Q1 Autumn Issue

Contemporary Culture

The Fast-Paced LifeThe Endless CycleThe Future Of History

Editor's Note

Table ofContentsThe Buzz2 Upcoming

Movie Releases------------Joanna Keng

Poems7 The College Dream---Josephine Keng

Journey-------------------------------Linda LuFacing Reality----------------Henk Hsiung

On Irreversibly Altering One’s Countenance------Joseph Tang

Short Stories5 Hoodlum-------------------------Isabelle Liu8 White Blanket---------------------James Lo

Who's new in town?11 Unique-cotti-----------------------Kalina Liu12 From a New Engle--------------Kalina Liu

Art 9 Reaching Out------------------Leyang Bai

You did WHAT?

The Eye of the Hunter---------Jenny KimBlue Lies----------------------------Yuhui Lee

15 Can a Crocodile Teach?------Mr. Bates Abandoned--------------------------Mrs. Ma

Coming Up...22 Alicia Keys Tour in Shanghai

Storm Electronic Music Festival Shanghai Art Fair

Staff Positions

Editor-in-Chief Serena Dong Co-Editor-in-Chief Kalina Liu Senior News Editor Joanna Keng Advisors Albert Cota Anastassia Pugatch Publishing Manager Vison Liu

Movie ReviewMan of Steel---------------------Bobby Ge

For questions, comments, or submissions, email: smicstudentpublication@gmail.com

New Book Releases------Joanna Kengs I look around, even at this current moment, I see students using their gadgets—Samsung

smart phones, iPads, and Windows Sur-face laptops— to check their feed on Instagram, read the latest world news, or finish homework due next period. In other words, we as students of SMIC are living in the moment of contempo-rary culture. The fact that every aspect of our lives changes as things like tech-nology, fashion, or slang terms change at the same time is why “Contempo-rary Culture” is the theme of Sharks Di-gest Quarter 1 Issue. The process of designing, producing, and publishing the magazine this year is not a “three man job” for sure. I would like to give a big round of applause to all the people who contributed to the magazine with their submissions, guidance, and sup-port. Thank You for making the publi-cation of the magazine possible. With the final result in place, I am happy to announce that Sharks Digest Quarter 1 Issue of the 2013-2014 school year has taken off and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

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Photography17 Blurred Lines----------------------Krissie Tan

Rocky Shores----------------------Anne ChienRubble Memories-------------------Sharon YuMidnight’s Flicker------------- Cory Kang

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Cover Art by Sharon Yu1

And I Say “Let Fear Reign----Kalina Liu13

Garden Ramen Review----Aaron Hua4Restaurant Review

The BuzzUpcoming Movie Releases

Comedy Fantasy Adventure

Based on a short s tory by James Thurber, Ben Stiller plays Walter Mitty, the average accountant who dreams of life as a hero, but is restricted by his overprotective mother. One day, he is given a black notebook containing the secret location of Dutch crown jewels lost during World War II. Sadly, he is not the only one searching for them.Release date: December 25, 2013

The upcoming sequel to Thor, Kenneth Branagh directs another action-packed fantasy. Malekith, leader of an ancient race, returns to destroy humanity. Faced with such a threatening and powerful enemy, Thor sets out on a journey in which he must make a series of difficult decisions and sacrifices to save the people.Release date: November 8, 2013

Continuing the adventures of the hobbit from the last sequel— The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf, have escaped from the M i s t y M o u n t a i n s a n d now face a new enemy, the dragon, Smaug. How can Bilbo and Gandalf get their gold back from this dangerous creature?Release date: December 13, 2013

A sequel to The Shining (1977), Stephen King brings a whole new hor ro r w i th Doctor Sleep. Dan Torrence, now a middle-aged man, has escaped to New Hampshire where he works in a nursing home, using his abilities and a psychic cat to provide comfort for the dying patients, thus

titling him as “Doctor Sleep.” Time does not pass by long before The True Knot returns. The True Knot, who uses “the shining” to drain the lives of children and become immortal themselves, is now hunting Torrence. What will Dan Torrence do to escape from death this time and protect the innocent children from the True Knot? A war between the Good and the Evil now begins.

Violet Minturn, the daughter of an American Madam of the city’s most classy c o u r t e s a n h o u s e , i s forced to become a virgin courtesan. Yet she refuses to give up on herself and goes on to become a shrewd courtesan who knows how to seduce and control people around her. On the other hand, Violet’s mother, Lucia is as brave and

resolute as Violet is. Falling in love with a Chinese painter, Lucia, a sixteen year old girl, gave up her all and followed her lover from San Francisco to China, a place strangely unfamiliar to her. This is a story about two women who refuse to surrender to fate and social expectations. In the end, will these two women obtain happiness? Or will they suffer heavily from harsh reality in life?

