I definitely missed Xanga while I was gone. But I didn't completely remove myself from the blogosphere. I confess... I cheated!

Here are some blogs and websites I enjoyed during my Xanga hiatus. (They helped to ease the pain of xanga withdrawal.)

ENTERTAINMENT

• Dooce - humorous read from a blogger who writes extensively about her life/ pregnancy/ parenthood
• Nordljus - a visual delight
• Neil Gaiman - author of fantasy novels (including Stardust and American Gods)
• Confessions of a College Callgirl - hilarious! Obviously NSFW. start from the beginning for the juicy stuff
• Tastespotting - the ultimate FOOD PORN!
• 3191 - a year of mornings (photography project)

INSPIRATION

• Presidential Debates - There's a lot at stake for our country, so I've been following the debates very closely and have actually found them to be quite exciting. Maybe that says something about how old/ boring I've gotten. haha
• TED talks - The TED conference is an invitation-only event where the world's leading thinkers and doers gather to find inspiration. The premise of the talks is "Ideas Worth Spreading." Now, for the first time, the talks have been made public and they are endlessly fascinating!! I've watched dozens of talks so far and each and every one has been tremendously thought-provoking.
• The Happiness Project - The author is collecting and test-driving every priciple, tip, theory, and scientific study she can find on happiness, whether from Aristotle or St. Therese or Martin Seligman or Oprah.
• Podcasts - I snagged myself a free ishuffle and have been thoroughly enjoying a wide variety of Podcasts, including, of course, the ones from NPR.

TRAVEL

• Vagabonding - one man, one year, one world
• The World Is Not Flat - chronicles a couple's trip around the world in 2006
• The Lost Girls - Three 20-something New Yorkers ditched their jobs to embark on a yearlong, round-the-world journey
• Everything Everywhere - a photo a day from his travels

(I'll spare you from the nerdy science blogs and websites I frequent.)

What are your favorite blogs and sites outside of Xanga? Any recommendations?

 

All photos taken with our Casio Exilim-Z750

None of these images were post-processed (aka photoshopped) except for the fourth (nightclub photo)

I love this last photo. I was walking around our neighborhood earlier this July and saw the sun setting in the most spectacular fashion. The sun and the street were aligned perfectly so that the sun was nesting between two rows of Manhattan skyscrapers and highrise buildings. The glorious blaze of fire glazed the street with red and orange hues and lit up the sky with whispers of pinks and lavendars. It was gorgeous!

3 Easy Tips for Point-and-Shoot Camera Photography

1.  Play around with your basic camera settings.

For our Exilim, I have the Sharpness, Saturation, and Contrast at "+2" each. (The default setting is "0") You can change these settings under the "quality" options in the menu.

2.  Pre-focus, then frame and shoot.

"Virtually all auto-focus systems use the center of the image to determine focus. If your subject is off-center, the camera will focus on whatever is in the center of the image. To avoid this problem, place your subject in the center of the frame, then lightly press the shutter button to lock the camera's focus. Keep the shutter half-pressed, then recompose and shoot."

This technique was helpful in the fourth photo at the nightclub with my two friends who are off-center. Pre-focusing can also decrease shutter lag.

3.  Use the macro focus.

Indicated by the flower icon or "Macro"

I use the macro focus for any subjects at a close distance, such as food. I also use the macro focus for artistic shots to decrease the depth of field. For example, in the fifth photo with the paint splotches, the macro focus blurs the background.

 

Last night, a group of friends feasted at Daisy May's BBQ to properly celebrate the "Year of the Pork."

We made reservations for their award-winning Big Pig Gig.

Full 8-bone American Rack of Lamb - finger-lickin' lip-smackin' gooooood!

 

Whole Pork Butt that won 1st place at the Kansas City World Series of BBQ - a meat-lover's delight!

We ordered enough food to feed 8 hungry people ... Americans ... Texans ... Chinese-Americans with ridiculously high metabolism.

 

You might not be able to tell from the way we look, but we are voracious meat-eaters.

See the 3 guys on my side of the table? Their nicknames since our high school days have been "Dino,"  "Beef,"  and "KFC."

My dad's nickname for me is actually "Da Zhu" (mandarin for "Big Pig") because I eat a LOT for my size. I'm not tiny by any means.. But the amount of carbs, fat, and meat that I consume is enough to make most people obese. But instead, I'm a normal size and I have one of the best cholesterol levels my doctor has ever seen. (She actually asked me if I was a professional athlete.... HAHAHA!!!)

I know there are others out there who are also blessed with good genes and high metabolism. I just want to know... how much longer can I expect this* to last?!

*the ability to eat large amounts of whatever I want without suffering any consequences

 

MOST AWFUL MEMORIES OF CHINA 2005

I visited China again this summer.  Like most trips, it had its highs and lows. 
Usually, I like to share my happiest moments.  But this time, I think it'd be fun to highlight the most awful memories of my trip to China.   
Muhuahua!  You must all suffer along with me!

6.  The rain & typhoon



5.  Getting my hair permed
It was more like a torture device!  The scariest part was that the attendant wasn't sure how to run the voltage correctly.. 
(Now I know what my gels feel like when I electrophorese them.)



4.  Scary "food"
This is just one of many examples... Scorpion kebab, anyone?



3.  The ditches that they call "toilets"
The following mspaint is not an exaggeration!  The worst ones didn't even have doors for privacy.   
I had to pee so badly once and the only "toilets" around was a ditch much like below, with no doors... and all the locals stared at the bikini tan lines on my butt!!



2.  The heat & humidity
was unbearable.  Poor Derek sweated buckets. 
He didn't let me take any pictures of him dripping, but I did manage to sneak in a picture of the aftermath- salt stains!



1.  The Suzhou fetid cesspool
Because it was soooo ridiculously hot, we were delighted to see these sprinklers!

Like little kids, we giggled and rinsed our feet and faces in the sprouting water.

As we walked further along, we noticed the exact source of water for the sprinkler hose...

The pump                                         A closeup of the water we were rinsing ourselves in


We immediately ran to the nearest street vendor and bought several bottles of spring water and dumped them on ourselves!


Later, we learned that our guidebook described the Suzhou creek as a "fetid cesspool."