Happy New Year!! (yes seriously...)
(please note: this entire blog entry has been copied from an email I intended to send out on TUESDAY JANUARY 10, 2017. The fact that it has made it to this blog INTACT, with only minor changes, is somewhat of a Christmas miracle--albeit an early one).
So--I will start this letter on a low note. Many tragedies have occurred this year (the death of Prince and the election of Trump come first to my mind), but the most recent and most sad for me (yes--even sadder for me than the loss of Princess Leia) will be the death of George Michael, who passed on Christmas Day. George was a major part of my childhood--as I bopped to Wake Me Up Before You Go-go, and I followed him up through my teens as he was my Father Figure, and sought his own Freedom. And I listened without prejudice, into my University years. On my wedding day, we danced into our reception thinking everything was Amazing. When I landed in Abu Dhabi, his face welcomed me on the covers of the Abu Dhabi week magazine, announcing a concert for the 37th National day. The first time I left Amara with someone (her dad) to "babysit" was to attend that very same concert, and unlike his contemporary Madonna, I was not let down or disappointed in any way. His voice, even after surgery, remained strong and youthful--and with every note and lyric, I was transported to another place and time in my own life. I was on the cruise ship--somewhere between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, when P broke the news to me (wi-fi was at a premium on this ship).
Obviously, I didn't know George Michael personally. Life has taught me that anyone with that kind of artistic talent has to dig out this gift from some darkness--the piper has to be paid. I can only hope and pray that he will now be at peace and happy. I would like him to know how grateful I am for the music he gave me to live my life by, and for all that he taught me about life and love--he was an amazing poet, and his words have carried me through laughter and tears.
So--onto the update. We have been spending the month of December with celebrations--Christmas (which we celebrated on and off the cruise), N's birthday (for which we had three celebrations--two in Abu Dhabi and one in Dubai). We also went on a seven day cruise (stopping in Oman, Abu Dhabi (!) and Dubai. December has been a big party!!
P is doing well. He continues on in his role, and through his work has met so many interesting people--some of whom have become good friends. He has the opportunity to travel, and is racking up his frequent flier points. Recently, we discovered that he has slipped some discs in his lower back, which has prompted him to renew his focus on yoga and stretching. In September, we both completed a three week detox program (7 days of just juice), which left both of us feeling a lot leaner and cleaner. For the most part, we have been able to continue with healthier eating habits (with Thanksgiving and any dinner with friends being the exceptions!!).
As for me--my position as "housewife" continues to keep me busy and challenged. I am still managing to get to the gym regularly (which I confess to enjoying very much). I have taken on a volunteer role with the school's parent team (which functions quite differently here than I would have expected). I work with a great group of ladies, and have managed to meet so many nice people through this role. Children's homework and after-school activities keep me pretty busy, but I still find time to do my favorite thing: READ!! Stranger Things (plus the entire dark marvel television trio) are my favourite shows to watch when I am chilling in front of the tv (which tends to be our evening wind down). Doctor Strange was one of my favourite movies of the year (and I love Benedict in Sherlock too and am eager for the new season).
P and I have managed to get connected to the Abu Dhabi community a bit, and have attended a couple of comedy events and a spoken word poetry evening. We went to the Abu Dhabi food festival, and attended a cooking class led by a "world-famous" Indian chef named Sanjeev Kapoor (perhaps you have heard of him, as I had not). These are the kinds of things we used to enjoy very much in Edmonton.
Our family spent the summer in Vietnam, Bali and Kuala Lumpur. We met some of P's family in Saigon, and despite the language barrier, they were so hospitable and kind to us. I enjoyed Vietnamese coffee (with and extra shot of condensed milk thank you very much!!), and we stayed in a beautiful resort on the river, cradled in huge banyan trees. We loved Bali, and shared our holiday with two sets of friends. I got to drive my own quad, boogie boarded on the waves of Ku-de-tah beach, and ended the trip with a memorable case of Bali-belly (note to self: sparkling NOT still water). Kuala Lumpur was a wonderful holiday: the beauty of the city--a literal meeting of concrete and jungle--and for the experiences, and our friends who made our time there count. We stayed in Bangsar village, known among locals as the "Beverly Hills of KL". In addition to seeing the architectural wonders of the city, we managed to head out to see fireflies, in a protected reserve (one from the bucket list). We also had an amazing experience eating at a restaurant that specialized in "dining in the dark". I also developed a love for eating on banana leaves (instead of plates) at Raj's mamak stand.
