Happy Belated Birthday, Yobo

There he is.  The father of my unborn children.  I purposely made this picture smaller to avoid any embarrassment that Jason might face in the future, but this picture is just too good.  I can't decide what's best about it.  The fact that he is clearly unhappy that I'm taking his picture, last season's long johns making an appearance when they badly need to be thrown out, or the fact that he's only wearing one slipper.  What's up with that, anyway?

Anyway, on April 11, 2010, Jason turned 26.  He's not one for huge birthday celebrations, but since we weren't able to spend his birthday together last year, I insisted that we do something a little special.  I asked him what he wanted for his "Birthday Dinner," which consisted of breaded chicken strips dipped in Teriyaki, white rice (because I usually make him eat brown rice), some Shrimp and Veggie Soup, and his favorite pie.

Yes, that is a giant votive candle in the middle of Jason's birthday pie.

Even though I'd offered to make something a little more special for Jason's birthday, he very humbly asked for his chicken strips and rice, to which I gladly obliged.  Overall, it was a very uneventful birthday.  We ate dinner quietly, and I busted out the only candle I could find and some sparklers that I had lying around to sing "Happy Birthday" to him by myself.  We ate a lot of pie, talked a little bit about our days, and 15 minutes in to watching "A Gentleman's Agreement," he was asleep on my couch and we called it a night.

Jason blowing out his giant birthday candle.

And you know what?  It was a great night.  Some of my friends have given me a little flack about getting married so young, and even by the time I was 23, I'd already acquired the moniker "Grandma Grace" for never wanting to go drinking with my buddies and getting stupid at some bar.  Sure, maybe I did spend a few too many lonely nights in my little studio apartment watching weird independent movies and smelling my neighbor's weed smoke wafting through the hallway- I'll fully admit that.  

But Jason's birthday was an example of how I get to be a boring person with another boring person for the rest of my life... and how great is that?  To be completely at ease and content with someone you love, who has no expectations, but lives with great expectancy of what good things are to come.  Someone who is totally cool (okay, maybe compliant is a better word) to you taking a somewhat unflattering picture of them in their long underwear with only one slipper on.  Someone whose only birthday wish is to hang out with his kooky fiance and eat some chicken strips and pie.

Happy Belated Birthday, Jase.  Here's to all the Banana Cream Pie, chicken strips, and rice you could possibly consume in our future long life together!

Oh... and you didn't think I'd leave you hanging without a few more shots of that pie!  Home made, baby!  Look at that crust crimping!  The Oreo topping was Jason's idea.

The Father-Daughter Dance

The Father-Daughter Dance has been a topic of some debate between my Pops and me long before I was even engaged.  A few years back, my dad had this crazy kick where he was only listening to country music and insisted that he'd found the song we'd dance to at my wedding.  It was country.  The lyrics are very, very literal, and whomever wrote it penned it- I'm sure- with the intention of selling millions of singles to soft-hearted dads with daughters on their way to the altar.  And... it's COUNTRY!  The one form of music I can't stand listening to!

His gentle suggestion was met with some severe protests from me that were probably insensitive to my dad's vulnerability.  Even though my sister keeps insisting that I just "let him do what he wants," something still doesn't sit well with me with the idea of dancing with my father at my wedding to a song I can't stand.  Maybe it won't matter, but wouldn't it be so much better for us to have found a song together?  One that is significant to the both of us?

We still haven't settled on one.  The one I thought of was the song "One of These Days" by Neil Young, which my dad sent to me via email last year when I first came to China and my dad mused to me about how the song reminded him of me.  But today, I think I finally found it.

When I was a little girl, I watched The Sound of Music everyday for a year.  And when I say "everyday," I really mean it.  My aunt has told me about when she'd come to visit us and I'd be sitting there very faithfully in front of the television watching Julie Andrews rescue the Von Trapp family from eternal cold-heartedness, and then we'd re-enact the "I am sixteen going on seventeen" dance by jumping from sofa cushion to sofa cushion.  I'd totally forgotten that the first time Captain von Trapp melts his icy exterior was when he sings Edelweiss for the first time with... his eldest daughter, Liesel.

Courtesy of threshold.vox.com

I love this scene.  The children all look up at their father adoringly as he reconnects with a lost identity that was buried under years of grieving, politics, and one very glamorous woman.  I love the unspoken gesture he makes towards Liesel to duet with him, a hidden secret that only the two of them know about.  It's a lovely song, and a familiar one, too.

Courtesy of solarnavigator.net

Not to mention, the song isn't so stinking long.  There's nothing worse than hearing the chorus for the fourth time while the father and daughter are still up there swaying awkwardly. 

