How important is Christmas in China ?

This might be something People in America are going to wonder about . How do the Chinese celebrate Christmas .. if at all ? Having been in China four times , but never during this Special Holiday in the western World .
This article I found while I was asking myself this very question .. How important is Christmas to the Chinese ?

Knowing their biggest Holiday is soon coming too , which is the well known Spring Festival . The difference between the two , is that their Holiday ( actually Holiday DAYS ) is never a set date like Christmas is .

So this raises another question , how many Catholics or People from other Faith's that celebrate this Holiday .. are there living in all of China ? Somewhere I heard , about 2-4 Million and this Religion/Faith is growing by the day/months .

Anyway , here is what I found out of Shanghai today .


SHANGHAI, China: The Lunar New Year is celebrated in a big way in China but Christmas is also fast gaining popularity as a time to celebrate as well.Yu Hsi, Professor of Sociology at Fudan University, said: "Its popularity is easy to understand because of China's 30-year opening up and reform policy. The opening up and reform policy had many Western influences including certain Western lifestyle culture Christmas, being the most important festival in the western, is a symbol of western festivals."This festival has since been adopted by citizens living in China's big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai which are more developed."Florists have noticed yearly increases in sales of Christmas trees. At the Rosa Gallica, a shop in the popular French Concession, sales of Christmas trees have gone up by 30 per cent."The number of our Chinese customers has been increasing. In the past, the ratio of foreigners is around 80 to 90 per cent but now we have more and more Chinese customers," said Huang Qiu Ping, manager of Rosa Gallica.At wholesale store DR, sales of decorations are also picking up. "Sales has increased by 20 per cent this Christmas period compared with last year perhaps because of the financial crisis. This year is better," said Zhang Peng, the owner of DR.More and more locals are also getting into the act of gift giving as well. "We would buy (Christmas decorations) every year because my friends and I will spend the festival at my house. We often drop by the stores to buy Christmas decorations to create the Christmas atmosphere...we would exchange presents with each other and have a Christmas feast at home," said one."We bought decoration balls and Christmas tree to decorating our company...for example, the Christmas will be displayed in our company and the smaller trees would be placed at our work stations," said another.Professor Yu said that the popularity of Christmas was not promoted but something "spontaneous"."For the young Chinese, Christmas is a symbol showing their willingness to live this way...the popularity of Christmas is not promoted by the government. It's basically spontaneous."In China, there is no religious attachment to Christmas celebrations and it is also not a public holiday. However, that is not stopping many shopping centres from cashing in on the popularity of this festive season by offering discounts.


So this article shows exactly what I have experienced being Married to a Chinese ( Shanghainese) Woman , by the Photo's/Card's and in writing over the long period while waiting to be together with my LaoPo again . So watch out World , soon there will be all the artificial Christmas Tree's be coming out of China too .. " Made in China " !
Anybody seen this before

Christmas is approaching .

As the last Holiday of the Year is approaching , there are some things that I hear over the Air-ways ( Radio ) and from some People that heard the same thing .

What I mean by that , there is Talk ( I hope it just is ... ) of getting rid of saying Merry Christmas and just calling it Happy Holidays . This of course gets me quite upset , thinking they have done this already to the Oktoberfest here in California and calling it "Fall Festival" . In that case , I think .. that our "Political Correct" Goofballs .. don't want to be connected to the German Fest .. which includes of course Beer Drinking . That is so much Forbidden here at just about every Public event , that it is funny .

Anyway , back to Christmas . Now they want to change that too . I have no doubt that they will also succeed and have their way . It is really amazing , how People from other Countries .. come HERE and push our ( since this Country was build ) Believes to the side and be store theirs onto us . Wasn't it just last year in Seattle where they had to remove a large Christmas Tree in a Public Square , because of such non-sense ?

Am I the only one here , wondering where will this all take us and where will it end ???

So with this I like to wish everybody a wonderful

" Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year "

I will not and never will .. call it anything but what I believe is CORRECT !

Everybody's Talkin..no -no .. I mean Shopping !

Ahhh .. Christmas Time is here again and soon the Year is "Full" ones more .

This is of course time to think what to get/buy for your special Spouse ? This went back and forth for some time now and finally we had decided on something for both of us .

If anyone wants to guess ? What is very popular in China ?

WRONG !!!

We are getting ourselves something we love to Play in our Free time ... Ping Pong ! Yes , a nice Ping Pong Table for the Garage in Winter and back Porch in better weather . Qing and I have still something to settle .. as I was too mean and beat up on my LaoPo in Shanghai the last time we hit the little white Ball back and forth . Oh .. I promised not to rub it in , but on the other Hand .. she's not here while I'm writing this and when she reads it .. I'll be at Work . haha

Some promised Photo's .

As one can see , some of them Pictues are from our Home and the other one .. right after a nice Dinner at a Restaurant not far from our House .

A wonderful Day .. with Qing's Cousin .

As mentioned before , we postponed our Meeting with Qing's Cousin from Monday to Tuesday .
I took the day off from Work , Qing was not scheduled to work that day anyway . So all was clear to go and Visit ( pick up actually ) her Cousin in Covina , which is about 80 miles one-way . This meant , that today we will make two round-trip's from our Home . No problem though , as this is going to be the " First " Family member from Qing's side .. coming to our House .

We arrived about 1:00 pm at the Hotel he was staying , with about 20 other Government member's he Traveled with from Shanghai . When they come here , they come with an Army of VP's of different Companies .
Anyway , after meeting and exchanging Gift's .. it was going back to our House for a Tour/Snack/Talking of course .. until it was time for taking the Guest out for a nice Dinner at a nearby Restaurant .

