Expo Conference

Moving to the Expo Conference hotel in Shanghai now. Had a great few days catching up with friends here. IT IS HOT. I'm looking forward to meeting the other delegates!

Safe in China but blocked from the outside world - Email me!

I have arrived in Shanghai! Luckiest day ever - my dad booked my flight on his gold membership airmiles card and they bumped me up to Business class on my long haul flight to Shanghai!

Since arriving I've realised that I don't have much access with the outside world via Facebook or Twitter as these sites have been shut down by the government to control the media outpouring about the Xinjiang riots. Doesn't really bother me as I don't have much time for internet access whilst I'm here anyway.

If anyone needs to get in touch with me, please email me at jenny@dimsum.co.uk!

--
Jenny Hao 郝若晨
PR, Editorial and Events
British Chinese Media Dimsum.co.uk
Winner of the Pearl Awards 2008
Email: jenny@dimsum.co.uk
Mobile: +44 (0) 7515474586

Testing Email to Blog Function

Just testing if I can email updates to my site in case I can't access Blogger directly due to firewall. This will give me less excuse not to to update.

Flying back to the Motherland

Gosh, so much has happened in the last few weeks and I have had no time and very little energy to reflect on them. I'm leaving for Shanghai tomorrow and I won't be back from China for nearly two months! I have become very slack at updating but I'll have to make up for it on my return. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to write when I'm in China as I will have limited online access.

I wish everyone a beautiful summer!!!

Beautiful Flowers

What a pleasant surprise! Interflora delivered a huge bouquet of pink roses and lilies today. A beautiful arrangement with an amazing fragrance brightening up my home. I will try to keep them alive as long as I can as several of the lilies haven't opened yet. Such a lovely gesture, thank you D.

Food for Thought

I'm really awake tonight and realise I've neglected this for a while. It is a good time for me to get round to writing the first request by my lovely friend, Jenn. This is really for those friends who are busy revising right now, I hope you find this useful. I'm pretty much beyond help!

What Foods are Good for the Brain?

Proteins
Foods like meat, fish and dairy all provide essential amino acids to build brain matter, including neurotransmitters which sends signals through all the connections. Red meat is also great source of haem, the most soluble form of iron.

Carbohydrates
Carbs break down into glucose which is the only form of energy source for the brain. Therefore, Atkins diet is no good if you're studying! Don't miss meals and have regular snacks or your glucose levels will drop and you'll get headaches and feel dizzy. Pasta is simple to make and very effective!

Fats
Fats are essential to make up the insulation around nerves, we don't want anything leaking and delaying transmission! Omega-3 fatty acids are the key, the are best fish with red flesh like salmon, tuna, sardines etc. They can also be found in nuts so have a bowl of mixed nuts on your desk while you're studying. My mum used to tell me walnuts made me brainy because they look like little brains, this is actually true.

Vitamins and Minerals
Eat as many different fruits and vegetables as you can think of. Not only are they nutritious but they are also full of age-delaying antioxidants and regulate our bowels. I'd also advise you take a simple once-a-day multivitamin during your revision just to top up anything you may be missing.

In a nutshell, eat the nut and stock up on meat, fish, wholegrains, dairy, fruit and veg! Also, don't deny yourself anything you want to eat. Food can be a great reward at the end of a long, tiring day of study! Good luck everyone! 加油，加油！

For more info, look here.

China Earthquake - One Year On

Today marks one year since the earthquake in Sichuan province, one of the worst tragedies in China's recent history. I hope you can take a moment from your day to remember the victims, many of whom were children, and their families. Tragedy of this scale is sad news the world over, but happening to my motherland struck me harder than most. I am so proud of the Chinese spirit and their strength in the face of adversity.

虽然异国他乡但我的中国心一直同情我的祖国。华人万岁！

Big Ben Award Ceremony for Outstanding British Chinese Youth

I attended the Big Ben Award for Top Ten Outstanding Chinese Young Persons 2009 at the Meridien Hotel, Piccadilly. My friend, Daniel Jacoel, whom I featured in my Dimsum article won one of the awards for his achievement with the 48 Group Club Young Icebreakers. Award winners whom you may have heard of included Marco Fu, Ching-He Huang (who is very sweet), Gok Wan and Vanessa Mae (unfortunately the latter two did not attend). Other award winners were from commerce, politics, student and architectural background. Hm, I wonder what I must do to be considered outstanding Chinese Youth?

