The beauty of Hualian lies in Taroko Gorge. Granite canyons laced with greenery only Taiwan can produce. Our vacation style turned very relaxing and we ended up taking our time - much more than the guide planned on us taking at each spot. I guess this is why we had a private guide and not a tour group so we could talk, enjoy time together as a family, and catch up!
One of the sites in Hualian worth a specific mention was Water Curtain Cave, part of Baiyang trail that we hiked.
Our first vacation out of Singapore was to Taiwan for Christmas and New Years. Janae left at the beginning of December to be with her parents and I joined her two weeks later for Christmas and New Years. Mom, Mary and Debbie were going to Taiwan as well - I was excited to be able to see everyone again!
This would also be the first time Verene sees her great grandmother, great uncles and aunts as well.
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| From Singapore F1 Export |
The first ever F1 night race was held in Singapore! In preparation for the event, many promotions were held around Singapore and I caught one of them with the FHM girls! The mock F1 car was surprisingly small. The nose of the car is made for a driver's legs and was an uncomfortably tight fit. Fortunately I had good company to consul me in my pain.
The novel idea of 200mph+ race at night seemed great to see but tickets were sold out fairly quickly with only unreasonable tickets >$2,500 a pop left when I started seriously looking into the event. A French restaurant that my co-worker frequents often comped him with a pair of complete 3 night grand stand passes - the kind with actual seats and not the cheap walk around ones. He was kind enough to part one night to me and another coworker on the team. He kept the night of the qualifying and actual race for himself and gave us official practice night tickets.
We're finally reunited in Singapore! Our house and both cars sold in the US without too much more difficulty. I do have to say it's a huge stress reliever to be here in Singapore and not have to worry about a home in in another country. I don't know how else to describe how good it feels to be together again but to say families are meant to be together. I'm so used to having Janae by my side in everything I do and not having that was like being apart from a good friend. Of course I missed Verene terribly but thanks to Janae's efforts I missed out on as little as possible.
It's amazing to think how many people you become close to and attached to through the years. Janae and I have been in Virginia most of our married life. It's really home for us now. Utah's the only place I've lived longer and though I have great friends still there, all my family has left.
All of our friends were so generous to want to and actually follow through with little parties and farewells for us. Thanks to Betty for getting all our neighbors together, Leonards, Palmers, Van Horns, Hsu, and Cheng-yu for having people gather in your homes. I truly do miss all of you!
I regret not having a camera with me at every one of these occasions but have put up the ones I did get below.
Every time I see a little girl here in Singapore I can't help but think of Verene. I fixate my eyes on the girl and take in everything she does. I'm sure the parents have thought me some sick pedophile but I can't help missing my little girl. I think of all the stuff I get to see her do when I see her again - all the stuff I see the girls here do like holding Daddy's hand while walking, only stepping on certain color tiles through the subway, going up steps one at a time - always with the same foot forward, laughing and running around the playground, tired and falling half asleep on Daddy's shoulder, and so much more.
I miss all the little things she did before I left and all the new things I hear about ...
Finally internet! I've been here already for a week and living out of a suitcase haven't had good access to internet! I'm sitting outside some condo building and just finished skyping with Janae and Verene. I miss them too much! Hopefully I can keep coming back or finding another good spot to blog and surf. Below is what I wrote on the plane over...
I've left home for good - at least for the foreseable future. I'm sitting in business class on the way to San Francisco to visit Dad and Michelle prior to moving to Singapore. Preparing for the move has kept my emotions occupied that it has not really hit me all the people I'm leaving behind.
I already miss Verene dearly and it has only been a couple hours. It's not the time apart but rather the fact that I'm not going to see her for another six weeks or so. The same goes for Janae. This will be the longest I have been apart from both of them. Verene in the short 10 months she's been a part of our lives has me wrapped around her finger. I find it hard to believe my feelings for her run as deep as they do. It's the look she gives me when I walk away. Her eyes make me feel like I'm deserting her and her world will fall apart because I'm leaving her side, they tear up as she starts with her crying, and both arms extend toward me for me to pick her up. I just melt.
Everything leading up to me leaving for Singapore happened so very quickly...