2005-03-04 - 3:33 p.m.

just becasue I don't want to leave for the weekend on such a serious note, I wanted to point out that after stealing my tag line "I enjoy being a girl", The Gap has now made a SJP ad where she actually sings the song from the musical.... If I hadn't totally stolen it myself from Flower Drum Song, I would totally be suing The Gap. But secretely, I hope theirmarketing people read my blog and thought: "wow! that's a great idea!"

Anything to add? 1

2005-03-03 - 11:32 p.m.

This afternoon, I was at Reno-Depot (Canadian home depot, except
green) with Dumpling, picking out paint for her attic playroom.
There was an Asian couple also trying to select paint, and I could
tell the lady wanted to talk to me but was too shy.

When I got in line to have the paint mixed, they were right beside
me, so I told Dumpling to say Hi to the nice lady, figuring this would
open the door to a conversation if she felt like it. What ensued was
thought provoking and thourougly disturbing to me.

They did turn out to be Chinese, the lady spoke neither Enlish nor
French. At first, her husband spoke to me in broken English and did
communicate that they were from Shanghai and had been in Canada for 2
years and they had a 6 year old daughter. He tried to ask me about
Dumpling, I think they thought maybe my husband was Chinese, but I was
able to make them understand that she was adopted, almost 2 and from
the area around Nanning, (I never know how to pronounce Hepu and few
people know where it is anyways). He would translate everything I
said to his wife and she seemed to get increasingly upset, to the
point where her eyes welled up.

At some point, Dumpling was doing something I didn't like and I told her in
French to stop doing that. The man then switched to French, which he
spoke much more fluently than English. He confirmed what I had
already understood: Shanghai, 2 years, daughter, etc. But then he
went on to tell me that then originally lived in Vancouver, but since
he doesn't speak English, they moved to Montreal, where he was able
to get a job because of his French. Then he told me his wife was
having a hard time because she didn't speak either languages, but
also because in Montreal there are really a lot of white families
with chinese girls, and it's very hard on her.

At first I thought he meant she was opposed to international adoptions or something, but
the rest of their story brought me to my knees, right there in the
paint department. They have a six year old daughter. But they also
have a 3 year old daughter. They lived in Shanghai at the time of their 2nd daughter's birth and
were unable to keep her. They had to give her to an orphanage. 6
months afterwards, their papers came to allow them to travel to
Canada. After he told me this, he told his wife what he had told me
and she began to weep openly, while caressing my daughter's face.

They had waited so long to emigrate, when she found out she was
pregnant, she had hoped to keep the baby and be able to start anew in
Canada. But the papers didn't come in time, they had no choice. He
told me it was hard on her to see the little chinese girls here, not
because she opposes it, but because she is constantly looking for her
own daughter.

She became more and more upset by the conversation, but she was so
very sweet to Dumpling, speaking softly in chinese, playing with her
hair. The paint mixer guy put an end to our conversation
and I stupidly walked away without getting their names or a number to
reach them.

When I got to my car, I called my husband and told him the story. He
also felt I should have kept in touch with them, but it was too late,
they were already gone.

The part that was the most thought provoking to me is this: I read
Lost Daughters of China, I've thought about my daughter's birth
family often, but this had never occured to me before: some of these
parents will emigrate. Some of them will come to Canada and the US.
They are confronted with happy families caring for chinese children
and must wonder if their own daughters are here in north america, if
they made it, if they have families now....

how is it that in this entire process, I have never once given the
thought to these parents ever leaving China? Why did I assume they
ALL stayed there? I realise that the numbers who do emigrate are low,
and the chances of any reunification for ANY of the daughters of
China are astronomically small, but that woman today, she is looking
for her daughter in the faces of every tiny chinese girl with white
parents....

And like an idiot, I didn't get her name or number.....

Anything to add? 10

2005-03-03 - 11:11 a.m.

Apparently, you guys miss me. At least that's what the "where are you?" and "why haven't you updated" emails in my inbox say....

I guess the new going to sleep early, no laptop in the bedroom policy is impeeding my blogging abilities. I have the best intentions to blog during the day, but then, the Dumpling playtime gets in the way!!!!

