New Discoveries on the other side of the world

"After Dark" by Haruki Murakami (book club discussion)

2011-02-24T23:57:00.000-08:00

Book club discussion questions for: After Dark by Haruki Murakami

Main Characters
• Mari Asai – girl in Denny’s (protagonist), speaks Chinese
• Eri Asai – Mari’s sister who is sleeping throughout the book
• Tetsuya Takahashi – (protagonist), has a crush on Eri, belongs to a band
• Kaoru – manager of Hotel Alphaville (Love Hotel) who asked Mari to help translate when she encountered a Chinese prostitute who was badly beaten
• Shirakawa – man who was photographed by the surveillance camera at the Hotel Alphaville – the man in the light gray trench coat who took the key to room 404

1. What do you think about the narrative style used in this book? Do you think this was intended or a result of the translation?
2. What is the role of music in this novel? Does this “soundtrack” add to the emotion of the book?
3. What is the symbolism (or is it supernatural) of the unplugged tv in Eri’s room that works anyway?
4. Why is it that Mari is awake at night and that her sister sleeps obliviously into the night? Is there a reason for her insomnia?
5. Why is Denny’s often considered a place for insomniacs to convene in the middle of the night? Is it because it is open 24 hours so it creates more insomniacs? How would you describe people who shop at 24 hour grocery stores, fast food places in the middle of the night? Are they “hiding?”
6. How do you define the difference between a dream and reality?
7. What does this quote symbolize? Takahashi: “It’s not as if our lives are divided simply into light and dark. There’s a shadowy middle ground. Recognizing and understanding the shadows is what a healthy intelligence does”
8. Had this book been translated by another person or if we had read the book in Japanese (assuming we spoke it), do you think reading the book would have had a different feeling?

Here are some more book club questions that I came up with:

1. What do you think the theme of the book was? Was this was more of a mood-based noir book that touched upon our senses rather than reality? (the adjectives, the jazz music soundtrack, trying to find the criminal...)
2. This book focused a lot on contrasts: the conscious and unconscious, day and night, dream and reality, good and bad....what are some examples/symbols that show this?
3. What do YOU guys think takes place during the night? (what activities, types of people, crime, professions, etc) Are most of these things associated with "bad?"
4. What's up with the "Man with no face" on the tv watching Eri sleeping?! So creepy....
5. Debb referenced "Sleeping Beauty" earlier....so we'll probably discuss this as well!
6. What was ironic about Mari falling asleep in Hotel Alphaville?

Feel free to email me to add your own questions to the list. Or discuss your favorite quotes/paragraphs!

Interesting quotes/passages:
Chapter 10 - 3 : 2 5 A . M . –

• our mind desires to make things concrete

We don't know the reason. We sense, however, through a certain kind of intuition, that
something is there. Something alive. It lurks beneath the surface of the water, expunging any sense of its presence. We keep our eyes trained on the motionless image, hoping to ascertain the position of this thing we cannot see.

• We want to speculate upon its meaning based on something more concrete.

It's not that difficult once we make up our mind. All we
have to do is separate from the flesh, leave all substance
behind, and allow ourselves to become a conceptual point
of view devoid of mass. With that accomplished, we can
pass through any wall, leap over any abyss. Which is
exactly what we do. We let ourselves become a pure
single point and pass through the TV screen separating
the two worlds, moving from this side to the other. When
we pass through the wall and leap the abyss, the world
undergoes a great deformation, splits and crumbles, and
is momentarily gone. Everything turns into fine, pure
dust that scatters in all directions. And then the world is
reconstructed. A new substance surrounds us. And all of
this takes but the blink of an eye.

It's chilly and smells faintly of mould. The silence is so deep it hurts
our ears. No one is here, nor do we sense the presence of
something lurking in here. If there was such a thing here
before, it has long since departed. We are the only ones
here now—we and Eri Asai.

• Struggles between sleep and consciousness

Waves of thought are stirring. In a twilight corner of her consciousness, one
tiny fragment and another tiny fragment call out
wordlessly to each other, their spreading ripples intermingling.
The process takes place before our eyes. A unit
of thought begins to form this way. Then it links with
another unit that has been made in another region, and
the fundamental system of self-awareness takes shape.

Her consciousness seems to resist awakening.
What it wants to do is exclude the encroaching world of
reality and go on sleeping without end in a soft, enigmatic
darkness. By contrast, her bodily functions seek positive
awakening. They long for fresh natural light. These two
opposing forces clash within her, but the final victory
belongs to the power source that indicates awakening.

Time plays an important role, as when a person has been moved into
a room with vastly different atmospheric pressure and
must allow the bodily functions to adjust. Her consciousness
recognises that unavoidable changes have begun,
and it struggles to accept them.

3 : 4 2 A . M . –

Pills, therapists, psychiatrists

Takahashi goes on, "While she was talking to me, Eri
was popping every kind of pill you can imagine. Her
Prada bag was stuffed with drugs, and while she was
drinking her Bloody Mary she was munching 'em like
nuts. I'm pretty sure they were legal drugs, but the
amount was not normal."

"She's a total pill freak. Always has been. But she's been
getting worse."

"Somebody should stop her."
Mari shakes her head. "Pills and fortune-telling and
dieting: nobody can stop her when it comes to any of
those things."

"I kind of hinted to her she maybe ought to see a
specialist—a therapist or psychiatrist or something. But
she had absolutely no intention of doing that as far as I
could tell. I mean, she didn't even seem to realise she had
anything going on inside her. I really started getting
worried about her. I'm sitting there thinking, What could
have happened to Eri Asai?"

Takahashi is not quite sure how to respond. " B u t…
let's s e e… I'm sitting there having this long talk with
your sister and, like, I begin to get this, uh, weird feeling.
At first I don't notice just how weird it is, but the more
time that goes by, the stronger it gets, like, I'm not even
here: I'm not included in what's going on here. She's
sitting right there in front of me, but at the same time
she's a million miles away."

4:33am –

• Memory Drawers

"I think about the old days a lot. Especially after I
started running all over the country like this. If I try hard
to remember, all kinds of stuff comes back—really vivid
memories. All of a sudden out of nowhere I can bring
back things I haven't thought about for years. It's pretty
interesting. Memory is so crazy! It's like we've got these
drawers crammed with tons of useless stuff. Meanwhile,
all the really important things we just keep forgetting, one
after the other."

Korogi stands there holding the remote control.
"You know what I think?" she says. "That people's
memories are maybe the fuel they burn to stay alive.
Whether those memories have any actual importance or not, it doesn't matter as far as the maintenance of life is concerned. They're all just fuel.

To the fire, they're nothing but scraps of paper. It's the exact same
thing. Important memories, not-so-important memories,
totally useless memories: there's no distinction—they're
all just fuel."

"You know, I think if I didn't have that fuel, if I didn't
have these memory drawers inside me, I would've
snapped a long time ago. I would've curled up in a ditch
somewhere and died. It's because I can pull the memories
out of the drawers when I have to—the important ones
and the useless ones—that I can go on living this
nightmare of a life. I might think I can't take it any more,
that I can't go on any more, but one way or another I get
past that."

5:09am –

• a cycle has been completed

In any case it appears that the strange sequence of
events that occurred in this room during the night has
ended once and for all. A cycle has been completed, all
disturbances have been resolved, perplexities have been
concealed, and things have returned to their original
state. Around us, cause and effect join hands, and synthesis
and division maintain their equilibrium. Everything,
finally, unfolded in a place resembling a deep,
inaccessible fissure. Such places open secret entries into
darkness in the interval between midnight and the time
the sky grows light. None of our principles has any effect
there. No one can predict when or where such abysses
will swallow people, or when or where they will spit them
out.

5:38am –

• our lives are not divided into light and dark, there is this shadowy middle ground

Takahashi swings his trombone case from his right
shoulder to his left. Then he says, "It's not as if our
lives are divided simply into light and dark. There's a
shadowy middle ground. Recognising and understanding
the shadows is what a healthy intelligence does. And to
acquire a healthy intelligence takes a certain amount of
time and effort. I don't think you have a particularly dark
character."

References to artist Edward Hopper
Loneliness (as referenced several times in the book)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Hopper
With his paintings, Hopper paid particular attention to geometrical design and the careful placement of human figures in proper balance with their environment. The effective use of light and shadow to create mood is also central to Hopper’s methods. Bright sunlight (as an emblem of insight or revelation), and the shadows it casts, also play symbolically powerful roles in Hopper paintings such as Early Sunday Morning (1930), Summertime (1943), Seven A.M. (1948), and Sun in an Empty Room (1963). His use of light and shadow effects have been compared to the cinematography of film noir.[48]

Most of Hopper's figure paintings focus on the subtle interaction of human beings with their environment—carried out with solo figures, couples, or groups. His primary emotional themes are solitude, loneliness, regret, boredom, and resignation.

Some random guy’s book club discussion (and I can’t view these links without vpn)
http://www.urbanmonarch.com/um-book-club-after-dark-by-haruki-murakami-part-i/
http://www.urbanmonarch.com/um-book-club-after-dark-by-haruki-murakami-part-ii/
http://www.urbanmonarch.com/um-book-club-after-dark-by-haruki-murakami-part-iiI/
http://www.urbanmonarch.com/um-book-club-after-dark-by-haruki-murakami-part-iv/

Reviews for the book:
http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/murakamih/afterdark.htm

The next few years of my life...

2009-02-20T09:03:00.000-08:00

In 1981, my sister was born in Oklahoma...(I wonder if she liked clowns back then?)

Trying to be cute but really had some devious masterplan in mind..

Christina and I in our favorite papasan chair in Oklahoma!

This was my trip to the Philippines when I was about 3 or 4. Unfortunately, it was the ONLY time I went to the Philippines and met my grandparents on my dad's side! :(

This was on the same trip to the Philippines and this was taken in Taiwan. I have no memories of taking this picture whatsoever!

Pic with Santa - 1986

Taken at Disneyland...have no idea the exact year!

This was a fun day and I still remember it! We brought Brownie to school! :)

Halloween 1988...

Halloween with my mom...LOL..

Amy and I....we've been friends since 2nd grade!

Here's a picture of Amy and I taken in 2005! Its a then and now comparison! LOL.

At the Sacramento Zoo...why is Christina the only one smiling?

San Francisco...I remember being embarrassed to wear glasses at school!

Christmas 1986-87?? I can't remember...

My mom made my sister and I take tap dancing classes...

Trip to Canada...don't I look happy...hee, hee..

I liked to take part in plays in elementary school...!

These are some pictures of my childhood - elementary school years. Net up: the teenager years! :) Sorry about the size issues...I need to go back and change them.

Happy 30th Birthday to me!

2009-02-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

I will start doing random posts from different events in my life. Wow, 30 years! So many memories...how time flies!

Irene, the baby years

This is the day I was born. Haha. I don't really remember what I was thinking that day so I can't talk about it. I was born in Lemoore, California. Yes, Lemoore not Livermore!

I guess my love of Barbies and hippos started at an early age?

My cousin Margie and I love this picture so much because its so vintage! The other people in the picture are my Uncle Mars, Auntie Vangie and my mom! I think this picture was taken in San Diego, CA!

A picture of my dad and me! In Oklahoma..

This is a picture of me next to the building where the tragedy took place in Oklahoma! A bit creepy...but I look happy and innocent in this pic! :)

A picture of me trying to ride my trike...and contemplating and being stubborn (as usual!)This was taken in Oklahoma..

More to come! I'll try to update when I can but I am having problems logging in to www.blogger.com! :(

Happy Day of Love!

2009-02-13T11:11:00.001-08:00

Its been a while but I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! I folded (with the help of Jerry) 100 origami irises in honor of the spirit of love and what it inspires! And I truly believe that "love conquers all." I can't help it! I am a helpless romantic!

Chinese New Year's just passed. It wasn't filled with many people or family but we still had a good time and cooked and ate traditional Chinese New Year foods. There were tons of fireworks!

This was a yummy dinner which contains traditional foods of beans, fish and chicken!

Fireworks from the balcony! Fireworks sporadically going off for the pat 15 days! It sure is quiet now!

