Xiamen

We took off Wednesday afternoon for the airport as soon as Matthew stepped off the school bus. Ina and her family joined us and we took a 1.5 hours flight to Xiamen to spend the May holiday there. We were greeted by Mr. Kung who was going to be our guide through Xiamen and our trip to the Hakka Tulou homes. We were excited that Xiamen averages about 75-85 degrees this time of year.

Thursday
We took off early on Thursday morning for our ferry ride over to Gulang Yu, which means Drum Rock. Legend has it that it got this name because the ancient settlers on the island were attracted to the eerie drum beats, only to discover the drumming was caused by the tides surging through a hollow rock found on the island's southwest corner.

Gulang Yu was one of the first treaty ports to be opened to foreign residence and trade after the First Opium War. The other ports that were opened at that time were located in Guangdong, Fuzhou, Ningbo and Shanghai. No vehicles are allowed on Gulang Yu because of its narrow alleys. We wandered around the island and were impressed by the architecture of the buildings. Many exhibited European influences and were in very good shape. We went over to the Bird Sanctuary and then rode the cable car from one side of the island to head over to Sunlight Rock. There you get a magnificent view from the top of the whole island. We took in a puppet show and stopped in to see the only Piano Museum in China.

Friday
Mr. Kung picked us up from our hotel for our four hour drive to a Hakka village located in Nanjing county. This would be where we would see our first Tulou home. The ancestors of the Nanjing Tulou homes built the walls by mixing raw earth with lime and fine sand. Wood logs and bamboo strips were added in order to reinforce the walls. The walls were over ten meters high and very thick. This design protected the Hakka people from invasion and the structure was strong enough to withstand explosives from gunpowder. The tulou consisted of an outer four story ring with each floor divided into 44 rooms and two halls, an inner, two story ring divided into eight sections and two tobacco workshops outside, bringing the total number of rooms to 222. Windows to the outside world begin two stories up.

Balconies running along the interiors provides access and light. The inner ring joins at a hall for worshipping ancestors and celebrations of marriage. The homes we saw were four storied structures and are still in use today. Its incredible to believe that these houses are over seven hundred years old and held together with nothing more than compacted earth and some bamboo reinforcements.

We continued touring other tulous found along the way until we reached our destination. A local hotel in Yongding county that is deemed to be the best hotel for foreigners. In other words, it was a pig sty. Actually, it was next to a pig sty. There is nothing like the smell of pigs on a hot day. No one was happy. In addition to the lovely smell the beds were made out of concrete, steel or nails. Whatever it was, it hurt like hell. This was not where we wanted to stay or eat. We had a fiasco at lunch at a local restaurant and Mr. Kung was perceptive enough to notice that NO ONE ATE ANYTHING. He asked that I choose the dinner items and I had to get real creative.

Saturday
We woke to an international breakfast of one cold fried egg swimming in soy sauce, white bread (apparently toasting was an option) and Nescafe, yum, yum. To sum it up it ain't the Marriott, Hilton or the Motel Six for that matter. We packed up and left as quickly as possible since we all had a horrible nights sleep. We were headed to see more tulous and the kids were ready to jump off a cliff. Literally.


We had lunch at a local tulou village restaurant. Once again, I was in charge of ordering lunch to ensure the kids would eat something. Things were going well ..... until the kids witnessed the restaurant owner killing a chicken, duck and anything else that happened to walk into the restaurant with her bare hands. I am not sure, but I think some counseling will be needed.

We headed back to Xiamen after lunch and five hours later, we were relieved to be back in civilization. Many years ago, my friend Margaret and I came to China. I refused to use any of the bathrooms because they were absolutely filthy. This earned me the nickname "The Camel." Well, the Camel was back for a repeat performance. Margaret would be proud of me since I held my bladder for 10 hours straight. Like I said, nothing an antibiotic can't cure. We arrived at our hotel and I practically knocked Tony and Matthew down to get to the bathroom.

Sunday
We got up and had our last meal in Xiamen. After breakfast, we headed over to the pier before we had to head to the airport. Let's just say the kids were happy to be leaving Xiamen to return to Shanghai. As we were landing into the airport in Shanghai, Matthew actually said "Shanghai, Home Sweet Home."

