Check out my Flickr Account for Pictures of me in China

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40806750@N02/

Follow My Flickr

Because China had to be the bad guy, most to all blogs are blocked in China. Basically, if China can't control it.. you can't have it. So follow my flickr photos of China. I'll update everyday if I can.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40806750@N02/

Lunar Planet

Cool moon I shot one night.

Less than 48 hours!

It is less than 48 hours until I leave for Chongqing, China!!!! Can you believe it! Next time I see this blog post, I will probably be in China!

Video of My City (Chongqing) In China

Its 30 minutes long but worth it.

Sometimes...

Sometimes it's sad having friends that aren't Christians or even relatives for that matter. People you love with all your heart and you might not see them ever again unless they have a change at heart. It's a sad feeling. One of my best friends has been torn way from God and another one is on their way. I hope they don't stray too far and I've done all I can do for now. Pray for them and all the people you know that aren't Christians and you wish them to be so badly.

Happy Birthday and New Material

Happy Birthday Leah! You're 14 years old now! Wow, I can't believe it. We all love you!

---I go this article off of Yahoo.com---
WASHINGTON — Imagine a carbon sheet that's only one atom thick but is stronger than diamond and conducts electricity 100 times faster than the silicon in computer chips.

That's graphene, the latest wonder material coming out of science laboratories around the world. It's creating tremendous buzz among physicists, chemists and electronic engineers.

"It is the thinnest known material in the universe, and the strongest ever measured," Andre Geim , a physicist at the University of Manchester, England , wrote in the June 19 issue of the journal Science.

"A few grams could cover a football field," said Rod Ruoff , a graphene researcher at the University of Texas, Austin , in an e-mail. A gram is about 1/30th of an ounce.

Like diamond, graphene is pure carbon. It forms a six-sided mesh of atoms that, through an electron microscope, looks like a honeycomb or piece of chicken wire. Despite its strength, it's as flexible as plastic wrap and can be bent, folded or rolled up like a scroll.

Graphite, the lead in a pencil, is made of stacks of graphene layers. Although each individual layer is tough, the bonds between them are weak, so they slip off easily and leave a dark mark when you write.

Potential graphene applications include touch screens, solar cells, energy storage devices, cell phones and, eventually, high-speed computer chips.

Replacing silicon, the basic electronic material in computer chips, however, "is a long way off . . . far beyond the horizon," said Geim, who first discovered how to produce graphene five years ago.

"In the near and medium term, it's going to be extremely difficult for graphene to displace silicon as the main material in computer electronics," said Tomas Palacios , a graphene researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . "Silicon is a multi-billion dollar industry that has been perfecting silicon processing for 40 years."

Government and university laboratories, long-established companies such as IBM , and small start-ups are working to solve difficult problems in making graphene and turning it into useful products.

Ruoff founded a company in Austin called Graphene Energy, which is seeking ways to store renewable energy from solar cells or the energy captured from braking in autos.

The Pentagon is also interested in this new high-tech material. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is spending $22 million on research to make computer chips and transistors out of graphene.

Graphene was the leading topic at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society — a leading organization of physicists — in Pittsburgh in April. Researchers packed 23 panel sessions on the topic. About 1,500 scientific papers on graphene were published in 2008 alone.

Until last year, the only way to make graphene was to mount flakes of graphite on sticky tape and separate a single layer by carefully peeling away the tape. They called it the "Scotch Tape technique."

Recently, however, scientists have discovered a more efficient way to produce graphene on an underlying base of copper, nickel or silicon, which subsequently is etched away.

"There has been spectacular progress in the last two or three months," Geim reported in the journal Science. "Challenges that looked so daunting just two years ago have suddenly shrunk, if not evaporated."

"I'm confident there will be many commercial applications," Ruoff said. "We will begin to see hybrid devices — mostly made from silicon, but with a critical part of the device being graphene — in niche applications."

