In Guangzhou

Duration: 1 day, 2 nights

What did I eat?

Dumplings

Crocodiles

Ginormous Shrimp

Sea Urchins

Sandworms

Abalone
Snake
Dragonfish
Waterbugs


What did I see?

Ricefields
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's Memorial Hall Guangzhou Waterfront
Chimelong International Circus


What did I see that I did not eat?

Chicken Testicles
Silkworms

I feel that I should say that if you ever plan on visiting Guangzhou, there is more to eat than bugs and testicles, but why would I take a picture of everyday food? And, if you do plan on visiting Guangzhou, you should always be aware of your belongings. I will put free advertising for JINYAOCHI because I enjoyed a wonderful 2 hour spa package including an hour foot rub, ear cleaning, foot scrubbing, an hour body massage, and yummy snacks to enjoy (http://www.jinyaochi.com.cn/). And two seafood restaurants that I highly enjoyed are Guangzhou Restaurant and Yi Du Seafood Restaurant.

=X

I may be going to Hell for this,

but when I saw this I just thought to myself,
"this is the EPITOME of 'the blind leading the blind.'"

Sha Tin

Duration: 1/2 a day

Lutheran Theological Seminary

Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery

Hong Kong at a glimpse.

I am Bach.

I've arrived back on American soil. The sight of green water as the plane descends just sends a heartwarming feeling through me. I've missed fresh air. I've miss toilet bowls - specifically my own and not a public toilet bowl. I've missed my own bed and my privacy. I've missed the kids. I've missed speaking English and understanding people speak around me. I've missed knowing where I'm going. I've missed driving. I've missed my friends and family here. I've missed American food.

I do miss Hong Kong and China already, though. The people in Hong Kong were so friendly and hospitable. The food there was delicious. I'll miss not having a daily routine - as with every day was a new experience and a new scene. I'll miss knowing more about my culture and my parents' history. I'll miss learning more Chinese and I became more exposed to it. I'll miss not worrying.

But I definitely won't miss the rude people who constantly shoved me and spat loogies all over the floor (this coming from while in Beijing, not Hong Kong). I won't miss the pollution. I won't miss being so lost in translation. I won't miss the dirty floors and the strong scent of the public bathrooms that can be smelled from from a block away. I won't miss being judged by all the shallow people with their high end fashion clothing and accessories - even if half of them were fakes.

And I'd like to post more but I'm suffering from jetlag now. I feel like how Jason feels in this picture.

Farewell, America!

The Kitchen Floor.

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I will be traveling to China. What I didn't mention is that I'll be traveling with my parents, but that they're leaving before I am. They're just going to pick me up at the airport in Hong Kong. So anyway, my parents left the passed Saturday. My nieces and nephew, who have been living with us temporarily, are staying at a friend's house while we're away. So, I have been staying at home by myself. Or am I?

After my mother called me to confirm her arrival in Hong Kong, she asked me how I was doing. I asked her a few questions about her safety, her flight, and about Hong Kong. Then she asked me if I'd be having people sleep over while they're gone. I sarcastically answered "Yeah. Lots of guys." She reponded with, "Did you at least clean up the kitchen floor yet?" Haha. My mother is more concerned about having the house look presentable than me having lots of guys accompanying me alone in the house. Thanks, ma.

Umm.. ew??

You're at a bar with some friends, some you know already and some you're just meeting for the first time. Within minutes, you're having a casual conversation with someone you just met. There is so much to be shared between you two. You listen intensely as you're holding your beer in your left hand and the rest of your body is leaning against the wall. Suddenly, you feel something hit your arm. You break your glance away from your newfound friend and you check out your arm. Staring back at you is a tiny wet glob with little bubbles surrounding it. Yep. Your newfound friend just spit on you. What do you do? Do you bring attention to the wet glob, or do you just nonchalantly wipe it away? Either way, you have their slobber on you. Me? I normally just try to wipe it if I don't know the person well enough to make fun of them. I'll save them the embarassment. BUT, if I know the person, then I would totally put the spotlight on them. Or if it was me that spit on someone, I would say something and apologize. Haha. I have my faults. I'm human too. =P

Yesterday was such a busy day that I didn't have time to post! There goes my attempt in posting everyday! Haha. Yesterday I had to pack the kids clothes and their toys because they're sleeping over a friend's house for a few days, excluding tonight. Then I dropped them off at their house to spend a few hours there to get more familiar and more acquainted with the family. Then I came home, showered, and took the parents to the airport. I followed them into the airport and I left once I saw the length of the line for luggage check-in. Then I went to Target to purchase a few toiletries, and then I came home to eat a quick lunch. Then I mopped the kitchen, the bathroom, the downstairs hallway, and my bathroom. Then I cleaned my bathroom. Then I cleaned the kids' rooms and made their beds, then I vacuumed. Then I finally made these babies for the kids!

A friend of mine helped me make these babies. He purchased the munchkins while I vacuumed. While I was cutting up the jelly beans and placing their noses, he went out again to pick up the strawberry frosting and the purple decorating gel. I preferred black or at least dark brown, but for some reason ShopRite didn't have those as an option. So anyway, we made these babies and it didn't take long at all. About fifteen minutes or so. We made some "test" munchpigkins and we opted to not have the smiles.. they look cute either way, though. So after we were done, I went to pick up the kids from the friend's house and took them out to Arirang for yummy hibachi and sushi! =] The kiddies were were surprised about the munchpigkins and really enjoyed them. I tried taking a picture with them eating it, but they were too quick! Haha. At least they enjoyed. =]

PS There were some failed munchpigkins. This was the biggest FAIL.

===

To get someone to keep talking,
just nod frequently and say "really?" every now and then.

--

To get someone to stop talking,
just keep looking at your watch
(or I guess in this day and age, your cellphone).

===

Newest addition.

Despite everything, she's still family.

Welcome to the world. Welcome to the family.

Date of Birth: April 1, 2009 at 9:51PM

Weight: 7 lbs. 4 oz. Height: 19 1/4 inches

Name: Unknown (still TBD)

Baby with Kayla, the bigger sister.

Baby with Jaime, the big sister.

Baby with Jason, the big brother.

Baby with siblings, mother and grandmother.

there's going to be major changes for lots of people this year.
so sit back and hold tight. it's going to go by quick.

Sexiness.

G37 Convertible.

(shown with hard-top)

It doesn't get any sexier.

Coming to your roads mid-2009.