So Long, The House That Ruth Built

This was how excited I looked like last year in my first and only visit to Yankee Stadium. I witnessed history that night: Roger Clemens pitched his 350th career win with Mo finishing it off. Today, reliving all the historical moments and sweet memories on the final game at this baseball Cathedral, I felt so grateful I was there for the once-in-a-lifetime experience. My emotions are mixed and overwhelmed. My heart was there with the fans, the Pinstripes, and of course, the Stadium. It's still hard for me to accept this place is going, going, gone. Those thundering chants will be echoing forever. Lights out for the last time...

Photo courtesy of MLB.com

Loved The Island

Okanagan was beautiful, Vancouver Island was only better. After the short trip, where I had organic food from the backyard and sipped fresh wine from the basement, to the Lake last week, I got on the ferry and crossed Georgia Straight for the first time since I came here; only left me wondering 3 days later why I waited for 4 years to touch this gorgeous place. Victoria had more perks than I expected. I thought Vancouver had trees - until I arrived in Victoria - it certainly has more. I was grateful to have Kelly and Courtney as local hosts and toured us around the town. Then it came the highlight: going across the Island to Ucluelet and Tofino. Ucluelet was such a peaceful small town, if not seeing those new real estate development. I camped on their Big Beach for the night: sleeping in the sound of ocean waves pounding on the rocks and under the bright full moon shining its pale light on the water, I could not ask for more. The only thing I missed was a moon set on the next morning. My favourite part of Long Beach was Wickaninnish Beach. The water was freezing cold but the fun of playing in it with the waves obviously beat it. In the end, when we arrived at our original destination Tofino, it was the time to head back. You can spend weeks there to discover the beauty. If the rainbow was the theme in Hawaii last time, the Mid-Autumn moon was with us throughout the trip this time on the Island. We captured an amazing view of this full moon climbing out behind the mountain right after sunset when we drove passed by Port Alberni, the colour could only made by nature. Then, on the ferry back to Vancouver, the silky moon light spreading on the water only seemed to help save my memory from the past three days.

A Genius Idea

I bought a new printer today at BestBuy. At the checkout, the cashier told me there was an $8 “Environmental Handling Fee” from the government. I couldn’t say no to that, as I did to the extended warranty charge, because it was government regulation. BUT... WTH! It was more than 11% of my printer’s price. 8 bucks plus tax for what? Cartridge disposal? What or whom do we pay for with that? It is modern technology (which somehow we all paid for) that invented this machine and now we need to pay extra to use it because there is something wrong with using it? I don’t think we can save the environment through this, as long as people don’t bother taking the cartridge to the disposal box, or they keep ferociously clicking the printing button on one-sided paper without a second thought... What a brilliant idea by the politicians -- I just graciously paid $8 ENVIRONMENTAL HANDLING FEE!

Danke Olli!

My First Time Hosting CouchSurfers

After joining CouchSurfing, I always wanted an opportunity to show foreigners around my hometown Xi’an. I wanted to do this because this city is an amazing city with ancient history and the Chinese culture which westerners are always interested to know. It is also an chance to have them know more about the real China and its people. At least I, as someone who was brought up here and lived in the western world for long enough, can let them know my opinions on the foreign sentiment of this country and try to clear some misunderstandings they have on my motherland. Therefore, I opened my door on the website, though I was only going to be at home for two weeks. With a bit of a surprise, I did receive a surfing request from a Belgian girl (Leen) who was travelling with her boyfriend (Koen) in China for two months.

Leen was very well travelled and had very open opinions on different issues. Koen had a very similar desire as I do: go off road. They even had some common language with my parents on career paths. It was fairly incredible to hear all their stories travelling around China -- they barely spoke any Chinese but went to many of those rural places I had never been to. We had great time together in Xi’an. I felt extremely enjoyable showing them around and chatting about things from wine to politics. I was extra happy to see them mouth-watering at those delicious Chinese food -- they went to the Muslim Quarter 3 times on their 3-day visit in Xi’an! Touring them to the historical places made me feel ashamed again for how little I know about my own history.

One funny fact in our trip was that the famous Dr. Henry Kissinger was with us for 2 days in 3 different occasions: from Terra Cotta Army Museum, to Shaanxi History Museum to Big Goose Pagoda... It was so annoying the Chinese security still enclosed “safe zone” and kicked regular visitors away for these celebrities. But guess we didn’t make a too bad travel plan.

The Olympics Opening Ceremony

The 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony was absolutely a stunning performance. It was like an incredible movie (i.e. Dark Knight) I need to watch multiple times to get the real taste of it. Some parts were even surreal to me. I just WOW-ed all the way throughout this flashback of this great part of human history. Personally, I like the 60-second countdown by the 2008 drummers: INSANE.

Truly a celebration for the Chinese. Hope my country will build on it after the Games to make that part of the world even better, not only have it as a show!