This is my take on "East Meets West" holiday celebrations! :)

I have been on a 5 week break from school. Last semester was pretty hectic as I was working past my workload. So I didn't really have time to do much besides prepare lessons. :( They didn't pay us for winter holiday this year (as we are now paid by classes we teach) so I didn't have much money to spend during this break to travel or entertain myself. Therefore, I found free entertainment in the Facebook game, Pet Society. I have learned a lot about my bad spending habits and inability to keep a budget from this game as well! LOL.

I can finally access blogger again. But I've lost the daily routine habit to blog now! :( I'll try to be better about it now. I'm turing the big 3-0 in a few weeks!! Ack!

Back from America!

2008-08-31T19:26:00.001-07:00

Do people still read my blog? Haha. I went back to America for 5 short weeks and had a great time seeing family, old friends and traveling around. I went to Las Vegas, Seattle, and San Diego! I also went to San Francisco and Auburn on day trips. Many lives of my family and friends have changed - engagements, babies, new homes. Boy, does time fly! I'm back in Beijing now and the new schoolyear has just begun today! Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday to me! LOL!

2008-03-07T07:22:00.000-08:00

Hahaha...Before my birthday (Friday - Leap Day!), Jerry and I shared an "early" birthday meal at Paul's Steak and Eggs! SO, SO, SO, GOOD! I got a Chicken Cajun Sub, potato skins, Jerry had a breakfast sandwich and a meatball sub....MMMM....I wish I brought my camera but I was too hungry to consider that at the time. I live in the 5th ring area of Beijing and Paul's is in the 3rd ring - near the Friendship Store!

On my actual birthday, I went to the HouHai (Back seas) area of Beijing to celebrate my birthday with two friends, Rodin and Corrina. We walked, talked and ate traditional Beijing snacks! Then went shopping! It was a fun day! Then I had coffee, cake and birthday flowers with Bond and Jerry! :) Hey, I should celebrate the whole month! LOL!

HouHai

Aye, to be a child again!

Birthday cake and flowers! (My eyes look sleepy due to some weird skin "chapping" on my eyelids and corner of my eyes! It stings!)

Back from a six month retirement!

2008-03-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hello again...

What's new since I last posted? Hmm..let me think. I went to Dalian, China (so nice to be by the sea!) in October for China's National Holiday. Then had a series of holiday events and home-parties such Halloween "horror movie" night, Thanksgiving dinner at Paul's Steak and Eggs, "Something Red" gift exchange, Christmas turkey dinner and Chinese New Year's! I'm pretty partied-out at the moment! My friend, Allen, also created "Euro Club" and we had a weekly dinner to practice our Native European/Western Languages. The intended goal was to practice another Western language and not continuously speak our native languages but that wasn't always the case! Its now 2008...and I hope it will be an awesome year for everyone! It really hurt my motivation to keep this blog updated when I realized that I needed to use a proxy to view it...why put a firewall on someone's travel diaries?

Here's some photos:

Dalian, China

A four day tour around the beautiful coastal city of Dalian! Took a rather "rip-off" taxi tour around the local beaches, then went to the Aquariums (3 of them in one "rip-off" package). I really enjoyed the aquariums and was able to see Emperor Penguins and sea turtles! I loved all the animals there! Just wish they had a more natural living environment - unless, of course, they couldn't take care of themselves in the wild. The area were these aquariums were located felt like the Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk! Went to the "Golden Pebble Beach" where there is a Disneyland knock-off called "Happy Kingdom." Many people take their wedding photos there, especially at "The Sea of Love" park! Really beautiful stone figures (such as "dinosaur drinking" rock and "turtle looking for son" rock) and blue waters. There was this young-looking animated and energetic lady who was in her 60's! She was MY IDOL! I hope to have the stamina to travel the world, as she is, when I reach her age! There is also a "Russian Street."

"Golden Pebble Beach" in Dalian, China

The windmills remind me of a fairytale land where dreams come true and stories have happy endings...

Dinosaur drinking rock

Turtle looking for it's son rock

The "tram" to the "Happy Kingdom"

"Happy Kingdom" - LOL

"Something Red" Gift Exchange

Everyone had to bring a gift that was "red"...

The girls

The guys

"Mini" Growing Christmas Tree

The "second" and "last" time it snowed in Beijing of 2007...

EURO CLUB GANG

There was a mixture of Germans, Chinese, a Canadian and of course, Americans!

I sure miss these people! :)

European Memories from Tianjin, China

2007-09-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

I had a fun time in Tianjin, China yesterday. The day started off at
5am and we arrived at the Beijing Train station at 6:30am.Our train
was at 6:50am. We arrived in Tianjin, China around 8am. The train was
like an airplane seating...with row seats and pull down trays for
food, if needed.

Sunrise at the Beijing Train Station

Once we got to the city, we were lost for ideas. We ended up eating
breakfast and went to the Ancient goods area. Afterwards, we walked
over the bridge of the Hai River (literally, Sea River--it leads to
the sea). It was a very charming, European sight with European
architecture.Heavy French influence. There were even little boats!

Then we went to Tianjin's famous restaurant, Gou Bu Li,
which is famous for their steamed buns. Really pricey and not worth
the hype, as it always is.

(We didn't eat at this location though!)

Not just any baozi - it's GOU BU LI bao zi! :)

Here's one of the more "ancient" looking areas in Tianjin.

Then we walked along Tianjin's "bu xing jie"--shopping district--(literally means street for walking to go shopping!). But, its huge and never-ending so they have cars that disrupt the "walking street." Boo!

After that, we decided to go to UBC coffee and sat for a while and rested. (We got train tickets back to Beijing that day for 10:17PM) Then went back to Buxingjie and enjoyed the nightscapes of Tianjin. Very Parisian and Venetian feel.

There was a guy who lit tealights in small dixie cups that spelled out "I (heart) U." Then there were fireworks and some girl got a bouquet of flowers. I think
it was a marriage proposal! Hehe. A romantic setting! :)

We arrived in Beijing at 11PM and took a long "taxi ride" (a Tori Amos
song) back home to Tongzhou (which is a suburb of Beijing). Much like
Folsom is to Downtown Sacramento. The taxi driver complained because it was so far
and he probably wouldn't get any passengers on his way back to Downtown Beijing. LOL.

~`RIP to the 9-11 victims and Addio to Lucenzo Pavarotti~

Alas, a new school year begins!

2007-09-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the official date for a new school year at Beijing Wuzi University! I am teaching Oral English for both Freshmen and Sophomores ( 8 individual classes total; 4 classes per grade level; each class repeats 4 times) as well as a Reading class for sophomore (non-English) majors. I am a little anxious as to how these new groups of students will interact. We'll soon find out! :)

Hey! I found a website for Vegetarians in China!

2007-08-31T05:34:00.000-07:00

Since I don't really eat meat besides fish and chicken, this website is useful!

Information for Vegetarians Travelling to China

Which of these songs is most poetic to you?

2007-08-29T05:31:00.000-07:00

I've recently been obsessed with http://www.songmeanings.net/

Anyways, here are a few tunes from www.youtube.com that have always struck a chord with me. (However cheesy they seem to be!) What strikes your cords?

"Collide" by Howie Day

"Far Away" by Nickelback (with clips from Pride and Prejudice)

"Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol

"I Never Had A Dream Come True" by S Club 7

"The Heart of the Matter" by Don Henly (clips from Gilmore Girls)

"White Flag" by Dido (With clips from Smallville--"Lana still loves Clark")

"A Sorta Fairytale" by Tori Amos

"Raspberry Swirl" by Tori Amos

"She Will be loved" by Maroon V

"Cool" by Gwen Stefani

"Taxi Ride" by Tori Amos

"Amber" by 311

"LoveSong" by The Cure

"Ice Dance" in Edward Scissorhands

"Take Me As I Am" from Jekyll and Hyde"(ironically, the clips are from another one of my favorite musicals, "The Phantom of the Opera")

"Somebody" by Depeche Mode

"The Reason" by Hoobastank (you didn't think I would leave this one out, did you? haha...)

The Perfect Iced Mocha recipe?

2007-08-27T02:55:00.000-07:00

(So the secret is to freeze the coffee ahead of time?)

INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/2 cups cold coffee
* 2 cups milk
* 1/4 cup chocolate syrup
* 1/4 cup white sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Pour coffee into ice cube tray. Freeze until solid, or overnight.
2. In a blender, combine coffee ice cubes, milk, chocolate syrup and sugar. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Iced-Mochas/Detail.aspx

“Dance Like No One Is Watching”by Tania Tyler

2007-08-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

“ Work like you don’t need the money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like no one is watching.” --- Satchel Paige

What a great philosophy to travel through life’s journey with! It was interesting to receive this quote in an email this week as I have told many people “you just need to dance as though no one is watching.” This statement can be taken literally – go out dancing and just let your spirit soar, enjoy yourself, have fun – or, figuratively – dance through life and just let your spirit soar, enjoy yourself, have fun … does it really matter what other’s think? I’m not talking about throwing away all responsibilities (we do live in a real world), but rather about taking time to be or explore who we are. Work on finding a balance. Be true to yourself, don’t live your life to please others. Live to please yourself and others will be pleased. Emotions are infectious; why not spread happiness, joy and love?

Take the time to watch a seagull in flight. Some days, depending on the weather, they appear to just float, soar and really enjoy themselves. Watch again on a windy day, they have to work a little harder to get where they’re going. Notice how when the weather gets stormy, they land and just hang out for a while. Here’s a quote from “ Jonathan Livingston Seagull” by Richard Bach: “Seagulls, as you know, never falter, never stall. To stall in the air is for them disgrace and it is dishonor. But Jonathan Livingston Seagull, unashamed, stretching his wings again in the trembling hard curve – slowing, slowing, and stalling once more – was no ordinary bird.” Next time you get to a stormy day, read this book again as an adult. Everyday brings something new; learn to notice something new each day. Life will always be filled with challenges, make the best of them. Enjoy life, be happy. Go with the flow.

As we learn to “work like you don’t need money”, our jobs become less of a burden or struggle. Isn’t life more pleasurable when you are doing something you enjoy rather than something you “have to”? Look upon work as something rewarding. Money isn’t everything. Take pride in your tasks, be the best you can at what you do. Smile more. Try this for a couple of days; watch your job transform into something more enjoyable. Chances are, more money will also come your way. Just imagine the difference in tips for a waiter/waitress who smiles and makes their job more enjoyable compared to the person that really doesn’t want to be there. Or the possible job promotions when you put your best foot forward.

Now, the tough part – “love like you’ve never been hurt”. Everyone is unique, every relationship is unique. Give that person every opportunity; don’t compare them or limit the relationship because of fears from the past. Learn from the past. Release yourself from the past. Live the present moment. Don’t look back and don’t look forward. What you have is right now. It’s guaranteed that if you expect to be hurt, you’ll find it. Openness, understanding and honesty are important aspects to any relationship; they reduce expectations and allow us to “see it as it is”. People change, they grow. Love involves allowing the other to grow, to be who they are – to accept the possibility that you don’t walk the same path anymore. Love may not last forever but if you enjoy every minute you have of it and can look back without regrets … we are all here to live life to it’s fullest, to learn from it’s lessons. Everyone has something to share, be it good or bad. It is up to us to determine how fully we experience living.

So, now let’s tie this philosophy to a health column. By living our lives more in tune with our natural spirit, we add more balance into our lives, our bodies are more at ease – not dis-ease. Stress levels reduce. With a reduction of stress, blood pressures reduce, sleep routines become more restful, digestion problems subside, tension headaches disappear; anxiety, nervousness, and depression reduce … the possibilities are endless. Take the time to enjoy life.

Time waits for no one …

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured and far away.” – Henry David Thoreau

Eating Right

2007-08-22T01:07:00.001-07:00

Subject: Eating right

Yesterday I went to the doctor for my yearly physical.

My blood pressure was high, my cholesterol was high, I'd gained some weight,
and I didn't feel so hot.

My doctor said eating right doesn't have to be complicated and it would
solve my physical problems. He said just think in colors; Fill your plate
with bright colors; greens, yellows, reds, etc.

I went right home and ate an entire bowl of M&M's and sure enough, I
felt better immediately. I never knew eating right could be so easy.

Looking beyond the surface...

2007-08-22T00:48:00.001-07:00

Hello everybody!

