Where will happiness strike next?

In the US we put a "special" Coca-Cola vending machine at a college campus and captured student reactions when they got more than they expected. Watch these real students in New York City whose day was made a little brighter thanks to the unusual Coca-Cola vending machine.

Indoor Snowboarding

Yesterday some friends and I took the subway to the last stop then took a short taxi ride to an indoor skiing facility. Luckily, we brought plastic trash bags to wrap around our feet before we put them in the funky smelling boots. Once we were with equipment and out to "the slope", we stood in line for the "pole lift".

Well, Alan was first, and juggling a water bottle he slipped up a little, but managed to hang on to his pole and slowly get up the slope. Then it was my turn. I had watched the guy in front of Alan leave his feet out of the bindings and stand on the narrow part of the board with both feet, and it looked easy enough. Boy was I wrong! The board quickly started 'getting off course' causing me to wobble and fall off the pole. So much snow went down my pants! So, Krystle is laughing it up and misses the next pole, which turned out good for me, because I had a second attempt to get resituated, and try again. Attempt two went no better than the first one, and it was the third pole before I got up the mountain. At the top, my calves were already aching! We all had to take a rest at the top just from getting up!

Down the slope went by too quickly and it was back to the pole lift. By the third time we went up, the pole lift began to get better and we all enjoyed our indoor boarding experience. Just remember to bring trash bags for your feet and wash your hands after tying your smelly boot strings!

100 Day Countdown...

100 day countdown...

There is a countdown sign in almost every subway station, there is a countdown in the middle of a city center, there is a countdown at the door when you walk in the office, there is a countdown on my work computers desktop screen.

Today the countdown says: 100

100 days and counting until the start of the 2010 World Expo to be held in Shanghai.

The Walk

The walk 步行者（bu xing zhe）

You know you live in China when your conversations with your friends go like this:

“Man it takes forever for my water to heat up – I start running the water then go do some things around the house and come back when it is starting to get warm.” –M.B.

“Yea I stand there brushing my teeth at the sink and hold my foot in the shower until it starts to feel warm.” –Rachel

“Well, our hot water has been shut off for two days, I’m starting to get used to it, but my wife hasn’t showered…” –The Gongs

“Hey Rachel, I have dinner plans tonight and my apartment doesn’t have running water right now, instead of going for a run, can we go for a walk today?” –Anna

On the walk we found a great street with some shops and restaurants we had not discovered before. Amongst the dark haired mountain and sea of people (人山人海) all walking along the sidewalks and selling cds, dvds, and sweet potatoes, we noticed a blond elderly couple looking at a map, more than a little perplexed. Offering to help, they were Canadian tourists who had passed the street they meant to turn on several blocks before. Deciding not to turn back, they instead asked if we could point them in the right direction of a “non-Chinesey (for a change)” place to eat. We walked alongside them, Anna discussing with the Mr. about past skiing and hiking trips as they were quite the adventurers, and I with the Mrs. talking about, well, talking about what I am planning for my post-expo adventures…Once we arrived, the Mr. looked us in the eye and said. “You have two extreme times in your life: one is where you are at now – young and adventurous and free, and the other is when you are where we are – retired and free to travel with the money you’ve earned. Enjoy every moment of this magnificent city.”

I’m glad the circumstances caused us to walk today, or else we might have run right past this inspiring couple.

今天我的朋友告诉我，小笼包是点心。 Jin tian wo de pengyou gaosu wo, xiao long bao shi dian xin.

Shalom

Shalom & Xiao Long Bao (小笼包)

Shalom is a Hebrew word meaning peace, completeness, and welfare and can be used idiomatically to mean both hello and goodbye

Shalom 是意味着和平，完全，福利的一个希伯来人词和惯用地可以被使用意味着两个都喂和再见

Xiǎolóngbāo (小笼包), also known as soup dumpling, is a type of baozi from eastern China, including Shanghai and Wuxi. It is traditionally steamed in small bamboo baskets, hence the name (xiaolong is literally "small steaming basket"). It is said to taste best when eaten in the company of loved ones.

I’ll start with “Shalom” since it is the biggest word in my journal right now. When I see or hear this word, many things come to mind: sand of the Holy Land in my sandals just two years ago, Harm and Dagmar’s home inside the walls of Jerusalem, the two girls I sponsor in Africa, what I yearned for just last Saturday at lunch, what I desire the homeless people who I have met recently to have. What Jesus died on the cross for.

Tonight the word Shalom came to mind as I looked into the crying eyes of a recent university graduate - a Chinese friend who has heard the truth, but is struggling to believe. She feels lost in a hard job in this big city and is wondering her purpose and asked me why bad luck seems to be all around her lately. This week she’s lost something precious to her – a photo with the man who raised her, her grandfather who passed away two years ago. In a life of chaos we all need peace. Shalom.

I came upon a brief bout of Shalom in this city of 22 million just last Sunday. After service, catching up with my friends in my new life, and getting to eat good food in a fun atmosphere with my family members in town. Chopsticks and a little Xiao Long Bao (soup dumpling -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiao_long_bao) go a long way when your sitting at a round table in a foreign country with the people who you love the most.