We're going to Xiamen

The May Day holiday is coming up and it's similar to Labor Day in the US. The kids are off from school for two days and it makes for a long weekend. So, we're packing up and taking off when Matthew gets off the school bus and heading to Xiamen. Ina and her family will be joining us as well and that will be fun. Xiamen is about 1.5 hours away from Shanghai and it's got very balmy weather.

Xiamen is better known by it's former name of Amoy and it became a foreign concession in 1903 with most of the foreigners living on the tiny islet of Gulang Yu just off Xiamen. By the 1930's there were about 500 resident foreigners and nine consulates. Over the past four centuries, it was host to the Portuguese, British, French and Japanese.

We're going to wander around Xiamen and then go visit a Hakka Earthen Fortress (tulou) located in Yongding about 128 miles outside of Xiamen. The Hakka are Han who emigrated south from near Kaifeng in five waves beginning more than 1,000 years ago. Many kept moving around southern China because of civil war, famine and discrimination by earlier Han arrivals. Unlike other Han, the Hakka women did not bind their feet and worked alongside men in the fields and tended to marry only other Hakka. They maintained what they claim is something close to early Chinese that is unintelligible to speakers of Mandarin, Cantonese and Min Nan Hua.

The Hakka are an officially recognized minority and they are known for their hospitality to outsiders. The direct translation of the word Hakka means "guest family". My great-great-grandfather is of Hakka descent and settled in Hong Kong. This will be interesting for me to explore the village and discover information about my background.

Senso-Ji

Last day in Tokyo. Packed up and headed out with my friends for our final tour. Checked out of the hotel and hopped the train to Tokyo Midtown to run an errand, pick up breakfast and visit Lisa. She's a friend of Andrea's who is also from the US and she recently had a baby. After cooing over the baby, we hopped a cab and headed over to Senso-Ji.



Senso-Ji is a grand old temple that attracts millions of tourists and is a working temple as well. It services the people of Asakusa. Legend has it that the golden image of Kannon, the Goddess of Compassion was fished out of the nearby Sumida-gawa by two fisherman in AD 628. In time, a temple was built to house the image and it has remained in the same spot ever since. The Senso-Ji is also known as the Asakusa Kannon-do.



We arrived and did our precursory browsing around the temple. There is a shopping street that sells traditional Japanese Edo-style craft and lots of snacks. You can even find a shop that sells wigs to be worn with kimonos. While we were shopping, Andrea spotted a geisha wandering through one of the side lanes and practically knocked down the visitors at the temple in order to get a glimpse of her. Well done. She captured the photos and we can say we've seen everything now that we've been to Tokyo. We had to run back to the hotel to catch our ride to the airport.



We had a fabulous time in Tokyo and are grateful for Andrea's tour. We will always look back at our pictures and remember all the laughs we've had together. I am going to see if I can arm wrestle Tony into finding a job that will take us to Tokyo. That will be another adventure for us. In the meantime, we're planning a trip to Seoul, Korea with the kids this time. Bulgolgi anyone?

Harajuku

Wandered around town on Saturday after the fish market. We headed back to Shibuya to meet Heather, an expat friend of Andrea's who is from the US as well. Heather's children were performing taiko drumming at the annual gathering for the Miyabi Arashi Taiko School. Of course, no visit can be complete without a meal somewhere. We headed for lunch at My Lebanon- a great Lebanese restaurant. Since we overdid it at lunch, we needed to walk off our meal, so we did a bit of shopping and wandered around Andrea's old neighborhood in Motoazabu before calling it a night. The weather in Tokyo has been rainy and windy so we weren't able to get a lot done.



Today, we headed out for Omote-sando, Harajuku and the Meji shrine. We hopped the train from the hotel and got off at Omote-sando to begin our adventures. Omote-sando, the boulevard that runs from Harajuku to Aoyama is lined with upscale shops found in all the major cities. We did some shopping and met Heather for lunch at Fujimamas. After lunch, we headed to Harajuku. This is a place where parents do not want their children to be at. Every Sunday is Cos-play-zoku (Costume Play Gang). This is a group that consists of many kids from the small towns who ride out to Tokyo to participate at Harajuku to strut their stuff.



