back in the cit-eh

Today as I was walking to class I saw one hobo give another hobo his deodorant. The second hobo then proceeded to apply the deo (lifting up his shirt and showing everyone his large belly in the process) on the corner of Astor and Broadway. Then I presume he gave the deo back and they went their separate ways. Oh yeah, life in the city.

tomorrowwwww

I'm going home tomorrow!

That means I'll be in Ohio for the weekend!

I get to see my peeps and my fam! And the cats!

...then I have to study for a midterm. boo.

But that doesn't matter until like Tuesday!

Reviews and stuff

This past Thursday I went with some friends from Chinese class to see Ang Lee's new movie, Lust Caution, based on a short story by Zhang Ailing (who, incidentally, my Chinese professor adores and used to work with). The movie is actually rated NC-17 for pretty explicit sex scenes, and Ang Lee refused to edit the movie in order to get an R rating, but I think for American audiences they actually did trim 7 or so minutes of sex. Needless to say, we were bracing ourselves for an interesting experience.

But actually, the majority of the movie had nothing to do with sex. The story follows this young girl who wants to be an actress, but she ends up using her acting skills to seduce this man working for the Japanese government during the 1940's in Japanese occupied Shanghai. Basically her friends force her into this position, because they're nationalists working to restore a Chinese government. The film moves pretty slowly, following them from Hong Kong to Shanghai, and last about 2 1/2 hours.

So I thought the movie was pretty good. I definitely got a feel for Shanghai during the 1940's, which was probably the strangest place on earth. There were all these white people there! And Indian jewelry stores! There was also good acting (Tony Leung was a very convincing evil dude, and Kuang (right), the unrequited love interest, was also intense in a different way). But I didn't like the ending (don't worry, I won't spoil it for you) and I thought it funny that in the story, Zhang Ailing never went into the sex scenes explicitly, but Ang Lee felt it necessary to have them. Probably the movie could have worked without them, or at least without so much of them. Still, it was well done. (Much better than In the Mood for Love, in which nothing happened or maybe I just had no idea what was going on).

Book review: I picked up Stephen Colbert's I am America at Barnes and Noble the other day and read the first couple chapters. Now I want to read more! Too bad I have no time/library to rent the book from. I want to read the chapters on immigration and race. Actually, the book is set up kinda like Jon Stewart's book, with pictures and side comments, whereas I was expecting it to be an actual memoir or something. But I like how it is, it's a much faster read.

And now, about TV.... I'm pretty disappointed in my shows so far this fall. I'm not even watching Grey's anymore, in case anyone was wondering. Nor am I watching America's Next Top Model, cuz that just seems more ridiculous each season and I can't take it anymore. I've pretty much only been watching Heroes and House when they're actually on... I'll watch Weeds or Entourage online sometimes, and now I'm getting into 30 Rock. I'm planning to watch Scrubs whenever it comes back on, and I'm also looking forward to Project Runway. Oh and of course I watch the Daily Show online to get my news. But really, really? I feel like I used to have so many more good shows to look forward too. Even House and Heroes aren't impressing me that much this season. What is going on, TV writers? Are you trying to tell me to stop wasting my time with the tube and do something more meaningful with my life, like hw?? Pish posh. I'd rather have something entertaining to look forward to for one hour a night, ok?

Anyway, so those are my rants. Now I really gotta clean up this apartment of ours. So little space, yet such a big mess after one week. What gives?

woohoo scheduling (no seriously. i like.)

So my schedule this semester is pretty messed up, on account of the fact that Chinese meets 4 times a week, my 2 lectures have additional days of recitation, and my other class is a 2 1/2 hour seminar that only meets once a week. Basically, this means I have class everyday except Friday, and that's only because I managed to squeeze 7 hours of class into Thursday. Not fun. Now with my internship, I'm busy every day from either 9-5 or 11-6.

Naturally, I'm not going to make the same mistake next semester. Which is why I got so excited to come home from class and find out that next semester's course listing is now posted. Yayyyy for making hypothetical schedules. And to my amazement, my desired class schedule actually fits and works out quite well, meaning that if I actually get in to those classes that I want, I'll be a happy camper. And not nearly as fatigued as this semester, I hope.

