Domo arigato...Mr. Roboto

Hard to believe, we've been back almost a year now. We've done lots of projects around the house, I've organized the place, cleaned up and hey, even found a job. The one thing that has always been a bother to Tony and I is the rock that takes up valuable parking space in our driveway. Persistence does pay off. I finally found someone who was adept in getting that rock out of the driveway. What the heck, we decided to remove all the rocks on the property. In particular, there is a rock that sits in the driveway straddling the space between my driveway and my neighbors. This past winter proved to be pretty hair raising. If we skidded, we would hit that monster rock going down the driveway and cause mega dollars worth of damage to the car. Nope. That's it... no more. All the rocks have to go.

Today was the day of reckoning. Mr. Roboto, the machine came with two other huge pieces of excavation machinery up the driveway. The rock that defeated the last contractor, was gone in a mere 20 minutes. Shows you all you need to have is the right equipment. Mr. Roboto was a 40,000 pound jackhammering machine that pulverized everything. Nothing could stand in its way. Once that persistent rock was taken out, Rob our new contractor proceeded to work on all the other rocks in the driveway. 7 hours later, 150 tons of rock (now pulverized) were driven off the property. What a beautiful sight to have the rocks gone. We'll have so much more parking once I get the paving company to come and do its job.

Magic Kingdom / Vegas for Kids

Disney is like a football game, there is a lot of waiting for a little bit of action. You wait for the monorail or the crappy bus, wait to get into the parks, wait to go on the rides, wait for your food and for what?, two minutes of entertainment. So why do we like it so much? Because Disney knows how to do it right. Everything is top notch and you could not piss them off even if you punched them in the face, (I swear they are all hypnotized). Personally,  I enjoy it because Matthew loves it so much. There is nothing worse than spending a boat load of money and the kids hating it. Okay, maybe I like it too. Test Track, Rocking Roller Coaster and Mission Space are very high on the puke scale and just a few of my favorites. Susan was not able to attend this trip so it was just the boys this time but she was there in spirit.  Matthew planned out all the park rides and Susan did all the meal planning and reservations. It was more like a military assignment then a vacation but it really made us much more efficient. Anyway, on to the vacation.

Day 1/2 - Check in and Dinner

We arrived in the evening  so after checking in we only had time for dinner at Chef Mickey's, (let's just say that I hate this place and leave it at that).

Day 1 - Animal Kingdom    

The first day was Animal Kingdom. This park is the runt in the Disney litter. Few people go to the  park because it is very far away, which means you have to take the bloody bus, and there is not much to see once you get there. Disney has been trying to change this by opening some new rides, in particular, Expedition Everest.
 

This ride was a blast. The premise is that you are on a train in Tibet and you encounter a giant Yeti that destroys the track and sends you on a wild roller coaster ride down the mountain. You can see the mountain in the background of this picture. This is not a forced perspective here it really is that big!There is also an amazing structure called the "Tree of Life" a huge man made tree covered with carvings of different animals.  

We ate at BOMA at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. This is a buffet style restaurant that is extremely difficult to get a reservation at. Food and atmosphere is very good  but it took us two hours to get back to the hotel. Boy I hate those buses. 

Day 2 - Disney's Hollywood Studios

The second day was Disney's Hollywood Studios, formerly known as MGM Studios. Now we are talking. This is one of my favorite places.  There are a lot of exciting rides and attractions in this park. So much so that I didn't even mind taking the bus. This location houses some of my aforementioned favorites and some new attractions. The one that Matt was itching to go on was "Toy Story Mania". It is a virtual reality arcade style game and its a blast. The thing that I wanted to see was the Lights Motors Action stunt show. An automobile stunt spectacular that was incredible to watch. There was lots of burn outs and flame, tailor made for the gear head in me. We had a great day, it was really hot but we had fun.  We had dinner with Marty, Irene and Zahra at a local restaurant. These are the same friends that lived in the same compound as us in Shanghai and are now living 20 minutes away from Disney World. It was great seeing them again and a bit surreal to be eating together on the other side of the planet.  It truly is a small world.

Day 3 - EPCOT Center

EPCOT is another great park. There are lots of high speed roller coasters, bone rattling drops and enough loop de loops  to make you toss your cookies. (It's not common knowledge but E.P.C.O.T was Walt Disney's vision  of a futuristic community.  In fact, EPCOT stands for Experimental, Prototype, Community, Of Tomorrow. His vision was a utopian community where people lived at Disney, a Mickey condo if you will. This idea was later changed to the world theme park because the Disney brass thought Walt's idea was too cultish for Disney).

