Last blog

This is the last blog required in the class and probably the last one forever. Look back what I wrote here and find most things I talked are stupid and boring. I can't say my writing improved a lot in the past few months. But I am sure that I can express my feelings more fluently now. Maybe the word I chose is not the best in certain cases. Maybe the grammar still has some problems. Maybe not everybody can understand what I rambled here. But I am still proud of what I achieved and accomplished. Time passed so fast that I suddenly realize it's already 4 months since I came to America. I won't say my life here is perfect now. But it's beyond what I imagined I could achieve. New life is tough at the beginning and it takes time to adjust. I almost finished a paper and am about to finish the courses. I meet many new friends and they treat me very nice. I can cook and support my life very decently now. And things are going on better with my roommate. I made 2 close friends now. They care about me a lot and helped me through the difficult. I can tell next year everything will go very well. Life is getting better and better. I am ready to enjoy the best time of my life.

POTLUCK

Yesterday, all the people in our lab, mostly Chinese, went to our boss's place to have an annual potluck party. Most people there, especially our boss's family, come from Hunan Province of China. That province is very famous for spicy food in China. They add a lot of peppers in every single dish. The spicier, the better. Hence, most dishes there are super spicy, spicier than the restaurants. For people who enjoy spicy food a lot, it's a wonderful party with best dinner in a year. But for people like me, who is really not a fan of spicy food and even scare of it, it's a nightmare. All the food look very nice, I tried those dishes. Every bite is like gambling. Gamble whether this dish is superior spicy or normal spicy. Then drink a lot of water to cool down my throat. After that, all I can do is eat more fruit and desert to feed myself. As for my dish, not many people enjoyed it. It is more salty for them. It's totally made in my style. I just like salty a lot and hate spicy's guts.

Ballad of Mullan

The animation movie Mulan is very familiar to most Americans. Disney successfully tells a traditional Chinese story in Hollywood style. Mulan is a strong-minded independent woman. She represents woman power against discrimination. That's what the movie mostly focuses on. Actually, Mulan's story comes from a ballad in ancient China. Now the music of this ballad is lost, but the lyric tells the story generation to generation. It's basically like a long five-word poem in classical Chinese. I read two English translated versions of the Ballad of Mulan. Here's the one I think it's better. It tells how Mulan loves her father and overcomes obstacles. I like the last sentence of this ballad a lot. It's a great metaphor. It can be understood as this: Male and female are born with different talents, but they are identical when they occupy the same activity.

The sound of one sigh after another,

As Mulan weaves at the doorway.

No sound of the loom and shuttle,

Only that of the girl lamenting.

Ask her of whom she thinks,

Ask her for whom she longs.

"There is no one I think of,

There is no one I long for.

Last night I saw the army notice,

The Khan is calling a great draft -

A dozen volumes of battle rolls,

Each one with my father's name.

My father has no grown-up son,

And I have no elder brother.

I'm willing to buy a horse and saddle,

To go to battle in my father's place."

She buys a fine steed at the east market;

A saddle and blanket at the west market;

A bridle at the south market;

And a long whip at the north market.

She takes leave of her parents at dawn,

To camp beside the Yellow River at dusk.

No sound of her parents hailing their girl,

Just the rumbling waters of the Yellow River.

She leaves the Yellow River at dawn,

To reach the Black Mountains by dusk.

No sound of her parents hailing their girl,

Just the cries of barbarian cavalry in the Yan hills.

Ten thousand miles she rode in war,

Crossing passes and mountains as if on a wing.

On the northern air comes the sentry's gong,

Cold light shines on her coat of steel.

The general dead after a hundred battles,

The warriors return after ten years.

They return to see the Son of Heaven,

Who sits in the Hall of Brilliance.

The rolls of merit spin a dozen times,

Rewards in the hundreds and thousands.

The Khan asks her what she desires,

"I've no need for the post of a gentleman official,

I ask to borrow a camel fleet of foot,

To carry me back to my hometown."

