Macbeth Family

One more week

2007-09-09T00:58:00.000-07:00

Well we only have one more week before our visit to Vancouver. It will be a busy week for Zoe who is going to start a dance class after school and maybe an art class. They are hour long classes the school has just started for the kids. There are a lot more kids in her class this semester but she still only seems really to talk about Tiger. She adjusted well and was going into class without any fuss by the end of the week.

Also someone hacked into our site. This apparently happens a lot and put links to a drug site of some sort. So don't click any links. We have not put any in and don't want anyone getting any virus or anything on their computer. Steve is working on fixing it.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone in a couple weeks. Hopefully everyone has an easy time with the time change. We are taking a different flight this time and will be leaving Beijing at noon and flying to San Fransisco then from there to Seattle. So it will be a longer travel day and Zoe will be less likely to sleep the whole way so it should be interesting. We will have her dvd player and lots of snacks and activities for her so that should help. We will leave on Friday and get in sometime on Friday afternoon I think. We will be traveling with a couple of our friends on the way back and are just taking the direct flight from Vancouver so it won't be as long and Zoe should sleep part of the way near the end.

Finally another post

2007-09-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

I know I don't post very often on here so to the one or two people who read this sorry.

Today Zoe went back to school. The class was full of kids she didn't know. There were about 10 instead of the 4 or 5 she is used to and of the 10 at least 4 were crying. She did not want to stay there. Her friend Tiger was not there yet and none of the kids were the ones from last year. Tiger was coming so she should be fine once he gets there.

Zoe calls her friend Tiger her boyfriend. Last week when Steve was late coming home she was crying saying she wanted daddy and Tiger. One day I will take the camera to school to get a pic of them together. Tiger is also fond of Zoe as is his mom. Zoe really likes his mom too and often gets very excited to see her. She has even tried to go home with them a couple times. I would of let her if there was a carseat for her. LOL

Tomorrow Steve and I will of been married 8 years (we have now been together for 19). He will be leaving early tomorrow morning for an offsite though so we will not be spending it together. This is an annual thing and he had the same one last year on our anniversary. He is coming back Thursday instead of Sunday though so that will be nice. By then I should be really tired of hearing Zoe ask where's Daddy and saying I want Daddy.

We will be coming to Redmond on the 15th then up to Vancouver on the 21st and staying until the 6th of October. Steve will be going to a conference on the 29th and back on October 4th. We hope to get lots of fun and visiting in on the trip.

I think that everyone except maybe Rebecca who was just here will notice a bit of a change in Zoe she is thinning out a bit and speaking more clearly. Or maybe I am just getting better at understanding her. She is also much more active and coordinated. I am thinking about getting her first haircut when we are in Redmond. Steve and I have been disagreeing on when to cut her hair. So far I have won but it is getting a little crazy now so a trim may help it and make it less fine.

Well that is it for now. No promises when then next ramble will be but maybe now that Zoe is in school and I have a laptop I will get to this more frequently.

The Great Wall

2007-08-15T06:17:00.000-07:00

Well Rebecca and I went last week on Thursday to see the wall. We were supposed to go to a section called Badaling which was the first open to the public and the most visited section. However it is on the road that will be used for the outdoor cycling next year during the Olympics. So the traffic was insane and our tour operator suggested our group visit the section before it. I don't know what it is called off the top of my head. This section is in good shape and usually less crowded. I think the traffic is greatly increasing the visitors detouring there from Badaling. It was a very hot day upper 80's to low 90's and there were a lot of many steep steps. About 400 in Rebecca's counting estimation. She made it all the way to the first watch tower I made most of the way but was getting over heated and decided to quit before I pushed too hard and couldn't get back down. The steps are very steep and uneven. Some are a foot high and some only about an inch high so it is very random. There were a couple spots with platforms on the way up that were flat and we did find small patches of shade. The metal hand rail was almost too hot to touch.

There was also a long line of padlocks with red ribbons on them along the lower part. I was told by our guide that people make a wish lock these on and take the key with them. Then if their wish comes true they are supposed to come back. Maybe next time I will get a lock.

We also went to a Jade factory and the Ming Tombs that day. The Ming Tombs were kind of a let down. The Tomb is still sealed underground and they tell you the general area it is in. While there you see a couple arches and a few artifacts along with a statue but that is really about it. So not much excitement and we only stopped for about 20 minutes there. The wall doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles but it is big and what you expect. Actually it is pretty amazing looking up close.

Next time I will post a bit about the Dongyue Temple where we visited the different departments of hell and rubbed a lucky donkey statue.

Long time no post.....

2007-08-11T22:02:00.000-07:00

Ok so it has been awhile since I posted anything. Zoe has been improving vastly on her language skills and often comes out with some of the cutest things when you least expect it. It also means you really have to watch what she hears on tv, music wise, and from us. She is also improving her other skills such as stair climbing which she often insists she can do alone.

Right now we have our niece Rebecca here for a visit and Zoe has been in heaven. She loves playing with Rebecca and is always asking where she is if she can't see her. It is great having someone for Zoe to play with when you want to have a shower or do something else too. Steve and I may even go out one night and leave her with her cousin.

