tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36772112011-11-15T04:43:26.483-08:00Turmeric DreamsGallavanting Indian StylePissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.comBlogger791100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-14015443704558652732008-06-26T19:16:00.005-07:002008-06-27T20:57:40.256-07:00Leaving on a jetplan. . .So here I am at an Internet Centre in New Delhi before I take off and leave behind a world of crazy spices, laughter and so much warmth that I'm overheating.I've never been received by so much kindness in my life. In the past couple weeks, I've drank enough chai (with generous servings of sugar and milk, of course) to support an entire tea plantation and enough food to Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-23057128274193032692008-06-20T11:32:00.004-07:002008-06-20T22:39:45.125-07:00Ode to the Indian EveEleanor Roosevelt once said that a woman is like a teabag, the longer she is put in hot water, the stronger she gets (paraphrased). It seems truer than ever for most women of India. For the delicate gender that drops out of school earlier and at a higher rate than the men of the country, girls are brought up learning how to make perfectly round chapattis, move around Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-78868796531225650742008-06-01T07:41:00.001-07:002008-06-01T07:58:09.035-07:00Finding Nemo (or Allah, or Vishnu, or Buddha, etc.)I've discovered during my stay here that unlike the non-committal North Americans with their watered down Chinese New Year celebrations or Mardi Gras, Indians are intense with their religions. Spirituality may be another matter but there are signs, signs everywhere are signs or religious fervour. Instead of Buddhist temple after temples in China/Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-53182044015983885752008-05-09T05:27:00.001-07:002008-05-09T05:29:46.314-07:00The I FactorSince I’ve arrived here, I’ve learned one thing: anything is possible in India. Things happen beyond (or just different from) expectations through a phenomenon called the Indian factor, the infamous I-factor.My trip to Himachal Pradesh bordering the sharp and breath-taking Himalaya Mountain range showed me why this is so. We visited Dharamsala, and the city of McLeod Ganj where the Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-33157225072859586122008-04-16T09:51:00.005-07:002008-04-17T10:32:41.354-07:00Village People“Che-lo, Che-lo,” we say to the children. Like always, they are reluctant to leave the afternoon activities but eventually follow us towards the gate of the government school giggling and whispering in Punjabi. They grab our hands to shake them time and again. “Hello, bye!” they repeat to us, some heading home by bicycle. Most of them walk with us to our home, pointing at buildings Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-89681476020359640332008-03-30T07:49:00.003-07:002008-03-30T08:34:55.017-07:00Buses, Trains, and AutorickshawsOh the places you will go! And the ways that you will do it! With both familiar and unfamiliar modes of transportation in India, there is never a dull moment especially when a fraction of the 1.1 million inhabitants of this country travels along with you!My adventures on the buses here so far mostly consists of three buses between Chandigarh and Sotla village in Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-27982723213747441762008-03-28T04:04:00.004-07:002008-03-28T04:25:29.321-07:00Animal Kingdom IndiaThe highlight of my trip to Rajasthan included a camel safari with an overnight stay by the sand dunes of the Thar desert under the star witnessing the cloudless skies filled with stars, sun set and sunrise, eating chapatis and curries cooked under the shade of fresh green deciduous trees. We visited the grand forts of the Rajputs in the blue city (houses with blue to repel Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-42073069688389801032008-03-05T05:00:00.005-08:002008-03-05T05:15:20.602-08:00Village Life. . .is far from the urban conveniences that we are used to, like internet, like reliable electricity, like reliable water supply, like warm showers. Cows and dung cakes used for fertilizer are usual sights. It really gives you a global perspective to see where most of the the world population (although most is moving to urban centres) live. The green green fields is refreshing to seePissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-46099510565551041122008-03-02T05:27:00.007-08:002008-03-05T04:58:13.231-08:00Arrival. . .After 14 hours on a plane from Vancouver to Hong Kong and 6 hours from Hong Kong to Delhi I arrive to honking taxis and buses in the middle of the night. The roads are awake on the way to the bus station. On the way there our bus driver honks at every station as well as every large vehicle with swirling red and green letters at the back urging drivers to "Please honk". Each vehicle Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-73797224322484672842008-02-03T10:33:00.000-08:002008-02-03T11:50:04.412-08:00Warming