http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/index.htmThe Zongs' family blogennoreply@blogger.com (gz)Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:54:34 PDTBlogger http://www.blogger.com167125http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2010_04_01_zongs_archive.html#1134753483065228102noreply@blogger.com (gz)Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:54:34 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-1134753483065228102Well it's been 6 years and it's been fun. I've just got my "second and final" notice from blogger to migrate my blog – they're moving away from ftp... After looking at the instructions I decided it's not really worth the hassle. I haven't been updating and no one is following. So this is it folks! Zong's blog is now officially closed. Long live Zong's blog! :) And here are some photos documentinghttp://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2010_01_01_zongs_archive.html#1925559632016559440noreply@blogger.com (gz)Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:15:10 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-1925559632016559440http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2009_07_01_zongs_archive.html#2743698814734342605noreply@blogger.com (gz)Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:53:59 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-2743698814734342605Waking up at 7 in the morning was not easy, given that we did not go to bed till 3am, tagging along with the crew in their pub-crawl. But we didn't want to miss the Marché de Pape'ete, which is supposed to be more happening early morning when the locals come to shop. It was a colorful sprawl of fruits, vegetables, fish, fish juice, coconut products, BBQ pork, and people (most of the knick-knack http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2009_07_01_zongs_archive.html#4385281360531701609noreply@blogger.com (gz)Sun, 19 Jul 2009 11:06:34 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-4385281360531701609A beach day on Huahine, I had it planned out: I would snorkel a little, and lie on the beach and read. If I feel adventurous enough, maybe I'll try to windsurf. But this was to be my relaxing day.It didn't go quite according to plan, but in its own way it was relaxing too, and I attribute it to the island of Huahine, which exudes a kind of calming energy – relaxing but not at all lethargic. Even http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2009_07_01_zongs_archive.html#4135176141960109279noreply@blogger.com (gz)Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:00:44 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-4135176141960109279 Of Bora Bora, there seem to be two opinions: 1. Paradise on earth; or 2. Overblown tourist trap. At first approach of the main town Vaitape, the second opinion looked a more likely winner. The spectacular peaks were hiding in clouds, and the town wasn't much – a dusty road and a bunch of touristy shops, a church, some food stands; and we spotted a couple of Japanese tourists (first ones I saw http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2009_07_01_zongs_archive.html#2901594718156209273noreply@blogger.com (gz)Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:49:18 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-2901594718156209273a motu, is Polynesian for an islet, which is basically a small parcel of paradise – in this case white sands shaded by graceful coconut palms and Casuarina pines, with a lovely view of the vanilla island of Taha'a, surrounded by the aquamarine waters of the lagoon. That is where the shuttle dumped us, with a wet landing – and all the castaways happily waded up the last few yards to the beach. http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2009_07_01_zongs_archive.html#1665019040021408877noreply@blogger.com (gz)Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:34:05 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-1665019040021408877Had we not just been to Moorea the day before, we would have found the island of Ra'iatea very striking. But after the dramatic landscape at Cook's Bay, any vista would have seemed an understatement. Still, the many high cliffs and lush valleys look entrancing. The island has an unassuming air and an aura – Ra'iatea is the second largest island in the Society group, and according to my guidebook,http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2009_07_01_zongs_archive.html#7965379370469512353noreply@blogger.com (gz)Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:29:24 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-7965379370469512353At midnight, we sailed out of Papeete under a starry night reminiscent of the Van Gogh painting – I'd seen more stars elsewhere before (Crater Lake, and the beach on Padre Island came to mind), but never starlight so intense, burning so bright, and almost swirlling... and it held me mesmerized – come to think of it, the swirling was probably an illusion induced by the rolling of the ship, and http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2009_07_01_zongs_archive.html#1932201564970607178noreply@blogger.com (gz)Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:50:28 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-1932201564970607178After sailing for a week in the Society Isles, we felt unsteady on firm ground. 