Here is the statue in front of the Buddha Temple in London, Ontario. For those of you who may be in the London area it is on Clarence St. just south of Horton. Originally the building was an elementary school named Govenor Simcoe Public School. Or was it Lord Simcoe? Lord Simcoe was one of the the people who opened up this area a few hundred years ago. My stepfather, who attended this school as a child, is now 80 years old. I think this building was used as a school until the 60's, when suburbs started to be built, and the downtown area became less of a residential area.

The area just south of here is a mixed residential area that I refer to as the 'Clarence Street Ghetto'. There are some nice homes, but by and large, it is mostly a rental area of duplexes and triplexes. In recent years it seems that some people are moving into the area and helping improve the quality of the neighbourhood. There are some nice scenic areas near the river and ideally I would like to buy a property in this area before I leave for Asia.

Which presents me with an important question ... when am I going to Asia? For sure at this point a 4 or 5 week vacation to Korea and Taiwan in 2007. Children are a 25 year long commitment and my youngest is 17. He is adamant he is not going to Asia. I was trying to interest both darlings into Chinese lessons, to no avail. Perhaps a tutor to come to the house and make lessons a condition of residency. Yeah right! As if learning can be forced. Plus there are dental issues that need to be attended to - wisdom teeth for my son and 3 0r 4 tooth structure issues for myself that require attention at $2500 per tooth. If nothing else, when I do go it will be done right. At 50 years of age it is difficult just to pick up and go. In the end that may be the way it occurs but it has to be done right. No point in heading over there and then having to bail a few months after signing a contract. Sometimes that may be inevitable, but it is best to have all the bases covered. Nonetheless it is a challenge and project I enjoy.

An nyong hi gye se yo.