Um...I had to record this the other day:
Cock, cock, cock, cock,
Oops! I laid an egg.
No context. This is it. Your guess is as good as mine!
Thursday, December 28, 2006
BBC Ground Shaker
So, the "official" party line is that the earthquake that recently occurred near Taiwan and has damaged the international internet lines which run under the ocean. So, my access to anything not eChina is severely limited or slow right now. Google is different, I don't exactly know how, but it just is.
The other theory floating on is that the BBC recently had a special about how people in China are getting around the other Great Wall of China (hint: the other wall isn't made of brick, but works to keep out the invading outside virtual forces). This BBC feature was quickly edited out of the feed to China and then the internet suddenly went down.
So, depending on what theory tickles you more, I won't have great access from anywhere between 2 days to 3 weeks.
I have a lot of posting to catch up on, so keep checking back and I hope I will be able to get some more up for you soon.
I was able to get some pictures up to my flickr site before the BBC-quake, so take a look at some of those while I sit, wait, and patiently look at my browser status bar cycle and cycle but not go anywhere.
Note: The posts I will be adding will be post-dated.
The other theory floating on is that the BBC recently had a special about how people in China are getting around the other Great Wall of China (hint: the other wall isn't made of brick, but works to keep out the invading outside virtual forces). This BBC feature was quickly edited out of the feed to China and then the internet suddenly went down.
So, depending on what theory tickles you more, I won't have great access from anywhere between 2 days to 3 weeks.
I have a lot of posting to catch up on, so keep checking back and I hope I will be able to get some more up for you soon.
I was able to get some pictures up to my flickr site before the BBC-quake, so take a look at some of those while I sit, wait, and patiently look at my browser status bar cycle and cycle but not go anywhere.
Note: The posts I will be adding will be post-dated.
Want to Adopt from China? What's your BMI?
BEIJING, Dec. 20 — China is planning to issue new, tighter restrictions on foreign adoptions of Chinese children, which would prohibit adoptions by parents who are unmarried, who are obese or who are older than 50, according to adoption agencies in the United States.
The new regulations, which have not yet been formally announced by the state-run China Center of Adoption Affairs, are to take effect on May 1, 2007, and seem certain to slow the rapid rise in applications by foreign parents to adopt Chinese babies.
"This is absolutely going to affect a percentage of our clientele," said Heather Terry, a spokesperson for the Great Wall of China Adoption Agency in Austin, Texas. "This will probably affect quite a lot of people in 2007."
Ms. Terry said that foreign adoption agencies learned of the new regulations at a Dec. 8 meeting in Beijing with officials from the adoption-affairs center. Chinese officials told the foreign agencies that applications had begun to exceed the number of available babies, and that the new rules were partly intended to address that imbalance.
Ms. Terry added that China also wanted to slow foreign adoptions because "they are opening up domestic adoptions now."
The adoption-affairs center declined requests in recent weeks by The New York Times for an interview on adoption policy. An unnamed official cited by the Associated Press confirmed that the government is considering new guidelines, but declined to discuss any specifics.
Even so, adoption agencies in the United States are already telling prospective parents about the rule changes or posting the guidelines on their websites. "C.C.A.A. has decided to both reduce the number of dossiers accepted by applying stricter standards to potential adoptive families and to increase the number of children available for adoption by improving the situation of children in China's orphanages," Jackie Harrah wrote in a letter posted on the website of Harrah's Adoption International Mission in Spring, Texas.
Adoption agencies were told that China intended to increase the supply of adoptable children by creating a new charity named Blue Skies, which would focus on improving health care for medically fragile infants or premature babies at orphanages. An initial goal of this charity would be to buy incubators for many of the country's orphanages, according to the Harrah's Adoption website.
Ms. Terry said that the most significant rule change is the new ban against single parents. Up to now, Ms. Terry said, China has allowed single parents to make up as many as 8 percent of all referrals; the new rules would eliminate that quota. The age restrictions also have been tightened; China now allows people up to 55 to be considered.
Some of the new rules focus on the fiscal, physical and psychological health of prospective parents. People who are taking medication for anxiety or depression can be disqualified under the new rules. Couples will be disqualified if either person has a body fat measurement exceeding 40 percent (30 percent is generally considered obese). And a prospective adoptive family's net worth must now exceed $80,000.
China will also disqualify families that already have more than four children in the home.
Ms. Terry said that her agency has already started applying the new guidelines. "We're no long accepting singles," she said. "That is the most significant change."
Single parents who are already involved in the application process and can complete and file their paperwork before May 1 can remain eligible for a Chinese child.
Ms. Terry said she believed that Chinese officials were trying to act in the best interests of the adopted children. "All the agencies worldwide have to abide by these guidelines now," she said.
The new regulations, which have not yet been formally announced by the state-run China Center of Adoption Affairs, are to take effect on May 1, 2007, and seem certain to slow the rapid rise in applications by foreign parents to adopt Chinese babies.
"This is absolutely going to affect a percentage of our clientele," said Heather Terry, a spokesperson for the Great Wall of China Adoption Agency in Austin, Texas. "This will probably affect quite a lot of people in 2007."
