2017 February: Cold, Cake, Cancer and Cupid...the 4C's

19 Feb 2017
Already only 9 days until the end of February as I type this!  How did that happen?  As the old saying goes, time goes faster as we get older...I believe it!  Spring festival has come and gone but we did have an even bigger event in the Miller family and that was Rod turning 70!  Yes, he is 13 years older than Sarah and this was a big milestone for us.  If you've read this blog much over the years, you know that Rod has had some health challenges, specifically with prostate cancer actually first diagnosed in 2006.  At that time, the probability curves showed us that if he lived 10 years, he had a good chance to die With prostate cancer and not From it. He had radiation treatment in early 2007 and all seemed to be OK.  Then in 2013 the PSA started going up and he had alot of symptoms, so through a long series of events, after being told it was inoperable, in 2014 he was led to get treatment at a Alternative medical treatment clinic in Myrtle Beach, SC and then more treatment in Beijing, China and this started a journey on a new lifestyle of living that resulted in Rod becoming a vegetarian and losing about 50 pounds.  In early 2016, the symptoms returned and he went to HongKong for some diagnostic tests and it confirmed that the cancer was still there, has spread locally, surgery still not an option and the best thing he could do was to continue his lifestyle changes and go on hormone treatments to keep the PSA down through hormones. Every time,  he has aches and pains, we both wonder has the cancer spread, every PSA test we look to see the level, every hormone shot and it's side affects all bring with them yet more rides on the emotional roller coaster of living with cancer.  Last week, he had a CT scan and I'm happy to report that it has not spread to any major organ!   He still has it, it is still growing, it is not operable, and he still follows his vegetarian lifestyle, still exercises and takes alot of vitamins and mineral supplements , still returns to Myrtle Beach clinic each year to treat it every way he can.
We have no guarantees, so today, we live our life, continuing with the philosophy that we will not let cancer rule our lives.  We live one day at a time and we strive to enjoy each day as if it were our last.  With all of the busy times of work, it's sometimes easy to forget that...so I ask God to help me remember.  Today, I Thank God for our health and I ask God to bless us with more years together!

On the actual day of Rod's birthday, I was on a team-building trip to Harbin, China (more on that later) with my management team at work, so I couldn't actually spend all day with him. The hotel staff brought him fruit and a cake  and cards and gifts, our Chinese families brought him gifts and took him out to eat, I got him a little something and gave it to him when I got back from my trip.    There were many well wishes from my Facebook account.  Overall, I think he enjoyed his grand entrance to his 70's.  Happy 70th Birthday Rodney!  May we have many more together!

Rod in his new silk Chinese coat gift from our Chinese family holding the 70th birthday cake (12 Feb 2017)  they got him

The hotel fruit and cake with a certificate for his 70th birthday

The 70th birthday cake

Rod with the hotel staff with flowers, fruit, cake and songs!

Rod with our chinese family for his 70th

The close up of the 70th birthday cake

Before the 70th birthday meal

Caught in the act of having a piece of cake!  Enjoy your special day Rod!

The birthday meal, all vegetarian...they can do amazing things with eggs and soy tofu!

Sarah's gift to Rod for his 70th...a throwback to our visit in Tibet

One of the benefits of living in northern China is that it's not too far by high speed train to go to Harbin, where the international ice festival is held every year. This year, I actually went 2 times with 2 different teams and combined it with a visit to some tire dealers and wholesalers to help our team have a better connection with our customers.
The snow and ice festival is the annual big tourist event of Harbin and it really is something amazing to see!  I've been there 3 times now and it never ceases to amaze.  I think it's only in China!
Below are some pics from my visit to Harbin (Rod says he doesn't need to feel the cold..he's content to see my pictures!)

The central figure of the festival this year

Sarah in below 0F Harbin

Harbin has a big Russian influence in architecture.  Sadly, the church behind me is now an architecture museum, no longer a functioning church.

The size of the ice work is just huge!

