Now and then

Then: Early 1960s

Now: Christmas Day 2013

(About fifty years later)

All things considered, we have a lot to be thankful for over the last half century!

How to get over jet lag

You'd think a person who has lived overseas for 20 years would have figured out three things: how to enjoy flying on an airplane, how to get over jet lag, and how to pack lightly.

You'd think, but you'd be wrong.

Jet lag is the worst, especially when traveling from west to east, but I finally found something that works for me. (If you do not travel through time zones, this post will be of little interest to you.)

Step one: Sleep on the plane as much as you can. Of course, this will probably be only be an hour here or there during the 26-hour journey, even when sleeping aids are involved, but TRY.

Step two: When you arrive at your destination, go to bed at the local bedtime, even though you are not sleepy. Whether you feel sleepy or not at bedtime, take a mild sleeping aid anyway. I take over-the-counter Unisom melt-in-your-mouth cherry flavor tablets; the manufacturer's recommended dose is one tablet but I take no more than 1/6th of a tablet and it is more than enough. Your body is going to wake up in an hour or two after bedtime, so the sleeping aid will help you overcome the urge to get up at 2 a.m. to make a cup of morning coffee and toast a bagel.

Step three: When you wake up at 2 in the morning and can't go back to sleep, stay in bed, in the dark, with your eyes closed. Do not under any circumstance turn on your TV to watch reruns of Bill O'Reilly on Fox News (he'll just agitate you) or turn on your computer to check Facebook. Hopefully the sleeping aid will continue to make you a little sleepy and you can eventually go back to sleep. Take 1/6th more of the Unisom if needed.

Step four: This is the most important step. On your first full day in your new destination, go shopping! Yes, go to the mall. I am not even kidding at all. This is really helpful if you've been living in a developing country and need to go shopping anyway. It may seem cruel to your family that you are spending more time at Auntie Anne's than you are with them, but you'll overcome jet lag a full week FASTER and be able to spend more quality time with them than if you stay home on this first day (and fall into a 6-hour deep sleep before the noon news comes on). If you really can't bear shopping, think of some other activity that requires standing all day. Standing and sunlight exposure combined is key.

Step five: When you get tired at the mall, find a place to sit down in the middle of mall traffic and rest your feet. I found a seating area that had sofas. Apparently this seating area was designed for husbands waiting for their wives to finish shopping, because I was the only woman sitting there. I would have been too embarrassed to fall asleep at the mall in front of so many people, so I sat there about 15 minutes and drank some bottled water I brought from home. Drinking lots and lots of water is actually helpful. If you can't find a free area to sit, of course locating a coffee shop works.

Step six: Stay out and stay active as long as possible. When you run out of steam at the mall, head over to Target or Wal-Mart. Do not under any circumstance let yourself fall asleep driving a car. Call for reinforcements if needed.

Step seven: Repeat similar activities for 3-4 days. Once you've made it three consecutive days with no daytime sleepiness, you can declare yourself jet lag free!

Other tips:

Do not sit in a dark room or in front of a TV. You'll be asleep within five minutes. My sleepiest times were around 2 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Fight to stay awake until 10 p.m.

If you mess up even once by taking a nap during the day (or laying awake even one night), you'll extend your jet lag misery for days and weeks. Do NOT take a nap.

Eat three light meals a day according to the local time, even if you are not really hungry at those times. This will help your body clock reset itself.

On this trip, I have not "really" fallen asleep during the day the entire time. I got over jet lag in record time! (On my first two days, I did fall asleep during TV commercials at the 7:45 p.m. time frame both days, but woke within 2 minutes and forced myself to stay awake until bedtime.)

By the way, if you suffer from ongoing fatigue, as once I did, you have a distinct disadvantage. You physically can't force yourself to stay awake through an entire day. Jet lag may take you several weeks. Unfortunately, few people understand this and will think you are anti-social. I understand though.

Anyway, the reason I took a whole week to post is not because I was suffering from jet lag, but because I've been out shopping all week. :-) Just kidding, we went to the doctor with my mom, celebrated my mom's birthday, and went to church too. 

