These days, when we post, I write on behalf of me & Josh. He's sitting on the couch, telling me what to write cause he's too lazy to type. For a guy, I really wish he knew more about computers, cars, and took a little more initiative in management in our family of 2, i.e. finances, chores, etc.
Complain, complain, complain. I bet you guys are thinking, all women do is complain and never see the good things that a man does for her.
Sorry guys.
Josh speaks: This week I've done many sweet things for Mai Kao, like buy her things when I'm out. mmm.. cook for her. go on walks with her. and she rewards me with complaints. nice. i love her.
I'm excited for my fanball team. The only undefeated squad still left.
Buying a box of Magic tomorrow. I wanted to buy 2, but my better half talked me out of it.
Mai Kao says: Yeah right. I FORBADE him to buy 2 boxes. You alls and your magic is crazy sometimes.
What are we up to these days:
Well, we started vacation today. We'll be off for 1 whole week... 8 days of the National Holiday celebration. YES! And so, the day after tomorrow, we'll be going to Hong Kong through an airplane purchasing mishap. The upside is, we've decided to spent a night at a hotel that is supposed to be a life-sized exact replica of Noah's Ark! Right now, there's also a typhoon that is supposed to be around Hong Kong. Noah's Ark.... typhoon... coincidence? We'll let you decide.
Then after that, we're off to Bangkok for a few days. We're going cause the parents are going to be there. We're really excited to see them, even if it's only going to be a for few hours. Maybe Mom will stay behind while Dad goes to Vietnam, maybe not. Either way, Thai food in Thailand... HERE WE COME!
Hopefully we'll ge tto take lots of awesome pictures, etc. etc. No more illegal weird gifts for Geu. We'll try to find reasonable things for everyone.
We are good. We're not getting any smaller, unfortunately. Been trying to work out and the bodies are feeling stronger, but no major changes yet.
Oh yeah. I got a haircut! It looks really super Asian and Korean. It's short and... cute? Pictures will be posted.
We haven't been paid since June 30th. Can you believe it? Today we just got paid again. Imagine that... not being paid from June 30th to September 30th. Wow.
Lots of love. We'll post in Thailand.
P.S. I got my phone set up to call internationally. I can call home & $15 gives me 4 hours of talking time! Remember those days when we all used to use phone cards? Memories...
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Pixes updates
Trying to update as much as we can. I'll be putting up our new pictures, although I can't change the "beijing and back" on our blog site b/c the proxy won't let us.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Well, well, well...
Because we have to go through a couple extra loops to get to Blogger, we just don't visit this site (or facebook or xanga) as much as we'd like to. it's only a few extra clicks & typing, but it just doesn't get done...
EXERCISE: In 30 minutes, Josh and I will be doing P90! Yes! Hey, all of you who are exercising, you should take pictures of yourself, so you can see your results. That's what it said in the P90 book. Like, 1 photo every 15 days or so! Keep it up. I've sorta started a pilates class with a few friends (a co-worker used to teach it, so now she instructs us), we've got P90 and I do my quickie: 8 minute abs and 8 minute legs!
FOOD: Bibim naeng myun = this is a cold buckwheat noodle dish. it's like Korean bun, except it's got sliced beef, cucumber, pickled radish, sliced Asian pears, a hard boiled egg, the red Korean pepper paste, and the sauce is a bowl of iced beef broth. IT'S GOOD, I kid you not! I am going to enjoy having Korean food after Korean church, whenever we go! Aja, aja YUM!
Right next to the Korean church, there is a donut place that claims it's got authentic, Chicago-style donuts! It's called, Donut Republic. Inside, it's even got street signs like, "Clark" and "Madison," etc. We first thought, There's no Donut Republic in Chicago! But when we tried the donuts... phew. Mans, dids theys tastes goods!
JOSH'S MAGIC: He claims he needs money. He's excited about the pre-release next week. He hopes to win it, so he could win a free box. Winner gets 26 packs. He's been fiddling around with a 5CC deck, post Lorwyn rotation. It's working pretty good, and he thinks 5-color is still alive. YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST: Sprouting Thrinax is the new Kitchen Finks. Josh has been play testing him and it's been consistently been one of the cards that you least want to see across the table. If you have a Jund-aggro deck right now, it is an automatic 4-of. That feeling that you got from cascading bloodbraid elf into finks is the same as bloodbraid into sprouting thrinax. Living China, Josh has become a much better deck builder. PEACE!
CHURCH: Josh led worship last week and it was great. (Well, at least the service that I went to.) A lot of the congregation said encouraging things to him afterwards. He hopes to continue to be involved as he was before.
FRIENDS: We went to our new friend Kashia Vang & his wife Esther's apartment after church. Josh says hanging out with him, he's very much like Kounay in personality. Example: After church, he said to Josh, "After service, I was considering coming up to you and saying, You did a great job. But then I didn't want you to get all boastful." Funny, huh? We had dinner with them and hung out with their kids. Nice times. He even gave us a tshuaj plant, the green leaves stuff that you put in boiled chicken. YUM! Hmong people are great.
