Transitions

It's that time of year again, of teary farewells, goodbyes & Bon Voyages.

We are a transient population, the Expats. The four walls & roof within and under which we live is not really a home. It is the things we surround ourselves with - the myriad belongings, pictures of family & friends, memorabilia collected from each location we have lived in or visited - that makes it Home.

Like the hermit crab carrying its shell on its back, we lug these precious possessions wherever we go, our scrapbook of Life made up of bits & pieces of our experiences.

Goodbyes have become a regular occurrence. Some friends we may never see again, except on Facebook or some other social networking website. Others will remain lifelong buddies whom we may meet again on another continent.

Such is the nature of our existence....and I would never regret it for a second.

You & Me*

*warning - this post contains what some may consider sentimental drivel. But it can't be helped as aliendoc goes through an upcoming life-changing milestone. Bear with me, please.


"It was just you & me, kid. You kept me company when Daddy went off to work. Me, in a foreign (at the time) country, with no family nearby for support. You were what kept me occupied 24/7. You, me and the daytime talk shows, that is. For the first two years of your life, before your little brother arrived, we were everything to each other, an almost inseparable pair.

Look at you now, all grown up, ready to strike out into the Big World out there.

Part of me still wants to keep you close, like during those precious early years. But I know, you have to go, and let you go I must.

The special link between you & me will always be there. Never forget that.

I love you, kiddo."

Separation Anxiety

It's starting to sink in.

My boy is leaving the nest very soon. I guess I have been in denial these past months, but now, looking through his housing options in the university that he will be attending, I am suddenly struck by worrying questions.

"Will he like his room mate?"

"Will he eat healthily?"

"How will he like the college?"

"Will he make good friends?"

There is an almost physical pull where my heart is, and a lump in my throat when I think of the looming inevitable separation that will happen in a few months.

It is a fact of life, this rite of passage. However it is made worse by the fact that we will be geographically so far apart, on opposite sides of the world.

He will be fine. I know that. He is prepared to claim his independence.

But that doesn't make it any easier for me.

I can't imagine how much harder it will be when my younger son goes off to college in a couple of years.

Impressions from China - Shooting the Breeze

Seen on a suburban road of Beijing.

Gives a whole new definition to the term "Convertible".

Crafty - Quilting

From this...

...to this...
...to this...

I am amazed by the way how such diversely different pieces of fabric can come together to form one beautiful quilted throw. How nice it would be if society could do the same.

I am even more amazed that I did it.
Me.
Who hasn't touched a sewing machine since Home Economics class in Secondary 2.

Wonders never cease.

Some of the fabric I used was taken from the sarong material belonging to my late grandma, which gives it a meaningful touch. This will be a special gift to a special person.


More crafty projects in the works....stay tuned...

Oolala 2

Watched Iron Man 2 again this past weekend. Did I say that Robert Downey Jr is sexy as h***?

Oh yeah, I did.

:)

Also, I can't help but keep staring at Mickey Rourke's clubbed fingers & wondering how damaged his body is from his previous "lifestyle of excesses".

Ooolala

After watching "Iron Man 2", I find Robert Downey Jr. sexy as h***.

(Hey, I am married but that doesn't mean I am deaf, dumb & blind).

;)

(...and he's a pretty good actor as well...)

AP Calc B/C

This is a summary of what my #1 son had to study for his AP Calculus finals last week.

Once upon a time, I think I knew some of this. I vaguely remember some of these formulae. Sadly, it is mostly gone from my neurons now. Age & disuse, you see. Never did quite need Calculus in Medical School. Nor in real life.

Just goes to show....when we (some of us, anyway)were struggling with this eons ago, and were cursing & swearing at the reason why we needed to learn it when we were never going to use it again...well, we were right.

Unstoppable

Spring is truly here, but it now feels like Summer. The locals say that in Beijing, Winter transitions straight into Summer & it certainly feels like it right now.

I want Time to slow things down a bit! It's just one month to our first born's graduation from High School and a few months later, he enters into a new independent life as a college freshman. He will be literally halfway across the world from us, making new friends, establishing a new foundation for his own life as his own person.

My head has always known that this is inevitable, but I think my heart is still in denial.