| ON THE ROAD AGAIN | Last Updated: Jun 28, 2008 |
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Stories June 6, 2008 New Blog I have broken down and finally started a new blog. This site is great, but I think that I need an actual blog website. I will keep this site up and going, but will use the other page to write my ramblings! The new blog is here http://baseballtraveler.wordpress.com/ . Oh yeah, happy day of birth to my sister Jen! I know it's not June 6 there yet, but it is here!
June 5, 2008 A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
June 5, 2008 Rainy day in Tainan
Okay, this is the best picture I could get of the rain, and it doesn't do it justice. It has rained so hard for 4 days that I am waiting for the go ahead to build the ark. To top it off, Riley decided that all day school is NOT for him. Yeah, could of told you that. So I headed back to school at 1:30 to pick them up. I will now begin to explore a couple other schools in this area to see where they will go in July. I am sad that they will no longer have the same school and teachers, but it has to be done. All day school and a bus ride is not for them, or me. Now for the best part...what to do in Taiwan on a rainy day. Let's ask Riley first...
Talk to daddy on the "phone".
Go for a run in underwear, crocs, and my sports bra!
Sit in time out on the bed for major attitude issues.
Get out of above time out and then stick out tongue and spit at me.
Sit in time out again! Lily, on the other hand, came up with much more creative ways to spend the rainy afternoon.
Modeling
Decorate our walls with tons of pictures! They were way to plain.
Draw above mentioned pictures! Oh wait, this is a special picture.
This is the picture she drew for Bubby for all the time outs he's been in this afternoon! At least she didn't put hands for all the spankings he has gotten too =) I might let the kids go outside and run around in the rain. They have rain boots and I bought them ponchos. Not really much else to do and they have got cabin fever!!!
June 5, 2008 I Don't Want to Go Out of the Country Those were the words Ricky muttered to me when we were invited to Cabo San Lucas for New Year's 2008. I laugh now, but at the time I was disappointed. I really wanted to go, but he had every reason in the book why we couldn't. Not enough time for me to get my passport, we just went last year, and the list went on and on. I reluctantly agreed and we stayed home. However, God was not so accepting of Ricky's excuses. Let me sum up the conversation I can assume went on... God: I need you to go to Taiwan and bring your family with you. You will be playing baseball. Ricky: But God, Tracey and the kids don't have passports or visas. I don't have a visa. God: I will provide. Trust in me. Ricky: But God, I really don't like going out of the country. I can stay here and start my business back up. It will be great. God: I need you to go to Taiwan. Trust in me and I will provide. Ricky: How about another US team? I'll go to the minor leagues. Where do you want me to go? Just make it in the US, ok? God: You will go to Taiwan. Ricky: FINE! I will go to Taiwan. (stamps feet and pouts) Have you ever had this conversation with God? I know that I have. We must remember that he has our best interest in mind. He will put you where you need to be even if he must drag you there kicking and screaming. After a lot of prayer, Ricky and I both realized that this is a great opportunity He has put before us and we will take everything from it that we can. We must also remember that we are not by ourselves here on the other side of the earth, He is with us. I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:9
June 4, 2008 Lily begged me all afternoon yesterday to go back to the mall to play games. It is a fairly long cab ride, but with the rain there was really nothing else we could do. So, the kids and I headed out back to the mall again. Before we went to go play the games at Tom's World, I wanted to go find Lily a new pair of slip on shoes. So, we headed to the children's floor to take a look. We were so pleasantly surprised to find another play area. This one was really cool! It cost 200 nt each, but they can play as long as they want. Another bonus is that no one else was there. I let Lily choose, even though Riley already had his shoes off and was knocking on the gate, and she decided this looked like fun. They darted to the balloon room first. It was a netted room full of different size balloons that moved around by four fans over the top of the netting. Oh my gosh! I had to take a video. All the workers came over to see what these crazy American kids were squealing about.
Riley would have stayed in there all day. However, Lily wanted to check out the other play areas. The balls were her next adventure. Riley followed but only jumped once and then headed back to the balloons.
They also dominated the three tiered bouncy that turned in circles. They were playing king of the mountain! I can't believe we didn't end up with some sort of injury!
