Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Boo, guess who?

Hello my dear readers,

I have been away for so long that I have forgotten how to blog. Lost that chatty feeling.

So here is the update:

1) When I came home tonight I thought I would still be numbered among those poor Orange customers who have had no internet for two days. I would have done a really short blog via my phone email...because I missed you all.

2) For the past few days (I got Friday off), I have been in the blissful company of my dear mother. We walked about arm in arm, shopping, browsing, gossiping, laughing, nagging, rolling eyes, and laughing again. We ate all sorts of wonderful food, including fancy dim sum at Yauatcha, followed by tea and cakes. Orchid tea - the last two times I was there, they had none. And my yum Shanghai Lily cake of course.

You know how it is when you don't live at home anymore and you see your parents after a long while, as desperately as you wanted to see them, they've got these idiosyncracies, the ones you forgot about. We're still on the same wavelength on many things, but then there are the things they do or say that make you wonder how you are related - but I guess that is how families evolve.

3) I have permission to take my leave and go to Canada on the 19th of December. My mother wants me to stay for a month. Furthermore, my father invited both of us to spend Christmas with him in Calgary. We miss him...it was nice of him to ask.

4) I got my flu vaccination today. I scratched my name off the office list for the 17th of November. I probably would have caught it by then!

5) My mother brought me the coolest pair of glass earrings from Gibraltar. She had been on a trip there with two of her sisters. The earrings are bombarded by minerals and look like pieces of pure iridescence, changing colour from one moment to the next. In fact, they are now officially cooler than my Murano glass earrings...

That's all for now, folks!

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

You know you're going to have post a pic of those earrings :). I'm so glad you had a good time with your mum and that you were granted time off this xmas. :)

Guess who emailed me? Yep. HER.

bye

Prerona said...

:) i agree with you on "Lost that chatty feeling" ...me too! But you seem to be fine.

Um Naief said...

i'm happy that you got to spend time w/ ur mom. your post makes me miss my mom... even for those little things, that you speak of, that never seem to change... but like you said, that's what makes us family.

having christmas off will be really nice. i can only imagine xmas in canada! i hope it snows a lot!! :) or that's something i'd like... maybe you don't.

what does orchid tea taste like? it sounds nice. i get different teas from the grocery here. they have a rose petal one that is quite nice.

flu vaccs... now that's something i haven't had in a LONG time. do you ever get sick from them? i have in the past, but the last few times i had them, they never affected me.

michelle said...

oh my gosh, u will love Calgary!

you know you guys should visit newfoundland sometime!

pink jellybaby said...

pictures of the new earrings please...

The Moody Minstrel said...

What's even worse is when you visit your parents after a long absence and their forgotten idiosyncracies drive you nuts...to the point where you almost feel like leaving...

Calgary? Sounds cold!

I've been slacking off on these word verification verses, so...
Alas, but Christmas should be good as gold,
Unless you'd really rather be alone.
Just keep in mind that Canada is cold;
Remember it can chill you to the bone!
Despite that, you can make the most,
Home with your family, warm as toast!

Anonymous said...

To all of you who want me to post a pic of the earrings - I tried last night, but only with my phone cam. Will try with proper camera tonight.

***

Memoria - actually, that is when my contract ends. I am thinking if a position came up here, I would consider it.

Her? No way. We need to talk on MSN!

***

Prerona - hehe. I think it didn't take long to get back into the mindset.

***

Tooners - I love your long comments!

Actually, the things I mentioned are things that have changed for the worse. My mum wasn't designed to be single, and without me and dad, despite the fact that she is living with sisters now and taking care of everyone, she's sort of shrivelling up inside. I can't bear to see it.

No way! Perhaps the snow in Indiana isn't as bad as the snow in Canada, and you miss it just coz you're in a desert now :P, but last time I was there at Xmas I nearly went mad with it all.

Orchid tea...how do I tell you? You know how they smell in big vases all over the house in the spring? Well, that's what it tastes like...
I love rose petal tea - is that pure roses? I have black tea infused with petals...

No, I never get sick from the flu shot. Unfortunately, I caught a strain last year that had not been included in that year's batch. Anyway, I cannot afford to catch the flu.

***

Jia Li - I am sure I will prefer it to Ontario in general.

***

Buttons - the camera does not do them justice.

***

Minstrel - you speak from experience, methinks.

Dad says Calgary is not as cold as Toronto, and that it is the second mildest city in Canada after Vancouver -- but it is in a prairie province and near the Rockies!

I guess, like Montana, the weather can seriously change in minutes. Oh yes, I remember now, the warm chinook winds...melts snow in a day or less. Wierd.

