Hi west, I had always pictured you off on some island place like Guam or Hawaii (both excellent places for what I think about doing for life style). California, well OK, it is also good, as long as one can navigate the paper work and officialdom.
You had mentioned a few physical matters <<ferry … house, the BMW, the clothes, the trips, the boats>> and a few metaphysical anti-matters <<seafood restaurant … FREEDOM … family, free time, a wife that does not have to work and can raise a family, having less … time to be with loved ones, good values based on simple things>>
And the words you used triggered some thoughts for me.
Boat: I actually take care of a buddy’s boat (capacity 25 adults) while he is taking early retirement (age 42), spending time with his kids (9, 13) living a few blocks down the beach in Kailua, Oahu. He was a bit fried by the pace of financial work based in Hong Kong. My obligation to him is to use the boat, tip the boat crew, and make sure our common buddies can come along for the ride, hike, and seafood lunches. Seems generous of the buddy.
Car: I only drive from home to supermarket. I take the bus or taxi for every other excursion. I bought a Mazda 626 second hand from an ex-client company and friend. 12 months old car, aircon and power everything, basic blue, for USD 2,000. Seems fair for the ex-client company, reasonable for my driving habit, and generous of the friend.
Clothing: I buy via mail order from Lands End and from Hong Kong based Timberland, always, without exception. I cannot control wife. I do not like to be confused by colors, patterns, and fashion.
House: There I splurged, for the wife, for the low density neighborhood and the full unobstructed ocean view, walk to the beach, jogging trail along the cliff, and falcons (according to DJ, giving credit where due) in the sky.
Trips: We take trips, but within reason, always with family, if for fun, and is certainly discretionary based on state of mind concerning the economy.
Seafood restaurant: Barrons in hand, buddies all around, ice coffee in reach, and sun all about, on boat that cost nothing, reached via car that cost little. Now, the food … plain boiled shrimp dipped in scallion and soy sauce, sauted Japanese sea scallops with black bean sauce, steamed garoupa, stir-fried baby squid with veggies, and a bunch of crawlie stuff I did not get around to during the lunch frenzy.
Freedom: I feel free, not because of my lack of responsibilities, ‘small’ nationality, place of residence, disinterest to vote in my country, inability to vote in my place of residence, net worth or anything to do with anything I can be granted by others. I feel free because I feel alone with my wife when determining where, when, what, how, who, how long and how much, even if the feeling is not totally supported by reality; and I feel free because I do not feel helpless against authorities greater than I am.
Now, with the current economic and financial environment, I am not feeling so free, because my power to successfully navigate the environment without suffering loss (business revenue, capital loss, and/or purchasing power loss) is severely limited. My goodies will be taken away, along with those of others, not to my liking.
Simple Things: I really just want to hang out with buddies during the work day, busy myself near the ocean, next to the PC at times, next to the conference table at other times, have a beer later, walk with wife, a ball of cheese and a bottle of wine in hand, followed by tutoring my kids (now am starting to think about having kids, wife is decade my junior), and then dinner in the yard under the big umbrella and the bigger sky.
<<The world is one beautiful place, this war will rage on, many will be bloodied - but we must not forget what a wonderful life it is>>
Yup. I am still with you on this one.
Some other things you said cast a shadow …
<<seaside … sunny … ordering us around … brutaly beat … example … crime>>
The whole world seem to be heading the same way, and in many cases faster, more deliberately.
I hope <<it may just dawn bright again oneday>>
And now, even brighter, my office staff will get fried dumplings for lunch, and this coming Thursday, I take all staff to lunch and then “Tomb Raider”.
Chugs, Jay |
