Archive for February, 2009
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
State of the plant nation
Well, all was going relatively well with my new best friends, my Valentine’s plants for a few days. And then all hell broke loose.
Jeff helped me hang my favorite plant, some kind of fuschia I think, and it looked lovely. Then, a few days later, it suddenly pretty much died. I think this is because [...]
6 Comments » - Posted in Creatures, FAIL, Mysteriousness by Caitlin
Friday, February 20th, 2009
New semester, same over-commitment addiction
Although I’m entering my last semester of college, it almost feels like I’m already out of school. I only need to complete two units in order to graduate from UC Davis, and my major and minor are complete.
Oddly enough, because of my high language ability, most of my classmates are in a similar situation. They [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Beijing, Making big bucks, Skool by Caitlin
Thursday, February 19th, 2009
Beijing’s winterscape
Today I woke up to about two to three inches of light, dry snow on the ground.
Icicles by my apartment:
My alleyway looking very clean!
Rental bicycles by the Mudanyuan (木丹园）Subway Station:
The canal by the Mudanyuan Subway Station:
A sidewalk by Ikea:
Can you even tell this is in the city? The snow makes the city look almost rural [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Beijing, brrrrrrrr by Caitlin
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
Valentine’s Day flowers
When I was in high school, I used to get cut roses with some regularity. They were, of course, lovely, but they always wilted and then started to smell weird, since I never learned how to properly dry them. Actually, I wouldn’t want to dry and save flowers much anyway, since I hate having clutter [...]
4 Comments » - Posted in Beijing, Creatures, Shopping by Caitlin
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
Some weather we’re having!
Last week, fed up with the 110-day drought, the Beijing authorities successfully made it rain using weird, futuristic technology that I will not be able to explain. It was refreshing to have some humidity, and since the temperatures were ranging from the forties to the high fifties, it wasn’t too miserable.
The weather seems to have [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Beijing, brrrrrrrr by Caitlin
Thursday, February 12th, 2009
Communications cutoff?
Skype appears to be blocked on the mainland right now, and for some mysterious reason I can’t dig up anything about “Skype” and “China” newer than 2005 on a google search. Folks back home, fill me in on what’s going on! Caitlinpedia Brown needs YOUR help!
3 Comments » - Posted in BS, Beijing by Caitlin
Thursday, February 12th, 2009
Burning dreams at New Year’s end
Living in Beijing, it’s sometimes hard to see the effects of the economic crisis here, but in the past few days I feel there’s been a shift in atmosphere.
As you may have already read, a large part of one of Beijing’s signature architectural complexes burned down on Lantern Festival, the last night of Chinese New [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in BS, Beijing, Life, Olympics by Caitlin
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
HEC, how I love thee
After reading an article in the 2008 Insider’s Guide to Beijing about Hotel Equipment Corporation, a restaurant supply warehouse, I decided I had to go have a look for myself.
In short, I completely lost my mind, and it was amazing.
HEC, located in the Feng Tai neighborhood of Beijing, is a bit hard to find, but [...]
3 Comments » - Posted in Beijing, Food by Caitlin
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
Easy Curry, China-style
One of my favorite past times is rooting around for the correct ingredients to dishes I love, as you might have noticed from previous posts. I think I’ve become something of an expert on the various grocery stores in Beijing, and can confidently tell you which aisles in Wu Mart stock peanut butter, Western tea [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Beijing, Food by Caitlin
Saturday, February 7th, 2009
Embarrassing purchases
I have a feeling that all of my non-Chinese readers are currently looking at this picture thinking, “What the heck is that thing?” Those of you who are China-savvy know that this adorable little contraption is a humidifier, or “steam machine,” as I like to call them. They are pretty much mandatory in Chinese households, [...]
