Today B and I went to Philly for the day.

B wanted us to explore the city just for fun to do something interesting. We started the day with brunch in this up and coming area called Eggs something.

It was worth the 35 minute wait. Had fried chicken and waffles. :-)

After that we explored the hood a bit and found a few cute vintage and art stores.

After that we went to City center which is a main area that we explored a little. Mainstream shops like urban, Zara and H&M but honestly was more like breaks from the bitter cold.

Even though it was really cold outside I did enjoy doing something different and new with my boo. I really appreciate that he always wants to do fun things and I am really going to try and plan more fun things.

On the train back to the city now and can’t wait to just sit in our warm apt and relax. :-)

Had a lovely dinner tonight with Furry at Pounds&Ounces for Valentines day.

We had the 5 course tasting menu and it was delicious. Portions were just right and everything was delicious.

Grandpas dream finally came true. We went to Tai Shan village today. One of our neighbors came to pick us up the Gaoye International Hotel.

He was our actual neighbor that lived next door to our house in the village. Our first impression of the village was kind of shocking. I imagined that there would be rice fields and huts but when we got to the village that was basically it except there was actual small houses made out of concrete i guess. Very basic houses. Uncle said that our village only got running water around 20 years ago.

We went into the house and you could tell that no one has been in that house for decades. Everything that remained in the house covered with dust and no signs of modern day. We climbed up this wooden ladder and found some dishes that obviously date back at least eight decades. Grandpa remembered that the dishes that he used were all signed with the same Chinese character almost a type of family crest. We saved all of the dishes and had one of the people from the village wash them for us.

When she asked if we wanted her to wash them for us I assumed that she would just wash them in hour small house but she washed them in the small stream in front of the village. She made a sponge with soggy leaves and washed all of the dishes. It was so bizarre to see how basic their living was. Everything that they did was so old school. Even the guy working the garden had a stick with two buckets that he used to carry the water from the village to the field.

We strolled through the passageways of the village to see some really old houses that you would think are vacant but obviously these people still lived there.

After we walked around for a bit they took us to Grandpas grandparents grave in the village. The graves were so old that the engraving was so faint on the tombstone that you could barely see the marks.

On the wall that is in front of the village you could see the dried vegetables that they would store away to make soups and things. Everything has a purpose. They have to harvest the vegetables and dry them in order to preserve them.

The couple that helped us also gave us a small bag of rice. This rice may just be plain basic rice but the fact that it was grown and harvested in our village is so amazing. They also had a dog and after being in China for this long we know that they raise them for food. He looked a few years old and uncle asked if they are going to eat him and they said “Of course! Dogs are delicious, we’ll probably cook him in about a year.”

One thing that I noticed was that most of the people living in the village were really old. One of the couples that helped us with the dishes had a son that helped us when we visited the cemetery. His wife works outside the village and you could really see how their culture worked. The son marries and they work and bring money back to the village. The parents took care of the kids while the parents worked. So what happens when the kids are done sending money to take care of their parents and move away? The kids obviously would want a better life for their children. What happens to the village when all the old people die?

This trip has truly defined the word poverty. These people work so hard to make a living. They do anything that they can do to make money for their family. Grandpa was nice enough to give some people money. i guess this is just how it is if you go back to the village.

Grandpa told me that he was around 22 when he came to the us and that Grandma came around 30 years old when she arrive to the US. I think about how I have become the person I am today in my 30 years of living- the thirty years of life lessons that has made me the person I am today. Grandma lived in this village till she was my age. I look back at how grandma was, saving everything that could be re-used, not wasting running water, always working or cleaning. I remember that Grandma would walk several blocks just to save a few cents to buy something cheaper. I must admit that I was mean to grandma sometimes about saving things like tupperware and not flushing the toilet with bowls of water but not it all makes sense. Grandma was raised that way.

I am definitely more appreciative of what I have now. Americans are so wasteful with all of the materialistic things that buy and throwaway its really so disgusting.

I really hope that the kids learned something from this trip.

So right now were in Macau at the Metro Park hotel. We arrived last night and it was a huge mistake on Uncles part because he booked a hotel that was relatively close to Macau but the hotel was still in China which would mean that if we stayed there we would have had to go back through immigration everyday.

