Delightfully Diva-ish

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

2012-01-27T21:07:00.000+13:00

** firstly, thanks people for your prayers. The last post was really clearing my head a bit.**

So yes.

We are back in China after two very short whirlwind weeks at home.

We had 3 nights in Sydney catching up with my family there.

My grandmother FULLY told me off for not being an ironing wife.

Three times.

THREE TIMES she sat me down to explain her concern and the seriousness of the situation.

In the end, she ironed MJ's shirt.

On Christmas day, my suck up sister rang her from NZ and ended her "Merry Christmas" phone call with:

Yes, of course I always iron Phil's shirts...

Further cementing my roll as a disappointment to women-kind.

We loved being home. TRULY, HONESTLY we did.

We are blessed with so many wonderful people in our lives.

But...

we were ready to come back to China.

In NZ we were living out of suitcases and it was a full and busy time catching up.

I think if we had gone to our actual house... it would have been quite different.

But...

because we felt nomadic in a sense, we jumped back on the plane quite happy to return to our life here.

To further emphasize this point, our Mr T, who had been struggling most with living in China (at least once a week he would come downstairs and ask us if this was the day we were going back to NZ) ... Mr T on the day before we flew back to China, told us that he wanted to go home. To China.

btw, his American accent is shaping up quickly. Eeek.

Yes.

We came back happy.

We needed those two weeks to refuel, refresh and reconnect.

And since Kezi passed away, we have also done a bit of:

reflecting and regrouping.

Those things that were on our

We have to go home because....... list

well, they kind of lost significance.

So we are staying here until June.

Mid-late June.

Another 6 months here.

not 3months.

And we are excited about it.

We have some plans in motion which are exciting.

We are pushing forward in our language study and taking it more out into the streets (where they speak with a completely different dialect that is impossible to understand...)

I am learning to cook Sichuan Cai (local food)

We are embracing further this amazing time and opportunity that God has blessed us with.

And we are MARVELLING at just how He is put it all in place.

We have come back here at the most fascinating time.

It's Chinese New Year and Spring Festival which also rolls into Lantern Festival.
It's the biggest time of the year for the people here. Millions travelling to their homes.

I have not experienced anything like it.

I did not believe China could shut down.... but aside from the supermarket and other food outlets... this place is closed. Like a ghost town. The busy, buzzing streets are quiet..... aside from the fireworks that go off at random times all day.... apparently for a good two weeks.

a rooster on the subway..... only in China.

We spent NY with friends.

It is the year of the dragon.

Apparently, this is the bomb diggity bomb.

I am a dragon.

So I am the bomb diggity bomb.

I need to, according to our tutor, wear red underwear all year.

the kids get into lighting the lanterns

MJ is a tiger.

We apparently are a very good combination.

fiesty combo. snort.

I have to laugh.

~~(hahahahahahaha)~~

But I shouldn't.... because it actually means SO MUCH to so many here.

And that to me it means... well, yeah. ~~read between lines here~~

Anyways,

Chinese New Year was

AWESOME

Friggin'-crazy-insane-totally-mental-i-can't-believe-this-is-legal

AWESOME

this is my new FB profile pic - it is EXACTLY as it is!

Put it on your bucket list. PLEASE do.

explosives so powerful and so crazy heavy can be bought from one of these tents which are just everywhere.

I believe smoking is acceptable in this workplace ....

I was fireworked on.

Not so fun. But I laugh about it now.

Twice I thought I had lost hearing in my right ear.

Our friend's shoe caught on fire.

as the night progressed it just got busier, crazier and smokier!

There are NO regulations. None.

I think a world war has more rules.

Little kids lined up with their parents.... holding roman candles bigger than them.

MJ reverted to his teenage self - with the other ~~sensible~~ dad-folk.

They walked with new swag.

My kids cried... literally. Miss O screamed blue murder at her dad who was taking a photo of this man....

yes... smoking and playing with fireworks is completely recommended here.

as another box of explosives was being lit behind him.

the ground.... covered... and still more to come. By the next morning this square was completely washed down and clean... not one little piece of firework remnant left behind!

We stayed up until 2am and the explosives were still humming.... and they continue to do so now.

It's an exciting time - lots to see and do!

Hopefully the video works... gives you an idea of the continuous madness....

Seriously... how long does it take blogger to upload videos, right? Ended up uploading to photobucket.

beauty from ashes

2012-01-25T12:01:00.000+13:00

that's how it goes, right?

Four days after arriving back from NZ

one phone-call

my great-niece, aged 5 years old, had passed away.

We were heartbroken.

I cried in disbelief. My heart just ached, physically ached, for her parents.

Olivia cried for her cousin..... we cried together

not silent tears, but an outpouring of grief.... the magnitude of this for the family.... for her parents.

my last words to her were something-like:

bye Kezi, we'll see you in April. We can't wait to celebrate your 6th birthday.

to which her mother had said:

Yes. A prophetic statement.

and I said:

Yes.

Five years old.

These things happen to other people.

Not my family.

One week after her passing, a garden party, the one she was going to have for her sixth birthday, was held to say goodbye.

The distance from home was unbearable.

This was one time social media was NOT helpful, NOT able to close in the miles, NOT able to deliver what we needed to know..... at least not from those we so desperately wanted to hear from.

Family.

We wanted to be there. To stand and support.

To cry with her parents, their precious firstborn

To cry with my brother and his wife, his first grandchild....

To cry with my dad, his first great-grandchild....

I have struggled to see the beauty... the ashes linger and have been rained on and have plastered themselves to the ground.... they require scraping off.

She was two months older than my boy and their other cousin.

We laughed at how both Kezi and Theo had big blue eyes.... the blondest, almost white, bouncy ringlets as one year olds....

I look at him and shake my head in disbelief.

Five years old..... life just starting.

How, Lord, is it fair?

Theo has been very matter of fact about it. No tears. Sad, he says, but in his prayers he now says that he is

thankful that Kezi is in heaven with Jesus.

I have found myself filled with anger.

Reading and hearing simple, cliched comments about loving our kids more, holding them closer.....

I'm guilty of them too.....

is this what it takes to remind us that our children are gifted to us and that we have to cherish and love them with arms wide, without condition?

Are we so caught up in doing 'life' that we need this type of reminder to stop and

treasure all the things our children do and give us just by 'being' ...... a reminder to be pondering on them constantly....

I have been angry with myself. Annoyed. Caught in worrying about life's nonsense.

We have skyped a couple of times with her parents since.

Cried with them.

Listened to them.

My words were empty and felt hopeless.

Their words were full, and hopeful.

We talked about God's bigger purpose, His bigger plan..... how often we put up our hand and say

Here I am Lord, use me...

and then how quickly we condition it with

but not like this.

God is grieving with you.

He knows what this pain feels like.

I said.

So easy to say. I know it's truth. I just don't like that they have to feel that pain.

I don't like it.

We talked about the beauty....

She is pain-free now, released, not chained to sickness

Her story will continue, her light will shine.

They got an extra 12 months with her.... because of God, because of the hope, wisdom, strength and support that only He could offer them... when Doctors and science said no.

Others will hear.

Salvation is more important than health.

I was hard-hit by that last one.

Her father's words.

I am so in awe of how they have given it over to God.

They live with an eternal perspective.

This is what we have to hold onto.

How easily we (Christians) forget that life is just the doorway to eternity.

You can read about Kezi's story here.

Please pray for them.

the cake that got my knickers in a twist.

2012-01-20T04:17:00.001+13:00

Not quite the no.1 entry I was planning for 2012,

but what the hey?

I am serious. I have a few more entries stored in my head for moments like this when time-computers-and anti-blocking things all work together and allow me to come on here.....

but this cake,

this one is by Paisley Jade...... http://www.paisleyjade.com/2011/02/rainbow-cake.html

this cake....

(the one that started it all)

it could be the make or break of me in the blogging world.

I may not 'belong' here anymore.

How can you be a proper blogger when you

'fail' the all important

rainbow cake?

To be honest,

I blame China.
I could leave this post here.

I was a fool to promise Miss O that for her 8th birthday get-together

(just fyi, I'm thinking about dropping the word 'party' from birthdays now 'cause it just adds too much pressure...)

........that I would make her the infamous rainbow cake.

Bursting with bright rainbow colours, wrapped in a delicious white vanilla cream icing.... so delicious and fairy-light.... and just 'so'.

China (the part we live in) does not have rainbows.

Houston, problem no.1... too much..... lower-grey-cloud-stuff blocking the rainbows.

Actually, I believe the problem may have started before we even moved here...

when we insisted the landlord installed an oven in the kitchen.....

because there wasn't one.

Baking is not big here.

Unless you like a sweet bun with an egg in the middle.... or sausage.... but yeah, your standard baking ingredients are for hunters and gatherers (like myself) to find.

I have most things.

But no food colourings. No icing gels.

(Rainbow cakes need colour aye?)

So I bought jelly.

Cause I had this plan to make food colouring from it.

Bit of a dumb-arse plan in hindsight.

I also bought 4 tubes of really expensive-cause-it's-imported icing writer tubes.....

which I squeezed empty into the divided bowls of cake batter.

We got colours.

Weak, murky, pastel-ly colours.

One layer tastes suspiciously like blackcurrant jelly, but is pink-ish.

It's a weak hazy rainbow.

China also doesn't have any baking paper.

You know, the stuff that stops cake mixture from sticking to the pan.. so I tried greasing the pan well.

The first layer came out.....well, I pressed the pieces back together.

first layer. success? i did manage to press it together.

it's a rainbow puzzle cake....

I also only have one round cake pan.... slightly too big.... so it took FOREVER to bake the damn murky, pastel-weak-jelly tasting -crumbling rainbow cake.

Do you know how many muffin cases it takes to layer one cake pan?

i ran out of muffin cases and moved onto ..... paper plates.... (hangs head in shame)

Anyways.

I made the vanilla butter icing.... smothered each layer..... took 2 blocks of butter which are worth their weight in gold here... cause it's NZ butter, literally wrapped in gold... and I burnt some of it in the microwave 'cause I left some gold wrapper on it.

So what we have for tomorrow's get-together is

the world's ugliest rainbow cake ever.

Seriously tragic. It has deep valleys and holes in the sides which give the Grand Canyon a run for it's money.

this is the good side.

I also put the icing on the top when the top layer was still slightly warm....

amateur-hour baking here.... and then I sprinkled colourful stars on it (also not known in the China-night sky)... before I'd finished applying the icing...

I then managed to put a big blob of crumby icing on the top.

blob.

This is a humbling day for me.

happy birthday Miss O??

..... Please don't give up on me.

P.S. I have been on blogging sabbatical. It's been a while and A LOT has happened.... A LOT I would like to write about.... but we are not set up well here with laptops etc... it will hopefully get sorted.
MJ has an entire week off which means this coming week I should have some laptop time.... it's Chinese New Year this week which is bigger than anything ones imagination could come up with. I had no idea.
I haven't forgotten my give-away either which I will sort out too.
Stuff has happened which has shocked and rocked my world a bit.
But God is bigger.
And I have to keep telling myself this.
XX

Delighting In......

2011-12-12T02:01:00.002+13:00

So much.

Though this has been a turbulent week in terms of emotions...

I have much more to be thankful for than to not be thankful for.

So much more.

Delighting In......

....... This Season.

How awesome is Christmas?

How blessed are we that He loves us so much He sent Jesus?

........ My Two and how their creative juices have flowed into this past week.

Slightly miffed at our lack of Christmas decorations (come on! Who doesn't love a felt Christmas tree which spends most of it's life collapsed and flat on the coffee table!?) our kids decided to make their own Nativity Scene. And some plastic cup figurines. I feel quite sad at my lack lustre supply of craft material for them to choose from - however, this has to be a new for plastic cups and IKEA napkins.

I am quite in awe of their Lego Nativity Scene.

Master T: Jesus is SUCH a good name for a baby! I wonder how God came up with it!?

Three Wise Men.... working the Muscle Tee there man!

Mary... straight back into those jeans...

Joseph... a little overwhelmed by it all.

A new take on the gifts... a broom will be mighty handy.

These guys didn't quite make the cut.

........ A Wedding Anniversary.

14 years.

Wow.

........ This Book:

It's life empowering. In fact. I wanna give one away.

Make mention in a comment if you would like to have your own copy.

So much of what is in this book is me. Seriously. I nodded and agreed and ROARED and PROWLED.... this is gold.

........... This Album:

Love a bit of TobyMac spin on a Christmas Carol.

This one, is particularly "Boom chuck da boom boom da chuck"

..........#Hashtags.

#lovethem.

#eventhoughimnotontwitter

#eventhoughtheyarereallytryhardedwhenyourenotontwitter

#ilikemakingthemup.

........These Chocolate Eclairs.

Taking home these... (I may not share, to be honest)

and all of these:

.........Home this week.

Whoop.

Four suitcases. One full of clothes. Three full of gifts.

C.A.N.N.O.T.W.A.I.T

Sydney on Friday..... going shopping for jeans.

Jeans for island thighs.

Island thighs = 3 Asian thighs.

Turkey drumstick = 3 pigeon drumsticks.

It's pretty sad when your only good pair of jeans is a pair of skinny jeans.... and you're not a skinny jean suitable model.

