When Waiting Gets Boring...

Now that everyone's gone, SF seems more peaceful and silent than usual. I really can't lock myself up in my house in order to finishing reading the course catalogue, not even the part relevant to my interests. Who made those books so thick, even a reader like me has to despise it? Vivian helped me finish the scarf, my first knitting project. Now I'm working on another one for my mom. I've been reading a lot of articles on traveling. I think I really want to travel around the world - let the dream come true, than rotting away in this boredom. May be Costa Rica would be a great place for this Xmas.

"Hey, you stole my money!"


I wanted to scream at the vending machine. It just stole my money! Instead, it sounded the alarm and "chased" us out of the post office. I went there to buy air mail stamps. Just after I got my package, when it was supposed to return my dollar change, it displayed, We're sorry, "your credit is lost." Just like that, it "ate" my money. I couldn't believe this was happening. Dex kicked the machine. He thought it would help, but the vending machine started shrieking, ringing, alarming... Massive noise filled the tiny post office. We felt that we attracted the attention of everyone in the park outside and of course, the ones inside the office. Dex pulled me signaling that we should leave. The alarm was still perfectly clear across the park. This was how I got ripped off by a machine.

Reflection on the Trip to Japan

Oh boy, that was a wonderful trip! Today I wrote a postcard to my host family in Kyoto. They are wonderful people who have invited me to visit again. I am hoping to go back next summer through a Stanford summer session. I have one regret, and only, from that trip: I didn't bring enough souvenirs back. In fact, I bought nothing except for a few postcards (the ones of the Golden Pavillion are absolutely beautiful though!)and one or two rosaries. I especially wish that I brought quite a few amulets back. They are such beautiful things and they vary a lot from temple to temple. Silly me!

Little Miss Sunshine


If you are looking for laughs, this is the best movie for this summer. I listened to the recommendation of friend to see Little Miss Sunshine, a brilliant movie with many jokes and dark humors. It made me laugh from the beginning to ending - it's a bit unusual because endings usually turn tragic. In this movie, the ending is especially unexpected and funny. In this movie, you can expect a gay scholar, a crazy grandpa, a chubby little girl with big dreams, a touchy mother, an arrogant father and a quiet Nietsche fan who hates everyone.

Everything went smoothly today in San Francisco: the plane landed safely, and I got out of the airport quickly, except that luggages arrived very slowly. Leaving mother has never been easy. This time it wasn't so bad because we both have things to do on either sides of the Pacific. I haven't enjoyed the 11 hr. flight much. It always becomes dry, crowded, and stuffed. Now with the new security measure, I can't bring any moisturer for my bloody nose. Fortunately, it occurred in neither of these two flights across the ocean. Now it's the time to work hard again.

I'm in the Chengdu International Airport heading towards Beijing to catch my flight back to the US. This time, and for the first time, I'm flying first class with my mother. Who knows how good the service can get, I just can't wait to find out. So far, it has been great - I got a special line at the security check where there's no line at all. We passed the check quickly, and now, I'm chilling in the 1st class waiting room with free internet, food and drink. I can't say the couch is particularly comfy, but it's nice enough. Ciao.

Chinese Tea Culture in Chengdu

Chengdu is the perfect place to get to know Chinese tea culture. In the US, it seems that Japanese tea is better. Ever since I went to the Chinese Tea House in Chinatown, I firmly believe that there is a lot more to Chinese tea culture. There are thousands of tea houses in Chengdu, prices ranging from very low to extremely high. At The Heavenly Fortune，天福茗茶，I got to taste several oolong and green tea for free because my mom often shops there. Tie Kuan Yin, or Iron Kuan Yin, is fairly well-known in the US, but few people know that this kind of oolong tea can go as high as 2000 RMB/Jin or more. 2000 RMB = 250 dollars, and Jin is a Chinese unit. Long Jin, or Dragon Well, on the other hand can exceed 8000 RMB/Jin = 1000 dollars/Jin. It's very difficult to imagine the quality of these selections to the ones offered in Cantonese restaurants in SF. People in Chengdu spend a lot of time in tea houses which is also known as the No.1 relaxing place, the No.2 office. All kinds of groups gather in those places: friends, business people, families - both young and old. It's interesting how I used to hate tea with a passion, but now, I love the way Americans drink their tea - drinking tea leaves from all over the world, the way the Japanese drink tea - drinking all kinds of smooth, bitter and soothing green tea and developing green tea culture to the top level, and especially the way people in Chengdu drink their tea - drinking Chinese tea and especially the best Chinese tea. Chinese tea probably has the most poetic names: Dragon Well, Iron Buddha, Green Bamboo Leaves, Silver Needle, Brown Dragon (oolong), etc.