That was a blast , even though .. none of us ordered any Alcoholic Drinks . After stuffing us plenty , it was already nightfall and to need to take the Cousin back to Covina . His Flight was leaving the next Morning out of Ontario Airport to Frisco and back to China from there .

Back at the Hotel , inside for a last minute Cup of Coffee and our best wishes for all back to Qing's Family and His also . The final point he made , was .. that he will give ME a good Grade at Qing's Parent's House . I think , I've earned this .. as I treat Qing like no other .. including myself !!!

Of course , now we have to report Back to China ( Shanghai ) for a Visit by next year . At the moment , this is a problem for us .. as my Mom wants us to go to Germany , our Neighbor wants us to go with them to El Salvador and now the China must . Maybe I'll win the Lottery by then , then .. I'll go to all three and maybe some other's too .

Ps: As a side note ; I can be more grateful for the wonderful Gift's we both received from Qing's Family and now her Cousin . My first Brook's Brother TIE ( $ 115 ) and Qing's 4 oz. Perfume ( CD ) that I'm sure top's my Tie . I am very lucky to have married into such a " Great " Family .

( Photo's later , sorry still on Camera only ) .

How things feel being reversed on you ?

Come to think , now when I'm at Home and my LaoPo is working .. it's quite a turn-around . For myself mostly I'd say . Working in the Back Yard most of the Morning and cleaning things up , for the Cousin's Visit . Which by the way , is going to happen on Tuesday instead . It looks , Schedules for those Gov. People is never carved in Stone . Anyway , this does not interfere with meeting him on that Day .

So , now that I have finished that work in the Back of the House and sitting on the Computer .. I started to think . Yes , thinking what my LaoPo went through .. being by herself all those day's/week's and even month's .. while I'm at work .

Here it is only a short time for me , not seeing my Sweetheart here when I'm Home . Strange it is indeed ! But , it reminds me of course how my poor Qing must of felt .. day in - day-out during the past year . This shows , that she is a very strong Person .. I mean .. she never ones complained about it or even give me the slightest hind that she was bored . Something that would come out of a Teenager's Mouth real fast , but Qing is an Adult and knows how to keep herself busy .

For myself , it's not so simple now . Before I was married to my LaoPo , I could have watch the Tube for Hours or work outside and keep busy myself . Now , I hardly watch an TV anymore ( one Hour at night ) , so it is a little harder on me . Especially , when I'm done with Yard work . I find myself looking to keep myself occupied .

Ahhh .. two minutes til 5:00pm and my LaoPo will be Home soon now . So I worry about this , some other time .
Her arriving at the front Door , is like the time she arrived here in LA .. very ..very .. Welcomed !

Monday should be an interesting Day !

This coming Monday , will be a first for both Qing and Myself .
We are having Qing's Cousin , that is the last couple of weeks , traveling both Coast's for the Chinese Government . He's traveling with some other Guy's from China ( Shanghai ) for some Investment Deals here in the US .

This means , we get for the first time to Meet one of Qing's Family member here in California . This is of course very exciting for my LaoPo . So we make every effort to meet up on Monday . The only day he can meet us , so I need to take a day off my Work and Qing needs to do the same .. if she's scheduled for work that day . That we'll find out today .

He is going to have to tell both of us , about .. how he likes it here in America so far .. of what he has seen . Being an Important Government Employee and traveling in Style , I have a feeling that he is not really seeing the bad part of this Economy . We will invite him into our Home and see first hand how the average Guy lives and what it is like living in a " BIG " to them anyway .. House .. instead an Apartment that are so dominant in Shanghai .

As he was not born in Shanghai , his Shanghainese is limited .. so Qing will bring out her Mandarin and I will bring out my Chinglish and my Hospitality .

Something new for next year .

I want hereby say Welcome to my Blog , to all my Face-book Friends and Follower's .
As one can see , my Blog goes back to March of 2009 .. when a Friend suggested I start one . This has helped me a great deal , to overcome the time .. waiting for my next Trip to see my LaoPo in Shanghai again . It also covers now how we both adjust ( being finally together ) to daily Life .
So again Welcome to my Blog and feel free to leave Comment's or join as a Follower , as both are Free .

If in the next year , one thinks I'm getting boring .. please let me know .. I value any Opinion .. to make this not only Fun but also Enjoyable and be of Help to some that might think of making that very same Journey some day in the Future .

To finish up the Year .

Last , I want to just summarize some of the Family Member's Qing has met this past year .

Of course my Mom , Aunt and Uncle were the first ones .
Seven of my first Cousins and their Wife's/Husband's & Kid's of theirs .
Half a dozen of my late Wife's Cousins , three Aunt's and Uncle .
Three ( from seven ) Sister In-laws w/ Husbands/Kids and one Brother In-law w/ Wife /one Daughter .
One of my six remaining Step- Children ( the oldest ) and her three Daughter's and their/my great-grand kids .
One Ex- Sister In-law w/ Daughter .
My Father and Mother In-law ( she passed away ) .
All my Neighbors and Friends .

Still to come ; My Brother's & their Family's .
A few Aunt's and Uncle's and many Cousin , all in Germany and other States here in the US .

So far , Qing's been to two Funeral's with me ( late wife's Uncle ) and my Mother In-law .
No Weddings so far .

Do they like/love my LaoPo ?

YES: 98 %
NO: 2%

Don't ask who the 2 % are , because I don't know . Figure , it's NEVER 100 % anything with Family .

Food for the Soul .

Before my Sweetheart arrived here at the " Bee's " Nest , I was really worried about this very Subject .

