Looks like this semester is finally coming to a close. Although I shouldn't say finally, since it went by really fast. I can't believe that it'll be over by the end of this week.
Last week was tremendously busy, which is why there was no update. Not only was I immensely busy doing my paper, but I was also helping host our department's "Symposium on Poetic Legacy and Textual Tradition in Pre-Modern China." I barely had time to do all the things I needed to do. That said, this week I managed to finish my essay and, aside from proctoring an exam yesterday, I've been able to relax, watch some movies and play some video games.
Last weekend's conference was interesting. I couldn't understand the majority of it, but I did meet some relatively famous professors from the United States and Europe. They gave me some advice for learning Classical Chinese, too, and this week I've managed to put some of it to good use.
This upcoming week, I'll be keeping myself busy trying to draw up what I'll focus on next semester. I've got to select my courses when I come back. I've also got to hone in on my topic, and figure out what I'll be doing. This includes, among other things, figuring out what interests me, what research has been done, and what Chinese research is worth me delving my full energy into reading.
After that, I'll have a couple more days to tie things up around here. Then, I finally get to come home. I'll only be home for 10 days, but I'm very excited nonetheless. Having ten days to hang out, relax, and spend time with family sounds fantastic :)
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
It's almost December, and I'm still wearing shorts and a t-shirt
Hey guys. Sorry for those of you who've been waiting on the edge of your seats for this new post. I almost forgot to update it! It is now Monday morning, but since it's still Sunday where you are I guess that means I can get away with it :)
There's not much for me to report this week. I've been pretty busy with my paper, which is due next week, and preparing for the Shijing 詩經 conference, which is this upcoming weekend. It seems like I'm going to be the English MC. Scary. Of course, I can't wait until it's over. On the positive side, there will be a couple of scholars from the United States coming-- people who it will be good to have been acquainted with if I should go for my Ph.D in the States later.
In other news, I'm thinking about switching up my schedule. Lately, I've been waking up around 9 and spending the majority of the morning relaxing. After lunch, I go into "work" mode until dinner and then after dinner I go back into work mode until I fall asleep around 1am or so. While it works, it is kind of hard to get motivated when you've been just sort of kicking around all morning.
Share your thoughts!
Gotta run!
There's not much for me to report this week. I've been pretty busy with my paper, which is due next week, and preparing for the Shijing 詩經 conference, which is this upcoming weekend. It seems like I'm going to be the English MC. Scary. Of course, I can't wait until it's over. On the positive side, there will be a couple of scholars from the United States coming-- people who it will be good to have been acquainted with if I should go for my Ph.D in the States later.
In other news, I'm thinking about switching up my schedule. Lately, I've been waking up around 9 and spending the majority of the morning relaxing. After lunch, I go into "work" mode until dinner and then after dinner I go back into work mode until I fall asleep around 1am or so. While it works, it is kind of hard to get motivated when you've been just sort of kicking around all morning.
Share your thoughts!
Gotta run!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
In crowded Kowloon, I'm Thankful for parks
A Couple things just occurred to me: first, this blog makes it seem like time is zooming by. And I suppose it is. I'm in a state of disbelief nearly every week when I realize that it's already time to update. Hey-- I guess that's a sign that I really am doing my best to keep myself busy. Secondly, I'm pretty flabbergasted to just have realized that Thanksgiving is THIS WEEK. By the weather here, you'd never know it. Especially since the people of Hong Kong don't celebrate, talk about, or even know about the proto-birthday of America.
One thing I'm most thankful for this year (aside from my opportunity to study in Hong Kong which, in itself, is pretty thanksgiving-worthy) is the almost weekly trips I make to rural areas or, if worse comes to worse, just plain-old parks. Living in a tiny hotel room in a crowded city can really start to wear on me, so it's nice to get out at least once a week and just enjoy the weather, do some hiking, or otherwise just do some reading or make some time for some quite reflection outdoors. Today, I went to Kowloon city park. While nothing out of the ordinary, being their can still give you the impression that you're not in the city anymore. From one of the benches, I got a pretty good view of the old Hong Kong airport:
...So while I regret that I won't be able to be with my family this Thanksgiving, at least I know that I'll still be able to get away from the city if need be whenever I want to. All I need is to take a stroll down to the park.