Then they headed over to the obstacle course that rocked back and forth. Riley wanted to tackle all of the hanging objects and Lily wanted to do gymnastics!
Riley really thought the "water" slide was cool. Lily, not so much!
They also had a little stuffed animal merry go round and a bouncy water bed like trampoline. I really wanted to jump on the squishy water bed, but not sure if there was a weight limit. I tried to read the signs, but they were in Chinese. I also tried to ask the worker, but she also only spoke Chinese. I tried to ask one of the people staring from the side, but she just tried to ask me if I was from San Francisco! Ugh! Sometimes things are so frustrating here. Other than the struggles with communicating, everything else is going good right now. Lily and Riley are going to school for a full day tomorrow to test it out. Not sure what I'm going to do with 8 hours to myself!!! Ricky is still on the road, so I will be on my own. On the baseball front he got another save tonight. He threw 2 innings, no runs, 1 hit, and 2 strikeouts. He did awesome! I have to say, that it is just as nerve wracking to watch him pitch in Taiwan as it is at home. The only good thing is that I have no idea what the announcers are saying =) We miss you all!
June 3, 2008 Take Time Out to Jump In the Puddles It is raining here today. Not just raining, but pouring. The kids could not wait to get their rain boots on and go outside. It took us about 20 minutes to get to school instead of the usual 5, and they were soaked to the skin by the time we got there. They had so much fun and their laughter and smiles were contagious. The usual people that pass and hurry on to work couldn't help but stop and smile ear to ear. The sound of children's laughter is precious and such a joy. It reminded me to stop and take the time to do the simple things that make me smile. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our daily life that we forget to jump in the puddles! Take time out of your busy life today to jump in a puddle for yourself. A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken. Proverbs 15:13 June 2, 2008 The Taiwanese Chuck E Cheese AKA Tom's World
We decided to venture out of our comfort zone tonight and head to the mall. Lou Pote, the other American on the team, joined us for an evening out. I am so glad we went! The mall was so neat. It has 6 floors and the top has an amazing play area for the kids. It is called Tom's World, but it reminded us an awful lot of Chuck E. Cheese. The kids had a ball. First, they rode the mechanical dogs. Check the video on the front page to see them in action.
The got to ride race horses and also play a baseball game. Yes, that is the ball floating in the air for Lily to hit. It was very cool.
They even had a drum game that reminded us a lot of Rock Band! They loved it and were really good. Watch out small group. They will beat us all when we get home =)
The food court was amazing. They had tons of things to choose from, but of course we chose....McDonalds! Lily and I found a really neat popcorn stand while Daddy and Riley ordered our dinner. They had lots of flavors to choose from and we got to taste them all. Lily chose chocolate, honey, cheese(for Meemaw), and grape. Here she is in front of some of the flavors.
Perhaps the best news of all is that I FINALLY got my caramel macchiato. I could order it low fat, but not sugar free! That's ok though, because it was so very yummy!!!!
I also have to mention the whole baseball thing. You know, the reason we are here. Ricky got another save last night. He pitched two innings and gave up one run. We won 2-1. Here is the team coming onto the field after the save.
It was also 7-Eleven night, imagine that, so we took a picture with one of the characters. There were also "cheerleaders", or so you could say. However, there is no way that we were going to take a pic with them. Let's keep this a "g rated" website =) Please excuse our appearance in the pic. It had to be 150 degrees there last night. Okay, maybe not that hot, but it was very close!!!
Ricky leaves to go on a 4 day road trip tomorrow! Boo!!! We also found out that the school is moving locations on July 1st. The new school is 15 minutes away by cab which would be about $5.00 each way. Meggy mommy suggested that they go full time which would be 8:00 to 4:00. She wants them to try it out one day this week while they are still at this school. They would take the bus there in back, which would save us the taxi fare. However, I don't know if Riley is ready to go full day yet. I know that Lily would do great. I can't believe I was so worried about Lily taking the Kindergarten bus in the fall and here I am contemplating letting them both take a bus in Taiwan! I still find myself wondering sometimes why God has led us here. What is our purpose? Why has He chosen this path for us? However, it is not my place to question him, just to follow where He leads. As the following verses state, we will trust that he will lead us down the right path even though we may not understand it at that time. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5,6
June 1, 2008 I knew the time would come when Riley would boycott naps. I did not expect it to be so soon though. Lily understands that her body needs to rest in the afternoon especially if we are going to the baseball game. Riley, on the other hand, needs some convincing. So, I summoned everyone to the air conditioned bedroom for "rest time", which is not to be confused with nap time. I let Lily pick a movie to watch and we all lay down and watch a movie. Riley, being the 2 year old that he is, decided it was time to do anything and everything he could to stay awake. First, he made a house out of pillows. "My house Mommy, my house!" Hebuilt it up all around the bed. In the last one he is "hiding" under the pillow so I can't see him! He was cracking me up!
