Halloween 10.31.2010

Happy Halloween! Here is how we spent ours...

Jamie's halloween treat and a local pumpkin we carved. The pumpkin card is from Abigail. Not sure why she put three pumpkins on railroad tracks! Her mom tells me that they are sitting on a fence!

We went to Little India today to take in the festivities of Deepavali. The sign overhead "Selamat Datang Ke Little Inida" means Happy Welcome to Little India!


Fruit and flowers everywhere



This is the main street (Jalan) in Little India. It was neat seeing Kolams painted on the street and we knew what they were! There were tents on both sides with vendors selling all kinds of stuff. We didn't buy much but had fun looking at all of the Indian clothing, etc. Incense was burning everywhere and Indian music was playing. Lots of fun!

Eileen got a henna treatment from a local Indian girl. I really like it!

Now you know how we spent our Halloween!

Biking to Bangsar 10.30.2010

On Saturday morning, Eileen and I took a bike ride to Bangsar, a nearby village. If you look at the "View to the North" picture in my "Temporary Home" post, you will get an idea of where we went. Bangsar is on the far side of the two high-rise buildings in the picture. We had a great time exploring and being together. The looks we got were very interesting. First, you don't see bicycles in this country. Second, you really don't see Americans all that much either. I guess seeing two Americans on bicycles must have been a real sight to see. I wonder how many people will be telling their families..."guess what I saw today?"



If you look closely, you will see Eileen sitting at the cafe across the street. Since it was late morning, I really needed another cup of joe. Go figure. I ask the guy if we could get a cup of coffee and he said not till after 6PM! What lah? He said "do you want some fried chicken?" Uh, no thanks! Our adventure continued and we found another cafe and enjoyed a dark Sumatra brew. Sumatra is just West of Malaysia, on the other side of the Strait of Melacca. We then went to a Thai restaurant for lunch and I think that was my favorite restaurant so far.

After lunch, we headed over to the wet market. Oh the sights and smells! I think the fish was the most prominent smell! The guy on the right was selling some kind of drinks made from coconuts. "Two ringgit...two ringgit" he said. We politely declined.

The potato truck

Fresh meat anyone? Refrigeration is overrated!

All kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables

Chicken on a stick cooking over charcoal in a clay pot

More fruit and such

So Eileen notices that to the sky was black to the North. North or West, you don't hang around to see if it is going to blow over! We high-tailed it out of Bangsar heading toward home. We got to a covered bridge and the wind was really whipping up. The taller palms in the distance gives some indication. Since it hadn't started raining, we made a run for the next bridge which wasn't too far away.

Another pic from the first bridge

We made it to the next bridge just as it was starting to rain. This bridge is along the Klang river. What a treat! We got to see two monitor lizards in the wild, up close and personal. This one was 8 or 9 feet long!

Deepavali 10.29.2010

Next Friday, November 5th, is Deepavali, a national holiday here in Malaysia. Deepavali is the Indian festival of lights. It lasts for five days and is celebrated in Hinduism, Sikhism, and Jainism. Kalom is a form of sand painting and is drawn using rice powder by female members of the family in front of their home. They take several hours to make and are very beautiful. Kolams are thought to bring prosperity to homes.

While Deepavali is popularly known as the "festival of lights", the most significant spiritual meaning is "the awareness of the inner light". Central to Hindu philosophy is the assertion that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the Atman. Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Diwali is the celebration of this inner light, in particular the knowing of which outshines all darkness (removes all obstacles and dispels all ignorance), awakening the individual to one's true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With the realization of the Atman comes universal compassion, love, and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings Ananda (joy or peace).

Selamat Hari Deepavali (Happy Deepavali Day)!

Click here to link to Deepavali on Wikipedia

Eileen and I saw the Indian woman making this Kolam on Sunday when we went out for breakfast. She was not using any tools, just here hands and a bowl of colored rice powder.

A huge peacock surrounded by roses


Close up of the one below

I should have taken this pic from the other side!

Temporary Home 10.28.2010

Here are some pics of our apartment. We have come to know this place as home for now and have adjusted to living in less than half of the space that we are accustomed to living in!

Living room



Eileen rattl'n those pots and pans!

Dining room

Exit to the "man cave"

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

The Man Cave

View to the West

View to the North

Our garden!

Still Alive in KL 10.27.2010

So we have been in Kuala Lumpur for 7 weeks now. I think this is one of the longest spans without one single blog post!

Our transition to Southeast Asia has been good. We are adapting to the Malaysian way of life and have settled in quite well. We miss our home and all of the people that we share life with. This is our temporary home and we are welcoming the new experiences that living abroad has to offer. Work is quite busy for me and I haven't quite figured out what a reasonable work-week looks like. Jamie is taking classes at INTI College, Subang Jaya campus where I go to work every day. Eileen is plugged in at a shelter for women rescued from human trafficking. Very meaningful work and she is sharing God's love with so many! Here are some random shots of our life in Malaysia!

Jamie and his silly Dallas Cowboys gnome about to board in Doha, Qatar

Selamat Datang (happy welcome)!

Our first two weeks were spent at the Hilton Sentral (tower on right)

Eileen and Jamie hanging out at the Hilton pool

This is the pool area at our apartment, the Gardens Residence. Not quite as nice as the Hilton, but we have a pool and it is nice to have!

Jamie and Jaws!

Karaoke time! Yes, Eileen sang! Awesome duet!

Scuba diving...just kidding! This was at the aquarium at the base of the Petronas Towers

Our favorite park (Lake Garden). This park is huge and is a great place to escape to, away from a very busy city. Eileen and I take the train here often and spend a few hour just walking and spending time together.

Dinner with colleagues, Western style! Ava on right, A ley center.