红酒·绿茶 / Red Wine & Green Tea / Vin Rouge et Thé Vert

Sun Studio Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . The same Route 43 MATA bus could bring you right in front of the famous Sun Studio , where stars like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis got started. It had a humble look and was, indeed, a small place. Sun Records Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . However, the thirty-minutes tour was well organized. In spite of having only two rooms to show, our tour guide was passionate for his job, telling us stories about the items on display with music excerpts from important records made here, which pretty much amounted to a brief history of rock'n'roll. Rock It Like Presley! Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . And I indulged myself a little bit with a moment of being Elvis Presley.

My four-hour Greyhound ride from Nashville to Memphis was smooth and, surprisingly, on time. It was nice to see Liyu and Yongmei again, who had stopped by Baltimore about three years ago. I congratulated them for their soon-to-be-born baby. I got up next morning with only one thing on my mind: Graceland . Graceland Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . A short walk to downtown and a forty-minute Route 43 MATA bus ride later, I reached the destination of my pilgrimage. Dinning Room Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . The self-paced audio-guided tour started from the front door. The various rooms on the first floor, each having a distinctive theme of decoration, were kept faithfully as they used to be: the greenish yellow TV room, the orientally colorful pool room, the fluffy jungle room and the busiest room of all, the kitchen. I liked the idea of keeping Elvis' private rooms upstairs to remain private, out of respect. So the tour went on into the basement, where ...

Being Chinese, I meant the Lunar New Year . Since my host family moved to Nashville, I'd missed them a lot. When they invited me to visit, we thought the Chinese Lunar New Year would be a perfect occasion. Plus I had a very good friend from college living in Memphis, whom I hadn't seen for years. So it didn't take much time for me to plan a week-long trip to Tennessee. Linda and John welcomed me before I even stepped out of the airport security line. Their new house was a beautiful modern Southern house with high ceilings, huge space and plenty of sunlight. The furnishing and decor was distinctively Chinese American, as always. I enjoyed the comfort of home and helped prepare the dinner, where I met many interesting friends invited over by Linda and John. Gaylord Opryland Hotel Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . The next day we went to the lengendary Grand Ole Opry but were disappointed by their winter closure. The Gaylord Opryland Hotel , however, surprised me w...

We were so annoyed by the winter storm hitting us today that we almost forgot it was Valentine's Day until a limo stopped in front of our apartment building at midnight. The driver opened the door and came out a young couple. They asked the driver to take a picture of them before the limo then walked home. Finally some V-Day spirit.

Congratulations to Dixie Chicks for their Grammy sweep last night! Great job, girls!

Dunhuang Dance Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . The "Hope Chinese Language School Ma Ma Dancing Group", showed their versatility by contributing three performances with three different dancing styles: Tibetan, Korean and Indian. The show ended with their flashy Indian dance named "Dunhuang Dream". Before the show started, President Brody made an impressive effort delivering a long but appropriate speech in Chinese with his "American accent". He concluded, "for those of you who need translations, I said 'delighted to be here and happy New Year!'"

Solo Dance - Bamboo Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Two solo dances by two talented girls stood out as the highlights of the show: ... in "Bamboo"... Solo Dance - Mongolian Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . ... and Xiaojia Zeng in "Mongolian".

Changing Face Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Twice in a year, namely Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival , our Chinese Student and Scholar Association would organize a celebration party which would be called, in American terms, a variety show. Being an inactive member of the Chinese community here, I had only been to these events once before. After five years in the United States, however, I started to miss some of the stuff I grew up with but hated since adolescence, in a way similar to my rediscovery of tea. This year's show was the biggest and fanciest so far, held in the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall with the help and for the benefit of the whole Chinese community in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Professionals like these two pictured performing "Changing Face", a famous trick of the Sichuan Opera, were invited from Sichuan, China. Xiangsheng Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . My friend, Xiang, and his partner, Rui, were the must-ha...

Hang In There, Baby! Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Went to Gecko's with my friends. Had some wine then couldn't remember what I was eating. Later found myself over-eatten. It's gonna be a tough year for me so hang in there, baby!