tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111209342011-12-28T19:49:33.532-05:00Started as a playground for my English writing skills, this blog is gradually becoming a documentation of my personal life, or highlights thereof.Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.comBlogger3201100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-49472454671659486392011-12-28T19:47:00.002-05:002011-12-28T19:48:45.464-05:00

00 Prelude Chapter I Cities 01  - Pompeii 02  - Ercolano 03  Napoli 04  Praha 05  - Kutná Hora 06  Wien 07  Budapest 08  - Lucca 09  - Cinque Terre 10  Pisa 11  - Siena Chapter II Museums 12  Palazzo Reale (Napoli) 13  Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Napoli) 14  Pražský hrad (Praha) 15  Lobkowicz Palace (Praha) 16  Schonbrunn Palace (Wien) 17  Imperial Apartments (Wien) 18  Sisi Museum (Wien) 19

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-79068163454886597022011-12-16T19:16:00.001-05:002011-12-28T19:49:33.537-05:00

As a long-time Tintin fan, I was so excited to learn that Montreal would be the first to screen The Adventures of Tintin (2011) in North America. So I wasted no time, "not a moment to lose" as Tintin would say, in buying the tickets online at my favorite downtown movie theatre, Cinéma Banque Scotia Montréal. I was a little bit concerned because the title of the movie was presented in French, "Les

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-24898237011684806332011-11-23T23:52:00.001-05:002011-11-24T01:26:52.481-05:00

Having had great pleasure in reading "The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli, I can't help but writing down some thoughts I had in mind. With all due respect, Machiavelli's advice to a new prince may seem novel to the Greco-Roman world but are almost trite to the Sino-centric world. For example, Cesare Borgia's plan of letting Remirro de Orco, an extremely cruel person (酷吏), do all the dirty job of

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-19553774680393794542011-10-06T14:56:00.004-04:002011-10-06T15:36:10.992-04:00

I know I haven't blogged for a really long time but I can't help but paying tribute to Steve Jobs (1955-2011). Ever since I got my first Apple product, a Powerbook G4, I have never looked back. Life is too short to be wasted on figuring out how to use a computer, or using a computer that fails randomly. It should make you life easier, not harder. It should just work, like a Mac.His 2005 Stanford

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-39443181383048141392010-11-08T16:44:00.001-05:002010-11-08T16:46:01.609-05:00

“It would be an honor if you could be my advisor.” That was what I told Fred six years ago. It still is and will ever be. (For the record, upon hearing the flattering words, he smiled and said, “We will see after we finish this project.”) As anyone who has gone through a PhD should know, the relationship between a student and his/her advisor is, for the lack of a better word, complicated. The

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-53714912885408890882010-08-31T13:08:00.008-04:002010-08-31T13:18:50.499-04:00

Call me an Apple fanboy but this is too good to be passed:From NYTimes Bits.

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-11863633660301188582010-08-30T17:14:00.005-04:002010-08-30T17:43:54.722-04:00

It is hard to believe that I bought this Lego Inventor: Wild Wind Ups (4093) in 2003 but kept it unopened for 7 years!Yesterday I finally decided to open it and spent a few hours building it up with my dear wife. It was a lot of fun.Without further ado, I present you: the Stirrer!

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-53561676018011108952010-05-09T13:03:00.003-04:002010-05-09T13:09:32.071-04:00

Mao Mao is our 7-month-old Chow Chow. He likes eating, sleeping and traveling. Recently he discovered Quatchi, one of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games mascots, and really enjoyed playing with him. Video courtesy of my dear wife. :)

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-67312813092053040402010-03-10T22:36:00.008-05:002010-03-10T23:27:21.716-05:00

This IS a reason when Katie Couric (or maybe Brian Williams?) told Jon Stewart that "more and more Americans are getting news from your show" despite the fact that "The Daily Show" is on Comedy Central. In a time when CNN is going so down as to be ecstatic when Anna Nicole Smith died or so desperate as to read out loud Twitter feeds as "news" and Fox constantly slaps itself in the face by

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-71754717149873758732009-12-12T16:00:00.002-05:002009-12-12T16:03:30.533-05:00

...as I am waiting for the plane to take off. C'est la vie.

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-38791737401796825822009-08-29T15:27:00.002-04:002009-08-29T16:01:22.080-04:00

Ok, I was bluffing. Grand Prix du Canada did not happen this year. But I was looking forward to its rumored return in 2010 and could not settle for a NASCAR replacement.So hopefully see you next summer on Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve!

