The freakout

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , ,
21 May 2012
0

Two nights ago, I was getting ready to go to bed at 3:30 when I realized that I hadn’t seen Missy for awhile.  Usually she’ll come at night to sleep next to me or at least hang out in the room.  I decided to go searching and remembered that the cat door hadn’t been closed, so I was pretty sure she was outside playing.  After calling her for awhile, I started to get worried.  We had lost a cat before and all the dread that I had felt then came rushing back.

It never took more than 15 minutes to call Missy back usually, so when it was approaching half an hour with no sign, I got really worried.  I got a flashlight and went outside around the neighborhood, to see if perhaps she had gone far and just couldn’t hear me.  I kept hearing rustling in the bushes and paused each time to see if she was prowling in them.  No such luck.  Back at the house, every time Molly came around to see what I was doing, I thought it might be Missy.  An hour into my search, I was freaking out.

By then it was 4:30 in the morning and all sorts of horrible scenarios of what could have happened flashed through my mind.  At the same time, I would go through periods of calm where I convinced myself that there was still hope that she was fine and I’d find her later.  Eventually, I decided that I needed to get some rest and I couldn’t do much more until the sun came up.  At 5, I lay down for a nap and set an alarm for 6.

However, I woke up on my own at 5:30 and instinctively called out for my cats.  A shadow appeared in my doorway and I figured that Molly was there to see what I was doing.  It was getting light out, so I climbed out of bed and went to see if I could track down Missy this time.  When I got to the doorway to pet Molly though, I discovered that it was Missy!  The relief that washed over me was fantastic and I immediately went to close the cat door.  I probably hugged Missy a little too tight, since she jumped out of my arms (probably wondering why I was making a huge fuss).

Since then, every time I spot Missy I feel extremely happy.  I decided to keep the cat door closed for now and only let her outside during the day when I am around.  Luckily, she’s pretty good about coming back – I think she only goes further on her night runs, so as long as she’s back before it gets too dark out, I feel pretty safe.

iPhone downgrade

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , ,
19 May 2012
1
iphone 3gs screen shattered from top left corner

There's even a chunk missing where you can see into the phone.

I’ve been using an iPhone 4 for nearly two years and I’d gotten so used to it that now that I’ve switched back to the 3GS, I’m really noticing the difference in performance.  Due to a couple of factors, I ended up trading my phone for a 3GS so my dad can use mine.  I had all but forgotten that the older model only has a camera on the back (and with no flash).  I’d gotten used to being able to take front-facing pictures and ones with flash or the HDR option.  The screen isn’t as crisp, but that doesn’t affect me much.

However, one thing that really bugs me is the slower performance and the shorter battery life.  These were both things I expected from my phone and I’ve been disappointed with the results.  The phone no longer lasts me through the entire day without needing a charge and things take way too long to load.  The screen isn’t as responsive either, but that could also be due to the delayed reaction from the processor.  Plus, I’m not used to the grip and dropped it within the first day of using it!  I was completely devastated that the screen got smashed even though it was barely a drop at all.  This never would have happened with my iPhone 4.

Thankfully, there should be a new iPhone coming out by the end of the year, so I just have to hold out for half a year or so until I can upgrade and get all my fancy technological needs satisfied once again.  Or, if I can manage to fix what was going on with this model, maybe my dad and I can trade back again until it’s time for that upgrade…

Health issues

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , ,
10 May 2012
0

Wow, this has probably been the longest between posts that I’ve ever had.  Between getting my wisdom teeth removed and getting sick, I haven’t had much energy to get up from the couch.  Ever since the afternoon after the wedding, I had been a bit sniffly – I think because I’m not used to the weather out here.  By the time I decided to bundle up, it was a bit too late and I was already sick.  Things would get better and then I’d fall ill again the next afternoon.

On Tuesday, we tried to go get my wisdom teeth removed, but the x-ray machine at my aunt’s hospital wasn’t working.  By the time we figured out it wasn’t going to work, it was already 3:30 in the afternoon and not much gets done here after 4-5 PM.  We rushed over to a special dentist building but they told us they don’t operate after 3, so we went back the next morning.  I got my top two teeth pulled and was going to return to get one of my bottom ones removed today (Friday), but then I fell sick with a fever Thursday afternoon.  I had barely recovered from my fever Wednesday afternoon, so this time my grandma decided to take me over to my aunt’s for an IV drip.

Apparently my veins are small, so I couldn’t take a heavy flow.  We tried to increase the drip rate, but my wrist and forearm would hurt a bit, so the process took over three hours when it usually would have been closer to two.  When I was done, we went back to my aunt’s to rest for the night.  I woke up a few times feeling overheated and sweaty, so I slept in a little more to get extra rest.  When I was ready to get up, I had a quick breakfast and went back to have one more drip done.  This time I was pretty tired and fell asleep for most of it.  My aunt got me some more medicine to help with my sore throat and runny nose, so I’m doing pretty well now.

Initially we thought my fever was brought on by the strain of getting my teeth pulled, but it seems that I just happened to get sick on the side.  The first day, it was a bit tough to breathe since my gums would leak a little bit of blood here and there and I had phlegm stuck in my throat too.  I wasn’t allowed to spit or lick my gums and my mouth was a bit swollen so I couldn’t close it all the way.  For the first two days, I also wasn’t allowed to brush my teeth or gargle mouthwash, so that felt pretty uncomfortable.  By the second day, I had basically stopped bleeding and was able to chew some things and I’m pretty much all healed now.

All in all it’s been quite a battle all week, not just for me but for my grandparents and aunt, who have had to take care of me.  Earlier in the week, my other aunt and my mom also got sick, so it’s been quite the reunion this time around.  Either we all caught something or we’re just not used to the environment here anymore.

First (Chinese) wedding

laelene Posted in general blog, relationships，
06 May 2012
1

My cousin just got married and I got to experience my first wedding in China.  The only other time I attended a wedding was when I was too young to remember anything.  I believe it was in Pennsylvania?  Anyway, it was pretty exciting to see what a Chinese wedding is like, from the early morning pick-up of the bride to the touring of their new place to the ceremony and meal.

Our day started around 4-4:30, when we got up to get dressed.  By 5:30, we on the groom’s side were outside putting festive bows on the cars that would be caravaning to the bride’s.  All sewage access points were covered with red paper and routes were chosen so the couple wouldn’t have to retrace their path (both traditions to ensure an auspicious day).  We then headed over to the bride’s, where her bridesmaids had set up some obstacles for the groom to get to her, including agreeing to treat her well and take care of most chores.  He also had to call her 10 terms of endearment and pick from a handful of ribbons, each tied to something.  When he passed those tests, he shared a stack of hong bao (red envelopes) with everyone and was allowed to join his bride in her room.

From there, tons of traditions ensued, ranging from sharing a bowl of noodles for longevity in their marriage to officially addressing his new parents and receiving red envelopes from them.  A lot of pictures were taken before they went downstairs and the groom carried the bride through the threshold into the waiting car adorned with flowers.  Confetti was popped and glittered all about them to celebrate the event, and then we were off to their new home.

At the new place, guests explored the rooms and admired the dozens of pictures laid out from their engagement photo shoot.  Once again, another round of pictures were taken and this time I got one in with our other cousin in attendance.  After that, it was over to the hotel, where the ballroom on the third floor was reserved for our ceremony, slated to start at 9:58.  A video played on the large screen, showcasing my cousin and new cousin-in-law in ancient Chinese times, destined for each other.  After that, the couple made a quick appearance and then we saw another video, this time about how their relationship developed.

At that time, the bride and her parents were outside the ballroom and my cousin was inside on the podium, ready to receive her.  Her father walked her in, handed her to my cousin, and they held a kiss as the podium rose and spun them around.  Flowergirls and pageboys showered petals down the walkway and the newlyweds walked to the stage, where the host asked them some questions about their relationship history.  An officiator was invited on stage to pronounce them husband and wife and another gentleman gave a speech wishing them the best.

Next up, the parents of the bride and groom made their way from the podium down the aisle to the stage to join the couple.  Both fathers spoke to the guests and sent their well-wishes to the couple.  I believe at this point, a video of a ring spinning played on screen and then my cousin picked up the two rings from the screen.  They put the rings on each other and to wrap up, the groom made some drinks for himself and his new wife, which they drank with intertwined arms.  Then it was time for lunch!  While the guests ate, the newlyweds went around to everyone, accepting red envelopes and offering them cigarettes.  Oh, and all the guests were given keychain coinpurses as a gift.

And that wraps up my experience at a Chinese wedding.  Quite different from the American version you see on TV, but still with its similiarities.  At the end of the year I’ll be attending an American wedding, so we’ll see how that one goes.

Beijing grocery shopping

laelene Posted in general blog，
04 May 2012
0

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Away we go!

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: ,
02 May 2012
0

After a whirlwind run three days in LA, it’s back on the road now and off to Beijing! I just spent the entire day waiting around SeaTac and now I’m finally on the plane! Soon enough I’ll be in China attending my cousin’s wedding. 🙂

Catch up later!

East coast driving, oh my

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , ,
29 April 2012
0

Philosopher and I have been on quite the whirlwind road trip!  From D.C. to NYC to Boston and everything in between, we’ve seen quite a bit of the east coast.  Along the way, this is what we learned:

  1. Toll roads – there a LOT of these!  Trying to avoid them means some extra driving and countless small roads, but after getting hit with $3, $4, $6, $8.80, $0.90, and $12 from Maryland to New Jersey, we were pretty scarred for life.  On our way back, we detoured through Pennsylvania to make sure we minimized any tolls and it turned out great!  It only cost us $1 as we entered PA.
  2. Left exits – there are also a ton of these, for whatever reason.  It definitely threw me off a few times as I merged right to prepare to exit only to find my exit was on the left.  Thankfully traffic generally allowed for these mistakes and it was easy enough to get back into the left lane.  I’m guessing there are more of these because the terrain is harder to work around.
  3. Honkers – plenty of this going on.  Is it just us or are east coasters (particularly New Englanders) more impatient and horn-happy than most?  We kind of expected it from New Yorkers, but Bostonians too?  I don’t recall hearing so much honking when I used to go into these cities.
  4. Speed crazy drivers – I thought LA drivers drove fast, but then I watched as cars zoomed by me going 75 in a 55 zone, and nearly 90 in a 65 zone.  It seems that less people get caught so they are far more brazen.
  5. Full service gas stations – I went to my first one of these ever, only because we had been looking for a gas station for ages and this was the only one that came up.  It was weird to sit in the car and talk to some high school kid to let him know how much gas and what kind we wanted.  As I later found out, this is the law in NJ – what a weird state.
  6. We hate NJ.  On our way to New York, we made the mistake of taking the New Jersey turnpike.  Not only was it the most boring stretch of road ever, there were only like two exits within the first 30-40 miles!  Not being able to exit if I wanted made me feel strangely claustrophobic.  There was no escape!!!!  And when we finally did exit they pounded us with a toll charge.  Great.

This was the first time I’d driven long distances on the east coast, since I moved right after learning how to drive 10 years ago.  A decade later, I found I was basically a complete stranger to the way of the roads around here.  It was madness, but definitely a rich learning lesson (actually lesson upon lesson upon lesson) and we came out with a lot of stories/anecdotes to share and reminisce on.  Oh, and I was also constantly reminded of how spoiled I had gotten with automatic doors and windows.  I kept forgetting my key didn’t have a button to lock the doors of the rental car we had, so I’d close the door only to have to open it again to manually lock it.  And I kept trying to roll the window the wrong way.  What a trip!

Contemporary art

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: ,
21 April 2012
0

I, like Morley Safer, have never really understood contemporary art.  After watching his report on the art market as aired on 60 Minutes, I realized that I hope I am never like those people, spending millions for art that often just look like household items.  Maybe I just don’t get “it” (whatever “it” is…), but when I look at those art installations I see messes, boring items, or just plain confusion.  I don’t feel anything; I don’t see the artist’s message.  Honestly, if I had millions to spare, I would rather spend my money helping people than decorating my house with art I don’t get.