Oh and shoes.

Shoes for tall girls.

One tall girl shoe = giant Asian man shoe.

I'm not joking.

Home

2011-12-05T03:09:00.000+13:00

where is that exactly?

Oh my.

As we spend more time here

we get more connected.

This week I put two photos into frames and put them on display.

When Miss O walked down the stairs in the morning and saw them she exclaimed

"oh wow! It's like home here now".

youchies!
For all this time we have been living in someone else's space.

Their furniture. Hideous pictures of flamingos hanging on the wall. Dried flower arrangements in every corner. An imposing fish tank big enough to house a small crocodile.

Or turtles for dinner.

I didn't even bother moving anything around.

I just left it all in the same place, we just moved ourselves, some clothes and books in.

We bought the bare necessities - bedding, one set of knives and forks, one dinner set...

that's it.

We haven't entertained.

Then we invited some friends around for a Saturday night, casual get together.

Two couples whom we've connected with through the international fellowship.

6 adults, 10 children altogether.

I busted a move to IKEA to get a few more serving plates....

we bought some disposable plates, cups and utensils..

we ordered in pizza, I made salad, some garlic bread... I even made a self-saucing pudding...

we opened a bottle of yummy NZ Pinot Gris... beer for the men who wanted...

and had an awesome night.

The best.

We put on Toby Mac's new Christmas in Diverse City Albums...

We found our Toby Mac soul mates.

All six of us.... we're all down with the DC Talk.... word for word.

(I tell ya, MJ and I have felt quite alone in our Toby Mac groupie status)

It was a night of laughs, hilarity, accent mocking,

a night of cementing friendships.

My kind of night.

Usually the kind of time we have spent sitting under the grapevine at Simoney's and Mr Gs with our mates. Or with our oldest, dearest friends who reside in G-field.

Plans were made for another night - soon.

I did not think there was anyone else in this world who would know the movie Dumb and Dumber better than MJ and Big D.

We were still buzzing about it this morning, in-house jokes now part of our friendship......

I went to bed confused last night.

We're planted here.

We're planted in NZ.

Sigh. Why isn't the world closer?

All part of His plan.

Connection, relationship, people, love, life....

I am SO blessed.

All of it in abundance. And as long as we have that, everything else is over and above.

I am so looking forward to our time in NZ this Christmas and New Year.... and I am eagerly anticipating our return here for the following few months.

Home is where He is. He is the supplier of our needs. He fills gaps with more than we can ever anticipate or do on our own.

Where-ever we go.... He is already there.

(and He too is down with the DC Talk.)

I know, I know.... photos soon. If I can get words on the screen, I'm doing well!

Words for Wednesday

2011-11-30T02:53:00.000+13:00

If ever there comes a time

when the women of the world come together

purely and simply for the benefit of mankind,

it will be a force such as the world has never known.

Matthew Arnold

Nineteenth-Century Bristish Poet and Philosopher.

Wow.
I'm reading something really good at the moment.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-29T03:35:00.001+13:00

Hello!

Ok, so this is not a Thanksgiving photo... but taken at the Christmas Bazaar fundraiser (run by expats)... I actually thought this may have been the actual Mrs Clause.

It's been a while.

I'm here.

I ate pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin torte.

Pumpkin cheesecake.

...and some Tiramisu. Just because.

All within 30mins.

It was good.

Very good.

Too good.

this dance... had some good moves... but the music they chose to dance to was not appropriate for a family event..... lost in translation, one thinks.

How do you Americans/Canadians seriously do Thanksgiving AND Christmas a month apart without exploding?

I'm thinking elasticated jeans.

Anyway.

Just popping by.

And if you can.... if you were someone who I had promised a trinket to.... can you please let me know if you have it yet?

I can't remember whom I have already sent them to.

I want to send the rest from home...

in THREE weeks.

Doing some very serious Christmas shopping here.... very serious.

I booked a hairdressing appointment back in April.... for the 22nd of December... at my usual hair whisperer's...

I'm not sure I can wait for it.

But I'm just not sure I can express my wants clearly....

But I'm desperate.

Last time MJ went he showed them he wanted an inch off, showing an inch gap between his fingers.

They cut it so that it was an inch long.

So.... I need 2 inches off..... but I don't want to end up with it 2 inches long.....

3 weeks Gail, 3 weeks.

But it's just so scraggly!

Ok. Who still needs their trinket?

Another Change of Plans....

2011-11-18T02:26:00.000+13:00

Yeah, so I was excited about going home.

Ready. Or not.

Ready.

But not.

Before I wrote not my last post, but the one before that...

I was not feeling entirely..

finished here.

I had began counting down weeks... and they were counting down very, very quickly.

But I had that unsettled excited to go home, but not ready to go home, feeling.

The day after I wrote that, things changed.

Turns out MJ was also ready but not ready.

And then he was asked to stay on.

And we weighed it up.... and we are staying on.

WITH A SHORT STINT AT HOME FOR CHRISTMAS.

(I'm slightly waaaayyyy -excited about that.)

We are only staying on until April.

That is not long.

Or is it?

I was having a bit of an internal meltdown about it today...

in particular about the kids...

who were fine with staying on (so, so, so surprisingly)

but

about them missing more school, not starting with everyone..... will they be ok....

blah, blah, blah

Will we - THEY - settle back at home ok?.

The thing is,

staying on was not an instant yes or no.

Took some prayer.

We both felt peace about it.

The kids felt peace about it.

We took it to the right place and got peace about it.

but.

Enemy no.1 does not want me, control-freak-walk-in-straight-lines-and-don't-deviate, me

(yes, I know, so surprised aye??)

to have that peace.

So I have that internal meltdown.

All the while I have a song swirling around in my head:

forever He is faithful, forever He is strong...etc,etc.... His love endures forever

I sit down for breakfast, while the kids are having their Chinese lesson.

It's my long breakfast of the week.

I open up my Good Book.

I turn to today's reading..... or the day I think is today, which actually is tomorrow..... and I think:

Please show me something today to help me calm down.

(it's all about me. Truth is, it's often all about me.... Help me, give me, show me.... sigh)

The passage is about the valley of dry bones.

I read it.... and then hit this verse:

"I will put my Spirit in you and you will live,

and I will settle you in your own land."

Ezekial 37 vs 14(a)

I read it several times, rubbed my eyes, double checked....

He is so Good, right?

Then my reading finished on this:

For great is his love toward us,

and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Psalm 117 vs 2

Yep.

WTF (Fudge!) Wednesday...

2011-11-16T02:50:00.000+13:00

yeah, was going to go wordless.

But WTF Wednesday has a nice ring to it, don't ya think?

Would make a great button.

So I've had an issue with finding blueberries here.

Yes, blueberries.

I like buying blueberries. Muffins, pancakes.... just to nibble on.

I can get them in a tin here.

very expensy.

I can get them frozen here.

even more expensy.

Really. The only expensy thing here.

Then, lo and behold, I find these, this week:

Yay.

Cheap-as too.

Whoop.

I buy two packets.

Eager to examine how my blueberries are packaged I rip them open at home.

I find individually wrapped blueberries.

That's cool, I think.

So I open one, and am immediately impressed by the size of the blueberry, slightly bigger than normal... and pop it into my mouth.

I bite down and hit a stone.

WTFudge!

and then I spend about 10 minutes trying to work out if I had just forgotten and that blueberries did have stones.

(sometimes I surprise myself even).

and then another 10 minutes thinking about how I would need to open each individual packet and de-stone each individual blueberry.....

(I know, so surprised!)

After telling myself how stupid I am... blueberries are berries.. no stones....

I have a look at the packet to just double check and to find out where these stony blueberries come from.

It says clearly on the back:

Product: Fresh Blueberries.

sweet, I think, it's a special 'type' of blueberry. And they're fresh too.

Then I read:

Ingredients: Fresh plum, Salt, White granulated sugar, Food additives: Brilliant Blue, Sunset yellow, Amaranthus red, Sodium cyclamate, Saccharin sodium, Radix glycyrrhiza, Citric acid, Sodium benzoate, Blueberry flavor, Edible essence.

And I'm back to square one.

I can't find cheap-ish blueberries here.

#iamthankful

2011-11-14T02:08:00.000+13:00

am really loving the month of November and the #iamthankful posts that friends from home are putting up daily on FB - something I gather our home church is encouraging... and something I've jumped on the bandwagon with too...... such a simple thing to do really...

Timely as we get to join in with our first "real" thanksgiving dinner with our expat American friends here in a couple of weeks time (looking forward to seeing what all the fuss about pumpkin pie is about.. just seems so odd to me..).... and also at this time of year I find I move easily into 'reflection mode' ~ looking back on the year and just seeing.

Seeing..... the who, the where, the what, the why, the how

and bringing it all back to the one who gives us life in abundance.

It's been an incredibly blessed year - through the good and the bad!

This morning, at our little International Fellowship, we looked at Psalm 100.... A Psalm of Thanksgiving....which calls us to be thankful, be joyful, shout joyfully, serve gladly, sing joyfully (not just on Sundays, but everyday)... and why?

Because. Because we know God is God.

Because of WHO He is. Because of WHAT He did.

Because of HOW and WHEN He did it. Because of WHY He did it.

Because of His love for us.

Because of His commitment to love us.

Because He created us.

Because He saved us.

Because of What He does for us.

Because of What He has planned for us.

Done, Doing, Will yet Do.

And because of all that.... I am thankful... I have been, am, and will continue to be...

thankful.

For the small and the big.

And I will boast this..... I will WILLFULLY bless His name.

Because He is SO Good.

There is something about meeting together in His house.

I am so thankful that we have one here - His house and the freedom to meet together should never be taken

for-granted.

So many here want that, but can't have it.

(and in a side note, if you are someone looking for the 'perfect House', it's not going to happen!)

I am always challenged there.....

Todays challenge obviously.....

to choose a lifestyle overflowing with thanksgiving.

challenge accepted.

Living the Dream.... just didn't realise it was mine!

2011-11-08T03:30:00.000+13:00

Due to my absence this post is bound to be a bit.... like I haven't posted in a while.

I hadn't intended to stay on the 'no-blog train' this long, but a combination of ~~being blocked~~ internet issues and just busy-ness...

busy alright.

well, I just haven't had the time or access when I had time.

It struck me the other day how odd it is to feel so torn about our eventual return home.

I so, SO want to go back.

So ready for home....

but so surprisingly torn about it.

I will miss here.

I am Natalie Imbruglia torn.

But not lying naked on the floor about it all.

I did not know....Could not fathom....Wasn't able to see.....

was not prepared for part of my heart to settle here.

When MJ came home with the proposal of moving here...I cried.

We went through the ins and outs, pros and cons.... saw this as an opportunity to move forward more quickly, after what seemed like such a long period of inching ahead s.l.o.w.l.y....for us

(financially speaking)....

so we would come, we would live, we knew He would go ahead of us... make it all nice and comfortable for us (haha), we took it to Him, we gave Him our thoughts on this move (it will be a good chance to see something new... etc, etc... but we will look forward to going home every-single-day-that-we-are-there)... we carried verses and words with us...

No eye can see, No ear has heard, No mind can know...

what He has in store..

a quiet ride on the metro

However.

I am still struck by

how much of my heart hurts to think that it will come to an end.

It's because of what He had in store for us....

We have friends here.

The kids have friends here.

We have a church home here.

We have 'our' coffee place here.

We have made 'here', a home.

We are learning the language, loving the environment, taking in the culture

(not necessarily practising it... spitting-much?)

I have been challenged here.... so much so...

I didn't plan on that happening.

It was meant to just be a temporary... extended stop over.

yummy smoked kumara

We got connected.

As is HIS plan - ALWAYS.

Doh.

How blind am I?

um Batman? I think your pants are too short.

Talking it over with one of my friends here though... we know that there is purpose in it all.

The connections, the sequence of events here, the things we've seen that have so deeply impacted....

Eh.

Sucks the big time.

I keep saying that everyone needs to move to NZ...

but then there are the 14million people in this city....... who don't have easy access to Him.... and that breaks my heart too.......

Ahh. They all need to move to NZ too.

I did not know that I wanted this time here so much.

Stacked and Shredding

2011-10-30T23:01:00.002+13:00

So, in preparing to come home to our life where money doesn't stretch quite as far as it does here..

I've taken up cooking again.

Well, actually, I didn't give it up.

I just have been able to enjoy a few more rest days than I would normally have at home.

Like 3 or 4 rest days a week.

It's quite tricky to do when your kitchen is not equipped.

And the pantry is lacking a few of what I would normally call 'essential pantry items'.

None-the-less,

we are eating food.

Food I am making.

Yesterday morning

in an attempt to avoid going out for breakfast...

(at $5 a head, why would we not eat out?)

I decided to make pancakes.

But, I did not want pancakes as I would normally make them.

I wanted to make pancakes as we have become used to having them here.

Which brings me to a whole new thing....

what really is a pancake?

It's all so confusing.

I would normally make them so they would roll-up.

Is that not a 'normal' pancake?

I don't know.

Pancakes here come stacked up, not rolled up.

So I wanted to stack them.

But did not want to make giant pikelets.... which I initially did think was what was really being served.

