Earthquake in Southwest China

As many of you have already heard and read, there was a devastating Earthquake in Southwest China Monday afternoon. The epicenter of the quake was in Sichuan province but a smaller tremor was felt all the way up here in Beijing. It was a very strange sensation as I felt myself subtly begin to sway. As we stood up to figure out what was going on, it was clear that the whole building was swaying. We quickly left the building and waited outside. Eventually, we were sent home. All in all it was a very minor disruption here in Beijing, but of course, down south in Sichuan, people are experiencing extreme devastation. Just one week earlier, I was traveling in that region with my dad and stepmom. And it is disheartening to be reminded how everything can change in an instant. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the quake.

Just Cuz...

Here are a couple of pictures from New Year's Day with Almost all of my best friends represented.

(From left Ms. Heather Talley, Mrs. Ana Allen, Ms. Isabelle Guzman, myself, Ms. Sarah Almond, you can also see Rose the Hound Dog there on the left)

It was an amazing day, as all my girls came out to my Dad and Anne's house and we proceeded to welcome in the New Year by chowing down on one of the best meals ever conceived and created: Pork Chops pan fried in butter, Collard Greens with Balsamic, Black Eyed Peas, Home-made Apple sauce along with Corn Bread and Biscuits. This meal will never be forgotten but hopefully repeated.

Here's a little info just for fun.

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Receptionist at my mom's law practice (age 8-13)
2. Cashier, Zell's Ace Hardware (age 18)
3. Banquet Server, Grove Park Inn (age 20)
4. YMCA Day Camp Counselor (age 20)

Four movies I would watch over and over
1) Lost in Translation
2) Say Anything
3) The Bourne Identity, Supremacy and Ultimatum (I know, that's actually 3, sorry)
4) Top Gun

Four places I have lived:
1) Paris, France
2) New York, NY
3) Asheville, NC
4) Columbia, SC

Four Places I have been:
1) Marlborough, New Zealand
2) Upolu, Western Samoa
3) Budapest, Hungary
4) Jupiter, NC

Four people who e-mail me regularly :
1) Mom (because now she has a BlackBerry and she oozes technology)
2) Lynn
3) Heather
4) many others sporadically

Four of my favorite foods:
1) Spaghetti and Meatballs (with a glass of milk-it's a childhood thing)
2) Gong Bao Ji Ding (which is the real chinese version of Kung Pao Chicken-I'm 'bout to go eat some right now)
3) Chocolate Cake
4) and basically anything made by my Mom, my Grandmother, my Dad, Sarah Almond, Lynn Andriani, Heather Talley, Isabelle Guzman, Traci Magnus, Jennifer Bryan...my Step-Mom and Step-Dad are also really amazing cooks, I hope I didn't leave anyone out!

Four places I would rather be right now:
Being here is pretty good for me right now, so I'll rename this one Four places I would also enjoy right now:
1) In the woods
2) On an island beach with blue skies and sunshine
3) With my friends and family
4) In Love

Four friends I think will respond:
1) Heather
2) Ana
3) Lynn
4) Rory

Four things I look forward to:
1) This weekend
2) Having children
3) My next big trip
4) A phat job offer

If you interested send me your answers and add more fun questions.

Peace, Love and Kung Fu

Pictured here with my good friend Rory Zimmerman of ATL! Holla!

Here's a quick look at the new apartment

We were having a party so all of the furniture was pushed out of the way. It is beautiful and comfortable! I love it.

Sorry for the delay...

Ok, everyone. So sorry for the delay. Needless, to say, I have been busy over the past few months or basically since I landed back in Beijing. Between moving into a new apartment and starting my internship at Apple and balancing the spectacular social offerings, I haven't had much time for self reflection. But I just want to share that everything is great. Really, really, amazingly wonderful. My job is interesting and challenging and I'm meeting new people all the time. I have to opportunity to interact with Chinese co-workers so this is helping to improve my rather imperfect Chinese language skills.

I've moved into a new, amazing apartment that I absolutely love and feel completely home in. The complex is called Sunshine 100 and that is a fitting name. The apartment itself is great with nice light, good furnishings, 2 bathrooms and a great kitchen. The location just adds to it all. We have conveniences in every direction from multiple grocery stores (with cheese) and a variety of coffee shops and cafes to gyms and restaurants including sushi, thai, italian, chinese, of course, and basically anything one could want to eat within walking, short taxi or delivery distance. (I will post photos soon.)

Ok, that's it. I'm out.
Also, the weather is turning...and as in all cold, northern locations...and in Beijing especially...that is a beautiful thing.
Come on Spring.

Goodbye Thomas

My cat Thomas passed away last week so I just wanted to take a moment to recount some of his best moments and his favorite things . Most of you had either known him yourself or listened to me describe his many virtues. He was an amazing animal. Completely intuitive, intelligent and independent. And I say that in all seriousness. He could completely communicate what he wanted and knew what was going on with the people around him. If his bowl was empty, he would attack your leg as if to say, don't leave, I'll starve. And if you were upset, he would quietly keep you company. In one of my apartments, he came and went through a cat door set up in a window. One night around 3 in the morning he arrived with a live rabbit and presented it to me on my bed. When he let go of it all hell broke loose as I chased the terrified creature around my apartment in order to set him free again. He was quite a hunter and resourceful in other ways. I remember him, when he was still pretty small, jumping into the kitchen trash can and jumping back out with a pork chop bone in his mouth, which was about the size of his body. When I moved to New York, he went to live with my mom and John in Florida, as I knew he would never be happy as a house cat. They quickly fell in love as well and took great care of him. All my thanks to them. So here are some of Thomas' favorite things: Fresh water (daily), pounce of any flavor, hunting on a cool spring night, licking ice cream or yogurt from a spoon, scratching behind the ears, napping undisturbed for hours on end, and generally getting what he wants. I have never felt as connected to an animal as I did to Thomas. Although he had not lived with me for a few years now, each time I went home he would welcome me back and sleep with me almost everynight I was there. I loved him very much and will miss him greatly. We remember him fondly and adoringly. Goodbye Thomas.

USA