Cycling

Online researching

2011-12-07T20:14:00.001-05:00

I've been discovering the new ways of making "doing research" a both fun and efficient thing these days, and in this web 2.0 era (or should I say "SNS era"?), there're plenty of interesting stuffs on Internet that we can use for research. It seems that everyone could think about something under the category of "online research resources" such as online database, ebooks, and academic forums. While these could be very useful when I need to find some resources, I'm more interested in the question of how to find the latest news, findings and "voices" in my study field.

Besides subscribing to Google Scholar or the university's library, what else I've found? Twitter and Facebook!

Thanks to LSE Impact Blog, for providing the idea of "using Twitter in university research", and after creating my own research list, I've turned Twitter into a platform for getting updates, voices, ideas, and inspiration that related to my research area. Similar things have also happened to my Facebook news feed, after clicking the "Like" button on the pages of some research institutions or networks, now there're always something interesting to read when I check the feeds. More importantly, through this way, I've found some great institutions and research centers that I was not quite familiar with before, and now I can subscribe either to their regular updates in Google Reader or to their newsletter for more information.

Turning the guilty SNS into a "research tool" is really a great step for me. Now academia becomes funner than ever, and relaxing is more than "wasting time".

The next step is to share and store. Several ways that I usually take include: sharing and starring on Google Reader, sharing on Facebook, retweeting and favoring on Twitter, and starring in my gmail inbox. But I also need to put everything I found in different sources together and group them based on topics, so I use Delicious.com and Evernote, both of them can store and group web resources, and are capable of sharing with others. After creating several stacks on Delicious, I can group all the online information and sources I found accordingly, while keeping my Chrome bookmark bar tidy. It's also a great way to reach everything I need no matter which computer I'm using.

Finally, something interesting I found on Twitter today: Istambul traffic visualization

Just for douban

2011-12-02T18:31:00.001-05:00

doubanclaim677e1c8a91e39bad

Moving away

2011-12-02T18:07:00.001-05:00

I'm trying to turn this once "personal" blog into a place for writing in English, especially something related to my studies. So I finally moved all the past posts, all in Chinese, all about my personal feelings (some are really emotional), to another blog site. And all my past Chinese posts are there, from June 2005 to September 2010. I hope that is a good place to keep them, though I may not read them again.

Let's see what's gonna happen next.

To-do list isn't working for me

2011-12-02T17:18:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I made a "to-do list" for myself, it's not quite an usual thing for me, 'cause I'm more preferring to make plan in my mind, before going to bed, or after waking up. But last night, I suddenly felt so stressful that I've got a bunch of things to be done by this weekend, though everything seems having been started, none of them looks like going to be successfully ended within these days. So I made plan, very detailed. I listed something like "19:00-20:00 update group doc; 20:00-21:00 reply TA mail; 21:00-23:00 finish at least 1/3 of final paper". It looks very workable, but the truth is, I did finish the first two as I planned, but when it came to the time for the paper, I turned my attention to something else, something also needs to be done but not that important.

I thought a "to-do list" could be a way for solving my procrastination. Actually it works, but not that much. I mean, without it, maybe I could not even finish the first two things on time, but I still can find excuse for myself to avoid the "big project". This is awful, especially when I can justify my behavior by doing something that is also on my list.

The good news is that everything is getting better than what it was a couple of weeks ago, but not good enough. Though I can see the progresses I made, they are not enough. Being in graduate school, procrastination can really kill me.

Address Is Approximate

2011-11-23T23:47:00.000-05:00

This is absolutely amazing :)

"Environment" in Geography

2011-11-20T21:57:00.001-05:00

This is an assignment for a class

Title: Elaborate on a place for "environment" in geography
Word limit: 400

Borrowing from Vidal de la Blache (1926), “environment” in geography is a “composite, capable of grouping and of holding together heterogeneous beings in mutual vital interrelationships”. To understand “environment” in geography, it is inevitably needed to put it in the relationships it holds with “beings”, especially the one with man, namely the human-environment relationship. This relationship is characterized by the constant interactions between human and environment: the adaptation of human and human’s adjustment on environment. In this case, in my opinion, “environment” in geography cannot be isolated from its interrelationship with human and must be understood within it; it could be viewed as the whole surroundings that around and interacting with human beings, and due to the interactions, it is not a fixed entity but a collection of floating elements, constantly changing over time.

