1 year back in Shenzhen – and it is time to move on. Processing the visa for the wife and kids was a true nightmare – and something I will not even begin to explain until all 4 of us are approved to leave the exit border at China customs. So with just a couple days left – I invited …
Getting a Body and Heart Checkup
We are all under huge stress and pressure these last few years. Kids home from school 1+ week, constant changes in business and workflows, moving, the list goes on and on. Finally, I felt I had to pay attention to the pains in my chest and get it looked at (well Wendy is the one who insisted). Monday, July 4 …
Fathers Day 2022 – This is What Matters
And as a father of an 8 and 6 year old – this is what matters. The time I spend with them , support them, and encourage them to be good human beings. Maggie made a paper tie for me (in the photo) and insisted I wear it as soon as she returned home from school on Friday. Snapped a …
Proposal Party for Chris & Cindy ZhuZhu
It was a pleasure to be part of Chris Davey + Cindy “Zhuzhu”s wedding proposal party. Finally! After a few re-scheduling (I think mostly due to lockdown and COVID restrictions for the first half of 2022) it finally happened on Saturday June 11, 2022. Up in Mission Hills of Shenzhen (originally Huizhou but the rainy season changed that plan) – …
Our Family’s 2022 Living Situation (Visa/School)
Hi friend, I’m thinking why not just make it a blog post: So quite a few friends have been curious why am I still in China. And what is the plan. Last weekend the family took a trip to Huizhou city to look for options, but I think we need to step back and share the full story: July/ Aug …
Trip To HuiZhou (Hunt for Next Home)
On the hunt, again. Wendy and I want to stick in 1 place longer than a year – but covid and current events have made that close to impossible. We move down to Shenzhen from Shenyang the end of last summer (August 2021) to get our kids into school for the Fall Semester. Also I had gotten an opportunity to …
Where Were You When the Coronavirus Came? (Mike’s COVID-19 Story)
Two years have passed since the world learned of COVID-19. The question, “Where were you when it happened?” is a common one. Today, both in video and text form, I want to answer that question and document it here for all of you. While video form is much more entertaining, I’ll also recap it through text, and also link to …
Happy Chinese New Year 2022 – Tiger Time
We are entering Chinese New Year, and it is the year of the tiger coming up! Years keep passing by here as I am “semi-trapped” (well, can leave, but can’t come back!), and we just keep chugging along. The family and I went to Park Hyatt for a “small new year” celebration (Wendy said that a week before “big Chinese …
Converting the Home Studio to a Home School
The journey of being a parent overseas is becoming a common occurrence for more and more people; I being one of them. It is already a complex and dynamic experience, what with multiple cultures and languages. And when you throw COVID-19 on top of it all, it becomes pure insanity! The schools in Shenzhen closed on Monday due to a …
Ferris Wheel Family Day at Oh Bay
2022 has just come and we’re working harder than ever before, but we always remember to squeeze in some fun while working. The family, David Ho, and several friends went to the Oh Bay park in Bao An, Shenzhen last Saturday. This Ferris wheel is high-end! You barely feel like it is a Ferris wheel as you are fully enclosed …
Christmas in Shenzhen, China, 2021
Moving past 2021 and into the new year means passing through Christmas! Here in China you never really get the Christmas feel, but with kids it is unavoidable – ha! The school and kids pep them up and I felt a bit guilty this year not getting a big Christmas tree for our apartment. Eventually though, the kids finally accepted …
Nice Reunion with Melissa, Who Helped Me Come to China
As we approach 2022, it feels as if the years just keep flying by. I’ve been back in Shenzhen now for a few months and I’ve realized that old friends are also returning. One example is Melissa. She was in South Africa with her husband and daughter (her husband’s job relocated him there), but in the last year or so, …
Reminiscing On Simple Days: Fishing With My Dad
As these extended lockdowns continue, many of us are reflecting on “the good old days”. One thing I look forward to doing with my son and daughter is to take them on a fishing trip. It was so cold while I was in Shenyang, China that it would have been an ice fishing trip! However, now that I’m down in …
HuaQiangBei Electronics Market Post Covid Tour with my Son
I’ve done a Hua Qiang Bei market tour video blog before, but that was all in the “pre-COVID” world. Friends like Andy Lee have been asking me for a vlog showing how the Hua Qiang Bei market has transformed since COVID became a reality. Today, my son received a DIY spider robot in the mail and made most of it …
Forcing Yourself to Take a Couple Days Away: Huizhou Beach
For months, since we were up in Shenyang, we’ve been discussing with the family about taking at least a few days. The original plan was to go to the Shaolin temple, but the heavy rains and flooding there caused us to skip those plans. Then we decided to come down to Shenzhen and I hoped to get a bit of …