mother's day

my second mother's day since we started the adoption process and we fully expect to be waiting through another one . . .

This year, I decided to do something that would make me feel a bit more "motherly" on Mother's Day. Last month, I read an article in Vanity Fair magazine's "The Green Issue". The article, "The Rise of Big Water," by Charles Mann profiled the plight of the Chinese water system and the rise of the big water companies. I think most people are aware of issues with drinking water in foreign countries like China, but this article really opened my eyes to the SERIOUS lack of availability of clean water throughout this entire country.

An excerpt from the article. . .
"The Rise of Big Water," by Charles Mann

"China is in particular trouble. The country's State Environmental
Protection Administration grades water on a scale from one to five, with three
being minimally acceptable and five a direct health hazard. According to
SEPA, for much of their length, five of China's seven main river basins are
rated at four or five - poisoned by rampant industrialization. Almost half
of China's municipalities - and most of its rural areas - have no systems in
place for treating waste at all. Between a quarter and a third of China's
population still do not have piped water."

Within the last few years, large, foreign, private water companies have been contracted by China's government to turn this crisis around. Surprisingly, even though hundreds of miles of new piping have been laid and new treatment and sewage plants have been constructed, Chinese residents must still boil their water. In fact, the Chinese are so used to the bad water, they do not expect to drink it straight from the tap.

Then, I heard about "A Child's Right", a non-profit humanitarian organization that focuses on providing clean water to children around the world.

"A Child's Right is committed to providing the very best in water purification technologies and clean water systems to desperate children in orphanages, street shelters, children's hospitals and schools in impoverished nations throughout the world."

This May, A Child's Right is working in China, assisting orphanages in Jiangxi and Sichuan Provinces as well as Chongqing municipality to install about (5) new water systems to help provide clean water to over 3000 Chinese orphans.

So, I made two donations - (1) on behalf of my cousin, friend and fellow adopter, Angie, and (1) for myself. We may not have our kids yet, but at least I can sleep better at night knowing that I hopefully have given them the opportunity to get some clean water. That is just about the best thing I could think of to do right now and the closest I have felt to being a mother yet.

Happy Mother's Day!

chinese national holiday - Youth Day *updated*

also known as the May Fourth Movement

[photo & quote courtesy of Wikipedia]

". . . an anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement in early modern China. Beginning on May 4, 1919, it marked the upsurge of Chinese nationalism, and a re-evaluation of Chinese cultural institutions, such as Confucianism. The movement grew out of dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles settlement, termed the Shandong Problem, and the effect of the New Cultural Movement."

This movement was significant for many reasons. It was a large scale movement involving 20 provinces and over 100 cities in the country. Young chinese students were the driving force of this shift in the political philosophy of China and it spread the ideas of Marxism as well as ultimately building the foundation of the Communist party in China.

*updated: I have been thinking more about this holiday and the whole thing just seems ironic to me. The day is a commemoration of an uprising, a student call-to-action, a very DEMOCRATIC way to put a public voice on an idea. And yet, the roots of this movement ended up creating the Communist political system in China. . .

chinese national holiday - International Labor Day or "May Day"

Today is Labor Day in China (as it is also celebrated in many other countries around the world - What's up with the US having Labor Day in September?). Labor Day in China has become one of the so-called "Golden Weeks"* in China. The holiday has grown from (1) paid day off to (3) paid days off in the early 1990's and now has become a full week off for most people in China. Most working people in China worked over the last weekend and then put those days together with today's holiday and next weekend to give them a full week off. During the "Golden Week" thousands of chinese workers (usually living far from home) travel back to visit with loved ones.

This holiday is also especially busy as it falls directly after the spring China Import and Export Fair held every year in Guangzhou, China (the last two weeks in April). As you can imagine, adoption travel is fairly difficult during these three weeks and highly discouraged - especially during the last two weeks of April since all Americans must go through Guangzhou to complete their adoption paperwork before leaving China with their children.

Happy Labor Day!