Also, I have been going mad trying to get everything in the house done before her birthday party at the end of the month. I rearranged the furniture in the living room the other day and it was such a success, made it look so much bigger and better flowing that I attacked the basement tv room yesterday. And we picked a color for the attic play room this morning, so I guess I'll be painting this weekend.

We are a few months away from the 1 year anniversary of both the move to this house and the Dumpling's arrival. When the date comes, I'd like to be able to look around the house and not see a list of things that I still want to do. (please, refrain from laughing so hard.... anyone who knows anyting about me knows I'm NEVER finished and always will find something else to do!!!)

We finally started hanging pictures and paintings, there are still a few light fixtures I can't stand, and some touch up painting that needs to be done here and there. I can do all that, just need a bit of time and no baby clinging to me.

There is one project I will not undertake myself though. We have (and by this I mean MY HUSBAND HAS) this huge collection of Holt Howard condiment containers from the 50's that used to be on shelves in our kitchen. The shelves don't match the new decor, so I'm currently looking for a carpenter to come in and built me a plate rack going around the top of the wall in the breakfast room. I could do it with just pine shelves and standard shelf holders, but it would look so much better to have it done with moldings, to make it look like it was always there. So I decided to try to find someone to do it for me, or actually, to give my hubby the job of making the calls and finding someone..... let's see how long before I loose it and do it myself!

Anything to add? 0

2005-03-02 - 11:14 a.m.

Because I know you've been anticipating this since last night, here is my take on the TAR7 premiere (what, I haven't got you hooked on TAR yet? What is WRONG with you?!?!?)

Let me first come out and say: I like Rob and Amber, mostely because I like Rob. I liked him on Marquesas, I totally admired his game-play on All Stars, and last night, when they got on the bus to Ancon and he caressed Amber's face and kissed her forehead FOR NO REASON! He wasn't mugging for the camera, he was just being tender and loving.... I'm a totaly sucker!!!

Also, what is with Bianca and Debbie's Total Obsession with Rob and Amber? I get it, you feel screwed with the stunt casting, but it's the FIRST LEG! If you obsess over them so much, you will lose your focus. And what's with all the kissing? While the doublemint twins set off the gay-dar first, my guess is these two are the first lesbian team.

And speaking of gay, I've lamented the lack of gayness in the past few seasons, but Patrick would have sufficed this time around. He's funny (the ariport reference to the girl's 1st boyfriend) and open about it, without being in your face. The Gay Team, however, just rubs me the wrong way. First of all, they totally screwed up the bicycle/digging part of the challenge and hopefully will get a penalty at the start of the next leg, but their personalities just annoy me. Patrick's Mom seems nice, and she wears her long sleeves under her tees, which we all know I love, so I like her no matter what.

My pet peeve last night was the large group of teams travelling together because no one knew enough Spanish to find a bus. Seems to me, if you are applying for TAR, learn basic Spanish, while learning to drive a stick-shift. Or, buy a phrase book at the airport. But you cannot embark on a journey around the world without knowing basic travel words in several languages. Whiel watching the show last night, my hubby was able to rattle off plane, train and bus in Spanish and German, which he does not speak (Of course, as a linguist, things like that get to me no matter what. Last year, at the Macdonalds in the Atlanta Airport, I tried to order an egg mcmuffin with no meat and the girl didn't speak English, only Spanish. In Atlanta! I speak Spanish, so it wasn't a problem, but I just couldn't wrap my head around this situation)

OK, I apologize for that sidebar. In general, I thought TAR7 totally rocked last night. the general casting was a far imporvement over last year, there are fewer boyfriend/grilfriend teams and less pretty people. Also, no one listed their occupation as model, which is a big plus.

My favorites, besides Rob and Amber, are the brothers and the mother and son (although they have no chances of winning). Can't stand the two teams of women, sorry to see the chubbies go, not impressed with the cluelesness of the POW and his barbie doll (anyone else notice the hips on her?).

Let's hope they move onto Chile or Argentina, both of which I visited last year. I'd love to see them go somewhere I've been (other than Long Beach. Been there, nothing to see!) *edited to add* I almost forgot! What is up with men's name this year? Meredith and Lynn are men?! WTF? Lynn is gay, so who knows, but Meredith?!?!?

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