Well, not much to say...

This week was a pretty standard week. The semester begins tomorrow, so I just relaxed this weekend. The friends I'd normally see on weekends were all busy this week with various things, so I've just been keeping to myself.

My adviser gave me some readings materials, which I'm pretty excited about. Two books about early Chinese literature (in English), two books about Script Writing and Classical Chinese (in Chinese), and finally one book about the history of Chinese literature (also in Chinese.) I'm averaging about 1 page per hour. That's up from one paragraph per hour, which is where I was when I got here!

Classes begin this week. Monday I'm taking a class on "The Literary Theory of Carving Dragons" （文心雕龍）. Then Tuesday I'm taking a language class. Finally, friday I'm sitting in Dr. Chen's Classical Chinese course. Looks like this semester will have me back in the classroom, rather than the office. Honestly, I like that better!

Oh, and the New York Jets are going to the AFC Championship!!!

Back in Hong Kong

Hey everyone. Sorry that I haven't updated in like a month! I usually wait until Sunday night to update, but I forgot. And then I was on a plane. And then I was home, and since I didn't bring my computer with me there was no reason to update. And now that I'm back in Hong Kong, I'm ready to get back into the swing of weekly blogging.

For this first update, I guess I'll write about being home. I arrived at JFK airport Christmas Day and was able to stay until January 4th. Originally, I feared that the break would be too short (and, of course, there was no way it could be long enough) but it was just fine. It was a nice, relaxing chance to recharge and see the people who I love. And now I'm back in HK, quite ready to take on whatever this city and M.Phil program throw at me.

When I was home, it snowed. In fact, it snowed less than one day after I arrived home. Thinking about the fact that I was only 20 hours or so away from being on the tarmac'd Cathay Pacific flight really does give me the creeps. Next time I go home for Christmas, I won't schedule a Christmas Day flight. I'll schedule a few days or a week earlier, so there's no risk of missing the holiday. Man, what a bummer missing Christmas would have been.

This time, I lucked out. Instead of being stuck in an airport, I got to play in the snow with Casey:



My mom said that I should start planning my next trip as soon as possible. I'd like to, but I can't. I can only keep it in the back of my mind. I know I'll be coming up again in the summer, but there are just too many variables right now so I can't say when. There will be a conference in early spring, for example. And then, at some point, I have my mid-term review. I'm assuming I'll be prepared, but something tells me I'll be better off waiting until that mid-term review is over before coming home.

For now, all I can do is work hard and take the opportunity to go home next time it comes to me. And this upcoming week-- the one that starts tomorrow-- is my first "true" week back, working on things without the obstacle of Jetlag. Speaking of which, I've recently read some scholarly articles which inspired me to begin new readings of the Classic of Poetry. What I'm finding so far, even though I've just begun, is that I can get to a place where I really am able to appreciate these poems from a literary-- rather than historical or linguistic-- point of view.

Can't wait to dive back in tomorrow.

The semester is winding down...

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 :)

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!

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！

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.

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

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: