26 November 2008

Ripples after nearly 30 years

It's a privilege to see the results of something you started nearly 30 years ago. A couple of months ago my mom and I visited our old church in Japan--the one my parents started back in 1981. Two people in particular stood out in terms of being an encouragement to my mom for the work she and my dad did all those years ago.

Ryo had just become a Christian 3 weeks before we met him.

"I'm so excited to meet the person who started this church. This place means so much to me."

And then there was Keiko-san.

She remembered a powerful image of my Dad on his knees, thinking he was alone, praying for Japan and weeping. It brought tears to her eyes several years after the fact.

I say these things to be an encouragement that the things we do MATTER, even if some of them take years to come about!

05 November 2008

Emotional Election

Well, even if for a moment, something about BOTH candidates brought tears to my eyes.

OBAMA -- seeing all the black people for whom this is a HUGE step, considering the racial problems we've had for the past 200 years or so, slowly getting better but sometimes too slowly... I acknowledge that this is big. I didn't expect to get so teary-eyed over it, but when it was right there, happnening, I did feel this victory on behalf of all of my black (and other non-white) countrymen.

McCAIN -- hearing his gracious speech, remembering his heroism and how much he loves this country, knowing that was his last chance to win the White House... once again, I got tears in my eyes and felt thankful to him.

On a less sappy note, I've enjoyed playing with this interactive map, looking at the numbers...

I pray for our new president and our nation!

30 October 2008

Two Men and a Truck

Saw one of these today, and I just had to say something...

In this era of sometimes over-feminism, it's refreshing to see evidence that some people still recognize that men and women are different!

Of course we have equal value; I don't doubt that God created both and both are "very good."

It's just that, I do think sometimes women don't just want to be equal to men, they want to be seen as men.

Well, when faced with a big move, would you hire "Two WOMEN and a truck?" Or maybe I should say "Two Womyn."

My thought is that, while the men would actually MOVE the furniture into the truck, the women might be handy for handling all the little details--cleaning your refrigerator until it shines like new, for example.

It is generally provable that men are physically stronger than women. And, possibly that women are emotionally stronger.

Each gender has many good qualities that are unique to that sex, and I for one appreciate them all.



If I ever hired someone to clean my house, it would probably be a woman. But for heavy lifting and loading of my furniture, I'm calling Two Men and a Truck!

BONUS: Not only are they strong; they care!

27 October 2008

Coolest Niece Ever

She's a typical 4-year old girl--loves to dress up like a princess and has a pink and purple room with a flowery bedspread. But, look underneath the covers and you'll find Star Wars Sheets!

Her Daddy, my brother, is a huge fan, but promises he didn't put her up to it. "She loves it!" He says. She's gonna be Princess Leia for Halloween.

 
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23 September 2008

21 September 2008

Japan Visit!

Here's the album of my Japan visit over the first full week of September.

05 September 2008

Sasuga Japan

"Sasuga" is a Japanese word that's hard to translate--means something like "Wow," or "they've really measured up to our expectations" or "Good job" or "quintessentially..." something like that.

Several things have made me exclaim thus during my time here:

--Fancy toilet seats*, even in public restrooms
--Little sheets of plastic at the bottom of a bowl of store-bought salad so you can slide it onto a serving dish without turning it upside-down
--Conveyor-belt sushi eatery, complete with a "magic wand" that automatically counts all the plates and calculates your bill
--The 100-yen store (it's like the "everything's a dollar" store but the quality is MUCH better)
--Japanese ofuro (style of bath)
--Getting a hot, wet towel at every restaurant to refresh before the meal
--All of our favorite foods and snacks being as delicious as ever
--Trains and buses, including change machines on the bus so you can have exact fare

*If you've never seen/used one, you're missing out. You can play pleasant music or the sound of running water, have a warm seat, multiple types of "wash," and even a dryer for your behind... see photos at Wikipedia's Toilets in Japan, and there's lots to read there if you're curious.

03 September 2008

I feel like Sidney Bristow

...with SIX different currencies in my CURRENT wallet!



Clockwise from top left: US Dollars, Japanese Yen, Qatari Riyals, Euros, British Pounds (OK, so it's only 2 cents, but it counts!), and Thai Baht.

14 August 2008

Home

I though I had one more trip on the horizon -- a sort of internship in Media -- but not anymore. After 2 1/2 years of calling Chiang Mai "home," I'm headed back to my birthplace of Cincinnati, USA.

It's very strange, because I like and want to live overseas, and think I may again in the future. But for now, I'm quite excited to go back to my roots.

Several single friends who share my kind of lifestyle have also recently been given opportunities put down a few roots and connect with family. I think it's good.

I recently read a book about being older and single*, and how this makes "community" harder for us in some ways... so many options of where to live, what job to go for, the WORLD is available to us! And yet, that causes our friends (and us) to come and go like the wind, and "Saturday nights continue to roll around with daunting frequency." If we don't really plan ahead, and work hard to develop new local friendships, we can often end up spending a quiet evening alone, when we would prefer to be making a meaningful human connection.