Rosetta Stone

I agree with this guy. I don't like Rosetta Stone for most of his reasons.

Big "Chinese" Brother

This is a picture of my Chinese brother. His name is 周渝 or Zhou Yu. Zhou is his last name and Yu is his first. Yu is the ancient name for Chongqing, its a cool name! He speaks a little English too. Just simple phrases. He will be picking me up from the airport in Chongqing. :)

MSN CONVO:
Zhou Bin says:
在
Matt says:
OK

Zhou Bin wants to start a Video Call with you.
Accept (Alt+C) Decline (Alt+D)

Matt says:
没有。

You declined the Video Call from Zhou Bin.

Zhou Bin says:
刚刚我已经和李正云联系了 他说你是从上海过来
Matt says:
Ok, 谢谢
他叫什么名字？
Zhou Bin says:
不用谢谢 呵呵
我叫周渝 是李正云的弟弟 到时候我到机场来接你
Matt says:
Zhou YU
Zhou Bin says:
YES
Matt says:
english?
周瑜，你收英文吗？
Zhou Bin says:
I can speak a little
Matt says:
Good, My Chinese is bad.
Zhou Bin says:
Do you give me your picture?
Matt says:
Yes, 等一下
Zhou Bin says:
OK
Matt says:
that is me and my aunt from thailand
Zhou Bin says:
it`s beautiful
Matt says:

Zhou Bin says:
你一个人来?
Matt says:
What?
Zhou Bin says:
come to chongqing only you?
Matt says:
Oh, yes.
只有 我。
Zhou Bin says:
HOHO WELCOME!
Matt says:
HOHO？
Zhou Bin says:
HOHO =
Matt says:
ah
Zhou Bin says:
YOU KNOW?
Matt says:
yes
Zhou Bin says:


You stopped sharing photos

Matt says:
I am 182.8 cm.
You?
Zhou Bin says:
stature?
Matt says:
yes
Zhou Bin says:
182.5
Matt says:
tall for Chinese
Zhou Bin says:
我身高182.5cm
Matt says:
OK.
对不去。 我的中文是不好。 hehe
Zhou Bin says:
没什么
不用客气
你向我学中文 我向你学英文
Matt says:
号的。
Zhou Bin says:
白满智 说:
号的 =好的 呵呵
Matt says:
呵呵。
Ok 谢谢
Zhou Bin says:
没什么 不用客气
Matt says:
好的。
你喜欢中国吗？
和重庆？
Zhou Bin says:
我不喜欢中国这个国家 但是我喜欢重庆
Matt says:
I see.
你要在美国？
Zhou Bin says:
我不喜欢中国这个国家 但是我喜欢重庆
I DON`T LIKE CHINA! BUT I LIKE CHONGQING
Matt says:
Yes, I understand.
hehe
Zhou Bin says:
你要在美国？ 我在美国什么?? 不明白
Matt says:
我懂。
你想赴美？
Zhou Bin says:
YES!I LIKE U.S.A !
Matt says:
I live USA too.

Zhou Bin says:
hehe
Matt says:
Your English is okay.
Zhou Bin says:
oh it`s bad
Matt writes:

Matt says:
我叫白满智和Matt。
Zhou Bin says:
OK`NICE TO MEET YOU!
我叫周渝 我还没有英文名字
Matt says:
You too!
yu means chongqing?
Zhou Bin says:
YES
你很聪明 一看就懂
Matt says:
very cool.
hehe
Zhou Bin says:
对不起 妈妈叫我去吃饭了 不好意思
Matt says:
you have no English name
Zhou Bin says:
恩 还没有英文名字 你帮我取一个 好吗 谢谢
Matt says:
我I帮取

bye bye

Chinese Medicine

When the news of the Swine flu spread, the Chinese will put vinegar in a bowl or some thing in their house because apparently it kills viruses. They will still see a doctor but this is done to prevent it.. Hmm, I wonder where they get this information. Its probably very old!