Her parents hearing their girl returns,

Out to the suburbs to welcome her back.

Elder sister hearing her sister returns,

Adjusts her rouge by the doorway.

Little brother hearing his sister returns,

Sharpens his knife for pigs and lamb.

"I open my east chamber door,

And sit on my west chamber bed.

I take off my battle cloak,

And put on my old-time clothes.

I adjust my wispy hair at the window sill,

And apply my bisque makeup by the mirror.

I step out to see my comrades-in-arms,

They are all surprised and astounded:

'We travelled twelve years together,

Yet didn't realise Mulan was a lady!'"

The buck bounds here and there,

Whilst the doe has narrow eyes.

But when the two rabbits run side by side,

How can you tell the female from the male?

How will Chinese celebrate Thanksgiving?

Chinese don't celebrate Thanksgiving at all. What will happen if Chinese celebrate it? I made some imagination based on how Chinese celebrated other festivals.
They will probably made a lot of wheaten food with turkey, such as turkey dumplings, turkey rice balls, etc. All families gather together, and have Thanksgiving dinner. Then firecrackers and fireworks. After that, instead of a family traditional football game, all the adults will sit at the table play majiang, probably for the whole night. Kids will have karaoke and seniors will watch crosstalk and sketch in a TV gala. Or just adults, kids and seniors all play majiang at three different table. The only difference will be that Kids gamble fake money, seniors gamble less and adults gamble more.
I wonder if majiang to Chinese is like football to Americans, will Chinese want to watch a long majiang game played by professional players on TV? It would be a great idea: found a National Majiang League, and maybe College Majiang as well.

Where to draw the line

Another comedy night, I, as brilliant as usual, noticed a fun fact. Barney, in the How I Met Your Mother, only dates girls under 30. Charlie, in the Two And A Half Men, only dates girls under 40. And in those comedies, they are always okay with a lot of ridiculous activities and a very silly simple stuff can unexpectedly becomes a deal breaker. It's interesting where characters in comedy shows draw the line. Reflecting to our real life, without all those drama, drawing a line is important in many circumstances. Recently, I am seriously thinking move a line I drew before, which is when to be lazy and when not. Laziness is a bad habit I started at 9th grade. And I kinda got addicted to it and the addiction get worse and worse. Recently, it affects me a little bit and makes me reconsider where to draw the line. So at some aspects, I should stop being lazy and start to deal with problems instead of avoiding all the time. But I don't want to push me too hard, just move it a little bit further.

Weather

Generally, the climate in Oklahoma is basically the same as Beijing, where I grew up. But the weather here changes way much more frequent. The other day it's more than 20 Centigrade, suddenly it's less than 10 degree. (I more prefer Centigrade than Fahrenheit.) Recently, it's getting worse. It's either very cold or very windy. Either makes playing tennis inconvenient. In those days always with perfect weather, once I played 5 days in row. Playing tennis under warm sunshine in softy wind is so much pleasure. But now, it's even hard to find one day comfy to play tennis in a week. Besides, terrible weather brings negative emotions to my mind. In weather like raining and thundering, I feel very tired and don't want to walk, cook or work. Just sit on the couch, have a couple of beer and junk food, and watch funny videos. Overall, weather decides how I spend a day.

Boys' Day

November 12th is Boys' Day in my college, Tsinghua University. We made the day after Single's Day Boys' Day and the day before Women's day Girls' Day. Girls prepare a lot of amazing stuff for boys on Boys' Day and so do the boys on Girls' Day. Four years' college, four Boys' Days and four Girls' Day. All of those days are sweat memories lasting life long time. Now we have graduated and went to different place around China and America. But this still can's stop us to have a Boys' Day. Even just a greeting of "Happy Boys' Day" from classmates will bring up all those time we spend in college and how heartbroken we were in graduate season. Seeing the photo you girls holding words in different places around the world makes me miss you guys so much. I wish we could get together sooner. Can't wait to hear your adventures.