*Updated: I thought I should explain that there are (3) "Golden Weeks" in the Chinese year. The first is during the New Year celebration or "Spring Festival", the second is in celebration of Labor Day and the third is to commemorate "National Day" starting the first of October.

earth day

[The famous "Blue Marble" photo taken by Apollo 17.]
I don't think I have heard the word "green" as many times as I have this week. And, that is a GOOD thing. Finally, Earth Day is getting the spotlight that it deserves. It seems everyone is getting into the act and I say "get on that bandwagon!" If you want to be trendy, this is the time to do it!

We have been mesmerized all day with a marathon of episodes called "Planet Earth" from the Discovery Channel. You MUST see this show. The series took five years to film and is an unprecedented collection of the wonder that is this planet. It will change the way you see and feel about this world. . . definitely.



We have been doing our small part for quite awhile now, mostly the usual stuff. Living in California makes that a little easier. However, we will be instituting some additional practices into our daily lives this year and plan to instill this philosophy of life to our children, too.




I did some quick research for some sites with activities for the little one:

Earth's Birthday Project - educating children about the earth

Planet Pals

Celebrate the planet with recipes, crafts and games

Activities for Earth Day

Books about Earth Day

Create a Neighborhood Earth Day

Owen & Mzee Kids Boma (Owen & Mzee are the baby hippo & turtle from Tsunami fame)

Earth Day for Kids website sponsored by the US Government

Earth Day for Kids website sponsored by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

So, enjoy the day, celebrate our Planet Earth . . . and save some for my kid, ok?

chinese traditional holiday - Qing Ming (Pure & Bright in Chinese) (Fifth of the 24 Solar Terms)

[backdated since I am catching up on my blogging after a little hiatus of travelling - April 10, 2007. And, I apologize in advance for the copy and pasting from the website info - I wanted to describe this holiday in full and there is so little time, and so much to do!]

What a charming little holiday!

From Wikipedia

"In solar terms, the Qingming festival is on the 1st day of the 5th solar
term, which is also named Qingming. Its name denotes a time for people to go
outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime (踏青 Tàqīng, "treading on the
greenery"), and also to tend to the graves of departed ones. It is an official
public holiday in the Republic of China, as well as in Hong Kong and Macau though not in mainland China.

Tomb Sweeping Day and Clear Brightness Festival are the most common English
translations of Qingming Festival. Tomb Sweeping Day is used in several English
language newspapers published in the Republic of
China.

For the Chinese, it is a day to remember and honour one's ancestors.
Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea,
wine, chopsticks, (joss) paper acessories, and/or libation to the ancestors. The
rites are very important to most Chinese and especially farmers. Some people
carry willow branches with them on Qingming, or put willow branches on their
gates and/or front doors. They think that willow branches help ward off the evil
ghosts that wander on Qingming. Also on Qingming, people go on family outings,
start the spring plowing, sing, dance, and Qingming is a time where young
couples start courting. Another popular thing to do is fly kites (in shapes of
animals, or characters from Chinese opera)."

Origins of the Festival - The Story of Chong'er and Jie Zitui
[from www.nychinatown.com]

"The Qing Ming Festival has its origins in the Cold Food Festival (Hanshi
Jie) of ancient times. On the Cold Food Festival, people could only eat cold
food or pre-cooked food. Heating by fire is not allowed. Do you know why?
This custom is said to have originated from the Spring
and Autumn Period (770-475 B.C.). In the state of Jin, there were evil men who
wanted the Duke of Jin's eldest son, Chong'er, dead. Jie Zitui, Chong'er's loyal
retainer, smuggled him out of the state of Jin in the middle of the night.
Because Chong'er had always shown concern for his people's welfare, Jie tried his best to take care of Chong'er during his exile. Once, when they were on the verge of starvation, Jie even cut out a piece of his own flesh to feed Chong'er. He did this in the hope that when Chong'er finally returned to the state of Jin, he would be a benevolent and dutiful ruler.
More than a decade later, Chong'er finally became
Duke Wen of Jin. He then rewarded all those who had given him assistance during
his exile. However, he forgot all about Jie. He only remembered Jie when someone
reminded him, and he immediately sent for him so that he could get his
reward.
But Jie had already gone into the mountains with his mother to live a life of seclusion. Duke Wen and his ministers looked for him in the mountains but to no avail. Just then someone suggested that they set fire to the mountains. Jie was well known for being a filial son, thus he would surely escape the blaze with his old mother.
The fire burnt for three days and three nights but Jie still did not appear. After the fire died down they found Jie with his mother on his back under a willow tree.
Both had been burnt to death. Duke Wen then regretted what he had done and was
extremely saddened. He decreed that this day be the Day of Cold Food. No one was
to use fire. Everyone had to eat cold food for a day to honor Jie Zitui's
loyalty.
In ancient times, the Cold Food and Qing Ming Festivals were both observed. The Cold Food Festival preceded the Qing Ming Festival by one or two days. The rituals for both festivals also bore strong resemblance to each other. In time, the Cold Food and Qing Ming Festivals merged into one."

