So Monday I got my Visa to India, then Wednesday the big terrorist attacks in Bombay took place. I hadn't planned on going there, but it's still pretty crazy to know that there are attacks every so often directed at foreigners, namely Americans in India. I'm still planning on going to New Delhi and Agra, but I might give it an extra week or two.

Lately I've seen quite an influx of old men with stunning girls on their arms. Man I can't wait to be 50! Oh yeah, and rich too. Today as I was passing the sports bar on TV I saw a show on MTV called "Cribs". I have seen it before, but it made me think this time how openly materialistic society has/is becoming. It's a show about the rich and famous showing off their houses and driveways full of cars as if to say "look what I have and you don't, but you should aspire to have". Sends a "fantastic" message! I also recently read a poll, I don't remember it off the top of my head to post it, but it asked teenagers what they thought was most important in life, and the #1 answer was to be rich. That was chosen over "love", "family", "friends" "career" etc. I also got online yesterday and listened to the top 10 songs on the billboards and the majority of them are about being rich and famous. So superficial.

Sunday Nov 9

I still feel like I got run over by a truck. Oh wait, I did. My back hurts nonstop and the doctor is sending me in for x-rays tomorrow. I got to pass the sacrament again today... like EVERY Sunday. I was so proud of my boys when they passed it all alone back in the day, yet now only one of them is ever there on any given Sunday. It's usually James. A guy who lives in Zhu Hai but who is American with a Chinese wife has been coming to our branch more often as he isn't traveling as much. He said he usually goes to HK. Anyway it's neat to see this middle aged guy speaking fluent Mandarin. His wife is beautiful and his mixed kids... well those boys are going to be HEART BREAKERS!!! M-from Slovakia came with Elya-from Indonesia today. Not exactly sure why. If it was to keep tabs on me, to see me, or just out of sheer curiosity. I'm just surprised though after the way she ripped on my beliefs and the way I let her have it for saying those things to me. In the end I ended up grabbing a Czech Book of Mormon from the library and giving it to her. We went over the first few pages as I read and translated just for fun. She seemed entertained by my "Czech". She was still difficult to talk to, so I'm not sure if I care to speak to her again, but maybe she'll learn to be straightforward. Maybe she'll like her new book.

I went on a "date" I guess you could say, with Tingting tonight. Her name still cracks me up. We went and watched a movie and then went to the Macau food festival. We didn't end up spending all our "festival play money cash" and so she suggested we go out again tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to it. She has the brightest personality of anyone I've met in Macau. I think she is just so fun to be around. She says the cutest things and her eyes light up over everything. She speaks 4 languages. She doesn't drink or smoke, doesn't go out and party. My sentences are really short. I grabbed a random pic from her facebook to post.


At the Macau festival they had a stage and what do ya know, the Brazilian girls I modeled with are dancing in huge Brazilian style dancing costumes. They looked really good! They waved from stage and Tingting and I went and got some delicious Shanghai style kebabs. It's so crazy how if I ever do an event, I end up also doing it with people I know, and if I ever go to any kind of event, at least one of my friends will be in it. One of the girls on stage (Suellen)even wanted to rent my extra room from me. Small funny world.

Nov 1

Funny how anytime I wear a suit, the first thing people say isn't.. you look so handsome, or nice suit or what's the occasion, business meeting? Church? Nope... they say... whoa, you look like James Bond! I guess that explains why even when I'm walking through back alleys at night in a suit, I don't get one bit harassed. You'd think I'd be the perfect target. Wealthy westerner on his way home from work going the bad way home. Nope, they just look at me and think... don't mess with him. Maybe not, but I hope my luck in that dept. doesn't run out anytime soon. I never carry any cash anyway.

Today is my Mom's birthday. She's 52! I don't think Patchi got my chocolates to her on time!

Funny T shirts and Names.

This part will be updated regularly.

Funny T-shirts.

I saw a t-shirt in a store that was for like a 3 year old girl and it said "If you think I'm yummy, You should see my Mom!" --- I was like... I really hope no one thinks you're "yummy" little girl! EWE!

