Dim Sum Mum - Tess' Little Pieces

eight, 10 and 12 years of love

just as sex and the city was meant to be about two loves: men and new york city - today's post is going to be about two of my men and hong kong. (left: kids in wanchai market on sunday night... shopkeeper watches from inside.)

my alarm woke me up this morning at 5.30. charles encouraged me to stay in bed. it had been a late night and we have so much to talk about, which is such a good thing. i turned off the alarm, went and did a wee, and went back to bed. ten minutes later, my alarm chirped out its reminder: 5.40 run - pfl. i got out of bed, drank a 880 mls of water, got dressed and headed out the door.

i was late getting out, and i had a lot to do before 8am, so i knew it had to be a short run.

so - i set out at 5.45. slow slow slow. but steady. and i looked at my watch right before i left the flat and realised, eight years ago i was lying in bed, appalled with myself because i thought i had peed the bed. the baby wasn;t due for two weeks - of course i wasn't in labour!

i kept running. it was still dark. and so very quiet. only a few people keeping each other company this morning. i got to the top of the peak. realised i was just meters away from where we called my mum all those years ago...

"we're on our way to the hospital"

"but why?"

"sebastian's coming"

and i kept running.

remembering walking down the hill i had just finished climbing with my tiny boy strapped to my throbbing chest. (for some reason charles and i decided to walk 4km home from the hospital). all those years ago. (left: sebastian holds his bag of birthday presents, wrapped and presented to him entirely in re-usable cloth shopping bags... it's what he would have wanted!)

i ran along harlech road which gives a magnificent view of the hong kong skyline. how i have loved this city. i fell in love here. i was a smitten adult, a newlywed, a new mother, a woman faced with the potential death of three of her children here. on this soil my kids took their steps, had their shoes shined, their hair stroked for good luck. recognised me. my husband and i recognised God. my husband proposed on these shores. i have loved this city for 12 long years. i have only known marriage and motherhood here. how could i not love hong kong, for all the joy and emotions i have experienced here? (left: celebrating sebastian's birthday at home.)

i kept running. small quick steps. flat. looked down at wanchai below and smiled. (left: triplets waiting for seb to open his presents; playing with the speed stackers.)

yesterday afternoon sandi and cliff came to visit. after they left, we decided to go to wanchai to browse through the markets. this is not the sort of thing that charles normally does. but he agreed, and what a wonderful time we had. each child got to select one Christmas ornament, and we also picked up some Christmas presents on the sly. the shops were chockers with ornaments, all fantastically priced!(below: one of the christmas stores in the wanchai market... crazy packed and busy!)

we also managed to nab a couple of tops for the boys. we walked through wet markets, and the kids were fascinated as they watched the fish flopping about. sebastian was close to tears as he watched a fish flop around in 1cm of water and then eventually and inevitably stop....asking "why did they take it out of the water? why did it have to die?" and the girls were disgusted with the valves in a freshly dissected fish body that were still pumping. (left: the fish market. seb sports his new "panama" from cliff & sandi!)

it was wonderful. i love them, i love this world they can experience.

happy birthday sebastian.

happy belated 10th anniversary charles, and happy belated 12 anniversary hong kong. you three have changed me and taught me so much. i will never get bored of you.

endurance

i was able to witness something spectacular this weekend.

every year hong kong hosts the oxfam trailwalker. the event is held annually on the MacLehose Trail, a 100 km hiking trail across the mountain ranges of the New Territories.