How will Qing adjust away from the daily Chinese Food ? Food that she grew up with and I began to Love more than western Food . Now that it's been a Year , what is actually being put on the Dinner Table each day .
One thing , I can say .. it's not Pizza ones a week . Qing has really started to not only like some of the Dishes I've shown her how to make , but she is going real well with them .
A couple that stand out ; are German Dishes like .. Bratwurst - Fried Potatoes/Potato Dumplings ( northern or southern Style ) Red Cabbage or Sauerkraut . Depends on what I want as a Vegetable .
Schnitzel/Pork chop with Brusselsprout's and Mashpotatoes w. Gravy . As you can see , Qing loves Potatoes as much as Rice . I call it an even split between the two .

She also loves to use our Bar-B-Que/ Smoker , to smoke some of the best Baby-back Rib's that I ever had the pleasure of eating .
One thing I still do and help with is , doing Steak and Pasta's . Reminds me , just the other day .. we had homemade Taco's ( for the first time ) with all the fixings .. that would have pleased a Mexican Crowd .

What Chinese Food concerns , there are just no words to describe it .. just great and taking you back to China . The Food I had the pleasure of being spoiled with from Qing's Parent's , mostly her Father .

Not to forget , now we are Baking Cakes of all kinds . So far , nobody passed away yet .. by eating them . haha

I'd say , all my earlier worries .. were all for nothing really . Qing could have not adjusted better . She even likes In"n"Out Burger's and eat's French fries too . We have NOT been to a KFC or McDonalds as of yet . Maybe KFC , just to see if my LaoPo thinks it's the same as back Home .

May I add , the only one that has gained weight is Me . Qing's has not changed since she's here . It must be , the way she cooks them Potatoes ?

The weekend Get-Away's .

I like to summarize all the nice Places Qing and I have been to , during this first year in California .

We start out with a three hour drive to Paso Robles ( Cousin ) . Before night fall , we'll head down to Cambria for a stroll through this Tourist Town near the Beach . After spending the night at my Cousin's House , we drove down the Coast Highway to Los Osos to visit my former Sister in-law and her Daughter . She took Qing and myself to Morro Bay for a wonderful Lunch and on to see more of beautiful places near her Home by the Beach .
We did not get to spend a night there , because it was Sunday and I worked the next day .. unfortunately . Ahead was now again a three hour drive back Home , but not the same Hwy. we arrived to this area . There wasn't much to see , as it was after 8:00 pm when starting to head Home . I myself like night driving so much better , less Traffic through Mountainous Roads . Nobody to slow you down , so a steady 75-80 mph most of the time . Don't tell anybody !!!

Other Trips , include to Santa Monica/Venice Beaches for a nice relaxing Bicycle Ride up and down the Beach front and by the Famous Santa Monica Pier . Of course we stopped there also , for nothing more for some Fun and getting onto the "New" Farris-wheel on the Pier . That was very Romantic .. I must add . Qing also enjoyed the Marina Del Rey/Venice with it's many Canal's and Venice ( Italy ) bridges over them . Not to mention the wonderful Homes in that area . I could tell , Qing would love to live in one of those .. heck .. so would I .

Many Trips to Pasadena ( Qing's favourite City ) , especially to the Gardens .. mentioned in my earlier Blog Post .

Next over-night get-away was to be in San Diego . With plans to go to Old Town - Seaport Village - The Zoo - Point Loma - Balboa Park and not to forget to Meet up with .. no other than Ed Watson from our Forum . This reminded me , how much prettier San Diego is over Los Angeles . Another great weekend for sure for both of us . As a special Surprise , I even took Qing over the Border to Mexico and to make it more interesting .. I did it without a Passport ( explained in another Post ) of mine .

Other one Day outings include a Trip to my Uncle's Cabin in Pine Mountain ( 70 miles from LA ) . Into the Palms Spring area for both Christmas and Thanksgiving Family Dinner's , that welcome my LaoPo as one of the Family with open Arms .

Now for the Trip's that " Almost " happened .
I did plan a Anniversary ( May ) Trip to wonderful Carmel by the Sea . Also including Monterey and a drive to San Francisco , with Chinatown as the main point of that drive . Thinking of a Bay Cruise too , if time would permit it .
The second almost Visit , was to Las Vegas . But that turned out to become only an Reservation and nothing else .
Going there kind of scares Qing . I don't know what it is ? Either , it's being afraid of the Gambling or Spending Money that she thinks is wasteful . I really can't argue with that , can I now ?

Of course in the coming year , we will make plans to Visit other wonderful Site's/Park's within .. let's say no more then .. seven eight Hours of Driving . With that in Mind , I'm thinking of ..
Carmel-Frisco-Yosemite Park-Grand Canyon-Las Vegas (again) and San Diego one more time . Anybody thinking of Disneyland , maybe not .. Qing says .. I've been to the one in Tokyo already ! In other words , they are all the same and are mostly for Kids . I've been there many times myself , so no lose to me .

Interesting Places Qing has been to so far .

Here is a collection of places we have visited since Qing is here and places we almost been to .. haha .

After meeting with my Aunt and Uncle , the first place we visited was my Sister in-law and her Husband in Pasadena . We were invited for Lunch on the Town , which included a very nice Tour of Old Town Pasadena . Then , it was to have a break for some French Coffee and Pastry at a Bakery that was one of my Sister in-laws favourite . Qing and I both had a surprise on hand there . The Cups one would drink their Coffee out of , were actually made out of Chocolate .. yes one could eat them afterwards . Leave it up to the French to think of such a thing .

For another treat , they took us to the Huntington Garden and Art Museum's . All I can say , a wonderful day that has been . Even purchased a one year Membership at those wonderful Gardens , which includes a great Chinese Garden . Takes you right back to China , if you ever been there .

