This is one of those "Life Lately" posts. April's been a really good month for me. I can't believe we're about a third of the way through 2015. It's been great so far, and I credit a lot of that to just letting the universe run its course. I'm not over-thinking a lot of my decisions, which can be scary but in the long run it's been worth it. I'll talk about this more in a later post that I've been working on.
Anyways, here's how I've spent my time lately.
So. Much. China.
I received my long awaited for official acceptance letter from the college I'll be attending in Beijing. I can't tell you enough how long and how much I've been looking forward to this trip. I really can't wait to fully immerse myself in the whole experience, meet new people with the same interests, and put my Mandarin to use for once. After this whole planning process for China, I've really just had the itch to travel elsewhere within the country. I especially want to travel to Jinjiang, the town where 80% of Tsinoys (Filipinos with Chinese ancestry) can trace their Chinese roots. It's also where one of the many monuments for José Rizal is located, along with many Filipino expats.
My university's Confucius Institute hosted a sort of spring festival where they celebrated Chinese culture. It was complete with a talent show, trivia tournament, and other cultural activities. I especially loved the students from all parts of Alaska who performed traditional dances, Mandopop songs, and even comedy gags. I wasn't aware of how many Chinese language learners there are in Alaska, so it was surprising for me to see more than a couple hundred students. I performed with other Confucius Institute students. We sang 我和你 (Wǒ hé Nǐ), the theme song from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. We even met with a voice teacher from China who helped compose the performance. It was a big deal, and we found out last minute that we would be opening the festival!
Sup, Winter? Thanks for showing up.
It took long enough! I mean, what's an Alaskan spring without that random rain/snow/hail towards the end of April? Not my Alaska, not at all. Weather has been so weird lately. Anchorage has been having a weird weather system. I mean, weather systems. Seriously, if you go from one side of town from the next, the weather can be completely awesome on once side. Then, when you hit the west or south side, it's horrid! (I've been using the word "horrid" a lot lately.)
Despite this weird weather, I've been gearing up for the summer ahead. I actually think that it's going to feel like the shortest summer I've ever had, because of how packed it's going to be. I won't be at home for most of July, which is typically a busy time of year with my family and friends. (There are so many birthdays!!) So, most of my time has been focused on getting things in order for summer -- final plans for Beijing, getting my son ready for kindergarten, making sure that there isn't any maintenance needed on our place, all that fun domestic stuff.
Fresh Off The Boat Overload
Despite the recent criticisms of Fresh Off The Boat by the real Eddie Huang, I've still continued to watch it. The main reason is that my son has really taken interest in it, especially with all of the references to Street Fighter. No matter what happens to this show, second season or not, it's really changed network TV. I feel that in some way, even though my son more likely doesn't understand or even has a thought about it, the show gives Asian kids a face to identify with. My son is going to grow up remembering an Asian family on American television, which is something I never had. It might not be anywhere close to Eddie Huang's memoir, but I'm glad that it somewhat makes Asian Americans visible. Plus, hello! Constance Wu is so much fun to watch as Jessica Huang!
*Images are not my own and were found here.
Other Happs
- If you follow me on Twitter, my mom has been on a roll lately. She's especially expressing her concern about me traveling to Beijing. You know, because she thinks mainland China is dangerous for Filipino citizens. Then, I have to tell her that I'm putting "American" on my visa and that I'm not even a Filipino citizen. Then she tells me, it doesn't matter. Then, ahhh! It's just an ongoing cycle!
And it starts. Mom vs. Beijing pic.twitter.com/40hAHGoZCl
— Shayne (@shayneblogs) Twitter
- Speaking of my mother, I've also entertained the idea of starting a series about her and the things she says and does in public. We'll see how much material she'll create.
- I got this card from my co-workers on Administrative Professionals Day. It's a holiday for anyone who makes things happen! Hahaha! Well, at least in the office. We don't necessarily have an admin staff for my program, it's just me. I've taken on both the admin and associate roles for almost two years now. I just felt so overjoyed and appreciative that I work with such amazing people!
- Recently, I accepted a position as a writer for an online magazine. It's a publication in its early stages that has a "for artist, by artist" mentality. I'd been looking for volunteer, contributor or even freelance type work for a while. Before I even really threw myself out there I got an email from the this magazine's founder. It was a godsend! I'll let you all in on more details soon.
Enough about me! What about you; what have you been up to?