I have been doing some touring with Rebecca and yesterday all of us went on a tourist attraction spree. Zoe did very well and was not mobbed too badly. When Rebecca and I were at the wall she had some ask to have their picture taken with her so it even effects older kids. I will write another blog about some of our sightseeing adventures or this will get too long.

The temperature here has been in the mid to upper 30's high 80's - 90's which is really hot. I have done suprisingly well in the heat when I have been out in it. Zoe seems to have inherited her fathers tolerance for the hot weather and does well. She won't always wear her hat but seems to really enjoy it when her and I sunblock up together before going out. I don't want to find out if she is like her dad in that she doesn't really burn. I am going to just assume she is like me and needs to bath in sunblock before going out. Since Rebecca has arrived the smog has not been too bad which means you can see the blue sky. It also means the temperature goes up. The smog does make it a few degrees cooler.

Well there are a few stories I have to share and I will post them over the next week or so. It will give you a reason to check back and something to look forward to. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer and that we will ge to visit in the fall.

Goodbye clean air

2007-07-25T23:56:00.000-07:00

Well our time in Vancouver is over tomorow we head back to Beijing. I have enjoyed breathing the clean air even the rain and the cooler weather. We manged to get in lots of visiting. Sorry for those we missed maybe we will be able to get you in September when we are back.

The trip started off bumpy as I was ill and Zoe was not adjusting to the time change so it was a rough first three days. We did eventually get in lots of shopping and visiting though. I managed to drink a large volume of Chai Tea at Starbucks. When I get back to Beijing I will go back to ice tea at Starbucks.

Our problem tomorrow will be fitting everything into our suitcases to go home. We may have to zip across the road and get a duffel bag or something. I will be taking my new MacBook on the plane with me. Steve bought it for me when he was in the US and I love it already. Maybe I will even type up another blog entry for everyone on the 11 hour flight tomorrow.

Oh and the Macbeth Bed & Breakfast is open and taking reservations. OK there will be no breakfast but you may be able to scrounge something in our kitchen or we can point you to the bagel place. So if you always thought you would like to visit China you now have a place to stay. You will even have daily cleaning and laundry service Monday - Friday. (our Ayi/housekeeper not me)

Tai Re Le (it is too hot)

2007-06-24T23:23:00.000-07:00

Well it is a balmy 90 degrees here today and tomorrow it could get up to 104. That is from about 34 -40 degrees for those in Canada. Which is way to hot for my liking. Just the walk to get Zoe to and from school is horrible in this tempurature. I think my hair may be permanently stuck in a ponytail or shaved off because of the heat. I have been thinking about going to the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven while Zoe is in school but it is too hot to be outside. There is a taoist temple I wanted to check out too without her. I guess I can do it in the fall when there will be nicer tempuratures for September and October then it will get really cold unitl March. I am also thinking of going to the Wall on my own because if I wait for Steve I may never see it.

Zoe is out of school on July 5th so I will have to try and find some indoor or cool activites to do with her so we aren't stuck in the house all day. That is it for now nothing really exciting going on. There are just over 20 days until Zoe and I are back in Vancouver for our visit.

A Gloomy Day in Beijing

2007-06-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

Well while it is not cold it is gloomy. The pollution is very bad so it looks like a gloomy about to rain day outside. But when you get out it is a muggy thick air day. I really would like the wind to come back and blow this smog away even if it means dust being blown around everywhere.

Zoe and I will be back for a visit alone in July from the 16-26. We will try to fit as many visits in as we can but also want it to be a vacation so we won't be running around non stop. We will be staying at our usual hotel the Hilton by Metrotown.

I am looking forward to some clean air even if it is rainy. Zoe and I are hoping to make a trip to the Aquarium and do a few other fun things while in town. Of course there will be lots of shopping with the mall right across the street from the hotel. LOL Maybe I should bring empty suitcases and buy all my stuff there LOL. I am sure Steve would love that.

Zoe finishes school on July 5th then will be going to a summer camp there starting July 30. We won it at the Children's day thing the school had so thought what the heck. She will start back in the fall on September 3. This Friday there will be school pictures if they turn out well I will try to bring a few back for everyone. Of course I will likely scan them in with my new scanner. I have lots of picutres up on facebook right now that I scanned in.

Steve is in the US right now and at this very moment he is in tthe casino playing poker. So far he is up overall but I am not sure if it will stay that way. I hope he is having fun. Zoe and I are sure missing him while he is away. Zoe is very sweet she will say "miss daddy" and "come home soon" over and over.

Today her friend from school Tiger is going to come over after school. She often wants to keep playing with him or asks if Tiger is coming when we get home. Hopefully they will enjoy playing or watching one of her movies together and looking at her fish. Then we are going to Mrs. Shannens for dinner. I promised her she could get an ice cream cone there this week. She had her first ice cream cone last week and it was a big hit. She really enjoyed it once I showed that you could eat the cone.

If you have a specific date and/or time you would like to visit us when we are in town please email me so I can pencil you in. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer and see you next month.

Way to go Zoe

2007-06-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

Sunday out of the blue Zoe counted all the way to 9. She won't repeat this now that we want her too but it was great to hear. She also spends a lot of time singing. She likes Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Mr. Golden Sun, and Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes. She will often say a line from each song and make up her own. She has started to add the Itsy Bitsy Spider into the mix now too.

