Lonely Island

pretty good weather today after yesterday's snow storm. i am sitting in a small room in long island, NY, in front of my computer to write this first article for my blog. when i first came here in 2001 i had no idea how long i would stay in this country and what kind of life i would have here. my spanish classmate natalia, who is getting married this summer in paris, used to call long island " the Lonely Island". one hour drive away from NYC, it's the opposite of the city almost in every way. you can have good and original long island ice tea here, though .

i plan to get my ticket back to china this week. don't know when will come back this time. this country and this place is just too boring for me. i will meet the mexican client this thursday in downtown and start packing up.

i went to the school gym and walked around the campus. nothing changed. will take some photos next time i go there. i saw more korean students and chinese students, no only on campus but also in the oriental store, run by the taiwanese couple.

i made chinese dumplings this spring festival with some chinese friends living in chapin. chinese students' life here is still boring. they go to labs, do their TA thing, meet their boss (professors) and cook. i made a good decision on not going for phd. i can not imagine myself follow that routine for 5 straight years or more. american economy is down. i talked with some new graduates. they are all worried since big companies are doing the lay off or freezing head counts. some of them have been looking for job for almost 6 months. i do not understand why they'd like push themselves that hard instead of going back to china where they can find a decent job much easier. the salary won't be at the same level, but you do not pay so much taxes in China one of them told me that if he goes back to china only with a degree and no working experience, people may see him as a loser. but 6-months-long phone and onsite interview without job offer does not make him less loser, rather it makes the whole situation look even worse.

i think i was lucky for i made the right decision at the right time. also i will not care if others call me a loser as long as i feel comfortable with my life, whether it's in US, in Canada, in Mexico or in China.