One of this writer's friends says it's like "attempting to slake one’s relational thirst by sipping from a thousand little waxy Dixie cups. You don’t die of dehydration, but in your core, you increasingly long for a few deep wells."

I could relate to that. I've been quite thirsty for some time. I'm excited to be returning to the deep, familiar well that is my flesh and blood.


*Revelations of a Single Woman by Connally Gilliam

07 August 2008

Munich and Surrounds

My flight out of Germany was from Munich. As I had an afternoon flight, Rahel encouraged me to travel just beyond the city where I could catch a glimpse of the mountains. So I went to Starnberger See, or Starnberg Lake.


Interesting Lawn Ornament


I rushed back to the airport (more than 1 hour trip) only to find out that my flight was delayed 4 hours! So I decided to scope out the city of Munich. There happened to be a festival going on:


Traditional Ladies


Random Operatic Singer Lady


Hopfbrauhaus


The Rathaus (Town Hall) at Marianplatz in Munich


Nürnberg

2008.07 Nürnberg

05 August 2008

Brussels



The famous statue (not me, the "peeing boy!")



Actual BELGIAN Waffles


Neat building with a wild sky


Did you know smurfs were from Belgium? They're called "Schtroumpfs" and are 50 years old this year.


This is the Atomium, from the 1958 World's Fair. People can zipline from the top!

04 August 2008

Great Insight

A few weeks ago some of us were joking around, pretend-arguing. One guy boasted, "I reject your reality and substitute it with my own!"

I thought that pretty much explains every kind of conflict between people that there ever was.

03 August 2008

London

The Globe Theater


Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a pub dating from the 1600s that welcomed such guests as Voltaire and Charles Dickens... I had a lunch of Fish, Chips, and mashed peas here.


The Tube


Millenium Bridge


St. Paul's Cathedral

01 August 2008

Oxford and surrounds, UK




This is Christ Church College of Oxford University, parts of which were used in the filming of Harry Potter.



Christy and I share a Steak and Ale Pie at the Eagle and Child Pub, where C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and others used to meet.




In the Cotswolds.




Blenheim Palace.

26 July 2008

Funny English Menu Items in Nepal

OK, it`s been 4 months since I was in Nepal... but my computer is broken so I can`t yet upload any cool photos from Europe... stay tuned for those!

Meanwhile, whet your appetites on these delicious-sounding dishes I discovered while trekking in the himalayas!

PLANT PANCAKE
POP COTN
CHICKEN CUB
CORN FLACKS
EGGS CRAM BOWL
HASP BROWN EGG-CHEESE
TOAST/PEANUT BUTT/HOT JAM
FRESH FLIGHT LUM (huh??)

and, DISERDS included the following:

APPLE FILTER
APPLE SILTER
APPLE FUMBLE
CRAPS (crepes)

Bon appetit!

27 June 2008

My school - 2 weeks left

This is a bit delayed, but here is a photo of my group!



Oliver- Jake-Felipe (students), Paul-Kari-Jason (staff), Christy (student) and me!

And, to give you a little teaser, here are two photos I took during our "short film" teaching when we were learning about framing our photos. My work will eventually be posted on a Flash website I designed this week.

1. We had to find numbers of things 1-10 and take photographs...This is "4 of something."


2. Then, we had to look for letters of the alphabet... this was a wall light fixture:

05 June 2008

I went to Brighton

If any of you saw the BBC "Pride and Prejudice," you know how Lydia Bennet pined, "I want to go to Brighton!" Well, I did too, until a couple of weeks ago!







Hmmm... Native American performers?

09 May 2008

Holmsted Manor, England

Here's where I'm staying these 3 months!
The house:


The grounds:


The fields we walk through wearing "wellies" (rubber boots):

Climbing near Chiang Mai


15 April 2008

Mayor of Chiang Mai

I got to hear the mayor address a group of foreigners last week.
It's neat that she's a woman, and young, in an Asian country! She spoke English well, was very personable and likeable. I briefly met her afterwards, and my two friends even got invited to dinner with her!

14 April 2008

Mini-video of my trek

Don't laugh, it's my first video ever!
I think you'll enjoy it, though.

06 April 2008

Nepal: Trekking Highlights

Click photo to view the album!

04 April 2008

The Trek

First, a map of the area we trekked... I believe it's about 95 kilometers (59 miles).


KEY:

Our Route: YELLOW LINE
Lodging on the way Up: DARK GREEN UNDERLINE
Lodging on the way Down: ORANGE UNDERLINE

More Kathmandu

There are these yummy sweets made from milk, I don't know what they're called in Nepali, but Lisa tells me they're called "barfi" in India. Such a funny name! Well, it doesn't do what it sounds like it does. Anyway, Lisa was telling me about it, we spotted this shop, and the nice boy practiced his English with us and explained all about how it is made! He even agreed to a photo:


A little glimpse of the traffic in Thamel, the backpacker area of Kathmandu where we stayed. I love it, they honk their horns all the time, but my favorite are the rickshaw "horns". Sometimes it's a dish detergent bottle with a sqeaker attached; other times they just sort of whistle in a warbly sort of melody... I kept trying to imitate it and cracking up.


Some uniformed students in the old city of Bhaktapur:


And the kids are always cute: