Triangular Days

Greetings. We're on the far end of the weekend in the far East. How about a newsy update on a rainy Sunday evening?

I'm having a great time in Hong Kong these days. Essentially I live in a triangle for most of the week- the points being home, school, and the tennis court. The tennis court would be my favorite location in the triangle, without a doubt. For the past month I've been there a lot- usually 3 or 4 times a week I end up on the court. I love it- I can't get enough of the tennis, and I love my friends there. They are wonderful.

On the weekends I get to break the routine and find new spots to enjoy in HK. Lately, I've been hitting up various coffee locations around the city. It's been awhile since I've been deep into a book, and recently I've found one that is both hard to pick up, and hard to put down. It's hard to pick up because it is very convicting, and I'm afraid of it. It exposes my selfishness. The stories in the book often stir me to tears. I don't even want to tell you I'm reading this book, because then I'm partially accountable to you for my response to it. But it's powerful, and I want to get to the point where I'm not afraid to accept the dare of living for Jesus with the heart that I see in Shane Claiborne, in his book- The Incredible Revolution. If you haven't read it...I've warned you, now go read it. And if you've read it, tell me- and I'd love to share in some dialogue. When I get through it, I'll try and share some of my thoughts.

Back to the newsy tone...I'm really excited about my trip to Shanghai this week. We have just two days of school, one day of PD, and then on Thursday evening my friend Mary and I will fly north to Shanghai. Another friend will join us on Friday. I can't wait to see my friend, Black- one of my very favorite friends from my days in Shiyan. We'll do some touring around, and then Sunday is the big day- the 3rd place game followed by the final of the Women's World Cup! Yeeesss!!! I'm disappointed that both China and Canada (heartbreaker) lost in the quarterfinals, but it will still be awesome. I'm trying to decide who to cheer for now...

On Tuesday it is Midautumn Festival, which is the big mooncake party here. Good ol' mooncakes. My tennis club is hosting a "Middle Moon" doubles tournament- just for fun. Mooncakes and tennis- what could be better?! :)

Alright, guess that's enough from Hong Kong Harm tonight. I am missing my nieces and nephews, and awaiting a call (call me at ANYTIME) from Steve and Bec about the new squishable one on the way! Good night!

Czech Her Out!

One of my best friends is on a hockey adventure in the Czech Republic this year. The one and only Chelsa Heywood. Have a look at her new blog- Two Minutes for Czeching. Clever, very clever.

Please Hold Your Breath For the Next 4 Days

Morning announcement from the principal:

"Children, the pollution is very bad today. Please avoid playing any games that make you feel tired and you need to breath more heavily."

Maybe that explains my wheezing at tennis lessons last night! It likely doesn't have anything to do with my fitness.

They say the terrible pollution is resulting from a high pressure weather system and little wind moving through. It likely doesn't have anything to do with human irresponsibility.

Anyway (sigh)...here's a visual (and be extra grateful for that crisp, clean fall air you're breathing in at home):

View from my balcony on a (relatively) clear day.

View from my balcony today. It's NOT foggy. :(

The World Cup

I've got the World Cup fever! I'm following CBC's and ESPN's coverage of the Women's World Cup in China, which is two of three games through the group stage. Of course I'm rooting for the Canadian girls, and secondly, for home team China. Canada needs to beat Australia on Wednesday to advance. China needs to beat New Zealand. It's exciting to watch incredible female athletes play for it all.

It's only 11 days until I travel to Shanghai for the Final and the 3rd Place match. I can't wait!!! GO CANADA!

When Miss McMillan Isn't Good Enough

I think my plan backfired. Last week I kicked off my Gr. 5 chemistry unit with an appearance from Dr. Evil, the mad but mostly just goofy scientist with a bad French accent. The kids went, well, a bit crazy. Crazy in a good way. You know, banging their desks, cheering for Dr. Evil, mostly going berserk over science. Very ideal. He even had to return for a second lesson because to his distress, the first experiment failed. The second try proved successful, and then the excitement over Dr. Evil hit an all-time high.

The problem is, Miss McMillan is no longer anywhere near being an exciting and captivating science teacher. Today I was pretty excited to teach them about atoms, and the periodic table. It's neat stuff. But I'll even admit, after Dr. Evil, it felt...lacklustre. So now I'm five science lessons into the year, and either the kids are going to drive me crazy asking about Dr. Evil's life story and whereabouts, or Dr. Evil is going to have to become a regular part of science class. Maybe there could be another science personality. Ideas? Want to come make an appearance and save us from boring old Miss McMillan?!!!

Songs for September

The latest favorites...

-Without Love from the Hairspray Soundtrack (oh man, WHAT A MOVIE!!! :)
-You Can't Stop the Beat from the Hairspray Soundtrack (guaranteed to make you smile)
-Psalm 62 from Pages (Shane and Shane)
-Behold the Throne from Pages (Shane and Shane)
-Love Grows Love from Overdressed (Caedmon's Call)
-Always Been There from Overdressed (Caedmon's Call)
-Stay Beautiful from Taylor Swift (Taylor Swift)
-Teardrops on My Guitar from Taylor Swift (Taylor Swift)
-Letter to Me from 5th Gear (Brad Paisley)
-Oh Love from 5th Gear (Brad Paisley)
-You Are My Home from Holy God (Brian Doerksen)
-Say It from Say It (Britt Nicole)
-You from Say It (Britt Nicole)
-Unashamed from Beauty in the Broken (Starfield)
-Saviour King from All of the Above (Hillsong United)
-Lead Me to the Cross from All of the Above (Hillsong United)
-Hosanna from All of the Above (Hillsong United)

Old HK Airport

Just to the right of my balcony view is the old HK airport. I've mentioned the crazy landings to a few of you at home and found this clip on Youtube.

Slick Looking Upgrade

My home church in HK has finished up a major facelift on its website. I'd say it's looking pretty slick. To get a peek into my church family here, surf on over to Island ECC.

The possibilities for tomorrow are usually beyond our expectations.
On second thought
The possibilities for today are usually beyond our expectations.

The Djoker

In honor of the US Open, here are some pretty funny impersonations from the Serbian sensation- Novak Djokovic. I must say that the Nadal impression is exceptional! I'm sure my sister will especially appreciate it.