderful customer service at Orbitz.  Kudos to Orbitz for changing my flight with minimal charges!  (I think I'm suppose to say something like---this is merely the opinion of the blogger and I'm not endorsed by Orbitz in anyway, blah, blah, ha).  Seriously though they were awesome.  They got the airline to wave the $150 change fee and found me a flight that was within of a day of my old flight and only a tiny bit more.  My flight is day later now which means I had to push back all of my original plans.  The key in life is flexibility!  So my new POA (plan of action):

Weds 5th Oct-Arrive in New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of! ("Empire State of Mind" plays in the background) Let the interviews, reunions, and fun begin! :)
Saturday 9th Oct-Bus from NYC to Cle!  It's an overnight bus ride that will arrive early Sunday morning in Cle...More reunions!
Monday 11th Oct-Drive to Va....Even more interviews and reunions!

That's as far as I can go.  The rest is "go with the flow", "one day at a time", and any other cliche phrase you can dream up! :-P

Going through a myriad of emotions this week with it being my last week!  3 more days of work, 7 more days with my Singapore besties and wonderful Asia, 8 more days until I hit US soil and see the first bff, 12 more days until I see my family (including my baby Grem!)  Let the very short countdown begin! 

F1

This weekend was the biggest event of the year for Singapore.  The Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix.  I had never heard of F1 because we don't have it in the US.  Formula 1 is the big car racing event everywhere in the world but the US.  We have Nascar instead. 

I had the pleasure of watching them set-up for the race all week from the view of my office window.  Pretty cool actually.  Singapore and Monaco are the only two F1 events that hold their race on the actual streets.  They block off part of the actual roads in Singapore and set up a race course.  I went to the Sky Bar on Wednesday and could see the whole track lit up from the top of the building. 

My boss ended up with two free tickets for Saturday's event and offered me one. :)  Car racing doesn't excite me too much (at least on tv) but I wasn't going to pass up the chance to attend the biggest event of the year in Singapore.  I was most excited about the concerts on Saturday---Shakira and Shaggy!  I have to admit car racing live is a million times more exciting than on tv.  I still got bored after about 5 laps (out of 61).  The first few laps were most exciting and then the last few laps at the end were also the most exciting part for me.  Shakira was great in concert---she is an awesome dancer.  Shaggy was a ton of fun in concert and brought me back to my childhood with songs like, "Mr Boombastic", "It wasn't me", and one I had forgotten about---"Girl you're my angel" (not sure if that's the name).  I also was able to get in the VIP section in the front so I was one row of people right behind the stage.  During the Shakira concert, two girls standing by us couldn't use their Sunday tickets, so they sold theirs to us at a discounted price. 

So I ended up at the race all afternoon/evening on Sunday too. :)  My friend bought my boss' ticket and we had a fun afternoon checking out the race, eating mexican, drinking corona, cotton candy for dessert, and of course my favorite part---the music.  Earlier on, there was a nice mellow band playing soft rock cover songs.  Then there was a show called "Forbidden Broadway", which makes fun of popular broadway shows by using the music to the show's songs and changing the lyrics.  I LOVE broadway musicals so this was very entertaining for me.  After the final race was over, Linkin Park put on a show.  They are also fantastic in concert. 

What a great way to spend my second to last weekend in Singapore! :)

Have you ever been to Nascar or F1 races?  What's your favorite concert you've been to? 

Let the Good Times Roll

I want to make the most of my last few weekends here in Singapore by spending time with friends and doing some last things that I haven't done here.  This weekend was a great start.  Friday, four of us girls went out for chinese dumplings.  Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and we over-ordered but it was so delicious. :)  Then we headed to THE bridge.  In Singapore, there are no open container laws.  So on Friday and Saturday nights, the hot spot to hang out is this bridge in the middle of Clarke Quay area (the hot nightclub and restaurant area).  The walls of the bridge are very wide and perfect for lounging on with a beer or spiked 7-up.  It's an awesome place for people watching, bullshittin' with you friends, and making new friends which is also exactly what we did.

