Flight to China

April 8, 2016

My 14-hour flight lasted shorter than expected. I slept most of the time despite my attempt to stay awake during the daylight hours in China's time zone.  I did end up watching 2 movies: the Chinese monster hunt that I had been wanting to watch for a long time but couldn't find a good source, and Chris Hemworth's Moby Dick movie. Luckily there was an empty spot between me and the lady sitting in my row. I could sit Indian style or like a damsel in distress. My legs were happy :) At first I didn't know where the lady was from. She looked like a stylish Asian lady in her 30s. However, her English and Mandarin weren't very good when she spoke to me and the flight attendants. Later, when she asked me to look at her transfer flight info, I realized why. She was a native Cantonese speaker. She had a transfer flight to Hong Kong after we landed in Beijing. 

Previously mid-life crises, currently big life changes

April 6, 2016

It's crazy how much has come to pass in just the last 2 years. Back then it was 2014. I finally visited Japan and Korea with my college buddies, attended 3 weddings (two of which I participated as a bridesmaid), started looking into a possible new career in occupational therapy, and got a new boyfriend. Now it's 2016. I got accepted into two grad programs for OT, quit my job, am moving to a new city to attend school, and became single. I feel like I'm playing the LIFE board game and my tiny pink minivan just sped forward 10 steps several times. It's funny how perceptions of some events start out one way but then change over time. Surprisingly I was not pleased with my acceptance into grad school as I had imagined I'd be. And unsurprisingly, I was not happy over my breakup. Then after 2 months, it all flip-flopped. I think I realized it all had to do with having to go through change and becoming uncomfortable again. 

Vent

What a frustrating week. Never had to persistently "beg" so much in my life, or have so many roadblocks thrown at me one after the other. Right when I finally get past one obstacle, another one presents itself. I really think I've done as much as I could up to this point. If things don't work out then maybe they aren't supposed to yet. I've stressed out so much this week and REFUSE to continue doing so. The original end goal of all this was to improve my well-being and develop a better sense of self purpose. But the process of getting there is turning all this upside down and having the complete opposite effect. I'm not giving up but I am recognizing that my path there is not a smooth one. I have to take things as they come, even the failures, because it is part of my process. I can't change the past but I can work with what I have. Think happy 💭.

·: [HD] [VIDEO] Compilation of Zhang LiYin's "Agape" ...

·: [HD] [VIDEO] Compilation of Zhang LiYin's "Agape" ...: 140820 MBC Show Champion FULL 1 | N E W 140819 SBS MTV The Show FULL 1 | FULL 2 Source: as tagged

Really loving Liyin's live performances of Agape :)

2014's Big Trip - SK & J - Heading there

Ever since graduation, I've made the effort to take a big trip abroad somewhere every year. 2014 is no different and this time I'm heading to South Korea and Japan. Having observed and been fascinated by Korean and Japanese culture from afar for so long - from kpop,  k-dramas and bulgogi, to anime, jpop and sushi - I'm very much looking forward to my journey.

Currently I'm still at the George Bush Int'l Airport waiting to board my flight. The excitement hasn't hit me yet. I think it's because I'm heading to San Francisco first and won't be flying to Seoul until tomorrow morning...also because I'm too tired at the moment =_=. All the lack of sleep from this week of running errands, shopping, packing, in addition to the usual routine of going to work, has definitely worn me down. I'll sleep very well tonight in my, hopefully bug-free, hotel in the Golden Gate city.

Once upon a time: Update

So much for daily updates! It's been 3 years... I've decided I will no longer make such a promise for fear of not going through with it again. I wrote daily updates, once a upon a time. As for the reason of my negligence, life just got in the way. From now on updates will come when they come.

To make up for my negligence,  I present to you a picture of my lab looking hipster with shades on.

To make up for some of the lost time, I'll start with an excerpt of my life from a few years back...just stuff I wrote a long time ago that was collecting dust in my draft folder.

-2011-

After graduating from my overcrowded longhorn alma mater, I took a one and a half month vacation to China before starting my work life. I visited estranged relatives and celebrated the end of my exhausting 17-year long career as a student. At the time it felt as if a daunting weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I had finally managed to step out of the assembly line-like system that guided me throughout my adolescence. Basking in my new found freedom, I sought reprieve in the intriguing food and culture of my home country. It was a welcomed change from my usual Chinese-American lifestyle.