  

Matt met up with one of his friends from school, 

Anthony. He is a really good kid and Matt gets along with him very well.  Before meeting up with him, Matt and I did the Rocking Roller Coaster, Test Track, Soaring and the Tower of Terror (I think the names explain the rides for themselves).   These are the must do rides and we had a great time. The other reason I like this park is because you can get to it with the monorail, no bus required, (I guess by now you figured out that I hate the 30 minute wait for the bus in 90 degree weather). The monorail goes right into the Disney hotels located in the park. This definitely enhances the whole Disney experience. 

We had dinner at Le Cellier in the Canadian pavilion. This is a Zagat's rated steak house.  Susan had to book these reservations months ago but it was definitely one of my favorites.

Day 4 - Magic Kingdom

By day four we were pooping out a bit. Matthew's feet were hurting and I wasn't fairing any better. We've been to the Magic Kingdom many times so we focused on hitting our favorite rides such as the Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle River Cruise, Buzz Light Year, Haunted Mansion and of course, Splash Mountain.

Matt told the Disney people that it was his birthday and they made him a birthday pin. It was not his birthday but he thought it would be fun to have people think so. All day long people were wishing him a Happy Birthday and by the end of the day we almost believed it ourselves.



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We decided to go back to the hotel for a few hours before dinner and hit the pool. Of course, I could not get Matt out of the pool and we had early dinner reservations at the California Grill. This is really the best restaurant in Disney. The food was phenomenal with a view of the Magic Kingdom to match. Word of caution, this place ain't cheap. Dinner for the both of us was $120.00.  After dinner we went back to the hotel and started packing for our return. Our flight was at 7:30 pm the next day so we would have another full day at Hollywood Studios. Around 10:15 pm I get a phone call from an irate women who was in room below me. She wanted me to explain all the noise I was making at this late hour. Matt was asleep and I was packing luggage and I assure you I had no idea what she was talking about. Finally it hit me, I said "Lady the noise you are hearing is the fireworks that Disney closes the Magic Kingdom park with every night". Now you have to understand, the fireworks are so loud that it rattles the windows in the hotel room. How could she think that I was making that much noise? Anyway, she was throughly embarrassed and apparently not too bright either. I had to laugh.

Day 5 - Back to Hollywood Studios

We met with  Anthony  and his mom again and headed back to Hollywood Studios. We hit the same rides as before. The crowning jewel of the trip was Matthew being selected for the Jedi Academy where he got the opportunity have a light saber fight with Darth Vader. Let me give you some background information here. Matt is a Star Wars fanatic to say the least. He has every toy, video game and book related to Star Wars. His email address is Darthvadermatt so you can understand how excited he was to get picked to fight Vader, (watch the video and see for yourself).

We had to leave the park by 3:20 to make it back to the hotel in time to catch the Magical Bus back to the airport. Disney actually checked my luggage and issued my boarding passes for the plane right at the hotel, I told you they know how to do things right. The only problem was that we had to take the @#$*ing bus back to the hotel. Well to make a painful event as short as possible, the bus was late, it was really hot and if we did not make it back in time we would miss the only transportation back to the airport. We made it with 10 minutes to spare, way outside my comfort zone but we made it and that is all that counts. Dinner was airport food and snacks on the plane. By the time we got home it was 11:00 pm so Matt and I were really tired. 

To summarize, we had a great time. We wished that Susan could have come but we understood. Our next stop is Aruba in July and yes, Disney again for Christmas. This time we will meet up with May, Sandi, Jeff and the kids and I am sure it will be a blast. 

Burn Baby Burn.....Pasta Inferno

It's been a hectic week. I just finished off my first week at work. Tony was responsible for dinner tonight. On the menu, pasta with anchovies, red pepper flakes and lots and lots of garlic. I always tell him "Don't be cheap with the garlic." Tonight was no exception. He chopped up a whole head of garlic, chopped up the anchovies and for the final touch, was supposed to add some red chili flakes. He wasn't paying attention and half a bottle went into it. It changed the color of the oil to a nice shade of red. What to do? Do we trash it and just have it with garlic and oil or do we suck it up (literally) and experience the loss of sensation to the mouth?

We ate it. Matthew threw in the towel after about two bites. Tony ate it but kept drinking water. I ate it, finished it and am now able to call them wimps. I don't understand what the problem is. Perhaps because I can't feel my lips now I have no sympathy for them.

Celebrate!

