China Daily put together a pretty good article listing the top ten Chinese movies of 2008.  Even though Kung Fu Panda is not necessarily a Chinese movie… it says China all over it.  MX and I saw it with friends last year at some point and thoroughly enjoyed it.  We both laughed really hard and I spilled my sweet popcorn a couple times.

Unfortunately, after the movie, MX enjoyed calling me “Kung Fu Panda.”  That was my new nickname.  I didn’t really like because I didn’t enjoy being compared to a fat, lazy, black and white noodle maker even though there’s nothing wrong with being a noodlemaker.  Of course I realized that later she meant it as a term of endearment.

Anyway, the article mentions:

“The filmmakers have no doubt studied many classic kung fu flicks.  The fight with chopsticks is a clever use of the oft-repeated scenes in Hong Kong movies.”

Now, I’m not a big fan of Hong Kong action movies but those kind of movies… I’ve got to see!  I can understand a cartoon character fighting with chopsticks…but real live action movies fighting with chopsticks!  Hilarious!

Lastly, I hope you all have a wonderful 2009, Happy New Year to you all!  新年快乐！ Thank you for reading and subscribing and coming back.  MandMX has been up on the web since late August so this week we posted our 100th comic!!  We look forward to making you laugh in both languages in 2009!!

-M and MX

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I can’t really believe I’m writing this but our son… or little guy… is one year old.  Help us to celebrate and wish him a happy birthday.  One year ago today our little boy was born.  It was a very cold December 14th in Shanghai.  Wish him a happy birthday.

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I know I know.  I shouldn’t impose any western ideas on Chinese people.  Well… in my humble opinion there should be a “Thanksgiving” in all countries… unless people have nothing to be thankful for.

But I think that Chinese people DO have something to be thankful for.  I think they have many things to be thankful for.  I have put together only three ideas but I’m sure there are many more.  I think Chinese are thankful for relative safety, peace and the amazing changes that their country has undergone in the last 30 years.

If you are Chinese, what are some other things that you are thankful for?

If you are a foreigner, what are some things that you think that Chinese are thankful for?

And Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

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November 2000, I was in Henan Province.  I wanted to vote but was not able to because I didn’t think far enough ahead.  Oh well.  People asked me, why vote?  I told them it was very important and that it is every American’s right to vote.  Then the inevitable question pops up, “will you vote?”  Then I have to sheepishly say, well, not I can’t because I live in China.

Fast forward, November 2004, I find myself in China again.  This time in Shanghai.  On my blog that day I wrote this:

I have totally slacked off and here I am in far off China not being able to vote for the second presidential election in a row!! You see 4 years ago I was here in China and I didn’t vote and miraculously I didn’t learn my lesson and now 4 years later I am back in China with no ABSENTEE ballot. AAAAARRRRRGGG!

But the difference between 2000 and 2004 is that I was home in 2001 till 2004.  So I have many reasons to have registered and gotten things sent to me.  That kind explains this year.

Fast forward to today.  November 4th 2008.  I will miss another election.  Perhaps one of the most important elections of my life, or at least my voting life.  But perhaps everyone who is 31 years old with a family and who is paying taxes would say something like that.

So just like the first year in the Henan Province, China, and like my second missed Election Day in Shanghai, I will scan the internet, I will listen to the radio, I will talk to people and most likely try and call home to find out the winner as soon as I can.

Let’s hope it’s a clean and good election this year with a good outcome.  And no craziness.

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The boy is growing and growing. It is quite simply amazing to see him do everything that he does. He is definitely not a mass of cells. He is a living breathing, sometimes crying, handful but so much fun. He is learning daily and with every new thing that he learns he remembers it and files it away. We love sometimes just watching him.

Having the boy here in China was something of a crazy situation for me. For my wife though… having the boy wasn’t so bad since she used to life here… But for me and for my family back in the states it was nerve-racking to hear about what was happening. Recently I found someone else who has gone through a similar situation with having a baby in China. Their story is different because they were up in Beijing and both foreigners, but the story of bureaucracy and the feelings of a new father and mother are all too familiar. One of the classic lines was this one when they had to go to the police station and register their “illegal baby”… the policeman asked them:

“Did you break the law intentionally or were you ignorant of it?”

So there it was. Are you a criminal or an idiot? Even I could see which way this one would cut, so I cast my lot with idiot.

“I had no idea.”

