It was Victoria Day not too long ago and I had gone shopping with my kids in hope to get them some summer outfit, you know how I am, I am someone who loved to be prepared and I want everything done like yesterday. I don’t believed in procrastination but I should have learned my lesson because shopping with the kids only means distraction because one wanted to look at Headphone Amps while another wanted to look at music cds and another wanted new sandals for the beach. So we didn’t end up buying alot of summer outfits but we sure ended up with a lot of musical stuff that I wasn’t planning to buy. I thought only the son would be into music but I guess I am wrong – the daughter is getting all hippy up these days too – carrying her guitar everywhere she goes.
One awesome reason to travel with the spouse is the retail therapy that I get from it. The spouse always feels bad to leave me alone in the hotel or to roam the streets while he had to work. But little does he knows that I craved my alone time so much, because I get to do whatever I want and see as many things as I liked without having to worry about whether he is bored or not. I get to spend whatever I want without feeling that his eyes is on me scrutinizing my every move – even though he doesn’t stop me from buying anything but I still feel guitly about spending so much money whenever he brings me along for his business trips. Loving that all my kids are teenagers to young adults now and we are free to do whatever we want if we choose to. When they were younger, we had to worry a lot about them first but now, they are practically their own
Yes – that’s the one – at the corner of Howe and West Georgia Street, me and my girlfriends had a date there today when I was in Vancouver with the spouse who was on business. So he went on his own business and I met with my old college friends and had lunch – one of them worked nearby and insisted that I tried it at least once – so we did. There was a line up but it was worth it, I didn’t take pictures of the grilled cheese I had because my hands were full with drinks and all – but I felt like we were all in college again. Ahhh – friends are so dear – but from a distance and once in a while its the best kind.
One has to visit Granville Island when you are in Vancouver – so everyone said. So here I am going to Grandville Island and it’s quite a busy and bustling place here especially the Farmer’s market in Granville.
Here’s the public market.
The Harborfront.
The famous Granville bridge.
And more boutique stores here
From the Farmer’s market.
Invited for a fashion show in Vancouver, the spouse decided that I should go as well, so here I am rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous. Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to post their many pictures on my blog that I’ve taken of them – awwww.. ! yer right! but it’s the company’s policy that we don’t do that – so I’ve to respect that. But I’m having a good time and more to come from Vancouver and of course meeting up with my girlfriends is always a plus for me.
I’m still buying books from the bookstore – go figure, but how can one resist a good bargain right ? for $2 a fiction book – why not? even if it was just for fun reading. Plus, I loved collecting books for I think every writer should be given a chance to be read – don’t you think so? Yes, I’m a sucker for supporting writers especially local writers or Asian ones – so if you see me buying a story book by an Asian writer you shouldn’t be too, too surprised. Currently, I looking for the ebook by Catherine Lim – her latest – Miss Seetoh in the World, although I prefer the hard copy but buying the hard copy is way too expensive plus shipping – so I think I will settle for the e book.
While I get easily infuriated by things around me or things happening to my family and friends – the spouse on the other hand is as cool as a cucumber because it really doesn’t concerns him he said. Sure, he said he understands the frustration that I feel but he is still pretty nonchalant about stuff that doesn’t directly affects him.
You would think that being as old as I am, I would be a lot wiser and way cooler than I am but I’m not. Too emotional and too much of a busybody is my nature I think – and speaking the truth or being straightforward can be quite dangerous because of the nature of my work. I remembered a long time ago the VP of a company I worked for wasn’t too, too happy that I wasn’t pleased with the computer desk he had placed in the office, he asked me for my suggestion but he wasn’t happy because he was a pretty old fashioned person who wanted a yes man/woman – unfortunately, I was not and never would be – so I didn’t get the promotion that I should have gotten.
On the other hand, the spouse gets promoted everytime and every other year it seems and the real reason now that I think a lot more clearly is he is nonchalant. If I could turn the clock back I wished I was more like my spouse – maybe I would have become a VP in the company by now instead of trying to be happy in my position but I’m just an unlikely candidate to butter up the boss – my problem ? too frank! – my downfall – too straightforward and not many people like that – not even your friends and family.
You would think that you can find an electrician to work on your wiring around the house easily in this town but we have been having a hard time finding a decent one that would charge reasonable prices. Well, we finally did – and we had some re-wiring done in the basement and we came home finding cable trays all over the basement as they weren’t done that day and when we wanted to watch tv in the tv room upstairs there was no power – JOY! so we pulled an extension wire from another room and turned on the tv that night. But it is fixed now and they couldn’t explain why and no one wanted to take responsibility for the no power situation. Oh well, now that the basement has been re-wired we can start using part of it as the kid’s study room – as they needed to be separated to concentrate on their school work. I guess when they are in their teenage years – you can expect a lot of squabbling and wanting space for themselves, so we finally relented and made room in the basement for another study – no more fighting over the study room or complaining that the other is making too much noise for them to concentrate on their studies.
I’m using the general term Chinese – for all Asians and American for all those not in Asia – as in Canada, Europe and even Saudi Arabia because when one thinking of marry overseas – people usually think about a Chinese marrying an American. I don’t know about others who got married to Westerners but I do have a relatively good life here – I have a spouse who takes care of the money aspect of the house and raising of the kids. The kids and I always have food on the table, we travel quite often and I have to say that I don’t really need to worry about superstitions and tradition that I would have to endure and carry on for the sake of being a Chinese.
Everything is very nontraditional here, even my in-laws don’t expect anything out from us nor do they need for me to cook for them or clean after them. I do not have to smile if I am upset with my relatives here nor do I need to be subservient because I’m the wife or woman at home, I speak whatever that is in my mind and my spouse don’t stop me from saying or doing anything.
Of course, marry overseas can be very hard emotionally and the food aspect can be a hard part too – you do not get the traditional food that you want from home no matter how you try to cook them yourself. As for our love life and sex life – the Western man is definitely more sensitive and don’t demand nor expect you to perform like a sex slave. The appreciate you when you are in bed with them and they are grateful that you are bearing their kids (but this is from my own biased experience). Overall, my experiences had been good – but I’ve heard other stories as well, so don’t just judge the book by its cover because every book has a different story.
When a friend or an extended family is sick, it’s very important to lend a hand and to show support because they go thru’ so much during times like that. No one wants to get sick nor feel sick – or do they want to trouble anyone but any kind of illness is very taxing not only to the person that is ill but also to the entire family and friends – especially if you have Mesothelioma cancer or any kind of cancer.
My grandmother died of cancer when I was very young, she was in the hospital for months – while my aunt on the other hand died very quickly of cancer. It was pretty hard on us all when they died, the shock, being angry and not having enough rest because we had to visit them twice everyday was pretty taxing. We didn’t get the support we wanted when we were kids, therefore, when a friend or family member is ill this way, I try my best to do whatever I can to support them. Food for the family, taking turns to visit them in the hospital or babysitting the kids – or doing laundry for the family, cleaning the house or checking if they needed bills to be paid or things to be mended. Yes, I do all that – some said it’s crazy but I don’t think it is – I think it’s most important to lend a helping hand in times like that. What about you? would you go beyond your call of duty to help a friend and an extended family?