Something we can all look forward to

Larry King irritates me.  Maybe it's the seemingly cold way that he asks questions that often seem to cross the line without even flinching... but then maybe that's why he's been on the air for as long as he has been.  But perhaps the thing that I dislike most about Larry King is that I always end up getting sucked in to watching the full hour of his show.

Today, though, I had a good reason.

Snoop Dogg has so much to say when given the chance to say it.  On this hour of Larry King, I learned about Snoop's brief stint on the soap opera "Another World" and about his future plans to record with Susan Boyle.  I also learned about his plans to venture into...

...supermarkets.  Or rather, "Snoopermarkets."  Ahh yes.  Snoopermarkets.  Like a beautiful marriage of WalMart, the Dollar Tree, and Soul Plane, Snoopermarkets will sell "everything" and "everything will be under $20."  "Clothes?  Food?" Larry King asks incredulously.

Without missing a beat and with that cool, smooth tenor that caught the West Coast's attention with its first utterance of "...laaaaid baaaack," Snoop replies, "Everything, Larry.  Everything."

Yes, everything.

I could turn this into a sociological observation about the decadence of American life.  I could talk about the changing face of hip-hop, or its humble origins and the irony of Snoop Dogg (literally) breaking bread (cornbread and fried chicken from Albertson's) with Larry King before the masses.  I could... but a pun like this is so good it deserves its own post.

Snoopermarkets... rollin' through to a hood near you.

Stories by Brian: How to...

The assignment was to explain how to do something.  I'm teaching the kids about outlining a paper and writing transition words to denote order.  At first, they started writing things that they can do easily, so I told them to use their imaginations.  It's like watching a lightbulb switch on inside of their eyes when I say the magic word "imagination."  I guess they don't get many opportunities to exercise that part of their brain school, so getting to waste a few hours a week with their kooky English teacher is actually fun for them!  Here goes:

How to make the yuckiest food

Today, I am going to make the yuckiest food in the whole wide world.

First, I will find the ingredients.  The first ingredient is big caterpillars & lizards from amazon.  Then, I'll find rats, toads, newts, and mud in the slum.

After that, I'll kill them: caterpillars into jam, kill the lizards and let them go into stink meat.  Drag off the toad's legs, newt's bodys, kill the rats.  I will put the toad legs, newt bodys and rat meats into the mud.

At last, I will cook them.  I will fry the rat meats, toad legs and newt bodys with mud, and put the stinkmeat and caterpillar jam on it.

Do you want to try?

Gotta love that little bit of Chinglish at the end!

CGNWWT PART 5: Shenzhen, China

This is the FINAL chapter for the Crazy Go Nuts Whirlwind Worldwide Trip.  Frankly, there wasn't much to Shenzhen, and I actually found out later that the area we were in wasn't even REAL Shenzhen... just a suburb or outer area called Bao'An.  Sort of like someone traveling to the Bay, staying in Burlingame the whole time, and never making it into the City.  How sad.

Hank, me, Hank's niece, and the neighbor kids who were in and out all day.

That being said, there really wasn't much to Shenzhen.  It's a dirty, sticky, hot, and humid Chinese city with a lot of people living in cramped apartments.  We mostly went to visit our friend, Hank, whom you'd remember from this blog about a year back.  We went to visit his village in Guizhou during Chinese New Year last year and had an epic time.  So even though Shenzhen was more developed and technically there were more things to do, it didn't even hold a candle to last year's trip.

One thing to say about this trip, though, was that it was a cultural experience.  We stayed with Hank, his sister, and her husband in their tiny apartment in Bao'An.  Hank sleeps on a makeshift bed made of a piece of plywood and some blankets in what we Americans would call the living room, and his sister and brother in law sleep in the bedroom with their two year-old baby girl.  Their kitchen is the size of a closet, and the no-flush squatty pottie, running water, and buckets where all the dishes are done is right next to that.  So much for "Don't s**t where you eat."

Still, Hank and his sister were gracious hosts.  His sister churned out an awesome dinner from that tiny little kitchen on her little hot plate stove.  We bonded with the neighbor kids playing with a ball and showing them pictures and movies on Jason's laptop.  And somehow... SOMEHOW... I managed to maneuver my American-sized butt in their bathroom to take a much-needed cold shower without falling into the no-flush toilet.  Staying with your local friends in China is often an intense cultural experience, but it definitely does put things into perspective as far as being appreciative of the blessings that are poured out on us daily.