No, I wanted pancakes, stacked up.

So... I did what all good bloggers do.

I googled and found a recipe on a blog.

And it was good.

My children were praising my amazing new-found ability to make pancakes in obviously the most correct way there is.... this is part of my immersion into ex-pat life here.

They believe that China has taught me an essential life skill:

how to stack pancakes.

They were over the moon with delight; and over the top with praise.

Seriously, I was on the verge of telling them:

enough already.

Anyways, here is a recipe for those of you who would also like to go this way with the pancake making...

Pancakes for Stacking

I'm so lazy I can't even be bothered cutting and pasting it on my blog.
I did not add the vanilla essence as the recipe does... I'd run out.

And onto the Shredding side of life:

This is two-fold.

I have some pants, that as a result of JM and shredding her way.... I will need to have taken in.

Pleased. Yes I am.

Also, today I got a paper shredder.

I am now very busy with that.

It is a completely non-essential tool..... but one that will take over my world if I am not careful.

And that, my dear Widge, is a whole heap of crap.... in one blogpost.

Take a sip of coffee now.

Truth: Created

2011-10-29T21:57:00.000+13:00

(from Psalm 139)

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, God!

How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand—

when I awake, I am still with you.

This One Time.... In China Town....

2011-10-24T17:29:00.000+13:00

Silent Saturday......

2011-10-22T13:14:00.000+13:00

(nothing like a bit of animal print on a fake-great wall. So much more to come!)

On the No-Blog Train......

2011-10-13T16:25:00.000+13:00

almost 2 weeks since my last post.

That has to be a record for me.

Maybe I am unknowingly on an unplanned sabbatical.
The mo-jo just ain't here..... and I'm not sure if there is a pill available to keep it going viagra-like.

So will wait for time to do it's thing.

Good cake stop.

There's been a National week off, and we spent a fair bit of it wandering around the city... and stopping for coffee and other good things. National week cost me Droptober.
No worries, I sorted it. See how everyone BUT me has a cake plate!?
Good girl Gail.

I thought though, I'd sneak a stop in here before tonight.

Tonight my sister arrives for 10 days.

Therefore I am expecting that I won't be here for those 10 days at least.

There is shopping to be done.

And pandas to revisit.

And other Chinese-y things to do.

This is my favourite lunch @the Bookworm.... Chicken noodle salad.
Lunch and books.... does it get much better than this?

Oh yes, it does.

I finished reading a book last night.

The ending peeved me off.

(see top book in photos)

Onto the next one.

Blurry shot, but my I couldn't get close enough or be still enough without being invasive.
Under the motorway/highway here there are teahouses.
I love this use of space.
People sit, talk, play Ma Jiang, cards.... and drink tea.
And smoke.

Anyways,

I am reading (your blogs - loving your posts btw).

this is also under the highway.

I am not often commenting.

the streets here are always busy and full of life.

I am sorry. I am not being rude.
(If I was being rude, it would be in the form of a rude and arrogant comment on your blog :) Don't think I've been there...... yet. Maybe that will truly be the demise of my blogging career... when I start being one of those comment leavers and y'all start blocking me...)

I will be back... just gonna hang out here on the no-blog train a little bit longer.

It's quite a comfy ride.

See you in 10 or so days.

I think.

What's a post from me from here without a bike picture aye?

GO THE ALL BLACKS!!!!!!!

Yadda Yadda Blah Blah

2011-09-30T23:01:00.001+13:00

yeah, that's kind of how I'm feeling about blogging at the mo.

No mo-jo.

I go through this periodically.... but find myself hanging around here longer than usual.

I make my way to post.... then give up.

I will try today.

............

Oh, stop it!

......................

I've just demolished a whole packet (as in single size packet) of chocolate eclairs.

nom, nom, nom

tomorrow is October 1

I'm planning on doing

"Droptober"

as in, intentionally attempting to drop a couple of kgs.

I'm pretty sure I can do that and still have my chocolate eclairs....

..............

and any treats my sister brings over from NZ in two weeks time.

.................

one of these things just cracked me up

............

tomorrow is also National Day here.

and everyone gets the week off.

Well, have to - using their annual leave for some of it.

I'm stoked.

....................

These guys will probably not have the week off though.

.............

am reading

'The Help'

and loving it.

...............

yeah, this was a pretty cool experience for the kids.

..............

is there anything cooler than a fight on the rugby field?

with grown men like.
(fist-i-cuffs)

(not that I give it the thumbs up, or anything....... but really...)

...................

I love this whistling, toy-carrying boy.
Pure and simple sweetness.

..............

home in 15-odd weeks. That will go quickly.

..............

I love this girl's ability to sniff out or hunt down beauty in it's simplest forms.
She is one of the most courageous, beautiful hearts alive..... I fail her by not telling her this more often.

.............

am being challenged constantly about

follow-through.

Hearing, believing and then living it.

Reading, accepting and then doing it.

................

the skies don't do rainbows here.....
but there's enough colour around to remind me of them...
and of Him and His promises.
Hold tightly.

........................

note about the trinkets:

Most of them are in NZ at the moment

in envelopes

waiting for you-know-who to return home from her lavish trip to the UK.

others

are yet to be bought

and will be sent home in 3 weeks.

.............

this is an all day, everyday occupation

for some reason,

I find myself becoming more and more frustrated

with people I know

who just don't realise how good they have 'it'.
Most of us have 'it' pretty good.

...................

have the bestest weekend peeps!

Change of Plans.......

2011-09-24T01:08:00.000+12:00

we were going to be home for Christmas...

and at Simoney's for New Years...

but now we're not.

We're staying a month longer.

And that is ok.

I am happy-sad.

Happy for a new experience

(a winter wonderland - fingers crossed - it could happen!)

Sad to not be heading to my sisters for breakfast that morning, my brothers for lunch and then the almost-last-minute-destination-often-ours-cause-no-one-said-they-wanted-to place

for the other side.

(sad to not hear my dad tell the same story for the umpteenth time at the Christmas lunch even though we're all telling him we've heard it a million times before..... he'll soldier on until his story has been told. again.all Smiths will roll their eyes. Me twice.).

Someone will have to video tape.

Happy because it means MJ won't need to love and leave us there to fly back here for important work stuff.

Christmas is not a public holiday here: sad

Staying together : happy.

Happy to be sharing Christmas with some friends here too.

It will be an international spread I'm sure....

(that's right, I did).
I plan on perfecting 'The Pav'..

because it's unheard of....

though it will mean I'll need to fork out for an electric beater.

And as my friend said, I will have a lot of lights to choose from here...

so plan A: light up the outside of the house so that the family can see us from downunder.

So.

I roll with change.
Summer will be different.

Freezing cold and then in mid-Jan..... I will put on a new special pair of sunnies because the blue skies of NZ are bound to blind me.

It's been a while since we've seen a brilliant blue.

(still trying to figure this one out...)

At the End of the Metro Line...... (WW)

2011-09-21T16:00:00.001+12:00

Speaking to Envy

2011-09-18T00:39:00.001+12:00

A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot

Proverbs 14:30

it's not pretty, is it?

Envy.

Even the word "envy" itself is ugly.

But as a word in action

ugly-as.

Envy shoots at others and wounds itself

(English proverb)

Envy eats nothing but its own heart
(German proverb)

Ugh. So ugly.
Envy and I have been friends.
I'm quite pleased to say that the relationship is over.
However, every now and then she will pop her head in and give her two cents worth... but I've learnt,
the hard way,
to tell her where to go, as soon as she opens her mouth.
She is not a friend to want to hang out with.
She does not add any value to my life.
She makes me unhappy.
She eats into how I feel about others.
She is a nasty ol' b(curse)

Yet, she is always around - and always trying to pull me into her evil little web of lies:

their life is better than yours
they have better things than you
their grass is greener
their trees are taller
their dog looks better
their car is much cooler
why don't you have that?
why don't you have enough money for that?
why?why?why?
they have, they have, they have
you don't, you don't, you don't

Nasty stuff that.
Turns one bitter, mean and plain old not nice.
And it is a great relationship/connection buster.

The fact is,
if you let her convince you to look at where she is pointing,
then your eyes shift from where they should be looking -
at what you already have, and just how much of a blessing that is:
as is.

(related side note here, really loved Sophie's post on Using What's in Your Hand)

It bugs me that I can so easily fall into the trap envy sets out for me.
I guess that's better than not noticing I've fallen into a trap.
The challenge I see, for me, is to try to live with a tranquil heart....to put my trust in God's will rather than my own
to embrace my life as is
to appreciate what I already have
to keep my eyes on Him
to have perspective - time, place, family, friends, we have all we need... easily... we are richly blessed
to read the word daily, feed my heart daily

Envy, take a hike, you are no longer an active participant in my life.

(note: I do like to use envy-related words in light banter, but there is no heart or full-on truth to them,

for example: I'm so jelly right now! - really, I'm quite excited for you!)

Delighting In....

2011-09-16T16:34:00.003+12:00

Today my FB status

(for those of you who are anti-the-FB)

reads:

entering a new day with thanksgiving!
"The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings"!
~Henry Ward Beecher

I love that with Him

mercies are new EVERYDAY.... we get to start over and over!

There is always much to delight in!

Delighting In....

connection.

Tuesday nights with my friend. Coffee at Qs and talking.

Good talking.

Wisdom from a-far.

............

my kids.

hard at times, challenging all the time...

but

children have a way of looking at the world which, for me, is both refreshing and frustrating!
always learning, always growing

and like us,

they are imperfect - but, if I remember this, we have an opportunity to help them be better than us!

Their laughter is always delightful!

............

these polar bears

they were cool-as

.............

nike free-running shoes

oh man

comfort-plus

it's like being barefoot but not - and that, my friends, is super important here!

..............

chai latte creamer mix

yeah, the whole creamer thing is new to me.

give.me.milk.

but quite big here I think with expats?

chai lattes are non-existent here

(I don't remember signing up for that)

so finding this is a bit of a step in the right direction.

...............

day 16: Level 3.

JM is a beast.

But I can handle that cause I feel the happy endorphins kick in after each work out.

Happy endorphins: very necessary.

Also, I have enough thigh muscle now to give the All Black props a run for their money.

..................

backing black,

and Manu Samoa.

Love feeling all patriotic.

"God Defend New Zealand".

Seriously, with a National Anthem that cries out like that,

we can't lose.

..................

happy couples.

Yes, the matching t-shirt thing is a sign of happiness.

We managed to fit right in with our matching AB t-shirts at the rugby.

All four of us.

(couple in top left photo: love their smiles.)

..................

autumn.

We have a high today of 30*.

(happy sigh).

................

a gift of time...
a cool-as new friend (from the land of ozzzz)
who came and hung out with my kids
let them play on her guitar and fed them lots of sweet things...
and let me go
by myself
out the door.

First time having some day-time to myself
.... since we arrived.

God is good with His plans.

Joining in with Paisley Jade's Loving Linky!

Sweet Surrender

2011-09-13T15:00:00.000+12:00

an oxymoron, right?

I am a back seat driver.

Hideous, I know.

Sometimes, sometimes, I may suggest to MJ that we need to change lanes...

because in my head, I have already mapped out that the exit we need to take is coming up in that lane...

even though we may be a good 5kms away.

Sometimes he humours me and does it, other times he simply let's me know he's registered my suggestion, but he's going to change when he's good and ready.

That's me.

Planned.

I like things mapped out in front of me.

The trouble is, you see, is that

I am a bit like that in my walk too.

I battle with surrender.

I find it easy to say

sure. yes. you're my leader.

and yes, I surrender,

but the actual act of being lead without mapping it all out myself...

well,

it's hard.

truth:

if we had not surrendered and said 'yes' to coming here

we would have missed out on SO MUCH

sweetness.

See, from my back seat, I will say change lanes... and take back that control.

And life will go on and it all happens with purpose and for purpose... and we get off at the same exit.

However, in staying in His lane..... the route to the exit is different.

And this route has been full of

sweetness.

It has also been a bumpy, curvy, winding, nauseous, freaky, nail-biting ride....

but the song that He's played in the stereo has been ROCKING

and the passengers we've picked up along the way have become FABULOUS FRIENDS

and the luggage we've collected, not baggage, well....LIFE IMPACTING.

And when I look back through the rear-view window as we take the off ramp,

I will be crying, changed and content.

Sweet Surrender.

Different Toilet-Training Styles (WW)

2011-09-07T15:48:00.000+12:00

just something else we've had to get used to.

Missing..... (Warning: Winge List)

2011-09-06T21:37:00.000+12:00

sand

traffic lights that mean something

the convenience of popping to the mall in my car

chai lattes

gingernuts (seriously, when are the p.c. police gonna jump on that one?)

my dog

drinking water straight from the tap

going to the movies

good chocolate

footpaths made only for walking

stars

hills

grass that you can sit on and walk on barefoot

the news on t.v.

salt and vinegar chips

fish and chips

my tupperware tin opener

flicking through the radio stations in my car

talk back radio

shoe shops for big feet

jean shops for wide hips and 'curvy' girls

my hair whisperer

tall people

people who sound the same as us

smiles which are given freely, not forced

toilet paper as a 'normal' supply for every cubical

light drizzle

rainbows

road rules

plum jam

and of course, all the important people in our lives at home..... but that's a constant.

