Birthday month ~

NYC Central Park in fall, 2006.

"Happy birthday to my favorite friend. I hope you are happy today and enjoy your birthday party somewhere in this planet, not like last year. However, I still enjoy the way we celebrated your birthday at the same time last year, although you were frustrated for your life at that time. Anyway, enjoy and all the best wishes to you. Hopefully, you can get it."

This is a birthday month. Except the one mentioned above, two of my best friends from different countries will celebrate their birthdays this month. Although both of them are far away from me, my wishes still could fly over Atlantic Ocean and arrive at their hands. Please note that when you celebrate your birthday, eat less cookies, otherwise, your faces will like mine, more and more like pancake. (sighing) Now we all reach the golden age of our lives, although we still didn't get a lot of money or settled down, we still enjoy our lives in our own ways. Give one of my lovely pictures here as part of your birthday presents, hope you guys like it.

By the way, do anyone need candy? I prepared a lot of candies with my roommate on Halloween, but no kid came to our place for candy, huh! Woo~ ~ ~ Now our apartment is like a candy shop.

Traveling to Greece?

I heard a lot about Greece from my Greek friend, so whenever I thought about this country, the beautiful beaches, all different kinds of islands, nice sunshine, gorgious architecture would come into my mind. I admired their culture and history. It will be a nice trip to Greece, that's what I thought. Well, it isn't always the case for everyone.

One of my friends told me a funny story when he travelled to Greece right after he got out of college. He was single, handsome (based on his description of himself), naive, young, vivid at that time. When he got out of the airport, he saw lots of people standing outside of the airport to find their guests. Because there are many travelers coming to Greece each year, so many people rent out their guest rooms to get some extra money. My friend didn't book a hotel room at that time, so he was wondering whether he should take this idea. Well, here comes an old lady with her granddaughter, who had a nice vacant room in an island near that airport. Her granddaughter was very pretty, my friend took their room without asking any info, even the location of their house, the price for one night because he saw this breathtaking girl. He went together with her grandma. She took him there, and showed the room, which was located in a nice island, neat, clean, and one mile walking distance from the beach. There were nice coffee shops, theaters near the house, and it only took $25 per night. It was awesome.

Well, for a single young man traveling abroad, it is really nice to stay in this place. My friend planned to stay 3 days there, but because of that breathtaking girl, he stayed there for 6 days in order to meet her again. It would be very romantic to live near the beach with this beautiful Greek girl. But the funny point is that he never saw this girl again except meeting her grandma to pay for his living expenses. He stayed there nearly a week dreaming that he would meet her in the dinning room or near the beach, so he could take her for a cup of coffee, but it never came to that point. Finally, he decided to leave because he figured out from other travelers that it was a trick. Those Greek people used their beautiful family members to attract travelers in order to rent out their rooms. He wasn't the only one being fooled at that time. He thought it was pretty fortunate that the room they rented to him was not expensive and indeed pretty nice. He told me several times that those Greek people were smart. Of course, they are smart, otherwise, it could only show that you are stupid. And he is happy that he isn't the only one being fooled. (sighing)

Until now, he still couldn't forget about that breathtaking girl. He told me that sometimes he dreamed about her, and it was already more than 5 years after his trip to Greece. He even thought about coming back to Greece to find her, but he didn't want to be silly again. Even now, he is always saying "She is very adorable, and her skin is so smooth, but I will never meet her again". Oh, well, except laughing, what can I say?

Colbert Report on site

The day before yesterday, I went to Colbert Studio with couple of my friends to see Colbert Report on site. It is a talk show from 11pm to 11:30pm Monday through Friday. I didn't know this TV Show before, but my roommate was fond of it and she got the ticket for me. It was raining heavily that day, and we had to go to his studio around 6pm, but the Host Stephen Colbert is a very funny guy, who cheered us up. They started to shoot around 7:30pm, which would be on air at 11pm that night, so we were the first audience to watch it.

It is quite different feeling when you saw a TV Show on site. We could get more information and see their mistakes, which you would never see on TV. It was an anniversary for this program that day, and the special guest they invited was a writer Richard Dewkins who wrote a book named The God Delusion. The writer just wanted to state that there is no God in the universe. Unfortunately, most audience even Colbert himself believe the God. They may not Christian, or Jewish, but they believe their own God in certain ways. The interview went so funny, because Colbert tried to convince the writer that there is a God in the universe, and most audience on site were by his side. You could watch that day's episode online at: http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_colbert_report/index.jhtml

If you see it clearly, you could find my face at the end of this interview. I was sitting in the third row. Because the total number of audience was around 80 that night, so it was not too difficult to find my lovely face. Cheers!

