breakthesky.net » Question of the Week

Dinner With the Family

Manda — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 14:13:49 +0000

I grew up in a house where every member of my family would gather around the dinner table every night for a hot meal and eat together. My mother would suffer no excuses when it came to eating dinner as a family; it was a constant in her household. The only exceptions I can recall is that if one of us were not at home during dinnertime (frowned upon) or if one of us were sick (excusable).

I think a lot of her insistence on eating dinner together as a family is because it was a part of the day where everyone would gather ’round and eat, talk, and bond. It was her time to catch up with her children and for my brother and I to argue about something stupid. As my mom always cooked dinner, eating dinner together also had something to do with politeness and manners. She cooked the meal; it would have been the height of rudeness if one of us had taken a plate of home-cooked food and eaten it on our lonesome in our bedroom or something.

Now that I’m on my own and have a packed schedule, I find that I’m often eating dinner on my own, and usually on the go. I’ll grab a burrito at Chipotle and eat it once I get home from my internship. I’ll eat a bagel sandwich from Einstein’s Bagels during my afternoon shift at work. I’ll eat a bowl of Special K in the morning before I take off for the day. I’ll cook dinner for myself and eat it in front of the TV, saving leftovers for the next day. My schedule often allows me to get dinners with friends, but we almost always go out to eat.

I love the food and conversation I have with my friends when we go out to eat, but I miss the dinners at my house. I can’t imagine what it’s like to grow up in a house where family dinners didn’t exist. It’s not even the home-cooked factor (although I miss that dearly!), it’s the fact that I can’t understand how families don’t, or can’t, or won’t, come together for dinner. It makes me sad, because I have some great memories of dinners at my house when I was growing up!

Question of the Week: Does your family have family dinners where you all eat together? Or is dinner an individual occasion?

Classic English Literature

Manda — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:27:05 +0000

I’ve been spending most of my spare time reading on my Kindle while I’ve been on the road. I’ve taken advantage of free public domain books to read some of the classics in English literature in an effort to expand my literary horizons. For years and years I’ve said I’ve wanted to read Dickens, Bronte, etc. Now, I’ve finally gotten off my lazy ass and have started reading them. For someone who once considered an English literature minor, it’s about time I started devouring more of the classics!

These are the ones I’ve read so far this summer:

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Next on my list are Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, and perhaps some Shakespeare.

Question of the Week: What English classics would you recommend to read?

The Definition of “Hooking Up”

Manda — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 02:39:00 +0000

This is something I’ve always wondered – how do people define the term “hooking up”?

I looked it up on Urban Dictionary to see if there was a general consensus about what the term defines, and this was the first definition I found:

Hooking up: An incredibly ambiguous phrase that drives me absolutely insane when people use it.
Example: John hooked up with Mary. (So what did they actually do? Did they meet at the park? Did they talk? Or did they duke like viagra-injected rabbits? Who knows…)

In junior high, “hooking up” essentially just meant making out. But as I got older and my friends and I got more experienced with all the possibilities of the definition of “hooking up,” we never adapted a new term. Let it be making out, messing around, or sex – no matter what it is, it’s always described as “hooking up.”

Sometimes, though, my friends and I clarify what exactly happened while hooking up. Take a conversation I had last night, for example:

Friend: I can’t go to that club tonight. So-and-so will be there and I don’t want to see him.
Me: Oh? Did you hook up with him or something?
Friend: Yeah. But we only made out. Nothing more.

In that case, what hooking up meant was crystal clear. But more often than not, I’ve found myself using “hooking up” as a blanket term for my experiences. I think it’s the safest term to use when you have to ‘fess up about something but don’t want to be in a position of kissing and telling. The ambiguity is a godsend, sometimes; if a group of girlfriends are insistent on finding out what happened, saying that you “hooked up” is enough for them to know something happened. The rest can be left to the imagination.

Question of the Week: How do you define “hooking up”? Has the definition of the term changed over time for you? Do you say you hooked up with someone, or do you use more specific terms?

(Blow)drying Hair

Manda — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 09:29:24 +0000

I’m curious as to how people choose to dry their hair after washing it. Blowdryers? Air dry? Wet-to-dry straighteners? Some other form of hair drying that I am not aware of?

I ask because when I stayed with my godmother for a weekend, she was shocked to find out that I hate using anything to dry my hair. I’m all about air drying; it’s the least amount of bother and it works well enough for me! I think part of my aversion to using hair dryers is that when I was little and used them, I had a tendency to get bits of my hair caught in the back of the dryer (the cylinder bit where the fan spins to generate the hot air).