The tradition of Sweeping the Graves
[from www.nychinatown.com]

"Sweeping the graves of one's ancestors is something descendents do as a
sign of respect. A proper sweeping consists of three steps: cleaning the grave,
making offerings to ancestors and burning ceremonial money.
Cleaning the grave was just what it sounds like -
removing weeds, making necessary repairs, and repainting the gravestone
engravings.
After the clean up, families made offerings of
meat and fruit to the guardian spirit of the graveyard (Hou Tu) followed by
incense offerings to their ancestors.
There are different ways to burn ceremonial money in different parts of China. Joss paper is usually burnt, however, in some places it is not burnt but tossed into the air. Then there is the practice of placing a stone over pieces of yellow and white or multi-colored joss paper on the gravestone, the front of the grave and at the
Hou Tu's alter. The offering of joss paper represents wealth given to the
ancestors for use in the underworld - it also shows that the descendents have
visited the graves!
The rituals of grave sweeping have been simplified by the Chinese in modern times. After sweeping the graves, families offer fruit and flowers to their ancestors and remember them in their hearts. Whatever the rituals may be, Qing Ming Festival is an expression of the filial spirit of the Chinese and the respect they have for their forefathers."

chinese national holiday - Tree Planting Day

Government leaders, including President Hu Jintao (center), took part in tree planting activities at Beijing Olympic Forest Park on Saturday, April 1, 2006. Photo: Xinhua

{NOTE: I have a lot of links in this post. For those of you who are not as blog savvy, just click on any of the items that are underlined and it will take you to the article or link. (or at least I hope it will)}

Tree Planting Day has been highly promoted since the late 70's by the reformist government. It marks the beginning of a greening campaign all over the country during the month of April. I have read conflicting reports about this "holiday". Some say is a voluntary tradition in China, however, I have also found this:

"According to a government decision on tree planting issued in
1981, Chinese citizens aged from 11 to 55 are required to plant three to five
trees every year, aiming to increase China's forest coverage rate." Source:
Xinhua UPDATED: 13:39, April 01, 2007

It is also difficult to determine the exact date for this event. I have seen many dates in March, but I also have seen many sources that list the event to be on April 1. Regardless of the date, or the nature of the "holiday", I like the idea, and thought it worthy of a post.

China has become the country with the most "human planted" trees in the world. Tree Planting day attracts thousands of participants as the Chinese feel it is their duty to help preserve the land and the forests. However, it is also a well-loved tradition used as a symbol to commemorate special occasions such as birthdays, deaths, weddings, children's enrollment in school, or even colleague's service in the military. Tree planting kits are usually provided free and community events are planned in specific areas of need or According to the National Afforestation Commision in Beijing, more than 42 billion trees have been planted in China's parks and forests during the 1982-2003 period!

China now tops in most `human-planted' trees on Earth

By Liang Chao (China Daily)Updated: 2004-03-12 01:11

In 2006 and 2007, the planting focus has become the Olympic Forest Park in Beijing in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games. Here is a quick article about today's events:

Senior Chinese leaders join Beijingers for tree planting

Source: Xinhua UPDATED: 13:39, April 01, 2007

I think what is most interesting about this event is the amount of governmental involvement there is in the both planning and participation. I have come to realize in the last year or so, that the Chinese people HIGHLY value their parks and green space and take great effort to include these spaces within their city fabric. There is an obvious commitment by both the government and its citizens to maintain the "greening" of their country. This holiday is a wonderful tribute to the citizens of China as well as an example for the rest of the world.

overdue photo spreeeeeeee

Los Angeles Chinese New Year Parade - February 24, 2007

[more photos here]

only in LA . . . [maybe some of you didn't know that the famous "Hollywood" sign actually used to say "Hollywoodland" - it was for a suburban subdivision that was going to be built]

the legendary LA Chinatown bakery we stood in front of for the parade

I think these little girls managed to greet every single dragon in the parade [it is tradition to slip a red envelope into the mouth of the each dragon and touch the top of their heads for good luck].


more revelers in the parade

a great little shop in Chinatown that is owned by relatives of our friends

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Our Chinese New Year Party - February 24, 2007

[more photos here]

yes, chinese take-out is our friend . . . check out our new year's couplets and firecrackers!

