Musings from the Empty Nest 1

When I see, or am in the company of, infants/toddlers/pre-schoolers in all their hyperactive glory, all I can say is:

"Thank God I don't have to go through that again."

Amen.

Staying Connected

The wonders of technology...this morning, we watched a live feed of Jason Mraz performing at Madison Square Garden in New York City.  Z in Indiana, W in Boston and me, in Hong Kong.

We were able to chat on Facebook during his concert, commenting on his performance & the music & the background musicians.

I love technology.

:)

Random Observations

Things I've noticed since arriving in Hong Kong:

• at 5' 4", I tower above the average HK adult female (this is most obvious while standing in the MTR)
• the streets of HK are as crowded as the streets of NYC
• the pedestrians on the streets of HK are less orderly than those on the streets of NYC 
• taxi drivers drive like hellions whether it's on a straight stretch of highway or on the winding hilly roads of the Mid Levels
• I hear a lot more Mandarin now compared to a few years ago
• people moan about the air pollution in HK.  But I say you ain't seen pollution till you've seen it in Beijing
• there are a lot of androgynous-looking people here (not a judgement, just an observation)

Election Fever

The final count is happening now.  Despite having lived in the USA for several years, I never quite "got" the election process.  Electoral college, popular votes.... to me, it doesn't quite make sense.  I know the history of how this process came about, but for heaven's sake, we are living in the 21st century now.  I am sure there is a fairer (and more democratic) way of voting.

And partisan politics is just messed up.  You do something because it makes sense, not because it's the Democratic or Republican stance.  Sometimes when I watch some of the campaign speeches and ads, I just want to put on my maternal hat & say, "Now, children, play nice and work together....you'll probably end up achieving better results that way."

Long Distance

Unless you live under a rock, you probably know that "Frankenstorm" has been in the news the last several days, with storm watches going on, up and down the East Coast of the USA.

 A & I have been watching the storm's progress because W is in Boston, living in a basement apartment & with flood warnings, & power outage warnings etc etc, we can't help but worry.

We've been IM-ng & Skype-ing with him regularly for updates & advice on what to stock up on and so on and so forth.  But W says, "Don't worry, I have it under control".

Thing is, the deal with parenting is that the worrying doesn't stop, & I think the degree of worry tends to increase exponentially with the distance between our offspring & ourselves.

Labels

I can safely say that for once in my life, I have time on my hands.  No deadlines, no work to get to, no schedules to follow, no school events to organize.  It has been liberating but at the same time, I feel myself at loose ends, trying to find myself again - no, let me re-phrase that: trying to re-define myself.  It's a bit like adolescence but without the angst & anxiety; having the life experiences & maturity that comes with age tampers down the extremes of emotions that seems to come with raging teenage hormones.

I have been a Daughter, a Student, a Doctor, a Wife, a Mother.  These labels came/come with attending responsibilities & duties.  I am still all that but now, for the first time, I can put Me on top of the list.  

Travel Weary

Seven flights in three months = pedal oedema

Time to listen to my body and take a break from globe trotting.

Crowded

I am in Singapore this week.  It astounds me how much the population has grown.  There are more people, more traffic, more new buildings.  Also, more expensive cars, more expensive homes.

This does not feel like home anymore.  It's just too much.

Heading home

Two more days and A & I head back to the fragrant harbor.  I, for one, am tired of living out of a suitcase.  It's been almost two months since I left HK with W.  We have spent time with my MIL in NYC, my sis in TX, and in motels/hotels in Beantown, running errands, setting up living spaces, etc etc.

I have spent more time abroad than I have in our new "home" in HK.  I have yet to physically and psychologically assimilate myself & I know that I need to do that soon as part of the moving-on process.

HK here I come (again).

Letting Go

So today is the day we leave W in Beantown to start his independent life as a college student.

No tears or histrionics for me, I think.  I have mentally prepared myself for this over the last several months.  Being here to help him set up his apartment and making sure that everything is OK has helped with the transition (both his & mine!)

So here we go....a new phase in my life.

Let's roll.

Transitions 2.0

More than two years ago, we sent Z off to college.  He has done well, made friends, enjoying his courses.

Now, it's W's turn.  We have arrived in Boston, having driven four hours in a fully loaded car from NYC.  Orientation starts this weekend & A & I will leave just over a week from today.

I am not sure if it will be easier or harder this time around. I think I will be fine as long as I don't start thinking too much about the separation.  And as long as my imagination doesn't run away with me.

