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on a saturday night. i went out with shirley du.  a date.  with johns mom.  last week, on one of her visits to the lair to drop off food and play with mia, she caught me off guard and started a full frontal interrogation on my dating life and ergo johns dating life.  with ms du being ur socialite business lady, her social network far exceeds the typical network of high powered and politically tied demographic, and as a newly retired woman, she wants to seriously tap into her network of young female women willing to date her son.  i can fully understand that moms and sons have a history of not getting along, so i empathize and try to bridge that gap for john.  we've discussed internally that this helps each other, as i am decently well versed in cultural social scenarios (as long as my mom isn't around).  so i went to the show.  

art beijing 2009 in NY, took place at the symphony space on the upper west side of manhattan.  i've attended a ton of these events, with cultural dancers, gymansts performing from overseas to give americans a showcase of asian prowess and culture.  but with my mom being taiwanese, i've only seen a taiwanese showcases.  and as china has opened up its borders the past 20 years, alongside a economic growth that seems to be gaining leaps and bounds everyday, the chinese people are much stronger today as inversely proportaional to a weakening taiwanese crowd.  im ABC.  my views are for the promotion of chinese culture without being ethnicaly prejudiced against provinces etc.  esp when it comes to women.  =)  hahaha.

this was the best asian cultural show i've seen.  the chinese, as a population superpower, are able to hand pick people for each specific area they choose to invest in, develop them, train them, and then make them shine on the global stage.  2 mc's.  both famous.  both extremely good looking.  classic elegant dresses. and the most perfect enunciation of pu tong hua, as i've heard in a long long time.  intellectual narrating and hosting.  explaining each part of the performance with intuitive jokes for the versed and for the newbies.  famous singers were brought to perform classic chinese folk, classic chinese anthems.  classic songs that very obviously came out of the mao era.  bold strong major chord melodies, all belted out at the top of their longs as pronouncing china's strength, greatness and geographical size.  the dancers, both male and female, were perfectly in sync, wore lavishly embellished costumes, radiant with color, with theme to pair with their punctual and precise movements of grace.  the female dancers, all slender, pale and delicately graceful all danced elegantly.  my favorite part of the show, were the 13 year old gymnasts performing crazy acrobatics on an elevated table.  standard trio of handstands linked together.  and then inverted pogo stick hopping while the table slowly lifted close to perpendicular against the floor.

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there's no doubt that i overcompensate.  for what?  everything.  intellect.  tolerance.  consumption.  wealth.  ambition. etc.  i hide too much . i don't even know who i can even divulge myself to anymore.  which is kind of why i like the fact that i have a roomate.  even if i don't say anything.  i get the feeling that the roomie is intuitive to the actions of me.  the reaction of the action.   it's funny.  and gracious.  and im grateful.  and its not that i've been on a 5 month bender.  it's more accurately a 3 year bender.  a bender of habits. drinking habits of course.  habits developed from loneliness.  confusion.  and stress.  im sorry to a lot of people.  im thankful for a lot of people.  im insensitive to a lot of people.  i want to hug a lot of people.  i want to smile at lot of people.  and i want to be closer to a lot of people.  sorry sorry sorry.   mom and dad and sis first.   then.  lets not divulge.  there are people i want in my life for the long term.  and i don't know how to make it work.  i think i work harder with obligation.  with relationship.  with someone i want to work for.  i dont respect myself.  i want to respect myself through someone i want. 

whoa....wrote this wasted a few nights ago....just re read this.  ok it's going public.




































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<!---------------------------------- As part of the newly popular Red Wave from Chinese musical world, their famous song Red Memory, is composed and written by the singer Xiaohai Wang. The unique combination of the “keyboard dance” and singing from the another singer of the group, Xiaowei Wang, delivered to the audience a brand new interpretation of modern Chinese music and passion.
Jiuyue Miracle has won the 2008 CCTV-3 “Avenue of Stars” annual championship finals in January 2009 after won the weekly and monthly champion competition.
Xiaowei Wang, one of the two singers, is called “keyboard legs forever” or “keyboard dancer”. She earned the first double row keys electronic organ Art Master Degree of Art in China. Early in 1997 she has won the Hong Kong First China International Piano competition works for two pianos. She has performed numerous solo double row keyboard concerts and has been invited to attend different types of domestic and international events, including the famous “One world, One dream” , “Fun China” event organized by CCTV. Her elegant appearance, her delicate voice and her magic flying keyboard legs, has conquered everyone. She is considered one of the most promising stars in China musical world.
Xiaohai Wang, the other singer, has been honored as one of the most promising musical producers. He has composed the famous song “Jiuyue Qiji”, “Red memory”, “The Days Without You” and many other songs.
The perfect synchronization of the two singers, combining piano, dance and keyboard, has shown their perfect understanding to the music. Besides attending numerous domestic events in China, Jiuyue miracle has been invited to perform in different countries, including Austria, Canada, Japan, Korea, and etc.