Ms. Terry said that foreign adoption agencies learned of the new regulations at a Dec. 8 meeting in Beijing with officials from the adoption-affairs center. Chinese officials told the foreign agencies that applications had begun to exceed the number of available babies, and that the new rules were partly intended to address that imbalance.
Ms. Terry added that China also wanted to slow foreign adoptions because "they are opening up domestic adoptions now."
The adoption-affairs center declined requests in recent weeks by The New York Times for an interview on adoption policy. An unnamed official cited by the Associated Press confirmed that the government is considering new guidelines, but declined to discuss any specifics.
Even so, adoption agencies in the United States are already telling prospective parents about the rule changes or posting the guidelines on their websites. "C.C.A.A. has decided to both reduce the number of dossiers accepted by applying stricter standards to potential adoptive families and to increase the number of children available for adoption by improving the situation of children in China's orphanages," Jackie Harrah wrote in a letter posted on the website of Harrah's Adoption International Mission in Spring, Texas.
Adoption agencies were told that China intended to increase the supply of adoptable children by creating a new charity named Blue Skies, which would focus on improving health care for medically fragile infants or premature babies at orphanages. An initial goal of this charity would be to buy incubators for many of the country's orphanages, according to the Harrah's Adoption website.
Ms. Terry said that the most significant rule change is the new ban against single parents. Up to now, Ms. Terry said, China has allowed single parents to make up as many as 8 percent of all referrals; the new rules would eliminate that quota. The age restrictions also have been tightened; China now allows people up to 55 to be considered.
Some of the new rules focus on the fiscal, physical and psychological health of prospective parents. People who are taking medication for anxiety or depression can be disqualified under the new rules. Couples will be disqualified if either person has a body fat measurement exceeding 40 percent (30 percent is generally considered obese). And a prospective adoptive family's net worth must now exceed $80,000.
China will also disqualify families that already have more than four children in the home.
Ms. Terry said that her agency has already started applying the new guidelines. "We're no long accepting singles," she said. "That is the most significant change."
Single parents who are already involved in the application process and can complete and file their paperwork before May 1 can remain eligible for a Chinese child.
Ms. Terry said she believed that Chinese officials were trying to act in the best interests of the adopted children. "All the agencies worldwide have to abide by these guidelines now," she said.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
...And to all a good night! Whew!
USTB Christmas party - done!
Whew!
It was fun, but I'm glad it's over!
Sorry this post is coming so late, but it got a little lost on the way to posting.
Anyhow, we threw a Christmas party for the university! So I and super party planner, Naree set out to put together a westernish party for the students. I have posted up some pictures taken at the party and will eventually steal some from Naree.
I cut a ton of paper snowflakes for the party and made a bunch of other decorations for it too. Naree had a great student worker force churn out a bunch of stuff for the party too! It was a good time - had hot chocolate and activity stations. Even sang some carols - including a very festive version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer by Adam and Matt (I have video, but have promised not to post it).
We ran into a few snags, but nothing that we couldn't handle. Like, um, no tape in the multi-functional hall. Yeah, didn't really follow the rule exactly, but did less taping than we were planning to do - wound up taping huge sheets of paper together and taping/hanging those to the walls. Then all of the stuff was taped onto the paper.
So, I was in charge of the cutting tables. So for me that meant, snowflakes and stockings. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure that they grasped the outside edge vs inside the snowflake for cutting. Also, the idea of not cutting all the way through so you have something that will stay together. There was a lot of: Molly, Molly! Look at this! Then they open up the flake to have it fall to the ground in several pieces. Oh well, at least they had fun, but it eventually turned into a Molly, make me a snowflake booth.
Adam was DJ again and also MC - he's good at that stuff and doesn't fear the microphone like I do. Matt headed up the pin the nose on Rudolph station (the Chinese kids are such cheaters! Matt had to hold arms back to prevent the cheating. I have some video that I will post up when the internet is more reliable) and Naree cracked the whip over at the gingerbread - err - saltine cracker houses. The houses turned out cute, but quite different than the ones I remember making. Can you imagine eating a spring onion cracker house, complete with frosting and coffee/mint flavored candy. I saw a kid take a bite of that taste combo. He didn't go in for a second one.
Then the visit from the man of the hour. Santa! Naree's boyfriend, Alby was a great sport about donning the red suit. He came out Ho, ho, ho-ing to the delight of the crowd and filled all of their stockings hung and flung by the chimney with care. And even managed to pose for some pictures - shopping mall style next to one of the Christmas trees. Seriously, SantAlby was awesome!
Okay, so, I guess that is all for now. Pictures up on flickr, talk to you all later!
Fa-Ra-Ra and Sumpity, Sump, Sump
I know that it isn't nice to make fun of my students' pronunciation problems, but I just can't help it! I have been teaching Christmas carols this week and, well, I have been taken down by fits of giggles in almost every class. I can't help it it's funny!
