The Avid Reader (and enjoyer of all subjects)

Sorry for not posting yesterday.  No time   I also had some stomach problems during the morning, but it was just consumption of overly cold drinks.  Yesterday we didn’t go to either the aquarium or the science museum just because of me DX.  But I can safely assure you that tomorrow, we’ll go to the science museum  (I hope we have time for the aquarium, too.)  Since there wasn’t enough time today (we went to play piano for two hours) we just settled for a browsing of Huai Hai Road’s malls.

Today, after lunch, wai po, my mom, my sister, and I set off by bus to the subway station.  Then, on the subway, we headed for Huai Hai Road, with its many malls.  Huai Hai Road was once the home of famous Chinese author Adeline Yen Mah.  Her stepmother used to take her half-brother shopping on the malls.  My mother also lived nearby there when she was young–Huai Hai Road was only a few minutes’ walk away. 

Sorry for digressing…I bet you’re wanting to read about our experience at Huai Hai Road.  Not much, really–quite the same as Xu Jia Hui.  The first store we went to was a store especially for children’s clothes, toys, and games (thank god).  While my sister looked for a dress (an avid clothes-lover ) wai po and I went up a few levels and looked at the toys and games.  I immediately went to the LEGO section (nothing else interesting) and began to build a house (yes, inventing is the only LEGO activity fit for my age).  It had three rooms, a magnificent entrance, two doors, and two windows.  Soon, my sister and mom came over.  Since they didn’t find anything interesting, we left. 

Outside, it was almost beginning to rain.  We located another mall, Novel Department Store, and tried to find something there.  It turned out that all five levels were dedicated to adult fashions!  (I’m getting migraines out of how popular that is.)  We instantly left.  Then, we saw something that I consider “the event of the day”–a red Ferrari (Enzo Ferrari, I think?) which made an abnormally loud noise.  That Ferrari was the second I saw actually being driven. 

Finally, we went to another mall.  Over there, I saw a decent amount of LEGOs but there was no “inventing station”.  I just wandered about, memorizing my perfect squares and some of π’s digits (what I love to do when I’m extremely bored).  Finally, my sister and mom came up.  Since they had not seen anything extraodinary, we left for home.  I think that if I was four or five years younger, I would have liked this experience more than I did.

Two days ago, we decided to visit Xu Jia Hui Malls.  My sister wanted to find a dress, and I wanted to find some English books.  We took a taxi to the Xu Jia Hui Malls.  First, we went to the bookstore to see if there were any English books available.  There were none that were my level (should have known better).  But we did meet a friendly Japanese guy and his mother there.

After that, we headed off for the malls.  There were also four 6- or 7- floor malls.  All the malls had fashion and women’s and men’s apparel on the first few floors (yeah, total heaven for an average shopaholic but not at all to my favor), but all we needed to see was the toys, games, and clothes section.  I’m too old for “toys”, so I just took a look at some LEGO products, which I had liked a few years ago.  At the first, second, and third malls, my sister found nothing appealing, so we left quite soon.  I did try out a few “smart” toys like IQ puzzles and such.  The last one was my favorite, because it had a large section just for toys and games, which I could admire.  My sister found a dress there that she liked, and she bought it.  Then, we were done.  We took another taxi home. 

Short, eh?  Well, I think today we’re going to visit the Shanghai Aquarium.  That will be more of a heaven for me.  I’ll be sure to bring a notebook so I can do some more blogging .

The International Mathematical Olympiad, or IMO, is an annual mathematics contest in which 7 of the finest mathletes from each country participate in.  (Not all 195 countries in the world may participate.)  The IMO is part of a long “chain” of contests.  For students in middle school, the AMC 8 (a 25-question multiple choice test) is the first test, then the AMC 10 (which is similar to the AMC 8 except for the scoring), then the AIME (a 15-question test in which all answer choices range from 0-999 inclusive), the USAMO (a 6-question proving exam with two days, three questions per day), and finally the IMO (similar to the USAMO).  For students in high school, the AMC 10 is the first test, then the AMC 12.  The rest is similar to what middle-schoolers experience.