New Book Releases

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Thor: The Dark Underworld

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

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Movie Review

nother summer, another gritty su-perhero reboot. Following in the footsteps of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy and Marc Webb’s

Amazing Spider-Man, director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) took on a film reboot of one of the oldest, most beloved superheroes of all time – Kal-El of Krypton, otherwise known as Superman. Before 2013, most, if not all, su-perhero reboots had been of a relatively high quality, with the aforementioned Dark Knight trilogy frequent-ly being ranked among the great-est comic book films of all time. Whi le few an-ticipated any-thing on the lev-el of The Dark Knight, even less expected Man of Steel to be among the most disap-pointing films of the summer. By over-producing and under-scripting the Superman re-boot, Snyder squandered a tre-mendous amount of potential, with his typical directorial missteps somehow becoming even more glaring than usual.

All of this is extremely unfortunate, for Man of Steel was a film practically drip-ping with potential. Boasting a talented, star-studded cast and a production team headed by Christopher Nolan, few people weren’t excited for the film in the months leading up to its release. Indeed, the cast did a fantastic job – Henry Cavill in particu-lar was excellent as a confused, emotionally scarred Clark Kent – and the special effects are undeniably impressive. So what went wrong?

In the original comics and films, Superman was a symbol of hope. The 1973 film series in particular captured Superman’s essence with wit, heart and a distinct sense of fun. The reboot, on the other hand, misses all of this. Man of Steel has no humor. There is no heart

in the film. There most certainly isn’t any ‘fun’ in the film. The closest you get to ‘fun’ would be the extensive scenes of Kryptonians be-ing punched through walls, and even these moments are shot with as much melodrama as possible. This is Man of Steel’s biggest flaw – its incredibly serious tone. While Snyder and Nolan have to be commended for try-ing to add some gravitas to the Superman mythos, the film really didn’t need to take itself so seriously. At many points, the mov-

ie felt almost as brutally dark as The Dark Knight trilogy. Some ar-gue that this was e x a c t l y w h a t Snyder and No-lan were shoot-ing for, and if so, both of them hopelessly mis-understood the character. Clark Kent is not Bruce Wayne. Bruce W a y n e i s a

masked vigilante who takes jus-tice into his hands by beating criminals to near-death under cover at night. Clark Kent is a proudly heroic figure fighting for “truth, justice and the American way.” They are not one and the same; Man of Steel is apparently

a misguided attempt to suggest otherwise.

Even if you can stomach Clark Kent’s trans-formation into a brooding, angst-ridden outcast, Man of Steel is also filled with all of Snyder’s usual terrible directorial decisions – namely, horrible pacing, a poorly devel-oped script (little to no character develop-ment occurs), and a ridiculous amount of emphasis on explosions. One minute, Clark is stumbling about aimlessly, and the next, he’s lifting a burning oilrig out of the ocean. Clark is chatting with Lois Lane (who is played by Amy Adams with an irrepressible perkiness), and suddenly, a raging tornado is tearing up the land. Calling the pacing awkward would be generous.

Man of SteelBy Bobby Ge

Henry Cavill stars as Superman while Amy Adams plays the role

of Lois LaneImage Courtesy of Legendary Pictures

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Then there are the action scenes them-selves. The climactic battle for Metropolis (lasting for around an hour) is filled with so much collateral damage that the film starts to feel ridiculous. Various firms have estimat-ed the cost of the damages to be about $2 trillion. I enjoy watching explosions as much as the next summer filmgoer, but by the 27th CGI recreation of 9/11, the movie wasn’t a spectacle. The movie was an outright sen-sory overload. Coming from someone who greatly enjoyed the stylish destruction of the contemporary Pacific Rim, this is saying a lot. These issues are especially depressing when considering just how many good shots there were in the film. The obligatory ‘first flight’ scene is terrifically inspiring, the scenes on Krypton are visually stunning (though a bit

derivative of Avatar), a scene where Super-man struggles to fly against a massive ‘grav-ity beam’ is monumentally exciting, and the DC universe is intelligently referenced throughout. For every moment of brilliance, however, there are ten face-palm worthy moments – and blame falls squarely on Sny-der’s shoulders.

Thus, in the end, Man of Steel is a poorly directed film that inelegantly alternates between overwrought melodrama and gratuitous violence. While certainly not a complete failure (the film performed well at the box office, raking in a hefty $650m), Man of Steel was a massive disappointment and the film that left the worst taste in my mouth all summer. At least Sharknado knew how to be terrible with style.

By Bobby Ge

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Garden Ramen Review By Aaron Hua2013/10/18

I have noticed that this particular restaurant, Garden Ramen, has not had any customers lately, so I want to find out what is the problem.

I remember the first time I went there. They had this huge restaurant opening ceremony, and there were a few people shouting “比YOLOTA便宜! 比 YOLOTA 便宜!” (meaning it is cheaper than YOLOTA’s dishes). With that much confidence, I went in and tried their noodles. I remember I ordered a bowl of Tonkotsu ramen, which consisted of egg noo-dles, creamy looking pork broth, three pieces of braised pork belly, a little bit of shredded wood ear mushrooms, a soy-flavored soft-boiled egg, and a garnish of spring onions. My favorite elements from the dish were the egg and the pork belly. The egg was absolutely delicious, delicate white with a rich, soft, sticky yolk. The pork belly was also delicious; it was fatty and melted in your mouth. However, the soup tasted quite bland with little flavor (in Chinese, I would say 味道淡，而且不够鲜咸). Also, to me, the noodles were a bit disappointing because they were a bit overcooked and just did not seem to work well with the rich and creamy soup. The overall experience was a so-so/not what I expected.Tonight, I decided to go there to see what the problem was that caused such a huge loss of diners, and to see if there had been any improvements.