I also fulfilled a lifetime's desire to be a magician's assistant. I went up on stage and the magician, Forrest (right), tried to persuade me to pour a glass of water over myself, although of course, it was empty by then. He then asked me to pick a man from the audience (I saw Daniel sitting near the front and picked him, sorry) for a card trick. The trick involved me placing the 3 of Hearts into an envelope. The magician then said something cheesy like, "If you both choose the same card it means you two gonna marry". Then he revealed the second deck were all 3 of Hearts, suggesting that was the only card Daniel could pick. However, when Daniel revealed the card, it turned out to be the King of Diamonds. Lo and behold, the card in my envelope was actually the King of Diamonds! I don't know how the magician did this right in front of me. It was a pretty exciting night!

Who is Daniel Henney?

I first saw Daniel Henney in a Korean comedy drama series called My Name is Kim Sam Soon where he played an English speaking doctor. This launched the American model whose mother is a Korean adoptee into A-list stardom in her home country. Until now, he has been unknown outside the Asian entertainment circle. His Hollywood debut is his role as Agent Zero in recent film X Men Origins: Wolverine. Admittedly his role as Zero could have been played by any athletic actor and it would not have changed the film, but it is important not to dismiss Daniel Henney for his chiseled good looks.

Daniel Henney has often been typecast in Korean dramas as the English speaking eye candy due to his language barrier, but things are beginning to change for him in Korea. Last year, he starred as the lead in the film My Father which is based on a true story of Aaron Bates, a Korean adoptee searching for his birth parents only to find his father is on death row. Unfortunately, I have been trying to find a copy this film for a year now. I saw some great reviews claiming Daniel Henney gives a very moving performance, which heightens my curiosity all the more. If anyone can help me find or even better, lend me a copy, I would be very grateful. Otherwise, has anyone seen the film already? I would love to know what you think!

Watch this space on Daniel Henney. Now he has broken into Hollywood, Keanu Reeves has got some young competition. In fact, Zero's action scene in Wolverine was somewhat reminiscent of The Matrix, non?

For more on Daniel Henney, check out his interview with MTV Iggy. Nevermind a doctor, I want that job!

Hidden Gems

I'm back home for May Day weekend. Kings Cross station was filled with people at 9.30am this morning, but the atmosphere was surprisingly calm for such a large crowd. It was rather strange to see a very orderly queue of people waiting to be let onto the platform to board a train. Perhaps being used to stations in China which traffic a huge volume of impatient people just made this scene all the more surreal. My theory is that people aren't used to getting up early at the weekend so are generally of a calmer disposition compared to the same time on a weekday. I was secretly hoping I'd walked into another T-mobile advert.

Once home, I decided to sort through a few of my old boxes from secondary school. I uncovered some items which I'd since forgotten. Amongst the treasure were:

1. My medical school preparation including my personal statement, references, interview questions, topics I'd researched, articles I found etc. Took me months to accumulate! I'm hoping it might still be useful to someone.
2. Several dictionaries - English, Chinese, French, German, Latin, Sciene, Music and an atlas.
3. Two boxes of violin, viola and piano sheet music worth £00s, most of which are in good condition. Should I sell them? Can someone recommend where?
4. Chinese essays and Latin exercises. (I still can't believe I once knew Latin.)
5. A short story which a friend wrote and sent to me age 16. Possible material to use as extortion against him.
6. A black waist belt with a gold buckle which belonged to my mum back in the 80s and now fits me perfectly!

A great afternoon filled with nostalgia and laughing out loud to myself. Especially when my cat came in and decided to pack himself into a box!

