Life Beyond the Great Firewall of China!

Hello, people of the interwebs, and greetings from Beijing, China.


It has been a while, hasn't it? Around a couple months of silence, I think. This has mainly been due to the lack of a sufficient internet connection in the great Middle Country and the frightening moment of being locked out of your gmail and blog accounts...but so much has happened, so don't expect this to be a short post! I have a lot to catch you up on...
So I left dear, old Blighty in August, on the 27th if I remember correctly. It was your usual cold day...how I miss my overcast home. It was so hard saying goodbye to my family. This was the first time I would be so far away from my family, and not being just a two hour train ride away, so as you would expect the tears were flowing. Even my dad, who could sometimes be described as emotionally challenged, was holding back the tears, so I had no chance. The flight itself took around 14 hours, not including the 3 hour stop in Dubai International. I arrived in Beijing...the land of internet restrictions and smog, at around 3pm local time. To say I was knackered was an understatement. And this was when I met my new Chinese family. My mother is called Yanmei and my little sister is called Yuqian. They might actually be the sweetest, most kind-hearted people that I have met, in a long time. From the moment we met, its like she had already accepted me as another daughter. I'm so honored to be welcomed in such a way.

My experience at my new university has been an extremely varied one...everything from total lack of organisation to finding a bunch of friends who I'm so glad to have in my life. So, lets start with the parts that have pushed me to the utter brink... They say that first impressions are very important, my first impression of Beijing Language and Culture University was one of complete and utter 'what the fuckery'!

As thinking about all this too much might start the supernova of all migraines, I'll just list all the crap I had to put up with when I first arrived...

• - arrived to find out that I don't have a room in the place I was told... 
• - ended up being put in a shared room...gahh! 
• - had to fight the squatter toilets and admin for my own room, like I was promised. 
• - since the admin are not only incompetent but just down right stupid, it took me two and a half weeks to get what should have been done in a few days. 
• - practically being abandoned by my university back home. 
• - internet was but an illusion, a dream, a gift I was bit destined to receive until Beijing had broken my very being.
• - being placed in the wrong class, so, you guessed it, its back to bloody admin to sort it out =.= 

And then some things occurred that just ripped through me...unfortunately, I don't have the comfort of being able to blame my sham of a university for these...its just life...

• - the person I was starting to really fall for, ended up dragging my heart through the dirt. 
• - I lost my dear Aunt she was so young and achieving so much...it just isn't fair... 
• - falling back into the pits of depression (another reason why blogging took so long) 

 Yeahhh, it's been a tough time, but thankfully it hasn't just been crap after crap. There have been some really good times as well. And here commences another list, because right now, especially as I'm so far behind with blogging, bullet points have become my best friends lol!

• - managing to get my own room...with a western toilet!!! Huzzah!!!
• - making a wonderful new bunch of friends from all over the world...and what a lovely bunch they are :) - landing an internship with one of the city's main expat magazine...huzzah again!
• - having one of the most memorable birthdays ever...involving a lot of friends, cake, alcohol, strippers and lap-dances (which I will need much more detail and attention, in its own post!)

Its been a rollercoaster of emotions already, and I've only been here for just over a month. Lets see what lies ahead in the coming months. The year has only just begun and the game is definitely afoot! But for now, I leave this post a year older, employed and a temporary Chinese resident. 

AFN! <3 

Exciting news!!!!

One of my many projects has finally come to llight ^^

I give you....*drum roll*...my food blog! http://culinaryescapadesinthemiaverse.blogspot.co.uk/
I know...this is sooooo excitng, isn't it?!

Here you will find anything that will make a foodie melt...recipes, pictures, cookbook reviews and anything that I can think of that relates to food and drink ^^

So...I hope you enjoy :)

Still working out the kinks for the podcast but the pilot should be up and available soon. The travel blog will commence from August ^^

Coming up next month...I willl take a look at my comedy heroes and a diary of a gamer-girl. It will be, as they say...a "hoot" XD

Au revoir For Now <3

The Geek Diaries - Assassin's Creed Fangirl

This will be a little segment that I think I will keep going. Being a "geek" as people would put it, is so much a part of me that I am just being myself. Each time, I will be writing about whatever I feel is appealing to me in the world of science, gaming, etc etc.
This time, I am focusing on my love of gaming. I love it, I do. From PC to consoles to handhelds, they are one of those things in life that just make me smile like a child getting some sweets.
I split my love between Sony, PC and Nintendo...sorry Mircosoft, you still have a bit of a way to go with me ^^

