Archive for June, 2011

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Things to Remember For the Future

June 18th, 2011 by Manda | 5 Comments | Filed in Life
  • Problems will always be there until you deal with them; running from them accomplishes nothing.
  • Never make one person your whole world, because if you do, you will always be holding yourself back.
  • Love freely, love largely, love with all your heart, but never give your love to someone who doesn’t care for it.
  • Never underestimate the strength you can draw from having amazing, supportive friends.
  • You have to learn to love yourself before you can love and be loved in return.
  • Inner strength is a thing of beauty: never forget you possess it.
  • Everything happens for a reason.
  • The only person responsible for your own happiness is you.

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Cavemen and Fire

June 16th, 2011 by Manda | 2 Comments | Filed in Family, Travel

“Our family is like cavemen and the camera is fire.”

So said my wise brother during a two-day family excursion to Guangzhou. The amount of time spent in front of minor sights with various combinations of people and different cameras used (since, in today’s digital age, it made more sense to use every camera in possession to take photos, rather than stick to one camera and share the photos with everyone at the end of the trip) was headache-inducing. There is a reason for the Asian tourist stereotype of taking photos for every little damn thing encountered.

I’m seriously thinking of investing in a green screen and presenting it to my family. It’s not like they are concerned about the sights; the photos are all about the people and have little to no focus on the background. A green screen would take care of everything.

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The Underachievers

June 14th, 2011 by Manda | 6 Comments | Filed in Family

There are two cousins on my mother’s side that are the closest to my brother and I in age. This is both fortunate and unfortunate: fortunate because we all get along really well and have lots of fun when we get together, and unfortunate because it is too easy to compare our accomplishments (as we are in such similar places in our lives. Comparisons are inevitable when part of an Asian family, but it’s kind of pathetic when you come off as the underachiever because you actually are one in comparison. Take note, for example:

  • Cousin 1: Multilingual (Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, English, Shanghainese). Certified to give piano lessons at age 15. Youth Group leader. IB student. Slated to receive a bilingual high school diploma. Athletic.
  • Cousin 2: Multilingual (see languages listed above). Qualified for the official Shanghai youth soccer team. Youth Group leader. Guitarist. Very athletic.
  • Brother: Bilingual (Cantonese and English). Maintained aquariums as a hobby. Knows how to drive manual. Certified lifeguard.
  • Me: Trilingual (Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, English). Slated to graduate from college in a year with a bachelor’s degree. Baker. Accomplished cross-stitcher.

There is one thing my brother and I have undoubtedly in our favor, however. We are taller. (Lame, but we take what we can get.)

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