The Cos-play-zoku will pose for you when asked and they are quite proud of their outfits and makeup. We saw everything from Goth, punk, fantasy, S&M, Victorian, anime and more often than not, nursery rhyme characters. It was basically the Rocky Horror Picture Show comes to life or the freak show circus. The streets were packed and we arrived at the height of the crowd. We were lucky that the weather was nice and it was filled with many people. We found a spot and just hung out to see the different costumes walking past us.



After hanging around and people watching, we headed over to Meji shrine. Compared to the mayhem that was going on around the corner, the Meji shrine was a much needed respite. It was so peaceful and calm that its hard to believe just right outside the park is the freak circus. We were lucky to see three brides at the shrine. They were each dressed in the traditional Japanese wedding kimono and were really beautiful. We left the shrine to continue our adventures and saw the remants of the Cos-play-zoku group at Harajuku. It was an interesting day and I must say, when we go back to Tokyo as a family, I'll make sure that Matthew does not get to see Harajuku.

Tsukiji Market

We arrived into Tokyo yesterday afternoon and were greeted by rainy weather. Not exactly what we wanted but nevertheless, we made do. We headed over to Gonpachi for dinner. We had a fabulous meal and then headed over to Shibuya and Roppongi Hills. Along the way, Andrea took us to a pornographic restaurant that featured various parts of the human anatomy on display. I will leave the details to your imagination. If you didn't know anything about the human body, this is definitely the place to go. No details have been omitted. If you are a medical student, this would be a good place to study. Let's just say the parts of the body are extremely exaggerated and it was "hard" to take it in. We wandered around town and returned to the hotel about 12:30AM.



Andrea and I went to bed at 2:30 this morning and got up at 4:45 AM to head over to Tsujiki Market to watch the fish mongers work. It was quite active when we arrived at 5:30 AM and nearly got run over by the vehicles transporting the fish throughout the market. I must say, the market was clean without any fish odors. I can't say that would be true in Shanghai. We topped the morning off with a Japanese style breakfast. Sushi! Very fresh tuna. Words cannot express how fresh the tuna was. We even had salmon, shrimp, octopus and tamago (egg on rice with nori). Gotta add the egg to make it officially breakfast.

We returned to our hotel room and found Anne and Irene still asleep. They are amateurs. Heading out to explore the other parts of town and will undoubtedly, have more eating adventures.

I'm heading to Tokyo

Well, I'm taking off on Friday with my girlfriends Anne, Andrea, and Irene for a long weekend in Tokyo. Mom's only. No kids. The kids will be left with their fathers and we'll be running loose through Tokyo with Andrea as our guide. Andrea lived in Tokyo for about a year and a half before she got shipped out to Shanghai. I've always wanted to go but have never found the time to do it. Matthew's a bit disappointed that I'm doing this trip without him but I promised that we'll go again later as a family. Tony and Matthew will be on their own for a few days...which means Guy Night for several days. Four glorious days without me hounding them to clean up. I'm sure there will be endless videos, games and takeout. As long as the house is clean when I return, all will be fine.

Longhua Pagoda and Temple

Took a ride over to Longhua Pagoda and Temple today with Anne and Andrea. Longhua Pagoda and Temple is located in Shanghai and was first built in 242 A.D. during the Three Kingdoms Period and is the oldest temple in Shanghai and the largest as well. It contains numerous Halls and is filled with statues and treasures. There is also a Bell Tower and Drum Tower. On the top of the Pagoda is a small calabash shaped structure with an iron plate over it, popularly known as the "treasure bottle" because it contains the ashes of Buddha. The Longua Pagoda is the only pagoda in Shanghai.

According to the history I was able to find, the scenery near the Huang Pu River was very charming. When King Sun Quan sailed to Huang Pu, his mother found the area lovely and decided to stay. After staying several months, she was relaxed and in good health, King Sun Quan erected a temple in her honor to express his thanks to heaven.

By the end of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) the temple was almost destroyed in a war. According to legend, King Qian Chu of the Song Dynasty anchored his boat for the night and noticed the temple was on fire. He immediately ordered his men to save the temple. By 977, the temple was rebuilt. In 1064, the temple was renamed Kongxiang Temple. The name Longhua was restored during Emperor Wanli's reign (1573-1620) in the Ming Dynasty. In the early years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) the temple underwent extensive renovations to its present shape.