-I am not a paperclip.
-There are many smile, there one I wish you have.
-


Peoples Names here:
-window
-car
-sun
-water
-fish
-wind
-moon
-star
-fresh

Chocolate Girls

The Patchi chocolate girls crack me up. Every time I go by the store they stick their tongues out at me, or make silly faces and I make them right back. Ha ha, so professional. I really like when they run up to me and give me handfuls of chocolate! Sometimes a little friendly flirtation goes a long way!

My thoughts on depression.

My thoughts on depression, or at least being down. I was in a sad mood yesterday. I walked by Haagen Dazs ... walked by it.. kept walking... and then thought to myself, I want something sweet right now, a little feel good... Don't do it! Don't do it! So I got some ice cream, and felt a little better. Then I started thinking about my abs, and I was bummed thinking how I may be adversely affecting my figure. Then I was down again. So I went to the store to buy some M&M's... it is a vicious cycle.

Mandarin as a second language

Today at work I had a group of Koreans who did not speak English. One of them spoke Mandarin and so I was able to speak to her and she communicated with the rest of the group what I was saying. I speak a lot of Mandarin everyday to so many Chinese people who sometimes have varying degrees of ability in English, and sometimes can't speak any English so my Mandarin is useful, but this was different. It clicked in my mind that I was participating in 2 people using Mandarin as a second language to communicate. It gave a whole new meaning to my experience here.

No More US Missionaries in Russia.

Russia finally changed its laws. American missionaries will no longer be serving in Russia. What an incredible development. I'm sure many people are freaked out by it, but it doesn't mean missionaries from the rest of the world won't be serving there. It may be in God's plan to help strengthen his church in Russia by relying more on the Russians who have been members for nearly 20 years and know the Gospel as well as any foreign missionary could. My jaw dropped when I read about it, but I feel comforted because I taught there, I converted many people and they are strong and have themselves converted others. I am confident that I and all the missionaries who served with me helped to build an unshakable foundation for the church there. I am actually excited for all those members to have this new challenge... if it even is one... opportunity rather and have peace in my heart that all is well there.

The Dancers.

I had a long talk with one of the dancers about an interesting topic. I don't really want most of it public but I don't want to forget it. Basically I was told that all the dancers want me and all I have to do is flirt with them and I could take anyone of them home with me and have my way. That I don't act sexy enough, I don't give off a sexual vibe and that I'm crazy for not having sex. I REALLY don't fit in here.

No need for Magic.

Yup, it's true. Rich men get the beautiful girls. That's basically all I see here. This tells me that beauty is most important to men, and money is most important to women. It is so widespread in everywhere that I've seen that I don't think it's shallow, I think it's just how it is. This also tells me I'm a long way from marriage. I don't care how much or little money I have, I don't want to be with someone who loves me for it. I have passed up so many opportunities to have a lot of material things and participate in immoral activities but instead I stand by and watch those around me do them. It makes me lonely. It's like I'm harnessing all my strength to be a good man with integrity and virtue in all things day in and day out and not really getting anything out of it accept the ability to say to myself "I'm a good man". It's becoming less and less fulfilling as I watch others getting ahead in life by means that I haven't let myself. The offers are there so why don't I take them? The answer is easy the first few hundred times. "Because it's wrong". But here I am 27.5 years old and no girlfriend because I'm not good enough for the Mormon girls whose families have always been members, and I'm to goody goody for the girls that want a man who will go out and have a drink and at least have sex considered for a few dates down the road. I feel like my magic has run out. My world used to be so magical. The hardest part is knowing that I know how to make it magical and serendipitous yet I don't because as much joy it brings me, each time so far a lot of pain has been waiting at the end.

Driving School Cars and Haircuts.

I love the driving school cars here. They HAVE to stop for you. They are everywhere and make it easy to cross the street.

I got my hair cute for the 3rd time since I've been here. I'm getting frustrated. Usually when you pay $15 bucks for a mens haircut in the states, you walk out feeling attractive. You go to get your haircut so you'll look better and enjoy your appearance more. I usually get my hair cut about 3 days before anything that's big to me, like a really anticipated date or something I just really want to look good to. Well, I dread every time my hair is so long I need to get it cut, because as bad as it looks... It is guaranteed to look worse after I get it cut. So for the 3rd time in China, after getting it cut, instead of walking out feeling like a million bucks, I walked out feeling like a piece of poo. And I wanted to look good for someone!!! DANG IT!!!! Several girls that are just my friends have even said, you don't look good with your hair like that. (It's currently the length of tennis ball fuzz!!). I told the guy exactly what to do, who was totally fluent in English let alone knew all the terminology of haircuts! Grrrrrr! When will I feel good after a cut again?!!!

