From John: Here are some crazy photos of Roslyn and I visiting the unparalleled highlight of an excursion to the incredible Terracotta Warriors and Horses at the Tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor who unified China in 221 BC.
My buddy!
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Terracotta Warriors!
Saturday, December 8, 2012
It's a Wonder
After riding camels for an hour over huge sand dunes it makes me marvel that the Wise Men, who visited the young Christ child, road these bum-pity beasts all the way from the Far East as they followed the wondrous Star of Bethlehem. It's a wonder they accomplished such a feat at all. They were certainly very determined Magi. I guess you would be too if you embarked on a quest to see the fulfillment of hundreds of years of prophesy and witness the miracle of the mortal Emmanuel, God with us; even the Son of God. That's a wonder.
Camel riding!
From John: Here are some crazy photos of Roslyn and I riding camels in the Gobi Desert. It is a real sandy desert like the Sahara Desert in Africa. These photos were taken in Dunhuang with offers a camel caravan in the Gobi Desert with a visit to the Sound Sand mountain and Crescent Moon Lake in this Sahara-like desert.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Xi-an trip - dinner theater
These photos are from the evening dinner and stage show that we attended during our visit to Xi-an,which is a city of 8 million people. In Xi-an, we also visited the incredible Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses at the Tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor who unified China in 221 BC.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Spelling It Out
Honestly, I didn't think there would be all that much worth sharing, but these Chinese students have really surprised me. They really like the idea of a Thanksgiving season/festival. Every one of them gushes with praise and thanksgiving for their parents and the sacrifices they are making so they can attend university and realize their dreams & goals. A close second is friends. Since most of these young people are from one-child families, friends are vitally important to them. Xia is in my sophomore English-Translation class and came up with a clever, well-written piece you might enjoy.
"God has two dwelling, one in heaven and other in a meek and thankful heart. Being grateful to others is a way to
show our love. In our daily life, we often receive help from our parents, friends, colleagues and strangers. There are so many things that we should feel thankful for. But what are the most important? Let's have a look at the form of the word "thankful" then you will find the answer.
"T" = treasure
Different people have different opinions towards treasure. Some people consider the family as their most invaluable treasure while others think friendship is important since no one can live in isolation. Also, there are a lot of people who regard money and fame as their treasure. Whatever the treasure is, as long as we hae something that we think is crucial, then we should be thankful for that.
"H" = health
Health is most significant to everyone. If we lose money, we earn it again; if we lose our friends there's chance that we might get them back; but if we lose health, unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it. However, there are so many people who take it for granted that they fail to realize the importance of it. Think about those disabled people, imagine how hard life will be for them, there is no reason that we should not fully appreciate the healthy body we have.
"A" = ambition
Ambition is a wide conception. For actors, ambition means a wonder performance for audience; for athletes, ambition is the pursuit of championship; for scientists, ambition is the breakthrough in research; for students, ambition is to acquire more knowledge. Therefore, ambition embodies various meanings. It's the ambition that makes our life meaningful, for the reason that the goal we set prompts us to try our best to achieve it, and thus taps our potential.
"N" = nature
Nature is like a selfless mother. It provides us with air, water, land, food...all the necessities of life. Without nature, there's no chance for human beings to live a life. So we should give our gratitude to the nature and try our best to protect it.
"F" = fault
Since no one is perfect, we all make mistakes. In the eyes of some perfectionists, fault is an obstacle on their way way to success. However, it's impossible to nt make any mistakes in life. Since mistakes are unavoidable, why shouldn't we learn from it? We can make progress and become better by reflecting on the faults we have made. So fault is what we should be thankful for.
"U" = understanding
Due to the fact that we are not identical twens, we all think differently. Even for the same issue, there are different ideas. So frictions come into existence. By mutual understanding, we listen to others opinions and learn to compromise with others until agreements are reached. It's the understanding between people that makes the world more harmonious.
"L" = love
Love is the most beautiful language in the world. It can heal the wounds, and turn evil into good. We feel happy not because we have fame or power in our hands, but because we have someone's love when we need love.
Apart from what we have mentioned above, there are other things that we may feel thankful for. They are waiting for us to discover them."
"God has two dwelling, one in heaven and other in a meek and thankful heart. Being grateful to others is a way to
show our love. In our daily life, we often receive help from our parents, friends, colleagues and strangers. There are so many things that we should feel thankful for. But what are the most important? Let's have a look at the form of the word "thankful" then you will find the answer.
"T" = treasure
Different people have different opinions towards treasure. Some people consider the family as their most invaluable treasure while others think friendship is important since no one can live in isolation. Also, there are a lot of people who regard money and fame as their treasure. Whatever the treasure is, as long as we hae something that we think is crucial, then we should be thankful for that.
"H" = health
Health is most significant to everyone. If we lose money, we earn it again; if we lose our friends there's chance that we might get them back; but if we lose health, unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it. However, there are so many people who take it for granted that they fail to realize the importance of it. Think about those disabled people, imagine how hard life will be for them, there is no reason that we should not fully appreciate the healthy body we have.
