June came and went and to my, and everyone's relief, things at the Centre finally settled. My boss, who became an Acting Director, came back, healthy though he did have on-going medication problem which turned him yellow at one stage, and wouldn't go to the doctor if his ex-Secretary (i.e. me) didn't point his unnatural face colour to him. The new Director was apppointed - ironically enough another boss of mine (I have three!), who is also a very dear, close friend to Neil. And the person replacing my boss whilst he was Acting Director replaced the current director. Yes, it's like playing musical chairs in here for a while, and we were hoping that the status quo would prevail just for a little while longer.
August - ahhh... the anniversary month. Before we got there though, August also saw me taking the most amount of sick leave in one month! It started with what I thought was a head cold - my head was pounding so hard I could feel even my cheekbones hurt. So I took a day off and spent a day being utterly miserable because the headache was that bad I couldn't even sit still to watch daytime TV. Braced myself to go to work the next day, and the next day, and then I had to resort to gulping panadols throughout the day to keep the pounding ache at bay.
Taking this as a sign that something's not right in my world, I went to the GP, and then to the dentist. And what do you know - two wisdom teeth, one on the top and one on the bottom, had compacted the rest of my mouth and pushing all the other teeth - hence the stabbing pain from my mouth.
So off I went to the dental surgery to get these removed, and being told that I had to take MORE days off. Spent the remainder of Thursday afternoon after the operation swallowing my own blood (yuck!!!!), changing the cotton-ball-wrapped-in-gauze to blot the blood dry, and feeling my cheek going absolutely numb. Oh, and let's not forget the half-drugged state, too!
But I was on the improve in no time, and by the time 14th August rolled over, my husband and I were able to enjoy a lovely cruise lunch along the river, with no whinging, so-much-in-pain wife to deal with, celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary.
I have NEVER been so excited to greet the month of September. As part of the deal, I have asked my husband to give me tickets to the USA instead of throwing me a massive 30th birthday party. And the lovely man that he was, he did just that. So on the 6th of September, we flew to LA, get a connecting flight to Miami, and braced the 4-hour drive to Orlando (nothing like baptism of fire here, driving on the wrong side of the road and all). We spent a week here, visiting the 4 parks of Walt Disney World, got sunburnt, perspiring heavily, took LOADS of photos, went on so many roller-coasters (some in total darkness, which I must say was THE best type), and rubbed shoulders with celebrities the like of Winnie the Pooh, Genie from Aladdin, and Jafar...
After that, we spent three weeks in glorious New York. It is the place I've always wanted to go to ever since I practically could say the word, and all I can say is... OH... MY... GOD!!!!! I have never fallen that much in love with anything (except for my husband) in my life. New York exceeded all my expectations; it was love at first sight (or even before that) and I dream, every day, of being able to live there. I could go on and on here - the landscape such as Central Park and Rockefeller Center, the breathtaking building architectures like Empire State Building and Grand Central Station; the fact that Macy's, one of the many major department stores, open until 9:30PM on weekends, and 8:30PM on weekdays. The bustling Times Square, jam-packed with people even until past midnight. The Chinatown, where we had the best yum-cha ever. And the list goes on... and on... and on...
In October, we continued our US journey, trekking to Vegas. I have likened The Vegas Strip to 'Crown on steroids' - I have never seen so many casinos, in so many different themes, in one stretch of a street. Watched unforgettable shows including 'Cirque De Soleil' La Reve and 'The Lion King'.
By the time we reached LA, our travelling fuel was super-low and in badly need of refuelling. After 5 weeks of living out of hotel rooms and suitcases, airport- and airplane-hopping, we have had enough; we wanted, so very badly, to go home and marvel at the massive amount of space a four-bedroom-plus-a-study house could offer.
The rest of the year flew by so fast it really felt like it was gone with the flick of a finger. But this year, I have also cemented my extra-curricular activity as the singer for the Centre, with my singing ability being called upon for various Liturgies and ceremonies. Whilst I wouldn't go as far as forming my own band, or, as someone suggested, perform at the Sydney Theater, I must say I quite enjoy performing on this low-key, local level, and my nervousness become less and less each time I have to get up on that 'stage' and sing in front of a microphone.
And, since this is yet another bigger-than-Ben-Hur post, there will be a part 3, where I will reveal what I hope/plan/expect in 2011.
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