We FINALLY have pizza in this little corner of East Asia!

As I type this post, I am sitting in a coffee house about 1/2 mile from my apartment. I tell you this seemingly mundane detail, as this is not in fact a mundane detail. You see, it has not always been this way for my life here in Asia.

When I arrived in August 1999 to live here “long-term”, there was almost no “western food” in this area of Asia. There were tea houses, hotpot restaurants, and dinning establishments which featured the meats of the day in cages on the sidewalks out front.

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“Flat Stanley and my attempt to look like a NYC cop.”

Here’s the deal with this pic.

First, “Flat Stanley” is a program most kids do today in school.  Virtually all of my eight nieces and nephews have done it.  Right now, [Read more…]

“When jumping over fire, I suggest borrowing Scott Littlepage’s motorcycle first.”

One of the few “hobbies” I have over here in Asia is motorcycle riding.  Great fun and good fellowship with the other four friends who own them.

This particular time, we had a ton of stuff we needed to burn.  Instead of doing something normal or responsible with this process, we decided to take it to an infill construction site where we often ride.

We set the stuff on fire and took turns jumping the burning pile of garbage.  In this pic, I had borrowed Scott Littlepage’s motorcycle.  He was a good sport about it!

Admittedly juvenile and a little risky, it was a fun way to unwind, take my mind off things, and laugh a ton with friends.

“Recent dirt biking outing with some of the guys here.”

This past Saturday, we were back at it again.  This time we did abstain from jumping fire, but we were back looking for new places to bike.  We ended up back at our “time trials” track and a huge dirt infill section of the city.

I enjoyed having several new friends (Fraser Perrett, Chris Osterlund, and Craig Strong) join us who are regulars (Michael Gregory, Scott Littlepage, and Owens Hall).

We, of course, loved having our youngest member (Noah Littlepage) with us.  Noah loves just being in the dirt and throwing things, so this day was perfect for him also.

 

“No caption necessary.”

One of the (many) things I like about being a man is our options of facial hair.  Now I understand that all facial hair is not created equal.  My Mom will tell you that NO facial hair is acceptable.  However, this is one small area where we lovingly disagree. [Read more…]