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….

Office decor

Here is my office for today. All Starbucks should look so beautiful, right? When I arrived before lunch, I staked out my desk in the far back corner on the left (see my computer-carrying backpack on the table). I was the only one here when I arrived, and a few quiet people came in later. Classic Christmas music is playing on the speakers -- Frosty the Snowman was on when I first arrived, and it got classier after that. :-) I bought my hot black coffee for $2.83 for a small cup. (Starbucks costs more here than in the U.S.) None of those fancy Christmas coffees -- candy in a cup -- for me, but not because of price -- I just don't drink sugar. I've been here four hours, and now I feel guilty for leaving Mimi home alone for so long. So I'm about to pack it up and head back. It'll be dark in two hours. I'm trying to get in the Christmas spirit, and that's hard in this country. Starbucks is the one place I can go away from home to get in the spirit. And lucky me, there are fifty gazillion Starbucks in the city where I live, very few as quiet as this one.

Insulation

My mom reminded me that most of you won't know that buildings in China are not insulated. Not even a little bit of insulation is in my concrete walls. That's why running the heaters in winter and air-conditioners in summer is expensive and somewhat ineffective. There is nothing to help retain the temperature, so once the machine is turned off, the indoor temperature quickly reverts to the outdoor temperature. On a sunny winter day, it is often warmer outside than inside. Either you can run your heater/air-conditioner non-stop, or in winter you can dress like an Eskimo every day.

Picture an bundled up Eskimo, washing dishes at the kitchen sink, mopping floors, typing on his computer. It doesn't really work well. I have no solutions.

If the Chinese are bothered by the weather extremes, you wouldn't know about it. They don't talk about the weather. (It is so weird, because Americans talk about the weather all the time. How can Chinese NOT talk about the weather? They talk about food instead. It's like when you meet a Chinese you might say, "hey the temperature is nice today!" And they'll look at you like you are a weirdo and ask what you had for breakfast -- or something like that.)

Let's see, where were we? Oh yeah, insulation. Bottom line is, very few if any trees died in the building of China. (Lots of concrete died though, haha.)

Where I live

This is where I live. I can't remember if I've showed you this before or not. According to my rough calculations, there are about 1200 homes in my complex (20 buildings with at least 60 homes per building). Not all apartments are the same size; most hold 4-6 people or maybe even more. Three generations usually live under the same roof.

For example, when I first moved in, my across-the-hall neighbors consisted of a little boy, his young mom, and her 50-something mother. Then later a young man moved in (the husband I presume); he could have been working in another city for a year or two, as is common here. Then later a 60-ish-year-old couple moved in. I haven't figured out who they are yet. So, at least six people live across the hall in an apartment the same size as mine. I think the older people also have homes in their home villages, but they prefer to be in the big city, taking care of the kid while his parents work.

Here's the down ramp to the underground level where there are garages and storage rooms. I cruise down this ramp with my e-bike after every outing so I can re-charge it. 

Just thought you might like to see my abode. My complex has a bigger population than some small towns in Texas.

Chillin'

It turned cold the other day. After paying my shockingly expensive electric bill at the end our history-breaking summer heat wave, I was not anxious to start using the main heaters. I want to delay that as long as possible. Instead, I put my oscillating electric heater close by my work station, and my heathen Pekingese immediately went over to bow down in worship before it. She stayed there the rest of the day.

I always hear that dogs don't need clothes because they have fur coats to keep them warm. But then I've also read that dogs that live indoors acclimatize to temperature-controlled dwellings much like people do. Clearly, my dog thought it was cold. She has the run of the house and lots of rugs to lay on. This was her choice.

If she's cold now, then when it gets seriously cold, I'm going to have to put clothes on her to keep her warm!

Mimi's not the only cold one. Over the weekend I put my electric blanket on my bed, dug out my comforter, and wore a thick sweater. It's dark by 5 p.m. these days. Looks like we're going to dig in and prepare for another long cold winter in the Middle Kingdom.

C.S. Lewis quote

“He who has God and everything has no more than he who has God only.”

Northern Thailand - Lodging

This is the retreat center where I stayed last week in northern Thailand. I didn't have time to do much retreating, unfortunately, but it was a lovely place nonetheless. At least it was lovely outdoors (the indoors, log cabins, were rustic and only had the basic amenities; not the cleanest). The pool was lovely to look at but (a) I don't wear swimsuits, and (b) if I did wear swimsuits, I wouldn't get in the water. There are lots of kids staying at this place. And you can tell me all day long that chlorine kills what other people put into the water, but I am not buying it.

 Here are the log cabins, built according to traditional architecture.

 Nice walkways.

 Places to sit outdoors.

Shoes were not allowed in the dining hall. (It's not a restaurant; they cook 3 meals a day for those who stay at the retreat center, and you just eat what they serve.)

If this place looks familiar, it is because I've stayed here before; every year for the past 3 or 4 years. It is run by a non-profit organization, costs around $20 per night, and you probably can't stay there (or maybe you can; depends on what you are doing over here).