Chinese Pagodas were first found in India. Buddhism was spread into China in the 1st Century A.D. and it was recorded in the Buddhist scriptures that when Buddha Sakyayumni died, his disciples cremated his body and took a portion of his remains, for which they built pagodas. Longhua Temple is a wood and brick structure with a brick body. In 1892, the wooden balustrades on the lower stories of the pagoda were damaged in a fire. They were later replaced with cement structures, losing their original appeal. In 1953, the government rebuilt the Pagoda and restored its original look. We arrived and wandered through the surrounding Longhua Temple and witnessed many followers observing the Qingming ritual (Tomb Sweeping). Tomb Sweeping is an annual event (much like Easter celebrated by Christians) where you honor your deceased and follow the ritual as dictated by the Buddhist religion. We saw people burning paper money, paper cars, paper homes and offering food to the memory of their deceased. This is all done in hopes of bringing good fortune and luck into the family. There are various temples on the grounds and we were able to see each of them. We noticed many Peach Blossoms in bloom and were able to just enjoy the serenity in the temple.

Fifth Grade Soccer Day Part II

We had absolutely fabulous weather today. Sunny skies, 70 degree temperature and it was Soccer Day! The entire fifth grade got together and competed against the local British school, Korean school and Singapore school. Two additional international schools traveled to Shanghai from Suzhou and Nanjing to compete in the tournament. Suzhou is about 2 hours away and the students arrived this morning. Nanjing is about 3.5 hours away by car so the students from Nanjing arrived into Shanghai Wednesday night and stayed overnight.

Matthew's class competed against all the schools and there were some injuries and some crying. He did the kickoff at each game and was busy with his classmates chasing the ball. It was a great experience for the kids to be able to play with other schools. The weather was perfect and the kids needed a day to be out of the classrooms and just goof off. Spring has definitely arrived in Shanghai and we're happy about it!

Jewish Ghetto Walk

I went with my friends Anne and Andrea for a walk through the Jewish ghetto of Shanghai. This area was home to many Jewish refugees during 1937-1941. It was a historical walk and it taught me a bit of history that I didn't know about Shanghai. The Jewish ghetto is located in the Hongkou district and was home to many foreigners. Mainly missionaries and others who couldn't afford to live in a better area. Shanghai experienced several waves of Jewish immigration. The first happened in the late 1840's with the arrival of the Sephardic Jews. They were businessmen who made their fortune in opium and property. They built large estates and as many as seven synagogues and were responsible for some of Shanghai's finest architecture. The Sassons, who emigrated from Baghdad in the mid-19th century were the first Jewish family to make a fortune in Shanghai and is known for the Peace Hotel and a villa estate now know as the Cypress Hotel.

The second wave of Jewish emigrants comprised of Russian Jews fleeing the Bolsheviks at the beginning of the 20th century. They were then followed in the 1930's by the third wave of European Jews who were fleeing Hitler and who landed in Shanghai because it was the only city in the world that would accept "stateless refugees." Just before World War II, the number of Jews in Shanghai topped 30,000.

In February of 1943, the Japanese army who had occupied Shanghai since 1938, forced the "stateless Jews" into a "Designated Area" in the Hongkou district (north of the Bund). Tens of thousands of Jews lived in facilities abandoned by the missionaries and other foreigners. They lived in this area until the end of the war.


We walked around the area and saw some of the interesting architecture styles and visited the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Memorial Hall. One of the things that I was able to do was listen to the locals go about their day. We were the attraction for the locals since a large group of foreigners were wandering through their neighborhood. My friends and I met a man who told me a bit of history about where he lived and upon chatting, I found out he was 88 years old. We even met an 80 year old man who was able to speak English very well because he was a teacher at a university in Shanghai.

My friends and I were quite taken back by the architecture found in this area and most of all, I was happy that I was able to utilize my Mandarin and Shanghainese to speak to the locals.

4KZ Reunion

Matthew had a reunion with his former classmates from the Pudong campus. The kids from Pudong came over to the Puxi campus to participate in the Band Bonanza. This is an annual event between the two campuses. It was great since Matthew had a chance to see his former classmates. I went to the school for the afternoon concert and was happy to see the kids again. They've all grown and were happy to be together again for the day.