I walked in, and I noticed that they did some changes to the restaurant. They moved the seats, which makes it look more crowded, and they added something new on the menu (looks like they are desperate for changes). I ordered the same ramen dish I had last time (32 RMB) and two appetizers from the new menu, a potato beef croquette (12 RMB) and fish fingers (10 RMB).

After taking my order, the waitress gave me a small side dish of pickled, sliced cucum-bers (free). There were a few problems with this dish. One, they added a bit too much sugar, so it kind of masked the fresh cucumber flavor, and second, they cut the cucum-ber paper thin, which allowed the acid from the vinegar to easily penetrate through the cucumber, giving it a really vinegary lump at the back of your throat. The saving grace of this side dish was the seeds and the water from the cucumber, which sort of told you that it is homemade and fresh, reinforcing the fresh cucumber flavor. Overall, the only things I could taste were vinegar, sugar, and cucumber water. (Rating: 7/10)

The first dish that arrived was the fish fingers, which I think to be an absolute joke. Five fish fingers, each about the size of a middle finger, were served with a generous amount of ... continued on page 16

Short Stories

e can’t blame them, really. He should’ve run faster. And maybe stealing from the governor for the third time had been a mistake. Still, it hurts when they toss him out.

Reuben stumbles away from the gates, nursing skinned palms and a bruised ego, and refuses to look back until he’s sure there isn’t anyone watching. He can’t see anything of the city over the Bulwark, which is just as well. There’s no way he can ever return to the city, even if he wanted to. He clamps down on his simmering anger and strides away from the Bulwark’s long shadow. The forest is only half a mile away from the city. Reuben arrives before the sun starts to set. He looks at the maze of broken glass and twisted steel and wonders if he should try to climb over the Bulwark instead. He can’t imagine trying to eke out a living here. “You’re new,” says a boy’s voice. A pile of filthy rags unfolds itself from the corner of a pile of rubble. The boy is tall, much taller than Reuben had expected, and has the bone density of a baby rhinoceros. He’s around ten years old, perhaps twelve. Eyes gleaming with quiet intelligence peer out from under a fringe of indeterminate color. Reuben frowns. “And you’re obviously not new. You’re just a kid. Why did they kick you out?” “I was too big,” the boy says. “My parents didn’t like that.” Reuben feels a pang of sympathy. “What’s your name?” The boy frowns. “John, I think.” “You think?” Reuben doesn’t give John time to answer. “Are there any other kids here?” “Loads,” says John. He raises his voice and turns to the pile of misshapen metal behind him. “It’s okay! It’s just a new person!” With a rustle, dozens of figures detach from the wreckage and file behind John. Most of them carry makeshift weapons – crooked slingshots, shards of glass, bits of sharpened metal. Soon a small army has assembled, their eyes bright and wary. “Who’re you?” a girl demands. She shifts a glass dagger to her other hand. “Reuben,” he answers, trying to keep the incredulity out of his voice. He’s being threatened by a bunch of kids, for goodness sake. Reuben doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Dagger eyes him and frowns. “You’re really old.” “Am I?” “Uhuh. You’re almost a grown-up.” A chorus of eeews rises from the crowd. “Okay, guys,” says John, his tone placating.

HoodlumBy Isabelle Liu

With photograph by Veleda Tam

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He turns back to Reuben. “This is our land. If you’re a grown-up, you’ve got to go to their land on the other side of the big wall.” “I can’t,” Reuben says automatically. “I’ve been kicked out. They’re not going to let me back inside.” The children shriek with laughter. Even John grins. “No, stupid!” Dagger yells. “You gotta go around!” Going around the Bulwark will take almost a week of walking. Reuben shakes his head. “I’m staying here.” The children stare at him. “You’re a grown-up,” John says patiently. “You’ve got to. You can’t stay here.” “I’m seventeen,” Reuben snaps. “I’m not a grown-up yet.” “Oh,” John says with infinite wisdom. “You’re a teen.” A chorus of ohhhhs. “Most teens go to the grown-up side anyway,” another girl pipes up. “They don’t like our side a lot.” “I’m staying here,” Reuben says. “I could help around, you know. There’s a lot of stuff you can’t do around here because you’re too small, isn’t there? I could help with that.” John hesitates, his expression calculating. “Maybe...” he starts, then pauses. “What?” Dagger says impatiently. “Maybe he could help us with the Plan.” The children fall dead silent. After a few moments, Reuben prompts, “The Plan?” “We want to get inside the wall,” John says, sounding oddly reluctant. Reuben frowns. “You want to return to the city?” “No,” Dagger says, as if it’s obvious. “We wanna steal stuff. And then we’ll keep a tiny bit of it for us, and then we’ll give the rest to other people.” “Poor people,” says a boy with flaming red hair only slightly dulled by layers of dirt. “Like maybe people inside the city that aren’t kicked out yet. And also, we wanna give stuff to other people in the forest. Maybe even to...” Red lowers his voice dramatically. “...the grown-ups.” All the children pull ugly faces at the word. “Steal from the rich and give to the poor,” John declares. “That’s what we want to do.” Reuben looks around at the small sea of determined faces, the grubby hands clenched around their salvaged weapons. “Alright,” Reuben says. “I’ll help you. But first we need a name.” “A name,” John repeats thoughtfully. “Like what?” “How about the Hoods?” Reuben suggests. “Like Hoodlums, but shorter.” “What’s a hullum?” Red asks. “People like us,” John says. He turns to the other children, shoulders tilted back, bare feet planted firmly on the ground. “We’re the Hoods now. Alright? The Hoods. That’s what we’ll call ourselves, and that’s how they’ll remember us.” The children give an almighty cheer. Reuben casts a glance back at the Bulwark’s distant shadow. Soon, he promises himself. Soon, he’ll be home.