Matthew is one very lucky kid. Most kids have to contend with just one birthday party, this kid usually gets to celebrate his birthday at least three times, if not more. We got together with Deborah tonight to have dinner at Brasitas, Matthew's favorite restaurant. Though I must say, Deborah and I can categorize it as one of our favorites as well. We all love the fried plantains with fresh salsa. Mary joined us as well. It was a great reunion. Deborah and Mary haven't seen each other in a while and since I'll be working with Mary at Pitney Bowes, I got a chance to pick her brain about the office.

We had a great dinner, caught up with all the gossip and then we celebrated Matthew and Deborah's birthday. The restaurant sent over three different types of desserts to celebrate and the staff sang to Matthew and Deborah. Pretty special.

Happy Birthday Matthew

It's hard to believe that my baby, Matthew is now 12 years old. The time has flown by so quickly that it's been a complete blur. Yet, all my memories are so vivid, it is like it just happened moments ago. The teenage years are around the corner and though I don't want it to happen, he is truly growing up too quickly. I know the next few years will be the battle of the wills but he'll soon be off to college before we know it.

Matthew had a really tough day at school on his birthday. Three exams, a religion project due, two classes where the English and religion teacher spent the entire time yelling at all the kids in class. He wasn't feeling well and to add insult to injury, his best friends in school forgot it was his birthday. He went to school expecting to find notes stuck to his locker (apparently this is the thing that kids do to acknowledge birthdays) and he found nothing. He felt so abandoned. It didn't matter that he received birthday wishes from his favorite teacher, Mr. Monteith, our friends from China and our friends and family in the U.S. He was very, very distraught. It was pretty damned hard to watch as he expressed his disappointment in his friends. Though Tony and I tried to explain that middle school is completely different from the elementary school, teachers aren't constantly reminding you of the daily activities and yes, kids CAN be insensitive. It didn't make him feel better. So, to boost his spirits, we went to dinner at Dave & Buster's (the ultimate Vegas for kids) and May and the kids joined us. It worked, since it did get him out of the funk. He won over 6,200 tickets and happily went to cash in his tickets for his prize.

We had another celebration today at home with extended members of our family. He got the Indiana Jones cake that he wanted, I got the sunny day that I requested and all our loved ones were there to shower him with love and best wishes. He is definitely in better spirits than yesterday and I hope that he can return to school on Monday and be able to forgive his friends. I just know that this is one of the many lessons that he will have to learn during these next few years. I only hope that it will help shape him to become a fine young man that I know that he will become.

Screeching Halt

Well, my days as a "tai tai", "woman of leisure", "kept woman" will be coming to a screeching halt.  After months of searching for a job, I am very, very happy to say that I have found one, and it is in town. I will be working at Pitney Bowes. The best part is that I will be working with my former colleague, Mary from International Paper, I will be able to be home in less than 20 minutes and most of all, I can be there for Matthew in case of an emergency.

I will start my new job on Monday the 16th. My days of wearing flip flops, jeans and tee shirts will be limited to weekends only and not on a full time basis as I have been practicing. It's time to get squeezed back into the corporate suits. My suits will go for a ride now instead of sitting in the closet collecting dust. I am happy that I will be gaining some financial independence. Don't get me wrong, Tony has been keeping me in style but it is always nice to be able to contribute to the pot. The sad part is now that I am going back to work, the daily gourmet meals will come to a screeching halt and be limited to weekends only. Maybe that's not such a bad thing.

I am really grateful that in this dire economy, I was able to find a position. I was not happy being a kept woman and most of all, I tip my hat off to my friends who have adapted to the lifestyle of being a stay at home mom. I, for one, can't stay in the house and it was really starting to grate on me. Two years in China was one thing, but being home in the U.S. and not have a job, uh, that doesn't sit well with me.

So, now that I will be earning a paycheck, I look forward to stimulating the economy!

Play That Funky Music Matthew

I was going through some pictures of China and I came across this movie of Matthew practicing his Alto Sax so I decided to post it for your viewing pleasure. Look for the secret message at the end of the movie.

Valentines Day Surprise

Hi, It's Matthew. Today I came home from school and I saw a big box with my name on it. When I opened the box there was a note inside from my Uncle Anthony that said "I found this in my closet. I hope this was what you wanted." Wrapped in bubble wrap was a Hess truck from 1997. That is the year that I was born. The truck has two cars in it that light up when you flip a switch.

I was so excited, I was jumping up and down. Uncle Anthony knows that I started collecting Hess trucks as a hobby.

 That is something we both have in common. He has been collecting Hess trucks since he was my age too. He gave me this truck from his collection that's why I love it even more. Thanks you so much Uncle Anthony you made me very happy and I love you very much.