up the Ol' PassportOver 3.5 years ago, my old passport was just finishing off her rounds in South Africa and Asia, literally on her last legs. The border officers at Mozambique were nicely bribed (with a wonderful smile, of course) to let me through with a passport that had less than 6 months left until its expiry date. I returned home with her to enjoy some retirement days back in Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1147989258187293652006-05-18T14:48:00.000-07:002006-05-18T14:54:18.196-07:00The World of Office LifeNo longer unemployed and travelling, highlights of my life include drama at the workplace. . .The recycling company we stopped using three weeks ago appeared at our doorstep on time and without being beckoned. We used to call them to do a pick-up when the recycling bins overflow and they give us false hope that they will arrive. They only do so after a few days. When they Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1121985701080677302005-07-21T15:40:00.000-07:002005-07-21T15:45:43.803-07:00Drifters(What I remember from my last travelling stint)The moving belt of the brightly lit counter displays a variety of pastel bowls and plates carrying seaweed stuffed sushi and cones with colourful ebi, tamago and unagi. Watching hypnotically as the food pass by, I almost forget that I’m not in Vancouver – I’m in a Japanese restaurant in the heart of Shanghai. I pull my gaze from the food and Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1104256731352211922004-12-28T09:53:00.000-08:002004-12-28T10:01:56.926-08:0040 000 confirmed dead today. millions hurt.
I want to cry, and whole world as a unit of humanity should mourn and embrace our brothers and sisters in that area of the globe. I feel so helpless and so small. Why are we so lucky in the north? This time, the disaster is not one triggered by humankind such as warfare or bombings and we cannot point fingers.
All the mothers, fathers, daughters, sonsPissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1097436618784160042004-10-10T13:11:00.000-07:002004-10-10T12:38:53.866-07:00I've been back for a month and have been contemplating the notion of travel. You meet people of similar background as you when you travel because they are the ones who are - like you - priviledged enough to earn enough money to buy an air ticket and be idle (no working) for the time they spend on the open road. Yes, it's the big dollar bill grinning straight at you. (That's interesting, when I Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1095395063972468052004-09-16T21:19:00.000-07:002004-09-16T21:24:23.973-07:00I know it's been awhile. The past month for me has been short but full of continual physical, spiritual and emotional experiences. The ride has been both dense and intense.
I'm home again now, slowly recovering from all sorts of ills. Also, trying to figure out how to empty out photos from my new and exciting digital camera newly purchased from Hong Kong. Let me know if you wanna see my Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1092549178124666482004-08-14T22:49:00.000-07:002004-08-14T22:52:58.126-07:00OUT OF AFRICA
So I have left the old world but not quite in the new world yet. I'm at my transition point in Hong Kong at the moment. Just arrived early this morning. Haven't planned what to do in HK / China yet. . .
I know I haven't written in a while and this is not exciting read but so much has happened. I have to really think about how I'm feeling and put it down onto paper. Also -- I thinkPissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1090491655120026302004-07-22T03:15:00.000-07:002004-07-22T03:20:55.120-07:00Recommended reads for Mozambique
(from the Lonely Planet)
Kalashnikovs and Zombie Cucumbers - Nick Middleton
Covers the colonial era, South African and superpower involvement in the war, and various aspects of the country today.
Apartheid's Contras - William Minter
The Harrowing of Mozambique - William Finnigan
Roots of the civil war
And Still They Dance - Stephanie Urdang
A study of women'sPissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1089732228947288652004-07-13T08:20:00.000-07:002004-07-21T04:29:36.973-07:00COASTAL PARADISE- in a post-war Mozambique
“South Africa is not real Africa,” they tell me.
I went to Lesotho a couple months ago where I saw rural mountainous regions and its people and I agree with the statement. Last week, I went to real Africa again, this time to Mozambique -- the true coastal African experience. The long queue to get my visa at the Mozambican Consulate was well Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1086802379234038722004-06-09T10:13:00.000-07:002004-06-10T00:12:28.173-07:00A LONG ROAD FROM APARTHEID --- OR IS IT?
Before I came to South Africa, I knew there were two things that characterized it: racism and high crime. I never thought much about how those two factors would affect me, but I am learning quick.
