Since I can't eat rice now, I decided to include cheese in my diet. Don't be suprised if I tell you that I actually loved cheese when i was little. From my little brain, I know that cheese is coming from farms in New Zealand, coz that's the only cheese they sell in China at that time. Of course, later more local brands emerged. But not so much cheese from other country though, kinda weird.

So, totally. I was totally surprised when i cut open my baby swiss cheese to find that it actually has holes in it! Well, another impression of cheese of me came from Tom and Jerry. Jerry running across the tables full of turky, ham, plates, candles, wine and cheese really made an impression on me. Those cheese with holes! I never stopped wondering why most cheese don't have holes. It's wrong.

Lunch box i recently acquired from China. Very helpful. So I can only eat a fruit once a week and one rice/bread/noodle product once a week. What a life.

And I can't drink milk. But I have coconut milk. I just learned today that drinking coconut milk staright up sucks. but accidentally, a week ago, I put some coconut milk into my green tea. It actually tasted very good.

So, out of many resaons, I decided to be on a diet: the no/low carbs diet. I'm quiet sure if it was 1 year ago, i would never choose to be on the no carbs diet coz i love rice. And noodles, and corn and very importantly, sweet potato. Stop eating these carbs is like stripping away my life. But still I want to try it. Part of it is seeing my dear friend Ete is getting slimmer and i'm getting fatter. I feel a really urge to get skinnier. Another part is that we both decide to do this diet when we left China.

Ete is leaving for Paris, France. She's going to be a researcher in a medicine-related lab. And I think she's in love with her boss (don't know the correct word, but that's how she calls her).

So, yeah, this picture shows an omlet I made on the first week. I put too much spinach in it but it turns out fine. I'm happy^.^

Then I was doing some cleaning and I found these pictures. They are 2 years old @.@. When Asako and I visited Sarah's home in Kentucky.

There we met a Japanese exchange student living in one of Sarah's acquentence's house. Her name is Mao...Kinda interesting

So, this is when Sarah got her birthday present. A rice cooker and a GPS.

and, Look at my "bun-like" face. (Right, this is how it's called in china these days, Baozilian, geez)

back and new posting!

喜欢一个人

Haven't updated this blog for a while. 1 i'm lazy, 2 blogspot is blocked in china. well i could've used proxy to get on it but i decided not to. so that leads to 1 again.

did a lot of stuff when i'm back but it feels almost too short when i think about it now...

went to hangzhou, suzhou, fujian, zhangjiajie. toured, hiked interned, laid back and went to the expo craziest thing several times...and met someone really nice^_^

so here's the new "something" i wrote...

喜欢一个人

不仅仅是

你们之间

有说不完的话

而是

相对无言

也要绞尽脑汁

说上几句

其实

这世界上

哪有说不完的话

只有思不完的念

in essence: when you are in love, often you feel like you have endless conversation with him/her. but in my opinion, being in love means that even if you have nothing to tell him/her, you try really hard to think of something to talk about. the desire to talk, it's just a reflection of endless loving thought...

Kindness

"You lose nothing by kindness; and even though you were to lose something, it can afterward come back to you ten times over in peace, while in conflict you may, perhaps, lose both life and goods. Why run into danger, when you can get more by another and a good way?"

---Luther: Friendly Admonition to Peace Concerning the Twelve Articles.

I've been in too many conflicts lately (past years, or my whole life?) and I felt like I have adhered neither to Confucius teaching of "let there be no evil in your thoughts" nor to Laozi's admonition that one should not quarrel with anyone for anything. Luther's view of piece is interesting that it gives light to kindness and sacrifice.

Peace

Why Greece Could Stymie Obama's Plans

• FEBRUARY 10, 2010

U.S. export growth is running up against a Big Fat Greek Problem.

The Commerce Department is expected to report Wednesday that the U.S. trade deficit widened slightly in December to $36.8 billion, according to forecasters polled by Dow Jones, compared with $36.4 billion in November.

The widening reflects faster growth in imports than exports at year-end, an unwelcome side effect of the U.S. economic recovery. It also is a reminder that export-led growth, which nations are pursuing as a path out of recession, is easier said than done.

President Obama has called for a doubling of U.S. exports over the next five years to help narrow the trade deficit and spur economic growth.

The quickest way of doing so is a weaker dollar, which makes U.S. goods and services cheaper in the global market.

But lately, the dollar is moving in the other direction.

Worries over the fiscal health of Greece and other nations have dogged the rival euro currency, which hit an eight-month low on Tuesday before closing a few cents higher.

The U.S. Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against a trade-weighted basket of currencies, has risen about 7.5% since last November to close Tuesday at 79.79.

Goldman Sachs economist Sven Jari Stehn calculates that even with above-consensus global growth of 4.5% over the next five years, the dollar still would need to depreciate in inflation-adjusted terms by about 30% for U.S. exports to double to about $3.1 trillion.

If instead the strengthening continues, "it would wipe out all the other bits and pieces [the president] is putting together to encourage exports," said Simon Johnson, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management.

And while investors focus on whether the big European nations will come to their smaller neighbors' rescue, Mr. Johnson points out that Germany, the world's biggest exporter until China surpassed it last year, is reaping the benefits to its own exports that come from a weaker currency.

European nations might not be in as much of a hurry as investors assume to halt their currency's downward slide. That could make an export-led U.S. recovery its own Greek myth.

Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704182004575055740459068982.html, 2/11/2010

I bet when people think about Greece, they do not see her as a nation in debt, rather a beautiful country with the purist white and blue. At least for me, Greek names and mysteries are ancient and pretty. I guess this is the dark side of economics, sadly.

Ten Commandments of Love

I wish I would not have met you, so that I could not have fallen in love with you.

I wish I would not have known you, so that I would not think of you.

I wish I would not have accompanied you, so that I could not have had owed you.

I wish I would not have cherished you, so that I would not miss you.

I wish I would not have fallen in love with you, so that I would not desert you.

I wish I would not have confronted you, so that I would not have to see you.

I wish I would not have wasted your time, so that I could not have disappointed you.

I wish I would not have agreed to marry you, so that I would not have continued to love you.

I wish I would not have relied on you, so that I could not have cuddled with you.

I wish I would not have encountered you, so that I would not have a reunion with you.

Nonetheless I met you and I became acquainted with you, there is more suffer when I see you than not seeing.

How could I say good bye to you, yet I have to, so that I will not miss you terribly.

------

Translated from a famous poem by the young Dalai Lama VI wrote in 17th century

09 Xmas and New Year10

One blink and it's Xmas again. I was home last xmas with mom and dad, Asako and Meredith. We went to the Nutcracker Ballet on xmas Eve... Nutcracker is my happy interpretation of Christmas when I was a child. It is a western holiday after all, I was not away from it. Because my mom was learning English, our family was friends with some canadian missionaries who came to China and taught English to my mom and her fellow colleagues. When xmas comes, they would decorate the tree and put up the decoration and cards. One teacher is Ms Page, the other one is called Ms Lieu who was a Cantonese descendant. Actually, they don't have to decorate their homes for xmas to make it more attractive, because they are already attractive enough. I think their stuff is antique-looking and pretty. Mom always speak of their habit. Such as if there is one single hair on the floor, it would be picked up; or they put food residue back to the fridge so it would not smell funny in the trash. Besides these two Canadians, xmas meant cheerful music to me. Rudolf Red Nose the Reindeer, Jingle Bell, and some other new year's songs are all my favorite. Later I grow up, our family would watch the annual new year's concert in Vienna in TV.

But things changed after I came to America, because these songs are not any special for them and they've got a lot more! One of the most important thing is eating and drinking, which is quite similar to what we do in Chinese New Year. E.g. the first year I came here we had huge honey baked ham; this year we are had prime rib. Also one other important thing is presents. In movies and TV shows, Christmas tree is always depicted with lots of presents under. It's all realized at Heathe'rs. Even now, I'm a junior in college, can still get lots of presents. I got a pair of really cute pink bunny slippers which I really like. Tracing back to when I was little, I was particularly crazy for slippers. Usually for girls, the presents are small cosmetics, personal care, etc. For boys, games. Even adults get a lot of presents. But always, one big central present is involved. No wonder christmas is the biggest sale season. Aunt says it's about 60% of the sale for the whole year. Word.

So this year, Heather's mom's here and she cooked a lot of good food. Particularly some lovely bread. Oishi...I want to make it myself some time.

Here are some pics... pics are truth...(I really like this phrase recently)

This is at the little place for christmas sale. A real xmas tree has a fresh scent. After decorating with lights, it's more energetic-looking.

Liz and Colin are moving the tree. And I'm taking pictures with the dogs. That's Echo.

Colin and Echo. Heather's boyfriend has a very long sword. It's almost as tall as me.

I try to pose the dog and the little chimp, but it didn't work out that well. So I only have this one.

This is Lee's house (Heather's boyfriend). It's very beautiful after snowing.

Heather's Mom's Short Bread ( I guess...). It's lovely and tasty, especially after honey butter.

This is me. I was distracted when preparing my outfit for the competition at Fed. Basically the middle pictue shows my autumn and winter (warm) outfit. But I truly wish I'm a bit taller. Wahaha...

FDS work trip 2009 Fall

So this is the slide show video I made for the Friends Disaster Service this fall (2009). I meant to make it the weekend after we went but I procrastinated...(but usually I procrastinate anyways...)

Anyways, it's the third work trip I've been on and I really like them so far. This trip was to Ararat Mountain, NC, which is just within about 2 hours driving distance from Guilford.

The meals are also the best among the work trips I have been on. One day I had 3 bowls of soup...(I have to admit that I have a big appetite). Also the local friends made some clamp chowder soup...yum yum

Anyways, enjoy the video...

Under the Sea

The sea and the land are two separate worlds. The princess of the sea is in torture because of her unrealistic love under the sea, but she suffers from walking while she is up there because every step she takes is like walking on a sharp knife.

Only the princess knows the bleeding love. Yet she still loves the human world. She collected all kinds of chotchkies and finally went up to the droughty world except she can never return.

Sometimes I feel like I'm like the little mermaid who struggles in this different world. Giving up her father, grandmother and sisters, she comes to the land with no one to depend on. I gave up my care-free life and came to the culturally-reversed country.

But how could i be like her, to be with the prince even when she's walking on the tips of the knives; how could I be like her, to pursue an eternal soul?

Will she be lonely? Where will her soul end up? This is the most beautiful and most lamenting fairy tales I have ever read. Her love breaks along with the knife cuts the sky into the sea. The setting sun melts her into an eternal soul.

I reach for you, but you are so far away. Your glowing rays of light are calling me, so I move forward but I'm afraid that I will be burnt. My prince, will you love me? Do you know I am the silent mermaid?