I’ve been enjoying a few things in particular lately, so I wanted to share.
E-Reading
When we went to Hong Kong, I brought our Nook because I was in the middle of an 800-page book in an epic series of books. Halfway through our trip, while on a ferry, I finished the book and was able to jump right into the next. By the time we left Hong Kong, I was a few hundred pages into that 700-pager. Contrast this with Matt: he ran around to different bookstores looking for the second then the third Hunger Games books as he finished each of the series in turn. Plus, I carried one book-sized Nook while Matt slowly collected a small library. Don’t get me wrong; I love physical books and usually choose to read those instead, but I have definitely started to love the convenience of an ereader for travel.
This website is relatively new and shares a lot of similarities with things like StumbleUpon, except that it also incorporates the social networking stuff. I know, I didn’t really want another social network either, but the thing I’m loving about it is that it’s a site full of pictures to give inspiration for whatever you’re working on. I currently have tons of pins related to good teaching visuals and games, recipes that look amazing (and doable in Beijing), and ideas for Christmas decoration that is China-friendly. If you’re inspired by seeing others’ crafts and crafty ways of doing things, I encourage you to check it out. You can even 
.
Chinese Tutoring
It’s been a long time coming, but Matt and I have both started having Chinese language lessons. We’re at incredibly different points in our Chinese abilities, so we do different levels and different books with the same tutor. Though I feel immensely frustrated as my tutor continuously corrects my “ü” and every third tone I try to pronounce, I’ve also felt more confident in my ability to understand a simple conversation in Chinese. It’s all about confidence, and mine had been chipped away significantly in the last year, so this renewal is a welcome change. If you are considering trying a tutor, I’d encourage you to do it; you can always stop the lessons if you don’t think it’s right for you. However, don’t make that call until the third lesson; I wanted to cry from frustration after the first lesson, but the subsequent ones have been significantly better.
Do you have some new favorites in your life (China-related or not)? I’d love to hear about them; I might just find my new obsession!
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Just found your blog last week – love it! My husband and I are moving back to China next year (to Nanjing) & I’m enjoying all the advice and insights since we haven’t lived there in six years. I also started following you on Pinterest. I’m addicted to that site, “pinning” is my new favorite hobby.
I may be behind the times but since moving to Beijing I have found podcasts to be crucial to my daily life. Most of them are free and the audio ones I listen to on my iphone around the house, working out or walking around town. The video podcasts we upload onto our apple tv ( liked it in the US, LOVE having it here in China) and watch just like tv. I listen to spiritual podcasts, foreign language podcasts, funny podcasts and news podcasts. It takes a little planning ahead as it takes a while longer to upload them. I do it at night while I am sleeping to get me ready for the next day.
I mentioned our apple tv…I miss American television and was having trouble loading episodes of our favorite shows onto our laptops to watch. Now that our apple tv arrived in our shipment (YAY) we pay $1.99 per episode (or there is an entire season price) and upload them and watch them on our full screen t.v. Of course these are for the shows that we absolutely cannot wait months for turning up in the local DVD store. For me it is all about staying connected:)
Hey Kara! Long time no see! New favorites in my life? CHchAINMAILLE!
*chainmaille (sorry ’bout that… I’m working on my one-handed computer typing skills)