Enough.
Back to the embrace.

Delighting In ......

2011-09-03T21:27:00.001+12:00

One of the most frustrating things when you are a blogger has to be the combination of not enough time and a dungy computer.

MJ is going to try and solve my issues today (computer issues, let me reiterate!)

I'm hopeful, but not really.... it would seem that me + computer = serious incompatibility.

Anyhoo.

We shall try.

I want to comment on your blogs, so hopefully today I will achieve the impossible:

lots of posts, lots of commenting, lots of uploading...

all while I have his computer.

If I don't break his computer.

and if I do

I will be in big trouble.

So,

Delighting In....

....... playing dress ups this was too funny and completely incidental. We were doing the touristy visit with MJ's parents to a temple and JinLi ancient walking street... and they had this dress up thing where you could get into traditional costumes. Miss O decided she wanted to. Then Master T did too. Then I thought, what the heck. And then MJ decided to as well. He wanted to be a warrior, but the people in charge said he had to match me. Haha.

........... chalk.

......... pandas.... and it was baby time too!! We saw teeny, tiny baby pandas in incubators... not allowed to take photographs or to stand still for too long in front of them. In fact they had security guards keeping the lines moving along. Actually, baby pandas are kind of ugly with no fur and all pinky..... sorry to the purists. Anyways, had a great time snapping these. The funny thing is there are flashing lights by the panda enclosures saying "Quiet please" but in this country... that's just not going to happen.

.......... friends... missing like crazy, my girls at home... but God is ever-faithful and has provided me with some good girls to hang with here. In fact, on the countdown now, I'm starting to feel that sinking feeling of having to leave behind these friends whom, I'm sure, He's brought me here to meet. One thing it has done though is spur in us the desire to save to visit our new friends hopefully in their hometowns one day!!

.......... good reading. LOVE.

(note: top book. ;)

............ people.

........... overcoming....

I have put myself out of my comfort zone a bit: scaling down the side of the cliff at Leshan had my palms sweating; going up in an extremely high cable car was not my idea of fun; and the nauseous swing of the plank bridge we went on had me spinning.... however, I've been holding onto the word "embrace" from the moment we said yes to coming ... and in all honesty, every queasy palm sweating moment has been worth it's weight in gold.

.......... getting my hair washed and dried.... at the hairdressers. Often. What a treat! As ridiculous as that may sound, this involves and A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. 20minute head and neck massage. All for around $10NZ. Miss O has taken quite a liking to it too..... and getting her nails done too!

......... another massage I had... by a blind dude. I have to laugh. It took me by surprise when he started punching my butt. Yes, the glutious maximus has been a bit bent out of shape thanks to the nasty J.Michaels.

........... Kung Fu Panda 2 land.... yes, we climbed a big part of the mountain that the setting and architecture of this film was based on. Master T was able to point out bits and pieces he recognized. I ABSOLUTELY adored this day.

We climbed, we went in a gorgeous boat across a peaceful lake and in a cable car up to great heights..... we saw.... we sat with our feet in a cold water stream.

This is the China I'm falling in love with.... and will miss.

you can pay around 500rmb for the privilege of being carried up the mountain. Miss O tried to get us to.... hahaha.

I want to link in with Kristy's Lovin' Linky.
But computer issues prevent me.
Boo.

I've Been Busy.....

2011-08-31T18:23:00.001+12:00

and I'm now in recovery.

We had MJs parents here for 10 days.

They left yesterday.

During that time we tiki-toured around a bit... heading both North and South away from the city.

Here are a few pics (quite a few) from our trip to Leshan.

Mandatory photo of welcome sign

Leshan is South of where we live.

Population of around 1 million.

It's home to the world's biggest sitting giant Buddha... carved into the side of a mountain at a point where three rivers meet.

Now, you would know that I am not of the Buddhist faith.

But lots and lots of people here are.

And lots and lots of the tourist sites involve temples etc....

And I find it fascinating.

FASCINATING.

(1041 coils of hair)

We had an amazing time.

This statue stand 71metres tall, is around 1200 years old, and took around 90 years to make.

There are also 3000 small buddhas carved into the mountain.

MJ and I decided to climbed down the side to the bottom and then climb back up the other side.

It took us around 2 hours to do that.... on a week day, that is very good timing.

During the weekend, it can be around a 5 hour round trip.

We LOVED it.

The experience of being cattled with hundreds and hundreds of Chinese people.... climbing down the ancient, steep steps..... I totally was freaking out at the drop!!

(just letting you know that I am very unhappy with the black edging on this collage. I am having computer issues, so it's a hassle to change it!)

At the bottom, MJ and I dad almost as many photo requests as the buddha - fierce competition. It was quite hilarious.

We climbed back up the otherside and met up with the kids and the in-laws and then headed to a boat which took us across the bottom of the buddha. The kids thought it was fantastic.

sorry to bore you with my travel-yarns...

I enjoyed it though!

Will resume normal blogging activity....

in a few days.

or so!

(how many men does it take to change a lightbulb?)

P.S. Loving my God who lives and is real and life-giving.

Just saying so.
No relation to what I've posted... what-so-ever. :)

Yeah, So.......

2011-08-22T02:07:00.002+12:00

~~what!?~~

you all met and had a fabulous time.

I'm so

~~jealous~~

pleased.

~~Definitely~~

not at all jealous.

see?? you can totally tell I'm not bothered at all by the fact that I missed out on some fabulous lunch with a bunch of fabulous girls.

I've totally got my own fabulousness going on....

how ridiculous is this?
for starters..... where is the matching handbag?

and play.

2011-08-18T16:32:00.000+12:00

yes, well, I think we all knew that 'silence' just isn't my thing..

nor really my way of dealing with stuff.

so I'm here.

Delighting.

.............

It was my birthday on Monday.

Happy 31st to me.

There was way too much food.

and lots of being spoilt.

..............

thank you IKEA for this.

I can't be bothered taking it out of it's packaging.

nor hanging it up.

I will wait to bring it home.

................

Thunderstorms.

Here they are AWESOME.

Loud, powerful claps of thunder and it's partner in crime lightening.
so close it can shake the house.

And sometimes rain with it.

Only sometimes.

I think the humidity beats the rain up.
But when it does rain.....it pours!
It's all or nothing.

On Monday I was in the pool and it came down.

Loved it.

.................

dancing in the rain.

.................

old worship lyrics that replay over and over in ones mind..... and just remind one that it's ok.

Oh Lord, you're beautiful

Your face is all I see

And when your eyes are

on this child

Your grace abounds

to me.
....................

being surrounded by beautiful family and friends..... all over the globe

who pray for us and lift us up

He has the WHOLE world in His hands.

a pastor who rings us up and prays over the speaker phone

a friend who offers wise counsel, love and help..... readily available...

a multitude of friends,

so blessed.

...................

a beautiful cousin

who, while waiting for her baby to wake up from open heart surgery (I know!)

still has time for me

AND

wait for it.

reads my blog in the hospital

AND

tells me I should write a book.

first.time.ever.to.hear.that.compliment.

(see how I selfishly turned that away from her amazing journey to be all about me. I'm gifted).

I have a spelling and a grammatical issue that could be more of a hindrance to that plan.

and I like the word AND

and I don't really dig capital letters

(only in the classroom people - rest assured any future parents of future students)

......................

hmmmm.

trinketty love.

hope you don't mind but I plan to send them later from nz because

it's just too hard.

in the meantime

postcards will come your way.

kind of like

a teaser.

....................

loving my kids.

the end.

...................

getting back on track with the exercise.

the whole 'incident' thing put me into exhausted rest mode... for 7 days

devastated about that really cause I got to day 26 and only had four more to go.

but on catch up now... then.... gulp...... LEVEL 3.

somewhere underneath my extra insulation I have the most a.m.a.z.i.n.g. abs ever.

this I know to be true.

you will need to take my word on that cause I won't be volunteering any viewings.

.................

we had an awesome day trip out to a big lotus pond...
loved being out of the city....

it's a different China.

..................

you can buy botox at the supermarket here.

any takers on that give-away?

..................

so delighting in my in-laws arriving on Saturday for a 10 day visit!
..................

Ok, and last but not least...
I will be delighting in your photos of the up and coming get together (sniff).
Have a few shots on me (ha, and yes, watch my follower number drop)
It's a lunchtime thing??
Better keep it to a noice glass of pinot then.
Have fun!!xx

and pause.

2011-08-12T13:42:00.000+12:00

I'm taking a wee break.

Not sure for how long, a day, week, month.......

We're going through something at the moment which has shaken us a bit.

Shaken me a lot.

Prayers would be appreciated.

God's protective hand has been clearly evident - He is so amazing, I'm so thankful for Him.

His timing is impeccable. IMPECCABLE.

At the same time, I am in "discussion" with Him.

Don't know if that makes sense.

anyways.

I will be quiet. I need to be quiet.

As for the Trinket love.

I changed my mind.

Nah, kidding.

I've decided.....

that everyone who left a comment will get a little something.

I figure I have 5, what's another 9 right?

Sooooo.....

(and no, too bad if you didn't leave a comment. you miss out.)

This is how this will work.

My dear friends Simoney, Sammy and Misty.

You can wait till my sister comes over and then I can send stuff home with her - that way I can guarantee it will get to you!!

actually, maybe most of you kiwis can wait till then too.
(seriously, the postal thing is major tricky for me!... though I will try MJ's intern... cause she is local and can speak the lingo ... I can ask the postal people "If they would like a glass of cold water". Useful)

My sister comes in October. I'm sure you won't mind waiting for the trinketties that long aye?

However.

Send me your postal addresses cause I will need them anyway.

geegeedomdivas@gmail.com

That's you:

Widge, Tea, Leonie (is there and aussie addy?) Jess, MakeitGive, Trees, Kristy, Cat, Rebecca, Meghan, and Justine.

OK,
I just don't have the energy.
Am praying that He will help us through this quickly and we can get back to it here with.... peace, sound minds, well being.

Love and Blessings y'all,

My Trinket Love..... and Sharing it.....

2011-08-08T15:26:00.002+12:00

quick, before I change my mind.

you may have noticed,

my love for trinkets and a bit of blingy-bling-bling that's not too blinging.

I went back to the cubby-shop alley I'd found.

And purchased a few more trinketty bits and pieces.

to g.i.v.e.a.w.a.y.

(that pains me.)

five things to give away to five separate people.

even though the dictionary meaning for trinket is:

small or worthless ornament or piece of jewellery

ok, so that may be true.

these are small.

they are China-cheap.

But I like them.

and if you like them

please leave a comment here before Friday 12th.

First one to leave a comment gets first pick!!
The remaining four will be in the draw for Friday.

If you don't have a bloggy account and want to enter you can email me:

geegeedomdivas@gmail.com

or if you are a facebook friend, message me there.

I am still working out how the postage system works here, so delivery will be:

when it happens.

Delighting In ......

2011-08-06T12:29:00.002+12:00

you know what????..... aside from the shedding of dead skin and excess baggage that someone (big G-man upstairs) seems to want me do here, I'm having an otherwise, jolly good time.

Except when I wallow in self pity because I'm missing out on EquipHer this coming weekend (like right now) .... but rumour has it, I will get a copy to listen to soon-ish.

So... there is plenty for me to delight in and beautify my bloggy page with.

Delighting in......

........ noodles.

From the noodle cart. These noodle carts are everywhere. AND cheap (4 yuan which is about NZ75cents). I decided that I could no longer ignore them, I just had to go for it. I had been trying to allow my stomach time to adapt to, let's just say, certain differences in food prep and delivery.... esp out on the street.... but... (borrowing a few words from Cypress Hill, my one-time favourite dope-smoking band) , Don't you know I'm ~~Loco~~ Local??? Noodles are on the menu this weekend. Nom, nom, nom. Spicy. Nom, nom, nom.

(Sorry about the whole EAT thing - like Julia Roberts in that movie Eat Pray Snore - the close ups of pasta being slurped up were a bit much for me. Yet here I am.)

........ tea houses...

these places are DA BOMB. I love them. So relaxing, mixing with the locals, delicious flower tea (Jasmine tea)... love the colours, love the atmosphere, and LOVE the massage.

20 minutes of undoing knots.

....... the man who sells handbags out of his car on our street on Friday nights. Love him. Love his bags. Hope he has a friend who has a car that is full of belts too. He can be my friend too.

Handbag count: Shameful.

....... homeschooling @ Q's. or the Bookworm. Basically, when I've had enough of my two and the house, I pack them up with some easy independent activities and we rock out the gate to Q's where they treat us like part-owners. (or the Bookworm once a week!)

Last week the girl who often serves us gave us the playlist from the cafe which I had fallen in love with to take home and copy. I went back to return it and gave her a copy of Brooke Fraser's CD. Next time.... guess what was playing? Ahh. Home. (and ahhhh connections;)

..... shoes that are my size. Whoop.