Mid-Autumn Day's Sighing ~

Mid-Autumn Day in NYC is a chilly raining day. I got a lot of wishes from my friends, who reminded me that it is Mid-Autumn Day today. Being abroad for two years, I nearly forgot this traditional festival, what a pity!

Going through one of my friends' MSN Space, I saw a nice sentence from her online blog "If I couldn't let him love me, I hope I could go back to the moment I didn't know him." Yes, it seems that we always meet the right person at the wrong time, or we meet the wrong person at the right time, but how could we meet the right person at the right time? Is that impossible? Or we just haven't gotten the right timing?

There is another American expression I like a lot "If you fool me once, shame on you; if you fool me twice, shame on me." It is pretty true, but sometimes, we still want to be fooled twice or even more times. Maybe we are just expecting the miracle which will never turn to reality.

Wild Squirrel!

What do you think about squirrel? Cute, lovely, lazy or else? When I was at school, I sat inside my room and struggled for my coursework, squirrels were climbing up the tress outside my window, eating fruits, and enjoying their lives. I always envied their lives. That's my first impression for these creatures.

This morning, I had coffee and my breakfast in the kitchen, with some readings at the same time. A squirrel suddenly came to my window and sat outside, staring at me. I was astonished. I lived on the 6th floor, which means he climbed up to 6th floor, for what? Food? Or attracted by my beauty? (This sounds impossible, huh?) He looks wild and crazy, which kinda scared me. I was wondering if the window in my kitchen was opening at that time, what did he gonna to do?

By the way, the second season of Prison Break is pretty good. Rush to the theatre Fox5, you will like it, I bet!

September.11th

It has been five years since September.11th, 2001. I just watch a movie in ABC, and I am touched by this movie. When I was in China on Sept.11th, 2001, I saw the news on TV but I didn't really feel so shocked as I am now, because I didn't really believe it. Today is the fifth anniversary of 9/11, and I see a lot of true stories on TV. It was really horrible at that time.

The first airplane hit north bound of Twin Tower on 8:43am on 9/11. This airplane was American Airline from Boston to LA. I also took American Airline directly from Boston to LA, but fortunately it wasn't Sept.11th, 2001. Just some thoughts after Bush's address at 9:03pm, and hope this terrible thing never happen again!

My roommate!

My roommate is the girl with a white dog on the left corner of this picture. This is one of the pictures from her advertisement last year with other actors, actresses and film makers.

I am now living with an American girl in NYC. Before I moved to this apartment, I didn't know her very much. After one week, we kinda know each other. She had a great experience before. She worked as a model in Paris for 3 years and during that period of time, she traveled to 22 European countries. She also did modeling in Tokyo for a year, and as she is now getting older, she quits her job as a model and becomes an actress for some TV shows.

Previously, I thought people who worked as a model may not be intelligent. They might be pretty like a vase without much education. I think I judge people based on the traditional idea and too absolutely. Actually, people are different. No matter what kind of occupation they have, they could also be intelligent or knowledgeable. It depends on people themselves, not their occupation, a Ph.D student could be nuts either. Maybe traveling makes her know more about the society and the world, which most of her knowledge comes from. Anyway, it is an experience to be in different environment and get to know all kinds of people, maybe some of them are mean, who knows!

Homesick~

I am now moving to my new apartment. It locates in a good area and the room is big, comfortable, of course, expensive. But I don't feel completely happy. After my uncle left Washington D.C and came back to China, I suddenly felt homesick. I had this feeling only at the first month when I came to U.S. in 2004. I am ok for a long time. Yes, sometimes I feel sad and disappointed as everyone does, but I seldom have strong feeling of missing home after being abroad for two years. Maybe because of the bad weather recently in NYC, but Durham's weather is worse than here, I should already get used to it.

Anyway, maybe it is time for me to come back to China. It's been quite a while I didn't come back home. I kinda get lost for my future. I knew what I wanted to do before, but now I feel confused. What do I really want to do, PH.D in Econ or a real job in China?

Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C.

Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The statue in front of this hall is President Washington.