Hit the Spot...

This email from some family friends who visited 3 years ago emailed me to wish me safe travel to China and it hit the spot. God is so good!


"Hey Matt.

It is wonderful to hear from you.
Its funny how time flies right all away.
Only the other day we were together and nearly three years are gone.

We are well and Rose passes special regards to you.
I am sure we will meet some day on this side of heaven.

We will be praying for you but we trust you will stay in touch.
Am sure you will miss your family a lot, but, it is prudent to fly away from the nest once we are matured up.

Rose, myself and the boys wish you God speed in all that you do.

We love you Matt.

Rose and Alphonse"

My favorite new TV show quote.

"Boys are pushed harder and what do girls do? Eat and wait for death!?", from the Chinese drama, Brown Sugar Macchiato.

Plane Ticket Purchased

Here is my plane ticket information!

Delta DL 6434
Depart Wed, Jul 22   2:17pm BNA - Nashville TN       
Arrive Wed, Jul 22   6:15pm JFK - New York Kennedy NY

China Eastern MU 588
Depart Thu, Jul 23   1:45am JFK - New York Kennedy NY
Arrive Fri, Jul 24   5:00am PVG - Shanghai Pudong China

China Eastern MU 5419
Depart Fri, Jul 24   8:45am PVG - Shanghai Pudong China
Arrive Fri, Jul 24  11:35am CKG - Chongqing China    

Total duration: 32hr 18min

So, I leave the 22nd! Who cares!? OMG, I'm soooo excited and a little nervous but super amazing. God is too good to me.

The Plan

Have a goodbye party on July 18, 2009 from 2-6pm at my house. Leave for China on July 21st, 2009. Wow, I can't believe its actually happening! AMAZING!

Random Tips

I got some random tips for living in China. Here are a few...

Use proxy servers online to view blocked websites while in China.
Don't get ice cream milkshakes from DQ only cones.
Don't give the beggar children money, they are faking it.
Be careful of thieves when cross walking bridges.
When you are sad, go have fun with friends at KTV (karaoke bar).

Chinese Drama (actually from Taiwan)

黑糖瑪奇朵 or Brown Sugar Macchiato

Watch Brown Sugar Macchiato Ep 1 [2/3] in Entertainment Videos | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Odd Chinese Drama Show. Its funny though.

If you could have a super power?

I'd pick Omnilingualism! The power to speak any language! What about you?

I got it!

I got my Chinese visa! I'm still on vacation (currently in Beauford, South Carolina) but when I get home I will see how long I can stay. I think I got a one year visa!

Chongqing Chihuahua

Can you say, ay yaya?! This is an ugly chihuahua, Chinese version... I guess.

Chongqing's Nickname

渝 or yu2 is another name for Chongqing. It's sort of its nickname or something. Pretty cool! I was told by my Chinese friend that it is an ancient name. How wonderful Chinese is!

Chongqinghua (Chongqing Dialect)

So, I've been talking to a couple people I met online at cqexpat.com (Chongqing based website for people who live there) and I've been wondering what exactly Chongqing dialect is... I got my answer. Basically, all the tones are different and some words are but they use the same patterns. For example, ni3 hao3 is hello in Mandarin Chinese but in Chongqinghua it is ni1 hao4. CQhua is spoken much faster, so much that the tones are almost all 4th. This will be fun! xDD

I also found out that CQhua doesn't have its own writing system so slowly the younger generation is making it sound more like Mandarin Chinese because everyone thinks it isn't really a language.

Good URL Links for Chinese Travel

http://www.chinatravelguide.com/ctgwiki/Special:CNTrainSearch?from=Beijing&to=Chengdu
-travel guide but this specific link is to trains all over China

http://www.flychina.com
-Cheaper flights to (outside China) and from China

http://www.elong.net/
-Flights only in China

http://ctrip.com/
-Flights only in China

Meet Vivi!

