Greetings on the best holiday of the year (in my not-so-humble opinion). Some people send Christmas cards, some people send Valentines, and it seems so appropriate for me to send a trick-or-treat-o-gram :) Here is some important news, which I hope you will use: 1.) Halloween candy is good for you. On the Psychology Today […]
I am a copywriter in training, and this is today’s lesson. Pure genius. I found all of these here. That article is amazing.
Recently two totally unrelated acquaintances mentioned the idea of starting food places in 3rd-tier Chinese cities. When asked for input, I gave both of them the same advice: make your place nice enough that you could bring a date. I’m neither a retail expert nor someone who has been on a huge number of dates […]
This adorable little girl lives at the ger camp in the Semi-Gobi Desert, the place where we rode camels. I chose her photo to illustrate this post, because I think her stylish coat and practical boots exemplify the type of consumerism that improves the lives of everyday Mongolians. While I was in Mongolia, the insightful […]
Last night I attempted to send a text message to my roommate, who works for an international media organization, to congratulate her on her accurate prediction of this year’s winner. The first version, which included his name, did not go through. The second version, edited to be more cryptic, did. For real commentary regarding the […]
This post started as a comment on Small Hands, Big Ideas, Grace Boyle’s wonderful blog. Following a meme that seems to be flowing around this corner of the blogosphere, she outlines the places she has lived and what they meant to her. Her post begins: I write about it a lot – traveling, my relocating […]
President George W. Bush shakes hands with a Mongolian cultural performer. Photo: Reuters For perhaps the first time in my backpacking life, I did not need a visa, but my fellow travelers from other countries did. This is because the United States of America and Mongolia are friends. When I visited the National Museum of […]
I met Sara in 2004 when she joined Gamma Phi Beta at Cal and became my first little sis. An architecture major passionate about design and creativity, Sara often joked that the world of architecture had too many phallic symbols and not enough yanic symbols. I remember her defining yanic as the female equivalent to […]
In Mongolia, one name is ubiquitous: Chinggis Khaan (yes, that is the most commonly used transliteration.) His name and face grace vodka bottles, energy drink cans, the international airport, cigarette packages, and so much more. And there is no better place to feel his presence than the Chinggis Khaan Statue Complex. Photo from New York […]
I just got back to Beijing after a wonderful 12-day trip to Mongolia! I had a truly amazing time and I have just written a bunch of posts with anecdotes and photos from my trip, which will be here on the blog over the next few days. Image : Lonely Planet I would like to […]