The Reincarnation of Peggy Proud *

Every couple of years I have the chance to reinvent myself.  I can choose the language to describe me, the wardrobe, the herstory.  This time is especially poignant as the I am the big 5-0.  So who do I want to be this time?  Well, I don't to totally discard what has come before but it's beginning to dawn on me that there is not much time left to become who you are.  Hence, for example, if I want to call myself an "artist" then I better well get on it, start saying it and believing it.  (I have always found that if you say something out loud then you have a "witness" to it and then you are obligated to follow through.)

So what am I going to be this time?  It's hard because my role as active, full-time mother is winding down,  G is on board for a housekeeper, and at this stage I'm not so keen on subbing at the school.  It sure would be a lot simpler if things were done the Korean way where when you are a baby five things are put out in front of you, and the first thing you pick is your career path.  At least if you weren't happy down the road, you would have an idea of what you didn't want to be!

"What the heck does a stone represent?!"

I think this is one of the problems with "passing".  I don't mean it in a racial way but in a life way.  Some people don't get to know in this life what their calling is, they might have a hint and subconsciously be working toward it but they ain't there yet.  So I figure to make up for this kind of karma they get to pass..like pilgrims on a trek.  (I don't know what character in"The Canterbury Tales" I would be, the ribald, bawdy suburban housewife perhaps?  Nah...) So maybe getting my karmic house in shape is the order of the day.  Yet as I write this, it seems a bit defeatist and I'm an eternal optimist if nothing else! "What to do, what to do?"

*my apologies to Peter Fonda

Monday Morning Blues!

This is how I'm feeling today!

Last Thursday all our junk showed up.  I was happy at first.  It always feels like Christmas initially, but like the buckets of water in The Socerer's Apprentice, it just kept coming and coming!  So since then we've been unpacking and regretting our choices!  "Why did I bring a box of snowboarding pants?  Was I drunk?" Anyway here are a few shots of the process. 

Here is soil horizon A!

"Where did Mika go?"

No, your eyes aren't playing tricks...Nick is still in the same position!

It wasn't all drudgery though.  G took us out for a very nice buffet dinner at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel.  It is a very posh hotel nearby.  The food was awesome and get this...Nick tried sushi!! This was only after he ate buttered spaghetti and white rice with ketchup!  Gawd can you imagine doing that in Asia?  It reminds me of when we were kids and we would drown Uncle Ben's Converted rice in "China Lily" brand soya sauce. "Shudder!"

Older home across from the park.

The boys started school on Monday and seem relatively okay with the place and their classmates.  The class size is very small, 12-15 students and it is an IB school so some chaussettes are really going to have to be pulled up!  Physically it is very much like ISKL but smaller.  The classes are predominantly Sri Lankan or Indian kids so they have a different ethnic mix and feel to ISKL and Tyee where Asian students were the largest groups.

G and I went for a walk the other day and saw a few interesting sights.  We headed out without a map (as usual) and thoroughly enjoyed it.  It's so great to be able to walk somewhere and then just hop in a tuktuk and be back home in a flash!  Here are some of the sights we took in.

Down a little alleyway.

Part of a hospital complex.

Mosque downtown.

In a bathroom.

Across the alley from our place.

 More to come as I get all the admin kind of stuff out of the way.

"Same as it ever was..

Okay, reality rears it's ugly head.  I'm hot and sweaty.  I don't have any of my stuff/shit.  I am trapped at home with 2 teenage boys and my ATM card does not work.  I fear that we're going to have to live "on the economy" as they used to say in Korea.  That is a lotta dahl!

We went to school for interviews and let's just say they were less than stellar!  The campus though was very nice and quite familiar.  "Why?"  Well, the layout is similar to ISKL.  The traffic was crazy but it gave us a chance to find "GONUTS", a drive through donut shop and the "Coffee bean and Tea leaf". I spent many a pleasant hour there in Singapore.  It was also easy to see how gracious old Colombo must have been.  There are heaps of lovely looking houses and massive Banyan trees.  There are also several lakes in the city, granted the water is an unbelievable green but still lovely!

We ventured out the other night to "Barefoot"(barefootceylon.com).  It is a famous shop here in Colombo. They have a courtyard cafe and that night they were showing "Searching for Sugarman".  It was a great film but the evening was so surreal.  Sometimes you find yourself having a "Talking Heads" moment...

"You may find yourself in a beautiful house with a beautiful wife 

You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here? 

