Monday, October 05, 2009
we are in taipei!
the typhoon didn't get us, and our kids loved the art museum. it's rainy though and i am back to typing with one hand. marvellous seeing scott for the weekend. it's been 15 years since we last had coffee together (he still had hair!!)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth
There are no perfect places in the world to live in. Human wants are virtually limitless, and we will always find a reason to bitch about something, wherever we are. That being said, the one thing that seriously annoys me about where I currently live is the censored internet. We have no Face book. No You tube and No blogger access, without using VPNs or some other route. Possibly upgrading my computer this Christmas will help matters somewhat!
Will post photos/ blog more from Taiwan (land of the free !) where we are going for the vacation. In the meantime, I only have precious few mins on the (free) internet each time, so excuse the blog silence please.
Thanks Jen (and all the other friendly formosans) for all the tips, but of course I couldn't get on to any website with "tw" in the address ... Anyway, we will go there for the vacation so that I can come back recharged to deal with the craziness of living here.
Will post photos/ blog more from Taiwan (land of the free !) where we are going for the vacation. In the meantime, I only have precious few mins on the (free) internet each time, so excuse the blog silence please.
Thanks Jen (and all the other friendly formosans) for all the tips, but of course I couldn't get on to any website with "tw" in the address ... Anyway, we will go there for the vacation so that I can come back recharged to deal with the craziness of living here.
Friday, August 07, 2009
One of my favourite Photos
This is not a studio potrait. We were sitting in a cafe in Phuket. 2 parents looking at their lovely offspring.
Sophie Loves her little sister so much. It's a magic kind of beauty. Of course she needs reassurance from her parents that they love her and she tests limits. But moments like this are sacred and beautiful. And Fab managed to capture that moment in this shot I think.
Sophie Loves her little sister so much. It's a magic kind of beauty. Of course she needs reassurance from her parents that they love her and she tests limits. But moments like this are sacred and beautiful. And Fab managed to capture that moment in this shot I think.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Sophie and Alex (Phuket Jan '09)
Dear Alex,
You are the classic neglected second child of two working parents. Your sister Sophie had Mommy looking after her until she learned to walk, and was nursed exclusively for 6 months. You on the other hand have had to make do with a mixture of formula and boob since you were 4 months old.
On the other hand, you really have something that Sophie never had - a big sister to look up to. Ayi says whenever you cry, and she says "don't cry, Sophie is coming", you always stop crying. Sophie was never this demonstrative with other children, but spends all day hugging and kissing you !
And so you do learn so fast how to do things - all by yourself ! You've been standing up for ages now, and today you stood alone for a short couple of seconds - you looked so proud ! You also love interacting with other people, much more than Sophie did at this age. You're really sad whenever Sophie goes off to summer camp (4 hours a day a the montessori school) and although you wave "bye bye" at us, ayi says you start crying pretty much after the door is closed . You are 9 months old and you know that you charm your parents by saying "mamamama" and "papapapapa".
We are so proud of both of you.
Your Mama and Papa...
You are the classic neglected second child of two working parents. Your sister Sophie had Mommy looking after her until she learned to walk, and was nursed exclusively for 6 months. You on the other hand have had to make do with a mixture of formula and boob since you were 4 months old.
On the other hand, you really have something that Sophie never had - a big sister to look up to. Ayi says whenever you cry, and she says "don't cry, Sophie is coming", you always stop crying. Sophie was never this demonstrative with other children, but spends all day hugging and kissing you !
And so you do learn so fast how to do things - all by yourself ! You've been standing up for ages now, and today you stood alone for a short couple of seconds - you looked so proud ! You also love interacting with other people, much more than Sophie did at this age. You're really sad whenever Sophie goes off to summer camp (4 hours a day a the montessori school) and although you wave "bye bye" at us, ayi says you start crying pretty much after the door is closed . You are 9 months old and you know that you charm your parents by saying "mamamama" and "papapapapa".
We are so proud of both of you.
Your Mama and Papa...