More specifically, I looooovvveeee the Assassin's Creed franchise. I have never been so gripped by a franchise like this before. I have an on/off relationship with Call Of Duty, Grand Theft Auto is meh to me and I tend to have more of a love for games as they are, rather than the whole franchise they belong to. This is where AC manages to turn me into a bloody fangirl. Ever since I first played AC1, I have been hooked. In October, the fifth game, AC3 is coming out and I couldn't be more excited!!!!!! The only thing that makes me sad about this is the fact that I will be in Beijing when this comes out...DAMN YOUUU, GREAT FIREALL OF CHINA!!!!...annddd I'm back ^^
The last game I adored was Skyrim (I but I will go into that next time ^^)
Is it quite odd...the fifth game in the series is called AC3. Cutrently, they have released Assassin's Creed 1, Assassin's Creed 2, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed Revelations. Each one of these have a very special spot in my little gamer-heart....and in my Steam collection...and a few on my PS3...and probably on my PSVita when they are available...hehe ^.^
Each game is set in a different time period and your quest is to fight the evil Knights Templar!! *cue thunder and lightening effects*
The latest game will be set in America during its fight for independance...oooo! The graphics look aaaamazing and just leave in an excitable spazz-mode. Unfortunately, by the time this comes out, I will be thousands of miles away in the great city of Beijing...not exactly the best place for a techy-a-holic like me to be. I guess basic online reviews and AC-based dreams will have to do for now...FML. AFN

21 year old me...versus 11 year old me.

Sometimes I cannot help but think, "wow...where has all the time gone?" Not long ago I was a happy, little 5 year old, without a care in the world , playing in my inflatable house, pretending to be a grown up. Now I am a grown up and its not as much fun as I thought it would be! I have all the freedom in the world, and all the responsibility that comes with it...and I can't be bothered to go beyond my flat at most times. Now I have been given the great opporutinity to go to China for an entire year and to be honest, I find it extremely damn frightening yet exciting. Packing up my life into a few a boxes, preparing to go to a country I have only heard but never visited before, it makes me nostalgic and think about how I actually got to this point.
A friend of mine thought that it would be a good idea to think back to when I was younger, and if I could meet the person I was then, what would I say? What advice would I give? So, thank you dear friend for inspiring this post ^.^

Now, let's take this back a decade to 2002...and you will find a young me, just finishing her first year at Secondary school. She has managed to survive the fitting-in process that comes with joining an all-girls school, and she has just managed to find some friends...all is well...or we would like to think so.
No kid, especially those who like to think a tad differenly than those around them, can escape the terrors of school bullying. The bullying had started years back, even from the start of Primary school. I was the sensitive little girl who just wanted to be liked, but instead seemed to get teased in a daily or weekly basis for the most trivial aspects of her being and personality. I had an easier time getting on with adults than with people my own age...that hasn't changed! For some reason, that I have never really been able to understand, I always had a had a time hard with these kids. The troubles didn't stop until I left. Somehow, I still made friends and even befriended my bullies. Now, I was at Secondary school, and I could finally start to find myself...this is where current me steps in, and this is what I would say...

Amaliah...right now you are 11 going on 12 and there still so many things that you have yet to see, experince and know. From the next academic year, you will be starting to try and find yourself. I know the person you will become and I know the hardships you will face in the next 10 years. 
You will laugh more than you ever thought you could, and you will cry till there is nothing left in you but undeniable pain. 
You will soar with all the joy in your heart...and you will feel sorrow like never before. 
You will gain friendships that will last you lifetime, these people will love you for the person you are, not you who you are tying to be. Even for the person you don't know you are yet. 
You will lose friends, either naturally through time or painfully. You will not think it at the time, but it is for the best. 
You will feel love, heartache, longing and the wish that someone would just love you back, and one day you will finally meet that special person.
You will rise, fall and rise again in your faith, but be sure that God is always with you, even on your darkest days.
You will wish the world would just stop turning, for the pain to go away and for it all to end. 
You will feel the true love of your family, see it crumble before you eyes and be built up again into a unit that will love you unconditionally forever.
As I tell you this, I fill with tears of pain, joy, regret and happiness because I know and have lived through everything you are yet to see. 
But I promise you, you will come out on the otherside stronger than your ever thought possible. 
You will find a connection of friends that you will love, act stupidly with and will always be there for you. 
You will be the Lady of Substance that Grandpa always knew you would be...he would be so proud of you. 
You will see how intelligent and creative you truly are, through your writing, your studies, your hobbies and whatever you set your heart on.
Please remeber you are loved and you always will be...no matter what.