This is Vivi (Jiang ZiWei) my "Chinese" sister! I am so happy I finally got pictures of her. She gave me her qq(.com) # (like myspace and facebook for China). She's a very pretty girl and it will lots of fun getting to know her!

Meet some of my Chinese family!

The skinny man with the glases is Zhou Bin. He is a doctor. Here are some pictures and videos of his family.










THIS IS MY FAVORITE ONE! The doctor treating a patient while on a webcam ahah and they got out of the way so I could see. babbabahhaha..


Brief Video:

I'll be home for Christmas...

Well, I got my Chinese academic calender today and they don't have a winter holiday like the USA. Or at least a Christmas holiday. Even though the US claims it isn't a Christian nation... the time period of its winter break is proof. Chinese winter break is from Jan 14- Feb 21 or something like that. Oh well, I can wait until after Christmas. So, I won't be home for Christmas!

Alec/Sun Hao

I met Alec on chinauspals.com in March and we have been friends ever since. He plans to move to America for college in Oklahoma. He is a great guy and wants to major in finance. He has a Chinese girlfriend who lives in Canada and he is Buddhist. He is very traditional. He reminds me a lot of myself even though we are completely different in so many ways. I'm slowing trying to lead him towards Christ but our language barrier (he speaks about 65% English) intercedes at times. I really hope we can become brothers in Christ. He has already become an earthly brother (xiongdi) to me and I can only pray for him.

He asks me for advice with his girlfriend a lot. Most of the conversations we have are because in China and him being Buddhist, he is very traditional and even having a guys arm around you is frowned upon. I try to explain him the cultural barrier and I think he understand but he just doesn't like it.

I talk to him for hours at a time on msn. We sometimes talk on Skype but mainly msn. Today, we talked on msn while we was in a Cafe called Wang Ba in Beijing, China.

The Chinese Google "baidu"

There is a google in China but "baidu.cn" came out 5 years before google started its services to China. The creator of Baidu, a middle aged farmers son. He went to the U.S.A to get a better education and to learn English. Baidu has some problems like free mp3 downloads, a different way to search the web than google (inconsistent), but China doesn't mind. Bigger community which means constant traffic and an active community. Baidu is bigger than google for now in China. I wonder how long it will take google to catch on.

First Conversation with my "Chinese" Sister

Here name is Vivi or JiangZiWei, she's 23 and is my Chinese teacher's cousin. We talked on the microphone and typed but here is the typed convo. I forgot to record it.

Matt says:
Hello, this is Matt or 白 满 智 .
你在吗?
Vivi says:
在
Matt says:
好 的 。
?你 好 马 ?
Vivi says:
你好吗？？

我很好
Matt says:
Good.
English?
Vivi says:
中文
Matt says:
英 文 ?
呵 呵
Vivi says:
会一点
Matt says:
Ok.
我 手 一 点 点 中 文 。
我 的 中 文 是 不 好 。
Vivi says:
我知道

Vivi is calling you.
Accept (Alt+C) Decline (Alt+D)

You've accepted the invitation to start a call.
End call (Alt+Q).

Vivi says:
ＢＯＯＫ　ＲＯＯＭ
Matt says:
Yes.
library
182.88
182.88cm.
Vivi says:
ＵＳＥ　ＩＴ
Matt says:
yes.
你有无线网络？
你会见了美国前？
您满足外国人呢？
Vivi says:
You need a translation dictionary
Matt says:
Yes.
Haha
Vivi says:
１３？？
Matt says:
yes
13.
Vivi says:
２３
Matt says:
23
I am 18.
difficult.
困难
Vivi says:
ＫＵＮ　ＮＡＮ
学习
Matt says:
地址
Vivi says:
If you want to learn English need to spend a lot of energy
重庆市南岸区溯源阁１-６-１
shuo4 yuan2 ge2,nan an district,chongqing,
Matt says:
你说多语言？
西班牙语
Vivi says:
ＸＩ　ＢＡＮ　ＹＡ　ＹＵ　
ＸＩ　ＢＡＮ　ＹＡ　
ＹＵ＝语言
午饭
Matt says:
language?
lunch
Vivi says:
和你聊天很开心
欢迎你到我家来
我们一家人都非常期待你的到来
Matt says:
和你聊天很开心也.
Thank-You! I am happy.
Vivi says:
下次再聊

Your call has ended.

