Spring break update: battling bad cold, and watching old Seinfeld episodes

There’s an episode of Seinfeld where George Costanza landed in a hospital after he had a heart attack. Turns out it was a false alarm, but while he was lying in bed, he promised himself that if he got better he would turn Zen, and meditate and stuff:

If I ever get out of here, I’m gonna change my life. I’m gonna do a whole Zen thing. Take up yoga, meditate.  I’ll eat right. Calm down, lose my anger…

I mention this because I have a cold, and have spent some time in front of the television watching old sitcoms, among them this Seinfeld episode.

This cold is taking up my entire spring break. My week long break was supposed to be productive. I was going to study hard, outline for my exams, take advantage of the nice weather, and see old friends. Instead, most of the time, I have spent indoors in bed, or on the sofa with a box of Kleenex.

When I get better, I want to not take my health for granted. I actually always say this every time I get a cold or the flu, but I never follow through. (Maybe putting it in writing would help.) I get caught up with being caught up, and forget to think about how awesome it is to breathe without congestion, to have mucus-free channels, to wake up without aches, to have the energy to  get up and go to school…   It’s only when I get a cold that I think about these things. And that shouldn’t be the case.

2011: The Year of Gratitude

illustration by Roberta Baird

Oh, hi! I am back. The new year has prompted me to return to this blog. February third was the first day of the Chinese new year. And I want to publicly roll out my new year resolutions here, in hopes that the more people I share my resolutions with, the more people I have to hold me accountable.

2010 was a rough year for me and some of my loved ones. And the primary reason that I have gotten through the past year in the manner that I have–still whole and healthy–is because of the love generously given to me from my friends. As I enter this new year, I feel so lucky and grateful.

A new year is no free pass–we are not magically handed a clean slate. In many ways, I still carry weight from the last year, and with it the responsibility to see things through and pick up the pieces. This 2011, I am not necessarily expecting a better year, but I am confident that whatever challenges the year of the rabbit may bring, I will be able to get through it unscathed because I have my family and friends’ strength, love and support. I have many reasons to be grateful, and I wish that my everyday life and lifestyle reflects my gratitude. With that in mind, this 2011 I resolve to:

• Welcome each morning with a sun salutation and a cup of water.
• Appreciate what my body is capable of by giving it want it wants—no more, no less. Give it work when it wants to work, rest when it wants to rest. The only necessary ‘diet cleanse’ there is will be the only one that I will put my body through, and that is, cleansing myself from negative body thoughts and talk.
• Express my appreciation to the Chinese teachers and mentors that I have had over the years– those who have taken the time to teach and encourage me to study Mandarin–through practicing with much greater diligence.
• Make time each day to journal–to write for myself. I seem to make this resolution every year–some years I am better at this than others. These last couple years my journal entries have been sparse. It can be hard to carve out the space and time to do this type of writing. So, I have started a new approach. In addition to keeping my regular journal notebook, I journal on small index cards. These cards I carry on me throughout the day so that I can easily jot down any quick thoughts. At the end of the day, I date the cards, and I keep them in a small tin box where they are organized chronologically. So far, this has worked well for me, and has gotten me to write for myself much more regularly–even if it is a just a few sentences a day.
• Single-handedly save the postal service. The postal service has been in dire financial troubles; and has recently announced that it plans to consolidate or close 2,000 branches. With email, sending physical cards, invites and letters have turned into a rarity. I share in LA Times columnist Meghan Daum’s sentiment (“In Praise of Snail Mail”) that nothing can wholly replace mail in its original and physical form. So, I will take it upon myself to send the post office an influx of letters, care packages and greeting cards created and written by yours truly. And for the sake of the postal service, I will self-sacrificiously encourage my friends to send me more snail mail.
• Less buying new things. More homemade gifts.
• Partner with my sister Madeline in her sincere and noble efforts to preserve our family’s recipes and history through her blog Restaurant Baby. The more I am confronted with the transient nature of things, I find myself grappling with the question of how I can pay my respects to the people and the things that have come before me. Restaurant Baby is Madeline’s and my way of paying homage to our roots as daughters of restaurant owners.  More and more, I see the value of preservation as a means of knowledge sharing, and a necessary part of true progression; so is creation. Restaurant Baby, intended to be a constant work in progress, is home to my family and childhood recipes, as well as new recipes that Madeline and I can claim as our own.
• Be a good friend by helping my friends stay on top of their new year resolutions and life goals.

Well, there you have it- my short list.  I will close this with a humble thank you to my loving friends who have stuck with me through thick and thin. Wishing all a brilliant year of the rabbit!

Muslims Serve Detroit on the 9th Anniversary of 9/11

(cross-posted)

Sarah Youssef doing weed work at Piquette Square.

On Saturday morning, the ninth anniversary of September 11^th, Muslim Americans from across Metro Detroit gathered at Clark Park in Detroit. They were there to participate in “A-Ok Detroit: A weekend of restoration and remembrance”, a day of service in commemoration of 9/11 that was organized by state and local non-profit groups.

China’s One Child Policy Turns Thirty

Don't be deceived. They are as cute as they are bratty.

This month marks the 30th anniversary of China’s one child policy. I have a  distinct memory of learning about the one child policy in grade school during social studies class because that particular lesson prompted my elementary school crush to say one of the sweetest things a boy had ever said to me…

After class, the then-love-of-my-life approached me and said, “So, what this means is, if your parents stayed in China, you would have never been born?”  I’m the fourth child in my family, so I told him “No, I guess not”. “Gosh,” he said, “Well, I’m glad that they came here then.”