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ART BEIJING 2009.













Zhuo Tao, the famous CCTV hostess will host ceremony opening of
"ArtBeijing2009". This is the first time she hosts the important
entertainment in North America.





Every Chinese New Year Eve, audiences in China expect with great
anticipation the New Year’s greeting from the charming hostess of the
New Year Party, Tao Zhou. Always wearing a bright, cheerful New Year
dress, she delivers her joyous greeting to all. She is one of the most
admired hostesses on CCTV and since 1995 she has hosted 14 traditional
New Year’s parties on CCTV.
Read more...






Mr. Zhi Cheng is one of the most famous tenors in China. He is a member
of Chinese Musician Association and a top-class singer of China. He
graduated from Central Conservatory of Music in 1983 after professional
vocal training under the well-known vocal educator Professor Xiang
Shen.


Read more...
<!------------------------ Mr. Cheng's singing has very good diction and generates very solid and bright sound. His high pitch is brilliant and magnificent. He performs Italian traditional bel canto smoothly. Also, he can skillfully control his volume and timber in several vocal ranges. He performed the leading role in Chinese opera "Grieve over the deceased" by Shi Guangnan. In spite of this, Mr. Cheng acted in many other full-length operas as the lead, which was highly praised by Chinese and international communities.
Beverly Sills, one of the top ten sopranos in the world and the General Director for the New York Opera, praised Mr. Cheng as a "rare tenor". Renowned singer, Gino.Bechi said "so rare a tenor he is". Moreover, one article in New York Times wrote about Mr. Cheng that he has the most fresh and the cleanest voice heard in recent years.
In recent years, Mr. Cheng has toured many countries and regions. His solo concerts were big success in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

--------------------------------->





<!------------------------------- Chunni Xu, the most popular hostess at Beijing TV Station, is coming to Washington D.C. and will perform at George Mason University this October. She will show you her unique hosting style -- sweet, smart and humorous – providing high quality entertainment to everyone in the D.C. area. For
many years, the programs hosted by Chunni Xu have won numerous awards.
Due to her excellent performance as a hostess, she won the highest
award – Golden Microphone Award for TV host. The comments from the
Awarding Committee praised her beauty and humbleness. When she was
visited by the news agents and asked what she thought about hostesses
being called “Flower Vases”, she said in the society that personal
value is pursued, one’s outside appearance is not as important any
more. If people think she is a “flower vase”, she hopes she can be a
“flower vase with plenty of contents”.
Read more...










Ms. Chunyan Wu is one of the well-known young singers in China. Coached
and trained by the famous Professor Tielin Jin, she was conferred a
Master of Arts degree in vocal music performance from the China
Conservatory. As the only national first-class performer, Ms. Chunyan
Wu is currently the director of the opera division of the Beijing Dance
Drama & Opera.
Ms. Chunyan Wu has won many awards in various singing competitions.
Among those are awards from her hometown HeiLongJiang Province, from
Hong Kong, from CCTV, and from the Ministry of Culture.



Read more...
<!----------------------------- For the past seven years, Ms. Chunyan Wu has performed in every Spring Festival Gala hosted by the CCTV, which is the most significant national performance in China annually. She has also performed in other important shows and TV programs. Her performance tours include those in Philippine, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Austria, and Italy.

----------------------------------->






In early July 2009, the song of “Red
Memory” performed by Jiuyue Miracle in the Golden Hall of Vienna,
Austria, has won the hall-wide applause from the audience.Their pure,
sonorous, delicate voices and their enthusiasm for new forms of
performance, especially the shocking "keyboard legs forever," has won
thunderous applauses and endless appraises.


Read more...



