Our New Family Member

Since we Neilsons have always had pets, one of the hardest parts of our decision to come to Penang was to decide what to do with our beloved cats (well, one of them) and Brenna's hamster Alex (a/k/a Buddy Boy).After investigating what it would take to bring the cats to Penang, we decided we just couldn't put them through that - the flight is long enough, but they would also have to stay in quarantine for up to 30 days upon arrival.  It just didn't seem wise as long as we could find someone to take care of them for a 2-year stint.  It was fairly easy to find a temporary home for CeCe - she's very laid back and never caused any harm.  Rox's dad and stepmom (Diane) agreed to take her in (provided we were coming back in 2 years to reclaim her!).  After an initial settling in period and getting used to living with two dogs, CeCe is quite happy living in "LA" and has staked her claim to the two screened porches.

Lucy was a bit more difficult due to her reputation for urinating on rugs, any papers lying around, on Chris' flip flops and in any object with a slight depression (bowl, plastic storage bin, box, laptop sleeve, and more than we care to remember).  Hence the reason she was slightly less loved than CeCe:-(  We tried various techniques to stop Lucy's bad behavior, but it seemed to resurface every time we went away on a trip.  We thought maybe she was just lonely and acting out, so we tried finding a family that was home more than us.  We tried many channels, and finally Rox's mom found an elderly woman who was looking for companionship - perfect!  Unfortunately a few months after our arrival in Penang, this kind woman was no longer able to live on her own and moved in with family who already had several pets.  Rox's sister Bonnie stepped in and took Lucy back into her own home rather than let her go to the SPCA.  Lucy has had some trouble adjusting to her new multiple pet household, but things seem to be fairly stable at the moment and we are praying for the best.

Finally, Brenna's Buddy Boy was taken in by a friend of Chris' for her 13 year old daughter and seems to be doing well.  The only problem is....we all REALLY miss our pets, but we can't have a pet in our condo and we would then have to face the question of what to do with them when we leave Penang.  So we resisted all the temptation (there is a great SPCA here in Penang, as well as a couple of private shelters, with many beautiful animals in need of homes) until just after our trip home.  We had promised Brenna we would consider getting another small pet (not fish - we stink at raising fish - see early blogs) after our trip home for the holidays.  So about two months ago, we finally allowed her to go pick out a new hamster and welcomed Perry to the family (named after Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb Disney show).

Brenna has done a great job handling Perry every day and he is extremely docile - no biting at all - even when she carries him over to the neighbors house to show him off (which is now banned since he pooped in their play tent and it's just not a good idea to carry a little guy like him around).  Even Ms. Devi likes little Perry and will feed him while we are away.  So, we're a one pet family again and loving the little fluff ball and his cute little squeaks and chirps (never heard a hamster who chirps, but this one does).  Just watch out if you've just woken him up as he will use your shirt as a toilet (keeps his cage really clean and stink-free though!).  He'll be hard to leave behind when it's time to leave, but at least we have several friends who have offered to take him in when the time comes.

Football, rain and diet plans

So not much has been happening in the Neilson household these past couple of weeks.  Chris continues to pursue his running and is slowly building up his stamina and muscle strength - looking forward to his first "post accident" race next weekend (see more on Floridian Runner blog).  Brenna has been studying dinosaurs, fossils and now plate tectonics and is fascinated by this topic (just like her mom and dad!).  It's been a rare treat to see her so excited about her assignments.  Roxanne has been very busy at work, with many night calls and lots of things happening simultaneously now that the shared service center has been up and running for almost 8 months now.  Things are really starting to fly and expectations are high for everyone.

Last weekend was quite busy as well as Chris was asked to be the "team massage therapist" for the Soccer Experience team in the Carlsberg International Football (soccer to us Americans) Tournament here in Penang.  Rox tagged along as the team photographer.  We arrived on Saturday morning to a nice cloudy day and found a spot under the trees to camp out.  Each game lasted only 30 minutes, so there was lots of time for hanging out with the team and their families.  Chris was busy rubbing out sore calves, backs and various other muscles from the time he arrived til the time he left.  It was a great day for him and he really enjoyed the action.  Rox got lots of great photos of the guys and Brenna ran around all day with some of the other children.  Saturday night was an early one for all.  Sunday we were back at it by 10 AM.  Shortly after arriving, a heavy thunderstorm rolled through and we had to find a new camp as our nice shady spot under the trees turned into a swamp.  Also had to rescue the massage table from the encroaching waters!  Fortunately, one of the food vendors is a friend of Martin's and he let the team move under their tent.  The games continued despite the heavy rain and eventually the pitch became quite difficult.  After a brief lull, another strong storm moved through and soaked all remaining dry spots.  Again play continued, so it was a soggy affair for Rox and the camera as well as Chris and the table.  Unfortunately, the team also succumbed to the poor field conditions and was knocked out of the tournament, so our day ended a little earlier than we had hoped.  We headed home for a nice hot shower and a drying out spell!  Fun was had by all and we hope to join them again for another event soon (if they'll have us).  Later that night we met Rox's colleague David and his wife Jennifer (who just moved to Penang from Scotland) for dinner at our favorite Indian restaurant.  They were kind enough to bring Brenna some Moshi Monsters surprise packs from the UK- bonus points for them!

Not much to report for the remainder of the week, but one thing that caught our eye was the ad from GNC that arrived in the mail this week.  It's true that we see many health trends and supplements that we don't have in the US, so it's kind of interesting to see an ad for a US company adapted to the Asian market.  Bird's nest supplements are very common here in Asia, both in culinary form (bird's nest soup) and supplements from GNC.  Bird's nest has been a part of the Asian health regimen since the 17th century and is said to enhance immunity among other things.  Biologically, it is made from the saliva of swiftlets (the birds secrete their saliva, which hardens into a cup-shaped nest attached to a cliff wall) and contains glycoproteins, amino acids and minerals.  The GNC ad is promoting it for skin health.  Also unique is the plethora of skin whitening agents and treatments - now that's different from westerners, who tend to want darker or "tanned" skin!  What inspired us to share this post is the one thing "westerners" and Asians seem to have in common-dieting.  Here you will see a 7 Day Diet Plan for Women, so for those of you looking for a new diet plan, give this one a whirl although we challenge you to find roti canai or nasi lemak in "the States"!

Chinese fried rice and noodles aren't what we would think of as breakfast food, but here it is quite common to eat rice, noodles or porridge with fish for breakfast.  Even salad for breakfast is pretty common and can serve as the main daily intake of veggies for for some.  Now we just have to figure out how to reconcile this to the fact that the Chili's "guiltless grill" menu is only visible on the lampshades in the restaurant and not on the menu you can order from!  Guess we all have our guilt pleasures when it comes to food...