Living on a Pint and a Prayer

Sometimes- no matter how blessed life may be- some days can be exceptionally difficult.  Just a few years ago, I would have drowned any memories of such exceptionally difficult days under a small sea of adult beverage.  Since then, I've learned to cope with the difficulties of my (incredibly comfortable) life with prayer.  On days like today, though, a pint is the Lord's form of the little extra amount of grace I needed to keep a smile on my face.  I could turn this truly exceptional day into a rant against rain, cranky people, and the City of Portland, but it is the prayer that keeps me in check and express the very grace unto others that I have been fortunate to receive myself... albeit a bit tongue in cheek.

Thus with my pint chilled, poured, and ready for consumption begins my very first (of what I'm sure will be many) "Pint-and-Prayer-Nights."

Pint for the Night: Widmer Drfiter Pale Ale

Cheers, to the anonymous Portlander who vigilantly maintains sound parking enforcement on the streets of this great city.  I sincerely hope that getting my car towed on a miserably rainy day satisfied your wrath against me.  If not the towing, then I trust that your note proclaiming, "Idiot.  You can't park here" did the trick for you.  I assure you, after forking over the towing fine and receiving an additional Parking Citation, the note certainly put me over the edge, so I hope it did the same for you.

Cheers, to the old, faded "No Parking On This Block" sign on the corner of NE Alberta and NE 15th.  Oh, what a fool I was to not see you.  How dense I must have been to have not recognized your great power when I passed you on my way to breakfast... twice.  Believe me, if you have been ignored, disregarded, and disrespected in the past, I certainly hope that today's events made up for that.

See it?

I suppose this makes it more clear.

Cheers, to the City of Portland.  I hope the hefty donation made on behalf of the Lee newlyweds comes into great use.

Cheers, to the folks at Newhouse Towing.  Thank you for your politeness and sunny disposition toward your customers.  Your sympathy makes a world of difference.  It is never fun having your car towed, but your service eases the pain a bit.

Cheers, to my four beautiful girlfriends who came all the way up to rainy, foggy Portland to visit the husband and me.  Whose smiles and joy brought some much-needed sunshine and great redemption to an otherwise awful day.  Whose friendship I know is lifelong.  Whom I am deeply and forever indebted to.

Cheers, to my lovely and patient sister, who forewent her plans for the afternoon to chaperone her sad sack of an older sister and brother in law from place to place on the great search for Mr. Honda.

Cheers, to my amazing younger brother.  I'll admit that I often thought it was simply a cute and silly party trick that you memorized everyone's license plate numbers.  Little did I know that it would become an immeasurably valuable ability during a very stressful and vital moment.  You surprise me in the most unexpected ways.  I'm so very proud of you.

To a bittersweet rainy Saturday.

건배 (Gun Beh/Cheers/Slante)!

SIOL: Day One

Today marks the beginning of the Six Items or Less Experiment.  It was interesting preparing mentally for this experiment, and it was surprising to see how much I weighed on my clothes to represent who I am to the rest of the world.  Initially, I had a pretty good idea about what items I'd be tied down to over the next month, but what I found while debating over those last few items was an unpleasing realization of my incredible shallowness.  All I can say for now is that I am overwhelmed by the ridiculous privilege I must have in order for it to be such a challenge to figure out what six items of clothing I am allowed to wear for a mere 30 days of my life.

By moving on from the philosophical side of things, here are the six items I chose (pardon the wrinkles and poor lighting):

#1:  Blue and red plaid button-up blouse.  In the land of Oregon, plaid is still hip.  And in the land of Grace, plaid hides coffee spots, evidence of dropped kimchee, and overall uncleanliness.

#2:  White thermal long-sleeve shirt with gray stripes.  Warm, but light enough to not be uncomfortable and suitable for layering.  Stripes make thermal shirt look less like long underwear.

 

#3:  Charcoal-gray long-sleeve cardigan.  Excellent for layering.  Necessary for Portland winter.  Long enough to hide unsightly muffin-tops and remnants of holiday overeating.