P and I celebrated 12 years of wedded bliss in august. Which seems like a lot--except we have actually been together for 22 years (should have just gotten married in the first year of university...like Peter wanted to!!) ;-). More recently, we celebrated P's 41st birthday--a full day of birthday breakfast, family time and birthday dinner. As a present, I have arranged a belated game of cards for Peter, with some new friends here, for the end of the month--his poker gaggle in Edmonton is seriously irreplaceable, and it was a grind bringing bodies to the table for this one!!
We very much enjoyed the visit with Peter's parents (the kids object profusely when I call them "my parents"), and it was sad to see them go. We look forward to reuniting with them again this summer in LA--the first leg of our North American summer holiday. Now we are back to "business as usual"--with the new year. Back to school and trying to work more efficiently than last year. My goal is to try and be better organized and let the children have more time to play--rather than just dividing our time between homework and after-school activities.
So--will there be an actual update anytime soon?
WATCH THIS SPACE....
(please note: this entire blog entry has been copied from an email I intended to send out on TUESDAY JANUARY 10, 2017. The fact that it has made it to this blog INTACT, with only minor changes, is somewhat of a Christmas miracle--albeit an early one).
So--I will start this letter on a low note. Many tragedies have occurred this year (the death of Prince and the election of Trump come first to my mind), but the most recent and most sad for me (yes--even sadder for me than the loss of Princess Leia) will be the death of George Michael, who passed on Christmas Day. George was a major part of my childhood--as I bopped to Wake Me Up Before You Go-go, and I followed him up through my teens as he was my Father Figure, and sought his own Freedom. And I listened without prejudice, into my University years. On my wedding day, we danced into our reception thinking everything was Amazing. When I landed in Abu Dhabi, his face welcomed me on the covers of the Abu Dhabi week magazine, announcing a concert for the 37th National day. The first time I left Amara with someone (her dad) to "babysit" was to attend that very same concert, and unlike his contemporary Madonna, I was not let down or disappointed in any way. His voice, even after surgery, remained strong and youthful--and with every note and lyric, I was transported to another place and time in my own life. I was on the cruise ship--somewhere between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, when P broke the news to me (wi-fi was at a premium on this ship).
Obviously, I didn't know George Michael personally. Life has taught me that anyone with that kind of artistic talent has to dig out this gift from some darkness--the piper has to be paid. I can only hope and pray that he will now be at peace and happy. I would like him to know how grateful I am for the music he gave me to live my life by, and for all that he taught me about life and love--he was an amazing poet, and his words have carried me through laughter and tears.
So--onto the update. We have been spending the month of December with celebrations--Christmas (which we celebrated on and off the cruise), N's birthday (for which we had three celebrations--two in Abu Dhabi and one in Dubai). We also went on a seven day cruise (stopping in Oman, Abu Dhabi (!) and Dubai. December has been a big party!!
The PICKLE has just turned 7. He has come a long way from the baby we brought home. Through the help of growth hormone, and a great team therapists and teachers (not to mention loving and supporting parents and sisters) N has grown to be a tall, strong and energetic little boy. His speech is growing more articulate. He continues to make gains in the swimming pool and will now immerse his head (which as I understand it is the biggest barrier to his swimming). He loves cutting up magazines (and thankfully everywhere we go in Abu Dhabi there are "free! Take me!" Magazines calling out to him. He continues to be a kind and loving little boy, who loves meeting people and getting to know them. He has new red glasses now, and I am so thrilled to get away from those little dents left behind by his old nose pads.
MAGOO is "so fancy" and loves to laugh. She is always giggling and talking (another thing she loves to do). She is now five years old (turning 6 in March), and is in EY2 (the equivalent of kindergarten). She had a hard time adjusting to a new classroom this year (though they kept all of her old classmates together), but now she seems settled and is quite happy (most of the time). S is a strong swimmer, plays piano and loves to dance--but at heart she is a homebody and loves to be home playing with family or friends. S is already reading and writing quite fluently, and loves to listen to stories. Her favorite thing in the world is ice cream, and she could eat it three times a day (if we let her).