He has Lily behind the pillow the blue pillow. Here is Lily being shut out of the house. As you can tell, she is distraught.
He finally started to settle down a little and decided it was time to read. I knew he was getting tired, but he wasn't giving in just yet.
After a little reading, he gave in and laid down to watch The Little Mermaid with Lily.
Once he did this, I knew he was putty in my hands. A little rubbing of the back, and voila, instant naptime. Ok, not quite so instant. It took about 1 hour to get from point A to point B.
However, he was not done yet. He got up once again after about 30 minutes. Hey, 30 minutes is better than nothing, right? But he got up to lay down on the tile floor where it is cooler. The beds are so hard here that the tile might be a little softer too =)
May 31, 2008 You want to do what to my eyebrows? Okay, I really need my eyebrows waxed. I am starting to get the big bushy high school brows back and I'm not happy. I have researched waxing in Taiwan and I think that it is nonexistent. That's fine. I have found an alternative. It is called threading. It is defined as follows... A common scene in many night markets these days in Taiwan is a row of old women sitting on stools with their kits of implements--bottles of white powder, combs, hair clips and rolls of cotton thread--mastering threads on their fingers and giving customers a thorough facial cleaning. How can beauticians do the job without water and cleansers? Beauticians take pieces of white cotton thread, manipulating them into highly effective facial cleansing tools. Holding one end of the thread in their teeth, they used their thumbs and index fingers to hold the other, twisting and looping the thread around the roots of unwanted facial hair, pulling in the opposite direction to remove it. "It hurts a little. Sometimes it is necessary to suffer a little for beauty," said one beautician surnamed Wang. She has been a facial threading beautician for 30 years. "The pores on the face open up through deep massage. After that we apply some cream. Since the cream is easily absorbed, it gives the face a refreshed look." This "dry-cleaning" method is an age-old Chinese beauty treatment called facial threading. The old-fashioned technique removes facial hair, leaving the skin clean and smooth. Does it sound painful? Absolutely! But let me tell you, my unibrow and bushy squirrel eyebrows will be so thankful. However, I've yet to find this row of women with their cotton threads. I have tried asking in beauty salons and get this, they pull out a straight razor. Come on! Are you kidding me?!? You want me to let you use that on my eyebrows! Oh, they are so serious. One woman tried to manhandle me and get me to sit down. Sorry honey, you don't speak English and I don't speak Chinese. You are not getting near me with a straight razor. I even used a hand held translator at the gym/spa tonight to try and get them to understand me. Guess what they pulled out? A razor! Not a chance. I guess I will have to head out to the night market one night this week and find this row of women sitting on stools with cotton thread. If you don't see me in many pictures for the rest of our trip, you'll know why! May 30, 2008 Have I happened to mention how HOT it is here? Seriously, it is hot!!!! You immediately start sweating when you walk outside our front door. It's sad when you think it feels cool in you apartment from the fan. I checked the weather today and it said it was 90 degrees but felt like 104!!! OH MY GOSH! People are saying this is cool and wait until summer. You think they are staring now, wait until 4 Americans are walking around in their underwear =) Just had to let you know that we are doing good even if it is boiling. The kids and I just got up from rest time in the air conditioned bedroom. We watched The Grinch and Chicken Little. Well, I snoozed through The Grinch and showered through Chicken Little, but the kids rested. I promised them a cheese pizza at Pizza Hut tonight before the game if they rested, so we are about to head out to get that. The kids miss everyone and have been making a ton of pictures and letters to send home. As soon as I figure out how to send mail, we will get them out! May 29, 2008 My first Scooter Ride!!! It finally happened. I have ridden on one of the infamous scooters. I have to admit, it was pretty fun