Vienna Teng 史逸欣

 

Based on Wikipedia, She was born to Taiwan parents, studied piano since five, grew up in Saratoga, California, got a CS degree from Stanford, and worked in Cisco for two years as a software engineer. Then she quit and became a singer. It is probably true that she is not yet a superstar, but she has her own voice and a faithful fan-base. I think she has 4 CDs. I have two: Waking Hour and Dreaming Through the Noise.

Kid first introduced me Vienna Teng. I like solo singers, particularly those who write their own song. I listened to the samples and decided to keep them. A couple of years later, I acquired a second CD, before I learned about her heritage and background. Saratoga is within walking distance from my home. She is literally a girl next door that may have gone to the same Chinese school as my kids, who also learned piano, like pretty much every kids to immigrant parents here.

Her songs gradually moved up in my play-count chart. Her voice is good, distinct, probably a bit breathy. She has something, not her ethnic background, that draws me back. But I am probably to buy her CD because of her ethnic background, at least that’s why she is the first musician I blog about.

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Hell’s Kitchen

I avoid reality shows, unless when I have been hooked. Then I thank Hulu for allowing me to finish the season in one long sitting.

Can I say I watch Hell’s Kitchen for education? I frequent restaurants reasonably and really never thought much of how foods show up on my table. Everyone orders, the waiter disappears, they re-appear with a tray full of dishes, we eat, we pay, we leave. What’s between step 2 and 3?

First of all, it never ocurred to me how much effort it takes to get everyone’s foods at the same time. Think about it, there are 3 to 4 items on the plate and each of them takes different amount of time to cook. For the whole table, the kitchen may need to prepare over 2 dozens items, and they all must finish at the same time so that we can enjoy delicious foods together. This is a complicated operation.

Secondly, cooking is so manual. All those cutting, seasoning, heating, tasting, inspecting, plating, delivering, etc. are all manual. No one seemed to have tried to automate commercial kitchen.

Lastly, the adjectives are so limited. What can you use to describe good foods: tasty, delicious, yummy, good, … The list runs out quickly. Where are the descriptors that tell the subtle shades apart? Most people use facial expression or tone of voice to communicate the quality of the foods. For an art that has as long a history as this species, we are amazingly primitive in its vocabulary.

I am glad that Dave won. I was sorry to see Ariel lost. She did not demonstrate organization and leadership skills at the end. Among the final two, I definitely like Dave, the one-arm-bandit, better than Kevin.

Surprisingly, I came to appreciate Chef Ramsay’s training method. He wants to expand his franchise and this is not a bad method. Creating a new high-end restaurant is an expensive and risky endeavor. A TV show can raise capital, scout talents, provide training, and advertise for the new gig. Brilliant!

No, I won’t watch next season. Unless I am, again, sick at home for several days without many other choices.

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也想北京

那你呢? 有人看了我譯女兒的大作,問我.

真回來了,日子排的都是人.中國人習慣的吃飯,加上舊雨新知.每天就滿了.朋友見面不是開會. 聊起來,喝兩杯,時間飛逝.

這次住東方,也不是休假,去的地方不多.

  1. 前門: 從東郊民巷走到前門大街,再進大柵欄.這塊全變了.但小巷子裏,還是如舊.都一處和全聚德都還在.
  2. 涮羊肉: 隨便找了一家. 應該去滿福樓,但倆人沒意思.
  3. 鼎泰豐: 其實是去了趟新光.這可是北京購物之最
  4. 潭柘寺,戒台寺,盧溝橋: 週末踏踏青,吸收一下文化. (這字左木右石,念”折”,不是拓.)
  5. 天安門: 可以想見國慶的盛況.

沒機會,但想去的地方:

  1. 頤和園: 慈禧的私人泳池,百去不厭.
  2. 川辦: 定樓上的包間. 菜單上的東西每個都點.
  3. 烤鴨: 我覺得還是大董好.
  4. 新疆飯莊: 大碗喝酒,大塊吃肉,吃素的別來.
  5. 司馬台長城: 最有風味,又具挑戰性.要從金山嶺出發.

看到CCTV被燒的實在心痛. 坐地鐵居然兩圓可以坐到底,國家真沒想在這上賺錢. 中國跑的比世界快3倍. 迎頭趕上,指日可待. 加油.

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Beijing’s Blue Sky

Late autumn is my favorite Beijing season, from mid-October to mid-December. The vacation season is over, the cool air refreshes, it does not rain, and the skys are blue.

The municipality has been trying very hard to help. The world saw the Olympic Blue in awe. In fact, Beijing started its clean-up effort way back. The first step was the clear guideline to make Beijing into the capital, cultural center, high-tech, and a good place to live. With much debate, it removed industrial output or any GDP target from its goals; both of them were gladly received by the neighboring TianJin (天津) city: a beautiful city by the sea. With the new charter, the municipality moved most of the heavy industries away, with the famed efficiency of the China government.

Next Beijing systematically renovated thousands of winter heating facility across the city: changing them from coal to natural gas or oil. The city also launched probably the most ambitious public transportation project in the world: tripling subway mileage in just a few years and convert all buses to electric or natural gas.