...... daily physical torture. Yep, am on Day 23 of level 2 of the 30 day shred, and feeling strong. The scales are not shifting but things are getting looser in all the right places. I did 30 days on level 1, had 2 days off, and then moved to level 2. In the words of Jillian Michaels "You might be thinking, that I'm crazy...." ... you'd be right. I do think she is crazy and every morning I nod my head in agreement with her.... but I also think I am crazy too. However.... at the moment, I need to exercise.... it does happy things to my head. I am thinking about a two day break and then level 3..... but no commitment to it yet.

........ weekends full of family time ..there is notably a big difference between the week and the weekend for me: MJ. He lightens the load, and the load here is weighted so differently to home.

.......... these coffee servings I found at Q's. Just enough to keep me going to my next visit. And my new mugs from Starbucks. The only place that I've found so far that sells coffee cups that are weighted enough for my liking. They are not quite big enough, but feel good. Yes, I'm that fussy.

........ faces... life lines..

........ this SWEET little man..... I watched his father creating this out of a lotus leaf and managed to get it on the camera from our little dragon boat!

....... books ... ahhhh. I have been reading. READING. Reading. More on that later.... particularly the book that has been "not recommended to read" here in this nation :). Mind blowing.

This list could go on.

I might have to come back next week with another.

'Tis good for the soul to think of life's simple joys, treats and goodies - especially when some are wrapped in odd packaging!
Joining in here:

silence is deafening....

2011-08-04T18:25:00.002+12:00

I'm put in this wide open space.

(china)

Not much going on.

(a bit of noodle eating, toilet running and scooter dodging)

It has been great.

Breathing space.

A break away from the traffic congested chaos that my life at home had become.

I had allowed it to become.

I've needed this space.

and now that the detox and let go of what was, has happened...

there has been silence.

Left alone with my head..... and my heart.

And in that silence

all hell has broken loose.

stuff I have to tried to ignore, old hurts, pains....

those things that can only remain covered and supressed for so long .....

(easy to do when you can distract yourself with life and all it's busyness....

when you have no time to stop and think about them)

well,

they have been given their turn to voice themselves.

Like some nasty drunk clown at the stand-up comedy festival.

Arrghh.

I've shared that some old insecurities have been surfacing.

......these are other things..... deeper scars and layers of little things I've noted and collected in one nasty "to-sort-later" pile. Covered them up with some fluff.

Lies and things unspoken which I've unwillingly accepted then tried to ignore are now loud and clear.

(Some prayer would be fabulous please).

The past couple of days have been hard.

It has so helped counteracting it with truth from the word.

with songs of praise and worship.

with thanksgiving.

shaking off the stench with honest words..... claiming what is rightfully mine.

Forgiving.

I'm not an easy forgiver. Wish I was. But I'm not.

Like I find it hard to surrender.... there usually is something to hold onto...

And my lesson today has been that in order to move forward.. I need to let go.

God is so knowing isn't He?

I think how easy life would be if only I just found myself in Him all the time without distraction.

Then perhaps the silence would just be what it could be: Golden.

From the Message:

Romans 8:12-14

So don't you see that we don't owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There's nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God's Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!

(I love the message for it's ease in reading.)

When I read this my eyes were drawn to the "decent burial" part.
I've always understood and known and felt the I'm a new creation part of my life with God.

I am so thankful for His love, grace and mercy.

What I've realized is that in order to give something a decent burial, it needs to be intentional, methodical, and final.

When someone dies there is no quick dig of a hole, toss the body in and throw a few handfuls of dirt to cover it..... dig it up a few years later and then try again.

No.

Same with this stuff.

It's dead. But instead of giving it a decent burial, I've been holding onto it - one hand in the grave, so to speak. Eek. Pulling it out every now and then to look at and regurgitate the past, and then throwing more dirt on it.

So I'm letting go.

And moving forward.

No one needs dead stuff around them. And I certainly don't.

Moving forward.... where the silence is golden.

I LOVE this song and this arrangement is beautiful.

I know loads of you can't be stuffed listening to music - but I pray you take time to listen (even the first 5 mins!!) and with me declare that the only way is forward in Him.

WW - varying levels of balloon enthusiasm.

2011-08-03T16:14:00.002+12:00

P.S. Computer is being a douche-bag at the moment. Am having blogger issues - thinking it's the VPN. I try and comment when it lets me! Sorry peeps.

Funny Guy.....

2011-08-01T15:25:00.000+12:00

I asked MJ

if he got a photo of the balloons

(For my post that was going to be about how kids must have balloons and then give them to you to carry for next four hours)

"Oh, THOSE balloons"
he replied.

He's lucky I still find him amusing.

Still Standing.......

2011-07-29T03:50:00.000+12:00

this song has been on my heart and swirling around my head.

A few years old but so relevant.

Pray that despite hard knocks, tricky situations...

you find yourself in Him.... still standing
.

"Shadowfeet"

Walking, stumbling on these shadowfeet

towards home, a land that i've never seen

I am changing; less and less asleep

made of different stuff than when i began

And I've sensed it all along

fast approaching is the day

[CHORUS:]

when the world has fallen out from under me

I'll be found in you, still standing

When the sky rolls up and the mountains fall on their knees

when time and space are through

I'll be found in you

There's distraction buzzing in my head

saying in the shadows it's easier to stay

but I've heard rumours of true reality

whispers of a well-lit way

[CHORUS]

You make all things new

[CHORUS]

[CHORUS 2:]

When the world has fallen out from under me

I'll be found in you, still standing

Every fear and accusation under my feet

when time and space are through

I'll be found in you

He makes all things new.
The End.

WW - this cracks me up everytime.

2011-07-27T21:30:00.000+12:00

This Spacious Place

2011-07-26T13:53:00.000+12:00

(you'll be pleased to know that composure has been regained. The tiara back in place, slightly askew.)

I've been reflecting on this verse:

He brought me out into a spacious place;

he rescued me because he delighted in me.

~ Psalm 18: 19

Not a deep-as reflection, more a bitsy reflection.

I read it yesterday morning.

A bit like a parent who puts an overwhelmed, grizzly, tired and non-responsive child into time out,

He has brought me into this spacious place.

Because He delights in me.

regardless of my "state".

I am being rescued from "myself".

Yes, there is a lot of new stuff to deal with here, but here in this spacious place I have been given time to look back and see:

I was tired.

grumpy.

overwhelmed.

Isn't this photo just ridiculous?

non-responsive.

I knew it too .....and late last year I had feebly attempted to clear the clutter of my life ..... yet it had a short term positive impact.

I didn't look at it hard enough...... or try hard enough to declutter.

I think I rearranged stuff rather than chuck it!

Result: too much on the plate

Consequence: sucked for everyone who matters most.

The whole helium balloon at the lake thing...

Here there is more room to see.

I have started with a clear palette.

And I get to decide what colours I add to it.

And whether those colours will mix into a murky, mucky mess...

or if they will blend together to make bright, lovely colour combinations.

Everyone wants a helium balloon. They just blend in...

I get to go home with a clear palette too.

And time here is allowing me to 'see'....

The helium balloons got tangled up ...making our exit off the cart so much more fun....

who/what adds value to my life

who/what doesn't

how I use my time

distractions

(eek..... social media alert. Saying 'no' to pininterest, 'no' to google +, knowing that working more will limit ~~facebook~~ ~~blogging~~ other time ~~wasting~~ occupying tools)

vision for marriage

vision for our family

dreams once had..... that were perhaps pushed aside for "another time".

I love that He delights in me.

Delights in us.

And even when I didn't call to be rescued,

He just rocked on in and did it.

The rabbit looks particularly happy. Spooky.

ahem.

2011-07-25T00:37:00.001+12:00

(removing tiara and picking up diamond studded jandal/thong/flip-flop. You'd be right in thinking a little island slapping may be actioned shortly)

So.

I hear there is going to be an big bloggy get together.

In Auckland.

I hear this on the same day I hear there is a chance of SNOW in Auckland.

MY Auckland.

In the words of Fantastic Mr Fox:

curse

(W.T. Heck- snow in Auckland!!??).

(Simone - don't you remember my rule about NO FUN TILL I GET BACK??)
curse.

Did you wait till I had left the country to plan this, or did you plan this before I left the country?? It might make a difference to how hard I throw this jandal.

It's not like I would've come anyway.

I just checked my nz diary.... and on that day I had planned to watch paint dry.

(stomp, stomp, stomp. Slam.curse).

(yelling through door)

That's fine y'all just meet then. Meet, eat and be merry.

Just letting you know..... Leonie....

that I'm onto you.
You and your lovely smile.....and nice children..... gorgeous personality.... and most delicious roast vege salad with the right hint of coconut flavouring........... I'm onto you and your planning this without me in Auckland.

MY Auckland.

curse.

It's not like I'm not having fun here or anything.

Just letting you know.

quietly.

that.

I'M NOT HAPPY

You've just ordered a diamond ring..... minus the diamond. There's no sparkle.

A coffee without caffeine. There's no OOMPH.

**raspberry**

curse.
There better not be any friggin' RAINBOW CAKE or crocheting going on... or any of your delicious cooking Mon.
Or bloody bunting.

I'm going to do something totally cursing fabulous on the 20th of August.... here.... in CHINA.....

so there!!!!!

(P.S. If I was going to be there, I might recommend booking out the back, top deck part of Circus Circus...or the outdoor upstairs part of De Post, 'cause of all the twinkly lights and all the ambiance stuff .... but you know, I'm not, so instead.... there's a Macca's somewhere in some food court.......)

five

2011-07-20T02:04:00.001+12:00

our beautiful boy will be five tomorrow.

If we were in NZ now, the clock would have already ticked past 1.10am on the 20th July.

This boy was determined from the start.

We arrived at the hospital at 11:30pm and a couple of major contractions and 6 minutes of pushing he made his way out.

That's the nice pain-free version.

Fairly accurate.

Then he concentrated on just growing.

Fast, tall.

crawling at 4.5months

running at 9months.

There has been little rest time.

A few of weeks ago, I said I needed to rest because I was exhausted.

He replied: Me too, I'm exhausting.

We have been asking him this week what will happen when he turns five.

Will he still cuddle us the same as the four year old him cuddles us?

(this one he thought about .... I'm not sure)

Will he grow another toe on each foot and have 6?

Will he still fart?

Will he still be blonde?

Will he still speak English?

Will he get a third eye?

(no, God only gives 3 eyes to aliens)

Fits of laughter.

I love his laugh.

LOVE.

It fills this house and everyone catches on.

His smile is so wide, his eyes smile just as wide.

He is ..... just right.

Mr Laid back.

Mr Social

Mr Skippity or Mr Sprinty
Mr Tactile

Mr Carefree

Mr Friend-to-All

Mr Superhero (still his main ambition in life. Batman can't really fly either.)

Mr Joyful

Mr Rhymical

Mr Growing up too fast.

Oh life, you are so hard on parents with your only-365 days in a year.

There are days, like today, that just move too fast.

I'm not ready for my boy to be five.

Sigh.

And will his five year old self cuddle like his four year old self.

He came back to me with a cuddle and said:

yes, I will cuddle tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow... for all tomorrows.

So thankful for this gift in our lives.

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation.

My Great Nonconformist Pride.

2011-07-17T00:15:00.003+12:00

ahem.

So I'm sitting in Grandma's Kitchen today

(back it up G - that's a cafe)

and I'm reading an article in

The Global Edition of the New York Times

savouring, devouring black and white text on newsprint.... in my mother tongue.

and I'm hit with a

"This is it. This is me"
moment.

I've known for a while that I'm not one for the status quo.

I've put it down to stubbornness.

And that fits too.

But now I have a label:

Nonconformists Pride.

(clicking the 'like' button here)

Soph, your comment on that post re: cultural adjustment hit a nerve.

That is a good thing - I didn't like it.

It wasn't the first time I'd heard that exact thing about culture shock. Two other times that week.

And yes, while true for the masses,

the nerve it hit was my

Nonconformists Pride

nerve.

And I've decided that:

Culture Shock is not for "moi".
I don't actually have time for it.
(and just because others, the masses, go through it, I don't want to, and I don't have to.)

The same nerve that was hit when I had decided to go with cloth nappies over disposables.... because they were both cheaper and better for the environment.

(Hahahahahahahahaha. PMSL)

That AND the fact that someone had said that I'd find that hard to keep up with, all the washing etc.

Ohhhh. My pride button had been nudged and I thought, yeah, I'll show you.

It's the same nerve button that has made me

slightly

ever so slightly

anti the apple fad. Yeah, no, not going there.

EVERYONE is going there.

There are 'expert' photos all over everything thanks to an app or ap or whatever...

everyone's a professional.

I. Just. Can't. Do. It.

(sorry all the apple peeps out there - take no offense, it's really my own dysfunctional viewpoint, they really are pretty).

Thankfully, there is always an out with a nonconformist's pride.

My one is the "out of necessity" out.

With the cloth nappies, it was such a pity that Miss Marvellous's very sensitive skin couldn't cope with them (seriously it was an awful time for her as a bubba)..

and I had to change to a disposable (more expensive and probably worse than ever for the environment)

that was engineered for her sensitive needs.

(that is a funny sentence.)

Getting someone here to help with the housework ..... ouchies, the nonconformists pride (everyone here seems to have one - and for good reason, they're awesome!!) took a battering with that one.

a few other things you may like to know about me..

