Updated on November 22, 2016
Flight Log of Delta Airways Flight 128 from Beijing Capital to Seattle on October 27th, 2016
I wasn’t expecting to go back to the States so soon.
No, I wasn’t, but somehow I messed a crucial part of the application process, and only way I could remedy that mess was to make a visit to the States during the school session.
Thankfully, the class schedules for senior-year undergraduates were usually pretty empty. Also, since it’s not peak times, the airlines were offering jaw-dropping rates across the pacific.
Yes, I thought a return trip to the west coast from Beijing at 3485 CNY with Delta Airlines was pretty much bottom, until I searched for flexible days at found the Hainan+Alaska combination offering 29XX CNY options. Well, I found consolation that the 29XX CNY rates came with overnight transfer at Seattle on the return trip.
Also, since the US Embassy bought into Cornell’s month-long “conference” and issued me a B-type visa, it saved me the burden of paperwork and presumably lies on the visa part.
Updated on November 8, 2016
Picnic in Stewart Park, Ithaca on August 4th, 2016, and Night Views in Cornell
I’m not sure, but somehow it seemed that the organizers of the month-long workshop at Cornell thought there should be some unique activities each week. So for the last week, the organized a picnic at Stewart Park, a local recreational park on Lake Cayuga.
There was food (sadly I guessed this unproportionally summarized the picnic for quite a number of us), ball games offered by the wonderful professors at Cornell, and breathtaking views of Lake Cayuga under a setting sun. There wasn’t much to talk about for the picnic, so this post would largely be a photo display of sunset at Stewart Park, together with the birds that dwelt in it.
As with Chinese convention, the two of us from Tsinghua joined the procession of SJTU students, and laughed our way for 2.8 kilometers to Stewart Park.
Lake Street
Updated on August 16, 2017
Flight Log of China Eastern Airlines Flight 2602 from Lanzhou to Beijing Capital on October 18th, 2016
My previous flight GS7648 was pretty much on time, so I got nearly four hours of connection time to kill in Lanzhou(兰州) Airport.
Flight GS7648 parked in the old terminal of Lanzhou Airport, and I passed along a transit counter after I got off the plane. Since Tianjin Airlines has some strict rules banning luggage bags as carry-on items, so I checked that bag on the previous leg. But it’s common truth to any intellectual being that checked bags don’t get to belts in Beijing Capital Airport at speed, specially it’s domestic flight into Terminal 2 at night (Yes it’s China Eastern on a flight from Shanghai Hongqiao that taught me this), so I decided to bring that luggage bag onboard on the flight to Beijing. Since I need to collect that bag first, I didn’t pay any attention to that transit counter.
Lanzhou(兰州) Airport Interior
Updated on December 14, 2016
Flight Log of Tianjin Airlines Flight 7648 from Zhangye to Lanzhou on October 18th, 2016
Time to head back to Beijing.
Since I didn’t want to miss to many lectures for this trip to Xinjiang, I chose to fly back on Tuesday so that I won’t miss the lecture on Wednesday.
During planning, one major reason, apart from the scenery and appropriate distance (by train) from Urumqi, that I chose to spend two days at Zhangye(张掖) (rather than Dunhuang(敦煌)) before heading back was the cheap flight from Zhangye to Lanzhou(兰州) at 120CNY, which would be the cheapest air ticket I’ve ever purchased.
We arrived in Zhangye relatively early from the half-day trip to Ma-Ti Temple, so after lunch I had got plenty of time to make my way to the airport for the 1635 departure. By the tour guide to Ma-Ti Temple, Zhangye Airport had cancelled it’s passenger shuttle bus, which left a three-times daily “employee” shuttle bus that didn’t fit my schedule. So under her advice I spent 22CNY for a shared ride on the Didi app to Airport.
By the way, compared with Datong(大同) Airport that I’ve been to earlier this year, with (I guess) similar passenger volume, Datong Airport was able to provide passenger shuttle bus based on arrival and departure times of its flights. (But if one consider Datong as a city, Zhangye was a county in every aspect but name, so no surprise.)
Zhangye Airport AvenueTraffic was sparse on this airport avenue, with golden leaves lining its side.
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Updated on August 17, 2017
Flight Log of Air China Flight 1275 from Beijing Capital to Urumqi on October 14th, 2016
On a weekend on October, 2016, I visited Urumqi to take the TOEFL exam. For the outbound flight I chose Air China Flight CA1275.
Beijing Airport Terminal 3There was heavy air pollution on that day.
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Updated on January 1, 2017
Weekend Trip to New York City, Day 2 on July 24th, 2016
Second day at New York.
Since we arrived at our Airbnb host very late last night this morning, we also got up very late. We left our host at 1045, for which, my friend comforted me as “standard college student time”.
Brooklyn Neighborhood
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Updated on December 14, 2016
Weekend Trip to New York City, Day 1 on July 23rd, 2016
As expected, CS department of Cornell University basically left all the weekends in the summer program to our own discretion (expect for the first weekend’s field trip to Niagara Falls, which was nice since normally one don’t easily get from Ithaca to Niagara Falls without a car). Since Ithaca’s so rurally located, the only city that attracted us was the Big Apple.
Bus Layover at Binghamton Bus Terminal
Updated on September 17, 2016
Day Hiking Trip to Buttermilk Falls State Park on August 5th, 2016
For the whole month at Ithaca, I have been looking for local attractions that’s worth a visit. Since Ithaca (and upper New York in general) is famous for its waterfalls, and Buttermilk Falls State Park was conveniently located just south of Ithaca town, with public transport access, I decided to give it a try.
Also, since we had an early session end on August 5th, so that’s the day.
Updated on September 21, 2016
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, a kids movie rated PG-13
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Poster
Being adapted from a comic franchise, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows could easily be OK, because the comic already sets an exciting storyline that the movie just needs to follow.
Also being adapted from a comic franchise, it’s hard for the movie to be excellent, because any deviation from the comic easily degrades into betrayal, and childish comics are rarely excellent in professional eyes.
So far, as for comic adaption, the only excellent works in my opinion are the Batman’s Dark Knight by Christopher Nolan, and it took such genius director and writer for the adaption to be excellent.
So to me, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is at its best, average.
Updated on September 21, 2016
Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare, a milestone for transition to action movies
Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare Poster
Speaking of the Japanese animation series Detection Conan, a franchise that’s basically the age of myself, a series that I’ve watched from the age of Conan to the age of Shinichi Kudo and beyond, it’s hard to deny senses of nostalgia.
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