Here I come!

Flowers grow against a crumbling wall at the village near my apartment complex.

I didn't mean to go a whole week without a blog post. I was given a ton of work to do after my meeting in Taiwan, and in order to have a work-free vacation, I had to work about double the number of hours (or more) this past week. Not only did I not have time to post anything, unless you want to hear about me sitting at my desk, there was not much to write about (except my mom's successful surgery last Wednesday)!

I leave in three hours to start my vacation. Please pray for our gracious God to grant me traveling mercies and good connections. Ask Him to take good care of my dog while I am gone too (I have a live-in sitter staying with her, but God is the real caregiver of us all). 

Texas, ready or not (and I know you're not), here I come!

Annual Christmas Party

I had my annual Christmas party tonight, and invited my usual group of young friends.

Above is just a sampling of the photos I took at the party. 

Three girls at the party (new friends of mine, huddled together on the sofa in the top photo) had absolutely no idea what Christmas was about, no idea whatsoever. I tried to tell them, and they had blank looks on their faces. Did not compute. We all gotta start somewhere.

I could not ask for a better group of friends. They are polite, thoughtful, intelligent and fun. I can't imagine why they hang out with me since I'm quite a bit older than they are. All I can figure is that they moved to the big city to get good jobs (most of the guys are engineers), but apart from their work they don't really belong anywhere in society. I provide frequent gatherings where they can be a part of something. There are another half-dozen or so who sometimes attend our gatherings who couldn't attend the party today. I am blessed by these young friends.

Our next gathering may be in January when I teach them how to bake cookies (their request). Most people in this country don't have ovens and are thus unable to bake anything whatsoever. Should be fun!

Golden days of December

The golden leaves are even more beautiful today than they were before. It seems that fall colors are peaking later than usual this year, no doubt due to the overly hot summer. Above, commuters wait at one of our strikingly beautiful bus stops.

The town is awash in golden leaves. These glowing gingko trees are planted in rows all over the city. I don't have to leave town to see the changing seasons. I am so thankful to live in beautiful Bamboo Forest, thankful we have professional artistic landscapers, and thankful to have a God who gives them life. I am in awe.

They give Wal-Mart a bad name

My American friend AB told me that Wal-Mart had Christmas decorations. I don't like to go to Wal-Mart in China, because it is nothing like Wal-Marts in the U.S. Here they don't have any cool stuff; it's all cheap stuff, the same junk you can get anywhere else in the country. I can't believe Wal-Mart would lower their standards to have such horrible stores, but they do. I just went today for Christmas decorations, because I decided I needed some tabletop decor for my upcoming party.

 Wal-Mart in my city is in the basement of a very nice mall. The rest of the mall is awesome.

Here's part of the store. The store smells bad, like rotten meat or something. It smells like that all the time.

Here are some plastic goods. It's just general, cheap-o stuff that's hardly worth having in your home. I suppose it comes in handy for those who have to hand wash their clothes or something.

And here are the Christmas decorations. Sad, isn't it?

I realize that lots of interesting stuff you buy in Wal-Mart is made in China, but it is not SOLD in China. It can't be found anywhere. It is made in factories specifically for export (and some of those factories are owned and operated by Americans). It is boxed in the factory and shipped to America, and the goods never see the light of day within China. I cannot buy half of what you can buy.

You'll notice that Wal-Mart is not crowded. That's because there are dozens of other better stores that people would rather go to instead. Wal-Mart China, you get two thumbs down from me. I like the American version though, and plan to head there week after next!

That's one big tree

This Christmas tree was in the middle of one of the terminals at the Taoyuan Airport in Taiwan. I had no idea that Taiwan people (many of whom have animism as their religion) were so interested in Christmas until this trip.

Snapshots of Taipei

In the 60 minutes I wasn't attending meetings in the past three days, I hit the streets of Taipei, Taiwan to take a few snapshots.

 The city is decked out in a big way for Christmas. I love this part of being here.