In other news, this week should be a promising one. This Tuesday, I'm giving a presentation to my class on the oral and folk-tradition roots of ballads by the Chinese literati. Finishing that will be a HUGE relief, though there's still a lot of work I need to do to prepare tomorrow and Tuesday. After the presentation is finished, me and a friend have made vague plans to go to XiGong and get Pizza. Apparently, there's some really good Pizza to be had there. I am skeptical, but I will certainly report back with my findings. I am always down to explore new varieties of Pizza (note: the importance of the food demands that I capitalize the word regardless of its place in the sentence. I hereby decree that any time Pizza is mentioned, it should be mentioned as if it were a 'proper noun'. Only then can the greatness of Pizza be verbally represented).
To all my friends/family who read this: thank you so much for all the support you constantly throw my way, either through the phone, e-mail, or Skype. Enjoy Thanksgiving, and I'll see you during the Christmas holiday!
晚安!
One thing I'm most thankful for this year (aside from my opportunity to study in Hong Kong which, in itself, is pretty thanksgiving-worthy) is the almost weekly trips I make to rural areas or, if worse comes to worse, just plain-old parks. Living in a tiny hotel room in a crowded city can really start to wear on me, so it's nice to get out at least once a week and just enjoy the weather, do some hiking, or otherwise just do some reading or make some time for some quite reflection outdoors. Today, I went to Kowloon city park. While nothing out of the ordinary, being their can still give you the impression that you're not in the city anymore. From one of the benches, I got a pretty good view of the old Hong Kong airport:
...So while I regret that I won't be able to be with my family this Thanksgiving, at least I know that I'll still be able to get away from the city if need be whenever I want to. All I need is to take a stroll down to the park.
In other news, this week should be a promising one. This Tuesday, I'm giving a presentation to my class on the oral and folk-tradition roots of ballads by the Chinese literati. Finishing that will be a HUGE relief, though there's still a lot of work I need to do to prepare tomorrow and Tuesday. After the presentation is finished, me and a friend have made vague plans to go to XiGong and get Pizza. Apparently, there's some really good Pizza to be had there. I am skeptical, but I will certainly report back with my findings. I am always down to explore new varieties of Pizza (note: the importance of the food demands that I capitalize the word regardless of its place in the sentence. I hereby decree that any time Pizza is mentioned, it should be mentioned as if it were a 'proper noun'. Only then can the greatness of Pizza be verbally represented).
To all my friends/family who read this: thank you so much for all the support you constantly throw my way, either through the phone, e-mail, or Skype. Enjoy Thanksgiving, and I'll see you during the Christmas holiday!
晚安!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Being Homesick
Right off the bat: No, I'm not homesick now. But yes, I really was in the middle of the week.
One thing I've learned about living away is that when one thing seems to go wrong, everything can turn sour pretty fast. Being far away doesn't really phase me during my normal routine, but when something goes wrong-- like my co-adviser e-mailing me to tell me my translations were bad, which is what happened this week-- all of the sudden distance becomes more imprisoning than usual.
That, to me, seems like a disadvantage of 1.) living away, 2.) living alone and 3.) living at school. When school gets tough, there's really no escape. Last week, I got stuck on a paper and received some pretty humbling comments about my ability to translate Chinese into English (which, by the way, which I've never even advertised competence in). Since friends were away, there was really nowhere to go-- except to bed, that is. Thankfully, after some coffee and music and sleep I managed to pull myself out of my lousy mood. And I'm not stuck on my paper anymore. Things are looking good again.
Couple of lessons I've learned:
1.) I absolutely can NOT focus on the distance, or how long I've been here, or how long I've got to go. That just makes things harder. It's really best just to keep busy and not think about the time at all. I'm reminded of Kyle's perpetual obsession with next weekend, and the time.
2.) Things are easier when I take the time to voice chat or video chat with people, especially Casey, rather than just use Instant Messenger.
3.) I can't be afraid to take some time off-- a day, a couple of days, etc-- to recharge. In an environment where there are few escapes, it's important to remember to set some time aside for myself.
