This is how I feel right now...

If you can't read what the book says, it's "Chinese." And yes, I have been studying it for the past hour, and yes, this picture is from my book.

Endeavors in Creativity.

This week and next week are finals weeks for me at school (which might explain the lack of blog posts...my mind has been completely consumed by....numerous other things).

However, as part of my Chinese final, we were instructed to come up with an oral presentation representing some of the things we had learned.

I, being the speech nerd that I am, decided that it would be fun to poke fun at the lessons (which include strangers meeting and asking each other out that day.) and turn it into a humorous interpretation.

The presence of a video will not so much as touch any social media, but here is my script (and it's translation, since google translate fails) for your enjoyment. Imagine overdramatized, romantic sighs and voices, if you please.


Mark:　你好。　
Wenxin:　你好！
Mark:　我叫Mark。 你呢？
Wenxin:　我叫王文欣。 你是美国人马？
Mark:　不是。 我是加拿大人。
Wenxin:　(sigh)
Mark:　你是中国人吗？
Wenxin:　(nods)　我是上海人。　你喜欢上海吗？
Mark:　上海很美。　我喜欢上海。
Wenxin: (sigh)
Mark:　你去哪里？
Wenxin:　我去上海东路。
Mark:　太巧了！　我也去上海东路！
Wenxin:　(giggle)
Mark:　上海厨房在上海东路！
Wenxin:　 為什麼？
Mark:　我想请你吃饭。
Wenxin: 现在吗？
Mark:　对。　
Wenxin:　(sigh)　是的！
Mark: 好。(dials phone)
Wenxin:　(sigh)　
Waiter：喂， 您好， 这 里是上海 厨 房。
Mark:　喂，　你好。　我想预订座位。
Waiter:　午餐　还是　晚餐？
Mark:　午餐。　
Waiter:　好的。　请问－
Mark:　啊！不要了。 我要晚餐。
Waiter:　午餐？
Mark:　对。
Waiter:　 好的。 请问， 你们几位？
Mark:　三十六 位。
啊呀！　三十六位吗？！
Mark:　啊?!　不对！　两位。
Waiter:　你们要包房吗？
Mark:　ｍｍｍ。。。我要，谢谢。
Waiter:　请问，您贵姓？　
Mark:　我姓Smith。　
Waiter:　好。谢谢。 再见！
(at restaurant)
Mark:　文欣，你很美。　
Wenxin: (giggle) 谢谢你！
Mark:　文欣，　我爱你。你愿意嫁给我吗？
Wenxin: (gasp) 啊！ Mark! 我爱你！ 我会嫁给你！


Mark:　Hey.　
Wenxin:　oh! hello!
Mark:　My name is Mark. ::prince charming grin:: And you?
Wenxin:　My name is Wenxin. Are you...from America?
Mark:　Oh no -- I'm from CANADA.
Wenxin:　(sigh)
Mark:　Are you from China?
Wenxin:　Yes -- I'm from Shanghai. Do...do you like Shanghai?
Mark:　Shanghai is very beautiful. I like Shanghai. ;)
Wenxin: (sigh)
Mark:　Where are you going to?
Wenxin:　I'm going to Shanghai East Road.
Mark: What a coincidence! I'm going to Shanghai East Road.
Wenxin:　(giggle)
Mark:　Ah! Shanghai Kitchen is on Shanghai East Road!
Wenxin:　 Why?
Mark:　I would like to ask you out to dinner.
Wenxin: Now?
Mark: Yes. 　
Wenxin:　(sigh)　oh, yes!
Mark: Good. (dials phone)
Wenxin:　(sigh)　
Waiter：Hello. This is the Shanghai Kitchen.
Mark:　Hello. I would like to reserve a seat.
Waiter:　Lunch or dinner?
Mark:　Lunch.　
Waiter:　Okay. Please may I--
Mark:　Ah! No. I want dinner.
Waiter:　Dinner?
Mark:　Yes.
Waiter:　 Okay. Please may I ask, how many people?
Mark: ::lovesick:: Hhhmmm?
Waiter: ::ahem:: I said, how many people?
Mark:　uuhhh....um, thirty six?
Waiter: What? 36?!
Mark:　Ah! No, no, no. Two people.
Waiter:　Do you want a private room?
Mark:　mmm....yes, I do. (looks lovingly to Wenxin)
Waiter:　Please, what is your surname?
Mark:　My last name is Smith.　
Waiter:　Good. Thank you, goodbye.
(at restaurant)
Mark:　Wenxin, you are so beautiful. 　
Wenxin: (giggle) aww...thank you!
Mark:　Wenxin. I love you. Will you marry me??
Wenxin: (gasp) Mark! I love you too! I will marry you!