So, y'know in the movie "A Christmas Story" when the Chinese cooks are singing? Well, it was kinda like that. It was funny in the movie, but, like, thousands of times more funny to have a room of 40-60 kids doing it in unison in real life! The hilarity of it all never really got old for me.
The sounds that always seem to cause problems are: "th" and the "l" when it is embedded in a word (like the word "usually" - I spent 20 minutes drilling that one once). First we would go through vocab and then listen to the song, then go at it line by line. Often we would end the song all laughing at some of the pronunciation attempts it was good fun for all of us. You can just imagine the result of "Feliz Navidad"!
So, Christmas cheer definitely swept through my little area in China, but this year the halls were decked with balls of "hawry" and Frosty went Sumpity, sump, sump over the hills of snow!
So, y'know in the movie "A Christmas Story" when the Chinese cooks are singing? Well, it was kinda like that. It was funny in the movie, but, like, thousands of times more funny to have a room of 40-60 kids doing it in unison in real life! The hilarity of it all never really got old for me.
The sounds that always seem to cause problems are: "th" and the "l" when it is embedded in a word (like the word "usually" - I spent 20 minutes drilling that one once). First we would go through vocab and then listen to the song, then go at it line by line. Often we would end the song all laughing at some of the pronunciation attempts it was good fun for all of us. You can just imagine the result of "Feliz Navidad"!
So, Christmas cheer definitely swept through my little area in China, but this year the halls were decked with balls of "hawry" and Frosty went Sumpity, sump, sump over the hills of snow!
Thank God It's...CHRISTMAS!!!
Picture it. It's Christmas Day. The school is taking us out to dinner. They have been a little evasive as to where we are going to go. They cancel one of Matt's classes at the last moment so he is able to attend the special dinner. But where are we going?
Now mind you, my only other experience with Chinese dinners with administrators have not been the most enjoyable of experiences because of all of the drinking and drinking games, so you can understand my suspicions, even though this is Beijing. I mean, I still pause, cringe and do a cleansing breath every time the phone rings.
So, anyhow, we all loaded into a bus and take off. We drove past a Domino's Pizza (yeah, there's a Domino's Pizza in Beijing) and eventually we pulled into the Friendship Hotel parking lot. We heard our waiban's cheery, "We're here!" and we looked out to see a welcoming, familiar sign glowing in the darkness. Yup, our Christmas dinner would be at...TGI Friday's!!! Woohoo!!! We are all stunned. I want to cry a little bit, but I was just too shocked to muster up the tears. Friday's. Friday's! Did you hear me? FREAKIN' FRIDAY'S!!! Mmmmmmm....
Needless to say we were all really super excited about this special treat (well at least the Americans were, the British guy and the Japanese pair weren't as excited at this specimen of American chain cuisine). Walking into the restaurant was like leaving China for a little bit - that is if you don't really look at the other patrons or waitstaff.
Ahhh...GOOD FOOD!!! I had the BBQ ribs. Full rack, baby! I couldn't eat all of it so, I shared and had enough to take home a little sampler for lunch the next day. Also, appetizers. Oh, mozzarella sticks, potato skins, buffalo wings.... I don't think that the Chinese people were as impressed with the food, but we did make them order the comically large drinks. It was quite amusing to watch our waiban holding (with both hands) her very large Long Island Iced Tea.
Anyhow, the dinner was great and the atmosphere was definitely merry. It was probably the best present the university could have given us! Thank you USTB!
Now mind you, my only other experience with Chinese dinners with administrators have not been the most enjoyable of experiences because of all of the drinking and drinking games, so you can understand my suspicions, even though this is Beijing. I mean, I still pause, cringe and do a cleansing breath every time the phone rings.
So, anyhow, we all loaded into a bus and take off. We drove past a Domino's Pizza (yeah, there's a Domino's Pizza in Beijing) and eventually we pulled into the Friendship Hotel parking lot. We heard our waiban's cheery, "We're here!" and we looked out to see a welcoming, familiar sign glowing in the darkness. Yup, our Christmas dinner would be at...TGI Friday's!!! Woohoo!!! We are all stunned. I want to cry a little bit, but I was just too shocked to muster up the tears. Friday's. Friday's! Did you hear me? FREAKIN' FRIDAY'S!!! Mmmmmmm....
Needless to say we were all really super excited about this special treat (well at least the Americans were, the British guy and the Japanese pair weren't as excited at this specimen of American chain cuisine). Walking into the restaurant was like leaving China for a little bit - that is if you don't really look at the other patrons or waitstaff.
Ahhh...GOOD FOOD!!! I had the BBQ ribs. Full rack, baby! I couldn't eat all of it so, I shared and had enough to take home a little sampler for lunch the next day. Also, appetizers. Oh, mozzarella sticks, potato skins, buffalo wings.... I don't think that the Chinese people were as impressed with the food, but we did make them order the comically large drinks. It was quite amusing to watch our waiban holding (with both hands) her very large Long Island Iced Tea.
Anyhow, the dinner was great and the atmosphere was definitely merry. It was probably the best present the university could have given us! Thank you USTB!
