“Are you free to babysit on Friday?”
“Err, do you mean like, little kids?”
The flashback to snotty noses and crying babes sent a cold shiver down my spine.
“Umm, no thanks,” I replied politely. “I’d rather stay home and study.”

“Excuse me,” I said, leaning over to the young man at the next table. “What does that sign say?”
“There’s a free yoga class here tonight from 6pm,” he translated for me. “You’re welcome to come along.”
Perfect timing, I thought. It’s just what I need to clear the jet lag after arriving in Lima, Peru earlier that day following a 17-hour flight.
Yoga in Spanish; now there’s a new experience.

I was a shy, introverted child and throughout my teens I drifted on the edge of social circles.
Surprisingly, for someone who’s more comfortable as a wallflower at parties and networking events, I’ve always ended up in jobs that required public speaking.
Perhaps I’m just a closet performer at heart.

“Who’s your guru?”
“I don’t have one.”
The young truckie gasped audibly.
“What Teachings do you follow, then?”
“None in particular,” I responded, “I’m open-minded to all ideas and beliefs.”

_ For the record, I have no plans for 2012.
I’m making this public as it’s the first thing people ask now that we’re at the start of a new year.
So what’s in store for me in 2012?  I have no idea.

_Blink. Where did 2011 go?
In fact, where has the last decade gone?
It’s just flown by, even though I’ve tried to borrow it, waste it, make it, speed it up, slow it down or kill it.
After all these years, however, I've given up trying to manage it. Heck, most of the time I don’t even know what day it is.

“And this,” I said, indicating the rows of shelves, “is where we keep the ashes.”
“Ashes?” gasped the new receptionist, slowly backing out of the room. “You mean… of dead people?”
“Well, yes. We’re just across the road from the crematorium.”

When I was 15 I had a single-minded vision: I wanted to be a journalist.
There were no other options.
I was so focused on this goal that I selected only one preference as my choice of further study when I sat for my final high school exams.

October 1991: I was on a raft, floating down a river in Nepal, the Himalayan mountains towering majestically above me. I was in that hazy, dreamy state, feeling tranquil and highly receptive to an epiphany…
“Forward paddle, forward paddle!”
Our river guide’s orders jolted me back to reality. We were about to propel ourselves into the swirling waters ahead of us. I gripped the oar and wedged my foot against the inside of the raft.
This was no time for daydreaming - the epiphany would have to wait.