I was very happy to catch up with my lovely elderly friend, Aseah, originally from Malaysia, at Hyde Park. We meet up periodically for eating and chatting, be it in London or Malaysia when we are both on holidays.
I thought it would be cool to have her as a ‘guest’ on my Sunday Live weekly vlog chat and wanted her opinion about partying and festivals as an older, more mature woman. See what she has to say about partying till ‘late’ as I have had a few ‘tut tut’ moments from some disapproving people when they know I am still a festival going, party-loving mum of four in my forties.
I may not be a big tennis fan but I sure do love a good festival and party vibe. And that’s what’s happening in my little corner of South West London.
Wimbledon tennis championship is upon us. For 14 days in July 2018, we have hundreds of players and even more match officials mingling in our little village. In fact my next door neighbour has rented her house out to a bunch of young (may I add, quite cute!) French umpires. Last year it was doubles pair Martina Hingis and Zhang from China.
My back neighbour claimed that she’s bumped into Roger Federer in our local Sainsbury coolly buying some breakfast juice. Last year too there were some other ‘small’ players in our street as I kept seeing the fancy official Mercedes Benz limousines going back and forth in the street.
In 2016, the husband and I came home all dirty and muddy from Glastonbury on a Monday morning via the tube only to jostle with smartly dressed men and women with their white jackets and picnic baskets. I feel that Wimbledon is the only camping experience you’ll find where everyone comes out of it looking all fresh and clean. Very different from other camping festivals as you can imagine! 😉
Well, if it’s your first time this year to try your luck in queueing for tickets, I wish you all the best! Don’t forget to party along the way while waiting. Everyone will be exceptionally friendly and you might make one or two international contacts while there. Oh yeah and don’t forget your pretty little picnic basket complete with a pretty mat if you only want to buy the outdoor seating. It’s still a great atmosphere watching the match on big screens with hundreds of other fans cheering their favourite player on!
Fans queuing on Sunday night, ready to secure Centre Court tickets for Roger Federer
Another one of my Sunday Live video where I either go live direct on YouTube or has been the case recently, recorded and uploaded within 15 mins. I normally share with you what’s been happening in my week or my weekend.
This weekend is the beginning of Wimbledon Tennis Championship so we decided to have a picnic and enjoy the festive atmosphere while everyone else was busy queuing for tickets. While I was walking over to the park, I went on record. I have a question for all my parent readers. Or if you’re not a parent, still a question you can consider answering.
I am very blessed I feel, to come from a family that values health over money. As I mentioned in my video, my mother’s side is Indonesian and in that culture, we grew up with massages.
Babies get massaged as soon as they are born (within 3 days) and so are their mamas. Massage is an integral part of our emotional and psychological health as much as it’s great for physical health.
My children are so used to being massaged from the baby stage that now as school going children, they still ask for a massage when they are feeling a little stressed or under the weather.
Also, I’m a lucky mama! I can tap on them for a rub or two when I badly need a good rub and can’t be bothered to go anywhere. Yes, my 7 yr old son and 5 yr old daughter are pretty adept at it even at this young age!
Looking after our breasts is just as important as looking after our heart. As mentioned in the video, I was taught to think of breast cancer in a holistic manner, as part of my Yoga Therapist diploma.
If you haven’t seen the video, go on then. I urge you to let me share with you my techniques for keeping ageing of my considerably perky Cup C boobs at bay.
After a month of doing it 2x weekly, I would love to hear your experience.
P.S You will feel some aching and throbbing in the first week of doing this. If you follow my instructions carefully, you will first be releasing lots of lactic acids that’s been building up in your system.
The first in what will be a series of interview-style chats with women whom I think are amazing in their own rights.
The first one is a dear friend, Zahra Andersen. She is an Afghani Dane who is now based in London due to her husband’s job. She trained in Copenhagen as a Fashion Designer and started off as a stylist while building up experience and contacts.
I was asked initially to share my story of being an ethnic minority mum in Nappy Valley where there are so many known Yummy Mummies. What was it like to be the different one? When I already always feel different growing up. It’s not any easier navigating social circles when you’re older and still the minority in your next city. I’m so blessed though through Instagram and careful navigation of it, I’ve met a few wonderful women who themselves are either foreigners like me or they are ethnic minorities and understand what it feels like to be lonely, sidelined and misunderstood.
Please join me in flourishing the net with the hashtag #YouCanSitWithUsUK or #YouCanSitWithUsUS #YouCanSitWithUsAU (change the location to suit your country code) to show that you are accepting diversity and wants to promote inclusivity. No matter someone’s colour, Social class or status. We are all bleeding the same red blood and we all hurt the same way.
