Cali Living

After 4 days the appreciation for being here has waned, replaced instead by a prevailing sense of peace and contentment. Nevertheless there's no doubt that the cleaner air and better diet along with a comfortable mattress at Tom's place has charged me up. We went for a run the other day, I hadn't run for over a year and my body protested especially the lower half. Towards the end I thought my legs would seize up on me. Tom was quite amused, normally I hold up much better. Over the next two days I play tennis with old friends and I struggle on tired legs. Nevertheless it is exhilirating to be outside in the perfect weather, the sun is bright but I do not feel burdened by it. The ball seems to be in HDTV because of the clarity of the climate.

I also take the opportunity to do some shopping, I have been quite deprived of retail choices living in Malaysia. I soon content myself with my purchases. I soak in the freedom of going anywhere without too much concern for parking and traffic and there are many places to go... I marvel at the ability to be seated in a restaurant in a mall just 5 minutes after exiting the freeway. In Malaysia, I would be struggling for another 15 minutes or so through traffic and then jockeying with other drivers through clogged streets scanning for parking. There would always seem to be someone waiting impatiently on your tail.

Yesterday I met with my friend IM, we've known each other for about 15 years. I met him in the Philippines, where he is from. His father and mine were expatriate colleagues in Taiwan. Coincidentally we both moved to Southern California several years ago. Right before I left California, he enlisted in the military and shipped out for training and then Korea. I hadn't seen him since. He was back in California for a while having completed officer training.

The military runs contrary to much of what I value. From the denial of the individual to the eager use of violence to subjugate, so I'd been sad when IM told me a few years ago he was enlisting. I've always known him to be the nicest guy in the world - soft-spoken, great sense of humor and courteous, as I sat in the restaurant I wondered how he would have changed. But he hadn't... still the same gracious guy. He did however acknowledge that the soldier in him doesn't show up in regular life and he preferred to be in full-time duty, he didn't like having to switch between the two personas. It isn't an easy life he admitted. I asked him why he loved being in the military and he said "they get shit done".