Taiwan has a much larger middle class than China does. But the buildings reflect the 60s era, are generally old looking and boxy, and are crammed in close together. The buildings look a lot like the ones in Hong Kong. China's buildings are generally more modern looking. You can tell that Hong Kong and Taiwan had their building heyday about 50 years ago.

The shops may not look like much on the outside, but they are pretty high-class looking on the inside. There are also modern shopping malls in another part of town; the shopping area above is across from a major university.

 Just another view from the streets.

This neighborhood has lots of classy small restaurants (the Christmas tree above was in a cute little restaurant), but college students like their street food too. The barrels above are full of meat-filled buns.

It seemed to me that a lot of people in Taipei have cars, but there are also lots of motorbikes and bicycles, especially in the college area. (You can vaguely see me in the mirror in the above photo.)

Walking path.

I am in the Taipei airport, flight delayed by one hour. I'll teach you some Chinese. Here's how to say airport: feiji chang (fay-jee-chong). Just keep in mind that "chong" rhymes with Hong Kong, and you'll say it perfectly! 

Adios Taipei, I'm heading back to the big country!

Finally

I got a comment on my blog today (the blog post called "Hectic fall," a few posts down). I was really excited, and it probably wasn't a good time to have a cup of hot coffee in my hand! I haven't had a comment in ages. Yea Kim! (Thanks for leaving a comment at all, and double thanks for leaving a helpful one.)

I read blogs where people like me get 200 comments in the first two hours of their post going live, and I'm lucky to get one comment a year. (I realize I probably don't have 200 readers, and possibly some of my blogs are not comment worthy. But anyway, let's not let little details like that get in the way…)

Psychologically speaking:

(a) YES, to answer your question, I probably AM trying to measure my self-worth by the number of comments I have; I do hope for nice comments though, because I have not by any means sunken to the depths of Miley Cyrus in which I would think bad attention is better than no attention at all;

(b) YES, I probably AM trying to put a guilt trip on my readers, hoping my subtle (oh wait, this isn't subtle at all, never mind) pressure will convince them to engage me in conversation on my blog, and

(c) NO, I have not finished my morning cup of coffee, and may have to eventually delete this entire post when I have finally woken up properly.

I am in Taipei, sitting on a bunk bed in a guesthouse to type. The bunk bed (lower part) has a railing to keep children from falling out onto the floor. But for a person my age, trying to swing my legs over the 8-inch railing to get out of bed is pretty torturous. I may have bruises when this trip is over. This bed is about as soft as your dining table too (as in, "not very").

More soon!

Traveling in style

And they say my dog is spoiled! Look at this precious poodle being pushed around the house. My parents and their dog had a little fun to work off their Thanksgiving meal a few days ago.

If this was my dog, she would have most certainly gotten on the walker by herself. But this well-behaved poodle would never do such a thing. My dad put her up to it (literally).

Another trip

I am off to Taiwan today for a quick 4-day trip. Mimi has been preoccupied with bowing down in front of the heater, so she hasn't noticed yet that I have packed my suitcase. (She lets out a whine when she sees me packing my suitcase.) When I travel, a dogsitter comes to my place to stay for the night and a good portion of the day, so Mimi's life is not terribly disrupted by my travels. Mimi doesn't visit other homes much because she sheds, and also thinks she has been given away to a new owner. If her intelligence was just a little higher, I could assure her that I am not giving her away.

Last night I contacted all my friends to let them know about my Christmas party next weekend. One will be in Japan and Oscar will be taking his mom to the hospital that day, but it sounds like everyone else can come.

I like going to Taiwan because (a) they speak Chinese and (b) unlike Thailand there are lots of shops and restaurants near my lodging in Taiwan. For example, within a block I'll find a McDonalds, a Starbucks, 4-5 locally-owned restaurants, a church, a Christian bookstore, a pharmacy, and a university.  In usual times I would like to stay there a few days longer, but this trip is scheduled too closely to my trip to America, so I have to hurry back!

Decorating for Christmas

Christmas decorating … DONE! What do you think?

I'm going to America for Christmas this year, so I didn't want to go all out decorating HERE. I'll help decorate at my parents' house instead. I am planning a Christmas party here, but I'm not going to put up a tree just for that.

