China

Lights Out

Jeff, ,

So the power went out between 8:30 and 11:20 this morning. Luckily, I was asleep for most of that time, haha.

I’ve started running again this week, mainly to keep myself in shape, but also to “test” the air quality here in Beijing. Two weeks ago, after jogging for a short 10 minutes, I developed a sore throat during work the next day, but I suspect that may have been due to a cold that was going around the workplace.

This week, I’ve gone jogging twice so far, both times after dinner, and fortunately have not shown any negative side effects. In past years, I’ve heard rumors that Beijing’s air quality has had detrimental impacts on runners’ lung capacity, and while I do believe there is some truth to that, I also think that the story has been exaggerated. As the 2008 Summer Olympics has shown, despite Beijing’s reputation as a somewhat “dirty” city (but is it really worse than L.A. or London?), the air here is definitely clean enough to sustain strenuous athletic events such as the triathlon and the the marathon.  For runners like myself who simply do it for the thrill and exercise, the pollution is even less of a problem, since we’re not going that fast/hard in the first place. That being said, it can’t hurt to use some judgement when exercising. Run either in the early morning or late afternoon, since that’s when air pollution and temperature are at their lowest levels (I’m assuming you’re not going for any midnight jogs or things of that nature). Also, drink plenty of water before and after exercising. And always stretch and cooldown before workouts. These are the basic guidelines that I like to stick to no matter where I am in the world, and they help me make the most of my workouts.

I’ve also been playing a lot of guitar lately. The song I’m learning right now is called 青花瓷 (Qing Hua Ci) by Jay Chou. I’ve gotten all the chords down…now for the the lyrics, which are, of course, in Chinese :P.

Another Week

Jeff, , , ,

On Friday, I went to TIan Tong Yuan to see my aunt. Although she and her family moved to Tian Tong Yuan about two years ago, I had never been to her house. Friday also happened to be my cousin Meng Meng’s 30th birthday, so I thought it was a good opportunity to accomplish two things with one visit. I took the subway to Tian Tong Yuan and met up with Fan Wei at grandma’s house. The two of us then headed over to my aunt’s house, which was only 15 minutes away by foot. My aunt greeted us cheerfully at the door and welcomed us in to a partially furnished living room. Her apartment is a lot bigger than grandma’s, she tells me, so it has taken them a long time to move in and get furniture. As we talk in the dining time (there’s no couch in the living room), I can’t help but admire the woman sitting across from me. Although she’s almost 60, my aunt does almost all of the housework in the family. The relationship between her and Meng Meng is strained at best, and her husband has been idle ever since he lost his job some time ago.

Fan Wei and I treated Meng Meng to dinner at a Korean restaurant not too far from his house, and after we said our goodbyes, I went with Fan Wei to her new apartment, where I spent the night. Although I had to sleep on the couch, I didn’t mind at all, since I was more than happy to be in a room with air conditioning again.

Looking forward, I can’t believe it’s only a week until Fan Wei’s wedding, and a week and a half until I leave for the U.S.! I’ve been watching 24 (currently on season 3), learning differential equations, and playing some old school StarCraft over the past week to keep myself busy until then. Talk about a weird combination.

Rain, Rain

Jeff,

The rain has been coming down nonstop over the last five minutes, and is only picking up in intensity. It’s rare for it to rain so much in Beijing. The city usually doesn’t get enough precipitation, so this kind of rain is actually a big welcome. Hopefully, this is an indication of cooler days to come…if not, then at least a less humid start of the week.

Bye Bye, CITIC

Jeff, , ,

Friday was the last day of my three week internship at China CITIC Bank. It’s been quite an experience, and to be honest, I can’t believe it went by this fast. I feel that I have learned a lot in the last three weeks, not so much technical things, but definitely a better sense of how commercial banking works from the inside out. Being part of the Financial Institutions Division, I was able to experience some of the day to day interactions between CITIC’s head office and its branch offices, as well as the Bank’s relationships with foreign banks. I feel that the F.I. business is a good field for young people to get into, as it involves a lot of relationship building and communication with other institutions. Furthermore, you get the chance to meet a lot of people all around the world, so it’s a good opportunity to build a network early in your career. Although my stay at CITIC was short, I felt that I made some valuable contributions during my time there, especially my preparation of key materials for CITIC’s first RMB Cross Border Settlement Conference in Beijing. Most of all, I’ve made a lot of friends at CITIC, and I have no doubt that they will prove to be valuable connections in the future.

On the Road

Jeff, , ,

Work has slowed down considerably since the conclusion of last Monday’s meeting. I’ve been helping out mainly with small tasks, such as photocopying and updating visitation schedules in Excel. Still, I can’t believe that three weeks have passed by so fast, and I’ll be sad to leave on Friday.

I finished Jack Kerouac’s On the Road today in one sitting today. It’s the kind of book that’s extremely hard to put down after you start reading. And I now realize why it’s considered one of the defining works of the Beat generation. The desperate yet contagious sense of restless as portrayed by the main characters Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty reflects the mentality of an entire generation (“the Beatniks”) that grew up in the aftermath of WWII. Their story, which Kerouac narrates brilliantly, is one of humor, exuberance, and profound sadness. Kerouac brings to life the unceasing sense of restlessness felt by many of the country’s young men and women at the time, as well their tireless wanderings and cross-country treks (often on little or no money at all) in search of some ultimate purpose or object (what Dean refers to as the “IT”) that for many never materialized.

It you have never encountered any literature from the Beat generation, then I highly recommend this novel. It’ll probably be unlike anything you’ve ever read before, but Kerouac’s writing style and superb character development (especially of the “mad” Dean Moriarty) will certainly make On the Road a quick read.