Departure from SF

LEAVING SAN FRANCISCO

It took my whole village to get me packed up and out of San Francisco. Everyone pitched in in incredible ways. Miranda and Mel were the initiators, having taken my love-seat/arm chair a month prior and then another load of stuff later. Matt is storing my Honda Rebel. Raylan picked up my A/V electronics, whatchamacallems. Melody came by with baby Vivian to sweep up sentimental things that would have taken me days to pack which took her a couple of hours. Mei Li packed up more nitty gritty stuff and removed darn stubborn nails from the walls. Ulka and Claire took away car loads of STUFF. Donn was the most indispensable, helping me 3 days straight with everything and anything, from morning till midnight. Ernie helped by taking in my bed set, which Andrew and Donn helped deliver. Jim shreded/scanned important docs. Susan took some flower pots with her. Gita bought my deskset. I got to visit with Tsering, an old college friend, briefly with a load of household goods. Aumarie and Peter helped take in my last pile of storage items. And that was the only way I could embark on this journey physically...and emotionally.

I still can't get over how much STUFF I accumulated in the 8 years that I lived on Lone Mountain in the shoebox studio apartment. But there you have it. It's now all crammed into a 5' x 5' storage unit...and Miranda & Mel's house! Oh yes, and Ernie's spare bedroom! Thank you all, again and again.

Their physical assistance was enfolded in the emotional support I needed to get me going. It is largely because of all the wonderful people in my life that I've managed to get to where I am. Unemployed. Hahaha... just kidding. (Sense the nervousness?) Well, that was part of the game plan. It is because of the support of all these great friends and family that I found strength in myself to leave a job I've not been happy with for way too long, and to embark on this yogic sabbatical journey.


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NEW YORK

I've been in Nyack, NY for 4 days now with Elizabeth. Her house is absolutely adorable as is this quaint little town. I'm loving it here. It was just the right environment for me to come to after all the crazy hustle and bustle of packing up San Francisco. Today, we went for a long walk along the Hudson and watched "The King's Speech" - quite the apropos movie for my upcoming trip!

Last night, I went to a party at a neighbor of a friend of a friend's house in Brooklyn with Ben. No, that was not a typo. (Thanks, Melody!) It made me fall in love with Brooklyn. The variety of people at the party, the host, the food... the culture. I've never seen myself living in NY till last night. Ben was a great date too, coming along in the admittedly awkward circumstance! It was a lovely gathering and a wonderful way for me to start my state of unemployment!

This was taken by Ben somewhere in Soho shortly after my disengagement from Cengage.

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WHY THIS JOURNEY?

Why not?! I've been wanting to see more of the world for years...and I truly mean to see. To experience the culture, the people, the architecture, the way of life. And what better way than through the lens of an aspiring yoga teacher? Through my travels, I'm hoping to uncover a yoga path that I can hopefully carve into my future as a yoga teacher. Having just completed the 200-hr training, this is the continuous path of that learning, which I realize will be a lifelong journey.

In every town I visit or stay at, I'm hoping to both 1.) reconnect with an old friend, 2.) discover and learn about the yoga scene and make connections for furthering my path as a yoga teacher. The sight-seeing bit is largely the add-on! On the sidelines of all this, I'm exploring ways how my yearning to serve human rights at large may come into play with the focal point/trip eyed on Auschwitz in mid June.

In the Summer, I will end up back in my hometown of Penang, Malaysia. I will finally get to spend some unhurried, quality time with my Mom & Dad... something I've not been able to do since I left the country 19 years ago. In the 2-3 months, I also plan on visiting friends and yoga sites around Phillipines, Thailand and Bali.

Then ultimately, I will spend another 2-3 months in the Himalayas, primarily in Rishikesh. It looks like my yoga teacher friend, Catherine, will be there around the same time! I hope to visit with a college buddy in Nepal and then perhaps later in the year, end up in South India, towards Bangalore and Mysore.

It is an exciting time in my life. Thank you! I am so ever grateful to be able to embark on this journey.