Moving Along -- Quickly

It's been another busy week. Just some quick highlights:

RUNNING: I'm still running 5-6 days per week. The ol' treadmill is my friend. However, this ol' friend has been letting me down recently. The deck board has now cracked twice, and the belt is getting a bit finicky. The funniest thing is whenever I call the fitness shop for repair, their first question is always, "Now, how heavy of a man are you??" Apparently, overweight folks are the number one cause of treadmill failure here in Malaysia. I think it's just due to cheap Malaysian quality. I probably give their machine a bit more of a workout than the typical Malaysian...

JAKARTA: Ashley is in Indonesia right now, at a track meet with other International schools. We were very scared on Wednesday when we heard that an Indonesian jet (Boeing 737) crashed and burst into flames. Of course this happened at about the same exact time that Ashley's plane (bound for Jakarta) was supposed to be landing. For a few moments, we were quite nervous. However, she (obviously) was not on the doomed flight, but was safe and sound. Just goes to show that we still have a God watching over us.

MUSIC SCHOOL: Cheryl submitted her first sequenced composition on Wednesday. She managed to put together an entire arrangement of "All Around", a song by our friend Curt Coffield. It sounds great! She is also finishing her last day of mid-term exams today, then has spring break next week. Unfortunately, I won't even be here because...

TRIP TO UNITED STATES: I will be leaving for the USA tomorrow. I will be in San Diego for a 3-day conference, then in Dallas on Friday to show some of our customers our Overhaul shop in DeSoto, Texas. Of course I'll be making another 10,000 mile Wal-Mart run on this trip (I already have my list), but I will also be taking our customers to an NBA basketball game in Dallas, where we get to see the amazing Mavericks play the Boston Celtics. I can't wait! Then I travel back to Malaysia on Saturday, the 17th of March (better wear green -- but AFTER the Celtics game...)

FLAT TIRE: Cheryl had a flat tire on one of the Malaysian highways yesterday. She called the emergency service which took 45 minutes to arrive. The guy showed up on a cute motorcycle, equipped with onboard toolbox and gear. Many Malaysians pulled over to offer to help before the auto service arrived, but Cheryl politely said "No thanks, Lah! Service is on the way, Lah!" (Malaysian inside joke...)

FUTURE TRAVEL: I will be all over southeast Asia over the next few weeks, with trips to Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, East Malaysia, and The Philippines all planned out. I love the adventure -- what an enriching time...

greg