Oxfam Trailwalker Hong Kong is the first Trailwalker in the world. Other countries like UK, Australia and New Zealand follow the Hong Kong model closely. Since 1986, more than 42,000 Trailwalkers have raised over HK$ 158 million to support Oxfam's various poverty alleviation and emergency relief projects. The event was formerly a military drill for Gurkha soldiers before 1986. Trailwalker was opened to the public in 1986. Oxfam Hong Kong began to co-organise the event in the same year. As the Gurkhas left the territory, Oxfam Hong Kong enlisted the support of many community organisations to sponsor the event. (from left: tess, tara and susan from the support team. thanks, tara, for the photo!)

the team members walk up mountains, over narrow bridges, through rainforests and on unprotected hills, during the day and for most teams, throughout the long night.

they battle rain, wind, physical and mental fatigue. and injuries. the desire to keep up to the team verses the need not to push themselves too hard.

this year, tara's husband was on team "my knees hurt". he has been training hard for the past few months, long runs of 30 to 50 kms on saturdays, "shorter" runs during the week. his teammates were working just as hard. tara was fielding the support team. i have done support stints in the past, and offered to help out. susan (no surprise) offered to support as well (and to run a section with the team!) and so the three of us were off.

tara organised everything divinely. all i had to do was pack a pillow and blanket for the car, and anyone who knows me, knows i certainly did pack warm clothes.

we did a test drive two days before the run, so we knew what we were in for.

on the day of the run, we carried a cooler ( except aussies call them 'eskies'...wonder why??) filled with pocari sweat and gatorade to the car, a massive thermos filled with tuna pasta, two more thermoses filled with soup. four, 8l containers of water, the runner's bags, duvets to keep the runners warm during their food stops, medicine kits. chocolate. gummy bears.

and we were off. the first stop, it was around 3.30pm and the runners were about 40 kilometres in. they were pretty optimistic, but chilled. it was a cold day. they sank into the pasta. andrew did a lot of stretching. they stayed with us no more than 25 minutes and then they were off.

the next stop was later...around 8pm. the sun had set. the monkeys were screeching around us, you could hear wild boars squealing in the distance.

our support team was a bit different than some of the other teams. we cheered on every single runner and team that passed us. how could you not? these runners were working so hard, raising money for a great charity, pushing their bodies to incredible limits, how could you not applaud their efforts? how could you not clap and tell them, "looking strong! keep going! well done!! all right!" there were a lot of people who only cheered on "their" team. not us.

we set up carefully, and had the duvets ready. when they appeared, they were walking carefully. there were injuries, and one runner spent more time stretching than eating. lots of time spent digging around the medicine kit this stop. one runner was not really talking, he was on auto pilot. food. more pasta. i''l try the soup. my leg hurts, yes, that's better. yes. of the four runners, we were most concerned about him.

there was a fifth runner at this point. a friend of andrew's who is a pilot (and runner) had flown in from new york the day before (he is hk based) and decided he would support the team by running 20 kilometres with them.he started at the 3pm checkpoint, and then by 8pm decided he was feeling so well he would continue for the next 20 kilometres. amazing mental toughness.

the next stop was around 1am. during this time we tried to sleep in car after arriving at our destination, but it was tough given how cold it was. the boys texted us with the information that we were NOT to set up a nice looking picnic site like last time, they just wanted to eat, refresh their water and walk away. i could see their point. it was bitterly cold and no one wanted to risk their muscles cramping. they had 19 kilometres to go.

there was a real difference in their attitudes at this checkstop. conversation was minimal. it was a 10 minute stop and most of the time was spent tending to injuries. i rubbed a thigh muscle and loosened it up until my fingers cramped. very little food besides chocolate was eaten. their focus was finishing. there was less than 20 kilometres to go and they knew it was going to be tough and they knew it was going to take them about four hours to finish, but they knew they were going to finish it together, which is a heck of an accomplishment.

at around 3.45am, at the final checkstop, we got a call. they were only 45 minutes from the finish line. adrenalin had kicked in...they were running. after how many hours...they were running.

how amazing. at this point, they had been on the road for almost 19 hours. going without a break.

we raced to the finish line, and at 4.28, we saw four headlights piercing through the darkness. tara started screaming. and they kept running. joining hands they ran towards the finish. they didn't leave their tiredness and injuries behind, but the took it with them, carried it over the line. that fatigue was part of the journey, as was their perseverance and strength. the pilot friend of andrew's? he ended up running 70 kilometres instead of the original 20. incredible mental toughness.

