http://blog.crystaljean.net Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:17:48 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en chinese new year is a special time. store owners close up shop for an entire week and hundreds of millions of people embark on the journey home that sometimes takes several days. there is nothing like it... walking out on the usually unbearably crowded streets and finding them deserted. then ... http://blog.crystaljean.net/2010/02/henan-chinese-new-year/ my dad and i sat waiting on a gray mesh bench, under the steel and glass mammoth that is beijing capital airport. it was an empty night. "we didn't take any pictures together on this trip," my dad said. "i know." i pulled out my camera and snapped a self portrait of ... http://blog.crystaljean.net/2010/02/nothing-left-but-empty-space/ my floor to ceiling windows were my favorite thing about my apartment. that, and living in a high-rise with a lovely view. saturday mornings were spent with a cup of tea and a lounge chair pulled up to the window. i would stare down at the taxis driving back and forth ... http://blog.crystaljean.net/2010/02/windows/ the whole ride home in the motorcycle rickshaw taxi i wonder to myself how much it's going to be. 5 or 10? i want to avoid getting ripped off so i don't ask, but instead pull out all i have, a 20, hoping for change. he pulls to a stop and ... http://blog.crystaljean.net/2010/02/reality/ http://blog.crystaljean.net/2010/01/singing/ be kind to others. http://blog.crystaljean.net/2010/01/always/ TIC: an acronym foreigners often use in china for every absurd thing for which there is no explanation except... this is china. i had the most ridiculous experience coming back to beijing from hong kong. it's going to sound like a rant except, the separation between expectation and reality was so ... http://blog.crystaljean.net/2010/01/t-i-c/ i love these. i never ended up making decent 2009 resolutions. but upon reflection, i think i did end up achieving a lot more than i even could have dreamed of; constant change and growth is the goal, right? this past year i: -moved out of the country -became financially independent -lived in a place ... http://blog.crystaljean.net/2010/01/happy-2010/ yay for holiday cheer... trying to make our little corner of beijing a little festive hope your holidays were amazing <3 http://blog.crystaljean.net/2009/12/merry-christmas/ beautiful lanterns light up the manmade river (a stream, really) that cuts through downtown seoul people wrote wishes on these we had dessert at a really swanky patisserie.. seoul is packed with cafes, cafes, cafes! this one was adorably decorated with a travel theme. walking around hongdae at night, we ran into a group ... http://blog.crystaljean.net/2009/12/seoul-korea-part-2/