Hello's & Goodbyes

By Allan Yap & Nigel A. Skelchy

The sweltering heat is not the best atmosphere to say farewell to a good friend.

Admittedly, Allan and I have not been able to spend as much time as we'd like with Chris. But in the time we've spent with him, we've come to be very fond of him. I hesitate to call him a "bloke" because he really isn't. He's just not "blokey" enough. Daniel's a bloke. Chris is...a dear! ;-)


Chris doing his best imitation of the Dalai Lama meditating...with a Magnum in hand 

Let's have a look at the evidence. He's very devoted to his Mum and his family. His manner of speaking tends to be in the contradiction rather than in the faked positivity of the standard American (given that he's English, well, half anyway, with that wry, cynical twist on everything he's cultivated, that's quite understandable).

He's a funny, witty, giving person of his time and energy. Especially when there's a good argument. He's like a very lovely dog with a bone. I'm reminded of our golden retrievers with a big juicy bone. They just won't let it go. Chris plays the devil's advocate to the hilt. One is never quite certain whether or not he really believes the point he's making but he certainly seems to have fun gnawing at it.

I doubt he's going to enjoy being described as that but there we go! Nothing here is intended as an insult; everything's a tribute. ;-)

Have a nice time in Beijing, dear. And come home in one piece. We're going to miss you.