Our favorite part of the trip, though, was meeting these two little girls while we were out walking.  The older one was taking care of the smaller girl, but something about their glasses and the older girl's wild gesticulations and the way the little girl sort of shuffled her feet behind them was so endearing.  Jason immediately said, "They look like little grandmas."  So true.  They looked exactly like two little grandmothers.  So we called them "Xiao Nai Nai" for the rest of the trip and would start laughing wildly just thinking about them.

The "little grandmas" or "xiao nai nai." 

Hank and I do our own interpretation of the Xiao Nai Nai

Even though I probably wouldn't go out of my way to visit Shenzhen again in the future, it was still sweet being reunited with a good friend and making good memories in the short time we were there.  I miss Hank a lot and often think about him and his sister, who still doesn't know Father.  I am grateful for the deeper relationships Jason and I have built in our relatively short time in China.  

Hank's beautiful niece and sister.

Blog Shout-Out: Being in Love with the Urban Sinner

I only had the privilege of working with my buddy Phil for my first super-short year at BLCU, where I'm still teaching.  Since last year, he's returned to his home in the Philippines (yes, he's Phil from the Philippines), where he's been working and living and figuring out life.  Even though our time together was short, it was rich with laughter and memories, and he's still my hands-down favorite colleague.  We'd get together for lunch and dish about our students, wonder if they gossiped about us, and swapped stories of our past sinful, and often regrettable, escapades.  I miss him whenever lunch time rolls around because- although my new colleagues are wonderful- it's simply not the same.  

Sometimes you meet those people with whom you are instantly comfortable.  Old souls who still know how to tell a good dirty joke and throw back a few beers before it's time for lunch.  People who aren't ashamed to admit that going out to bars and clubs is getting tiring and pathetic and perhaps we're prematurely submitting ourselves to the dooms of middle-ageism.  Phil is one such man.  And even if the distance gets to us and we aren't able to keep up this international friendship of ours, I know that I will always remember him as the best lunch buddy a girl could ask for in a strange land that we're awkwardly trying to make homes in as single people.


So, I hope he doesn't mind, but I simply had to share this post that he wrote on his blog, aptly titled The Confessions of the Urban Sinner.  This one post, which is about an evening he spent with his parents on their 52nd wedding anniversary, made me miss him more than ever before, and reminded me of the one struggle I also face every time I turn my back on my parents when I climb back onto that plane headed to wherever it is I am going.  Don't get me wrong- living internationally is amazing and an experience I've never regretted.  But there are times when I am back home and wonder if I've shot myself in the foot by leaving behind loose ends and missing all the wonderful little moments that turn familial bonds into the memories you cling to when you feel like killing each other.  Those horrible holiday experiences where one second, we're enjoying a meal together, then yelling at each other, crying, then moving onto dessert and karaoke without missing a beat.  Man, what can replace that?


I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that Phil would be the one to remind me of this poignant little point.  Still, I miss him.  If you have a chance, please read his post.  He is an incredible writer, and I think there is much we can learn from his observations and experiences. 


I miss you so much, Phil.  Be well.

The lunch crew on one of our legendary lunches in Beijing: sweet Lulu, me, and dear Phil.

CGNWWT Part 4: Chiang Mai, Thailand Part 2

Aside from the being a beautiful place filled with some of the kindest people I’ve encountered, Chiang Mai is also a haven for backpackers.  It was interesting walking around the city center and running into people from different countries exchanging stories and updating their statuses on their tiny little laptops (it turns out Apple does not reign supreme in the ultra-portable, tiny laptop category.  C’mon, Steve!  Ditch the unfortunately named iPad and get crackin’ on one of those teeny tiny little laptops!).

Thus, Chiang Mai is a great place to indulge yourself in a few shameless tourist attractions.  The most popular one is the elephant ride, which Jason and I got a chance to enjoy.  I, for one, am not a big zoo person, so I was a little skeptical about how much I’d enjoy an elephant ride.  However, the Maesa Elephant Camp was a great surprise in that it was really clean, the grounds were well kept and beautiful, and the elephant show wasn’t too hokey.  

An elephant gets a little friendly with Jason.

Elephants bathing

 The elephants also painted pictures, which were quite impressive.  For 1000 Baht, you can buy one of their pictures.

Denise knew that they'd ask for volunteers for this part of the show, so she volunteered Jason to compete against the elephants at throwing darts.  The elephant won, but with great sportsmanship, patted Jason on the head for a good effort.