 Checker/chess board is built into the table. (Pretty common in Asia.)

Some people hang out their swimwear and towels to dry. Free laundry service was provided, but for those who swim often, rinsing out your own swimwear is faster.

 Water tower.

Geckos. They are supposed to be our friends, eating bugs. But they are still kind of freaky when they are running around in your cabin.

I used to think northern Thailand was remote and unexplored. I was so wrong. In town, you'll find Mexican food, expensive burger joints, malls, international schools, excellent American-style grocery stores, lots of Starbucks -- has more American stuff than many of your own American towns have. The neighborhoods are rustic and quaint, but this is by no means the ends of the earth.

Flowers in Thailand

I took all these photos while in northern Thailand last week. They were all on the grounds of the place where I was staying.

Horrendous days of change

I do not want to write this blog post. But it's time for an update. (This is not about me, so please do not be alarmed.)

Thank you for praying for my Chinese friend Dan who had brain surgery in June. God spared his life against all odds. I wanted so much for Dan to live long enough to hear the Gospel. He received a Bible and it was marked with important verses. He received a tract to tell him how to believe in Jesus. But Dan lost his eyesight during the surgery, and unless someone would read the tract or Bible to him, he had no way to read it for himself. I hoped that his wife would read it to him, and maybe she did, but they claim to be Buddhists and even ran a Buddhist house church in their home, so who knows? I have no way to know.

A few weeks ago, Dan, age 56, was in the bathroom one morning getting ready, when his wife heard a thump. She ran into the bathroom and found Dan had collapsed on the floor, and he wasn't breathing. She had no knowledge of CPR, and by the time emergency personnel arrived, there was nothing they could do. Four and a half months after surviving brain surgery, he died of lung failure.

I was stunned. His family was stunned. We thought surviving brain surgery had given him additional years to his life, maybe a decade or even more. No one expected this, and it is hard to wrap my head around it still. Pray for his elderly parents (in their late 80s). It is next to impossible to offer comfort and hope with people who have no belief in anything besides the material world they can see. They truly believe that death means the end of existence in all forms. They have no hope for an afterlife, either good or bad. Pray too for Dan's wife. In 16 months she lost her only son (in a car wreck) and her husband. She despairs, has no hope, and wants to run away to a monastery in the mountains.

And if that is not enough ….

I asked you to pray for my Chinese friends, Luella and Hank. (It was on this post.) Hank, age 49, found out at the end of May that he pancreatic cancer. Well, actually, Hank didn't find out from the doctors (this is Chinese culture), but his wife and grown daughter knew he had it. He eventually caught on when his fellow chemotherapy patients chatted about it; they figured it out together. His mother, living in the same house, never found out what he had, she just knew he was sick.

I see Luella often and consider her a good friend. I've been to their home several times for meals. Luella would tell me that Hank was doing pretty good, that the doctors had caught it early. She probably knew the outlook wasn't so optimistic, but was trying to put on her brave face as she always does.

The week after Dan died, Hank also died. My heart sank. I thought he had more time.

Luella fought back tears as she told me about her new life. Hank's boss paid for most of his medical care during his illness, and she continues to get her husband's monthly salary for now. She knows it cannot last forever though, and she doesn't know if she'll have enough money to survive when it ends. Her grown daughter has a job (she doesn't make much), and her son-in-law is not well educated and is currently unemployed. (They live together in the same house.) Luella's mother-in-law who lived with her for years has moved in with another child, so the group dynamics at Luella's home have changed dramatically in a shockingly short period of time.

And there's more ….

I have two friends I meet with regularly at coffee shops to study English and other important topics. One of the boys' mothers had neck cancer, a big blob of a tumor hanging off the side of her neck. The doctors were not optimistic on the prospects of surgery, and said even if the surgery succeeded, she only has 5 years to live. But she survived the surgery and last I heard she is weak but doing okay. The surgery happened a little over a week ago. The young man still lives at home and is terrified by the thought of losing his mother.

There is too much cancer and sorrow among the people I know here. My heart is heavy. Some eternal hope would make it all so much more bearable for me, and them. I pray God would open their eyes to see things they do not now understand.

Death is a certainty, I just always pray people will live long enough to get a chance to hear about God -- to really hear in a way they can understand.

Please pray for surviving family members as most now grieve without hope. Pray that God will help them to find their footing and make it through these horrendous days of change.

Must have been Veterans' Day

When I looked on Facebook this morning, I saw lots of photos of men in uniforms. I don't have a marked calendar handy (oh yeah, maybe I should change the one on my wall that says October), but I presume that yesterday was Veteran's Day. Here's a little family background on those who served their country:

My dad, WOW

My father was drafted into the Army when he was 19 years old. He served two years, from 1953-1955.  When he went to basic training, he expected to be shipped off to the Korean War that was underway at the time. But God had mercy and during my dad's basic training in El Paso, they got word that an armistice had been signed, ceasing battle operations. What a glorious day that must have been for my dad, his family, and his fiancé (my mom)! But a draft is a draft, and my dad had to serve out his entire two years. He spent one year manning a ground-based gun intended for aircraft on the snowy grounds of Misawa, Japan. He did not enjoy that bitterly cold year in Japan, and Japan's role in WWII just a decade earlier probably influenced his opinions of the place. I am so glad that he never had to see first-hand battle, but he was based where tensions were high and governments were unstable. A true patriot, my dad proudly flies the U.S. flag in his front yard on special holidays.