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Tour of California - Long Beach Circuit Race - February 25, 2005

[more photos here]

Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 4705!

Gung Hay Fat Choy! ("Wishing you Prosperity!" in Cantonese)

Gong Xi Fa Cai! ("Wishing you Prosperity!" in Mandarin)

We have had a great weekend and a Happy [Lunar] New Year! We spent the Eve of the new year at a CNY party given by our friends, Virginia and Sam. They are both from Hong Kong. It was a traditional celebration including all new year traditions. Their house was decorated with traditional chinese new year couplets, lanterns, dragons and, of course, FIRECRACKERS! They had made dumplings as well as fish, pork and lots of rice. The food was delicious and we had a great time visiting with the rest of their friends and family.

Chinese New Year is celebrated on a different day each year, unlike the standard Gregorian calendar that most of us are used to, traditional China follows a "Lunar calendar" that was developed during the 3rd Millenium BC and is considered by Scholars to be the oldest surviving calendar system in the world. You will notice at the right hand side of our blog, we posted the "Current Phase of the Moon". The chinese calendar is based on the phases of the moon, and Chinese New Year is the celebration of the first day of the first new moon of the year.

February 18th marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year, ringing in the Year of the Pig. However, 2007 is a special year in that it is the "Year of the Golden Pig", which falls once every 60 years and is considered to be a very auspicious year in which to have a child (hint hint).

According to Chinese folk customs, 2007 is the "Year of Gold" one of the five elements, and also is the "Year of the Pig", a sign on the Chinese zodiac. The pig is regarded as good luck for a good life. A Golden Pig baby has the benefit of being born under two lucky signs. If you don't know your sign, type in your birthdate on this site to find out!

Today, I went to get a manicure. The shop that I go to is run by some wonderful Vietnamese women. The Vietnamese "Tet" celebration for the New Year is celebrated in conjunction with Chinese Lunar New Year. I decided to take my friends at the shop some tangerines (with the leaves on) as a sign of abundance, happiness and friendship in the new year. They were very excited that I understood their celebration and traditions. I was honored to receive some tangerines as well as a "hong bao" or red envelope from them in return.

We will have to see if the "Year of the Golden Pig" will be an auspicious and abundant year for us. But, for now, I am grateful for the opportunities we have had to learn, respect and celebrate the lovely and heartfelt traditions of the asian, and specifically chinese, culture.

. . . do I look different?

I was forced to switch the blog over to the "NEW and IMPROVED" version of Blogger today when I logged in. I say "forced" because I have heard some horror stories from those who have gone before me. Hopefully, all is intact and we will have no problems. Apparently, there are a lot of cool new features to play with. Since I haven't even mastered the old ones, I am not sure how useful the new features will be to me, but I am going to give them a try.

I am spending the day CLEANING.

1. The housecleaning chores have been neglected as of late due to house guests, work and general busy-ness - AND I hate house cleaning.

2. We are hosting our 2nd Annual Chinese New Year party next weekend for our friends.

3. I am trying to observe some of the longstanding traditions that mark the Chinese New Year holiday preparations.

Preparations for the New Year begin well in advance, marked by
traditions rich in symbolism and superstition. Families clean the house from top
to bottom to sweep out bad luck at the start of the holiday. People buy new
clothes and pay off debts. It’s customary to get a haircut before the holiday,
because the Chinese word for hair is similar to the word for prosperity, and you
don’t want to cut your prosperity as the year is starting.

Chinese New Year (aka Lunar New Year or Spring Festival) is tomorrow, February 18, 2007. Stay tuned for more detailed information about this most important and auspicious holiday in China.