glimpses.
in no particular order... some snapshots from the past few months.
annie abroad...not to be mistaken as annie, a broad.
Based in Beijing, working in philanthropy and public health. I'm...
always looking for places to call 'home',
up for trying out new cuisine + enjoying old favorites,
excited to meet friends from all over,
in love with good public transportation (especially in NYC),
distraught by the lack of fresh air here,
but,
liking Beijing and discovering how life in China fulfills me!
Drop me a line + say 你好 : )
the b&mgf.
Started my new job this week! Things are going well. Grants up the wazoo.
However...
unlimited coffee and snacks
+ sitting at a desk for most of the day
-----------------------------------------------------------
I need to start working out regularly again.
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a woman's world | nytimes
A photo of mine actually made it into the New York Times (!!!), as part of a series of photos submitted by readers from all around the world :)
Made my day.
...the one and only time I'll ever make it into the Times, ha :)
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half the sky.
This essay is adapted from Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's upcoming book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. Pick up a copy if you can...!! I have no idea where I would be able to find a legit copy in Beijing :(
Kristof has long been my favorite Op-Ed columnist at the NYTimes. Immensely articulate, optimistically pragmatic, and always inspirational.
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ladybug, ladybug.
After having my new bike for only a week (a lovely thank-you-and-we-love-you gift from two visiting friends), a man on an electric bike sped head-on into me and rammed into my front wheel yesterday. Both of us flew off our bikes and were in shock.
I was wearing a dress.
Thankfully enough, the skirt didn't fly up. And besides, that was the least of my problems.
I had named my new bicycle Ladybug, for its wondrous black and red pattern. Worried about Ladybug, I quickly got up and pulled her onto the sidewalk. My spirits quickly sank (further than they already had) as I saw how much damage had been done to Ladybug's front. I couldn't even walk her anywhere... the front wheel was too warped.
Now, I say that the man rammed into me, because he was speeding along on the "wrong" side of the road. Not that any other biker follows the rule 100% of the time, but it's a point to be made after an incident like this. He was also smoking (thus hindering his ability to fully maneuver his bike). And he wasn't looking at the path in front of him... instead, he was distracted by something to his right. In the brief half-second before the collision, I calculated that I wouldn't have time to get out of the way, without running into some other biker next to me... so I just braced myself for impact.
Long story short, we crashed. I parked Ladybug on the sidewalk and locked her up. Feeling my left thigh throbbing, I pulled up my skirt to see the damage... finding a six-inch scrape, bleeding and starting to bruise around the sides. I hobbled to a nearby convenience store to purchase bottled water and some tissue to clean myself up. I was late meeting up with a friend for dinner. This happened around, oh, 5:30 p.m.
Fast forward a few hours later, around 8:30, after I had done the whole antiseptic, Neosporin, self-adhesive goo-turned-bandage procedure, I decided to set out on a mission to retrieve Ladybug. After all, I didn't want her to think I had abandoned her. And it's been so muggy in Beijing lately, I was worried she would get rained on... and subsequently rust.
Because she wasn't "walkable," I had to carry her for about three kilometers. I kept switching positions, as this was causing some serious soreness in my back, shoulders, arms, and wrists. I didn't carry her home, but instead, to a place where I knew there would be a bike repairman setting up shop the next morning. Locked her up, said good night, and went home. Thoroughly sweaty. This took approximately two laborious hours.
This morning, I went to the sidewalk curb where I knew the repairman would be. He said it would cost me 150 RMB (the entire bike cost 460 RMB, including basket, bell, and a huge lock) to fix up the entire front. I tried bargaining, but to no avail. He knew I was desperate to get Ladybug well again.
After a long lunch and doing some work on my laptop, all the while fretting about the well-being of Ladybug undergoing her surgery (as I had put it to friends), I went to check up on her. The repairman was just about done, as he was working on tightening up the screws and such. And then... finished!
Ladybug had a speedy recovery and we are now going everywhere around town together again. Albeit, a bit more cautiously.
Check her out, and behold, a snapshot of my scrape.
Be careful out there on the roads, everyone! ...And no, we don't wear helmets in Beijing. I know, I know... so bad! Don't tell my mom about any of this.
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first for everything
Was approached to do a few simple shoots for gold art/jewelry... thought it'd be an interesting experience (it was). But not something I'd continue doing, I think. Not that I'd have chances to do more -- China's probably the only place someone like me would get asked to model, ha :) All the same, something to check off my "Things I've Done in Life" list.
There were about 500 shots in all. I think only 10 are going to be chosen. Here are some outtakes from the two shoots...
Accessories by 张凡, photos by Kathy Fung. Locations: 798 and 世贸天阶 (The Place).
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fujifilm instax mini 10
Visited the camera market in Wukesong yesterday, with JL.
Came out with an instant film cam. So fun!
Thank you, Jeff, for sharing simple adventures with me.
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long weekend = camping!
Highly recommend camping at the Great Wall. Stay in a watch tower for the night -- saves you from bringing tents!
Thanks to Dragonboat Festival, it was a long weekend here in China... so 11 of us decided to take advantage of the rather-warm-but-not-blisteringly-hot-yet weather, take a bus and other transportation out to Huairou (outskirts of Beijing), hike the Huanghuacheng section of the GW, and stay for a night. Didn't think I'd be visiting the Wall twice in a month's time. Hiking some of the steps brought back semi-fond memories of the marathon... ha.
We celebrated a birthday, ate Snickers (energy!), roasted marshmallows + hot dogs, drank Great Wall red wine (yes, there is such a thing), and also downed some baijiu ... not to mention grubbed on some amazingly rich chocolate cake + frosting that one of us had made, in honor of the birthday. YUM.
One of the highlights of the trip was seeing a star-filled sky... finally. It's been so, so long since I've seen the stars, it was wonderful to spot the Big Dipper, Orion's Belt, Cassiopeia, and other constellations that friends pointed out to me.
Great group -- laid-back, adventurous, and fantastic senses of humor. Normally, I would be hesitant to go camping with a group bigger than ten, but it worked out really well in this case.
Camping at the Great Wall and sleeping overnight in a watch tower... another thing to check off the "Things to Do in Life" list :) Sweet.
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