The anthem continues....

Adding on to the previous excitement created by alexa and mommy's anthem singing session....

Me: Hi Mom, I heard you guys are singing the anthem at work
Mom: Yes, the chinese team practiced twice and now we sing it very well. We know all the words
Me: That's great.
Mom: Yu Zhen told me a story about her friend who forgot his passport and to get back into the US from Mexico he stood tall and sang all four verses of the national anthem by heart. Allen was inspired by this story too and he said he will go learn the words
Me: that is funny
Mom: I have a fun game! For Christmas, let's sing the national anthem!
Me: can't we just sing carols?
Mom: anthem AND carols!!
Me: O...k....
Mom: AND! I will give $50 to anyone who can sing all four verses by heart! It must be ALL FOUR!
Me: wow....
Mom: But i am gererous! If you can sing two verses I give $10. If you sing three I will give $15. And if you can sing FOUR I give $50
Me: what are you going to do if we all get it right?
Mom: I am prepared!! I will give $200 to this cause!!!
Me: Ok, this is quite odd.
Mom: ODD?! NO! EXCITING!! we are POSITIVE people now! EXCITING!
Me: Ok, exciting..
Mom: you can tell xing xing and xing di too! (our cousins) I will prepared to give ALL SIX of you $50
Can you tell everyone so I don't have to type an e-mail
Me: Ok....... sure......

Alexa and I have decided instead we will break out into the Communist China national anthem to shake things up... what will we get for that? maybe -$50. (It's actually MUCH easier to sing than the US anthem anyways.... who doesn't love a good little ditty about Chairman Mao?)

No Means No

A phone call:
note: my mom is somewhat tone deaf and sounds like a cat stuck in a windsock when she sings.

mom: alexa! we are going to sing the national anthem at work on friday. all of us chinese people said that we are going to go home and do our homework so we can sing the national anthem with pride and not seem like foreigners. i don't know the words and tune!
me: you can look them up online.
mom: yes, on youtube?
me: wow, yes! very good.
mom: but i want to hear you sing it for me. will you sing it with me? i don't know how the words go with the tune very well.
me: oh say can you see...
mom: OH say can you SEEEE!!!
we sing the anthem.
together: ...and the home of the braaAAAVE
mom: what are ramparts? what does gallant mean? why are they streaming?
me: ramparts, like a fort. gallant is like brave. streaming, you know, like streaming.
mom: hey! you know how to sing "singing in the rain!" will you sing that?
me: yeah, i could, but i'm actually at a friend's house, and this is probably weird already...
mom: oh. okay. just real fast?
me: i'm singing in the rain...
mom: just singing in the rain...
me: what a glorious feeling i'm happy again...singing just singing in the rain
mom: no it's "...and i'm ready for love"
me: okay - and i'm ready for love
mom: hey! what about somewhere over the rainbow!
me: mom!
mom: okay you can't
me: okay
mom: please? just start me off!
me: somewhere over the rainbow...
mom: someWHERE over the RAIN-BOW
together: ...dare to dream really do come true.
mom: no, it's "once in a lullaby!"
me: okay fine
together: once in a lullaby
mom: okay haha bye!

friend: so what was going on there?
me: my mom has to sing the anthem at work.
friend: right.

listening problems?

conversation i just had with mom on the phone:

"HIII did you have fun in BEIJING??"
"yes"
"did you have fun in beijing?"
"yup"
"did you have fun in beijing?"
"MOM- i said YEESSS"

seriously... its like talking to a parrot