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Fab- in Hardelot - which one is he?
One of the places I love is Hardelot.
There is an apartment there where my husband went for his holidays at the beach. And now our children can spend time there eating sand and riding ponys. It is a place frozen in time - just like this photo.
One thing I am trying to do is to figure out how to fix the white chairs in the apartment. As you can see from this photo, they were quite new about 30 years ago ... But it's not going to be cheap to fix them. It's supposed to be more economical to buy a new one.
But who can place a price on happy childhood memories?
There is an apartment there where my husband went for his holidays at the beach. And now our children can spend time there eating sand and riding ponys. It is a place frozen in time - just like this photo.
One thing I am trying to do is to figure out how to fix the white chairs in the apartment. As you can see from this photo, they were quite new about 30 years ago ... But it's not going to be cheap to fix them. It's supposed to be more economical to buy a new one.
But who can place a price on happy childhood memories?
Monday, July 27, 2009
Cousinade
Some members of the Cousin Clan.... missing quite a good chunk though... the last really big family reunion I think was the last Christmas in the Grandparent's home in 2006. I consider myself tremendously lucky to have been a part of that. It was something special, and once the house was sold, never to be repeated.
I think these traditions will be increasingly important for our children in the future. Especially with the travel that happens with these global nomads. Somehow the need is stronger (with email and skype) to know that your family loves you, no matter where in the world you can be.
I do not know whether they will consider themselves French or Singaporean. With a little luck, I hope they will feel a bit of both !
I think these traditions will be increasingly important for our children in the future. Especially with the travel that happens with these global nomads. Somehow the need is stronger (with email and skype) to know that your family loves you, no matter where in the world you can be.
I do not know whether they will consider themselves French or Singaporean. With a little luck, I hope they will feel a bit of both !
Stolen moments
It's wonderful for Sophie to enjoy being in Europe at least 3 weeks a year.
She got to run around the garden in her underwear (after playing with water and getting all her clothes wet).
And steal grapes from the cheese plate while her father saw all his extended family (the photo shows the end of a very long table).
If you want to talk about the fabled "Asian values" of close family kinship and tradition. Hang out with a Northern French family. Forget insular nuclear family - you have 30 cousins at the table (20 couldn't make it) and everybody talks at the same time. Over large amounts of alcohol and food ... it's almost Asian !
She got to run around the garden in her underwear (after playing with water and getting all her clothes wet).
And steal grapes from the cheese plate while her father saw all his extended family (the photo shows the end of a very long table).
If you want to talk about the fabled "Asian values" of close family kinship and tradition. Hang out with a Northern French family. Forget insular nuclear family - you have 30 cousins at the table (20 couldn't make it) and everybody talks at the same time. Over large amounts of alcohol and food ... it's almost Asian !
Friday, July 24, 2009
25 random things meme
This is an incredibly old meme circulating the internet. For those of you who have forgotten it by now, you're supposed to write 25 random things about yourself. So here are mine:
1.Filling in these kind of memes usually mean that I am bored, or stressed, or both.
Fortunately neither happens very often.
2.Subject to #1, then I am a generally happy, usually ethical lawyer. You can put me in a zoo because I am clearly an endangered species.
3.Restraint and Humility are lessons I am still learning. When I can't do it, I just fake it.
4.I have worked in a variety of summer jobs – I have been a waitress, a swimming pool cleaner, antique furniture seller, and theatre actor, essay mill writer.
5.Writing letters and postcards to my friends makes me happy. Although sometimes I forget to mail them.
6.I like buying presents for people "just because", the biggest "just because" gift that I had given was throwing a surprise party for Fabien in Singapore – just for the heck of it.
7.I dislike people feeling obliged to give gifts or be nice without really meaning it.
8.A certain amount of hypocrisy is necessary to function in social/professional settings, and I'm still learning to accept this.
9.I think I want 4 children and a great big dog called Maximus.
10.I could read my own bed time story by the time I was 2 years old.
11.I was a committed environmentalist for some years, and thought I would neither have babies nor a driving licence.
12.Then I met my husband and changed my mind.
13.I have an Italian driving licence which I got at first try.
14.That licence has not had much use because some people are just destined to be driven. Especially those with absolutely no sense of direction.
15.It took some time for me to work out who I am. I think I have most of that figured out now. Especially the having no sense of direction part.
16.I have looked for and seen falling stars in various interesting places, including – the roof of Cairnhill Arts Centre, the Frankfurt train station, the lawn in front of Trent Building, and the second floor of the (then) Singapore Ambassador's house in Paris.
17.Having children has given me a fear of dying, which I never used to have. I now fear leaving my children mother-less at a young age.
18.I used to dive a lot, and really enjoyed it, but I haven't done it for so long now I probably have forgotten what I am missing.
19.I am a chatty traveller and will happily yap to who-ever is willing to talk to me on a plane or train.
20.I will learn to play polo in Argentina some day. Want to join me?
21.I don't have anything I am particularly fantastic at, but I have lots of things I am pretty good at.
22.The fact that I wasn't brilliant at anything used to bother me, but I think I have mellowed since.
23.I look up to my dad and aunt tremendously as a people who have done a lot in their career without compromising what they felt to be right. But I wonder whether this has affected their personal life more than they will admit.
24.I never will have that problem. If it was ever an absolute choice between my work or my family, I know what I would choose in a split second.
25.Fabien and I kiss whenever we walk across a bridge.
1.Filling in these kind of memes usually mean that I am bored, or stressed, or both.
Fortunately neither happens very often.
2.Subject to #1, then I am a generally happy, usually ethical lawyer. You can put me in a zoo because I am clearly an endangered species.
3.Restraint and Humility are lessons I am still learning. When I can't do it, I just fake it.
4.I have worked in a variety of summer jobs – I have been a waitress, a swimming pool cleaner, antique furniture seller, and theatre actor, essay mill writer.
5.Writing letters and postcards to my friends makes me happy. Although sometimes I forget to mail them.
6.I like buying presents for people "just because", the biggest "just because" gift that I had given was throwing a surprise party for Fabien in Singapore – just for the heck of it.
7.I dislike people feeling obliged to give gifts or be nice without really meaning it.
8.A certain amount of hypocrisy is necessary to function in social/professional settings, and I'm still learning to accept this.
9.I think I want 4 children and a great big dog called Maximus.
10.I could read my own bed time story by the time I was 2 years old.
11.I was a committed environmentalist for some years, and thought I would neither have babies nor a driving licence.
12.Then I met my husband and changed my mind.
13.I have an Italian driving licence which I got at first try.
14.That licence has not had much use because some people are just destined to be driven. Especially those with absolutely no sense of direction.
15.It took some time for me to work out who I am. I think I have most of that figured out now. Especially the having no sense of direction part.
16.I have looked for and seen falling stars in various interesting places, including – the roof of Cairnhill Arts Centre, the Frankfurt train station, the lawn in front of Trent Building, and the second floor of the (then) Singapore Ambassador's house in Paris.
17.Having children has given me a fear of dying, which I never used to have. I now fear leaving my children mother-less at a young age.
18.I used to dive a lot, and really enjoyed it, but I haven't done it for so long now I probably have forgotten what I am missing.
19.I am a chatty traveller and will happily yap to who-ever is willing to talk to me on a plane or train.
20.I will learn to play polo in Argentina some day. Want to join me?
21.I don't have anything I am particularly fantastic at, but I have lots of things I am pretty good at.
22.The fact that I wasn't brilliant at anything used to bother me, but I think I have mellowed since.
23.I look up to my dad and aunt tremendously as a people who have done a lot in their career without compromising what they felt to be right. But I wonder whether this has affected their personal life more than they will admit.
24.I never will have that problem. If it was ever an absolute choice between my work or my family, I know what I would choose in a split second.
25.Fabien and I kiss whenever we walk across a bridge.
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