Yesterday Zoe was home from school sick. She had a fever but is fine today. She actually napped yesterday for the first time in a long time so she was up at 7am and ready to go. She has been sleeping in until 8:30 or 9. This meant she was at school by 8:30 when it starts. We usally go around 9 as it doesn't really matter if you are there right on time and the kids trickle in at various times.

Oh and an update on what our plans will be when we are done with our time in China. We have been talking about what we are going to do. Where we want to go live and that kind of stuff. It is now almost 99% settled that we will be going back to the US after our time here. When the exact date will be we don't know. The 2 years is up next year but it is unlikely that we will be leaving right on the 2 year anniversary. There will be many things at work for Steve that will factor in when he will leave his current position and we will move back. I think it is fair to say we will be back by Christmas 2008.

Also we are not going to be able to come back this summer as we had hoped we are now planning on coming back in September and early October. We should be there for 3 to 4 weeks with Steve working part of the time so we will be in the US for 1 or 2 of those weeks. I really wanted to come back this summer but we used up some of our holiday time in the New Year and want to be sure we have some at Christmas when we may go to Hong Kong. My reunion is in September that is why we are coming back then not in July. Hope everyone has a great summer see you all in the fall.

Childrens Day activites

2007-06-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

On Thursday evening we went to the MS event Steve's group had. It was at night which seemed an odd time to have something for kids. Turns out that was because it was at the aquarium and only people from Steve's group (there are a lot) were admitted. Zoe had a good time and was given lots fo chips and snacks by the people sitting around us. She also got a wand that has led lights in it and blinks. There was some singing and speakers then there was a seal and dolphin show. Zoe really loved the seals and the dolphins. Although she lost interest int he dolphins half way through. Watching the show it reminded me of the Vancouver Aquarium when I was a kid and they used to have shows.

The seal show was short they caught some rings, jumped out of the water, and clapped. There were some other things too they were quiet funny. The dolphins did jumping, spinning, talking, pulled a little girl from the audiance in an inflatable raft around the pool, and several tricks with one of the trainers in the water with them. It was neat to see but I am sure there are some who think it is not something that should go on. Anyway on to the other stuff.

There was also a lot of food. We ate fast as Zoe was getting tired it was 8 or so by then past her bedtime of 7 or 7:30. She wouldn't pose for pictures with any of Steve's co-workers who wanted to get a pic with her. She enjoyed looking at the fish though and because most people where still eating while we walked around there were no other people. She also coloured on an olympic logo they had out on the floor for all the kids to write on. She would of coloured the whole thing if we had let her. She was getting tired so we left. We did buy her a purse that looks like Nemo before leaving at the gift shop though.

The other Children's day event we went to was Saturday and was at our clubhouse. It was put on by Zoe's school. They had a lucky draw and we won the biggest prize of a free summer camp session. Zoe enjoyed the face painitng, storytime, arts and crafts, and bouncy castle. Her friend from school Tiger was there and gave her a pencil he also gave her a kiss and hug later in the day. It was a lot of fun and they had food that was pretty good too.

Children's day was on June 1st I believe. There are many activities and sales on in department stores to celebrate it. I think Zoe had a good time at the events she attended. Zoe is still loving school and looks forward to going. I don't look forward to walking to the clubhouse to get her though because the weather is soooo hot and humid. I try most days to get her to sit in her stroller so we don't have a long slow walk home. Also because about a quarter of the way home she will decide that she wants you to carry her and she is heavy. She is also usually very hot and sweaty so it is a very unpleasant trip home if you have to carry her all the way.

Well that is most the stuff we have been up to. Oh I did go and play Mahjong it is interesting there are a lot of things to remember and a lot of strategy involved. I even purchased my own set of tiles this weekend so now I can play whenever I want. I am not sure if you can play with two people or not because then Steve and I could play.

Happy Birthday Steve

2007-05-30T00:10:00.000-07:00

Well today is Steven's 38th birthday. He has spent most of the day playing a video game on his xbox 360 (viva pinata). We did try a new place for lunch today together. As per his request we are doing nothing for his birthday. He didn't get any presents either. The day of uninterupted video games and sleeping in are his presents. He took today off work. I made him a card and Zoe is making him one at school today.

I think Steve looks much the same as he did when I met him when he was 19. He may have a bit more grey hair (which he blames on me) and be a few pounds more but who doesn't weigh more than they did at 19. He still the witty, charming, intelligent, and handsome guy I fell in love with all those years ago.

If you are reading this and thinking it is too early remember we are ahead in time. Steve did say he is not officailly older until tomorrow because he was born in the Pacific time zone. LOL Maybe it just means you can try to get extra special treatment for 2 days instead of one.

Anyway Happy Birthday Steve hope you enjoyed your quiet day of video games and time with me and Zoe. We sure do love you a lot.

If you find my mind please return it

2007-05-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

This week has been one of those weeks. I have put apple juice in my tea instead of milk a few times, lost my phone in the house several times, been going to do something then forgetting what it was almost instantly, and the Mahjong day I missed was because I went to the wrong house. So apparently this week I also can not read simple email messages and understand numbers. LOL The lady who hosted has been kind enough to invite me over to teach me the general rules. Hopefully today I am able to find the right house.