Baltimore's most famous square near the Atlantic Ocean.

White House, President's Oval office is on the third floor on your right hand side.

It is Congress Hall, where senators and congressmen have their meetings.

This is Washington Memorial Tower, behind this tower is Congress Hall. Tom Hanks famous movie "Forest Gump" uses here as one of the scene.

I went to Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C. with my uncle this week. It is a pretty nice trip, although a little bit tied. Philadelphia is similar to Boston, traditional and also modern. It is a historical city, because it was the captial of U.S. in 18th century before they finally moved to D.C. It is the biggest city in Pennsylvania, also called the most romantic city in the east coast of U.S. We visited Independence Hall, City Hall, Independence Square and the big clock British government gave to U.S. in 1776.

Driving down south on highway 95, we arrived at Baltimore. It is a small city near Atlantic Ocean. Ocean makes people's life there. Except Baltimore World Trade Center, the buildings in this city are not quite tall, which makes the whole city look flat. They still kept the emplacements which American people used to get their independence from British government in 18th century.

Along the sea coast, driving down south, Washington D.C. will be in front of you. D.C is the most impressive city during my whole trip. It is a small city between Virginia and Maryland. It is the political and cultural center of U.S. Few people live inside D.C. It is a city without industry and few business, such as restaurants, coffee shops, gift shops, etc. Washington D.C is like a big garden, full of trees, flowers, birds, museums, libraries, gorgeous architecture, etc. There is a beautiful river between D.C and Virginia. Washington Memorial Tower locates in the center of D.C, all the other buildings are around this toppest tower. White House, Congress Hall, Lincoln Memorial Hall, U.S. Department of Treasury are designed in different styles, Italian, Greek, French, British, etc. Vietnam War Memorial Wall is designed by a female Chinese designer. She is the daughter of Sicheng Liang and Huiyin Lin. I think if we put Zhimo Xu's romantic poem besides this wall, that will be fantasitc.

I stayed in D.C. for 3 days, but it was still too short. I really love D.C. because it can satisfy all different kinds of interests. If you like art, National Art Museum will give you Picasso's paintings; if you like weapon, you could find the missiles Hitler used to bomb London, Paris in World War 2; if you like history, you could see the pen President Washington used before, or just standing outside White House to experience the current history. Unfortunately, I am not a friend of President Bush, otherwise, I will go into his famous Oval Office and hide under his desk as President Kennedy's son did in 1960s.

Joke!

I made a very funny joke to my Mom last night. It was planned in New Hampshire with my friend Ben. When I went back to NH last week, I stayed in Ben and Marsha's house in Kittery. They have two lovely cats, one is a boy and the other is a girl. One night, when I fell asleep, that boy cat stayed in my room and slept together with me. So Ben suggested me to make a joke to my Mom and I did last night.

I called my Mom and told her that I had a really good time in NH and bala, bala. Then I changed my voice and became very seriously. I said to her "Mom, I have one thing need to let you know, but please don't worry. I am still you daughter and still the same as before". After she heard that, she became worried and asked me whether I was ok. I replied "Oh, I am fine and in good health. I just want to let you know that when I was in NH, hum, ~ ~ ~ I slept with a guy for one night. That guy is young, handsome and cute. I really like him a lot. It is really comfortable to stay with him overnight". I think my voice was too serious at that time, which really scared her. Her voice became so seriously and asked me "Are you serious? I never heard that you had a boyfriend in NH? You mean you just met him in NH and slept with him? I can not believe that you did this stupid thing." After I heard that, I suddenly laughed loudly. I never think that she will believe it and become so seriously. I explained to her later and told her that the young guy was a cat. But this is the first time I make my Mom freaking out. Right before I said goodbye to her, she still warned me not to do that stupid thing. It is really amusing. I think I should record her voice at that time.

Anyway, it was really a nice time to come back to my campus again and met my friends there last week. We had a party together and ate some good food. I still like the beautiful view and peaceful towns there. I like the nice people and relaxing life. I had Maine's lobster with the light music and Portsmouth's beautiful sunset. Life is really good there. I fully enjoy it.

Car Accident!

Don't be panic after you see the title. I am completely fine and health, but I had a very small car accident yesterday noon.