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Yes, I have a dreamSomehow close and somehow far

Still fighting for it.

Overwhelmed with joy,Fear of rejection wanes:

New journey begins.Wake up from daydreams

Bubbles break; pencils scribble -Colleges are here.

The College Dream By Josephine Keng

Journey By Linda Lu

By Henk Hsiung

Facing Reality

Poems

Photograph by Timothy Wee7

In the middle of any icy wasteland, there was a little pole made out of wood. A brutal blizzard blew in; the temperature plummeted from -30 degrees Fahrenheit

to -50 degrees Fahrenheit. The Darkness was like the dome of a temple, smothering every sliver of the sky. The razor-sharp wind roared, howled, and shrieked through the woods like there was nothing in its path; the sound of tree trunks exploding was heard several times. Ultimately, the storm began to subside, and then, there wasn’t a sound. Inside the wooden cabin, the absolute noiselessness stirred me. I stared out of the frost-glazed window and saw: a blanket. It’s that strange imperfection that makes my story seem unrealistic, I know, but that is what I saw.

Inside the house, the smell of food pervaded every corner. My mum was preparing an annual feast for celebrating New Year, and the aroma of cooked meat was overpower ing . A g igant ic bowl o f Russian borscht, roast beef, a few baguettes, and a cherry pie for dessert- what a feast! Gifts delivered from f a m i l y r e l a t i v e s a d d e d t o t h e festive atmosphere to the party. This year, there was a box that caught my eye. There was no lid or any cover on top, but a simple postcard lying on a snow-white blanket- it was my gift. I handled the card carefully, the postcard’s address was smudged, and without a signature…

After school had finished the next day, I returned home. I felt fairly drowsy, and irritable too because of the Greek mythology project due the next day. Walking past my bedroom door, I spotted the blanket I had received the day before now lying on my bed. Strange, I thought. How did it get on my bed? Mother or father must have put it there. My head was growing lighter, so I climbed into bed and soon drifted off to sleep. I slept soundly. After a couple of minutes in bed, I began dreaming a bizarre dream.

On the frozen tundra, there was a little shed with warm lights inside a cabin. There was a man who was dressed in

a white tunic at the door; I stepped inside to escape the wind. To my surprise there were lists of addresses scrawled on paper covering the floor, and white blankets in packs surrounding him. He worked deliberately without a sound. Suddenly, he muttered something in a monotone voice that could not be heard clearly, but I suppose I understood it like this: “May the odds be in your favor and take over my everlasting position.” In the time that stretches back to that moment, I came to understand what he meant. In other words, I took over for the person who wrote me this postcard, and I now realize this blanket is a curded device that brought me to him.

For what seemed like an endless period of time, I wrote postcards and send blankets to many different addresses, but all the actions were futile and useless. I was unable to be free myself from this incarceration, unless I could trick someone to take my place. Then one day there was a little girl that finally came to me…

Short Stories

By James Lo With photography by Krissie Tan

White Blanket

"May the odds be in your favor and take over my

everlasting position."

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“The Eye of the H

unter” by Jenny Kim

“Blue Lies” by Yuhui Lee

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Who's new in town?

Q: Why did you come to SMIC?A: It was the closest school to my home.

Q: When you got here, what caught your attention the most?A: The academic level - I think it’s pretty good.

Q: What is your favourite food?A: My favourite food is pizza... because it tastes good.

Q: What are some improvements that can be made in this school?A: The food, to be honest, it’s not really well-cooked.

Q: If you could learn any language, what would it be and why?A: Chinese, because the handwriting/characters and pronunciations seem very interesting.

Q: If you could be granted one superpower, which one would you want?A: To fly, because ever since I was young, I have always dreamt of flying.

Q: If you possessed the ability to switch identities. Who would you be?A: With myself, because I like being myself.

Q: If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?A: I would donate half and share my money with my family. Maybe I would also save up to use when I’m older.