it was amazing to witness. the human body, the power of the mind to keep going in darkness, when pain and tiredness tells you it's really time to stop. when checkpoints give you every opportunity to indeed, end the misery. but they kept going. this year, there were 3,420 participants who completed the 100-km trail within the required 48 hours, or 84.7% of all walkers.

it was amazing to be part of it.

our trip to the philippines backfired a bit.

the kids loved it. had a great time. made friends immediately (of course they were objects of interest to the slum kids, they were visitors, they would be giving away their clothes at the end of the day, they were from a different world those kids will ever know). for sebastian, he could run, either with other kids or by himself over dirt and other i don't want to think too carefully of what covered hills, racing long distances. there were rickety bridges. doggies. people smiling at them. they got to help, and when they wanted, they got to stop and play with their friends.

and at the end of the day, they got to leave the filth, and shower it off with the aveeno shampoo we had brought along, and sleep in an airconditioned room with lovely sheets and a flush toilet. after eating dinner where they could leave food on their plates if they were no longer hungry.

but it was a start. sebastian gets it. but he also loves the freedom and the running and the space and the wild. the triplets didn't really get that the slums we were rebuilding are the homes where their new friends live at the end of the day.

one of the saddest things i remember seeing this long weekend was at the tuberculosis recovery shelter. there was a big sign on the wall that read, VISITORS MAY NOT EAT THE PATIENT'S MEALS.

a couple of patients gave their testimonies, told how they had gained 7kg in 10 weeks, mainly because they were eating three square meals for the first time in their lives. can you imagine, when their families come to visit, how tempting it would be to share your food with them, knowing they hadn't eaten that morning, knowing how much they need the food, knowing what it is like to have the dull gnawing ache of hunger in your stomach. and how the visitors must wonder if a missing meal, or even half a meal, would make such a difference to their relative's recovery. oh the guilt those patients must feel when their relatives must come to visit.

it was a great trip.

briefly, here are the highlights:

1) visiting our preschool. the kids sang and danced for us. we gave them tinned beef, a new pair of shoes each, knickers, pencils, sweeties, and many school supplies to the teacher.

Christmas 2008 our family was meant to go to Queensland for Christmas, to stay on the Gold Coast. We decided to sponsor the preschool instead. We didn't have the money to do both. We decided that giving the children a chance for an education was more important than the trip. I was very very sad that we didn't go to Australia for that family trip. Seeing our preschool, seeing those children made it worth it. I am so glad we made the choice we did. We prayed for them, and the kids prayed as well.

2) taking pictures. we brought our "polaroid" type camera and took instant pictures. so many mothers didn't have pictures of their children, or of themselves and their children. seeing their faces as the images began to appear was wonderful. charles deserves all the credit for coming up with the idea of taking the cameras.

3) packing. six days before i left for the trip, i sent 12 people an email, letting them know that most girls do not wear knickers, because they can't afford them. my friend meg succinctly said, "it's bad enough when women who have knickers choose not to wear them...but it's a tragedy when girls don't wear them because they cant afford them." i asked people to donate knickers their children had grown out of, or clothes, or toothbrushes, etc.

i ended up with six full suitcases, large suitcases, full of shoes, clothes, over 500 pair of knickers and toothbrushes, pencils, teaching supplies, corned beef, socks and other such times. remarkably, the majority of the knickers were brand new. people went out and bought beautiful brand new knickers for the girls and boys. it was overwhelming. i have learned people want to help, they just need to know how. i am so grateful i know of a fantastic charity that can take their old clothes, or where they can donate funds, no matter how small.

seeing the ladies at the ICM head office in the philippines as we brought the full suitcases in was wonderful. they were full of such joy as they planned what items would go to which province or program.

it was a great trip.

i want to go again. soon.

A video of Sebastian's June ICM trip can be found at Charles' blog.

this cut n paste post was inspired by recent canadian temperatures...

dear home and native land....LOVE YOU... True Canadians....

