UNCG Life - till Week 2

Life starts get boring, so I start to read. And it’s even more boring when I start to read ‘Ackoff’s Best’. With pages of concepts and definitions in the beginning, I found it hard to continue. Or, it’s due to my laziness cultivated in the past month. What’s lucky in the unlucky is the book gets more interesting, which is good for my mind.

On campus, life is not as rich as what was in high school. At least in high school, I was fighting for CUHK, now I am chilling out pretty much everyday. Wake up, talk with friends, eat buffet in dinning hall, surf Internet and sleep. Seems nothing is better than HK, except the air is fresher. Oh, I missed one thing, Rec Center, the gym of our university, is a nice one.

It’s like a muscle produce factory. It is roughly tens of times bigger than UC gym in the way I love. Though American people are as fast as they could, still quite a few of them go to burn calories on the machines. ‘~~~, ~~~’ BUZZ comes to me the time I step in. And people are running, weighing and sweating. I just can’t help associating this scenery with what we were in Cultural Revolution, Funny and Stupid. What’s even funnier is that I, too, join the muscle making and calories-burning. I feel that I am doing surgery on my body, mostly arms and belly rather than on my face where Korean girls spend more time on. Anyway, it’s not bad though.

Wait, I missed another thing, party. Anyone who heard about American or western culture will know it is the most common entertainment for college students. Why? I just figured out the reason: campus is diabolically boring, party is the best relief ;)

I’m now excited about what is coming this week, the voluntary work I participate. In the program, I will give basic training and teaching to those Latinos and refugees from different countries around the world. And it will be more!!

2 weeks passed, 10 more weeks are on their way. Enjoy the life

D.C. Washington, Day 3

Due to the time limit, we didn’t go to the Natural History Museum. Next time I go to D.C., it will be my first choice.

And we randomly stopped at Durum, for 1 hour. Nothing to see, nothing to say, but the life style is nice. I like it.

And here, I would like to sum up this trip in a few words:
• International Driver License 是非常重要的, 沒學車是我的失敗.
• 機會永遠稍縱即逝,才看到美麗風景,還沒來得即拿出相機, 風景就變了.
• 城市暴走, 總有新的發現
• 15個人是肯定太多了, 一起出去3,4,5 是最好的組合
• 我對於subway和British English 的熱愛程度史無前例的高漲

D.C. Washington, Day 2

After calculation, we walked roughly 15 miles in this single day in central D.C. AWESOME!! I love it, I enjoy it so much!! Well, you can do that everywhere, not only in D.C.

However, only in D.C. can you see: White house, 可远观而不可亵玩; Splendid Capital under the setting sun, Washington monument standing tall and upright in the biting wind, tens of museums of different kinds. AMAZING!!

Lunch in the chinese restaurant in China Town is not really chinese… what the FF 捞面 it is!! It is fried noodles in fact! And 叉烧is just pork without good preparation… The chefs wasted so many good food… While the dinner is good, I like it. Phily Cheesesteak with cranberry juice and baked potato. And I even found British accent in U.S.!! But they do need to change the waitress…

Even you will be mad at me, abuse me that I am a traitor and crazy about western things, I will still say:
中國北京天安門的確是輸給人家了, 輸得徹徹底底. 在Arlington, 在中心的大廣場, 我很享受作為一個游客的興奮. 一切都干干淨淨,整整齊齊, 沒有沿街叫賣的小攤小販, 沒有北京糖葫蘆和’清宮秘史’的宣傳單張 更沒有令人敬愛的便衣. 有的是一個國家的莊嚴肅穆和輕松愜意. Of course (in british accent), 我想到了故宮裡的星巴克, 想到紫禁城裡的髒亂差, 想到了'六''四'. 一個國家怎麼認識自己, 世界就會怎麼認識它: 故宮,紫禁城,天安門,在任何人眼中,都是中國的象征. 它們的管理者既然選擇了星巴克,選擇了魚龍混雜,選擇了隱藏事實,無論是什麼原因和動機,必然會承擔應該承擔的. 不是不報,時候未到.

我是天朝下的好公民,我是熱愛我們的文化的,我是自始至終是希望我的國家繁榮昌盛的. 但是, 面對這麼多讓人痛心疾首的事, 還承受著除了罵罵,我還能做什麼????

