Here is a video clip created by our church in HK from a Cebu mission trip over Easter 2004. Many of the people we met and got to know where in similar conditions to where we went in Davao.
View Clip

I'm officially into my 30-something starting next Tuesday. I stumbled upon this at Chiara's website today. So I couldn't help doing it for my own birthday. Could I just say it is so true...

My last day of my Management and HR class is this Saturday. I have a 20 minute presentation and some essays to complete, but what do I decide to do instead? I organize my bookmarks in IE to transfer to de.icio.us. But then in a sudden move to beat the clock so I can walk over to Starbuck's for hot cocoa I bang away at both the essays and presentation outline in 20 minutes. Wow that's a total change for me.

After this class is done I'll more than likely do an essay to relate the challenges HR has faced and continues to face and how the IA field could also face similar situations. Each time I read something new about an organization development concept, I could easily see how IA as a human resource is facing the challenge of proper utilization in both tactical and strategic work.

This isn't really a whine but wanted to share the photos of a very special couple. Pete and Lynne tied the knot at Boundary Oak in Walnut Creek yesterday...right at Hole 1. Here are some snapshots of the happy event.

We turned in early after a long day. Funny enought it was only a quarter to 10 and we were so tired. I think we're getting old.

A Lifetime of Happiness Pete and Lynne!

Found this site from NY Times. Folks have taken photos of their in-flight meals from various airlines and shared them at www.airlines.net It's pretty fun to surf the photos especially of those in first or business class. You can't miss this site if you are planning a long plane trip. It's like getting a preview of your meal. Also my advice when traveling on long flights 8+ hours...order a special meal at least 48 hours ahead of time or at booking. You get fed before the general cabin and the food is not so bad, especially if you go Kosher or Eastern Vegetarian.

We've been back 2 weeks now, and everything feels different. Not because things here changed all that much, but we've changed alot. How we feel and how we analyze things, and even the things we buy. I thought it would be easier mentally to go back to the shops I used to go to but right now it just seems so wrong to pay the high prices for things that are so temporary.

Most of the day I think back to the mission trip. They never really tell you what happens at a missionary trip except that you do good things to help people. I think this was a good thing because they never really know what's going to happen next. Yes there are schedules and plans since activities have to be coordinated especially at locations where security is an issue. You just have to be flexible and adjust to whatever is happening at any moment. Since we were in a developing country you never how traffic will be, if there are terrorist groups in the area, or even if supplies can be transported easily or safely to its destination. Lastly, I do believe miracles happen and that God has a reason for them to happen. I can't really explain what happened since writing it up in this blog could not do it justice. Perhaps when I have digested the whole experience I'll have the courage to share more online.

I miss many aspects of Davao and the team we went with. Right now we're waiting to figure out if this is something we can really do full time or at least more often than once a year. I wish I could say I can share photos or video, but you know it's quite an intimate experience and the stuff we could show is probably more of the team. We didn't want the people we were sharing with to think they were part of a show or anything so we held off on taping them. I'm just so glad we were able to this and we hope that more out there will make the leap of faith and jump outside of their box and join a short-term mission trip. Not only does it change the lives of those you interact with, it will definitely transform your outlook on life. All I know is everyone I met and got to know have a place in my heart. Most of all I went with a team who taught us what love meant.

This is really bad news for folks who enjoy dim sum, "heart treasures." According to this article(yahoo), it's high in fat and sodium. It's difficult for me to believe because most Hong Kong Chinese are skinny! And even when they go out to eat dim sum, they walk everywhere and they probably don't even eat that much. Funny the article mentions to eat pork buns, come on the filling is chock full of sodium, sugar, and the infamous high fat pork. I think it's a conspiracy.

I was down in San Diego for several days for an IA seminar, networking to jumpstart my consulting/freelance business, and visiting many family and friends. Oh and I also picked up my car, bright yellow Miata!!! On our drive back up we stopped in Arroyo Grande for lunch at El Taco Loco on Branch St. Take the Grand Ave exit from 101 and head east.

Oh my gosh we got carne asada burritos and a plate of nachos. Did I mention we had horrible Mexican food in Hong Kong. One day I was craving nachos for a snack. We ducked into a cafe that mentioned nachos on their menu. I ordered the nachos and Jeff got a scone. His was a fresh baked blueberry scone with his cup of tea. Nothing unusual for a former British colony. However when I got my nachos, they didn't even look like nachos. It was a plate of nacho-flavored Doritos, shredded cheese that wasn't even melted, and sprinkled with pickles. Yes PICKLES! I was so depressed. I think I ate one chip but was so sad that Jeff shared his scone with me. So with that kind of experience we have been eating lots of Mexican food recently. And Taco Loco in Arroyo Grande has to be the best mexican food in CA...and the nachos were exactly what I expected. I have finally satisfied my cravings for really good Mexican food. Now I have to find a place close to home.

The restaurant is low profile. You order at the counter and they call out your number. Ample refills of all the drinks. There's a picture of the family with Anthony Hopkins all over the place. We went on Sunday afternoon so it was quiet and not crowded. The bathrooms were very clean and well stocked.

Thanks Ryan for the recommendation. This is definitely a must stop when on the 101.

Visiting Friends and Family

Now that we're back here in US, I don't think I'll be needing jal neti as much. I noticed back in HK, it was very useful in clearing the daily pollution of urban stuff. These past few days have been so clear. My cold is pretty much gone and I'm sleeping better through the night. However for Jeff it's a different story. We came to a very green neighborhood. Lots of pollen and it's spring so the rains have defintely spread the allergens around. Jeff will probably give his jal neti testimonial soon. It's definitely like brushing your teeth; a routine that is barely even 2 minutes of our time in the AM and PM.

Nothing too exciting but thought I'd share just the same.

Lisa with Her HK Library Card

Dim Sum After Returning with some of Davao Missionary Team

Dinner with Language Partners

Video will come shortly from our mission trip.

My official whine now I'm back:

Isn't it strange that when you think you're home you feel that you aren't. Somehow we're both really missing our friends and family back in Hong Kong. I didn't think 6 months could have such an impact on us. There are of course things that we won't miss, like the pollution, but there are so many more things that we do miss. For instance, we both really dislike long commutes and looking for parking. Walking everywhere was so much more enjoyable. The weather is definitely alot more cooler here and wet! But I guess when summer hits HK it would be a bit miserable. The other thing that we noticed is how where we live is definitely NOT culturally diverse. I thought the US was supposed to be the melting pot of the world, if anything I felt like it was more of a melting pot in HK. I've never met so many different kinds of folks concentrated in a small area. Maybe it's where we live, maybe SF would have more cultural diversity but it's definitely eerie when you're the only minority in a room of 200 people. The other thing now that Jeff is back at work in a real office, I feel super isolated in the suburbs. From thousands of people around my neighborhood to feeling like the only person on the street. I haven't seen anybod on the streets and seeing all these SUVs reminds me of our dependence on middle east oil.

I'll probably notice more of the differences over the next few weeks but I'm really excited to see friends and family again here on this side of the Pacific. It will definitely be a challenge not to miss HK but who knows where our path will lead us.

I'll be without my computer for at least a week. It turns out that IBM T41s have a known issue with their video cards. The heat of the board ends up screwing it up and you get a garbled screen at bootup. I'm just glad I did a backup before we left HK and Jeff did another backup of the machine last night. Argh.

More info: http://www.thinkwiki.org/Problem_with_garbled_screen