Greetings From China!

HEY EVERYONE!!! It's Red Angel here, giving you all virtual hugs and dumplings from the other side of the world. :) I have been here for about a week, but it has been brought to my attention that unfortunately Blogspot is inaccessible here in China due to government regulations (in fact, it's my good friend who is posting this for me as I cannot do so myself). It has been a very frustrating discovery, but the GOOD NEWS is that I am actually guest posting about my trip in China at Sleepy Hollow Books blog. I am currently updating about once a week (scroll down for my first two posts on Jin Chang Hu Park and my arrival), and while my posts will cover everything from delicious local eats to beautiful tourist attractions, I will focus on youth and reading culture here in China.

Hope to see you at SHB! Enjoy. =) See you back here on TRA in August!"

Greetings From China!

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30-Day Challenge 28: Re-Cap on 19th Birthday + Annual China Trip!

QOTD: How do you keep your email organized and de-cluttered?

Day 28: In this past month, what is something you have learned? Well, I learned that I can read a book really fast if I really want to and if I really need to. Honestly, I spent about four hours today reading the last fifty pages of Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert! I think that's the most I've read in a day since Harry Potter #7 came out.

Thank you everybody for all the wonderful birthday wishes and sweet comments! :) I truly enjoyed participating the Favorite Book Challenge and reading everybody else's entries. I have so much on my To Be Read List now it's not even funny. Well maybe a little bit considering I am a very slow reader! Honestly...I read every page at least twice. Har, harr. Anybody else like that?

