Saturday, April 26, 2008

Delivery

Martin and I went on a bike ride today, to take advantage of the only sunny day we've had in a while. For real, the weather God, if you're reading, please, it's almost May!!!!! Can we have some good weather yet?!?!?!

Anyway. We climbed some pretty decent hills where I almost died of cardiac arrest, and then went down some really steep and curvy hills where I almost died from skidding off the road into the Lorane Valley. We came home to very empty stomach, and decided ordering delivery for dinner may be a good idea. The following conversation took place, verbatim:

Martin: How about that Indian place?
Shan Shan: I don't think they deliver.
Martin: But we had it delivered to our home last time!
Shan Shan: No. Last time I went and picked it up. It just *seemed* like delivery to *you*!
Martin: Oh... (smiles sheepishly)

Well, at least he's embarrassed about mistaking me for delivery service ;)

Friday, April 4, 2008

Funny foreigners

Martin has been getting accustomed to life in the United States. It's not until you've lived with a foreigner, do you realize some of the things we say and do really makes little sense when taken at face value.

Episode 1: Martin and the movie ticket machine.
Martin and I go to the movies, and he gets to buy tickets out of the ticket machine for the first time. Martin gets through without any problems, and paid with a credit card.

Machine: "Do you want cash back?"
Martin: "Yeah, sure."
Shan Shan: "You do?"
Martin: "Why not? It's asking me if I want money back!"
Shan Shan: "It's not *free* money back! You have to pay for the money back!"
Martin: "Oh... Well you've got to admit the phrasing is a bit ambiguous."

Episode 2: Massage
Martin and I go to get a massage. Things went well. It was Martin's first massage and he enjoyed it. The massage therapists at the wonderful Pearl Day Spa wrap warm wet towels around your feet at the end of the massage. I didn't think much of it, other than it was a nice touch.

Martin and I went to dinner afterwards, and we were discussing how wonderful the massages were. Martin comments that the massage lotion felt a bit sticky, and that he thought it was weird that the massage therapist only "washed" his feet.
Shan Shan: "What?"
Martin: "They washed my feet with hot towels."
Shan Shan: "I don't think that's what that was. They were just making you comfortable by putting your feet in something warm!"
Martin: "Oh... I was seriously expecting her to wash me, and I was surprised when she just did the feet!"