I had a cell phone back in 1998... when they were becoming more popular/more common...

I had to put it in a drawer for a few years.

I just couldn't cope with it....

And I'm not coping now with this whole touch-pad android thing MJ has replaced my nokia brick with.

Bring back the brick please.....

I will probably get an iphone or an ipad or whatever in five years time when they hit "retro".

It's how I roll.

I am yet to read "The Shack".

Everyone seems to have read it.

I will. One day. Maybe.
I know I'm probably missing out on something.

When I was a uni student, doing some music papers, the Spice Girls were big.... I decided to go with them and love them... against the purists I was studying with.

And dare I say it...
Flight of the Conchords.. bleh.
(feeling the heat from the NZ fans...)

And my approach to the whole "culture shock" thing is now:

Been there, done that....

for the now (that's my out - there may be a moment when a bit of cultural shock is actually required).

I just can't conform to that status quo.

I actually just want to

be here, live here, love here and enjoy here....

as I had honestly been doing.

even with it's smelly toilets, spitting and odd other things.

And just while on that toilet note:

I still haven't gone in one on my own will.... actually, out of necessity I had to. It was a medical and I had to do a urine test and what-do-you-know, the hospital DOESN'T have a western toilet. So I stood and cried. And couldn't go. Then I went out and refused to go and then MJ made me drink litres of water and I was forced to have to go. WORST EXPERIENCE EVER.

And that will be the only time.

The score remains and will remain:

squatting toilets: 0

(out of necessity just doesn't count).

Any other nonconformists out there?
If you are, you probably wouldn't admit to it.... for fear of being seen to be going with it.

We're a complicated bunch.

Moving Right Along......

2011-07-14T16:21:00.002+12:00

Ok, so cloud of insecurity has been given the flick.

Real feelings? Yes

Want them to continue? No.

Feed into them more? No thanks.

Turning it around? Yep, all the way. (thanks Cat)

Thanks for the encouragement yesterday.

Really, that was what I needed - it helped me focus my eyes towards what is real, what I know to be true and who I know I can trust.

I needed to write it down too and get it out.

And now can move on from there to a better place...... over here.

I read David's cry today:
Who am I, that you are mindful of me?

God is so good.

MJ is an awesome husband.

I am blessed.

I am also tired.

I have not had a real "break" from the kids since we've been here.

They have been with me everyday, all day.

FOR NINE WHOLE WEEKS.

I'm trying to schedule more time in the day where they have to be happy playing, resting, being still

in their own rooms.

While I...

clean up after them, do the washing etc.

have a coffee.

I've also started relying more heavily on the life guards at the pool.

So while my two are playing, doing hand stands and terrorizing the locals...

I'm swimming (casually, there is no need to race) laps.

Mostly breaststroke.

I have extra buoyancy there.

Me relying on the lifeguards is hilarious.

One of them is particularly fascinated with the blonde child.

The other one sits and smokes while bathing in the sun.

So really,

I'm swimming with one eye turned to the side of my head on the kids.

It's an attractive look.

I love timing.

I love that yesterdays word for today was timely:

Growing Stronger Through Change

'I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love...' Psalm 31:7

There is an old Chinese proverb that says, ' A diamond cannot be polished without friction, and a person can't be perfected without trials.

It then gives 15 suggestions, all practical easy ones, to help polish up the diamond.

Cool.

I've also gobbled up my own righteous "no" and taken on an Ayi.

She is fabulous.

This house, the homeschooling, the cleaning.... too much while trying to stay sane.

She works so hard.

I have never seen a cleaner work SO HARD.

Standing on the window ledges (inside and out) to clean the windows, moving every piece of furniture to mop.... wiping all the skirting boards.

Her English is minimal, so I am practising my very bad Chinese on her.

She puts up with it.

Loved overhearing her conversation with Master4 yesterday.

She asked him in Chinese to pick up his lego.

He didn't understand.

So she showed him what she meant and he started picking it up.

Then she says:

"Xie xie. Thank you. I love you".

Bless.

And just to bless you all a bit...
every now and then I will flick on the tv to find news and lo'and behold, I will come across Asia MTV which... I find compelling viewing.
Boybands are quite big here.
This is an old song, but I'm sure it's the same song I caught the other day.... I can't tell though.
I love how there is always one line of English somewhere in the lyrics.
I also love how the crowd goes " WHOOOOOOO" whenever the singer changes.
Pure delightful-ness!
Gotta love a boyband and their immaculate hairstyling.

Awakening Old Insecurities.....

2011-07-13T13:46:00.001+12:00

Am having a bit of a BCD here.

I am loving it here, but there are a few bumps and bruises to take face on here too.

This is one that has hit my face and broken me a bit this week.

Take one

extra tall

amazonian stature-type (aka non-petite-type)

olive skinned

woman.

(sound like me)

and put her

in the middle of a city of...

um, say 10 million people

most of whom come up to her chin (in their 8 inch heels)

most of whom would only be as wide as half of her body width

some of whom (mostly young women) stare at her and whisper with hands over their mouths while staring and looking up and down and her...... some pointing..... some laughing, or failing to hide the laughter in their eyes.

My children get the "so beautiful" remarks, MJ is ok because he is a western man, and men that tall are all-good, but me.... I get the more "mocking" end of it.

I know that it's to be expected.... but at the same time, it's not easy to accept.

Quite hard.

Yesterday, today.... I'm feeling it more than I have let myself feel it.

I thought I was getting used to ignoring it.

Trying to.

Setting my jaw hard and staring straight through it.

But Saturday's shopping incident rattled me.

Before we left I would have said I am a fairly confident person.

Confident in whom God created me to be.

And before we left, I felt I was in a fairly good place with being comfortable within my own skin...

yes a few soft bits that could do with a tightening...

but otherwise, a fairly, ok VERY confident person.

Comfortable with whom God created me to look like.

I've never really been one to care about how I look in comparison to how others look.

Because the beauty of NZ is that there is no one certain way to look.

It's a mixed bag of looks and peeps there.

And I love that.

My confidence in myself hasn't always been that way.

It's taken time.

It's taken God.

And He placed people in my life who helped me push through, who helped me see me as He sees me.

But here I stand out.

And here I'm pointed out.

And here I'm dismissed too.

I'm MJ's wife here, but at our first (official) dinner out, it was made clear to me

that, that is different to being MJ's wife at home.

Not to MJ, but in the eyes of others.

This shown to me as five minutes after being introduced to person, that person then ask MJ's opinion on the "quality of the standard of the looks of the waitress" serving us..... and if that was a standard he liked.

I was still standing there.

Dismissed.

I feel rattled.

I know a simple prayer will help.

I know that I need to hold onto Him and dig deep into his word.

Created just as I am..... to be just as I am.
Here it is hard.

I feel removed and away from those who would normally give me the encouragement and support I need.

(Not that my girls and I don't sit around telling each other how hot we all are..... not usually anyways. Ha).

I am removed from normal.

I want a piece of normal to help me go on.

If only I could fly home for a day.

OK. That was enough of an off-load to help. Feeling better already. Puffy eyes this morning from a home-sick cry. Just another thing to look at. Lucky I have four new pairs of sunnies to choose from to cover up.

The End.

Plague? (WW)

2011-07-13T01:02:00.000+12:00

(warning: some viewers may be offended)

Come Shopping With Me.....

2011-07-12T02:21:00.002+12:00

one of my favourite places to go shopping here....

is here...

ChunXi Lu.

We have been here three times...

and still haven't seen it all.

This place is crazy.

It's a pedestrian street, for the most part... sometimes the scooters ~~ignore~~ forget this.

There are alleys, underground markets, big mall parts.... streets zig-zag in and out.

Complete madness.

On Saturday we discovered two new parts to here.

This one:

floors and floors of clothing stalls/shops.

Market type at the bottom, and as it gets higher, the rent obviously increases and you have more boutique-y and formal type shops.

Not a lot here for someone of my gigantic stature to buy, but an interesting experience still the same.

I also encountered my first negative shopping experience here, the vendor refusing to sell me a t-shirt because she thought I was too fat for it. She took it out of my hands and put it back on the rack TWICE before I fibbed and said I was buying it for someone else.

It fit fine.

It was an experience that rattled some old insecurities of mine.... I have to wonder .....

Anyways.

After that we went to McDonalds where I had a flat white and the rest of the family chowed down.

I took to reading motivational wallpaper there.

And some "aye?" stuff too.

Arrived where? McDonalds?

We left, I went to my secret MAC makeup provider and stocked up on eyeshadow for myself and my fellow brown-berry sister.

(NZ$3 per compact)

not sure what happened to that photo.

Then we discovered this place I had read about and hoped to discover:

Each of these cubbies is a little shop.

Leased to different vendors wanting to sell their bits and pieces.

Too cute.

They were down this alley which was a host to some interesting shops... some second-hand clothing ones, others... plain interesting.....

MJ and the kids got swept into a "magic" shop for about 40minutes, learning how to trick people with dice and cards....

which was perfect for me.

Trinket shopping time.

My favourite purchase for the day:

You like?

NZ$7.

I'm planning a return trip..... for a give-away soon.

Thought about it on the metro on the way home.

Bit late then.

However, got a girls shopping day planned for here very soon.

Yay.

Oh, and here's a sight I thought was photo worthy on way there.

No, I said I was wearing it today!!

The eye is always busy taking in here.

My Reality....

2011-07-09T13:19:00.002+12:00

here...

is not "my reality" at all.

Slightly freaking out regarding our return home in December....

when we are getting used to having such an extravagant time.

We are living like queens and kings here.

Everything is covered financially and more.

It's a bit unreal.

Well actually, completely unreal. Crazy.
I have not known this type of financial favour. Ever.

And I read Widgey's post yesterday which is my reality.

Living on a budget.

And I love that reality.

But it will be hard to go back..... for sure!

We went out to dinner last night.

We eat out a lot here.

Everyone does.

BUT, and this is ridiculous, we are at that point of

"Ohhhh, not Pete's Tex Mex again!!"

(That, my friends in Auckland, is a bit like saying "Ohhhhhh, not Circus, Circus again!!!)

So we went to another place, which we love, but haven't frequented,
and unanimously agreed we will frequent.

Del Mar.

Del Mar is a couple of step ups from Circus Circus in the quality books.

Good house wine too.

This was my dinner:

Lightly pan-fried snapper,
"smashed potato" (which was smashing)
yummy veges and a butter cream sauce (devilish, I know, but I'm working out here, so..... equals out).

Anyways.
Here this costs: 68 yuan
which is, in NZ dollars $12.80.

How am I going to cope back in NZ???
Our entire meal came to
408 Yuan.
Entrees, Mains, Dessert, Wine and Beer.
for four people (no kids menu at Del Mar)
$76.98NZ
At Pete's Tex Mex, our more frequented spot, this same sized dinner would come to HALF that price.

Ridiculous.
So, while am enjoying living like this for a short time (who wouldn't right?)
I'm keeping an eye on my real reality!!

P.S. Just FYI, We don't have dessert and entrees every time. Only usually on Friday nights and Sunday nights. If we feel the need.

Drawing-a-Blank here.....

2011-07-08T01:59:00.000+12:00

I'm so blank, I'm not even sure if that's a saying.

Drawing-a-blank.

If it is, it's a weird saying.

So while I have nothing really to say to you, I will continue to write a post which....

draws-from-a-blank.

Love it when photos are taken of you - mid sentence.

And I will dot it out with a few non-related pics of our life here.
Like this one:

Where's a marker when a girl needs one?

.......

I discovered two new freckles today.

On my butt.

Because I was staring at myself... in my nakedness.

Does anyone else do that?

We didn't have a mirror in the bathroom at home which allowed this to happen.

But here we do.

So I am.

Is there anyone out there that does this daily? I think perhaps it's important to know what your own nakedness is all about (note: own)...

But truth is I prefer mine covered up.

So that was new.

......

Unfortunately

I was also reminded of a time

when I was a teenager

and visiting a friend

and walked into her kitchen

where her mum was talking on the phone.

Naked.

What does that say about the shape of my butt??

......

I've been reading.

Mrs Read-a-lot will be impressed.

Here are my reviews....

Water For Elephants: Great

The Red Tent: Fab.

The Shelly Beach Writers Group: Loved

Friday Night Knitting Club: Useless Fluff.

Tied to the Tracks: Disappointing - big expectations as the same author of my most favoured series of all time. (Featuring ahem, hottest book male character of all time - without even a picture!)
Book-I-Can't Remember-Name-Of: I finished it.

There are others. Now gathering dust, in a box, ready to go home in December.

.......

I am gonna start watching the latest season of Grey's Tonight.

I am way behind.... cause, like, I'm in China and I like, have to get it to watch by special means.

NO SPOILERS PLEASE.

'Cause if you do.

I will ....

stop following you.

(ouch).

......

Homeschooling is not for me, or our kids.

The End.

(eg. not gonna enter that discussion).

it is fine for our time here.
And I do love getting to spend more time with them.
But, yeah.

.......

We have a lot to learn from how our children just make friends with other children.
Even when they don't share a language.
Love is universal.
Love people.

........

I love the colour here.

........

The rubbish collector man here has the most lovely smile.

He is happy in his work.