Farewell Hong Kong

Final day in Hong Kong. Matthew and Tony ran to the park first thing this morning. We had dinner with my cousin Stella and her daughter Dior and her beau John last night and decided to do it again today over lunch before we had to take off for the airport. I also invited our friends Mylene and Amy to join us. They were traveling through Egypt and just returned to Hong Kong. It was nice that they were able to have lunch with us. My cousin's daughter Susan also joined us for lunch. We had a leisurely lunch and Matthew was twitching to go back to the park. He HAD to get the most of the park and squeezed as much time as possible before we had to take off. I asked Matthew and Tony to return to the hotel no later than 4:45PM in order to allow ample time to get to the airport.

We were the last ones in the restaurant. That's pretty depressing. The staff were "discreetly" clearing the dishes and milling around us. I think it was their way of saying..."OK- you're done. Now LEAVE." We took the hint and wandered back to the Disneyland Hotel so we can hang out and chat while waiting for Tony and Matthew to return. Dior and Susan explored the hotel grounds and of course, Matthew and Tony saunter into the hotel at almost 5PM when we had to leave for the airport.

It's a sad day for us because it brought the reality of leaving a civilized place such as Hong Kong that much closer. We had a week of proper lining up. Seriously- there was no pushing, no shoving, no jumping the lines. We didn't have to listen to anyone drawing deep into their bowels to hock a loogie and most of all, CLEAN bathrooms. It is sheer joy to be able to go into a restroom and not worry about how clean it is. Tony loved the fact that people can speak and understand English in Hong Kong. Matthew even practiced some of his Cantonese. Sometimes, he would get confused and answer in Mandarin. That's OK. I loved the fact that he tried.

So, after a week of living in civilization, we now face the reality of returning to the bowels of Shanghai. We'll be back into the swing of things like pushing, shoving, screaming, public lewdness and most of all, facing very dirty bathrooms. How depressing.

Unusual Names

One of the things that we've noticed since we've been living in China is the unusual Western names adopted by the Chinese. So, since we've been in Disney these past few days, we've been reading the name tags of the staff at the hotel and the park. Here's a list of the usual ones that we've come across. Venus, Petty, Step, Sonic, Moe, Icy, Food, Chunk, Candy, Kermit and Rainbow. Not names that I would adopt but I'm sure there is an underlying reason that these names were chosen.

I've always wanted to start a T-shirt business with sayings. Most Chinese don't know what the terminology used on the t-shirts means. I saw a woman the other day with a shirt that read "Rock my body." Clearly, she didn't know what it meant because if she did, she wouldn't be wearing it.

I want to go around and ask the Chinese if they know what the meaning behind their Westernized name means. I don't think anyone would voluntarily call themselves Sonic. The first thing I wanted to say was "Is your last name Hedgehog?" In addition, naming yourself Petty or Step is really not attractive. Chunk is another one that I wouldn't want to have on a name tag. I can actually think of all the jokes that could come with it.

So, we'll be on the lookout for more unusual names. I'm sure there will be another entry.

Meals

We've spent the past few days holed up in Disney. Don't get me wrong. I love Disney. Several days of it non-stop is a bit much. For Tony and I we were ready to leave and find somewhere else to dine. For Matthew, it's whole other matter.

We had a reunion with my cousin Cheung Yau and Gloria the other day in the city. It was great to see them again. The last time we saw each other was six months ago when they came to visit us in Shanghai. We met downtown for lunch at Causeway Bay and it was fantastic. Tony and I got our much needed dim sum fix on all our favorites and then some. We all agree that the food in Hong Kong is much better than Shanghai. Hands down. After lunch, Tony and Matthew returned to Disney while I ran errands. It was great. Being away from the happy world of Disney was a much needed break for me.


We ran into the city last night to have dinner with Alice and her husband Jack. They took us to Lei Yue Mun. A place known for it's seafood. You pick out the seafood you want and it's prepared for you at the restaurant. The food was really good and hanging out with Alice is always a barrel of laughs.

We have a few days left here in Hong Kong. We'll be searching for new places to dine and explore. Might as well get our food fix before we head back.

Happy Easter from Hong Kong

Tony arrived home real late Friday night or it was more like early Saturday morning. 2:30 AM to be precise. We had to leave for the airport at 7:00 AM. Pretty painful. He was out with his colleagues celebrating a co-worker's recent wedding. The whole expat gang together with all the locals hung out and ate......drank and then...proceeded to go to various nightclubs.