Singer Mi Liang has a unique name that
one can easily remember. Born in the mountain area of Yao ethnic
minority in Hunan providence, she went to an art school in the city of
Changshang alone at the age of thirteen. Enrolled to Artistic Institute
of the Chinese People's Liberation Army three years later, she studied
vocal music. At the age of eighteen, she attended Chinese Conservatory
of Music and was trained by the renowned professor Ma Jiuhua for
musical arts.



Read more...
<!------------------------------------ Mi Liang always knew that music was her calling. With solid education in music, she is determined to chase after her dream. This persistency also has let her follow the torch to more than thirty cities of the forty-city-route during the Olympic Torch Relay. She earned a nick name of “most beautiful girl from Hunan” for her participation in the charitable activities and visits to the children of the disaster area. Mi Liang has an attractive face with a sense of elegant simplicity. She has a beautifully sweet voice that is as charming as her looks. People call her “lark in the army”. She adores folk lyrics yet brings it together with modern music that becomes a part of her style. She follows her heart to express emotions in songs - some cute, some romantic, some loving, some touching, or some powerful. The young Mi Liang has award-winning experience that is worth mentioning. In 2004, she won the first prize of the professional singers’ category of Young Singers Contest sponsored by Beijing TV Station for singing the song “the Tale of Baoyu & Daiyu” (two main characters of the famous novel “the Dream of Red Chamber”). She obtained the second prize at Nation-wide Pop Music’s New Singers Selection organized by the Ministry of Culture in the same year of 2004. In 2003, she obtained the golden cup of the professional singers’ category by singing “Flying in the Sunshine” at the National Army’s Triangle Cup Music TV Contest of Army Song Singers. Mi Liang hopes to attend graduate school and also study composition in future. It is undoubted that, with her talent and passion in music arts, Mi Liang will have her own extensive path through the world of music.

-------------------------------->










Young dancer Cai Mengna elegant presently acts the leading role for the Beijing Dance Drama & Opera.
She not only attends the Chinese classical dance competition and won many awards, such as the Sixth,
the Eighth National “Peach & Plum Cup” , the most important Chinese Dance competition prize,
the Third CCTV Television Dances outstanding performance prize and so on, but also holds the post of
the strong character in the large-scale shows of Beijing Dance Drama & Opera.







Mu Ni, second state level performer and lead dancer of dance "Holy Snow Dance".
She participated in the fifth "Tao Li Cup" National Dance Competition. She also
participated in large-scale opera "Turandot" performance in Italy. She joined Beijing Dance
Drama & Opera House in July 1999. At the 2nd "Beijing and Five North China Provinces"
Dance Contest, she won the second prize solo performances; the 5th "National Dance
Competition", she won group dance Performing third prize. She also visited the United
States, France, Norway, Japan and gave the performance.









Ke Wang and Manman Yu, two new top
Chinese dance stars will visit Washington DC this fall, bringing a
passionate and flamboyant folk dance of Yi Nationality “Song from Yi
Village”. The dance is choreographed based on the traditional Yi folk
dance, combined with many other dance elements. Through the grass-roots
dance, contredanse dance and dance shows, it tells a love story of
young man and woman getting to know each other through dance
competition, falling in love, and finally getting united in wedlock.
Rich ethnic flare grants the whole dance piece a uniqueness of art and
charm.
Read more...
<!-------------------- As the top dancers of the new generation of Chinese, Ke Wang and Manman Yu have kept compelling records of award-winning.
Leading Uygur folk dance “Set Off Your Hijiab” at the Third CCTV Dance Contest, 2005, Ke was the Bronze medalist. He also was the winner of Top Ten Best Choreographies, Double Crown of Performing and Creativity of the Ninth Dance Contest of Beijing. He currently is the leading actor of Beijing Dance Opera and Drama House. Manman, on the other hand, won the title of Top Ten Best Performers in National Lotus Award Contest. She leads one of the best choreographed dances – “Mermaid” and receives raving applauses. ‘Song from Yi Village’, the first dance piece co-choreographed by the two of them, won the silver medal for both performance and creativity at the Tenth Dance Contest of Beijing.
As the disseminators of culture and beauty, Ke and Manman have been invited to perform by many countries. Their dance steps covered the land of Great Britain, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Greece, and many more. Anywhere they go, applauses follow. ----------------------->










Graduated from the College of the Arts
of People's Liberation Army, Zeng Yong studied under renowned vocal
music educationalist Professor Meng Ling. He later joined Beijing Dance
Drama and Opera and becomes solo performers. Has has won Screen Award
of The 11th National Youth Singer TV Grand Prix. Oustanding performer
of The 7th National Vocal Competition. Read more...