I was going to the bank to withdraw some money yesterday lunch time. I tried to park my car in the parking lot outside the bank, but the parking lot was full of cars, only one spot left. It was a narrow space. When I tried to park my car into that spot, I hit a red car on my left hand side. Fortunately, my car's speed was nearly zero because I was parking, otherwise, it may hurt people in that red car. It was a red Toyota Corolla car and there was a woman sitting inside and talking on the phone. I didn't hurt her, but I left two light scratches at the back of her car on the left hand side. She suddently came out of her car and shouted at me. She looked young and pretty, but her words were very dirty. I parked my car again and tried to explain the situation to her, but she was too angry to hear. Finally, she calmed down and tried to ask me for money. Oh, Woo~ ~ ~! Are you really caring about your safty or your car? That's the question I wondered at that time. She seemed that it was a good way to get rich quickly.

I didn't quite want to talk to her because she tried to rob my money. I don't exactly know how much she wants to get for these small scratches. I told her my Insurance Company's phone number and all my information including my driving license no, my insurance no, plate no, registration card no, and phone no. After that, another older woman came out from the bank, and seemed to be her friend. Both of them shouted at me and tried to ask me for more. They tried to tell DMV about it, but unfortunately it was too small to be accepted. I called my Insurance company at that time, because I didn't want to deal with them. Finally, my Insurance Company gave me a help. Usually, I didn't quite like Insurance Company, because they always ask for something, but seldom pay back. Yesterday, I appreicated their help. It was difficult for me to deal with two mean people, who looked like Mexicans. They always spoke Spanish to each other, which I didn't understand. One of them could speak English, the other couldn't. Their English was not quite good, but the dirty words were pretty good, which I didn't like. Why not learning some good words? My Insurance company asked both of us about the information for this accident, and then they told me to take a picture of my car after I came back and got my camera. They gave them the phone no. and promised that they would pay for that. But they still didn't want to let me go, because they told me they were scared and maybe had a big mental problem in future. Oh, well, how comes you could have mental problem because of this small accident? You even may not feel anything when my car hit your car. I was alone at that time, and I couldn't deal with those two mean people, again I asked my Insurance company for help. They talked to them on the phone and finally they left. I didn't quite know what my Insurance Company told them, but after that, they left without saying anything to me.

This morning, I sent the pictures of my car to my Insurance Company and they told me that they gonna handle it. It was a small accident which was covered in my Insurance plan. I actually feel so sorry to that person, because I don't like small scrathes on my car either. But I am very angry about their attitude. It seemed that they didn't care about the car, or themselves, but only money. They gave me an impression that they hoped I could completely destroyed their car. It made me sad. They had a nice red Toyota car, and even I felt sorry about that, but they really only cared about money. What a pity! My Insurance fee gonna increase from next month because of this small accident, but I still appreciate their help yesterday, otherwise, I may call 911 to resolve it.

This was my first time to have car accident after I got my driving license, which I didn't like. I always drove very carefully because it was my responsibility to make sure other people and myself's safty. Two important things I learned from it: you must buy car insurance, which is really helpful; and you must drive carefully even during parking.

World Cup Final: Italy wins?

U.S. former President Bill Clinton with his daughter Chelsea arrived for World Cup Final in Berlin, together with French President and German President, Prime Minister. Did he come for soccer or politics?

Germany got their 3rd place in WC 2006 after they won over Portugal in Stuttgart. They are always the best team even though they didn't get WC this time.

Both of them will not be in field anymore, but history will never forget them. Figo, the best midfielder in Portugal, who represents the "Golden Generation". We grew up together with your fame. Kahn and Figo celebrated their last match for National Teams on July.8th.

Kahn, you are always the best goalkeeper in German Team. We feel safe if you stand in front of the gate. It was you who helped Germany got 2nd place in 2002, and you also guarantee Germanyto get their 3rd place this time. We will never forget you!


Zidane left field with a red card. WC was besides him, but not belonging to him this time. It was his last WC match, and he ended with shame. Still, thank you for his good performance, and he is always the best midfielder in France, and also in the world!