Xmas Booty
No, this is not in reference to my derriere post holiday celebrations, but a post thanking my students (who will never read my blog - thank God!) for their thoughtfulness over the holidays. They were all really concerned about me having to be far away from my family over the "most important holiday in the whole wide Western world".
On Christmas morning I woke up early and groggily stumbled around the apartment before getting ready for my weekly Yan Qing gig and heard my cell phone text message alert go off. I checked it only to find that my students had sent me oodles and oodles of holiday wishes! The messages continued to pour in through out the day.
At Yan Qing, my English Teaching major class presented me with a wonderful, ginormous chinese knot for a gift and they had prepared a snippet of a Christmas song for me as well! Some of the other students gave me little presents as well, everything from tasty things to eat, to a group of carolers to a very, um, "unique" pair of earrings - they gave me the earrings stating that they knew that I liked jewelry and they didn't think that I had anything like this - I opened the package and was shocked at what I saw! A pair of large, thick hoop earrings with leopard skin print micro-fleece glued to the earrings. Quite right, I don't have anything in my jewelry collect quite like 'em. I'll take a picture sometime.
Anyhow, the outpouring of holiday wishes and gifts was truly heartwarming. My students definitely captured the nature of the holiday with their cheer, happiness, and love. What a nice way to celebrate Christmas and spread the Christmas spirit.
On Christmas morning I woke up early and groggily stumbled around the apartment before getting ready for my weekly Yan Qing gig and heard my cell phone text message alert go off. I checked it only to find that my students had sent me oodles and oodles of holiday wishes! The messages continued to pour in through out the day.
At Yan Qing, my English Teaching major class presented me with a wonderful, ginormous chinese knot for a gift and they had prepared a snippet of a Christmas song for me as well! Some of the other students gave me little presents as well, everything from tasty things to eat, to a group of carolers to a very, um, "unique" pair of earrings - they gave me the earrings stating that they knew that I liked jewelry and they didn't think that I had anything like this - I opened the package and was shocked at what I saw! A pair of large, thick hoop earrings with leopard skin print micro-fleece glued to the earrings. Quite right, I don't have anything in my jewelry collect quite like 'em. I'll take a picture sometime.
Anyhow, the outpouring of holiday wishes and gifts was truly heartwarming. My students definitely captured the nature of the holiday with their cheer, happiness, and love. What a nice way to celebrate Christmas and spread the Christmas spirit.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Compliments of YouTube!
I just saw this on one of my friends' blogs and had to share!
Enjoy the delightful creepiness!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
The Bacon Battle
Some times I get caught into situations where I don't really know what the right response should be. For example, today I was doing a little shopping at the local Walmart today (exotic, huh?). I was just picking up a little cheese (woot!) and some other goods that I can't get at the local grocery stores. I was very, very lucky and got the last package of Hormel bacon (woot, woot!).
Okay, so here's the situation, I turned around to look at some other products and right when I turned my attention back to my cart I caught an elderly lady taking my precious bacon out of my cart and put it into her basket and walk away. I went up to her and said in Chinese, "Excuse me, that pork meat is mine". Blank look. I pointed at her basket and pantomimed that I saw her take it out of my cart. She brushed me off and continued to walk away from me. Ummm...yeah, that's my bacon, lady! So, I went up to her and took it back and walked away. The result? She followed me and when she caught up she spat out some angry sounding Chinese at me, reclaimed the bacon, and gave me a really dirty look and scurried away.
Uhhh...???
So...???
Uhhh...???
I was a little stunned by what had just happened. A little old lady stole my bacon, yelled at me and then ran away.
Hmmm...
So, I went home bacon less. And confused.
Okay, so here's the situation, I turned around to look at some other products and right when I turned my attention back to my cart I caught an elderly lady taking my precious bacon out of my cart and put it into her basket and walk away. I went up to her and said in Chinese, "Excuse me, that pork meat is mine". Blank look. I pointed at her basket and pantomimed that I saw her take it out of my cart. She brushed me off and continued to walk away from me. Ummm...yeah, that's my bacon, lady! So, I went up to her and took it back and walked away. The result? She followed me and when she caught up she spat out some angry sounding Chinese at me, reclaimed the bacon, and gave me a really dirty look and scurried away.
Uhhh...???
So...???
Uhhh...???
I was a little stunned by what had just happened. A little old lady stole my bacon, yelled at me and then ran away.
Hmmm...
So, I went home bacon less. And confused.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
2006 Year of the Dog Indeed!
Wow! One China, one child, one dog?
The dog has had a tough year in China this being the year of the dog and all.
Dog lovers growl as Beijing lauds canine curbs
Chinese officials defend forced removal of pets under 'one-dog' policy
BEIJING - Beijing showed off the achievements of its crackdown on pet dogs on Monday, in the face of criticisms that the city has been cruel in removing pets from owners and arbitrary in its application of the rules.
Since the campaign was launched in October, city officials have gone door-to-door looking for unregistered dogs, owners who contravene a “one-dog policy” and dogs that exceed a 14 inches height limit -- all offences that violate the city’s rules of pet ownership.
