Moving to SF - The Saga Continues

Dennis and I spent the last two weekends running up and down the bay area, from the south bay, all the way up to the city and back, looking for apartments. We saw some gorgeous apartments that made us drool, and some that made us want to walk right out, but ultimately it came down to a price versus luxury decision.

We made a decision that would allow us a good balance of luxury and price. We decided on a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment at the BayCrest (off Harrison Sreet). The living room and one of the bedrooms have a view of the pool, while the other bedroom has a view of the Bay Bridge and the waterfront. Very nice layout, although not quite as jaw dropping as some of the other places we saw. We will be sending in our application tomorrow (Monday) and anticipate moving in mid July.

Can't wait!!!!

23 years ago

Alwyn just reminded me of what was quite possibly the best vacation I've ever had in my life. Spent a month in Europe touring in a little van.

Picking cherries from a cherry tree and then having a picnic on Ah Ma's birthday. I don't remember much, but I do remember sitting on a bench in the shade, and looking at a basketful of cherries, freshly picked off the tree. I remember feeling very happy.

We went to some playground. There was a flying fox. I remember Alwyn went on it, and for some reason, I guess he didn't hold tight enough, and at the end of the ride, he just fell off, fell on his chest, and got the living crap knocked out of him. I remember laughing at him, but Uncle Warren told me to stop laughing cos Alwyn didn't like people to laugh at him. I think Alwyn just picked himself up, whined a little and was back to normal even though we left the playground soon after.

And then there's the part where Alwyn was talking to his friends in German. I asked him what he said and he said that he told them that I was a karate expert and I would beat them up. I don't really remember what he really said to them though. Not that it matters.

I vaguely remember the Parisian traffic, and being somewhat nervous cos all the cars were all banged up. And then we stopped somewhere in the middle of Paris, and dad went to try to change some US dollars (or was it UK pounds?) to francs and didn't really get very far cos nobody wanted to change money.

I remember playing a (badly conceived) prank on Judith. We were jumping on a pillow, and when Judith jumped, for some stupid reason, I pulled the pillow away from under her, and she landed on the hard floor. OUCH! Sorry Judith. But I swear it seemed like a fun idea at that time! :)

And there was that small incident where I was playing in Auntie Annie's garden and somehow managed to break a branch off Auntie Annie's precious rose bushes. I think I got away with hiding the broken branch behind another rose bush. Or maybe she just didn't make a big deal out of it.

Patricia... Ka Ka Bum... She liked apples... I don't even remember how the nickname came about. But I do remember her liking apples. I wonder Pat, do you still like apples?

Good times... Great memories...

Son of my cousin

My dad has a brother, who in turn has a son. What's the relationship between that son and myself? The answer is fairly easy - we're cousins.

My sister has (or rather, will have) a son. What does that make me? Another easy one... I'm his uncle and he will be my nephew.

So far, nothing new, but now let's mix it up a little... My cousin has a son. What does that make me? The answer, according to wikipedia, is... we are first cousins, once removed.

Hmm... and what does that make him and my sister's son?

Sitting on a park bench

My CEO wrote this about someone who was leaving the company...

The thing I will miss most about working with M on a daily basis is his character. At last year's Leaders Meeting, M talked about sitting on a park bench long after he has retired. He wondered if the people he encountered throughout his life would walk over and say hello, or turn and walk away. He conducts himself everyday in the hope that people will want to walk toward him in that park. It may be quite some time from now, but I know I'll not walk - I'll run to greet him on his bench; I'll give him a hug and we'll talk for a long, long time.

I found it extremely touching. You could just picture it... an elderly gentleman, sitting quietly in a park as the autumn leaves gently float down to the grass. And people... people from his life, walk out of the haze of his memories, walk toward him, smile, greet him and clasp his hand for a brief instant before walking back into the depth of days past. It's a beautiful visual.

A beautiful person, gone

NW passed away on Tuesday. I don't know the details, but I will miss her. She was a beautiful person in every way. She was gorgeous to look at, had a grace about her when she moved, was super supportive of her husband EW, loved her 3 kids, and... N, you will be missed.