I am completely taken in by the hard working people here in our complex.

Today I watched him riding his bike (like a trike but man-sized with a trailer back)
smiling.

He reminded me of something my Dad once told me:

That the people who collect our rubbish

are as important as doctors are for our health and wellbeing.

........

I have been given the gift of time here.

And we have learned so much from here.

About just being.

It feels good.

.......

Yeah, though I'm blank, it's a full canvas.

Not Just Rain Here.....

2011-07-06T02:24:00.000+12:00

but a freaky monsoon weather type thing where it goes from mild to overcast to complete and utter torrential down-pour, thunder, lightening, flooding... and

a TWO DAY POWER CUT.

What is this? BC times??

surely the weather man realises that a woman of my total-awesomeness CANNOT be disconnected from electricity. (my cries went unanswered)

And what better place to realize you are in the middle of this kind of unusual (for kiwis) weather pattern than......

at IKEA

on a Sunday afternoon.

Where the locals like to literally take their shoes off and make themselves at home.

Asleep in quality IKEA display beds.

So after finishing our shopping we caught a free bus from IKEA to the metro.

This in itself is a must-do Asian experience that is not mentioned anywhere in the Lonely Planet Guides.

Seriously, there is no personal space on a crowded "free" bus in the middle of a monsoon. In China.

I loved it.

Then we got off the bus ran in the rain to the entrance to the metro, caught the train, got off at our stop which is around 200metres from our complex gate..... only they were 200metres under knee-deep water.

So what did we do?

What any other Chuck-Taylor, Jean clad, Kiwi family would do.

Laughed and squealed our way through the water to our gates.

Smiling at the lady on the push-bike who pedalled like a crazy woman through the knee-deep water.

Came home, had hot showers, laughed together at the hilarity of the trip... talked about ordering dinner in, wondered if it might be too mean to expect the delivery person to go through the flood waters..... tried to order dinner in only to find that they didn't want to go through the flood waters (what's with that?)... and MJ donned his jacket and went through the waters to pick up dinner.

(real-man-ly-like)

Then our power went out.

(for two days).

So we pulled out a board game, moved the table to the lightest place we could find and played.

These are memory-making days.

Also days when we can teach our children that sometimes, you just have to find the funny side in a crazy situation.

P.S 'scuse terrible photos! (bit awkward trying to take them in that rain!)

My Heart for Here....

2011-06-27T00:13:00.004+12:00

has taken me by surprise.

7 weeks here and I feel quite....

at home.

I miss my family and my friends

but really

I am fine here.

We are fine here.

More than fine.

I have a peace about it.

And the people are .....

capturing my heart.

We came here for work purposes, an opportunity for MJ, and for us to adventure as a family!

Our answer to come was not an easy yes at all.

We fought it, debated it, struggled against it....

but He turned that around quickly.

So quickly, we knew we should come.

However, our yes was tentative and conditional and full of apprehension.

Before we left a few asked us if we were on a missions trip.

We laughed.

We're not missions people, we said, we're going for work.

Then He challenged me before we left,

not to separate the two.

Life and Mission.

With Him, our lives do the talking.

As a family and as individuals we will impact and carry.... by living.

Last night we prayed with our new friends.

I felt He was releasing something.

We said, last night, that we feel as though this is the start of something.

A seed.

Maybe not intentionally for MJ and I.

Maybe for our kids.

We can't see it.

But we feel it.

Something.

we will not be surprised if we, at some stage,

2, 5, 10, 15 years from now,

return.

My heart for here.....

Is surprising me.

But I've asked for it.

I asked to see the people through His eyes.

The boy who wheels himself around on his skateboard.

Has deformed limbs.

Begging daily.

I've watched as they walk past him without acknowledgement.

But HE has spoken and said
that no one should ever go unnoticed.

The children and I give to him whenever we see him. Twice a day sometimes.

And we smile, greet him and as we walk away, pray for him.

I know he probably goes back to someone... that begging is his job.... but no one should go unnoticed.

All apprehension about being here has gone.

We are happy to be going home at Christmas, but don't want that to come too quickly.

Though it will.

I feel excited.

There is a stirring.

This is a people that He has a heart for.

To be honest, I have never thought about them like that.
Have we forgotten this? Or ignored this? Or put in the too hard basket?

How sad is that?!

My heart, for here, has changed.

I won't return the same, nor will I take for-granted those things that we are so free to do at home.

Flip! Thursday!!? Already?

2011-06-23T11:20:00.000+12:00

OK, I'm having a few technical issues.

I can only post and read blogger at random times.

It's stinky marinki.

I might need to get a new laptop to rectify the issue.

Not-so stinky mariniki ;)

Anyways.

A quick thought for today.

Ok, not really. I have nothing going on in my thoughts, it's too early.

There have been a few Only-In-China moments, but otherwise all is great.

Here are a couple of pics of something we have done that will have to be a highlight:

Cool aye??

(icky water but still...)I will write soon.

Since Last Friday.....

2011-06-15T01:26:00.001+12:00

(when I last posted)

....

I'm pretty sure I have had a flat white a day (aka cafe latte here in China, well, that's what they are re-labelling themselves once they hit my taste buds), because I discovered this little gem last week outside the back gate of our complex.

Worth the 2.5min walk, I tell ya.

....

I have met twice with my personal trainer.

She visits me on the tv early in the mornings. (cow)

My abdominals are not thanking me yet.

They will.

....

I've had a BCD.

Just one.

....

Then I had a FCD.

(fab China day - keep up people).

.....

Christchurch is shaking again.

I'm so sorry to hear that.

Praying.

....

I have made 3 interesting connections...

1.Our Chinese neighbour (who is very social!) met an Aussie couple on the street. They arrived here the day before us. She introduced them to us. We invited them out to dinner. Took about 3 minutes before he said: we met (them, the couple) on a missions trip. Then MJ said: are you guys Christians? And they said: Yes, we are. And I said: Oh, THANK GOD!! And MJ said: We've been praying that we'd met up with another Christian couple. And she said: So have we!

I am going to lunch with her tomorrow and MJ is going for a run with him tomorrow.

2. We went to the park the next day. I sat next to a woman who was reading a Chinese Bible. For a while we just sat - me looking around, her reading her Bible diligently. I thought about talking to her, then convinced myself not to. (I took a sneaky photo) Then thought, ahh what the heck. So I tapped her Bible and said "is this a Bible?" as s l o w l y and as clearly as I could (let me clarify: I can't read Chinese characters and it could have been a book of spells for all I know)

Yes, she said (in very good English).

We got talking, she asked if I wanted to me some time for a coffee and play time for the children.

We exchanged numbers. Whoop.

3. Today I took the kids to a home school playgroup for the first time.

I was thinking about the previous two women I've talked about here and how maybe I should start a women's group or something (I'm missing my connect group).... then the woman who organizes the group (there was only really me and one other lady there) says she was wondering if anyone would be interested in a women's study group... she felt God was nudging her to ask whoever came to the group today.

.....

I have been heard. Again.

It never ceases to amaze me that HE cares so much about Me. You. Anyone.

He is cool-as.

I hope you've caught a hold of that.

....

I had to buy a pair of men's jandels.

They look like ladies ones.

But my size here (NZ w10) is big-man size here.

(note: MJ is having trouble finding shoes for his feet too).

NOT COOL.

I've ordered some shoes online now. Can't do heels here because I will look like Big Bird on steroids.

.....

I caught the metro with the kids.

By myself.

Big news.

.....

V-logging is ON FIRE.

L O V I N G It!

All you cool-as chicks who have stepped out of your box (almost literally) to say hello -

THANKS!

I think everyone is enjoying it!
as Justin Beiber so rightly says:
Never say Never!

......

We received a care package from home.

So, So, So, exciting!

First snail mail.

Whoop, whoop.

That's all peeps. xx

Delighting In .....

2011-06-10T02:08:00.001+12:00

Have had a fabulous week..... no BCDs at all.... more FCDs instead.

Lots to be delighting in and loving!

Here goes.......
Sweet reminders of home from sweet friends....

Thank you Sammy

Thank you Leonie
They both were perfect gifts that slipped nicely into my suitcase. Unpacking them was a happy moment.

The Flower Bike

He visits the complex everyday selling these potted goodies. I bought one this week ... see that white flowered shrub. I don't know what typed of flower it is but the scent is from heaven and needs to be bottled. A big potted shrub like that cost me $32 NZ. I wish I could bring it home with us!

The Mailbox

The anticipation as we check it each day.... the no-show of any snail mail which leads to a sweet surprise as I open it the next day.....

Handbag Numeral 5.....
(no judging please)

We all know I'm a bit partial to a bit of animal print. I have the perfect pair of boots to match this one at home. It will come out on "special occasions" and the odd fancy dress party requiring a westie touch. I love it.

Art Collaboration.....

One of the benefits to having a bit of extra time up my sleeve and homeschooling. I love art and teaching kids using different materials. This one is based on a booked I bought in Hong Kong called "This is Hong Kong". I think Miss Marvellous is going to post it soon.

Morning Tea Time....

This boy is not a big fan of writing (you would have noticed)... loves drawing, loves maths, loves morning tea and lunchtime.... and often takes himself to the front door with his box of lego and plants himself there for a bit.

G-Logs and V-Logs......
These have just MADE MY WEEK! Haha. Thank you to those who stepped up and accepted the challenge. It's NOT TOO LATE all you chicken littles out there. Go on!! And just to inspire you more....
my last thing in this list of things I'm loving has been G-Logged. Awesome.

If I can do that - you can say hello.

Ok, Much love peeps. Before I sign off though, just thought I'd let those of you who are interested know that I have blogged on my more parental-older-family-and-friends-read-this-blog for the first time in six months, the more tame me. I will be updating the things we do here in China, in more formal depth. The first one is a real blah, blah that I know my dad will enjoy. If you want to follow our journey in that way and see more of our photos please can you follow it, just so I know. This is the one and only time I will link to it! Thanks peeps!

I will be linking up with Paisley Jade too! (Once it lets me!)

WW The Relunctant Writer

2011-06-09T01:47:00.000+12:00

G-Log. A Treat for You (Ha!)

2011-06-07T03:49:00.010+12:00

OK friends,

Since I'm all about stepping out of the box here.

I've decided to try something I am COMPLETELY uncomfortable with.

Welcome to the first

G-Log.

Oh YES.

I hate the sound of my own voice.

Can't stand being video'd.

But here I am....

in moving picture form, with a voice.

It's late.

I'm playing with the webcam on the laptop I've had for a few years and never used the web-cam thingy.

I'm thinking a new weekly installment... a snippet or two, from my couch.

About nothing.

And........

it's a LINKY.

So, I wanna hear your voice too.

Haha.

Who is brave enough to go there..... I know Cat is, cause she has done it before. (and btw, Cat, my reference to you in this video is completely void because I know you've had telephone communications with Widgey..)

I went for gold with the cheesy add-ons.

Fun times!

Yeah, my hair is a bit of a mess.... but it's late! Don't judge!!

Forever the Diva............ Dear Gail

2011-06-04T12:02:00.002+12:00

What can I say?

We aged well babe.

Yes your hair is still "naturally dark brown"... it's a great topic of conversation here at dinner times. There have been a few unbelievers..... but we still have the island slap. Some habits will die in the grave.

85 years old is when we had to put Dad in the rest home, remember?

Such a struggle that was.

I'm glad MJ and I did the whole move-to-retirement-complex-thing first.

(MJ is currently training for another bloody marathon. Does he seriously think that at 85 years old I am going to stand around and wait for him to finish it?? Takes 20mins to walk to the toilet around here, let alone run 42kms).

MJ, what a blessing he has been. We have walked the walk, talked the talk .

ENJOY each others company. Sit and be still together.

Pray together.

Encourage him and build him up. He is worth it.

Same with the kids.

You know that feeling we had whenever they started kindy or school.... one step further away from needing you..... well, prepare yourself.

You are a good mother.

Your heart will continue to take a bit of a stretch with those two...... (no, there weren't any "can't believe we're pregnant again moments) .... continue to hand them over to God, pray for them without ceasing and remember to just treasure every moment you can - the good and the challenges.

They are gifts.

Be smart with your mouth - speak life into them and build them up!

I am proud of you.

I am proud of where you are now.

Proud that you surrendered and went to China.

Stepping out of that boat ..... well let's just say that you and MJ needed that time.

Remember, God's plans are bigger than yours.... He will lead you, just surrender.

Love yourself (with a healthy self-esteem, which we know you have)....

but even in those moments of doubt ......when you look in the mirror and compare..... when you think that maybe you aren't worthy....

Go back to that place when it finally hit us, that we were born "for just a time as this".

Purposed. Called. Delighted-In.

By the One who matters most.

And, lastly, don't let go of those who He has placed in your heart - they are worth praying for.

Before I go though (big scrabble day here or a BSD):

- Michael Jackson and Tupac are still alive (ha, just messing with you)

- Brangelina....... 12 kids and her lips popped during a TV interview (maybe messing with you)

-You do get that black AUDI (not messing with you)

-LOST remakes the finale in 2015. You are much happier with that one. (hold onto that one - ha)

The world is your oyster.

Eat it raw.

