Well, ol’ Ge Ge is becoming quite the student these days and is progressing very nicely with his studies. Everyday he goes to Chinese pre-school for a half a day and then comes home in the afternoon and has been doing workbooks with Mom on her days off. Kristin has really been focusing on his English reading to which he is now able to read: cat, hat, bat or ball, tall, fall and other words like that; he is also beginning to sound out words and is reading simple sentences. His writing is progressing quite nicely and Magnus can now write his name with no problems - both in English and Chinese. His math skills are very impressive thanks to the Chinese system and are almost getting close to surpassing his old man. His addition can be done up to the 20’s while his subtraction is somewhere around the 10’s. As for his Chinese, everytime we walk around downtown together he is starting to recognize more characters on buildings and has been working on his writing both at school and at home with Ayi. Svea loves to get in on the action as well and likes to pretend she can do the same as well. Needless to say both Kristin and I are extremely proud of Magnus and it is wonderful to watch him enjoy learning and seek it out all the time - not to sure how long that will last but for now he is doing a fantastic job!
The Dragons arrived back in Dalian at 5:00am this morning after a 12 hour train ride from Jilin City in the province of Jilin, China. There, we were able to partake in 5 games of hockey and a significant amount of merrymaking. It was an absolutely fantastic time but I am dead tired at this moment and will update you all when the pictures arrive and rest has overtaken my body.
Not too sure where I stand on this topic. I certainly believe we are not the only ones out there and that UFO’s (as we have called them) are possible; just not too sure if they have come around to Earth or not. But according to this little clip they must have hear about all the cheap deals in China and decided to give it a quick look - check it out and see for yourself…
I remember when these were all the fad growing up - had myself a pretty cool pair as well - so here’s a funky little tune to keep the Moonboots alive and kickin’. Enjoy!
Here is a fascinating documentary that highlights one of the lesser known space programs that was also around during the Cold War. One can only hope that history can be re-written in order to properly give credit to those who served. Check this out!
Now that we are officially in the duldrums here at school, I am going to try and jazz up life a little with a week long space theme on the Files. Today, what better way to start than with some classic Dr. Who - I mean, is there a better space theme out there?? It’s funky, it’s techno, it’s captivating and very spacey. Space people, space!
It’s a done deal - I have made my selection. From this day, November 14th in the 2009 year of our lord I hereby pledge my undying allegiance to the Phillies of Philadelphia baseball team of the National League Division. This was a very difficult process and one that was carefully thought out - but through the process there were a few key players involved that helped sway my decision. One - my cousin Jason (who going to university in Philadelphia became a big Phillies fan) pushed very hard to bring me into the fold. Two - Kevin Chow who gave (without question) the most passionate of pleas for why this team is the right choice; and I simply could not turn my back on that. We discussed great Phillies backcatcher names of the past such as Choo Choo Coleman, Smokey Burgess and the one and only Peaches Graham - and from that was immediately hooked. I am now a Phillies fan! So thank you gents, it is because of you both I have come on board and will now do my best to study up, learn this team (and its history), see what we need for next year and become a true, blue fan - I’m proud to be apart of the Phillies brethren!
Well, Magnus, Svea and I are stuck halfway down Lake Huron on our way to Detroit in our first big book together - Paddle-to-the-Sea. For those of you who don’t know this classic tale, it is the journey of a little carved Indian toy on a canoe as it travels from Nipigon Lake all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. It is a great book and the entire family (except Kristin) is enjoying it thoroughly. It is a great book for teaching the seasons, water currents, animal habits, weather patterns and, of course, what is to be Canadian.
I had a bit of a blow up the other day. One thing you learn quickly living over here is that business flows to a different rhythm. While I would definitely say work gets more immediate attention here than it does in Canada, it certainly has its drawbacks as well. I don’t know how many times have been involved in transactions where I am the customer being helped and get cut-off by some other person who walks into the room with a problem as well. In Canada the person who walked in would have to wait until my turn is up, but here in China it is me who has to wait until the new guy gets served, which I find absolutely maddening! I have been involved with this in blue collar type transactions and white collar ones as well - it does not seem to matter, they all do it and it seems that is just how business is done here. The other day, while waiting to get a simple weld job done on my three wheel bike I sat for two hours and waited when the actual work only took 20 minutes. Everytime I saw a new guy drive up I wanted to kill him because I knew what would happen. My tensions were especially high because the guy who has been doing my work is a gabber and takes forever to stop talking and get back to work, and I have been watching (and waiting) for over a month now as this guy has been working on my bike in the same fashion; I have learned it is just best to not watch business get done over here. Needless to say, once again, with my blow up I came out looking like a horses ass and I apologized later on but there is no question this is a huge pet peeve of mine when doing Chinese business.
While Mom and Dad are roaming the Kenyan countryside looking at all the wonderful scenery and wildlife, they both turned 61 years of age. Sorry for the late response (been very busy) but I hope you guys are having a great time and had a wonderful birthday!
Just in case you are bored with life and desperately need something to fill your days with, look no further than the window in your living room in the early part of the evening - and to the glorious heavens above! Just watch here and let ol’ Jack Horkheimer fill you in with all the exciting events that are occurring right above you each and every night this coming November. Stars re-aligning, moons changing shape, comets flying by - its all here, folks! Watch, enjoy and try to let his damn music not scare the crap out you like it does to me! Remember folks, “keep looking up!”
While it is not yet solidified, the Engleson family winter vacation plans have taken a bit of a twist recently where the underdog Sri Lanka is becoming a valid option. The original plan was to go back to Indonesia but the Sri Lanka bug was planted and has not left our thoughts yet. My vote is strongly in favor of going there but (surprise, surprise) Kristin is waffling a little and needs some more convincing. It’s got the beaches, the culture, the Tamil Tigers - I mean, c’mon, it’s got it all! So, let us know what you think - Bali or gloriousSri Lanka
Well, progress on my old school three wheeler bike has been slow and steady but is now in the final stages of completion. I call this bike: Heilongjiang, or Black Dragon River as China’s most northerly province is called, which is also the place where I first saw these bikes used in abundance and became transfixed with them. On the previous slideshow you saw the bike displayed in its primitive stages and as you can see now some serious progress has been made. Watching this bike grow has been a lot of fun but has also had some serious setbacks/frustrations - but I am convinced that is what makes the whole process more valuable in the end. The guy who has been in charge of its re-transformation is a beauty and his work has been truly amazing. The bike you see towards the end of the slideshow (in its mighty Heilongjiang green) is the 75% completed version and now only the classic finishing touches are needed - stay tuned…
黑 - Hei - Black 龙 - Long - Dragon 江 - Jiang - River
