nediuhbub

I promised to tell you all about Camp. 

...Sorry, I lied. 

But mainly only because Camp is one of those indescribable things. 

The other reason I won't be telling you about it (at least not immediately) is because I'm operating on three hours of sleep last night and no food all day. Were I to attempt to say anything more I'm sure it would be incoherent. 

Therefore I leave you for now to go eat, sleep and be merry. 

Camp

We're leaving for Camp (with a capital C) this morning. I will not return until July 3rd. 

I promise to tell you all about it when I get back. 

Ciao. 

the death of my sheet*

A couple of days ago I decided to fake tie-dye my bottom sheet (I don't sleep under a top sheet because it gets tangled around my legs and then makes me feel like I'm caught in a net). 

Anyway, here are pictures of part of the process (which involved lots of Sharpies, rubber bands, rubbing alcohol, and plastic wrap). 

And... 

...the finished product. :D

It makes me happy. And the nice thing about using Sharpies is that you can use way more colours than you can with real die without it looking muddy, and you get more of a water-colour runny look too. I have to confess that I like it just as much as the real thing, maybe even more. 

But don't tell anyone. 

-----------------------------------

*I don't ONLY tie-dye so that I can make bad puns, I swear! 

Windstock '09

Windstock was awesome. If you want photos, you should look HERE. The above photo was stolen from there. It belongs to the venerable Chad Booker, not to me, as do all the photos there. Got that? 

I managed to avoid the camera really well, so there are only a few pictures of me in there. I'm going to post those here, since this whole blog thing is really only to feed my (already huge) ego. 

Without further ado...

Me, looking tired and trying to concentrate. 

Me, with Alonso, Brynne and Carew sitting on the bench under the window on the left. 

From front to back in the first row, Carew, me and Brynne. This was right before the talent show. 

I'm at the far right, sitting on the floor. Brynne is sitting behind me on a bale of hay, and Carew is next to her, half cut out of the picture. (That must hurt!) 

The obligatory group photo (or two). Hint: I'm wearing the same hat as I was in the last two photos. 

:D

So. I suppose that the time has come for me to make an official announcement about this. 

I'm leaving for the States next Monday and may not be coming back to China in the fall. In fact, I probably won't be. I'll be living (!) with Brynne and her family instead. *much happiness ensues* 

Now I need to go pack. 

Xi'an, an ancient Chinese city, true!

I went to Xi'an with a bunch of people I know. It was fun. Here are pics, and I really need to stop reading I can haz cheezburger? because I starting to want to talk and type in LOLspeak. 

The sign was funny. Not as funny as some of the stuff on Engrish Funny (Guess what I've been doing! On second thought, don't.), but the random capitalization ought to more than make up for that. It says: 

BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE DACIEN TEMPLE AND THE DA YAN PAGODA

The dacien temple was built in 648 AD to honour the empress wende by the tang crown prince li zhi.the temple with 13 yards and 1897 magnificent roomw was broad in scale. It occupied an area of more than 24 hectarew who lived in the temple. It was the most famous temple in Chang An city during the tang dynasty. 

A buddhist and pilgrim Xuan Zang who studied buddhism in india was waslcomed to preside over the temple affairs in 653 an Xuan Zang arranged for the building of the Da Yan Pagoda to preserve the hundreds of wolumes of buddhist so riptures which had been brought back from Inida. 

The original pagoda was constructed with five stories in India style.It was rebuilt to seve storeys in 701AD--704AD during the period of empress Wu Ze Tian. 

Today, the Da Yan Pagoda is 64.5m high with seven storeys. The body of the pagoda is a square brick pagoda in the range of chinese national character and the tang style. It is a model place of boddhist architer ture. In 4 march 1961 the state council declede that the Da Yan Pagoda must be protected as one of the most important historical monuments. 

Note: Chang An is the ancient name for Xi'an, and the spelling, punctuation and capitalization have been typed up exactly as they appear. 

There were pretty marble carvings. They looked imposing. I'm not sure they were supposed to. 

There were other pretty things, and a neat, gnarled-looking tree. 

And painted ceilings and eaves galore! 

Have I mentioned how awesome I thought those trees were? I have? And you think I've been talking too much about plants? Sorry, it's a bit of an obsession. 

This was the pagoda. 

These were chickens in the monastery gardens. Are my comments getting a little too obvious? 

The gate to the monastery. It was imposing too. I felt very much imposed upon. 

This was the view from the top of the city wall. I love the guardhouses next to the skyscrapers. 

This was in a mosque near the city center. The whole group spent ages trying to guess what the sign meant without looking at the Chinese. 

There were more pretties. 

And neat roofs. 

