naming, shopping, running, life-ing...

I'm having a funny few days up in here.

I received an email from a Chin.ese doctor, friend yesterday:

Hi, dear Jessica, I got some English names for my boy from a website (http://www.babycenter.com/). My boy's Chinese name is Tong Jia Wu, the names I choose are

Javan, Javae, Javad, Javaid, Javain, Javar, Jav,Javere,

Dravid, Dravon,Draven,Dravis,Dravin,Dravyn

Jev, Jeven, Jevian, Jevin, Jevon, Jevyn, Jef.

haha, It is quite a long list and I totally have no idea of their meanings.

Could you help me choose a name have "good feelings" and better sounds similar to his chinese name ? Thank you for your time and happy weekend!

Ummmm....those names are....interesting? I think I'm going to tell her, "Jeff" or "Jevon." Those are the only ones that I think are semi-normal? Names are so interesting in different cultures. And I take the responsibility of giving someone a name seriously. It's their identity! I feel a closeness to my Chin.ese name (ke xiao mei), so I always try to be serious when giving an English name.

Also, yesterday I was having my Saturday dinner with Michael and he handed me a notebook and said, "Write everything you know about Easter." Um, ok? He wanted to know about Easter but didn't want to talk about it. Then he wanted to know if Easter came from the word, "Eastern" and therefore is somehow related to Chi.na. No, I told him, not everything comes from/has to do with Ch.ina. Ha. He was mesmorized to find out that Jesus was not white and did not come from the "West." "Where did you think he came from?" I asked. "I don't know, somewhere where the white people believe in him," he said. Theology 101 is needed up in here.

Besides naming babies and clearing up Biblical history for the sheltered locals, lately there has been....

Lots of kitty snuggles...

...shopping for new clothes because my spring clothes don't fit! This store is a treasure box. It has samples of American clothing from Chi.nese factories that are used to show the companies, but then can't be sold on the floor. I bought a BCBG dress for 10$ and a shirt with a "Ross $15.99" tag for $6. And the owners are really nice and don't haggle me and my friends. I am a loyal fan/customer. If you live in Chi.na and want the address, let me know!

And running. Lots of running. I like to take pictures of myself after workouts. I'm weird. This one is epecially funny to me because I think I look like I am missing teeth. But the beauty of it is that I was so happy after completing my 8 miles on the dreadmill! It was my longest run on my half marathon training plan yetand I was so nervous that my mind wouldn't be able to handle over an hour on the treadmill. But my brain and body worked together (so imperative), and I got it done, and faster than I expected!

Running distance is such a mind thing. I never got it before, but I think I'm getting it now. It takes two miles to feel good about running, then around mile 5 I start to smile - like pysically show happiness about running, then around mile 7 I feel like a baller - unstoppable and free. At mile 8 I need to stop or my hips will give out and I start thinking about what to eat to get protein in my body fast, usually a tea egg from the convenience store. It funny that in the past I just never got to mile 2 to see that nothing hurts as bad as mile 1. I always quit before it got easier. What a good life lesson.

Besides life, I'm working and writing a huge paper that is due in a few weeks for my Philosophies of the Qin and Han Dynasties class. It's all in Chi.nese, so its taking some time to even figure out how to start. Blah.

Cheers.

walk slow. xoxo.