4.) I must be able to shrug things off when they go wrong. When my Chinese is criticized, when I do poorly on a paper, when I make some other mistakes... Ultimately, my life and general well-being are so much more important than succeeding at school. Does that mean I should just give up school and pursue happiness somewhere else? Of course not. But does it mean school is worth throwing myself into regular panic over? No way. I've never stressed about school and, honestly, that's how I've managed to enjoy learning all this time whereas others I know can't stand the academic environment. This advice, I think, is true for anyone regardless of where they are in life.
Anyway, that's it for me this week. I intended to update on my trip to Shenzhen, but I wasn't allowed in the city. Americans aren't allowed to go there without a Visa anymore. If I were Canadian, I would've been allowed in :P.
One thing I've learned about living away is that when one thing seems to go wrong, everything can turn sour pretty fast. Being far away doesn't really phase me during my normal routine, but when something goes wrong-- like my co-adviser e-mailing me to tell me my translations were bad, which is what happened this week-- all of the sudden distance becomes more imprisoning than usual.
That, to me, seems like a disadvantage of 1.) living away, 2.) living alone and 3.) living at school. When school gets tough, there's really no escape. Last week, I got stuck on a paper and received some pretty humbling comments about my ability to translate Chinese into English (which, by the way, which I've never even advertised competence in). Since friends were away, there was really nowhere to go-- except to bed, that is. Thankfully, after some coffee and music and sleep I managed to pull myself out of my lousy mood. And I'm not stuck on my paper anymore. Things are looking good again.
Couple of lessons I've learned:
1.) I absolutely can NOT focus on the distance, or how long I've been here, or how long I've got to go. That just makes things harder. It's really best just to keep busy and not think about the time at all. I'm reminded of Kyle's perpetual obsession with next weekend, and the time.
2.) Things are easier when I take the time to voice chat or video chat with people, especially Casey, rather than just use Instant Messenger.
3.) I can't be afraid to take some time off-- a day, a couple of days, etc-- to recharge. In an environment where there are few escapes, it's important to remember to set some time aside for myself.
4.) I must be able to shrug things off when they go wrong. When my Chinese is criticized, when I do poorly on a paper, when I make some other mistakes... Ultimately, my life and general well-being are so much more important than succeeding at school. Does that mean I should just give up school and pursue happiness somewhere else? Of course not. But does it mean school is worth throwing myself into regular panic over? No way. I've never stressed about school and, honestly, that's how I've managed to enjoy learning all this time whereas others I know can't stand the academic environment. This advice, I think, is true for anyone regardless of where they are in life.
Anyway, that's it for me this week. I intended to update on my trip to Shenzhen, but I wasn't allowed in the city. Americans aren't allowed to go there without a Visa anymore. If I were Canadian, I would've been allowed in :P.
Sometimes I lose sight
of where I'm going,
fanned by a flame that
I can't remember.
But distant lights
still burn bright.
And the roads go on forever....
-Fates Warning
of where I'm going,
fanned by a flame that
I can't remember.
But distant lights
still burn bright.
And the roads go on forever....
-Fates Warning
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Nature, Music and other Echoes from Home
I'm a bit baffled about what to write this week. Honestly, this week has gone by so quickly that it feels like I just wrote my last blog yesterday. Hurray for quick weeks! Time really does fly...
Anywho, early this week I bought my plane ticket. I'll be coming home for Christmas, and staying until January 4th... Not long enough, but better than nothing. Unfortunately, due to some regulations regarding leave, that's about the best I can do for now.
For some reason, I feel like this is a good week to write about with the one thing that connects me to home more than all others: my music. It's strange-- I've watched as friend and after friend "grow out" of their music, but the older I get, more attached I become to the bands and songs I "worshiped" in high-school. Right now, as I prepare mentally for another week of hard work, I'm sipping from a glass of chlled Chardonny, writing, and listening to dredg's "The Pariah, the Parot, and the Delusion."
Another day, another rut
Along the highway faults
We sat and watched him,
The saddened watchman
He's all Alone.
We're drawn together by accident.
We'll be forever with these words
and melodies will guide us through this speck in time.
We're trying to get the missed attempts.
We are forever with these words and
Memories they'll guide us through this night.
We're getting older, older, older.
But it's not over, over
Cause this all, all you'll ever get
Don't forget that, don't forget that, don't forget
Cause this all, all you'll ever get
Don't forget that, it's your one and only chance.
