Monday, March 28, 2011
爬山！
These pictures were taken from the top of 香山！
I climbed it with my roommate Shazeda and our friend Eric. Look closely at their eyes!
Picture Fail 1
Picture Fail 2
Success!
I climbed it with my roommate Shazeda and our friend Eric. Look closely at their eyes!
Picture Fail 1
Picture Fail 2
Success!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Spring Break Cont.
Currently it is ACC's Spring Break and I am soooooooo excited! I visited family during the first part, and now I'm spending my days exploring Beijing, a city that is endless in new sights and adventures. A few ACC students have chosen to stay in 北京，such as Eric, who I've become friends with through pingpong class.
Yesterday, we visited 北海 park. Because the weather is warming up, the parks keep on changing! I can't wait to see what it looks like when the leaves come out！
Meet Eric！Because he's a Chinese major, he knows a lot about Chinese history and culture. When we were at the Capital Museum, he would explain things to me, which must have seemed quite odd to the other visitors because it would seem more fitting for me to be explaining things to him (based on appearances). We're good friends, but he's on the quiet/shy side.
Of course, all of these parks were made for the royal family, so they are abundant in traditional architecture.
When I was taking this picture, I was thinking of the tree I saw in Cappadocia that was adorned with the Evil Eyes and the tree in Santa Cruz with the secret messages
I love these little dragon spouts!
Cherry blossoms!!! :D Spring is upon us!
Yesterday, we visited 北海 park. Because the weather is warming up, the parks keep on changing! I can't wait to see what it looks like when the leaves come out！
Meet Eric！Because he's a Chinese major, he knows a lot about Chinese history and culture. When we were at the Capital Museum, he would explain things to me, which must have seemed quite odd to the other visitors because it would seem more fitting for me to be explaining things to him (based on appearances). We're good friends, but he's on the quiet/shy side.
Of course, all of these parks were made for the royal family, so they are abundant in traditional architecture.
When I was taking this picture, I was thinking of the tree I saw in Cappadocia that was adorned with the Evil Eyes and the tree in Santa Cruz with the secret messages
I love these little dragon spouts!
Cherry blossoms!!! :D Spring is upon us!
Family
Shenyang is building its own subways. The high rises are new too. Some construction projects that speak to the rapid changes happening in the city.
In a park, playing the 二胡
Old men gathered in a circle, what could it be but gambling and cards!
My cousin :) He is so incredibly niceeee!
Inside my uncle's new house: my two uncles and me!
My aunt, my uncle, and me!
kitchen
From their kitchen window, which happens to be on the 19th floor!
a picture I found in their family album of my mom and my grandma :)
Mom, you should really click on this picture to see a larger version of it!
Also found: 姜盼盼，best friend from 2nd grade who is now attending 辽大， my parents' alma mater! :D
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Got my nailz done and my hair did--Blue
Having blue hair makes me feel way cooler than I actually am.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Construction outside my window
Why can't I escape having construction projects outside my window!??!?! It's like McClellan all over again!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Another party!
Yaayyyy party! Yayyyyy foosball!
Myspace pics!
Facebook pics!
Oh heyyy beer pong in China
Friday, March 4, 2011
Inspired by kite and concrete
I was walking back to my dormitory the other day, when above one of Beijing's distant highrises, I saw a colorful kite gliding in the sky. It was so hard to not believe that the kite flew itself, headstrong, going steadily against the wind. I wondered about the person at the end of the kite. Who are you? What do you do? Where are you? And there I was, surrounded by concrete, and suddenly, overcome with a strong feeling that was so similar to what I felt when reading 100 Years of Solitude, a feeling of fascination with the strangeness of life and the magic of what we've taken for granted as ordinary . Perhaps I was suddenly hit by a wave of magical realism. And the more I got to thinking and let the it set in, the righter it felt.
As someone who likes to frolic in fields of wild flowers and have day dreams about hiking in Yosemite, I was, needless to say, worried about going to Beijing. From the two or three times that I've visited, the capital city has only left me with the impression of an infinite and unending concrete sprawl. But that is just a surface.
It's hard to pinpoint what makes Beijing so magical, so heart-moving, and tragic. It's like a well-made coming of age story that transcends genres and makes you laugh and cry all at once. You root for that adolescent youth, because they're noble at heart, but also hates them when they betray their best friend to hang out with the “cool kids”. Perhaps it is the contrast that makes Beijing so bittersweet. In comparison to how dismally stoic the city looks physically, the people of Beijing have personalize this space and their surroundings and oozed culture and life into every possible nook and cranny.
Here in Beijing, ground means cement, not soil;
Toxic air is accepted and not challenged;
More often than not, snow is made possible courtesy of the Beijing government , not mother nature.
There are rural villagers who have come to Beijing to pursue a better life,
and for them, spending all day on a bridge, selling socks to passerby or competing with two other guys to put the plastic sheet on your cellphone, is a better life than what they left behind.
There are foreign students in Beijing, who are suddenly are rich! because China is cheaper than home. They spend like they are the boss and are treated like objects of curiosity/royalty.
Outside the clubs at night, they run into 5 year-old panhandlers waiting in the freezing cold, who they refuse to give anything to even though they are spending 50kuai on drinks and it's 3am in the morning.
There are people who rent out their kids to panhandlers because panhandlers with young children get more sympathy.
There are handmade kites that are painted by handicap people, who are on one hand being exploited, and on the other hand, employed.
In a country where freedom of speech is restricted, it's socially acceptable, if you just shout as loudly as you can into the air because you needed to let off some steam.
There are young men playing ice hockey on the lake when it freezes over, and wobbly grandfathers learning how to roller blade with their grandson.
When middle aged men ride their bikes on the ice, they are not being rebellious, they just need to get somewhere.