Here I intend to use a typical Chinese garden as an example to elaborate my opinion. The Humble Administrator Garden (Zhuozheng yuan), located in Suzhou, China, has gone through various transitions in its 502 years old history. At first, this place was suffered from soft land and pervading puddles, which made it not suitable for too many architectures. However, this environmental restriction motivated the designer to build the garden with water as the main body: most of the buildings were built around several ponds and linked with bridges. Hydrophilic vegetation was planted, and in order to express the fine taste of the garden owner, the planted vegetation was chosen based on its special meaning in Chinese culture. After the owner passed away, this garden was sold and divided by different owners for several times, each changed its design on the basis of the first version for their own uses. Then in 1950s, it was restored and opened for public. Nowadays, hundreds of tourists go to the garden to enjoy the beauty every day. The ingenious designs of windows, doors and bridges create several micro-scenes like putting people in a painting, and attract more and more to appreciate its uniqueness.

Putting the “environment” into its relationship with human, the interaction first was building the garden under its original natural conditions, then was a series of changes over time and finally is people’s appreciation towards the scenes. And the “environment” has also been changed from a natural area to a synthesis of natural and man-made landscapes, a collection of changing elements surrounding and interacting with human.

Reference
Vidal de la Blache, P. 1926. Meaning and aim of human geography. In Human geography: An essential anthology, ed. J. Agnew, D. Livingstone and A. Rogers, 181-191. Oxford/Malden, MA: Blackwell. Originally published in Principles of human geography, trans. M. T. Bingham, 3-24. London: Constable.

What's on my mind

2011-11-20T15:11:00.001-05:00

I've nearly forgotten this place? What? Absolutely no! But I definitely don't know too much about what to write right now.

I've already got a personal blog, where I can put nonsenses, little stuff happened in my life, etc. So why I'm still keeping this one? Maybe because I do like the design, or maybe because I'm thinking about using this for some "serious" topic which I'm actually having no idea what should be.

Anyway, I'll try to use this place more often, though seems no one is actually reading. But this is helpful, that I can have the courage writing more.

Universities

2011-10-01T01:41:00.003-04:00

Here comes October and Autumn, my favorite month and season. It is also the time to say "Happy Birthday" to many friends and for myself, prepare for growing older. Maybe I should save the "speech" about my growing older till my birthday.

Today we interviewed a professor in our department (this is an assignment of one of our classes). And when we asked her about her graduate education in Florida, she mentioned how bad she felt about the department there at that time, her closer relationship with other research institutions in the school and finally used an expression like "it was the school kept me there, but not department". I could not stop nodding during her talking about her experience, which kind of reminding me of my undergraduate experience. This is more or less the same feeling, that the department sucks, but I love the university. Until now, even though, admittedly, some of the classes I took in the department and certain professors I met there (esp. Prof. Song!) left lasting effects on me and my perspective towards many academic issues, I still cannot find any "affection" with that place. No emotional connection and no sense of identity. But on the other hand, the university provided me many things, all the chances and possibilities, the freedom to choose which way I want to take and whom I want to be, and of course, the incredible resources, books, lectures, student associations and activities. To some extent, it was the university kept me there, and in fact it is still keeping "me" there.