This was the bazaar near next to the mosque. I bought lots of stuff there, including two paintings, an antique (and awesome) Chinese lock, a hairstick, a little clay pot, a pair of old, adorable, embroidered, lion-shaped baby shoes, and some Men Zi (some species of pachyrhizus as far as I can tell, stir-fried and then smothered in balsamic vinegar, soy-sauce and spices). 

China is not for squeamish people. Note the cart of garbage above, as well as what comes next. 

Okay, this stuff doesn't look gross, but it doesn't taste as good as the skewered stuff either. 

Dates, we haz them. 

Meat, we have it too. If you have a weak stomach, are vegetarian or might otherwise be disgusted by the sight of lots and lots of meat, please avert your eyes while proceed to the next picture. Thank you for your cooperation. 

And this is a picture that came out funnily, and is only included so that we end on a nicer note than dead animals hanging everywhere. 

P.S. The title of this post is a reference to the BNL song 'Crazy ABC's' from their album Snacktime. 

Hangzhou

I went to Hangzhou a couple of weekends ago, and in Hangzhou, this is what I saw: 

Cool twisty plants. I'm sure some guy has the job title 'Imperial Plant-Twister'. 

There were nice, spring-y trees. 

And flowers. 

All I can think of is that those buildings must have been cold in the winter. Good thing the emperor only used West Lake for his summer vacation spot, or else he would have died from pneumonia at the tender age of seventeen. 

And that sky? I don't have to go to Hangzhou to see it. 

This was our 'Pleasure Boat'. 

This was Gina and me being cold on our 'Pleasure Boat'. 

in which I dangle information

I know I've been a terrible blog-mistress. I'm sorry. I've been disgustingly busy these last couple of weeks, and this week I'm off to Xi'an and Shanghai. If I have internet in Xi'an, I may post some pictures and whatnot, but if not, I promise to tell you all about it when I get home. For reals. 

And when I'm in the States (I leave on April twentieth), I'll try to be better about posting too. And hopefully I'll also have time to update all my other projects. I haven't abandoned them, I swear. I've just been really busy and distracted lately, partially because of schoolwork, but a lot of it because my life may or may not be completely turned upside down and I have to be prepared. If it does turn upside down, you guys will definitely hear about it, both on my blog and on Brynne's. Meanwhile, since everything is still in the works, we ain't saying a thing. :D

Pop!

Have had this stuck in my head all day. Not that I mind, it's just slightly distracting. 

And you should go check out some of Dan's other stuff. [/shameless plug]

if you give two girls skype...

This post's counterparts are over on Brynne's blog, here and here. You may not want to read this post unless you're crazy. 

L: The tower of Babel, except Chinese, with fish. 

B: I get it. 

 

*skip*

L: I just went to fake headdesk, except I missed and it became real. 

B: This is actually his most famous song, except no one knows that he wrote it, 'cause he never actually preformed it much, you know...

L: My chicken smells all cold and clammy. 

L: That sounds weird. 

*skip*

B: Are you getting headphones? 

L: Yes, because now you're louder. 

B: My nose is runny. 

L: Did you say funny or runny? 

*skip* 

B: I need to shave my legs, in case you care. 

L: I care tremendously. This knowledge is essential to my existence. 

B: It's one of the most important things I will ever tell you. 

*skip*

L: Go shove your mic in your mouth. 

B: Huh? Oh, my webcam mysteriously disconnected. That's why. 

more housekeeping, and a QUESSY

Alex:

Thank you so much for sending me that link, it was infinitely fascinating. I've added it to the sidebar, which is pretty much a culmination of the things I find interesting on the internet. I wish I could read your blog. Unfortunately, Wordpress blogs have been blocked (again) in China. However, I've bookmarked it to read when I'm out of the country. 

Deborah: 

Thanks for stopping by, I'm glad you find what I'm rambling about interesting. I love your blog. :)

I've been thinking of writing a post about studying Chinese for a while now, and your comment was the straw that broke through the camel's reluctance, so keep an eye out for that post soon. 

Brynne: 

I can't remember if I've told you this already, but I already use Inkscape and find it fascinating. Right now though, instead of using its calligraphy pen, I'm using FontForge, a most excellent font creation software, to work on making a (highly unprofessional but fairly functional) font for Malian, seeing as I already have a basic transliteration system in place. 

About your comment on my worldbuilding post, I agree with you that the Metaverse is awesome, and I use it for reference the most. However, all the other sites I linked to do give me ideas about different ways to do things, and I feel that looking at more than just one approach to worldbuilding is quite valuable. 

Now, a question (actually, several): I've been toying with the idea of posting some articles/stories/vignettes about China, Chinese, my childhood, my experiences in China etc. What do you think about that idea? Would you like to see it happen? Do you think it would fit in as part of this blog or should I start another blog dedicated to those topics? Please leave any suggestions, ideas, comments, opinions etc. in the comments. Thanks in advance! 

in which I am a geek

Anyway, we all know that I'm a tremendous copycat (last paragraph), but I have finally come to the conclusion that Brynne is way smarter than I ever will be. 