Well, finally the overly verbose and abstruse avid reader is done with his blabbering about.  Here is the website for the results:  http://www.imo-official.org/results.aspx, or in order,  http://www.imo-official.org/year_country_r.aspx?year=2009.  If you’re too lazy to click that link and view the results, here are the notables (what I call “main events”):

• The People’s Republic of China finished 1st. 
• Japan finished 2nd.
• The Russian Federation finished 3rd.
• United States finished 6th.
• North Korea beat the United States.
• One of China’s mathletes got perfect score.
• All six members from China got at least 5 questions with perfect score.
• All six members from China got gold medals.
• The leading mathlete of United States, John Berman, from North Carolina, got 5 questions with perfect score.

Note:  I shall refer to my grandpa as wai gong, Chinese for “mother’s father”, and my grandma as wai po, Chinese for “mother’s mother”.

Though I have listed three of the cons, note that SEEING MY GRANDPARENTS AND VISITING SPECIAL PLACES OUTWEIGH THEM BY FAR.  To me, these things are nothing.  (I’m just writing this to voice my opinion–I’m a blogger.)

The only thing separating my grandparents, my mom, my sister, and I from my grandparents’ 5-room apartment was a long 1-hour drive on the highway.  Wai gong hailed a minivan (which is like a taxi, except roomier).  Our drive was reckless.  Reckless.  Our minivan driver changed lanes almost every five seconds.  Whenever we got close to a taxi, minivan, truck, or other car, the minivan driver passed the slower car.  At some points I thought we were going to crash.  And we did–with a small truck.  I hit my head–not too soft–on the seat of the driver, but it wasn’t too major*.  Finally, one thing to point out–minivans and taxis have this white cloth that covers the seats of the actual car.  It does smell quite pleasant, but it also covers up the seat buckles so people don’t wear seatbelts in minivans or taxis.  (I’m sure Roy, Amy G, and Samuel know what I’m talking about.)  On the way, there was some traffic for a time.  It was caused by a tow truck towing another truck whose tire had come off completely.  After going off the highway and into a local area, we saw a white taxi almost hit two pedestrians, who hurried to the walk.  There were many other pedestrians crossing the road at very random points–jaywalking.

Well, after only 40 minutes we reached the apartment.  As we got settled in, I took note of the dissonances that could be heard–frequent cars’ horn-beeping, dog barking, and the engines of motor scooters.  I’d rather prefer the sounds of suburban Cary to Shanghai’s cacophonies, but they’re tolerable.

The next day, we went to a marketplace to buy food.  (Wai gong had gone off to work; he works as a surgeon**).  The first thing we saw was a few crates containing hens.  At first, I was observing the crowded chickens walk about.  Then, wai po spoke to the man behind the counter in Shanghainese dialect, which I could not understand.  Suddenly, the idea dawned upon me–the poor chickens would be killed right in the marketplace.  Quickly, my sister and I looked away.  I couldn’t bear to see an animal killed, and had never seen a murder of any animal in life.  Then, we continued off to some other place where we would not see such odious action.  The marketplace stank, so by the time wai po had finished ordering everything we were more than eager to leave.

Speaking of stenches–wai gong and wai po’s apartment doesn’t stink at all.  It’s more the outside places.  There are many small stores and such, and some of them produce a nasty smell. 

Though this might have seemed like a big chunk of cons, I could go on for pages describing the advantages of Shanghai (I actually would had this blog been just a family blog).  Again, whenever I visit Shanghai there are countless memorable experiences that I will never forget. 

*Joking so badly!  Hahaha what did you expect!

**I hope you’re not saying, “A surgeon!?!?!?  And yet they live in a 5-room apartment?”  If you are, realize China’s economic system.

INTRODUCTION TO THIS POST:  Well, thought it was another “fun literature use” post, eh?  Well, not the case.  The Sixth Nightmare describes my trip to China (yeah, I hate plane trips, especially 13-hour ones).

THE POST ITSELF:  We had to wake up at 3:45, which normally would be something I couldn’t be able to bear.  However, that day, I was woken up early by an earth-trembling clap of thunder.  What rotten luck, I thought.  I lay in my bed, covering my ears until 3:45.  The storm did subside. 