Today I also received a postcard from a friend at HKU, the special postcard for its centenary. This is so interesting because I was thinking my relationship with the department and university of my undergraduate studies earlier today, then later the postcard, like a souvenir, reminded me of my relationship with the department and university of my graduate studies. Comparing with the situation in my undergraduate, this part is a little bit complex. For one thing, I can hardly feel being connected with the university (maybe except receiving my studentship from it), partly due to the reason that I studied as graduate student there and did not have time to participate in many activities like undergraduates did, and partly due to the cultural differences. Although HK definitely is playing a part in Chinese culture, the language issue and the differences in living environment kept me from being integrated in this city, and also the university. In fact, I did not think that I needed to be part of the university, emotionally, not only physically, so I never tried. For the other thing, my connection with the department, though closer, did not contain any "emotional" elements. The relationship was more like a employer-employee thing: I finished my job, got my money and enjoyed 14 days annual vacation every year, no "legal" summer or winter breaks. And the only emotional thing is the friendship with all the fellow students there, which played quite an important role in supporting me to finish my studies there. I don't know what kept me there, maybe the resources of the library, the learning opportunities from my supervisor, or the friendship. In fact, this is not important, 'cause I never thought about leaving, it was not a option. But I've hardly missed that place after leaving, no matter the school or the department, though occasionally I do miss my friends. Sometimes I just feel like leaving a company, which in fact not ending well.

Speaking of the changing season and the universities, I'm missing the campus of Peking University so much now. I always think the best season of the campus is Autumn that the sun is shinning through those beautiful red or yellow leaves and the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, which makes it is perfect to take a walk around the campus in the afternoon. Oh my, wish I could be there tomorrow. You know, every time when I enter the campus, it is like, returning home.

How are you doing?

2011-09-29T14:12:00.003-04:00

Seems having answered this question for many many times since I arrived here. Every time the answer is nearly the same one "Good", I don't think I can give any other answers, because I never heard anyone giving other answers. In fact I wondered if people really care the answer 'cause sometimes I'm not sure if they really heard me. Maybe "How are you" is just another way of saying "Hi".

The truth is, no matter I've said "Good" or "Fine" or "OK" to answer this question for how many times, I'm definitely not fine. Not fine? Well, maybe not that bad, I'm just not THAT "good". Kind of struggling these days, trying to figure out a workable way to balance my life, or to survive happily. Even though maybe I can finish readings more quickly than before, I still cannot find enough time for thinking about all the ideas, still cannot locate myself in the discussion framework of the class, and still philosophically and logically straying. Sometimes I just feel there's a mess in my mind, and I need a clue to clear it up. But where's the clue?

Definitely need to talk, talk with someone who understands all this situation. But then what? Certainly talking is not the ultimate solution, and if there's a ultimate solution, it's on me. So, the best possibility is that I spend some time working with myself and trying to target myself in a better way. And maybe all these should be started at scheduling every day more effectively.

The end?

2011-03-20T01:49:00.002-04:00

Nearly the end of the application season. Can't tell whether I'm satisfied with all of the results, or in other words, satisfied with my performance in this application season. It turns out that I'm still very lazy...maybe that's the reason why I cannot become a successful person. Anyway, maybe I am a person destined to be just "normal" not "excellent" or "extraordinary".

Still have not made my mind on where to go, which to choose. Quite hard for me.
I am not good at choosing, especially when facing several similar choices, especially when neither of them perfectlly matches my needs. I'm so picky!! (can't endure myself now...)

Anyway, I still have some time, but I think I should make my decision at the end of this month. So, here comes another "the end", lol.

Draft I

2010-10-23T12:09:00.001-04:00

It was the second year of my collage study, one dizzy afternoon in classroom; my professor was giving a lecture on the evolution of cities. Then he suddenly threw out a question “I believe that most of you do not have the sense of belonging to Beijing where you are studying and living, isn’t it?” this was a question never exist in my life for the reason that I had lived there for nearly twenty years, I never questioned whether I feel belonged to that city ever. But surprising me, I saw most of my classmates were nodding, some even looked exciting about “being understood”. Then, for the first time in my life, I went across to the words “sense of belonging”. I asked myself that question latter, unsurprisingly, my answer is no. That is normal, how can I say “I do not think that I am belonged to you” to a city where I have lived since being born.

But the truth that most of my classmates fight for years to go to study and live in this city without getting the sense of belonging push me to question “Do cities affect people in some way that make people feel better in it? Can people do something to get the sense of belonging by themselves when living in a strange city?” I gradually begin to pay attention to that, to discover whether the feeling of a city is common among urban dwellers in their everyday lives. It was first started with me, and I found that I do have some feelings to a city as long as I begin to notice that. No matter the city is the one I have lived in for twenty years or the one I got to know during a trip, different cities leave different feelings. Some of them give me a feeling of home, which in other words, the sense of belonging.

