Sarah Addison Allen has been a hit with me. I loved all of her books!

:) Yes, her straight face was what left me speechless (which is pretty hard to do). That is the phrase they use to describe anyone larger than a size 6. They are all built like 12yo boys here. It's not great for your self-esteem!

The Sherlockian is good, not great. It's interesting but not in a "can't put it down" sort of way.

Well, I can't speak for China, but here in Malaysia, I have A LOT of trouble finding clothes and shoes. I am 5'6" and 155 lbs. I wear a size 8-10 in the US. I was at a store recently looking at a shirt and I asked the sales lady if they had it in a larger size. Her reply? "Oh no, we no carry king-kong size." I wish I was kidding but those were her exact words. I also wear 8.5 shoes which sucks because this country does not carry half size shoes. At all. Anywhere. Sigh...

I love my iPhone 4S. My dh loves his Samsung SIII. So we are split on this topic. :)

Started Reading: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (American author, DD class 800) Still Reading: The Sherlockian by Graham Moore (American author, DD class 800) The Conviction to Lead: 25 Principles for Leadership that Matters by Albert Mohler (American author, DD class 300) The God Who is There: Finding Your Place in God's Story by D.A. Carson (Canadian author, DD class 200) Finished: 28. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (American authors, DD class 800) 27. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (American author, DD class 900) 26. The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800) 25. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (Ethiopian author, DD class 800) 24. Having Hard Conversations by Jennifer Abrams (American author, DD class 300) 23.The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe (American author, DD class 600) 22. The Infernal Devices #3: The Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 21. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (American author, DD class 800) 20. Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill (British author, DD class 200) 19. The Infernal Devices #2: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 18. The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 17. God's Big Picture: Tracing the Story-Line of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts (British author, DD class 200) 16.The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley (Canadian Author, DD Class 800) 15.The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner (American author, DD class 900) 14. Prodigy by Marie Lu (Chinese author, DD class 800) 13. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (American author, DD class 900) 12. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean (American author, DD class 500) 11. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman (American Author, DD class 600) 10. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller (American author, DD class 200) 9. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (American author, DD class 300) 8. Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald (American author, DD class 100) 7. The Bungalow by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800) 6. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800) 5. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800) 4. The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion by Tim Challies (Canadian author, DD class 600) 3. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton (Australian author, DD class 800) 2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (English author, DD class 800) 1. The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter Tale by Oliver Potzsch (German author, DD class 800)

I live on Penang Island which is full of tourists and expats. So, just for the heck of it, I asked our amah, who has lived here her whole life, this question: If you were at the market and you saw 4 white people... One is American, one is British, one is Australian, and one is German (the four most common "white" people here)... would you be able to tell which was which just by looking at them? She said no, not at all. She would not be able to tell unless she heard them speak. Then she thought about it for a second and said, "Except for one thing. The American would smile at you and say hello to you. They are so friendly. We love the Americans!" So there you have it. :)

Well, my experience of many countries in Asia is that Americans are generally well-liked. I have not really experienced anyone being mean to me just because I am American. Most people actually give us special treatment because we are Americans (which is odd in a different kind of way). They know we spend money and they are fascinated with American culture. The ugly American stereotype isn't really the case around here.

No one said you were unwelcome. But yes, you will stand out unless you make an effort to blend in (and probably even if you try to blend in). It's ok not to blend, too, but to always keep in mind that you are a visitor and, as I tell my kids, be the best representation of your home country that you can be.

I'm not a fan of stereotypes but there is no denying there are certain "trends" among cultures. Americans really are fatter than many other cultures. And taller. I used to think we were loud until I started living around a lot of Aussies. Holy moly are they loud! But they are also super fun to be around! The Brits I am around tend to be ... well... a bit cranky, but I have the best intellectual conversations with them. The Chinese here are quite stuffy and emotionless but they are also excellent business people. The Indians here are super warm and friendly but don't have a particularly strong work ethic. There are 28 different countries represented at my school and of all of them, Americans tend to be the nicest and most willing to help you out. There is good and bad in every culture. I think to act like there isn't is dishonest. If you are going to visit another country the most important thing to remember is that you are a VISITOR. Adding this just for a laugh...

This year my boys are doing math, reading books, practicing piano and tennis everyday. My little princess is doing letter worksheets and learning to read with 100EZ lessons.

North Carolina was amazing when we lived there. No real snow to speak of, beautiful fall and spring. The summer was hot, though. We lived in western NC near Asheville.

Well, I don't have a teenage girl but I was one once. :) I spent my summers reading and working at a fast food joint. I don't see many on either thread recommending summertime jobs. Is this a new trend ? Do teens not work during the summer any more? When I was a teen we all had summer time jobs from age 13 on. Babysitting, paper routes, lawn mowing, etc., that eventually moved to fast food places or the mall or whatever when we turned 15. Do kids not do this any more?

We actually sold most of our books and buy everything on kindle now. But our shipping allowance was quite small. If you can afford to send a lot of stuff then go for it! Definitely bring good cookware and bakeware and Tupperware. That stuff is hard to find and expensive overseas. We also stock up on socks and undergarments in the U.S.

We liked it, too!

It's so interesting how regionally-based this is. For my kids, even if an adult says, "You can call me Joe," they still say "Mr. Smith." Respect for elders is so ingrained in them that it makes them very uncomfortable to call an adult by their first name. I have recently been in contact with a former student of mine. She is now 29 years old and still calls me Mrs. Fischer. I told her she can call me Heather now, she is an adult, but she won't. :). She says she respects me too much for that. Sir and ma'am are not usually used here, either, but it's too much of a habit now. In fact, I still use them! Old habits die hard.

I am from Michigan and I have never heard that word before.

After nearly two decades in public and private education and thousands of students, my favorite baby name advice is this... Pick a name that sounds good with the word "President" in front of it. Seriously. Picture it at the top of a resume because one day it will be and some of these goofy, trendy names that people pick just baffle me. "Apple" may sound like a cute name for a baby girl but that baby grows up and that is not such a cute name for a professional and an adult. ;)

Close personal friends they call Uncle/Aunt ------. Everyone else is Mr./Mrs. Last Name. I think the trend of children and teens calling adults by their first name is disrespectful. My children do use ma'am and sir as well.

Awesome!!!!!

Congrats!!!!!

It's pretty obvious the guy has some sort of mental illness and needs help. I feel most sorry for his ex-wife and kids.

Is this perhaps a rule of the country club where the reception is? Some country clubs have ridiculous rules on attire. I know ours does. You should see the ridiculous rules about attire just to play in the badminton rooms at our club.

My bill is entirely in Malay so I have no idea how to read it other than what we owe for last month which equates to $227 USD.

In our circle of friends we have turned it into a game. When we go out for dinner we all put our phones face down, in a stack, in the center of the table. The first one to check their phone picks up the tab. :)