My Cousin's Wedding

I had a lot more fun than I expected at my cousin’s wedding today. It was also my aunt’s (his mother’s) birthday, which made the wedding extra eventful. The groom and the bride got really emotional a few times during the process at the wedding ceremony. They kissed in tears when the MC announced them husband and wife. It was truly a moving moment to be part of, especially for me as a person who sometimes struggles with the opinions on marriage. Maybe that is the moment I realize it: the holy grail of LOVE with your special one.

Arriving Home

The first day at home was not too fun at all. Weather was outrageously hot, 30 degrees Celsius inside home all day and it’s very muggy. I had mosquitos bites all over my body. I couldn’t sleep too well because of jet lag. The air outside wasn’t too decent, either. On the way to visit grandparents in law, the smelly street filled with garbage and people who were out for some “cool” air. I couldn’t have any deep breath. I’m not sure why but last time when I was back in the winter, it wasn’t this bad. Maybe I should not come back home in the summer again. Maybe it’s just Vancouver further spoiled me.

Arriving in Beijing

Just arrived at PEK, had 3 hours to kill before my connection flight to Xi’an, so I wandered around the terminal when I met a customer assistant and told her my waiting ordeal. She said: “If you want to do something, you can chat with me here.” I asked about her work at the airport, she said her main responsibility is to answer any questions from travelers. It sounded like a boring job, but she did it to another level -- she was the role model for the entire terminal. She told me a lot about the new terminal we were at: Terminal 3. It’s a big one. We needed to take a train from the gate to the main area to pick up luggage. The architecture of the terminal is a dragon-like design. The long body of the building serves as the spine of the dragon. The windows decorated the roof are like the scales on the skin of the dragon. A lot of sculptures and arts designs resembling many great Chinese history stories are located inside the building. I suggested it could be better if we make some exhibition plates to show and tell people this valuable piece of engineering product. Foreigners are always interested in these things about China and they can start learning about them the first step they put onto our soil. Even for Chinese traveling within the country, I’m sure a good number of them don’t know the background of this terminal as this customer service staff. It can help them kill time while waiting for the planes, at the same time learning more about their own country. My brief chat with this staff demonstrated again it does not matter what you do for your job, it’s how you do it that matters.

Couldn't Ask for More from The House that Ruth Built

I had waited for this All Star game since it was announced. But what happened in the last couple of days at The (baseball) Cathedra was way beyond my expectation. History was written another page, again, at The House That Ruth Built. For me, and many others, this Midsummer Classic was not about those shining stars, it was about The Stadium. People wanted to be there because it was Yankee Stadium. I could not be more delighted whenever I was reliving my moment there last year this time. Every time I watch a game on TV, I feel like I’m back there again. The last two nights were even more special…

What Josh Hamilton did in the home run derby was beyond imagination. Every one of his shot seemed to be going out of the ballpark, and there were plenty of them, more than enough to make him on the record book. He put on a show that made the 55,000 fans at Yankee Stadium chanting for his name, a player not from the Yankees. Was it only an honour to names like Babe, Reggie, Derek, and alike? What made the story even more impressive is the life of this young man in the last few years. From a top prospect, to a drug addict who was on the verge of ending his own life, to showing the dedication of pulling himself back by cleaning up body tattoos (or at least trying), to now – embracing one of the biggest ovation in this special place at this special occasion. It was this game of sports which made it happen.

That was Monday night, and we all knew it was only the start…

On Tuesday, the party reached its summit. The streets in Big Apple were covered by red carpet, for the baseball’s celebrity parade. The best of the best, Hall of Famers, gathered in the Stadium. The New Yorkers chanting their captain’s name during players introduction, while booing everything related to Boston. The fly-over at the end of The Star Spangled Banner was such a reflection of the place under it: that B2 Stealth Bomber looked so solitary from far away in the pale light after sunset across the beautiful NYC skyline, yet it was so loud and powerful within. The big surprise came when the Boss rode out on a cart and delivered the balls for ceremonial pitch. Then, what could have been more fitting than Derek Jeter having the first hit of the game. The game itself didn’t want to miss the spotlight either. So it almost had everything that a baseball game could offer: great pitching; comebacks; all-star errors; teaching the kid (Jonathan Papelbon) what it took to become a Hall of Famer (Mariao Rivera). Then, it needed more -- extra innings -- to decide, or almost didn’t decide, the winner. It even got better in the extra frames: leadoff runners were stranded again and again; bases loaded with nobody out couldn’t score the winning run; back-to-back errors by the same player, accompanied with 3 strikeout and rally-killing double play. In the end, it came to the fun (or not) part: “Is it going to end when the new Yankee Stadium opens?” Managers were facing the dilemma of using 2 pitchers who just threw 100+ pitches two days ago, not saying one is from the division rivals competing for the pennant. After two 7th inning stretch, 15 innings, and 4 hours 50 minutes, probably the longest box score ever, it finally ended, with a very close play which, if went the other way...

There was nothing more I could ask from this celebration. With more to come in its last days, History and the Stadium belong to each other.