On a cold day like this, I feel like singing "Mele Kalikimaka" to encourage the warm winds to blow and sway the palm trees. I work this morning, feeling my lower back ache. So, at 11, I zoom down the hill to an Iyengar yoga class. For the uninitiated, Iyengar yoga is all about posture and alignment. None of the flow and swing that makes you feel one with nature. This is all about discipline. The Italian yoga teacher reminds me of Julius Ceasar as she shouts out orders for us to pull our buttocks away from our lumbars. I feel quite stretched as I zoom back to the pool and sink into the warm little pool next to the cold big pool where the die-hard masters are flipping.
Back home, I peel root vegetables - daikon, burdock, potatoes- and simmer them in a kobu broth with fish and ginger. This is the best way to chase away the cold. Tonight, I complete the frilly blouse for tomorrow night's concert where Camille plays the flute. Camille says it's the sort that Amadeus would wear. After the concert, I think I'll wear it once in a while. For "mele kalikimaka"-ing, go to - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xE-XghNZ30
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Day 104: Mad Monday
New Yorkers will laugh, but it's cold here. I need to pluck up some courage as I pull into the local pool. I see a neighbor's daughter on crutches. She has had hip surgery and is rehabilitating in the pool. Now I know that all this hype about "minimally invasive" and "you walk out the hospital the next day (smiling implied)" is all lies.
This morning, I walk out of my steam shower to find my half French daughter wanting a ride down to the bus stop because she made crepe with Nutella for French food day for her French class. I, of course, oblige and come home to find my French husband sitting at his desk at 7 (at home!). I work on a couple of newsletters, while picking ticks off of Charlie and throwing the laundry into the machine. Highly productive.
After a brief attempt at muscling up, I life coach a life coach (at no charge, at least not yet), perform CPR on my orchids, and then hop on to a conference call re: the dinosaur era a.k.a. securitizations. Then, I zoom around the village, come home, hop on another chat with my friend in Japan while making Tantanmen (this is actually to die for yummy).
My eldest has declined to join his tribe for Christmas, as he now has a girlfriend. First question I ask is "what's her name?". As I communicate this info around, each member of the tribe asks "what's her name?" It appears that we are genetically programmed to ask this question.
This morning, I walk out of my steam shower to find my half French daughter wanting a ride down to the bus stop because she made crepe with Nutella for French food day for her French class. I, of course, oblige and come home to find my French husband sitting at his desk at 7 (at home!). I work on a couple of newsletters, while picking ticks off of Charlie and throwing the laundry into the machine. Highly productive.
After a brief attempt at muscling up, I life coach a life coach (at no charge, at least not yet), perform CPR on my orchids, and then hop on to a conference call re: the dinosaur era a.k.a. securitizations. Then, I zoom around the village, come home, hop on another chat with my friend in Japan while making Tantanmen (this is actually to die for yummy).
My eldest has declined to join his tribe for Christmas, as he now has a girlfriend. First question I ask is "what's her name?". As I communicate this info around, each member of the tribe asks "what's her name?" It appears that we are genetically programmed to ask this question.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Days 103 & 104: Random thoughts
Sunday afternoon musings make me think. A while ago, my friend Bob (name changed to protect identity) tells me that his goal for the next 5 years is to lead a life such that many people will come to his funeral and talk about how Bob helped them when in need. I wonder why it has to be his funeral, and why it can't simply be lots of people who liked him. I detect a powerful ego at work.
Yesterday evening, I drive into a beautiful San Francisco with Christmas decorations illuminating the city. The radio sings out Christmas in San Francsico. I am dining with out-of-town friends. We used to work together 15 (!) years ago down right across the bowels of what is now known as Ground Zero. How we have grown! As we sit across a table ordering our Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and chat away happily, we recall people and incidents of the past. How nice to have friends who lift me off my feet to give me a hug after all these years. This is when I don't mind being short.
This morning, I go to the gym (for 8 minutes, that's all I can take) and then to the pool. I spot my ex-colleague and friend with her beloved and have a nice catch-up. Luckily, the clock has ticked 6 minutes while we chat, and I fulfill my timeslot for laps as well. Up in paradise, my beef stew is smelling good for lunch. I type this blog with a thimble on my finger, as I am sewing a "frilly blouse" for Camille's concert on Wednesday. I wonder again, whether I wasn't meant to be the "perfect housewife".