One of the downfalls of living in China is that most of the population smokes. So when he crawled in and reeked of smoke, I was not pleased. Top that with only three hours of sleep, I felt for him. Mr. Miao looked like he was hurting too. I didn't care that they were hurting just as long as we made it to the airport on time to catch our flight to Hong Kong.

We arrived and was greeted by very heavy rains. Matthew was pretty bummed that he couldn't hit the park immediately. The rain stopped for about 2 hours. Plenty of time for us to run to the park and get on the Buzz Lightyear ride several times, hit Space Mountain and then the heavy rains came again. That's OK- we're here for a week and have plenty of time to do it over and over again.

The weather was a bit better this morning. We hit the Hollywood Hotel for breakfast and then ran to the park. Matthew participated in the Easter Egghunt and in between we did some rides. I even did the Mad Hatter's Tea Cup ride. I have very bad motion sickness and I managed to survive that one. That is one for the books. So, Happy Easter everyone. Hope that you will enjoy the day with all your loved ones.

Empty Nest ..... Almost

We've had a house full of hamsters for the last month. Today, the last of the hamsters have been adopted and we now have an empty nest. Well almost. Matthew is still here and will probably be with us for at least another ten to fifteen years or longer. Speedy and June will continue to live with us in separate cages until ..... they either go home to meet Jesus or disappear under some mysterious extenuating circumstances. All of the baby hamsters have been formally adopted into six new homes. Ina's family decided to adopt a boy and a girl. Alas, they are residing in separate cages but that's what Rene wanted. My friend Andrea helped me find three other homes and two of Matthew's friends agreed to adopt one each. Now the office doesn't look like a pet store anymore.

Now that this duty has been completed, we're flying out to Hong Kong tomorrow morning for a week at Disneyland. Anne will take care of June and Speedy until we get back. Since they've been separated, we won't come home to anymore surprises. Unless of course, we have the equivalent of the Virgin Mary in Shanghai. Then I'll have to make a call to the Vatican and get some attention.

Bully Proof Vest

The entire fifth grade class has been working on their inventions these past few weeks. Matthew decided to work on the Bully Proof Vest and not on the Mom Shock Collar. Thank goodness for me! We went down to the fabric market several weeks ago to design the vest. I had to tell the tailor exactly how to do it and not pad it with filling. He was a bit perturbed why I wanted so many pockets. My response was "So I can steal things." You all know that I was kidding. He didn't get it. Oh well.

The vest was ready and came out exactly the way I wanted it. Tony and Matthew whipped up a batch of non-Newtonian fluid, a.k.a cornstarch and water, and were busy packing the pockets with the fluid. For those who don't know, a non-Newtonian fluid is a liquid that can change it's viscosity when a force is applied. His idea was to use this fluid to absorb the energy when a bully punches you, hurting his hand but not you. Silly you say? Sheer thickening fluids of this sort are being researched for bullet resistant body armor, useful for their ability to absorb the energy of a high velocity projectile impact but remain soft and flexible while worn, ha. The electronic whoopee cushion, used to aid in the escape, was a real hit with kids and adults alike.

The invention convention was a success. Matthew set up his little stand and was busy advertising his vest. The response was good. Many people liked the idea. Of course, without actually putting the prototype through production, Matthew thought he could sell his vest for a mere $29.99. Sounds like a Ron Popeil informercial.

So, if Matthew actually gets this idea off the ground, he may be on his way to becoming a millionaire. At least, I hope so!

Uncle Gus Sideburn Kit

Matthew received a birthday card in the mail from Uncle Gus the other day. The mail system in China is incredibly slow and it's no surprise that it takes a while to arrive. Matthew gleefully opened the card and it was a Star Wars themed card and in it, there was a bit of a surprise. The Uncle Gus Sideburn Kit (TM/Patent Pending). It included instructions on how to adhere the sideburns to the face. Matthew was roaring with laughter as he read the instructions. They are as follows: "The Uncle Gus Sideburn Kit (TM) will bring you hours upon hours of fun! Now with real Uncle Gus hair! Instructions:
a) Carefully remove from patented polyethelene duraclear II sheathing
b) Find left and right sideburn (see back)
c) Peel off back liner
d) Apply
Note If glue is not working, use loogie to apply.
Extra Feature: Doubles and transforms into a mustache!"

