Category: China

  • 006 | Night :: Shanghai, China, 2014

    006 | Night :: Shanghai, China, 2014

    One of my favorite views of Shanghai is from the top floor of the Hyatt. Compared to some of the more popular bars on the Bund, Vue Bar is a quieter establishment, where you don’t have to jostle with a crowd for a comfortable position, and might even find a corner to sit down for…

  • 002 | Reflect :: Jiuzhai Valley, China, 2005

    002 | Reflect :: Jiuzhai Valley, China, 2005

    I’m planning a China trip next year to visit friends, take care of some business, and show J where I grew up. He’s never been to Asia before, and I’m looking forward to showing him all the natural beauty and rich culture my native country has to offer. I do have to say that I’m…

  • The Missing Wallet

    The Missing Wallet

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    The summer after my sophomore year in college, I made my first trip back to the motherland. As I gleefully embarked on a shopping spree in the underground market, a thief stole my wallet, which inconveniently contained my green card. The one month that followed was agonizing as I navigated the channels to somehow get back into the…

  • Nothing is impossible

    Nothing is impossible

    For someone who’s racked up quite a number of miles in the recent decade, I am quite horrible when it comes to preparing well for traveling. A few examples of my travel mishaps purely due to stupidity and laziness include: – Remembering the wrong date for a flight and ended up staying in a different…

  • The Taxi Driver

    The Taxi Driver

    It’s been a while since I’ve written. As much as I’ve tried to avoid it I fell into the same pattern as most of everyone around me, consuming time as if there is plenty of it to waste, capturing moments in pixels rather than experiencing them, letting thoughts slip away, letting life flee. There were…

  • Moon Cake Economics

    Moon Cake Economics

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    So I just had a nice little three day weekend thanks to this little holiday called the Mid-Autumn Festival. The official date falls on August 15 of the lunar calendar year, and while its origins are still debatable, the tradition is to gather with your family, gaze at the bright full moon, and of course,…

  • 骨子里的情怀

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    上班以来我最期待的是午餐时间。我们一组十来人,中午至少能找五六个一起吃饭。由于大家都属于年龄层次比较高又思想比较成熟的成年人,虽然一开始也总是从八卦开始聊,结束时往往是仍还在意犹未尽的争论着某些人生问题。昨天的话题是男女平等与家庭和睦,今天的是死亡的方式,而前不久我还与大老板兴致高昂的讨论过我们彼此对税收的观念。我比较倾向与liberal, 而他是不折不扣的保守党。虽然讨论的气氛融洽老板也够开明,但后来我还是反省自己做人是否不够圆滑,这种事情附和老板实在没什么大不了。 我喜欢的一个博客女主住在长沙。她常常说一些这个城市的事情,让我觉得十分亲切。虽然我对长沙已经过于陌生,即使对外仍称自己是长沙人,那里只是家乡,却不再是家。她最近写了一篇文章叫做望月的人。长沙有个区叫做望月湖。记忆里那里似乎是没有湖的,但这样一个名字多么有气质呀。我一向觉得长沙的各种地名都很有味道,岳麓山,银盆岭,橘子洲头,潇湘大道。但其实它们或许也不比其他地方的名字有味道,只是因为在记忆里沉淀了许多年才拿出来温习,就多了分怀旧的韵味。 离题了。我本来想说的只是这篇文章。她在里面说一种人,是骨子里有情怀的人。这种形容实在是笼统而模糊,也很难定义,我却偏偏就被这一句话震撼了。这年头人总爱批评别人市侩。那的确,我们大多数人庸碌一生,为五斗米折腰的折腰卖笑的卖笑。但总有一些什么是值得坚持的吧,不管你所坚持的目标实际如婚姻与事业,还是心灵上的信仰和安乐。每一种坚持,不管别人认同与否,都是一个故事。说给平常人听一两句就能带过,若是真要落笔,也能写出洋洋洒洒许多个长篇。 前一阵子我去了致康园做义工。那里的孩子都有不同程度的脑瘫,虽然智力方面大多数没有妨碍,动作却不能自主。脑瘫的原因很多,有可能是先天,也有可能是产后一个月内其他原因引起,所以这些孩子从一出生就无法自理。孩子们大多数都不能自己站立,就连坐也是要用绳子把腿绑在椅子上才能坐得稳当。我们当天的工作是帮他们开运动会,每一个义工都负责一个孩子,在他们玩不同游戏的时候托着他们。由于他们不大能自控身体的动作,许多时候场面都是一片混乱,但孩子们都玩得很开心,也没有人计较输赢。玩保龄球的时候,许多孩子没有办法好好握住球,更不用说按正确的方向丢出去。其他的孩子虽然也都急着想要玩,却没有人埋怨,大家都帮玩的人加油,为再小的成功欢呼。运动会结束后我们陪他们到餐厅喂他们吃饭,之后他们就要回二楼的房间了。有的孩子是被抱上去的,有的自己走。一个孩子被阿姨带到楼梯脚下,帮他把双手放在扶手上,让他自己爬楼梯。我们就站在走廊里,看到他每跨一步都需要强大的努力,而他却还时不时回过头来给我们一个笑脸。这些孩子或许一辈子坚持的,就是我们觉得天经地义的自理能力。可是他们每一个人都那样努力,甚至还不忘保持微笑。 我当时突然觉得惭愧。我这一生拥有的太多,付出的太少,我却还不知足,常常埋怨,偶尔幻想不劳而获的得到更完美的生活。 羡慕也好,怜悯也好,我们都不能去过别人的生活。我们所有的只有自己的坚持,自己的故事。虽然生活中有形形色色的过客出现,但陪你再久的也只是过客。不必在意自己的平凡,也不要放弃自己的坚持。而骨子里的情怀,对我来说,我想或许那就是soul.

  • This too, will pass.

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    “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.” – Earl Nightingale Two weeks in Shanghai. I’ve settled into my new apartment, now fully furnished and decorated with IKEA everything. After 8 months on the road, I finally have a home of my own again. Of course, until the last month, I always…

  • The Sculptor

    The Sculptor

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    We met the sculptor on the streets of Xi’An, right outside the Big Goose Pagoda. He had an old bike, which reminded me of the one my dad used to ride around town with me sitting in front. A simple rack held 20 or so figurines made out of dough, mostly famous leaders and comedians,…

  • Shanghai JZ Festival

    Shanghai JZ Festival

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    Hi from Shanghai! I’m leaving for Thailand tomorrow so I thought I would finally write my first post about Shanghai, having spent about 3 weeks here already 😛 Since I’m on a budget (a tighter one now that I’m unemployed >.<), I decided to try one of budget Asian airlines, China Spring. Instead of Narita…