tied together

Wolf is away for training, and I'm missing him.  It's not like a normal workday -- I can't call whenever and calls from him have been late at night.  He's not coming home every night.  The apartment just feels.... empty.

His deployment is going to be tough.

the runt

I can't wait to meet you.

this is your brain

On the right is your brain.

On the left is your brain on war.

Any questions?

not the same person

I'm feeling a bit better. The shaking is mostly gone -- I can hold my camera steady again. I don't sway side-to-side and I'm not walking through the hallways afraid that I'm going to faint. Small things, but important.

They keep asking me if I feel like the medication is working. I have no answer for them. I take my medication like I'm supposed to, but how can I tell if it's working or not? A pill or two may make my brain behave or even help me sleep, but there's no pill to take the guilt and anger away, to make me stop missing my friends, to make me feel normal again. How do you answer a question like that?

All I know is that I am definitely not the same person that got on that plane.

blurry but beautiful

I wander around in the rose garden pausing to snap photos. For a brief period of time, I'm not looking over my shoulder -- only through the viewfinder. Other than the birds and the cicadas it is quiet. No loud noises. No shouts. Nothing to make me jump out of my skin.

Stopping a rosebush, I force myself to stand still and stop rocking from foot to foot. Frame the shot, focus the sweet spot, press the shutter. Except my hands just can't stop shaking. The camera picks up every tiny tremor.

Cameras don't lie.

this alone is motivation

See this little guy? That's one of my baby cousins that I keep writing about. He's grown a lot since I took this picture of him, about a year ago.

Sometimes he doesn't understand who is on the other end of the phone or why this stranger keeps asking silly questions like "what have you learned in school?"

Sometimes I wonder if he will remember all of the stupid games we used to play and silly things we did together. Will he remember staying up late at night, sipping warm milk and listening to Brazilian music? How I played with him, building up a hidden stash of cars until he discovered my trick? Nights of "show Techno how you brush your teeth!"? Whispering nonsense in his ear while out and about?

Mostly I hope that he'll remember me. I can't wait to see his big goofy grin.

more odds and ends

This is what Hong Kong looks like from the top of a double decker bus.

Ferry ride is over! Getting ready to dock.

Rickshaws for sale. No one uses these for transportation in Hong Kong anymore.

This is the creepy doorman that laughs at everyone who comes home late. Dragonette, her sister and her father have all asked him why he laughs -- none of them can understand his reply. I wasn't going to take his picture, and then he laughed at me while I was waiting for the elevator. Notice how it is only 11:30 PM.

This is the view from Dragonette's room. I know that many wouldn't consider it pretty, but it sure as heck beats sand. There are five big dogs that live on the roof on the building to your right. They bark. A lot.

I leave tonight to go back to the sandbox. Not exactly looking forward to it, but I don't have much of a choice. At least I know how to pack extremely light.

out and about today

Overview of temple we visited today in New Territories.

Statues in the outer area. I wasn't allowed to take photos inside.

More dragons!

Another lotus flower. I think they're pretty.

Different temple, right next door. They let me take pictures inside... and they had more to look at, and were a lot less touristy.

First lion that I've seen painted. He's rather colorful, isn't he?

Temple

Overview of a building on temple grounds.

Temple with worshipper.

Small tower of Buddhas.

Statue with offerings of incense (in threes).

There be dragons! Was carved into a potted planter.

More dragons. People were throwing coins into this. I kind of suck at it.

Incense, worshipper, alter.

Seated golden Buddha.

Close up.

Ancestor Worship

Grave with offering.

Offerings for dead relatives. These are things that are believed to help their lives in hell.

Unexpected cross in a Chinese cemetary.

Hillside of graves.

odds and ends from School of Arts

Roar!! Lion guarding a doorway.

Door god? Door guard? Can't remember.

Hong Kong Park

Koi in a pond. So many colors!

There were turtles everywhere basking on rocks.

You can still see the city from the park. But that's okay.

Observation tower. Very long spiral staircase up to the top. I think the sign said it was 30 meters tall.

A view of buildings on the climb up to the viewing platform on the observation tower.

Circle window in Tai Chi Court.

Triangle window in Tai Chi Court.

Statue, circle window and plants near the exit of the Tai Chi Court.

Birds in the aviary. Many many different species are kept in the park's aviary. This is also a spot where everyone with a SLR camera was snapping away.

This is actually in the Zoological and Botantical Gardens, a short walk away from the park. The inscription reads "In memory of the Chinese who died loyal to the Allied cause in the wars of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945."

Fountains in the park -- also a spot to find people snapping away. The big mushroom shaped fountain actually has a path where one can walk inside.

Yuexiu Park

Sculpture inside the park. There were many like this in a row.

Dirt path branching off of a paved path, winding into the bamboo and trees.

Skyline of Guangzhou from the Zhenhai Tower.

Lotus flower in a pond in the Korean Gardens.

Five Rams Statue, symbol of Guangzhou.

I believe that Yuexiu Park is the largest in China. It is definitely huge. Lots of stairs and steep inclines so it was a bit tiring getting around from one point to another. Very beautiful, though.

Guangzhou Zoo

Yes, Dinosaur World was really that cheesy. But that's okay.

We all love Engrish. At least they tried. There were many many places in China that didn't even bother with English translations of anything. Definitely an experience of being illiterate.

Yeah, I have no idea either. He was just sitting there, off to the side. A relic from better days, perhaps?

This is what a peacock looks like when it's tired of the exhibit it belongs to and decides to look around.

And this is what a strutting peacock still in the exhibit looks like.

My mom told me to go see pandas. Unfortunately there are no pandas on exhibit in Hong Kong at the moment, so Dragonette suggested that I try in China. I went... and the panda was asleep. Sad.

Guangzhou Zoo is the largest in Southern China. And it is a pretty big zoo with a lot to see, but a bit of a letdown after the zoos I've visited in the States.