Dim Sum Mum - Tess' Little Pieces

bliss

i haven't written, and it's not because i haven't had access to the internet.

but we have been so busy.

it has been wonderful. the girls and i have been visiting with charmaine and her kids two or three different places a day, one of them always a playground. (a small side effect is that i am sick of swings). we have been to the beach, springbank park, two spalsh pools, various playgrounds, port stanley, a railroad trip, the cinema (wall*e and kung fu panda), and garage sales!

unbelievably...the kids have gotten along really well. i can't believe it. if my kids had to share their home, parents attention and toys for a whole week, they would be very cross, i suspect. but mac and maddy have been so accommodating. charmaine and i look at each other and are realise we are pretty lucky.

charles arrived yesterday (poor fellow) and the boys immediately ran to the atv's charmaine and jim have, and they jumped on and began driving around. what a welcome! sebastian and mac went canoeing with their daddies after dinner, while charmaine and i were in charge of putting the youngest four to bed.

the girls were thrilled to be reunited with their male counterparts, and i was greeted with "hi tess!" from jasper and "hi mummy, i want to ride that" from sebastian. i feel so necessary to their lives.

it is good to be with charmaine, and it is tough to look across the room and know i won't be doing this for a while. it was good to have jim and charles finally meet, i just wish that charles was a little less stressed right now. the boys were apparently not on their best behaviour while they were in toronto and that led to some hurtful comments and tough times for charles. oh well, the boys have been relatively good while they have been here (i say relatively because jasper got up from bed four times last night, and then in the middle of the night, he joined us. all very bad behaviour).

so i apologise for the silence. it has been so hectic, but it has been so great. the kids have loved being here. in the house, they can run up and down the steps, jumping is allowed, two long yogurts at a time if they like, we have baked banana bread, and there are always fun excursions planned. we went to an organic farm and picked veggies one day.

we're all tired at the end of the day.

tomorrow, we leave for kelowna. stage three of the holiday begins.

will post more soon. again, apologies.

xo

compromise - and its all good

where did i leave off ?? sunday?

monday was a big day because it marked jasper, sela and carys' first day of day camp. the minute i knew we were coming to toronto, i had looked around for daycamps. when you don't drive, you need a daycamp. last time we were here it was embarrassing how much we depended on others, and after a lifetime of bumming rides and being dependent on others timetables, i have a wish that my children don't suffer from that, and that when we visit, other people don't have to adjust their lives too much to cater to us.

my SIL looked around for us, and i looked around, and i found what i thought to be an excellent day camp put on by the city of toronto, and even better, it was within walking distance of doug's place. so every morning, i wouldn't need to ask people to drive the kids to day camp, i could just walk them there myself. YAY! while there were some who were really apprehensive about the programme and the facilities, i prayed like mad and had a really good feeling about it. it was a day long program, starting at 9am and ending at 4pm.

9am the next morning, we walked up to the correct location and signed the kids in, were shown to their cubbies, and met their instructor, an ECE graduate and full time city worker, kyle blackman. what a fantastic guy. obviously gifted with children, he bent right down and chatted wth the kids right away. there were other kids coming in, so i took them all to the bathrooms, which were impeccable. another good sign, i thought.

the doors opened, the kids ran in, i waved goodbye and they waved. no one ran over to give me a hug, but they did blow kisses.

i was hoping to spend the day looking for books with penny, but the day got delayed and we left the house late. living in a city like this really makes me say...if only i could drive and really makes me frustrated that i cannot!

we had an okay lunch, and a very very quick browse for books, and then a really fast pick up of groceries, and then zipped back to pick up the kids, who came racing out. they'd had a wonderful day! and i smiled. YAY!

we got back to the house and then boom, it was time to start working on dinner. penny made most of it, and then keith came and did the bbq'ing. i just made dessert and was the right hand woman, and did a lot of washing and clearing up it seemed. i was in the kitchen a lot. doug's girlfriend marnie and her granddaughter, phoebe came for dinner, and it was fun. i like marnie. she is savvy, very well informed, and a lot of laughs.