Italy won the World Cup in Berlin on July.9th, 2006. It is pretty sad to watch Italian players celebrate their victory. After Germany was kicked out by Italy, my only hope was that France could win over Italy, so Zidane would end his soccer career with a best result. But I was shocked when Zidane headbutted Italian defender Materazzi. I don't know what was going on in his mind at that time. If he didn't get that red card, everything would be different. He is already 34 and it is his last World Cup match, why not ending it perfectly? It is really shamed to see the way he ended his soccer career. Hey, Zidane, why are you so stupid? Don't you know Italian players are good at performing? Italian players should go to Hollywood for their professional career, because they are good at acting, especially in front of opponent's box to get penalty kick or let opponents get their red cards. I know it isn't only Zidane's fault, Italian defender definitely say something very bad to him, but he should have a clear mind, victory is more important than everything. I feel so sorry to see him leave the field. Anyway, World Cup goes to Italy. It is the truth now. We have to wait for another four years to see our favorite teams again. But several persons will not be in field anymore.

Germany got their victory in Stuttgart on July.8th. It was like a friendship match. Both teams played very well and quite relaxing. For German fans, it was like their Final. They shouted for their team's victory over Portugal 3-1. Schweinsteiger and Kahn were the heros for this match. Schweinsteiger kicked two goals and helped his team to get one more goal. I think even himself felt surprised for his performance that day. He was the real star at that day. It was also Kahn's last match for German National Team. He played the whole match and his performance was awesome. Figo also finished his last match for Portugal National Team. Although he was only in field for 15 minutes, but he helped his team to get one goal. Thanks for their performance, and they gave us a wonderful summer. I feel sad that we couldn't see them again in field, but the happiness they brought to us will be always in our minds.

It's time for us to say goodbye to our super stars. Thanks for this "Golden Generation". You make our lives!

Germany is crying, and my heart is broken!

In memory of my favorite team: Germany! People will never forget you all, you make the history! Thank you for giving us the beautiful matches during this one month!
My heart is broken. Don't cry, Ballack, I like you because of your beautiful smile!
Podolski, you grow with WC, and I believe you will become stronger as Klose did!
This is my first time I saw him cry, and I hope I will never see it again!
Schweinsteiger, you are the wonderful midfielder.
Lahm, always works hard until the last mintue! But you are still young, and you have chance in 2010!

I really want to see Klinsmann's smile in Berlin on July.9th. I feel so sad to see his face now! Please continue your job as German coach, those young players need you!

I don't know how to give comments to this match. Both teams played very well, and even the referee did a good job. It was a great match and deserved to watch, no stupid players or big mistakes. But for German fans, it was painful to watch the last couple of minutes. It was not German defenders' faults, cause they were too tied to sustain another extra match. Just 3 days after 120-minute-match with Argentina, they can not recover shortly. Italy was lucky. They played with Ukraine during Quater-Final, and Ukraine was not that strong. It only took them 90 minutes to get their big victory over Ukraine.

I didn't feel sad right after yesterday's match, because I can not believe it even though I saw German players' tears. I still imagined that it was a Group Match and Germany still had chance. I couldn't confess my favorite team's lost. But it was over, Germany can not get WC this time. I felt deeply pain from the bottom of my heart after I realized that it was the truth. I even couldn't cry because it was too sad to face the truth. It was my first time to see Ballack's tears because he was not on field in 2002 when Germany lost to Brazil in the Final; it was also my first time to feel so badly for the result of one match. I was not happy when Germany lost to Brazil in 2002 Final, but I was still ok because at that time, Germany was not that strong. Even I like German Team, I still didn't think they were qualified for WC in 2002. But this time, they are different. Their strikers are excellent, their midfielders are talented, and their defenders are young but growing quickly together with WC. Yes, it is just a match and we still have WC after 4 years. But not everyone could wait for another 4 years. Klinsmann, Kahn, and Schneider will not be in field after 4 years, even Ballack may not be there either cause he is not young now. Not only German players, Figo, Zidane, Carlos, Backham (maybe) and etc will not be on field either in 2010 WC. They represent the golden generation. Of course, the new talented players will come out at that time, but we grow up with this golden generation and share the happiness and sadness with our favorite teams.

Yesterday was Independence Day in U.S. All the Americans even foreigners celebrated this festival together, but I can not feel the happiness. When I saw the fireworks in the sky, my eyes were full of Ballack's tears and Klinsmann's disappointment, together with all German players and fans tears. My heart is broken. I think I put too much hope on Germany. My WC was over and I need to take some rest, because I felt exhausted for WC matches. Oh, well, it is life. Thank you for German players good performance. They made my life during the last 3 weeks. Although I felt sad, I am still proud of them. They are the best team! Well, no matter which team get WC, it is not important for me now. Either France or Portugal is fine, but I hope it is not Italy. I don't like the way they are playing.

