my first foray

I just made reservations for my first trip. I am going to Chiang Mai Feb 3-8. My cousin Sue Maclachlan, has a son Andrew living in Chiang Mai. He teaches at the International School just north of the city. He lives there with his wife Mary and daughter Maeve. And my friend from Toronto (Wellspring), Ann Grant is visiting her son David, who lives in Chiang Mai with his wife and children. He edits the expat newspaper, I believe. So I am going to fly Friday night Feb 3rd arriving late, to be picked up by Andrew, thank you very much, spend the weekend with the Mac's and head in to downtown Chiang Mai to a hotel, to see Ann for Monday/Tuesday. I will fly back Wednesday. I am very excited, to see them , but more, because it was a big deal to make it happen. To book online from here is a maze. And when you think you are done, and give them your visa, you then have to make a form, with yet another password, because it is an international transaction, my visa being based in another country.
Because I am working with my "apple orchard", and so much is new, needing new passwords, which of course I can not remember, I cringe when I am asked for another password. I have a notebook here, and one whole page is passwords for all the new apple stuff, new banking stuff, now visa stuff. Tim and I   have 4 new phone numbers to remember HA, 8 digits long each of them. Oh my, I am being stretched.
Speaking of which, I headed off to a yoga studio, to inquire about classes, and purchase a yoga mat. I used my trusty iPhone with google map, to find my way there. Is that ever neat. Looks like a good studio, a 15 minute walk away, but no mats. "after New year" Everything is after new Year. The whole of Singapore, and I think, China, stops for New Year. It is HUGE. And in the taxi I will follow an app that is "where are you"and it shows you where you are going. So I may soon get an idea of where I am and where I am going. Being surrounded by expressways, I really have no idea where I am, am going, or have been.
My arms are better.The massage therapist mentioned carpal tunnel syndrome, and certainly from google it looks like what I have. So I am icing my wrists, taking ibuprofen and it is getting better. Of course, I am being very judicious about using the computer, too. So this will be short.
I went to a nursery and bought plants for our balcony. Bougainvillia (fuchsia), 2 palms and a cordyline (red), and they are gorgeous. My next apple project is to learn how to add photos to my blog. I want to show you my balcony. It does look great.
BUT, a thunder storm went through this afternoon and I thought all the furniture and plants were going to fly off the balcony. What a wind! What rain. And a clap of thunder right overhead that made me jump. It was almost scary. Particularly on the balcony at floor 23. I think I want to tie down the plants. One of the chairs went sailing across the deck. I wonder if they ever do fly off? 23 floors.
By the way, if you look up Singapore weather, it says thunder storms and 31' every day. I'm sure somewhere out in the ocean there is a thunderstorm every day but not here in the city. This was my first. I slept through (I slept through, HA) a doozey, the other night, so this was my first. It was amazing.
I am being nice to my wrists, so off I go.
Next entry will be Year of the Dragon. Happy New Year, again!