At 4:00, when we had finished our breakfast and did some last-minute checks, we packed our luggages in my dad’s car and drove off to the airport.  (The drive was uneventful.)  Our flight would first be from RDU to ORD, or Chicago O’Hare International Airport, and then to Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport.  Finally, at the airport, we checked in our single luggage that would be parted from us during the trip.  The limit for the weight of any luggage was 40 pounds, and ours weighed 49 pounds.  Fortunately for us, all my parents needed to do was remove some books that I had brought (one of my math books, a notebook, three of my books, and some of my sister’s stuff) and our luggage went down to 40 pounds WHICH WAS JUST IN THE LIMIT .   After that, we went through the security checks (which we passed, of course).  Finally, we went to our gate to wait for our plane.  Our flight wasn’t too bumpy, but I have a huge aversion to landing (whenever a plane lands, which feels like riding a roller coaster, I feel queasy–HA!  GOTCHA, ROY AND SAMUEL!  XD), and I was feeling quite dizzy this time, though I didn’t vomit. 

At Chicago O’Hare International Airport, we had to wait for 3 whole hours.  During that time, we went to a nearby bookstore and bought a book called “Three Cups of Tea”.  We also called our dad, who was still in North Carolina. 

After that, we boarded our plane.  I slept during take-off, so I wouldn’t feel dizzy looking out the window or experience too much ear-popping.  Pretty soon, we were ready for lunch.  After having only a bit of the food (which I have to admit I don’t really like ), I felt dizzy again (that’s how sensitive my brain is).  I soon realized that on planes, I can’t have most types of foods or else I’ll feel dizzy.  Then, we had to wait out for 10 more hours.  I tried to sleep, but couldn’t, so I finished one of the books I had brought along with me, “The Two Towers” (I do like those books ).  I don’t have much to say about the rest of the flight, except that I watched “Dragonball Evolution” on the plane. 

When we were getting ready to land, I tried to sleep (sleeping during landings divert my attention from feeling airsick), but my sister had to go to the bathroom, and since I was occupying the aisle seat I was roused.  Then, my sister and I switched seats and I tried to sleep.  Too late!  But on the other hand, I didn’t vomit (though I almost did).  The worst part of the landing, though, was how my ear popped painfully.  After the landing, though, I was feeling a bit better.

In Shanghai, we had to go through this machine which detected if we had fever or not.  The H1N1 swine flu was an escalating problem, and Chinese officials don’t allow anyone with it to enter their country.  (Wise choice.)  Then, we waited for my grandparents to pick us up. We had arrived at China at last.

Do you know how you get the jitters the day right before a long trip?  Well, that’s how I feel now.  So, here’s my schedule:

JULY 25-AUGUST 1 Stay at Shanghai (Major city)

Things to be done:

• Visit China History Museum
• Visit China Aquarium
• Speak with Chinese students in English (volunteer hours! )

AUGUST 1-AUGUST 8 Stay at Jiangxi Province (Rural area)

AUGUST 9 – AUGUST 16 Return to and stay at Shanghai (Major city)

Also the ninth in a series of sesquipedalian literature use.  Today:  The sequel to “A Surrealistic World”.

It was incredulous.  The emissary, mirabile dictu, had survived.

The emissary was in a torn state.  He had been deposited by a garbage dump.  The air was foul and little bugs crawled over him, and his pain was ineffable, but he was glad to be living.  He expedited back to the real world.

Creeping over a pile of rotten banana peels, soup cans, and bones of poultry, inter alia, the emissary glimpsed the vast wasteland.  He saw soldiers in the distance, with speciously mellifluous war cries.  They, of course, were the bellicose Suhans.  The Rehans approached timidly, but were immediately attacked and taken prisoner.  The emissary did not want to see the euthanasia that would follow.  He winced.

Quickly, he scurried over the barren landscape.  He needed to reach the Rehan boundary before Suhan soldiers captured him.  Suddenly, the emissary heard a shout–from nearby.  A crawling man, in tatters and rags, came over.  The emissary instantly ducked among some food leftovers and a broken knife.  “Who’s there?” called the man. 

The emissary jumped out.  “Who are you?”