and not as scary as I thought. Meggy Mommy, the english teacher at the kid's school, offered to take me to get a cell phone. I think she could smell my fear, so she took it easy on me. She drove slowly and stayed in the bike lane. She said that she does take her husband and 1 year old son on the scooter, but they also have a car. I did not have my camera so I have no proof, but next time I will definitely take some pics. I looked sweet in my helmet! Anyway, there are some crazy rules here about getting cell phones and you need certain proof of residency forms to get one. We just needed to each have one for emergencies, so we just wanted a cell phone where you buy the prepaid cards. No such luck! So, Meggy Mommy drove me around town on her scooter, and yes Mom, I wore my helmet. After many stops, she finally used her own personal info to get them for us. It was so very nice of her to do that for us. We have to ask around what would be an appropriate gift to get her since she went through so much trouble to help us out. We now have Taiwanese cell phones to call each other on! Ricky had the whole day off today, so we decided to take the kids swimming at the gym pool. It is underground, as are 99% of the pools here, so we didn't get to enjoy the sun. However, the kids had a blast and loved getting to spend time with Daddy. I have to say, that he was the hottest man in the speedo at the pool! HA! He wore it with pride =) After two hours at the pool we were all starving, so we decided to try out a restaurant called T3 across the street. We passed Pizza Hut along the way and almost stopped and got a pizza, but we decided to be adventurous. When we walked in we asked if it was child appropriate and they just led us to a sunken down booth. We guessed that meant yes. We had to take off our shoes before we went into the booth and the servers had to do the same. The servers also had to take a very deep bow when leaving the booth.
You order off of the menu, which had some very interesting foods. I am including a few below.
Just in case you can't read them, the first one is gut. Um, so gross. The second is Upper Skinless Tongue Tip Off. Still very gross. The last one I just thought looked really neat and that was Blue Shrimp Sashimi. Ricky ordered the sushi assortment and he said it was really good.
Yes folks, that is an octopus tentacle on the right. He said it was delicious and I will take his word for it. The kids and I stuck with some beef that Lily said tasted like bacon. It was a full Atkins dinner for us, no rolls or potatoes to be found. At the end Lily said she couldn't eat any more meat. We did order some green peppers, corn, and mushrooms to grill also, but the kids didn't like the sauce on them. I didn't care for it either.
Ricky and Riley grilled and did a great job. This was the fire pit guy that brought us the charcoals to grill on. He really thought we were funny and kept laughing. In fact, all the servers had to stop by and take a look at the crazy Americans in the corner! Once again, we had no idea what they were saying, so we just smiled and kept eating. We really enjoyed our off day together and had fun trying some new things. Hope all is well and I'm sure we'll have another crazy adventure tomorrow! May 28, 2008 Ricky's First Win
I am so glad that we made it to the game tonight. The kids refused to nap again today, but they did lay and watch a movie. We didn't go until the 5th inning and we were winning when we got there. The other team tied it up and it was 4-4 in the 9th. Ricky had been tossing the ball around but didn't warm up or anything. They formed a huddle and told him he's going in. He did great and they came back and won it in the bottom of the 9th.
It was very exciting and the crowd was going crazy. The kids were screaming and blowing these loud horns someone gave them. (Which they continued to blow all the way to the bus. I must thank those people the next time we see them!!) The neatest thing is that both teams line up and bow to the stands after the game.
The kids had a ball and loved getting to see daddy pitch in person tonight. And thank the Lord Riley finally got to see the Lion and meet him. He still asks about Buddy Bat in Ol Tucky, as he calls it. Now he has a new mascot to ask about all the time. The kids cracked up when they saw him riding around on a scooter. Only in Taiwan!!!