I suppose what people choose depends on lifestyle, too. Like, if people are pressed for time and need a hair dryer to quickly dry hair before heading out. Or not wanting to wait hours for hair to dry before they can go to bed. Personally, I don’t have any qualms with going out with wet hair (unless I have somewhere fancy I need to be) and I’ve been known to go to bed with wet hair from time to time.

Question of the Week: What do you use to dry your hair? Or do you use nothing at all and let nature do its work?

Music Downloading Spree

Manda — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 13:33:26 +0000

Fact: Google signed some sort of deal that allows every Internet user in China to download music for free off the Google website.

Fact: I am an Internet user in China who is always keen to expand my iTunes collection.

Fact: I am also someone who has been out of the loop in the pop culture scene ever since going abroad.

Fact: I have a wide-ranging taste in music and am willing to give anything a try, except rap.

Question of the Week: What are some of your favorite songs? Recently? All-time? What bands or artists would you recommend for me to check out, new or old?

You Ask and I’ll Answer: The Answers #2

Manda — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:19:59 +0000

About a month ago I invited those who were interested to ask me any question they liked, with the promise of an honest answer. Here are the answers to the questions I received:

Caity asked:

Would you like to live in China for longer than you are planning to now?
As of right now, the plan is to spend a total of one year living in China. Not one academic year, but one full year. A year is a long time; so, right now I don’t plan on extending that time-frame. I have to go back to the US to finish my last year of my degree and graduate, after all! But I am definitely open to the idea of returning to China to live and/or work at some point in the future.
What is your favorite thing about living overseas?
Everything. I had a multinational and multicultural childhood; “home” is not a defined place for me. When I am overseas, I love every single aspect about it. The food, the language, the culture, the new experiences, the travel… I never get homesick because there’s so much to love about living overseas!

Melody asked:

What do you wish to have gained by the end of your study abroad year?
The biggest thing is proficiency in Mandarin Chinese. That’s the bare minimum. Most of my other study abroad goals are of the more personal type. For example, to see every major historic landmark in Beijing or try out all different kinds of Beijing cuisine. Language study is a huge component of my time as a study abroad student but I can’t forget that I’m in an amazing city that I need to explore.
In terms of crafting and fashion, has there been any major influence/inspiration for you?
I guess you could say my mom is a major influence in terms of my crafting and fashion ability/skills. She’s really good at all sorts of handiwork, and I grew up with that around me. She’s always been the one encouraging me to sew, knit, crochet, cross stitch, etc. Aside from that, not really. I like having a finished product to show for my work no matter what the project, so I guess that’s why crafting works out so well for me because there’s always something to represent my efforts.

SassyGirl asked:

Tell us about the boy drama!
Basically, despite all of my hard efforts to not let this happen, I think I’ve become the girl who is in love with her best (guy) friend. It sucks. Like, it really sucks. Taylor Swift said it best:

He will try to take away my pain
And he just might make me smile
But the whole time I’m wishing he was you instead

I’ve always mandated that the best way of getting over someone is getting under someone else. I’m working on that. But just because I need to get over someone doesn’t mean I’m lowering my criteria for who I “get under” next – a girl has to keep her standards!

Michelle asked:

It’s 5 years in the future. How would you want your life to have changed and what aspect would you like to have stayed relatively the same?
I want the standard things everyone wants: a steady paying job that I love, a partner whom I love and loves me back, to remain close with my current close friends, etc. My life will undoubtedly change once I graduate; I haven’t made much headway in figuring out what exactly I want to do once I finish my degree. I don’t necessarily have anything in my life I want to change or remain the same, but there are some things about me I’d like to change. I want to be more relaxed and carefree in every aspect of my life. The rest will follow suit.

Indian Food

Manda — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 10:49:09 +0000

Confession: up until four weeks ago, I’d never had Indian food before.

I know. For someone who prides herself on being as cultured and worldly as I do, this is unforgivable. I don’t exactly know why I’ve always been so averse to Indian food; I guess it can be blamed on some traumatizing childhood experiences where I encountered bad (by that, I mean poorly made and/or tasting) Indian food. Still, it was about time I finally caved and tried some.

My apartment in Beijing is near this really, really fantastic Indian restaurant. Indian food also happens to be my roommate’s favorite type of cuisine. When she discovered I’d never had Indian food before, she and my best friend decided to take me to the restaurant to try good, proper Indian food, whether I liked it or not. (I kid; I was very excited to go!)