3 days later, the world had stopped rocking back and forth, and I'm almost missing how that felt! It was a week in paradise, and I'm already longing to be back, someday. Before leaving for Tahiti, I was a little apprehensive – I had dreamed of going there since I was a child. Back in land-locked Beijing, when the onlyhttp://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2009_04_01_zongs_archive.html#5937266502251211203noreply@blogger.com (gz)Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:58:43 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-5937266502251211203It's been nine years, but the day finally came – Xiao-Rong and Reza came to SF to visit us! Jia, Yongyi, Michelle, and Tiffany also joined us for a couple of days. Here are some of the photos:http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2009_01_01_zongs_archive.html#3312672237112844037noreply@blogger.com (gz)Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:33:37 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-3312672237112844037I still haven't got my SD card. But the weather has been so lovely this weekend (continuing the weekly trend), that I just had to go out and take some outdoor photos, even when I have a cold. I'm such a dedicated photographer, if I must say so myself!And here are some samples of my hard work:At dusk, we took a little walk in Candlestick ParkThe fishing piersThe cliffs at Fort Funston, our new http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2009_01_01_zongs_archive.html#1509862704919392276noreply@blogger.com (gz)Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:37:41 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-1509862704919392276我们的"老"照相机—其实也就4岁—不幸于圣诞期间在Denver就义了. 想起我们上一代相机, 也是干了4年寿终正寝. 数码相机大概就是这个寿数吧. 在此表扬一下咱老相机(#2), 这几年跟着咱, 上山下海, 任劳任怨, 最后牺牲在工作岗位上—他的镜头至今还凝固在"开机"的状态 (怎么也关不上了), 在冥冥之中注视着这个世界.经专家介绍, 本周我们又迎来了新相机 — Panasonic DMC-LX3, F2.0 24mm Leica DC Vario-Summicron 镜头. 看上去挺专业吧:相机到家了,可是卡还没到, 内存只有50M, 所以还不能使劲照. 以下是几张室内的试照:处女照: living room at nightMatthew working on the kitchen counter俺首次炮制的馅饼 (凌阿姨秘方)黄昏, San Francisco Bay夕阳 •http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2009_01_01_zongs_archive.html#2278343775483162299noreply@blogger.com (gz)Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:16:47 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-2278343775483162299Time flies..... I sometimes wonder why it is that the older you (I) get, the faster time seems to fly by. I can still vividly remember sitting in a classroom when I was, say, eight, and painfully counting the minutes and seconds when the class would be over (which seemed to last a life time). But now, whole months and years just flash past. I finally had a revelation: when we are young, our http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2008_11_01_zongs_archive.html#6054998840762397051noreply@blogger.com (gz)Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:45:10 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-6054998840762397051So I happened to take a look at the blog, and was shocked to find that there was actually a recent post by Matthew -- the only post in the last half a year, and not even by a real Zong (not trying to be exclusive here, just admitting to the sad state of the blog, due to my neglect). Inspired (or shamed) by this , I have (finally) uploaded all my photos, and hereby presenting them to all for your http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2008_07_01_zongs_archive.html#3735957139278058585noreply@blogger.com (shanmao)Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:44:35 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-3735957139278058585Now that I'm back at home in San Francisco I thought I'd relate my thoughts on the trip that I took to Beijing from Sat June 21 to Mon July 7.The Flight to ChinaThe direct flight from San Francisco to Beijing was uneventful with the main point of interest being my testing out of my new noise canceling Bose Quiet Comfort 3 headphones. My employer provides a one time subsidy for the purchase of http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2008_02_01_zongs_archive.html#8016035200587537891noreply@blogger.com (gz)Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:09:33 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-8016035200587537891It was just a few months ago that I became a fan of Jordi Savall and viola de gamba (see Obama.La Rondine.Viola de gamba). I knew then that Jordi Savall and his ensembles Hespèrion XXI and La Capella Reial de Catalunya were coming to Berkeley this February but the tickets were sold out. However a few tickets suddenly became available (thanks for the tip, Jean!) the