a happy event

Me and mom were invited to a wedding dinner last Sunday.I was looking forward to it because I hadn't been at a wedding for years.We presented 600 RMB because to Cantonese folks,the number 3,6 and 9 are regarded as lucky ones for happy events.To tell the truth,I didn't know the birde or the groom in person but I knew theirs parents.I was told that the bride was a nurse and the groom,teacher.What a perfect couple!And I stealthly thought the groom was cute,the bride was a beauty though.^^At the end of this year,one of my cousins is going to marry,too.Fortunately,I was asked to be a helper by then.Can't wait!

We were welcomed in by the couple and their relatives.After that,we headed for the reception desk to hand out our present which was the money I mentioned.Mom put the money in a red packet as everyone else did and they had to sign their names on the back of the packet.It was so sabby yet inevitable conventional,and I was a little disturbed by this formality.

(All the single young people were ready to catch the bouquet.But hey,I was single and I was supposed to be there too.Why was I taking this photo instead?)

(Little gift from the bride and the groom - candies,two packs of cigarettes and a red packet with 10 RMB in it.)

(Some typical wedding dinner dishes.)

It's a convention that once the fish dish is being served,it's the time for the couple to toast to the guests,table by table.And the bride has to change her wedding dress to Chinese-style dress - cheong-sam,while the groom doesn't have to.Normally,it's a torturing time for the couple,as they haven't had much food for a whole day but still have to drink much,even though they have some 'best men' to help a bit.

The following photo was captured from the VCR displaying at the dinner.See,they really make a cute couple.And I'm looking forward to the next happy event of them.^^Hope that they will be 永结同心，白头偕老.

lately

I've been learning German since this new semester.It's never easy to pick up another language.It makes it even more confusing when you have learnt some language that is similar to the one you're learning - German and English.

I don't think German is as difficult as I thought,but its similarity to English is really giving a headache.I don't mean my English is interfering in the German learning process,instead,it's playing as a double-edged sword at this point.On one hand,the German "chicken intestine" and the Indo-European grammar don't stick out like a sore thumb to me.On the other hand,the semblable alphabet compared to the English one,plus those same spelling as English but pronounced different German words are literally beating me up.

I once felt that my mind was hungry for a puzzle to solve,and now I really get a real feast's worth of conundrums!huh.Bring it on German.Allure me,entice me,surprise me,astound me.I've been more on the fence with anything.My ambition has been taking a long nap,but it's about to wake up and get riled up.

The teacher suggests that we should avoid using English or use it as less as possible while we learn.What a joker!It's never gonna happen so long as I still live with the Internet.Besides,I won't commit my English to learning German.

As for my English,I believe it's totally fossilized.It's so not going any better( or worse?).I don't get my hopes up to make it to an more advanced level,unless I could live in some English-speaking country for several years.

I keep having this fancy dream - is there anyone kind and generous enough to support me to go to Germany or some English-speaking country,say the UK?^^

writing up on Nanjing

After saying farewell to Shanghai,I made my way to Nanjing.I lived at the hostel which was located at Fuzimiao Temple and Qinhuai River.The Nanjing dialect is also beyond me,but I didn't encounter too much.When it comes to hotels or inns,Nanjing is definitely a traveller friendly city as they don't charge very much.Other than that,the transportation is very convenient there.Much less Nanjing is fairly a small city.Looking it back,I feel it's a shame that I didn't visit a single university in Nanjing.I'm so gonna do it next time.

(The hostel I stayed at.)

(Qinhuai River - better visit it at night,because the river is actually not clean and clear.^^)

Nanjing used to be the capital of the ancient China and of China in the Republican Period.As what Nazi did to Jewish,the Japanese made a outrageous massacre in Nanjing back in 1937.In order to push down all these resentment,the city emblem of Nanjing once was an mythical animal Pi Xiu(貔貅).

As what I wrote above,Nanjing played an important role back in the Republican Period.It can somehow explain why there's a Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing.Well,it may seem to you that there are ‘Sun Yat-sen Mausoleums’or 'Zhongshan Roads' in every city of China mainland,or even Taiwai,but this one in Nanjing is literally the most authentic.

It figures that this mausoleum is totally a commercialized tourist attraction,but I still have something to say - the admission ticket is way too expensive,not to mention that you basically just do some hiking there.(Good thing that I got in without paying any money because I found that 'back door'."Yay me"!)

Another memorial for the ROC - Yuhuatai Martyrs Park.

 

 

Before I went to Nanjing,the place I wanted to visit most was The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall.One day ahead of taking my departure,I got the chance to realize my dream.So there I standed,right in front of the solemn construction and vivid statues.Formal feeling came to you instantly.I didn't take any photos inside though.

 

 

 

Forgive but not forget.I'll always pray for world peace.

Still alive.

I had an issue with my mom the other day.I tried to reason with her but she upheld her own theory.It ended up we were cool though,I felt hurt and was a bit irritated.My close friends told me that that don't it too hard,because that's the way parents are.They told me whatever parents said,they meant well.
Well,I think so and I would probably tell them the same thing if they encounter the same problem.But my un-Chinese friends had different attitude,and they told me "go talk with your mom and tell her you love her and care about her".However,it's just too hard for us Chinese children(at least my age) to actually talk to parents,not to mention say "I love you" to them(I got goose bumps just thought of it).

My Filipino friend said he didn't understand why his Chinese friend didn't hug his mom before flew to the States.I kissed and hugged my mom when I was little but not any more now.There's no such a formality or rule in "Chinese family ethics".

writing up on Shanghai

Beijing is worth visiting and blogging.You could write millions of posts about every detail.In other words,Beijing is somewhat not bloggable because you could never pack it up in one or several posts.So let's move on to next station - Shanghai.

- Beijing -

- Shanghai -

"Nothing is so necessary for travelers as languages."I can't quite remember where I picked up this sentence but it spoke my mind when I arrived in Shanghai.It was the first time I realized how hard it could be for those Northern Chinese who first came to Guangdong and encountered jiggly Cantonese.Yea,I have to admit I couldn't understand a word when talked to local Shanghai citizens.It's a shame that I didn't pick some dialect from them.

Three days are too short for me to go through this big city.But I'd like to be outspoken about what I saw.The first one is,Shanghaiers are not so hospitable as Beijingers.I don't know whether it's because the language(I mean,I asked them in Putonghua and they didn't speak it well,so the conversation was disfunctional),but I could feel it in their eyes that "screw you".

As we know,specialties of Shanghai are not popular,even the local people would agree with it.But I reckon there's a reason for it - Shanghaiers put apparel first.Young people are dressy in Shanghai and Beijing but Beijingers also spend time and money on food.I come up with this expressionto discribe Shanghai girls and guys which is "pockets are cleaner than faces",if you know what I mean.But well, everyone has eccentricities and I did focus on their good qualities and minimize my annoyance at their odd ones.I appreciate Shanghai for its history,elegant old buildings and its local yet influential fashion style.