And my God, it was delicious. It didn’t hurt that the restaurant is famous for top notch food, but I couldn’t believe that I had steadfastly avoided Indian food for so long when it tasted this good. I ordered chicken biryani and garlic naan and enjoyed every single bite.

I’ve been back at the restaurant since, always eager to appease new cravings for Indian food. However, I’ve run into a slight problem. I know nothing about Indian food, so I don’t know what new dishes to try out. I’ve read some descriptions of various dishes on the menu to try and get an idea of what I’d like to try, but I’m just so overwhelmed by the choices. Rice, curries, roti/naan, yogi diet… the different sections of the menu confuse me, let alone the contents!

Essentially, I’ve ordered the same thing every time I’ve gone back. While I still love chicken biryani and garlic naan, I want to try something new. Which is where you guys come in:

Question of the Week: Do you like Indian food? If so, what are some of your favorite Indian dishes?

You Ask and I’ll Answer #2

Manda — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 16:09:54 +0000

Seeing as I did one of these ask-and-answer things last year, I figured it was about time to do another one. I’m always fascinated by what other bloggers get asked and how they respond!

You know the drill:

This is an opportunity for you to ask me any question(s) you’d like and receive an open, honest answer. I will answer all questions and make note of who asked what in the entry. Feel free to ask as many questions as you’d like; I will answer them all.

So… ask away! (You can flick through the questions I got asked last year if you’d like.)

I’d Like My Eggs With…

Manda — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 08:48:30 +0000

Taking a break from my recent Europe-themed posts to pose a question that I have pondered for a while:

Whilst I’ve been traveling around this month with different family and friends, I’ve noticed that there are many ways people eat eggs in the morning. I’m not talking about whether eggs are scrambled, poached, fried and whatnot; everyone knows about those differences. No, I noticed that people like to put different things on/with their eggs in the morning.

Salt, pepper, salt and pepper, jam/jelly, ketchup, cheese… I am sure there are many more, but those are just the ones that come to my head first. Personally, I like to put soy sauce on my eggs. I’ve always thought that was normal, but apparently that’s considered weird to non-Chinese heritage folk…?

Question of the Week: What do you like to put on your eggs?

The Oxford (or Serial) Comma

Manda — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:11:42 +0000

I am home from my trip to the East Coast! Overall, it was a very enjoyable trip. I visited friends and family and did a lot of sightseeing, as well as shopping. The best part was when I got together with my friends from school and we were all reunited – the last time we’ll be reunited for a year, as I’m going abroad for the year and most of them are going abroad for at least a semester.

Anyway, now that I’m home again, time to return to my regular blog programming. Stephen Colbert interviewed Vampire Weekend on his show in June 2010 and the following interview took place:

Stephen: Can I take you to task for something, for a second?
Everyone: Sure.
Stephen: In one of your songs, you have the lyrics: Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?
Ezra: Yes.
Stephen: I’m here to tell you, I do. Shall we explain what an Oxford comma is to the people?
Ezra: Oh. It’s always a little tough to explain… an Oxford comma would be a comma that you’d put before the and or the or, at the end of a list.
Stephen: Red, white, and blue.
Ezra: Exactly.
Stephen: I mean, red comma white comma and blue.
Ezra: Do you really need the comma?
Stephen: Yes, you do need the comma.
Ezra: Why do you need the comma?
Stephen: Because otherwise it’s: red, white and blue. Our flag is not red, white and blue. That’s red and baby blue!
Ezra: There are situations where it’s necessary.
Stephen: All situations. All of them except it’s, like, a law firm. That’s every other— No, listen, have you heard of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style?
Ezra: Yes.
Stephen: Heard of that? I refer you to… (opens book) page fucking two: In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term. (snaps book shut in Ezra’s face)
Ezra: Yeah, but I mean -
Stephen: Does that sting? That’s E.B. White, you heard of him?
Ezra: Respect to Strunk and White, but it’s just protocol. It’s not— there’s no real reason.
Stephen: Yeah, it’s language. Why don’t you just take all punctuation out, be like the Romans?
Ezra: Sometimes we do.
Stephen: Really?
Ezra: I mean, we’re a band. Y’know? (shrugs)
Stephen: I weep for our nation. But, I do enjoy your music. Will you stick around and do one of your songs that is properly punctuated?
Ezra: We’ll see.
Stephen: All right, we’ll be right back with a performance from Vampire comma Weekend!

I always used to use an Oxford comma, but then when I started taking journalism classes in college I had to stop using it because AP style forbids it. Still, I prefer an Oxford comma over none; it’s what I was taught all throughout school (until college) and I think sentences look neater with one!

Question of the Week: Do you use an Oxford comma?