the next day was canada day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA! we spent the day on the boat, and then later had a bbq, celebrating cousin galen's birthday and charles' birthday which is later this month. we didn't leave the island until 7pm, which did not bode well...so many late nights! of course my kids are demanding that they don't go to sleep until it gets dark...this is the problem of living so close to the equator. the sun sets by 7pm and the cranky kids get all demanding that they don't sleep until it is dark. another reason never to take them to yellowknife. can you imagine them in that northern summer sun?

sebastian slept over at galen's, they slept in a tent. i guess the fireworks kept them up for quite a bit of the night but otherwise, it was a good evening!

the next day, anne, marnie and i went to lunch at the restaurant at the top of the ROM. it was a huge disaster. pricy and pathetic options and puny. when i saw my goat cheese salad entree i said, "couldn't they have added three more arugala leaves and made a round 20?" i mean, folks, this was BAD. and the cost! three of us, no drinks, one appetiser, three entrees, no pellegrino, etc...over $110. needless to say, under the tip category, i wrote, "GOOD LUCK". really.

but it was a good story and we had lots of laughs. the snippy little waiter just added to it. he was ridiculous.

thursday night, anne, charles and i went out for dinner with her friend christopher to a divine restaurant called on the fifth. fantastic. a great rooftop place. pricy, but worth it...go go go !

friday, we had a day that i call just about perfect. there were some blips, but overall, a perfect perfect day. we went to centre island, where there is an amusement park, and the kids rode rollercoasters, (jasper sat wtih me and burst out crying and plunged his head into my hands and prayed the entire time), rode cable cars, trains, live ponies, froggie hoppers, swan boats, log boats, mini cars...oh it was a fantastic day. i bought the kids little candy rings to make the wait in one lineup seem shorter..sometime i am a smart mum! it was an expensive day, but hey, that's what it's all about.and then, tired and tanned, i decided we hadn't had enough...lets go to CHUCKIE CHEESE! the kids were ecstatic and cousin bronwyn was so jealous she begged off going to the cottage to come to CC with us! it was great to have her there and she got me hooked on a game where you have to choose briefcases with monetary values in them. GREAT GAME. the pizzas we bought were terrible, but it was a fun evening, we had a great great time.

and saturday, while doug, penny and bronwyn left for the cottage at sparrow's fart, i asked charles to delay his departure for a while...i wanted the kids to experiment a real canadian event...GARAGE SALES!

charles agreed and we just drove around the area, where there were plenty. and i bought a bag of my little ponies for $3, two light sabres for $4, a life jacket for $5, a new franklin book for .25, and a few other things. a great day. then the boys left, and it was the girls and i. we walked up to the corner grocer, where they selected a dinner roll, chocolate milk and candy bars for dinner, and then we went to the dollar store where they chose new barrettes. we went home and i gave them pedicures, they played with their new ponies while i packed, and then i made dinner and we watched cinderella infront of the television with dinner. we had showers, into pajamas, and then boom, we were in bed. i finished the book i was reading (WHILE I WAS GONE, by SUE MILLER, excellent). then it was morning.

i made breakfast, i took them to the park and we played adn watched dog training classes. it is a hot cloudless day. a beautiful one that i wish the girls will remember. there are so many things about this summer i want them to remember. the feeling of family of being loved by so many people. on the way home, after drinking from the water fountain (still a novelty for them), we blew dandilion fluff into the sky and made wishes, and they picked clover "here mummy, a beautiful flower for you" and handed it to me. such a great morning.

as we walked back into doug's yard, i pulled a deck chair into the yard and a long yarstick and told the girls to stand on the terrace. there were two items stuck in the tree, and i wanted to get them down. one, a styrofoam rocket of sebastian's. the second, a ride on toy (not sure, don't ask). well, it took only four tries and i got them both out. YAY MUMMY! and carys looked at me and said,

"mummy, i am so proud of you."