A Day in the City with Uncle Tony

It's me, Matthew. I am writing about the great day I had in the city with my Uncle Tony. He took me to New York to see the "Soul of Shaolin." It was awesome. We had front row tickets and I met one of the characters that was in the play. The play is about a child named Hui Guang, who was separated from his mother when he was just a baby. He was rescued and raised by the monks of the Shaolin Temple and taught the ways of Shaolin Kung Fu. Years later, he was reunited with his mother. One of the scenes that I loved the most was when one of the monks threw a needle through a very thick piece of glass. Seeing this play makes me want to study Kung Fu again.

After the play, I talked Uncle Tony into taking me to Times Square to visit the largest Toys R Us. I have been bugging my parents to take me every weekend and they tell me to wait until the weather gets warmer. (Not going to happen!!!) I think it was because they were afraid I was going to go crazy in the store and want to buy everything. After visiting Toys R Us, Uncle Tony took me over to the M&M's World. I met Yellow (the Yellow M&M) and I wandered around all three floors and loved everything in the store. The store was amazing. The weather in New York was cold but it was really nice to spend the day with my awesome Uncle Tony. Thanks Uncle Tony for the great day! We'll do it again soon!

Lock Down

We all know that kids would rather play then study. I feel the same way about work but we all have to do what is necessary. So we wake up at 5:00 am, commute in traffic, get beaten up by bullies and play dodge ball. On occasion, we actually argue with ourselves, "Should I go in or should I play hooky"? We've all done it so don't deny it. 

Anyway, Matthew is starting his mid terms exams next week. So like all students his age he is contemplating, "Should I study or play with my Wii"?  It was a real struggle but he decided to study. To make sure that he would not be distracted, he handcuffed himself to the table. I am not lying. He locked his hand to the table, threw me the keys and said, "Don't give me those keys no matter how much I beg"  and then proceeded to study. Five minutes later he's asking for the keys. Well at least his intentions were good and he did have to pee. So he relieves his bladder, hopefully washed his hands, and went back to work. Fifteen minutes later, you guessed it. This time it was something to eat. 

As kids we all found it difficult to stay in on a sunny day and study. I am not exactly sure when we decide to give in and work rather then play but it eventually happens, kind of sad really.  In case you were wondering, they were toy handcuffs so not having the key was not really a deterrent.  Although, the handcuffs didn't work at least he's trying.  Maybe I should use the handcuffs at work or maybe I should just just play the Wii.

Fat Bastard

Okay, so for the past two years in China, Susan was a "Tai Tai" which means women of leisure, boy she hates that expression. Anyway, she basically stayed at home and did laundry and cleaned, you know, fun stuff. You see, Susan has been working since she was 13 years old. At first, I thought not working was going to drive her crazy but then she made some good friends and she was never at home again. In fact, she would wait until I left for work in the morning and she was out the door with her friends, shopping, getting her nails done, eating at the best restaurants and only God knows what else. This was fine because she was able to focus her energy and time into something she enjoyed.

Susan is like a hamster, she can't sit still for more that a couple of seconds at a time. Luckily, she found some friends or I would have had to install one of those wheels that hamsters run in just to calm her down. Well, we are back in the US and she is still not working. The job market is in the crapper and there are not many jobs to be had right now. So she needed a new outlet since her friends are now 8,000 miles away.



The outlet, my friends, is cooking and baking which she does very well. "So what's the problem?", you ask. Well you see I am like a dog. I will eat until I explode if someone didn't take the plate away from me. So everything she makes, and I mean everything, I eat. As a result, I am now a quivering mass of fat, like jello in plastic wrap. Even my lunches are a gastronomic delight. I am the envy of the lunch crowd at work. The three courses of food, the anally retentive way she wraps each individual piece of lettuce and tomato in plastic wrap so they stay fresh to the two desserts she packs. God I hope she gets a job soon so I can fit into my pants again.

So Long, Farewell

We had a wonderful week with Nicholas and of course, Sandi and Jeff. Nicholas had such a great time that he told his parents "I want to stay in Connecticut." He arrived before Christmas and played in the snow. As if Mother Nature knew what he wanted, it snowed again before they had to leave for the airport. Nicholas and Matthew were busy shoveling the walkway and parts of the driveway. They had a good time and even made snow balls. We headed into Flushing to meet with Jeff's parents for some quick dim sum before they had to head to the airport. We'll do this again sometime soon. I may head down to Boca Raton soon. I am getting tired of this weather.