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-62929041205244722882009-08-29T14:43:00.004-04:002009-08-29T15:24:58.672-04:00

Roddick ServingOriginally uploaded by nuance1979The second event I am excited about is Rogers Cup, which is a joint event of ATP and WTA. The men's and women's matches alternate between Toronto and Montreal. This year Montreal hosts the gentlemen. Based on my schedule and budget, I bought a ticket to a quarter-final match on August 14, featuring Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic.The program was

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-49999915838272216472009-08-14T00:02:00.006-04:002009-08-14T01:42:43.978-04:00

There are only two seasons in Montreal: winter and construction.So what do we do for fun in "construction season"? Well, for starters, we have the International Jazz Festival, a two-week long celebration of jazz, blues and beyond. The largest of its kind, the festival attracts world-class jazz musicians as well as young hopefuls, who perform in an open stage for free, while sweaty young funs

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-3068342607877505322009-06-26T00:26:00.004-04:002009-06-26T01:13:16.034-04:00

Yesterday was Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, a.k.a., the National Holiday of Quebec (La Fête nationale du Québec). So it was only fitting that I went to "OVO", the latest production of Cirque du Soleil. Founded in Québec and based in Montréal, Cirque du Soleil is markedly Québécois.My first encounter with Cirque du Soleil was made possible by generous Microsoft Research, where I had an internship for

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-38660896093562948042009-05-26T20:34:00.009-04:002009-05-26T21:06:42.316-04:00

Over the years of my PhD study, I met a lot of interesting professors. I had entertained the idea of putting their memorable quotes in the beginning of my thesis chapters as one of my friends did. I finally gave it up but here are the ones I had in mind:"Some of my best friends are linguists."-- Fred Jelinek, using it as his LREC 2004 keynote speech title."Engineering is advanced through two

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-85403650315676451982009-05-24T12:24:00.003-04:002009-05-24T12:40:14.923-04:00

.flickr-photo { }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Doctor of Philosophy, originally uploaded by nuance1979, courtesy of Haolang.I just came back from my commencement. It was great. Unfortunately none of my family could come so I took a lot of pictures to share with them. (Click the photo above or here.)

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-74676421241542038532009-05-15T18:47:00.008-04:002009-06-26T01:15:11.593-04:00

When I found out that Gil Shaham was going to play Brahms Violin Concerto with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, I thought it could be a perfect chance to savor my new hometown orchestra.The orchestra has a great place: Located right in the middle of downtown at the metro station of Place-des-Arts, the Salle Wilfrid Pelletier Hall is easily accessible. You don't even have to walk out of the

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-53591252267120381042009-05-09T17:23:00.008-04:002009-06-26T01:15:11.594-04:00

If you live in the United States long enough and watch movies a lot, you would certainly be disappointed by the stupidity of the mainstream Hollywood flicks. With their enormous budgets and gigantic marketing machinery, unfortunately, stupid Hollywood flicks dominate the world, not to mention the States. That was why I loved The Charles, a cozy independent movie theatre which shows some fantastic

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-80025032438554057242009-04-10T00:53:00.004-04:002009-04-10T01:21:56.586-04:00

When I checked my blog's SiteMeter, I noticed that a surprisingly large number of people were lead to my blog by googling for "phd fun". For them I have a few words:First of all, do *not* put "phd" and "fun" in the same search query. PhD is anything *but* fun.Second, if you ask someone whether PhD is fun and he/she answers "yes" or "no", that person must have not done a PhD. A real answer should

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-89587536184692088632009-03-23T07:54:00.004-04:002009-03-23T08:10:08.027-04:00

As many people point out, it takes perseverance, patience and pain to set up Chinese support in LaTeX. So after I took the pain to do it, following these two great tutorials (TeXLive users take note: DO follow instruction 4.b.), I thought I should use it more.Here it is: the bilingual pdf version of the "Analects of Confucius"（《论语》）, or "Confucian Analects", translated by James Legge and typeset

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-55319267055272800902009-01-31T23:22:00.005-05:002009-01-31T23:44:30.574-05:00

My Birthday Treats Originally uploaded by yisu79 It's that time of year again. This year, we had delicious cakes from Patisserie Poupon for desert. The dinner itself featured a traditional dish of Szechuan Cuisine: Boiled Pork Slices（水煮肉片）, prepared by my lovely girlfriend! (BTW, don't be fooled by the dish's name; it's very hot.)

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-44027316884669134742008-12-22T00:21:00.005-05:002008-12-22T01:33:35.982-05:00

I have been playing Dynasty Warriors 5 , a beat-'em-up PS2 game about the Three Kingdoms, created by the legendary Japanese game-maker Koei. Now I can barely type this post because my thumb hurt from smashing the buttons. Due to its heavy references to Chinese history, literature and culture, this game received a relatively low rating in US. (Probably the same reason that I could never understand

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-58462959476904354962008-12-06T17:57:00.003-05:002008-12-06T18:31:54.988-05:00

To hear Handel's "Messiah" in its entirety has been on my to-do list for a while; now I can finally check it off.When I was checking out Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's schedule for December, I found two performances of "Messiah": One traditional interpretation led by Edward Polochick of Baltimore Choral Arts Society and one with a gospel twist, led by BSO's own Maestra, Marin Alsop. I ended up

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-3455956321049894952008-12-06T12:25:00.008-05:002008-12-06T16:51:35.995-05:00

Finished the story mode of the game, "Rayman: Raving Rabbids", in less than two weeks - a personal record! It was a hysterically fun game and I just couldn't wait to see the rest of it once I started playing. Originally created for Wii, its PS2 version would not be as fun as the Wii version with the famous Wii remote controller but the rabbids still win me over with their unique

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-8800123114491073752008-11-05T01:25:00.002-05:002008-11-05T01:32:13.820-05:00

Came back from my second Election Night party. This time without disappointment. We made a huge map and colored the states with blue and red crayons. We witnessed history with chips, pizza, beers and blue-colored drinks. It was fun.