D.C. Washington, Day 1- Second Half

We made most of the time of this Martin Luther King Day =): Leave UNCG in Sat morning and come back in Mon afternoon. We could sleep in the van, theoretically, which turns out to be a naïve idea.

Finally arrived D.C. after 6 hours drive. We first arrived Arlington National Cemetery, in suburban area of D.C. ‘Peace and Respect’ is the slogan that I see everywhere. It is embedded into the cemetery itself, and influencing the sun, cloud, tree, earth and tourist. Though different people who served and died for the nation are buried here, it brings out the same massage: we should remember, respect those heroes and treasure our life. I appreciate the architects’ great work.

But if it is in China,this could be another story. Some works with the same purposes could only make me feel man-made smells, fake and disgusting.

Smoothly, we find the hostel easily. After checking in, settling down, we headed to the NBA show!! Never imagine we got a good deal here, US$10 per person. Washington v.s. Toronto. And Yi got 11 points, if I don’t remember wrong, and he was even invited to an TV interview right after the game!! Great!

D.C. Washington, Day 1- first half

Dancing club last night, which is not really related to D.C.. It is American crazy way of living: Going out to dancing club till 3am in the morning and driving to D.C. 9am for 6 hours.

And this was my first time to ‘shake and twist my body’ in a dancing club, with the explosive music. It’s freezing outside but HOT inside. Some people’s way of dancing is disgusting, esp. girls and guys who don’t even know each other but f*cking squeeze each other together. OMG, it’s not my cup of tea, I have to say.

Or I have been a ‘good boy’ and otherworldly in China for too long.

This could be a way of doing exercise, I strongly agree. People are sweating happily. So, go and enjoy it once a month is not a bad idea.

It's Time to Say GoodBye

My words were stuck, when I saw sun shining through the window behind Marc. It was so warm outside and inside that our checks turned red a lit bit. A sudden dead air made me not comfortable with myself. What I did was just moving my eyes unconsciously among those ashes in the air. It's Marc who starts the conversation.
"Well, I think it's time to go."
"...Yes, time flies..." My mind was blink.
"It's been a nice time this semester"

"Yea, it is, We had a great time together"
Neither knew how to continue this conversation......

"Yea, I know its hard to say goodbye, but we have to..." This time, I broke the silence...
"En " his eyes were red with something inside.

"Hopefully, we will meet somewhere in China next year when you travel in China"
"yep... we will meet one day around here" his fingure circled around CQ.

"Then I will show your around everything and the best food you will never forget"
"That will be nice, I will join you for sure."

I'm sorry......" Finally, he couldn't help
............

We have to say goodbye some day somewhere, it's time to say good bye.
Advanced Tech is not always evil, skype is good, facebook is good, great wall sucks.
A hug tells everything.
Keep in touch, my dear friend.
Take care and have fun

written on Dec 24, 2010

KVB Kunlun Internship - Week Two

說這段時間做intern, 不如說是賴在香港和朋友玩.馬上要去美帝exchange了,好多的大家就要半年不見了,或者一年不見了,想想真可惜. Anyway, 在美國應該有很多nice的朋友的.

Intern真的很悶,要不整理文件,要不做budget,盡是些沒啥長進的東西,比讀書還頹.周三assistant manager 辭職去圖書後,本人就更悶了. 再來day one to five 太冗長, 還是列點好些:

1. communication 很重要,看之前的資料發現不少 project 都因為 communication breakdown 導致delay啊, postpone啊, 甚至吵架… 太詭異了, 郵件裡department head直接說 “你們就在找事說事,要是再這樣就都給我滾蛋!”. CV 上面的這一個skill 還不是拿來水的…

2. [confidential]: 幫XX整理文件,古怪發現一疊UBS 的file box… 詭異,雖然知道公司和UBS 有啥partnership,然後我順便翻開了. 原來XX們都是UBS的client… 做ibanker 有啥厲害的, 要做就做ibanker的client! …… 不過鑒於這個不堪入目的performance, 我還是准備hold 手上的2823 比較靠譜.

延續上次的主題, 回家睡覺看書最實在了… 和我媽弄的粉蒸魚肉. KC那兒應該下雪了吧, 等我過去打雪仗吧!!