Second , it was a Party at our Neighbors House .. so all his and my Friends could meet Qing and welcome her to America . When you don't go Home til after two in the Morning , one would think it was a great Party . After all , we did not have to drive Home .. only Walk ( we managed ) a few yards .. after being pointed in the " Right " direction .

Next on the List , was go to Immigration Lawyer and get the Green Card fixed .. as it had the wrong Name on it . Ahh .. the Government , never satisfied with just " ONE " mistake . Had to do the same with Qing's Social Security Card also . That's more like it !
Following this , we took ourselves to the 99 Ranch Market for some items that Qing would easy recognize . Asian Food-shopping that was a must on many things to do . Having my LaoPo happy and smiling , while finding many of the very Sauces/Spices/Noodles ect. ect . that she's used to using in her Hometown . This Market receives about one Visit from us per Month . I'm thankful for having one not too far away and of course having one at all . Let me say instead , my Stomach is thankful !!! Great Chinese Dishes await me after Work and not let me forget the great Food I had on my four Trips to China .
I even tell Qing , go and buy yourself those " Chicken Feet " she loves so much . But , she will not , as I don't really care for them like she does . I prefer rather Kissing my Sweetheart's feet , then .. eating feet of other's .

With the Cabinet's and Fridge full of good thing's , it was time to think and plan for a weekend Trip somewhere .. not to far from Home .. as Qing is not use to driving large distances yet .

continued ....

Part five ... , hope I'm not boring any of my Reader's ?

First , am I Superstitious ? Well this being my 13th Post for this Month , I was thinking .. should I or shouldn't I ?
Can't say that this number ever given me bad Luck , so I will write today . just not in " Black " ink .

I left off last by Qing Passing her Driving Test , so now it was time for her to look for some Part-time work ( not counting out Full-time if worth it ) . Anyway , first I've told LaoPo .. we are going to Market's , Department Stores , Hotel's and a few other's .. like a Teller Job at an Bank . There was no thought of a Fast food Joint at that time .
Found out that all Market Job's , could only be obtained by going on a Computer and filling out an Application and including a Resume and answering many .. many Questions on background Job's and of course Schooling/Education . Which we did at night , only to find out , they all go through an Employment Agency .. with which we really had to deal with more then .. I ever wanted to . In other words , it's a Pain in the Backside . I'm still old-fashion , when it comes to looking for a Job .. just give me a piece a Paper to fill out and call me .. IF ? This was still the case with a few Department Stores , Hotel Desk and a couple Restaurant's ( Chinese ) we applied for . This Job Hunting went on for a good three Month's with NO result . So we included to check the Newspaper from our Area on the Weekend . I was surprised , how few Job's there were .. as for a few Years back .. where the Paper was full of them . Having no good news from anybody coming in , except a Job offer at an 99 Ranch Market in Cucamonga . Oh yeah , Qing will drive herself everyday 80 miles ( one way ) for a Chinese Owner that will Work you to the Bones for a little Money and some Discounts on Items they sell .

This is when the Fast Food Restaurant's idea came along . Why not I thought ? So off we went to every Panta Express in a 15 Mile radius near our Home . Resume after Resume was dropped off at each one . The one good thing we had going for us , was that we have a great Friend working at one of them and he is a Manager of that Facility . But could he help Qing ? I had no idea , but he sure would be helpful if he could .
By now , I swear .. we had filled out at least a couple dozen Application's all over three Valley's . Some 40 mile away , which of course was to be a better Job .. as one does not want to earn Pay to feed the Gas Pump .

Qing's patience was wearing pretty thin with progressing speed . Finally a call ! It was from a JC Penney Store , with an appointment for a Interview . Excited of course , she made it there the day that was set for an Shoe-Department Associate . Coming Home , I wanted to find out right away .. how it went ?
It was good as they were asking some of the same questions , she had already answered on the PC and second .. she was "Only" one .. in about 16-17 People (Women ) there for that same Job .. arrwwwh . So the waiting continued , not for long though . Panta Express called and ask to see Qing . I thought of our Friend right away , was he the one that came through for my LaoPo ?

The day of the Interview was here and Qing had to drive herself to a Place , she was not familiar with . About half an Hour from Home , near a small Airport in a large Building ? The evening before I had to check this Location out , as this did not sound
right , Interview out in nowhere Land ? I was worried for my LaoPo , so I called the Lady back that gave Qing the date/location of the said Interview . After explaining to me that they don't hold them at the actual Restaurant's , but at this Company Building . Now it was all good and Qing made it there on time . To her surprise , our Friend also was present .. but not to do the Interview itself . When it was Qing's turn for questioning , it was like an Audition with not just one Person giving you questions and putting her under quite some pressure . She did her best I'm sure . Another couple weeks passed , before the call that was eluding us came .. you have a Job ! You can say , we were both very happy .. not the greatest Job .. but it's a beginning for my Sweetheart . Somewhat of a Job experience here in the States , that will only be for a time .. she'll find a much better one .. after going to School to be a ( her wish ) Registered Nurse . This will be a few years down the Road .. but a great Goal none the less .

Anyway , I'm happy to see my LaoPo feeling much better .. not just sitting at Home .

LaoPo happy ... LaoGong happy TOO !

PS: Sorry , I would add a Photo of my LaoPo in Uniform , but was told nicely NOT to .

Part four ... first year away from Home .

So with this not so nice episode , things are back to normal . In a way actually , this in fact made us even closer to one another . It goes to show , one can always turn a negative situation into a positive one . But this only happens of course , when stuff don't hit the Ceiling to hard . I think , in any Relationship/ Marriage .. it is actually good to have misunder-standings and somewhat difficult times sometimes to deal with . This can really improve / strengthen a Marriage , if it's approached calmly and not with an blown out Attitude .