Christmas

Sandi and her family arrived on Tuesday to spend the Christmas holidays with us. Nicholas, my little nephew has been very very excited that he was going to spend Christmas with his cousin, Matthew. Since their arrival, Nicholas' booming voice can be heard all over the house, the State of Connecticut and in New Jersey as well. They arrived and we just experienced snow which we've received over 10 inches of accumulation. He got to see snow and play in it. On Wednesday, they went into New York to spend the day and Nicholas was upset because he thought he was going to miss Christmas. Needless to say, he cried, no, more like wailed because he wanted to get home to Connecticut to spend Christmas with Matthew. Sandi was able to calm him down and I picked them up at the train station. Matthew and Nicholas tried to con their way into staying up as long as possible.

We woke up to two very excited kids who ripped open all the gifts in about 15 minutes. We packed the kids up and headed down to Jersey to spend the day with May and her family. It was great. The conveyer belt of appetitzers, food and dessert too. We ate, drank, spent time together and then once we got our fill, we all rolled out of the house with doggie bags to boot.

Sandi and her family will be with us until New Years Eve and we'll be eating left overs until we ring in the New Year. That's what the holidays are all about.

The Great Fire Wall of China

For several months, the Chinese population has enjoyed access to Voice of America, BBC and other websites normally restricted by the Chinese government. Well, no longer. The Chinese government has now reinstated the firewall that blocks access to this information. The same firewall that would hinder my efforts while I was in China to post to my blog. However, being a persistent person, I would always find ways around it. I wouldn't be able to see my entry when I posted it, but I managed to get it out there. Mind you, I wasn't writing about anything political. It would be the normal day to day stuff that we experienced. I would know my entries were posted when my sister would call and tell me she couldn't believe I wrote it. Yeah, yeah.

Fast forward, just when one thinks progress is being made, the population is reeled back another ten years. Typical of the government. Earlier this year, there were riots that erupted in Tibet. While watching the news, we would experience news forecasts that were blacked out. You'd surf the channels and find that the other channels were just fine and miraculously, the news would come back on at the end of the forecast on Tibet. The news in China was routinely edited but I would get snippets of the information sent to me by my sister. There were some disparity between the Chinese version and the U.S. version. The numbers would always be alarmingly low while the U.S. and other media would broadcast higher numbers of the casualties. Which version did you think I believed?

Holiday Gatherings

Today was the official start of the seasonal marathon of eating. We headed up to Duracell this morning for the annual holiday party. Matthew was really excited to attend since he missed the last two when we were living in Shanghai. We arrived, we ate, we socialized, we left. Mind you, we didn't go home. OH NO. We headed straight down to Margaret and Rick's house for a holiday gathering. They were gracious enough to host 22 of us. Yup. 22 that's the total number between kids and adults. The boys were pasted in front of the WII, the girls were making arts and crafts and the adults, well, we were parked in the kitchen island grazing non stop. Tidbits, crudite, wine, beer, you name it. We grazed and then we ate dinner on top of that. More like inhaled the meal. Shameful but true. We finished the night with dessert and coffee and waddled out of Margaret's place with full bellies. The kids were sugared up but we were all very very happy. Now we just have to figure out where the next gathering will be.

Projects

Matthew has been working on a project for school for almost a month now. This assignment is for a nativity creche. Nothing could be bought. Everything has to be made from scratch. We took a trip to Michaels and purchased all the supplies we needed. Total damage- $100.00. That's right- you read that right. I wished I were kidding. Armed with all the supplies, Matthew painstakingly started to craft the nativity scene with wooden sticks. He molded all the people in the manger with clay- Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, Three Shepards, a cow, a horse, a goat and Gabriel on top of the manger.

I must say, I am quite impressed with his skills. I can't draw stick figures without anyone asking me what it is. He came home from school and prepared a sketch of what he wanted the manger to look like and he was off. In the final days, the office was transformed into an art studio. He would use the lazy Susan to paint his figurines and then mount them onto the board. I delivered him to school this morning with the project and I think his looked the best. Perhaps I am being a bit biased but I may have the next up and coming artist in my house.

Soups On!

Thanksgiving is a time for all to give thanks. We have always participated in community service and this year is no different. Matthew and I signed up with our parish, St. Leo's to help prepare the food for distribution to the New Covenant House. We wanted to serve dinner this year to the needy but couldn't due to time constraints. I helped out in the kitchen by washing the pots and pans and Matthew was busy taking out the food trays to the awaiting cars for delivery.