So if you find my brain somewhere please mail it back. I am hoping it is just because I haven't been sleeping well this week.

I am also suprised when someone other than our friends or family read our blog. I guess I figure it would bore most to tears who didn't really care about Zoe because that is mostly what it is about. Of course I do tell people about it so I guess it shouldn't suprise me when they read it. For anyone reading for the first time I am a rambler so read at your own peril.

Today it is sunny again this week has been rainy and cloudy. Last night there was a lot of wind and when we were leaving dinner Zoe wanted to go for a walk until the wind started going and the dust started swirlling. It is almost like getting a fully body scrub with the sand/dirt coming at you. It is windy today too but I am sure that will stop by the weekend. It usally isn't windy the days we decide to take the kite out.

Some random things

2007-05-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

So on Tuesday it rained really hard here all day. It made me a little homesick. It was nice because before that it was really windy and the dust was blowing. Zoe loves the rain she put on her rain coat and hat and walked all the way home from school jumping in every puddle along the way. Steve dropped her that day on the way to work so I wouldn't have to walk out in the rain.

I did go out in the rain twice that day before going to get Zoe though only to be dissapointed both times. The first time was to the clubhouse for the coffee group no one there, the second was to a ladies house for the mahjong group it was moved and no one told me and her ayi didn't speak english so couldn't help me out. So I came to the conclusion that people here are whimpy when it comes to going out in the rain. I had my gortex coat so there were no worries. Then I went to get Zoe with her rain cover on her stroller. She however would not sit in it and as I said before puddle jumped her way home.

Zoe is still loving school. There is now a little boy who is about 6 months older than her that will be there everyday too so she will have a playmate. There is another girl that comes 3 days a week but she is 6 months younger than Zoe. Hopefully Zoe doesn't mind sharing the spotlight with the other kids now that she is used to getting all the attention.

I am trying to go to the gym 2 or 3 times a week while Zoe is in school. I have gone twice this week and think I over did it a bit yesterday because I am now very sore. But I may go get a massage and try to go again tomorrow afternoon after my chinese lesson.

My chinese lessons are going well. Although the stuff we covered last class is really hard for me to say. It is like a tounge twister and trying to get the tones right is even harder. I will never say I am studying or am a student those are the phrases causing me problems. I am very tired after my hour and a half lesson. I can't imagine doing it for any longer than that at a time. I have my lessons on Wednesdays and Fridays. Steve has decided not to take lessons so I will be the one who can sort of understand and say things. I am hoping it will come in handy at the markets. Often the vendors talk to each other in front of you and you have no clue what they are saying. I am hoping to catch them saying something and say something back in chinese to them. I think that day is a ways off yet. I am just figuring out intros and ordering things. Wo shi Jianada ren. I am Canadian. I hope that pinyin is right.

Well I hope everyone is well. For those of you on facebook you will be able to tell when I am bored by the extra photos I post there. It is easier for me to put them there than on flicker with the app that I have in Iphoto. If you are not on facebook and don't know what it is you might be missing out.

Zoe loves school

2007-05-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

Zoe has been in school for just over a week. She is still the only full time student so has much of her time spent one on one with the teacher. Or one on 2 or more with the other teachers and assistants playing with her too. She now just gives me a quick hug and kiss goodbye and runs into her class.

I have been told when people come to check out the school with their kids Zoe takes the kids by the hand and shows them around where everything is. Which I must assume is adorable. The teachers all love her and say she is a very well behaved little girl. They also say she is very helpful.

On Friday she even let one of the teachers help her and she went to the bathroom in the potty. The school has miniture toilets for the kids. They are very cute and Zoe loves them so maybe they will help potty training along. She also loves washing her hands and does that several times a day. Anything to do with water and she is there.

As for me I am having less trouble trying to find ways to occupy my time while she is in school. I have my chinese lessons 1 1/2 hours twice a week and try to review it daily during the week for about an hour or so. I have done some reorganizing and decluttering. I even manged to get to the gym. Maybe this week I will work in a spa visit for a massage. I do have a coffee group, mahjong group, and my chinese lessons already on the calendar so it will be a full week.

Zoe is getting so grown up

2007-05-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

Today Zoe said she didn't want to go to school and cried a bit at home. I gave her some fruit snacks to eat while we walked there and she seemed happy enough. When we got there she sat on my lap for a minute while I helped her put her indoor shoes on for school then gave me a quick kiss and hug and ran into class. This is a huge change from the tears and crying of yesterdy. It made me a little sad that she didn't mind me leaving. I am sure time will fly and before I know she will be off for summer break and I will be wishing she was back in school some of the time.

I know it is a good thing that we have managed so far to raise an independent, confident and curious little girl. I think today was way harder on me. I think over the next few weeks we will be seeing a lot more changes in Zoe as she gets exposed to more kids and activites to stimulate her. Right now she spends most of her day painting and playing with water. She loves pouring water, washing her hands, and squirting the window. The class allows kids to do the things that intrest them there is story time, snack time and a couple of structured things but for the most part she is free to do whatever intrests her.