"Home with your family, warm as toast"
Although we have no home and my parents have split up (thus no longer hugging each other, much), neither of them give me any fewer hugs when I see them. So toasty hugs it is then.

Gossip: one time, a couple of years ago, at a friend's wedding, my Dad forgot they were divorced and held my mother's hand for close to half an hour. She was stunned speechless, but also had very much missed her hand being held, so she said nothing. When he realised, he overcorrected and let go of her like hot potatoes. Silly isn't it? When they were together he would reach for her like second nature...so old habits die hard.


-Olivia

ML said...

Those earrings sound lovely! Too bad you can't post a picture :(
I know what you mean about being away from your parents for a long time and then when you finally do, they're...uh...a big strange?? Oh well, that's family.

michelle said...

hehe, wait, I used to live in ONT.. Its nice there...u don't like TO the cultural centre of canada....

Um Naief said...

olivia, yes they sell the pure rose petals here at the store. it's nice and light, i like it. i also get a few other kinds that are very nice. there's one, in particular, that i love but i can't remember what type... i'll have to look and let you know. it's red in color and has a nice taste when mixed w/ a small amt. of sugar.

yeah, i'm sure i miss the winters because of being in the desert. i now i also miss the rain just as much and only wish for a day when it would be a total downpour w/ thunder and lightening... but i'm afraid i'll have to dream because the chances of it happening are slim to none! ;)

my mother sounds similar to yours altho she's been single for quite some time. she has lost a lot of weight over the last few years and it's difficult to watch. she hates my being here and i think it brings a lot of stress to her. i'm glad you two are going to spend the holidays w/ your father... this will be good for both of you.

Um Naief said...

and btw... the orchid tea sounds wonderful! i can only imagine how it must taste. :)

Anonymous said...

ML - I took a photo last night, will try to post it tonight.

***

Jia Li - yes, not too far from my family. I find the entire place a bit boring, even when we do stuff! How bad is that?

Perhaps I wuold prefer Quebec City...it is European. But I can do without the winters, so it's a moot point in the end.

***

Tooners - ok, waiting to hear what this intriguing red tea is...

Have you ever tried Rooibos (red bush) tea? It's from S. Africa and I tried to get into it because it is good for you, but I couldn't get past the smell of sweaty socks it has...

Isn't there a desert rain? No?

My Mum lost weight too, but that is because she ended HRT, started going to the gym, stopped cooking for a family or to please a man's stomach. For a while this year she did have trouble eating; that is when her sisters in Canada went to visit. They were appalled with her loneliness and that is why she moved up there this summer, much earlier than intended.

How often do you see your mom?

AmitL said...

Hi,Olivia...whew..u call 7 days away from blogging,a 'long time'.:)I feel happy if I can post once a week.heh heh...Whew..is flu so rampant there??And,that was quite a vivid description of earrings.

michelle said...

Quebec cit in the winter is lovely

Leilouta said...

I am happy you had a good time with your mom. I miss that.
I hope you have a great time in Canada. My mom lived in Montreal during her universtity studies at McGill and she adored the snow. She used to smoke back then and said she didn’t mind going out in the snow around 1 or 2 am to get cigarettes from the store :)

Anonymous said...

You know how I can relate to being with parents again after a long absence. :> But I am glad you got to see her and will be spending much time with family this winter!

Speaking of flu shots, I probably should've had one...not sure if I have a cold or the flu, but it's hard getting through the day when you're sick. >_<

Anonymous said...

Amit - well, when I was unemployed, I blogged every day. There was always something to blog about. I used to condense documentaries into a blog, too. Now, no longer so informative.

Perhaps the rate of transmission is higher here because we're all crammed together in the train, and jostling in the streets. Only today, walking up the escalator, I passed a guy who sneezed ON MY HAND. Icky.

***

Jia Li - I'd like to visit one day.

***

Leilouta - of course, your mom would have been at home speaking French. Did she say anything about the way the quebecois spoke? I cannot understand them (nor Parisians), mais les autres francais, particulierement ceux-ci dans la centre, parlent plus clair. I bet I got that all half wrong...

And what an easy life we non-smokers have...

***

Mers - are you ill? Take care of yourself and get better soon. You have been working so hard this year!

***

Anonymous said...

Yes, I've been sneezing and coughing. Slept at least 10 hours last night, though. Sleep overload, ugh.

Do Quebecois speak funny? Their accent is very different from that of the French, that's for sure. I find it easier to understand the French who live in the more rural areas because they tend to speak more slowly - not to mention the fact they're so friendly!

AmitL said...

Sneezed on your hand?Arghhh...how ghastly.