Gainful employment once more

Well to be honest it's not terribly gainful, but one makes sacrifices when one works in The Arts. It's not quite like Media.

I have started doing a bit of part-time work for the Hong Kong Ballet, with my lovely boss from Disney. It's just proof-reading and copy-writing at the moment, and might only last a couple of months, but at least I am earning a bit of pocket money, and doing something that I genuinely enjoy. What could be more "Me" than copywriting for the HK Ballet?! Too good an opportunity to miss.

I went to the office yesterday which is in Happy Valley. It's an old (OLD) Jockey Club building, which was donated to HK Ballet in the 50's and I'm pretty confident that it has barely been touched since. It is exactly how I imagined it would be - pretty rundown, rather sad-looking, and sporting those strange features that are characteristic of buildings all over HK - there's no consistency in design or layout, rooms are subdivided into smaller rooms with "wooden" panelling, the bathrooms are, um, authentic, and every available surface is crammed with stuff. I love it. It's just exactly the sort of tumbledown, ramshackle labyrinth that a ballet company's offices should inhabit. And what's more, the Education & Outreach office has mirrors and a double barre all the way round the outside of the room. Awesome.

Safety Precaution

Remember folks, use children only under adult supervision.

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Babies babies everywhere

As my doctor told me not long ago, Hong Kong has a very high pregnant population, relatively speaking. I was reminded of this fact while I was waiting to see said doctor yesterday, so she could double my thyroxine meds (here's hoping I don't become as hyperactive as Felix as a result). The clinic, a certain Westerner-favoured clinic in Central which shall remain unnamed, was chock a block full of pregnant ladies, couples coming to see the fertility specialist for whom the place is renowned, and a variety of newborn-to-toddler aged muchkins.

It was weird. I was there alone, since J&F have recently had contact with a little person who has hand, foot and mouth disease; although they are totally fine, I didn't want to further the outbreak. I was torn between two very odd emotions.

On one hand...
I felt like I wanted to tell everyone there that I AM A MOTHER TOO, I felt so left out. And God knows it took me long enough to feel that that statement was true. And of course, none of the kids there was as completely adorable and unspeakably cute as my boys, so essentially I just wanted to show off. This is very reminiscent of every time I hear someone speaking French in the street, I just desperately want to go and tell them that I speak French. WTF? Ridickerous. What a strange impulse.

On the other hand....
I felt like a total sheep. I realised that I was wearing trailing spouse uniform, looking utterly predictable. Dark jeans, a top that I never would have bought in the real world (ie the UK) because it needs ironing, big ray ban sunnies that Bink and I would have called goggles back in the day, a big tan leather handbag, discreetly feminine flats. As I sat there brandishing my smartphone, arranging playdates and updating my Facebook status, I felt distinctly uncomfortable. Everyone's at it. And I wanted to be different. But I also want to fit in, just a little bit. One of the reasons I love living here is that I am the same, but different. We still pay the rent, Ross works (as do I - more on that later), we get drunk, we go out for dinner, we try to save money, we watch crap TV...but we do all those things in Hong Kong. Which somehow makes everything so much better. I wonder how long I will think that? I suspect it'll last approximately as long as we have a live-in helper.

Felix

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Celebrating the Year of the Rabbit at Times Square with Jo

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Biting & Balancing

Joshemy seems, so far, unable to tackle any sort of food that's more challenging than goo. All the books encourage giving your baby "finger food" and of course there are lots of (over-priced) products on the market to choose from. Toast, soft carrot sticks and bits of apple all work well too. The thing is, Josh is rather over-ambitious, and he always ends up with too much in his mouth, so he gags, then spews everything all over the place.

Felix is a bit more skilled in this department; he knows how to bite, so if you hold out a piece of toast to him, he'll chomp down with his two little gnashers, then move his head back, so that the piece comes off in his mouth. Joshy just sort of chews on the toast without ever actually biting a piece off and chewing that inside his mouth.

Now that they have mastered the art of pulling themselves up from sitting to standing, they are happy to do that all day. Josh started moving just 2 weeks ago, and since then he has already learnt to pull himself up, stand, balance with only one hand on the window sill, and today both boys were standing side on to the window sill, holding a toy in each hand, leaning slightly against the window sill for support. Also Josh was standing in the middle of the baby cage for a while, just holding onto Verginia's tshirt with one hand. He has better balance than his parents....

the boys at hk park with Verginia

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Josh's tongue!

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Joshua and Daddy

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the boys sitting by the window

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giggles

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Felix was suspiciously quiet...

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Sitting in the baby cage

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Dixi!

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Polysyllabic babbles

Felix is definitely Carmichael today as he's started saying "mamamamama". Awesome.

The boys spend lots of time in their baby zone (or cage, as Verginia calls it! ) we've sectioned off the end of the living room, and padded everything in sight. The window sill has some rather attractive yellow bumpers stuck to it, to protect small heads from marble ...the sill is just the right height for the boys to pull themselves upright on it, and they can stand looking out at the dixies and bah-sees for 5 or 10 minutes, just holding onto the ledge. Josh has also started "cruising" (I hate using that term) along the window sill.

The current favourite game is for me to sit in front of the high chairs with my eyes closed, and wait for one of them to touch my face. Then I "wake up" with a big BOO and tickle their knees!

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