“I am a messenger from Suha, but I disagree with their ideals.  The Suhans are an evil group.  I have escaped the wrath of the king.”

At this, the emissary gave an audible suspiration of relief.  “I am an emissary from the King of Reha,” he said.

The Suhan messenger nodded.  “Ahh.  And you’re going to Reha?”

“Yes,” replied the emissary.

They had not gone far when suddenly, a column of soldiers appeared.  The emissary and the messenger quickly hid behind a pile of rusty iron scraps.  The emissary heard nothing except for “we are to capture and kill all of them”, ”I’m xenophobic”, and “they’re all gone”.  He had hardly finished grimacing when a soldier peered into their hiding place, and let out a cacophony of glee.

NOTE:  THIS MESSAGE WILL APPEAR ALONG WITH ALL NEWS BRIEFS.

What are News Briefs?  News Briefs are posts on theavidreader.edublogs.org in which a few news updates are highlighted, then I express my opinion over them.

When will News Briefs appear?  News Briefs will appear when I feel like writing them–usually a substitute for Word Within the Word’s less appealing topics.  When exactly?  Every month or so.

Why do News Briefs help?  News Briefs are basically a place where you can debate about what is going on, that may be forgotten a few years later. 

———————NEWS BRIEF 2——————— 

Walter Cronkite passes away.  What is this year, a year for deaths?  We’ve had to say a tearful goodbye to Farrah Fawcett, King of Pop MJ, and now famed reporter Walter Cronkite…

(Heard from my grandparents) There is a total eclipse in Shanghai, China, where my grandparents live (and where I’m going to go two days later!!!)  Cool.  What happened there was, at some time around 8:00 there the sky suddenly turned from blue to black.  Such an event happens every 300 years in Shanghai!  Unfortunately, I’m going to miss it by only two days. 

Kim Jong Il plans to pass the reign to 26-year old Kim Jong Un.  I got this information from a magazine, and was reading an article on it.  Kim Jong Il had two other sons:  Kim Jong Nam and Kim Jong Chol are the other brothers in the family.  Apparently, Kim Jong Nam is not interested in taking over as throne, and Kim Jong Il thought his second son, Jong Chol, was “too soft-hearted”. 

China begins to think again over its purchase of Hummer from American GM.  I’m pretty sure GM just wanted to get rid of that burden and the foolish gullible Chinese were too obssessed in “extending their affair with the automobile”.  Even I predicted that China would run into trouble–and the experts fell for it, WOW. 

Crocs are in their downfall.  *Fake gasp* what big news!  (just kidding, of course)  Just like the typical (ugly) fad.  Who’d want to wear shoes that have holes in them???

Eighth in a series of sesquipedalian literature use.  Today:  An event in a surrealistic world, where all objects can turn into other liquids, solids, or gases.

Perambulating through the green grass which had just turned into a green mud, the emissary was practically shouting for joy as he headed towards the magnificent palace where the magnanimous King Suha lived.  The Suhan Empire was not an opponent with some un-mollifiable, ignominious acerbity towards the emissary’s kingdom, the Rehan Empire, but they had a noticable rivalry.  Today, the emissary had news for His Majesty of Suha, and big news, too.  The widely acclaimed author Kuruha of the Rehan Empire had just finished his magnum opus–Exegesis on the Analects of Lorha¹–something that the Rehan Empire had eagerly awaited for and the Suhan Empire had dreaded with all their hearts.  Unfortunately, Kuruha was morbund, and it had been finished on Kuruha’s deathbed–Kuruha had also included a valediction as an afterword.

After quite a lot of treading, the emissary finally arrived at the palace of King Suha.  There were a few meerkats and raccoons which immediately transformed into erect humans.  One of them strode forward to the emissary.  “Who are you and why do you come forward to the Sacrosanct Palace of Suha?”  he said superciliously.

“I am the emissary from the kingdom of Reha.”

“Our king has not expected you–at least he has not told me.  Arrest him!”

Confounded, the emissary instantly changed himself to a fleeing rabbit, whereupon the guards transmogrified into lycanthropes.  The emissary barely got in to the patio, and after shutting the door on the hungry werewolves and changing back to his human self, he strode in with a perfect picture of stoic sangfroid on his face.