#4:  White tank top.  Good for layering and for not unintentionally flashing poor cleavage to innocent bystanders who value their eyesight.

 

 #5:  Dark wash skinny jeans.  Gap calls the cut "Forever Skinny" but I'm still feeling "Never Skinny" in them.  Still, they fit well, aren't susceptible to Plumber's Crack in the back, and are short enough to fit my stubby little legs in. 

#6:  Black skinny leg pants.  They look like a fancier version of leggings, feel wonderful, and stretch in a flattering way.  Can be dressed up or down, yet often sit in the back of my closet.  I figured this would be a great chance to give them some air time.

I feel that I do have an unfair advantage in this challenge simply because I'm not working right now and spent a good portion of my days in work-out clothes or my pajamas (the two exceptions to the Six Items rule).  That being said, I'm gearing up for a busy weekend out and about with friends who'll be visiting from California (hooray!) and a week in Seattle.  We shall see how my six items hold out!

And a-WAY we GO!

On Becoming a "Sixer"

Here I go!  I've just sent in my registration to start the "Six Items or Less" Experiment and am on my way to becoming a "Sixer."  The actual run of the experiment goes from January 10-February 9, which is a relief because I'm still pinning down which items of clothing I want to stick with.  I never thought I could be so torn over clothing (long sleeve or short sleeve?  prints or solids?  gray jeans or black slacks?), and I actually consider myself lucky since I don't have a formal job to show up at in the same six items of clothing five days a week.

 In any case, it's such an exciting thing to take part in, and I'm anxious to see what effects it will have on me in my thinking and spending habits.  I'm also keeping this whole thing a secret from my entire family and my (new) husband!  It will be interesting to see if they pick up on it... but my bet is that they won't have a clue!

Keep comin' back for more on being a "Sixer"!

Kazoos: Ready, Set, BLOW!

It is officially 2011!  New Year's Eve was spent nursing my husband's bad back, sitting around my parents' large TV, watching my sister polish of a bottle of champagne on her own, and starting up my New Year's Project: knitting a hat for my grandma, aka Weh-Halms (all the Koreans reading this will get that one, and subsequently know which side of the family she's from).

Resolutions?  Not so many, really.  Here's one to start, though.

I've officially decided to sign up for the Six Items or Less Challenge!  The Six Items or Less Collective is launching a new site on January 3.  Thus, with their launch, I will enter myself into what could end up being a wonderful, enlightening experience, or a horrible, drawn-out, month-long form of extended torture.  We shall see... and all of you (few & faithful) readers will join in on my musings about it.  Let it be known that on the 3rd of January, I will be posting my six items of clothing (with the exception of outerwear, exercise clothing, and/or accessories) on this blog, and wearing only those items for one whole month!  Given that shopping has been a rather uninspired experience as of late, I am betting that the whole ordeal will err more on the wonderful and enlightening side.

With that... I wish you a sweet New Year's Day tomorrow, and pose the ever-unanswered question, "Is it two-thousand-eleven, or twenty-eleven?"

One Big Long Catch-Up

Today is my day off, and consequently the last day I have to pack and get ready to leave my most favorite place in the world (so far).

A lot's happened since my last post, when I was just getting re-accustomed to life in the Bay Area.  Among those things, the big ones would be...

I got married.

To this guy.

We had a beautiful...

and delicious...

and rockin' out with your hair let loose...

wedding.



We went to Cancun, Mexico on our honeymoon.

Where we ate some amazing food.

And enjoyed a body of water that wasn't the great Pacific Ocean.

And I had an amazing six-month run with some of the greatest people on earth.

Now, we're off to visit my folks in Oregon, then it's back to China.  Which leads to the obligatory tradition of collecting as much stuff as I can squeeze into my suitcase that I know I can't get in China.

I've been reading up on the "Six Items or Less" experiment online, in which people are challenged to go for an entire month wearing only six items of clothing.  It's an enticing prospect, simply because nice clothing that isn't covered in sequins, ruffles, or bad Engrish is certainly hard to come by in Beijing.  Perhaps this could become an experiment due to necessity.  Something to ponder... but it definitely means I'd have to choose my six items while stateside.

