History was just made this morning. My parents traveled internationally, by themselves, and landed safely in London Heathrow airport. If you don’t believe me, here’s the proof!
Why is this a historic moment? Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: Burma, Canada, Family, United Kingdom, USA
Where do you think the picture below was taken?
It may look like China (and, indeed, Betty and I took pictures like this in Suzhou earlier this year), but this was in fact taken in San Marino, California at the new Chinese garden exhibit at the Huntington Library.
I recently came across two very interesting news articles that highlight the question of national pride for ethnic Chinese in countries outside of China:
- LA Times article about the celebration of the founding of communist China in Southern California.
- CBC article about the Chinese government funding a Chinese language course in the Greater Vancouver area of BC, Canada.
The question that I want to pose is: is it unpatriotic to the US (which I am a citizen) if I were to be proud of China (which is where my ethnic origins are) and its latest accomplishments? This is something that seems to come up quite a bit (esp. if you read the seemingly racist comments by some readers of the CBC article).
Tags: Burma, Canada, China, Christianity, USA
A French parliamentary committee has recommended banning Muslim headcoverings. The committee’s report claims that it “is the symbol of the repression of women, and… of extremist fundamentalism.” [1]
BBC reports that many in the UK also want this ban, claiming that it is “not British.” There is obviously a racist underpinning to such a statement, but I’m not even going to go there for now. What really unnerved me was what the journalist was implying about freedom of religion: “In a country [France] where the separation of state and religion is enshrined in law, a parliamentary committee report ruled the veil as “contrary to the values of the republic’…” [2]
And now begins my rant. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: China, Christianity, Ethics, United Kingdom, USA
WARNING: You are about to encounter a long rant.
So, since Betty and I have been here living in the motherland (England), I have been merrily driving around in our eternal blue Honda Civic without a license. Well, without a proper UK license to be precise. I can legally drive on my US license for the first year but have to go through the process to apply and test for a UK license if I want to drive anytime after that first year. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: United Kingdom, USA
Over the past three decades, I have lived for extended periods of time in three different countries. Each, however, have been English speaking. The first being my beloved U. S. of A. — my homeland and my place of birth. The second being Canada, where I found my beloved Betty. And now, I find myself in the third, England, where I have lost my beloved sanity in pursuit of a PhD. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Canada, Dissertation, United Kingdom, USA
I have never missed a Thanksgiving celebration. I have always remembered the holiday as one celebrated with family — often my family with my mom’s side of the family getting together for a Burmese-American Thanksgiving fusion dinner. Even when I was in college in San Diego, I remember sometimes going with the youth group I worked with on Thanksgiving day to serve food at the local shelters — but by the afternoon, I was driving up two hours to be at Thanksgiving dinner.
But then, when I moved to Canada in 2006, things changed. Not only was the last Thursday of November a full day of classes, Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated a month and a half earlier. A few friends and I decided to still celebrate American Thanksgiving — in Canada.
The next year, of course, we did the same. This year, I have moved again — this time with my bride and to England. Though the number of Americans here are far fewer, we still celebrated God’s goodness!
What I think is very special for me is the fact that Thanksgiving is a time of family. And, as I have lived away from home for many years, I appreciate the fact that God has given me surrogate families wherever I have gone. I am truly thankful for God’s blessings.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tags: Canada, Relationships, United Kingdom, USA
November 4, 2008 was a historic date.
For me, as an American living in the UK, I am pleased with the democratic process that has chosen Barack Hussein Obama to be the next president of the United States, the first black president. I heard on CNN a report that many Iraqis believed Barack would never be voted in since all elections were rigged — I guess they were proven wrong. But more than a race, the voice of America has chosen a replacement of a former administration, demanding a change to the previous regime. Whether or not the change will be substantial enough, only time will tell. But, the people demanded and the people were satisfied.
For me, as a Californian living in the UK, I am pleased with the democratic process that has voted for Proposition 8. Preliminary counts say the result is “Yes”, though millions of absentee ballots still need to be counted — mine included. However, Los Angeles County has already suspended the issue of same-sex marriage licenses. This is due to a California State Constitutional provision that says a proposed amendment “shall be submitted to the electors and if approved by a majority of votes thereon takes effect the day after the election.”* Again, seemingly, the democratic voice has spoken.
But is this the democracy we want?
Tags: Canada, Christianity, Ethics, United Kingdom, USA
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