My favorite place -- Shi Sha Hai 什刹海

Shi Sha Hai, located in Beijing China, near the forbidden city, is an area like pine lake, which offers boat launch, fishing pier, and playground.

I have many reasons to like this area. First of all, Shi Sha Hai's scenery is too beautiful for words. The lake is always peaceful and quiet. Every time I walk around the lake, the green color water, the chirping bird sounds, and the leisure faces could be seen and heard everywhere, thus how could any annoyance still exist?

Secondly, it is a fun place for everybody. Children can play in the playground, old men like to go fishing in the pier or play chess on the bench, young couples can rent a boat and row to the island of the lake. In winter, it is the best outdoor ice skating place in downtown Beijing.

Finally, famous restaurants and bars are nearby. When you are tired or hungry, grabbing a beer or a cup of coffee or tea, sitting in the chair near the waterfront, tasting delicious Beijing flavor dim sum, I am sure you can feel at ease and relax.

Once you visit Shi Sha Hai, you will never forget it!

Exercise time!

Today I went to gym and tried out a new workout class - BOSU, which stands for "Both Sides Up" or "Both Sides Utilized".

Before I went to the class, I thought I could handle the tough class like that. When I saw the instructor who was a young and thin girl, it's absolutely certain my mind, if she could do that, why couldn't I?

But I was wrong. Along with the passionate and heartbeat music, class started with twenty minutes STEP. After that I already started sweating, but that was just beginning. Studio running, weighing and Cardio workout came one by one without a minute to rest. The total class was sixty minutes, before class over I was exhausted and couldn't follow the instructor. While I resting on the pad looking at others, they were smiling, jumping and trying so hard to follow. When would I be able to do it as easy as them? I dreamed...

Are you prepared when earthquake is coming?

Past four month when I read the world news, I was shocked by the earthquake news.

April 17, 2010, Yushu county, China, 7.1-magnitude, 1484 dead so far

April 4th, 2010, Mexico and California, 7.2-magnitude, dozens dead

February 12, 2010, Chile, 8.8-magnitude, 486 dead

January 12, 2010, Haiti, 7.0-magnitude, over 230,000 dead

Those above were the major earthquakes in the pass four months. From the data we can tell the earthquake could be happened in any place of all of the world. Is nowhere safe? I am wondering if the earthquakes are increasing in frequency. Is the end-o-world date coming like in movie "2012"?

What should we do for the disaster? http://72hours.org might give you the answer you want.

Self Introduction

I was born in one of southwest provinces of China, and moved and lived in Beijing China for more than twenty years. After I graduated from college, I met my husband and moved to the United States.

Before I settled in Seattle, Washington, I had been living in Midwest for six years. Madison, Wisconsin was the first city I lived in the United States. Madison is a university city, where the well-known University of Wisconsin is located. The nineteen century buildings and the lakes attract people to study and live there. It once was rated as the best city to live in by national magazines.

I have two wonderful boys, one is seven-year old, one is four-year old. Everyday my house is full of their laughter, the sound of their crying, shouting, and singing. It won't be quiet until they fall asleep. You can't image how much energy they have.

I was used to be a software testing engineer. After having kids, I had to turn to be homemaker. Now I pretty much enjoy my housewife's life. When kids go to school, I like to go to the gym to play tennis and make friends.