We finished and went home to prepare our own Thanksgiving dinner. Tony smoked the turkey on the barbecue and it was very tasty. I prepared lots of side dishes and chilled the wine. We had our friends Al and Dawn and Tony's parents over to share the meal. It is our first Thanksgiving back in the States. Quite a difference from what we experienced last year in Shanghai. Last year, we were dining at the club house with our friends Anne and her family and Tony who arrived from Hong Kong to visit. This year, we're back in our house, settled and grilling.

So, to all of friends, we wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving. You are always in our thoughts and prayers.

Interruptions

We've been chugging along. Matthew's been really busy with school, Kumon and Chinese school. It's Sunday morning for us and it's our usual routine...except today, no cable, no internet and no phone service. Early in the morning. What the ????

Called the cable company and reported the issue. No reported outages in the area. It became an emergency call. Two hours later, the cable guy shows up and he couldn't figure out what happened. He checked every wire in the house upstairs and downstairs, checked all the equipment and it was a complete mystery. For giggles, he decided to check the wires running from the pole down the road from the house. Bingo! It turns out that the wires were chewed through by our resident squatters- the squirrels. They've done a lovely job since all the wires had to be replaced from the bottom of the road to the top of the house. Total time, three hours to replace all the wires. Now we know why the squirrels love squatting in our yard. They must be getting a jolt each and every time they chew the wires. Hey, some like it that way. Me personally, if I were a squirrel, I'd rather keep digging around the yard for nuts.

HIstorical Event

Election day in the United States. Millions of citizens turned out to vote for the next president. Some even waited as much as four hours for their chance to vote. Tony and I were at the polls bright and early this morning at 6:15 AM. We did our duty and cast our votes for the change to take place in this country. The economy has been sliding downhill and the Bush administration, well, let's just say no one is happy with them. I never thought I would live to see this day but it has happened. Senator Barack Obama has been elected the 44th president of the United States. It's been a very tight and very grueling race and it's finally come to an end. I am so glad that we have had the chance to witness this historical event.

The tension between Republicans and Democrats are pretty apparent. Matthew's classmates were clearly divided. My nephew Nicholas almost incited a riot in the first grade class in Florida as well. He was telling all the kids that Sarah Palin was not the right choice because "she shoots and kills animals." Well, that's a fact that can't be denied. My sister Sandi received a phone call from a parent informing her that Nicholas is sharing this information with his classmates and almost caused a riot on the school bus. OK, maybe not quite a riot but let's just say my little nephew has gotten the attention of the first grade class. He's got a bit of me in him. Yeah, that's right. You're doing me proud kid! My sister Sandi should leave him with me for a few weeks. Good Ol' Auntie Sue will teach him right! If I do this right, he'll never get a visa into any foreign country!

Halloween

Halloween fell on a Friday this year and many kids were quite thrilled to be able to trick or treat on a Friday evening and stay up to count their goodies. We had an unusually warm evening - 60 degrees and it was perfect. Since we never get any action on our road, we took Matthew back to the old condo on Hope Street and spent the evening knocking from door to door. He dressed as his favorite- Indiana Jones and Tony went along as a SWAT team member. We came home two hours later and Matthew's sack was filled. While he was busy counting up his stash, Tony and I were busy checking out all the candy to make sure it was safe. We did find some candy manufactured in China which went straight into the trash. Need I say more?

Tainted Eggs

Looks like China will have to ramp up the food inspection process and buckle down on the food issues that keep spewing out of the country. It's been announced that Hong Kong inspectors have found eggs from northeast China to be contaminated with high levels of melamine, the same toxic additive that sparked the milk scandal last month. The same scandal that reported more than 50,000 children in China have fallen ill and several deaths have occurred. What is so unnerving about the tainted eggs is that this did not happen once, but twice in less than a week. Tisk, tisk.

There are many "regulations" on the books in China, but are hardly followed. Anyone can be bought for a price if you know what I mean. So, yet again, China is thrown into the headlines about food safety. So now, there is a mad scramble to start inspecting eggs in cities such as Shanghai. Let me recap the things that I recall since 2006- honey contamination, rice wine contamination, pet food recall, lead paint found in toys, moon cake filling, toothpaste, heparin, milk and now eggs. I am very grateful that we made it out of there without any serious side effects. Tony's stint at the hospital for E. Coli or salmonella was pretty hair raising. I handed over the hospital records to our family physician, Dr. D. He reviewed the file and stated that he's never seen "bacteria numbers as high as Tony's and he's actually survived without any serious problems." Usually, "numbers that high, people die." OK- so Tony rolled the dice twice and won. He was very, very lucky.