When I plan to walk from point A to point B, I want to be able to do it without interruption, without any hindrance. But no --- my loyal fans are at the side Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1084797285292801642004-05-17T04:53:00.000-07:002004-06-09T10:55:16.393-07:00RSA- 2010 World Cup Bid Winner
All I saw were the words "South Africa" as the card was being pulled from the envelope. After that, the crowds erupted and I was deafened for the next few seconds.
15 May, 2004 marked the day on which many South Africans around the country did a lot of flag waving, Vuvuzela (horn) blowing and screaming, and I was there on scene. United by big screens, crowds Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1083163493442929322004-04-28T07:44:00.000-07:002004-04-28T07:49:02.216-07:00FREEDOM DAY
People have said that South Africa has a lot of holidays. It seems like they are all concentrated in April. 27 April is Freedom Day, another national holiday.
I spent the day at the Union Buildings. It was so emotional seeing the crowds gathered there hearing the inauguration of Thabo Mbeki, elected for his second term in office (once every five years). The crowd itself was Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1082647419368773032004-04-22T08:23:00.000-07:002004-04-22T08:40:42.500-07:00BEGGING CULTURE THROUGH FIRST WORLD EYES
I don't know what it's like to be a begger. I remember walking down streets of Hong Kong and seeing dirt-caked people lying on the streets with natural dreadlocks, a plastic bowl in their hands, waiting. And later in life people started approaching me for money. I knew somebody who would give change to every begger he meets on the streets of Montreal. It Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1081348050471465662004-04-07T07:27:00.000-07:002004-04-20T07:39:56.716-07:00CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF DEMOCRACY
This year, South Africa celebrates Ten Years of Democracy. Ten years ago, President Mandela was elected at the president of the country. Yes, it was open ballot, and in some cases the queues went around entire blocks of the townships. Ten years of freedom later, we are bombarded with ads from banners, to radio to television campaigning that the ANC (African Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1080901550725696862004-04-02T02:25:00.000-08:002004-04-02T02:53:21.090-08:00BACKPACKERS. . .STRANGER AND STRANGER
I had a conversation with my guesthousemate about backpackers and he told me how he hated the whole culture of it: going to a new place, staying where other ex-pats stay and just hanging out with them. Where is the local culture and meaning of visiting a new place and learning about the culture? People arrive there and bombard each other with the same Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1079707978664657432004-03-19T06:52:00.000-08:002004-03-19T07:08:58.200-08:00WHAT'S GOING DOWN IN CAPE TOWN
I organized my first big event the beginning of the month- FTTSA's first annual stakeholders meeting: one in Joburg and one in Cape Town. It was so hectic trying to get in-kind donations, finding an international guest speaker, doing invites and logistics. But at the end it all worked out, cuz the second presentation was in Cape Town and I took a few extra days offPissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1077894810120663762004-02-27T07:13:00.000-08:002004-02-27T07:22:27.263-08:00RAIN, RAIN. . .
Usually associated with Vancouver's tempermental rainforest climate, this wet phenomen is now playing in a city near me- Pretoria to be exact. I've never contemplated this as much as I have the past week. It's March next week which means- Southern hemispherically speaking- summer is coming to an end. February is possibly the wettest month in the Gauteng province and on the night Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1077635072763018722004-02-24T07:04:00.000-08:002004-02-24T07:10:11.390-08:00Rocking in the Mountains in SA
The Rockies may crumble,
Gilbraltor may stumble,
they're only made of clay
but hard core hiking is here to stay.
No Rockies here, but there is the Drakensberg mountain range here. Lesotho, the only country in the world completely surrounded by another country (South Africa) is situated right in the middle of the range making the entire country a mountainous Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1074695459562394192004-01-21T06:30:00.000-08:002004-01-21T06:41:55.310-08:00Cricket in the rain
I was telling my South African family (Stefanie from Germany, Axel from Germany, and Jenny from Sweden who are all living at my Guesthouse) about what somebody I just met is researching. After describing how this man from Sichuan, who was a transplant to Beijing, was doing doctorate work at the University of Pretoria, I tell them what his concentration is in animal ecology.
Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1073398325121742862004-01-06T06:12:00.000-08:002004-01-07T00:03:23.186-08:00The sound of waves crashing into the rocks, a slight sprinkle of rain beating on your cheeks and the sharp scent of sea salt at your nose. . .and you are at the Indian Ocean. The sea reaches out into nowhere, just beyond the half-sunken shipwreck scene- swimming distance from the jagged boulders on the shore.