In between now and tonight's orchestra (Julien performs), I will need to work on a newsletter for my new business which starts officially on January 1, 2010. Check the site out if you have nothing better to do: http://www.totalwealthasia.com/
Yesterday evening, I drive into a beautiful San Francisco with Christmas decorations illuminating the city. The radio sings out Christmas in San Francsico. I am dining with out-of-town friends. We used to work together 15 (!) years ago down right across the bowels of what is now known as Ground Zero. How we have grown! As we sit across a table ordering our Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and chat away happily, we recall people and incidents of the past. How nice to have friends who lift me off my feet to give me a hug after all these years. This is when I don't mind being short.
This morning, I go to the gym (for 8 minutes, that's all I can take) and then to the pool. I spot my ex-colleague and friend with her beloved and have a nice catch-up. Luckily, the clock has ticked 6 minutes while we chat, and I fulfill my timeslot for laps as well. Up in paradise, my beef stew is smelling good for lunch. I type this blog with a thimble on my finger, as I am sewing a "frilly blouse" for Camille's concert on Wednesday. I wonder again, whether I wasn't meant to be the "perfect housewife".
In between now and tonight's orchestra (Julien performs), I will need to work on a newsletter for my new business which starts officially on January 1, 2010. Check the site out if you have nothing better to do: http://www.totalwealthasia.com/
Friday, December 4, 2009
Day 99: Or is it 102?
Somewhere along the way, I must have miscounted the days - it should be Day 102 according to my calculation, yet here I am at Day 99. It is incredible that Robinson Crusoe managed to keep his days straight enough to name his friend Friday.
In college, the only class I got a "C" was for philosophy. I blame this on the professor. The first class I took was so boring, that I never attended any other. The old professor rambled on about random topics (he must have been tenured), but one thing did stick. "No matter what it is, if you do one thing for 10 years, you will become an expert in that one thing." This is true, although there are good experts and mediocre experts after the same 10 years. I had not thought about my previous professional life during the last 99 (or is it 102) days. Today, I have an opportunity to draw upon distant memory and find to my surprise, that I can still think coherently. Similar to how in Tokyo, I was able to recall trivia buried deep in my brain from 20 years ago, my livelihood of the past 15 years is still there. There is an intellectual satisfaction, if not an emotional one.
I don't have time to dwell on this, since I have lunch with a silver fox-like friend. The conversation with her is both intellectually and emotionally satisfying. As I take leave of silver fox and fly north to Costco (for feeding the monster is part of my day job), I think of all the people that I have encountered over the years, and how some relationships have grown while some have faded away, and why this happens. In the end, for me, there is a somewhat spiritual attachment that draws me to certain people. I have to think about how to express this spirit - it is not religous, it is not intellectual. Maybe Louis Armstrong sang it best. "I see friends shaking hands, saying how do you do? They're really saying, I love you."
In college, the only class I got a "C" was for philosophy. I blame this on the professor. The first class I took was so boring, that I never attended any other. The old professor rambled on about random topics (he must have been tenured), but one thing did stick. "No matter what it is, if you do one thing for 10 years, you will become an expert in that one thing." This is true, although there are good experts and mediocre experts after the same 10 years. I had not thought about my previous professional life during the last 99 (or is it 102) days. Today, I have an opportunity to draw upon distant memory and find to my surprise, that I can still think coherently. Similar to how in Tokyo, I was able to recall trivia buried deep in my brain from 20 years ago, my livelihood of the past 15 years is still there. There is an intellectual satisfaction, if not an emotional one.
I don't have time to dwell on this, since I have lunch with a silver fox-like friend. The conversation with her is both intellectually and emotionally satisfying. As I take leave of silver fox and fly north to Costco (for feeding the monster is part of my day job), I think of all the people that I have encountered over the years, and how some relationships have grown while some have faded away, and why this happens. In the end, for me, there is a somewhat spiritual attachment that draws me to certain people. I have to think about how to express this spirit - it is not religous, it is not intellectual. Maybe Louis Armstrong sang it best. "I see friends shaking hands, saying how do you do? They're really saying, I love you."
