Huge picture post of updates plus injuries. Oi.
Updates now, because tomorrow I'm in Taicong for 4 weeks (minus the weekend) and I have no idea what the internet situation is going to b like. So first things first - animal status update. From bottom to top: Yuki, Sammy, and laser-eyed Chico.
All doing well. Yuki is likely going to be back on his meds by tomorrow though. Chico goes to the vet for his first set of vaxxies and Yuki has been hissing and scratching lately, so he's getting one too.
LD had a theory that Sammy would like being cuddled if he were supported in a sling. His expression should tell you all you need to know about that. :D
Then there was a bowling trip. Kat, Chibi, LD, Jo and I played three games. We are all quite adept at hitting gutter balls. Kat got on a strike-spree and proceeded to kick our asses.
This is called 'heckling.' We do it a lot.
LD teaches Chibi how to bowl.
We had dinner with Jo a few days later at a Chinese restaurant near her place. Good food but not worth the price. Some of the dishes were good but they were tiny tiny portions. For the same amount of money, we could have had double the dishes at twice the size from Bellagio's.
We drink our juice out of wineglasses. With straws.
This is how we roll.
Best. Wine. EVER!
I spent a week in Jiading doing teacher training. The teachers were awesome - fun, enthusiastic, full of energy and eager to try just about anything. I have a game called 'Catching the Chicken' and it's a game to showcase the importance of clear meaning and body language and it's the most embarrassing game I have in my repertoire. 3 people go outside and 1 person is given an action to perform, i.e catching a chicken. He/she can't speak but must perform this action over and over. 1 by 1 the others come in and join in, doing the actions without speaking. When everyone is done laughing their heads off, we ask the 3 who came in what they thought they were doing. Rarely do they guess correctly. :) Anyway, if I can get them to play this game (the elderly teacher who had to act out 'being chased by hungry lions' was BRILLIANT), I can get them to do anything. :)
They also had to give speeches about a topic close to them. This teacher, Stephanie, showed us how to bake vanilla cake complete with props and a ppt. ^^
This is a spatula. You use it to hit the fingers of those trying to gank the cake.
This is Jen. She is a long-time collector of stamps (over 20 years) and she spoke to us about how stamps told a story. She also mentioned how - with the advancement of email - we are losing a valuable art source. I honestly have never thought about that.
Story-time with stamps!
We pause for a moment to bring you Cleavage Cat:
Remy: "S'up, y'all?"
He would sleep there forever if he could.
Jiading ended on Wednesday! I had 4 hours until I had to teach at a hospital, so local teacher Lyna took me and L (other foreign teacher) to the Confucius Temple, located 10 minutes away by cab ride. Lyna is in the front row between the two teachers wearing black shirts. My Jiading mother Clara (first row, 2nd from the right) came too, as well as April (back row, 3rd from the left) and Princess Diana (next to April. 4th from the left, back row). Lone is back row center - you can see the grey hair. :)
It's middle-aged 'Where's Waldo?'
The Confucian Temple was gorgeous. Lyna has studied Confucius for a long time and was able to share the history of the Temple. It's over 1000 years old, but 60% of it was redone after it was destroyed . 40 percent is 1000 years old, the rest is 400 years old. You know - ONLY. :)
Main gate. Those seeking Knowledge, enter here.
Lyna, giving us a quick history lesson before we go in.
Entry way. Ahead is the park. To the right is the entrance to the lake. Going left takes you to the Confucius Museum.
In case you wanted some basic info. :)
Admiring the lake. Lyna gives us the history of the stone dragons.
Confucius had over 3,000 students but only 72 of them were famous enough to remembered through history.
There were 72 dragons lining the walkway - one for each student.
Stone unicorns!
The middle path is for the Emperor only. The important palace people went on the sides.
600 year old Cypress tree.
72 busts - 1 of each of Confucius's disciples.
A stern disciple yelling at his students, arm sleeves flailing.
Old Chinese characters. I think they're nicer and easier to see in detail than newer.
Old wooden carvings.
On the bridge. Don't let those umbrellas drop!
Statues outside the temple.
That ain't her laptop he's looking at.
Let's end with cute kitty pics. Remt discovered the cat-tree's catbox. :)
Buh?
Grooming session on Kat's lap. ^^
So that was that. Until today. I took Ruthie for a walk before going to the office for an orientation meeting for next weeks training in Taicong. I stepped on what looked to be a flat stretch of grass and it turned out to be hiding a death trap. I flipped over on my ankle. and pretty much screamed my head off. Kat had to help me to the office. Yo brought us a tension bandage and an ice spray that numbed my ankle enough so I could sit through the meeting. Now I'm home, dosed on painkillers, foot wrapped and the office will have crutches for me tomorrow.
Ugh.. this is not how I envisioned my weekend going.