I am back in Beijing, ChinaL now! The flight was boring but I was able to watch 4 episodes of "Supernatural" on my portable DVD player before the battery ran out of juice! Its a bit quiet and lonely here by myself after all the people and activities I have done these past five weeks in California! But, I'm looking forward to a new school year with more experience of how to prepare for courses and the things that makes classroom teaching more successful and those things to avoid or not forget to do! Such as write everything on the board as you say it but don't put students with other students that will put them down. Almost have to be a coach as a teacher and pay attention to how students interact with each other.

Anyhow, I just wanted to comment on the fact that the school is trying really hard to "look good" for the upcoming evaluation in October 2007. But don't they realize that "looking good" will never work if what's beyond the surface is less than perfect, decaying even? If the teaching strategies and courses aren't organized, if the tree roots are growing over underground pipes, if people get short term release but not long term? I agree that one should "live for the moment" but to a certain extent!!! You can't just chop down trees to make the alley more beautiful and replant them later. You gotta think beyond the here and now....and look past the surface level. And just because one looks a certain way....of a certain color, dress, physical size...that doesn't mean that you should treat them based on your assumptions of them! "Oh, you're Chinese-looking...so you can't be from America. When did you emmigrate to America?" That's the dilemma of minority-Americans whose parents were from a different country but whose generation were born and raised in America...I don't identify myself as "Chinese" by nationality but yet I am not exactly viewed as "American" here either. The identity dilemma of someone not only of mixed cultures...but of three different nationalities....

Oh, another point. I was bored and...uhmmm...eavesdropping on another person's conversation while waiting to board the plane at the airport. The lady commented to another lady, "Americans aren't so rich as they seem. There may even a bigger percentage of Chinese richer than rich Americans. They [Americans] like to spend more so they seem richer while we [Chinese] tend to save money and don't spend it. Americans have their problems just like us." The other lady replied "Well, China is also a bigger country than America so you have to think about the ratio of population if you were to compare China to the US in terms of poverty and economy." Interesting. I'm glad that they were able to open their eyes to the fact that America is not the glamourized Beverly Hills 90210 lifestyle that disillusion its foreign viewers. Anyways, its human nature to have pride for our ancestry, religion, family, jobs, accomplishments and our hometowns. Its only natural. I would find one a little bit odd if they didn't have pride for any of the above!

Greetings from Sacramento!

2007-07-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

This is a summary of what I have done these past five weeks:

1. Hiking in Fallen Leaf Lake in Tahoe, buffet at Harrah's Casino

Nice relaxing, beautiful hike and ate too much at the buffet!

2. Leatherby's Ice Cream (twice)

Yummy swirls of caramel, ice cream and my favorite, pineapple sauce! :)

3. Black Chasm Caves in Volcano, CA

It was nice and cool inside! And very cool to see the stalagmites and stalactites.

4. 10 year high school reunion

Unfortunately, just like eating lunch at Senior Square 10 years before...

5. A week in San Diego, CA! :)

Fun times! Went to favorite places, ate a lot of ethnic foods, saw my friends...many friends are pregnant, have new cars...and I twisted my ankle...(its a lot better now)

6. Went to Monterey, CA (To check out the grad school I plan to attend Fall 2008)

It was a nice day filled with clam chowder and school searching...

7. Homemade Italian and Peach Pie night

It was fun and filled with Chicken Alfredo, mashed potatoes, peach pie...yummy!

8. Dad's 5-year Memorial/BBQ

Went to my dad's grave and visited with my Visalia family and then went to Rose Garden. My mom then had a little goodbye bbq later in the evening.

Other than that, it was watch DVDs, clean the garage, and hang around the house and relax and collect things...

(More Photos to come later....)

School year is coming to an end... :(

2007-06-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

Therefore, I have been busy with finals and reviews. Took some class photos as well!

ORAL ENGLISH CLASSES:

Oral English Class 1

“All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages…”--William Shakespeare, As You Like It

William Shakespeare couldn’t have said it any better. Life is a stage and each of us are actors on a big stage performing in a play called “Life.” Some plays need background music to set the mood, some plays need many beautiful cast members and dancers, some plays are solo acts, some plays are musical while some are very serious. Some plays are traditional like Beijing Classical Opera, some are funny, some are romantic and some are tragedies. Some are filled with irony and tears while others are filled with luck and laughter. Some are very mature while other plays are very childlike. Each person performs a different play, has a different soundtrack and different roles.

I will always remember your class as the class of “entertainers.” Each of you performs and stars in your own drama everyday. You may take the stage with your musical talents, with your dancing abilities, your comic natures or even perform intriguing acts that challenge the most inquisitive minds. We have performed many role-plays verging from the mundane to the controversial. As well as discussing topics ranging from the widely-accepted to the most controversial topics; topics involving both educational and social topics. Although we may come from different cities, countries, speak different dialects and languages—we share many of the same interests, dreams, and hearts of gold. Remember the words of Horace Walpole “The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.” This life-changing dramatic experience has left a profound mark in my heart. I will never forget you guys. Please keep in touch and update me on the next “scene” of your life dramas!

Oral English Class 2

Starfish Story

From The Star Thrower (1979)
by Loren Eiseley.

An old man was picking up objects off the beach and tossing them out into the sea. A young man approached him and saw that the objects were starfish. "Why in the world are you throwing starfish into the water?"

"If the starfish are still on the beach when the tide goes out and the sun rises high in the sky, they will die," replied the old man.

"That is ridiculous. There are thousands of miles of beach and millions of starfish. You can't really believe that what you're doing could possibly make a difference!"

The wise old man picked up another starfish, paused thoughtfully, and remarked as he tossed it out into the waves, "It makes a difference to this one."

The moral of the story is to NEVER give up no matter how hard the situation may seem. I have enjoyed teaching and learning from all of you; the special shells and starfish from the sea. I have many fond memories of our class together. Many interesting discussions and role-plays! Perhaps, the most inspiring class was the class when all the students read the same Chinese characters but with different dialects (Hubei, Shanxi, Chongqing, etc)! Its such a wondrous emotion to discover that although we speak different dialects, languages and come from different places and countries---our interests, dreams and friendships connects us much like the oceans of the world. Please keep me updated on your adventures in life. You have all left footprints in my heart and I will never forget you guys.

Oral English Class 3

There are so many fond and GOOD memories I have from this class. I have enjoyed the role-plays, the discussions and the debates. As well as some Chinese phrases in different dialects like “Chi le e?” and Fujianese. There were some funny names and symbols like Banana, King Kong, Cherry/Melissa, She-She (CeCe) and “Er hai zi” and Dumb-Dumb. This year has been an unforgettable experience that I will cherish forever. I will miss you guys! 

Some of you will indulge in the fortunes of fame and wealth, some of you will enlighten the world as teachers, Some of you will be engineers,famous politicians, musicians or actresses! The sky is the limit and your opportunities are endless!

Thanks for a great year together! Please keep in touch (K.I.T!)

Oral English Class 4

To My Oral English Class 4 Students and Friends:
It has been an unforgettable experience being able to travel with you all on the journey of your lives by taking part in your second year of college at Beijing Wuzi University. Every one of you holds special passports that will lead you on different paths of life. Some of you will climb the business ladder, enter the world of education, enthrall the aesthetic world with your creativity, enchant the entertainment world with your talents and beauty, create new stories with the power of writing, discover the world as scientists and even astound the world as engineers. You may become politicians, TV anchors, journalists, environmentalists, lawyers or even become CEOs of your own business. Perhaps, even materialistically indulge yourselves in the riches of fortune and fame while embracing the priceless, delightful human joys of wedded bliss and parenthood. Or enjoy the simple ways of life, nature and animals. The choices are endless! But every destination requires time and efforts to acquire the proper tickets and proper modes of transportation. We are all passengers on this difficult journey of life but with the help of the right winds we are able to set sail and reach our dreams.

I have enjoyed this time we have spent together immensely. And I have learned a lot from you as well. Our topics have ranged from Western culture to Chinese culture as well as the mundane to extremely controversial topics. This includes tourism, aspects of education, migrant worker rights, the Olympics, holidays, listening to music, debating women’s rights and even, homosexuality. I have enjoyed learning and hearing the same Chinese phrase but in various dialects of Chinese (Such as Chongqing, Hunan, Guangdong, Fujian, Shanghai), useful Chinese idioms and phrases (“Chi le ma?”) and savoring the delicious flavors and aromas of Chinese food (gong bao ji ding, huo guo). This life-changing experience has left a profound mark in my heart. I will never forget you guys. Please keep in touch and update me on your life’s journey.

More Pictures

2007-05-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Beijing Wuzi University Campus:

Photos of Tongzhou County McDonald's "English Corner"
(They announced that I was from Taiwan!?!?)

I promise to write more soon! Topics including: Nezt year's plans, Tongzhou McDonald's "English Corner," Race Vs. Nationality, Should parents be friends with their children, etc.

Recently, I have been busy creating final exam test questions and all that fun end of the year stuff! We had a coffee morning on Saturday at 10AM--"WE" being the foreign teachers. Had "Banana Split Night-Round Two" and watched "The Abandoned" with Kevin and Jacin yesterday.

Banana Split and Horror Movie Night Pictures

Random Mental Madness, Analysis and Reveries...

2007-05-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

I'm Obsessed with Algernon Charles Swinburne's Poetry...
Triumph of Time
---------------------
(The following entries are from aschoom.diaryland.com)

22 Random Facts:
October 14, 2001:
Random Acts of Kindness...

1. Today is my sister, Christina's birthday! Happy 20th Birthday! =) Welcome to your 20's!

2. My mom's luggage has not been found yet. =(

3. Yesterday, I decided to go for a drive to the forest, roughly an hour away from Lake Tahoe. I wanted to see the autumn foliage and collect some leaves. However, I wasn't able to collect many leaves because I didn't feel like stopping on the freeway where everyone could see me picking them! =) Not long after I reach 4,000 feet, my car starts making weird noises. I thought it must have been the road or something. I continue to drive and smell something burning. There was something wrong with my car and not the road! GREAT, I was going to be stuck in the woods by myself!! Anyway, I managed to find a stopping area and realized that smoke was coming from my engine. Some fatherly aged guy examined my car and said that it was probably my transmission leaking. I was thankful because I am an idiot when it comes to cars! He offered to follow me down the mountain to see if my car was leaking and to make sure I didn't break down somewhere. I told him thanks and he replied, "It's just a random act of kindness. Pay it forward." =)

4. In the bookstores, there are tons of books, even a special section, pertaining to the Dalai Lama and Buddhism (quotes, mantras, biographies, etc.). I, myself, am appreciative of his words and these books but I wonder if it isn't because I am also getting swept up by the fad of "alternative spirituality?" I just hope that my interest in Buddhism isn't influenced by pop culture (seeking personal individualism) but rather cultivated through self-interest. Then again, books on the Taliban, Osama Bin Laden and Islam are also current bestsellers. GO FIGURE!

5. I bought my first [expensive, rip-off] CD since arriving in the states yesterday! It was torture but I needed to get over it. I got Tori Amos' "Strange Little Girls." It is indeed a strange CD!

6. There is a book called, The Chinese Guide to Reading Faces. I was looking for the "Buddha face types" but didn't find any! =( Wahhh!

7. I am hungry. I can't believe I went to update my journal first before eating! HOW SAD!!

8. I love my choir class! It's great and I really love the massages! I just wish it wasn't so late in the day.

9. Diaryland is a great procrastination tool! Maybe, TOO great...

10. Anthrax sucks but where is it REALLY coming from? Like I said in my last entry (October 12) (bottom), I think the media and the government are using "subliminal messages" to create this sense of fear.

11. I want to dye my hair purple.

12. I haven't found the motivation to redo my homepage yet. Its just too sad to think about.

13. If "Procrastination" was a major, I'd be a PHD already! =)

14. The weather is too hot for October! C'mon, 90 degrees???

15. My goal for the week is to win the lottery.

16. I should go to the gym.

17. I should eat.

18. I should get off the computer.

19. There are many "I shoulds" in my life.

20. I can't believe I've been home for almost a month now!

21. I still haven't gone into "Toys That Teach" to say hi and to tell them that I work across from them! =( I just don't feel right, especially since they're hiring now!