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-8786414364415086972008-11-02T17:06:00.007-05:002008-11-02T17:27:47.798-05:00

Fells Point on Halloween Originally uploaded by yisu79 Finally went to the Fells Point on Halloween, an annual event usually completed with a costume contest. Pamela Anderson Baywatch Costume Originally uploaded by yisu79 Before 7pm, it was the kids' costume contest, where cuteness was the goal. After the sun set, the show went from PG-13 to R rating. Participants took turn to go

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-16475527656188213652008-10-25T17:13:00.000-04:002008-10-25T17:14:20.970-04:00

I spent a considerable amount of time planning this trip and the result was a very satisfying itinerary.The first thing to do in planning a trip is to prioritize your goals. To me, the order is 1) safety, 2) cost, 3) content and 4) comfort. Because I care about safety, I ruled out the much-recommended option of taking night trains, which also increased comfort. Because I care about cost, I chose

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-3365323086225042432008-10-16T00:35:00.002-04:002008-10-16T00:54:13.317-04:00

Just came back from the Charles Theatre, watching the third /last presidential debate in big screen. It was organized by the Obama Campaign so no surprise there. Watching the debate with friends was fun. Big turnout, about 270 people came to the party. Glad to see democracy working.Sadly this kind of grassroots events happen in China only for the Chinese version of "American Idol"...

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-56179345248970370632008-09-23T00:14:00.001-04:002008-09-23T00:17:44.881-04:00

I traveled very little in my teenage years. Not because I didn't want to. On the contrary, my favorite comic series is exactly "The Adventures of Tintin". I fancied all the exotic places Tintin went to and hoped I could be there someday. A trip to Bruxelles could not be complete for me without a visit to the Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée (Belgian Comic Strip Center). Statue of Tintin

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-84908069112787523822008-09-21T17:23:00.002-04:002008-09-21T17:28:41.021-04:00

I waked up at 6 in the morning to catch a 9:15 Ryanair flight to Bruxelles. In case you haven't known, Ryanair is one of many low-cost European airliners which offer flights at sometimes unbelievably cheap prices, ideal for small business owners or student travelers like me. However, there are catches: 1) Watch out for expensive taxes (the listed price is before tax); 2) Prepare to pay for your

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-12640179064155313422008-09-06T22:22:00.001-04:002008-09-06T22:23:52.786-04:00

Santa Maria sopra Minerva Originally uploaded by yisu79 Having left Musei Capitolini, I started my routine of random walk. Before I realized it, I'd wandered into Santa maria sopra Minerva, a church with an elephant-supported obelisk and a modest entrance. Michelangelo: Christ the Redeemer Originally uploaded by yisu79 As an art lover, I struck gold in finding a Michelangelo statue

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-3010789988083915182008-07-29T22:46:00.006-04:002008-07-29T23:34:23.666-04:00

Boeing Everett Factory Originally uploaded by yisu79 My last aviation activity was a Boeing factory tour dubbed as "The Future of Flight". We walked though the biggest room in the world and saw three different assembly lines, 747, 777 and 787. It was very interesting to see how the assembly procedure improved over the years: While it takes months to assemble a 747, only three days are

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-42842794341922491262008-07-29T01:13:00.007-04:002008-07-29T03:19:33.496-04:00

McChord AFB, Washington Originally uploaded by yisu79 My second aviation activity was the McChord Air Expo 2008. It was the second time I went to an air show. Last time, I witnessed the amazing Blue Angels, the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron. Ever since then, I was wondering how Air Force's counterpart, Thunderbirds, would stand again them. So I checked their schedule

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-40500181426062959492008-07-28T03:53:00.010-04:002008-08-09T02:28:17.088-04:00

I had a lot of aviation-related activities this summer, which is not surprising given the world largest aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, is just around the corner. Inside Museum of Flight Originally uploaded by yisu79 First I visited the Museum of Flight, which is nonprofit organization independent of the Boeing Company. Nevertheless, it has a strong tie with the company. Coming from

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-26842157544626043532008-07-13T06:42:00.002-04:002008-07-13T06:55:08.189-04:00

When was the last time I really enjoyed working with a great team? When was the last time I had great fun even though I lost?I want to thank Emily, Wes, Zach, Rick, Chinmey and three other friends for a great experience at the MS Intern Puzzle Day. We were so close, with only nine people. Good game, man! Good game!

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-87973305277888384312008-07-06T16:32:00.003-04:002008-07-06T16:50:47.064-04:00

For those tennis funs who DID NOT watch the Wimbeldon Men's Single between Federer and Nadal, my deepest sympathy. It was an unbelievable match. Remember every time we finish a game, we politely say to each other, "Good Game", even if it is a landslide win? Well, this time it was very, very sincere.Congrats, Nadal! You deserved it. Congrats, Spain! It was a great year for Spanish sports. Go Roger

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-36787710395923177592008-07-04T12:51:00.001-04:002008-07-05T01:18:34.990-04:00

Musei Capitolini Originally uploaded by yisu79 I started my second day in Roma with Musei Capitolini, an underrated, much less crowded but surprisingly good museum of Roman art and archeology. Colorful Athena Originally uploaded by yisu79 The museum is located on a small hilltop, Capitoline Hill. Once you climb it up, you would see the Piazza del Campidoglio with a replica of the

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-3329092155514787462008-06-28T14:14:00.002-04:002008-06-28T14:28:25.026-04:00

It's been quite a while since I wrote something here. To my dearest reader(s), I apologize. But don't you worry I have nothing to write: There were so much fun activities that I am terribly behind schedule to blog. My interesting pictures are staring, or even shouting, at me to be shared. I feel so guilty that I can hardly look at them again before taking them online.So stay tuned! (As Americans

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-49410415184752040932008-05-03T20:47:00.007-04:002008-07-04T20:24:28.770-04:00

All roads lead to Roma. Santa Maria Maggiore Originally uploaded by yisu9 My hostel, The Yellow, was a decent one. As one of the reviewers puts it: "This is your typical big hostel." Not my favorite type, but well organized and clean. Most importantly, it was conveniently located near the train station. I started my day walking towards downtown. The first major church on the way was the

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-24878612287144000522008-05-02T23:31:00.014-04:002008-05-03T00:00:00.195-04:00

Thanks to digital photography and Internet, I was able to show you, my dear friends, how a dust storm in Beijing was like. Dust Storm in Beijing Originally uploaded by yisu79, courtesy of XiaoxingThis was taken at 09:42:02, 05/03/2008. Dust Storm in Beijing: After Originally uploaded by yisu79, courtesy of XiaoxingThis was taken at 10:36:58, 05/03/2008.To preserve the authenticity,

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-20919920102712949682008-04-26T18:15:00.005-04:002008-04-26T23:16:14.631-04:00

It was easy to decide which day I should spend visiting Vaticano among the three days I had for Roma: The day when the Pope appears! (In case you haven't known, the Pope speaks in public every Wednesday and Sunday, when he is not traveling.) Piazza di San Pietro Originally uploaded by yisu9 Vaticano was easy to reach by metro. After you got off, simply follow the crowd to get to the grand

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-77691597170442552862008-04-22T01:46:00.023-04:002008-04-22T14:54:35.010-04:00

For several times I have tried to recount the stories of my first serious backpacking trip but failed: The memory just slipped away, as time flies by. But that only makes what's left all too precious to let go.It was the summer of 2000. We had a rather ambitious plan for our limited travel experience: Dunhuang and Tibet, two relatively less traveled places in China. The following was my itinerary

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-53340179007965751152008-04-17T23:56:00.004-04:002008-04-18T00:07:31.880-04:00

Two Maps of China On My Wall Originally uploaded by yisu9 The latest issue of the National Geographic Magazine is a great special issue about China: Resourceful, accurate and, of course, photographic. I put the map it provides right next to the map I recently brought back from China so I can compare and contrast. I recommend this issue to anyone who is interested in China and cares to

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-17209718176099000672008-04-12T11:46:00.004-04:002008-04-12T11:58:47.478-04:00

Just got my Sennheiser HD-555 headphones. They are delightful to listen to. Can't take them off my head.

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-83305356242192887512008-04-04T20:14:00.001-04:002008-04-04T20:15:26.659-04:00

This is an overdue post about the Motor Trend International Auto Show in Baltimore. Baltimore's Red Light Block Originally uploaded by yisu9 It wasn't easy to find parking in downtown Baltimore so we had to walk through the (in)famous Block. AAA NASCAR Race Car Originally uploaded by yisu9 We came prepared: I bought the tickets online in advance to avoid the long ticket line. We

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-87700314282244180352008-04-02T16:51:00.005-04:002008-04-02T18:22:15.995-04:00

If there was any kind of recurring theme to my trip, it would be "art". Indeed, I chose Paris and Rome because of, among many other reasons, Louvre and Vatican Museum, respectively, which are two of the greatest art museums in the world. However, they are so large that you can hardly see everything for a single visit.That is one of the reasons I like middle-sized museums, especially MoMA, Orsay

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-16584801707512778052008-03-24T12:54:00.002-04:002008-03-24T13:01:21.115-04:00

My PS2 stopped working a few months ago despite my last save. So I looked around online and found ps2parts.com. I decided to give it a shot and they fixed it pretty quickly. So far so good.So game on, my friend! Game on!

