Easter. For most people in the West, it's just another long weekend and thank goodness it's finally here, oh please don't end so soon. For actual practising Christians it's a long waited holiday after forty days of Lent during which they would have, each in their own ways, tried to cleanse their souls and be and do good in the eyes of their God. I confess that I haven't been as diligent as I should have been in keeping up with my faith the past month and a bit; I didn't fast from meat and café trips as I said I would. However, it has been an interesting weekend full of reflections, indeed.

Good Friday and Saturday I worked in the mornings, but also had the time to... No, let's start from Thursday evening. At the end of a short working week, I came out from the office wondering how better to organise my tasks so I show better consistency in my good sales across the whole week, not just in a few days in between. It's awfully easy to see the progress of your performance when you work in sales. But then again, I would rather put value in my customers as people than in how much they mean to the company. Anyway, on Thursday evening I met a very interesting person. B has been travelling extensively across the world, choosing his destinations on whims, for the past decade. It's the life I've been day dreaming of, of going around the globe finding any work that would pay the living costs while learning about the culture in that city. When you feel it's time to move on, off you go.

But B's version of free living is more extreme than mine would ever be. He has had a regular salary only once in his life. He believes in leaving as little carbon footprint behind him as possible, so he does not eat meat nor does he buy anything new if he can help it. He hasn't bought a single piece of new clothing for years. I love op shopping, but my version seems so middle class compared to his. I bought a skirt this week for $23 from a high end secondhand designers store. What a bargain, I thought. I also bought a backpack at a $80 discount, new, and am very happy with my purchase. B, on the other hand, hunts his shopping from the dollar bins, and only if absolutely necessary. I normally pride myself in being quite the minimalist with my posessions, but I realised while spending time with him that I could really do better. Not that I feel guilty for all my luxuries of the 'poor' middle class, but I do live very comfortably in the central city with a pool, a gym and a tennis court at my disposal in the apartment complex. Actually, what I did feel guilty of was that I'm getting too comfortable with my life at the moment, like I could settle down here. No! I want to see more and do more before letting myself have coffee table books (which I really want, but feel now is not the time). All the plans I have got for myself - to go to South America, see Salar de Uyuni, Iguaçu falls, Patagonia, for starters.. If I don't do them now (soon) I know I will regret it later.

On Friday and also on Sunday I cleaned the apartment, taking advantage of my flatmate being away. After all, Easter is about cleansing and the bathroom especially wanted a scrub. A clean bathroom makes me feel so good; better than a clean kitchen. Cleaning is a bit like going to the gym, it's hard to get started on but I quite enjoy it and it definitely satisfies you after everything's sparkling clean. One difference would be that I could go on and on exercising that I wouldn't be able to in cleaning, but you see surer and more instant results with the latter. As a treat C and I went for a dip in the apartment pool afterwards. I love being surrounded by the serene coolness. I would not survive for long away from the waters, be it a beach, a lake, or a swimming pool.
Easter is about enjoying and celebrating too. C and I listened to good music eating Hungarian langos at Silo on Saturday, before going to the night market in Pakuranga. It was my first night driving in Auckland and driving someone else's car is not always easy. But it was fun, because I miss driving so much - so much! We ate so much at the market that I actually felt a bit sick afterwards. I've been pigging out lately. On Sunday we went to a catch up dinner to see an old friend where I could not finish my pizza and kir drink. Unbelievable. It was weird happy sad seeing the old friend looking the same but different and obviously more mature, with another life in another environment, for the first time in years.

I guess I must have seemed the same to him, though. Especially since we hadn't been really in touch while apart. That's how we evolve in life, and lets us meet new people and be open to new things - new environments, and life itself. It was A's birthday this weekend as well and he thought we would still be the same in ten years' time but I told him that I am sure we would not be - we couldn't be, with all the things I would have experienced in that time! Well, today is the last day of the Easter holidays and T and I are going rock climbing. I haven't been in years, so it should be fun.

This Easter.. has definitely made me think of a lot of things. Like, can't believe it's April already!!!