Varifair Chinese Film Festival - Unfulfilling Promise

Click for larger resolution

For the past two months, I have really been looking forward to the Varifair Chinese Film Festival It promised to showcase some exciting, independent Chinese cinema which have been well received on the mainland over the past two years. On the guestlist were well respected actors and directors including Gu Changwei, Zhang Jingchu, Tang Wei, Tao Hong and the actress I was most looking forward to seeing, Jiang Wenli. Unfortunately, the impressive VIPs and diverse a range of films did not redeem the poor management of the festival which really disappointed me.

The Opening Ceremony showcased the film 立春 'And The Spring Comes' with actress Jiang Wenli and her husband, director Gu Changwei. I really enjoyed the film which depicted a struggling opera singer in the post revolution period. The singer is not blessed with looks and the film follows her journey through battles with social stigma. I enjoyed the questions and answer session with Gu and Jiang afterwards. Unfortunately, the premiere was overbooked, the stewarding was awful and the crowd control for VIPs was over extensive (I understand Chinese crowds can be pushy, but I don't want to be treated like a second class citizen).

The boat party was also unfulfilling - the only directors (including Gu) who came refused to talk to media, let alone fans, the champagne was room temperature and the music was awful. A few redeeming qualities were the cruise itself gave a great night view of London, they did have some impressive raffle prizes and I was in the company of friends, one of whom was extremely entertaining on the dance floor.

I hope the Closing Ceremony was better organised but frankly, my patience had worn thin and I thought it was better to spend my time at home studying medicine. It would be interesting to hear what participants thought of this festival?

Modern Confucianism - Professor Yu Dan

On Thursday, I was very fortunate to hear Professor Yu Dan speak at Asia House. Prof Yu is not only a scholar but also a celebrity in China, famous for her series of lectures broadcast by CCTV in 2007 which made Confucianism accessible to the general public. Through her Chinese book Confucius from the Heart which sold over 10 million copies, she has become a household name - adored by viewers but chastised by critics for 'oversimplifying' Confucius.

I first heard of Prof Yu over a year ago thanks to my mother who encouraged me to watch an interview with Prof Yu on Phoenix TV. My mum gradually became her biggest fan, buying all her books and DVDs the last time we visited China. I admired Prof Yu's style and relevance but her real presence was much more than what could be delivered through her on-screen appearances.

When Prof Yu Dan speaks, everyone listens intently. She is so engaging, so composed, so wise. You feel she uses every word with intention and purpose, her speech so measured and thought-provoking. As she was talking, she made me more reflective about my own life.

Briefly, I wanted to share some of the highlights of her talk on the relevance of Confucianism on personal relationships. Prof Yu spoke in Mandarin and unfortunately, I do not think the translator did her justice. The translator was clearly not a native English speaker, many terms being lost in translation and unable to capture Prof Yu's context and charisma. Here is my own translation of my favourite topics, I've tried to keep it as much in her style as I can.

How does one make choices?

Though Confucius was a scholar who lived over 2500 years ago, human relationships have not changed. People are constantly making choices, often confused as to which path to take. The Chinese character for 'confusion' is 惑 (huo) which is composed of the character 或 (huo) meaning alternative and 心 (xin) meaning heart. Effectively, confusion is caused by too many choices upon the heart.

Confucius emphasised that man's goal is to become a 君子 (junzi) the equivalence of an English gentleman. Junzi make good decisions through wisdom. Wisdom is not only gained through acquisition of knowledge, but wisdom is also knowing people and understanding human relationships. When a disciple asked Confucius 'What is a good life?' he replied with three simple statements.

A good life is to be attentive to the old, be trusted by your peers and be respected by the young. - Confucius

How do you find the ideal partner in life?

Firstly, it is important to truly know yourself and what kind of person you are. What are your hopes and dreams? What are your morals and beliefs? Who are you?

Take the example of Bian Que an ancient Chinese doctor, who, when summoned by the Emperor of Wei Kingdom during the Warring States Period, was asked why he alone was famous when he came from a family of three doctors. Bian Que said he was actually the worst doctor of all his brothers. His eldest brother was the best doctor, he would prevent illness in all his patients so everyone thought he didn't do much. His middle brother was also better than Bian Que himself, he would treat the first signs of illness before it developed, leading everyone to think he could only cure coughs and colds. Bian Que admitted that he would wait until his patients presented with full onset of disease before diagnosing them and saving them from the brink of death which lead everyone to believe he was a hero. Bian Que is an example of a junzi, someone who is humble and knows their own strengths and limitations.