honestly, i felt so proud of me when she said that! it was like the other day when jasper looked over at me as i was reading him a book and said, "mummy, i love you so much." i love that my kids know these words. if they make me feel so wonderful, i wonder the impact they have on their tender developing selves?

and here i am writing while they play ponies ($3 garage sale ponies i might add) and i go off to prepare lunch.stage one of our summer is almost over.

bye for now.

hello again...charles is off catching up with some old friends so here am i.

friday night was the annual summer ball at the rcyc. i told you that i lugged my new red frock across the pacific, and i have to say, it was probably a mistake. i was one of the more overdressed people at the ball, not that overdressed is a bad thing or my dress was particularly showy. it was just that more people wore cocktail type dresses. i should have worn a chinese top and a long velvet skirt and orchids in my hair. (i now have the "POB" hairdo...looks okay).

i was really tired, so before the ball i took a nap and charles and anne took the kids to the playground. kids had a blast. then there was a bit of a frantic time when keys were lost and something else had been forgotten and needed to be delivered, but we managed!

it was a great evening. charles' dad is the dancing king and marnie, his companion, is no slouch on the floor herself, so they were out shaking their stuff most of the night, and looking fantastic. charles and i were heroes at our table, because we won a bottle of wine for the table by correctly answering the 8 multiple choice questions.

charles and i danced quite a bit, but were home by midnight, or 1am. i think 1am.

the next day was a family bbq at charles' cousin bob's place. one thing i really like about charles' family is the effort they make to stay in touch. twice a year they have these gettogethers, and everyone comes. it is really impressive.

bob and jay have this super pool and hot tub, and the kids were in there, and later, so were their parents! the food was divine.

as the afternoon waned on, the young kids went upstairs to watch shrek. about 30 minutes into th emovie, charles' neice, bronwyn came out and said, "there is something wrong with jasper, he keeps scratching". charles said, "oh that's just jasper" (which is what i would have normally said), but my mummy siren went off and i went to see jasper, and the sight that greeted me was actually quite shocking.

he had been resting on the sofa, and someone had pulled a blanket overtop him to make him more comfy. unfortunately, it was the cat's blanket and jasper is allergic to cats.

one eye was swollen shut. the other was red. he had white raised boils along his wrist, neck and behind his knees. his breathing was raspy.

i quickly gave him some ventolin and bricanyl and his other inhaler, and some warm water. kept him outside. took off his shirt. he really looked vile.

about one hour later, we headed home.

the next day, we went to another pool party, this time hosted by charles' long term friend tim and his divine wife brenda. these are seriously great people. it was a super party and we were very sorry to leave. brenda had the party catered, but she had made all the food herself and it would have been rude of me not to eat it, right? it was just fantastic. fricking fantastic!

so, that was sunday. we came home, again, late, and the kids had their third late night in a row. they had slept through the night saturday evening, but what does that mean when they are getting to bed at 9pm and are used to going to sleep at 7.30? such wickedness.

oh boy, today i was in lulu lemon...a girl has to look good, right? remind me to tell you why when i get back...

xo

survival

we are in toronto. the worst of the jetlag is over and we are doing really well.

i spent today out on the water on doug's (FIL's) boat, and although i did nothing, i am tired, so this long overdue post will be a short one.

HAPPY CANADA DAY.

the night before we were meant to leave hong kong, i took my suitcases down to andrea's. we held the "semifinals" of the summer suitcase there, where i pulled out every single item i was planning on taking and determined if it had the talent or was necessary for the trip. we managed to shave down quite a few items from the kids suitcase and from my own.

while there, we got the news that a typhoon was descending upon hong kong. a typhoon eight. andrea, teacher that she is, began crossing her fingers, as if the typhoon eight signal is raised at 8am, there is no school that day.

at 11pm, the typhoon three signal was replaced by typhoon eight. by midnight the wind was really blowing. i went to sleep and rested fitfully.