“Barking and other disturbances have become a serious problem we have to face,” Yu Hongyuan, an official with the Beijing canine management office, told a news conference.
“To alleviate the problems and make rabies prevention more effective, the municipal government has launched a campaign on becoming a good dog owner,” he said.
City officials unrepentant
At a pound in a Beijing suburb home to 600 dogs, canine victims of the campaign were on display, some barking wildly and others slumped passively in metal cages marked with tags that said “unregistered” or “exceeds height standard” as reasons for their impoundment.
But city officials were unrepentant, saying as dog ownership has surged among Beijing’s nouveau riche, so have complaints of biting and barking.
In the central district of Dongcheng, Wu Zhimin, the head of the local dog-raising administration, showed a thick file of dog registration forms as testament to the campaign’s success, each bearing a mug shot of Fido or Fifi.
The drive to reinforce regulations on dog ownership and register more of the city’s estimated 1 million dogs, has come under fire from animal rights groups and spurred a rare protest last month among the city’s dog lovers.
Animal rights groups say registering dogs and keeping their numbers under control makes sense, especially as the city tries to curb a rabies outbreak that has hit some rural areas, but they object to the heavy-handed way the rules are being implemented.
Groups suggest gradual implementation
“The regulations have been in place since 2003, and the government has to take some responsibility for the fact that they’ve been ignored,” said Jill Robinson, head of Animals Asia, a Hong Kong-based charity.
“There are pet shops all over the place, there are pet markets everywhere that are selling large-size dogs and no one has cracked down,” she said.
Instead of forcibly removing dogs that don’t comply with the rules from their owners, the government should allow them to live out their lives in a ’grandfather’ system and gradually implement the policies, she said.
Cradling “Baby” a white, fluffy pooch dressed in a knitted sweater to guard against Beijing’s winter chill, 47-year-old Sun Guiqin said she had no complaints about the rules.
“One is enough,” she said.
Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.
The dog has had a tough year in China this being the year of the dog and all.
Dog lovers growl as Beijing lauds canine curbs
Chinese officials defend forced removal of pets under 'one-dog' policy
BEIJING - Beijing showed off the achievements of its crackdown on pet dogs on Monday, in the face of criticisms that the city has been cruel in removing pets from owners and arbitrary in its application of the rules.
Since the campaign was launched in October, city officials have gone door-to-door looking for unregistered dogs, owners who contravene a “one-dog policy” and dogs that exceed a 14 inches height limit -- all offences that violate the city’s rules of pet ownership.
“Barking and other disturbances have become a serious problem we have to face,” Yu Hongyuan, an official with the Beijing canine management office, told a news conference.
“To alleviate the problems and make rabies prevention more effective, the municipal government has launched a campaign on becoming a good dog owner,” he said.
City officials unrepentant
At a pound in a Beijing suburb home to 600 dogs, canine victims of the campaign were on display, some barking wildly and others slumped passively in metal cages marked with tags that said “unregistered” or “exceeds height standard” as reasons for their impoundment.
But city officials were unrepentant, saying as dog ownership has surged among Beijing’s nouveau riche, so have complaints of biting and barking.
In the central district of Dongcheng, Wu Zhimin, the head of the local dog-raising administration, showed a thick file of dog registration forms as testament to the campaign’s success, each bearing a mug shot of Fido or Fifi.
The drive to reinforce regulations on dog ownership and register more of the city’s estimated 1 million dogs, has come under fire from animal rights groups and spurred a rare protest last month among the city’s dog lovers.
Animal rights groups say registering dogs and keeping their numbers under control makes sense, especially as the city tries to curb a rabies outbreak that has hit some rural areas, but they object to the heavy-handed way the rules are being implemented.
Groups suggest gradual implementation
“The regulations have been in place since 2003, and the government has to take some responsibility for the fact that they’ve been ignored,” said Jill Robinson, head of Animals Asia, a Hong Kong-based charity.
“There are pet shops all over the place, there are pet markets everywhere that are selling large-size dogs and no one has cracked down,” she said.
Instead of forcibly removing dogs that don’t comply with the rules from their owners, the government should allow them to live out their lives in a ’grandfather’ system and gradually implement the policies, she said.
Cradling “Baby” a white, fluffy pooch dressed in a knitted sweater to guard against Beijing’s winter chill, 47-year-old Sun Guiqin said she had no complaints about the rules.
“One is enough,” she said.
Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.
Umm...hey! What's Up?
Hello! Nothing too new or interesting going on. Yesterday I went to recording studio and stopped at a bank to try to close my Guyuan account and get the rest of my money out of the account. I wasn't really sure what to do, but I took a number and waited for a LONG time. Eventually I talked to one of the bank personnel there about my account and, not completely understanding what she was saying, I was escorted into a small room in the back of the bank and told to wait. Alone. By myself.
Soon three men with guns came into the room and closed the door behind them.
Uhhh...
...Hey - what's up (nervous laugh)?
Anyhow, eventually another person came in and let the armed guards pick up the money and hauled the cases out to the armored truck waited outside.
And I wasn't able to close my account or get me money.