EXERCISE: In 30 minutes, Josh and I will be doing P90! Yes! Hey, all of you who are exercising, you should take pictures of yourself, so you can see your results. That's what it said in the P90 book. Like, 1 photo every 15 days or so! Keep it up. I've sorta started a pilates class with a few friends (a co-worker used to teach it, so now she instructs us), we've got P90 and I do my quickie: 8 minute abs and 8 minute legs!
FOOD: Bibim naeng myun = this is a cold buckwheat noodle dish. it's like Korean bun, except it's got sliced beef, cucumber, pickled radish, sliced Asian pears, a hard boiled egg, the red Korean pepper paste, and the sauce is a bowl of iced beef broth. IT'S GOOD, I kid you not! I am going to enjoy having Korean food after Korean church, whenever we go! Aja, aja YUM!
Right next to the Korean church, there is a donut place that claims it's got authentic, Chicago-style donuts! It's called, Donut Republic. Inside, it's even got street signs like, "Clark" and "Madison," etc. We first thought, There's no Donut Republic in Chicago! But when we tried the donuts... phew. Mans, dids theys tastes goods!
JOSH'S MAGIC: He claims he needs money. He's excited about the pre-release next week. He hopes to win it, so he could win a free box. Winner gets 26 packs. He's been fiddling around with a 5CC deck, post Lorwyn rotation. It's working pretty good, and he thinks 5-color is still alive. YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST: Sprouting Thrinax is the new Kitchen Finks. Josh has been play testing him and it's been consistently been one of the cards that you least want to see across the table. If you have a Jund-aggro deck right now, it is an automatic 4-of. That feeling that you got from cascading bloodbraid elf into finks is the same as bloodbraid into sprouting thrinax. Living China, Josh has become a much better deck builder. PEACE!
CHURCH: Josh led worship last week and it was great. (Well, at least the service that I went to.) A lot of the congregation said encouraging things to him afterwards. He hopes to continue to be involved as he was before.
FRIENDS: We went to our new friend Kashia Vang & his wife Esther's apartment after church. Josh says hanging out with him, he's very much like Kounay in personality. Example: After church, he said to Josh, "After service, I was considering coming up to you and saying, You did a great job. But then I didn't want you to get all boastful." Funny, huh? We had dinner with them and hung out with their kids. Nice times. He even gave us a tshuaj plant, the green leaves stuff that you put in boiled chicken. YUM! Hmong people are great.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
JJO ending
Jungle Jump Off was a wonderful experience, and I hope we can continue to keep ties with our Wycliffe friends as long and best as we can. It's too bad no one else will ever get a chance again to have it, like we did.
Everyone that's been to JJO, can you plan on going to that closing event the first weekend of October? It would be so meaningful to everyone, even especially Uncle Ed and Melissa. I wish we could be there, but we can't. It's a little far away, after all.
Everyone that's been to JJO, can you plan on going to that closing event the first weekend of October? It would be so meaningful to everyone, even especially Uncle Ed and Melissa. I wish we could be there, but we can't. It's a little far away, after all.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Top 5 Offended!
These are the things that I still just can't get used to in this place:
5. Ankle nylons: Young women wear ankle-high nylon socks while wearing shorts or shirts. They wear them with flip-flops, dress shoes, and sandals. It's too Mommy-like FOB for me.
4. Funny smells: You're taking a beautiful, peaceful, nice walk and then BAM! An offensive smell coming from you-don't-know-where hits you. Let me tell you: It kills a mood real fast.
3. Cutting & invasion of personal space: Waiting in line at the grocery store, sometimes the people behind you try to cut you. They try to pass you so you have to block the lane. Or they stand REAL, REAL close right behind you. You know how in America, if the person behind you has 2 things to buy while you have a cart full of stuff, you would be considerate and let them go ahead of you? Well, I'd never do that here. Josh would probably laugh/tshev me if I did. Sad, but so true.
2.Hocking: People spit left a right, indoors and outdoors. They'll do it on the floor, waiting for the subway car. My third graders do it in the garbage can in class. It's sick because an 8-year-old is hacking loogies like my old uncle!
1. Public urinating: The other day, we were riding in a taxi by our house and in an alarmingly natural way I said to Josh, "Hey. There's a guy peeing through the fence." SICK!
5. Ankle nylons: Young women wear ankle-high nylon socks while wearing shorts or shirts. They wear them with flip-flops, dress shoes, and sandals. It's too Mommy-like FOB for me.
4. Funny smells: You're taking a beautiful, peaceful, nice walk and then BAM! An offensive smell coming from you-don't-know-where hits you. Let me tell you: It kills a mood real fast.
3. Cutting & invasion of personal space: Waiting in line at the grocery store, sometimes the people behind you try to cut you. They try to pass you so you have to block the lane. Or they stand REAL, REAL close right behind you. You know how in America, if the person behind you has 2 things to buy while you have a cart full of stuff, you would be considerate and let them go ahead of you? Well, I'd never do that here. Josh would probably laugh/tshev me if I did. Sad, but so true.