by 6am, the typhoon eight was still up, and andrea, her children and mine were euphoric. andrea sent a message inviting the kids down to play if we wanted to get them out of our hair while doing last minute packing. we decided to divide and conquer, so adam came up to our place, while i took the triplets down to andrea and chad's where we drank endless cups of tea and started mentally packing for andrea. it was a good morning. the typhoon signal was lowered to three around 11.30am.

the flight was on, but likely delayed. ths was not good news as we had a connector flight in vancouver.

we ate a final lunch with adam, pulled the luggage down to the car, loaded the car and the airport car (thank you amex) up, and headed off....goodbye 122!!

at the airport we got through no problem, and sat in the cathay airport lounge for as long as i could tolerate it. and then it was just too embarrassing to have the kids racing around while reading of delayed flights, so i took the kids fora  walk while charles relaxed for a bit.

our flight was called 20 minutes late, and we sat on the ground, not moving for 90 minutes.

needless to say, we missed our vancouver connector flight.

the flight itself was good. the kids watched horton hears a who a few times, and loved it, and then slept. i watched a few bits of tv, and one of my fave movies, MARS ATTACKS. i read a bit of a new book.

welcome to vancouver.

the worst part of flying is filling in time. the kids were so tired and we had a four hour layover. we were all tired and they were truculent and we weren't parenting to the best of our abilities. thankfully, the majority of those people will never see us again and we boarded the flight to toronto, plugged in the portable dvd players, and were off.

we landed in toronto, no problems, collected our luggage, doug and carolyn (SIL) were there ready for us, and quickly we got to doug's place. pajamas on and were in bed within 45 minutes of our midnight arrival.

unfortunatlely, the boys awoke two hours later.

the next few hours were grim, charles got up from 2.30-4.30 and i took the 5.45-onwards crew. charles was out somewhere, and somehow the lines of communication got crossed and it was thought everyone was having dinner at doug's place that night. i was just planning on having tortellini and sauce (both store bought thank you very much), and throwing the kids to bed, but suddenly it was a longer issue. anyway, my sil made half the dinner, i made the other half, and we sat down and i made it through the dinner. the kids weren't so stellar. but they managed.

more soon...friday was the ball. i have been walking about 10k.

sorry for the silence, but there will be more soon. it has been full on, lots of things have been planned for me but it should be a bit quieter now. xo

halfway to halfway home

sorry for the silence.

i am halfway to halfway home. home for the holidays.

assuming canada is home.

packing for the kids was easy. i went to the kids room while they were sleeping, pulled things out of drawers and shazam, that was done.

packing for me is proving to be a little more challening, shall we say. and time consuming. magnificent is really really emotionally tied to the royal canadian yacht club, where his family has so many memories and has spent so many good times. this friday night is the annual summer ball. of course charles was crazy to go.

tess, will you come with me?

personally, i think magnificent would have a better time without me. he could table hop and schmooze and catch up with old friends and not for one minute worry about what i was doing. (aka: sitting alone).

but, he claims he wants me there. so, i had to get a frock. and i have been tromping around hong kong island and kowloon looking for one for the past week. the theme of the ball is "beijing". i tried to find a dress with olympic rings on it, but there was nothing.

a lot of "traditional" chinese dresses are very beaded. i personally don't go for that look because i am neither a ballroom dancer or of that age where heavy beading is what i want to be wearing. so cross out that style.

which leaves the cheongsam. is a cheongsam formal enough to wear to a ball? hard to say. and what's to say that the waitstaff won't be wearing knee length cheong sams and if i am in a floor length i will just look like the head waitress?

so i discarded trying to firmly tie myself to beijing, and on friday found a gorgeous deep red gown (thats chinese enough i figure) with some black embroidering and beading. very occasional. it is a halter style, a line. i looped it over my head for the kids to see what it looks like and they said, "is it an apron dress, mummy!"

anyway, the apron dress, the shoes and the nylons not to mention the jacket take up a lot of room in my suitcase. you know me, i hate taking EXCESS THINGS in my suitcase. and dragging around the dress (THAT HAS CRINOLINE!!) for a few weeks is really righteously going to aggrivate me.