Monologues from GA

2010-09-26T10:18:00.003-04:00

Busy days...actually I have many thoughts to write down, but I don't have time...I'm supposed to finish my analysis report today, so maybe update the blog some other day...

Anyway, keep a memo here, monologues from GA
That's the reason why I LOVE GA SO MUCH!

GAS06E14

There's constant pressure to adapt to changes. It can be a painful process.
But without it, you'll find yourself moving backwards instead of forwards.

We have to keep reinventing ourselves, almost every minute, because the world can change in an instant. And there's no time for looking back.
Sometimes the changes are forced on us, sometimes they happen by accident, and we make the most of them.
We have to constantly come up with new ways to fix ourselves, so we change, we adapt, we create new versions of ourselves, we just need to be sure that this one is an improvement over the last.

GAS07E01

When we say things like, "people don't change", it drives scientists crazy.
Because change is literally the only constant in all of science.
Energy,matter, it's always changing. Morphing, merging, growing, dying.

It's the way people try not to change that's unnatural,
the way we cling to what things were instead of letting them be what they are,
the way we cling to old memories instead of forming new ones,
the way we insist on believing, despite every scientific indication, that anything in this lifetime is permanent.

Change is constant. How we experience change, that's up to us.
It can feel like death or it can feel like a second chance at life.
If we open our fingers, loosen our grips, go with it, it can feel like pure adrenaline.
Like at any moment, we can have another chance at life.
Like at any moment, we can be born all over again.

It always brings me some courage, tells me about the beautiful side of the world. I know TV plays are not the true world, but they give me indispensable comforts:)

How about being lonely?

2010-09-20T12:45:00.003-04:00

You would never konw, how hard I once fighted for getting used to this feeling, being lonely in a totally strange city.

But I've been tired of saying "everything would be good when u get used to it". Since when has I become enjoying "being lonely"? Is it miserable?

I know I'm one person, what I've got is only myself, so I have to fight for myself and depend on myself.

Scar

2010-09-19T07:04:00.003-04:00

Scar reminds you something, something like the "existence".

We always say that "when you feel the existence of one thing of your body, you know there is something going wrong with it", and that's the way how scar reminds us.

I have many scars. The one companies me for the longest time is right on my right eyebrow, a white, long scar. Someone thought that's the reason why I wear long hair, to hide the scar. Well, that's not true. The only reason for wearing long hair is just because I like it, although it really makes the scar uneasy to be seen. Actually, I am kind of liking the scar, especially when I was a little girl and tried to be a different person from all the others. Today, I become neutral with it, I reagard it as part of me, and I don't emphasize the existence of it.

Other scars, like those on my knees and elbows, they exist as a reminder. Although some of the scars have become vague as time goes by, when I see them, they still remind me something, something about the rainy days, the wonderful summer time, my youth and college time. They remind me that, I once devoted my youth to such a wonderful group, that I would never regret.

The scars tell me, the history really exists. What we have gone through will eventually leave something on us, like scars. Scars were companying with hurt and tears, when tears were wiped away, the scars remind me what I have experienced. I think scar is good, it keeps telling us "Be careful next time". Because you know, there is not only "scar on body" but also "scar on mind".

Amazing Work by David Harvey

2010-09-18T12:13:00.003-04:00

I am reading a book written by David Harvey in 1982, named "The Limits of Capital"

At first, I thought it would be boring because I am not interested in anything related to money or capital (either in reality or in theory), but now I have changed my mind, I have to admit that Daivd Harvey is really amazing.

This book is related to capital, land, built environment and rent theory, sounds "Marxism", right? And when people, especially students suffered or are suffereing under China's education system, saw these words, they might have this in mind "Oh my God, that must be boring! Who want to read this?!" However, be patient, take a few seconds to read several sentences, you will easily be attracted by his words, thoughts, ideas and logics! Yes, logics, the greatest part!

