They sure do grow up fast

Do you remember those two little rascals, Wei-En and Wei Min, my nephews, in Bangkok? Well, they both have grown considerably, especially Wei-En. When I last saw him, he was cruising around in his stroller, chewing on his shoelace fascinated with empty plastic bottles. Now, he's walking around, chatting it up with everyone and has 2 nicknames for me, he has renamed Uncle Jimmy as: "Go Me" and "Jimmy-ah" (imitating my Aunt Nancy in a Chinese accent).

As with Wei Min, everyone talks to Wei En in a combination of Chinese, Thai and English. Wei En can correctly identify and say: Flamingo in English, Dog in Chinese, and Elephant in Thai. At first, I thought oh my gosh, that kid is going to be confused when he gets older, but the more I thought about it, the more it seems appropriate. It'll all get sorted out and then he'll be tri-lingual like Wei Min, which is fantastic!

Wei En, following in the footprints, or should I say hoof prints of his older brother , by riding a pony. Wei En is also very into applauding !Wei Min, Wei Min and Uncle Jimmy

More adventures in Bangkok

I've ventured out into Bangkok a bit more the past few days, but sightseeing hasn't been high on my list during my stay here. The days have been spent more with family and as if you coudn't tell, consuming as much Thai food as humanly possible.

On Sunday, I was supposed to be at the Thai church to hear my aunt sing. I didn't comprehend why I was coming as I don't understand any Thai, except: "hurry up, delicious, and let's go!" Thus, when I didn't see my aunt when the service started, I thought maybe she had gone to the adjoining Chinese church, so I left and wandered down the street to this Buddhist Temple.

I actually appreciated the time spent inside, meditating in my own way. While I don't necessarily prescribe to any religion, I think myself to be of a more spiritual person who appreciates the teachings of multiple religions.


Wat Hua Lamphong



Little girl offerring prayers

Yesterday, Wei-Min and I went to Siam Ocean world which is part of another shopping complex near our home. I hadn't had the opportunity to take out Wei-Min and hang out with him sans other family, so I was psyched to explore the aquarium with him. It was fairly interesting and I actually gained some new tibits of information.

A Car Tank!

Not only is the steering wheel on the wrong side, there are fish swimming in the car!

Wei-Min in a TV Tank

I've posted all the Thailand photos I've taken at : http://picasaweb.google.com/semaj187/Bangkok

So tomorrow, I head to Hong Kong, most of my mom's side of the family resides there. After a several days, I will start orientation for my teaching program. Unfortunately, I won't be able to use my Mandarin that much, as Cantonese is the main dialect spoken in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, I've made some progress in my speaking ability, so hopefully I will be able to ask for vegetables and not pjs.

Uncle Jimmy

Ever since I was little, my family here has called me Jimmy. Surprisingly, I enjoy this nickname, and now with 2 nephews, I'm now known as Uncle Jimmy. Its a blast spending time with Wei En and Wei Min.

While hanging out with Wei En, I've determined that I'm not going to buy any toys for my future children, but rather just give them empty bottles, cardboard boxes, and egg cartons to play with. Look at him, he's happy as a clam with my empty green tea bottle!

The last time I saw Wei Min was 2 years ago and now he's 10 years old, and riding horses! He's a great older brother to Wei En. My cousin was telling me that he buys little toys for Wei En and shares everything with him.

While at the club, I went to use the restroom and looked up and saw a sign that I think all females would appreciate in bathrooms that are shared with the opposite gender.