Today dawned a bit better as we got cash last night.  I'd really hate to have to break one of the kids' limbs to better my begging chances.  G took me over to the American Commissary this morning to show me what is available.  It is generally speaking stuff I would never purchase (French Fried Onions?)but I can imagine that after awhile it will look pretty good!  The best part was that we met some really nice Aussies.  

I think they mean it!

After a long, dramatic negotiation we managed to dislodge the boys from their electronics and get them out.  G wanted to take us over to the Canadian Club.  The original chancery is being renovated so G is in a temporary location.  However the club is at the old site...got that?  Anyway the boys played pool and had a good time..huh..imagine that!  

I tried to get some arty shots but I have to admit I am a bit leery of hanging out in areas in Asia with decrepit open sewers.  I don't know call me crazy!  Plus I saw some really big holes in the ground which I am positive house giant pythons with a taste for Canadian blood! 

I'll send along some gratuitous photos later on.  Out for German cuisine tonight!  It's a weird world.

First Daze in Sri Lanka

Finally here!

 The boys and I landed here on Thursday.  It was a long flight and even though it was business class, you still arrived all turned around...smug but all turned around! Arriving in the dark was a bit disconcerting.  Plus it was not really what I expected.  I knew it would be ramshackle but I was looking at through teenage eyes and what I saw was not inviting!  To Nick's credit he didn't say anything!

Our apartment turned out to be great!  It isn't flash nor large but has lots of potential and it centrally located.  We face north and east.  "Iceland Residencies"  is on Galle Road, a major thoroughfare.  There is a shopping centre nearby and lots of big hotels.

Daytime view from our balcony.

Night view from our balcony!

Boldly seeking out new adventures!

It is the second day being here and aside from just toddling over to the nearest grocery, G and I went for a stroll along Galle Face Green.  This is an open area along the water just down from the docks.  It was around 4pm and people were starting to come out to enjoy the breeze.  There were kites flying and even a snake charmer!  Let me tell you there is nothing charming about a cobra in a basket!

A Jeff Koons installation?

Getting ready for the evening perambulators.

A man with a flag sticking out of his head.

Pinwheels ready for sale.

Beach food vendors. 

Sundowners at the Dutch Hospital.

 We managed to dodge the touts and ended up at the Dutch Hospital.  This low building has been converted into shops and upscale restaurants.  We stopped for sundowners (me a "G and T" and G a Diet Pepsi).  It was really nice to just sit and begin to soak in the ambience with G.  It was kind of nice to remember how it felt when we first began traveling together.

So after dodging touts and bird shit we made our way home.  The kids were in the same place we left them..surprise, surprise!  Eventually they'll get bored and come out with us!

Off to the Okanagan

Woo hoo...road trip!

Yeah!  Summer road trip.  Dropped G off with his brother to continue on down to Seatac and out.  It wasn't the emotional farewell I had envisioned because now the G's brother will drink occasionally, G's been looking for to trying all the microbreweries in Washington State.  So I got a very warm handshake and quick glimpse of the bunnymobile as it roared off into the night1

"Okanagan activities!"

Mika and I zoomed out ourselves and hit the Coquihalla Highway and were up in Kelowna in no time.  However it took forever to find Rhonda's folks place because Google Maps doesn't recognize road blocks.  Finally broke down and went into Waggie Willie's Dog Salon for directions..sheesh!

Picked Sue up at the airport then next day and meandered back down to Penticton.  Saw a really cute row house in Summerland but if only the architect had had the vision to slightly stagger the houses everyone would have a decent view of the lake and not only of their neighbours' balacony.  The MLS detail sheet made me laugh that the beach was only "134 seconds away"!  I made it in down 132...a personal best!

Then we caught up with Doug, Shelley and Andrea and the 3 enormous beasts they call dogs in Penticton.  Andrea's updated her house a bit and it looks really good.   We ended up going to Skaha beach for a late evening bbq.  I think Mika really liked it as it was such a "Canadian" thing to do.

Tout les gang sur la plage!

The next day a whack of us drove up to Naramata to see the Jim Treliving project.  It was quite fantastic but I ended up asking more questions that answering them.  When you get to a certain age you have to ask, " Could I live here alone?  How close is the nearest hospital.  Do I want to be on the road that much?"  Argh!  Naramata is very cool but the winter would be DEADLY!

So we pissed around and basically spent the next few days hanging out. It was great as I hardly ever see Doug and Shelley.  The neighbour hosted all of us and Jon and Janelle came down from Kelowna.  It's the first time I got to meet her and she seems really nice.  I think she's good for Jon.  However I don't think she understood my footwear.