I never realised how much I missed the ocean until I got to the coast for the festive Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1071824028615057642003-12-19T00:53:00.000-08:002003-12-19T01:24:55.496-08:00There is at least one braai (br-eye)- barbeque- every week cuz it's summer and pools are quite common here in South Africa which is nice. But they don't understand the concept of veggie patties here.
"Why not?"
"Cuz we're South African."
As simple as that- welcome to the meat eating country of South Africa.
Last weekend, I went to a Christmas spit-braai. This naive Canadian soon learned that Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1070524197323412242003-12-03T23:49:00.000-08:002003-12-11T02:24:38.326-08:00Pseudo-Xmas is a reality in this part of the hemisphere. Remember how novel it was the first year we decided that it would be cool to have xmas in the summer? That's because I was craving Christmas food between the two Christmases. Funny how we had Christmas lights and presents when it was scorching outside, wasn't it?
Looks like my "dream" came true. Even when I explained this "novel" idea to Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1070359826414158452003-12-02T02:10:00.000-08:002003-12-02T02:37:58.466-08:00It was AIDS days yesterday. Nelson Mandela held an AIDS concert featuring international stars to raise money and awareness including U2 and Beyoncee over the weekend. They were playing movies on TV including a local one which features male prostitutes and the American film Philadelphia.
I never really paid attention to AIDS awareness back at home. Even in China, there wasn't much publicity Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1069685337447242392003-11-24T06:48:00.000-08:002003-11-24T07:07:53.123-08:00I'm waiting to cross the street.
Vertically opposite from where I'm standing, a group of local boys are waiting to cross. They are all staring at me and whispering. Then they wave with amused grins on their faces. This never happens to anyone back at home. I feel embarassed and want to laugh all at the same time because I am a novelty in this South African set. I give them half a wave and look Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1068458156944375282003-11-10T01:55:00.000-08:002003-11-10T01:56:19.793-08:00Current weather in Pretoria
I want fall! It's too hot. . .Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1068021663252142642003-11-05T00:41:00.000-08:002003-11-05T00:41:19.700-08:00Mbeki visits Canada
Canada to help with medicine to Africa
South African Goliath
Diamond ownershipPissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1067928754899218672003-11-03T22:52:00.000-08:002003-11-03T22:52:49.796-08:00"The sun rises in the east and sets in the west all over the world," a colleague told me yesterday.
No, I'm not gullible.
Really, I'm not.Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1067885690339077742003-11-03T10:54:00.000-08:002003-11-04T06:17:09.640-08:00WORK 2 PLAY
I WENT TO LIMPOPO PROVINCE A COUPLE WEEKENDS AGO FOR WORK. We went to visit one of the places we recently gave the Fair Trade label to and checked out the scene (R & R with yummy food)! It's a 5.5 bus ride there past Polokwane, arriving at Louis Trichardt. And from there another short drive towards the Albasini Dam to Shiluvari Lodge.
Arriving there in the dark, we saw countless Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1066920522145541792003-10-23T07:48:00.000-07:002003-11-03T10:29:32.420-08:00Like a vegetable-lover’s dream come true, blackened asparagus-like plants push out from rough dusty rocks on the dry South African terrain. Short stubby cacti and ones boasting fluffy pink blossoms stick out like stray hairs among other patches of rocks.
Rustling bushes ahead reveal a shy graceful impala that abruptly leaps away with five companions. Squawks from a group of guinea fowls alert Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1066386436865292652003-10-17T03:27:00.000-07:002003-10-28T00:46:57.840-08:00There are 12 million ways to categorize people.
It’s important to know which category you fit into so you can use the correct toilets, sit on the correct bench, and live in the correct areas in your city. Or else you can expect to be punished by authorities.
The Apartheid museum uses grim photos, video footages and stories to illustrate how the Blacks and Whites lived during the time leading Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1066207057077959892003-10-15T01:37:00.000-07:002003-10-17T03:31:53.680-07:00Driving on the left side of the road, a pillow of copper dust trailing behind, I shift slowly from second to third gear using my left hand, keeping the steady speed of 40 clicks an hour. Dangerous manouver? For a tame Canadian it may be, but not for a driver scoping out the nature parks. . .