22. I am going to eat now!
--------------------------------------
April 19, 2002 - 11:15 p.m.

Sometimes when I wander in the dark, I feel eerie chills as the wind whispers into the night air. It's this weird feeling I get whenever I walk alone in unfamiliar places. I stumble across some vulgar smells and then I long to run away and hide. I hate feeling like I have no control of my fears and violence in the world. Why can't we live in a safer world? What is to become of the world in the future? I am too scared to even imagine that.

I love nature. I love the feel of the cold ocean water splashing gently against my feet and the feel of the sand beneath my toes. I love examining the various shapes of tree leaves and marveling at their gigantic height and majestic beauty. I love the elegant solitary mountains who hold their ground in the world no matter what disastrous events occur. The poor animals who find their homes rapidly disappearing everyday. Why can't we live "with" them and not "above" them?

The peaceful pandas, the debonair tigers, the graceful whales...their mission is not to hurt us but just to sustain life...so why do we have to hurt them?

People. There are some I admire, some I just don't understand and some I just can't believe exist in this world. I don't understand certain value systems and I don't understand the rationale behind their motives. What is the purpose of flaunting success or extreme intellect? Who are you trying to impress anyway? Nobody really cares that much about you. On the contrary, it would probably provoke the scorn and disgust of others. Thus, adding to a world already filled with hatred and disgust for each other. UGH! And, I can't stand being betrayed or lied to by people. Or, feeling rejected. Why do human beings have so much power to destroy and hurt every element of planet Earth?

I need to learn to be happy with what I love and what I enjoy. I need to be happy with myself and accept my faults. No one is perfect. I can't have it all and there's no way I can't change it all either. But, that doesn't mean I should ignore everything and put myself in some "regressive" void either. Everyone is different, posessing their own unique traits and, unfortunately, negative qualities. The world is so diverse that way. I should quit being a chameleon and just enjoy the different types of people I encounter in life. I want to meet people with whom I share common interests and not feel threatened by them when I reveal my "true" self. I just don't want to feel like the outsider anymore.

As Anne of Green Gables discovers through her journey of growing up, "It's not what the world brings you, it's what you bring to the world." That's something I want to ponder for now. What can I bring to the world? Hmmm.
---------------------------------------------------------
Patterns

Movement in the water
myriads of circles
shimmers continuously
a leaf falls down
stopping the cycle momentarily
it floats away and follows the current
a rock plunges into the water
destroying the beautiful patterns
The cycle starts over again.
~ILF~3/27/02

Mental Landscapes

Mountains are cold and barren
Nothing there but bitterness and frost
Flowers are perishing from the lack of sun
The beauty of the world slowly fading away
Rivers that once flowed so independently are frozen in place
Isolation and solitude preventing them from resuming their natural roles
The sea no longer contains life and movement
It just remains an empty void longing to be filled with energy again
The sky was once blue with endless boundaries
Grey clouds block any chance of moving on.
~ILF~3/27/02

----------------------------------------------------------------
***Random Poems***

Scattered
Endless memories and thoughts linger in the back of my mind
Echoes of laughter and voices repeat over and over...
The things that were once so close to me are starting to fade away...
Why is everything so scattered?
Where are the pieces of my life?
Leaves of my missing identity disappear as the wind forcibly blows them away...
Bits and pieces of my happiness dissipate into nothingness...
Why is everything so scattered?
Everything seems to fade away...

~ILF~
***
Create your own magnetic poetry at Shocked Poetry!

The poem below is what I came up with! It's kinda lame but it was fun to make!

***
Night Leaves
blood reaper ghastly city fall beautifully leaf change strangely unusually only at trance to who can uniquely walk glimmer cold and unfinished

Phantomesa 03.19.02

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July.22.2002
I have been reading the Oprah Winfrey Website (don't laugh) and it gives some guidelines on how to journal.

* Did something happen to you today that made you upset or joyful?

* What did you discover about yourself or the world?

* Is there something from the past that you wish you could take back or do over to make it right?

* What are your needs? What are your desires?

* What are you most afraid of doing? What are you afraid of not doing?

* What are you curious about? What issues are unresolved for you?

* What do you love to do, experience, and feel? What kinds of things in your life do you want to build on?

* Find a photo or an image. What does it make you feel?

I will answer this question in this Diaryland entry:

* Is there something from the past that you wish you could take back or do over to make it right?

There are many, many things that I wish I could take back or do over to make it right but I guess the consequences are something we have to live with the rest of our lives. But, mainly, if I had the chance to re-do something in my life...it would have to be strengthening my relationship with my father before he got Lymphoma and passed away in the emergency room. I don't think that I will ever forgive myself for being the horrible daughter I was to him but I know I have to allow myself to get over it in order to live a healthy and normal life again. I feel so bad that he lived in that house all by himself, probably feeling so lonely and so uncared for. I'm SO sorry, Daddy, I really wish I knew what you so desperately wanted to say but didn't know how to express in words. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you in your last week...providing you as much comfort and love as possible during your final moments on earth. But, the thing that will always haunt me, Daddy, is your eyes when you were so ill. You were trying to tell me so much more than you could speak. What was it that you wanted to say? I wish you could have said your last words in your final breath of life as they pulled the ventilation tubes from your mouth. I'm so sorry, so very sorry and I don't know if I will ever be able to live my life without knowing what you wanted to say..and without knowing how much I love you and how much I wish I could have been there for you. But, life goes on...and I must learn to forgive myself, too. But, I can't. This journal entry is making me sad and teary eyed so I have to end this now.
------------------------------------
2002-11-25 - 3:25 p.m.

At Twilight
By: Irene Florente

At twilight, the trees cast a silhouette
Of a father and his two daughters
Talking about their dreams and their hopes for the future
Yearning to travel the world and to share so many life experiences
The daughters seek their father抯 advice and support
And the father knows he抯 loved and appreciated.

At night, the moon provides glowing light
For a father抯 two daughters after he has gone
Sending his wishes to them and hoping their dreams come true
Yearning to travel the world and to share his life experiences with them
The daughters will never forget their father抯 advice and support
And the father desires one more moment on Earth to be with them.

At sunrise, the sun brightly shines
For a father and his two daughters reuniting at the ocean
They share the same sunrise the world experiences everyday
The daughters smile into the horizon sending warm wishes to their father
And the father sends down rays of love onto the endless sea.

At noon, the daughters' tears mix with the ocean
Connecting a father and his two daughters for one moment in time
They share the same dimension of the world
The daughters thank their father for such beauty in the world
And the father thanks his daughters for being a part of his life

In the afternoon, the clouds appear gracefully
As a Father and daughter grant each other peace
And know that they are still together
Sharing experiences no matter where they are in the world
The daughters find serenity in this thought
And the father is able to rest at last
-------------------------------------------

Oct.22.2002
A House of Memories
Where are you, Daddy?
Achingly, I reach for you
But all I touch is a memory
I enter the door to your house
but it is no longer welcoming
Instead, I find myself walking through
hallways that are dark and cold
The faint smells of your cantaloupe
shake and fried eggplant still makes my stomach growl
But all I can feed my stomach now are
phantom recipes that I can never decipher
I am sad, my tears fall like the leaves on the trees in your backyard...
the fading colors represent past existences...
things that doesn't last forever...
I am leaving your house now...
I know I can't keep you with me...
But, I will see you again...
..when I can open the door to your existence and tell you "hello and how much I've missed you..."

(the sound of blowing leaves)

"To see a World in a Grain of Sand

And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand

And Eternity in an hour."

--William Blake

----------------------
9.03.2002
MAYBE...
Maybe God wanted us to meet the wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.

Maybe when the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us

Maybe the best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.

Maybe it is true that we don't know what we have got until we lose it, but it is also true that we don't know what we have been missing until it arrives.

Maybe giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they will love you back. Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart, but if it does not, be content it grew in yours.

Maybe it takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.

Maybe you shouldn't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't' go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.

Maybe there are moments in life you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real.

Maybe you should dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go: be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

Maybe you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you happy.

Maybe you should always put yourself in others'shoes, it probably hurts the other person, too.

Maybe the happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

Maybe happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched, and those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives.

Maybe love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss and ends with a tear.

Maybe the brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past. You can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

Maybe when you were born, you were crying and everyone around was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you are the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

Take care and live!!! It is such a beautiful day today! I hope you find time during your day, to relax and enjoy.

Good Quotes:
"Sing as if nobody is listening... Dance as if nobody is watching... Dream as if you will live forever... Live as if you will die today!"

"What upsets us most Is the difference between imagination and reality"-- Paul Gleeson

" *They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.* Andy Warhol

"Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before we meet again! And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends. "

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

"well...even though I know how very far apart we are, it helps to think we're wishing on the same bright star..."

""I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad, carry you around when your arthritis is bad, all I wanna do is grow old with you. I'll get your medicine when your tummy aches, build you a fire if the furnace breaks, oh it could be so nice, growin old with you. I'll miss you, kiss you, give you my coat when you are cold, need you, feed you, I'll even let you hold the remote control. So let me do the dishes in the kitchen sink, put you to bed when you've had too much to drink. Oh I could be the man to grow old with you. I wanna grow old with you."- adam sandler

"In every journey, there is meaning, in every conflict, there is growth, in every action, there is a purpose, in every moment of doubt, remember to believe in yourself."

"No guy (girl) is worth your tears & when you find one that is, he (she) won't make you cry."

"Somewhere there's someone who dreams of your smile and finds in your presence that life is worth living."

---------------------------------------------------
20 Very Weird Ways to Lose Weight

1. Put coffee in your milk instead of milk in your coffee. Fill your coffee mug with skim milk. Drink it--except for the amount you would put in your coffee. Pour your coffee into the mug. You just got 25 percent of the vitamin D you need and 30 percent of the calcium you need for the day.

2. Take a multivitamin every morning.

3. Before every meal, drink two glasses of water. You'll eat less and be hydrated.

4. Love pizza? Order it with double tomato and light cheese. The tomato can help prevent prostate cancer. Less cheese=fewer calories and fat.

5. Love sandwiches? Add two slices of tomato and skip the cheese. Same reasons as above.

6. Lavish onions on anything and everything. They're good for your heart.

7. Love junk food? Eat it if you must, but follow it with two glasses of water. Yes, the water will actually flush away some--but not all!--of the sodium. You're stuck with the fat.

8. Love to eat in restaurants? Always order iced tea to drink. It fights heart disease, cancer, and even wrinkles.

9. Do eat a healthy snack about 3 p.m. every day. You'll have more energy and eat less for dinner. Ideas: Yogurt and fruit, crackers and cheese, hard-boiled egg, an apple.

10. Love fruit? Always eat it with the skin on. (This doesn't apply to oranges and bananas, you silly.)

11. To make sure you drink enough water each day, fill a half-gallon bottle in the morning. Take it to the office. Drink it before you go home.

12. Eat red fruit. It's packed with lycopene (good for your heart). Choose ruby red grapefruit, watermelon, and guava.

13. Eat salmon once a week. It's rich with omega-3 fatty acids, which help prevent heart attacks and ward off depression.

14. Wash your meat. Yeah, you read that right. Washing it removes up to 50 percent of the fat and cholesterol. Here's how you do it: After you brown ground beef, move it to a colander and rinse it with hot tap water.

15. Love salad? Instead of drowning it in dressing, keep the dressing on the side. Dip your fork in the dressing first and THEN in the salad. Eat. That really cuts down the fat!

16. When you eat broccoli, dress it up with margarine, olive oil, or cheese sauce. Broccoli is packed with beta-carotene, but this major antioxidant works best when accompanied by fat molecules.

17. Love seconds? Go ahead--but only the vegetables. Eat at least three servings of veggies every day. More is even better.

18. Spread out your fat intake throughout the day. The immediate cause of most heart attacks is your last fatty meal.

19. Always eat dessert! (Now THAT's a diet tip.) Just make sure it's a small amount. Sweets signal your brain that it's time to stop eating.

20. Love a bedtime snack? Make it a bowl of dry cereal. It will make you sleepy and give you a fiber boost.

--Cathryn Conroy
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Book of Ecclesiastes

Chapter 3

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3:1

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

3:2

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3:3

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

3:4

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

3:5

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

3:6

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

3:7

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

3:8

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
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The latest and greatest...

