Endtrip

i'm to leave again for melbourne in 2 days time while the wife & kid will be catching a later flight in a week's time cos she's gonna attend a friends wedding at the end of the month. it' interesting how this trip has been marked by weddings at both the beginning and the end.

in the span of approx 6-7 weeks, i'd......

• attended 1 wedding in Singapore
• attended 1 wedding in KL (strange to see my sis going through 2 ceremonies in a span of 2 weekends)
• realised that i could no longer fit into my old dress pants (well, 1 was bought some 10 yrs ago n another 5 yrs ago...glad they cld be altered to fit present waist line)
  
• saw a side of KL which i'd not previously known
• mingled with my sis's very eloquent in-laws
  
• made 1 trip up Humen and saw the wife's 95 yr old paternal grandma
  
• made 1 trip to Hong Kong Disneyland with Wife, kiddo, bro-in-law, MIL and her 2 kakas
  
• eaten some 5 rounds of buffet and some sumptuous dinner spreads (courtesy of my sis's weddings and in-laws)
  
• bought tons of books for the kiddo
• (rather her laolao & gugu) bought tons of clothes for the kiddo
• spent CNY and caught up with most of my relatives (strangely nostalgic even though i usually just see them for no more than 6 hours annually on the very same occasion)
• caught up with some old friends, ex-schoolmates and ex-colleagues. for some, i'd really wish i could spend more time with
• caught 1 awful movie called Avatar. and dang that's the only movie i watched (downloads don't count).......
  
• packed and unpacked 3 times
• learnt about zero windows config to get internet connection on my FIL's peecee & cranky usb wifi modem adapter
• visited the doctor twice (once for flu/cough & 2nd for stomach viral infection...he'd been given a large enuff angbao)
• finally picked up my referral from my ex-boss
• read half of zhao ziyang's biography (maybe i'll get to finish it)
  
• stuffed myself with bakwas, pineapple tarts and kweh bangkit (i think that explains for my new found zits and probably 2 extra kilos which i had previously lost over the 6 mths in Melb)
• observed how the kiddo has grown & come to learn new things
  

i'd have loved to......

• spend more time with my folks/ let them spend more time with the kiddo
• bring the kiddo to more places in Sg
  
• tidy up the tank i'd left me dad
• stay on for my JC schoolmate's wedding
  
• eat the humful char kway teow and chicken rice at queenstown market & tau sar piah & pong piah from any traditional chinese confectionary store
  
• look for some long distance part-time work from over here
• etc......
  

I can't help feeling nostalgia creeping in towards the end of this trip. perhaps it's my mind's response to the uncertainty of our future - the 'not quite here-not quite there' conundrum. I was also saddened by the news of the sudden passing of another JC schoolmate just weeks short of CNY. but these emotions served to remind me to make the most of my life and treasure all the lil things that everyone around me had to offer. while i may not be able to see very far from where i am now, i'm glad that i can afford lil steps and have my loved ones around, however near/far.