Going on a Road Trip
Last weekend, three interns (Tanya: Ontario, Christiane: Germany) bumble their wayPissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1065194085179319742003-10-03T08:14:00.000-07:002003-10-14T02:26:46.270-07:00Getting Around
It’s night and music is pumping from student hangouts all along Burnette St. (the main strip in Hatfield). The dated pop music reminds me of high school days, not that it stops drunk head pumpers from the University. Cars are crammed tightly up to the curb: BMWs, Beetles, 4x4, an odd SmartCar and Mini Austins. My own ride?: sturdy legs bent L-shaped from being at a 9-5 desk job.
Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1064484957949671062003-09-25T03:15:00.000-07:002003-09-25T05:36:18.620-07:00Happy Spring!
We had the first day of spring last Friday and temperatures have already reached 29c last weekend. I’m starting to accept the fact that it’ll only get hotter as we near February. Everything here seems to work in reverse, which I first found when I attempted to take over my supervisor’s driver side of the car when she picked me up at the Johannesburg airport! But I keep forgetting Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1063723841714016432003-09-16T07:50:00.000-07:002003-09-16T08:37:28.390-07:00I'm finally here!!!
Here is where the soil is red and you are a skip and a few rands from diamonds and wineries. I'm staying at a guesthouse a block from work which is another block from the Canadian Embassy. I seem to settle in capitals in random parts of the world. First Ottawa, then Beijing and now Pretoria.
My supervisor drove me from the airport and when we stop by the intersection, I see Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1063232203444070492003-09-10T15:16:00.000-07:002003-09-10T15:16:43.446-07:00I want to read more about South Africa cuz I'd hate to arrive there being the naive tourist that I am. I realize that I can't understand all the issues especially with big picture issues in the time of post apartheid. I came across the text for a 15-minute radio essay broadcast by Radio 4, BBC by Arundhati Roy; September 02, 2003 entitled When The Saints Go Marching Out . Here is an exerpt:
"AndPissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1062083590431948942003-08-28T08:13:00.000-07:002003-08-28T08:14:00.596-07:00Life as it is
My gypsy life has taken another term as I embark on a journey afar to a land of pomegranate, lions and Dutch beef jerky. And I worry over security because to me it's the most different from life here in Canada. No gun toting citizens here and not as much crime, muggins and rape as in South Afrika.
I have decided to take as many night time walks alone in this big city before I Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-1060619696934569342003-08-11T09:34:00.000-07:002003-08-11T09:47:23.933-07:00I'm getting ready to leave the country. Waiting to hear back from the visa office in Ottawa, get the tickets, the shots and then pack to head to South Africa!
Approximately one month before take-off. . .
WoohooPissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-959515442003-06-23T10:13:00.000-07:002003-06-23T10:15:19.000-07:00The last out of town thing I did was at Williams Lake. . .and Cultus Lake en route. Very beautiful is our province.
swimming, eating, tree planting galore
BeautifulBritishColumbiaPissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-919003092003-04-02T23:41:00.000-08:002003-04-03T09:59:16.000-08:00Almost after two months of my hiatus in Asia, I have finally gotten my act together.
Check out my Asian Photo Album here.
I've also started another non-travel blog. Any suggestions, let me know. Here is the link.Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-894182932003-02-19T22:47:00.000-08:002003-04-01T18:42:01.000-08:00Hello, Vancity
Greetings. . . Don't know if there are still loyal readers out there who are interested in my blabbering after my trip to Asia. Perhaps reading about life in North America is not as exotic and exciting for most people. However, I did manage to steal pictures from Alley's photos taken with her wonderful digital camera so you can take a glance at Japan when I went to visit.