On a different note, I went to dinner at Olive Garden with my awesome family and one of my best friends. I got the Chicken Scampi and it was, um, nothing short of amazing. Seriously....it was so good I was too excited and impatient to take photos for you all. So if you ever go, get the Chicken Scampi. It's basically heaven on a plate. TOTAL YUM.

~~~

Tomorrow, I will be in the lovely skies enjoying complimentary peanut snacks on a gigantic airplane with three rows of cushioned grey seats. Yes, my friends, it is time for my annual trip to China!!! Every year, my family and I fly all the way to China for some delicious dumplings and other oriental eats, distant traveling to various provinces around the country, and reunions with old friends and relatives. Assuming that Blogspot still works over there (unlike *sniff* Facebook), I'll be documenting my lovely day-to-day experiences right here on TRA so I will be able to share with you all my journey! Isn't this exciting? :)

Look forward to future posts on my trip to China!

30-Day Challenge 28: Re-Cap on 19th Birthday + Annual China Trip!

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19th Birthday Blogfest: The Favorite Book Challenge

Question of the Day: What is your favorite type of cake? Describe the perfect slice...include any toppings or fruit or flavors :) I want to hear about the yummiest, sweetest, most divine cakes you can imagine!!!

Yayyy I am officially 19 years old, as of 9:15am this morning! *does happy dance* I'll be pretty busy for the rest of the day but I had to post and share my happiness with you all. I don't quite feel 19 yet but I'm sure it will hit me soon at some point--probably right before I dig into the birthday cake that is anxiously waiting for me in the fridge. *nom, nom*

Speaking of cake, be sure to tell me what is your favorite kind of cake and what your ideal cake would be! Everyone loves a good cake fantasy. :) In my next post I'll share with you photos of my own cake as well as other visuals of my festivities! Also I'd like to take a moment to thank all of my family and friends for always being there for me and for making today so amazing already--and it's not even the afternoon yet!

Since I already hosted my 100-Followers Inanimation Blogfest not too long ago, I decided instead to participate in a blogfest myself! And just in time...

Today is the last day to participate in Teralyn Rose Pilgrim's Favorite Book Challenge Blogfest over at A Writer's Journey (click the previous link to see the other entries)! The idea is to choose my top five favorite books of all time (this is a challenge, indeed), and for each book write two lines on what it's about and why I like it so much. So here goes!

1) My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult--This is a novel about two sisters; one of them has leukemia and the other was conceived by her parents solely for the purpose of saving her sister throughout their lives by constantly donating granulocytes, bone marrow, and other cells that are crucial for survival. Reading this compelling novel made me aware that many families must struggle and go through difficult situations and I must remember to feel grateful for all the good things in my life.

2) The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini--Amir is a Sunni Muslim who is living in Kabul as a child, and befriends Hassan, the son of his dad's Hazara servant. I loved this book because not only did I learn so much about the contemporary history of Afghanistan, but I was also engrossed into a story that is filled with prose that highlights the sins, the tragedies, the beauties and the truths about what natives of certain Middle Eastern countries go through.

3) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott--Follow along with Jo, Amy, Meg and Beth in this book filled with their stories of growing up in the midst of America's civil war, from small skits to marriages to school troubles to sisterly quarrels. Having a sister of my own, I know how strong the connection between sisters can be and easily relate to all of these March girls in some way or another; plus, Alcott's writing is amazing.

4) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling--In this third book in Rowling's epic series of the magical world, Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts hear about his godfather, Sirius Black, for the first time and find out if he really is a menace or if there's something else about Harry's tragic past that we have yet to discover. I'm not sure why I like this book the most, but it's probably because we learn more about Harry than just the sad story of his parents' death that we already know of, and Remus Lupin is AWESOME (seriously, I wish I had him for a high school teacher).

5) A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle--Ahh, it is hard to explain this book but I will try my best: a science fantasy novel, A Wrinkle In Time follows the Murray kids as they set out on an adventure to find their father and discover the truth about what happened to him when he went missing during his mission to learn about time travel. This book indirectly shows its readers what it means to be courageous, put your family first, and have hope in the face of dark times.

19th Birthday Blogfest: The Favorite Book Challenge

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Happy Father's Day!!!

Question of the Day: Tell us what makes your father the best dad in the world! :)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

Here's to all the dads, uncles, grandfathers, stepfathers, and every other father figure out there!!! Thanks for saving us every single day, just by being there for us. :) YOU'RE THE GREATEST SUPER-DADS EVER.

Happy Father's Day!!!

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30-Day Challenge 25, 26, 27: Letters to People (in Chinese!)

Question of the Day: If you could spend one semester studying any language at all (regardless of time or money constraints), what would it be?

This post was actually inspired by the book Eat, Pray, Love (author Elizabeth Gilbert) in which Liz herself embarks on an adventure to Italy, India and Indonesia. I am currently reading Part One and Liz explains why Italian is so beautiful and why she has this passionate desire to completely immerse herself in this language.

During my freshman year of college, I got to take Mandarin Chinese--and I have to say it is absolutely wonderful. I've always been surrounded by family members who instead speak Shanghainese, the primary dialect in Shanghai, China, so I thought that this would be an excellent opportunity to learn more about and of the #1 most popular language in the world (Spanish in #2 and English is #3).

Now, I love Mandarin as much as Liz loves Italian. And I am proud to say that I am now able to write, read and speak basic Mandarin. HURRAY!!! Sadly, the reading part is most difficult for me since it's not an innate skill. As I will be travelling to China next month (woohoo SO EXCITED) I definitely think I need to brush up on my Chinese (both Mandarin and Shanghainese).

So for today's Challenge, as part of my 30-Day Tumblr Blog Challenge, I'm going to write letters in Chinese! Awesome excuse to practice, no?

First I'll show the letter I wrote in Chinese, and then I'll add the English translation below. Enjoy!!! Do any of you know Mandarin or Shanghainese (if so could you see if I wrote the letters correctly? hehe)

Day 25: Write a letter to somebody who is not in your state/country.

我的表姐:

你好马? 我还有一个半星期就会去上海来看你。 我很开心! 我希望可以跟你去看电影和吃饺子。 我好久没吃上海采了。 我也要去看看你的办公室， 好吗?

My older female cousin:

How are you? There's still only have one and a half week left before I will go to Shanghai to see you! I'm so happy! I hope I can go with you to see movies and eat dumplings. I haven't had Shanghai dishes in so long! I also want to go see your office, is that okay?

Day 26: Write a letter to the person you miss the most.

你好， 姐姐!

虽然我昨天刚跟你打过电话了，可是我还是非常想你! 我在等到我们能一起去中国。。。没有很多时间了! 你想，飞机上面会有什么采是好吃的， 什么电影是好看的? 不要忘带好看的衬衫，裤子， 和鞋。 我们的家人都要看看美国的女孩子是穿什么呢.

Hello, big sister!

Even though I just gave you a phone call yesterday, I still miss you a lot! I am waiting for when we will get to go to China together...not much time left now! What do you think, what sort of yummy foods to eat and good movies to watch will there be on the airplane? Don't forget to bring pretty shirts, pants, and shoes! Our family members want to see what clothes American girls wear.

Day 27: Write a letter to your best friend.

最好的朋友:

你好! 你怎么样? 六月二十二号是我的生日，我会看到你。那天我要给你一张枝， 有你喜欢得歌写在上面。 你来的时候我们会做饭，看电视， 和吃蛋糕。你喜欢什么样子得蛋糕和饮料? 你告诉我， 我就会到商店去卖。请快一点给我发电子邮件!

My best friend:

Hello! How are you doing? June 22 is my birthday, and I will get to see you then. On that day, I will need to give you a piece of paper, which has a song on it that you like. When you come, we will cook food, watch television, and eat cake! What kind of beverages and cake do you like? You tell me, and I'll go to the store to buy them. Quickly write me an email please!

Whew!!! Goodness that was a lot of writing. It was great exercise for my mind though, and definitely helped me jog my memory, especially for some of the harder words/characters like cake, beverages and pants and grammar points such as 虽然, which means although.

If you know any other tongues besides English, feel free to write your comments in your respective languages! I'd love to learn how to say different phrases, though I can't promise I won't use Google Translate. ;) Share your languages with us!

P.S. Yes, I will be going to China next month and will definitely be blogging about my experiences--hopefully everyday if possible. I am SO excited and can't wait to share my adventures overseas with you all!

30-Day Challenge 25, 26, 27: Letters to People (in Chinese!)

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