night before the show and we http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2008_02_01_zongs_archive.html#4567977361849776421noreply@blogger.com (gz)Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:25:25 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-4567977361849776421Also happy birthday to Jia! Here are some photos from Nairong's visit last weekend:http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2008_02_01_zongs_archive.html#2722665693335718010noreply@blogger.com (gz)Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:22:37 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-2722665693335718010Yes, it's been another long hiatus -- the last month was spent moving: apartment hunting, packing, moving, unpacking... it was a big project. I knew we had a lot of junk before, I just didn't know we had THAT much! Now I will really think hard before buying anything else. Or maybe I'll just never move again! Anyway, I've finally uploaded some pictures. Happy new year from our new home by the San http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2007_11_01_zongs_archive.html#2059047315850079721noreply@blogger.com (gz)Fri, 23 Nov 2007 13:54:21 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-2059047315850079721Thanksgiving is the North American holiday that celebrates the family, and the Thanksgiving dinner is the main event of the holiday. For some reason I had never contemplated preparing a Thanksgiving dinner, perhaps because we were never home on Thanksgiving. Well this year we were here and I felt ambitious enough to tackle the turkey -- the center piece of a classic Thanksgiving http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2007_11_01_zongs_archive.html#3887197079272163490noreply@blogger.com (gz)Wed, 21 Nov 2007 12:14:25 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-3887197079272163490This past week, I saw two stars -- one political, the other operatic.When I heard about Barack Obama's appearance at Google, I was quite excited to get a chance to hear him talk. After living all these years in 3 different countries, I'd never heard a politician talk in person! From what I hear and read about Obama, of all the presidential hopefuls, he stands out to be the one who represents http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2007_11_01_zongs_archive.html#6575763176516351102noreply@blogger.com (Rujing)Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:45:48 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-6575763176516351102   http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2007_10_01_zongs_archive.html#3814641185483607671noreply@blogger.com (gz)Tue, 23 Oct 2007 10:19:44 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-3814641185483607671After a couple of days in Waikiki, we moved to a less visited part of the island -- the Wai'anae coast. It was fun in the center of it all, but it was time for a more secluded beach. Our condo sat right on Papaoneone beach, a stretch of almost deserted sand on the west side of Oahu. Every morning we woke up to the sound of waves, and the same soothing melody serenaded us to sleep each night (how http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2007_10_01_zongs_archive.html#7160755177920231350noreply@blogger.com (gz)Sun, 21 Oct 2007 11:02:05 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-7160755177920231350Growing up in Beijing, I had conflicted feelings when it came to wind. As my daily commute to school was on a bike, I came to hate the strong, dry, northerly winds that blew constantly, with a liberal amount of sand. On the other hand, it could be really cozy lazing at home with a good book on a windy winter day, watching the branches of the poplars swing wildly in the howling wind. Also, wind http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2007_10_01_zongs_archive.html#6059764349380197690noreply@blogger.com (gz)Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:00:25 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-6059764349380197690We arrived in Honolulu just after dark. Driving towards Waikiki on a multi-lane highway, we were awed by the sight of the big city -- it was completely different from the other Hawaiian islands we had visited before. We were expecting this, but still somehow surprised -- it was, after all, a speck of an island in the middle of Pacific, thousands of miles away from the nearest continent. The http://guimatthew.com/blog/zongs/2007_08_01_zongs_archive.html#8493042647865721234noreply@blogger.com (Ruli)Thu, 09 Aug 2007 06:43:05 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6511557.post-8493042647865721234随想之八 七十年前的香港—-杂谈 今年最热闹的活动是香港回归十周年. 我想起了七十年前, 1937年, 我正好十岁. 那一年日本侵华战争全面爆发. 年底妈妈带我们到香港. 我印象中当时的香港是非常美的. 我们住在九龙的金巴利道. 这条道在坡上, 我们住在一所向南的公寓的四层, 我总喜欢在阳台上观景. 现在我知道那里曾是香港最好的观景点. 路对面没有房子. 向前看去是九龙半岛的南端尖沙咀. 海对面就是香港. 尖沙咀那时是火车站, 公共汽车总站和轮渡码头. 到尖沙咀的路右边有房子, 包括现在被评为最佳酒店的半岛饭店. 路左边没有房子. 半路上有个球场. 我们总喜欢坐在看台上看印度兵和英国兵打曲棍球, 赢的总是印度兵. 早上我看着到广州的火车从尖沙咀车站出发. 列车总是十三节车厢. 然后看美国飞剪号水上飞机从右边飞来, 溅落在香港九龙之间的海面上, 然后停靠到左边的码头.