I dumped Sue off at the airport then continued up to check out Vernon.  I found the old town to be a bit lacking and it wasn't until my way out that I discovered the marina.  Now that place had some potential.  Looks like a lot of it coming online in the next couple of years.  After that I went to my favorite place, Anne and Ian's.  Sigh.  Why don't they just give it to me and put me out of my future retirement misery?  They have a wee place across the road from the water.  They've reno'd nicely and it's all you NEED.  "Do you hear me developers of Okanagn Center?!"  You don't need more than 1500 sq. ft...you are there for the lake not your house!!!! ("Phew! I feel better now")

Saturday, after Ian towed us around the lake on his new floatie, Mika and I hit the road for Osoyoos.  Mika likes it there for some reason so I indulged him! It was smokin' hot and very empty.  In fact most of the Okanagan was empty. The floods in southern Alberta will sure have an impact on this region for a while.  The hotel owner said he had 9 families cancel this week...ouch!  On Monday, Mika and I rented paddleboards.  Wow was that fun!  He had never paddled before and I had only done it once previously.  The owner gave us extra time and we really enjoyed it.  There was a moment of panic for Mika when we were out but I think he felt the lake was very dark and deep.  Plus we had floated a bit further that we thought so it was a bit of a paddle in!  He loves the fact I got swamped and he didn't!  ("Really mature!").  We both had jelly legs and chilled the rest of the time...I love being able to have this time with him.  I wish Nick would've come too, but it's not be.

First time Paddleboarder!

Setting son!

We boogied back to YVR where we were to crash at Rhonda's.
 Unfortunately just before Abbotsford we came to a grinding halt on the Trans Canada.  We sat there FOR EVAH!  Then I decided that moving, even if it is out of my way, was better than not. So we deeked off the hwy and headed for #7 hwy or the Lougheed.  I had taken it by accident last year so everything was familiar...just backwards!

We arrived at Rhonda's and she had baked a cake and made a really thoughtful 50th bday package for me!  I am so truly blessed.  We had lots of good laughs and got quite giddy... as usual.  She looks great and seems to moving right along.  I have always said if G and I get divorced I get full custody of Rhonda.  Also nice was that Cathy called.  She had been invited to come out but had a work dinner.  We had a good chinwag and I am happy that I did get to see her, however briefly, on the Island.

Laughing way too much to blow!

So I left Rhonda's sadly, but curiously excited to see clean undies again.  I've been living in the same stuff for awhile it seems! We got there in decent time but got stuck in a one ferry sailing wait (hey, that's BC Ferries for you).   So Mika and I wandered around Horseshoe Bay.  I don't think I've been into the townsite since Nick was a wee gaffer.

So we leave early Sunday morning to begin the final leg of our journey.  Finally I am able to turn my thoughts towards new and different adventures and situations.

Birthday lunch at Win's.

Thank you to everyone who made our summer so great!  We shall miss you all.

I feel incredibly blessed to lead the life I do! Thanks for reading!

Back-to-Back Action Packed Vancouver Island Extravaganza!

A local gal got into the vintage spirit! 

Okay, so I exaggerate!  Yet it has been a pretty fun visit.  C blew me off for a trip to the Nanaimo Museum for a talk about Art Deco clothing by Ivan Sayers.  It was too bad because he is an entertaining speaker and can speak without notes...always impressive.  What was also exciting were some of the examples he had.  The best one was a Schiaparelli suit.  It was just as chic and clever as the day she created it. However if you wore it today you'd definitely be thought a bit odd.  It is too bad because I find people take fashion far too seriously these days and there is less humour or fun in their dress. To be sure though,  there is a fine line between wit and plain old crazy lady dressing. ( I think I dipped my toe across that line a few times!)

Nicely curated vitrine.

The "Schiap" suit.

It was fun to also view the exhibit as a recent Museum Studies grad.  It is easy to walk around and say "I would do this and that..." but having worked in a small museum for 5 months you appreciate the restrictions local institutions face.  However...!

Of course this is where we always stay!

So after that I walked around 7 Potatoes (apparently that is what "Nana imo" translates to in Japanese!) Frankly I think it sounds like a much more interesting place to visit...who doesn't love starch!  Anyway the downtown is quite fun to poke around in and then, totally by accident, I found a couple of good thrift stores.  Of course, I got all cheap and huffed at paying $5 for an enamel flower pin.  So what have I thought about since then?  Only how much that pin would've been the perfect foil for so many of my island ensembles!  Sheesh!