Scientists in China are worried that the melamine being used to adulterate dairy supplies, may have been intentionally added to animal feed in China. Uh, gee, you think? This would mean that chicken and possibly fish and hog feed could result in poisonous meat and seafood. I am worried for all my friends in China. This limits the food choices. Of course, they can shop at the expatriate markets and pick up meat from New Zealand and seafood imported from outside of China. I used to buy only fish from Japan. You can't imagine my food bill. I'm glad I did it.

The Chinese government has started to arrest individuals "responsible" and has of course, pointed the finger at someone and will probably start executing to show good will. That still doesn't solve the issue of the global food problems and how the world is watching China very, very carefully. Maybe now, China will really start to take things seriously. This on top of the fact, I am positive that the number of effected people has been seriously adulterated. If it's public that there were 50,000 children effected and four deaths, the real number could be double or triple and most assuredly, there are many more deaths than reported. You know how it is, China's got to keep it all hush to save face. The ancient Chinese custom of keeping the dirty little secrets hidden under the carpet and deny anything is wrong. Everything is rosy and just perfect. Nothing like living in denial. It all comes back to bite you in the ass.

The milk scandal surfaced in September, slightly more than a year after tainted pet food was exported to the United States, sickening cats and dogs and touching off global criticism of China’s food safety controls. Beijing responded defiantly to some critics of its record, but late last year it also announced a crackdown on shoddy and unsafe food producers and ordered the closing of thousands of slaughterhouses and food factories.

During that time, several Chinese melamine suppliers admitted in newspaper interviews to selling melamine to animal feed operations and fish feed providers in China. The government, however, never reported finding melamine-tainted fish or animal feed in China’s food supply.

I guess I'll never be granted a visitors visa to go back to China. I'm technically persona non grata. That's the beauty of living in a democracy. I have a right to my opinion and I can express it without being monitored. God Bless America.

Lunch Menu for Ina

While we were living in China, Ina would often wander over to see what Tony brings in for lunch. Never mind that lunch was available at the canteen. It just didn't meet his high standards or Ina's as well. She would often smell the food warmed up and would go have a "taste" of what he brought in. There were days when I would send in a double lunch. One for Tony and one for Ina. On the rare occasion, Mr. Miao would benefit as well from the baked goods included. This arrangement was going quite well except for the weeks when Tony was traveling and Ina would be looking for lunch. Sometimes, he would be gone for two to three weeks at a stretch. Let's just say, when he returned, she was very happy to see him back at the office again.

It has recently come to my attention that Tony's colleagues here in the U.S. do the same exact thing. They all covet his daily lunch. Yes, there is a cafeteria available at Duracell but the food....just isn't quite up to snuff. Just the other day, Tony went to work with roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and an apple turnover. All homemade. None of that prepackaged stuff. Let's just say, his friends are a bit envious of his daily lunch choices.

So, in the spirit of the daily lunch menu, this photo is for Ina. To recapture the moments when she would share and covet Tony's lunch in China. He''ll be bringing in pork saltimbocca with prosciutto and fontina cheese, roasted cauliflower and polenta with mozzarella and sauce tomorrow. When you come visit, I'll pack a lunch just for you!

Fall for Monteith

Catchy title. Matthew came up with that one as a tribute to Mr. Monteith, his former fifth grade teacher. One of the greatest teachers we've had the privilege of working with while in Shanghai. Of course, he ranks up there along with Mrs. Kuehn and Mrs. Wink, Matthew's elementary school teachers as well. I must apologize to Matthew's current teachers. They're great but no one will ever take the place of Mr. Monteith. If we can only figure out how to ship him to the United States and have him teach middle school. Hey, how about shipping the Shanghai American School campus out here as well?

Mr. Monteith has often mentioned that he would like to have the opportunity to visit the New England area and see the fall foliage. Since he can't be here due to teaching commitments, Matthew decided to send it to him with a picture.

We're in the midst of beautiful fall foliage in New England. The tree leaves are changing colors and its very beautiful to see. Not so great to have the trees dropping their leaves all over the driveway and property though. The weather is brisk and its apple season as well and I've been busy baking lots of apple pies. Tony and Matthew attack it straight out of the oven with their forks. Never mind that it is piping hot and that they risk third degree burns.

In the spirit of the season, Matthew has decorated the windows and house with Halloween decorations. We watch the squirrels and chipmunks preparing for the winter hoarding their nuts. Tony has even carved the Halloween pumpkin with the Batman insignia.
So here's to you, Mr. Monteith. You can't be here to see it but we hope that this will inspire you to visit us next fall. I'll even bake a pie just for you!