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-30735055865035249822008-03-19T11:58:00.008-04:002008-03-20T20:22:59.439-04:00

I have always wanted to go to an opera, the classical counterpart of a modern musical, which I like very much. But I have been careful enough not to rush the first experience because I know how important that is. Once a friend of mine was trying to experience some classical music and decided to go to a free concert by our university orchestra. Not a bad idea, you might think. However, I knew his

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-84111916984409074472008-03-18T18:30:00.005-04:002008-03-19T10:48:48.960-04:00

I was very happy with Leopard except one problem: I couldn't print anymore, not even save as pdfs or preview.I suspected it was a printer driver incompatibility so I deleted the printers and added them back. Didn't work. Reseting the printing system, which you could do by right clicking your mouse in the "Printers & Faxes" system preference panel, didn't work either. So I made an appointment with

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-5157527598185576572008-03-12T19:15:00.001-04:002008-03-12T19:17:13.178-04:00

Just installed Leopard, the "latest" version of Mac OS X. Feels good!

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-18845744540025185232008-03-04T12:41:00.011-05:002008-03-10T16:46:24.365-04:00

My hostel at Venezia, Residenza Santa Croce, was a delightful surprise. Conveniently located near the Santa Lucia Station, it had a nice room and a, by hostel standard, huge bathroom. The staff was very helpful: She not only gave me a free map (Yes!) immediately but also gave me very detailed information about major attractions, transportation, walking trails and so on. But the most interesting

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-3029065077712192492008-03-03T14:46:00.013-05:002008-03-05T18:00:36.831-05:00

I started to realize that I could sing, in the sense of "better than average", when I was in the junior high. As teenagers, we loved pop music; as Asian, we loved karaoke. So I started my singing "career" by singing along the popular tunes on TV. I can control my voice quite well, especially in high register. Even though I barely speak Cantonese, I can sing in Cantonese, often better than people

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-57144582629451567082008-02-28T17:51:00.010-05:002008-03-05T18:01:45.755-05:00

My short vacation was about to end. So I flew back to Beijing only to fly over the Pacific Ocean.Having visited so many art museums in US and Europe, I realized that I had not visited a single art museum in China. (Typical, huh?) Although I had only one afternoon to spare, I managed to pay a visit to the National Art Museum of China. National Art Museum of China Originally uploaded by

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-61674449163037555252008-02-14T13:01:00.009-05:002008-02-27T17:46:39.948-05:00

Leaving Chengdu, we reached our final destination by bus: my hometown, the City of Mianyang.About 150 miles north from Chengdu, Mianyang is the second largest city in Sichuan Province, after Chongqing was separated from Sichuan. However, it is significantly smaller than Chengdu so that there is an immediately recognizable small-town feeling. I am in no way implying it is a bad thing to live in a

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-13557156511862579462008-02-14T12:15:00.012-05:002008-02-25T21:26:53.716-05:00

Our next destination was Chengdu, the capital of my home province, Sichuan. A Riverbank Tea House in Chengdu Originally uploaded by yisu1979 Famous for its laid-back lifestyle and creatively spicy cuisine, Chengdu is a wonderful place for vacation and retirement. There were thousands of tea houses for chatting/gossiping as well as for playing Mahjong, the favorite sport of Chengduese.

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-13596978948531105412008-02-13T12:13:00.017-05:002008-02-24T15:14:32.698-05:00

As the title suggested, it had been three years since I went back home. So what had changed? You might ask. Well, for starters, this time I took my camera with me and acted totally like a tourist. Northwest Aircraft Originally uploaded by yisu1979 I was generally satisfied with my flight with Northwest Airline but I noticed minor changes as well: They stopped offering free drinks. Instead,

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-81614222414299553982008-02-06T09:40:00.001-05:002008-02-11T16:49:34.562-05:00

As I mentioned before, I am the kind of travelers who plan everything ahead and optimize the plan for maximum psychological pleasure and minimum capital expense. So when I saw a 50% summer sale on trains from Nice to Milano, I jumped right in. However, it turned out that I got what I paid for: The train on sale was a slow five-hour ride, which would have been less than three hours for a little

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-73836996754625522372008-01-08T11:51:00.000-05:002008-01-10T14:12:20.769-05:00

Having watched (and stunned by) Audrey Hepburn's film version of "My Fair Lady", I felt it almost irresistible to catch the latest revival of this amazing musical."My Fair Lady" is unique in so many ways. For starters, it's not a love story. One of the most genius things about it, I think, is that the male lead barely sings, in a musical! And after ten minutes or so you watch it, you would fully

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-11090035785059503982008-01-08T11:50:00.001-05:002008-01-08T11:50:09.047-05:00

Wall of Trail Maps Originally uploaded by yisu1979 Three years ago, I started to collect the trail maps of the ski resorts I visited and put them on the wall of our dinning room. To this day, all four sides of them are full. If you've been to our apartment, you would surely remember it.

