Saturday, December 13, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Change of life
A lot has happened in the last couple of months. Carl had left the company he was working for and went after a few opportunities in Singapore and one here in Hong Kong. Ella, Eva and I were hoping it would be the Hong Kong option and luckily it came through. The job turns out to be exactly what he wants. He has been talking about taking it easier the last couple of years and this is the kind of job that he has been talking about all this time. After so many years of extreme long days and too little time for family and friends this has been a welcome change.
Since the company is a new start-up hedge fund with little guarantees until proven we have decided to take a step back. For this reason we have moved to a cheaper appartment which is also a blessing in disguise. The building we used to live in was on an "expat-compound" and especially for me too overwhelming. I don't know exactly how many people live there but by estimation I think that we were surrounded by at least 500 appartments. You can just imagine.....Every morning we had to wait for the schoolbus with at least 40 other family members at one tower and there was no escape from each other anywhere: we all shared a play ground, a pool, a gym, a shopping area with doctors, dentists, spa, supermarket and photo shop. You either become very rude and impolite or you just fall into it like I did, because I needed them in a way. We didn't know anybody.....For this reason it was good starting out here because we made friends in a very short time and lots of wonderful people live here. So I am grateful about that but I am much happier about being in a more local neighbourhood with a lot more privacy. Another big change has been letting go of our helper. It was actually my decision not Carl's but he was convinced very quickly. The first one we had to let go after she gave an overdosis of medicine to Eva. The second one was about to begin when all the possible changes appeared and we held of temporarily. During this break I realised how much our privacy had been invaded (helpers have to live in your house to be legally in HK) and the effect it had had on all of us. I always felt uncomfortable about my relationship with our helper (even though we got along really well in the end and we still are in contact up to this day). They become such a part of your life and a proffessional relationship is hard to keep when living in one house. After months and months of having this constant help it slowly had effect on the kids and me. Ella and Eva got quite spoiled in the way that nothing was being picked up (dirty clothes, toys etc) by them. The strange thing is that we were always so adamant about them helping out but day by day things changed. It was more work for me to keep telling the helper every day to not clean up after them and to keep reminding Ella and Eva to help out than to slowly give in. It was a lost battle. This is what I didn't like. I had seen too many cases around us where kids did absolutely nothing and at the age of 8 still had their helper dress them. The helpers are being trained to do this and mostly will insist on doing it that way since that is what a good helper is supposed to do. Anyhow to make a long story short: it wasn't good for me (okay, for a short while it was bliss...) and it wasn't good for Ella and Eva. Recently they expressed their thoughts about not having a helper: they are more happy now....glad to be just with the family.
Since the company is a new start-up hedge fund with little guarantees until proven we have decided to take a step back. For this reason we have moved to a cheaper appartment which is also a blessing in disguise. The building we used to live in was on an "expat-compound" and especially for me too overwhelming. I don't know exactly how many people live there but by estimation I think that we were surrounded by at least 500 appartments. You can just imagine.....Every morning we had to wait for the schoolbus with at least 40 other family members at one tower and there was no escape from each other anywhere: we all shared a play ground, a pool, a gym, a shopping area with doctors, dentists, spa, supermarket and photo shop. You either become very rude and impolite or you just fall into it like I did, because I needed them in a way. We didn't know anybody.....For this reason it was good starting out here because we made friends in a very short time and lots of wonderful people live here. So I am grateful about that but I am much happier about being in a more local neighbourhood with a lot more privacy. Another big change has been letting go of our helper. It was actually my decision not Carl's but he was convinced very quickly. The first one we had to let go after she gave an overdosis of medicine to Eva. The second one was about to begin when all the possible changes appeared and we held of temporarily. During this break I realised how much our privacy had been invaded (helpers have to live in your house to be legally in HK) and the effect it had had on all of us. I always felt uncomfortable about my relationship with our helper (even though we got along really well in the end and we still are in contact up to this day). They become such a part of your life and a proffessional relationship is hard to keep when living in one house. After months and months of having this constant help it slowly had effect on the kids and me. Ella and Eva got quite spoiled in the way that nothing was being picked up (dirty clothes, toys etc) by them. The strange thing is that we were always so adamant about them helping out but day by day things changed. It was more work for me to keep telling the helper every day to not clean up after them and to keep reminding Ella and Eva to help out than to slowly give in. It was a lost battle. This is what I didn't like. I had seen too many cases around us where kids did absolutely nothing and at the age of 8 still had their helper dress them. The helpers are being trained to do this and mostly will insist on doing it that way since that is what a good helper is supposed to do. Anyhow to make a long story short: it wasn't good for me (okay, for a short while it was bliss...) and it wasn't good for Ella and Eva. Recently they expressed their thoughts about not having a helper: they are more happy now....glad to be just with the family.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Ella's "Early Happy Mother's Day Poem" which I am posting late
"Mommy's are special because you wouldn't be alive.
