Take Me Home, Country Roads

It's been pointed out by more than one reader that my posts have dropped off month by month. I have been very, very delinquent and I apologize. I have planned many attempts at writing, and then... things come up. There is no writer's strike. No summer reruns. I hope you'll take me back.

Meet George Jetson: I had my first Skype phone call last week, and it happened to be with one of my favorite people, Kristen. It's really amazing to sit at the computer and talk to somebody across the world. But the video! I can't help it - I'm just so amazed that it's possible and so easy (and free). My Mac has a built-in camera so it's really simple. I don't even know where my microphone is, but apparently it works. The sound quality of the calls is actually quite decent in my opinion too. I am not really thrilled by seeing myself talk, but I'll get over it. I'll have to keep the place tidy too.

I don't know if I'm more excited about Skype or this bit of news: in addition to the morning and nighttime hours, our pool is now open during the day as of August 1. Finally, some justice for the decent, non-hard-working people. Paul and I went up there Sunday evening and the novelty must be wearing off somewhat for the residents because we were the only ones there for about an hour before a handful of other people came in.

So one example of something that came up and took me away from writing was another junk boat expedition. I know a girl named Sheyla whose husband is working here at a law firm for just three months before they return to London. They go out in a large group after work on Fridays and once, since I was with Sheyla, this somehow led to Paul and I eating dinner in a local restaurant with 14 people. They're a pretty easy-going bunch. This Friday they invited us to tag along on the firm's private junk for a BBQ. Slightly different than our Lamma Island seafood trip last weekend, this boat just cruised out a bit and then dropped anchor out in the open water without any destination. The point was to eat and drink, and the food was quite good. We brought some wine, though the beverages of choice seemed to be champagne, sake, and beer.


There were about thirty people so I didn't meet everyone. I suppose some must have been local, but most seemed to come from Singapore, Australia, or even London. This made for interesting music choices. I had no idea how much 80's Australian pop existed. They all knew the songs and sang them and danced as if they were world-reknowned. Sure, there was an occasional Erasure or New Order song, but Australia dominated. Oh, there was also "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver. You never know what people will bring to this country.


To make it seem like the good old days, I'll throw a few more things out there that I'm missing:

1. Sephora. It's like a candy store for cosmetics and I miss browsing for candy (and typically spending way too much after walking in for one planned item).

2. Zappos.com. Shoes, glorious shoes. Free overnight shipping. Free returns. I return the favor with free advertising; they deserve it. It's instant shoe gratification.

3. 20% off. While we're talking about shopping, I really miss walking into a certain department store knowing that anything I buy will be discounted by 20%. We have Mom's 20 years at Macy's to thank for that.

4. Italian Ices. It's not that they don't make 'em like they do back home. They just don't make 'em. There have been days of walking around in the heat here when an Italian ice would seem like the ultimate thirst quencher, but I can only fantasize about Ralph's of Wanchai.

5. An Oven. I have become remarkably adept at cooking absolutely everything on a stove top. Not even a real, gas-lit, 4-burner stove top, but a two-burner electric plate. Placement and heat control is harder than you would think. I impress myself, but I'd love to just broil a piece of meat.

6. NY Accents. I know people from most corners of the world here. The closest I've come is somebody from Boston. English and Australian accents are fun, but somebody reading this, please, just say "water" right now. Say it again. Do you hear it? Ah, sweet music.