Yup.
Soon three men with guns came into the room and closed the door behind them.
Uhhh...
...Hey - what's up (nervous laugh)?
Anyhow, eventually another person came in and let the armed guards pick up the money and hauled the cases out to the armored truck waited outside.
And I wasn't able to close my account or get me money.
Yup.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Another English Gem
Hello everyone! Just a quickie before they do some work on our internet. Matt recently judged an English singing competition - I fled after a few songs (the high notes were a little painful for me). But at the end of the competition they gave him a little present. A nice little mug with English words! So for your enjoyment here is the text on the mug:
Let's sport!
Let' Perspire!
Go! go! go!
Take Exercise!
Cool! Cool! Cool!
We will be lustihood!
Later!
Let's sport!
Let' Perspire!
Go! go! go!
Take Exercise!
Cool! Cool! Cool!
We will be lustihood!
Later!
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Listen with your ears, not your eyes
Sorry blog readers, but I just have not been feeling much like posting these days. My life in Beijing isn't very exciting. I go teach. I go to the recording studio. Nothing much more than that.
Ummm...one of my night class students defected from my class because of my "Asian pronunciation" and went to Matt's class. He approached Matt about it and mentioned that he thought that there was some sort of thing on the genetic level that makes Asian people unable to pronounce English words properly. HA! I am tired of that thinking. Matt addressed that right away and told him that he was wrong and that he is listening with his eyes, not ears. Makes me feel better, but I still am just tired about the stereotyping. The student has since came back to my class, but it really just frustrates me, not being seen/called a "real American" or that I can't speak English as well as the while people.
In the meanwhile I am the #1 voice for English recordings in this area. All of those poor school children will have to make do with my poor English and my "Asian" pronunciation. Egads!
So, I guess that is all for right now. Hopefully I will have some more interesting things to post sometime. I will leave you with my favorite recorded dialogue line of the week:
Look! The Chinese child laborers are working very hard!
Ummm...one of my night class students defected from my class because of my "Asian pronunciation" and went to Matt's class. He approached Matt about it and mentioned that he thought that there was some sort of thing on the genetic level that makes Asian people unable to pronounce English words properly. HA! I am tired of that thinking. Matt addressed that right away and told him that he was wrong and that he is listening with his eyes, not ears. Makes me feel better, but I still am just tired about the stereotyping. The student has since came back to my class, but it really just frustrates me, not being seen/called a "real American" or that I can't speak English as well as the while people.
In the meanwhile I am the #1 voice for English recordings in this area. All of those poor school children will have to make do with my poor English and my "Asian" pronunciation. Egads!
So, I guess that is all for right now. Hopefully I will have some more interesting things to post sometime. I will leave you with my favorite recorded dialogue line of the week:
Look! The Chinese child laborers are working very hard!
Daily Cravings - Food and Feelings
My food diary - definitely not that dieting kind of diary!
I'm going to just add from the top now, so most recent "cravings" will be on the top, also only postings from 2006.
December 2006 - I have had some other packages and one person to person cheese delivery, but this was when my blog was being blocked. So, now that I have access I would like to thank Matt's parents for another wonderful package! Soooo many good things! But I just have 3 words for y'all - Butterscotch pudding galore! Thank you so much and just in time for the holidays (thanks for the cold medicine too, that will save us some potentially scary trips to the doctor!)
October 2006 - Another package!!! This one from my good friend, Jerry! THANK YOU!!! Okay, so being away from the States in the fall is hard because I miss out on all of the tasty pumpkin and apple delights. So, Mr. Govert sent me a whole package of tasty pumpkin treats just in time for my birthday. But not just pumpkin stuff, a whole lot of goodies such as: ginger snaps, goldfish cracker, sour patch kids and CHEESE! Thank you so much. I owe you when we are back stateside!
October 2006 - I didn't want this to get buried by my travel log. The log is now up, just have to keep scrolling down. I want to give an especially oooey-gooey thank you to a fellow cheese fan! I just got a fabulous chesehead care package from Gfarb and Mike (M-Dawg? Hmmm, have to work on his nick name). No, not a Wisconsin football reference - I'm a Minnesota fan! But whole box of the life blood. Cheese. Thank you both sooo much! Even though we are in Beijing and can now get a lot of western products, they sent us things that I haven't seen here! And things that I really get cravings for, i.e. pasta and cheese in various forms. Now, just for you - to the tune of "No Diggity", remember the roller rink in Beloit? "Thank you for your package, (Sarah Goldfarb), I wanna eat it up. An' I love all the products (cheesy goodness), and I'm drooling now. Way-o, way-o, way-o, way-ohhh...they sure look good! Way-o, way-o, way-o, way-ohhh.... Okay, so not so good my mind is toast right now. But, thank you sooo much, I can't tell you how much appreciate your package and enthusium for one of my favorite food items!
August 2006 - THANK YOU Anjali! Okay, for those of you who don't know her, she is one of the fantastic VIA vols in Nanjing (she also has a really interesting and entertaining blog - see link at right). She went back to the States during the last break and brought back some goodies for us from home - when I saw the Mexican Hot Chocolate, I think I spontaneously shed a tear of joy. I was a foodie at home, but here...well...let's just say that food has taken on a more significant role in my China life. Good thing we sprung for that gym membership!
