Category Archives: China
Essential Chinese: Frappuccino
I recently learned that xing bing le is Chinese for Starbucks’ frappuccino. This is pretty exciting because I recognize each character from another context, so I feel like I actually understand the whole, as language and branding, not just as sounds … Continue reading
Montclair Filament
I started reading Elisabeth Egan’s A Window Opens shortly before I left for Yangzhou, but for some reason, moving to China and immediately losing my suitcase put me slightly behind on my reading and blogging. I mean, I could have just … Continue reading
Marco Polo
Detail of a photocopy of a map drawn by a previous expat teacher. I paid extra for an iPhake with a workable map app, but I really like the idea of a hand-drawn map of the city’s highlights, and maybe … Continue reading
A Song of Bing and Huo
I’ve been reading A Song of Ice and Fire, mostly thanks to SuperDan’s recommendation, which means I’ve been lying in front of my room fan in my underwear, trying to remember what being cool felt like, and reading about how winter is … Continue reading
Key Words
I’m really lucky that when I’m at a bit of a career crossroads, and I decide to spend a few months back in China, I can easily do it. I try to keep this constantly in mind, as if by being more aware of it, I … Continue reading
Book Review: The Search for Kindronium 379
I was interested in The Search for Kindronium 379 because it was described as a teenage adventure story, along the lines of Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. Here’s the Amazon blurb: An accidental fall down an ancient mine shaft leads … Continue reading
The Austen Test
A couple days before my wedding (wow, I got married, that is still sinking in), my mom, my dad, Harold and I were talking about Call The Midwife. Actually, my mom and I were talking about what a great show it is, while Harold and … Continue reading
As One Does
My flight was pretty great, I had a couple of good books (You guys, how did I ever do long flights before ereaders?) and a seatmate who was the right amount of chatty for a 16-hour flight. We landed in Guangzhou, … Continue reading
CamRate Everything
CamRate, a fun new lifestyle app, lets users take photos or share photos, add a name and a description, and rate it, and publicly share their rating. Then, you can see what others think about it, or rate what other … Continue reading
