If we had gone with my and Alex's forecast for today (taken from www.optimisticweather.org), we were headed to an island for snorkelling, swimming and parasailing. It was going to be a great send off for our last day together and our last day in Borneo. It was also Matt's last day of being almost 12, so we wanted to make it a good one.
And then there was the forecast from Beth at www.realisticweather.net that said we would have a ton of rain.
I can't believe "her" forecast was correct! Oh well, you can't always control the weather. So instead, we had a good sleep-in day (ranging from Beth at 6:00am to the rest of the gang somewhere between 8:00 and 10:00). We weren't ready to do anything until around noon, but despite the slow start, Beth was so chill I half wondered if she'd dipped into some Mari Mari rice wine.
So what do we do? It was pouring and it wasn't going to let up. To the mall! We took cabs to Imago Times Square, a super modern mall that had all usual suspect stores and restaurants. I came up with a rare brainstorm based on the concept of getting rid of the kids engaging the kids in a team-based, mentally and physically engaging activity. But first, lunch.... Beth and I finally got our bibimbap!
During lunch, Beth and I put a list together for a camera scavenger hunt.
The kids determined their teams - it would be the older siblings vs the younger siblings.... This could make an interesting sociological study. The start was hilarious - as soon as Matt and Robin got their camera, they took a picture of the four of them and Matt shouted maniacally "we can take a picture with them because they're teenagers but they can't take a picture of us because we're not!!!!" - and they were off like a shot.
The parents speculated - would it be the freer thinking, at times apt-to-get-distracted junior team or the more methodical, determined senior team that would complete the task first, and before the 3:15pm deadline?
Now, we were free to shop and stroll around the mall! Ha ha!!! The parents split up - Alex and Kim needed snacks for the plane, Beth frivolously wanted needed new running shoes, and I frivolously wanted needed Starbucks. We were on the ground level and looked down and saw Matt and Robin on the level below - they looked like little rats in a maze - zipping back and forth in frenetic movements, pausing to take pictures of the odd sign. I tried taking a video but they were too quick. Advantage: team junior.
At 3:05, guess who rolls in?
Their camera roll was hilarious - the two social extroverts got every single picture, and it looked like they had a good time meeting people in the mall. Their seven word sentence was "Free square gifts for her body collections" which I guess technically is a sentence...
Ten minutes later, the seniors rolled in with their camera roll, including their seven word sentence "The secret beyond your burgers and donuts". It was funny to see the difference in the "pictures with people" tasks. The juniors had pictures with the people - as in they met, talked to and asked the people they took pictures with. The seniors had "candid" pictures with one of the partners, blurred, standing in front of the person(s) the task called for. That's typical Abby, and I guess Jeffrey too!
We took cabs back to our condo, and the kids opted to "chill" (or as Jeffrey described it "socially connect while playing a team game of Minecraft". The adults went across the street to see Southpaw - a typically top quality Antoine Fuqua movie. Then we were back to pick the kids up for Matt's birthday dinner. We found a Sushi/Hot Pot buffet nearby (a Sushi place, with a Chinese name, owned and run by an Indian... Ok, that was a first for me!). It turned out to be pretty good.
The kids enjoyed themselves at their typically separate-from-parents table....
We came up with this photo pose in the lobby of the mall that I'm very sure nobody has ever thought of taking before.... Robin's got the face down pat.
How to cap off a great birthday evening? In Asia, it has to be Karaoke!! We got ourselves a private room and dialled in all the classics.... Well, some of the classics. Ah, not really. The music selection was pretty weird (by our standards), but we had enough to have fun for a couple of hours (the beers helped, trust me!).
I looked over at Matt at one point, and he had this "satisfied old man laying back with a beer" look on his face. He was holding Alex's beer, but I did get the feeling he was having a nice birthday.
It turned out to be a great day. The weather can't control your day - we found a way to turn a negative into a positive. It's always easier to do that when you're in great company. The Versly and the Tyndalls always seem to be on the same page.... Today was no exception. Happy end of being almost 13 Matt... Take it away ladies!!!
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