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
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Summer plans
Once again, it's that time of the year where I need to figure my shit out for the summer.
What to do?
The main decision is between staying in China and going back to the US...
In the US, I could:
Take a low paying menial job in Santa Barbara for the sake of being able to be in Santa Barbara?
Take a low paying internship in SF, for the sake of being in SF and gaining meaningful work experience?
In China, I could:
First, travel to various places in May before the commencement of summer tourist season?
Second, stay in Beijing and do research for my senior project, and accept ridiculous summer heat. OR
Stay in China, but visit my family in 瓦房店, and help out at my cousin's bakery or learn how to crochet from my aunt?
Lastly, visit Japan in for 3 weeks in August for a course on Global Sustainability?
Help me decide!
What to do?
The main decision is between staying in China and going back to the US...
In the US, I could:
Take a low paying menial job in Santa Barbara for the sake of being able to be in Santa Barbara?
Take a low paying internship in SF, for the sake of being in SF and gaining meaningful work experience?
In China, I could:
First, travel to various places in May before the commencement of summer tourist season?
Second, stay in Beijing and do research for my senior project, and accept ridiculous summer heat. OR
Stay in China, but visit my family in 瓦房店, and help out at my cousin's bakery or learn how to crochet from my aunt?
Lastly, visit Japan in for 3 weeks in August for a course on Global Sustainability?
Help me decide!
The Military Museum/Dating in China
Pollution on Sunday was horrrribble. So I was glad that I had indoor activities scheduled with my host family "sister", and we went to the National Military Museum. In addition to various weapons exhibits, including special exhibits for the War of Anti-Japanese Aggression (known in the US as Sino-Japanese War) and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (known in US textbooks as the Korean War--but not a real war), they also had paintings done by artists from the military and several anthropology halls.
When we got tired, Lily and I grilled Buxiaoxiao about the in's and out's of dating in China (admittedly, a bit strange considering the setting), which is related to Lily's independent project at ACC. The interesting scoop is that because young people are so busy working （because their wages are horrible and they can't afford housing), they have very little time for relationships (romantic or otherwise). Under such conditions, many people choose online dating, which is faster and more convenient. I was looking at Lily's powerpoint, and in contrast to the US, where online dating is kind of taboo, in China, online dating is considered to be a fair way of meeting someone by more than 90% of the population. 30-40% of the people surveyed (by Baidu, the equivalent of Google in China) do it, 30% say that they want to, and another 30% say its cool, but not for them. One of my cousins even met his girlfriend of 2 years through an online dating site! And he is only 26! Online dating ftw?
Pollution.
When we got tired, Lily and I grilled Buxiaoxiao about the in's and out's of dating in China (admittedly, a bit strange considering the setting), which is related to Lily's independent project at ACC. The interesting scoop is that because young people are so busy working （because their wages are horrible and they can't afford housing), they have very little time for relationships (romantic or otherwise). Under such conditions, many people choose online dating, which is faster and more convenient. I was looking at Lily's powerpoint, and in contrast to the US, where online dating is kind of taboo, in China, online dating is considered to be a fair way of meeting someone by more than 90% of the population. 30-40% of the people surveyed (by Baidu, the equivalent of Google in China) do it, 30% say that they want to, and another 30% say its cool, but not for them. One of my cousins even met his girlfriend of 2 years through an online dating site! And he is only 26! Online dating ftw?
Pollution.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Birthday
Happy 21st tooo meeeeee!
It wasn't as crazy as some 21st go, but for my 70 year old soul, it was fairly wild. 白酒（Baijiu）does that...Can you say 蒙古王(Mongolian King)?
It started off pretty bad, horrible BCG interview and all, but then I ended up skyping with lots of friends including my lovely suite, Megan, and mom, and that made me feel better. Later, I went to Eyeglass City and got a full pair of glasses (eye exam, frame, and lens) for less than $30. Then I went to this ridiculous second-hand good/handicrafts market/sprawl at Panjiayuan, where I got ended up buying some 粮票 (food currency issued before China had real money, back in the days of regulated markets) from the 70s and 80s. I've never seen them before, but they are pretty nifty!
And then! I had dinner with a bunch of Yalies studying in Beijing, and when I went back to my dormitory, my good friends from ACC threw me a partttyyyy! :) For those of you who are DYING to know, the cake was chocolate. haha. Got pretty tired though because I had been walking around all day and had woken up at 4:30. Nevertheless, we still went clubbing. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) due to the high volume of traffic at Propaganda that night, we ended up leaving maybe less than 2 hrs later.
Man with taxidermy on bicycle
798esque miniture ceramic statues
It wasn't as crazy as some 21st go, but for my 70 year old soul, it was fairly wild. 白酒（Baijiu）does that...Can you say 蒙古王(Mongolian King)?
It started off pretty bad, horrible BCG interview and all, but then I ended up skyping with lots of friends including my lovely suite, Megan, and mom, and that made me feel better. Later, I went to Eyeglass City and got a full pair of glasses (eye exam, frame, and lens) for less than $30. Then I went to this ridiculous second-hand good/handicrafts market/sprawl at Panjiayuan, where I got ended up buying some 粮票 (food currency issued before China had real money, back in the days of regulated markets) from the 70s and 80s. I've never seen them before, but they are pretty nifty!
And then! I had dinner with a bunch of Yalies studying in Beijing, and when I went back to my dormitory, my good friends from ACC threw me a partttyyyy! :) For those of you who are DYING to know, the cake was chocolate. haha. Got pretty tired though because I had been walking around all day and had woken up at 4:30. Nevertheless, we still went clubbing. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) due to the high volume of traffic at Propaganda that night, we ended up leaving maybe less than 2 hrs later.
Man with taxidermy on bicycle
798esque miniture ceramic statues
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