May 29, 2006 - THANK YOU Ed and Chris! What a caboodle of tasty treats! We have already started to consume all of the treats inside. I actually hugged the box of Cracklin' Oat Bran for a little while longer than what is "normal/appropriate" when it comes to hugging cereal. Hmmm.... We're eyeing a box of mac and cheese for dinner tomorrow and Matt, well, let's say that he is very excited about the possibility of making pancakes. So, thank you, thank you, thank you! Goodbye potatoes!
May 15, 2006 - OHMYGOD! We just got a care package from another couple of Beloit buds! I can't even begin to tell you how much we appreciate it! Matt has made me hide the cherry sours as he can't control himself with those little tart but sweet delights. I can't wait to crack open the hummus! We just kept on pulling out treat after treat after treat from the box. Bri, keep rockin' in the free(er) world and Debz, well, you're just hands down awesome and I don't what I did to get such a great friend, but I count myself very lucky! PS - we already ate the Jambalaya and Red Beans & Rice with one of the sausages. Yummmm!!!!
May 11, 2006 - Today is rainy and cold. Nothing like tomato soup and grilled cheese, or at least the closest we can get to it. Actually, I write this because I am thinking about pizza. After our visit to Yinchuan, I wrote about our good and bad pizza experience. I was just reminiscing about the wonderful tomato and basil pizza I ate. Mmmmmm.... Man, we are going to get soooo fat when we are back! Will have to engage "Project: Iron Rice Bowl" (my diet fad vision) so we don't blimp up too much.
April 25, 2006 - We got a wonderful care package from one of my Beloiter friends. I truly have the most awesome friends! Ahhh...cheese, couscous, soup and oh my! That was just a few of the delights we found within. Also, kudos to Jerry on the crumpled up copy of The Onion for padding! We have already devoured that. Ooooh, so much fun to get that kind of mail! Usually it is just Beloit College annual fund requests - yeah, get back to me when I am making more than $200 a month. We found some good bread on the corner and today (Wed.), we had the bread with Jerry's hot pepper cheese, how delightful! As you may have guessed by the number of posts, I have a few days off as my kids are taking their mid-term exams. Then we begin our vacation - hopefully we will be heading off to the Tengger Desert for some dry, dirty fun! Oh, the big news for me in Guyuan, the grocery store started to sell Skittles. I will try to put up another video post today. Later!
March 31, 2006 - Last week, we, gulp, finished our last box of mac and cheese. Sob! Lately, we have been hitting our cheese products pretty hard. The discipline has just melted away (much like cheese, yum, gooey, melty cheese....) Cheese junkie. I have been asked for more care package ideas, so, I consult the spreadsheet (Matt calls it my sheet of gastronomic greed): Cherry candy (can't get it out here), Mac and Cheese (non-powder as we can't get butter here), Cracklin' Oat Bran cereal, vanilla extract (we just bought an oven and I can bake on a limited basis), bisquick, zebra cakes, and that dried tortellini stuffed with cheese. We thank you all for you very generous packages, we treasure each and every one! They help me diversify my 3 potato a day diet.
February 19, 2006 - We just got two wonderful care packages from Matt's mom! Thank you! Anyhow, some of my dear friends were looking to ship some stuff off to me, but did not know what to send. Here are some ideas: Parmesan cous cous, Twizzlers, Cinnamon Graham Crackers, Nerf Football, Cherry & Grapefruit Jelly Bellies, Post Selects Cranberry & Almond cereal. I have a nerdy spreadsheet going with all of the food Matt and I have been craving. So, if you ever need any ideas...! Our vacation was really good for eatin'! We got in quite a bit of Western food - Mexican even! But now we are back to our 3 staple dishes at our 4 staple restaurants. I can feel the food blahs already coming.
I'm going to just add from the top now, so most recent "cravings" will be on the top, also only postings from 2006.
December 2006 - I have had some other packages and one person to person cheese delivery, but this was when my blog was being blocked. So, now that I have access I would like to thank Matt's parents for another wonderful package! Soooo many good things! But I just have 3 words for y'all - Butterscotch pudding galore! Thank you so much and just in time for the holidays (thanks for the cold medicine too, that will save us some potentially scary trips to the doctor!)
October 2006 - Another package!!! This one from my good friend, Jerry! THANK YOU!!! Okay, so being away from the States in the fall is hard because I miss out on all of the tasty pumpkin and apple delights. So, Mr. Govert sent me a whole package of tasty pumpkin treats just in time for my birthday. But not just pumpkin stuff, a whole lot of goodies such as: ginger snaps, goldfish cracker, sour patch kids and CHEESE! Thank you so much. I owe you when we are back stateside!
