나는 남한에 있고 지금 싶다!

(This is the view from my parents' apartment in Hong Kong. It looks towards Kowloon. If you've seen the movie The Dark Knight (the new Batman), you'll recognize the tallest building in the picture. It's the building Batman jumps from into the other building. It's called IFC. And it used to be where my dad worked until they moved into a different building.)

In about 5 days, I am going to be on a plane to see my family in Hong Kong. Then we're going to go to South Korea for a few days (which is what the title is about). And I am already shutting down. All I want to do is board the plane, wait those 17 hours, and step off to see my family!

I see my family about every 6 months now, but we're still ridiculously close. It's definitely hard though. For my bridal shower, people asked if my mom was going to come. It's hard to tell people that with the cost of tickets and the fact that it's a 17 HOUR flight, they can't make it to some things - really, most things. They weren't at my college graduation, but that's okay because I didn't really to be there either. ;)

The hard things have never been the small holidays, but that I can't just call my mom if I'm having a bad day. Or that I can't share something ridiculous that has happened to me, like dancing to a Kletzmer band in the East Village at the Egg Roll and Egg Cream Festival and, because I was brave enough to go up and dance, about 20 other women felt they could come dance too. Or opening up my mother's gift to me at my bridal shower. She had helped me pick out my registries by phone. We sat at our computers and on the phone and e-mailed each other back and forth. On the day of my bridal shower, my sister put my mom's gift last and I burst into tears as I was opening it. I really missed her.

My brother was my best friend growing up. We're 10 years apart, but he was my little buddy. I taught him Hamlet's soliloquoy when he was 3-years-old and he STILL remembers it 11 years later. We used to go to plays and musicals together and almost EVERYONE thought I was his mom because they couldn't believe that a teenage girl would be taking her little brother to musical theatre or out to dinner. I miss him so much at times. He's still my buddy. I want to go to the Toilet Diner with him when I get there.







(The first picture is old. I was 16 in that picture and that was our first trip out of the country. We were in Tokyo - that's why there's the peace signs and such. The second photo is my brother and I before my wedding in France. He's a cutie. :) Even from the back.

My sister and I never really got along well, but I love her. We've put aside our differences and we have so much fun together. And she's so, so good to me. Like you wouldn't believe. She helped me make penis cupcakes for my friend's bachelorette party. I wish I could have spent more time with her then, but we're going out together in Hong Kong. And possibly getting dog meat soup together in Korea. ;)

My dad is a wonderful man. He's a businessman and always intimated people, but he is THE goofiest guy I know. He was jumping on the trampoline in his dress suit at my husband's (then boyfriend's) graduation party. He's always been there for me and I don't know what I'd do without him. He used to take my friends and I to haunted houses and even dressed up as Gomez so that my friends and I could go trick-or-treating as the Addam's Family. Most of my personality comes from him. :)

I know that I probably shouldn't have checked out already, but I can't help it!! I can't wait to leave!! Do you do the same thing?