I am sure we will have a house full of paintings in no time. I will save a few near the end of the school year and bring them back when we come so I can give them to anyone who would like one. Maybe she will decide to be an artist one day.

As for me I don't really know what to do with myself. I have decided today will be my relax day so we will see how that goes. Maybe I will have a nap and then go get a massage or a manicure and pedicure today. It is cooler than yesterday so walking to the clubhouse won't be so hellish. It was super hot yesterday it is cloudy/smoggy today and cooler. Still tshirt weather though.

Tomorrow is my Chinese lesson then I want to organize the kitchen cupboards a bit they are a mess. I also want to go through Zoe's toys and clothes and weed some of them out while she is not here. And I want to get Steve's shelves in his den a little more organized so I can take some of the stuff from the playroom shelves up there. Probably won't get all that done tomorrow but over the next couple weeks should be able to manage it.

You will probably see a lot more blogging now that I will have the time on my hands.

Zoe's first days of school

2007-05-13T22:38:00.000-07:00

Well after a long wait Zoe has finally started school. She started last week on Tuesday. I went with her that day and we hung out with her teacher for about 3 hours. It was a kind of open house day. Zoe was the only kid there. Wednesday Steve and I dropped her off together and I snuck out before him so I didn't have to see her crying. I picked her up at around 12:30. She again was the only kid. Thursday there was an 18 month old named Alexa for her to play with and Steve took her and picked her up that day. Zoe said Alexa was too small to play with. On Friday Steve again took Zoe because I was not up to seeing her cry. I went to get her at 1pm and she was napping and looking adorable so they called me at 2 when she woke up and I went to get her. There had been a little boy there that day for her to play with.

Today (Monday) I took her in and said I would be back to get her in awhile and we would go look at the goldfish in the pond. She said ok and her lip was trembling and the tears started flowing. She did say ok though and went to her teacher for a hug. I then went to the gym and walked on the treadmill for 45 mins to get rid of some of the stress and tension I had about leaving her. In the end I think school will be great for her and me. She loves the activites like painting, and cleaning the dishes. And this week when the other kids starts to come it will be much more fun for her.

Well I am going to go and pick her up it is now 2pm and I have been antsy to get her since about 12:30. So it is up to the school then off to the fish pond for me.

Hutong Tour/ Shopping Do's and Don'ts

2007-05-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went on a pedicab Hutong tour. At one point we were accousted by a couple of ladies selling bags. Steve and I ignored them and they moved on to Jim and Heather (the Macbeths) behind us. Heather decicded to ask how much one of the bags were and that was a huge mistake. The two ladies started walking along beside and yelling out prices shoving the bags at them. The alleyways in the hutong are barely big enough for the pedicabs so it is very close quaters and we were moving slowly so they had no trouble keeping up. We thought that when we entered the courtyard house to tour it we had finally shaken them and they would move on to someone eles. But sadly no they were waiting outside shoving the bags back in everyones faces. Steve actually physically put his arm between the one of them and his mom and shouted no she doesn't want any so his mom could pass and get back in the pedicab. They ladies yelled at Steve and were soon all over his parents again. Finally wearing them down Jim handed them 50RMB about 6or 7 dollars Canadian for a bunch of the bags. The second lady was then angry because none of her bags where bought but luckily she did not keep persuing us on our tour.

The lesson is do not under any circumstances talk to someone selling something. Ignore them or say no firmly and move on. If you show any interest or weakness by chatting or explaining why you don't want something you are fair game and will be relentlessly heckled until you buy something. This goes at some of the markets too. If you are intrested in an item decide the most you will pay then once they give you their price counter with yours and if they won't give it to you walk away. They almost always cave and give you your price. Also your final prices should be no more than 25% of their starting price in most cases.

We did see a couple of lovely courtyard homes and some nice shops on our tour though and after enjoyed a drink by the lake at a Starbucks.

Then we saw a cute little chinese girl about the same size as Zoe. Zoe walked over to say hi and we took a picture as did the adults with her. Within a minute or two a crowd had gathered and she was surrounded by people. They then started stepping in and posing with her for pictures. These where adults not kids. After a couple Steve swooped in and rescued her out of the crowd which did watch and a couple kind of followed but mostly dispearsed after. She will know how celebrities feel after living here for awhile.

We are off to the Forbiden City today so it may be another day of crowds for Zoe. We will take pictures and try to get them up so everyone can see them.

Canadian missing in Syria!

2007-05-05T07:10:00.000-07:00

When I lived in Vancouver I played a lot of ultimate frisbee, one of the teams I played on a lot was called The Fluffy Bunnies. When I return to Vancouver for vacation I often have a chance to play with the team. A few years ago, when I was still living in Redmond, WA I went up to Vancouver and played with the team for a few games in the summer, I think it was probably around 2003 or so.

There was a new player on the team that I hadn't met before, but was quite good (especially since she had never really played Ultimate before) and was a super nice person. Her name was Nicole (Vienneau), I didn't know her last name until very recently.

I received the following information about her from a friend in Vancouver and wanted to do everything I could to help. Here is her story, hopefully someone that reads this will be able to help, or at least pass the story on to someone that can.