“I see that the guards have not been warned,” the king said superciliously.  “I did that as a practical joke, wanting to see if they would skin you alive.” 

“I bring news from the Empire of Reha,” the emissary said breathlessly.  He bowed maladroitly.  “Our acclaimed author Kuruha has provided a–”

“Ahh.  I have already heard.  I’m sure your kingdom has heard of Suha’s time changes?”

Not even the king had heard.  “N-nno,” stammered the emissary.

The king leaned forward.  “Get out of my sight,” he whispered to the emissary, who found he, paralyzed by the king’s stare, could not do so.

“GET OUT!” the king bellowed.  As he did so, he changed himself into a ball of fire.  There was no choice but transmogrify into a bucket of water.  Too late!  The king puffed himself up, and prepared to make the emissary evaporate.

¹Lorha was a highly popular writer in the empire of Suha where his works were viewed as “beyond sacrosanct”.  The Analects of Lorha was probably his most famous work.

DETAILED STYLE:

It was a dark and dreary morning.  The dark gray clouds covered the sky, showing nothing.  As the hours passed, the clouds gradually gave way to the bright orange shining sun, which shone its jovial face down on a bobbing mass of logs and sticks and the physiognomy of a person on that floating mass.  Unfortunately, the person wasn’t in a good mood.  The man’s face was grizzled and worn, and his dark gray eyes pierced the horizon for any visible land.  Seeing an island, his mood changed, and he laughed a bit, revealing a row of shocking shiny white teeth.

By the time the sun had turned yellow, the man’s crude boat had been anchored steadily on the island’s abandoned dock, and he was exploring the terra firma.  He had not eaten for days, and he was thoroughly exhausted.  His eyes caught glimpses of towering behemoth coconut trees.  Suddenly, a huge object crashed down by a green bush!  Then, there was a harsh, chilling scream!  The man reached for his pistol, but it wasn’t there.  He lay in the shadows, waiting.  His heart’s pounding felt like the beating of drums:  One, two, three.  Then, a nihilistic-looking person emerged, but only for a brief moment.  “MISCREANT!”  he heard another sharp voice growl.  The nihilistic-looking person suddenly vanished from sight.  Then, his companion came up.  This villain’s yellow eyes glowed particularly bright, then the two charged after him, shrieking and yelling blood-curdling, indistinguishable phrases.  The man fled in the opposite direction–smack into another waiting rascal!  Fortunately for the man, the young rascal was small in build, and was taken off-guard by the fleeing man.  He turned, but saw his way blocked by a cactus, and whirled around.  Too late!  There they were, three snarling men, advancing upon him with long wood sticks and clubs.

HEMINGWAY STYLE:

It was a dark morning.  The clouds covered the sky, showing nothing.  As the hours passed, the clouds gradually gave way to the sun, which shone down on a mass of logs and sticks and the physiognomy of a person on that mass.  Unfortunately, the person wasn’t in a good mood.  The man’s face was grizzled and worn, and his dark gray eyes pierced the horizon for any visible land.  Seeing an island, his mood changed, and he laughed, revealing a row of white teeth.

By the time the sun had turned yellow, the man’s ”boat” had been anchored on the island’s abandoned dock, and he was exploring the terra firma.  He had not eaten for days, and he was exhausted.  His eyes caught glimpses of coconut trees.  Suddenly, an object crashed down by a bush!  Then, there was a scream!  The man reached for his pistol, but it wasn’t there.  He lay in the shadows, waiting.  His heart’s pounding felt like the beating of drums:  One, two, three.  Then, a nihilistic-looking person emerged, but only for a brief moment.  “MISCREANT!”  he heard another voice growl.  The nihilistic-looking person suddenly vanished from sight.  Then, his companion came up.  This villain’s yellow eyes glowed particularly bright, then the two charged after him, shrieking and yelling.  The man fled in the opposite direction–smack into another waiting rascal!  Fortunately for the man, the young rascal was small in build, and was taken off-guard by the fleeing man.  The fleeing man turned, but saw his way blocked by a cactus, and whirled around.  Too late!  There they were, three men, advancing upon him with long wood sticks and clubs.