Tokyo Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-889540162003-02-11T20:23:00.000-08:002003-03-22T11:16:16.000-08:00Buh-bye, Fragrant Harbour (Hong Kong)
Heading back to the New World on a jet plane, hoping to be back again soon. I've been forewarned about drastic culture shock on my return. So many Hong Kong locals tell me that Canadian life is so boring. I guess in comparison to the bustle and hustle of a fast moving finance and business hub of Asia, Canadian is still in the outback where supermarkets like Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-886405182003-02-06T01:54:00.000-08:002003-02-06T02:06:28.000-08:00A little bit of Japan by my side
I had so much fun in Nippon but I have since settled back into Hong Kong life. I did a lot including little side trips to the more natury parts of Japan (couple hours train ride from the city). We went to Yokohama (by the water, Chinatown), Kamakura (historic sights with shrines and a BIG buddha), and Hakone (great view of Mt. Fuji, hot sulfur springs and 101 Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-882584322003-01-30T01:05:00.000-08:002003-03-12T22:41:28.000-08:00Being kawaii and genki
Cute and little: PART II
I had absolutely no idea how absolutely tiny Vancouver is compared to other cities until I heard that Tokyo has a population of 13 and that the station of a major city centre called Shinjuku is taken over by 2 million people in a day. This means that the entire population of Greater Vancouver would pass through one train station in the course of Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-882045322003-01-28T23:31:00.000-08:002003-02-06T02:08:08.000-08:00Out of China: The Revenge of the "Cute and Little"
Ada "Godzilla" Chan meets Tokyo: PART I
Okay, so I haven't been writing in this online blog of mine for a while which is a big faux pas. I should take advantage of this opportunity, according to Ron (Jan, 2003), since they have apparently banned the usage of this handy lil' web journal in China. Since my last update in Hong Kong, I have taken Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-869567292003-01-05T01:48:00.000-08:002003-01-05T02:07:05.000-08:00Can you imagine not needing to bring a packet of overpriced tissue paper with you whenever you use public toilets? It's very emancipating. No wonder the price of tissue packets here in Hong Kong is higher than that of China. Another thing I noticed here is that you can hear much more English everywhere. Obviously the ex-British colony would know English even though most locals just speak Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-866204472002-12-28T01:33:00.000-08:002002-12-28T01:38:48.000-08:00Hong Kong can do no wrong
Gasp! This is not the Hong Kong I remembered visiting last time at all. You would think that over the years, a cities can only increase in population density, in pollution and in high rises. Well, I'm not saying that all the high rises disappeared over night cuz it didn't, but where is the familiar stench of overpowering car exhaust and other idiosyncracies of air Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-862546912002-12-18T20:41:00.000-08:002002-12-18T20:47:11.000-08:00Shanghai, Shanghai
Once I stepped out into the open in Shanghai, I immediately realised "Hey, it's not -10c anymore!" The place is more humid and warmer. Except for the evenings in places where there is no heating! V. cold if without three layers of blankets. God rest the soul of one great individual who invented central heating!
Consumer's Paradise
I think I'm edging closer and closer to Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-856657732002-12-07T20:24:00.000-08:002002-12-07T20:48:32.000-08:00Confessions of a BCLU Student
Good-bye Beijing! Your heavy plastic blinds that block doorways will always remind me of ice meat storage houses. But I know you can't help it: your windy and cold weather in winter and your sweltering heat and dust storms in warmer seasons might be a bit much to bear sometimes.
Language and Identity
So I have failed miserably in trying to blend in with the the Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-853173352002-11-30T20:14:00.000-08:002003-02-26T20:16:10.000-08:00Classes end Dec. 4
I'm feeling too lazy write in this blog lately. It is possible that Beijing life is becoming too mundane for this Canuck? I promise to send updates when I go off on my journeys in a week. Before leaving the capital, I plan to visit the massage hair salon place for hair wash and massage, get cheap DVDs/CDs and books to continue studying hanyu when I get back (that is if I get Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-848083612002-11-20T01:50:00.000-08:002002-11-20T01:55:18.000-08:00Change of plans
Due to unforeseen circumstances (or foreseen. . .either one). Undecisive queen rules again! I have decided to leave Beijing. I mentioned that Ottawa and Beijing have many similarities. Another one is weather. I have done it before so why am I putting myself through with living in the cold again. Thus- I will travel south for the winter.
