Almost forgot it's my birthday till I got I-Chant's email. Being couped up here away from people has blurred my sense of time!
Can't say it was a fun birthday--classes started promptly at 8am and didn't end till almost 7pm. But it was nice to see everybody's well wishes in my inbox. Thank you, everybody! I wish I were there to drink and celebrate with all of you!
But since I can't, would you all please drink this one with me? Here's what you're going to do. Take out a small tumbler. Put in one part Goldschlager, one part Peppermint Schnapps, and one part Jaegermister. If you're Tristan or Deborah, you should put in one part of vodka as well.
Ready? Let's go--one, two, three, and down it!
Yumm.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Glacier 3000
I saw Switzerland for the first time in daylight. It is indeed a beautiful, charming place. As our bus drove on, the landscape changed, but it was always beautiful. We had the tiny vineyards sitting on the green rolling hillds, overlooking the cute town of Vevey. We had a gorgeous view of lake Geneva and the mountains that hug it. Then we saw charming Swiss chalets that added life and color to the snowy hills with their slanted roofs, smoky chimneys, and red and green windowpanes.
The ski resort, however, was a let-down. We went to this place called Gstaad, which should've been a lot of fun, but was not. Despite its advertising, it was not easy to go between the "independent ski regions." We were taken directly to Glacier 3000, and as far as I could tell, had no choice but to stay there. If anyone's thinking--Glacier...doesn't that mean a shit load of ice? The answer is, right on! Yes, ice. The resort website said powder. Well, this surely was a different kind of powder. So powdery that my board couldn't get an edge in at all. The resort also featured long, flat, groomed runs, and nothing else. Enough said. Oh, ok, the only exciting thing that happened here was that I got to ride on a snowmobile! This is what happened. Since the snow and terrain were so...um...different from my expectations, I went straight to the terrain park. I should say that they have a park that has about 6 or so jumps one after another, which was quite exciting--except that the lift system throught this resort was this exhausting T-shaped pulling device that you hold on to for dear life. I took one jump, and broke my bindings. So, I had to go get a snowmobile to get me back to the building where I could get it fixed. Quite a fun ride.
I'm just glad, in any case, that I got to be active for a day after a whole week of sitting around. At the same time, I'm still sad that I haven't gotten a chance to experience Switzerland. I have one more day off, before I have six consecutive work days. How should I spend it? That is the question.
The ski resort, however, was a let-down. We went to this place called Gstaad, which should've been a lot of fun, but was not. Despite its advertising, it was not easy to go between the "independent ski regions." We were taken directly to Glacier 3000, and as far as I could tell, had no choice but to stay there. If anyone's thinking--Glacier...doesn't that mean a shit load of ice? The answer is, right on! Yes, ice. The resort website said powder. Well, this surely was a different kind of powder. So powdery that my board couldn't get an edge in at all. The resort also featured long, flat, groomed runs, and nothing else. Enough said. Oh, ok, the only exciting thing that happened here was that I got to ride on a snowmobile! This is what happened. Since the snow and terrain were so...um...different from my expectations, I went straight to the terrain park. I should say that they have a park that has about 6 or so jumps one after another, which was quite exciting--except that the lift system throught this resort was this exhausting T-shaped pulling device that you hold on to for dear life. I took one jump, and broke my bindings. So, I had to go get a snowmobile to get me back to the building where I could get it fixed. Quite a fun ride.
I'm just glad, in any case, that I got to be active for a day after a whole week of sitting around. At the same time, I'm still sad that I haven't gotten a chance to experience Switzerland. I have one more day off, before I have six consecutive work days. How should I spend it? That is the question.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Finally, some breathing space...
After some intensely fun times, I'm finally alone again, counting down the hours to my new life. Tomorrow at 9:00am, I will be walking into an office that shall be my workplace, the center of my life, and my identity for at least the next two years. Who or what shall I be? How will I do? These are threatening questions.
On a lighter note, I could report on the things I did for my holidays. From sipping Krug's reserved champagne at Mandarin Oriental to downing cheap, free sake at a Shibuya bar; from relaxing at Kobe's exclusive (read expensive) Arima Onsen to exploring Zhuhai's crowd-pleasing Ocean Spring Resort, it's been an action-packed holiday that led me to many places.
This experience also inspired some questions. For all that we say and think about social equality--the need to reduce social disparity, regulating for the benefit of the poor, can we really have equality? Is that really what we want? Certainly I enjoyed my cheap, free sake and meals of exceptional value in China, but dining at Krug's room and relaxing at Arima Onsen gave me a warm inner glow. I must admit it felt nice to be part of/to have the illusion of being the 'elite' who could afford such things that are unaffordable to a great part of the population. If I knew that I make just as much as any random person on the street, would I feel good? If we can argue that social experiments in China and Russia already proved the unsustainabily of such a strained equality, then how do we identify this precise point of just "equality," or should we just accept that we're all hypocrites?
On a lighter note, I could report on the things I did for my holidays. From sipping Krug's reserved champagne at Mandarin Oriental to downing cheap, free sake at a Shibuya bar; from relaxing at Kobe's exclusive (read expensive) Arima Onsen to exploring Zhuhai's crowd-pleasing Ocean Spring Resort, it's been an action-packed holiday that led me to many places.
This experience also inspired some questions. For all that we say and think about social equality--the need to reduce social disparity, regulating for the benefit of the poor, can we really have equality? Is that really what we want? Certainly I enjoyed my cheap, free sake and meals of exceptional value in China, but dining at Krug's room and relaxing at Arima Onsen gave me a warm inner glow. I must admit it felt nice to be part of/to have the illusion of being the 'elite' who could afford such things that are unaffordable to a great part of the population. If I knew that I make just as much as any random person on the street, would I feel good? If we can argue that social experiments in China and Russia already proved the unsustainabily of such a strained equality, then how do we identify this precise point of just "equality," or should we just accept that we're all hypocrites?
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