Needless to say, Matthew immediately peeled off the backing and applied the sideburns. Quickly posing in various stances, he chose to imitate Elvis by saying "Thank you very much". I must say that Uncle Gus has quite an influence on Matthew. Instructions to use a loogie is not appreciated on my end but then again, they are boys. Need I say more?

Matthew's Birthday

Hard to believe that my child is another year older. The time has flown by quickly and another round of celebrations were underway. The precursory cupcake delivery to school to celebrate with his classmates was the official kick off. Matthew's classmate Kelvin also shared in the celebration since it was his birthday as well. Matthew made a call back to the US to wish his cousin Justin a "Happy Birthday" since they were born 12 hours apart. We then continued the party at home with a chocolate fudge cake complete with milk chocolate frosting.

Of course, those who know us, know that the party doesn't stop there. We celebrated Matthew's birthday in style at the Westin Hotel overlooking the Bund. The usual suspects attended- Ina, Rainer, Rene, Alice, Anne, Tony and Amy. Great food, lots of cake and sugar to spread around. Who said we can't share? We'll probably continue this party down in Hong Kong when we get there next weekend. Another round of eating with our family and friends. Alice will be in Hong Kong at the same time. It's gonna be a lot of fun!

Gender Classification

The baby hamsters are now over a month old and it's time to separate them so we won't have anymore little pups. The other day, my friend Andrea came by and we did the precursory look. It wasn't a pretty thing but it had to be done. We thought we did it right but then started to have doubts. So, I arranged for Anne and Andrea to come by. We decided to have dinner together since Tony and Matthew had guy night. Great food, two bottles of wine and then we proceeded upstairs to do it all over again. Let's just say that the hamsters were pretty traumatized by what we did. Not to mention the laughter that came out of the office. Tony and Matthew were afraid to come up to see what we were doing to the hamsters. I can honestly say that we have five girls and two boys and they've been segregated to the appropriate cages until they get picked up by their new owners.

Once the hamsters have been disbursed, we'll be on our way to Hong Kong. A week long vacation of spinning tea cups and great food. We'll need it.

Inventions

Matthew's been working on a project for school. It's the Invention Convention season. He has had to come up with some ideas for things he would invent. On the top of the list:

a) Bully Proof Vest- Tired of bullies beating the snot out of you, taking your lunch money and giving you atomic wedgeies in the playground? If so, buy the bully proof vest and this will make those bullies go crying to their moms!

b) Tooth Brush Holder- Tired of your toothpaste falling on the counter and making a mess? Then buy the Toothbrush Holder 2000. This will prevent the toothpaste from making a mess and you don't have to clean it up!

c) The Wide Awake- Is math boring you? Don't you want to take your eyes off that big blinding mole on your teacher's face? Then buy the Wide Awake fake eyes! Now you can sleep during class and nobody will know!

and the masterpiece of them all is:

d) Mom Shock Collar- Don't you hate it when your mom yells at you all the time?  I know I do. With this marvelous device just by the push of a button your mom's hair will pop up like a crazy persons! No yelling, no smacking and no punishment.

These are actual descriptions that he has submitted in his log book for approval.

Hmmm, based on his description, I think that the Mom Shock Collar has my name written all over it.  He's going to need three testimonials on any of the invention that he does create. If he does work on the Mom Shock Collar, I'll make sure I'm out somewhere....for a few days.

Help Wanted....Only if you fit the physical criteria

Discrimination is something that is not practiced in the corporate world back in the United States or anywhere for that matter...except in China. I often peruse the classified ads to see what position I could secure while living here in China. When you see ads that read as follows: "1st French restaurant in Shanghai, good ambiance. Currently looking for pretty girls as waitresses, evening shift only. Closed on Sunday. No experience necessary, a little English is a must. Good work atmosphere, good salary. Contact: Vincent: 1370 172 4361"

Gee, pretty- that's relative. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What one person sees as pretty may not be the same for another. I know I can work as a waitress. I did it for a bit and I do speak a lot of English. Hey, I even speak two dialects of Chinese and am currently learning a third. Wouldn't that make me qualified for the position? I certainly think so. I wanted to call Vincent and apply for the job over the phone and then see what would happen when I showed up with my resume in hand. You see, I am way over qualified but, I wanted to actually see if someone would have the audacity to tell me that I cannot be hired because..... I don't fit the "physical" criteria.