Speaking of the logic, I want to share a story. When I was in my third year of my college, I had to take a general course "Marxism Political Economcy Theory", one of the least favored course, and I, like most of my classmates, using the class time to sleep, read novels, rush to finish other courses' assignments or just chat with friends, never heard any words from teachers, never mention reading the textbooks or original works. Then it came the final exam, everyone hated the exam of this course because we had to remember so many boring theories to get a better mark. However, I was just so lucky that I only had two exams that semester, which gave me a chance to be patient and careful on preparing the exam for this "everyone-hating-course". So I spent quite a lot of time to reading textbooks instead of just reviewing the important points listed in handouts or materials passed from the seniors like what my friends did. Then I found that, there really exists some logic framework behind all those theories or ideas raised by Marx, and as long as we figure out the logic of Marx, everything would become clearer and easier. As a result, I tried to understand the fundamental logics and reused them to interprate the theories, I found that it was much more helpful than merely remembering all the points listed in handouts. I even developed some "interests" in this course, or say, Marxism theoreis. But when I told my friends that I became a little interested in the course, they thought I was freak. Well, I did not feel being offensed, actually, their comments acted as sort of praise for me XD.

So my point is, logic might be the most brilliant part of a book, a idea or a system of theory. With a great logic, there would be no boring theory, this is not a exaggeration but my experience and feeling. What David Harvey has taught me is not about his theories and ideas, but the importance of logics, how he constructed and used his logic system, and how to build an amazing work on the logic framework. When this thought came to my mind, I was truely INSPIRED.

Since when

2010-09-18T08:24:00.003-04:00

Since when the "gathering" becomes an obligation?

While other people are all so excited about it, I just feel tired of it...
I know I dont want to go, I dont want to pretend that I am happy with those people, those who I am barely know...but I have to go, 'cause it has became one of my obligations
How funny is it! I am not the one who called for this gathering, neither the one who is most excited about this, I might be the one who is the most unwilling to participate, but I have to get there earlier than anyone else just because we cannot reserve a table for lunch! It is a huge joke...

When I served as the board manager, I had to participate in although I was unwilling to, 'cause it is really part of the manager's obligations, and I accept that. Now I am just "someone", maybe most of them never heared of me, but I still have to show up as some "leader" or "someone in charge" to organize this event. I just cannot figure out the reason, maybe it's just because I am not good at saying "no" to anyone, then I have to accept the truth that I have and I would continue to do something that I dont like or I dont wanna.

So is it teaching me something? Maybe or maybe not.
I have learnt this for many times, I know I have to learn how to say "no" even to someone really close, or face some temoprary uncomfortable situation to avoid the emerging unhappiness in my heart. I dont wanna be a bad person to others especially my friends, but this has and will put me in a bad situation.

The good news is...at least I could meet some friends tomorrow, maybe we could have a good chat. That's the only hope I hold for the "gathering".

So...

2010-09-17T10:34:00.002-04:00

application season again..

Reading last year's posts to review my last application time when I was struggling for an admission...

Maybe I really should take this chance to make a change, I mean, to get the opportunity of turning into the topic/subject that I am truely interested in instead of some random topics pointed by supervisor...

Maybe this is not the last chance, but I think this is the best chance. I should enjoy and make a good use of the future four or five years.

Urban Culture

2009-02-23T02:22:00.002-05:00

Not from me

Clearly the urban is much more than just condensed housing stock, mass population and the logistics of servicing such demographic bulk. Such indices are merely concrete and descriptive; yet cities are made up of these too. At a different more analytic level the urban form speaks of density, adjacency and a volatile juxtapositioning of uniformity and difference. So if an urban culture is the whole way of life of people living in towns this must include their hierarchies, their communities of inclusion and their strategies for exclusion, the material conditions of their existences and the ideal conditions for their hopes and aspirations. A city is at once an agglomeration of social members but simultaneously an elision (and often collision) of their beliefs, symbolic repertoires and codes. It is a fragile massing of mosaic pluralisms and a temporarily grasped consensus. Another way of seeing this is in relation to the interface between subjectivity and anonymity, the individual and the crowd.