I always felt that art should evoke emotions, and with more traditional pieces I can usually appreciate what the artist was conveying.  If not, at least I could admire the skill it took to create a piece like that.  With contemporary art however, all I get is a big fat blank.  Occasionally it’ll look kind of cool, but that’s as far as it goes.  I can’t think of any installation I’ve seen that makes me feel something or connect with the work in any way.  That’s why it baffles me that people will pay so much for these pieces.

Then again, I’m not sure I understand spending millions on any art, unless you’re a museum.  Why are rich people so obsessed with procuring items for their private collections, only to have them collect dust in a room that they never use?  I think part of it is a lack of outlet for their riches – they’ve bought the homes, the cars, the yachts, and the private jet, what else is left?  And so art comes along to fill a void in their life.  It helps them feel like they’re a connoisseur and oh so classy.  To me, fashion also helps to fill that void.

Perhaps I just don’t get it because I don’t have all that money.  Maybe my perspective will change one day when I find myself in that position.  I just hope that I won’t fall into that trap, living up the “high life” just to fit into that society.  I have no problem with being a patron of the arts, but I think that should mean you donate to museums and other institutions (or start your own).  Why bother collecting all this stuff, hoarding it for yourself, and not allowing the public to experience it too?  Isn’t art supposed to be shared and appreciated by all?

Need to know

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , ,
18 April 2012
0

I have an almost insatiable curiosity that drives me to want to know just about everything, particularly when it comes to stories.  That’s why I’m not into excerpts of writing or clips of video.  When I read a book, I don’t like to skip around (even with textbooks where it doesn’t really matter).  When I watch a show, I hate missing any part of it so I prefer watching online, where I can pause and rewind as needed.  I guess part of it is due to a desire to experience things as the author meant it to, but mostly it’s because I don’t want to miss a thing.

Whenever I find a new TV show to watch, I have to start from the beginning – I usually have to go back 4-5 years and watch for weeks to catch up, but that is exactly what I do.  I can’t just hop in partway through the story and be satisfied.  When it comes to news stories, I usually have to find half a dozen sources to read through before I am satisfied that I know all there is to know.  Often I still feel like they left me hanging though, not providing the deep level of details that I was hoping for.  This is typically because they only provided one point of view or didn’t plot out enough historical information to provide a rich context.

And so I find myself spending a great deal of my time looking into things, finding articles linking to articles in a seemingly infinite loop of reading material.  Or I spend a lot of time sitting there patiently watching all the old episodes of a show in its 5th season and still going strong, until the day that I finally catch up to modern day and the most recent part of the story.  The desire to know – the need to know is a strong motivator for me and drives a lot of behavior, all because of my inquisitive mind.

Accents

laelene Posted in general blog，
14 April 2012
0

Why is it that people almost universally prefer certain accents over others?  I’m talking about English, but I’m pretty sure this holds true in other languages as well.  Some accents appear more refined and “proper” whereas other accents appear less refined.  What exactly causes this difference?  I think that it’s partly due to enunciation on top of pronunciation.  Pronunciation determines what type of accent is perceived; enunciation affects how “good sounding” that accent is considered.

Just about any American will tell you they love a British or Australian accent.  Perhaps just because it is different, or perhaps because of something more.  Why do we like a British accent, but not the one from the foreign citizen who immigrated and learned English later in life?  Even within foreign accents, there is a divide, such as an Eastern-European’s English accent compared to a Chinese person’s English accent.  I think that I find the Eastern-European accent more pleasing to the ear because they enunciate more when they pronounce words.  Maybe the sounds that they make in their languages sounds more like the ones needed for English, so it’s easier to form the sounds.

Whatever it is, it’s really interesting why this effect works.  I wish I had the kind of academic background to analyze the parts of language, pronunciation variances as related to enunciation, and any other factors.  It’d be an interesting thing to better understand what the underlying reasons are.

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