a pretty blue dress

I couldn't help it: I took about 50 photos of Seung Yi the other day because she was wearing a frilly, frou-frou-sleeved robin's egg blue dress. The dress actually belongs to Laree, but Laree insisted that Iaimon put it on Seung Yi. I've helpfully selected just ten or so pictures to share with you in a photo album. I wish I had an old photo of myself that these photos remind me of - there were a few of me in a similarly coloured dress, only I had sproingy blonde curls and Seung Yi's got smooth shiny straight hair.

Ooooh, she is so terribly cute! She's just glowing and brimming over with perfection. Please, y'all, remind me of those words when she's 15, ok? [A couple of hours later...] Got interrupted by my gorgeous daughter waking up from her nap. I lay down beside her as she started to stir, she opened her eyes, and then she grinned a huge grin and grabbed me around the neck and hugged me. I gave her a kiss on her hand and then - oooh, so sweet - she then kissed her own hand. We hung out on the mats for awhile, playing around, and then went out for a walk at dusk.

There were about sixty thousand birds chirping and tweeting and cawing and crowing and generally causing a commotion. The weather was funny today, sort of over-cast with about 20 seconds of rain, and so the air's a teeny bit muggy and the temperature has gone down a notch. At the park it was pretty with the lights on and there were a bunch of guys playing badminton and a passel of kids running around with their nannies. Two (not ex-pat, just for the record) moms were on the bench complaining about how maids and guards shouldn't be allowed to sit on the benches if any residents are around with butts seeking comfort. Wah wah wah. Seung Yi went around to check out all the equipment. Climbed to the top of the climber fearlessly, hopped up on the swing that is totally dangerous, ran around after a cat, and spun around really barf inducingly fast on the merry go round thingy. On our way back home the bats were out and flying from tree to tree.

If you check out the rest of the photos, you can see the following:

- Two of my hilarious Robotics students with their self-crafted robotic aerial tram;
- A bunch of kids from school getting ready to fling confetti-filled hollowed-out eggs at last week's annual world language week 'cascarone' festival;
- The girl from Middle School who Ji is totally in love with. Most recently he came up with a song modelled on the Pussycat Dolls' "Doncha Wish Your Girlfiend Was Hot Like Me," only his is called "Doncha Wish Your Boyfriend Was Ji, Ji, Ji?"
- My nutty student who has been a handful and then some throughout the year with all kinds of crazy antics, who can be seen in the photo trying to convince the cafeteria dude that he hasn't had a sub yet (when, of course, he totally has). The week before he was trying to pass off half of a hundred rupee bill to the caf staff.
- A picture of Ji's injured finger. Last weekend after he heard Gramma Sayo was ill he went into his room and decided to invent a cure for cancer and he had to use a serrated knife (unbeknownst, of course, to me) to develop the cure, and in the grand Grampa Randy tradition he sliced the crap out of his finger and from the living room I heard an epic "AUGHHH!" and went running to see blood seeping out of his clenched hand.
- The wildlife feeder that Mr. Singh put up. I'm not sure if its meant to be feeding birds, but all I've ever seen eating out of it are the crack head chip lizards that we have here. They're freaky animals: look just like chipmunks but move whippety whiz like geckos. Not sure yet if they stick to ceilings.

In other news around here, Phet's back in town after a long trip to Singapore. Seung Yi, upon his return, decided to finally start calling him Pa instead of Mama. Ji had two days off this week so that the Elementary School could do parent-teacher interviews. Apparently, things are fine, his teacher tells us. I had a busy busy but good good week. The yearbook is looking great and is 50% at the printers already. The other 50% is coming along quickly and we should meet our deadlines without too much trouble. I'm trying to set up training in Toronto over the summer to learn how to use Illustrator. Hey Jake, if you set up a dummy company, I can pay YOU to teach me how to use it, ok? Other than that, school's just humming along cheerily. Oh, I know it's still only March, but as it gears up towards yard sale season in Toronto, y'all keep an eye out for any good second hand costume-type stuff for me, ok? I'm also in the market for some good hats. And clown noses.

Must run - we're getting ready for Ji Hong's Boys' Night Out Pizza Party which we'll be hosting tomorrow night. Oooh, goody! 8 six-year-olds! Good thing Phet's in charge.

[Delhi-8-March-2008]