Sunday, October 25, 2009
Roaming Singer
Traffic is terrible in GZ these days, almost to the point that even a local like me does not know how to get about. Transportation chaos is everywhere, thanks mainly to an ever-increasing number of cars on ragged roads and partly to a government-funded BRT project. I had to wait today half an hour before boarding a home-bound bus. But all these complains were not the point of this blog entry... On the bus I met a roaming singer, who belted out two out-of-tune songs in exchange for some money that he thought he rightly deserved. I felt pity upon seeing his look, pale and feeble, but I didn't give a cent anyway. (Please don't blame me for my hardened heart.) He collected a few one-yuan notes from passengers when the performance was over and leaned back to a handrail for some rest, with an obviously exhausted look on his already-torn face. The bus came to a stop before long, and the roaming singer got off. He happened to stand right before an estate agent where dozens of ads were pasted proudly on its shopfront. He stood there still, staring at those flashy ads with a pair of confused eyes. The astronomical numbers on the ads made him all at sea. I was saddened by the scene. The world has become so tough that a large group of people had been marginalized somehow by our money-talking society. How can we let our hair down and really feel the air living in such a society? You don't need to be a genius to figure out that relax is a luxury in such a competitive environment. For most people, having a shelter is only a daydream. However, we shouldn't be too pessimistic. It's up to you to decide whether you would walk your life through with a lighthearted or heavyhearted mind.But one thing is crystal clear, laziness doesn't work here.
Liu Xiang, A Man with A Goal
My heart kept pounding when I finished a documentary of Liu Xiang. In 2008, Liu Xiang, once the record holder of 110 metre hurdles, suffered what would be one of his biggest personal disasters in life. His leg injury broke many Chinese hearts and forced him to quit his first heat in the 2008 Olympic game, which was held in Beijing. People couldn't accept his loss, and many even went on to blame his cowardliness throughout the year. That was a huge pressure on a youth, but our hero was not beaten by the injury. He has been struggling for a full return. With a clear goal and a strong will to hurdle any obstacle ahead, he staged a perfect return in a 2009 track and field match. Liu Xiang was back. And we are sure he will soon shine again on international arenas with an always-advancing will.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Urinal With Fly
Here is something very funny and creative. What your response would be when seeing a fly sitting inside urinal as you are ready to pee? Aim at it? Take a closer look, the fly is actually part of the urinal. Believe it or not, according to a research, this decorative fly helps reduce nearly 80% of spilling urine as gentlemen like to target it when shooting out. Great invention... isn't it?
Saturday, October 17, 2009
What Are Being Blocked?
Luckily found this dashboard which monitors popular English sites that are currently blocked in China. I have not the faintest idea when our government will give the green lights for accessibility.Here comes the irony. One Chinese official says "policies, projects and reforms that most people oppose should be stopped or suspended." How about GFW?
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Head-on Conflict
Last night we had a head-on conflict, thanks to my egregious indulgence of Harry Potter ebook series. Things turned worse quicker than I expected when I showed little interest to some activities that I proposed before dinner. Half and hour cold war entailed and we started to talk back fiercely. But things met a U-turn suddenly when a sobbing face emerged later down the brawl (was someone sobbing? 0_o).The ending, though, was pretty sweet, it was nothing that deserved a cheer.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Weekly Knowledge Gains
1. dropped ceiling, drop ceiling, false ceiling, suspended ceiling.In construction and architecture, a dropped ceiling, also referred to as a drop or suspended ceiling, is used as a secondary ceiling formed to conceal piping, wiring, or ductwork. 
2. For years there have been rumours that the mafia was sinking ships with nuclear and other waste on board, as part of a money-making racket.racket = a business or an occupation.3. a constitutional(本质的) inability to tell the truth. = 生来爱撒谎的毛病They are almost constitutionally incapable of casual relationships. 4. That this horrible tragedy happened at all is incomprehensible, but that it happened to her, I think, is infinitely more so. It seems completely senseless.5. 纨绔子弟(wán kù zǐ dì) = 只知享受，什么事也不能干的富贵人家子弟。6. 乔迁之喜 = 祝贺升迁或搬家之词。7. 偏安一隅(yú) = 在残存的一片土地上苟且偷安。8. Companies are innovating in this area, not least by using a tool that is ancient and free: the weather. "Not Least" means that you are making an important point, but not the most important.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
People Dislikes Whatever
A poll shows "whatever" is the most disliked word in America, followed awkwardly by a string of contenders "you know", "anyway", "it is what it is", "at the end of the day". The reason for the hatred of "whatever" is that it connotes a sense of dismissiveness. Buddy, let's drop the word from your conversations from now on, unless you want to display a gallon of indifference. Also take this idiom down by heart, though kinda out of favor, "six of one, half dozen of the other," 半斤八两 in Chinese.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Long Time No Write!
Long time no write! It had nothing to do with my writing passion, which has never faded away. The culprit was GFW, which made accessing Google Blog and Posterous completely impossible.I missed a great deal of things "blogwhile" and my pen had been covered with lichens since the GFW took center stage months ago. When will the window reopen? When blogging will no longer be a thing of pain? Beats me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)