Matt says:
Bye bye

Chinese Visa

I will be getting my visa in the next month. I am really excited and I pray to God (even in this post) that the visa will come smoothly.

Job Searching

I went job searching this week. I applied to Baja Fresh, P.F. Changs, and Barnes & Nobles so far. Job searching is tiresome.. -_-

How I became addicted to languages and how China came about...

I'm sitting here on my bed, my laptop propped up on my knees typing and I am thinking to myself, "I am moving to China!" Can you believe it? China!! The communist country! Actually, I don't see the communism as being a real problem. I see it affecting my life a little bit but not entirely. I'll just have to adjust the way I live... I assume. I think that how I got to wanting to go to China is the real question. There were a lot of to's in that sentence, haha. Anyhow, the how. Let me start from the beginning. I believe it was the second semester of 9th grade and I had just started a new school, Stone-Table. We had Latin class and I was really worried because I knew languages weren't my stronghold at the time but something happened! I could remember a majority of the words, verb endings, and sentence structures without even trying. It just clicked. I became the student that finished first and so fast when doing in class homework that I helped everyone else. And of course I did lots of things wrong but it didn't stop me. At that time, languages just seemed easier and I didn't think much of it. I didn't have the Christian mindset just yet. I didn't think that this "thing" was a gift from God. I look back and I remember what I was thinking. I was so happy that Latin was easy for me. My teacher, Mr. Thomas loved Latin and I loved being good at it and impressing him! I think the reaction when you get from getting 70's to 100's on a person's face is enough to drive you to learn more. I give Mr. Thomas that credit for introducing the possibility for loving languages. Latin ended that year and summer came. I was very disappointed that we weren't going to be doing Latin and that we were starting Spanish. I took Spanish in 6th grade but I forgot that I did. How sad is that? My teacher was a heavier woman with blonde hair and glasses. I remember Spanish class for maybe 5 minutes for an entire year and that's it. I remember a girl getting lead in her eye and going to the hospital and learning the word for movie theater in Spanish. However, none of these memories or the fact that I even took Spanish in 6th grade returned to me until I was in 11th grade. I don't know why but it didn't until then. I took Spanish in Elementary school but it was a lost cause. My teacher was named Mrs. Maria Sandavol, Latina, had a daughter who looked just like her, and signed my yearbook in Spanish in the 4th grade and I had no idea what it said at the time. I asked her but she didn't tell me. I read it recently and it simply said, "Espero que tengas un bueno verano." (I hope that you'll have a great summer). That might be wrong but I believe that's what she said... Anywho, I started 10th grade Spanish with a little frustration and not knowing any Spanish. I remember Mr. Thomas writing on the board, "Como se llamas?" and he wanted to know if the class knew what it meant. I raised my hand and said, "Come see my llamas." and I was serious. He thought I was joking and I decided it was better that he didn't know I was. I remember one of or the first word in Spanish I learned was "fecha" which means date. I had a notebook and had written all of the words down (15-20) and tried to memorize them all that night. I must give a lot of credit to my Spanish learning to working at Chick-fil-A. I tried talking to them in Spanish and as time progressed I grew to understand it more and more. I would talk with Victor, David, and a man from Peru. I forget his name now... Oh, I also talked to this nice Hispanic lady who spoke no English. I remember exactly what she looked like. She was short, had a little girls almost bowl haircut and has a gentle nature. I asked her, "Quieras aprender un palabara larga en Ingles?" (Do you want to learn a long word in English?) and she said yes. I said the not abbreviated form of DNA and she was stunned. She taught me what napkin was in Spanish and I was more than thrilled to learn more. I'd spend hours learning more and more Spanish everyday! I spent up to 5 hours a day on Saturday sometimes. I told Mr. Thomas that and he said, "I wish I could do that but I have a family." I laughed. Spanish class was about over and my Spanish had grown a lot. Mr. Thomas and