So This Is Christmas

I met up with a friend for brunch on Saturday. They were a rarity in that they did not live in the suburbs. Yet despite being relatively close to Tamis Café, they have never visited this downtown filipino restaurant. We were supposed to see each other again after meeting up in the summer, but they were incommunicado through the Fall.

I opted once again for dasilog which has increased to $19. After our orders, we got to talking about their "disappearance". They were busier than usual, partly because the oldest child had joined a challenging high-school program, but also their new role as manager in a different department was frantic. I was glad I didn't need 3 cups of coffee to get through the day. Being a CPA, they were aghast that I've been keeping my money under a mattress. Now I have an investment plan to grow my money. They actively managed their own financial portfolio but I'd rather pay investment fees so someone else handled the work. I recounted about my recent trips to Toronto and my friend expressed an interest in seeing the postponed Retrocity concert next year. We both saw that band when they lived in Toronto. I didn't think their schedule would permit it, but I promised to let them know.

On Monday, I went to my sibling for Christmas dinner. It was a bit shocking to realize that I haven't seen their family since last Christmas. The full extended family was there except for 2 absences: my oldest uncle who was no longer comfortable driving at night and my grandma who felt some joint pain. It was a large dinner spread. Their spouse had prepared a full turkey dinner with sides along with curry noodles and char siu pork. Relatives also brought spring rolls, Vietnamese coleslaw, dried persimmons, and grass jelly desserts. There was also a large tray of home-made cookies (so my Toronto cookies became a gift instead) and my niece tried her hands at a raspberry cake.

My youngest cousins were starting to feel stifled in Ottawa. One was heading to Calgary because a new romantic partner was going there for post-grad studies. I asked why they weren't aiming for Vancouver or Toronto. It turned out that, as a suburbanite, the love interest didn't like crowds. But on a trip to see a band, they realized that The Danforth was not Kensington Market. It was possible to experience peace-and-quiet in the big city. A lesson learned too late but Vancouver was still a remote possibility.

The other cousin was regretting their return to Ottawa in 2020 after undergrad in Toronto. I didn't say anything back then but I was skeptical of their decision. Sure enough, the lack of a nightlife and the unreliable public transit were problems. Could they re-establish themselves back in The Big Hog without a high-paying job? Unfortunately, they were someone with the skill but not the temperament for hi-tech.

This Christmas there was one new member added to the clan. And there will be another next Yuletide because a cousin was expecting their second child in March. But I suspect that will be it for another decade. On the other hand, with the older generation well into retirement now (my grandma is 95 this year), the family could start to shrink in a few years.