695-t'ree t'ree t'ree t'ree
(695-3333)

It's time to reflect on what a truly Canadian
winter is all about:
 

WINTER POEM
It's winter in Canada!
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At thirty-five below.
Oh, how I love Canada
When the snow's up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.
Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Canada  
I'm frozen to the friggin' ground

 

terrible tess turns sensible sue?

after a two week self imposed break from running, on monday my alarm rang at 5.30am.

sunday night i had slept fitfully. my body was waiting for the alarm, just as it has for the last 14 days. and when the iphone "marimba" squeaked out it's first few notes, i was ready.

i quickly got dressed, drank 880mls of water, and left the house.

it was a headphones free morning.

i also walked the first ten minutes. normally i have been jogging to the reservoir taking the famed "short cut" behind our place, to middleton and then to the reservoir...but it is so dark. my knees are banjaxed and i have been stopping and starting and all that jolting can't be good for them. soooo, i decided to walk. very mature.

i also decided instead of jumping back into the running world, i would take it slow. and straight. no downhills, or at least as few as possible. monday's run would be UNDER 10k i promised myself.

i reached the reservoir and started the run. i wasn't the first person, there were the usual suspects, and it was fantastic. i started up the hill towards the peak, intending to cut off and take the morning path, but i realised this was a good run and i didn't want to stop. so i kept going, up to the peak. i am an ineffective uphill runner, tip tap tip tap on my toes, but i was getting the job done. and i was just so grateful to be out.

about 35 minute after i left my flat, i was at the top of the peak. and then it was a nice flat run. the day was pretty overcast, but it was still a great morning. i left lugard road and headed down to highwest lookout, where a man sat playing the lute. i walked down the steps (around 150?) and then being sensible, turned right, ran for 8 more minutes, then walked down 260 more steps, then ran 800 metres and then walked 400 metres home.

that was my run. it was slow. oh yes indeed, that 8 k took me an hour, but at the end, my knees weren't burning and i was delighted.

and, i took today off. i woke up at 5.30 this morning like i seem to all the time, and i just turned over and enjoyed the sleep.

i'll go tomorrow though. and i think i will do a 11km. but i will walk the downhill 800 km, promise. it is peel rise, and only gets 3.5 difficulty out of 5.

really grateful to be back in the game.

i tried to get knee braces, but as the saleslady prophesized, "too fat!!"

yes, that's what i get for shopping local. a complex and too small knee braces.

I'm going to learn how to fly (HIGH!)

last night i had to make a tough decision.

charles was out at maryknoll, at the walk to emmaus.

i had made plans to go to ursula's, to eat a fantastic curry dinner and watch FAME (the original one, not the cheesy remake, thank you very much, ursula is a woman of taste, tyvm) with some fun folk. it was shaping up to be a divine evening. 80's music, 80's clothes, 80's hair, fab women and curry....doesn't this seem divine to you??

around 2pm i realised that charles really wanted me there for the saturday night mass, and for a blessing from father tom.

fame or religion?

religion or fame?

religion and the desire to obey my husband, or at least to be there on an important night for him, won out.

the need to be with the community. to come again to the chapel, for reconciliation, communion, passing of the peace, reaffirmation.

i called ursula and explained. apologised profusely.

went to maryknoll.

the service was amazing. we had a beautiful prayer time. there are so many people in the community who have suffered loss recently, or who are coming up to an anniversary of a loss. we prayed for the farrells. today marks one year since megan farrell died. we prayed for those among us and for friends, too many, who have recently been diagnosed with cancer. for healing, for peace, for wisdom and compassion for the physicians. i have been so physically busy these days, i have not spent enough time talking with God, praising Him for His goodness, storming the gates of heaven with requests. and there are so many praises and requests, even within my family and close friends!

and then communion itself. 

