Monday, February 23, 2009

Obsession of the Uncles

K is truly loved. Being the only grandchild/niece on S's side has its benefits. We wonder, though, if it isn't a little too much for those not related. 

At a conference over the weekend, M happened to bump into a recent BYU graduate, and after a short conversation they figured out that they knew a common person--S's brother D. After which she remarked, "Oh, you're K's father. He talks about her all the time. He's even showed me your blog!" 

So, to all those put in the crosshairs of the obsessive uncles, we ask you to smile and wish that everyone's nieces and nephews could be so loved.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Happy Birthday Paka

Learn a Little Everyday

K is now 22 months old. She's learning so much everyday. She can count to seven and spell half of her name. She loves "reading" books to us. Being so far away from family, the number one request is more videos of K. So here's a sample of her "practicing" with her flash cards.

P.S Happy Birthday Paka G

Monday, February 9, 2009

Seven Things We've Discovered Along the Way

Today we celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary. In order to commemorate our anniversary, we thought we'd have some fun talking about some of the "discoveries" we've made along the way.

Seven Things S has Discovered About M:


1) For someone who reads philosophical books all day, M loves to unwind by watching reality TV. You can catch him watching Dog the Bounty Hunter, Man vs. Wild, Homeland Security USA, or Amazing Race.

2) Its either M&Ms or chocolate chips. M must have some form of chocolate every day for a snack or dessert. (Preferably with ice cream.)

3) If M wasn't pursuing a PhD, he would be want to be a small claims court judge. He makes sure to take his lunch every day at 2pm--coinciding with People's Court.

4) M doesn't like the idea of reusing ziploc bags even if its been washed and cleaned. (Something about growing up with too many ziploc bags full of food in refrigerators.)

5) M's favorite movie is Shawshank Redemption, or actually any movie that involves someone locked up in some form of a jail (even if it's set hundreds of years ago), trying to escape, and living in unsanitary conditions.

6) M's favorite "study time" music is the Messiah. We must give Handel some credit for helping him finish some tough papers and study for a few final exams.

7) M learned how to play basketball after we started dating. Since M knew how much I loved basketball, he's practiced every week for the past seven years.


Seven Things M has Discovered about S:

1) She won’t let me (or anyone else, as far as I can tell) write on a piece of paper that she’s written on (especially if she still has things to write on it). Her notes, or whatever she’s writing, must be completely organized, and the handwriting must be uniform.

2) If S could go anywhere in the world it would be to Paris. She’s already planned two trips there, both of which fell through. (Sorry baby!)

3) She returned home from a recent dentist visit, confused that the dentist asked her if she grinded her teeth. I had heard her grinding her teeth for years in her sleep and thought she knew about it. Fortunately we solved the problem without any “cool” mouth-guard.

4) S can read Chinese characters. Once when we were returning to Beijing on a tour bus, slowly moving through the traffic in town, she remarked, “Hey, isn’t that the place we need to stop at to buy our train tickets?” We jumped off the tour bus, and on the way there I asked her how she recognized it (since we hadn’t been there before), and she explained that she remembered how I described one of the characters.

5) S had never been on an airplane before we met. Since then she’s been to Hawaii on average twice a year.

6) S’s biggest fear isn’t heights, or small spaces, or any ferocious animal; rather it’s taking the GRE. She’s afraid of the math portion and hasn’t quite gotten up the courage to take it yet.

7) Not all “Indians” are “Indian”. Even though she’ll eat the food, S doesn’t like to eat in an Indian (i.e., “India”) restaurant. She says the smell is overwhelming.



Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Some Q & A


(At Confucius's grave in Qufu, China)

Its been almost 6 years since M started grad school. People often ask what M's studying. Not always sure of how to respond, I took my questions to the source:

1) What does he study?
Chinese religious thought, or more specifically, Confucianism.

2) What are the requirements for completing his PhD program?
Two years of course work, master's degree proficiency in Chinese, three years of Japanese, comprehensive/general exams, a dissertation proposal, and a 300-page dissertation. 

3) What is his dissertation topic?
The function of norms in early Confucianism.

4) What in the world does that mean?
Over 2000 years ago Confucians created religious rituals, musical performances, and other things. M's looking at what these things are meant to do, and how they are supposed to do it. 

5) What does he plan on doing with his PhD?
Hang it on the wall and learn how to read it. (Its in Latin.)

6) And most importantly, when will he be done?
In 250 pages. Hopefully June 2010.

So until the summer of 2010, we will continue to press forward with our grad school life. We will keep you posted with further developments and changes.