From thecoolhunter.net: Atkin's Architecture Group recently won the first prize award for an international design competition with this stunning entry. Set in a spectacular water filled quarry in Songjiang, China, the 400 bed resort hotel is uniquely constructed within the natural elements of the quarry. Underwater public areas and guest rooms add to the uniqueness, but the resort also boasts cafes, restaurants and sporting facilities.

The lowest level runs with the aquatic theme by housing a luxurious swimming pool and an extreme sports center for activities such as rock climbing and bungee jumping which will be cantilevered over the quarry and accessed by special lifts from the water. With a stunning visual presentation as shown here, it's no wonder this project took home the first prize. This is a fine example of an ultra modern facility co-existing amongst its natural environment.

I can't wait until this becomes reality. Along with the completely green city that they're planning to build near Shanghai, China really is the future. I suppose I'll have to learn to like their people if I'm going to enjoy all this.

Posted by Joanna at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After seeing this movie for the second time, I believe I should say that everyone needs to go see Ratatouille! I love everything that Pixar puts out, but I think they really, really outdid themselves this time. Or perhaps it just hits the spot for me because it's about the life of food service ^_^ Oooh I love cooking. Anyway, the story is fantastic, and of course the animation is superb. Go see it before it leaves theaters!

Speaking of cooking, I'm doing a little experiment called the Cooking Mama Challenge, where I'm trying to make all the dishes (80 of them!) from the game Cooking Mama DS. The recipes in the game aren't really accurate - they don't give any amounts or times or temperatures, so I'm trying to figure out everything from scratch, using their ingredients. So far I've made pan-fried vegetables and pork curry with rice, and both attempts were pretty tasty! Though once I go back to school, I won't have my parents to help, so wish me luck in trying these out, and good luck if you're one of my taste testers ^_^;

But I'm not just sitting around cooking and eating food! I'm also sitting around knitting and finishing a 1000 piece puzzle and teaching myself some more Chinese and working on websites and a friend's senior photos. What a productive summer!

Posted by Joanna at 6:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Apparently it's been ten years since The Fifth Element came out, and that gives this website a reason to figure out why we still love this movie so much. Unfortunately it says, "Real Men Love Fifth Element," but I love it for all the same reasons. You want my top five movies? This is one of them. Aziz, LIGHT!

Posted by Joanna at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I went to China, people were talking about "the Starbucks in the Forbidden City." I tried reeeeally hard to find it and take a picture of it (and order a mango frappachino), but I couldn't. Well, now I'll never be able to find it, because that Starbucks closed yesterday.

My favorite quotes from this article:
"Starbucks shouldn't be here. Why bring something so Western to an ancient place like this?" steamed an Australian tourist who gave his name as Justin.

"It's a shame. I would have enjoyed a coffee if they had it," said Sarah from Texas, touring the palace on a cloudy summer weekend.

Nice going there, Sarah. I'm happy that they closed. I like Starbucks and all, but it's the Forbidden City. Everything should be historically related! Tourists can wait until they get out of there to buy a coffee.

Posted by Joanna at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When my mom and I visited Taiwan and China a few weeks ago, our itinerary included a lot of flights. First it was the flight from Louisville to Chicago to Narita, Japan to Taipei, Taiwan. Two weeks later, we flew from Taipei to Hong Kong to Beijing. A week after that, we flew from Chengdu, Sichuan to gorgeous Jiuzhaigou, and two days later flew back to Chengdu. A few days later we flew from Chengdu to Shanghai to Hong Kong back to Taipei, and then two weeks after that, we flew from Taipei to Chicago to Louisville.

Needless to say, I am now an expert of airports.

But there are a few times when I get to plan the flights by myself. Last year, I flew from Kent to NYC, and this past weekend I flew from Louisville to Philadelphia. There's something that I really love about airplane travel; maybe it's the fact that I feel like the whole world is available for me to explore. But what I love even more, is finding cheap flights. I feel like I win the lottery every time I find a cheap, short flight. My favorite websites and companies to check are: Airtran, Southwest, and Kayak. Also, did you know that Columbus has their own airplane service called Skybus that offers flights to major big cities for as low as 5 DOLLARS??!