It would be strange if your Dad made you.
Or you couldn't be able to dive.
Or if your Dad would have a giant belly!
That's why you need a mommy.
For Mommy
It's good to have a Mommy to love for! "
by Ella O'Connell
It would be strange if your Dad made you.
Or you couldn't be able to dive.
Or if your Dad would have a giant belly!
That's why you need a mommy.
For Mommy
It's good to have a Mommy to love for! "
by Ella O'Connell
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Eva's secret
I recently found a little book that Eva had put together from paper and staples. On the front was a big question mark drawn, it said: Secritse (secrets).
First page:
Big heart with arrow drawn and the following text:
'Eva loves Jack, Jack loves Eva'
Next page:
'Jack called me babe' (still cracking up about this one...)
then:
'Jack loves me"
then:
'He does not love them' (cracking up again!)
Big heart and another big heart.......
I thought this was so endearing and couldn't keep it a secret. Sorry Eva! I hope she never finds out....
First page:
Big heart with arrow drawn and the following text:
'Eva loves Jack, Jack loves Eva'
Next page:
'Jack called me babe' (still cracking up about this one...)
then:
'Jack loves me"
then:
'He does not love them' (cracking up again!)
Big heart and another big heart.......
I thought this was so endearing and couldn't keep it a secret. Sorry Eva! I hope she never finds out....
Sunday, April 27, 2008
We're back!
It has been quite a while you've heard anything from us....First of all life got caught up with us and when I finally sat down to write our blogger website didn't work. It turned out that it had been handed over to another provider. Luckily my brother Paul got me back in the game and I will write soon about our latest adventures in Asia....
For now: we are all doing well. The girls are enjoying life in Asia. They have become very confident little persons. It helps that they go to a very good school where the objective is to make learning a fun process. I wish I had gone to that school when younger....
In the previous years Ella had refused to follow any classes or activities after school. With all her talents we thought it was such a pity. Recently she went with a friend to her drama class. This happened by accident since I didn't get to pick her up on time. So she watched the class but when I picked her up at the end of the class she was actually participating! She begged me to enroll her. Now she skips to her drama class every week. She really loves it.
We are very proud of her. Especially because she had been so shy and self conscious the last few years. She topped all of this of by performing in a Chinese Fan Dance at school!
Eva has become a soccer nut recently. She is quite good at kicking the ball in every possible way. But with her own signature 'club foot' kind of kick. It's very funny! Yesterday at the beach she kicked the ball around for hours, with or without us! It's great to see her so active since she had little stamina in the past and her coordination was off. She is coming around! Food wise we're making progress very slowly. We have expanded her diet with watermelon recently and we go through tons of it now!
Carl and I are well also. We are currently planning our travels for the summer which might end up being a tour through the Northern part of Australia by RV (kampeerauto).
For now: we are all doing well. The girls are enjoying life in Asia. They have become very confident little persons. It helps that they go to a very good school where the objective is to make learning a fun process. I wish I had gone to that school when younger....
In the previous years Ella had refused to follow any classes or activities after school. With all her talents we thought it was such a pity. Recently she went with a friend to her drama class. This happened by accident since I didn't get to pick her up on time. So she watched the class but when I picked her up at the end of the class she was actually participating! She begged me to enroll her. Now she skips to her drama class every week. She really loves it.
We are very proud of her. Especially because she had been so shy and self conscious the last few years. She topped all of this of by performing in a Chinese Fan Dance at school!
Eva has become a soccer nut recently. She is quite good at kicking the ball in every possible way. But with her own signature 'club foot' kind of kick. It's very funny! Yesterday at the beach she kicked the ball around for hours, with or without us! It's great to see her so active since she had little stamina in the past and her coordination was off. She is coming around! Food wise we're making progress very slowly. We have expanded her diet with watermelon recently and we go through tons of it now!
Carl and I are well also. We are currently planning our travels for the summer which might end up being a tour through the Northern part of Australia by RV (kampeerauto).
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