Then on Monday it was Canada Day.  The family tradition is to go to Parksville for the parade.  It is always entertaining.  The only sad note is that now I'm at the stage where they don't throw me stickers or candy but flowers!  It is as bad as being called "ma'am" in the States or "auntie" in Asia.  You see that's the problem when you've mentally atrophied at 21 but your body continues ageing.  Life is soo cruel!  Got some great shots and had a fun time and isn't that what it is all about?

What's Canada Day without Mounties?

Or culturally insensitive service groups?

Then later that day G, M and I took a walk around the neighbourhood.  We went and explored under the trestle and then around back by the farm that borders the railway.  It was there that tragedy struck!  I got a stick rammed into my foot!  Lemme tell ya it really hurt!  Of course it all came back to me the lack of sympathy I had shown when G did it to his foot up in the Cameron Highlands and how I had just been sharing some yogic wisdom about walking"mindfully"!  I can laugh now but at the time all I could think about was how far I was from home.  "Why is all the small things hurt the most?"  So I spent most of the rest of the evening soaking and digging deeper into my foot trying to retrieve the splinter but I knew in my heart of hearts it was in there deep and long.  What super bummed me out was I had just begun to get my yoga practice back up to speed (okay not a very yogic phrase but you know what I mean!).  So I'm out of the studio for a while."Poop."  But the beauty of yoga is that you can do it anywhere so I'll just have to do it on the grass.

Gratuitous beach shot.

So we went into Nanaimo yesterday to the Emergency.  I was kind of excited because it's the first date G and I have had in a while!  (How sad is that!?)  Of course our status here in Canada confused people (myself included) but I got 3 stitches and a dearth of sympathy from the attending doctor!  The piece of wood was 2 cm long and kind of pear-shaped and that is why I couldn't fish it out.  But it did make me appreciate how lucky we are to have health care in this country and not to have to feel anxious  or have to debate whether the visit is worth the cost like it is in the US. We all thought it odd that the Olympics in the UK celebrated the NHS but until you had to deal with private health care you don't realize what a gem it is!  Okay, off the soapbox!

So having fun and hope you are too.  Next post:  "Live from the Okanagan!"

I'm baaack...

I'm baaack!  Can't believe how long it has been since I wrote.  It's kind of hard when your laptop, cameras, ipod, and other personal effects have been stolen.  Yup, one of my last impressions of the US is of being robbed.  It is funny I don't feel violated just po'd.  Fortunately we had everything documented and were able to recover most of the costs.  I was most sorry to lose my costume jewelry.  It had the most memories.  For about a month I had a weird kind of Tourette's Syndrome where I would blurt out "oh they got that too!" as I remembered various pieces.

Then during all this, University wrapped up.  I had been doing a professional certificate through the University of Washington.  It was a museum studies course.  I loved that course and my classmates.

Don't I look like I know what I'm doing?

That was an emotional roller coaster!  The advisor had us all in a tizzy about our papers.  She kept referring to it as a "thesis" when in actuality it was a report.  So I (my sister may have helped with some suggestions...) managed to eek out 17 pages, 14 point.  Anywhooo I passed my course and can now put it on my resume...oh la la!  The museum in Colombo just opened a textiles gallery the end of May so who knows?  I think I'll have a lot of fun trying to get something going.

We also had to show the house to potential renters.  Lemme tell ya I did not bust my hump cleaning.  I just told potential renters, "this is how the house really lives!" Our landlord was long distance and fairly difficult to deal with.  He also cheaped out on everything and ended up damaging a very nice property.  Oh well...

Fortunately the kids had a nice sendoff from school and they seemed to have made some really nice friends.  My eldest is now glued to Skype having those meaningful long distance chats with his girlfriend.  "Sigh", I remember those days.

So I am turning my face to the future and our new adventures.  This weekend Cathy is coming over to the Island and we are going to go to the Nanaimo Museum(who knew?!).  There is a show about Art Deco fashions and the curator of the Society for the Museum of Original Costume is going to give a talk along with it.  I think it will be a fun day.  G leaves shortly after that for Colombo.  He's going down with his bro.  Once he goes, I will take M off on a road trip.  I might be able to catch up with R in the Okanagan but I will definitely meet up with my sister and a few other rellys!  I have to do some recon on potential retirement spots.  I'm looking forward to seeing the Karoleena showhome.  We kick around until the 21st of July then it's back to the US.