2007-05-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, I went to a National Debate for China's University Students. Two students from our school...including one of my students were participants in the debate. The hardest part is that its for students who speak English as a foreign language and had to debate in English! We watched the semi-finals and final round so I was not able to get a full view of all the competitions as a whole. But the four remaining universities were very eloquent and some having study abroad experience which placed students who have not yet had the chance at a disadvantage. Lunch that was offered for the audience was terrible so some of the students and I opted to eat at one of the local restaurants. BAD IDEA! Who knows how long the food has been out there or how clean it was? Needless to say, I have been suffering from stomach issues the past few days!

The topics were topics that were important to China. Such as: Should
the YuanMingYuan be rebuilt (its an old palace garden building that
was burned down 150 years ago and only two columns exist), should
children of migrant workers be given access to public education in
city schools and for the deciding of the winners: should English be an
official language of China? Very delightful debates and I learned to
see different viewpoints as well.

It was poorly organized in terms of timing and food! We (some
of the students and I) found a restaurant to eat something and had
some yucky food. I've been suffering from a stomachache all day. :(
And sleeping all day. Guess I am suffering from dehydration and
diarrhea? :( I heard that some students also have the same problems.
Maybe its from the food?

I have a new table that I use for eating/beading/studying! I love it! :)

This week's topic in class is: Cars Versus City (Should China encourage private cars?)
Jacin,Jr. and Lucky Jade (turtles) are sleeping next to each other on the balcony! So cute!

Seinfeld- The Chinese Restaurant

2007-05-14T07:59:00.001-07:00

Old Pictures taken on September 9, 2006

2007-05-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

(Click on image for more views--too lazy to post them one-by-one..sorry!)

The Temple of Heaven and a Dai Minority Restaurant (with dancers!)

May 1st Holiday Visits

2007-05-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of what I did this past week for Labor Holiday:

1.Prince Gong's Garden Mansion and Beijing Hutongs
(Click on the picture for more views)

After a long and rather stuffy bus ride, we finally arrived at the Prince Gong's Garden Mansion. For an admission fee of 60 yuan, you could watch a show from the palace theatre house (which was only for the emperor's entertainment in the past) and have tea. There were MANY rock formations and ponds. One was like the shape of a mother and baby. And many gestures and things to feel (more rocks) to give you good luck! The show at the end was a rip-off. It was 6 minutes and we barely had time to drink any tea! :(

We decided to do a hutong tour since it was around the area. It was interesting to see the ancient housing that were well over 400 years old...yet well preserved. You could tell the ranking of the person who lived in one of these houses by what you saw in their front door (the width/depth, the amount of stairs, the statues and even the doorknobs!). We also did a walking tour which included a hutong shopping alley (I want to go back!), the bell and drum towers and a nice stop for some coffee! Haha.

2. The Pizza Company and Walmart
(No Pictures available)

3. Tokugawa Japanese restaurant and Tianyi (shopping), Yonghe Dou jiang and Beijing World Art Museum
(Click on the picture for more views)

We went to Tokugawa Japanese Restaurant and ate and ate for two hours. You have A, B, C, and D choice options, the cheapest being Choice A at 68 yuan per person. And you can order all the "A" items on the menu that you want! I was SO full that I just ate oil bread sticks (you tiao) and soy milk (doujiang) for dinner at a famous resturant called "Yonghe Dou jiang!" It was fun...and so was my cracked bottle of tea that leaked everywhere! We went to Tianyi to go shopping afterwards.

The World Art Museum was fun! There was an ancient civillizations section (Egypt, India, Americas-Mayan, Rome, Greece) and one on POMPEII. There were a lot of jewelry exhibits in the POMPEII exhibition. Perhaps the city of Pompeii is a museum in itself. There were some casts of people who were found in Pompeii...a family, a dog and man waiting for his destiny. A little disturbing. We couldn't take any pictures inside the museum! :( So we took funny ones outside.

Julius, Meer, Lear and Roy came over the next day to do some cooking. Roy made eggplant, Julius made this 4 color chicken rice dish and I made chicken burgers. That same evening, Matthew made homemade pizzas! I brought some garlic powder (Thanks Christina!), chicken, mushrooms and bell peppers over. After dinner, we went to play some badminton using a tennis net! Matthew won all the games against Lin and I! Haha. Oh well. I need more practice.
------------------------------------------------
I should start working on my cultural presentation....

Tongzhou Museum

2007-05-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went with Tony, Allen and Jerry to the Tongzhou Museum, which specialized in Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and artifacts around the area. It was fun to see ancient tools used as well as various pottery and China. I think one of the most creepiest things there was of a skeleton of a man and woman (a couple) who still had their hair! It was at least a couple of hundred years old...couldn't read the Chinese...so don't know what their story was.

Going to Prince Gong's Residence today!
http://www.toptrip.cc/destination/spot/bj_princegongresidence.htm\

Btw, we are on May Holiday break which means we have a week off! :)

The Pursuit of HappYness...

2007-04-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

What is the pursuit of happiness? I just showed that film to my Business Communication students...very touching movie. I was inspired.

I was talking with Allen (he's one of the 4 foreign teachers at BWU) yesterday after our visit with the English Department at Beijing International Studies School and I made a realization...that adversity is something that everyone faces...but just in different forms. The director was a bit reluctant to accept me as a "foreigner." Perhaps, they see who you are by your bloodlines and not your country of birth. And then, of course, Tony dealt with culture shock and a completely different way of doing things.

I tried my hand at banana pancakes and chocolate chip cookies! :) The cookies were good...but...

I have a presentation to give tomorrow night on the spirit of the Olympics...

Happy Spring!

2007-04-16T16:12:00.000-07:00

WOW, today is the first day that I can actually view my BLOGGER again! Its like selected days that I can view it or something. Weird.

So, what's new since my last entry?....

I went to the Job Fair for Foreigners on Saturday. It was interesting but mostly for people who wanted to pursue a teaching or writing career in China. There were many companies that were looking for Native English speakers and The China Daily, too. Unfortunately, the power was out when it came time to print out my resume so I didn't really do much at the fair. I went to Beijing Second Foreign Language University's campus and I might teach there next year! :)

Went to Baskin Robbins (they have croissant sandwiches for only 8 yuan!), celebrated Jerry's birthday with the other teachers and even brought Scrabble to English Corner. The students liked Scrabble!

Jerry's First Birthday Cake

Make a Wish, Jerry!

They finally gave me a real mattress so my back problems are better now.

Other than that, just continuing my daily routine of teaching classes, watching movies and making jewelry! There is a new coffee shop that just opened nearby and I often go there now. I made jewelry there one day and they were considering selling some of my stuff there!

Beading at Shambala Coffee

I FINALLY got a new camera! I got some money back from my refund and used some of it to buy a new camera at ZhongGuanCun. Still learning how to use it. :)I want to take pictures of the beautiful flowers and of Lucky Jade!

That's all I can think up thats NEW right now.

Welcome to the zoo

2007-03-26T08:23:00.000-07:00

I got a " turtle girlfriend" for Jacin...except he doesn't seem to like her. She is a baby, a hatchling, and is SO brave and so cute! But Jacin is doing the weird hand waving thing to her all the time...she remains nameless until I figure out if she's really a "SHE" or not...

(My Children)

I got two new bettas: a red one (Siren) and a blue one (Poseidon). Haha. And one fish that was supposed to be Jacin's food...but he's still alive.

**UPDATE: The fish have all passed away now! :( I have a new red betta, an orange chromide and two fish that were supposed to be turtle food!**

That's all for now.

Great firewall of China...

2007-03-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

Blogger is officially blocked off for me...! :(

I will begin writing new entries at this site: aschoom.diaryland.com
(my old blog)

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2006/tc20060112_434051.htm?campaign_id=rss_tech

=====================

Something Is Broken > Recently my friends in China Can't access my bLogger

One week ago, my friends in China can have access to my blogger page
http://xianchen.blogspot.com/ .But from this week, they can not access
it. However, I can access it successfully.I do not know what is wrong
with it.is it blocked again or some internet service has gone wrong?
Thanks!

It is more than likely government intervention on China's part. Have
them try a proxy server.

Proxy servers:
http://howcanidothat.blogspot.com/2007/01/proxy-servers.html

http://howcanidothat.blogspot.com/ - How Can I Do That
http://bonniescalhoun.blogspot.com - Bonnie Writes

it's probably a China governmental problem.
http://www.pkblogs.com/bloggerstatusforreal.blogspot.com/2007/01/blog...

Your friends will have to use a proxy server.
http://www.pkblogs.com/bloggerstatusforreal.blogspot.com/2006/07/help...
http://bloggerstatusforreal.wordpress.com/2006/07/15/help-i-cant-see-...

Other threads discussing the problem:
http://groups.google.com/group/blogger-help/search?q=bX-*00018&start=...

If it is a China "Firewall" problem, don't look to Blogger to solve
it. Google is cooperating with the Chinese government, and this may
include "respecting cultural differences". You'd best find a
workaround, using a proxy server (hopefully that will work).
http://w1.hidemyass.com/index.php?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.greatfirewallofc...

Chuck [Blog*Star 2006] bX-*00018
Real Blogger Status Classic: http://bloggerstatusforreal.blogspot.com/
Real Blogger Status New: http://bloggerstatusforrealbeta.blogspot.com/

回复转发为此帖评分： Text for clearing space

Argh!

2007-03-21T07:01:00.000-07:00

Can it be that Google Blogger is blocked off in China?!?!?! I can write and post new journal entries...but I can't VIEW my current blog!!! Whats up with that?!?!

If any of you are in China, please let me know whether or not you can view this or not!

Thanks!! :)

Interesting Short Films/Animations on the Internet

2007-03-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

(Yes, I do more than go to random film sites and youtube suring my spare time! I watch DVDs and TV series too!)

Spook-a twisted fairytale (Tim Burtonesque)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSC7DvCPVfA&mode=related&search=

Stalk- a twisted fairytale about a bunny and her mysterious admirer
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/filmnetwork/A9631361

When knitting becomes an obsession-see how knitting literally takes over her life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6ZjMWLqJvM

Doll Face
http://www.thedailyreel.com/videos/doll-face

Doll Face follows a machine's struggle to construct its own identity.
The machine with a doll face mimics images presented on a television
screen and ultimately self-destructs from its inability to adopt a
satisfactory visage. Created in its entirety by Andy Huang, Doll Face
presents a visual account of desires misplaced and identities
fractured by our technological extension into the future.

Cool film sites:
Ticklebooth-what's playing online
http://ticklebooth.com/category/genres/drama/internal-conflict/page/2/

BBC-film network
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/filmnetwork/C54725

The Daily Reel
http://www.thedailyreel.com/videos/

Just to sum up the weekend...

2007-03-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

Friday night's Oral English class went pretty well. I just wish it
wasn't Friday night. I will start playing movies on Friday nights
instead. I'm looking for a tutor job so I can rebuy another camera...

I remembered St. Patty's Day...I even told my students about it!
Hehe. And then, of course, I forgot to wear green...but remembered
just in time to go to dinner and changed....On Saturday, Matthew (the
other American foreign teacher), Jerry and I went to Carrefour (some
French supermarket) and bought a toaster oven!!!! Then we preceeded to
have dinner with Matthew's friend, Stephen. He's a job recruiter for ESL teachers in China. Anyways, he wanted to meet us and see where we wanted to be placed,
etc.