Nicole (Vienneau) has gone missing during the final weeks of a trip to Northern Africa, the Middle East and Turkey. She was last heard from at the end of March, and we believe she was in Syria at the time on her way to Turkey.The Canadian embassies in Syria and Turkey, the RCMP and Interpol have been involved in searching for her for the past two weeks.I am sending this to you for two reasons: 1. the story will be in the media today. Since Nicole is a resident of Vancouver, there may be somewhat more media attention there than in Toronto. I wanted you to be aware of this from me before you heard it elsewhere2. if anyone has any connections, or knows of anyone who does, with people in Syria and possibly Turkey, we would most appreciate if we could take advantage of contacts there to help in our attempts to track where she has beenHer brother Matthew has set up a blog entry (link below) which has a lot of the details.

Website: http://vienneau.livejournal.com/39588.html

Her brothers blog postings also got dugg on digg, if you don't know what that means, you probably will want to stop reading now.

Here is the story on Digg:

People often talk about how Web 2.0 is the future and the future is now, using Digg as a key player in the life altering transformation. When I read the commentary on Nicole's story on Digg I was sickened. The maturity of many of the comments is frighteningly low, I hope this isn't the future of the Internet and our society. It reminds me of the kind of behaviour you used to see on Newsgroups and BBS's in the early days of the Internet. In fact these are probably the exact same people, just a generation removed. They are not blazing a trail to the future, they are just wasting their lives away wading through their own muck.

Have a read of the comments on the story, I would be interested if you really think these are the people we want to be representing the current climate in our high-tech society. I for one would emphatically say "NO!!!".

I Hope there is a turn for the better in Nicole's story, I will be thinking about the brief time I spent with her and remember the lasting impression she made.

Hong Kong Disneyland

2007-05-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

Well a good time was had by all. Zoe loved the characters and kept wanting to go back and see them. She was thrilled to meet Buzz, Mickey, Minnie, Pooh, Goofy, Pluto, Marie (from the Aristocats), and Chip and Dale. Chip and Dale were practically mauling her the first time we visited them and that didn't throw her at all. Many people there also wanted Zoe's picture and she didn't mind most of the time. She did not like it when people wanted to pick her up and/or pose with her though.

We went to a character dinner at the hotel and she kept yelling "Mickey, Mickey me my turn now". She really liked the character dinner too. She did tell goofy to go away and get mickey at one point though. The characters circulated a bit unevenly and Minnie never made it to our table so we found her and got a quick photo before leaving. Zoe said thank you and good bye to all the characters.

As for the rides she went on all of the ones she could and loved everyone of them. The last time we went on Poohs Adventure ride there was a long line even with the fast pass and Zoe kept saying again as we were exiting. Unfortunatley that was our last day and everyone was too worn out to go through the line again including her. We went and had a nice swim instead at the hotel.

Zoe also loved the pool at the hotel and walked around in the shallow end. They also gave her a lifejacket to wear but if it started to make her float she didn't like it and wanted you to carry her back to the shallow water. She would not take it off though. Yesterday Steve took her down the waterslide several times in a row. She had a blast. She also loved the shower that they had on the way into the pool and we had to drag her out of it when we were leaving.

We spent Wednesday in Hong Kong well a place called Kowloon actually (I may have spelt it wrong) at a big mall. We also walked around a bit on a shopping street with lots of small stores and a huge HMV were there were so many cd's I wanted I didn't get any because I couldn't choose one. Zoe Steve and I all did buy new sneakers though from the New Balance store at the mall.

I will post more on some of the things we did and try to get some pics up in the next couple days. Hope everyone had a good week.

Peking Duck

2007-04-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

Well last Sunday I had Peking Duck for the first time. It is a big thing here as Beijing was orginally called Peking. Some people still refer to it as Peking. We went out with Steve's boss Hon and his family. The duck was good and came with little pancakes and various other things to make a little roll up. We had lots of other yummy food too. The resturant we went too is well known for their duck and is always full. They have 2 locations and we went to the newest one. It was huge. There was a drink Steve told me about I thought that a table by us was getting some kind of fruit smoothy but Steve said it is actually a corn drink. So imagine if you pureed cream corn and drank it cold. Yuck But apparently it is a favourite here. I still am not a fan of dessert at Chinese resturants because it is usally something with red bean or rice. Sunday it was a warm tapioca coconut drink that had what I think was melon in it. There was some really good fruit on the fruit platter though. Chinese food does not use dairy or chocolate which are the two main things that make up most desserts I like. Zoe enjoyed the dinner a lot and even got some spinach on her chopsticks and into her mouth. She always eats a lot when we go to the dumpling place too.

Zoe is a little chatterbox now and getting her to stop talking at home or in the car is nearly impossible. But if you get her around other people and they talk to her suddenly she is a mute. At dinner Sunday she warmed up to everyone just as we were leaving. I think she is excited about going to Disneyland because she wants to see Buzz. I have told her that Buzz is going to be really tall as big as Daddy hoping that may help her not freak out because he is big. We are not prebooking any meals with characters until we see if she likes them or not. She is also looking forward to swimming when we get there too. She talks about swimming from our vacation in Phuket still. She pretends she is swimming a lot. Sometimes she says it is in the ocean with Nemo.