I'm eating too much for my own good. The Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-846460212002-11-16T20:03:00.000-08:002002-11-20T01:43:02.000-08:00Weather: windy, dry as always, leaves are falling to the ground for their lives (I've kept a couple fallen red maple leaves for momento!), cold (0 degrees)
Places I've gallavanted to recently
I went to Datong last weekend. Its around a 5.5 hour drive there, but on the way back the traffic extended the drive to 7.5 hours! Datong is an interesting place. With a history of 5000 years, it Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-839524022002-11-03T01:35:00.000-08:002002-11-16T20:05:08.000-08:00Untitled
I'm just an undercover sister
So don't try to mess with me, mister
Just cuz my Hanyu sucks
doesn't mean you can bully Canucks
I've seen different things in Beijing
As I write this, I'm aging
Chinese eat exotic foods
depending on their different moods
Scorpion skewers and donkey meat
and oh so yummy chicken feet.
silkworms, dogs and frogs like the French
dogs and crawly things with Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-839198512002-11-02T07:01:00.000-08:002002-11-02T07:04:02.000-08:00Pictures from Inner Mongolia
Here is my friend Mai's photo album of our trip to Inner Mongolia. Follow this link.
Eeek! Not enough time to say more. Am learning loads about life in Beijing and will spill the next chance I have when I meet with the computer again!Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-835490082002-10-26T02:52:00.000-07:002002-10-27T01:42:45.000-08:00Warm Inside
We've got heat! On Oct 23, 2002 a warm flood of indoor heating filled my dorm room. It was a v nice surprise after hibernating in my warm and toasty Canadian sleeping bag. Other people outside the campus are not so lucky. I guess they will have to conform with the general Chinese "heat rule".
Other weather news. I heard that during the summer, if the temperature reaches 40 degrees,Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-832908972002-10-21T03:38:00.000-07:002002-10-21T03:48:58.000-07:00Just "Chill'n" in Beijing
Hey, I just found out another similarity between Beijing and Ottawa. The temperature! Of course I haven't been in Ottawa during the fall, but the temperature is already close to the frigid weather of winter in Ottawa. I sit in the classroom wearing three layers tops and two layers bottom with Thinsulator gloves, shivering. There are lots of people from Indonesia and thePissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-829658982002-10-14T07:54:00.000-07:002002-10-14T07:58:16.000-07:00My Life In Korea
Anyong! I'm being slowly assimilated into Korean culture. Most people I meet (mostly local Beijingers) think I am Korean because I apparently look Korean. I don't get it. A few Koreans think so but most do not. It's very interesting. I asked my Korean classmate and she told me "you look 30% Korean and 70% Japanese." I went with my friend to buy a train ticket and ths man behind Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-826816062002-10-08T02:59:00.000-07:002002-10-08T03:09:25.000-07:00Just Chillin- Inner Mongolia
Hello again from the land where a large bottle of draft beer costs less than a bottle of distilled water. Came back from a fun-filled 4 days in Inner Mongolia which is different from the Autonomous region of actual Mongolia. For all your Mutton and Stray Sheep lovers out there, sheep meat is a staple in that part of the county and we had it for nearly every meal Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-822335112002-09-28T06:19:00.000-07:002002-09-28T06:48:54.000-07:00Beijing = Ottawa
Okay, so there are no Clocktower or Rideau Canal or the famed reputation of being the 51st state, but the similarities really do exist! You see, they are both capital cities. But the real similarity are the people! Ottawa are full of co-op students who are not Ottawans and they are all very transient. Beijing is the same way! Many people come in from other cities of the country Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-818131222002-09-19T01:14:00.000-07:002002-09-19T01:31:35.000-07:00Wo shi Jianadaren! (I am Canadian)
I started classes this week and I'm the only Canadian in my class. I've met three other Canadians; two only briefly. The teacher was using the phrase meaning "only second to" and was discussing the size of countries. She told the class that Russia was the largest country and the second was perhaps USA or Canada. There I was, reclined in my chair, with my MEC Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-814874362002-09-11T19:38:00.000-07:002002-09-11T19:53:15.000-07:00I have arrived!
The air is not as polluted as I imagined. I'm reminded of Hong Kong and Taiwan because those are the only Asian urban centres that I've been in. The air reminds me of Hong Kong but then again, I haven't been outside the university grounds yet (other than the airport which is another story in itself).