Sunday, Jerry and I went to Walmart, Wangfujing--a rather upscale
shopping area (specifically to go to the two bookstores...one is for
Chinese people and one is the foreign language one...and all are at
least 4 stories!!). I got some classics as they were cheaper in price,
Alice in Wonderland, Persuasion and poems of Emiliy Dickinson. I
couldn't remember Anne Perry at the time--but will find next time.
Prices are considered exorbitant for Beijing standards...but not any
more than what it would cost in the states.Then went to the Kerry
Center (its within the Chinese business district center--CBD) and got
some tequila (95 yuan for a bottle!), salsa and vanilla extract! They had some other American breakfast goodies like Florida Made orange juice and Sunny Select
frozen waffles...but I wonder how long they had been on thes
shelf....and the prices were outrageous! $8 for orange juice and $5
for Sunny Select frozen waffles? I wish I could find the rest of the
ingredients to pancakes...know how to make french toast now..finally!

the fondue heart kit that Amy gave me...I think I used too
many candles and it cracked! :( But oh so good...were the bananas and
strawberries dipped in chocolate! I guess I could just melt the
chocolate with the toaster oven and put the chips in there...defeats
the purpose though...and hope the sauce doesn't leak through.. :(

And the highlight of the weekend...we had Mexican night with out new
toaster (Matthew and I split the cost--669 yuan/2) oven! Matthew's
aunt recently came to China and delivered some cheese, tortillas,
enchilada sauces and other goodies to Matthew! So he made chicken
enchiladas and I made chicken tacos! Refried beans, taco rice, salsa,
tomatoes, onions, lettuce...and blended raspberry margaritas!! It was
fun...not sure if Jerry or Lin (Matthew's wife) were accustomed to it though...Hehe. Especially the cheese...

There's good to everything...if not just a learning experience.
Buddha says that our attitudes are like the filters that we put on the perspective lenses of our lives. The question is...how do we change these filters?

Jacin the turtle came back yesterday...he seems bigger...

OH, the school gave us a new bedframe, headboard and this pseudo
mattress that is as hard as a table! I haven't slept well since and
spent a lot of money trying to get extra padding...but it doesn't help
much... :( I even slept on the couch a few times. We got a new
computer desk though! :) I use the old student desks they gave us
before to use as desks for my jewelry table!

I got "Sex and the City" and wonder if it would work for Christina...I
have started to watch it in order...hehe...Carrie just met Mr. Big...!
:)

Sand And Stone

2007-03-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

The story goes that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: "Today my best friend slapped me in the face."

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: "Today my best friend saved my life."

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now you write on a stone. Why?"

The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire life to forget them.

Send this phrase to the people you'll never forget. It's a short message to let them know that you'll never forget them.

Take the time to live.

Jet Lag sucks...

2007-03-07T04:53:00.000-08:00

My apartment needs cleaning, I'm outta money (until my next payday) and I'm darned so sleepy and outta whack! I can't seem to get adjusted! :( I wake up everyday at 4 in the morning! So irritating!

I have two different oral English Subject classes and one Business Communication class. The Oral English class for English majors has 4 different class groups of students, the Oral English for non-majors has two different classes and the Business Communication class just has one group of students.

Anyways, I've just been sleeping...and groggy...

Oh, I really like the movie "The Prestige." :) It makes you think twice about our perspectives and approach to things in our lives...

For example, a camera...and an ipod...a cell phone with lost numbers....

*SIGH*

I HAD pictures to update but as you all know, that's impossible to do so now...so I'll make lists of my vacation in Sacramento instead...

Monterey/Big Sur:
-Went hiking at the Pfeiffer State Park and saw Pfeiffer Falls in Big Sur...
-Rained a lot
-Had way too many Starbucks
-Ate dinner at Bullwhackers (Hardy, har, har...Pirate-y, Mate!)
-Went shopping at Cannery Row
-Enjoyed our room at Ramada Inn (it had a fridge, microwave and breakfast!) and was able to watch a few DVDs

Restaurants that I ate at:
-Red Lobster
-Leatherby's
-Cheesecake Factory
-Samurai Sushi (NO, not the gross one in San Diego!)
-Teacup (Home of the $3.88 Chinese Menu!)

Foods that I ate:
-Pizza
-Chicken strips and fries
-Carl's Jr's, Jack in the Box, Burger King, Jimboys, Wendy's
-Lasagna
-Chinese food cooked by Mom :)

TV shows that I watched:
-American Idol
-Law and Order
-Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader? (Its amazing how dumb people get when they leave school and begin working!)

Things I did:
-Cleaned my crap in the garage (My mom and stepdad moved to Rancho Cordova in December..and my grandma lives there now as well)
-Bought a lot of necessities and souvenirs
-ATE
-Slept
-Took pictures of various family outings (like playing Mahjong at a picnic table in a park!)

OK, that's my nostalgic memories of my month back home...in place of photos!

*SOBS*

Back in China now

2007-03-03T21:22:00.000-08:00

I went to Monterey for my birthday and then spent the last few days in USA running errands and spending time with family and friends. I also went to Cheesecake Factory and Leatherby's.

Its snowing in Beijing...and I am sad...because I lost my camera bag at the Beijing Airport and in it was my digital camera, my IPOD nano and battery recharger!! I am so sad...

That's all I'll write for now...

__________
This blog entry helped relieve my pain a little bit...
"If you have nothing to lose, you can only win"
http://www.miraesoft.com/karel/2007/01/15/if-you-have-nothing-to-lose-you-can-only-win/

It makes me wonder if sometimes the concept of loss is just psychologically based on what we place value on...like if I wasn't so obsessed with taking pictures to show my students in China...would I still have my camera? Would I even care? Why buy such an expensive camera in the first place?!

A tale of three houses...three meals...three families...

2007-02-20T00:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Years! Year of the Pink! *Oink! Oink!*

Ok...so the year that I spend in China...my mom's family decides to come to California! My grandma, Uncle Ken, Uncle Chun, Aunt Gloria and Aunt Xiao You...just an uncle in not here! And a whole load of cousins...

Day 1: At my uncle Ken's house...

We bowed three times to the "ancestral tablet" that was made out of red construction paper with the Lin family name inscribed with a Sharpie marker...I couldn't help but laugh. Bad me. ;(

There was the traditional chicken, fish and oranges in the center of the table. Along with the feast was the traditional pig ears, tofu and egg...which half I didn't eat. Then there was shrimp, sashimi, jiao zi, ribs, fishbowl soup, tofu, noodles...

While the "Chinese people" played Mahjong...my cousins turned the game of UNO into a gambling game...how the heck do you gamble with UNO? While my sister, stepdad Jim and I played Scrabble. Do you see the cultural division?!? Haha.

The highlight of the evening was perhaps my ice cream sundae from Baskin Robbins that I treated Jim and myself to...from my red envelope money! ;)

My sister's boyfriend brought fireworks...but we were afraid that they would attract the cops! :(

Day Two: My Mom's House

Your typical American fourth of July meal! Chips, veggie tray, bbq, potato salad (I messed up and addded vinegar when I made it), pies, noodles and baked salmon. Yum! ;)
After eating, I was so sleepy....

Day Three: My Aunt's House/Beading day

I didn't go to my aunt's in Pleasanton. (Turns out there was drama there anyways) I hung out with my sister and friend Amy instead. I ate too many fruits fondue and cheese and crackers. We were supposed to bead...and we went to the bead store...but were too busy eating. Haha.

Afterwards, I continued with my strange goal to clean my junk in the garage...

Monterey on Saturday!! :-)

Greetings from America!

2007-02-11T21:06:00.000-08:00

I am now in Rancho Cordova at my mom and stepdad's beautiful new home. Its nice here and I haven't suffered any reverse culure shock (yet) except for my stomach and my "wonderful" episodes of vomiting and "Montezuma's revenge." Was it Red Lobster? Was it the glass of milk? Was it the four pieces of pizza (which I all consumed in ONE day). Anyways, my dreams of eating long-craved American foods has been postponed for a few days. Just been eating boiled rice and plain noodles.

Haven't been able to do much as a result. I met up with Amy today to go to Michael's and Target. Got some chai tea, creamer, chocolates and caramel syrup...

Its really a funny thing...me going on a plane back to America. It was almost symbolic to the idea of me breaking into a world full of ideas, viewpoints, technology and education that Chinese has yet to "cross barriers." Such as the idea that nationality doesn't necessarily equal a certain race, and that nationality doesn't stand for a monetary status and that nationality doesn't mean a better life.

I loved looking at the fluffy white clouds outside the plane except that most of the ride was in the dark! ^_^

Happy Chinese New Year!

2007-01-30T06:54:00.000-08:00

I am going back to America for the month of February! I can't wait! I'm in the midst of typing teaching syllabi, teaching backup notes and correcting final exams and adding up grade totals!

I've been to 31 Flavors and obsessively searching for all things Western. Is that a bad sign?

I've also been going jewelry shopping a lot and just exploring and watching movies and trying my hand at cooking more Chinese dishes! ;)

So Happy Chinese New Year's! Xin nian kuai le! Gong xi fa cai! Wan shi ru yi!!

Runs with nose and medicine

2007-01-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know. The title doesn't make any sense, what-so-ever! Turns out my "cold" is actually bronchitis! I went to Luhe Hospital with Xiao Ding yesterday and had an X-ray examination. I have to take four different types of medication. Its all so confusing! What's wrong with me?!? Argh.

Anyways, that's all for now. Going to try to decipher the mysteries of the medication and try to correct some homework and eat some breakfast!

TTYL!

2007 Happy New Year Wishes

2007-01-05T18:38:00.000-08:00

So, its been a while.

I think it was around the same time that I was infected by this ridiculous cold that has STILL not gone away! Like I mentioned earlier, there is definitely some sort of Christmas spirit here. There are Santa Claus' and Christmas decorations all over the place. The foreign teachers were invited by the president of the university to go to lunch on Christmas day. Once again, it was more of a last-minute invitation which seems to be the common method of "planning" ahead. So we had lunch with the Dean of the English Department, the Vice president of the university, the director of the English Department/foreign teacher affairs and the teacher who is in charge of managing the coursework for the foreign teachers. Then us four foreign teachers went out to Christmas dinner with our students. I had fun destroying little Santa Claus'. There must have been something really strange in the water! Hehe. Ironically enough, the English department teachers were once again invited to the SAME restaurant (where we had our Christmas dinner)to celebrate the New Year's (Yes, they celebrate New Year's here and even have a 3-day holiday!) and we occupied at least 6 tables!! I guess it really helps to know what you're ordering when you go to a restaurant---it really changes your dining experience! Matthew invited the foreign teachers and some students to his place on New Year's eve. He made hamburgers (I had a veggie burger--just bread and other veggies), and kneaded jiaozi (dumplings) and I made some potato salad. It was fun! Unfortunately, I had a cough-attack during the end of the evening so I went back home earlier (which is just 2 flights of stairs--hehe).

So most of my 3-day New Year holiday was spent at home sleeping, taking medicine and coughing! ;( I went to the antique market (Panjiayuan) with Matthew not too long ago and was really impressed by the antique goodies such as snuff bottles, ethnic embroidery and figurines. I was also quite enthralled by the amount of jewelry beads and pearls! I have yet to create them! ;) I wish I could find toggle clasps and more selection of findings and seed beads (or "rice" beads). I'm sure they're around here somewhere. There seems to be this trend of everything made in China doesn't STAY in China!

I'll update my pictures soon. They're mostly in my Flickr account.

Happy New Year's 2007!

The internet has been incredibly slow lately...so it makes me not want to update my journal.

That reminds me--I went to my first movie at a Chinese movie theatre! ;) I saw "Huang Jin Jia (The Curse of the Golden Flower)." It has Chow Yun Fat, Gong Li and Jay Chou in it. It was really touching but, aye, what a scandalous family! And it was worth the 70 Yuan to see it (Although that's like 12 rip-off DVDs)!

YongheGong Pictures

2006-12-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

GATE at the Lama Temple

Mr. Turtle, Helen and Deep Green--Chinese style

Tradition clashing with modernization

Enlightened Alley

Turtle Dragon Friends

Don't feed the turtle dragon!

Close-up of incense burner

Regal Red Gate

One of the many temples

The BIRDS--I've never seen so many birds at one time in Beijing before!

Lots and lots of stores selling incense and lotus flowers. Guess what color I bought. Hahaha. Very hard, huh?

(Some Chinese lady was yelling curse words at this foreigner. Adam and I couldn't figure out what he did to deserve such treatment! He just stook there wondering what was going on!)

Food for thought (December 14-17, 2006)

2006-12-17T07:28:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a lot of fun! I had a banana split night, a cooking lesson and went to the Yonghegong Lama Temple and Wan Ton (to celebrate Adam's birthday). Unfortunately, my wallet was stolen!! =( I guess thieves are on the rise as a result of the upcoming holiday season. =( A$$hole!! I hope he rots in hell--and for the fact that he could have allowed me to not be able to return home by taking away all my money!!!

