Take me home, country roads

I re-watched the Netflix film 'That Christmas' last week. The first time last year, a quote in the film struck a chord with me; I found that it still resonates this year.

“I always think that Christmas is a bit like an emotional magnifying glass. If you feel loved and happy, Christmas will make you feel even happier and more loved. But if you feel lonely or unloved, the magnifier gets to work and makes all those bad things feel bigger and worse.”

I'm not sure what triggered it, but a couple of months ago I remembered the feeling of homesickness when we first arrived here in New Zealand. Back then I had to take two bus rides to get to work. The winding roads and greenery reminded me so much of my hometown that I would wish that just around the bend would be the familiar Camp John Hay gate and I would be off to Session Road, and to my home.

Based on stories shared by other migrants online, I'm not alone. Carry on we must! It's for our family that we forego our personal needs. Yes, there are many things we have missed out on especially with our extended family, but this is the life we have chosen for ourselves and we just have to make the best of it!

When this feeling resurfaced, I knew the warning sign

Getting away with it

 I added another year to my life a couple of days ago. It was a three-day weekend here in NZ as we celebrated Labour Day. So off we went to a holiday home near Paraparaumu beach!

We're still in the cusp of winter though so the water was chilly.... and so was the wind! We just had a recent storm pass through and we were still feeling the effects. But we made the most of the time with close friends.

It was nothing fancy. No extravagant celebration. Just simple home-cooked meals (adobo and rice, anyone?) and lots of story-swapping. It's actually funny that we all recalled how we all got together last year for my birthday and then this idea came up that we were all going to save up for a trip to Rarotonga when I turn 60. Well, the idea lost steam and then it came up again. We would have saved a year's worth for the trip by now! I wonder if we will revisit this idea again next year, or actually have something solid to work on this time around?

So what's different about me this time? Physically, I do see the signs. The wrinkles on my forehead and eyes are more pronounced now. There are times when my eyesight gets blurry. And there was one time when I was up til 1am because we were entertaining guests and the next morning I was hoarse. I also realise I like resting a lot more now. Afternoon naps especially. Or even evening naps when we're at friends' homes. They'd let me take a nap, then join back in.

This year had not been particularly good for me health-wise. I had the worst sprain ever, and then a bad case of the colds a couple of months back. These things do make me think of my mortality, and that I need to do more to keep fit and stop myself from having a third serving of rice!

Oh, and there's this DIY kit that was gifted to me. I had to ask my daughter for help with deciphering the instructions which are a bit small for me to read. And there's the kit itself which is a miniature version of a pop-up shop. But challenge accepted! Just give me a day or so to complete!

(I'm still not done with the kit after three hours working on it hahaha)

It's also this year that we had some friends leave our prayer group. Small misunderstandings can mount up, rumors can create hatred, words can hurt. Perhaps there is some truth to 'familiarity breeds contempt'. And this paragraph is the only amount of time and effort I will expend to this dilemma. Life is too short to muddle over such things. If they want to part ways, who am I to argue? I hope that in their journey they will find peace and reconciliation.

On the positive side of things, I'd like to believe that I've managed to gain some wisdom. I guess having a mortgage can do that to you. And friendship challenges. And a major sprain.

I've gotten back to reading again. Lunchtime walks bring me to one of my favourite places: the library!

And I intend to take on a new hobby. Perhaps not on collecting stuff, but learning a new skill. I'm still thinking what that ought to be.

So here's to another year of adventure!

***

So here's the story behind this post's song choice. I'm a huge fan of Pet Shop Boys music - they were my introduction to synthetic pop in the 80s. In the 90's, one of my high school best buddies - shout out to Sonny! - said I should also listen to Electronic. I've searched for this band, but to no avail.

Now, thanks to Spotify, I discovered Electronic recently! So this song is so spot on for today's post. It reminds me of a time so long ago when I got hooked with the music of my generation.

Yesterday I got so old I felt like I could die

 Day 2 of staying on my sickbed. The past couple of weeks, I've been having headaches, which wasn't  normal. I alluded it to sleeping late (for the past 5 weeks), so I ignored what my body was telling me. By Saturday evening, my body made it clear it's had enough. So here I am with a severe case of the colds.

When I'm unwell, I would normally just take half day off work to rest and be fine the next day. And when I'm off work, I would busy myself tidying up. This time though, my energy level is a zero.

It's about time I start thinking about myself and my family. Which is what I said at the start of 2025. If only the people around me would also listen. :-(

(Yes, this is a rant post)