During my short stay in China, good and bad experiences came to pass, more good than bad. The bad experiences were the usual when you visit China from a Westerner's point of view: the toilets that are sometimes no more than a hole in the ground (literally), the lack of air conditioning in some places, the lack of actual cold water in restaurants (cold = lukewarm in China), sanitary concerns, fear of bag snatchers, etc. 

Now for the good experiences:

Having grown up in a very flat city for a good chunk of my life, I welcomed the sight of mountains and greenery in abundance. I traveled through Central China where mountains ran through much of the land so I got an eyeful wherever I went. Scaling the mountains proved rather challenging, especially if no established trails exist for people to travel on. Around the city my grandparents resided, four mountains loomed along the border on all sides. They were so significant to the city people that locals even gave them names...which I have conveniently forgotten. I had the opportunity to climb some of the mountains with more established trails and lost count of how many pagodas I sat in to rest during my climbs. Each painted and carved into unique oriental designs, the wooden pagodas were decorated with calligraphy at the entrance which designated an auspicious name to the structure.

Temples resided on some of the mountains as well. However, they were not as easy to reach as the pagodas, which were considered resting spots rather than destinations of a long, challenging trek. I remember one of the temples I treked to was reachable only after climbing 3000 steps up a crisscrossing stairwell with no safety rail on the sides. The trek was only supposed to last 3 hours but because the original stairwell proved too steep for descending, my aunt decided to take an alternative route. This extended our journey to an unexpected 6 hours...we were very famished by the end of it. During another trek, we reached a temple built on the edge of a cliff that was only reachable after hiking through a forested area and climbing up a 45 degree slope with only the roots of an ancient tree to use as footholds. Again, the descent proved more daunting than the ascent. Each time we reached a temple, we were greeted by the intense smell of burning incense and colorful images of reverent figures like Buddha or the Kirin on the walls. The locals believed taking pictures of the reverent figures was a show of disrespect so I was not allowed to take photos in the open. In one of the temples, I had my fortune told by inscribed wooden sticks that fell out of a cup I was instructed to shake with all my might.

Back in my hometown, my grandparents were very inquisitive about my life as much as I was about theirs', so we had insightful conversations about the things of the past, current state of affairs and future plans. "Ah so much has changed," was a commonly uttered phrase throughout our discussions. Unlike in America, where I can count the number of relatives with just two hands, the number of relatives I had in China was immeasurable - cousins however many times removed, great aunts, great great uncles, etc. And unlike the simple family hierarchy titles of the English culture, Chinese culture designates more complicated titles to different types of family relations. Because of the complicated nature of these designations and my infrequent need to use these titles since I don't visit China often, I tend to forget or miscall my extended family members. These occurrences are usually followed by an awkward silence or laugh, and then me being corrected.

END

I admit, this is not a very complete sounding post, but I will end it here. I only wrote this much back then and unfortunately my current memory of 3 years ago is not very detailed ^^

The beat

Doodidapdapdidumdoo...

What is it exactly that makes a piece of music so addicting? Is it the catchiness of the melody, or the meaning behind the lyrics?

So about a week ago, during one of my random ventures surfing youtube, I chanced upon the popular youtube user, nigahiga, favoriting a video from the WongFu ISA Concert contest. After watching that one video, I randomly picked another video from the same contest. The song was called "Parade" by worldismarble and I don't remember how many times I clicked the replay button! It was one of those light, fun, but classy songs that just made you want to snap your fingers to the beat and bob your head...and I couldn't stop listening to it!!!!

Become addicted as well! ...you know you want to.

The other song that caught my eyes (or rather, ears) was called "Beautiful People" by Sam Ock. For me, this song wasn't as addicting (didn't repeat as much), but the lyrics were touching and left quite an impression. It will make your day feel a lot better :) or at least leave you smiling afterward.

Check it out!

Hehe. I admit "Beautiful People" was really interesting, but I still hope "Parade" wins the contest!! XD If you do too (or not lol), vote here~

Soooo...which one did YOU like more? :)