For starters, Advanced Chinese apparently only meets twice a week. And it amazingly does not conflict with the one Natural Science class I want, which is what I greatly feared. Right now I'm planning on taking Biosphere Something Something, which I'm assuming is going to be like environmental science though I haven't found a description of it yet. Whatever, as long as it's not physics or molecular biology I think I'll be ok.

Then the other exciting/scary class that I want to take is called Vietnam, and it's taught by this crazy Prof with an excellent reputation. As in, he will assign lots of work but we'll (subsequently) learn a lot and that class is highly recommended. So there. And then I have to take a Shakespeare class. Boo. I tell ya, if it wasn't for this Asia/Pacific post-colonial lit class I'm taking right now, I'd be utterly disappointed in the English department. Aside from this seminar, my required classes have been less than stellar. And I'm not really looking forward to the remaining requirements I have to fulfill. I guess I just need to pick better electives when I get the chance.

Right so, was this post dry and academic enough for you? Now that you know I'm a big scheduling nerd, I promise I won't post about this again... until it comes time to schedule and I manage to get screwed over... OR until next semester when I completely regret choosing these courses. Did I mention my earliest class will start at 11? That's always nice. I just hope I don't have class until 6:10 again... 4:45 is late enough, methinks.

Random: Do I use too many adverbs? Is it bad to use lots of adverbs?

columbus day weekend

So I went to Providence this weekend to visit the gals at RISD. Good times. Except for the bus ride. NEVER AGAIN, GREYHOUND. NEVER AGAIN. It should not take 6 hours to complete a journey that mapquest estimates takes 4 hours, even with traffic. If the trip is going to be local, you should say that on the website. Never again am I wasting 6 hours of my life because the bus must stop at some casino's in the middle of Connecticut. Ai yah.

But other than that, and the burning sensation in my calves as we hiked up the hill to Thayer street multiple times, the trip was quite pleasant. We went shopping, eating, dancing, shopping, gallery hopping, and shopping. Oh, and we ate stuff. Providence is a cute town, I must say. And even though the river smells a bit funky and the fish flop around in a dance of death, it's quite pretty when they light the little fire things on the surface. I guess Providence reminds me of Columbus, in that it's mostly quiet with cute little shops and an industrial downtown area. Except of course their mall is better than what's left of City Center. And instead of having OSU, they have Brown and RISD and that one culinary school. And the hill.

But yeah, we looked inside all these furniture/decoration stores and it made me really want to be decorating my own apartment. That, compounded with the fact that Cynthia and her friends all have huge and hugely nice dorm rooms, made me want to relocate ASAP. NYC is amazing and all, but really, I'd prefer that my rent money go to a place I can really be comfortable. And I don't think I'd be comfortable paying upwards of 2700 dollars a month for a studio that's the same size as the dorm I have now. Sigh. Stupid real estate. Why must all the cities I love be so expensive to live in? I hate having expensive taste.

Not much else to report. I need to go grocery shopping. But I will rant about that later. Which reminds me: I've been wondering something for a long time. Does living in New York turn a person into an impatient, tetchy (hah! Cranium word) person.... or does living here simply bring out the impatient, tetchy person that one has always been? Because really, I don't think it's possible to live here and not be impatient, or bothered by many things, or at least slightly jaded. But it's sort of like the chicken and the egg... I don't think anyone can ever tell if we are drawn here because of the way we are, or if NYC makes us into something else.

i want a kitty.

like, right now. pleeeeease. it won't make any messes in the dorm room, and i will manage its litterbox, and it will be the most adorable thing ever! puppies are cute and all, but eventually you have to take them for walks and then they are forced to poop on the sidewalk and that's just embarrassing. plus, some people are inconsiderate and don't clean up after their dogs have just humiliated themselves on the sidewalk in front of everyone, and then some poor soul comes walking along and gets a shoeful of shit. no one wants that. (thankfully, this hasn't happened to me yet. but I'm pretty sure it's inevitable).