Q: You invented a time machine. Now what?A: I’d go back to the period of World War II, because I’ve always wanted to know what really happened.

Q: What’s your favourite movie genre? Why?A: I like every single genre.

Q: You hear someone break into your house. What will you do?A: Call the police or maybe text my mother.

Unique-cottiBy Kalina Liu

Name: Gabriele UncinottiGrade: 9Nationality: MexicoBirthday: July 1st, 1998Favorite Artist: Enrique IglesiasSong: “Somebody’s Me”Color: Black

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Q: Why did you come to Shanghai?A: My parents are teachers and they got a job here.

Q: What was your first impression of this city?A: I haven’t seen the city yet, but I’d say it’s pretty pol-luted here though. The first night I couldn’t see the moon because it’s really polluted.

Q: How about your first impressions of SMIC Private School? How has the first week been?A: It’s big - a lot bigger than my other school. My other school was like half the size of your gym.

Q: What do you like best about this school?A: The field, because we didn’t have a field in my other school.

Q: What is the funniest incident or moment you recall once you came to Shanghai?A: When I first got here, it was a shocker because I just kept seeing people arguing and fighting on the streets. My parents told me that’s just how they regularly talk and are not arguing.

Q: If you could be any character from a movie, who would you be?A: I don’t really watch any movies, but maybe Arnold Schwarzenegger - because he’s awesome.

Q: Who is an inspirtoinal figure to you and why?A: Christiano Ronaldo, because he is my favourite soccer player.

Q: If you could have one wish, what would it be?A: To be successful in life and earn enough money.

Q: What would be the first thing you would do if you got rich?A: I’d buy a nice car. Maybe a Lamborghini.

Q: If the world is going to end tomorrow, what would you do before the world ends?A: Spend time with my friends, I guess.

Q: If you had one wish, what would it be?A: I wish I was better in math. I’m pretty low.

Q: Hollywood decides to make a movie about your life. Who plays the lead role?A: I don’t watch many movies. Maybe Tom Cruise, because I just know his name.

Q: Theres a tornado heading your way. What’s the first thing you’d grab?A: My backpack, because I can store things in it.

Name: Tevin EngleGrade: 9Nationality: USABirthday: May 1st, 1999Favorite Artist: Bruno MarsSong: “Treasure”Color: Blue

From a New

EngleBy Kalina Liu

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Photograph taken by Irene Li

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PoemsAnd I Say“Let Fear Reign”

Hail, Hades the Heinous!The greatest of kings, the noblest of men;Whom hath brought such ‘jestic jewels,

Glorious gold, and pivotal power.

Come I from the branches of sin,The son of the son of the devil himself.

By the name of Rody the Bloody.I approach thy lord with a plan in mind,

That I, advised by the wisest, fought with the bravest,Shall be bestowed with thy permission

And be honored to perish the victims of purity.

What hath I done to deserve such name?(Must I humbly confess)

It was I who sent the sly, sinister snakeTo the garden of knowledge, tainted with good.

And poisoned with words of taunt.(Ha! I still chuckle at such memory).

The mastermind behind the cursed treasure,Overflowing of despair, depression, and death itself.

Pandora’s smile continues to linger, grinningAt the world of chaos, confusion, and commotion!

I ordered the invasion of my petit pilots ,Plotting, preparing, painting the world

Of Yellow and Black – Of illness and death.

To lead I shall, to command I shall.An all out war, we’ll win indeed,

An order to send a swarm of pests,Tiny but tough-hearted, ‘till defense

Be down ‘n’ we invade with hell’s angels. To wager single-handedly in battle

I will destroy their leader Ian the Inculpable,(More like Ian the Imbecile)

Until domination be my Lord’s.I say, let there be the fuel of war!

Let unleash death shadows, Let the earth quake in fear!

Men I’ve grinded, beasts I’ve tore,Fame I’ve ransacked, and power I’ve stole,

Can thou ask for any more?

By Kalina LiuWith photograph by Sharon Yu

“‘jestic”- Majestic “Commotion”- Pandora’s box “Pilots”- Insects; in this case mosquitoes and fleas “Yellow”- Yellow fever “Black”- Black death/ Bubonic plague “Hell’s angels”- Hell : demons :: heaven : angels “Fuel of war”- War : blood :: car : fuel “Death shadows”- Death : ghost :: night : shadow

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And I Say“Let Fear Reign”

You did WHAT?

Can a Crocodile Teach?