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-50148102833135662962008-01-05T07:21:00.001-05:002008-01-05T13:13:10.986-05:00

Learning from the lesson last time, I asked for an 8.5 shoes this time and the skis were still 150cm. We got our rental gears from Blue Valley Ski again. At the Base of Arapahoe Basin Originally uploaded by yisu1979, courtesy of YinyinWe started pretty early considering we had a big group. A-Basin located in a high-altitude area so at the top of the mountain, there were no trees. Because

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-38150868383798961752008-01-03T12:31:00.001-05:002008-01-03T15:25:27.614-05:00

Despite the grueling memory of my last Christmas ski trip, I booked the same trip this year. It was almost "courageous" of me to do so, as one of my friends put it.But it wasn't easy this time, either. Our flight was delayed, as usual. Then after we boarded the plane, we were asked to unload it for a mechanic problem. So we were delayed even more. By the time we reached our hotel in Denver, it

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-44136558983958866232007-12-19T23:43:00.001-05:002007-12-27T20:45:08.481-05:00

I spent my second day in Nice wandering around the city itself. Nice Beach Babe! Originally uploaded by yisu1979 In a shameless attempt to boost my blog's popularity, I gave you, my curious readers, a stunning bikini babe on the beach of the beautiful Côte d'Azur. I apologize to the girl in the picture for not asking for her permission but as a photographer, I just had to take it. Sorry

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-53218662140814577452007-12-17T18:17:00.000-05:002007-12-17T19:46:27.528-05:00

Enjoy two clips I took:1. "Wolf Tale" （《饿狼传说》） 2. "Loving You A Little More Every Day"（《每天爱你多一些》）

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-7594737184606351092007-12-16T17:13:00.001-05:002007-12-16T18:17:12.157-05:00

As promised, I gave you some photos from my concert-going Atlantic City trip. Jacky Cheung Concert Poster Originally uploaded by yisu1979 This was the official poster for this encore show. I got it from the organizer's website. In case you don't speak Chinese, the words above read, "By popular demand, the King of Cantonpop returns with honor." Sounds a little cheesy in English, huh? Well,

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-80594742614988732962007-12-16T05:44:00.000-05:002007-12-18T00:00:46.308-05:00

In a rare encore show of an already successful world tour, Jacky Cheung (张学友) proved that after 23 years of leading Cantonpop, he was still, above all, a great singer.His 2007 tour, dubbed "The Year of Jacky Cheung", was largely an attempt to reclaim his popularity. We know how fickle the taste of pop music fans' can be; let alone the somewhat naÏve taste of Cantonpop fans', no offense. In fact,

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-32319502369688169782007-12-08T12:52:00.001-05:002007-12-11T13:08:11.506-05:00

For those of you who *actually* followed my story, I apologize: I lied, to some extent, when I said my next stop was Nice. In fact I arrived at Nice at night after a very enjoyable, and amazingly fast TGV ride. But I took a day trip to Monaco the very next day. Les Casinos de Monte-Carlo Originally uploaded by yisu1979 In case you haven't know, the Principality of Monaco is a city state

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-49390170357852426162007-12-07T14:55:00.000-05:002007-12-07T15:06:54.464-05:00

Congrats to my friend, Lambert, for becoming a doctor today! First one to finish in my year.

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-65574032276918021532007-12-06T01:24:00.001-05:002007-12-06T01:30:14.675-05:00

Snow I Originally uploaded by yisu1979 Got up this morning and saw the first snow of this year. Immediately decided to work at home for the day. With a cup of tea in hands, I enjoyed watching the snowflakes falling down. Snow II Originally uploaded by yisu1979 Still amazed by the wonder of nature. Now looking forward to our annual ski trip!

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-40111237193596504482007-12-02T00:55:00.000-05:002007-12-02T01:58:17.510-05:00

Went to the annual CLSP/CIS holiday party at The Inn at Government House tonight and got drunk happily. For the record, I've been to each and every single one of the parties for the past six years. (Yeah, I loved Baltimore *so* much that I never wanted to leave.) Hopefully this was my last party. Good food, good drink, as always. Good to see some old friends like Sue and Laura. I miss them.

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-84118236586181892632007-11-30T21:58:00.001-05:002007-12-07T01:44:03.402-05:00

You might wonder why I fast-forwarded my last day in Paris. Because, technically, I wasn't in Paris that day: I was in Château de Versailles. Chapel of Versailles Originally uploaded by yisu The public transportation in Paris was so good that it took only €5,60 for a roundtrip train ticket to Versailles. Get it in any Metro station. I even got on a train to the wrong direction but rest

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-50867840880029033442007-11-21T23:30:00.000-05:002007-11-21T23:51:18.190-05:00

Got my Guitar Hero II today. (Yeah, I know I am ALWAYS living one year behind in the world of gaming.) Totally AWESOME! Loved it. Now that's what I call a Thanksgiving!