BANANA SPLIT NIGHT: December 15, 2006

LEARNING TO MAKE GONG BAO JI DING, DI SAN XIAN and YOU MAI CAI
(I KNOW, this blog is becoming a food blog!)

Preparing to cook the veggies and meats

DI SAN XIAN

YOU MAI CAI

FINISHED MEAL

Such is life...in Tongzhou

2006-12-13T06:08:00.000-08:00

I haven't really done anything TOO exciting lately. Well, anything that requires any pictures anyways. I went to Starbucks last weekend and bought some coffee beans. I also got a coffee maker. On Friday night, I am planning on having a banana split night. Haha. OK, so much for the large amounts of gorging and eating horrible foods! I need to get back on track!

I can't think of anything else too exciting that has happened recently. I discovered a flea market type market recently and went back there today. I got some Christmas goodies for my students. I think we are all getting a bit restless these days--especially with the cold weather.

Matthew and I are planning a Christmas event on Christmas night. We are borrowing one of the school cafeterias that night. We all know what we want to make--problem is knowing where to find the right ingredients!

OH, and I have recently been addicted to www.baidu.com and spending/wasting a lot of time there and on www.youtube.com

ARGH!

I think thats about it. Its all pretty boring at the moment. Although I should be preparing for my speech next Wednesday..I SHOULD BE...and writing my backup teaching notes...

But Procrastinators rule....yeah...

Crab Louie Salad anyone? :)

2006-12-04T07:35:00.000-08:00

I was craving a seafood salad today. So I invited Kevin and Jacin to come and enjoy a Western Salad experience. I included some: shrimp, eggs, imitation crab meat, chicken, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes and of course, lettuce! ;) I used the traditional Thousand Island Dressing. Jacin added some apples and pears...it was a very tasty complement to the seafood!

Colorful crab salad!

I am still in the midst of writing my final exams and planning on what to say for my lecture.

Saturday Night "Fusion" Dinner (December 2, 2006)

2006-12-03T04:40:00.001-08:00

Lately, I have had a great desire to learn how to cook Chinese food! =) So, a few students of mine came over and cooked. It was a lot of fun! We had "suan cai" fish (it was a little depressing to see the fish being killed and gutted in the store though!), eggplant, spaghetti and salad--an American/Chinese fusion meal! Hehe.

Cooking spaghetti

Forina cooking fish!

Alex chopping vegetables and meat!

Lear and Mear Waiting for food!

Finishing up the meal..

Yummy!

Fusion!

Clean-up!

Happily washing dishes!

All cleaned up now!

Unfortunately, I must have eaten something bad during lunch because I felt very dizzy and threw up everything afterwards! ;(

A Perfect Saturday (November 25, 2006)

2006-11-30T21:00:00.000-08:00

FIRST SNOW IN BEIJING:

"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

"I'm Dreaming of a White..."

DINNER WITH MY AUNT (MOM'S SISTER):

My aunt and me

Our food

This was a great day! We (Adam, Jacin, Tracy, Jerry, etc) were originally planning to go to the Summer Palace but it was too cold! And then when I looked outside at 7:50 AM, it was snowing!!! I was so excited! I even called up Adam and woke him up to share my excitement! Haha. I also sent a lot of text messages expressing my happiness! The snow didn't last long and it was freezing but it was SO MAGICAL!

Anyways, since I didn't go to the "Summer Palace" (and there's a reason its called the "Summer" palace), I decided to go visit my Aunt Gloria since she was in town for a business meeting at Zhenglin. Xiao Ding came to pick me up and we meet up with my aunt in Haidian District. I forgot the name of the restaurant. All I know is that it was Cantonese style and rather upscale. Here's the website: http://www.xeq.com.cn/

Afterwards, my aunt gave me three big bags of goodies that came from my aunt, my mom and my sister!!! This included books, winter clothes and shoes, lotion, chapstick, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and some jewelry products!!! I was SO HAPPY!

It was simply a perfect day! =)

(Unfortunately, the next day was not...since I got a cold!!)

Nothing too exciting...

2006-11-30T04:27:00.000-08:00

Just got "Growing Pains" DVD. Haha. And been working on final exam copies for my classes. And teaching, of course. That's about it for now. I've been asked to do an interview for the school newspaper. Apparently, I'm a celebrity here and they want to know my opinions about teaching at this school.

Going to work on posting some pictures now.

Just another Post to accompany the other one

2006-11-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

Just so you have one post that's not so tedious to read........

HAHAHAHAHA.......

Ok, that's all.

Journal Entries from September to November

2006-11-28T08:37:00.000-08:00

September 5/6, 2006

After a hectic day of last minute packing and calling people to say goodbye, I finally arrived at the airport with a heavy load of suitcases and carry-ons. It was quite cumbersome. My mom and I originally thought that the maximum weight was 70 pounds when in reality it was really supposed to be 50 pounds! Therefore, we paid an overcharge of $50 total ($25 for each suitcase). I was also mad because we waited for the UPS truck to deliver my camera but it didn't arrive in time!! (My mom had to mail it to me!) I was hungry after waiting in the humongous line and bought a sandwich before departure. However, with the frantic rushing through customs, I overlooked the sandwich still in my mom's hands! She had to call me to tell me that I left the sandwich with her! So forlorn and hungry, I waited until my flight boarded. When I finally went on the plane, I sat in the middle of an elderly lady from Shandong and a middle aged woman from Harbin. It was interesting trying to figure out the customs forms with them as we all could barely understand each other! Unfortunately, I could not see anything from the airplane window except for the really big airplane wings! I tried to sleep but couldn't find any peace as we were travelling with the sunlight for almost 24 hours! I did watch a few good movies, however, and was distracted by them. They were "Ice Age-The Meltdown" and "Take the Lead." We were served pretty good food and I was amused that we were eating at a time that I was supposed to be sleeping back in the USA! I was amused by the flight chart on the TV screen and showing the location of the plane in the world. It also made things a bit boring, though, much like a child asking "How much farther" and making the trip to the desired destination even more desirable.

Upon landing, there were many "stages" to go through. There was the customs declarations forms and immigration inspection. It took forever to get my luggage since it was "delayed." So, after an hour or so, I went out and stepped into China! I was excited yet somewhat disappointed that my first sights into Beijing was a Starbucks! Haha. Even more disappointing than that was the fact that no one was there to pick me up! I waited and waited and finally after the 2nd hour I broke down and bought a rip-off phone card! I called my mom to let me know that I arrived safely but that no one was there to pick me up! I was told belatedly that they thought I was arriving on the 7th. I was so glad that I called. After 3 hours, I was finally picked up.

Xiao Ding, which is my uncle's former driver (and someone I met on my previous visit to China), picked me up with a friend of his and we went to a restaurant. Although it was only 9PM in Bejing, it was still 6AM in California and I was really tired and couldn't really eat and just wanted to go to bed! He ordered a lot of interesting new items and I was happy to this new cultural exposure. I wish I wrote down their names! There was fish, grass jelly, soup, mooncake and few others. Xiao Ding kept on ordering food!! And asking me questions like "Do I know what edamame is? Have I ever used chopsticks?" It was around 11PM when I finally arrived at the dorms at my uncle's Zhenglin factory in Beijing. I had been up for at least 24-hours and I was feeling quite catatonic and zombie like! The dorm I am staying at is where my uncle stays, with wooden floors, a desk, and a separate bedroom. The bathrooms here, however, are very gross and the plumbing isn't very great! >_<

September 7, 2006

I spent most of the day resting and trying to adjust to life in Beijing as a visitor. Its really different just arriving in Beijing than it was as a student, when everything was already (or at least in the process of being) arranged for you. And the fact that there is no one to hang out with! No newcombers to join in on the fun! I found it frustrating that I couldn't contact anyone because I don't have access to phone or email. I went to an Old Beijing style restaurant in Beijing with Xiao Ding and one of the factory workers here and had yet another cultural experience! We had fish, this really good taro tofu paste, Zhajiang Mian (noodles) and a few others. I love Ye Zhe,which is coconut milk! I went back home to rest and took a shower and read and slept. We went to a Muslim restaurant for dinner and had more fish, shrimp, beef (which I only took a small sample of), chicken and garlic sauce broccoli! I've been having quite the Chinese dining experience and have tasted a lot of Beijing's most authentic and traditional foods in a short time. Its been fun conversing with Xiao Ding and his friends and learning about different cultural differences and thoughts of our native countries and vice versa. I even enjoyed my first "squatter." EW! I slept early because I was tired and also afraid that I would be awoken by NuNu, the black dog outside who barks really loudly!!! She belongs to Mr. Lee who is the vice president of my uncle's company. I tried to meet her but she's skittish and I got the impression that she would bite me! (Later, I realized she was one of the most hyper and friendly dogs ever!!)

September 8, 2006

This is the actual date that I am writing this log. I wish I had internet connection and phone! I miss talking and being in contact with my dear friends and family! But I also find that I am very much spoiled by the creature comforts we find in the USA and felt a bit ashamed that I felt so naked without the "clothing" of technology. I
went to Tongzhou District today to check out Beijing Wuzi Univeristy, which is the school where I will be teaching English. It is a very peaceful and clean campus with beautiful ponds, lakes and gardens! The only drawback (and perhaps cultural advantage for someone trying to improve their Chinese) is that its far away from Downtown Beijing where all the cultural attractions, Western restaurants and foreigners reside. I met my contact, Mei Zhou, and she seemed really happy to
meet me. I was happy to feel comfortable at BWU despite my issues with reverse discrimination that I faced from other schools. I think I am going to like it there! Afterwards, Xiao Ding and I went to lunch at a Miao Nationality restaurant. Once again, I had food that I never heard of!

There was this tofu skin wrapped vegetable dish (which looked like cloth around vegetables) that you dip in plum sauce,chicken feet, fish, spicy chicken and Sprite! Haha. Sprite, or Xue Bi as they call it here, tastes sweeter and less lemony here. I also learned that it isn't the fact that they don't have the means to make ice here but rather people don't prefer it and so they don't want to waste money trying to sell it or offer it here. There was a customer behind us, a grouchy old Chinese man, who complained that he shouldn't have to see bugs in a restaurant. I laughed. He also told the waitress that the fly's mom, sister and son came back for revenge.
Haha. He said that with a laugh and the waitress laughed too.

I'm back in my dorm at the moment. Trying to make an effort at making a log to keep in touch with everyone, despite the lack of phone and email. It reminds me of yesteryear (I like that word) and how loved ones only communicated via letters, that sometimes took almost 2 weeks to hear from each other at a time. Perhaps, that's why people were more fond of each other back in those times? Haha. I've been learning a lot of Beijing culture, traditions and slang from Xiao Ding and the
workers at the factory. They tend to think of life in metaphors and that the way to live life is to keep the heart happy and worry free.

There is a great respect for elders and people in a higher position than you. Speaking in reverent terms of "Master" and "Elder sister/brother" and a formal way of saying you by using "Nin" instead of "Ni." I've only been here for two days so I have yet to learn and yet to experience as I transition from visitor with no connections to the outside world to an English teacher at Beijing Wuzi University
where hopefully I will feel more settled and connected to my dearest people. I'm anxously anticipating that day. As for now, I remain wanderlust in a factory of Chinese workers who only know me as the American niece of the President of Zhenglin Company. How awkward. I feel like I am in a time-zone limbo with no real connection to the outside world. I miss the freedom to email/talk to family and friends whenever I want! And sometimes I have no clue what people are saying with Beijing slang and accents! Perhaps this is giving me a great opportunity to reflect on my life with no distractions, being able to see my life outside of it, from a different perspective entirely. Xiao Ding and his friend are both fathers to twins, a boy and girl. Leng Feng tai. Weird. That is considered really lucky here in China.

September 9, 2006

I went to Hongqiao market and The Temple of Heaven today. There were a lot of foreigners at the Hongqiao Market. Xiao Ding was able to get me a set of Panda/Great Wall snuff bottles for only 24 yuan and a Mao lighter fo 8 yuan! Now I know that I can get suff bottles for such a low price that I won't settle for anything more! The third floor of Hongqiao was all beads! I was overwhelmed by the enormous selection. Too bad I don't know how to say any of the gemstones' names in
Chinese! Afterwards, we went to a Dai restaurant to have lunch and watched Dai dancers. I think the majority of their business is foreigners and foreign tour groups.

