Street Signs

I've been traveling to Tianjin rather frequently lately, mostly for work. It's time for another installment of Stuff I Saw While Traveling at 140 Km/Hr. This time, we'll be focusing on street signs.

DO NOT DRIVE TIREDLY

Overlooking the amusing phrasing of this warning, i'm more intrigued by the illustration. I continue to read the comics EVERYDAY, and have been doing so for the last 4 years. I was not aware that empty thought balloons were a universal sign for feeling tiredly. Also, the mostly featureless face and lack of hands kinda freaks me out.

Still, i'm not convinced this is the most accurate caption. I offer the following alternatives:

• "Feed me, Seymour."
• "Ms. Pac Man, I love you too. Let us now kiss."
• "Pizza! My favorite! OM NOM NOM NOM OM NOM"

CHANGE LANE / NOTICE BEHIND

Step 1. Decide to Change Lane

Step 1a. Do so Without Turn Signal

Step 2. Notice Behind

Step 2a. Contemplate that Behind

REAR END COLLISION / KEEP SPACE

I believe these last two signs are related. You know, if you didn't spend so much effort telling all the drivers to check out all the nearby behinds, maybe you would have so many accidents. Eyes on the road people.

~Kev

P.S. Happy Mothers Day Mothers!

Jeju Revisted

As previously promised here, i have more choice photos to add from Jeju.

Aces Day Off

Therese has some cool shots from Sunday, when she abandoned the Frisbee festivities in favor of a glorious island adventure. There's a small national park near the hotel and her pictures tell a story by themselves.

I especially like the last one, featuring the salad that accompanied her lunch that day. It's a fish head salad sparsely decorated with seaweed, served upon a featureless white void of infinity.

Big Brother and the Fields

From Mike Shyu's camera, here's the fierce-looking team and a great shot of the fields, me storming off the field after battle, and more me being anti-social while i worked at the airport.

The Rubik's Party

These first three pics are from Sandy and the last one is from Therese.

When i traded my orange outfit for the yellow smock-based thing, it didn't come with any pants. It's a good thing all these photos are from the waist up, for i was just in my underwear. Good times!

~Kev

P.s. Happy Cinco De Mayo everyone!

Milestones

The arrival of May heralds my one year anniversary of moving to Beijing... May 13th to be exact.

For the past year, time has zipped by, and it has stood still. New challenges arrive literally every day, so in general my brain is pretty active. This makes the time pass very quickly. But the first two months living in hotel seemed like they would never end. It drained my energy, not having a space to call my own, eating every meal out, having all the hotel staff watching my patterns. It tried my patience and i questioned my decision to take this life-changing leap.

The first big milestone was moving into the company apartment. That changed my whole perspective on the city. I started studying the language more, venturing out into the surrounding markets and restaurants, cooking at home. I felt settled, and every part of my life benefited. I was more focused at work and felt more connected to the city. It was the first time i was able to relax.

The following 8 months established a routine... work, frisbee, the band, parties. In general, i welcome change and adventure, but a certain amount of stability is soothing. It helps you notice little things right in front of you. Once you're comfortable with your surroundings, you're also able to branch out and test the boundaries. That's when you discover the hidden gems, which was important for really appreciating this huge, foreign city.

While a one year anniversary is only a symbolic milestone, this second year of my life in Beijing will be quite different. It's beginning with Ace's arrival, a new apartment, and Chinese classes. These three things are going to drastically change the rest of my time here for the better. I really enjoy living here and know this opportunity has been a blessing.

Thank you all so much, everyone who has supported me along the way... my family back home, my friends around the world, especially those in Beijing, my co workers at US/G, and Ace for helping me out of my comfort zone.

~Kev

Update: Possibly unrelated, possibly a milestone for Ultimate Frisbee... you decide. Either way, it's a FANTASTIC article.