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Published: October 15th 2009
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The age of children is measured in weeks, then months, and finally years. Georgia is fast approaching two years, and Byron has raced past six months. It is a fun adventure being part of their lives. Both learn so much, often seemingly on their own or from passing, random sources, and of course from the patient teaching of Simone and Joggy. Georgia, ever the sweet little girl, raises her arms and calls for "big hugs", a phrase we'll be always grateful to Teletubbies for, and one that impossible to resist. Byron, for his part, reminds us that character and strength of will are innate. His smile is more expressive than reasoned discourse, and if his objective is to get something, he needs no more persuasive argument.
At the height of swine flu in Melbourne, Simone decided it was too dodgy to take Byron, and so I went instead. It was a good chance to touch base in Melbourne again, seeing family whose company I've missed too much, and to watch the Saints beat Geelong in a game that was satisfying but ultimately to no avail. I also visited Canberra for some PhD research, and to catch up with friends Kathy,
Kelly and Cody at home
Kelly's accessories incase I start to talk to her about intellectual property Dave and Dominic, and Andrew, Diana and Faris. Great fun. It went too quickly. Canberra in July - not so warm, but blue, sunny skies of the like not often seen in Hong Kong. And the absence of high rise buildings, pedestrian congestion, and decent Chinese food on every corner were also notable.
With children, "the more the merrier" seems quite true. When Simone's sister Fiona came for a visit with two of her four sons, James and Timmy (Harrison and William will come another time), the stage was set for a lot of fun - and that is what we got! James and Timmy were the ideal older cousins to Georgia and Byron. They were patient and engaging, and in return won the affections and attention of Georgia and Byron. Breakfast by the pool, or the pool at anytime, turned into a delightful adventure. Timmy coined the classic pool quote - "Oh no, don't tell me I got water in my eyes!" It happens in pools. James and Timmy took up Chinese calligraphy with real calligraphy brushes. It’s not easy, but they did very well.
Further adventures came when we went to Macau for the weekend. The
Round 14, the grandstand at Ing & Mick's
St.Kilda v Geelong - a happier outcome than the Grand Final Westin doesn't have a casino, but it has a decent beach and a great pool. There was a trip to the Venetian for dining, not gambling, and a look at the remarkable building itself. And across the road, in an effort to recreate the Las Vegas strip set up, is another mega casino, the Packer-owned City of Dreams, which has a wonderful 360 degree projected animation show about mythological dragons in a great facility called "The Bubble".
Around this time I went to Kuala Lumpur to play for the Hong Kong Dragons in the Asian Australian Rules Championships. Ten teams, four qualifying games, and two finals if you're lucky enough to make it into the Grand Final - all in 30 degree heat. As with last year, the Dragons won three of the first four matches, and then lost the preliminary final, making us third or fourth. Also like last year, Dubai was Premiers, and Singapore runners up. Disappointing for us, but great fun despite a few aches and pains. I stayed with my friend, Majell Hind, and had a wonderful time exploring KL.
Another friend we were glad to see was Simone's school friend, Nadia. Nadia came
John and part of his happy crew
Chelsea, John, Bailey and Jessica in their new home for couple of a weeks and seemingly survived 'instant aunt' syndrome quite well. Georgia and Byron took to her immediately. Simone had to compete with them for time to chat about their saintly lives as students and the adventures they've packed into their lives since then. Nadia has been involved in Australian movies, most recently as Assistant Director, and so she had quite a bit in common with our friend Jennifer, who has just written, produced and directed a series for the Internet called "Lumina", a dark and thrilling love story set in Hong Kong. It is worth a look at http://www.luminaseries.com/ Jen's husband Clemens has taken on the role of my tennis and drinking mentor, showing me the way in both. One evening we all went to the Peak. It was too dark for tennis, so it was lucky we had some Champagne.
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