The Great Wall of China

There are certain websites in China, which you can not access. Previouslly, sites have included myspace and wikipedia. Recently, they have added blogger to the list. Basically, I can post entires. I just can't view my own or any other blog. @_@

A couple days ago, on a shanghai expat forum, someone posted a link to download software, which would allow its users to bypass China's firewall (i.e. "Great wall of China"). Two days later...that site was also blocked.

If anyone (brent/mike) knows how to get around this, could you please email me: shih.is.jenny@gmail.com? Sorry Mike, I know you sent me a previous email, but I can't seem to find it! Don't post comments (for now) b/c we can't see them!

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The Laziest (Albiet Cutest) Animal on the Planet

My parents recently came to China; my father to work, my mother to keep him company, and both to visit their favorite daughter. :) On their trip, they visited 4 cities, one of which was Chengdu. Chengdu is located west of Shanghai and is home to the world's largest panda reserve, which we had the pleasure of visiting.

I was absolutely thrilled, as the last time I had seen a panda in person was when i was about 2 feet tall. I must say, I didn't remember them to be such...dirty and lazy animals. One of the pandas was laying on it's back, muching on a stick of bamboo (much like the one pictured above). Without moving an inch, it shit on top of itself and instead of getting up to shake it off, it just laid there...looking quite happy indeed.

Chengdu is located within Sichuan province, which is famous for it's local food because it is notoriously spicy. The type of flavoring is referred to as "mala", which literally means numbing spice and it tastes exactly as it sounds. Eating mala food, which I'm convinced is how they flavor all the food in the entire province, makes your mouth feel like it was lit on fire and then injected with a dental anesthetic. It will also make you sweat profusely. Some people love it...I just don't get it.

Papaya & Frog Ovary Soup

Last week, I was fortunate enough to be treated to dinner by my closest Chinese friend. That same night, I had the misfortune of eating an entire bowl of papaya & frog ovary soup without realizing what it was. Only after I had finished did I ask the name of the soup. She showed me the menu and when my mouth fell open, she assured me that the translation was faulty....right. Thinking back on it, I probably would have eaten it regardless of when I knew what it was. Rude not to....(John has a funny store about the differences in food culture).

I was telling this story to a friend of mine and he replied, " Can’t trust people who eat reptiles and/or ovaries." True, but my previous thought (and it is solidifying itself more and more nowadays) was, "Can't trust people who eat their pets". Not that people who eat dog here are actually eating their own. Truthfully, I'm fairly certain that dog owners here find digesting their canine pals just as repulsive as most westerners. However, I can't help but wonder at those people who grin at me when I walk past them while walking Cleo (new puppy). Are they grinning because they find her cute...or because she looks tasty? >_<

Plus one...

HOME SWEET HOME

Need we say more? ;)

FYI for those of you who don't know. We'll be in the US from 01/25-01/30. Peoria, IL from the 25th-26th. Indy for the duration. Hope to see as many familiar faces as possible!

Anything is Possible if you Know how to Ask

**Majority of post accidentally deleted.



Let me first preface this entry by saying, I like living here. Simply put, China has a lot to offer and I will never forget her genorosity to me. That being said, there are also times when the saying, "you can't live with her and you can't live without her" has never made more sense. Better yet, "you can't live with her and you can't kill her" downright makes my heart hurt on account of how accurately it describes my once-in-a-while feelings towards China. >_<>