Our explorations

2007-04-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we decided to go to a market that was described in our Insiders Guide as having "every imaginable made in China product" Well the market was huge and from what I saw had everything you could think of. We only went up and down 2 isle because it is so massive. It has things set in sections so if we were really looking for one thing we would be able to find it but we were just curious. It was quiet crowded but there were not a lot of foreigners. The other markets are at least half foriegners. After taking that all in we decided to go to a park.

We went ti Luiyin park. It was a blue sky day without too much wind so we thought we better take advantage. We also had a perfect temprature while walking through the park in our tshirts. The park was great lots of cherry blossoms out and green. I also was struck by a smell which happens a lot but this time it was a pleasant familar smell. There were lilacs in bloom. We looked a fish, ducks, saw people playing Mahhjong, cards, and spinning this thing on a string that is hard to describe. The park was not at all crowded and it was great to be able to walk and let Zoe go without worrying she would get lost or swarmed. She did have her picture taken by at least 4 people. There were a lot of people with cameras in the park. It was also very quiet which is a nice change I am sure we will be back there again in the future.

There was also a few people who had brought their bunny to the park. I saw a small cage then a very tiny bunny. Zoe went up with Steve to see the rabbit. The owner picked the poor thing up by the ears and tried to hand it to Zoe. She just squated down to look at it on the ground. When it started to hop away she yelled "back her rabbit" and "come here rabbit". She regretted her words when it was close again and she got up to walk away because it started following her and hoping towards her toes. Zoe likes to walk backwards a lot now. All and all I think she enjoyed the encounter. I think the bunny may have wanted to escape it's current owners because it dosen't like to be picked up by the ears. We also saw some people with plastic grocery bags by one of the ponds taking goldfish out of the pond. I don't beleive you are supposed to do this but there is no security at the park to make sure you don't steal their fish. Maybe they were going to keep them as pets or sell them. I know that the workers in our complex sometimes take fish out of the pond here too. The property management has sent out notices that you are not supposed to take the fish out but it is the construction people not the residents doing it.

We are hoping to go and explore the parks more on weekends when the weather is good. Maybe we will find more ducks and fish.

Zoe is also very much a copycat right now. This morning I made the mistake of telling Steve to shut up. A second later Zoe was yelling "shut up now Daddy" so I apologized and said we didn't tell people to shut up.

Congratulations & Yipee

2007-04-12T01:25:00.000-07:00

Well it seems April is the month for girls. My cousin Jeana on the 7th (Venna) and Steve's friend Ashely on the 5th (Savannha)have both had baby girls. (hopefully I spelt the names right if not sorry) Both are healthy and cute. It was Jeana's second she also has a little boy named Madison oh and a stepson who's name I can't recall at the moment so she now actually has 3 kids. This is Ashley and her husband Glens first so they are in for a lot of fun and new adventure.

And Yipee our trip to Hong Kong disney has been booked. We will be leaving on April 29th. That is not this Sunday or next but the one after. The Macbeths will also be arriving in less than two weeks and will be going with us to Disneyland. We will be staying at a Disney hotel so we will be close to the park and all the fun. The hotel also has lots of kids activites so it will be good for Zoe. We hope to be able to go to Macau for a day and spend a day exploring Hong Kong too. We return on May 3rd.

Zoe should be starting school on May 7th. The director of the school called to apologize for the delay and than us for being patient. We were already getting a 30% discount on this semester and we are now going to get the same discount for the fall semester as well. We will be getting some money back too because we have already paid for 2 months that the school has been delayed. Hopefully Zoe likes school and it will be worth all the hassel.

Zoe and I have been invited to a mom's group that goes out once a week to a park or something in Beijing. I am thinking of going but once Zoe is in school she won't be able to attend so it is really only next week and the week after we could go. I may go anyway and maybe skip school once a month or so to go on one of the outings if it seems like somewhere she would enjoy. It would be a great way to meet other moms and see what is out there for kids in a group. I am sure a group of expat kids at a park will cause quiet a comotion too with everyone gawking and wanting to touch the babies.

It is a very windy day here today. Zoe and I went to the outdoor playground for awhile but had to come home. There was another lady that came with two little girls. She rode her bike and had one of those little tent like carriers on the back for the girls. They left because the bike kept getting blown over. Zoe doesn't really like the wind in her face so it was easy to get her to come home. There is too much dust blowing around when it is like this and she doesn't have glasses to protect her eyes. I even had a small butterfly land on my sleeve and stay there the whole walk home because it was too windy for the poor little thing to fly. Zoe kept wanting to touch it and look at it. We put it down in the tree in front of our house hopefully it didn't get blown away.

Well I need to go and check on Zoe she is watching Monsters Inc. in her playroom quietly. A little too quietly for me so I should make sure she isn't doing anything bad. She may just be mesmorized my the movie she gets quite engrossed in her shows sometimes.

Pictures moved to Flickr

2007-04-12T00:40:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed we have moved our new pictures to Flickr, instead of posting them in our photo album.

You can view the photo's anytime here.

If you are rss proficient you can also subscribe to an rss feed of our photos at http://api.flickr.com/services/feeds/photos_public.gne?id=7214046@N08&format=rss_200.

