This week is midterms which means that once the exam is over and the grading done then I have no other classes for the week. That’s great because the film festival has been going on and I’ve been taking the opportunity not only to see films but, moreover, take the bus there which allows me to see different parts of Beijing along the way. In other words, I’ve had time to rest and time to myself, which is much needed. We’re only at the half-way point but there is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. I simply underestimated how much work there would be this term.
Working my way through Paul Theroux’s Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, an account of his second overland journey from London to Tokyo and back again, the same trip he took 33 years before. He took this second journey around 2008, as Bush was leaving office and so he hears a lot of criticisms about the US and the war on terror. He counters much of this with the question, “given the chance, would you move to the US?” To which almost all respondents says “yes.” It’s an interesting read about how he views his second trip over the two continents. Makes me wonder if I’ll do something similar in the future.
Well, with the Stanley Cup playoffs in full swing now, the time has come yet again for my family’s playoff pool. Every year we run a little contest to see who can correctly predict the outcomes of each series and the ultimate Stanley Cup winner. Surprisingly, the pool has been won twice by babies or toddlers, despite my family being made up of graduates from various disciplines ranging from the arts and sciences. This year’s playoffs is a little more interesting than last as our home team, the Winnipeg Jets, have made it into the playoffs. And so, below you’ll find my picks for the first round of the playoffs plus my guess who will ultimately win the whole race. To be sure, this list was made purely through patriotic and apparent strength-by-first-place-placement. No real research was conducted. The winners are as follows:
New York Rangers
Washington
Montreal
Tampa Bay
Winnipeg
Vancouver
Minnesota
Chicago
And Montreal for the Cup!
I’ve begun studying Chinese with another tutor, this one, however, is probably the most professional I’ve had so far. Many of my students think they are able to teach Chinese simply because they speak the language on a daily basis. In that regard, they’re like many Westerners who think teaching English is an easy job. Sure, it is easier compared to some other subjects, but when you’re trying to explain verb tenses or correct the pronunciation of a certain phoneme (sound) such as “th” or “dz”, things get a little tricky. Anyway, my new tutor is working on her graduate degree in teaching Chinese to foreigners. I’ll update you more on my Chinese language progress in another post.
Two new trailers hit screens this past week. First, Batman vs Superman in what should be a good re-imagining of the two superheroes. The trailer, however, merely showed the costumes ((?) or whatever you want to call them) that will be used in the movie. Word on the web has it that the movie pits an aged Batman against a now-government lackey Superman, a story that is based on the comic book series but not a direct adaptation. The movie is due out in the summer of 2016. Next, and probably even more frenetic, is the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer. To tell you the truth, despite the rather paltry glimpse at the movie and what it’ll be about, this movie already looks better than the garbage that is/was Parts I, II, and III. Why? They decided to go back to their roots and shoot this new movie as much in-camera as possible and rely less on CG effects. I don’t know about you but I watch the first three episodes now and they simply look dated, horribly so.
It’s warm outside but often still very cool inside since many of the buildings are built facing north-south and not east-west. The benefit is that it keeps the place cool during the hot summer days, the bad part is that the wind is vicious from the north and so that often creates a windtunnel-like effect when you’re walking in between buildings or want to open the window.
Since a few folks were wondering what I think of living in China (especially after having lived in South Korea) I’m compiling a bit of a comparison and contrast between South Korean and China.