Anyway, came across some poems I really liked this week. I really like stuff that originates from the folk-oral tradition. Here's one of 'em:
悲歌可以當泣,遠望可以當歸。
思念故鄉,鬱鬱纍纍。
欲歸家無人,欲渡河無船。
心思不能言,腸中車輪轉
A sad song might take the place of tears,
A look toward the distance might take the place of home,
Wishes to return to my old village
Are piling up higher and higher.
I'd go home, but no one's there.
I'd cross the river, but there's no boat.
The feelings in my heart can't be expressed,
The wheels of my cart turn round and round...
From today's trip to the island:
Anywho, early this week I bought my plane ticket. I'll be coming home for Christmas, and staying until January 4th... Not long enough, but better than nothing. Unfortunately, due to some regulations regarding leave, that's about the best I can do for now.
For some reason, I feel like this is a good week to write about with the one thing that connects me to home more than all others: my music. It's strange-- I've watched as friend and after friend "grow out" of their music, but the older I get, more attached I become to the bands and songs I "worshiped" in high-school. Right now, as I prepare mentally for another week of hard work, I'm sipping from a glass of chlled Chardonny, writing, and listening to dredg's "The Pariah, the Parot, and the Delusion."
Another day, another rut
Along the highway faults
We sat and watched him,
The saddened watchman
He's all Alone.
We're drawn together by accident.
We'll be forever with these words
and melodies will guide us through this speck in time.
We're trying to get the missed attempts.
We are forever with these words and
Memories they'll guide us through this night.
We're getting older, older, older.
But it's not over, over
Cause this all, all you'll ever get
Don't forget that, don't forget that, don't forget
Cause this all, all you'll ever get
Don't forget that, it's your one and only chance.
Anyway, came across some poems I really liked this week. I really like stuff that originates from the folk-oral tradition. Here's one of 'em:
悲歌可以當泣,遠望可以當歸。
思念故鄉,鬱鬱纍纍。
欲歸家無人,欲渡河無船。
心思不能言,腸中車輪轉
A sad song might take the place of tears,
A look toward the distance might take the place of home,
Wishes to return to my old village
Are piling up higher and higher.
I'd go home, but no one's there.
I'd cross the river, but there's no boat.
The feelings in my heart can't be expressed,
The wheels of my cart turn round and round...
From today's trip to the island:
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Seawrack and (impressively few) Seashells
This week's blog is a special one. First and foremost, as of today I have officially been in Hong Kong for two months. It is almost difficult for me to believe. I remember how, over the summer, I had no concrete idea of what I'd be doing now. And yet suddenly two months have gone by in a blur and here I am, midway through my first semester and (dare I say?) settled into a routine.
The second thing that's special about today is I went to Fisherman's Village 漁村 with some friends. The weather today was fantastic, and we literally stayed out all day (from 10 am until 10 pm). Hong Kong autumn is sunny and cool-- definitely something I could get used too!
I went with some fellow students-- Dido and Yulong-- and some of their friends from a camera forum. Needless to say, plenty of photos were taken. I'm uploading them to my photobucket now, but it's taking awhile so for now I'll just post some within the blog. (UPDATE: Here they are: http://s1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff421/perpetualjoe/fishermansvillage/ )
To give a rough idea, the Fisherman's village looks kind of like this: (Click to Enlarge)
And the alleys and so forth look kinda like this:
The Fisherman's village contrasts sharply with the assumption that Hong Kong is all crowds and city. In fact, there are plenty of rural areas like this one. These kinds of places, however, are a lot less friendly to laowai. The people are still nice, but things aren't nearly as westernized. For example, an English menu isn't a given. Neither is a store clerk who knows English (or a store clerk who knows Putonghua, for that matter).
After walking around the village for a little while, we went on a boat ride to look for dolphins. Unfortunately we didn't see any, but it was still a lot of fun. Afterward, we went an a nice (and scenic) walk around the outskirts of the village. Some places in Hong Kong are truly beautiful. Case and point:
Aside from spending an ample of time using my Chinese (I'm happy to say that today my listening comprehension-- by far my greatest difficulty-- was almost passable) I had a lot of time to think, both about where I am and what I'm doing. Being able to reflect was nice, and, I feel, extremely helpful for my attitude. I'm feeling really positive about everything right now, and excited about what's in store.