2.Hocking: People spit left a right, indoors and outdoors. They'll do it on the floor, waiting for the subway car. My third graders do it in the garbage can in class. It's sick because an 8-year-old is hacking loogies like my old uncle!
1. Public urinating: The other day, we were riding in a taxi by our house and in an alarmingly natural way I said to Josh, "Hey. There's a guy peeing through the fence." SICK!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Korean Church
Mai kao and i went to Korean Church today with Kash (our Hmong brother here in Shanghai). it was really awesome! totally early 90's contemporary worship, but it was so nice. everyone in Korea can sing! the worship team was perfectly FOB. i mean easily the best FOB band i've ever heard. all the songs sounded like Korean Drama songs but with Jesus lyrics. it made me want to cry many times.
They are so welcoming to their church. when new people attend service they make you stand up, give you a ROSE, and then the entire church sings a nkaus txhws xeeb to YOU! it was super embarassing and a huge blessing all in one.
afterwards we ate good korean food at a restaurant nearby.
josh out.
They are so welcoming to their church. when new people attend service they make you stand up, give you a ROSE, and then the entire church sings a nkaus txhws xeeb to YOU! it was super embarassing and a huge blessing all in one.
afterwards we ate good korean food at a restaurant nearby.
josh out.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Friday Ramblings
Happy Friday everyone.
A week is done, and we look forward to the weekend. The days are blazing, but at night the wind picks up and it becomes really nice. Lately when we've been riding our bikes around the campus and neighborhood in the evenings, we've been reflecting on how much we really like living here. *sigh*
I confessed to Josh the other day that the new students this year are much better looking. It was a funny thing to do, but I didn't not want to tell him. It's not like I'm checking out high school students, because to me, they're just kids. But it's funny because some of them (guys and girls) are really cute & stylish and I think, What a cute person!
Ask Josh. He'd say the same thing. He says some of his students are so likeable, i.e. they are cute, they do their homework, they are hard-working, and they listen to their teacher! I like to listen to Josh's stories about his students. If you visit us, you should definitely visit some of Josh's classes as well as mine!
I will love my Fridays because I only teach 1 class. I've been relaxing for the last hour, and will get to work a little bit later. YES!
I've begun reading a book Xay let us borrow. It's called TRUE STORY: A Christianity WOrth Believing In by JAMES CHOUNG. I'll write up about it a little bit later. Josh is reading BLUE LIKE JAZZ by DONALD MILLER. He'll write about it a little bit later too.
Wishing you a great Labor Day weekend, that you are happy and healthy and striving to be closer to God every day!
A week is done, and we look forward to the weekend. The days are blazing, but at night the wind picks up and it becomes really nice. Lately when we've been riding our bikes around the campus and neighborhood in the evenings, we've been reflecting on how much we really like living here. *sigh*
I confessed to Josh the other day that the new students this year are much better looking. It was a funny thing to do, but I didn't not want to tell him. It's not like I'm checking out high school students, because to me, they're just kids. But it's funny because some of them (guys and girls) are really cute & stylish and I think, What a cute person!
Ask Josh. He'd say the same thing. He says some of his students are so likeable, i.e. they are cute, they do their homework, they are hard-working, and they listen to their teacher! I like to listen to Josh's stories about his students. If you visit us, you should definitely visit some of Josh's classes as well as mine!
I will love my Fridays because I only teach 1 class. I've been relaxing for the last hour, and will get to work a little bit later. YES!
I've begun reading a book Xay let us borrow. It's called TRUE STORY: A Christianity WOrth Believing In by JAMES CHOUNG. I'll write up about it a little bit later. Josh is reading BLUE LIKE JAZZ by DONALD MILLER. He'll write about it a little bit later too.
Wishing you a great Labor Day weekend, that you are happy and healthy and striving to be closer to God every day!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Wednesday Post
I miss my old students. This year, I have almost all Chinese students. So sad :0( Wish I had just a few more Japanese and Korean students... Maybe we should just go teach in those countries next...
J/K!
My classroom is 2/3 boys. This is my conclusion: Boys are so tireding! The classroom dynamics are terrible when you have a lot of boys and not enough girls. This is making me second-guess my hopes on our own children... maybe having a girl is better than a boy. (Not that it technically matters...) But girls, I see now, are just, so much more pleasant.
We see everyone is gearing up for the weekend, with Laug Vern's npe laug party and all. Wish we could be there.
J/K!
My classroom is 2/3 boys. This is my conclusion: Boys are so tireding! The classroom dynamics are terrible when you have a lot of boys and not enough girls. This is making me second-guess my hopes on our own children... maybe having a girl is better than a boy. (Not that it technically matters...) But girls, I see now, are just, so much more pleasant.
We see everyone is gearing up for the weekend, with Laug Vern's npe laug party and all. Wish we could be there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)