au revoir! 2

we say goodbye to J1 and Yi. as we said goodbye to J2 Ji A and E.

HOM's cystoscopy comes up next.

life marches.

amid the blessings, the weight.

amid the joys, the shadow.

God keeps.

inspector alleyn - ngaio marsh (1930s)

finally starting on these, half a century after first learning her name. agatha christie was just much more easily available at the jaya supermarket bookshop back in the day.

alleyn is my kind of ultimate detective: clever but courteous compassionate generally non-dysfunctional and (so far) quite free of unnecessary angst. so that one can just enjoy the murders.

au revoir!

final brunch of xlb and sjb and we're off!

i hope we can do many more such trips, HOM says. yes, i agree. but lovely too to have had this one. we are thankful.

if we are ever in shanghai around, say, our anniversary date, and resources permit, i tell HOM, i want to stay at 和平饭店. HOM says ok.

last dinner

our final nite before we decamp. we choose laozhengxing, our old favorite on fuzhou road, all quiet with wide apart tables for gentle conversation and the familiar great cooking. 

it's been an altogether lovely interlude before re-entering the old grind and facing HOM's upcoming re-scope.

so call me shallow, but i'll take shanghai any day over urumqi.

lady of the moon

super long lines on nanjing road today on account of the festival tomorrow. unlike back home the mooncakes here come out warm from the oven. in any case, glad we are not in those snaking waits.

sudden light

to attend to needs. to anticipate the needs.

to attend to the predicted. to attend to the unexpected.

attending. inattendu. may we learn both.

attending

we leave the pub. room elevators this way, the fellow at the door says.

we exit the elevator. breakfast to your right, murmurs the guy at the lobby.

i balance my bowl and my plate. let me help you with the bowl, ma'am, the waiter says, and suits his action to his words.

where's the trash bin? i ask the concierge. let me take it for you, he replies, and my trash disappears.

there is being courteous and helpful, and there is quietly and smoothly anticipating my needs which is a whole different level of hospitality. 和平饭店 gets the gold amidst a host of great service contenders this trip.