Secondly, you must know your partner. Do you feel truly compatible with them? Someone who seems perfect may not be perfect for you. Do you love them selflessly? Do you know how to love them in the way they want to be loved?

How much is a bowl of rice worth?

That would depend on who has the rice and what it is used for. A mother may decide to steam it and feed her family which adds very little monetary value, a businessman may divide it and wrap it up in lotus leaves adding value to each parcel, a wine maker may use it to make spirits, adding considerably more value to the initial bowl of rice.

I was very touched by this last analogy of life. Life is what we make of it, we add on our value through the things we do and the choices we make. I learned from Prof Yu that benevolence, wisdom and courage are the pillars of Confucianism.

After her talk, I was fortunate enough to meet Prof Yu and ask her to sign my copy of Confucius from the Heart which I bought at Asia House ahead of the official UK release date! I thanked her for making Confucianism relevant and contemporary to modern society. As an ethnic Chinese, raised abroad, I felt that to study Confucius allowed me to better understand my heritage and bring me closer to my roots. I felt very emotional speaking to her, much more than I expected and she was moved by what I said in a very maternal fashion. When she learned my Chinese name ‘苗苗’ (miaomiao), which means ‘'seedling' she became very emotional too! It is the same name as her young daughter and she told me how much she was missing her, I felt we established a very strong connection over a few words.

Prof Yu wrote in my book '东方智慧，帮你快乐' (may Eastern wisdom help you find happiness) . I have grown to admire Prof Yu very much. Through meeting her she has already fulfilled her own statement. The Chinese have a perfect word for how I felt when I met her, it is 缘分 (yuanfen) which describes the fate that two people are supposed to cross paths in life. Meeting Professor Yu Dan is something I will always remember, I hope she will also remember me if I ever have the opportunity to meet her again.

Confucius from the Heart out on May 1st
Professor Yu Dan
Macmillan Publishing
ISBN 978-0-330-46453-6
RRP £14.99 (Amazon have them for £8.50 right now! - see link)

Lang Lang at the Barbican

Last night I saw one of my favourite pianists, Lang Lang perform at the Barbican centre.

The evening started with Tan Dun conducting his Youtube Symphony Eroica based on Beethoven, which was the theme to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The performance may have been short but it was definitely memorable - showcasing Tan Dun's talent for incorporating Chinese motifs in western orchestra. The harp and strings opened the symphony mimicking the Chinese guzheng. I feel privileged to have witnessed the European premiere of this piece and the UK premiere of the later concerto The Fire which Tan Dun composed for Lang Lang. Having also seen interviews with Tan Dun, I can understand why he is so respected in both the east and west. He makes music reminiscent of Chinese melodies through use of glissando, slackened strings and pentatonic scale but his methods are so contemporary, westerners cannot help but admire his innovation.

Lang Lang was everything I had hoped for; energetic, colourful and unforgettable. I think I had palpitations at one point. I especially love the way his hair moves as he nods his head. I cannot help but love his style, charisma and stage presence. I have seen interviews with him in English and Mandarin, the latter being most moving. He his from the same hometown as me; Shenyang so I am especially proud of him (and his endearing Shenyang accent). Knowing his hard childhood and family life, I can see how he transfers that passion into his performance, at the same time remaining grounded and respecting traditional art forms.

During the second half, the LSO played Mahler's 1st Symphony in D. I really feel guilty for neglecting my violin and piano.

Has G20 forgotten the UN MDGs?

Memorable WYC Scotland 2005

I am disappointed that the G20 London Summit seems to have forgotten the plegdes made to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

I first blogged this during the summer of 2005, I attended the 3rd World Youth Congress in Scotland as a UK delegate. This was my first real opportunity to understand and discuss the UN MDGs and also develop my interest in PR and international health. It was a truly amazing and unforgettable 10 days. I made some friends home and abroad whom I still see. My friends will know how much it has influenced the person I've become.

