A Glance At My Rear-view Mirror

Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

Chinese New Year’s Day came and went not without fanfare. In this part of the world, across the globe from China, we don’t have to look too far to find celebrations. Even our local YMCA hosted an event-packed day to welcome the year of the horse. For me, it never fails to put me into an introspective mood. I get to look back on the year twice; yes, I do that on December 31st and then again on Lunar New Year’s Eve. The advantage or disadvantage of celebrating two New Year’s days, I guess.

So, as I gaze into my rear-view mirror, I see a trail of activities that kept me busy and engaged during my leisure time. Here are three of them at the top of my viewpoint, not necessarily in order of preference: cycling, traveling, and writing.

Cycling The outdoor kind won hands down. Spring brought great hopes for bicycle adventures; we were going to be initiated as cyclists—keep in mind that I've been riding (spinning) indoors for many years. Naively, I thought my mountain bike would do the job. After just one ride, I headed to the shop and bought my first hybrid. Now I was ready; that’s what I thought. Then I signed up for an eighty-kilometre ride. During the practice session, one of the marshals had to push me up a steep hill—ooh, the embarrassment still makes me warm and tingly, and not in a comfortable way. I realized that if I wanted to ride with the big boys and girls, I needed the right equipment. So now a brand new road bike graces my basement waiting for the new riding season.

Traveling Lately we've been doing two distant trips a year with little drive-able ones during the long weekends. This past year, we flew for three of our vacations: one week in Puerto Rico, two weeks on a Baltic cruise, and one week in Arizona. In between, we spent a few days in Mont Tremblant during mid-summer, riding the trails there. Puerto Rico was a nice mid-winter break in the sun. Arizona and the Grand Canyon were memorable, but our Baltic cruise was the granddaddy of all the trips for the year. The highlight was our two-day tour of St. Petersburg in Russia. Who knows when, if ever, we will return to that part of the world again.

Writing This was the year I proudly announced to the world that I’d completed my first novel. The feeling of accomplishment still leaves a warm glow whenever I think about it. Picture Bride is about to debut during this upcoming spring. I believe that I got a boost in my writing when I attended the Writers Digest Conference in NYC back in April 2013. The book took two years to write, and when I met other people on the same path, along with established writers who seemed willing to put out or help out, it gave me a much-needed shot in the arm to sprint to the finish line. I approved my manuscript and book cover just over a week ago, and now I wait. Due process must be observed.

Yes, it was a busy year filled with activities. With February already in progress, I’m predicting a year packed with new undertakings as my book launches and I begin to write another one. My new bike is waiting for its maiden ride; while a cruise and a road trip are already in the cards.

Happy New Year to all.

Slow Road to Puerto Rico

Despite many elements working against us right from the moment we were set to leave for the airport, we still managed to have a decent vacation this past month. The weather, the airline, even Puerto Rico itself - all conspired against us, but how can you have a memorable vacation without some mishap?

What went wrong:

1. Heavy snowfall the night before our 8:30 a.m. flight set the ball spiraling off course.
2. Our flight was delayed by about 5 hours. Strictly speaking, the delays were actually caused by the airline's ground crew.
3. The airline tagged us for special security screening - apparently this was a random selection. We could not perform self check-in; had to wait in line for the attendant at the counter.
4. We arrived at night in a strange country. Try driving in a strange place in the dark after being up since the wee hours of the morning and then flying for almost five hours.
5. Our brand new GPS did not have the most up-to-date map. We wandered remote back roads for twenty minutes before finding our way back to the highway.
6. The resort was so massive we couldn't find the main reception area in the dark. We had to stop a couple of times to find someone and ask for directions.
7. The next day, we tried to drive to old San Juan. Within 3 kilometres, less than 2 miles, of our destination, a massive demonstration gridlocked us for over an hour - we moved about 0.2 kilometre during that time.
8. The first possible relief from the traffic, a McDonald's restaurant, turned out to be a disappointment - bad coffee and wilted lettuce in my salad.
9. We returned to the resort that day without visiting old San Juan.

What went right:

1. I flexed my writing muscles as soon as I got an opportunity to write down all my observations. So the things that went wrong provided fodder for a short story.
2. Our room was awesome with a view of the pools and the ocean. We ate breakfast on the balcony every morning.
3. The resort's amenities and service exceeded our expectations.
4. We found our way to old San Juan after all, and the trip was worth the forty-five-minute drive.
5. The rain forest was located about fifteen minutes from our resort. We saved a boat-load of money touring it ourselves instead of signing up for an excursion.
6. We found a few bargains at the outlet mall nearby. I mean, who doesn't love a bargain?
7. I received an email from the airline apologizing to us for the delay in leaving, and yes, you guessed it...they offered us a discount code for our next flight.
8. After the initial set-back, we spent a lazy week in the warm climate, away from the snow and freezing rain, with the sound of the ocean in the background. Bliss...