It’s a bit a ways out of town, but it was a great experience, still.  Also, it is the home of the BEST CORN I’VE EVER CONSUMED.  So the corn was swimming in enough melted butter and condensed milk to throw Paula Deen into her long-overdue cardiac arrest.  But as far as corn goes, this corn put most corn to shame.  



We also wanted to take a Thai cooking class.  Our hosts, the Tang family, suggested the Thai Cookery School, which cost 900 Baht (about $25 USD) for each of us.  They offer a week-long series of classes, but we were only able to go to the introductory class, where we made Tom Yam Gong, Green Curry, Pad Thai, and a few other lesser-known dishes.  The whole experience was a lot of fun, and even though I would have liked the class to be a bit more hands-on, it was very informative and the food was pretty tasty (Jason’s too)!

Outdoor kitchen facilities at the Thai Cookery School.  The school itself is a 20-minute ride out of the city center, and has its own organic garden where they grow the herbs and vegetables we use in class.

We love basil, oh yes, we do!  We love basil!  How 'bout you?

Jason fries up some Thai fish cakes.

We met this sweet Japanese couple from Hokkaido who didn't speak a word of English.  They took the counters next to us and gave us postcards with pictures of Hokkaido and made us paper cranes.  So cute!

The Tangs graciously fed us and toted us around to various food courts for meals.  And being that we are a bit conservative in our spending, Jason and I mostly ate cheap, local food.  But we did decide to splurge on one nice meal at a restaurant just around the corner from the Tang’s house.  It was called Khaomao-Khaofang and it was quite possibly the coolest restaurant I’ve ever been to.  It was mostly an outdoor space with a huge tent covering to shield you from the sun.  Everywhere you looked, there were trees, flowers, and WATERFALLS!  Doesn't get much more paradise-like than that!

This was just a few steps from the table where we had lunch.  To our left, there were a few mini-waterfalls and flowers growing out of the trunks of trees.  Absolutely beautiful!

Denise (Mama Tang) told us to be sure to go to the bathroom because of its decorations.  I won’t go into too much detail, but I’m sure there are few places in the world to pee that are as aesthetically pleasing as these stalls. 

Sink-area in the Ladies' Room.

I never thought I'd be so emphatic about a bathroom stall, but this picture really doesn't do the toilet justice.

And speaking of Thai food, of course, we consumed just about everything we could get our hands on.  Everything… and I really mean EVERYTHING… was delicious in Chiang Mai.  I was grateful that we didn’t have any stomach issues during our trip, but it turns out that even the hole-in-the-walls are pretty clean in Chiang Mai.  Here are a few things we were lucky enough to try!

You can't leave Thailand without having a real Thai Iced Tea!

...or an ice-cold Tiger Beer... YUM!  For less than $1, I'd gladly trade in pyramids of PBR for a Tiger any day.

Hmm... so this ended up being a series of photos of Jason with various beverages.  This one tops the rest.  A fresh strawberry smoothie that cost 15 Baht (less than 50 cents) and would run Jamba Juice out of business in no time.

A bit different from your standard Ketchup and Mustard... Ketchup and Thai Chili Hot Sauce.

Rice noodles with tender beef chunks and meatballs... extra cilantro, please!  YUM!

Green curry with fried fish.  The little green pea-looking things are actually tiny eggplants.  Neither of us were huge fans (super bitter and not much flavor otherwise), but it was cool to see what "real" Thai curry is supposed to taste like.

 This white bowl of magic is a local Chiang Mai specialty called Khao Soy.  It's a noodle dish with cocnut milk and crispy noodles on top.  It's served with this next dish...

Pickled cabbage, freshly sliced shallots, and a wedge of lime.  It was wonderful being surrounded by limes, again, since they're almost impossible to find in Beijing.  The lime and picked cabbage are the perfect taste of sour tartness to cut through the creamy coconut milk in the Khao Soy.

Oh, Chiang Mai... you sure know the way into a girl's heart.  Crispy breaded pork over Thai rice.  Jason and I split this dish and the Khao Soy at a tiny little hole-in-the-wall for lunch.  Everything cost us 50 Baht... about $1.25 USD!

There was so much more than we had that I forgot to take pictures of because, frankly, I was too busy eating.  Papaya salad, other curries, noodles, and some of the best coffee I've ever consumed.  I really can't say enough about how enamored I am with Chiang Mai.  My mom was joking that I probably loved it so much because the food was good.  She has a great point, but I can't stress enough how great the entire experience was because of the people.  Everything from the tourist activities to just chatting with the guy selling cut fruit on the street was such a blessed experience.  I've said it before, but I'll say it again...

I can't wait to go back!