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-20433492816554839232007-11-20T09:42:00.001-05:002007-12-07T01:44:03.402-05:00

Metro Entrance Originally uploaded by yisu Following my schedule as a tourist, I got up early in the morning and took the beloved, magical Métro. Hôtel des Invalides Originally uploaded by yisu In the snap of a finger, I arrived at the Hôtel des Invalides, where Napoleon I rested in peace. Armor Windows Originally uploaded by yisu Les Invalides is now home of the French

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-62467039219090293452007-11-18T22:18:00.000-05:002007-11-18T23:04:10.028-05:00

Went to Anime USA 2007, a Japanese anime/manga fan conference in Arlington, VA. It was a fun experience when you were surrounded by people dressing up like comic characters or cosplaying. There was one girl who worn a nice costume of Lulu from Final Fantasy X.A large exhibition hall called "dealer's room" was the place where people buy some rarely seen Japanese anime, manga, video games, costume

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-54101486843962456512007-11-13T00:29:00.001-05:002007-12-07T01:44:03.402-05:00

Initially I planned to stay in Louvre for a whole day but changed the plan to get away with a little more than a half because, as a poor graduate student, I couldn't resist the temptation of a free admission day to Musée d'Orsay. Inside Orsay Originally uploaded by yisu As mentioned in numerous travel books, there is always a long, winding line in front of the museum, which is located not

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-10429943454267517502007-11-01T22:16:00.001-04:002007-12-07T01:44:03.403-05:00

I dedicated my second day in Paris to two great museums, Louvre and Orsay, because they are both free(!) on the first Sunday of each month. (What a resourceful traveller I am!) Louvre Originally uploaded by yisu Let me start my pilgrim to Musée du Louvre with a breathtaking panorama. (Click here if you want the original size since Flickr refused to take it.) Pyramid Originally

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-75759398829559423462007-10-28T21:18:00.001-04:002007-11-10T16:45:33.068-05:00

Result of a three-hour photo trip to the Loch Raven Reservoir. Jump to this set on Flickr or start a slide show. Enjoy!.flickr-photo { }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Mosaic, originally uploaded by nuance1979. PS, the collage was made by Mosaic Maker. Nice application.

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-9523804385031484032007-10-20T13:44:00.001-04:002007-12-07T01:44:03.403-05:00

I took a nap on the train from Antwerpen to Paris and enjoyed the first-class served breakfast. (How could I afford Thalys first class? Two words: summer sale!) Basilique du Sacré-Cœur Originally uploaded by yisu The first thing I did after arriving was to buy a carnet of 10 Métro tickets. (By the way, Paris Métro was *the* best metro system in the world. Tokyo might be a contender but

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-55674008235252115092007-10-14T15:31:00.000-04:002007-10-15T22:23:59.242-04:00

Saw the much anticipated Ang Lee film "Lust, Caution" in the Charles Theatre. The reaction from the general public in United States differed a lot from the Chinese community: While the Americans, with their proud lack of history, yawned it as "yet another period drama with some sex", as exemplified in this New York Times review, the Chinese, with a much wider historical context, paid a lot more

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-6670446179254087252007-10-01T12:27:00.001-04:002007-12-07T01:44:03.403-05:00

Did I mention I came to Europe for business, as well? Anyway, here came the business part of my trip: Interspeech '07 in Antwerpen. Interspeech '07 Originally uploaded by yisu The opening day, as expected, was packed with general information and keynote speeches. To my surprise, they booked a huge place, the Flanders Congress and Concert Centre, conveniently located on the north of the

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-64314525635231193092007-09-25T18:22:00.001-04:002007-12-07T01:44:03.403-05:00

I arrived at Antwerpen at night. This time I did write down the directions to my hotel, Etap, a budget hotel for poor students like me, but once again I over-walked. The Centraal Station was, what are the odds, under construction so walking was a little bit scary. The next day I got up early in the morning, headed to the Station, bought the ticket by a combination of hand-gesturing and

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-90447244625245501742007-09-24T21:15:00.001-04:002007-12-07T01:44:03.404-05:00

According to my original plan, I would fly directly from Detroit to Bruxelles, then take a train to Amsterdam. However, the Northwest Airline abruptly rerouted me to Amsterdam with a stupidly short connection from Amsterdam to Bruxelles. I immediately realized it was a completely waste of time for me to take this last leg so I tried very hard to talk to Northwest, asking them to simply let me go

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-90359294895057692882007-09-20T17:04:00.000-04:002007-12-07T01:44:03.404-05:00

There are two kinds of travelers: Those who are organized, planing everything ahead of time, knowing exact when she/he will be where and those who are spontaneous, changing trip plan at will. Which kind am I? You'll see.Basically I traveled from North to South by train, taking day trips for places that's not on the main line, then flew back:Baltimore ⇓Detroit ⇓Amsterdam ↓Antwerpen ⇄ Brugge ↓Paris

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-32253424425739167372007-09-20T14:56:00.009-04:002008-10-25T17:16:32.935-04:00

00Prelude01Table of Content02Trip ItineraryChapter I Cities03Amsterdam04- Brugge05Antwerpen06Paris I II III IV07 - Versailles08 - Monaco09Nice10Milano11Venezia12Firenze13- Vaticano14Roma I II III15Bruxelles I IIChapter II Museums16Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam)17Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam)18- Heineken Experience (Amsterdam)19- Sexmuseum (Amsterdam)20- Provinciaal Diamantmuseum (Antwerpen)21Rubenshuis (

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-14057014715730467352007-09-20T12:22:00.000-04:002007-12-07T01:44:24.758-05:00

"You understand how to have fun with others and to enjoy your solitude." --From a fortune cookie I have been daydreaming Europe for a long, long time. For starters, a beautiful map of Europe from National Geographic Magazine was put up in my bedroom two years ago. I have become so familiar with the map that when my friend Raymond started to draw it in order to deliver the word "France" in a word