May 28, 2008 Hey everyone! No real exciting news here, we are adjusting into our schedule of school and baseball. The kids are still loving school and Riley is doing ok on the potty training. He wears underwear to school every day and usually has 1 accident while he's there. They really do not mind and tell me to keep trying. He does ok here, but I do give in and put him in a pull up for nap time and when we leave. I'm not ready for accidents in bed, especially since I have to wash the sheets and hang them to dry! Lily is having fun and being a big helper at school with Riley. She is really enjoying learning Chinese, and we try to learn one new word or phrase a day. Today we learned Excuse Me, which is dway boo chee. That is written out phonetically in English. We also learned that it can be said for sorrry. We surely need that word in this house!! There is a game tonight and we are going to head out in the 5th inning. There is no way the kids will make it through a whole game. It is so hot and humid here. I can only describe it as the worst humidity I've ever been in. You automatically sweat the minute you are outside. Poor Riley has really struggled the most with this. They were concerned about him at school getting so very hot, so they even turned the air conditioner on in his classroom today. That NEVER happens!!! They said he was moody and they thought it was because he was so hot. Poor guy. Everyone keeps saying this is cool compared to the summer, so I can only imagine what we it's going to be like then. Other than that, no new news here. I will update later tonight or tomorrow morning with some pics from the game. Hope all is well and we miss you all! May 27, 2008 Ricky pitched the last game on the road trip and got the loss. He pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up 2 runs. So as of right now he has pitched 5 innings and has 6 strikeouts, 2 walks, 2 hits, and 2 runs. I'm sure I'll have better news to report for his next outing =) The kids are very excited to finally get to another ball game tonight. They are home for one week this time. Yeah!
May 26, 2008 The Top Ten Things I've Learned in Taiwan 1. Always watch where you are walking. You never know what you may trip over. 2. When you need to cross the street, pretend you are playing frogger. 3. If there are no parking spots, you may park your scooter anywhere. 4. Always hold Riley's nose when he has just eaten or else his lunch may end up on the steps of the apartment complex. The above smell may come out of nowhere, so always be prepared. 5. Do NOT let your kids jump in the puddles. Most likely, the puddle is NOT rain water! EWWWW! 6. It does not matter if the kids pick out their own clothes here to leave the house. They will fit in whether they match or not! 7. When you drive a scooter, you must cover your mouth, hands, and arms. If you do not have arm covers, you may wear your jacket backwards. Very strange. 8. Corn dogs here are made with some foreign orange meat. Do not order them. 9. It is perfectly acceptable for a family of four to ride on a scooter. This includes newborn infants in a Snugli. You may also let the family dog join also. 10. Above mentioned dog can ride on the handlebars and steer if needed!!!
May 25, 2008 Just wanted to let everyone know that Ricky pitched again tonight. He threw 2 innings and had 2 strikeouts. He gave up one hit. I took pictures of him throwing on the tv. I know it sounds funny, but they actually turned out good. Enjoy!
Good night! May 25, 2008 You want me to try what?!? I knew it was bound to happen and it finally did. I was dreading it but knew the time would come when I would have to try something that was offered to me. It is very rude to at least not try something when it is offered, so I have been mentally preparing myself. Every day we pass this little store that says Nutrition Club on the front. The man that owns it wears a shirt that says Herbalife, so I assume that is what he sells. He has given us glasses of tea before and it is very good. He has two little birds in a cage in the front and some fish inside the store, and the kids always have to stop and look at them. Well, yesterday he wanted to give Lily and Riley some dinosaur candies (aka vitamins) for her birthday. So we go in and he asked if he could take our picture. That is very common around here, so I said sure. That's when he goes behind the bar and starts making a drink for us to share in the picture. My stomach started to turn. I knew there was no turning back now. This man, Sin(pronounced Sheen) and his wife Patty, have been very gracious to us. So I sit down and suck it up and take the drink from him. However, he had poured 3 glasses, Lily and Riley each had there own. The first thing that threw me off was that it was warm. Not what I pictured. Lily looked at me and told me to try it first. Now, Sin has his camera on us and I can't wait to see the pics of my face. I tried so hard not to gag. It was the texture of oatmeal and was horrible. I smiled and asked him what was in it, and he told me soy milk. I don't know what else he said and I didn't want to ask him to repeat it. Lily did try it and didn't like it and so did Riley. Everybody knows that Riley will eat or drink anything, so you know it was bad. It wasn't so much the taste, more of the texture. I managed to choke down half of it as he tells me that they do not waste anything. I felt bad leaving the other two glasses full, but there was NO way the kids were going to drink anymore. So, I tried something totally new and survived! We stopped by and saw him again this morning, but surprisingly he didn't offer us that smoothie again, just tea. Maybe he took a look at his pictures!
