We have started the one month countdown to our departure.
Saying goodbye is hard when you are leaving behind great friends! Although we would surely see one another again in Singapore, we could never stay together in this FC community again. Supermarket trips, pot lucks, strolls by the park in superb weather... Memories to stay for life.
10 November
Took my
new Public C1 bike for a ride along Beach Park Boulevard toward Redwood Shores, where Panda's office is located. The trail has the San Francisco Bay on one side, and residential houses on the other.
Along the way, I saw a couple of jackrabbits bouncing around the field. America - the land of freedom for animals too.
After saying hi to Panda at the office, I rode on to Redwood Shores Library - my favorite hangout when I first came to US. I had a lot of free time then because I didn't know anyone yet! Relived my first month by spending a full afternoon at the library's alfresco area writing.
Attended my weekly
French Club gatherings in the evening. I have grown used to meeting new people every Monday. But of course, there are the regulars - Renee, Mary, Jeff and me. We turn up almost every week, and I love chatting with them. The topics were sometimes well beyond me (I know nuts about opera), but I still enjoyed listening in to the discussions. They were very patient with me the Singaporean, too.
We were supposed to fetch Jo and Vic from the airport after my meeting - they were returning from Singapore. While waiting for their activation call to drive to the airport, we decided to stop by Safeway to stock up on our supply of ice-cream. Haagen Dazs and Ben & Jerry's cost a bomb in Singapore. I'm going to eat till I burst before going back.
11 November
Was supposed to meet Wendy and little Z for a picnic in the park. But I totally overslept and woke up half an hour late! Oopsie. Luckily, Wendy texted to say that it was too windy to do a picnic anyway. We ended up at
Kenta Ramen with Jo and Vic.
We had loads of action in the evening! Attended my first NBA game (Spurs vs Golden State Warriors) with Panda, Kevin, Rick and his friends. I finally get to wear my game jacket - Panda bought me that more than a year ago!
And we had a little beer accident. Kevin was trying to help us take a photo while balancing his burger AND beer on a tray. The juggling act didn't work. He was drenched as his lost his balance. Total damage: $30 for a new shirt. And a beery wet, smelly jacket.
You've gotta love Kevin's professionalism though. He still clicked on the shutter as the beer cup tipped. Our priceless expressions.
12 November
Ladies' brunch.
Pizza, baked pasta, garlic bread, cheese and crackers, cheese cake, chocolate cake. I am going to miss these girls so much! I hope we can still gather in Singapore like this, some day in the future.
Dinner was home-cooked
nasi lemak at Wendy's place. My request for our last pot luck together as the FC family. Sobs. Yes, we can have all the
nasi lemak we want when we return to Singapore. No, it isn't going to taste the same. Nothing would beat our
home-cooked goodness!
And that's why I forgot to take photos. I was too busy eating. And I got a little emo when Wendy gave me a collage of photos. Great times spent together. Awwwww....
13 November
Morning beep from Wendy: Lunch alert! I have gotten used to checking my phone the moment I wake up in case Ms Bogeyman is looking for lunch companions. I needed to finish some vegetables anyway, so we had instant noodles at my place.
Normally, I would clean up the house before she comes, because she has a high standard of cleanliness! But she would forgive me for the messy house, since I am in the midst of moving.
This time round, I just express wiped the table, kitchen, and toilet vanity top. Also pushed all my loose packages to one place so that it looked tidier. By the time the cleanliness inspector came, the house was decent (I thought). It was impossible to 'clean' a house during packing. My lame excuse.
In the evening, we headed to Aileen's place for dinner. I wanted to learn how to photograph the night sky from Kevin and Nik - something that I should have done
before going to Bryce Canyon. We climbed up a small hill behind their house to get away from the light. Oh yes, there is such as thing called light pollution.
Alas, the sky was too cloudy that night and we couldn't capture the Milky Way the way we would on a clear night. All we had was a hazy photo with light specks here and there. But at least I learnt a few Lightroom editing techniques from Nik.
14 November
Our last trio lunch at
Joy Restaurant. More sobs. We are the FC musketeers!
I was also glad that I got to say goodbye to Uncle Stick before I go. Uncle Stick (my nickname for him) used to work in the Hong Kong cafe near our house - one of our regular lunch time/high tea hangouts, but he has since moved to work at Joy Restaurant. I love disturbing him while he worked. Too bad he didn't want to take a photo with us. But at least I got to tell him I am returning to Singapore for good. Not like Uncle Manager, who has disappeared and there's no way to bid farewell...
Last FC family dinner outing in the evening. This time, at
Erawan Thai Restaurant, Redwood City. The food was SO GOOD. I had no idea we have such an awesome Thai restaurant near us. We always
go back to Mini Mango at Napa Valley.
We wanted to get beer at a nearby German pub after than, but Jo and I forgot to bring our IDs and Little Z could not enter after 8pm. So we went back to good, old BJs at BridgePoint.
Two good years in US with two great families.
Like what little Z asked, "When will I see you again?"
