The Seat in the Middle

Author: Janice

  • Why I Was In HK to Catch a Concert

    Why I Was In HK to Catch a Concert

    Seeing Stars!

    I decided to travel to Hong Kong shortly after a trip to Queenstown, NZ, from 21-25 December 2016. The last time I visited Hong Kong was in 2013, so it’s been 3 years.

    I must confess that I was more interested in attending the Jacky Cheung Classic World Tour in Hong Kong on Christmas Eve than shopping, and I was not disappointed. Jacky’s vocals were smooth and powerful as he performed renditions of classic songs I’d listen to on the radio I my teenage years. My favourites were “她来听我的演唱会”, “伤离别” and “李香兰”！The lyrics of these songs stirred up a reservoir of emotions within me as I sat in my seat, captivated by the beautiful vocals and lighting effects all around me.

    This brings me to my next point. Why would I pay to attend a concert here in Hong Kong Coliseum when I could have waited for him to stop by in Singapore next February? The last I heard, the tickets have been sold out and are worth as much as $700! It made perfect sense to pay $200 for a ticket and $500 for my airfare to Hong Kong in this case. I definitely had no regrets making my decision. Furthermore, it is always fun to go together as a group, and in my case, 8 of us in my care group went for the concert together. It was simply a night to remember!

    Some of us bought star shaped light sticks which we waved enthusiastically during the concert. Talk about seeing stars indeed! We got more than what we bargained for this round. By the end of the concert, we were star struck and starry-eyed!

    At the end of the concert, we walked all the way from Hung Hom station to Tsim Sha Tsui station, enjoying the sights and sounds of the locals carolling on the streets. Just seconds before Christmas, we saw a sign board counter indicating the countdown to Christmas, and being joyful tourists and Christians, we cheered and wished one another a Blessed Christmas. Most certainly, this is one memory that will go into my bucket list, kept safely within the treasure trove of memories I’ve accumulated over the years.

     

  • Going Solo

    Going Solo

    Nope, I’m not about to do a book review of one of my favourites from Roald Dahl’s selections but I’m here to tell you about my experience of going solo in 2016. 

    “Please don’t put such ideas (of flying solo) into my wife’s head. Thank you.”

    “Aren’t you bored or lonely eating and sightseeing by yourself?”

    These were the comments that I received when I announced that I was going solo for the very first time in my life in June 2016. While it was true that Tokyo is possibly my favourite city in this part of the world, and I’ve made countless trips there, the thrill of going places all by myself was irresistible. I’ve never regretted that solo trip, so let me share with you the reasons that made my trip memorable and enjoyable. 

    1. Staying connected with friends.

    Even though I was far away on my own, I was in constant contact with a colleague who made sure I wasn’t too bored and that I was alright. She would text me to ask if I had arrived safely at the airport and whether I had checked into the hotel. It’s always nice to know you’re in someone else’s thoughts when you’re worlds apart for a few days. 


    2. The excitement of being unsupervised.

    I was free to go anywhere I wanted, and I did not have to report to anyone. I could stay out all day at the Oedo Onsen Monogatari, DisneySea and Tokyo Skytree, and there was no one to tell me I could not do this or that. Suddenly, I had to make every decision myself.. where to go, how to travel, what to eat and what to buy. That sense of entitlement felt empowering, to say the least. 🙂 


    3. The comfort and cleanliness of a hotel just beside the train station.

    This has always been a top priority in all of my travel plans. If I’m headed for Tokyo, Omori Tokyu Inn would have been my number 1 choice, but this time round, it was fully booked, so I settled for the Akihabara Washington Hotel, which was situated near the Akihabara station. It was convenient and accessible, as the station was on the Yamanote line, which was a popular line in Tokyo for many tourist attractions and places for shopping. 


    4. Craving for sweets duly satisfied!

    I was pleasantly surprised to discover the recently popularised Pablo cheesecake shop near my hotel! Pablo is famous for the way we could have our cheesecakes – medium or rare. I’m not a dessert connoisseur, but you can serve me desserts all day and I would never say no! 


    5. Collecting Starbucks souvenirs.

    I’m a fan of Starbucks, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a beautiful array of designs across the tumblers in Starbucks. Each depicted a different prefecture in Japan, and I was impressed by the symbols and colours chosen for each of them. In the end, I picked 3 to take home with me – Kyoto, Senda and Nagoya, simply because I was drawn to the regal and bold colours of gold, black, real and aquamarine. Nagano would be an excellent choice as well, but I decided not to give in to temptation. Who knows, perhaps in the not so distant future, I’ll get a few more tumblers, and if I’m ever so lucky, I’ll get the cherry blossom ones too! 

    I could wax lyrical about how I’ve fallen in love with Japan, and I am happy to report that even for the hubs, it’s the same! It’s the first time that I’ve gone off on my own without him, but because it’s Japan, I’d do it all over again without batting an eyelid. 

    So go on, I encourage you to consider going solo, because Y.O.L.O, and there is no better time than now to do it.

    Get ready to live, laugh and love, and discover the joy of independence while going on an adventure of a lifetime.

  • Something to Give Thanks for This Holiday Season

    Something to Give Thanks for This Holiday Season

    An attitude of gratitude is what keeps the heart, mind and soul going in the face of adversity. Many people would have celebrated Thanksgiving Day four days ago (24 November 2016), and reminisced pleasant recollections that have enriched their lives and nourished their souls. Thanks to the advent of technology, an app on my mobile phone led me to an interesting daily devotional titled ‘Game of Thanks’. The devotional goes on to explain how participants are invited to play a game in which they recount blessings and share them in a group without repeating what others have mentioned so they would not be eliminated from the game.

    In the light of recent events and learning to accept outcomes for which I have no control over, my Thanksgiving List is, at best, a short and contrived one. It speaks volumes of the struggles, fears and pain from having to fight tough battles every other day. It is not easy to be thankful when life deals with you cruelly, seemingly taunting you for not quite making the cut. Sadly, there isn’t a sure-fire recipe that teaches us to handle the vicissitudes of life, and many times, we succumb to the pressures and negatives around us.

    Despite being aggrieved by a series of unfortunate events in 2016, there is comfort in knowing that I have never walked alone all this while. I may have faced countless times of rejection, disapproval and judgment from those who may not understand what I have gone through, but it does not change the fact that God is good, and I have been well supported.

    Thanksgiving twenty-sixteen was one of those days that felt like a perpetual winter. I was trying to take in all of the disappointment, frustration and sadness tied to an outcome I did not want to acknowledge – that I was deemed to be unworthy of all that my heart desired.

    Yet, despite being in that moment of despair, I am choosing to be grateful for these little things that remind me there is beauty in fragility and of the value of hope that arises through the fiery trials of everyday life:

    1. The comforting text from a friend who was worried about me while she was enjoying her vacation in my favourite country, Japan

    2. The solid presence of a loving spouse who isn’t afraid of being cut by the broken pieces that define me

    3. The surprising online ‘tribute’ which is a rather delightful description to read, artistically crafted by a treasured friend

    4. The invitation to collaborate on thoughtful musings with two of my favourite people in the world

    These little blessings remind me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, complete with both strengths and shortcomings and a bearer of joy, hope and resilience to all who cross paths with me. It is my hope that you, my reader, will appreciate every flicker of hope that ignites in your heart when you count your blessings, like I do, every single day. What about you? What do you give thanks for? Do leave a comment below.