That said, it's midway through the semester and I'm hoping to come home for a couple of weeks in the Winter break (preferably the ones surrounded Christmas. I'll talk to my adviser about it this week to see what can be done. Whether I can or not is really up to how the conversation goes, but I'm not expecting any issues. So next week's update will be a big one and, hopefully, not an unfortunate one!
I conclude the post with something I saw today that I thought was incredible. Behold, America: I bring you the apostrophe "Z".
The second thing that's special about today is I went to Fisherman's Village 漁村 with some friends. The weather today was fantastic, and we literally stayed out all day (from 10 am until 10 pm). Hong Kong autumn is sunny and cool-- definitely something I could get used too!
I went with some fellow students-- Dido and Yulong-- and some of their friends from a camera forum. Needless to say, plenty of photos were taken. I'm uploading them to my photobucket now, but it's taking awhile so for now I'll just post some within the blog. (UPDATE: Here they are: http://s1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff421/perpetualjoe/fishermansvillage/ )
To give a rough idea, the Fisherman's village looks kind of like this: (Click to Enlarge)
And the alleys and so forth look kinda like this:
The Fisherman's village contrasts sharply with the assumption that Hong Kong is all crowds and city. In fact, there are plenty of rural areas like this one. These kinds of places, however, are a lot less friendly to laowai. The people are still nice, but things aren't nearly as westernized. For example, an English menu isn't a given. Neither is a store clerk who knows English (or a store clerk who knows Putonghua, for that matter).
After walking around the village for a little while, we went on a boat ride to look for dolphins. Unfortunately we didn't see any, but it was still a lot of fun. Afterward, we went an a nice (and scenic) walk around the outskirts of the village. Some places in Hong Kong are truly beautiful. Case and point:
Aside from spending an ample of time using my Chinese (I'm happy to say that today my listening comprehension-- by far my greatest difficulty-- was almost passable) I had a lot of time to think, both about where I am and what I'm doing. Being able to reflect was nice, and, I feel, extremely helpful for my attitude. I'm feeling really positive about everything right now, and excited about what's in store.
That said, it's midway through the semester and I'm hoping to come home for a couple of weeks in the Winter break (preferably the ones surrounded Christmas. I'll talk to my adviser about it this week to see what can be done. Whether I can or not is really up to how the conversation goes, but I'm not expecting any issues. So next week's update will be a big one and, hopefully, not an unfortunate one!
I conclude the post with something I saw today that I thought was incredible. Behold, America: I bring you the apostrophe "Z".
Saturday, October 23, 2010
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
First and foremost, I want to let everyone know that I've been credited in a compilation of detective stories which I worked on last year. The book is now available to purchase. I helped proofread and annotate the stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
You can look at the book here! Feel free to even purchase it if you want ;)
Okay, commercial's over... moving on...
I'm going to do things a little bit differently today, and instead of posting every single detail about my life here in Hong Kong I'm going to simply post "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly."
Before I get into that, though, I'd like to let everyone know that you can make comments on this blog. Feel free to ask me any questions. If there's something specific about HK or my studies you'd like to ask about, feel free, and I'll be sure to make that the focal point of the next week's blog.
Now, for our presentation of "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly."
First, The Good:
I've made a lot of friends here in the past two months (already two months? Yikes!). Also, the scenery here in HK is quite nice. Crowded as it is, there's also a lot of more natural areas.
In fact, the other day a friend and I climbed a local mountain. The mountain is only a ten minute walk from our hotel. Here's a picture of me during the hike:
Another great thing about being in Hong Kong is the amount I'm learning. Though I originally feared that there wouldn't be many Mandarin speakers, there are quite a few, many of whom live in my building. I really do feel that I'm learning more here than I would have been able to back in the States, since I'm now using my Chinese on a daily basis.
Now, The Bad:
While there isn't a lot of bad, I do have to admit one thing: though I AM using my Chinese everyday, the amount of English that's used here is both a blessing and a curse. While I can always talk to my friends-- especially those from the mainland-- in Chinese, when I go to a store or a restaurant things are different. Often, the waiter or waitress will speak to me in English before I've had a chance to say anything. And on even rarer occasions, since the Cantonese language is much more popular here than Mandarin, my friends from mainland China will even have to use English to order their food.