Now , after more Driving practise for about 2-3 Weeks time .. I thought .. let's have another try at it . After checking the Weather report for the upcoming Week , it was all go . Everything look just fine , Qing was less nervous this time ( including myself ) and ready to do it right this time around . I saw them leaving again and it was not til after 15-20 minutes , til I saw them return . Qing had a smile on her face , that I could see from a distance . This made me think that she'd had passed . As I waited for the Examiner to leave the Car , which I thought .. took kind of long . This got me worried again and I went over to take a look . Qing was still smiling , but not for long .. as the result was handed out .
Failed again !!! Qing could not believe her Ears , as she had done everything well .. yes including Parking .
The part she failed , what we later ( I wanted to see exactly where she had that trouble ) investigated to see if this was really warranted by the Examiner .
I could not believe it , where she had failed .. sure looked like a certain " Setup " by the DMV . In other words , a scam for failure and a needed additional Test .. which cost money of course . I did my own Stake-out so to speak , to see if other's would fall into the same Trap . This would not happen that same day , as Qing's Test was the last one for the day . But , we both went there for about 2 weeks ( almost everyday ) to see if this " Planted Car " that looked like an Abandoned Car .. dirty - broken Mirror's ect . .. but up to date Registration and not even close to any House or Business . A Car like this would have been Towed away after three days sitting there anywhere else . This conformed my thinking , but how do I prove this ? To add to the Invest. , I even went back to the DMV and observed People coming back after their Test . I swear , four out of five failed .. as I could see it in their Faces .
Another way , we get ripped off by the Government for extra Money .. especially in these bad times . I wanted to bring this out into the open sooo bad and take it to the News People . But , there was no way I could really make a Case against them . Arrrrgh .... !

This is why I hear so often from Friends lately , they passed their Driving Test the 3rd. time . Doesn't this tell you something whats going on ? The very reason , I could have Bet money .. that Qing was to pass it the next time . Ta..da .. of course she did . Now it's been four months and she still hasn't got her License yet !
It scares me , every time I think .. the Gov. is working / moving too fast for the average Folk .

Anyway , this completes my LaoPo's first Hurtle and is a good feeling .. that she's able to get out of the House while I'm at Work . Including Shopping , which is something I definitely don't have to worry about .. her $$$over$$$ spending . I have a good Woman !!!

Next on the list , is finding a Job .

to continue ...

To add something to my last Post .

After my LaoPo read the last Post ( part three ) with me , we came to a interesting Subject .

Qing was very surprised of me writing this for many People to see . What did she mean by that ? Well , for those that know some of the Chinese Culture .. may very well know this to be True . It is a subject that I and many of my Friends that are with a Chinese Fiance/Wife know about . It's saving " FACE " !

What surprised Qing was just that , like she said .. a Chinese Man would have never done this ( to Apologize ) and much less where other's can see/read it . He would have lost Face , not only his own .. but to his Friends and Family alike . I can understand this part , a Chinese Man would never ... !

As for myself now , being a western Man .. it is and may I say .. really is the opposite . I feel , when I did something wrong .. I'm not ashamed to say it .. to show it .. and you know what ? It makes me feel even greater of a Person than before . I'm not going to Hide something when I know I'm at fault and my Sweetheart gets the bad end of that .

So , I thought I throw this in while I'm thinking about it . After all , I'm NOT the Bossy Kind towards my LaoPo .. even though I'm being treated like a King in our Home . She is after all my better "HALF" not my better 40% !

Part three .. first year away from Home .

First off , I think that I made it sound more serious then I wanted to ... by saying that about Bad Blood between us . What it really was , is that it actually was the very first time .. we .. no I was mad . In a bad mood and I let Qing know it in a not so nice way . That I later the next Day had to apologize for my behaviour .

Anyway , as our supposedly Romantic Trip was canceled ..due to Qing's not passing her Test . This was not yet the main problem of myself , acting the way I did .. which was brought on by .. me making Reservations in Las Vegas instead and it also was turned down by Qing . She really was in no mood to go " Anywhere " . This is what in fact got me in such a down mood myself that very night , that it created our truly first negative feelings between the two of us . To not face Qing in the Mood , I sat in front of the Computer .. can't remember what I really was checking or doing ) til almost 2:00 am and I had to go to Work the next day . Qing after lying in Bed and waiting for me , came to see when I would be coming to Bed . I did not give a very nice answer to that question . This is my quote : I'm not , I'm staying up all night ( didn't even eat Dinner that day either ) I'm busy here . Of course she could see my not so happy Face . She kept bugging me to come to Bed , that I needed sleep . I finally gave in to her Plea , at about 3:30 am . I came to Bed and I remember , I didn't even say one word and also no good night Kiss . Just turned to my side and went to sleep . Waking up and ready to go to Work ( half asleep ) , I do remember giving Qing a goodbye kiss . But with the same ole un-happy Face and mad feelings still inside me .

Driving to Work and hours later .. it started to tear me up inside .. of what I have done to my poor LaoPo . I had to call her and apologize of behaving like an Heel . Most of all , making her feel .. like it was all her fault . I mean , how could I blame her for feeling the way she did ? It was a big thing for her to fail that Driving Test and .. here all I could be thinking of .. was our Trip to go somewhere to celebrate . When in Fact , there was nothing at the moment to do so . All this time , I only really felt sorry for myself . It has taught me a good lesson now , NOT/NEVER to let this happen again at any cost . Feelings are a sensitive thing and one must not only think of their own sometimes and think of your loved one before you go into such a Stage to come up with hurting your Relationship more then you know .. being Blind thinking only of yourself .