So yes, my Christmas decorations are just as pathetic as my Thanksgiving ones were, it just seems so much worse because Thanksgiving decorations are not even really necessary. :-)

Thanksgiving

Last Thanksgiving, I was at the doctor's office getting an I.V. and fighting a bad lung infection, so it didn't take much for this Thanksgiving to be a whole lot better.

As you can see, I went all out on Thanksgiving decorations. I am one step up from pathetic.

I figured watching Christmas movies would be a good start to the day. So I watched "A Christmas Story" which I dug out of my cabinet. I watched it on my VCR, because it is a VHS tape. It was pretty grainy, but fun.

I first saw this movie at the movie theater in 1983, at Seminary South Mall Theater in Fort Worth. I went with my brother and a dorm friend from grad school named Connie. We knew nothing about the movie, and after the first five minutes we discussed leaving. It looked really boring. We'd already paid for our tickets though, so we stuck it out. By the time it was over we were crying and laughing hysterically. It has since become an American modern Christmas classic. I enjoyed watching the movie today and being reminded of when childhood was a simpler thing than it is in our electronic times.

 And then I made some pumpkin bread. It made a big mess in my small kitchen.

Then I wrapped them as gifts. (Just because I am eating gluten-free and sugar-free, doesn't mean the rest of the world has to.)

Also today I talked with my parents on Skype, gave my dog a bath out of necessity, and had a new office chair delivered to me. It's not a holiday here, so I wasn't ruining anyone's holiday by making them deliver my chair to me.

A random Thanksgiving memory:
In second grade I was in a play that we performed for other classes including 6th graders. I was either Prudence, Constance or Patience; one of those weird Pilgrim names. Only seven of us were chosen for this play, because we always finished our work early and the teacher had to give us something to do so we wouldn't be bored.

Ya'll have fun eating turkey and watching football!

OH! I almost forgot to tell you that I had a turkey meal with 16 American friends (10 adults, 6 kids) last Sunday. Several adults had to work on Thanksgiving Day, so we gathered on the weekend. So no need to feel too sorry for me or anything!

Chilling proof

It's that "pink box" time of year. It has turned cold here -- freezing temperatures and unusually high winds. I've had to pull out winter clothes and Mimi has found warmth in her soft fleece pink box. Even though she was wearing a sweater on this really cold day, she still yearned for a little more warmth.

I was really trying to hold off until December to start the main heating in the house, but alas, I had to give in a week early. The main heating doesn't get my house very warm, and I still have to wear lots of clothes indoors. My Chinese friends, many of whom can't afford expensive heating bills, wear their down coats indoors. I don't do that, but I have on my long johns and expect them to be a staple in my wardrobe, day and night, until May.

Mimi has two sweaters that she tolerates. I love this green one with a bright pink flower on it; makes her into one stunning doggy in the neighborhood! (All the other dogs in the neighborhood wear clothes in winter too.) This sweater is the first piece of clothing I ever bought for my dog, and is still my favorite. I usually don't keep Mimi in clothes indoors unless it is really cold. And I never keep her in clothes when I am not home; her feet have been known to get caught in the bodice so that she can't move. 

Do any of you wear long johns all winter long? I bet not.

Hectic fall

"Lord willing and the creek don't rise," I'll be back in 'Texas for vacation exactly three weeks from right now. I have a lot to do before then, and I'm not talking about Christmas shopping.

I am going on a quick trip to Taiwan early next week. Four days.

Then after getting back on Wednesday evening late, I have a party at my place on Saturday -- a Christmas party on the first Saturday in December.

About right now is when you are supposed to remind me not to ever have big crowds at my house because it stresses me out like a cat caught in a corner by a bulldog. I've told you over and over again to remind me never to do this again.

But inviting young Chinese adults to my house for Christmas is a tradition that reaps year-long benefits and helps build friendships. Despite the time crunch of having a party so soon after an international trip, and so soon before another international trip, I'm planning to do it anyway. I might lose my mind. Pray for me (I am totally not kidding … please pray for me.)