Happy Easter

2007-04-08T04:11:00.000-07:00

We took lots of pics of Zoe today. She loved getting her Easter stuff especially the chocolate. We did not get her much chocolate. She got a couple puzzles, housecoat, dress and a few small things that were in her eggs.

We went to the park this afternoon that is at the other end of our complex. It was quite a walk. We took the wagon. Today was a sunny warm blue sky day so you have to get out and enjoy it when you can. Zoe flew her kite with Daddy and played Frisbee with him. She had quite a serious face when she was throwing the disk. She did a lot of walking so hopefully she will be tuckered out for bed.

Right now her and Daddy are reading their book, right now Were the Wild Things Are is her favourite. I am trying to post the pictures from today on flickr and will get Steve to make sure they are there. I have to go put Zoe to bed now. Hope the bunny was nice to everyone.

Hope this link works check out the new photos.

Our first visitor

2007-04-07T02:05:00.000-07:00

Today we met up with Mike (Steve's old buisness partner from PCSupport). He was in town for a few hours waiting for his flight home after a business trip. We met him and a couple of his colleages at Yashow (one of the markets). They had a bargining system that you halved the starting price and added 20. Steve and I laughed at that because we go by you should pay about 25% of what they start at. The trick is to hold firm then walk away most times they will call after you and give you your price. Zoe got a little Hello Kitty purse today that started at about 14o and Steve paid 30 she said it was because Zoe was so cute. She put the purse on and walked through the market stopping at any mirror she saw to admire her new purse. This of course caused crowds to gather to watch her and coo over her.

Easter is coming and brining a treat something from Cadbury something you eat. That tune always pops into my head at Easter time and I always end up buying one of the Easter Cream eggs even though they are so sweet it is just sick. I thought I would go without this year but I found them at one of the Jenny Lou grocery stores. Only one seems to have them and I was concerned that it might not be in great shape but it was good. I really enjoyed probably because I didn't think I would get one here. I paid way more than I should for a chocolate egg and bunny for Zoe because the grocery stores seem to lack any easter candy or jelly beans. She doesn't need much but I wanted her to have a bit of junk. She is getting a dress and a few small toys that will fit in little plastic eggs I had for her last year but didn't use.

Right now Zoe and daddy have gone to the playroom at the clubhouse giving me some nice quiet alone time. I finished off my 2000 peice jigsaw puzzle. It takes up a lot of space. After this I think I will make easter cards for Steve and Zoe. It won't be a suprise for Steve though because he gets all the blog updates via email and reads them on his phone.

The weather here has been pretty good this week and the cherry blossoms are coming out all pretty and pink. We are hoping to get to one of the parks next week so we can enjoy the pretty colours of spring or maybe we will go to the summer palace.

That is it for now this is a long entry I will try to post a few more things about Zoe latter in the week so everyone can get their fix.

In Just 2 years

2007-03-20T00:22:00.000-07:00

I was thinking yesterday about all the things Zoe had done by the time she was 2 that I it took me well into adulthood to do and some may never do. Not the normal things like talking, walking ect...

Here are a few of them:

1) Visited 4 countries USA, Canada, China, Thailand. I made it to 4 on my honeymoon when I was 29.

2) Rode an elephant. I know several others here probably rode the elephant at the Game Farm like I did when I was young.

3) Flown in buisness class and sat in the top floor section of a plane. We did these things on the way to Thailand and on the way home. We got to sit in the upstairs on the flight back I had always wanted to do that.

4) Been to several historical sites including, The Forbidden City, Yonghegong (Lama Temple), and Tianement Square

I am sure there are other things I can't think of right now too. By the time we leave here she may have added a couple more countries to her list and hopefully a couple Disney Parks. We are going to the Hong Kong one next month and may go to the one in Paris in the fall. We hope to get to Japan this fall or winter too and maybe to Singapore and a few other places in the south.

Zoe will be a seasoned traveller by the time we get back which could be good. After so many 11 hour flights between China and Canada anything shorter will be no big deal. Maybe she will be a world travler when she grows up. She likely will not remember any of the stuff on the above list because who remembers much of what happened when they were 2 let alone before they were 2. There will be a lot of pictures for her to look at though to show all the fun things she did when she was young. Maybe even a scrapbook if I get motivated to get it together.

Right now she has brought her chair into my craft room and is trying to stand on it to see what she can find on the desk or the shelves in here. She is the master of finding candy. If it is hidden she will uncover it and have it eaten before you know it. It is impossible to hid it from her.

Also I must say I did go for a bit of retail therapy yesterday at Ikea. I bought shelves and a desk for my craft room, a dresser and lamps for the guest room, and a buffet for the dining room along with a few small things and a lot of red licorce ropes. It was all delivered and assembled today and they took all the garbage. That service cost me a whopping $15US. I will miss that when we get home. Our house is starting to look a bit like the Ikea catalog. We have so many of the Billy bookcases now. I have 2 in my craft room with a desk and a dining table because the desks here are all on the small side. The dining table isn't very big either.

I may go to the market this week and pick up some other little decorative things so this place doesn't seem so bare. I would like to get some pictures or something to go on the white walls. Maybe I will go get some more fish and put them in several rooms. Well maybe I will wait a month or two to see if I still want to take care of them.