The people watching--fascinating!  Because central Singapore is filled with the most diverse mix of cultures, the couples you come across are interesting.  This was our favorite---watching the couples walk by and making up theories about them.  Some of them....well let's just say our theory included an attraction to the passport, if you know what I mean.  No judgements, just theories. :)  We made friends with the group of Germans next to us.  They were finishing up their internship and celebrating their last weekend in Singapore before traveling some of SE Asia and going back home.  They were a blast to hang out with.

Sunday my friend and I ventured out to do the tree top walk at a place called MacRitchie Reservoir.  It's a 7 kilometer hike total to and from the treetop walk.  The treetop walk itself was very short but nonetheless pretty awesome.  The 7K hike was a great workout on some rough trails through the reservoir.  We saw many monkeys including moms with their baby monkeys.  (I have a picture of me standing next to a monkey but it wouldn't upload..sorry!)  We wanted to take one home. :)  It was very peaceful and calming walking through the reservoir, being inside nature listening to the sounds of the small jungle.  The smell of the tropics and then of the fresh rain that showered us halfway though our trek.  As much the city girl that I am, I love being in nature as well.  Got to have that balance!


Do you prefer the city or nature, or do you also like balance? :) 

   

Books

I love to read.  I always have.  When I was 9 years old, I would check out at least five or six books at a time.  I remember the librarian making a comment to me once, impressed with how much I read.  Oh those were the days of The Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley High series.  My love for reading has only continued to grow as I've gotten older.  Nowadays my favorites are chick lit and self-growth & inspirational types.  I've even ventured into the occasional biography and historical fiction book which was surprisingly fascinating.  Recent reads:

-Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert: She is the author of Eat, Pray, Love, which I absolutely LOVED.  Her writing style really appeals to me.  Her story in Eat, Pray, Love was relateable for me on so many different levels.  I was excited for her book following Eat, Pray, Love---Committed.  I never got around to purchasing it and eventually I heard people say it wasn't as good as Eat, Pray, Love.  Since I loved that one so much, I was hesitant on reading Committed at all, for fear of being disappointed.  A few weeks ago after browsing the bookstore forever and not finding anything that looked interesting enough (and not finding an Audrey bio :( hint to mom for xmas ;-) ), I decided to just cave in and buy it.  I was captivated from page 1 and on, finishing it in less than a week.  I completely understand why people didn't like it as much as E,P,L.  E,P,L is more of a story and Committed is more informational. 

Committed is about marriage.  Elizabeth has to marry her Brazilian bf for him to be able to stay in the US with her.  They originally had taken vows to never get married, as they had both gone through horrible divorces.  To find peace with marriage, Elizabeth takes a journey learning about the history of marriage, marriage across different cultures, and present day marriage.  Being a 28 year old single gal, you could imagine I may or may not have thought about the topic once or twice at this point in my life. :-P  Needless to say, I was engrossed. 

-Think Big and Kick Ass by Donald Trump and Bill Zanker:  Two chapters in and I'm inspired and motivated to kick some ass on my next venture! :)  Some great lessons from the first couple chapters:

• Dream Big.
• One very important quality common among the hundreds of super successful people that Bill Zanker has observed--persistance.  Never quitting and never taking no for an answer.
• Learn to trust your gut (Woohoo, I do this often! :-P)
• You have to love what you do or you are never going to be successful.  Passion is more important than brains or talent.  Some of the smartest people fail because lack of passion.
• Another key to success is how well you deal with pressure.
• If you want to be successful, you can never, ever give up.
• You have to get out of your comfort zone to achieve greater and greater accomplishments.
• After you discover what you love doing, you have to take action.  Get involved with what you love doing at whatever level you can.

What good book have you read lately?