"A" = ambition
Ambition is a wide conception. For actors, ambition means a wonder performance for audience; for athletes, ambition is the pursuit of championship; for scientists, ambition is the breakthrough in research; for students, ambition is to acquire more knowledge. Therefore, ambition embodies various meanings. It's the ambition that makes our life meaningful, for the reason that the goal we set prompts us to try our best to achieve it, and thus taps our potential.
"N" = nature
Nature is like a selfless mother. It provides us with air, water, land, food...all the necessities of life. Without nature, there's no chance for human beings to live a life. So we should give our gratitude to the nature and try our best to protect it.
"F" = fault
Since no one is perfect, we all make mistakes. In the eyes of some perfectionists, fault is an obstacle on their way way to success. However, it's impossible to nt make any mistakes in life. Since mistakes are unavoidable, why shouldn't we learn from it? We can make progress and become better by reflecting on the faults we have made. So fault is what we should be thankful for.
"U" = understanding
Due to the fact that we are not identical twens, we all think differently. Even for the same issue, there are different ideas. So frictions come into existence. By mutual understanding, we listen to others opinions and learn to compromise with others until agreements are reached. It's the understanding between people that makes the world more harmonious.
"L" = love
Love is the most beautiful language in the world. It can heal the wounds, and turn evil into good. We feel happy not because we have fame or power in our hands, but because we have someone's love when we need love.
Apart from what we have mentioned above, there are other things that we may feel thankful for. They are waiting for us to discover them."
Monday, December 3, 2012
Being Thankful For All
Got some interesting responses from my senior English-Law majors in their journals on thankfulness.
Here is one you might enjoy from Yuangyuan:
This point of view was a common reflection of thankfulness by many of my Chinese students.
Here is one you might enjoy from Yuangyuan:
"People tend to be thankful for friends, but seldom for enemies. But I say, be thankful for your enemies, because it is your enemies that motivate you to try harder. People end to be thankful for the praisers, but seldom for critics. But I say, be thankful for your critics, because it is your critics that point out your weaknesses and help you to improve. People tend to be thankful for the good luck, but seldom for the misfortune they befallened. But I say, be thankful for the misfortune, because it is the misfortune that hones your mind and strengthen your will.
People tend to be thankful for what they get, but seldom for what they lose. But I say, be thankful for your loss, because it is your loss that reminds you to cherish what you have. Being thankful is an attitude toward life, an optimistic, positive, hopeful and healthy state of mind. Being thankful for all, then even in the dark, you can sense a chink of light. Being thankful for all, then even in the adverse situation, you can figure out the positive side. Being thankful for all, then to you, all the things existing in the world will become blessings of the God. Every moment in your life will be the moment to appreciate, to cherish and enjoy. Happiness come from gratitude!"
This point of view was a common reflection of thankfulness by many of my Chinese students.
Surprising Thanks
Long ago a teacher taught me to be careful of the word ASSUME saying that doing so can make an A@@ of U and Me. For some reason that came to my mind when I came across the last of my Senior-Law student's journal entries on thankfulness. Don't we all know that China is a atheist country. With that assumption you might like this surprising expression of gratitude from Xiaoyan.
"Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way;
it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. 1st Corinthians 13:4-7
"According to the WHO, the figure of depression is soaring up year after year in the modern society. Though medicine is a good therapy, it is no exaggeration that gratitude and love is panacea to all kinds of depressive emotions.
"In reality, this view holds water. As we all know, love and gratitude is the most important theme in various religions. Thus, people who have religious belief prove to be much happier than those not. And those who are happy or optimistic share a common aspect that they feel grateful. Though there is much to be concerned about, there is far, far more for which to be thankful. Though life's goodness can at times be overshadowed,it is never outweighed.
"So how to express gratitude? There are some practical suggestions. First, prayer is a good reminder for us of what we already have. Second, keep a thankful diary and and write down the happy moments we have just experienced. Such grateful memo will alleviate our stress and passive emotions.
"The days that make us happy and grateful make us wise. A grateful attitude can make us be better people. A smile is the best makeup for women; the sound of expressing gratitude is the most touching euphony in the world. Be grateful for all and say you love and thanks."
"Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way;
it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. 1st Corinthians 13:4-7
"According to the WHO, the figure of depression is soaring up year after year in the modern society. Though medicine is a good therapy, it is no exaggeration that gratitude and love is panacea to all kinds of depressive emotions.
"In reality, this view holds water. As we all know, love and gratitude is the most important theme in various religions. Thus, people who have religious belief prove to be much happier than those not. And those who are happy or optimistic share a common aspect that they feel grateful. Though there is much to be concerned about, there is far, far more for which to be thankful. Though life's goodness can at times be overshadowed,it is never outweighed.
"So how to express gratitude? There are some practical suggestions. First, prayer is a good reminder for us of what we already have. Second, keep a thankful diary and and write down the happy moments we have just experienced. Such grateful memo will alleviate our stress and passive emotions.
"The days that make us happy and grateful make us wise. A grateful attitude can make us be better people. A smile is the best makeup for women; the sound of expressing gratitude is the most touching euphony in the world. Be grateful for all and say you love and thanks."
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