Couch Surfing

So that little stumble I had on the way home last Tuesday night has put me on the couch. I am managing to get to work and complete my duties there in a brace but other than that I mostly move from the couch in front of the tv to the couch by the window to read. I've finished two books already; one about the Royal Kumari of Kathmandu (by an ex-Kumari - living goddess) and another beautiful pictorial book by a group who walked much the same trek as us to Base Camp. It bought back so many memories of both the beauty and the hard slog.

I'm pretty sure I have a torn medial cartilage in my left knee, something I have been managing since November but now impacting on everything I do. It is amazing to think you can climb to the top of Kala Patthar one week and be on the couch so soon after. I've found some rehab exercises to do while I await the specialist appointment Thursday week. And I made it to the pool yesterday while Eric went walking with the usual Monday group. 

It is good to see so many fresh faces in the group but Peter and Eric were clearly outnumbered in terms of gender and it is very obvious to us here, that the company are actively recruiting a younger staff. Perhaps our days are numbered. Peter is still here. He can stay up to a month after his employment pass expired on the 4th Jan and then has to leave and return as a tourist. He is investigating employment options and also starting his own business. Keeping pretty mum about it all as you would expect. I'm sure he is feeling it though, not having much purpose each day in this dollar driven society. While I adjusted to being a 'wife of' in Malaysia with that whole community of others in the same position, he is on his own. It is a big adjustment and one he wants to transition out of pretty quickly. Meanwhile, this week he has become a grandpa for the first time so that has added a nice distraction. His son Tim is teaching in Korea this year but the baby was born in Ireland, that being the homeland of his wife Naomi. After the holidays they will return to Korea but then hope to come back to Singapore in July. 

So with this time on the couch I have started looking ahead to the March holiday. We are thinking it might be good to get to Myanmarr before the elections later in the year. March and April are usually the hottest months of the year when temperatures can reach 40 deg but our itinerary will take us north which will hopefully be cooler than the southern lowland and coastal regions. In Yangoon we can expect higher humidity and temperatures in excess of 40°C at that time of the year.

Thinking about regional elections (excluding Australian, I don't want to get into that state of affairs in this blog, ties my stomach in knots) I feel optimistic about the outcome of the recent election in Sri Lanka and the peaceful handover of office. The outgoing president may have gained a lot in terms of achieving peace with the Tamils after 37 years of civil war in his early reign, but it appears that then power went to his head and he lost his way. There is still a lot to do to steer the country forward and it was time for a new leader. I was particularly happy to hear that Packer's licence to build a Crown Casino would be rescinded. Like they need a casino! 

We finished up the weekend at Sque Bar in Clarke Quay. Eric ran a social committee meeting there and Heather and I went along to enjoy the ambiance at a discreet distance and then joined them for a meal. The committee have a mix of old and new faces so should come up with a plethora of activities to stop us from becoming mouldy (like some of our leather objects at this time of the year).