2011 resolutions

New year resolution 2011 - to learn the ways of being a Chinese.

One advice received: "强迫你学一门中国国粹，你会学什么呢？

1京剧。Opera

2古典乐器。Classical musical instrument (like guzheng played by the bear?)

3中医 Chinese medicine

4中国水墨画 Chinese watercolour

5麻将。Mahjong

6书法。Calligraphy

7民族舞蹈。Folk dance

8古诗词 poem

9鉴赏古玩。Antiques

10中式烹饪。Chinese cuisine

11相声小品。Comics/sketching

12.中国风水学。Fengshui

13.围棋 Chinese chess

14工艺陶瓷 Ceramics

15变脸；Face changing art

16武术功夫 Chinese kungfu

17周易 I ching

18剪纸 Paper cutting

I wonder who can teach me what?

May your wishes come true in 2011

Snowing in Shanghai

The first snow fall in Shanghai was met with different reactions. Some squealed with delight when snowflake fell onto their faces, others pulled their coats closed and groaned. But a gentleman next to me on the plane, came up with a beautiful poem 诗. He wrote it in my diary.

I see snowflakes falling,

Floating down from heaven to earth,

My heart joins you as you swirl,

And capture your tranquility.

( a tribute to the first snow in Shanghai, 15 Dec.,2010 )

Knowing what you want and....

Sitting next to me on my flight home from Changsha is a young man studiously reading an English dictionary as thick as a brick! I cant help but ask. Turned out he was on his way to Hong Kong to take the SAT test, a qualifier to study in the States and he was working on polishing up his English.

More interestingly, not only did he speak English fluently and some Cantonese, Owen Wu spoke with a maturity beyond his years (he is hardly 17) and exuded an air of confidence.

I asked where he learnt his English and Cantonese.

"Self-taught" he replied seriously.

"How?" I could not help asking once again.

"Determination. Step by step" was Owen's simple formula. Starting from the basics such as reading every day (he reads New York Times), saying the words out loud and even reading the dictionary!

"How about a conducive environment (环境)?"

And Owen offered his wisdom once more "环境 is important, but not the most important. No one at home or in my school speaks English or Cantonese. What's most important is knowing what you want to achieve and getting it done'.

From a 17 year old from Changsha? That's doubly impressive.