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Day 98: Kaleidoscope
I go to the doctor for hip and knee pain, and find out that it is not my hip or knee that is problematic. It is my back that lacks muscles which triggers pain. This is like the butterfly effect in one's own body. Good news is that all I have to do is muscle up. Bad news is that I have to muscle up.
Mid-morning, my neighbor and good friend picks me up for a coffee and biscuit treat. Serial successful enterpreneur that he is, he is onto his nth project. I am novice apprentice trying to glean morsels of wisdom whenever possible. We chat about everything and nothing in particular, which reminds me of my dreams. I am fortunate to have friends who remind me of dreams.
After laps at the pool to shed the few pounds I have gained, I trek up the goat path, but need to stop for oxygen. I reach paradise and realize I am 6 minutes late for a conference call. My daughters call, and despite the commitment I made in early days, I speed down to pick them up, scoop up my baby son (who is flirting shamelessly with the dentist and her staff) and zoom back up to paradise.
As dusk falls here, the sun has risen in Asia. Here we go again for a continuation of the DREAM.
Mid-morning, my neighbor and good friend picks me up for a coffee and biscuit treat. Serial successful enterpreneur that he is, he is onto his nth project. I am novice apprentice trying to glean morsels of wisdom whenever possible. We chat about everything and nothing in particular, which reminds me of my dreams. I am fortunate to have friends who remind me of dreams.
After laps at the pool to shed the few pounds I have gained, I trek up the goat path, but need to stop for oxygen. I reach paradise and realize I am 6 minutes late for a conference call. My daughters call, and despite the commitment I made in early days, I speed down to pick them up, scoop up my baby son (who is flirting shamelessly with the dentist and her staff) and zoom back up to paradise.
As dusk falls here, the sun has risen in Asia. Here we go again for a continuation of the DREAM.
Day 97: Saratoga
The fence guy shows up and offers nothing for free. The electrician comes and fixes a few things aound the house. Meanwhile, I busy myself sewing a few wrap-a-bag furoshiki's for the evening event. Apogee Club is offering evening refreshments with preserved flower arrangements, and there is a side table for arts & crafts. I feel obligated to present a few wrap-a-bags.
I head south in my batmobile, and realize that I don't know where Saratoga is. My faithful GPS gets me to my destination 50-odd miles and almost 2 hours away. Preserved flowers are the plant version of Lenin. They are bleached and then dipped in alcohol to keep them looking life like for eternity. They are much prettier than Lenin, but are quite pricey. A single rose is $12~15 - it will last a decade, so perhaps it is quite inexpensive.
The most memorable thing is not the flowers, but a comment made by a friend who just went back to a full time position. She is also an accomplished painter, and realized she could not paint well when she is happy. So, she is back at work, and can paint again!
I head south in my batmobile, and realize that I don't know where Saratoga is. My faithful GPS gets me to my destination 50-odd miles and almost 2 hours away. Preserved flowers are the plant version of Lenin. They are bleached and then dipped in alcohol to keep them looking life like for eternity. They are much prettier than Lenin, but are quite pricey. A single rose is $12~15 - it will last a decade, so perhaps it is quite inexpensive.
The most memorable thing is not the flowers, but a comment made by a friend who just went back to a full time position. She is also an accomplished painter, and realized she could not paint well when she is happy. So, she is back at work, and can paint again!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Day 96: Myths
This morning I wait in vain for the fence guy to show up while chatting about investment ideas with my friend in Germany. I now have Skype but yet have to use it. I seem to have friends with common names, so everytime I try, I can't figure out which John Smith is the right one. My husband, who is a Vonage fan and doesn't believe in Skype, faithfully climbs the hill nonetheless with a head set for me. I zoom off for lunch with a friend, with whom I discuss my adventures in Tokyo. She, in turn, tells me about her adventures and commiserates the fact that I have little college savings for my kids. I have always been of the opinion that there is a way where there is a will. I am sure we'll figure it out, but we'd better hurry. In the afternoon, I do the "mom-takes-kid-for-doctor-visit" routine again. In the evening, I chat with my friend in Japan while stir frying vegetable and fish. Mid-way,through preparing dinner, I navigate calls from my husband and son on there whereabouts while pantomiming with another son about the progress of dinner preparation. Today is a typical day in paradise. Beautiful sky all day long, with a wonderful sunset. Aya and I spot a sad-looking man mourning the passing of this gorgeous December (!) day. Look closely at the photo below.
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