Great lesson learned by all means , like it has been said so many times over .. " Don't go to Bed mad at each other " it will solve nothing and no one will come out a winner .

to be continued ...

Part two ... first year away from Home .

So after the New Year , it was time for Qing to start learning how to Drive a Car . Something she has never done or let's say really needed to do , as the Public Transportation is very good in Shanghai . Sorry that I can not say that about our own here in California . Having no Car , just about leaves you stranded .. as nothing really is close .. including Food Shopping . One good thing that Qing actually never operated an Car is , she does not have any bad habit's that she brought over with her from China . So , We/I could start from a clean Plate .. so to speak . First thing that was needed , was getting her a Booklet from the DMV to study for the " Written " Test and get this out of the way . I gave her an English Copy , I had picked up at the DMV .. not knowing that these also come in Mandarin . Living in Southern Calif . , I figured .. Spanish , French but never Chinese . They actually have many Languages ( more than twenty ) available to study from . After weeks of hard work studying the English version ( which was difficult for my LaoPo ) , we got hold of an Chinese Version from my Aunt .A friend at a Chinese Buffet Restaurant also gave Qing all four different Test question's and answer sheet's that he and some of his friends went through . This made things so much easier , chinese Booklet and to know what answers would be ask of her . This was proven to be correct , as Qing passed the " Written " Test with a perfect score of 100 . All this in just about 9 to 10 minutes , which I recall were 36 questions and one could have 6 wrong and still pass . The Lady checking her answers , was somewhat shocked to see what she saw .. in such a short time and all right .
I of course was very proud of Qing , after all .. she did NOT cheat .. only had some advantage over other's .
Next , to make an Appointment for the " Driving " Test . This had given us about somewhat more than two month's of the Driving Practise that was to come . First it was only around the Neighborhood and onto no major Road with Speed Limit's over 35 mph . I really wanted Qing to be real comfortable and know all the in and outs of safe driving ( turns , parking , u-turns and at the same time pay attention to all the Road sign's too . At the start , I could see that she was very tense/nervous and it even started to give her Headaches from it . This went on , until " I " felt relaxed and did not have to repeat or warn her of things not to do . Now , I thought .. she's ready for some more Speed other than 35 or less . Doing this , of course called for faster thinking and quicker reactions to everything she's learned so far . It was almost like starting all over , with the exception .. it took only a few day's before she would handle this also comfortably and in a safe manner . One day , driving at dusk .. I thought .. it's time to take her on to the Freeway for a short Run . As I knew , traffic was going to be light and not frighten her out of the Car or " Me " to jump out . Again , the tense look overtook her Face .. after I told her .. we're on the Freeway . She did not realize this until it was too late of course . I was kind of mean to do this , without telling her first of my intention to take her there . Well , we all survived with no scratches or dent's to the Car . A few more weeks of this fast pace and I thought .. she is ready for her Test now . Time to make this Appointment and pick a day , that I would have to take off Work . I think , that on that day .. I was more nervous then she was . Here we finally are , all ready in the Driving Test lane and waiting for the Examiner . One thing , we did not count on .. was the Weather for that day . At earlier practise's , I found out .. Qing hates the Windshield Wiper's . This makes her sooo nervous , that we stopped practising whenever it would start to Rain . So , what happens to poor Qing on Test Day ? Yes , the only dark Cloud around .. had to be over the DMV Building and the Test Area of course . I tell you , as soon the Examiner got into the Car .. it started to Rain . I only could think to myself , oh oh .. not good ! Well , her Test Drive lasted no more then .. about 4 minutes as she freaked out and made a mistake on the first Corner of her Test and failed it right there .. that there was no need to continue it . I did not have to be told of what had happened , I knew and we both just about started to Cry along with the darn Rain that stopped only twenty minutes later . Somebody up there , did not want her to pass the Test today ! I know , God had a reason for that and I was not going to argue this in any way . Maybe it was to protect my Sweetheart from Harm , tell her .. you need more Practise . We both could live with this and even though it was hard on Qing , we went back to work to do it for a second time later . This time , before we make an Appointment , we check with the Weather Report first . This will not get in our way again . This Ordeal , had cost us a Trip to beautiful Carmel/ Monterey for our Anniversary that I had to cancel because Qing was in NO mood to go and have Fun in any way . I can totally understand " Now " . I say that , because .. this calling off our " Romantic " Trip , had cost our first bad Blood in our Relationship .
This I will write about on the next Part 3 of this continuous Story .

The first year away from Home ( Shanghai ) .

Sometimes one wonders really , where has the Time gone . We both can hardly believe it's been one year already . Anyway , I try to go back and see what all happened in that time away from Qing's birthplace Shanghai , China of course .