The fucked up part was that Uncle booked the same day that we were staying in Tai Shan CIty which is ridiculous. He said he messed up because he was looking at US time calendar on his laptop. The hotel was nice enough to let him only pay for the one night and cancel the other two nights.

We decided to cancel that reservation and just book this hotel at Metro Park.

We are going to head back to Hong Kong today because there really isnt much to do over here except gamble. The good news is that last night Adis asked me to Gamble for her 50$ on black and I did that for her and actually won. It was really amazing! Grandpa and Uncle were not that lucky- both of them lost 500 Macau dollars.

This trip has been pretty amazing so far. Seeing our village in Tai Shan was the most interesting part because even after so many years they are still living that very simple basic village lifestyle. One of the guys there still has to carry pots of water on sticks to water the garden. We got a few dishes from our village. These date back at least eight decades! Grandpa said that the symbol engraved on each dish was their family mark that identified who’s dish it was.

Really looking forward to leaving this ghetto city. I really hate gambling and that nasty feeling of losing money. The thing about being in Hong Kong is that everyone feels like they have money in Hong Kong shopping and spending money but over here you can feel that broke worn down feeling in the air. Pawn shops, hookers and people out to make a quick buck.

Today is Christmas Day in China. Who would have ever imagined that we would be spending Christmas in China.

We are staying in Guangzhou city which is an amazing city so far. Right now we only experience a dinner at a restaurant and the hotel but just from those experiences were already impresses by what this city has to offer.

Down the street there is this amazing shopping mall that has Hermes, LVuitton and all the other high end designer brands. This is nothing like I have experienced in China. I guess its because I stay near the factories and the areas are for locals.

Theres a few outdoor markets here that were going to try and get today. Looking forward to experiencing this city. I really hope that we get to stay here an additional day. It would really suck to have to leave early.

Last night I made this delicious pasta dinner. Sautéed some Kale, Kabocha, tomatoes and some mushrooms and made this delicious simple pasta.

Furry bought me this amazing new cutting board from Quirky. What makes this amazing is the storage prep trays that slide underneath which make it super easy to chop and prep recipes.

I really love the kitchen that we have now. Its spacious and has lots of counter-space. We can even be cooking together at the same time and still have space for the pupster in the kitchen.

Going forward I really have to make more of an effort to cook at home. I told B that when we moved into this place that we would have a schedule of how many times we eat out and cook at home. Its way too expensive to constantly be eating out.

So in a few weeks were going to be heading to our trip to China. 12/19.

Have to get our China visas done for the fam and then have to finish any outstanding work that I have and finish it before I leave.

I always tell myself that I have to plan a vacation and haven’t done one in a long time. It’s kind of perfect since I barely used any of my vacation days ill practically use them up for this trip.

This trip is basically one of the last times we get to spend with Grandpa together. I have never been on vacation with Grandpa and looking forward to his stories of growing up in china.

It’s funny because growing up you really take for granted how much your family helps you and helps you to become a better person.

My grandfather took me in during my college years and helped pay for most of my tuition. They supported me and believed in me. Waited for me to have dinner with them and took care of me. I was such a snobby kid totally not being thankful enough for what they have done for me but I appreciate it now.

I am incredibly lucky to have such a loving supportive family. Maybe they’re not perfect but they definitely love me in conditionally.

Had such a lovely thanksgiving with b. any Cindy’s family was there and we’re super warm and friendly to B.

B and I worked together to make some mashed potatoes and everyone made the rest of the food.

The only negative was that Adis didn’t spend much time with is since she was busy working on the laptop wifi but that was ok. We had a good time and really happy that B was welcomed into our family.

Kind of worried about next year when it’s my turn to spend with his family. …

So its Thanksgiving Day 2012 and Furry and I are getting ready to head over to Uncles house for thanksgiving.

This is the first time that Furry is coming for a family event.

He is getting stressed out because were going to meet my Mom at Penn station and he has to ride the train back with my Mom to the city.

Im sure that he is totally not enjoying this but I am sure that this day will all be over very quickly and he can have the whole weekend to relax and chill out.

Ill be spending Friday with Adis since shell want to do some Black Friday shopping. Its kind of tradition and should be a fun day. I definitely do not need anything so really just going along for the thrill.

I am writing this post using the bluetooth keyboard with my iPad Mini and freaking love it. Super light weight and so so much easier to hold and use.
Would definitely not go back to the heavier larger size.