I don’t know what followed afterward. Those were the days that when I liked a boy, I picked on him. So, I might have told him to get lost. Oops.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand- the one child policy. At age 30, the policy is no novelty. Its not making the news headlines–but it continues to have a big impact on China’s social and economic landscape.

Advertising for the one child policy, 1980s

The one child policy may be hard to conceptualize for Americans, who may read it as a violation of freedom and choice, while proponents argue that it is a necessary measure to curb China’s giant population, which is commonly cited by the Chinese as a source of many of the country’s  social and economic ailments.

Interested in learning more? Check out the following:

On Trader Joe’s: Love and Secrecy

For the people out there with strong affection for Trader Joe’s  (like me), or plain old curiosity, Fortune magazine has an in depth profile on the company, looking at how it became so successful, and–particularly interesting–how tight-lipped the company is about its practices.

The company has never participated in a major story about its business operations. Its CEO, Dan Brynes, declined repeated requests to be interviewed by Fortune. And all of Trader Joe’s suppliers are under agreement that they “shall not publicize its business relationship with TJ’s in any manner”. Fortune speculates on why the company maintains such secrecy:

…Trader Joe’s business tactics are often very much at odds with its image as the funky shop around the corner that sources its wares from local farms and food artisans. Sometimes it does, but big, well-known companies also make many of Trader Joe’s products. Those Trader Joe’s pita chips? Made by Stacy’s, a division of PepsiCo’s (PEP, Fortune 500) Frito-Lay. On the East Coast much of its yogurt is supplied by Danone’s Stonyfield Farm. And finicky foodies probably don’t like to think about how Trader Joe’s scale enables the chain to sell a pound of organic lemons for $2.

Snapshots from Confucius Temple, Shanghai

Wen Miao, the Confucian temple in Shanghai, is a quiet get away within a city that never stops. When my dad came to visit me, I made a point to take him here because crowds make him nervous, and Wen Miao is one of the few destinations in Shanghai where it is possible to find yourself alone. Also, a secular temple, I thought it appropriate for my dad who calls religious worship plain superstition. Here are a few photos I want to share with you.

Snapshots from Xi’ an

I had a week off for Qing Ming festival, and spent it in Xi’ an, otherwise known as the home of the Terra-cotta warriors. Because I can have anti-social tendencies, I did not go with anyone that I know. The intention being that I could use some quiet alone time to do some writing and soul searching. Instead, on the train, I just so luckily happened to bunk with three very rowdy girls who liked to talk about boys and shopping. And lets be real, I am so not above talking about boys and shopping. So much for the writing and soul searching. I spent the week exploring Xi’ an, and getting to know three very dynamic individuals. Here are some photos from the trip. Hope you enjoy!

What the Stark Expo and China’s World Expo Have in Common

Stark Expo

China's World Expo, opening ceremony

There is a scene in Iron Man 2 that only my friend (and fellow American) Leila and I seemed to chuckle at. “Pepper” Potts was scolding Tony Stark for wasting time and money on the Starks Expo, a year-long event showcasing Stark’s technological innovations—or as Pepper calls it, an extension of Iron Man’s ego. Watching the movie from here in Shanghai, the domain of the World Expo, the irony is hard to miss.

Here are some news and perspectives on the World Expo selected by yours truly:

• Adam Minter, author of the blog Shanghai Scrap, describes the Expo as, “a sprawling 5 square kilometer metaphor for China’s soft power initiative and ambitions.” [Sinica]
• For people unfamiliar with the Expo, a short Q+A about what it is, and why it’s taking place in Shanghai [Reuters]
• The Expo in photos [The Big Picture]
• NPR reporter accuses Shanghai World Expo mascot of being a plagiarized version of Gumby [China Hush
• Shady financial dealings shadow the US Pavilion [Shanghai Scrap]

Boy crisis? No job too big for the Hardy Boys, says Kristof

(cross-posted)

There’s a crisis in boys’ education, and the Hardy boys can solve it, according to the New York Time’s Nicholas Kristof.

In a recent column, Kristof argues that it is so passé to fuss over girls’ lack of advancement in mathematics; instead, the new and most pressing gender gap issue in education is the boy crisis. In recent years, girls have pulled ahead of boys in reading in every state, according to a new report by the Center on Education Policy.

Snapshots from Xi Tang

I took a day trip to Xi Tang, a water town south of the Yangtze River. Nine river converges in Xi Tang, dividing the town into eight sections.The town is connected by over one hundred bridges built during the Ming and Qing Dynasty. Xi Tang is a historic cultural preserve. According to UNESCO,”The road and water system, ally and lane layout, architectural style, building materials and techniques…all appear exactly the same as their original state…thus possessing great historical authenticity.”

Travel blogs and websites boasts of the town’s tranquility. Tranquil is how I would describe the architecture and landscape, but I went on a Saturday, and the place was bustling with tourists from different parts of China. (The shooting of Mission Impossible 3 in Xi Tang probably played a role in popularizing the town.)  But no matter, I was not going in search for a peace of mind anyway.

There are many small eateries and food stands in Xi Tang. You can find all sorts of zong zis in different shapes and sizes. I can’t give you an assessment of the food there. I was hoping to eat and sample more, but after discovering a dead bug in one my lunch dishes, my appetite waned. I did try the local bai si fish, pork zong zi, and cabbage hearts. I also ate stinky tofu for the first time there, though you can find stinky tofu all over China. You know, I always thought it would be stinkier…

Anyway, I wanted to share some of my photos with you. I hope you enjoy!