Summer in New York is hot, and the abundant light reflected off of the glasses of the skyscrapers light up the streets which are normally devoid of any direct sunlight. That makes you feel like you are living in a synthetic world.

Flushing Queen’s is a different story. It’s a sunny day, walking on the shady lane with all kinds of flowers sticking their heads out of their designated yards, makes you feel happy even when you are temporarily homeless.

But I did find an apartment and it seems like I will be living in west Harlem overlooking the Hudson river starting late Aug!

It took me a good week to get used to NYC time – but I’m still slightly jet-lagged. Even better, tomorrow I’m flying to Banff (Calgary, Canada) which is 2 hours behind NYC time. What does this mean? Feeling sleepy at dinner time and waking up at 3AM. Luckily I’ll be participating in a music program and I won’t have to fight the practice room with any other pianists.

And if you are bored, here’s NYC, live!

现在，我坐在Well Bistro, 这家我们这4天每天都光顾的一家西式咖啡屋里，也许是古城里少有的很安静的一家，坐落在一个小巷里的，当年忽必烈曾经饮过的古井边。我们喜欢这里的音乐，当然还有那种古城里白天黑天都难得的安宁。

我是一个二十有几的女孩，可是在我眼里的酒吧一条街是最不吸引人的地方。主流文化和原始古朴好像是舒曼一个脑袋里面的Eusebius和Florestan. 我们只能感谢主流文化让更多的人认识丽江，给这里的人们带来更多的富足和进步，可是那逝去的古朴却是永远找不回来了。这种古朴不仅仅是古城里的居住环境和民风民俗，更多的是那种没有铜臭的浮躁和喧嚣。走在街上，看到满街来自暴富地区的游客，除了金钱没有其他追求的年轻人，他们是来这里体会那种独特的文化么？那些根本不屑把香烟吐在别人脸上一脸横肉的男人，随意提出要和男人做爱的年轻女孩，一件物品开价天高的生意人，告诉我抽烟喝酒是因为闲着没事做的纳西年轻人，让我感觉到这座古城特别的空虚，特别的陌生。

每每举起相机望进取景器的时候，我看到的总是灰色。常是犹豫地按下快门，留下一堆不想处理的影像。

再美的景色没有美丽的内心都是灰色的。我很高兴至少我听到了纳西族放开嗓子在林子里喊出的山歌，我看到了在下了2,3天雨以后出现的双彩虹，经历了一些骇人耸听的见闻。我现在很想让我的指甲长长的双手碰到钢琴。我还想念4年前的西藏。

明天晚上启程，回到昆明。

We are told that it will be cold and the air up there is thin (4000m of altitude). I was suggested to carry a can of oxygen when we go hiking. Sound slightly burdensome, but we’ll see what happens. If the weather forecast is reliable, for the next two days in Shangri la it’ll be rainy.

The inn we are staying at in Li Jiang Old City is beautiful. Outside of our window we can see pretty much the whole town because we are situated on the slope. Here are some pictures for now, and wish us the best tomorrow and the day after!

5:45am: waking up

Now, waiting at the airport to board on the plane.

I have heard a lot about Yun Nan and the cities we are going to be visiting, my father has also repeated told his traveling stories there while showing me the beautiful pictures he’s taken. Still, I’m not quite sure what to expect.

It is such a coincidence that my friend Ben will also be going to the same cities as us in Yun Nan. We are going with different traveling groups, but perhaps we’ll meet in Li Jiang in three days or so! We first met in Toronto and haven’t seen each other for about a year, it’d be such a pleasure to see him in the beautiful town of Li Jiang.

5:39PM

Almost 12h since we woke up! Sitting in the cafe called Lampone by Cui Hui Park in the capital of Yun Nan province, Kunming, writing a brief update.

Plane ride was around 3h, today I was told by Kun Ming natives that it’s an especially hot day. Everywhere seems to be greener and slightly more moist. I cannot help but to notice the beautiful girls strolling on the street, and the dominating number of motorcycles over bicycles on the streets as well as in the parking lots for bikes.

