Loss of Shopping Interest

So today was the day before Christmas eve, which if course is two days before the Boxing Week Sale week - something unique to Canada in North America I believe. Americans don't celebrate Boxing Day -so many don't know about it anyway.

There used to be a door opener special on big ticket items for boxing day -I remember going to get a big TV at 6AM to get a good price - good price - but it was sure cold waiting to get in. I recall a lot of other people waiting in line too. God knows what time those in front got there - maybe camped all night to save $200 if lucky - $50 more likely. Anyway my question is- does this mean that there is a looming disinterest for pre-Boxing Day Week sales?

Perhaps it does. I was hooked into buying a dishwasher 10 days ago which was tagged with "Boxing Week Special" - it wasn't boxing week. It seems that the plan is to get people to buy after Christmas, which means the accountants and bookeepers get to work harder to get things entered before New Years Day, when the January sales begin. Seems to me its a faulty plan or an attempt by the higher religious orders to get folks back to the real meaning of Christmas, and in the process get more focus on the good samaratan deeds and help for the less fortunate -and there are so many of those - I've seen it. I sure feel lucky to have been born here - can't imagine really growing upo in most of the places I work these days.

Anyway the whole exercise of present purchasing is too chaotic, so I am glad to have opted out early. Now to wrap or not to wrap.... any thoughts?

Dec 21 - Rain Rain Rain and More Rain

Yes, believe it or not it is raining again - all day - the clouds are down so low that you can't see the mountains at all - you'd never know there were any. Reminds me of 30 or more years ago when inlaws visited the apartment which had fantastic views on the days when there was no rain - you could see for 30 miles unobstructed -same problem today in any direction. But in the other world ...

In Aceh the rains are very different than in other parts of the archipelago - they come strong downpours for long times - the monsoons - and they also come quietly as drizzle for long periods. In Jakarta the rains were almost angry coming so intensely starting almost at the same time in the afternoon every day.

In Surabaya the roads were (and the golf course was) prone to flooding when the skies belched. One day Bob and Ronnie - my Aussie friends and I were stranded almost and had to walk back down the fairway during a severe thunderstorm which swooped in and spoiled our round in many ways - had to drink beer waiting for the traffic to let up - left my shoes and lost them to some caddy who is probably still wearing them 5 years later - no 9 years later. They were good Footjoys too -anyway he needed them more than I - otherewise I would still have them I guess.

In Dili, there are no golf courses - but there is rain occasionally. Itso torrential - people - everyone comes to wash and the river which is normally dry can almost reach the bridge level - people drown in that stuff - a 4 to 5 meter rise inside of about an hour sometimes.

But that's the other world.

Annual Christmas Routine

So today it was on - the long awaited Cousin's Christmas Bash - this time a little different as it was really at a cousin's place - not a sibling's hacienda. I missed last year, as did Echo, as she was studying in Japan and I being more than slightly selfish decided not to come back to North America but to go to Japan- have a nice visit with Number 3 daughter (Echo) - and then go on to (return to) Thailand to do some golfing with my good golfing bud, Bill - aka doctor bill - before back to work in Aceh. ANyway, the recounting of those events are to be topics of another post -assuming I can remember to do that - which I may not be able to based on memory issues.

Back to today...

Picture this -a 3-story condo (or as James corrected me - a townhouse) - a row house which seemed more or less ok - not on the end but close to it -so lots of climate cooling opportunities (made up for by the neighbours who heat their places to more than ambient temp. -Clearly in the interests of climate stasis we must all learn to live like without using energy to keep ourselves warm - anyway, I digress.

We all gather in the middle of this house - i.e. on the second floor where the action is -certainly where the refrigerator is and where the stove is - so we (all 20-odd of us- and some of we seem odd for sure) are able to get our designer beers, red vino collapso and purple potato pizza with baqlsamic vinagrette sauce, nanaimo bars, samosa (oops -I mean spanokapita - I never knew the Greeks and the Indians were related - except the DNA record might prove it- if we're lucky and there's no NHL game on, we might ewven be able to watch an authentic TV blurb on this -who knows - I certainly do not. Sorry, I digress again.

Back to the gathering- the old folks go through a ritualistic hugging ceremony -the cousins also hug one another and seem to enjoy being together again. Moi - I am happy to see this -but I am not so excited about being this far away from home, and having to drive the boat back to the son's house in the rain and in the dark - although I suspect this will be easier than if it were snowing as it was last week.

I think to myself - thank goodness this is only once a year or once every two years. Next year I are going to be away again -for sure. Planning is underway as I write - more on that next time or soon, whichever comes first or second..

A Blog At Last

For some time now - months, more likely years as time is going past so quickly- I have wanted to get a Blog up and running! There are a lot of stories to tell about the work I do, and the people I have met and are yet to meet - on the projects in unusual places faraway where I work and near at hand where I get ready to go back to the chaos.

At last the milestone has been reached and voila un Blogue!

Who knows what the results will be and who knows what these "memoirs" will spark - so let's begin