Many times, when I'm out with my friends Anne and Andrea, I would see handwritten Chinese signs on restaurant windows seeking waitresses. The criteria for the position is you have to be between the ages of 18-22, no more than 48 kg (about 105 pounds) and 1.6 meters in height. Makes me want to walk right in and apply for the job and see what they'll say. For one, I can speak, I can be a good hostess and I am very hands on. I may not be classified as pretty eye candy for the clientele but, I can certainly handle myself. I know I would be over qualified for the position but, I want to dare the skinny local restaurant owner to come right out and call me old and fat or even ugly for that matter. Then again, this is China.

So, if you read about a brawl that breaks out at a restaurant and a woman had to be carried out screaming for equality, it's a pretty good bet that it would be me.

Four Down....Three To Go

June (formerly known as Junior) is doing quite well with her newborns. We have managed to get a glimpse and count that there are seven pups in the litter. Over the past week, we have watched the transformation of the babies. The fur has come in, you can see the facial features and most of all, the tremendous growth spurt that has happened since Valentine's Day.

We watched June carry each of the pups from the top level down to the lower level of the cage. She sat in the box with her babies underneath to keep them warm. That was until, the pups were getting too big and the box way too small. So, they're all back upstairs again in the spacious ball that they call home. In the meantime, we have put the word out that there are baby hamsters and have found homes for four of the seven. Meanwhile, Speedy is still in his bachelor pad (unlike the posh duplex quarters that he once shared with June) and is pretty upset with me. It's apparent when I go to check on him that he's got a bulls eye target with my name on it. C'est La Vie. I can't seem to please everyone.

Special Delivery

Boris and Irina sent a package of 24 Kinder eggs to Matthew via DHL. It arrived into China by the end of January and was stuck in customs for about 2.5 weeks. Tony had to turn over a copy of his passport and documentation that the package was for personal use. The Chinese New Year holiday didn't help either since it further delayed any deliveries. Tony made some calls to find out the status of the package and was informed that because it was food, it had to be inspected by customs. That meant, the eggs were going to be opened and "tested". I'm using the term tested very loosely here. I'm sure the inspector was surprised to find toys embedded in the eggs and may have thought it was some sort of spying device. OK, I admit that I'm being a bit creative here.

After much delay, the eggs finally arrived at Tony's office Friday afternoon. I"m happy to report that only two eggs were sacrificed during the inspection. Needless to say, Matthew was delighted when his father returned from work that evening armed with a package of Kinder eggs. Matthew promptly started to tear the eggs apart and assemble the toys over the weekend.

So, Uncle Boris & Aunt Irina, thanks for making Matthew a very happy kid! You always know how to make him smile.

The Year of the Rat....or Hamsters

Speedy and Junior joined our family in October and we have often wondered if they were two boys, two girls or one of each. Well, it's Valentine's Day here in China and this morning....the clan grew by 6-8. I can't tell for sure how many pups were born but I can tell you with ABSOLUTE certainty that we have one boy and one girl. This prompted me to separate Speedy from the cage and leave Junior with the pups.

Tony thought it was an auspicious sign for good luck. It's the year for the Rat for the Chinese and hamsters are a close relative to the rat. The pups were born on Valentines Day. HMMMM...I'm not too sure about that but ok- I'll buy that.

Junior will have to stay with the pups until they're old enough to be weaned. In the meantime, we'll start spreading the word that little baby hamsters will be available in about a month .... just in time for Easter presents!

Sweet Potato Dessert

Barbara brought over my favorite Japanese dessert. Sweet Potato cake. The Japanese certainly have a knack for desserts. Cute little reproductions of the real thing. It came in a beautiful box and when you unwrap it, you see a miniature version of a sweet potato. It had the delicate taste and enough cinnamon to make me happy. I'm saving the box and the wrapper so I can go find the place when we have a chance to visit Tokyo. You know I'll buy out the supply and shut down the store for the day. I can't wait to get to Tokyo so I can eat my way around my favorite foods.