A new home

Somewhere along in this journey it finally hit me that I'm actually going to be living here...haha.
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Well, there's probably lots of things that I had wanted to write in the past couple of days, but now that I'm sitting down I'm fresh out of ideas...

So! I'll give you all an update!
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We crossed the border on Wednesday, and flew out of Shenzhen, which neighbors Hong Kong, Wednesday night. We arrived here and took a taxi from the airport to the house. I was immediately taken back by how big this place is! 4 stories with something like 14 rooms, 9 bathrooms, a large downstairs living room area with a good sized kitchen...each floor has 2 or 3 balconies with a large balcony on the fourth floor. The house is literally across the street from the university we'll be attending and pretty close to just about everything.
Transportation is an adventure around this place! Not very many people have cars and we get around on bikes, motorcycles, rickshaw's, taxi's or by foot. Today me and the other new guy Rudy went and bought bikes. We were able to get awesome bikes and they cost us less than half of what they might cost us in the states. We got some sweet little rear-racks to go with them, as well as fenders for water. We plan on using those things to travel all over the place and to even take some biking trips soon into the countryside.
Spring Festival has just begun, when the people celebrate the traditional New Year. As a result, many people are going home to be with family for the next couple of weeks, and it looks like we're going to be spending a lot of time in an empty house soon enough.
The language is going to be fun. : ) What's really nice is that you're always around it and they're are so many people at hand who can help teach you.... : )
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Please keep us lifted before the throne as we consider moving soon. The house we're in now has been bought and we'll have to move out by April I think. We've found another place that is a huge 1 story spread. On the second floor of the same building about half of the floor is gutted out and up for sale as well, and so we're considering renting that as well so that we can start a coffee shop and possibly some kind of skate park. It's really neat all these ideas and it will be an awesome thing to watch our boss do! So please keep that lifted up, as well as all our close national friends who will be going home to their families for these next couple of weeks. Many of them will be under much pressure and stress from their families for the things they're involved with here...
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More to come soon!

More of Hong Kong

So, I'm finally here.

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Here's some pictures of Hong Kong. I decided I won't be posting up any real personal pictures anymore... so here's some pictures of Hong Kong!





We were staying in an area called Kowloon, which is actually a part of the main land and not Hong Kong Island. But we took a ferry over to Hong Kong Island one of the days and spent a little while just walking around the city.

Here's an area known as Temple Street. It's filled with outdoor vendors and just about everything under the sun. We found everything from spy cameras to paintings, rifle scopes to noodle shops; you name it, it was probably on this street. We enjoyed the different food places all over Hong Kong, it felt like all we did was walk from place to place to eat. : ) Not so bad I guess.

Here's a picture of Hong Kong Park, almost like a Central Park in the middle of Hong Kong. It was amazing how just a couple steps in the right direction can lead you to such a serene area away from all the city rush and so many thousands of people. It was beautiful in the park area, we only wish it wasn't so hazy/foggy out while we were there...

Tall buildings. For someone who grew up in California where everything is spread out and you need a car to get around, this city was amazing. There were so many different levels to the city, each of which contained a whole other group of thousands of people. It seemed like the droves of people were just never ending, whether you were under ground in the tunnels and subways, or in the multi-leveled malls that would stretch on and on and only connect to something else.

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Yesterday we arrived here at OFH with our brother Tim. It was interesting doing the whole boarding crossing process...haha, Hashem is good!

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What's amazing is the vast difference between the Chinese and the Japanese. Such entirely different cultures and people. Girls actually shouting was almost shocking to me. I actually got scared after ordering at McDonald's and the girl taking my order shouted the order back to the cooks. I just wasn't ready for it, for some reason thinking Chinese girls to be like Japanese...so, very interesting. The language ofcourse is a whole other thing. But, nevertheless, Hashem is good!

The house we're at is 4 stories, with 14 people living here now, including me. It's an awesome place, and right now I'm staying in a room with a guy who just got here as well. They have a couple different classroom/office rooms, as well as a bit of a library across the hall from my room. I was uber excited when I saw some of the books they have! hehehe. Did somebody say Orwell? haha, that was a fun book to see. Also! This morning we were able to utilize the weight bench on the enclosed 4th story balcony area...

I thank you all for lifting everything up, I really have been feeling a bit of it, no joke. The country is similiar to a developing country in some areas, like here where we live, yet in some areas it's nothing less than a modern metropolis. This is quite the country of change and development...