After lunch, I went to the Temple of Heaven. It was very beautiful and the clouds were especially auspicious. I guess I fit right in the culture as I haven't gotten
any weird glances as I once did when I was hanging out with the EAP group. Except maybe for my "bigger size" which I already know was going to happen so I had already prepared myself for that sort of encounter ahead of time. Then again, I think seeing a foreigner (who doesn't look Asian) isn't such a big deal anymore. I've seen
Caucasians in various Chinese commericals and even in Chinese soap operas. There is even an English speaking channel now!

After the Temple of Heaven, I went out to dinner with one of the managers of the Tianjin Branch of Zhenglin and employees who were working overtime and enjoyed even more varieties of Chinese cusine and Beijing Duck! OMG, they love to drink Yanjing Beer here! They kept on giving some to me and I drank it just to be polite but they mistook it as me wanting to drink more! I'm not much of a beer drinker as you all
already know.

September 10, 2006

Xiao Ding and I went to Xidan to try to get me a cell phone. We went out to get some Beijing duck and had a few other native dishes! I wasn't feeling very well so after I got a cell phone number set up, I decided to stay at the dorm and sleep. I felt bad because I even missed out on a dinner that was made special for me! =( I just slept and didn't even have dinner!

September 11, 2006

I just stayed at home most of the day and slept and tried to nurse my cold. Nothing too exciting. Hoping to go to Beijing Shifan Daxue tomorrow to visit Adam as I finally got a chance to talk to him.

September 16, 2006

Just got to campus a few days ago!

I'm not in the teachers apartment yet (they're still finishing them up) but at one of the international students dorms. I hate the shower and how its connected to the rest of the bathroom will no tub! Water gets everywhere when I shower and it makes it hard to wear socks afterwards! Haha. I felt grossed out so I went to the supermarket and bought a lot of soap and started to clean EVERYTHING! I feel much better now. I think there might still be traces of microbes around though. Haha. I'm actually at a different university, Beijing Wuzi University, and haven't been back to Beijing Normal University (that's where I studied 5 years ago) yet. I didn't realize how big Beijing was. I am about 40 minutes drive away from Beishida. So needless to say, I haven't gone YET but planning to do so. I have a lot of time to do so. Haha. I still need to learn how to get around Beijing though. Since I haven't been to the teachers apartment yet, I'll have to keep you posted on my address here in Beijing.

I start teaching classes on Monday! I have to make lesson plans and a 18 week syllabus! I am teaching Survey of Western culture and Oral English. I have four classes with 29 students each! ICK! I think I'm actually only teaching two groups of students. So one group is Western Culture A and Oral English A and the other is Western Culture B and Oral English B. Maybe I only have 60 students in reality. I think most of the students are either 19 or 20, sophomores. I'm actually really nervous because I have never taught such a large class. But as with any presentations, as long as you prepare what you will do in your allotted time in advance, it should be better. So I am busy preparing! I think they didn't expect me to look so "Asian" though. Oh well. I expcted that and its not as bad as I had originally anticipated.

I met one of the other English teachers yesterday and his wife. He's from San Francisco. LOL. Small world. There are three total English teachers from abroad. I haven't met the one from the UK yet.

My China journal is on my laptop. I have no idea where or how to get it connected to the internet. I am at an internet cafe right now at the international students dorm. I might have to retype my journal though. =( No sign of my camera either. So sad! =( Hope it didn't get lost!

I got Davinci Code, Just My Luck and Silent Hill. As for the updated wrapping, they now use a movie insert that looks like the one they put in a DVD case and put the DVD in plastic inside. They they put the DVD and DVD insert in a plastic wrap, kinda like the ones they use for comics...where there's a sticky back that you can fold once the item is inside and a hole punch at the top.

That's about it. I've been going to the supermarket everyday because I have nothing better to do. I also found a "Everything is 2 Kuai store." Lol. Its a bit more lonely here as a teacher rather than student. Harder to socialize. I tried to take my textbooks to the library to write my lesson plans but I got yelled at! Well, not really, they let me go this time. I guess we're not suppsed to bring our own books and backpacks into the library. How strange. Isn't a library a place to study? I dunno. I think I will go back to the market now and get another notebook for my other class and write more lesson plans.

Oh yeah, the other day...I went with Xiao Ding and Mei to a restaurant. There were soft shelled turtles in the tank with other fish to be served! I was really sad because the turtles looked really friendly and were swimming towards me! =( The dishes were horrible. The jelly fish wasn't completely cooked (still slimy) and they served the Beijing duck frozen!!! ICK!

September 25, 2006

So I had some feedback from students today. I guess I had originally placed their English level at a higher level than I thought. They told me that not only did I speak too fast, I needed to speak more clearly and loudly! I was like..."Um, I'm yelling at you guys and speaking like a turtle! You guys are just used to listening to a Chinese person with an accent speak English!" And they said that I didn't know how to write on a blackboard?! NO ONE IN AMERICA WRITES ENGLISH IN ALL CAPS OR IN CALLIGRAPHY! That's how a student told me to write on the blackboard. Ok, its one thing to completely not know how to teach but its another thing to have to convert to Chinese ways of teaching English! So I have to write my characters a little differently now?! I might as well have a student write it for me! UGH.

From now on, its vocabulary lessons and book work. I will leave out the meaningful discussion. They told me to include some of my personal experiences in the chapters. But, how do I include personal experiences with boring topics such as American Economy and Government?

UGH.

September 26-October 7, 2006

Wow, these past three weeks have been hectic! And since I haven't had internet access in my apartment, I haven't really bothered with the whole diary thing (whichI now regret). I'll have to refind everything through emails that I have sent people!

Teaching has been a very challenging and rewarding experience. Some students are very disciplined whereas others are quite mischevious and just plain disobedient! Sometimes I feel like I am teaching kindergarten! They play hand clapping games and fiddle with each other's hair at times! Oh, I finally got my camera!! =)

Teaching Classroom (and my infamous "OMG, why does our teacher have such a big purple backpack?")!

MY NEW HOME:

Matthew in our apartment building

My Apartment

This past week was the National Holiday week and Mid-Autumn Festival. I went to the Silk Market with my students and Wangfujing (an upscaleshopping center) as well. I also went to Tianamen square with Adam and Jumping and once again with one of my students the day after National Day. I also went to a shopping center called Xidan with a few other students who were good at bargaining! I went once with my
students and once with Tony, another English teacher who is from England, and we enjoyed a rather expensive cup of Starbucks coffee together. We encountered another American there..who was very confused about Chinese language but also very determined to get to Tibet! I helped him write a few phrases but not sure if it was able to help him accomplish his goal! I also went to the Beijing first annual Comic-con! It was pretty cool but very hectic! Many people were dressed in costumes! Adam came over towards the end of the week and looked around the university where I teach. We ate this really good fish and corn bread dish. He had to take an interesting route back to Beishida and ended up taking an illegal "hei che" taxi. Fortunately, someone was also going his way so he had someone to keep him company.
I guess this person told Adam that Tongzhou is considered the "nongcun (the village)" area of Beijing! Haha. The person who helped us, Lian Hai Jun, said it was "Yuan fen (fate/destiny)" as we met from opposite sides of the world on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival!

Tiananmen Square with Jumping and Adam:

In front of Chairman Mao's Photo

Under Chairman Mao's Photo

In front of the Forbidden City...

Pictures from National Day Week off--

Trip to the Silk Market:

In front of the Silk Market! (looking for jewelry, of course!)

Tiananmen Square during National Day! SO MANY PEOPLE!!

Comic-Convention:

Some people dressed in character!

Millions of totoros...(at the Comic-con)

Happy, the turtle (I bought him at the Comicon)

BeiBei

JingJing

HuanHuan

I used to have long hair...

Potala Palace Replica

Beijing Olympics 2008 FuWa

Crowded Subway Train--Claustrophobia!!
Sightseeing in Tongzhou:

A 40 kuai lunch that included a Cappucino, salad and buffalo wings.

Downtown Tongzhou

The following day, I met up with Adam at Beishida after a long bus ride and not being able to push through a crowded bus to get off my stop, to go to Zhong Guan Cun. It is considered the Silicon Valley of China. I wanted to get an ethernet
card for my laptop to FINALLY be able to connect to the internet. I also walked around his dorm and experienced the food and surroundings of Beishida. It has changed a lot since the days I was there as a foreign exchange student...!

Adam and I ate at table "607 (the apartment where he used to stay in San Diego, CA)"...

Adam introduced me to "Di San Xian" which is a combination of three vegetables: potatoes, eggplant and green bell peppers.

October 8, 2006

As a result of the week long holiday, I had to make up last Thursday's classes today. It was really tiring and I was really pissed off after the workers rudely opened my apt. door as I was showering! And this morning my sleep was disturbed as there were wonderful sounds of drilling and hammering in the upstairs apt. Needless to say, I was pretty mad all day. They need to inform us ahead of time for scheduled tasks and respect our privacy! Kevin (a student and also friend of one of the foreign teachers, Matthew, who is also a computer major) came over to take a look at my ethernet card and connection. Unfortunately, I was sold a defective ethernet card yesterday at Zhong guan cun and have to go back and get a new one! Just when I thought I could finally get on the internet.....

Example of a showerhead with no shower stall...it takes a while to get used to but great for cleaning the floors! And you don't have to worry about getting water all over the floors! Like I do when I am in hotels! =)

Matthew, Tony and I were supposed to hold an "English Corner" tonight and, as usual, wasn't informed ahead of time that it wasn't supposed to be tonight. We waited and went to several possible meeting locations and eventually ended up at a small bakery on campus. The cakes here have no flavor and need a lot more sugar!! I miss having an oven and baking! We had a nice conversation about life in America/England and foods we craved here in China. I guess the majority of the food being Chinese here reflects the lack of multi-cultural cuisine at the time. Oh, I could sure go for a nice chicken chimichanga right now....but I just had my share of moon cakes!

November 20, 2006

OK, OK...I apologize for being lazy and not updating this thing for more than a month now! I have been enjoying my classes, meeting a lot of new friends, going to KTV and pulling an all-nighter session, going shopping, eating hot pot, celebrated Halloween at my apartment withfriends (many of whom was the first Halloween night celebration for them), watched a lot of movies, went to Beijing Art Scene , had a spaghetti night, had a cooking lesson of Chinese food from Mei and some other things. That's just a brief summary of the months of October and November. Hahaha. I've been so bad with this and I used to write in a journal all the time religiously. I also went back to Zhong Guan Cun to get a printer (it makes classes so much easier) and have Jacin's (Jacin is Kevin's roommate) turtle, Jacin. Haha. I have been playing Chinese/English Idiom language games via text messages with friends and we've been writing new things down in own notebooks (depending on which language is our second language, of course!) I should also mention my trip to the Luhe Hospital to get half of my toe nail removed (OMG, that was painful!!) and the English language competition where I was a judge! Jacin, Matthew and I also went to Walmart and I found some spaghetti sauce and garlic powder!

SHOPPING:

Tianyi, shopping heaven!

HALLOWEEN:

Boris, the Jack-o-lantern (Matthew named him...Kevin bought him! Group Effort!)

KTV:

ChongwenMen District at night

Place for KTV!

KTV-ers: Jacin, Me, Tracy (Kevin, Jacin and Tracy are roommates) and Lichee

My Solo!

Trip to Walmart:

Views from a bus

Jacin enjoying his first trip to Walmart!

Contemplating what to buy at Walmart...

Finally! At Walmart..where they sell live soft-shelled turtles and crabs for food...

HOT POT #1:

I'm smokin'! Hahaha!

Kevin (the cook of Hot Pot night) Finally enjoying his food!

798 ART DISTRICT:

Old Factory turned into an art museum

Lets go shopping!

Babies

I liked the smoke effect...

I enjoyed every moment drinking this rare but rather expensive 26 kuai mocha!

Listen to me, or else!

Jacin, the turtle

HOTPOT #2:

Jerry and me

Rebecca, Alan and Tony

Matthew and one of his students

Alan and Tony always have interesting topics of discussion!

A VISIT TO BEISHIDA:

Eating at the Friendship Restaurant! (Korean food)

Visiting Adam and Jumping at Beishida!