April 2007

This accident with Bruce has really shaken me up. I keep thinking about DJ and what I would do had he gotten into that accident and it freaks me out. Life does funny things to you. Now that I’m leaving for a year, I’m ultra emotional about all things important to me – my family, Andrew and my friends. I really want to maximize quality time with them. Sometimes it feels silly because I know I’ll be back in a year. It’s only a year!! Little Ms. Sentimental is rearing her ugly head.

But lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about Deej. We’re three years apart and he grew up with a completely opposite disposition from me. Whereas I was the worry wart, the controlling eldest child, really private, proper and polite – he was carefree, adventurous, very social and stupidly curious. He’s the kind of younger brother who nearly burns the house down and proudly talks about it years later. He loved fires, burning ants, playing in snow, bikes and anything to do with dirt and stinkiness. I was wondering the other night how many concussions he probably gave himself without anyone knowing it. All I can remember from our childhood in Calgary is him coming home sweaty, bruised, dirty or bleeding. In the winter he’d bury himself in a failed igloo project in our backyard. Come summer he’d roam the whole neighborhood on his bike for 12 hours, collecting bugs, building wooden jumps, going who knows where and with whom (while I sat in my room and devoured a novel a day – this is likely why I’m the more albino child between the two of us).

We’ve always been super close – I think that three years is a good gap between siblings. If I were to die tomorrow, my brother would be the one person who could truly say he knew all of me. He knows my tomboy tendencies, the insecurities that no one else can see but him, all the nasty little secrets I shared with him during our teen years (wow, we are BOTH in our twenties now! How the heck did that happen?!?). I’ll miss him much, especially now that we’re older and get along so well. We actually enjoy hanging out together (and I think he has finally forgiven me for all those times I tricked him into fetching things from me around the house as fast as he could because I was timing him! Hee hee!).

I’m so proud of him. He’s a sharp one, this kid! He’s got amazing business sense, is compassionate, family oriented, smart and is almost as good at reading people than I am (but not quite!). He’s intuitive, analytical, artsy, emotional and passionate. Watching him grow up has been a trial and a treat (but mostly a treat) and I’m excited to spend our adult years continuing with the stupid curiosity that fueled things like crazy carpeting down the basement stairs or Lysoling every hard surface in our house. There was also this one time when we somehow manage to lose a whole jar full of spiders… maybe that’s why he hates spiders now. We’re lucky Ma and Pa worked all day during the summers. I don’t know how we got away without breaking any bones!!!

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Dancing is probably one of my favorite things to do. It makes me feel happy and alive. It’s actually a wonder why I haven’t gone and taken lessons but I guess I’m not really into the more technical aspects of dancing – quite the opposite actually: I really love the free spiritedness of moving my body, feeling the beat and just letting go of all inhibitions. Despite this, I’ve really enjoyed watching ballroom dance shows like Dancing with the Stars! And THIS video made my jaw drop! I NEED to learn the samba and shake it like this! I’m so inspired and excited!

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So my year long transfer to London has been approved. I will be moving in July and over the past week or so, I’ve gone through a roller coaster of emotions regarding the change. On the one hand, I’m extremely excited to see Europe, to learn from my team mates in the London office and to live out a life that I’ve always dreamed of having since I was young. On the other hand, just as things start to settle down here at home with my family and with Andrew, I’m off shaking things up again. =) I’m scared, excited, scared, excited, back and forth every minute of each day. I know that it’s something that I have to do, that I’ll regret NOT doing but at the same time, it’s so easy to get used to the norm and become comfortable in the routines of daily life.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my apartment, I love living in SF, I LOVE California and the main reason I’m taking this London assignment on is the assurance that I’ll be able to come back to this life when a year is up. =)

It’s nice having 3 months lead time to prepare for such a move. It’s interesting how much quality time I’ve been able to spend with those I love knowing that it’ll be a while until we’ll have casual spontaneous dinners again. I want to resolve to live my life like this everyday – always counting each weekend, each day, each minute. It’s a wonderful way to look at the world and the people that make it such a happy place to be.

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I’ve been having a blast playing with my new prime lens and wow, does it take some wonderful pics! Tonight we went out for dinner at the California Cafe in Los Gatos. It’s been a while since we’ve sat down and chatted as a family and it was wonderful. Below are pics from the night plus a bonus one of Bear. Isn’t she gorgeous?!

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Andrew and I went to NYC for the weekend. It was FREEZING cold, really crowded and probably the most fun we’ve had vacationing together ever! It was 4 days of chaos, chilly winds, bus rides, subways, museums, food, food and food. We toured Uptown and Downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn. We shopped in SOHO, ate cupcakes and soup at the Chelsea market, dined over fondue on Park Avenue, visited MoMA, the Museum of Natural History, Madame T’s wax museum (where I got to kiss George Bush and Brad Pitt), the Empire State, Grand Central Station and the World Trade Center site. We basically took in the entire city and all its glory in less than 72 hours, with some time to spare for sleeping, eating and a Broadway show (The Producers)! We even got ourselves lost at sometime around midnight and were nearly killed in a dog raid in the subway systems (I’ve never seen so many police officers gathered in one place at one time!).

I love NY! It’s a walking city, with neighborhoods boasting their own personalities and flavors (I hate having to spell words like ‘flavours’ in American. Bleh to spellcheck!). I’ve fallen in love with the subway system and can’t fathom why city planners in the Bay Area can’t get their acts together and build something similar!

Mmmmm mmmmm mmmmm NYC. I think I’ll need a dose of you every year or so! I heart you!

Pictures will be posted in the next entry!!!

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It’s been another beautiful few days in this city that I love. Dad, Bear and I went downtown yesterday where we did some shopping. It was a gorgeous sunny day; Union Square was packed full of artists, tourists and locals taking in the breezes and sales. I got some great deals on summer clothing and Bear was able to charm many a people with her cute little face. It’s always an adventure taking her out in public. There hasn’t yet been an outing where she hasn’t been met with squeals of delight from both men and women. She really IS that cute!

After downtown, we went back to my apartment, had some snacks and watched some good ol’ Canadian hockey. I love hockey. Once you start, you can’t ever go back to watching basketball or baseball and feel that same intense energy and suspense that the Canadian ice sport brings. We had some Indonesian fried rice and orange chicken for dinner. Before dad left for home, we took Bear to Fort Mason – her favorite city bathroom.

This morning, Bear and I got out of bed at around 10 am and went to Fort Mason for about an hour. She LOVES it there. I let her off leash and she goes wild running up and down its hills. She usually finds another pup she can tease into chasing her for a few minutes. She has no interest in playing catch – she just likes running after things. =) For brunch, I went to the Lichee Table with some friends. Dim sum in the heart of North Beach. I took route 45 again – I love that MUNI line. I got off in the middle of Chinatown and I really wish I had brought my camera because the colors and the people I rushed passed were fantastic! I love this about San Fran – though it’s only 49 square miles, each neighborhood has its own flavour and you really feel like you’ve been transported to a whole new world. We sat for nearly two hours before visiting a few Chinese bakeries. I LOVE Chinese pastries. I came home with two loaves of raisin bread and something with red bean paste in the middle. =)

Now, Bear is a nappin’ beside me on the couch, I’m perusing the net and getting ready to go out for another walk down Union Street. We’ll visit a pet store and maybe I’ll end up getting her another obscure treat or toy. Spoiled! =)

It has been a great weekend!

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