10 Things About Where We Live

1. Where we live there is a very slight chance of getting hit in the head from a falling durian... which kills an average of 1 person a year (true fact).


2. Where we live Crocs are just as popular as they are in the US (and just as ugly).


3. Where we live people believe cold drinks can make you sick (the food below: sweet lime tea and char kuey teow... mmmm... soooo goooood).


4. Where we live there are wild tigers, elephants, rhinoceroses and monkeys in the rainforest.


5. Where we live there's WiFi in every McDonald's and the employees bring home the chicken bacon (no pork here :) by making RM4.50/sejam ($1.27/hour).


6. Where we live my wife takes unflattering pictures with her friends in Starbucks (she doesn't know I found this... he he he).


7. Where we live many people bloodlet to get rid of headaches.


8. Where we live nearly every local restaurant is open 24 hours and they're often packed at 2am.



9. Where we live little kids commonly go to sleep at midnight.


10. Where we live the word for heart (as in "you'll always be in my heart" or "I'll keep your memories in my heart") in the local language, when directly translated, means "liver."



What's cool about where you live? Leave a comment!

Krispy Kreme. A Poem.

Krispy Kreme
How I love thee.
So sweet, so melty.
Hot now.
I see your light.
Double dozen?
I think I might.

Us at the Grand Opening...Anthony eating one while waiting in line...the baby is not mine. (that last part wasn't part of the poem...just a coincidence that it rhymed.)

Easter 2009

We spent Easter with the Law Family and a couple other American friends. It was laid back and fun. Easter (unlike Christmas and Valentines Day) here hasn't gotten too commercialized yet so it's actually pretty easy to just focus on the real meaning of it all. Mrs. Law fixed roastbeef...sooo good.We brought drinks and on the way over the tea spilled:)

I'm sure if we're still in the states next year for Easter that it'll be a much bigger deal (probably won't be wearing jeans:) But it was fun just chillin'. Isaac enjoyed hanging out and watching tv with his "cousins." :) Eli now actually introduces Isaac as, "this is my cousin Isaac." So sweet!

How Did I End Up Here?

Not a whole lot culturally has been happening, but I (Sharon) had a weird night the other night.
Ok, so we were meeting some friends at the Mall to eat at Chili’s. Our friend was returning to America and it was a send off party. Anthony and I got to the mall early. Anthony went into the “World of Locks” store to buy a lock/key thing for our office. I was chasing Isaac around and stubbed my toe on the bottom of a shelf/display in the locks store. It hurt pretty bad and when I looked down I saw I cut it open and that it was starting to bleed. I gave Isaac to Anthony and hobbled toward the bathroom a few shops away. By the time I got to the bathroom my sandal had filled with blood. I rinsed my toe off in the sink and put tissue on it but it kept bleeding.

Anthony arrived I wrapped my foot in about 3 feet of tissue and we set off in search of a clinic. Anthony found it and of course it was at the clear other end of the mall. You must understand, there are no small malls in Asia. Half a kilometer later we arrived at the clinic. The doctor said I needed stitches! I begged him not to- not because I was scared or anything I just didn’t want the hassle of stitches. So he taped it and wrapped it and said if it started bleeding again then I would have to get stitches.


Then. It’s about 1 hour before we met at Chili’s…and my tooth falls out! Lemme ‘splain. I was born without several of my permanent teeth (which my almost-a-dentist friend Cara tells me is pretty common). My molars are all still baby teeth (I also don’t have wisdom teeth). This tooth had slowly been dying (part of it had already broken off) and a couple weeks ago at the dentist the doctor said the roots were nearly gone. So Anthony went and got me more tissue for my mouth. Luckily it didn’t hurt! Craziness.

We get to Chili’s. Eat. Leave Chili’s with little incident.

We were trying to leave the mall and were changing Isaac in the incredible baby care rooms they have here (do they have those in America? You can nurse your baby on a sofa and change your baby on a changing table, they also have small play areas and hot/cold water machines for formula. They rock and I hope they have them in the US!) Then Anthony stepped on my toe. Oops. It bled horribly once again. When I got to the clinic the nurse (pretty sure without thinking) said, “So you didn’t keep it elevated did you?” Seriously? Elevated? At Chili’s? As the doctor gave me stitches I couldn’t help but wonder aloud, “How in the world did I end up here? This is so random!” He also gave me a tetanus shot, antibiotics, and some pain pills.
The stitches are out now and hopefully the cut will heal soon. I think my poor little pinky toe is gonna look weird from now on!

Better Ingredients...

I’m not really sure how it happened, but Papa John’s opened here in December sometime and we managed to get to March without knowing about it. Good thing we saw the KRISPY KREME sign hanging up next to Papa John’s announcing its opening next month… we will not be late for that one!
Ok, all you faithful blog readers out there who scrolled all the way through the pics… I want to share a story that could have everything to do with the pictures above. Back in 2004-2006 I worked at Outback Steakhouse. One day I waited on a table with 2 gentlemen sitting at it. One, I thought, looked familiar…

Sharon: “Hi! Wait. Have I waited on you before? You look familiar.”
Man sitting with Familiar Guy: “Um, well, you may not have waited on him, but he may have made your pizza.”
Sharon: (as the lights went on I said like an idiot) “You’re Papa John!”

That’s right folks. I met and served THE Papa John. He was very polite and even asked about me. When I told him I had plans to move overseas (and named the country) he said, “Really?” Then his friend (who was super-lame and totally acted like the side-kick to someone famous) told me they were actually discussing opening Papa John’s in China. I said, “Well, I don’t know about there, but I know I’d like to have a Papa John’s where I’m moving to!”