As far back as I can remember, I've had a thing for languages. It may have something to do with the fact that my parents teach English, my mother has a master's in linguistics, I speak three languages and have studied five, but then again it may not. 

Anyway, I've been (quietly) looking for a way to organize (one of) my current projects, and Brynne's idea is perfect. So I'm going to cautiously think about starting a blog for my latest language/world/culture, which is still mainly a concept. Hopefully having it be publicly accessible will make me actually do something with it, even though I'm currently swamped in schoolwork. 

I'll post the link in a future post, if the blog ever makes it way out of pre-production. 

housekeeping-ish

A bit of housekeeping: 

Dan: Thanks for the suggestions! I'll go see if the library here has them, even though I'm not exactly optimistic... 

Brynne: If I ever am interested in the Belizean national anthem, I'll be sure to ask you. 

I'm going to Hong Kong and Malaysia for Spring Festival holiday, and will probably not be posting from the 24th of January to the 12th of February. I say 'probably' because I will have my iPod touch with me, but posting from it is a pain, plus I'm going to be on the beach. I do promise to take photos and actually post them when I get back. 

I know I'm really bad at responding to comments (really, really bad, actually), but I'm curious as to who's reading my blog and what they have to say, so I'd appreciate it if you'd comment. I may periodically ask you questions, and I would like it if you answered, if only so that I don't feel like an idiot talking to myself. On my part, I'll try to post more regularly, and reply to comments promptly. 

I would like to take this opportunity to say: 

1. If you have a suggestion, I'd be glad to hear it. 
2. If you have a particular topic on which you'd like to hear me ramble, I'd be glad to oblige. 
3. If you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer them. 

So, how did you start reading this blog? 

punk!

When I was in Dalian, I got to see this little punk. 

See? I told you she was a punk. The punk's name is Maya. 

food is lovely

A bunch of people are going to Ann's house for pie. Rational pie! Yummy! And there's a potluck Christmasy kind of dinner on Saturday, because we managed to get hold of a turkey. Mom and I are taking five-cup salad, which is our traditional family Christmas and Thanksgiving dish, because even though we don't really celebrate either of those holidays, we used to spend them with family when se lived in the States. 

Anyhow, the salad has one part canned pineapple, one part canned tangerine segments, one part coconut flakes, one part mini marshmallows, and one part sour cream. Anyhow, you mix all the stuff together in a big bowl and put it in the fridge overnight. Mmmm.... 

fuzzy wuzzy

I went shopping with Valeh this afternoon. I bought me some warm fuzzy socks. And some hair-gel and other things I've been wanting for a while. Obviously the people in Ningbo aren't big on warm or fuzzy. 

I like warm and fuzzy. A lot. 

...

I am not Brynne. I am not Fast Like a Freak. I also have other things to do. Which is why I have only written 22389 words in the past week. 

However, yesterday I read Beowulf in its entirety, write 4000 words, did my Chinese homework, did my English quiz, started Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov, forgot to blog, did half of my math problems for next week and did laundry. 

November is a dreary month. And it's pouring rain again. 

ME!

Look what I found! Photos! Mainly of me. A whole stack, that somehow didn't get shipped back to the States. And since we don't have a scanner (or a printer, for that matter), I had to photograph the photos, which means the quality is really, really bad, but...

Okay, so this one isn't of me, exactly. It's of the clinic in which I was born. I took this picture on my fifth birthday, when for a birthday treat I wanted to see the place where I was born. So. Clinica Santa Catalina, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Islas Canarias, Espana. And sorry, you don't get accent marks or tildes. I'm lazy.

We somehow skip the first few years of my existence. Here's me at age four. I think this was my second passport picture. My first one was the first picture ever taken of me, and I was a week old.

Me on my fifth birthday, in the Canary Islands, with Yasmin, the daughter of my parents' friends.

Me in the middle, at almost-six. The picture was taken at our going-to-China party. The girl on the left is Raina, whom I last saw when I was almost thirteen, and Andrea on the right, whom I last saw when I was eleven.

Me, at age seven. This picture was taken at a Baha'i conference in Hong Kong.

Me at eight, and already a tree-hugger. In my defense, trees are nice. And I think this was also in the middle of my tomboy stage, during which I climbed and fell out of trees regularly.

Me at nine, reading a book of poetry. I think this picture pretty much epitomizes my early years.

Me at almost-eleven, at the beginning of my girly phase. Eeek.

Almost twelve, the beginning of my awkward, dorky phase. Also the beginning of my love for rats, a love which remains to this day.

Almost thirteen, with two (more) of my childhood friends, Layli on the left and Jasmine on the right. This is why I spent most of my childhood being called 'Layli Rose'. The other Layli was 'Layli' first.