Milk Scandal

The latest food scandal that has China in the headlines has exposed information about the political elite of China. It appears that the political elite are served the choicest, safest delicacies. It seems they can get hormone-free beef from the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, organic tea from the foothills of Tibet and rice watered by melted mountain snow. This is all supplied by a special government outfit that provides all organic goods from farms working under the strictest guidelines.

This secure food network is in stark contrast to the frustrations of the ordinary people of China who have faced numerous food scandals. While we were living in China, we lived through the honey contamination, moon cakes filled with bacteria-laden filling, eggs colored with industrial dye and fake liquor that caused blindness or death. We were lucky that we were able to pick up imported goods from shops that specialize for expatriates. The cost of groceries was mind blowing for what we paid for a box of cereal from the U.S. I could have purchased cereal produced in China but was often hesitant to do so. I scrutinized where products came from and would often purchase items from anywhere outside of China.

It is absolutely inhumane that the politically elite are offered food that is deemed "Nation A" which stands for "top end, irreplaceable, the best". These food products are offered to senior politicians or government offices and are not released to the general consumer market. The fact that rice is watered by melted snow from Mount Changbai, which straddles the China-North Korea border, fish is brought in from Hubei province- which is known traditionally as the "land of fish and rice" and tea from mountainous Yunnan area abutting Tibet and beef and mutton from the Inner Mongolia steppes. It has been documented that the rice comes from the northeast, grown seeds specially cultivated by experts from the Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences. It has a very small output, doesn't involve any genetic engineering and it tastes very good. Ninety percent of the rice cultivated goes to the Beidaihe Sanitorium which is a seaside resort for retired party cadres. The remainder is sold on the market. The market price for this rice is five times higher than ordinary organic rice and fifteen times more than the price of ordinary rice.

Reminds me of the time when my friend, Ina told me about the rice she saw drying on the highway between the car lanes. The farmers laid out the rice in the middle of the road amidst car exhaust fumes and locals riding their bicycles. Yummy. I always purchased Thai rice that was hermetically sealed from Thailand and never the rice available in the open buckets at Carrefours. We would often find the locals manhandling the rice with their hands. They would never use a scooper to put the rice directly into a bag. The rice was incredibly cheap versus the bags of rice I was buying. Uh, no thanks.

I have previously stated this before and I'll say it again. China has a very long way to go before the world can trust any and all products that come out of the country. The government goes through the exercise of cleaning up their image for the Olympics. The government manipulates and as soon as the Olympics packs up and leaves town, all the scandals come creeping out again. Coincidence? Nope. It's the government controlling the information that creeps out. They manipulated the Olympics by putting the "cuter" kid as the singer at the opening ceremony and dubbed her voice of the kid with the better voice that also happened to not be so cute. Let's see when the real numbers for HIV, AIDS and drug abuse come through. When the Chinese government can really be honest and address these issues, there is hope for the country.

Happiness is.....

Happiness is being back in my home turf and being able to get to and from errands by myself. No need to schedule a driver, ride the shuttle bus and tool around town in a taxi. Happiness is being able to walk into a store and find clothes that will actually fit me AND not have a sales person trailing behind me invading my personal space and watching me like a hawk. My friends in China know about the freedom I am writing about which they currently cannot experience. Happiness is being able to go to the supermarket and buy anything I want and not worry about food or milk being tampered. Yeah, that's right. That is my happiness.

I had to run a few errands this morning after Matthew left for school. I cleaned up the house, ran a few loads of laundry and got in the car to start my day. Yes- got in MY car to start my day. It was great to be able to listen to what I want on the radio and play with the radio knob. I was able to sing in the car and be off key and not worry about anyone snickering at me. It was nice to be able to do what I wanted and not have to schedule a pick up time. I wasn't on any schedule and wandered into a store to peruse the latest fashions. I was quite pleased that there items in the store that would actually fit me. I didn't have a sales person trailing after me or have to hear the snide "Xiao jie, ni hen pang" followed by the giggle and the smile. Chinese translation "Miss, you are very fat." Yes, I admit that I am carrying around extra weight since college but I must say, I am not obese. In China, I was something of a freak show. The Chinese women there border on the anorexic side while I am on the uh.... pleasantly plump side. Yeah, pleasantly plump. Mind you, I would not qualify to be painted by Sir Peter Paul Reubens if he were alive but I can't claim to be anorexic as well.