So after Las Vegas I flew to Vancouver to spend six whole days with some wonderful relatives. Auntie Sannie is my Dad's youngest sister and the more I spend time with her the better I understand where I get my personality from. Auntie Sannie is adventurous, brave, incredibly intelligent and believe me if I looked half as decent as her when I'm in my late 50s then I shall be extremely lucky.
I also finally got to meet my cousins Gina and Joe along with Richard, my cousin-in-law. I've already met their younger brother Andy. Unfortunately Uncle John was away in Hong Kong on business otherwise it would have been the ultimate family gathering.
You know I have got to hand it to the Siu family. Uncle John and Auntie Sannie raised some good children. They're blessed with the most wonderful son-in-law. Richard is selfless, patient and kind. He even devotes his Saturdays to leading the Boys Scouts! During my trip he acted as my chauffeur and photographer while selflessly digging out an old mobile to give to me, topped up with credit, so that I could contact people whenever I want - rather than use my international rates. He does all this without any agenda or expecting anything in return. Just when you thought this type only existed in the films and novels.
Gina is a very lucky woman and she deserves someone like him. She is beautiful, hilarious, self-deprecating and has an enviable relationship with Auntie Sannie. She kept me laughing throughout the whole six days I was there. She stressed the importance in fully training your man before marrying him. That way he is a keeper. Duly noted cousin!
Where Gina and Andy are loud, Joe on the other hand is laid back and happy to be in the background getting on with his own thing. This is another extremely decent man - very intelligent too. He is destined to go even further than he already has done. But one thing that did shock me was witnessing just how competitive he gets. Watching him determined to beat Richard on the PS2 before going home proved to me that he definitely takes after Uncle John! Joe, bless him, even drove me to Whistler even though he was tired from a late night with the boys. Whistler is a 2.5/3hours drive. He could have postponed it but he made a promise and he fulfilled it.
Now Andy, I am close with. He's just 11 months older than me and really we couldn't be any more different. The one thing we have in common is alcohol and man can my cousin knock back the vodka! He introduced me to some skull-shaped brand that's produced by Dan Ackeroyd. I returned the favour by making Malibu and cranberry with Bombay gin. Girly drink I know but it tasted nice! In all seriousness, Andy is a survivor. He can go through a gruelling day's work and still come home and hang out with his quirky British cousin until way past midnight. He's also turning into my Dad in a really freakish way. His mannerisms, body language and sayings all reminds me of Papa Ng. Andy may be a tough guy on the outside but two things brings out the true sensitive soul in him: his family and his cat. He's very protective and if I'm ever facing any danger, I'd feel safe with him by my side.
They say that the second thing after love that ties a family together is food. And good Lord does my family appreciate the value and privilege of a good meal. In fact, let me put it this way: Vancouver is a place where you will never go hungry. There must be hundreds of eating places. Day One we went and had Chinese steam bowl (where you throw all kinds of meats, seafood and vegetables into the boil of flavoured water). Day Two Chinese takeout. Day Three Cheesecake Factory in Seattle. Day Four Sushi where I tried oysters. Verdict = mmmmmm! Day Five takeout feast at home. When I heard Auntie Sannie talk about buying a chicken for dinner I thought she meant cook it from scratch. Her response: "You see these hands? They're not made for heavy cooking!"
I also had Japanese noodles and Japanese style hotdogs aka JAPPADOGS! Standard hotdog with seaweed and wasabi mustard? FIT! How I didn't put on an extra two stone I'll never know.
Vancouver has a lot of Chinese people. In fact I'm sure I spoke more Cantonese than English during this leg of the holiday which is always a blessing. I now understand why a lot of people say Vancouver is a place they wouldn't mind moving to. With it's fast pace, the people are down to earth and enjoy life. When I told my Auntie this, well she suggested I stay in Vancouver where I can eat for all eternity and she'll find a man for me to marry. But before what could have been the biggest twist to this story actually happened, Gina more realistically said, "OR you can find a writing job and stay here."
My family. Spending six days in Vancouver made me realise just how darn lucky I am to have such wonderful relatives and friends in my life. This trip has more than made me realise that no matter how far I go on my own around the globe, they will always be a phone call, a bus ride, a flight away. And that is one unbreakable safety net.
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