August, 2008, a Chinese young dancer with her unique charm and charisma
fascinated by the Seoul International Ballet Competition in the
evaluation committee and the audience. She is Xue Mingqian, a dancer
from Beijing Dance Drama and Opera and grand prize winner of the 5th
Seoul International Ballet Competition. Seoul International Ballet
Competition is regarded as Asian "Dance Academy" and is the most
remarkable international dance competition. There are more than 100
dancers compete on ballet, modern and folk dance. Read more...







“Searches Dream - Jump Turns Juggling" is an acrobatic show that three
actors perform in a 75-degrees inclined big round table and perform
jumps turns the juggling, stands upside down while complete each skill.
The program have received the Sixth Moscow International Young People
circus competition gold medal, Seventh Chinese Acrobatics Competition
Gold Metal because of its skillful movement, Read more...






Huang Wei, graduated from Beijing Dance Academy, "Lotus Cup" national dance competition winner.
Participated the Eighth "Tao Li Cup" tournament dance sompetition and won the third prize.
He has performed in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Cuba, Peru, Taiwan and South Africa.






Zhu Han, graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy Chinese classical dance professional,
is currently a raising star dancer. In 2007, he won the Seventh National Dance Competition
Wenhua Award, 2006 the Eighth classical "Tao Li Cup" Youth Group Award and
2005 the first college student dance competitions first prize.More...






Wang Ke, graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy. As a lead dancer of Uygur Dance "Show Your Face" ,
he won the Third Bronze CCTV Dance Contest Show in 2005. This dance also won Ten Outstanding Dance Award,
Ninth Beijing Dance competition performing and creating award. The repertoire also won
the "China Contemporary Dance Classics Award". He had visited Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, United Kingdom,
and other countries to give performances. In May 2009, by the Ohio State Government's invitation
to participate the Asian Cultural Festival and perform Chinese dance.






Ma Biao, the winner of the Fifth Shanxi Province music and dance competition.
He also won the the Gold Medal in the Sixth Nanjing Arts Festival dance competition.


when there's a world crisis.  people always go back to securing their us dollar.  it says something about the strength of america.  weak economy is one thing.  strength of culture and security is another.
niku likes playing with moms scrunchy.

esp when the scrunchy is still on moms hair.

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the blackberry gene is dominant in the cho family.  if mish hates michael for bb use...and hates him for bb use even more because i got bb....i wonder why she has no opinion on mama cho being glued to her bb for memos, pics, wine selection, recipes, emails, bbm etc.  "she's on her bb more than you alex" - tiff. hahaha.

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we got on the topic of religion.  and somehow mama cho got onto the topic of scientology.  and she mentioned that her ex was into scientology. 
chomo immediately goes...."wait..what?? what is going on?  what about dad?"

HAHAHHA

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this was ur typical civilized classic american turkey meal where people arrived on time.  ate sitting down.  we waited for everyone to be seated and then toasted before the meal.  something quite different than the night before.  we discussed the wine.  asked for more gravy.  and all while in the back of my head i was thinking....hmmm.  where's the kimchi?

its good that youn was there.  to bring out the 3 and 4th bottles of wine. alongside the conversation of dating in ny.  they say the alterior motives for my juice in these topics to be quite strong.  i however claim that it's only material to be used in my upcoming novel.  memoirs of a lush.  hahaha.

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people slave over thanksgiving meals.  i don't.  and i even wait till the morning of to buy groceries.  with a lil intuitive planning and an oven friendly menu, cooking for the masses is pretty much only an hour and a half of prep work.  hours of idling in the middle. and a few last minute touches at the end.  we went grocery shopping @ 11.  came home by 12.  de-boned the turkey and had it marinating by 1.  the carcass was placed in a pot for soup.  and at that point. i just waited for the rice and chinese sausage mixture to finish cooking.  turkey in the oven by 3.  stuffing and mashed potato condiments ready to be put together.  and i was playing video games and watching tv till 7.   with no carcass and enough fat in ur stuffing.  there's no need to baste the turkey.  even the breast comes out quite juicy.  food on table by 7.30.  and drinking by 9.   twix bars and ice cream shakes were made by 10.  second wave of liquor ordered by 11.  kings was on the table by 12.  happy thanksgiving!

the last thanksgiving dinner i was around for was 2004.  my how nothing has changed.


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