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my blog can be accessed at www.jenny-chu.com

Schoolgirl crush

I can’t help it. I am 27 years old going on 13, and I have a schoolgirl crush. The last time I had a silly crush was forever ago. Anyway, just like a 13 yr old, I do not have the guts to actually send this imaginary note to a real life boy. I mean Man.


Dear ________,

You seem to be a live by the moment type of guy. So live life. Meet me in Hawaii.

Have a break from the rat race in exchange for a few sunny beach-filled days. Have some sno-cones with azuki beans, technicolor sunsets, mai-tais with little umbrellas, seashells by the seashore. Have some cheese in your life. Have me.

Memorial Day Weekend, 2006. Veronica is marrying Phil.
And I want you to be my date.







Yours,

Jchu

If I were truly a live by the moment girl, I would take the chance, send the note and say, “screw it if the boy thinks me crazy.”

Instead 27 yr old logic supercedes childish daydreams.

Hence this retarded post.

Hip Hop Hooray!

jenny just got the goods!!!

sooooo as SN double OP, D-O double G would say,
drop it like it's hot......
drop it like it's hot....drop it like it's hot

Uh! I'm a nice dude, with some nice dreams

                     See these ice cubes, see these Ice Creams?

( jchu's a big dork, but y'all knew that
but she don't care, yeah she still gonna....
DROP IT LIKE IT'S HOT! x 3)

becuz:

1) My most prized possession now contains my Chinese visa- 6 mos, multiple entry.
what. what.

2) A brand new Canon Digital Rebel XT
there goes 1/8 of my savings, oops. but hey, i'm now armed and ready to take more pictures of old china men, like i did below in 2004.

(btw, you can click on any pictures for bigger version)

one-toothed chinaman



opium-addicted chinaman




i'm 96 years old, and daym i look good chinaman.


so yeah, on the top of my to do list is improving my photo taking skills. anyone want to trade english lessons for photography ones?

The Jet Set

This post is dedicated to all those working in international development.

Too funny.

The Development Set

Excuse me, friends, I must catch my jet- I'm off to join the Development Set; My bags are packed, and I've had all my shots, I have travelers' checks, and pills for the trots

The Development Set is bright and noble, Our thoughts are deep and our vision global; Although we move with the better classes, Our thoughts are always with the masses.

In Sheraton hotels in scattered nations, We damn multinational corporations; Injustice seems so easy to protest, In such seething hotbeds of social rest.

We discuss malnutrition over steaks And plan hunger talks during coffee breaks. Whether Asian floods or African drought, We face each issue with an open mouth.

We bring in consultants whose circumlocution Raises difficulties for every solution- Thus guaranteeing continued good eating By showing the need for another meeting.

The language of the Development Set Stretches the English alphabet; We use swell words like 'epigenetic', 'Micro', 'Macro'. and 'logarithmetic'.

Development Set homes are extremely chic, Full of carvings, curios and draped with batik. Eye-level photographs subtly assure That your host is at home with the rich and the poor.

Enough of these verses -- on with the mission! Our task is as broad as the human condition! Just pray to God the biblical promise is true: The poor ye shall always have with you.

Ross Coggins

Yummy in My Tummy ! Yummy in My Tummy!

It's almost 4 in the morning. Maybe its good I'm turning into a vampire so I won't be jetlagged when I arrive in Beijing. Riiiiight.

A friend just instant messaged from Japan asking me what I was up to. That's when I realized that I can hardly keep up with life. I was organizing a scrapbook with pictures of London from 2004-2005. Sigh.

Anyway a big perk that comes with moving to distant lands is having friends cook you mouth-watering gourmet food. Last night I was treated to a three course vegetarian dinner prepared by Chef Larry, my buddy from UCLA.



Look at this menu!!!!!!!
In case you can't read the picture
1st course
Asiago Zucchini & Chinese Eggplant Frites

2nd course
Belgian Endive, Watercress & Red Radish dressed in a Sake Wasabi Vineagarette



Look at the Third Course--- Portobello Tower with Truffled Celery Puree w/ Red Pepper Balsamic Reduction accompanied by Roasted Mixed Green Tomatoes w/Garlic and Basil on Pine Nuts Couscous!!!!!

Needless to say, Jenny was having food orgasms all night long and thinking, "Larry needs to quit his day job and I need to put him in my backpack!"

Chef Larry, me and my BFF Becca.

There is just something about living in the dorms that creates friendships like ours. The three of us laugh, cry, burp, sing, dance, talk with each other like family. These two chingchongs better visit me in the motherland or else I'll karate chop their arses.

Late Night Musings

It's 2:17 in the morning.
One more day left in March.
15 more days until I leave on my jetplane to Beijing.

Well, that is if all goes according to plan. Most people get a visa, then a plane ticket. I, on the other hand, like to leave things till the last minute (being a procrastinator makes my life more exciting). So, today after returning from a whirlwind trip along the East Coast, I paid a visit to the local photoshop cum visa agency run by a Chinese guy. For a mere $20, he assured me that by Wednesday he can get me the official go-ahead for the next chapter of my life. I now wait with bated breath for the tourist visa that will let me to enter and leave the motherland for up to six months.

While entering China as a "tourist," my intension is to stay in the country for at least a year, most likely two. This time I am not going to China to only travel. Instead, I am packing up my two suitcases to find work in Beijing related to my masters degree in Environment and Development.

Moving to China is probably the scariest thing I have done in my 27 years. Sure, I have picked up and transplated my life abroad twice (heck, I even traveled four months solo through SE Asia). However both times I knew generally what was to be in store. I knew I would share a home with other students and live the student life. I knew that after the papers had been written and the exams had been taken, I had to come back home.

At this point, the only thing I know about my China adventure is that I will be crashing with my cousin Carolyn and her husband Josh until I figure stuff out. Oh, and I know that I will make my one friend in Beijing, Denny B, hang out with me constantly. Haha, well at first anyway. Otherwise, a stream of questions run through my head such as:

Where will I live? Will I find a job that I love and still make ends meet?
Will they think I am a dork riding a bike with a helmut?
Will I finally learn to read and write Chinese?

Surprisingly, I am feeling pretty optimistic about my decision to arrive in a foreign country with no job in hand. For the past month, I have been busy connecting with people working on China environmental issues. Several emails, one lengthy phone conversastion, and four stateside meetings later- I think that I have made enough progress to have hope that employment is not in the too distant future. Once I arrive in Beijing I am also scheduled to meet with more enviro folks and will be helping out with Earth Day activities.

As for the rest of the stuff? I live for uncertainty. Right now, not knowing the answers to my life questions excites me.

And I don't know, just something deep down in me believes that I am doing the right thing, that moving to China is meant to be.

Fingers crossed.