 

Slightly AWOL

I've been kind of AWOL since I booked my flight.  There's so much swirling around in my head, along with preparations for leaving, and exploring possible career possibilities.  I don't want to say where or with whom the possibilities are (I'm superstitious), but I will say there are 2-3 shoo-ins...How did I get this lucky?  The two skype interviews I was least vested in and which I didn't really think would be a good fit for me before the fact ended up being the shoo-ins, and the ones that after the interview I found the most intriguing.  The two I was most vested in and thought I wanted, are just so-so.  Funny how that happens.  It seems when you have the least expectations is when you gain the most.  If one of them works out, they want me to start Oct 15th!  This means I am going to have a week to visit with people and then I'm gone again.  The first few weeks of October are going to be a whirlwind.  

 

But I have to say it's amazing how beautifully everything is working out as I finish up here in Singapore.  My boss offered me to leave earlier so I could get back, found a great deal on a flight to NYC so I can visit a friend, we have filed what we need to so I can leave the country---I actually thought I could just hop on a plane and go. :-P  I had a freak out moment yesterday when I heard we had to do this and this.  But everything should be done within 7 days.  My one suitcase is broken so I bought a new one today for 49 SGD!  Score. :) You can get amazing deals on luggage in Singapore.  I've already cleaned out my closet and gotten rid of a lot of clothes and some shoes, which will leave room for the clothes/shoes I've gained here.  Also cleaned out my drawers and thrown away stuff.  I want to make everything as easy as possible so that the last weekend I can have fun, pack up and go!  My goal is to fit everything in one suitcase....Any bets if I can do it?? :-P     

Flight is Booked

Holy sh*t, I booked my flight...Is this all really happening?  A little bit of buyer's remorse kicks in right after I buy my plane ticket.  Am I making the right choice???  But there really is no right or wrong choice.  It is what it is and it is what you make it.  :)  Life is one grand adventure.  I will be ready for whatever comes next when this initial state of shock is over.  

I will arrive in NYC Tuesday Oct 4th to visit a friend and hopefully check out a job prospect or two!  Then it will be easy and cheap to take a bus down to DC area for the next job prospect (or two; weip?).  Then back to O-H-I-O for some reunions and more job prospects.  How does it get even better? :)  

Countdown Time

I knew that once I made a decision on the date that everything would start to happen really fast.  It all started this weekend.  I had a couple skype interviews at the end of the week and they both would like to proceed with an in person interview.  I'm also in contact with two other doctors who I've been in contact with in the past about potential opportunities.  Once I had those two skype sessions, I knew that it was time to get a plan into action for heading back.  Unfortunately, I don't think any of those docs will hire me right off of skype like the doc did here.  After some discussion with my boss, it has been decided that I'm done at the end of September.  Eighteen days away.... I'll book a flight in the next few days, and then most likely be taking two road trips the first week I'm back for in person interviews.  It's all going to be quite hectic I imagine.

Right now I'm sort of having that out of body type experience.  Like this crazy whirlwind of changes is going on and it's happening so fast and I have no idea what's going on, and I'm just kind of watching it from the outside.  I am in a state of disbelief, utter excitement, sadness, happiness, anxiousness all at the same time. :-P

Have you ever had an out of body type experience before?  Tell me about it. :)     

     

Time is Relative

Now that I'm going home, it doesn't feel like I'm going home.  By the time I go home, I will have been here half a year and it feels like I've barely been here at all.  I find myself saying 'see you in 30-60 days!' at the end of emails not really believing that's true.  My friend told me the new season of Glee starts in 2 weeks---I was wondering why the season was starting so early??  But wait...it's almost mid-September.  Because the weather never changes here, in my head it's still the middle of August (and forever it will stay).  Since the weather won't be getting cooler, college football won't be playing on tv, and the trees outside won't be changing colors, it will forever be summer to me.  The hot and humid part of the year where I come from.  It really goes to show that time really is relative. 

I suppose this is because I have no idea what date I'm coming home and where my next career move is going to be.  There are three potential prospects in three different places.  This shouldn't be a surprise coming from me :-P  I won't talk about where they are or with who because I don't want to jinx anything.  All I ask is that you think many positive thoughts for me this weekend as I go through some Skype interviews.  Everlasting gratitude to you!