Time Flies

It's amazing how 5 weeks can go by just like that. Especially when the weather is nice. October is here and with it - Fall (so they say but it's going to be 80F/25C today) our First Anniversary (which we celebrated in PA impromptu with Mike's family) and Mike's 30th Birthday (he's a baby...)

The job (Death In Love) went relatively smoothly. I think I acquitted myself well and I'm pleased I could help a friend out. I've decided to take a week off (no sooner did I make that decision I got a call for a 3 day commercial which basically meant $2000 of work down the drain) I had to say no for all the plans I had already made this week with friends and family, it would have been too much to cancel. I have postponed way too much of my personal life in the past 5 months just cos I went straight from job to job to job. I'm supposed to be a freelancer!

So what errands? Well going to the optometrist was eye-opening to say the least. A visit to the dentist earlier this year was already quite a traumatic experience. I know assimilation into a culture means adopting their medical system and supposedly a superior one judging by the comments my dentist made about my teeth. But it's nevertheless one that many cannot really understand unless they have moved countries.

The optometrist was nice and answered all my questions patiently (what's that light you are shining? where are those weird scientist glasses i used to know? and should i do lasik?) The answer to lasik was a no by the way - because of my high astigmatism (or because she doesnt want to lose a client - if all her severely myopic clients had perfect vision who would she have?) Definitely a different process from Malaysia - she has to call me back when she gets the right lenses and do a 'fitting' and then we go from there. Quite a far cry from Malaysia where they dug through a few cases in the back, shoved a few boxes at me and said 'see ya!'(Guess which I prefer?)

My friend Cheng whom I met in KL when I lived there (1996-1999) has recently moved to NYC with her Vietnamese-Australian husband. We went to their wedding earlier this year in Sydney. (Wonderful wedding,very unfortunate best man speech)

She's very bored cos she hasnt been allowed her EAD so she can't work for another 3 months. She should be house-hunting more fervently then she is but she isn't. I had lunch with her 2 days ago. The I had to fix the radio in the car at the Acura dealership. Plus I had to tie up loose strings with the last job. Then get a hair cut by my friend Zohra...bonding with friends are what I've missed the past few months. You just don't have time when you are working 70 hours a week.

Today I have a charity walk across the Brooklyn Bridge for Light the Nightwhich I encourage everyone to do locally. Mike's young cousin Joey had childhood leukemia and because of God's grace and his amazing courage, he managed through years of operations, medications, hospital visits and against all odds, has managed to survive. We will walk tonight in honour of him.

The house hunt continues (well the Grays are away in the UK so I have to shamefacedly admit Sarah did most of the legwork) as much as I can with a husband who now works weekends and when he doesnt we have to do chores (in a city where you have to lug your laundry to the laundromat - chores can take a lot of time)

The guys I work with all the time have gone to Pittsburgh for a movie for 7 weeks. I declined not because I don't want to travel (remember I used to do this reality show for 3 months at a time) but because I want to Travel - not just relocate to Pittsburgh. And to be honest - the past year with them have made me very happy with my worklife - I love this crew - but like everything I have ever done I always feel suffocated by the expectations people have of me. It's hard to explain. I like the freelancer lifestyle - that means I choose what jobs and when. It was becoming more like a permanent job - different movie, same people. What's the point in that?

We will see - next week when I resurface I will see what work is out there and maybe only do 3 or 4 days a week like I used to and try to regain my life back. I have to balance it with a looming mortgage (hopefully) and our annual trip to Malaysia for Chinese New Year this time