As the ones that keep updated on my Blog , know Qing arrived with China Eastern and also arrived about 35 minutes earlier then planned . Which was a whole story by itself , but I will not go into details on that exciting arrival . After a good three hour wait to finally see her coming out from the Custom area , it was like .. we really have made it . We are finally together after being married for a year and a half . I still have this moment in time inside me and just thinking of it .. will warm my Heart all over again .
So after a lengthy greeting , it was off to have a nice welcoming Luncheon for Qing . Now , it was not going to be Chinese Food .. but actually Mexican Food . That was of course Qing's first taste , of something she will have many times over .. especially in Southern California . Remembering , she had Fish Taco's ( loved them ) Rice ( does not like Mex. Rice ) and of course the famous Re-fried Beans ( loved them also ) . Two Hours were spend talking and eating , as not only I was excited .. but my Aunt and Uncle ( that joined us in Shanghai for the Ceremony ) and one of my Cousins also . It was time to say goodbye to everyone and Qing and I were on our way to Palmdale to show her new Home . This was about 40 miles away from the Restaurant , so I could read on her Face .. how much further and how long before .... ? This drive takes about 45 minutes , the first time for somebody .. it always seems longer of course . We finally arrived at the House about 5:30 pm if I remember well . I drove into the Garage , but not let Qing go into the House through that particular Door ( which leads to the Washroom ) . This is not one of the first things I wanted Qing to see , where she'll be doing the Washing . haha
I ask her to come with me and told her .. that I was going to carry her over the Front Door Threshold .. for good luck I told her . Oh , I'm a lucky Man .. when it came to doing this part .. as Qing only weights 125 lb. . At my Age , I still can handle this with no problem .
Showing her the House inside and outside , I think she was very pleased of her new Home with the " Bee " .
The following Day was just a relaxing day at Home more or less , she needed Rest and adjust to the time change and call her Parent's of her safe arrival .
I had taken a week off work , to be with her and show her around Town , do some visiting with Neighbor's and some of the Family of mine . All this was at my Sweetheart's speed , as I have said .. don't want to rush her into anything . Especially being in a Strange Country , with just about everything done differently .
This , the first couple of months , went much to my surprise .. pretty event less and not a single problem . Not even any sign of being Homesick , except missing her Folks and her little Boy . I took care of this in the first two weeks , downloaded Skype and set up the Webcam . Qing did the Keyboard switch-over , so she can write and read in Mandarin to her liking .. whenever she needs to have it . It is also a great tool for me , to practise my Character's and Pinyin at the same time .
To sum up the first two -three month's , she has adopted really well and could also experience along the way .. her first Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday's .. the good ole American way . Including on New Years day , taking her to see the Floats from the World Famous " Rose Parade " in Pasadena . I think , she's never seen so many Flower's in one Place . All the Crowd , nahh well .. she's used to seeing that back Home .. a City with almost 20 million People .

This will continue of course ... with part two .

Next Post , will be a review of one year in America for Qing .

Yes , it has been one year tomorrow the 21st of November .. that Qing is with me here in the States . I will turn the Clock back and try to remember what all Qing's ... Achievement's - Disappointment's - How She adjusted to the Western ways of Living ... and give an accurate account of it as best as I can .

Like to continue on the last Subject .

" The Honeymoon Saga "

Every Couple getting Married or are close to do so , know about it . Making plans of going to their so called Honeymoon . What exactly is a Honeymoon ? As we know so far , it comes right after a Wedding and it usually starts a day or two after saying the " Yes " word .

Now , we know it has a " Start Date " and it is starting out in a chosen Place .. that is often a very Romantic/Scenic setting . Why this , sounds more like a Vacation .. then anything else . I guess , being only Married for a short time , this is somewhat different from the other normal Vacations . Yes , what's different .. is one spends more time in Bed together . To boot , in someone else's Bed . Why not just stay Home and in your own Bed then ? Go figure ? Why now , choose a beautiful Place and stay mostly in Bed anyway ? Makes little Sense , if you ask me !

Point One : So we have a Start Date . Do we also have a Stop Date ?
This is a lot more difficult question to answer . At what point is it " Over " or you think it is ?
The easiest answer is of course , well .. it is over when the Love-Making slows down and not so much time is spend in the Bedroom anymore . Right ? Like til Noon or the Afternoon . That answer will now show us , that the " Honeymoon " is only a Physical thing .. really . This is how most People feel , when they ask such a question as .. " Is the Honeymoon over " ? Again , this will show .. these People want to know something as Personal as .. is the Love-Making / Sex over ?

Why do strange People feel , they can even ask someone such a personal question ? They must have a " Right " to , because .. I never see any Couple get all upset .. being ask a question this Intimate .

Point two : Is it really over , when the Physical part of the Relationship / Honeymoon is less or does it go beyond this ?

From my own experience , Qing and I are Married now some 2 and 1/2 years .. I can say ( Qing too ) , for us it is not over by no means . Do we see an End coming ? This question I also answer with a " No " . Do I know / realize when it will be over or close to it ? I must repeat with the same answer again .. " No " .

Therefore , we can honestly say a Honeymoon is over when a Couple says it's over or there is some kind of trouble in the Marriage that puts it to a " Halt " . Living like it's never going to end , is of course what every Man/Woman on Earth are looking for .. just Plain and Simple .. Be loved " ALL " the time .. Period !

Point three : It does not " Ever " need to be over !

Is the Honeymoon over ?

Oh .. do I get ask this question a lot .

At this point , being married 2 and 1/2 year's to the most wonderful Woman .. I could have ever wished for at this stage of my Life . So , often we sit and eat or after Dinner and just talk about anything that really comes to Mind at that time . Like , am I still being Romantic of a Fellow as .. say a year or two ago ?

You all know , that I have written about 15 or 16 Poem's for my LaoPo over the time I've known her . Actually , it's me asking this question myself in front of Qing too . I have noticed the last few months , I have thought about writing another Poem .. but I seem to have lost whatever I possessed at one time . Coming up with a Title and a strong message of my Love to follow . It is just not working anymore and I have no idea , why not .

It doesn't bother Qing really , as she assured me of her Love no matter what . That's of course great to hear , but it does still leave something missing inside of me . Realize , I should not think of it too much or try too hard .. because then .. it really will never come again .

There are many other ways to show your better half your Love on a daily bases , need to learn to pay more attention that way and see what happens . This Woman deserves the best from me and everybody else , if I can help it .

Last , to answer the Title above ... NO it is NOT over just yet .