back to packing. it is just the last minute things. all the kids have field trips, i am trying take care of so many things. and i am going to be so ready to step on the plane, unwrap the girls' new strawberry shortcake colouring books, give the boys their new BEN 10 figurines and play away. and when the time comes, i will plug them into a movie and maybe even read my book.

i'm ready.

i think i might give up on shopping altogether and let carys take over completely.

today carys' class had an outing to a local pizzeria, "pepperoni's". the kids of k2 made pizzas, tried flipping the dough in the air, smeared tomato sauce everywhere (and i do mean everywhere), did some crayoning and in general, had a wonderful. tasty time. at the end of the session, i decided instead of heading back to school, carys and i would head home ourselves, firstly taking care of 3 of the 5476 tasks i have to do before we leave next week.

first was the bank. i deposited a cheque. (YAY ME!).

then we went to the central wetmarket. we were looking for bananas, but firstly, flowers caught my eye. flowers were on my list of things to get, because at noon i had luncheon at susan's house and since she was preparing the entire meal, the least i could bring was flowers! we wandered through the stands under i smelt some ginger flowers. although they have a relatively short life expectancy, ginger flowers are beautiful to look at and smell, so i picked up some of those and a few lillies, which live forever. the lady at the stand was quite enchanted with carys, and gave her a pink rose FOR FREE. carys was thrilled.

quite encumbered, we continued our quest for bananas, going downhill now. we were pretty much out of the fish stalls, which was a good thing, carys saw bananas, and i saw limes, so we counted eight limes and i bought them. and promptly forgot the bananas. i took five steps away from the stall when carys said, "mummy, i want bananas, please!" the lady at the stall was so pleased to make another sale (6 bananas for app 1 usd) that she gave carys a free bunch of grapes.

we continued our march, me really carrying a lot of stuff now and carys not overly concerned about the fact as long as i could hold on to her hand. she wanted to buy speckled eggs but i refused. they were bigger than quail, im not sure what they were and i didn't want to stop and ask. we kept going and a few stalls later, when i stopped to shift bags and hands, a lady gave her to biscuits, freshly baked. they were flat dutch types. they were quite tasty.

do you know how much money i could save if i just taught carys to read and gave her a grocery list? we could be on to something.

you know my much loved path behind my house? where i jog, walk, pray, relax and try to stay in shape?

the path is gone.

i was behind there this morning, and although it was kind of silty, the clean up crews had done a fantastic job cleaning up from the rainstorm. 2/3 through the run, there was some red tape, and a notice attached to it which said, "land slip ahead". i looked and the area ahead looked pretty clear, and it hadn't rained yet, (do you hear me justifying?) so i ducked under the tape and kept running. about 100 metres along there was more tape, and i ducked again, figuring the tape indicated the warning was over, i ran along.

and two minutes later, stopped. absolutely stunned.

the path was gone.

i'm not talking about the concrete covered with mud type of gone, i'm talking it was mud, roots, trees, tumbling down a violent hillside that wasn't there before. it was shocking, and a bit painful. although it is ironic to see nature restoring itself, i have loved that path for seven years, four children and so many crises and celebrations. i hope it is restored soon. that path means a lot to me.

moving on...

i have five general attitudes towards taxis and their drivers...

1) when i don't need a taxi, i am disdainful of the taxi's that slow down the minute they see me, "yes, i am a caucasian woman walking...of course i must need a taxi."

2) when i do need a taxi..."of course, speed up when you see me. could you be any more callous? could you please slow down?"

3) when i am in the taxi "why is there no smoking allowed in taxis but all taxis reek like smoke?" and "why can't your taxi get a clear transmission to a radion station?"

4) gratitude: "thank you so much for stopping."

