..not to be perfect.

I had very short morning even though I started at 5:30. PEN had been so nice to ‘sacrifice’ her tennis for me so I didn’t want to be late. We ended up arriving at Heritage library too early at 9:00! It was still 'dark' with a few people preparing the event.

I brought perkedel my three staffs preparing since very early. They were so nice. I felt slightly bad but.. I should not do, it’s not an every year order of preparing dish in the early morning. As it had been successful, I’m thinking to ask them to do again more often for other event :-)

I met many ‘new’ faces and talked to them. One ex-minister’s wife, 80 years old, liked to talk to me. She called me by name every time we ran into each other, so I stopped and actually spent time to talk to her. I adored her spirit. She looked like she’s only 65. She told me about her six children and 13 grand-children (after I told her about no kid by choice). Really nice woman!

I also talked to the wife of my ex head-of-project in my office nine years ago! I learned that they moved back to Indonesia last year and today I had a chance to greet her who handled membership registration. She told me briefly about gossips in Washington office. Some sad, some nice. What a nice reconnection!

It was a nice lecture about SR’s experience doing research for her anthropology book on gold jewelry in Sumatera. She is going to hold a Sumatra textile exhibition in Holy Cross College, near Boston. She asked for input from audience of how to present the textiles in the small museum. It’s a very nice interactive discussion among fifty members of the Heritage.

PEN and I had Thai lunch then went supermarket shopping, then coffee at Coffee Bean. In total, we spent six hours since we came in the mall (the library is by the mall). I asked PEN whether she has communication problem with her mom. We discussed it. I think we face similar problem and I almost come to her style to deal with ‘difficult’ aged mom. Keeping quiet while showing care (which is difficult to relate both attitudes)..

Yesterday I had tough discussion with Mama when she snapped at me saying that I’d been too hard to talk to. I stopped talking then. She asked me an opinion but she didn’t like to hear. What’s the point then? I should have known better how to deal with venting Mama. Shut up! (She called me again just now for an opinion. For me it’s more an announcement then, or I take it that way. I told her that I agree :-) Never mind.)

Anyway, I’m glad to hear that my problem is not unique. I just have to learn how to deal with people better and better. I remember the two choices a friend sent me thru email today: to have bad mood or good mood. Choose the latter and the positive attitude. Nothing is matter anymore. Whatever.

PEN and I had long discussion about many things especially mixed marriage and the trend of not respecting a relationship. How fragile people can be… I also learn more about Chinese year traits. I could take Chinese signs division in the past, but PEN said that Chinese year division is more precise. I could see now that she is right especially after observing that we can get along very well (first time in life to have a close friend of same sign). Yes, I get along very well with Rooster and Horse (RIT). And when she told me about her difficult mom, I could not link her with her sign, because her Monkey tells more. PEN laughed out loud realizing.. that her youngest son of same Chinese year is same difficult.

More lesson today.