By Mr. BatesWith photograph by Mr. Bates

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Hello, Nepal!In February of 2011, David Withrow and I set out on an adventure in Nepal that was filled with all the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ moments you could ever hope for in a trip. However, one of those moments fit a little too literally with the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ theme. Our first few days in Nepal were spent explor-ing Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, trying to soak up as much of the Nepali culture as possible. Other than a riot that we successfully avoid-ed and a night lost in Darbur Square due to the city’s frequent lack of electricity, Nepal was treating us quite well! We wandered the markets, ate awesome food, and got used to a general lack of electricity we were so accustomed to in our daily lives. So with ar-chitecture and culture somewhat ‘checked off the list’, we decided to head out to the forest reservation of Chitwan to see more of Nepal’s natural beauty; which can be hard to find in the valley of Kathmandu. We were intrigued by the Chitwan’s weird mix of natu-ral inhabitants that rarely overlap elsewhere. I could not think of any other place where you can find tigers, bears, rhinos, elephants, deer, monkeys, and crocodiles all coexisting in one place. Once we arrived in Chitwan there were three modes of transportation required to

experience the forest park:1. By foot – when there are no rhinos present2. By elephant – when there are rhinos in the area3. By dugout canoe – for the river portion

I spy a crocodile For this particular story I need to explain that a dugout canoe, by name, is not in the least bit misleading; it is literally a canoe that has been dug, or fashioned, out of a single tree. They are roughly 70-80 cm tall on the sides and float with only about 30 cm sitting above the water. Essentially, you are sitting in the river with about 60% of your boat be-neath the water. So, we headed out onto the river with our guide Ousan standing in the front of the ca-noe. The river was very shallow at points so the canoe frequently bottomed out (no fat jokes!) as Ousan attempted to maneuver the canoe off of the riverbed below. David was seated at the front of the canoe behind Ousan, and I was just behind David. As we cruise down the river, Ousan was quick to point out the red Siberian Geese and the various monkeys and deer along the river-banks. All of a sudden, Ousan became real-ly excited as he pointed out a crocodile sun-ning on the riverbank. It was not the world’s biggest croc, definitely less than 2.5 meters,

but that was more than big enough to give you a bad case of death. Ousan turned to us: “Do you want to catch it?”David replied: “Uh, what?”Ousan: “Do you know ‘Crocodile Hunt-er’?”Me: Nervous laughDavid: Nervous laugh

Let’s go crocodile hunt-ing!Ousan steered the canoe directly to-ward the crocodile as David began to video the situation while I snapped pictures. All that while we mumbled

Can a Crocodile Teach?

“Like Abraham Lincoln said, ‘In the end it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.’”

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to each other and reassured ourselves that there was no way he was going to get too close to it. However, as the canoe floated closer and closer, we began to wonder if Ousan was trying to die. Reality began to set in as we were roughly two meters from the croc and still approaching (and crying on the inside). Remember, we were sitting less than a foot out of the water and there was more of the canoe under the water than above it; the croc was on land and we were a foot above the water, he literally had the ‘high ground’. Just as we finished convincing ourselves that they do this all the time and surely nothing will happen, the croc lunged at the boat, mouth open wide. “BOOM!” the canoe shook vi-olently. Ousan screamed like he was eight years old and fell directly onto David, who then fell back onto me. At this point I cannot tell you verbatim ev-erything that went through our minds and out of our mouths, but I can assure you we were all 100% com-mitted to finding out if the croc was on the canoe, bit the canoe, had Ousan, or just punked us into ‘soiling our armor’. As the canoe steadied, we realized that the crocodile only hit the boat with his mouth (while trying to eat Ousan). Thankfully, we were in an area where there was enough space for the crocodile to sink under the boat after his attack. I would love to tell you that this was a life-changing event; as if I still credit the crocodile for being a profound

teacher that showed me how precious life is. However, two years after the trip David pointed out to me that a few hours after the attack we were swimming in that same riv-er…

The moral of the story is…Nevertheless, every trip I take, I learn some-thing new about myself and my culture that I would not have seen if not for experienc-ing another culture in action. It holds a mir-ror in front of you that energizes you, but be warned, it can also show you your blemishes and teach you areas where you can grow as

a person. So while I didn’t learn to stay out of the water, the trip changed me in ways that are less entertaining and too long to explain. I guess I want to say: be careful when you travel, but don’t shy away from experiencing and exploring the world. It will fasci-

nate and challenge you every time! I know it sounds like I’m saying ‘YOLO’ but too of-ten that only involves excusing self-centered choices. I just hope to motivate you to ex-perience the world around you while you can. Just by reading this as a resident in a foreign country, you are already blessed to be growing global citizens. You have a head start: don’t waste it, get out there! Like Abraham Lincoln said, “In the end it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.”

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shredded cabbage, a wedge of lemon, and garnish of curly parsley. The fish was per-fectly cooked, and the batter was dead crispy, but the fish was really small, so I ended up with more batter than I had with fish. Also, I could not imagine two or three people sharing the dish. How many fish fingers did they even need to order? (Rating: 5/10)

The potato croquette was probably the best dish I had in this meal. It was absolutely deli-cious. The batter was crispy and the potatoes were creamy. What I really love about the croquettes is that the chefs left a few chunks of potatoes in the croquette, which I found beautiful and found proof that the dish was homemade. (Rating: 8/10)

Finally the ramen, and this time, they have shown improvements (but the noodles still do not sit well for some reason – they remind me of overcooked instant noodles). The savory and rich flavor of the soup was a lot better than the bland one I had the very first time. The pork belly and the egg were still absolutely delicious. Overall, the ramen was still an okay/so-so, but they really did improve their soup. (Rating: 7/10)

Overall, I would say that I really do appreciate the fact that a lot of their foods are home-made; however, for a high school student like me, the Garden Ramen is still pricey, and the food quality has been inconsistent: some of the dishes were really good, while others were really a waste of money (the fish fingers is a great example). Also, I would say this is not the kind of place I would want to go everyday or even every week, but if you really want to have a bowl of Japanese-style ramen, then this is probably the only choice you

have around this neighborhood.

