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hewwo...my name is susie

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read my profile sign my guestbook Birthday: 1/19/1981 Gender: Female Message: message me Member Since: 5/5/2002

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Saturday, June 14, 2008

	What a difference one year makes...
	7:54 PM - 2 eprops - 1 comment - email it

Thursday, March 29, 2007

What is Shanghai?

Imagine the weirdest (Susie loves weird people), strangest (by saying this I am admitting I'm not quite normal myself), most energetic people you have ever met in your life. Now imagine them all congregated in one place. This is what I can sum up about Shanghai in one sentence: The world's most eccentric people in the world's fastest growing city.

Lessons learned..

Am I Chinese? Am I American? American-Chinese? I don't think I could have fully understood what it is to be any of those "labels" until I lived in China. College was about learning who I am. For me, China was about finding out where I'm from. Its ironic..I came to China to get in touch my "roots"...only to realize that I am less Chinese than I thought...and more American than I wished.

I will never forget...

Everyone that shared my experience with me. It wouldn't have been the same without any of you..

I know you will read this Crystal since u found a way to cheat the Communists Roomie..Thanks for being SO convincing and turning my 1 month into 1.5 years in Shanghai. You are born to be in PR man..

Fan...I would have been lost without u when I first came. Showing me 'that pearl looking thing thats kinda ugly...and that building that looks like the embassy.' great tour guide..

Dan, me trying to cop a cheap feel off Tim Wu, Mike's eye, and missing Pat....aka the "Ase*ual 4." My source of endless entertainment, quotes from Idiocracy, vegging, Wii, deep conversations, dumb conversations, frolicking, etc.

Hot Pot with the cool table (but only because it was the only table)...

Mike, Wo, Justin

And the biggest winners of them all! Jay, Pat and Dan at the airport to send me off. I would have probably missed my flight if it wasnt for u guys. Susiepoo was tres not sober..

xiang ni ai ni hao chang si jian (booted translation: MISS YOU LOVE YOU HO LONG TIME!)

8:26 PM - 12 eprops - 7 comments - email it

Friday, March 09, 2007

Just came back from Yunnan..

Yunnan is southwest of China. It borders Vietnam, Laos, Burma and Tibet..making it a very interesting place. Its known for its beautiful scenery and very diverse ethnic national minorities. I went to Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-la. Even though they are all within the same province and only a few hours by car from each other, they are all very different in terms of people and culture.

Not much to do in Kunming except to visit the Stone Forest. Kunming is the probably the most urban in Yunnan..

The Poopies family

A really fat baby..

Lijiang was my personal favorite place. This is when the elevation starts to get really high. We were about 3000 meters(?) above sea level at one point. Cool part is that you can see snow covered mountains...bad part is that you start to feel sleepy all day long and your skin and mouth gets really dry.

Shangri-La aka "Don't look with your eyes, but with your heart." That is what our tour guide told us. Shangri-La is really a name given by the yellow haired-blue eyed laowai who came and thought this place was beautiful. Its suppose to be every person's fantasy place. Which I think is a little BS...since my version of Shangri-La has Green Tea Vitamin Water flowing down the waterfalls and hot men of all colors running around wearing nothing but a rag. Nonetheless...it was still pretty. The Chinese name for Shangri-La is Zhongdian and is only 300 km away from Tibet. It is also known as "Little Tibet" so lots of Tibetan touches all over the place.

4000 meters above sea level.

Their "city center"

Me spinning those Tibetan spinny thingamagigs

This could have been a cool picture...if I didn't look like I was squatting..

Tiger-Leaping Gorge...so the story is that a tiger was being chased by a hunter...and the tiger leaped onto the big rock in the picture to escape to the other side...hence the most clever name.

The Tiger-Leaping Gorge also flows into the Yangtze River..

It comforts me to know that there are still some places in the world that has not been tainted with technology, pollution, and superficial things. I've never seen such a huge mass of land that is still untouched and pure. Some places, especially when you go to the mountains are still rich in culture and people still wear their traditional clothes. I love it when I see people keeping true to their roots (saids the anti-China anti-America Chinese-American). I'm also proud to say that I can now squat in the grossest and shittest (yes pun intented) "bathrooms" I've ever encountered without turning around or dry heaving. The road to being as Chinawoman as I can is completed....

1:24 AM - 16 eprops - 10 comments - email it

Friday, February 23, 2007

	I fell in love with Hong Kong all over again..
	3:29 AM - 12 eprops - 7 comments - email it

Monday, February 12, 2007

unemployed...

homeless....

Susie's life as a bum..

I am spending my last 2 months in China as a professional chiller. Going to make the most of it tho...see as much of Shanghai and China...before I make my much needed and long awaited return back to the States.

Took a trip to Hangzhou and Moganshan with Noelle and Joyce. Had an awesome time with you guys. It would have been better we were complete tho..

We went to Moganshan first. It used to be a resort spot for expats back in the 1930s, so most of the houses are western style. Silly me, I didnt know that noone goes to Moganshan in the winter. So we were stuck on a mountain with not much to do or eat. Ate lots of crackers.

On top of the mountain with Joyce. Miles of bamboo trees behind us..

Looking for huanted houses..

Moganshan mite have crappy food....but it offers awesome views..

Next stop was Hangzhou...which is (only)famous for its West Lake. A lot of Chinese couples like to have their honeymoons there...and I can see why. Its very beautiful and ho lo mantic.

Me n Noelle at West Lake

Biking at West Lake

Sunset at West Lake

Heading off to Huangshan aka Yellow Mountain tommorow. And then off to Hong Kong to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Then mama n papa dukes are coming to Shanghai. We're going to travel for the first time as a family since DisneyWorld....and I was in 5th grade. It will def be interesting...

6:27 AM - 14 eprops - 7 comments - email it

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