Hi friends! It’s been a long minute since I’ve posted, but I’m very happy to be back today linking up with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday.
A Quick Update
Wow, life sure got very busy during the last couple of weeks of March at work with writing Learning Outcome Summaries and parent-teacher interviews. Once that was all finished, I finally had the brain space to really start concentrating on getting ready for our trip to Singapore and Japan.
Luckily, I took an extra week of leave before our trip so I could get organised. This was probably the best decision ever. While I was still working, I just couldn’t focus on anything except work. My brain doesn’t seem to multitask big things like work and trips. I need to compartmentalise them.
It’s funny because I can handle the day-to-day things just fine. But when I’ve got something big coming up, everything else just takes a back seat. I end up needing to fully focus on one thing at a time.
Am I the only one like this?
Switching Off From Work
Once my leave actually started, though, I had no trouble forgetting all about work. I flipped that switch and got straight into holiday mode, no worries at all.
I was excited about going away, but at the same time, I was anxious about the flying part. Thankfully, this time I wasn’t as bad as I was for our trip to the USA in 2025, when I felt physically ill every time I thought about getting on a plane. Instead, I found myself getting anxious about why I wasn’t as anxious. Oh my goodness, this brain of mine!
Flying Anxiety
I’ve worked out that the anticipation of taking off is worse than the actual event. Once we’re in the air, I’m usually fine and just pretend I’m on a train, but that initial moment just freaks me out!
The good news is that it all went well, and although I quietly cried at every take off, I didn’t on our return flight. I think by then we’d done three flights and I was too tired to be scared. Or maybe I was getting the hang of it. Go me!
Trip Prep
I made so many lists. Lists for what to pack, outfit possibilities, places to visit, what to eat, what not to forget, shopping lists, and lists to remember where I put my lists. You get the picture.
I tried the Sudoku packing method, and while it looked and sounded great on Instagram (doesn’t everything?), I couldn’t stick to the three grids. I added another grid, and then another, so in the end, I guess my method was more crossword puzzle than Sudoku. Maths was never my favourite subject anyway.
Staycation Before We Left
We knew this holiday was going to be very full on and that we would be packing in as many sights as possible in 13 days. So Steve and I decided to do an overnight staycation in the city four days before we flew out.
The Fullerton Hotel Sydney
We stayed at the Fullerton Hotel Sydney in Martin Place, which was the perfect way to relax before we walked those daily gazillion steps. Haha, I had that song by The Proclaimers in my head on loop for most of the trip. “And I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more…” Well, we sure did!
So it was a good thing we got to enjoy some calm, peaceful times in such a beautiful hotel.
What a great view of the GPO Clock Tower.
This was the view from our table at the restaurant. It reminded me of the concert hall scene from The Sound of Music, and I half expected the Von Trapp children to come out singing at any minute.
More To Come
I’ll be sharing a few travel recaps over the next few posts. I’ve also shared some photos and reels on Instagram. But I’m not great at keeping up with social media, so I’m still catching up on those. Better late than never, right? Haha.
Thanks for reading today. I hope you have a lovely day, and I’ll be back soon with more.
Happy Monday!
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