There are adorable kids! with wind-blown red cheeks and animal ears on their puffy winter coats, who speaks with heavy Beijing accents like old-timer cab drivers.
In the country with the world's greatest population, young people have a hard time meeting people.
There are kites flying above concrete buildings.
As someone who likes to frolic in fields of wild flowers and have day dreams about hiking in Yosemite, I was, needless to say, worried about going to Beijing. From the two or three times that I've visited, the capital city has only left me with the impression of an infinite and unending concrete sprawl. But that is just a surface.
It's hard to pinpoint what makes Beijing so magical, so heart-moving, and tragic. It's like a well-made coming of age story that transcends genres and makes you laugh and cry all at once. You root for that adolescent youth, because they're noble at heart, but also hates them when they betray their best friend to hang out with the “cool kids”. Perhaps it is the contrast that makes Beijing so bittersweet. In comparison to how dismally stoic the city looks physically, the people of Beijing have personalize this space and their surroundings and oozed culture and life into every possible nook and cranny.
Here in Beijing, ground means cement, not soil;
Toxic air is accepted and not challenged;
More often than not, snow is made possible courtesy of the Beijing government , not mother nature.
There are rural villagers who have come to Beijing to pursue a better life,
and for them, spending all day on a bridge, selling socks to passerby or competing with two other guys to put the plastic sheet on your cellphone, is a better life than what they left behind.
There are foreign students in Beijing, who are suddenly are rich! because China is cheaper than home. They spend like they are the boss and are treated like objects of curiosity/royalty.
Outside the clubs at night, they run into 5 year-old panhandlers waiting in the freezing cold, who they refuse to give anything to even though they are spending 50kuai on drinks and it's 3am in the morning.
There are people who rent out their kids to panhandlers because panhandlers with young children get more sympathy.
There are handmade kites that are painted by handicap people, who are on one hand being exploited, and on the other hand, employed.
In a country where freedom of speech is restricted, it's socially acceptable, if you just shout as loudly as you can into the air because you needed to let off some steam.
There are young men playing ice hockey on the lake when it freezes over, and wobbly grandfathers learning how to roller blade with their grandson.
When middle aged men ride their bikes on the ice, they are not being rebellious, they just need to get somewhere.
There are adorable kids! with wind-blown red cheeks and animal ears on their puffy winter coats, who speaks with heavy Beijing accents like old-timer cab drivers.
In the country with the world's greatest population, young people have a hard time meeting people.
There are kites flying above concrete buildings.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Partner in Crime from Kindergarten
Today!
I met up with 赵琳琳，my best friend from kindergarten!!! We went on a tour of Houhai, one of my favorite places in Beijing. We did a little shopping at one of Beijing's only vintage shops, watched some middle-age men strip down and dive into the ice water, and then ate some classic 北京小吃, which I'm not sure if I'd recommend. It was necessary for us to have some since we're in Beijing and all, but it was not necessarily tasty...
Anyhow, I'm super glad that I got into contact with her! :D We go wayyyy back and were like absolute besties in kindergarten and first grade (yeah foolz, don't mess with the first graders). We were pretty much the same person back then (think more extreme version of my current self, but not as nice and rational), always causing trouble and making up stories. One fictional story that I remember in particular was when we bragged to our mutual friends that we like to spend our free time beating up college students. Yes, we were quite the little liar/braggarts. Our friend wouldn't believe us until we proved ourselves, so of course, we did the only natural thing, and dived into a game of basketball going on near the playground. We ran, we screamed, and we pounded on the hairy legs of those pitiful college boys till we had proven our point. That's how we rolled (mom and dad, yes, now you know). Together, we ate leaves from a random tree and got sick together, together, we crashed a wedding and hid underneath the table closest to the center stage, we helped the poor groom answer pop quiz questions about his wife, and together, we walked to school in first grade (I might be listening to a song called Together Forever, which might have influenced my descriptions above...). Alas, she is no longer the same ridiculous 6 year old. But I guess it be cool if they become like...normal and stuff. :P
Here's to the kid in all of us!
A do-it-your-self version of Iphoto?
This man is so adorable!
Swimming in ice water
Ready to take a dive
I met up with 赵琳琳，my best friend from kindergarten!!! We went on a tour of Houhai, one of my favorite places in Beijing. We did a little shopping at one of Beijing's only vintage shops, watched some middle-age men strip down and dive into the ice water, and then ate some classic 北京小吃, which I'm not sure if I'd recommend. It was necessary for us to have some since we're in Beijing and all, but it was not necessarily tasty...
Anyhow, I'm super glad that I got into contact with her! :D We go wayyyy back and were like absolute besties in kindergarten and first grade (yeah foolz, don't mess with the first graders). We were pretty much the same person back then (think more extreme version of my current self, but not as nice and rational), always causing trouble and making up stories. One fictional story that I remember in particular was when we bragged to our mutual friends that we like to spend our free time beating up college students. Yes, we were quite the little liar/braggarts. Our friend wouldn't believe us until we proved ourselves, so of course, we did the only natural thing, and dived into a game of basketball going on near the playground. We ran, we screamed, and we pounded on the hairy legs of those pitiful college boys till we had proven our point. That's how we rolled (mom and dad, yes, now you know). Together, we ate leaves from a random tree and got sick together, together, we crashed a wedding and hid underneath the table closest to the center stage, we helped the poor groom answer pop quiz questions about his wife, and together, we walked to school in first grade (I might be listening to a song called Together Forever, which might have influenced my descriptions above...). Alas, she is no longer the same ridiculous 6 year old. But I guess it be cool if they become like...normal and stuff. :P
Here's to the kid in all of us!
A do-it-your-self version of Iphoto?
This man is so adorable!
Swimming in ice water
Ready to take a dive
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