More updates when more interesting things pop up in the next few months.

For now, I bid the SF Bay Area a tearful farewell.  I love you.  I miss you already.  You are unlike any other place in the world... and I am forever grateful for your existence.

Oh, geez

K-Town.  "An Asian American version of Jersey Shore."  A newscast subtitle that reads "Jersey Shore with Asians: They So Horny."

And a group of ridiculously good-looking Asian Americans having the time of their life.

I'm not finished commenting on this one, but I have a feeling when I know how to process this, it'll be a doozy.

I love you, America.  But I didn't miss this.  At all.

Back to the Bay!

Long time since last post, I know.  But this is what happens when you're too cheap to buy a VPN and you're stuck behind the Great Firewall of China (unlike those stupid Mongorians!).

So... we're back!  We'll buy a VPN once we head back to China February 2011, but in the meantime, I'm enjoying basking in the glory of the freedom of information back here in America (notice my little Youtube link up there?  Not to be taken lightly anymore, friends!).

 We flew into LAX about two weeks ago and stayed down in southern California for the week for a friend's wedding, then flew up to SFO on Monday.  Do we miss China?  Hmm... not yet!  But I have to say there are some aspects that I certainly do miss.  So here we go, Little Fish's top five things I miss about China after being away for less than two weeks:

1)  Public transportation.  Do you know this face?  It's not constipation.  It's not gas from gorging on Mexican food after being away for a year (although that did happen). 

It's called the "I'm in LA.  I'm in a car.  I hate my life" face.  Do you notice the writing on the windows in the background?  My guess is that the rest of the sign reads, "Holidays blow when you have to drive in LA."  Call me nuts for being an American who hates driving, but I really do.  I REALLY dislike driving.  Put me on a bicycle, bus, or subway any day and I'm happy as a clam.  Put me in a taxi and pay and I'm even happier.

2)  My students.  I know, it sounds crazy, but I really do miss my students.  God was so good to me this semester and gave me the most amazing batch of students a teacher could ask for.  They're the absolute best, and I know I'll miss them forever.

3)  Joohee & Joosun.  Joohee & Joosun are my friends' kids who live in Beijing.  Over the last few semesters, we've gotten really close and I miss these two little rascals so much.  Even though their mom and dad tell me that I'm going to be a great mom someday, I have to say that I love being Auntie Grace to them and I'd hate to give it up any time soon.  This is one of my favorite videos of Joohee demonstrating how to use a hula hoop.

4)  My apartment.  Sure, the paint was cracking and coming off the walls.  My TV only played three channels that used English.  And my sofa was just my spare bed stuck in the living room.  The internet connection sucked and my kitchen was just a closet with two gas burners in it.  But after living there for two years, it is a little strange knowing that I won't be back.  After all, there were some good times had in that little apartment of mine.

Like this time, when Jason fell asleep on my sofa and I went a little nuts pwning him with some black make up that I don't use anymore.

Maybe I took it a little too far...

This is Christmas dinner 2009.  I made it all in my tiny 2-burner kitchen and it was pretty tasty!

This is a throwback to the first student party I had in my tiny place.  We baked cookies and made paper snowflakes and paper chains to celebrate Christmas.  It was very successful, as evidenced by the huge mess that was left behind.

5)  Enjoying the simple pleasures.  Back in the comforts of the USA, little things like getting a fresh cup of coffee at McDonald's, finding a decent pair of shoes, cold soda or beer, baking fresh bread, or finding a good movie on TV just don't hold the same value that they do in China.  Of course, it's all a matter of perspective, and making sure to not get jaded by the amazing privilege we experience here is going to be a daily struggle.  But the changing mentality that I've gained is something that I hope I will never take for granted.

I have to admit that it was a struggle for me to come up with five measly things that I miss about China, but I'm sure this list will grow over time.

'Til then, here I go to have brunch with some of my most favorite people in the world!