A feeling I love.

I love those times when I've been walking and I'll look up, and in front of me is the girl.  The girl I have a mad crush on and my heart starts to beat out of my chest.  The girl I might not know at all, or maybe I know her well but have just recently fallen for.  My heart beats so hard because she might know.  Maybe she has sensed how I'm feeling before, maybe I made a little comment about who I'm crushing on to a friend who went and passed it on to her friends who maybe passed it on to her.  Maybe I spilled all the beans to someone who spilled all the beans straight to her.  Maybe she doesn't know anything at all, or me at all.  There have been a few girls and really only a handful of times when that unexpected pleasant surprise of her being so perfectly placed in my path gets my heart racing.  They are some of my favorite memories.

Riddles

If a train is going forward blowing smoke, which way is the smoke blowing? North, South, East Or west?

If you have one question to ask a man about the number he's thinking in his head, 1,2 or 3, and his answers can only be yes, no, or I don't know.... what is the question to ask to find out the number he's thinking?

20 sick sheep.

The boat crossing the river with chicken feed, a chicken and wolf.

How much dirt is in a 7x9x14 hole?

Place crashes on the border of canada, where do you bury the survivors.

Just being ridiculous

For about the last month I have been entertaining myself by saying "hello" to people in the Venetian mall by saying "Pizza" and waving hi. I die laughing every time they say PIZZA with a smile on their face and wave back.

أنا هنا لكي بالملل!! اريد ان اعود الى امريكا الآن!

Typhoon 8

I walked to the Venetian today to do some hat shopping. It was raining outside but I thought no big deal. Then as I was holding my umbrella horizontally to stop the rain I thought "this is pretty wild weather!" The rain was coming at me completely sideways and I was leaning my body weight against my umbrella, then wham! The rain and wind came at me from the exact opposite direction and turn the umbrella inside out and just about knocked me over. I was quite amused... and wet.

I get to the Venetian to find out almost all the stores are closed and many employees had been sent home because there is a level 8 Typhoon on the way. The bridges between Taipa and Macau are closed everything is getting locked down. I'm home now and waiting for the eye of the storm to get here. As far as I know, a Typhoon is a Hurricane that spins in the opposite direction :) Kinda like toilets in Australia.

My heart leaped

Ella no sonríe más a mí, ella camina lejos cuando me pongo a hablar con ella y ella todavía no puedo decir mi nombre derecho ... más por lo que no "aplastar" para mí. No tengo la menor idea de lo cambió por lo que estoy del mismo. Sin embargo hoy he visto caminar a su pueblo ropa regular a lo largo del canal y mi corazón leaped. Ella ni siquiera verme. Sé que nada va a pasar, ja, pero ha sido al menos 2 años desde que me sentí, y que sentía bien.

Il mio cuore è balzata dal mio petto.

Per praticare uno dei miei lingue Io vado a tradurre questo. Lei non mi ha sorriso in più, lei si allontana quando cominciamo a parlare con lei e lei ancora non è in grado di dire il mio nome giusto ... Non sono più "sbandata" per me. Non ho alcun indizio che cosa è cambiato in modo Sto su di esso. Ma oggi ho visto i suoi piedi e le persone normali vestiti lungo il canale e il mio cuore esultò. Lei non ha nemmeno vedermi. Non so nulla sta per accadere, ah, ma è stata almeno 2 anni da quando ho sentito che, e si sentiva bene.

Sikh Jewelry

I met a lady from India today who was wearing newlywed jewelry. It went half way up her arm and was gorgeous. She was "Sikh" religion and will wear that jewelry for an entire year. It looked awesome. I tried to google a picture of it but couldn't find any.

Today I met a family from the Philippines and they had a little 5 year old girl who was ADORABLE!!! She was so incredibly smart.