We’ll be leaving for Da Li at 7pm, then spend the night there. Tomorrow we’ll tour Dali.

Our first dish here in Kun Ming: Bamboo beef.

A

A corner on the street.

Central Park.

In case I haven’t said it enough times: I LOVE NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was a bit too hot in my room. I heard birds chirping their happy song, somebody from the neighboring building showering or cooking – and I opened my eyes, looked through the curtain and saw a piece of cerulean sky.  What a beautiful morning. Such an amazing gift God had given me to be alive and healthy, and be surrounded by peace beauty.

The beauty of having a birthday on May 5th is that usually final exams slash some important performances are around this time, and once this tough part of the year is dealt with success, I can burst out with happiness and enjoy the beautiful spring/summer day.

Especially – this year has been one of the hardest years in my life, I am full of thankfulness of how the end of the year turned out. Yesterday, after playing an amazing jury, having a great talk with a professor, Sea and I headed to SoHo and had Shanghai 小笼包 in Chinatown.

He started dancing after seeing me raising my camera.

I wasn’t sure if this was a simple parking lot or an open field car show.

My beautiful friend Sea.

Well, happy birthday also to my friends Charles and Ivan, and Mr.Charles Rosen (and also Mr.Karl Marx, if he’d still like to celebrate it).

We are supposed to be one year wiser, so let’s not disappoint that. ; )

母亲摄。

4月份我一直觉得觉得日子停留在4月初。也许一直潜意识不想意识到要过生日了。

不，这个学年就一直进行着，好像永远不会结束。

虽然大概再过两个礼拜就要结束了，仿佛在纽约的一些什么总不会结束。

夏天，我要回北京了！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！
说的就是，虽然5.17就要踏上归路，但是好想觉得这永远不会发生。
北京会是什么样子呢？
记得4年前回去，晨跑的时候看见有身着人大附中校服的还在骑车行在路上，我激动地差点想去跑过去拍他们一把。

现在，好像永远做不完的一些事情。

前几天，我的一个好朋友从Kingston, Ontario开车8个小时多来纽约。在我们讲的很多很多的话中，我想提到他说:

The power of words is really quite intriguing.

好的园丁，虽然看似极其之傻，他们总会对自己的花草说话，问安。而有人调查过，在一个和睦的，充满爱的环境下，植物成长地很茁壮。

是否有些太过牵强？但是，这让我重新想到该如何去说话，说造就人的话而不是反之。

I’ve been wanting to write and tell you how much I am enjoying all this beauty of the spring in New York, but I ended up enjoying too much. I was down at Battery Park on Good Friday, cherry blossoms in the backdrop of the blue sky, a boy chasing a girl on the green grass, people leisurely basking under the warm spring sun, all this reminds me so much of Beijing (I don’t think I’ve ever seen cherry blossoms outside of China, and that makes it 10 years of not seeing cherry blossoms in the spring for me.)This happiness and youthfulness of spring seemed to have bid goodbye long ago and have returned to me so gently and kindly after the winter of my predicament.

I know there will be many winters that will be filled with hardships, but I hope none will be with desolation. It hadn’t been easy for me. But I’m so glad it’s all over, and I’m so glad this spring came and injected so much energy into my veins so that I will only keep going forward.

I think I might move to the Financial District (a.k.a. “FiDi”) in the fall. Many people have reacted with doubt when they heard me say this, but I think right now it’s the most suitable place for me to be.

I more month until school finishes, after that my plan includes going back to China and Banff.

Happy Easter and happy spring!

这几天纽约几乎没有放晴过。也许初春真正来临之前这几天的雨是最让人心里莫名惆怅的吧。天气说冷不冷，但是寒气还是从裤腿里钻进来，让你的全身稍稍颤抖。可就是这阴冷的天气，雨水浇湿大地，却在这样的雨水里一切都变绿了，这不是很不可思议么。家附近的樱花公园的草地都变成绿茸茸的了，看到那些纤细的铃铛花在雨中静静开放着，我想到，真是春雨贵如油，即便是在这般阴冷的纽约天气中。

前几天烧的一道菜。纪念一下。