I do have a plan though. I pre-made my cookie and cupcake mixes last night. If I was in America, I'd run down to the grocery store and buy boxed mixes; yes I would! I might or might not be able to find a Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines cake/cookie mix here if I rode my e-bike 40 minutes across town in 40-something degree weather to the import grocery store, but it would cost me at least eight bucks per box and I probably don't need to remind you that money doesn't grow on trees. So, I made my own mixes, (since the other alternative, making your own money, is illegal) and when I am ready to really make them into something edible, I just add butter, eggs, vanilla and water (kind of what you do with a boxed mix) and stick it in an oven that's only a little bit bigger than a toaster oven. I can make six cupcakes at a time and about 8-10 cookies at a time. It will take forever to make enough goodies to feed a house full of 20-somethings. I'm still thinking it is worth it though. I sure hope so.

[If you want to make these cookie mixes, I recommend this website. For the yellow cake mix, try this website. You need to remember the websites, because if you ever decide to make these a second time, you may forget the ingredients needed in the dry mixes.]

Since I'll be in America for Christmas, and because my Christmas tree died in this past summer's heat wave, I will not be decorating for Christmas. I might find one or two little things to decorate for the party. My friends won't care.

This week my plan is to go across town to the import store to buy butter.  I figure I'll need 8-10 sticks of butter. (Here, they cost $2.50 per stick of butter. How much do they cost in America?) I'll have to start baking as soon as I get back from Taiwan. And this week I'll need to figure out party favors. Usually I get Christmas stockings and fill them with goodies, but I really need a more simple solution this year. Does anyone have any ideas? (Feel free to share ideas in comments. No one ever writes comments on here. I promise that no evil will befall you if you leave a comment. I pre-screen comments before they are posted, so there may be a short delay between the time you write and the time it is posted.)

I'll keep you posted on how things go.

Capturing fall

The cool air, the golden leaves, the filtered sunlight -- a camera just can't capture the feeling of fall like my senses can. Nonetheless, I wanted to share some of the beauty of fall in Bamboo Forest with you. I am grateful to live in a climate that has four seasons, but I wish fall would last the longest because I love it most.

Water town

Right next door to where I live, with a fence separating the two properties, is a small Buddhist temple (not pictured, but I'll show it to you some other time). On the other side of the Buddhist temple is a village, part of it along a canal. Like Venice maybe.

The above picture, therefore, was taken within a 3 or 4-minute walk from where I live. If there was no fence, it would be a faster walk. Psychologically, the fence keeps me from going there often. In four years, I've only been that way three times, the third time being this week.

I tend to think of villages being out in the countryside. But, in fact, many are in the middle of big cities.

The villages have been there for generations, and then the cities expand and build all around the villages, swallowing them up. Eventually, someone wants the land to build, and the villages are torn down and replaced by modern buildings. The villagers are paid enough to purchase a small home in a high-rise. But many miss the quaint village life when that happens.

In this village, I saw some of the tiniest dwellings I have ever seen in a village. Many village homes in the countryside are huge. But I saw some rooms in this village only big enough for a single bed, a half sofa, and a tiny table for eating. The rooms were smaller than my bedroom. They had no kitchens (they used the alleyway area to cook on portable stoves), and no bathrooms (nice public ones are built in the village though).

I forgot that such dire poverty existed so close to where I live. People inspected me, to see if I had come there to mock their lack of fortune. Many of the things that might have been interesting to photograph had to be relegated to my own memory instead of my camera memory card. I do not want to mock their plight. The tables could have been turned. It could have been me in their place and them in mine.

The canal water, for the record, is filthy.

These retired folks are playing cards (or maybe mahjong) outdoors near the canal on a pleasant fall day.

Full of life

Bright-eyed (WILD-eyed is more like it) and bushy-tailed, Mimi enjoys her 8th year of life (she turns 9 in January). She makes me laugh more than anything in this world. What a sidekick.

Anti-dog people can come back tomorrow for a non-doggy post. But for today, just let me have my moment….