return to Canada
Dec. 25th, 2005 12:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kittenscribbleI'm actually liking Ulysses, which comes as a shock to me. But the writing styles, though initially offputting, are actually quite enjoyable. And my cat sounds exactly like Bloom's. Also, this synopsis/guide, courtesy of Hemingway fils, is proving very helpful.
Back in Vancouver now, my annual winter migration to the maternal relatives, the Cantonese speakers, the wonderful Chinese food, and the French-and-English labels. According to my relatives, I haven't much changed, but my brothers have. (The brothers are sixteen and eighteen respectively, and have been continuing to sprout. They'll plateau eventually.) They're taller and lankier every year, and baby fat continues to melt off their faces, exposing more of the bone structure underneath. It's really neat to watch their faces settle.
Strangely, though, my youngest cousin doesn't seem to have changed at all. Perhaps he's gotten a little more shy. He was a moderate-sized three-year-old, and is now a slightly small four-year-old. I was expecting him to have grown more than he actually has. Oh well, he's four. He's got time.
We flew into Seattle last night at 9:30p Pacific. Landing was like descending into mirrors; it had been raining there long enough that all of the road surfaces were reflective, beaming back the street lights and buildings, doubling all of the images. The roads were very slick but it still took less than three hours to get up to Vancouver. Between getting the rental van and claiming the baggage, though, it was still almost 3am by the time we got to bed. Woke up at noon; braved the Christmas Eve traffic to see the grandparents, and got the typical Chinese bakery treats. We got the old standbys: char sui pork buns, curry pies, coconut buns, the little egg custard pies, etc... I peered at one I hadn't seen before, labeled "winter melon tart," but none of the Chinese words matched the one I knew for "melon." I asked my mother for clarification.
"It's actually called a 'wife dessert,'" she said. "There's a story that someone liked those pies so much, he sold his wife for one."
I bought one. It was sweet, light, and very tasty.
Back in Vancouver now, my annual winter migration to the maternal relatives, the Cantonese speakers, the wonderful Chinese food, and the French-and-English labels. According to my relatives, I haven't much changed, but my brothers have. (The brothers are sixteen and eighteen respectively, and have been continuing to sprout. They'll plateau eventually.) They're taller and lankier every year, and baby fat continues to melt off their faces, exposing more of the bone structure underneath. It's really neat to watch their faces settle.
Strangely, though, my youngest cousin doesn't seem to have changed at all. Perhaps he's gotten a little more shy. He was a moderate-sized three-year-old, and is now a slightly small four-year-old. I was expecting him to have grown more than he actually has. Oh well, he's four. He's got time.
We flew into Seattle last night at 9:30p Pacific. Landing was like descending into mirrors; it had been raining there long enough that all of the road surfaces were reflective, beaming back the street lights and buildings, doubling all of the images. The roads were very slick but it still took less than three hours to get up to Vancouver. Between getting the rental van and claiming the baggage, though, it was still almost 3am by the time we got to bed. Woke up at noon; braved the Christmas Eve traffic to see the grandparents, and got the typical Chinese bakery treats. We got the old standbys: char sui pork buns, curry pies, coconut buns, the little egg custard pies, etc... I peered at one I hadn't seen before, labeled "winter melon tart," but none of the Chinese words matched the one I knew for "melon." I asked my mother for clarification.
"It's actually called a 'wife dessert,'" she said. "There's a story that someone liked those pies so much, he sold his wife for one."
I bought one. It was sweet, light, and very tasty.
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no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 06:06 pm (UTC)Now that I am happily ensconced in the Leopold Bloom section, with its vastly different writing style, I find I'm enjoying the actual *story* much more.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-27 01:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 12:15 pm (UTC)Alas, I still struggle with Ulysses. I just can't really get into it. The story just doesn't grab me. I'm mildly interested in Stephen and his moodiness, but I fear the story is kind of dragging and not really going anywhere. I think I'm missing some grand subtle point to the whole thing that could really get me interested. If only I could find it!
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Date: 2005-12-26 08:25 pm (UTC)If you find a grand subtle point, though, let me know. :)
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Date: 2005-12-27 01:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-05 02:58 am (UTC)