As for MUNK, now 9, she continues to be made of sugar and spice and everything nice. She is in grade 4 now, and had a bit of a rough start with school this year (she has had a revolving door of teachers--apparently it is quite difficult to find and hire teachers in Abu Dhabi--come on--we can't all be happy housewives now...can we?) but hopefully once we return from the holiday, this problem will disappear. She is studying piano, vocal, dances ballet and also is a strong swimmer (though we have come to an agreement that she will take lessons for only one term per year to keep up her skills). Little A is very artistic and loves to make crafts and create things. Most of the time she is a sweet little girl, but we get glimpses of the teen-monster lurking on the horizon.
P is doing well. He continues on in his role, and through his work has met so many interesting people--some of whom have become good friends. He has the opportunity to travel, and is racking up his frequent flier points. Recently, we discovered that he has slipped some discs in his lower back, which has prompted him to renew his focus on yoga and stretching. In September, we both completed a three week detox program (7 days of just juice), which left both of us feeling a lot leaner and cleaner. For the most part, we have been able to continue with healthier eating habits (with Thanksgiving and any dinner with friends being the exceptions!!). |
| photo courtesy Magoo |
As for me--my position as "housewife" continues to keep me busy and challenged. I am still managing to get to the gym regularly (which I confess to enjoying very much). I have taken on a volunteer role with the school's parent team (which functions quite differently here than I would have expected). I work with a great group of ladies, and have managed to meet so many nice people through this role. Children's homework and after-school activities keep me pretty busy, but I still find time to do my favorite thing: READ!! Stranger Things (plus the entire dark marvel television trio) are my favourite shows to watch when I am chilling in front of the tv (which tends to be our evening wind down). Doctor Strange was one of my favourite movies of the year (and I love Benedict in Sherlock too and am eager for the new season).
P and I have managed to get connected to the Abu Dhabi community a bit, and have attended a couple of comedy events and a spoken word poetry evening. We went to the Abu Dhabi food festival, and attended a cooking class led by a "world-famous" Indian chef named Sanjeev Kapoor (perhaps you have heard of him, as I had not). These are the kinds of things we used to enjoy very much in Edmonton.
Our family spent the summer in Vietnam, Bali and Kuala Lumpur. We met some of P's family in Saigon, and despite the language barrier, they were so hospitable and kind to us. I enjoyed Vietnamese coffee (with and extra shot of condensed milk thank you very much!!), and we stayed in a beautiful resort on the river, cradled in huge banyan trees. We loved Bali, and shared our holiday with two sets of friends. I got to drive my own quad, boogie boarded on the waves of Ku-de-tah beach, and ended the trip with a memorable case of Bali-belly (note to self: sparkling NOT still water). Kuala Lumpur was a wonderful holiday: the beauty of the city--a literal meeting of concrete and jungle--and for the experiences, and our friends who made our time there count. We stayed in Bangsar village, known among locals as the "Beverly Hills of KL". In addition to seeing the architectural wonders of the city, we managed to head out to see fireflies, in a protected reserve (one from the bucket list). We also had an amazing experience eating at a restaurant that specialized in "dining in the dark". I also developed a love for eating on banana leaves (instead of plates) at Raj's mamak stand.
P and I celebrated 12 years of wedded bliss in august. Which seems like a lot--except we have actually been together for 22 years (should have just gotten married in the first year of university...like Peter wanted to!!) ;-). More recently, we celebrated P's 41st birthday--a full day of birthday breakfast, family time and birthday dinner. As a present, I have arranged a belated game of cards for Peter, with some new friends here, for the end of the month--his poker gaggle in Edmonton is seriously irreplaceable, and it was a grind bringing bodies to the table for this one!!
We very much enjoyed the visit with Peter's parents (the kids object profusely when I call them "my parents"), and it was sad to see them go. We look forward to reuniting with them again this summer in LA--the first leg of our North American summer holiday. Now we are back to "business as usual"--with the new year. Back to school and trying to work more efficiently than last year. My goal is to try and be better organized and let the children have more time to play--rather than just dividing our time between homework and after-school activities.
So--will there be an actual update anytime soon?
WATCH THIS SPACE....