May 25, 2008 McDonalds's...The same in Every Language Okay, I have to admit that I was extremely excited that Lily decided that she wanted Mickey D's for her birthday. I was a little anxious to take the kids by myself, because it is in a very busy part of town. However, I strapped them in their animal buddies and off we went. It really is only a couple of miles from the apartment, but you couldn't walk there. The sidewalks are busy and crowded. It would have taken forever! The driver let us out in front of McDonalds and in we went. The menu was different for the most part, but had a few of the same things.
I saw a cheeseburger, nuggets, fish sandwich, and Big Mac that we recognized. Lily got a nugget happy meal with sprite and Riley got a cheeseburger happy meal with sprite.
I got a big mac meal with a coke. I think I actually ate all of my calories yesterday =) I was a little apprehensive, but it tasted wonderful! Afterwards, our goal was to find a watch for Ricky. We had to cross the busiest street I've seen yet, and there are no walk signals. It was scary. Lily screamed the whole way across and Riley tripped and fell and I was dragging him by the tail of his animal buddy. It felt as though we were moving in slow motion. I know that everyone there was laughing at us, but it's ok, because we had no idea what they were saying. After we finally made it across, I start looking for the watch shop that Ricky said "you can't miss." Come to find out you can miss it! I couldn't find it for the life of me. Now imagine, me dragging the kids around by their animal buddies in 95 degree weather. We were all cranky, hot, and had bellies full of mickey d's. I was trying to read the signs (yeah right) and this lady at a pineapple stand on the corner starts talking to the kids. She spoke a little english, so I asked her where I could get a watch. She points out the store and guess where it it...on the other side of the street!! Are you kidding me? I told her that we were scared to cross again and she starts yelling at us, "Go now! Go now! Run! Run!" So the kids and I took off, again, and sprinted across the street. This time we were all three screaming, and we made it safely across! We cracked up when we finally stopped to breathe. We did find the store with the watches, and Lily picked out a little kitty cat wallet and stuffed elephant for her birthday. I finally found the starbucks and took a picture, but didn't get one. It was on the other side of the street and there was NO way that I was crossing again. Now I know where it is and will go without the kids next time! When we got back to the apartment it was about 1:00 and nap time. All three of us napped until 5:00! Wow! We were going to go to the park with grass, but I had enough adventure for one day. We went to pick out a cake at the cafe and Lily picked out a chocolate mousse cake that had 5 strawberries! Perfect. The lady even gave us a five candle to put on top! She was very sweet. All in all, I think that she had a bday that she will never forget. Daddy doesn't come home until Monday night, and she is excited to celebrate with daddy when he gets back. May 24, 2008 Happy Birthday Lily! I just wanted to update quickly and let everyone know that Ricky finally pitched last night. He threw two innings and got the save! YEAH!!!! He struck out the side in the eighth on 12 pitches and had one more strike out in the ninth. Praise God! Lily wants McDonalds for her bday lunch today, so we will go for the first time since we've been here. As long as the sun stays out we are going to head to the park with grass. She also wants to go pick out her bday cake. Have a great day! May 23, 2008 Through the Eyes of a Child I just had to share this quick story because I think there is a great lesson to be learned. In the courtyard where the kids ride their bikes there are lots of little shops that line it. One of the shops is a barbershop that is owned by a man that has 3 little dogs in a cage in the front. He is out there all the time and we pass him every day. A couple of days ago Lily asked me why the man never smiles or say hi. Can you tell that they are used to being superstars here? I just told her that not all people are friendly. She then told me that she was going to wave and smile every time that we pass because God wants us to love everybody. How precious is that? So, everyday without fail she has waved and smiled, and we pass him numerous times throughout the day. Well, persistence pays off. Just as we were coming up the last time to head up to the apartment tonight, he smiled and waved back. If only we looked at life through the eye's of a child! She was thrilled and told me "See Mommy! He is nice. He just needed us to smile and wave at him." My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:12,13
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