For readers not familiar with the UN MDGs, they are eight goals launched by the UN in 2000 to better the standard of living of half the world's poorest by 2015:

* Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
* Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
* Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
* Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
* Goal 5: Improve maternal health
* Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
* Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
* Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

Since the WYC I have been especially interested in Goals 1-6 which have a special place in my heart. I realise how fortunate I am to be an educated woman in relatively liberal and equal opportunity society. I am going to do my best as a doctor and hopefully do give something back to achieve the health MDGs.

If you could spare a few minutes, please take time to explore how you could End Poverty by 2015.

We are the first generation that can end poverty.

History Imported

I have imported a selection of old posts to pool together all the domains I've held in the past. Unfortunately, two blogs are lost forever but I'm glad to have salvaged what I can. The majority of posts are from last year.

Where Have All the Gentlemen Gone?

Imperial College kindly gave us a long weekend in place of an Easter holiday this year. So I've decided to spend these precious few days at my parents' enjoying some home cooking.

A bizarre thing happened on the train journey. I boarded around 15 minutes before departure from King's Cross. After finding my seat - F 35, I noticed that a guy was looking across at me as he boarded the train. He started to dismantle his things on the seat across the aisle and I continued to daydream until I was tapped on the shoulder. The man had moved across and was now telling me I was sitting in his seat, but it was OK because he just needed to reach the AC outlet.

Rather perplexed, I double checked my reservation and I was definitely in the right seat. He sheepishly looked down at his ticket and said he also had seat F 35 but I couldn't see. I just assumed it was a double booking and volunteered to sit in the aisle seat so he could reach the socket. I immediately disliked him due to the cloud of cigarette smoke lingering around him.

30 seconds did not pass before I was tapped on the shoulder again. It was the lady whose aisle seat I was now occupying, only this time I was more than happy to give up my seat in order to escape Smokey Joe. I found another spare seat and didn't think much of it until...

By chance, as I was returning from the snack bar, I was stuck behind the conductor checking Smokey Joe's. This time I could see the ticket clearly read F 37, the seat across the aisle from my orginal seat! There was no double booking at all.

What strange behaviour. I hope this man did not accuse me of sitting in his (not his) seat (which I had occupied first) simply to try sit next to me on a train? As you can imagine, I was rather annoyed by this incompetent man who incovenienced me by forcing me to play musical chairs throughout my journey.

Note to self for future incidents:
1. Always check the reservation of the person who accuses you of taking their seat, just in case they can't see clearly/lying.
2. Ladies, never give your seat up to an able bodied man, they should know better.

Where have the English gentlemen gone?

Surgery on call

Sitting in the doctors' break room waiting for patient with appendicitis to be brought to theatre for laproscopic appendix removal. However it is continuous being delayed. Why? There are no anaesthetists!

Antithesis to Valentine's Day

Why is this commercial holiday dressed in sentiment? I am fundamentally against the principle of 'forced acts of romance'. The thoughts behind gestures should be spontaneous and genuine, not contrived and calculated. Surely better to be romanced on any other day of the year when you least expect? When you can be sure the other party isn't merely keeping up appearances or conforming to standards set by their rivals?

A Memorable Birthday

My Lovely Friends,

A big thank you from the heart for coming to celebrate my birthday with me last night. Thank you for the sweet cards and thoughtful presents I received. I think you are all beautiful, talented and wonderful people and I am truly blessed to have you as my friends. It was a little surreal to have all my friends in one place so I was really happy to see everyone connected so well with each other, many having met for the first time. I’m sorry I didn’t have time to chat to each person individually for very long, I hope we’ll get a chance to catch up soon.

I am so overwhelmed by the number of people who came. As you could probably tell by the size of the birthday cake we bought, Lucy and I hugely underestimated the number of people coming! We would have been overjoyed by 20 guests, we did not anticipate 50! Next year, we promise to hire a private room and buy a bigger and better cake, perhaps even two.

This is a very long winded way to say thank you for coming and making my birthday so special - especially Lucy, who is my angel.

Lots of love!

Jenny x

Revived!

It's true what they say 'the old times are the best'. I've really missed this site, so decided to reinstate it! Hopefully with none of the ridiculous problems I had last time!