Met 2 people my age before I took off from Vancouver. One is an SFU Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-808363992002-08-28T12:34:00.000-07:002002-08-28T12:36:27.000-07:00Random Pre-departure Thoughts
There are 2 million people in Vancouver and 12 million in Beijing. I need my space and I never realised how lucky we are to have this choice to be with people or to be alone. I'm sure in Asia nobody has much of a choice once they step out of the house. And even in the house, they might be crammed in. Having the choice to be independent and individualistic is so Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-806785522002-08-24T21:58:00.000-07:002002-08-24T21:59:57.000-07:00It's actually happening. I went out buying stuff today for the extended trip and I'm actually going. Feeling a bit intimidated like before I got to Taiwan. It's another country and culture afterall. Although I was sure I would be fine before. I will be. People told me China was their hardest trip, harder than West Africa, harder than the Middle East because of the language. The written language Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-805402302002-08-21T15:01:00.000-07:002002-08-21T15:01:30.363-07:00Question of the day
Would you date yourself if you could clone yourself (either same/opposite sex)? Would you recognize how similar you would be to this clone? Would others? V. thought-provoking indeed.
Caffeine units: 3 (now running low from morning coffee and h. kisses)
Hunger pangs: once every 6 minutes (have to fill hollow leg, meanwhile will do breathing method)
Times checked email: err.Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-804396662002-08-19T11:58:00.000-07:002002-08-21T14:56:11.000-07:00Happy Monday! Yes, in exactly 3 weeks from today I will be on board Air Canada sitting through a 15 hour flight. Fun? I don't know, I just hope there are no tantrum kids next to me sparring with me to go to the washroom every five minutes. I can just see it, their arms akimbo, gallavanting along the aisles and yelling "I want McDonald's NOW!!!" while I sit there, seat gripping.
My aunts are Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-803239852002-08-16T09:35:00.000-07:002002-08-16T09:36:11.000-07:00August is half over!? I'm really not panicky. Don't know too much of what to expect come September but thus is the life of an adventurer, right?
But maybe that is the endearing procrastinating indiosyncracy of mine. I mean I've got the passport, visa, vaccination already. Just need to know about health insurance and what to do with Mao's heads (RMBs) once I get there. V. exciting. Perhaps will Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-802025552002-08-13T14:35:00.000-07:002002-08-14T17:33:54.000-07:00After my career of a techno-geek reaches a pinnacle, I plan to retire and move on to higher and better things in life: I will enroll myself as a Raging Granny. I'll be singing socially conscious songs to the melody of catchy showtunes with the likes of "The Sound of Music", "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", and "Grease".
And to add to the slew of sideshows I've been attending this cultural summerPissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-801384102002-08-12T07:31:00.000-07:002002-08-13T14:36:34.000-07:00I have concluded that I am already on the way to techno-saavyhood by having this web log thingamajig/whatchamacallits (hey, vocab will soon follow. . . hopefully. . .).
The biggest fear I have is to get ripped off while I'm abroad because of all the horror stories that I have been hearing about. I was in my very own city yesterday and I was ripped off. Sometimes, I don't even know when somebody Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-800598942002-08-10T00:06:00.000-07:002002-08-14T17:23:54.000-07:00Exactly one more month till I arrive in China. . .not panicky but I feel I should be. Still have to find out about logistics to make it seem like a reality I guess.
I feel like Daniel from Microserfs by Douglas Coupland. Not the fact that he is a "thin fat person" but it's SUCH an awfully good book. V. amusing, but sadly I only have a couple more chapters to go. I think I should write the Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-798558432002-08-05T12:07:00.000-07:002002-08-14T17:15:32.000-07:00PRE-LEAVING COUNTRY CAMPING TRIP
SALTSPRING ISLAND, BC.
Camping for the past three days really opened my eyes to how much we take things for granted as urbanites. We've been spoiled rotten in the city with all its extravagent conveniences.
But being on Saltspring itself showed me something that transcends all the mundane chores I speak of. It was even beyond the feel-good swim we had on the Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677211.post-797070712002-08-01T15:29:00.000-07:002002-08-13T14:42:08.000-07:00So this is my first attempt at web logging. All this without the wizardry of Dreamweaver of FrontPage. I have to say journaling on the web does not come without challenges. My first one was trying to think up a web address that wasn't taken by other people. Being a "freespirit", a "dreamer" or an "idealist" has become incredibly conventional as I have learned quickly. And yes, disappointed fans, Pissed hibiscusnoreply@blogger.com0