My oldest brother, CLW

C joined the Army when he was about 19 or 20 years old, after several years of college. The army promised him a chance to study at their expense. But of course, there is always more to the story. Like all soldiers, he was trained and sent abroad, where he engaged in military exercises to prepare for war. There were no wars going on at the time, so it seemed like a safe thing to do. One day during field drills in Germany, he and his guys were getting into the back of an armed personnel carrier (truck), when somehow in the truck behind them, an "unloaded" mounted machine gun went off, hitting my brother and another guy. I forgot how many bullet fragments entered my brother's body, some just missing his heart by millimeters. The other guy had to have facial reconstruction surgery. My brother stayed in the hospital for two months, enduring surgeries and mending his health. But you know, you never really get over something like that.

His wife had just had their second child in the U.S. a few months earlier; C had been in the U.S. for that; so she and the family hadn't joined him in Germany yet.

It was Friday, the 4th of July when he got shot. We didn't hear anything until Sunday evening of July 6th. It was after the evening church service, and I was home that summer from college when we got the call. My parents were upset, so I called the pastor who came over with his wife and sat with my parents to comfort and pray with us. I eventually went to bed (I think I had to work the next day), but my parents stayed up all night, making their first ever international phone calls. This was 1980, and making international calls wasn't a common thing to do.

They dialed "0" on their rotary-dialled phone to call the local operator, who put them in touch with a operator in the country of Germany. My parents had been told that my brother was in a hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. The German operator told my parents that Landstuhl was nothing BUT hospitals. And that lovely German operator stayed on the phone with my parents for hour upon hour until she called around to all the hospitals and found my brother. And sometime in the middle of that night, my parents got to talk to my brother.

He stayed in the army for awhile, but an episode like that -- where you are shot by one of your own people, by a gun that isn't supposed to be loaded -- is not something that instills trust or makes you want to stay. He suffers like many soldiers who returned from war suffer. It never goes away. He's a good guy. Please pray for him not to have any more residual effects from this event.

My next older brother, JAW

Technically, he is not a veteran. But he serves his country and puts his life on the line every single day. Not just for a tour of duty, but for a lifetime. So I think people like him should either be included in Veteran's Day or get their own holiday. Or at the very least, they should get a lifetime supply of Velveeta and Rotel cheese dip, with tortilla chips.

My cousin, RY

Richard (yeah, I'm using his real name) got married in the summer of 1965. In December of that same year, his mom, step-dad, two younger brothers and two women were killed by a drunk-driver. He had no immediate family left. Isn't that enough for one person to endure for a lifetime? Apparently the government didn't think so. A few years later, I remember standing at an airport, probably Houston Hobby airport, as Richard wore his uniform and was walking to the gate. Emotions were high that day, and tears flowed freely. When I, a child, asked why, I learned that he was going to Vietnam, to serve in the war, and if things didn't go well (as they had not for so many others), we might not see Richard again. Later in life, the impact of that departure became more real to me. Thank God, he came home. Richard is a great guy who has had to endure more suffering in his lifetime than most.

When I was growing up, every week at church we would pray for peace in Vietnam. When the war ended, I remember wondering what we would pray about now that the war was over. I couldn't remember a time when we hadn't prayed for it to end.

Other extended family

My uncle R.E., and his son, William both served in the Marines. My cousin Norman served in the Navy (in the Philippines). I'm not sure who else in my extended family served, but maybe my parents will fill in the blanks and I can update you.

Last but not least, I want to give a little shout-out to my mom who sat home on pins and needles on many occasions, praying and supporting my dad and brothers through the times of uncertainty presented by their service. I'm sure my sisters-in-law have been through a lot too. Women are often the heart of the support system to our veterans.

I hate war, but someone has got to defend us from the bad guys. Thanks to those of you who put yourself at risk for the rest of us. 

Thailand

Here's a photo I took of a wild orchid growing on a tree in northern Thailand. Wish I could see more of the beauty of this place, but for most of the day I am indoors ... only getting out about half an hour before it turns dark.

I know it seems I have forgotten about my blog, but indeed I have not. It is just hard to keep it up while traveling. Please come back again soon!

I need some sleep

I'm in Bangkok now. I got in late last night and had my annual comprehensive physical exam early this morning. Within three hours I, in a state-of-the-art world-class hospital, was administered every preventative medical exam know to man. Well, to woman, I should say. I got it done and over with, with my eyes closed almost the whole time so I have no mental images to relive. Then I went to the Starbucks inside the hospital and drank some coffee. I love that hospital.

I had 3 hours sleep last night. Hope to update the blog again soon with photos. But for now, I just need some sleep. I'm jetting off to another city tomorrow.