Penalty Kick Thriller

Before the Panelty Kick shootout, 23 German players together with their coach encouraged each other. They are the best team!

Don't cry for failure, Argentina. It makes me think about Madonna's song "Don't cry for me, Argentina". It was taken after match. German players were celebrating, but Argentina's player crouched in the corner. This is WC!

It is a long day today. I feel exhausted now. German faced their second opponent after Group Match, which was also the strongest one until now: Argentina. They finally got their victory in Penalty Kick shootout. I usually don't like Penality Kick shootout, because it is too cruel. It usually happens when both teams are strong and can not win over each other. Actually Penalty Kick shootout tests player's technique, spirit and luck for the whole team.

Today's quarter-final between Germany and Argentina was really excellent. Both teams played very well. Argentina players have good personal technique and also cooperate with each other. They controlled the first half of the match. German's defenders were holding on the first half, but their strikers were disappointing. Argentina got their first goal at 49th minute, which made the host fall behind first time in the tournament. I felt desparated at that time, because it was already second half and German players were still not in their best conditions. However, this goal not only broke German's gate, it also activated German spirit: never give up. German players woke up after this goal and started their strong attacking from 50th minute. Different to other teams, they were not hurry and nervous. They organized their attackings very well and got their goal on 82nd minute by Klose. It was a fantastic goal, which saved Germany. Klose was brilliant!

During the extra match, they still couldn't break up the draw, but only one team could go into Semi-Final. I didn't want to see it at all, no matter who won, it was not a happy thing. I sort of felt that German would win over Argentina, because German people are just as machines, they are difficult to get nervous. It is just their personality. Argentina is a team full of energy, but compared to mental strongness, Germany has advantage. In order to say Lehmann is excellent, I think it is because German's personality. When their players stood in front of the penalty area, they looked so calm, but Argentina's players were opposite. Of course, German beat Argentina 4 over 2 in Penalty Kick. I was so moved when I saw German players stood arm in arm on field during Penality Kick shootout, and I also felt happy when I saw Kahn wish Lehmann good luck and gave his advice to him. I know it is sincere.

I saw Klinsmann's smile in Berlin again, together with every German player's happiness. They deserve this victory. They even played Bowling after match to amuse their fans. But on the other side, I saw Argentina players' tears, which made me feel sad. I like Argentina too, although not as much as Germany. I enjoy watching their technique. They play like Latin dance. I really respect them today. I was crying when I saw Batistuta's tears in 2002 World Cup when Argentina lost in quarter-final. He was not in field today, but the sadness was the same. I am happy for German's victory, but I also respect Argentina's good performance and feel sad that they couldn't go further. They are far more better than Italy, but unfortunately they meet German too early. This is the first time I can not feel completely happiness when I see German's victory in WC.

On July.4th, Germany will play with Italy in Dortmund. I hope they could win and they must win. I don't think this year's Italy is qualified for Final, just like England is not qualified for Quarter-Final, even though I like England.

The time of our lives!

German players celebrated their victory after today's match with their fantasitc coash Klinsmann. Time of our lives!

I nearly cried on the 12th mintue when Podolski kiched his second goal on the first half this morning. German Team was fantastic today. It only took them 12 minutes to secure their victory. The ball possession for German during the whole match was 63% and Sweden only got 37%. German players attacked crazily even though they already kicked two goals. I can not believe it is German Team in front of my eyes.

Podolski had two goals today, which helped Germany get their victory. But Behind his goals, one guy played a big role: Klose. He gave two best opportunities to Podolski. Klose was everywhere today. He really improved a lot: controlling the ball, kicking the ball, creating opportunities and even defending. I see a strong Klose in a confident German Team. Ballack slowly recovered, although he was still scoreless. German's wonderful performance beat Sweden to reach Quarter-final. If they could win over Argentina on Quarter-final, they will go to Semi-final and Berlin will not be far away from them.

I didn't expect this match to be so easy for Germany. Sweden is one of the top traditionally European sides and from their history, they always won over Germany. But Podolski's 2 goals were too quickly today, which made Swedish suddently shocked. Actually, Swedish still had chance even after losing 2 goals. A red card beat them, so they had to play with only 10 players. At the same time, German got hungrier and hungrier, they didn't give them any time to recover or even think about what was going on there. But German defender's mistake gave them a chance at 53rd minute. Sweden got a penalty kick. It was a great chance for them to recover, but God bless Germany today, Swedish missed their penalty kick. Great pressure beats Swedish.