About the most impressive project was the re-pasturization of the Gobi desert on its west. For thousands of years, gust brought up dust storms to the city and literally darkened the day. For centuries, farmers depends on these annual top soil renewals. These days, they became a health hazard to city dwellers. The government started the desert greening project decades ago. Not only have the project helped the farming industry, it has also reduced the severity and frequency of those dust storms.

The last, and the toughest, air-cleaning project would be car emission. As Beijing’s GDP per capita reaches US$9,000 this year, the city witnessed more than a thousand new cars each day! Car emission has stumped pretty much all municipalities around the world. Beijing, with a China-style innovation, has come up with a strange and daring strategy.

Since the Olympics, a fifth of the cars in the city have been taken out of the circulation. Everyday, based on the license plate number, a fifth of the cars are banned from the streets. Below is the newspaper informing the public which ending digits are banned from the street that day, and the following day. The fine for violation is severe and deterring.

My commute to work took about 40 minutes, probably a 15km drive from downtown to the east gate of TsingHua university. I felt it as “normal” Beijing traffic and couldn’t imagine what would it be had the other 20% of cars were also on the street. During my stay, I saw blue sky everyday and felt the warmth of autumn sun. On my way to the airport, I watched a gorgeous day outside and imagined the view from the Great Wall. Wherever I live, I would gladly take public transportation, one day a week, in exchange for the blue sky. Small price to pay.

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Angels & Demons

Angels & Demons

Tom Hanks

based on Dan Brown’s fiction

I enjoyed the book and overdosed on Dan Brown with it. By that time, I have read Da Vinci Code and Digital Fortress. I liked his pace, but all those hidden meanings of abstract symbols made me suspicious at every little glyph someone graffiti’ed on the wall. All those secret societies made me felt everything was part of a giant conspiracy.

So I decided to wait for the DVD. Delighted, it was one of the flight movies on my way to India. Perfect.

I was disappointed, not very, just a bit.

The papal succession process was supposed to be revealing. The execution of four bishops was supposed to be torturous. The path to St. Peter’s grave was supposed to be creepy. The Camerlengo was supposed to personify angel and demon in one. They all did, but none satisfied my imagination when I read the book. Maybe all movies will be disappointing to readers of the original books?

The Roman scenes are supposed to be awesome, and they were. Just the recognition of places I’ve just visited was exciting. There were several details and special angles not accessible to tourists. Rome already offered “Roman Holiday Tour” and “Da Vinci Code Tour.” I think there will be an “Angel and Daemon Tour” soon.

Anyone read Lost Symbol yet?

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水滸: 李師師

我居然忘了李師師是水滸裏的人物. 野史中常提這一代名妓. 她色藝冠東京,迷倒宋幑宗. 金人入京後,散淨家財,抵死不從.

水滸中的女性人物,雖然生動,但多為負面. 流傳最廣,還當上金瓶梅主角
的就是潘金蓮了. 另外都是配角: 最豪氣的是一丈青扈三娘, 但居然嫁給了矮腳虎王英. 其他有做人肉包子的孫二娘和有男人氣概的顧二嫂. 看到了李師師,終於出了個有個性,有才氣的的重要人物.

史上沒貂蟬其人,羅貫中的三國把她推進四大美女排行榜. 所以有人以趙飛燕代. 李師師也沉魚落雁,閉月羞花. 但只落為”名妓”. 其實美女代代有. 能以美色傾城傾國應是:西施,昭君,楊貴妃加個沖冠一怒的陳圓圓.

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iPod Touch v. iPhone

Yesterday, I found the new 64GB iPod Touch on sales for $379. Next to it was the 32GB version for $279, almost 30% drop since I bought mine 6 months ago. I felt stupid.

In many social occasions recently, I must defend the decision of not having an iPhone. Similar to gang color, iPhone has become a badge for a distinct social class. It is now more a symbol than a piece of gadget. That’s why I need to explain to my fellow gangsters.

I have an entertainer, the iPod, and a communicator, the cell phone. I keep them as two devices and am reluctant to merge them into one. I have observed that people have gradually merged their laptop and camera into their iPhone. Interesting that the traditional use of iPod, a play back device and casual gamer, remained separated even to iPhone owners. “That what the old iPhone for,” said a friend who upgraded to 3GS. “Music? Heck, I control my stereo via AirDock with my iPhone.”

I may not be a Luddite, but clearly not an early adopter either. For now, I remain a bit upset for wasting good money for buying the iPod Touch too early. With more music than I can listen, several movies, and three PodCasts, I managed to use up about 20GB. I will hold onto my iPod Touch until there is a compelling reason to get a new one. Having it also became a compelling reason not to get an iPhone, I will be wasting many features.

I found it amusing that Apple is punishing the early adopters by reducing the prices rapidly. Those who camped out the store to get their first 3GS were financially exploited. Their rewards were very subtle; it is ostensibly difficult to tell a new iPhone from the old. The new badge is not so different than the old.

(=O\ (That’s emoticon for shrug.)