Could it be? Could I have been instrumental in bringing Papa John’s here? I, of course, choose to believe so and will therefore reward myself by an extra helping of garlic sauce!

Isaac's First Birthday!

Isaac is One Year Old!
We had his birthday party today at our house. We put up a couple of tents because around here, when you have a party the number one signal to all neighbors is a tent! We didn't have to send out invitations or anything. We did tell a couple of people, but mostly people just saw the tents and heard by word of mouth. If you're a friend, you come.
We bought a small pool for his party (thanks Mom!) And set it up under the porch because people here do everything they can to stay out of the sun. Even though we both grew up in Florida, having February birthdays meant we never got to have a pool party. We thought it would add some fun to the normal birthday festivities. Only a few kids played in it (but enough to fill it up for sure) and it was a big hit. We told the adults we were gonna buy an even bigger pool and have a party for ourselves and the adults next week for our birthday… I only tell you that little piece of info because I said it in their language and I must have said it right because they all laughed and then rolled with the joke. (One mom when her daughter asked if it was true, said, “Yes, but you can’t play in it. Only the adults.”) It’s all about the small victories folks.I can’t believe our Miniman is ONE! They say the years just get faster, especially when you add more kids (which we’ll hopefully do this year!)

I made my mom’s chocolate cake for the big cake- not nearly as well as she does, but it turned out alright. For Isaac’s cake, I made 3 cupcakes hoping I could come up with something. I tried to make a koala and I think it turned out alright (disproportionately large ears, but who would dare judge?) Isaac liked his cake, but in an effort to help the icing not melt in the VERY hot sun, I put it in the freezer… a bit too long though. When he went to dig in, it was too hard! AH! Anthony gave it a poke to try and get it started for him, but even for Anthony it was tough. But he eventually got into it, picking the entire cupcakes up and shoving them in his mouth.
Not long after we cleaned him up, he had a sugar crash and napped for about an hour. The older boys had a water balloon fight with the leftover balloons. We opened presents later. In this culture, you normally don't open gifts in front of people, so we did it inside when there were just a few people left.Everyone took home a bit of cake and a few extra cookies. All in all it was a great party! Happy Birthday Sweet Isaac!

Love Birds...

We went to the bird-park on Valentine's Day- with Isaac of course (can you see the date on Anthony's armband?) Isaac's more like a training wheel or a wheel on a Tonka truck than a "Third Wheel" and he comes with a stroller, so you can put the 3rd wheel on wheels if need be. We had never been there and it was fun! There are a lot of birds not in cages, and because of our residency visa, we got in for less than half-price. Woohoo!This was painted on one of the walls. No kissing in public though for risk of paying a fine...(although I doubt anyone would have given us a ticket on Valentine's Day!)
We went into the parrot enclosure (kinda like the velociraptor enclosure in Jurassic Park). All was going well.
Isaac liked feeding the birds and didn't mind how close they were.
Until one (2nd from the left) bit his hand. He cried so loud! It left a mark (you can still see it today!) but I was laughing and couldn't do anything because both arms were occupied. Then as he was crying a couple birds landed on him and my head and scared him even worse. It wasn't as bad as the poor cow in the Velociraptor cage (he stopped crying before we even got out of the enclosure) but still...poor Miniman!
Isaac's favorite birds were the toucans (so like any parents with only one child, we used the money we saved from the entrance fee and bought him a stuffed toucan). There were several Hornbills flying around as well- huge!If you're ever in town we'll take you! (unless you come on Valentine's Day, then we'll ask you to babysit:)

For Dorks Like Us Who Love to Read People Much Smarter than Us

Yale did something very cool.

They put EVERYTHING Jonathan Edwards ever wrote online... for free.

Of course, they did this after I dropped a Benjamin on "The Works of Jonathan Edwards" a couple years back.

It's ok... I still got some Hamilton's, and when I can I drop 'em like Aaron Burr.

Getting Lost in the Foo

Using the wonders of wifi, I'm downloading "Lost" from iTunes in Carrefour, the French Walmart. I think wifi means something like Wonderous Internet Flying Inthesky, although Wikipedia tells me it means "wireless fiedelity." Wikipedia is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject, so you know you're getting the best possible information.

By the way, Carrefour is pronouced "car-FOO" and must be said with a frou-frou accent and an poorly disguised distain for anything unfrench-like.

World Heritage Site- Melaka

We went overnight to watch the Superbowl with some friends and on our drive back we stopped by one of the most famous places to visit here. It's actually taken us 2 and half years to make it to Melaka. Last year it was deemed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO...which in case you don't know, is a big deal. The city is a port city and over the centuries it has accumulated a rich history. I think I heard once it was the place where the "winds meet" meaning it's great for sailing big ships from Europe, Arabia, and India to China, Japan, and beyond. Different nations, particularly the Portuguese, have colonized it. In fact the local people from there actually look different (their noses particularly look more European)...which is a testimony to what a unique place it is since it's only about 3 hours from the capital and this nation only has about 23 million people total. You can tell before someone says, "I'm from Melaka" that they're from Melaka. They're proud of their heritage...as they should be!
There's lots of antique shops and other "old stuff" to see like the Christ Church and "Jonker Street." The whole place just has a very distinct feel to it. We're definitely going back! A fountain dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria.
Isaac checking out the cool tile in front of an antique store.
Isaac and I making our crazy smile faces in front of St. Francis church.