Of course, another bad thing is being away from loved ones. Thus far, I've been too busy to be homesick. But we'll see what happens if I'm unable to make it home for Winter break...
Finally, The Ugly:
The Ugly is, simply put, looking up a Chinese word in the dictionary only to discovery it's the same word I had to look up twenty minutes ago. This, by far, is one of the most challenging difficulties of language learning. The frustration of having to look up words constantly should speak for itself I think :p
Though this was a reality of the Chinese classes I took in the United States, it is now a fact of life. As usual, I'm spurred to push forward through these obstacles by the same mindless doggedness that's caused me to stick with the language for over two years now...
Anyway... I think that's all for today. I have to get to work on some readings. Also, later today my friend and I are going to get Sushi. Ironically, Japanese food is EXTREMELY popular here in HK. I will post some pictures later if any are taken.
Joseph
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Post One: Ascending Stork Tower
Greetings friends, family and fellow laowai!
I've recently (today) decided that it might be a good idea to take the time to set some of my thoughts and experiences down on an electronic variety of papyrus. As you all know I'm in Hong Kong now, several tens-of-thousands of li away from home,and doing (among other things) a dismal job at keeping in touch.
I've also realized that for the sake of my own claritas it's probably a good idea that I start forcing myself to reason through what I've been doing, especially what I've been researching. A bit of the tangibility that comes with verbal description might help me sort out a couple of issues that, so far, have remained impenetrably abstract.
But first, a literature lesson. I've named this blog "Ascending Stork Tower." The name comes from a Tang Poem by 王之涣, which describes someone ascending a high structure presumably in hopes of catching a glimpse of another who is "several thousand li away." (That may not be the correct way for interpreting the poem, but that's how I like to think of it, so :P )
Can you see me?
No?
Don't worry. Just so you know, somewhere in that picture is where I'm living now, supposedly for the next two years. It's hard to believe. Anyway, if you want to see some more pictures, you can check out my photo-album here: http://s1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff421/perpetualjoe/
That's it for now, folks. It's 12:30 am, Wednesday morning. I'm thinking bed is in my best interests at the moment. I will update this weekend with more, especially stuff pertaining to research. Exciting, isn't it?
Joseph
1 My own rushed translation.
I've recently (today) decided that it might be a good idea to take the time to set some of my thoughts and experiences down on an electronic variety of papyrus. As you all know I'm in Hong Kong now, several tens-of-thousands of li away from home,and doing (among other things) a dismal job at keeping in touch.
I've also realized that for the sake of my own claritas it's probably a good idea that I start forcing myself to reason through what I've been doing, especially what I've been researching. A bit of the tangibility that comes with verbal description might help me sort out a couple of issues that, so far, have remained impenetrably abstract.
But first, a literature lesson. I've named this blog "Ascending Stork Tower." The name comes from a Tang Poem by 王之涣, which describes someone ascending a high structure presumably in hopes of catching a glimpse of another who is "several thousand li away." (That may not be the correct way for interpreting the poem, but that's how I like to think of it, so :P )
白日依山尽,
黄河入海流。
欲穷千里目,
更上层楼
The bright sun glows beyond the mountains,
The Yellow River flows to the sea.
Before my eyes a thousand li,
and more as I ascend again.1
Allow this blog to be your "Stork Tower." Look, you can already catch a glimpse of me!黄河入海流。
欲穷千里目,
更上层楼
The bright sun glows beyond the mountains,
The Yellow River flows to the sea.
Before my eyes a thousand li,
and more as I ascend again.1
Can you see me?
No?
Don't worry. Just so you know, somewhere in that picture is where I'm living now, supposedly for the next two years. It's hard to believe. Anyway, if you want to see some more pictures, you can check out my photo-album here: http://s1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff421/perpetualjoe/
That's it for now, folks. It's 12:30 am, Wednesday morning. I'm thinking bed is in my best interests at the moment. I will update this weekend with more, especially stuff pertaining to research. Exciting, isn't it?
Joseph
1 My own rushed translation.
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