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-25799987216221682942007-09-17T23:45:00.001-04:002007-12-07T01:44:24.758-05:00

Before I even started to write about my trip, which is surely going to waste me a LOT of time, I would like to thank the following people or things for making it a memorable experience:Thank Jennifer, Hemad, Thomas, Mihai, Milan, Anne, Vivian, Natalie, Dan, Chris, Sydney, Roxana, David, Ryan, Matt, Max, Sylvia, Susanna, Miiga and many more people whose names I regrettably forgot for making this

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-67103424377735893892007-09-14T17:52:00.000-04:002007-12-07T01:44:24.759-05:00

For those of you who ACTUALLY read my blog (you must be a really close friend of mine or you have way too much spare time), you might know there's going to be a major update coming up for my Eurotrip. In a typical American way, I present you a teaser and a trailer for starters. So here they are.Teaser:Digital camera with a huge lens: $645Ridiculously spacious backpack: $98Dodging numerous tourist

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-43601370839534408072007-08-16T13:55:00.000-04:002007-08-17T01:22:06.931-04:00

My PS2 stopped reading discs two weeks ago with annoying clicking sound . Following the standard procedure, I shook and slapped it and it worked for a few times until it didn't, as expected.In the name of Electrical Engineering, I decided to give it a try myself. With the help of various PS2 DIY sites, I located the problem: The step motor failed to drive the laser unit. The clicking sound was

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-37192888534866576152007-08-15T20:48:00.000-04:002007-08-15T20:51:03.626-04:00

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-54102017558250861872007-08-09T21:53:00.001-04:002007-08-09T21:59:27.893-04:00

Beckham finally made his MLS debut vs DC United. One free kick and one casual pass showed that he was worth the money. But Beckham, do you really want to spend five years of your life playing with monkeys?

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-32476733494646260862007-08-02T12:45:00.000-04:002007-08-02T12:46:42.617-04:00

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-41035980753505759362007-07-19T22:36:00.000-04:002007-07-19T22:39:09.435-04:00

create your own China map

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-54447367044206355662007-07-17T00:24:00.000-04:002007-07-17T00:30:50.535-04:00

Our picture from last rafting trip was featured in the latest issue of the GSA Newsletter! Lol.

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-14822861015745103562007-07-13T13:22:00.000-04:002007-07-13T17:41:52.607-04:00

David Beckham officially joined LA Galaxy just now. However, his number is...not 7! Shocker! What a stupid decision!

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-40232069560028870792007-07-12T23:31:00.000-04:002007-07-13T02:29:47.415-04:00

It might not be the other way around but of all the people that I know, those who have a good taste in food would hardly be bores.I grew up in a place where food was one of the most important things in everyday life and whether you were good at it could make or break a relationship. So it's not surprising that Sichuan or Szechuan Cuisine becomes the most popular, and ubiquitous, cuisine in China,

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-4825971408892787402007-07-10T23:42:00.000-04:002007-07-10T23:49:51.420-04:00

My state of procrastination has just reached a whole new level: I joined Facebook! (Click here in case you do NOT know what I am talking about.)

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-40277601225958124082007-07-07T12:41:00.000-04:002007-07-08T16:32:49.257-04:00

Totally enjoyed watching Wimbledon on NBC at home. (Click here for tennis on TV schedule.) Roger Federer is still invincible. Ten Grand Slams and counting!Tried to practice my serve the other day and ended up resting for two. Still below 50%. Shame on me!P.S., Roger didn't let me down. It was a great final match. Nadal played exceptionally well but Roger showed what he was made of. Five

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-87846291499226631022007-06-27T01:52:00.000-04:002007-06-27T01:56:18.333-04:00

This was the pop/jazz duet performing a catchy French song. Enjoy!

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-35181591555420794552007-06-27T01:39:00.001-04:002007-06-27T01:41:36.219-04:00

Ottawa-Gatineau Originally uploaded by nuance1979. With such a beautiful view, I couldn't help making a panorama of Ottawa-Gatineau.

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-48538698749938337662007-06-26T23:27:00.001-04:002007-06-27T01:19:05.341-04:00

Julius Caesar and Alexander Severus Originally uploaded by nuance1979. Next day we went to Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal (Montreal Museum of Fine Arts). It was a middle-sized art museum with some very nice collections. I liked the way they put Julius Caesar and Alexander Severus, two Roman emperors together. Jue from Shang Dynasty Originally uploaded by nuance1979. Their Chinese

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11120934.post-41721279439514984652007-06-26T15:48:00.001-04:002007-06-26T23:25:51.737-04:00

Ottawa is good; but Montréal is great. There are so many things I like about Montréal that I don't even know where to start. Métro Originally uploaded by nuance1979. The first thing you'll notice when entering Montréal is that the ubiquitous bilingual public signs now begin with French, instead of English in Ottawa. The French language brings lots of good things usually associated with

Yi Suhttps://profiles.google.com/100864964804142912584noreply@blogger.com0