Yikes! Christmas, 2003 and we are still breathing the crud-laden air of Hong Kong. This is starting to sound way too familiar.
We didn't plan on being here again. Really! But with a new baby and the 'mother of all debts' incurred buying a house in Nanaimo last year, it was kinda necessary to rake in a few more obscenely large pay cheques in Hong Kong.
We're still crushed into the same tiny flat (even smaller now with five of us sharing the area of what would be a big bedroom back home).
This year, Will moved to a new school, a mere 30-minute commute from home. It's much better and the kids are reasonably polite and very nearly teachable. But it's still full of a lot of the same wacky weirdness that makes teaching in Hong Kong education like living in a Salvador Dali painting..
The good news is that the debt is almost a controllable amount and now most of Will's salary is making it into the bank, so it shouldn't be too long before we can make the big break, apply for one them-thar precious Canadian Tire credit cards and finally start breathing air-you-can't-see.
Will's dad, Jim, was as ornery as ever and was happy to meet his fifth grandchild, Kanna Michelle, when we visited Canada during the summer.
Will's mom, Mary, seems intent on challenging the success of Jim's open-heart surgery. She is having the old homestead kitchen re-modelled After about a billion years, they are getting a dishwasher.
Mika's family in Nagano seem to be 'dai-jobu' (loosely translated as BIG OKAY).
Mother Setsuko went to France in November, proving she still has that old 'romance' pulsing through her veins.
Mika is as unflappalbe as ever, but very busy being the mom of a new infant, as well as the two other kidlets and the bigger moron.
Our freshest kid, Kanna Michelle, was born on March 6, 2003 and like any mom and dad, we think she's beautiful. She is healthy and strong and we are thrilled to have her crawling around and very nearly standing.
You might remember that Mattel Corp. bought Will and his partner's idea for playing Scrabble in Japanese. Well, unfortunately, they backed out of doing anything with the game, at least for the time being.
However, pursuing a new lead, Will met with Takara Toys in Tokyo recently to pitch the game to them. They were very interested but a decision is pending their own market research. We should know by the middle of February.
Getting Japanese Scrabble into production is proving to be a long struggle. It might never make us rich, it's kind of fun for Will to play inventor/businessman.
So... Christmas, 2003... another year for us appreciate our good fortune. Hopefully, it is also finally the time to put everything in order, wash our clothes, pack up and get ready for the big move to Vancouver Island.
Stay tuned for the Spring update, which (fingers crossed) will come from Nanaimo, BC.
Unitl then, let us wish you and everyone important to you a very happy holiday.
