Exit Interview: Goodbye, San Francisco! :(

Fisherman's Wharf on our last day in San Francisco

On the eve of our departure from US, I thought it would be apt to conduct an exit interview with ourselves.

1. What is your greatest takeaway from this 2-year stay in US?

Me: My greatest 'takeaway' is the extra 4kg on my butt, my arms and the waistline. I blame it on the huge serving portions, and the cheap Ben & Jerry's at Safeway ($3 for a pint!).

On a serious note, I think my worldview has broadened so much. It's all from the people I meet. It was awesome making friends with kids as young as first-graders and people as mature as retirees. I grew so much as a person just by talking to them, taking in their perspectives. The world is a whole lot bigger than we thought, and I think we do ourselves injustice by not exploring it.

Panda: Friendship, definitely. We established a lot of strong friendship here. Most of us are so caught up with our lives back in Singapore. We don't spend as much time really talking to one another. I like it that people here really put in the effort to know you as a person.


2. What will you miss most about this place?

Me: I will miss everything. The weather, the shopping, the travels, the parks, the car (Turbo!), the friends. Most importantly, I will miss myself - the carefree self whose only task in life is to cook and wait for the hubsand to come home, then enjoy an uninterrupted conversation with him. Life is meant to be this simple.

Panda: All my friends, including my co-workers. Everyone says they will miss me!


3. Are you looking forward to going home?

Me: A few weeks ago, I would have said no. But Grandpa is sick and I want to be there for him. Also, I think I really should get back to work. It is important for a girl to be financially independent.

Panda: Yes. I mean, we are leaving with good memories. We mustn't look back; we must look forward. So, I am looking forward to returning home.


4. What other last words do you have to say before closing this chapter of your life?

Me: Goodbyes are not forever. We came two years ago with five fat suitcases. We leave two years later with 20 additional boxes of belongings, a shipload of memories, and a belief that one day we would be out there exploring again. Maybe that's our greatest takeaway, that we are never too old or too late to be adventurous. 

Panda: I thank my wife for spending these two years with me. I think we have great memories, and we will continue to build new ones!

Last lunch at Little Italy

Christmas spirit at Pier 39

Week at a glance: 10-14 November

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?"

Goodbyes and hellos

The Real Housewives of FC

Goodbyes are always hard, aren't they? Even if you know you will see each other again.

This week, we bid farewell to Winifred and bb O as the family made their move back to Asia. We had an official farewell at Alana's café at Redwood City - a nice little cottage serving hearty brunch like pancakes, quiches, scrambles and toasts. 

There, we presented Winifred with our very own 'Winifred's Guide to Singapore'. We hope it will help her get acquainted with all the new eateries and to-go places back home. Relocation is scary, and little tips here and there go a long way!



Housewives hard at work

Ta-da!

The happy mama and baby

We drove them to the airport and helped with the luggage since we stay so close by. All the while, Bb O looked as if she knew something big was about to happen. As we waved goodbye to her at the gate, she looked as if she was going to cry. Argh... we are gonna miss this sweetie pie!

Last attempt to make bb O laugh at the airport

In the same week, we said hello to a new friend who has just arrived in the Bay Area. It's Jo's friend's friend, who also turned out to be Yiru's friend's friend. That we found out. Indeed, it's a small world!

Anyway, Yiru suggested Tootsies At the Stanford Barn - an Italian café serving breakfast/lunch, for our inaugural rendez-vous with Flora. I absolutely adore the ambience of the place - very cosy with its barn structure, red brick walls and pretty outdoor seating. Well, it's close to Stanford Shopping Centre so I guess it has the same European feel. The rest ordered sandwiches and burgers, while I opted for risotto balls which came with fresh arugula salad. Yums! But the thing I'll come back for is the hot chocolate - just the right amount of creaminess and richness for me!



Our big plates on the mini tables



Saying 'welcome' to Flora

After lunch, Yiru invited us over for a short session of tea and coffee before we zipped back to FC to fetch Z. It's really great knowing that the housewives' group is growing. It's so easy to talk to these girls since we are all around the same age and come from similar backgrounds. The husbands are gonna be real envious as we have more and more girls' outings!

Farewell... for now

Boohohoho! Today we bid farewell to Yvonne and family who are heading back home after their study stint. We seldom drive down to Monterey where they stayed, but when we do, we always try to meet up for brunch or a walk along the beautiful Monterey Bay.

I still remember how they took pity on us when we first arrived. It was winter, the day was short, and we were a little worried about driving two hours back to FC after dinner at Monterey. So Yvonne and family kindly offered to let us stay with them so that we could make the trip back in the morning.

The breakfast with old town coffee and homemade bread next day was so good that Panda kept asking me: "When can we go back to Yvonne's place to have the bread again??"

Well I'm really glad that we managed to have a proper dinner together before they go (The Boiling Crab, again! But it's really, really good.) Even happier to have a dim sum brunch together and to join them for their last shopping trip at Livermore (Shopaholics united)! I was quite entertained by the kiddos' commentaries about their Disneyland rides. They'd ask: "Did you ride (name of ride)?" and if you say yes, their eyes would brighten up. Hahahaha.

Well, farewell for now my friend! We will miss having you guys on the same side of the globe! No more brunches for me when Panda's not around... sob sob sob. See you back home!!

We were the last table to leave! Hahaha! Good things take time to enjoy!
 



Partners in crime at Kate Spade, Livermore

 

P/S: Was educated today on the Premium Outlets VIP Shopping Club. You sign up for free online, then get a voucher to exchange for a coupon book that gets you additional discounts (on top of other discounts). Woah!