Da***d difficult to blog using an iPhone hence the radio silence.

More when I am connected again ...

Summertime

It's been a scorcher of a summer so far.  We've been here for about a month: New York City, Boston and now Houston. The heat seems to follow us & I long for the colder weather of winter to come.  

We have been getting things ready for W to move into his apartment when he starts college in a couple of weeks.  It's a tedious process.  Utilities, internet & cable service, furniture & so on & so forth.  I am hoping that W will be self-sufficient when he is on his own, like his older brother.  He tells me repeatedly that he'll be fine.  I can't help worrying.

He is my baby after all.

To 'E' or not to 'E'

I am currently reading this book.

A friend passed it to me before we left Beijing, together with its sequel.

I was initially reluctant to bring it with us to HK given the amount of stuff that we already have & the limited storage capacity of our current abode

And also, I have, for some time now, with the MANY books that we've accumulated over the years, and the lack of shelf space in our bookcase, switched to electronic books in order to appease my never ending love & thirst for reading.  How about libraries, one may ask.  Well, libraries stocking English books in Beijing are not exactly easy to find, let alone bookstores with good stock of English books.  And besides, for me, a book is not just a book, but most of the time, it becomes an old friend that one wants to tuck away with the intention of re-visiting again sometime in the near (or far) future.  

Hence our problem with the overstocked book shelves.

In any case, I am glad that I did keep this book gift as it is an engrossing read (so far).  And there is something about reading a good old made-of-paper book that feels familiar & friendly, like putting on an old comfy sweater.  

Flying Away

In two days, W & I leave for the USA in the first leg of our summer travel which will eventually end up in Boston where W will be starting college.

So this is it then.  The start of our journey as empty nesters.  After settling W in, A & I are planning a short road trip down the northeastern coast of the US, just the two of us.  It'll be just us, once more, a chance for us to rediscover ourselves as a couple, instead of as a nuclear family of four.  Oh, we will miss our boys and they will forever be a part of our family.

But this new beginning will be nice - a fresh start of new opportunities & experiences.

Hey World, here we come!

Mr A-Z

It's been six years since I've watched Jason Mraz perform 'live' on stage,  Tonight A & I watched him perform in HK at the Asia-World Arena, and what a show it was.

His talent has only grown & matured over the last several years.  The show he put on tonight was what I would call a "musician's" show, with a full band including a brass section and strings & keyboards.  Very unlike the one he put on in 2006 with Toca Riviera but just as entertaining.

His repertoire included oldies from his earlier albums including an emotional rendition of You & I Both, and Mr Curiosity.   Of course, he had to include the ever-popular "I'm Yours" (and the crowd went wild when he played the opening intro!), "Remedy", the song that first put him on the charts, and his latest hit "I Won't Give Up".

But my favorite of the night, which almost moved me to tears was "93 Million Miles" as its lyrics touched a chord in my heart as W will be off to college soon, on his first step towards independence from us.

Enjoy....

Downsizing

The fact that we are empty nesters is brought to life quicker by the need to cull our belongings down to what the two of us will need in the immediate future. 

The rest of our belongings will have to be stored away somewhere until we finally find a home to call our own (if ever).

It's hard to compress 22 years of life as a family into a nuclear unit of two.

:(

The Art of Stacking

When moving into a tiny apartment, one needs to learn how to make use of all available space by learning the art of stacking.
Our household belongings arrived in HK this week & it has been a challenge trying to make everything fit into living space that is one third the size of our previous one, despite months of selling & scrapping & giving away our stuff.

One day at a time, one box at a time....

Sticker Shock

After 5 and a half years in China, it's hard for my brain to wrap around the price tags I see on groceries and foodstuff in the supermarkets, and the cost of food on the menus.

Yikes!

Here

So here we are, A & I, finally, in the Fragrant Harbor (aka Hong Kong).  Z has gone back to college for summer courses, and W remains in Beijing till the end of the month so that he can spend more time with his friends before heading here and then to college.

It's a taste of the empty nest for us.  And I have to say that it is nice, this free & easy feeling, just the two of us.  We are waiting for our shipment to arrive from; I will feel more comfortable then, when we have our "stuff" surround us in this tiny apartment which we will call home for now.

Maybe it's still the honeymoon period, and my brain hasn't quite wrapped itself around the notion of both the boys being out of the house.  But I'll enjoy it for now.