Ruthie's with J for the week with her things. I leave tomorrow, Kat leaves Monday morning for Nanhui with the chibi, and LD arrives on Thursday. Cher needs to come Tuesday and Wednesday to check the babies here.
All doing well. Yuki is likely going to be back on his meds by tomorrow though. Chico goes to the vet for his first set of vaxxies and Yuki has been hissing and scratching lately, so he's getting one too.
LD had a theory that Sammy would like being cuddled if he were supported in a sling. His expression should tell you all you need to know about that. :D
Then there was a bowling trip. Kat, Chibi, LD, Jo and I played three games. We are all quite adept at hitting gutter balls. Kat got on a strike-spree and proceeded to kick our asses.
This is called 'heckling.' We do it a lot.
LD teaches Chibi how to bowl.
We had dinner with Jo a few days later at a Chinese restaurant near her place. Good food but not worth the price. Some of the dishes were good but they were tiny tiny portions. For the same amount of money, we could have had double the dishes at twice the size from Bellagio's.
We drink our juice out of wineglasses. With straws.
This is how we roll.
Best. Wine. EVER!
I spent a week in Jiading doing teacher training. The teachers were awesome - fun, enthusiastic, full of energy and eager to try just about anything. I have a game called 'Catching the Chicken' and it's a game to showcase the importance of clear meaning and body language and it's the most embarrassing game I have in my repertoire. 3 people go outside and 1 person is given an action to perform, i.e catching a chicken. He/she can't speak but must perform this action over and over. 1 by 1 the others come in and join in, doing the actions without speaking. When everyone is done laughing their heads off, we ask the 3 who came in what they thought they were doing. Rarely do they guess correctly. :) Anyway, if I can get them to play this game (the elderly teacher who had to act out 'being chased by hungry lions' was BRILLIANT), I can get them to do anything. :)
They also had to give speeches about a topic close to them. This teacher, Stephanie, showed us how to bake vanilla cake complete with props and a ppt. ^^
This is a spatula. You use it to hit the fingers of those trying to gank the cake.
This is Jen. She is a long-time collector of stamps (over 20 years) and she spoke to us about how stamps told a story. She also mentioned how - with the advancement of email - we are losing a valuable art source. I honestly have never thought about that.
Story-time with stamps!
We pause for a moment to bring you Cleavage Cat:
Remy: "S'up, y'all?"
He would sleep there forever if he could.
Jiading ended on Wednesday! I had 4 hours until I had to teach at a hospital, so local teacher Lyna took me and L (other foreign teacher) to the Confucius Temple, located 10 minutes away by cab ride. Lyna is in the front row between the two teachers wearing black shirts. My Jiading mother Clara (first row, 2nd from the right) came too, as well as April (back row, 3rd from the left) and Princess Diana (next to April. 4th from the left, back row). Lone is back row center - you can see the grey hair. :)
It's middle-aged 'Where's Waldo?'
The Confucian Temple was gorgeous. Lyna has studied Confucius for a long time and was able to share the history of the Temple. It's over 1000 years old, but 60% of it was redone after it was destroyed . 40 percent is 1000 years old, the rest is 400 years old. You know - ONLY. :)
Main gate. Those seeking Knowledge, enter here.
Lyna, giving us a quick history lesson before we go in.
Entry way. Ahead is the park. To the right is the entrance to the lake. Going left takes you to the Confucius Museum.
In case you wanted some basic info. :)
Admiring the lake. Lyna gives us the history of the stone dragons.
Confucius had over 3,000 students but only 72 of them were famous enough to remembered through history.
There were 72 dragons lining the walkway - one for each student.
Stone unicorns!
The middle path is for the Emperor only. The important palace people went on the sides.
600 year old Cypress tree.
72 busts - 1 of each of Confucius's disciples.
A stern disciple yelling at his students, arm sleeves flailing.
Old Chinese characters. I think they're nicer and easier to see in detail than newer.
Old wooden carvings.
On the bridge. Don't let those umbrellas drop!
Statues outside the temple.
That ain't her laptop he's looking at.
Let's end with cute kitty pics. Remt discovered the cat-tree's catbox. :)
Buh?
Grooming session on Kat's lap. ^^
So that was that. Until today. I took Ruthie for a walk before going to the office for an orientation meeting for next weeks training in Taicong. I stepped on what looked to be a flat stretch of grass and it turned out to be hiding a death trap. I flipped over on my ankle. and pretty much screamed my head off. Kat had to help me to the office. Yo brought us a tension bandage and an ice spray that numbed my ankle enough so I could sit through the meeting. Now I'm home, dosed on painkillers, foot wrapped and the office will have crutches for me tomorrow.
Ugh.. this is not how I envisioned my weekend going.
Ruthie's with J for the week with her things. I leave tomorrow, Kat leaves Monday morning for Nanhui with the chibi, and LD arrives on Thursday. Cher needs to come Tuesday and Wednesday to check the babies here.