I would speak in Spanish with each other and have tons of fun. I didn't know enough to say too much but we could talk and just speak in the simple present tense. Oh, how do I miss the old simple days of present tense. Just in case you didn't know.. Spanish has about 15-17 tenses based on how you look at it. As Spanish came to a close we had a midterm and I was loving every minute of it. This was the only exam I was excited to take and that is saying something if you know me! It has to do with the fact that I can understand someone that doesn't even speak my language and know what they are saying. It just gives me excited butterflies! Even to this very day. Just thinking about the feeling it gives me makes me happy. After a year and a half at Stone-Table, I left and went to BCA. I didn't want to leave Stone-Table and I was super upset. I got to BCA and had previously learned that there was a Spanish 1-4. I wanted to be in Spanish 3 but my dad wanted me to be in Spanish 2. I knew that the way I progressed was different from normal students in languages and I decided to enter Spanish 3 even though my wonderful Spanish teacher Mrs. Nielson didn't say it could be too hard but I could tell what she felt. I entered Spanish 3 and I don't believe I had any problems. We reviewed from Spanish 2 so I learned as much as I could! I went from Spanish 1 to Spanish 3 and I was really happy. I did struggle a little but with the tenses but I got used to it later. By the end of the year, Mrs. Nielson could talk in Spanish for most of the class and I'd barely notice she wasn't speaking in English. We read little books and did homework. I enjoyed it a lot! It was my favorite class. I think I was the only one who enjoyed it that much. About half way through the year I asked Mrs. Nielson if another language would be a good decision. I researched it online and found different views. So, that night I prayed about it and asked God what language I shold learn after Spanish and if I should even learn another. The next day, Olivia an I drove into the McKay's Mill Neighborhood (which I had never been to before),and stopped and ate at the Chinese place. I had remember something similar sounding to Thank-You in Chinese and said it to Olivia. The man at the cash register asked me if I spoke Chinese or wanted to learn it. I took his card or paper (I don't remember) and took this as a sign from God. THE VERY NEXT DAY!? I couldn't believe it. It was the quickest prayer answered from God I've ever experienced. I emailed my parents the info and started my first Chinese lesson which I believe was on Friday morning at 8am. I was not happy with getting up that early but I did it. I remember going to Mr. Li's house and feeling totally lost at first. I bet I had the worst kind of pronunciation and understanding of Chinese. He taught me about culture and language at the same time. I noticed that he said, "Thank God" and I wasn't sure if he was a Christian or not. I don't remember how I found out but he sure was a Christian. Can you believe it? God answered my prayer, gave me a Christian Chinese teacher, and now I'm moving to China because I feel like it is what God wants me to do. It might sounds crazy but Chinese isn't hard for me and I'm constantly asked if it is hard. For me, Chinese isn't. It is all memorizing. That's pretty much it. Mr. Li says I have a lot of potential and he believe that I'll have great Chinese skills some day. It makes me really happy to hear that! I give all the credit it God and I'm super excited to see what he puts in my way. Hopefully, in July (20-25th) of 2009 I will move to Chongqing, China and attend Sichuan International Studies University (SISU) and learning Chinese for 1-4 years. I will be living with some of Mr. Li's relatives (his cousin and her grandmother) in an apartment owned by Mr. Li's uncle. Moving to China isn't a way to move the farthest I can from my family out of rebellion, or just wanting something new. I am going to China because I feel like God, the creator of the universe whether you believe so or not is directly calling me to go there. God created China too and not just America. I think we forget that sometimes. Traveling and seeing God's majestic wonders is one thing but moving to a different place and seeing all that God has made and how it is so different just makes me ever so excited. I hope to see you in Chongqing, China visiting me and my Chinese family. If you read this entire passage, I applaud you! It was long! :)

Chinese Fish Store

I want one!
and this is in the city I'm moving to! Chongqing.