Anyway, I just read an article about "mileage running", where people kind of do the opposite of what I do, and try to string together the MOST connections for the cheapest price. For example, one guy flew from San Francisco to Tampa via Los Angeles, San Diego and Washington, then back with connections in D.C., Seattle and Portland. It seems ridiculous and a huge waste of time, but he racked up 16,000 miles for his frequent flyer miles, and at the low low cost of $232. Incredible.

There's just something about airports and flying that makes me feel... independent and insignificant (if you know me, you know I hate attention). Everyone you see is in the process of going somewhere else; you get to see SO many people in such a short time. And while some airports are terrible and stuffy, you get the nice ones like Hong Kong and Singapore that just cater to the traveler with chapels, gaming rooms, massages... I wouldn't mind being a mileage runner. Not only would I get to see a lot of the world (and their airports), but after getting lots of frequent flyer miles and free flights, I would probably get to travel business and first class. Heh heh. I can't wait...

Posted by Joanna at 12:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Alicia Bock has some gorgeous photographs on sale on her Etsy site... I really want to start selling things on Etsy. I want to start getting crafty - to keep my designer mind working, to maybe make a little extra money, to make a portfolio! I just have no idea where to start. Photographs? or crafts? What do you all want me to do?? ^_^ Anyone want handmade knits from Joanna? Who doesn't know how to knit yet? How about handcrafted birthday cards? Heee I'm excited! But back to the story, check out Alicia's photographs!

Posted by Joanna at 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Living in Three Centuries: Mark Story takes beautiful black-and-white photographs of 100+ year old people. Worth taking a look, and reading their stories.

Posted by Joanna at 3:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Summer is the time to get healthy! And one of the things I'm working on is drinking more water. Now that I'm working at Taipei Cafe everyday, I always have a lot of Coke and tea available to me, and it's really hard for me to choose water over sweet tea with boba ^_^ If you're in the same boat as me, perhaps these tips can help motivate you.

1. Weight loss. Water is one of the best tools for weight loss, first of all because it often replaces high-calorie drinks like soda and juice and alcohol with a drink that doesn't have any calories. But it's also a great appetite suppressant, and often when we think we're hungry, we're actually just thirsty. Water has no fat, no calories, no carbs, no sugar. Drink plenty to help your weight-loss regimen.

2. Heart healthy. Drinking a good amount of water could lower your risks of a heart attack. A six-year study published in the May 1, 2002 American Journal of Epidemiology found that those who drink more than 5 glasses of water a day were 41% less likely to die from a heart attack during the study period than those who drank less than two glasses.

3. Energy. Being dehydrated can sap your energy and make you feel tired -- even mild dehydration of as little as 1 or 2 percent of your body weight. If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated -- and this can lead to fatigue, muscle weakness, dizziness and other symptoms.

4. Headache cure. Another symptom of dehydration is headaches. In fact, often when we have headaches it's simply a matter of not drinking enough water. There are lots of other causes of headaches of course, but dehydration is a common one.

5. Healthy skin. Drinking water can clear up your skin and people often report a healthy glow after drinking water. It won't happen overnight, of course, but just a week of drinking a healthy amount of water can have good effects on your skin.

6. Digestive problems. Our digestive systems need a good amount of water to digest food properly. Often water can help cure stomach acid problems, and water along with fiber can cure constipation (often a result of dehydration).

7. Cleansing. Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body.

8. Cancer risk. Related to the digestive system item above, drinking a healthy amount of water has also been found to reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45%. Drinking lots of water can also reduce the risk of bladder cancer by 50% and potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer.

9. Better exercise. Being dehydrated can severely hamper your athletic activities, slowing you down and making it harder to lift weights. Exercise requires additional water, so be sure to hydrate before, during and after exercise.

Posted by Joanna at 3:50 PM | Permalink