so anyway, they may be the same on the cuteness scale, but cats are way easier to take care of. plus, they don't have that dog smell. so i want one, asap.

we've got problems

We just finished reading The Guest in my Asia/Pacific Post-Colonial Lit class and I have to present on it tomorrow (actually today, but you know what I mean). I've been doing a lot of research on North Korea and the Korean War. I just finished watching this video and am completely in awe.

http://one.revver.com/watch/201769

It's about the the American Imperialist Massacre Remembrance Museum in N Korea which details the atrocities committed by American troops during the Korean war (1950). But according to the book I just finished reading, these claims are false. The author, Hwang Sok-Yong, who personally spoke with survivors of the tragedy, reveals that the Koreans actually attacked each other when Christians and Communists clashed over who had the right to govern.

I don't mean this to be a politically charged post but... it's just so disturbing to me. I mean, N Korea in general gives me the willies, especially since its been in the news so much lately. It's like a country that exists in some strange parallel universe. It's almost hard to believe that North and South Koreans are actually the same nationality, or at least half a decade ago they were. Now they are a completely separate people.

This is too heavy, I say. I can't wrap my mind around it. All I know is, the existence of this museum does not bode well for Americans worldwide. Especially given our current situation... I can just imagine more of these places appearing throughout the rest of the world. In fact, I wonder how many such institutions already exist that we, in our happy American bubble, never hear about.

In conclusion: If I were to become an expat, where would I be able to live?

tuesday

So I thought it would be really cool/save some money if I walked to my internship today. I walked home from work last Friday and it didn't seem like that long of a walk. But oh, was I wrong.

First of all, it took me awhile to get ready, so I was already running late. Then I set out on Broadway (around 10am) because I figured taking Broadway up to 34th street would be the fastest way to then get to 35th and 8th. If that makes sense. See, I'm at 4th ave so since Broadway eventually intersects with 6th ave, that saves me walking over a couple avenue blocks.

Anyway, the point is, Broadway up past 20th street is pretty sketchy. And some how I failed to notice this when walking home last time. But it's like, all the stores are these terrible hair accessory, tacky jewelry, bad perfume stores, one after the other. Sorta like Chinatown except without the delicious restaurants to balance out the tackiness. Not the most scenic route to walk. Plus it made me wonder, what is the point of having all these stores that sell exactly the same thing right next to each other for several blocks. Wouldn't they get more money if they were the only shop of that kind in the neighborhood. But NYC is strange like that: all the same types of stores are grouped together (like garment shops, furniture stores etc). I guess then the consumer always knows which area to hit up for what. But competition among these places must be so bad, I don't see how any of them could be doing good business when a person could buy the exact same thing next door. You know?

Strange strange. Maybe it would make more sense if I were a business major, or something. The moral of the story is, I'm not walking that way again. Not to mention by the time I arrived, fairly late, to my work I was all sweaty and hot anyway. And of course I forgot a hair thing. But I survived, and I learned that saving 2 bucks is not really worth all that hassle (esp once the weather becomes less nice).

So the rest of the day went: funny stuff in Chinese class, doing a crossword puzzle with Beth during our Britlit lecture (those things are hard but they sure help pass the time), and then suffering through my MAP recitation. Now I really need to start writing my Britlit paper about Chaucer (yawn) so I guess I'll stop procrastinating and get on that. But I really need to figure out how to make this blog cooler.... so maybe that takes priority.

New blog!

*EDIT* so this is a pic from saturday, when a group of us went to chinatown for dimsum. I thought it might help explain the title of the blog. Plus, I'm really bad at thinking of titles, especially ones that relate to me. I think Dim Sum Girl is going to stick though... for better or for worse.

Someone out there has to be just dying to know what's been going on in my life recently. Therefore, I have created this blog for that person... and whoever else happens to have a mild interest in me.

So this is just a test entry, I will post more later once I get all my settings fixed and get myself oriented to this strange new blogosphere.