Photography“B

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“Rocky Shores” by A

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You Did What?

Welcome to Kansas!Summer 2006, The Husband, I, and our three year old son took an adventurous road trip from Kansas City, Missouri, to Colorado by driving over 12 hours across US Interstate-70. Little did I know that on the trip The Husband would abandon his wife and child in the middle of nowhere!

July 15th seemed like a good day to start - be-cause that’s when you take a summer vacation, right? Kansas in the summer is known for its HOT, dry weather. And that summer was no excep-tion. The temps were well into the 100s (40 C) - HOT, HOT, HOT- as we drove across the Kansas plains listening to the news that Denver, Colora-do, high in the mountains, was also experiencing record highs.

We lived frugally then, as we do now, and were making the trip in an older model car we had purchased from my parents. It had lots of life still in it, or so we thought. Too soon, the heat began making demands on that old car causing it to overheat continually. Added to the record heat, the poor car was having to adjust to the steep slopes of the mountain roads. As The Husband drove, we watched the car thermometer climb steadily towards danger-zone red.

HOT HOT HOT!The first time the car overheated, we quickly (and wisely) pulled over at a highway exit that, as it turns out, had ONLY a broken-down gas station and a Quiznos Sandwich shop. But since this was the middle of nowhere and no towns were around, this was our only choice. Thank-ful that we hadn’t stalled along the mountain roadside, we immediately (and unwisely) turned the engine off and went inside the deli to let the car cool. To make matters worse, there was no shade in front of the building and the car sat baking in the sun.

We ordered drinks from Quiznos to have a rea-son for sitting and waited- glad for the respite from the heat. Reading the car manual let us know that we should have left the car running to let the fan cool the engine. When we realized this after about five minutes, I went back out to restart the car, but it wouldn’t turn on! I pan-icked!!! What if the car never started? We were in the middle of nowhere! No family or friends around! I’d soon learn that it was too soon to panic.

The Husband, the son, and I waited a bit more for the engine to cool, read the manual some

Abandoned By Mrs. Ma

With photograph courtesy of Brian Ulrich

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more, and paced the shop. Finally, The Husband (the hero and calm one in the family) went out to check the engine. Miraculously, the car started for him! I stayed inside with the son and began asking advice from a rescue fireman that had come in to order lunch. This public servant was patient and offered some practical advice, but no real solutions. In the midst of our conversation, The Husband came into the store to tell us that he had started the car, and then he promptly walked out. Finishing my conversation and bid-ding the gentleman goodbye, we went outside only to realize that The Husband HAD DRIVEN OFF – leaving both of us behind! ABANDONED!

Where art thou?Okay, I admit, I panicked again! I tried to stay calm as my three year old endlessly questioned, “Where did Baba go?” “Did he leave us?” “Where’s Baba?” until he was shouting at the top of his voice! “WHERE IS Baba!?” I looked all over the front park-ing lot of the store, down the road, and around the buildings. I had no idea where The Hus-band had gone! I could only wonder if he had taken a small drive to check if the car would overheat again. I then realized we had only brought one cell phone on the trip- and I had it with me! A fission of fear trick-led down my spine as I worried that either the car would stop somewhere along the road or The Husband - who is notoriously horrible with directions - would get lost without my critical navigation skills.

I returned to the cool deli and began to calmly wait for The Husband’s return, but my three year old’s crescendoing questions about why had Baba left us and where Baba had gone just fu-eled my own anxiety. How could I answer his questions when I had no answers for my own?! Where was The Husband? Why didn’t he return? When would he come back to get us? Was he alright? Why did he leave us behind? What would we do if he NEVER RETURNED?

I admit, I imagined all sorts of catastrophes and all sorts of scenarios ran through my mind. And, all along, the minutes added up. How long had The Husband been gone? Two minutes? Five? Now Ten?

When he still didn’t return, I eventually looked at

my watch, checked the time, and decided to give him a very gracious thirty minute time limit to come back for us before I broke down and called the police to report our abandonment. I had checked the outside of the store front, even walking down around the gas station; no, the at-tendant hadn’t seen our car or an Asian man. I returned to the deli to wait some more. Soon other customers noticed our dilemma, then the store clerks noticed, then the manager came to inquire: Could he help us? Did we need a refill on our drinks?

NO, I inwardly screamed, I just need The Hus-band to come get us!

Twenty minutes passed. Still no sign of him. No idea where he was, what we were to do, or when he would return. Tired of pacing the small store, I decided I could no longer face the amazed stares of the employees and customers

who had been observing this entire drama unfold. Dragging a still-questioning son outside, I looked around the parking lot one last time. I knew The Hus-band had been desperate for some shade, but there was no shade here. Where could he be? Once again I walked down toward the edge of the build-ing and vacant lot surround-ing it, looking for any possible place he might have gone. In desperation, I walked further

and further around the corner of the gas station finally noticing some old, unused buildings way behind the store and an old leaning, rusted car park. Keep walking, an inner voice told me, At least it’s some sort of action...