Ice and lights everywhere!

Sarah taking a reindeer ride with one of the members of my team

One of the ice castles from the inside

Before it gets dark the lighting just appears to glow on the horizon..really nice@

Big blocks of ice made from water from the river  (that is frozen solid 1/2 the year!).  It's really clean!

The snow cathedral

Snow budda

Ice bridge with Sarah below it

One of the many ice sculptures

The

Sarah in front of one of the snow sculptures...they are huge

Snow cathedral at sunset

The size of all of these snow and ice sculptures are really huge, I try to capture the scale with the pictures, but can't really do it!  If it's not on your bucket list, I highly suggest to add it!


After Rod's birthday on the 12th , we had another lovely event of Valentine's day on the 14th!

To my Valentine!

Rod and Sarah,Valentine's day 2017, Shenyang, China

So that about does it for this installation of a very special February!
May God bless all of us and continue to give us many more days together on this earth.

Rod and Sarah Miller

2016 October Tibet 3 - Mt Everest and Shikatste

3 November 2016

As I write this, it's a little over a month since we saw Mount Everest with our own eyes.  I have reviewed me notes and am trying to recount our visit to the highest place on earth!  When I stopped the last post, we had spent the night in the dump hotel...and now I start this one with an early start Sat 6:00am to try to see the sunrise on Mt Everest.  First stop was the border police station to register.  This time, Rod and I had to go ourselves with our passports to register. 
After that, we went up to Kyawula pass (altitude 5198m) .  From the top of Kyawula pass to the bottom the road has 108 curves, to have the same number as the 108 subjects of the Buddhist teachings.

Rod and Sarah at the Kyawula Pass.  The sign says welcome to Qongmolangma, which is the Tibetan name of kMt Everest

The sunrise on the Himalayans was so very peaceful!  The clouds cleared and we saw Mt Everest and the other mountains with the sun on the snow. It was early, cold, and very worth it to see...the pictures do not do it justice!

Sunrise on Mt Everest from Tibet

Early morning on the Kyawula Pass

Kyawula Pass and Prayer flags with Mt Everest in the background

After seeing the sunrise, we drove to tent city of the base camp.  Some people spend the night in these yak wool tents.  We had a cup of tea in one of the tents...it's quite cozy inside withe the wool carpets and if it were private, much better place to stay than the hotel...but we were not interested to sleep with 10 other strangers!  The tents are only open from April - October in case you are wondering!

A panoramic of the inside of a basecamp tent of Mt Everest

Rod and Sarah at Tent City of the Mt Everest base camp

 At the basecamp, we got in a van with others that was a  "so called environmentally friendly vehicle”  drove to the actual base camp. The weather was pristine at the base camp!  Obviously we cannot predict the weather...so we were happy when it was clear!

Mt Everest from Tibet

Rod and Sarah at the Base camp

The world is at her fingertips!

Rod and Sarah at the basecamp of Mt Everest.

Our view of the tallest mountain in the world!

 This was my last day of being 55 years old...and to my surprise, Rod got the people at the basecamp to sing happy birthday to me!  Hard to top that!!  I will always remember my last day of 55 spent at the base camp!


We decided to not stay a 2nd night at the 2 star Chinese hotel, so we drove back, get our stuff and go back to Shikatste to spend the night in a little better hotel and see yet another monastery!
So after seeing the tallest mountain in the world, we drove  another long road trip.  Originally we wanted to drive from the base camp directly to Nepal...but with the earthquake of 2015, the roads were destroyed, and not replaced so we had to drive all the way back the same way we came!

On the way, we had to stop to wait in our speed check point time and we met another sheep herder who was weaving.  This time, I was close enough to take a photo and video close up.

In Shokatse (2nd largest city in Tibet) we visited the Tashilhunpo monastery. Built in 1447 by 1st Dali lama. There are 4 temples, only 1 is original, the rest were destroyed in cultural revolution.
Before 5000 monks lived here, now around 400 who have registered.  The location was an ancient sky burial place.