"Berlin, Berlin, we're going to Berlin." My friend told me that the fans shouted during and afer today's match in Munich. Yes, they could and they also deserve Berlin's final. Just as Podolski and Klinsmann said "We've grown with WC." Today is the time of German players' lives, it is also the time of their fans lives, including me!

Germany's victory in Berlin!

Germany's strikers are alive today. With only one score last match, they shot Ecuador 3 goals. Now Germany gets top one in Group A with 9 points and 3 victories. That's awesome!

German Team's performance is great today. Their strikers are scoring and defenders are holding. Fans and mass media complained German's defenders after their kickoff match in Munich, but today they prove their abilities. Klose kicks two goals today, which is the same as he did in the first match vs. Costa Rica. His technique improves a lot, which is really impressive in today's match. Compared to his excellent performance, Podolski misses so many opportunities today but finally kicks one goal on the second half, which is the first goal for himself. Podolski needs more practice if he wants to become the best striker.

Ballack's performance is just ok. Except some useless kicks, sometimes, you even don't see him at all. I don't know what he is doing there. If Germany wants to move forward, captain Ballack should adjust himself and come alive as he was in 2002. There are two players pretty good in German team. They not only secure German's gate, but also create great opportunites for German's stikers: Schneider and Lahm. Schneider was the major player in 2002 World Cup. His performance is always stable. He doesn't have special technique, like Beckham's free kick, Ballack's strength, but he is a good defender. He is always there to protect German's gate and sometimes creates great opportunites for German's strikers. Lahm is the first time in World Cup. He is so young and wonderful. He is not only a good defender, but also a great striker. He always finds the problems of opponent's defending and help German Team to attack. Quite opposite to traditional German players, tall and strong, Lahm is not tall, but great technique. He lets us to see the great future for German Team.

England also finished its last Group match versus Sweden. They draw each other at the end, which is the best result for both of them. The worst thing for England after this match is that their major striker Michael Owen has to give up his World Cup journey. His foot hurts on the 4th minute during this match. I like him a lot after 1998 World Cup. He always works hard and tries to find opportunities for England. I feel so sorry for him, because I know he prepares 4 years for this event. I hope he could come back in 2010 World Cup.

Neuville saves Germany!

Germany gets his second victory today. It wins over Poland with one goal in injury time. The whole match is fantastic. Germany controlled the whole match, but Poland's goalkeeper Artur Boruc is excellent. Except Kahn's wonderful performance in 2002 World Cup, Boruc is the best goalkeeper I have even seen. Germany has so many chances today, but Boruc is impenetrable. Even though I am fond of Germany, but I still respect Poland's goalkeeper. I can not ignore his exellent performance today.

Ballack returned back to World Cup this time, and he had good performance, but his bad temper showed up again. On the second half, he nearly quarrelled with the judger, who later gave him a yellow card. I like Ballack a lot, but also hate his temper. Sometimes, he is so stupid and makes unnecessary mistakes. In 2002 World Cup, he accumulated 3 yellow cards, so he missed the final match with Brazil. If he could play in that final, Brazil may not easily get their final championship. After 4 years, he still repeated the same story. Moreover, his temper influenced the whole German Team. The first 20 minutes of the second half, German's performance was frustrated, but after getting 3 yellow cards, they finally recovered. Ballack had a great kick at 90th minute, and Klose had several chances, and one of them finally paid off, but it was not from both of them. Neuville kicked the only goal for Germany, also for the whole match. I actually don't quite like Neuville, because in 2002 World Cup, he was the major player, but he didn't play very well and made fans so disappointed. Today, he used his goal to tell every fans including me: "I am back and I improve my technique." Yes, he does. The same as Klose. In 2002, he only knew how to use his head to kick the ball, now he tells people he could use every part of his body (except hand, of course) to kick.

German's defenders are far more better than their opening match. I could see German Team's personality in this match: never give up! I am so happy to see Klinsmann's smile after this brilliant goal and after the whole match. I know how eagerly he waited for this goal. Congratulations, Germany! I hope I could see Klinsmann's smile in Berlin on July.9th.