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This is all for now, I'll try and keep everyone updated and I'll soon post up some pictures of my new home!

Note for everyone. I'm actually blocked out from viewing blogs. While this is so, I am still able to post and edit my blog. With this then, take note that I won't be able to view comments on the blog...So, you can still leave them, but I just won't get them... : ) But hey, isn't it awesome that I can post on this thing! So highly favored by our King, all for grace's sake. Take care everyone.

Hong Kong

We're here in Hong Kong enjoying the scenery and awaiting Visa approval. It's nice to be able to hang out with Tom and Rob and we've been having a good time touring around the city...
Well, just thought I would leave an update while I could. Please keep us lifted up with our travel plans. The good thing to know is that nothing surprises our Father; He's already planned and prepared for each step. : )

Off I go

...to a distant land, far far away.
And just what might come of this, I do not know.
But in whose hands my life now rests, I am confident.
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I'll keep you updated. : )

Thus says G-d, Hashem, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: "I am Hashem; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness...
-Coming to you from the book of Yishiahu, 42:5-7
: D I hope you all enjoy my Jewishness. If you have any questions, ask Bergy. : D

These words have really stuck out to me tonight....
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Please keep me lifted up...
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I think these will be some words that will be a fair haven in times of troubled seas...

Pictures since I've been home for the holidays!

So here they are, finally some pictures for everyone to enjoy. : )This first one comes to you from Taipei International Airport. I was getting kind of bored in the airport, so I decided to have some fun at the Disney store. It actually turned out to be a pretty sweet picture...

One day Mike and I took a drive up into the Corona mountains. It was pretty awesome to be able to watch a sunset over the Ocean from Corona. : )

Mikey found some work that needed to be done...

...as well as some puddles to drive through...

Here it is, the wonderful Inland Empire...or at least a part of it.

And the well lit house.









We went to the annual Smith Brother's Chrismas party in Santa Paula. It all started out as the usual family get together...but, then, something happened....I think it all started with everyone putting on bandanas, then all of the sudden we had gang names for eachother, then we were upstairs looking for guns....then this....I think it went: Adam=Dre; Josh(guy in black hood)=Tiny; Ashley=something i forgot; Jake=playboy; Aaron=slim. lol, yeah, pretty rediculous...but you gotta at least appreciate the expressions. : D

The picture of my dog attacking my moms new slippers is from Christmas. I bought my mom some kusamochi slippers in Oki, and apparently Cocoa really likes them.

Here's a picture of the lovely Joeru and Misty Blu. It was great being able to spend some time with them when I went to the school this last week. I especially enjoyed the last night when me and Joel shared a room and became Mr. and Mrs. Ruiz. : D



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The other picture is of 2 new friends that I got to spend a little bit of time with. I have a feeling we're going to all become better friends on into the future, probably because I'll be living in the same house with one, if not both of them eventually. haha.

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Here's a pic of me and Aariel when we went ice skating this last weekend. Fun fun. No injuries, just one person got a little wet when he decided he wanted to be a penguin and slide accross the ice on his stomach...yeah, but at least I got to be a penguin for those few moments...

Dain and Adam...

Aaron and Dain...

Adam and Aaron...

Two amazing women, my Mom and Bergy...

And finally, a nice clear day in Southern California. The air's really not so bad around here when the wind blows all the smog away. : D

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Well, that's all the pictures up for now. I think I'll post up a few videos next....

Things have been going good lately. I'm doing some work at my neighbors house right now; hopefully I'll finish up before I have to leave. : /

A new blog?

That's right, there's a new blog for Aaron. : )
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For reasons of beginning things anew that I might compliment this new upcoming journey I will soon be embarking upon, I have decided to start a new blog.
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Please recognize the intention of the new blog. Because I want to live a life more vague and ambiguous, there will probably be a change in the content of pictures as well as blog texts. Please be thoughtful in how you might consider commenting on this blog, as to what your comments might express. Cooperation in this regard is much appreciated. : )
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I hope you all enjoy the newness.
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I for one enjoy the name of this site. My senior year in HS I worked for the newspaper on campus, and my second semester I somehow became the "Tech and other things" editor. As part of my new position, I got to have a column in my section where I could write just about anything. The name of the column was something along the same lines. Actually, I think it was "Aaron's lucid dreams" (about tech stuff)" The second part was added by the almighty editor Elva because, "Aaron, it has to have something to do with Tech stuff..." It's nice to think back to HS. : )
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Well, that's all for tonight.