The 2 stupas at the entry of Tashilhunpo monastery

A sign that looks alot like a Swastika...but it's not. It is a tibetan symbol that means everlasting and according to the Tibetans,the Germans stole it!  

Rod and Sarah at Tashilhunpo monastery in Shikatse

I was not feeling very well...too much Incense, sewer gas, dehydration from the altitude so I didn't explore too much, so we continued our drive to Lhasa.  Even though it was late when we arrived,  it was still my birthday, and Rod got the hotel to fix me a birthday cake and a special birthday greeting in Tibetan, Chinese and English!  What a nice way to end my birthday celebrations today!

A very special birthday greeting in  Tibetan, Chinese and English!

The day after my birthday was National day in China 国庆节！A special ceremony was held, in Lhasa but very few people allowed to attend (big crowds are tightly controlled in China and now especially in Tibet!)  As foreigners we were not allowed to go, or even get close. Our tour guide made sure we know that if we went there, or anywhere alone,  she and the driver would get in trouble!  So we had a relaxing morning at the hotel and prepared for our flight to Nepal on the next day.
So, I leave it here and we finished our lovely visit to Tibet, the final "T" of the forbidden topics of China (Tibet, Taiwan, Tian An Men) ..now, onto Kathmandu, Nepal!

Sarah & Rod
 

1 Oct 2011: Chinese birthday party and Chinese National Anthem tuba solo

Greetings all,
It's already October 2011...before we know it it will be 2012...it's amazing how time goes by so quickly.  The weather is turning cooler here in Shenyang...just a taste of things to come in the winter.  Fall (all 4 days of it) is really nice here...clear sunny skies and nice temperatures...just wish it lasted a little longer!

As some of you know, yesterday was my birthday and I celebrated in high style at the insistence of my driver. He and several of his friends threw us a traditional Chinese birthday party.  I didn't know exactly what I was getting into...which of course made it that much more fun!  He took Rod and I to the restaurant and surprised us with the crowd of friends.  When we walked in, there was a big table with a cake surrounded by 51 candles...that I had to blow out of course!  They gave me 2 nice chinese painted vases and a wonderful dinner and to make sure Rod didn't get left out, they gave him a tie!  It's hard to describe the generosity.  Here are a few pictures...they don't do it justice, but you get the idea.  The beer and cigarettes were flowing freely...eat a little, smoke a little, drink alot.   Mr Sun, our driver,  Rod and I were the only ones drinking sprite and not smoking..but needless to say, we all got smoked up.  Despite all of that, the atmosphere was very festive and we all really enjoyed it and were overwhelmed by their generosity for us.

51 candles await...what a way to start my 51st year!

"wish Sarah the birthday is happy"

Sarah & Rod Miller at Sarah's 51st  Chinese birthday bash

Our driver is the man in the orange shirt...surrounding him are his friends and some classmates he's known since he was 4 years old.  All these people helped me celebrate my 51st birthday here in Shenyang

Sarah and Mr. Sun...my Mandarin has gotten to the point where I can actually have a basic conversation now!

A tradition is for the birthday person to eat long noodles and eggs...symbols for long life and health.

All the gang after the Chinese birthday party

We have had a nice easy day today...got packed up getting ready to go to South Korea tomorrow as we have the next week off for the Chinese National Day (3 day holiday + 2 days of vacation).  Rod played the Chinese National Anthem today in front of the Chinese flag (actually between the US and China flags) in front of the hotel.   Here's a video of his performance.

For as nationalistic as the Chinese are, it's a little strange that they don't pay alot of respect for their National Anthem...but I guess there are those in the US that don't pay alot of respect for ours either.

Rod Miller playing the Chinese National Anthem on 1 October 2011 in Shenyang, China

That's about it for now...more to come after our trip to Korea...another first for us together!
Hope everyone has a great week!

Sarah