after a fairly painful overnight stay at the airport and three hour flight, i´m now lying on the beautiful beach in cancun. the caribean sea seems bluer — but i have always felt the ocean i´m seeing is bluer than those in my memory.
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A Nov. 22 article by Roger Cohen on the New York Times brought us a shocking view of the world.
China vs. U.S.: Democracy Confronts Harmony. Stay Tuned.
It is shocking to most Americans in a different way the article might have intended. Posts of the stories on BBS have already generated more China=a threat panic.
The opinion in the article is refreshing. Coming from a journalist posted around the world, it reads typically non-American. Unfortunately its voice disconnects with the majority of the American population, and it might be easily misread.
Excerpts of the article:
"We all know what the American "strings" are: democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law – the whole Iraq-tarnished lexicon of the luminous "city upon a hill." When the West offers money or simply its embrace, it wants these things in return."
"The United States has waged war in Afghanistan and Iraq in the past five years. By contrast, "China's primary strategic objective today is not conflict, but the avoidance of conflict," as Cheng Li, a professor at Hamilton College, has put it."
"The Chinese approach has the merit of seeing potential rather than cause for consciencesalving charity in Africa; it has the drawback of helping thugs like Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. As in Myanmar, it diminishes American influence by standing in opposition to it."
不管快或慢，第一个学期就这样结束了。对纸面上的结果我是满意的，可是真正学到的东西 — 这玩意本身就是一个难题，我无从评价。
不知从什么时候积累下来的习惯，临睡前喜欢将过去重新梳理。去年的这个冬天，我记得还清晰。十二月初考完试，从上海回到北京。每天在房间里对着电脑 写申请材料，常常一抬头，窗外已经点起了路灯。于是走到落地窗户边，看高速路上堵的水泄不通的车流。有时候，连续几天不梳理不下楼。每天的行走距离是床到 电脑之间的两个来回。
然后去邮局寄一个个的大信封。坐地铁到建国门，走路到二环边的国际邮局。冬天疏落的树木在路边花圃里灰灰的立着，空气是让人苏醒的清冽。从建国门桥向西边顺着长安街望过去，这座城市在这个点仿佛从未改变。
这一年的春节，我一个人在家，听城市里如战火般狂热的轰鸣。心不惊的坐在床上，欣赏漫天绚丽的烟火。这以后，我会朝哪里行走？
之前的那个冬天，准确地说，2004年12月31日，上海下了一场薄薄的雪。我刚下班，打不到车，于是走路去地铁。街道上有淡淡的白色，车子和行人都很少。天已经很黑，路灯亮着，梧桐树弯曲的臂膀被那团暖色的光照的雪白。在特定的时刻，上海的街道充满诗意。
不久，我便离开了公司，回到北京过冬。上海的冬天没有暖气，也没地方滑雪泡温泉吃涮羊肉。春节前后，我去南方追寻温暖的阳光，从上海到福建，广西和海南。可上天偏偏不成愿，一路走去全是阴雨连绵，到哪里哪里就下雨阴天，直到亚龙湾都没见到我梦寐以求的晴郎温柔的阳光。
这次旅程倾囊所有，在桂林我连买火车票的钱都没有。我忘记自己后来是回到了北京还是上海。两年前的记忆已经开始变得零乱。总之，我深刻地记得那漫无目的的旅行，那种不知道下一站客车将会把我带到哪里的迷失。
再之前的那个冬天，记忆已经散落的只剩下片断。模糊中这一年的元旦前夜是在酒店宴会里度过的。我仿佛也在这一年去了南方。或者是春节的时候去了缅甸。现在回想那时的自己仿佛混沌未开。那个时候的忧虑和迷惘只是情感的剩余产物。再往前，我的冬天的故事已经没有踪迹可循了。
2006年的冬天，元旦和除夕又会是不同的故事吧。在北美大陆的中心腹地一个面积68，886平方英里，人口将近六百万叫做密苏里的州，在这个州中心一个有将近九万居民的小镇哥伦比亚，我规律健康的学习和生活。
不管我的年纪是多少，我还在慢慢的长大。
Tags: christmas
Absolutely my favorite city in China, if not the world (in my eyes).
It might change later, but so far these two simple words are magical to me. I miss her as I have never missed anywhere else before.
If you share my love for Hangzhou, please watch this slideshow…with a beautiful song as background music. I wanted to record my own voice, but find myself wordless.
Please click here for Hangzhou:<)))
School is closed. Cars are trapped. Everything in this town, or the larger American midwest, is in a halt. A sense of disaster, abnormality and disruption. How exciting!
No one drove to school today!
Snow is easily above knees. The air is so refreshing!
The small town is in a deep and quiet sleep…
Looking out from our balcony.