(Good aphrodisiac.... so I've heard.)

Love from your 85 year old self,

P.S. They try to tell me that the marbles are going..... I laugh back and say there was never really a full set anyway. We've always been slightly off-centred aye?

P.P.S. Linking in with Lyns here....

Stand Alone Faith

2011-06-03T02:22:00.001+12:00

I guess that title is an oxy-moron.

One of the 'home' things I'm missing dearly is our church.

Finding one here to go to is with it's challenges.

We are going along to the first service this Sunday.

The first one we've managed to find out about.

I don't care really how the service goes .... as long as He is there.

In all honesty, I wonder if He is challenging me in this area.

I love Him.

There is no doubt about that.

NO DOUBT

But ........ have I been a lazy participant in this relationship?

Depending, no, relying on the "fill" I get weekly once, maybe twice, on a Sunday..... throwing in the odd devotional one-to-one time when it suits me..... heading off to connect group, as long as I'm in the right mood....... feeding on inspirational quotes that I read in blogs or on FB status updates.... and if I was connected to that world where birds talk, twitter could be another feed....

Ouchies.

Ouchies more when I remember that my lack of participation doesn't alter one inch

how much HE loves ME.

The truth is, this is never a stand alone faith.

He is ALWAYS with me.

I will never leave you, nor forsake you.

He promises.

And I do know, He is GOOD with those promises.

I sat and cried the other night

it was a BCD.

And then watched (so thankful for the internet)

from home

Hungry for His presence..... and realised that He hadn't gone anywhere.... my focused had moved.

So, an opportunity.

To take back time that the busy-ness of life has ..... or by some other means.... has managed to distract me, shift my focus from.

To help me prevent or endure

BCDs..... (ha, go figure).

Cat, inspired by your peaceful photos...

I sit, read and have slow breakfasts.

I take in His promises and truth.

And have time to dwell.

Pray.

And it's so good.
Looking in the right direction.

Numbers......

2011-06-02T01:34:00.001+12:00

sixteen....... days here

four ….. novels read.... and a stack more to go. Lots of fluff in between a few good reads....

one.... sighting of a non-western toilet.

nineteen..... steps from the bottom floor to the top floor at a 45* degrees angle.

three ….. wheeler bikes with trailers are awesome. Specially yellow ones.

two …... BCDs.... figure that one out.

one..... new Justin Beiber CD.... played just once so far by child numeral one. She has come out of the JB closet when she felt it was ok 'cause it was announced at church that he was a Jesus boy....

one.... boy who sat with his hands on his ears while said JB CD played.

four (again) ….... new bags....here are three of them...

two.... mandarin lessons a week.... I compared one of the sounds to the mumblings of the Swedish chef. Thankfully, it by-passed the tutor's western knowledge.

twenty-nine …... degrees celsius today. Sweet.

two point four...... kgs lost since we arrived. Sweet.

two plus six-thousand …... kgs will be gained if we continue trying all the interesting foreign brands available to us. Fritos.... rock-o.

one..... flat white had at McCafe..... and it wasn't tooooo bad. Good in fact. I made a point of telling that to the barissta, who then asked me to write in his personal affirmation journal. So I did.

one.... too many photos with excited locals. Will it be bad if I teach my kids the double “flip the bird” for their photo poses. For goodness sake, we just wanted an ice cream. Then a photo for the manager ….. because we're Nzders having ice cream here (admittedly we stupidly told them this, but we were excited to see something from home! The teens though, followed us there. Big group of them.):

A “flip the bird” may have not been a good look at that branch meeting.
So tempting though.

Slight Meltdown

2011-05-29T14:37:00.001+12:00

to be expected, I guess, when you move to a place that is completely foreign

there have been parts of days where we have stayed in the complex and you just wouldn't know we were anywhere else

but the minute we step out the guarded gate

we step into a world where we are looked at.... more out of curiosity then anything.... but still, it can be unnerving.

The day before we left to come here a friend had a word for me which was that we were to walk as though this was our land.

I have been trying to hold onto that, and yes, there are times when I feel confident and at ease with every step, then we stop at a major intersection and the nerves creep in, look right, not left, then left, then right, then straight ahead and behind..... all the while grasping tightly to two little hands, trying to promise with a squeeze that I know what I am doing.

Or we stand waiting to cross, and a bus pulls up and stops and 200 faces are stuck to the windows staring at us.

Yesterday I stared hard back, made eye contact with a few, not letting go until they turned their heads, slightly embarrassed.

We went to a shoe shop yesterday.

It is called (in English) The Big Shoe Shop.

I meant to stock up on shoes before we left home, knowing that my island sized feet would not be catered for here.

(If Miss 7 were allowed to wear shoes with 9 inch heels, she would be in heaven here with her size 2 feet)

There was hope when we heard about The Big Shoe Shop.

More hope when I saw Fiona, from Shreks, lost ball shoe in the window.

Yes, the shoe will fit.

But no.

Maybe that one shoe of Fiona's would fit.

Length yes, width no.

I waited to we stepped out into the street before having a hissy fit.
"I just want to #$@#! buy some !@#!**!# shoes".

MJ, not too sure about my current state of mind was not too sure about what to say or do.

It's ok, you can order some online.

Which I will.

I am a person accustomed to having lots of people to see and too many things to do.

The silence here is deafening.

Deafening.

I cried yesterday.... more out of a build up of stress-freak out-loneliness-surrender.

It's been just over a week in a our new routine and I know that it will take a few more to get used to it, and to tweak it and smooth out the edges.

It has been hard to imagine "making friends" here.

Then, while we walked in the city yesterday - half lost, half knowing..... I got a text.

"we're thinking about chucking on the BBQ, you guys keen?"

Kiwis. New Zealanders.

We met them last week, the only ex-pats to step out and say hello to us first.

They were a gift - friendly faces, friendly voices - and they run a butchery here so I can order meat online which is preservative free and processed to western standards (PTL, we were planning on going vegetarian, even MJ who is a standard meat and carbs man)

They have been living here for years.

We jumped at the opportunity.... and left their place close to midnight, walking the 5mins from theirs to ours in monsoon-type rains.

Just what I needed.

The food was great - nothing like a BBQ with the man who knows meat!

Not packaged exactly how I would've expected - it's been a long time since I've sat in a smoke-filled house.... but the conversation flowed freely, the kids played with their son and his pet lizards, we laughed, made orders for kiwi-care packages (to be arranged with visiting family) and made plans to go to the markets today, shopping on other days.....

And within the first half-hour, I told them we were Jesus-people.

(I like to start as I intend to be- don't like surprises)

And they were cool-as with it.

P.S Is blogger giving anyone else grief? I can't seem to comment easily on anyones blogs. I have had a good catch up read - so know that I have read and would have commented!!

From No. 10-1-A

2011-05-28T12:25:00.000+12:00

I don't believe it!

I've finally managed to connect.

There have been ~~blogger is blocked~~ technical difficulties.

Welcome to our new, temporary home.

It is lovely.

We are in a fairly quiet, though not really quiet, complex.

Lots of different sized town-houses, homing lots of different types of people.

Most of them...... like 98.5% of them.... are locals. Which makes it quite interesting.

Wanna look around?

This house is big by our standards. Almost literally twice the size of our home in Auckland (which isn't a big house by anyones standards!)

The odd thing about this place, is that from the outside, it looks like a townhouse I used to bus past on Mt Eden Rd, at home when I was a student, and when I was engaged to MJ. I used to think it was so cute and that it would make a perfect home for us!

This house came fully furnished.

I need to get some things to protect the stuff that doesn't belong to us..... particularly from the kids.

It also came with a gazillion dried flower arrangements.

Behind this door is the "maids room" (this is what the realtor said).
(editor's prerogative: maybe I will insert the door photo later, just exhausting working with this limited Internet thing atm! It's a brown door.)

It's locked and harbouring many breakable items.

I can't go down the path of a home-help, though it's quite the norm here.... if I did, it would be on the condition that she would return to NZ with us on a similar pay deal... which I believe could possibly be illegal in NZ.

The master bedroom is rather mammoth.

Complete with bull horns.

Hot aye?

Real bull horns.

To put size into perspective.... that's a super king bed..... there is a little sitting area behind the bed with doors that open onto a small balcony.

Four double wardrobes which are currently empty-ish..... but I can see that changing.

A home-schooling room:

A marble staircase (or possible death trap).

There are other rooms, but I'm bit bored of that now.

The complex.....

What I'm missing from home at the moment: Family, friends, church...... marmite.

Thankful for skype though. So good to be able to connect "face to face" like that.

What I'm loving here:

The Bikes.

Yep. Taken quite a fancy to them all.

Hopefully up and running more effectively soon .... so I can get down to some SERIOUS blog-read catch up.

I need the connection.

Love ya!

Xie Xie (Thank you)

2011-05-17T02:24:00.001+12:00

There was blue sky today.

And it was like a patch that followed us around.

I know we are walking in grace.

Tomorrow going to view the town house and then off to buy stuff we apparently will need for it.

My brain is hurting a little from the information-hit.

I now know why we have a driver.

It's because he is the bravest man in the world.

So glad we thought to pack the kids car seats...... how much more attention will we draw to ourselves if I put helmets, shin, knee and elbow pads on them too?

Am hoping for a perfect flat white tomorrow.

From Rooms 1907 - 1909.....

2011-05-16T02:02:00.000+12:00

that's right.

Adjoining rooms.

On the 19th floor of a 20 floor hotel.

5 Star

(I'm generally a 3.5 star girl)

The Executive Floor.

(not great for a vertigo sufferer, but I will learn to deal with it!)

Unbelievable.

It would appear my kids were born with silver spoons in their mouths!

We fare-welled Hong Kong this morning and are now in Chengdu, Mainland China.

Being thoroughly looked after and spoilt by an amazing Hotel crew.

I find it hard to not carry my own bags.

Guilty even, that these lovely people are doing all the heavy work.

And I mean HEAVY.

We appeared to have added an extra 20kg in baggage in a week......

still only 3 handbags though, but lots of extra shoes and bits.

I have seen so much.

The eyes of this blogger are busy.....

the traffic is....

Indescribable...... and it's Sunday evening.

Picture cars, scooters, pedestrians, tuk-tuks, buses, bicycles - ladened bicycles - all in the same lane trying to go in different directions. Even on the footpath we had to move several times out of the way of cars and scooters.

NO HELMETS.

It is surreal.

We went to dinner at a fabulous place I had read about in prep.

called The Bookworm.

Lots of ex-pats and locals in one place.

Lovely atmosphere and a lending library which we will join up with.

I started off with a favourite drink.

And then moved onto another favourite.... slightly stronger

as it dawned fairly heavily on me that:

I am sitting, having dinner in a cafe/library/bar ...... almost literally in the middle of China.

How did this happen?

Surreal, alright.

And looking forward to getting to know this place a lot better!

We are staying in this hotel for 4 or 5 nights while they get our house ready.

Can't wait to see it!!

Can't currently log into FB.

AND

If you're talking to my father, perhaps you could ask Him to send me a bit of NZ blue sky.

Much love,

From Room 821

2011-05-14T13:00:00.000+12:00

OMGoodness!

We are here....

Well, part of the way to our destination.

We planned a 6 night holiday stopover in Hong Kong.

L O V I N G I T !!!

But apparently quite different to the mainland where we are heading tomorrow.

It's been a week of walking, exploring, absorbing, photographing, (whinging and complaining - that would be the kids addition), tramming -it, training- it, spending-it.

And sweating-it, because it is hot, muggy and humid.

(this Doctor has the best name)

(We see things and think of people at home. MJ thought Lyns' Jean Pierre might like the bamboo scaffolding)

Seriously. Feeling rather blessed to be here.

Disneyland was what I expected. Very Disney.

We went on Space Mountain - first ride.

It starts off nice.

But is horrendously devilish - and at the end, Master T decided that was his ride for the week.

FB status: I almost crapped myself.

(Pretty positive that this is where Princess Beatrice picked up her Royal Wedding Hat)

(We stopped and posed for many photos - the walking giants and the blonde, blue-eyed boy and the girl with the naturally pretty hair and round brown eyes)

I walk around here with FB statuses rolling around my head.

But being on restricted internet access (as in, we are paying per hour cause I can't be bothered walking to the lobby with my laptop for free wi-fi.... and this is due to the fact that I can't be bothered getting out of my jammies) means, that FB and blogger and tenth priority.... which is a good thing.

The "SMALL WORLD RIDE" at Disney. Seriously.

I have bought 3 handbags so far.

I will need a special closet.

(Visited the to-scale Noah's Ark. AWESOME, message spreading theme-park)

(The compulsory take a self-portrait in a public toilet)

(McDonald's does special Island food)

(MASSIVE highlight - though I am sure it's a person in a suit!)

(There are lots of happy messages everywhere)

(Doesn't that look like a happy valley??)

(tired)

OK, we are off to Macau today. Mini Las-Vegas we've heard.

Missing reading and catching up on your blogs. In a couple of weeks time I should be able to sit back and do that. Week one of our Asian adventure almost over....... 31-ish weeks to go!!

P.S. Simoney, I bought Water for Elephants and have started reading. READING!!!! Ahhhhhhhh, it's been too long!!