5) as we approach a light turning ambert: "SPEED UP SPEED UP SPEED UP..." and if they dont, i get quite cross. i mean really. this is a world city. any world city driver knows, amber lights mean speed up! i don't even have a driver's license and i still know that! )Even if MC doesn't.

sorry for the long absence...

last saturday i awoke from my sleep to hear yelping coming from the kids room.

in the back of my mind i was aware that there was a thunderstorm going on, but it wasn't enough to seriously wake me up. there have been so many late nights recently...i wanted to snooze until at least 8am. i am selfish that way.

but the yelping got me up. it was unlike the typical "you have something i want give it back" timbre yelp, and it was a bit disconcerting.

i turned on to my back, and became aware that underneath my eyelids was going white then immediately dark again, and that there were crashes and booms right alongside our flat. there was a rainstorm unlike anything i had ever seen before. and i have been here for 11 years.

turns out, it was a black rain storm, with 145mm (a metre and a half) of rain coming down on hong kong between 8 - 9am. it was the highest hourly rainfall since records began. from midnight until 6pm on june 7, 308 mm of rain fell, the fifth highest daily rainfall recorded in june. but the real kicker was between 8-9am.

539 flooding reports were recorded, and two deaths were recorded as well.

check out this youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on7PtuDghSs&feature=related

around 2.30 there shows a couple on their way to their traditional wedding...gorgeous footage!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfZsun3CW9s&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqPht9TCthY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajr6bzxDs44&NR=1

 

the entire family went for a walk. the triplets made it as far as the front gates. then the thunder and lightening freaked them out to such an extent they wanted to head home, so i took them home and they consoled themselves spectacularly by wearing my high heels and walking up and down the carpet runner/catwalk.

sebastian and charles walked down the hospital drive and into the hospital, where they saw the ground floor of the hospital, which is against the mountain, was covered in water. the force of the water had broken down a set of doors, and there were seniors shuffling along the corridors, pushing their oxygen tanks, ankle deep in water. he took a few pictures. it was really incredible he said.

we went for a drive after the rain stopped (and it stopped very suddenly) and saw boulders in the road, branches and so much silt. and deep deep puddles. it was really amazing. the kids were overwhelmed.

then we started getting calls from friends telling us how they had been caught in traffic for three hours, and then we started getting calls from loved ones asking if we were all right. and thankfully, we were. my email isn't however, all my emails are sitting in my outbox instead of my "sent" box, and i can't figure out what is going on. oh well, that's a small problem when all is said and done.

 

Tess talx - Sex in the city

i have been to see SEX AND THE CITY.

i saw it with my husband and then again with my girlfriend andrea, who is having a birthday today. (happy birthday, andrea!)

while critics are bashing the movie, this girl is not. i roll my eyes at girls who say, "oh we're just like carrie, samantha, miranda and charlotte" because really, are you? wearing designer, vintage, pearls to bed, with no parents, stilettos around the house and able to afford a personal assistant .... all on a journalist's salary (and did we ever see her doing work?)

like with the series, i found myself liking carrie the least of all the four protagonists.

I think the writers did a good job of keeping the characters true, but there was little "new york love" except for samantha's declarations of it..one thing that struck me odd was that carrie had been gung ho to have children when she was with alexsander, and we were supposed to believe that desire just died? and they seem to have shaved years off the girls (carrie met big when she was 30? don't think so), although samantha is so toned she doesn't look anywhere near 50. and honest about the botox! makes me laugh.

i liked the emphasis on friendship. that was good.

jennifer hudson was BAD. not good at all. she needs acting lessons. she is a pretty girl with a great voice, but she is no actress, yet.

seeing SATC was like spending time with friends i have missed. not close friends, but friends i cared about. i was upset that charlotte only was there for comic relief, essentially. and that her fish tail dress was so tight that what could have been a powerful moment in the movie had us all unwillingly giggling instead.

what i liked best is that the girls have all grown up, one way or another. the series doesn't try to convince us that we can continue a way of life forever, but instead that we embrace change, make it part of us and our present.