Also, Spain got its opening victory this morning either. Spanish players are so young and excellent. They gave us a beautiful match this morning. Spain becomes really strong this time. I love Spanish Team before, not because of their strongness, but because of their crazy characteristic. This morning, I saw a strong Spain in front of me, I was astonished. The whole 90 minutes, they were awesome, from their goalkeeper, to their defenders, strikers. They deserved their victory.

Anyway, I am happy today because I see two different victories from my favorite teams. I nearly cried at 90th minute in Germany vs. Poland, but after a minute, I jumped from my chair and shouted for German's victory. It is a great match and it is World Cup! Always bring surprise to the fans.

World Cup, Woo ~ ~ ~

2006 World Cup, Germany

After 4 years waiting, 2006 World Cup finally kicked off in Munich on June.9th. Unfortunately, I had to work that day. I am fond of Germany National Team, although without Brazil's technique, without England's Beckham, without Italian's stronger defenders, they are still impressive in opening win over Costa Rica. Germany is stonger not because of specific person, but because of their spirit. They will never give up attacking until the last minute.

Compared to Germany, England's opening match was boring, only got an unconvincing 1-0 victory over Paraguay. Fortunately, they won at last, otherwise, I would be so disappointed, cause I got up at 6am on Saturday just for England's victory. It is so funny that England's captain David Beckham complains German's weather. He said that their team's bad performance was because of German's hot weather. Gosh, if German is hot, he would be died if he came to LA. Silly David, if you want to find an excuse, you should find a better one, like my leg is broken or our players catch cold and etc. Argentina and Portugal had pretty good opening victory. So until now, all my favorite teams get their opening victory. If Spain could win over Ukraine on Wednesday, the first round of WC will be perfect for me. Several pictures:

Ballack is always captain, even though he sits aside and misses the opening match.

Klinsmann is still handsome, even as a coach. You can always hear his voice during the match, who tells Germany to go ahead.

What a pity I am not in Germany, otherwise, I will stand outside stadium and shout for my favorite team's victory together with other fans. Germany, go ahead and conquer Berlin on July.9th, although other teams are excellent, World Cup has only one and hope this one belongs to Germany. Oh, well, I have to use Germany Time together with all the fans in this world within this month.

Season Finale

This is season finale's month, Prison Break, 24 Hours, OC, American Idol, House, Bones and etc. FOX spring season is end this week. Several comments:

Next year, Chinese government will not worry about terrorists, because Jack Bauer is controled by Chinese government. The big news is Chinese official language will not be Mandarin anymore, and it will change to Cantonese according to the director of 24 Hours. I strongly suggest the director of 24 Hours visit China before next season starts on January, 2007.

Which university will you want to apply for, UC Berkeley, Brown or Harvard? Why? Moreover, if you get admitted to Berkeley, will you accept this admission or just throw the admission letter into trash can? OC will tell you the answer.

Oscar+Grammy+American dream+Chinese "Super Girl"=American Idol

By the way, if you feel bored of drama, and will not want to join its next season, the best way is telling the director that you want to be killed in this season. What else? Oh, yeah, don't try to push yourself change your life style according to one of my silly friends' own experience.

One more real finale next month: World Cup, which is the real finale for soccer. Cheers! Good luck to my favorite National Team: Germany, Spain, England, Argentina, and Portugal.

Pasadena and hiking!

Last weekend was splendid for me. I went to Pasadena on Saturday afternoon. It is a small city near Los Angeles and a place with culture and history. When I walked around the city, I had a strong feeling that I was still in Portsmouth (NH). There are many different museums, good restaurants, shopping mall there. It is easy to find good Chinese food, Mexican food, Italian, and Indian food there, no junk food existed. You also can find traditional Taiwanese tea shop, serving different Taiwanese and Chinese tea. Couple of Gothic architecture in old part of Pasadena reminds people its history. Away from Holloywood's crowd and LA downtown's business, Pasadena is a good place for living.

I also went hiking with an environmental club (Sierra) in Mt. Baldy last Sunday. It is the last chance for hiking in this season before the weather gets hotter. Wild flowers, springs, animals are vivid and waiting for the coming summer. It is amazing that a lot of people go hiking with backpack during the weekend and stay in the mountain overnight, fully enjoy the nature. I thought most people would prefer staying at home and watching TV as I did before. I realize I need more exercise in future, because after only 4 miles hiking, my whole body got pains and it is still painful right now. Woo~ ~ ~