These are hard times .. for sure .

As the Economy wasn't enough of a problem here in California , but looking and finding a Job ( part or full Time ) is just about .. as frustrating as it can be . Over the year Qing is here with me , I've seen her wanting to get out and distribute to the Household . It's of course not so much the Income , which would help of course , but it's eating at her being always at Home . It reminds me , like being retired and having NO hobby of any kind . One can only take soo much free time , before it gets boring real fast . Hence she is not too much for watching the Tube ( TV ) , it is even harder on her .
Having for the last few months been looking in the Newspaper / Computer , signing in with many Job Agencies , sending out one Resume after another . Filling out questionnaire's over and over ( 50 -60 questions ) and all seems to fall on a silent Ear . Except , the two Interviews she actually had out of all this .. was JC Penney's and Panta Express just a few day's ago . But she has to wait with the answer ( no answer ) , we'll call you if we like to try and hire you . So it's the waiting Game all over again , but this time it's only my Sweetheart on the waiting list . It really hurts me , but what is one to do ? What really tick's me off , is .. that the Schooling in China/Japan does not count here in the US . So a 40+ year old Woman/Man must start over , when the Schooling you've received in the US counts elsewhere . Nice ONEWAY street in the US's favour of course . I'm really getting sick and tired of the States thinking their S*** don't stink and other's does . Sorry , but it does effect me quite a bit .
I don't want to get Political here on my Blog , but I really wish China would have the Balls and tell the US .. well your Schooling doesn't count here with us anymore either . Like the US Schools are Sooooo great .. haha , don't make me laugh !

Something came over Me .

Sometimes it is strange how thoughts enter your Head . As I was done eating my Dinner , that Qing had cooked for me before she took off to her Night School . I was cleaning up the Dishes left behind and thought .. why not put on some Music . It has taken no more than five minutes , when Chris Botti came on my CD player .. which was shuffling Songs from some dozen CD's . The Song that all of a sudden overtook me , to almost Tears .. was " No Ordinary Love " . If you know Him , it was Trumpet ( Instrumental ) only . This of course made me think not only of Qing , but also about Nancy .. after all .. it is She who had bought this CD .

How one Song can grab you no matter where your at or what you're doing , is amazing . I understand , I often praise Qing and mention many times how great She is and all . But , I just can not help it .. knowing what I had and what I have now . I show of course all my Love for Her in countless ways , but I also put it into Words . Which in turn , Qing receives ALL my unconditional Love from my Heart / Soul and from my Character that is .. as it is known on the Romantic side as well . Am I lucky ? I ask myself this question often , but it is one only I can answer . Or is it because the way I am , as a Person ? I feel , it's both actually . Yes both , whom do I thank for that though ? Of course my " Better Half / Half's " ! Don't I owe them for what I have become ? Again , yes I do !
That makes a lot to be thankful for , hence Qing is my LaoPo and the best Wife a Man could dream for .. She will receive my Love that is strong for two Person's all for Herself . haha
Mmmmh .. that raises the question is Qing Lucky to have Me ?
I certainly hope so !

All this is having an affect on me more so , due to it being short of two weeks of one year .. my LaoPo is here with me .
For this I must not forget one Person that got us together ? GOD all mighty !

A few more Photo's /

Some more Photo's of that long Night .

My crazy Neighbor .

So one more is over with .

One more Halloween goes by and now it seems the year is almost over . But for Qing and Myself , this really doesn't matter much .. as each day is very special for us anyway . Ohhh yes .. still on Honeymoon !

Anyhow , on Saturday .. as the Sun was setting and I had told Qing .. she would be the one answering the Door tonight for the Tricker / Treater's asking for Mone.. I mean Candy of course . I have thought , that I was prepared for all the Kids arriving between 6:00pm and 8:30pm . As the last year was not exactly a Barn-Storming Event , it turns out .. we lasted just one hour on the Candy we purchased .

Qing must of worked off some Calories , as soon she closed the Door and turned her back .. the Doorbell rang again .I could see though , she enjoyed it very much .. seeing all these Kids dressed up in Costume's . So it was a short night and sadly to say NO Candy for me left over .

But , what I want to write also today .. is the Night before Halloween .

I was planning to take Qing on the Metrolink Train to Downtown LA and back Home . Actually , I have never been on any Public Transportation here in the US either .. except Planes . Spend a few Hours Downtown and Eat Dinner before returning . But , I forget one minor thing . I had agreed to our Neighbors , to go with them to a Party to one of our Friends ( Latino's ) . That of course meant .. Eating / Drinking / Dancing most of the night . Of course this is what happened , exactly in this order . haha

Anybody familiar with this , knows .. we were in for a great time . I will post a few Photo's of the night . Anyway , as the Host .. had about the best selection of Music I have ever seen , I don't need to tell anyone the night was to be a long one and getting crazier and crazier as time went by . Just think , a Handful of Guy's and about a dozen Lady's ( Married/Single ) is going to spell out .. something will happen down the line .

One might know , Latin Dances are very Sexy . Well , we seem to push the issue somewhat more there . Some time after midnight , one of our close Friends Wife came and just grabbed me and pulled me to the Dance Floor . What happen next , even opened Qing's Eyes . This Lady , let's say .. I now know what they talking about Sexy Dances . I of course could not Blush anymore , as I was already red-faced from Drinking .

Two of the Couple's , had taken Dance Lessons .. so we received a few Tips .. we will definitely use the next time around .

We were all much tired out somewhat around 03:00 am , if I can recall correctly . We were still so wired up , we could not Sleep until 04:00 or even a little later then that .

Ohh .. how great it is , there are Sunday's after Saturday's and thanks God for that .