Before I get any more emotional ^^ thanks for reading

AFN <3

The "Mr Right" Dilemma

Apparently, as the old saying goes, there is a perfect match for everyone in this world (or something along those lines...)...you just have to battle your way through the hoards of crap, competiton and shite to get to them. So, what happens if by chance, you happen to stumble upon this person without necessarily knowing it? Now, I know what you are thinking...this would be the perfect situation, right? I mean, there is the person you have been waiting for, they tick all the things in your imaginary list, they are practically perfect for you...but then something will always stop you. Whether it's the Japanese girl fantasy/problem that all your male companions seem to suffer from or the fact that you are from just two different worlds (and no, I do not mean the whole Venus/Mars thing). For some reason or another, Mr Right isn't the Mr Right for me, as much as I thought he would be.
Ok, I am no relationship/guy specialist but I will show you how I got to this point...
I, like many girls, am and was brought up in a Christian home. This mean rules, rules, rules...rules and more rules. Most of them seemed on making sure that I didn't have a love life until I was at least 30 (thanks Dad!). I was made to go to all-girl schools, and basically the only thing I got to know about guys was from stupid teen magazines, tv shows and Disney...yeah...all because male friends were non-exsistent in my life. When I was 18, I did the debateable good thing of dating my best friend (who was not a girl, before you get confused...I had already been and conquered the "curious" stage). At the time, it was a secret affair as I was still in the clutches of my parents. It's actually quite funny how many Christian girls do this...they seem sweet, innocent and goody-two-shoes-like on the surface but underneath...yeahh, it's a whooollleee other story. The catholic school girl thing is there for a reason ;) The same could be said for the boys too. They tend to display a symptom I like to call "Fraustrated-Christian-itus". Do I really need to explain that?!
Since that failed (and even way before that, really), I have had a stream of crushes, hit and misses ( a lot of those!) and unrequited affairs. Just call me the ever-hopeless romantic. I always had the Mr Right ideal in my mind, getting me through the masses of failure that I seemed to encounter.
Even now, as a kind, intelligent, quirky, sweet, sophisticated 20+ girl (as I have been called ^^) I still seem to get no where. It seems an old fashioned girl like me, with all the qualities I mentioned before, plus more, isn't really "fashionable" at the moment, in the eyes of the opposite sex.
Back to this Mr Right dilemma..I always had a list of ideals that, for me, would make up the perfect guy. Every girl has hers, and I'll show you mine...
-kind, sweet, strong-willed, great sense of humour (prefereably a dark sense of humor to match my own :p), can cook, plays an instrument (preferably the piano), sociable but then can also like to stay in and just relax, cultured, well-read, intelligent, can be stupid as well as serious and has an interest in my family culture which spreads between Ghanaian culture and the Deaf community.
I never assumed that one person would hold all of these charactistics, and to be honest I now realise don't want them to. This is why all the guy I have fallen for, have had about 60 to 85% of these characteristics. I want to be surpirsed. What is the point of getting to know someone if you already have an idea of their character.
The "perfect guy" that has spawned this whole debate is one I would not have expected.
We went from being practically strangers, to him living under my nose (or techinically his...as he is taller than me XD), and I can safely say that he is everything that I look for i  a guy: kind, sensitve, funny, classy, cultured, intelligent, witty...a good cook...etc, etc! But how can I find someone, who is meant to be so perfect for me, nothing more than a slight crush? Is it because I respect him greatly? Any guy with enough wit and a great deal of intelligence can float my boat...I have many guys around me that do, and fit into these catagories. So what is the problem? The problem is when you aren't the one they need. It is a very painful thing when you realise that the person you have looked to in such a way has no acknowledgement of you other than a cheery, little friend. It has happened on so many occasions...I guess that is why I have momentarily given up for now. It also doesn't help that he's a patronising bastard who whines all the sodding time...anyway, I digress...
I still hope that I will find Mr Right, but the Mr Right that I wouldn't excpect, the one who seems to come out of know where but has been under my nose this whole time. Who accepts me for me. Despite the long list, that would be perfect guy for me. There is one person that fits this...but its too painful to get into. But alas, I guess I kinda still have hope ^.^
Well till next time...Adieu For Now!

Salutations!! Konnichiwa!!! & Ni Hao!!!

Hello cyber-land of weirdness and wonder, and welcome to The Miaverse-Andromeda!!

I am back with a brand new blog, brand new outlook (ok not so new...just back to my old pessimistic/optimistic/cynical self ^.^) and I couldn't be happier about it. It's been about 13 months since my last post on my old blog "Through the spectacle eyes of Miss Moonbow" which you can see here to get a view of what my life was like a little while back...
( http://meandmyeggmen.blogspot.co.uk/ )
A lot has happened in what could be seen as a short space of time...I found love, lost love, became a scholar, lost my insipration, had an operation, lost friends, gained wonderful friends, hit rock bottom and finally I'm climbing back to "noramlity" with the help of doctors and various support.
I have a few ventures that I want to explore and go back to now that I am "me" again. One of them is my review and critique blog. I have a love for a lot of things and what I love more than delving into them, is ranting about them, so instead of focusing just on food like I did on my last blog... (http://theculinaryadventuresofmiimii.blogspot.co.uk)
I will be looking at all the areas that I love: video games, books, films, food (of course!) and so much more. I haven't decided what I'll be calling this yet but it will be out in the next month or so.
Another thing that can be expected of me is my travelling blog. I will be taking my first steps as a globetrotter this Summer when I venture to Beijing for a year. From there, I will be going to many places in the East such as, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea, to name but a few. It will also be a blog to put anything to do with travelling in any way, whether it's from my home-country of Britian or somewhere international.
And lastly, I am in the middle of disussing plans for a podcast with my dear friend Macroverse (a.k.a Amelia Joynes), which might be called A bit of Mac and Andy (in honour of my love for A Bit of Fry and Laurie). More on that will come later when things get finalised.

I welcome you to join in the ramblings of a Londoner living in Nottingham, UK.

You can also follow my more constant ramblings on the "Twitter-verse" ;)
http://twitter.com/Amai_Mianova

Till next time...Au revoir For Now!
(I've really missed signing off like that...)