He grunted and finished the paperwork…

Just makes me laugh because I had a similar visit to the Entry/Exit bureau here in Shanghai. They were nasty to my wife, I think the guy woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning, but they were nice as could be with me. It’s kind of hit or miss with these kind of places anywhere you go! After the initial visit I had to go back for further questions. I got the same guy who had been nasty to my wife. I guess that day he had also woken up on the wrong side of the bed. Too bad.

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Do Chinese celebrate Halloween?

Of course not.  That would be an American asking.  The question is as silly as “Do American’s celebrate Spring Festival?”  Of course not.  Must be a Chinese asking.

But there are thousands of Chinese in the West who celebrate Spring Festival and there are thousands of Americans in China who celebrate Halloween.  Especially those with children.

This week we’re trying to use our imagination to think of funny or interesting costumes for people to wear that are inspired by China.  Perhaps you can write your own ideas of Halloween costumes!  The sky is the limit.

Also don’t forget if you have lived in China and you’ve had funny stories about Halloween in China please go here and send us the stories.  We’ll try and make them into funny cartoons.

The China Daily a couple years ago talked about how popular Halloween is in China.  They make most of the stuff for Halloween in China anyway…just like Christmas!  So naturally Halloween will become more and more popular here in China.

And if you are really interested you can find Halloween costumes all made in China.  Feels like I’m looking at an American catalog… THis link is from CHINA SUPPLIERS supplying the world with stuff made in China!

I’ve been in China for a couple years now teaching English.  For two of those years I was at a University here in Shanghai.  In 2004 I was an accident victim.  You can read and see how I dressed up and what we did.  In 2005 I was a chef.  You can also read and see what we did and how I dressed up.

So let me be the first to say… HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  From CHina!

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Yes, he does sleep.  One of his favorite things is his CLIFFORD puppy dog.  This is really great because now he is really loving all the dogs that he sees around the neighborhood here.
We’ve been reading to him too from these great CLIFFORD books that are from his cousins.  Thanks COUSINS!!

The strange thing is that my sister actually sent me the CLIFFORD puppy a long time ago.  Before we had children and even before I met my soon to be wife!  This was a kind of prophecy from my sister.  Weird.  But it’s cool that my son, the boy, really likes it and he’s totally into dogs now.

There are many dogs in our community in Baoshan.  The other day I was walking him around in his cool stroller and we came up to the dogs and he immediately was interested.  He got up close and even called out to the dog.  He loved seeing the dogs and when one of the dogs actually came up to his face he didn’t freak out like a lot of Chinese children do.  From what I’ve heard there are many children throughout the generations that are afraid of just common dogs mainly because there are no real laws or enforceable laws to make owners give their dogs rabies shots.  So most dogs who you see daily don’t have rabies shots.  Crazy.

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This photo came from many minutes of throwing

a sheet over his head and him pulling it off and watching him react as I said, “PEEK A BOO!!!”

For a number of times now when he smile he has this kind of crazy look.  The boy can be crazy at times.  Now with his emerging teeth he can clamp down on someone’s unsuspecting shoulder.  He’s always shaking the CLIFFORD dog that we gave him.  It makes noises so he just shakes it and shakes it and shakes it.  But the doggie never tires.  Good dog.

But he is seriously growing now and really doing well.  He’s not really into the olympics which is ok with us since we don’t want him staring at the TV screen all the time.  He does like talking with his YE YE and NAI NAI on Skype.  From time to time we’ll call my mother and father and put Ryan in his high chair and put the camera on him and make my mother’s video go full screen and so Ryan can talk with her.  It is so funny.  Dad comes too sometime and he loves it and at one point this month he actually was so happy and at the same time so tired he fell asleep right before my mother’s eyes on SKYPE.  It was too cute.

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We spend a lot of time bringing the boy out to see the community.

Outside there is a little “park” which has the normal exercise machines for the old people.  This is the place that we bring him to get some good sunshine and interaction with other people.

and boy does he get interaction.

People are so curious to see a “mixed blood baby” or in Chinese it’s a 混血儿。  They come over, make noises and try to make him laugh, smile or just look at them.  Some women will come over and touch him.  Some will touch his face.  Some will want to give him something to eat.  This is usually something I am annoyed at.  I know their intention is good and friendly but it’s not really something that I want my boy to do, accept things from total and complete strangers.

Anyway.  A lot of people say that mixed blood babies are by nature smarter, more attractive and just better at many things than other babies.  Do you guys agree with that?  I don’t know if I do, but I guess we’ll have to just wait and see, won’t we?

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