"i have prepared a feast for you!"

i received the blessing first, and then communion. and as i dipped my communion wafer into the wine, where the priest said, "Christ's blood, shed for you," and then looked up, saw my face and said, "for Tess!" in a joyful voice. 

for tess.

for me.

it's not just for the people suffering from poverty, those suffering under the black oily weight of depression or addiction, it's for the everyday people too.

i was sorry to miss fame, but you know what?

i'm going to live forever!

skies, shoes, speed and snakes

although the BBQ is over at kennedy school, i have spent many hours at the school this week cleaning up, putting back and restoring things to their natural order. i am 'on site' a fair amount.

however, where was i yesterday when jasper had an asthma attack?

oh, i was on the bus headed to wanchai. unable to hear a thing the nurse was saying.

you get the gist of it though.

i wasn't at kennedy not because all the work is done (always work to be done!) but because our building trip to the philippines is next week and charles and i want to buy a pair of shoes for every kid in the preschool we sponsor. so i have been trawling the streets looking for mock crocs. if i can find 30 pair of mock crocs, for five year olds, i will be one happy girl.

so far, we are batting zero for 30. do you think i could find one pair yesterday? NOT SO MUCH. i am a little disenchanted. i don't want to get the kids flip flops. so i am praying that today i will stumble upon an area selling mocks.

stumbling is something i am getting quite good at. i haven't been able to run for two weeks now, because my knees are burning. this is a BAD BAD sign. means too much too soon. i was doing so well, and now this. but it will be okay. i have stopped running altogether. not even distance walking. i might take up yoga in a couple of weeks.

i do need to be speedy for bootcamp though. we have bootcamp at stanley ho sportscentre and a few weeks ago an early morning runner snapped a photo of a new member of stanley ho, who i have no desire to run into any time. just look at that little lovey. i might not be able to find crocs, but if i encountered him.. i could start my own brand of shoes - "snakes". yuk.

greenbacks and green art - gone to great homes

the halloween bbq is over. it was a massive success. people were really happy with their purchases, the evening went smoothly and we raised a shedload of money.

the stairclimb is over. we let hong chi know we are a proud supporter, and we helped raise awareness and funds for their organisation.

and yesterday, the day after the rugby tournament (where sela and jasper scored tries!!! yes they did!), was the icm banquet.

i got there around 11am and stuffed inserts into programs. it was interesting seeing my words come to life on the program and i just trusted that God prevented any errors from creeping in! we prayed for the success of the evening, and then we took the programs, the annual report, and another insert, and we put one on every single place at those 52 tables. this took well over an hour. and then we began unwrapping auction gifts. and then there was a slight emergency and so i had to make a small trip up to the business centre. you know, typical stuff that ALWAYS happens.

getting ready. a long velvet embroidered jacket, magenta silk shirt, black skirt. 

and that was it.

the evening was a massive success.

and i fell in lust.

i didn't have time to fall in love. but now, i have all the time in the world, because charles and i are the PROUD owners of two new pieces of mixed media assemblage artwork by stella tansengco-schapero. they are green.

anyone who knows me will be very surprised at the green bit. growing up with a birthday on st patricks day gave relatives a great excuse to dress me in green at all times. i was a shamrock with a dorothy hamill haircut for far too many years. so i tend to avoid green. however. this artwork grabbed me. i bid against charles' colleague for it for goodness sake! i will get you a picture.

the trip to the versace show sold at a great price, there was great competition for the arsenal vs manchester u game (business class tix!), the all inclusive india trip, the luxury seven bedroom home in phuket...all great prices and good fun.

loads of people stepped up for the medical programs, to support kindergartens (we saw photos of our kindergarten!) and then all guests were treated to watch two minutes of this 2006 winner from the berlin film festival. i invite you to take six minutes and watch this. six minutes is all. you can fast forward the first 90 seconds if you wish.

and the hands to transform a community by buying rice for them, came up fast and furious.

ICM raised HK$7million for the impoverished last night.

someone who reads my blog agreed that while i do like to suggest alternative ways things could be done, i also volunteer because i like to give hope. there is a difference between volunteering at your child's school and volunteering for a charity aiming to help people rise out of poverty. everyone who attended last night, whether by buying a bottle of wine, or by sponsoring rice for a village, gave hope last night and it was amazing to be in the room.

HK$7 million. 

thank you everyone.

please watch the video!