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Moon Cake Day

This is a re-write from several years ago. My long-time readers will recognize it. Sorry.

The 8th full moon, from New Year, is the Autumn festival in China — October 4th this year. Some people call it Moon Festival. It is a time for family reunion and the popular food that goes with this festival is the Moon Cake (月餅 Yue Bing). Moon Cakes are pastry with a flour-based shell and dense fillings. Kids’ favorites is red-bean paste. I love lotus seeds or dates, with or without salty duck egg yolks. Yummy.

There are several folk lores associated with this festival. The best known one, that I adapted for my kids, is a tragic love story.


Long long time ago, there were 10 suns in the sky. It was so scorching hot that crops could not grow and people languished. A young man, HouYi (后羿), took his bow and arrows, climbed up to a high mountain, and demanded improvements. When the suns laughed at him and refused, HouYi shot them down to the sea one by one. The last, and the smallest, sun submitted to him and agreed to rise and set regularly until eternity. Days and nights became regular and everyone was happy. People were so grateful, they made HouYi their king. Soon, HouYi married this beautiful woman ChangEr (嫦娥). They lived happily in the palace.

Years went by and HouYi changed into a tyrant and a bad king. People suffered from him as much as they did from the 10 suns. ChangEr tried to influence HouYi to no avail. Most horribly, HouYi learned the existence of the elixir of life. He sent ChangEr’s pet rabbit for it. The rabbit ran westward for long, long time, found it, and fetched it back for HouYi.

HouYi had a grand party to celebrate his imminent immortality. ChangEr understood that she was the people’s only hope. After HouYi fell asleep. She stole and drank the elixir. Immediately, she floated to the sky and ended up on the moon. The rabbit sipped from the bottle and followed her.

ChangEr became the loneliest being ever. She lived forever with only rabbit as her company. To this date, you can see the beautiful ChangEr in the moon.

Poet SU Shi (苏轼) wrote a famous poem on this story. Almost all Chinese knew this poem.

水調歌頭,   蘇軾( 1036-1101 )
丙辰中秋,歡飲達旦,大醉,作此篇兼懷子由

On this Autumn’s Festival, I partied all night. So drunk.
Wrote this piece also thinking of my brother

明月幾時有,把酒問青天。
不知天上宮闕,今夕是何年。
我欲乘風歸去,又恐瓊樓玉宇,高處不勝寒。
起舞弄清影,何似在人間。
轉朱閣,低綺戶,照無眠。
不應有恨,何事長向別時圓。
人有悲歡離合,月有陰晴圓缺,此事古難全。
但願人長久,千里共嬋娟。

When does bright moon come? Sky please tell this half-drunk.
Up there in the heavenly palace, I wonder what year is tonight.
Maybe I would fly up with the breeze, but up there would be too chilly,
in those decorated towers and jade rooms.

Dancing with my shadow, this surreality.
Moonlight rounded the balcony, went beneath the window, shone on this sleepless
Is regret that clipped the moon when we are parted?
Sadness, happiness, departures, and unions in lives.
Dark, bright, full, or clipped for moon. This is just how it is.
Hope we will both have longevity, so that we can share this moon
Even separated by thousands of miles.

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Long Trip

Gone are the days I was a road warrior, logging more than a dozen international trips per year and earning the coveted status on airline’s frequent flyers’ club. In those days, I memorized many numbers from filling the same form too many times and zip in and out the airport skillfully. I also suffered insomnia, separation from family, weight gains from not eating right and not exercising, sick from all the travel bugs, and fatique from joggling too many jet-lags with Ambiens. Business travellers fly to a far-away and exotic city only to stay in a window-less conference room all day. When they wake up in the wee hours, they fire up their laptop and try to catch up work.

I dreaded the world-tour that I am undertaking now. The trip to Bangalore will take more than 21 hours in flight time and 30 hours door to door. The flight back will be equally exhausting. I cringed when the clerk handed me the boarding pass that showed the seat 51K: no upgrade on a fully boooked plane. This is going to suck.

Yes, I asked for this trip myself. There are things better done in person, instead of via technologies. I was also inspired by a recent communication training: there is nothing to substitute a high-touch engagement. I knew that, but have been stalling to do the right thing.

So here I am. Tired and lonely in a foreign city. Wishing you a happy Moon Cake Festival. Hope that you appreciated the full moon before you fell asleep in your comfy bed.

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11:14

11:14

Directed and written by Greg Marcks


It is really hard to review this film without spoiling it. I won’t.

There is a genre in Chinese fictions that’s part mystery, part horror, and part fate. They usually end with the revelation of someone wronging someone else in the previous reincarnation cycle. It is very buddhistic to trace everything to their causes. Readers felt this sense of closure when causes are explained, “That why she suffered head-aches for 18 years. She scolded the beggar, really a ghost, for 18 minutes.” This movie is like that, only superbly done.

What seemed to be a freak accident was explained step by step. Everything gradually fell into a twisted logic. At the end, all became clear and logical. Then the plot chewed on you for days. Suddenly, a detail jumped into your mind, “That’s why the bowling ball was there.”

It is freakily entertaining.

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