Needless to say, my class seemed to enjoy it, and I had fun giving it.

再见！

学 中 文 。

These are the kind of things going through my head right now. It's like a song you only know part of the words for.

您好！

我是美国人。

中国是很美。

我喜欢喝咖啡。

你喜欢茶吗？

我的中文不好。


I can read, write, and pronounce all of that. Without Google Translate. What I'm really proud of, however, is that I have sort of started thinking in Chinese. Little itty bitty phrases, like please, thank you, goodbye, and my name is.....

It's cool.

再见！

AAAAHHHH!!!!!

Remember this post? Guess what??? BREAD comes in purple too!!!!

I was at the Chinese mall the other day, doing some shopping with my mom. And we passed the bakery. And as we were looking at cakes for my dad, this glint of purple caught my eye. So of course I had to run over to see what it was.

and LO and BEHOLD, it was purple bread!! Made my day. So I showed it to mom, who explained what made it purple (yams, I think. There's also this yummy stuff called taro in it) and proceeded to get it for me. (*squee!*)

I brought it home, gave it a parade around the house to show my family my find, took a few pictures for the purposes of sharing this new delight with my blog readers, and tasted it!

It is... (wait for it)

DELICIOUS! I absolutley loved it. It's sweet-ish, but not like cinnamon sweet or anything. I really could eat it almost all the time. It tastes good plain or toasted. It especially tastes good toasted just slightly brown with lots of butter.

Did you know that toasting purple bread makes it brown? You would hope that such a phenomenal occurrence would turn...blue or something when you toast it. :P But no, it turns brown. Which is to be expected, because it IS just bread, after all.

Still, it's unusual bread, and it's PURPLE, which is just fantabulous. And I get to use my purpleness tag. :P

Sadly, I was unable to get a fabulous, prize-winning, stunning photo...but here is a picture, nevertheless, and just look at that glorious purple...

New Title

My blog has a new title now - and it will probably change again when I come up with something better. But for now, this is it.

Xi-le means "joy" in Chinese [in case you didn't pick up on that] and it's one of the things God has been teaching me over the past few months - to delight and joy in Him, even when things are really, really rough.

I have a blog!

So, I finally buckled down and just made the thing. No more fretting over name/domain. Here it is. :)

I suppose I'd better start out by explaining to you exactly what the story is behind the domain and title.

My domain [subject to change, as my blog is still fairly new] is Xian-Na, which is my Chinese name. It is pronounced roughly like "sheean?-na!" The question-like accent is very short.

The title is a song by the group Point of Grace. I came across it while complaining to Brenna that I couldn't think of anything for my title, and she told me to look in song lyrics. So I spent a good half-hour in bed browsing through my ipod and came across this. These are the lyrics:

If a picture's worth a thousand words
What are they?
And since You're spirit intercedes for me
What do you hear when I pray?
'Cause I'm finding it hard to find the word
to let you know how my heart can hurt
so I'll sing the tune
and let you fill in the words
(Chorus)
La La La
La La La
La La La...

etc ;) As with the domain, it's subject to change, just like me. =P I'll find one thing and stick with it, but for now, just so you know.... ;)