I'm so excited!

As the subject reads, my mood is the ever so obvious! The reason for my excitment has to do with my future Chinese plans. I emailed the university in Chongqing China and I just applied through email. I'm so excited to see if everything will go smoothly!

Hmm..

I really want to visit China before I go. I don't have ANY doubts but I want to know if I'm going to like where I live and go to school. Is that too much to ask?

Hello there..

I will be living on my own in China in July! Can you believe it? I am so ready and excited. :) Pray for me!

Avatar Aang

So....

.
.
.


If you can't tell.. I like that show. Here is another colored pick. :)

Jordan the Baby Giraffe

My friend Jordan Melton likes giraffe's and requested that I draw on for her.

So.. I did. C:

Mr. Airbender Aang

I absolutely love this show called Avatar: The Last Airbender. Its a cartoon but I just love it.

That guy up there is named Aang. He is an airbender which means he can control air or manipulate it.

REMODELING

I am going to remodel my layout on here. So it will look odd/crappy/not right for a few days!

Three New Pic-uh-tures!

Magic: the very fat cat.

Mandarin Dragonet: New addition to the tank.

Royal Gramma: Curious little guy in my tank.

Fish!

Here is a picture of my current 55 gallon reef (in progress) aquarium.

Miss Saigon: Vietnamese Cuisine.

I'm all for new things so... I went to a Vietnamese restaurant! I asked the guy what the most authentic thing was and he told me the Beef Soup. I ordered it and it was really good! I will go back!



HUGE SOUP BOWL... Like a Liter..

Soup, and egg roll plate.

The place of veggies is for adding stuff into your soup to make it taste better.

Nashville Chinese Association Dinner/Concert

This is the stage. (An Hour before the show)


Tai-Chi presentation (I was backstage)

Chinese Minority dance

Host (Jeff Tang) and Hostess

A Dance that was inspired by a 2,000 year old poem called Peach Blossom.



My group did two very embarrassing songs for 2 year olds.. The groups was 2-18 and everyone was 2-10ish cept me and Sarah. We are both 17 so we got to be the group babysitter/organizers that danced with them. But it was over all fun! :]


Happy Chinese New Year!

Liver, Pork Head Meat, and More!

I went over to my Chinese teacher's house to give him CD for a performance he is orchestrating and he invited me to lunch to talk about our Chin trip. We had pork liver, head meat, rice, cilantro and potatoes strips and rice of course.

He talked to me about the China trip and that he is calling a few travel agencies to get quotes for air fair. So far the not-planned plan is:
Fly to Atlanta and then L.A., then to Shanghai, and stop in Chengdu or Chongqing. On the way back we plan to stop in Seoul, South Korea for two days (arrive, stay the night and then leave later that night).

And.. hopefully I'm going to get my laptop tonight.. :)

English Only

In Davidson county, a law is trying to be passed dealing with a tough topic: English Only.

Nashville has hundreds of different peoples and culture groups. I think that this law is another way of making racism legal.

This article talks more about it. Luckily, it failed to be passed on Thursday.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28800515/

What is so bad about having more than one language in a city? Is it that bad? If people get upset for seeing Hombres and Men on a restroom door... you have issues. It does say men, you can still understand.

Update

I got my passport last Friday and I'm stoked. Now I can go anywhere in the world. It is an AMAZING feeling. It didn't last long but it still lingers a little.

I am getting a laptop tomorrow! I'm soooo excited I cannot wait!!! ;]

And now I'm just ranting.. Adios I guess.