It’s been a busy couple of days. On Saturday, Fan Wei, Meng Meng, his wife, and I had dinner at a restaurant (Wang Shun Ge) famous for its fish head (I’m pretty sure the English translation is just “Fish Head Restaurant”). Although I have never been a big fan of eating fish head, the one we had on Saturday was delicious. I never thought one fish head could be so filling, but I was proved wrong: some of the bigger fish heads weigh five of six kilograms! If you’re ever in Beijing, I highly encourage you to give this restaurant a visit. The next day, Fan Wei had to teach a class in the southern part of Beijing, so I made the long trek to meet her and her husband Feng for lunch. We then drove to Pan Jia Yuan and visited Beijing’s famous “Glasses City,” where I managed to purchase a pair of glasses for 150 RMB! The most ridiculous part was that I got them in about a half an hour. In the U.S., the same thing would probably cost at least $150 and take at least a week or two to manufacture and deliver. Of course, the quality in China isn’t as great, but for the price and convenience, I think it is completely worth it. Plus, I primarily wear contacts, so it’s even less of a problem for me.  After feeling very good about the bargain price that we got for the pair of glasses, the three of us went and saw How to Train Your Dragon in 3D. I have to admit, was a little hesitant at first, but I was presently surprised by the movie and the 3D effects. It was the first full-length 3D movie I’ve ever seen (yeah I know, I’m a loser for not seeing Avatar), and the whole experience was amazing. And while the movie itself is geared towards a younger audience, I saw plenty of adults in the audience who were having a great time (myself included). I feel like with recent films like Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, and now How to Train Your Dragon, 3D movies are making a bigger impact at the box office, which only means that there will be more and more 3D movies in the future. While not all films will be appropriate in 3D, I think that those of the action and animated genres will benefit greatly from the growing prominence of 3D technology. If implemented correctly, the 3D effect will definitely be a great draw for audiences of all ages.

Earlier today (Monday), I traveled to my grandparents’ house in Mai Zi Dian, where I’ll be staying for the rest of my time in China. It feels good to have visited all of my closest relatives after nearly a year of absence. All in all, it’s a good change of pace, and it’s a trip that I’d like to keep making every year for as long as possible. I spent a good portion of my childhood here, so I always feel like I’m coming back to a second home rather than just visiting.

Of course, no trip to China would be complete without my getting demolished by mosquitoes, and as if to prove a point, one mosquito gave me no less than 20 bites last night (my very last night at my uncle’s)! FML.