October 2006 - I didn't want this to get buried by my travel log. The log is now up, just have to keep scrolling down. I want to give an especially oooey-gooey thank you to a fellow cheese fan! I just got a fabulous chesehead care package from Gfarb and Mike (M-Dawg? Hmmm, have to work on his nick name). No, not a Wisconsin football reference - I'm a Minnesota fan! But whole box of the life blood. Cheese. Thank you both sooo much! Even though we are in Beijing and can now get a lot of western products, they sent us things that I haven't seen here! And things that I really get cravings for, i.e. pasta and cheese in various forms. Now, just for you - to the tune of "No Diggity", remember the roller rink in Beloit? "Thank you for your package, (Sarah Goldfarb), I wanna eat it up. An' I love all the products (cheesy goodness), and I'm drooling now. Way-o, way-o, way-o, way-ohhh...they sure look good! Way-o, way-o, way-o, way-ohhh.... Okay, so not so good my mind is toast right now. But, thank you sooo much, I can't tell you how much appreciate your package and enthusium for one of my favorite food items!
August 2006 - THANK YOU Anjali! Okay, for those of you who don't know her, she is one of the fantastic VIA vols in Nanjing (she also has a really interesting and entertaining blog - see link at right). She went back to the States during the last break and brought back some goodies for us from home - when I saw the Mexican Hot Chocolate, I think I spontaneously shed a tear of joy. I was a foodie at home, but here...well...let's just say that food has taken on a more significant role in my China life. Good thing we sprung for that gym membership!
May 29, 2006 - THANK YOU Ed and Chris! What a caboodle of tasty treats! We have already started to consume all of the treats inside. I actually hugged the box of Cracklin' Oat Bran for a little while longer than what is "normal/appropriate" when it comes to hugging cereal. Hmmm.... We're eyeing a box of mac and cheese for dinner tomorrow and Matt, well, let's say that he is very excited about the possibility of making pancakes. So, thank you, thank you, thank you! Goodbye potatoes!
May 15, 2006 - OHMYGOD! We just got a care package from another couple of Beloit buds! I can't even begin to tell you how much we appreciate it! Matt has made me hide the cherry sours as he can't control himself with those little tart but sweet delights. I can't wait to crack open the hummus! We just kept on pulling out treat after treat after treat from the box. Bri, keep rockin' in the free(er) world and Debz, well, you're just hands down awesome and I don't what I did to get such a great friend, but I count myself very lucky! PS - we already ate the Jambalaya and Red Beans & Rice with one of the sausages. Yummmm!!!!
May 11, 2006 - Today is rainy and cold. Nothing like tomato soup and grilled cheese, or at least the closest we can get to it. Actually, I write this because I am thinking about pizza. After our visit to Yinchuan, I wrote about our good and bad pizza experience. I was just reminiscing about the wonderful tomato and basil pizza I ate. Mmmmmm.... Man, we are going to get soooo fat when we are back! Will have to engage "Project: Iron Rice Bowl" (my diet fad vision) so we don't blimp up too much.
April 25, 2006 - We got a wonderful care package from one of my Beloiter friends. I truly have the most awesome friends! Ahhh...cheese, couscous, soup and oh my! That was just a few of the delights we found within. Also, kudos to Jerry on the crumpled up copy of The Onion for padding! We have already devoured that. Ooooh, so much fun to get that kind of mail! Usually it is just Beloit College annual fund requests - yeah, get back to me when I am making more than $200 a month. We found some good bread on the corner and today (Wed.), we had the bread with Jerry's hot pepper cheese, how delightful! As you may have guessed by the number of posts, I have a few days off as my kids are taking their mid-term exams. Then we begin our vacation - hopefully we will be heading off to the Tengger Desert for some dry, dirty fun! Oh, the big news for me in Guyuan, the grocery store started to sell Skittles. I will try to put up another video post today. Later!
March 31, 2006 - Last week, we, gulp, finished our last box of mac and cheese. Sob! Lately, we have been hitting our cheese products pretty hard. The discipline has just melted away (much like cheese, yum, gooey, melty cheese....) Cheese junkie. I have been asked for more care package ideas, so, I consult the spreadsheet (Matt calls it my sheet of gastronomic greed): Cherry candy (can't get it out here), Mac and Cheese (non-powder as we can't get butter here), Cracklin' Oat Bran cereal, vanilla extract (we just bought an oven and I can bake on a limited basis), bisquick, zebra cakes, and that dried tortellini stuffed with cheese. We thank you all for you very generous packages, we treasure each and every one! They help me diversify my 3 potato a day diet.
February 19, 2006 - We just got two wonderful care packages from Matt's mom! Thank you! Anyhow, some of my dear friends were looking to ship some stuff off to me, but did not know what to send. Here are some ideas: Parmesan cous cous, Twizzlers, Cinnamon Graham Crackers, Nerf Football, Cherry & Grapefruit Jelly Bellies, Post Selects Cranberry & Almond cereal. I have a nerdy spreadsheet going with all of the food Matt and I have been craving. So, if you ever need any ideas...! Our vacation was really good for eatin'! We got in quite a bit of Western food - Mexican even! But now we are back to our 3 staple dishes at our 4 staple restaurants. I can feel the food blahs already coming.
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