Demanding AnswersRounding the building, we spotted him! He’d found shade! I immediately burst into tears, rant-ing, “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?” To which he promptly responded “Where have YOU been?” He’d been waiting for me behind the building for nearly an hour, he claimed. With audacity, he demanded to know what had taken us so long to come!

Finally, I was calmed. He was contrite. The son was consoled. And when the car had finally cooled, we were back on the road.

“Where was The Hus-band? Why didn’t he return? When would he come back to get us? Was he alright? Why did he leave us behind? What would we do if he NEVER RETURNED?”

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Poems

On Irreversibly Altering One’s Countenance By Joseph Tang

With photograph by Anne Chien

Salutations, most supreme and honorable Em-peror Weaver, and greetings to you all underlings also present in this great hall.You will find my origins in the warrior classOf the distant Kingdom of Large Fists;I am the only son of King Hercules the Brawny, And my people bow to the altar of our god and ancestor, The mighty Boxing Ring in the realm of ESPN. ‘Tis with the highest joy that I present myself be-fore you, for ‘tis with highest concern that I speak of a menace to this empire. I am under oath to assure the continuation of the great Empire of C102, ally of Large Fists,Which is being attacked mercilesslyBy the conceited ego-faucet Known as Bobbertabobes the Profane, Who preys on the timid, the lonely, the de-pressed; His evil lurks around every corner of C102. As evidence of my ability to defend Weaverdom from such menaces, I present to this hall the following facts: Under my father’s unrelenting tutelage, I have slain lions and hydras and flesh-eating fowls, And have twice captured the hell sphincter known as the mythical three-headed Cerberus. I once single-handedly reorganized the anatomy of several vainglorious fools, Yet defied the laws of biology by leaving them alive, To make them suffer the shame of living With bulging backsides and backwards biceps. I walk on water and swim through land, I dig through the sky and fly underground, I burn glaciers and icebergs, freeze wild-fires and infernos,

I illuminate the night and shroud darkness over day, All with the pure awesomeness of my LARGE FISTS. With such sound reasoning, needless to say, (I knowingly contradict the definition of “need-less” by speaking furtherI am already a legend in several border villages. For the sake of Weaverdom, and our alliance with your empire, I offer my services to you, Emperor Weaver. If I can conquer the unbeatable and defy the conceivable, And challenge the gateway to eternal damna-tion, I believe I can handle the lard-laden, lewd, Lump of lubber who dares besiege C102With his obscene displays of verbal indecency. I will climb every mountain, ford every stream, And traverse any terrain of this great empireTo locate this narcissistic nincompoop, And reorganize his face and render him morti-fied, So that he will no longer feed on the low morale of others.

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Coming Up...

Alicia Keys, one of the world’s most widely known R&B art-ist, will be holding a one-time concert at the Shanghai Mer-cedes-Benz Arena. Famous for blending pop, R&B, and soul, her music is special and unique. Her first album “Songs in A Minor” won five awards at the 2002 Grammys, including Song of the Year, Best R&B Song, Best R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best New Artist. In 2005, Alicia won another four Grammys with her second album, Diary. In addi-tion to her musical career, she also took part in several mov-ies, including Aces (2006), The Nanny Diaries (2007), and The Secret Life of Bees (2008). Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see this renowned R&B artist perform live!

Alicia Keys Tourin Shanghai

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. Time: November 20th, 2013Location: Mercedes-Benz Arena

Storm Electronic Music Festival Organized by the famous music platform A2Live, the Storm Electronic Music Festival will feature famous electronic musi-cians, including Axwell, Jay Sean, Icona Pop, Benny Benassi, Fedde le Grand, Headhunterz, Zedd, Far East Movement, and many more to make Shanghai go wild. With the theme of the festival as “Arctaurians”, a species with hearts that keep pace to the beat of music, Storm is the perfect open concert event to party away all the stress on your shoulders. Book a ticket now to join the party with these amazing galaxy creatures!

Time: November 16th, 2013 from 14:00 to 23:00 November 22nd, 2013 from 14:00 to 23:00Location: Xu Hui Binjiang Green Space

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Established in 1997, the Shanghai Art Fair has displayed artworks sponsored by over 1,000 art galleries, organizations, and agencies worldwide. Now you are given the chance to appreciate original master-pieces by world renowned artists, includ-ing Picasso, Monet, Qi Baishi, Rembrandt, and Renoir. For four days, not only will you have the opportunity to witness count-less artworks exhibiting aesthetic paint-ings and brilliant sculptures, you can also participate in educational seminars and workshops and watch demonstrations on the creation of art.

Time: November 14 – 16 from 10:00 to 18:00 November 17 from 10:00 to 17:00Location: Shanghai Mart: 99, Xingyi Rd., Shanghai

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