The Year of the Ox - 2009

On more than one occasion Klynt has said “the year of the ox, hey, it’s my year….what does that mean?” I usually reply with “it doesn’t really mean anything unless you follow the Chinese Zodiac. Do we follow the zodiac?” The answer is no, BUT since we are living in China, with the Chinese New Year upon us, AND it IS my hubby’s “year”, I thought I would check it out. Here’s what I came up with:

The traits of the ox on the positive side are; responsible, dependable, honest, caring, honorable, intelligent, industrious, practical, and on the negative side; inflexible, possessive, stubborn, critical, intolerant and materialistic.

What does the New Year have in store for our ox friend? Well, to sum it up nicely, he will be feeling the yoke of responsibility, frivolities are out, he must remember to do things the conventional way and it is definitely not the time for tricky shortcuts. There is no doubt that this year will bear fruit, but the motto is; No work, no pay! Now on a final note for all you rebels out there, even though the stoical Ox is often soft-spoken, he carries a big stick, and this is his year.

Well, there you have it. Let the fireworks begin!

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Photo Booth

How sweet are they? I just had to share this photo. The girls were chatting and all smiles until I asked if I could take their picture, and then they became SO serious.

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So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye

By now I should be used to time passing quickly, I mean, it hasn’t stood still for as long as I’ve been on this earth, why would it start now. The past four weeks really felt more like two. It was great having you here Trent, come back and visit us any time. I’m sure it won’t be long before you start missin’ our crappy cable, the hit or miss internet access and frozen pipes, or how about the Chinese cuisine; squid on a stick, duck tongue or pig intestines. Oh, and you really never got to experience a truly wild cab ride. You lucky dog! Hey, don’t forget about us. :)
Along Jin-Ji Lake, this is very near the apartment, just a hop, skip and a jump away.

There was a Rocky sighting in Suzhou. Ba, Ba, baaaaah…

No Trent, you can’t eat THIS bamboo unless you’re a Panda.

We spent an afternoon at Tiger Hill, one of Suzhou’s most famous gardens.

I feel pretty, so, so pretty…

King of the….Bonsai Garden.

No lady, you give me joking price! C’mon you say how much…

1047, 1048, 1049…..C’mon Trent, there’s still a lot of Shanghai we haven’t seen yet.

New Year’s Day we did a little shopping down on Walking Street, and it was busy, very busy.

Lost in the crowd, yet so easy to spot.

Good Morning Sunshine

How does the old saying go? "A picture is worth a thousand words." Yeah that's the one. Dang Chinese Paparazzi.

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Happy, Happy New Year!

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving and Christmas are over and a new year is on its way. Now even though this holiday season was truly a memorable one, and I was able to enjoy my turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy in Waikiki, as well as celebrate Christmas with a friend, it is completely true that there’s “no place like home for the holidays”. Somehow, it just doesn’t feel quite the same. Yeah, yeah, I know, deal with it. Done. Wishing you all a blessed 2009.

"Year by year the complexities of this spinning world grow more bewildering and so each year we need all the more to seek peace and comfort in the joyful simplicities."

~Women's Home Companion~

December 1935

Hawaii

Waikiki
Does it get any better than this? I'm just not sure how it could. Needless to say, Klynt and I really enjoyed our time in Hawaii. We even ended up staying a bit longer than we originally had planned. That's our hotel on the far right.

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The North Shore

The North Shore is peppered with shrimp trucks similar to this one. Giovanni's is one of the best. Twelve jumbo garlic and butter shrimp scampi along with two scoops of rice......it was SO GOOD!

Jurassic Park was filmed on this ranch along with the current show LOST. At least that's what the brochure said.

The tiny, little island in the distance is called the "China man's hat".

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Hanauma Bay and Sunset Beach

This bay is where everyone comes to snorkle. Well, everyone except me. I enjoyed a nap on the beach while Klynt spent the afternoon searching for sea life.

Sunset beach is where Barack Obama went surfing.

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Pearl Harbor

A day for remembering. We visited the monument two days prior to the 67th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

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Friends

Patrick and I showing off our coral.

Gracie found a nice spot to dry off.

Spotted, a giant sea turtle!

Kenzel found a crab shell.

A special treat. Matsumotos is very famous for their shaved ice.

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Cincinnati

A little pre-game peace.

Go Bearcats!

The girls; me, Cora, Paqui and Regina.

Klynt was down on the field during part of the game and snapped a few photos.

The UC Bearcats are #1! The final score was Cincy 29, Hawaii 24. Next stop, the Orange Bowl on New Years Day.

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Look What the Cat Dragged In!

The immigrations office seems to be slacking off quite a bit. It appears that they will let just about anyone into China these days.

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