not sure what to make of the charge that the movie is "racist" (a claim also made about the television show)...let me think on that one.

in the meantime, i would say, go see the movie. i was grateful for my marriage and lot in life, even if i don't have  walk in closet the size of carrie's. then again, she has more junk than i do.

review rating: 6.5 - 7/10

three things

update:

jasper's appointment - overall went well. he has to continue with the high dose chamber steroids, but the doctors could really hear an improvement in his lungs. so thank you Father GOD! i am really pleased about that. the bad news is, when jasper lifted up his shirt so they could check his lungs and breathing, the doctor lowered the stethoscope, looked at jasper's stomach and said, "does the stomach normally look like this?"

and darn it, whenever i get scared, i get defensive. i do i do i do. it is a bad thing but it is a me thing. it is also the doctor's fault for not approaching it in a better manner. and i mean really, what did they mean by that vague question?

possible defensive responses...you choose which one i went with.

"you mean with the belly button?"

"you mean pink? yes."

"round? like he just ate two packets of crisps and a banana and drank an ice tea because we were waiting for 45 minutes before we got in to see you?"

well, no need to go into detail which one i said, but i am sure you can figure it out. again, i was defensive. but why the sudden interest in how my child's belly is shaped? he is not with child, he is a child.

i have been googling to try and figure this one out, and i have not been successful. if jasper was a dog i would think the vet was suggesting he had worms.

anyway, it really was a good appointment, can't you tell? it was. have to continue with steroids. got some cream for the exema. stay away from heavily cross pollinated areas. the doctor was very impressed that i keep a nebuliser in canada.  so i gained some points back there.

confession: have you ever been overly emotional with someone that you don't know very well? today i was. background: last night i went to a mum's evening with the mums from sebastian's class. and i have to say, they are fantastic. a great group of mums, no one slags each other off, no division based on class, race, wealth. great ladies.  i did have to mention the word epilepsy seven or eight times as every time we moved places people would cry loudly BUT YOU"RE NOT DRINKING!

i am digressing more than they were drinking. this one really lovely mum said something really nice about sebastian. you know that sebastian is "different" from mainstream kids. there are "different okay" and there are "different not so okay" and sebastian is just "different, very okay". very creative. he has a high sense of justice,  fairness is so important to him. and he daydreams. but rarely, so very rarely do i get a mum who volunteers in the classroom who walks up and says, "your son is a pleasure". most times i get, "your son looks just like your husband".

 i understand, sebastian is different, but that is not wrong. but last night, a mum complimented me on sebastian, called him sparky. said a few more things that she really liked about him, and i could tell that she meant it. it brought tears to my eyes, as really, i had never heard anyone say these things about my child before. not someone who wasn't a friend of mine already. another mum, who was sitting with us, actually started to disagree. i don't blame her or didn't get upset. but this other mum kept talking him up.  she sees what i see! sometimes you think you are seeing illusions.

today i called her to say thank you, and i started to tear up. and yes, cry, as i was thanking her.  i think she was a bit embarrassed, and i know i was.

lastly, also about sebastian. a friend of mine, nicole, who is in our book club and also lives in our building, is the ea in the classroom next to sebastian.s she sent me this message about sebastian standing up for his faith and what he believes is right.

In Year 1 they have been comparing the natural environment and man made...that's the context...

I don't listen in to 1A (trying to keep track with the class I work with)... but my interest was tweaked when I heard Sebastian say something like..."God made the world and the things in it." Not sure of the teacher's inital question.

His teacher politely replied. "We don't know if God exisits"

Sebastian's response "But God does exist!" ( He was not going to let it go)

His teacher diplomatically had to reply again "Some people believe God exsits and some people don't. People have to respect other people who don't believe in God just the same way people respect people who do believe in God".

I just thought Sebastian was great.

i am really thrilled. i am sure his teachers were polite and i know this is the response that has to be given in public schools, but i am proud that my boy stood up for his faith.

 

spent this morning in wanchai markets with a new friend. all in all, a great couple of days.