⓪Not Ken Jennings’ Jeopardy but Pittsburghers’ WorldQuest Trivia Competition! @ Cabaret Theater

On October 20th, I got an email from +GlobalPittsburgh inviting people to join on a trivia competition team and compete with other 200+Pittsburgh residents to test our international knowledge. I thought it might be interesting, after double checked that Ken Jennings won’t be at the event because he’s too busy writing his book about trivia, boldly, I jumped on the opportunity and became a team member to +Thomas Buell Jr. Jemal Mihalik, and +Brenda George . Then one day later, I found myself be present at the WorldQuest trivia competition organized by World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh.

Food was very good. Caught up with several acquaintance that I haven’t seen for a while, like Mr. Karamagi Rujumba from Pittsburgh Historical Landmarks and Foundation. Our team lost the competition by 4 points to the third place and we all laughed about it. Had a great time, I mean, really good.

The atmosphere was very contagious in a way that you just can’t stop loving this international curiosity, diversity, and inclusion. What World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh has shown to the community is that all we(government, public sector, private partnership, and NPO sector) are doing to make this community a vibrant, diverse, connected and healthy place for all is well worthy. This gives me drive to continue providing my service through every and each position I am in NOW and about to embark on in the future. As those people I met said affectionately "Pittsburgh is a place that people always come back to." At that moment, one exciting idea popped in to my mind as if toast pops out of a toaster.

I left the Cabaret Theater with the idea of being part of this City’s voice to share what I experienced with other people. If this can trigger the readers to see those things they didn’t see before, or to do thing they haven’t made time for yet, that would be most fulfilling.

Beer winning trivia @ World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh and Cabaret Theater

1. The World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting a deeper understanding of key contemporary international issues throughout Western Pennsylvania. Established in 1931, the Council is committed to informing opinion leaders and decision-makers about developments around the world as they unfold – and to educating them about the relevance of such developments to the region. The Council also has a special focus on secondary schools throughout the region, and works to give students and teachers a more nuanced understanding of the global issues of our time.  Current CEO of the Council is Dr. Steven E. Sokol. He has spent roughly half his life in the United States and the other half in Europe (in England and Germany).

2. Cabaret is a form of entertainment featuring music, comedy, song, dance, recitation or drama. It is mainly distinguished by the performance venue (also called a cabaret), such as in a restaurant, pub or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience usually sits at tables, often dining or drinking. The first Cabaret was opened in 1881 in Montmartre, Paris. In the U.S. the Cabaret started in 1911 and Jazz music had a big impact on its diversification later on in different region.

Your ID @ Trivia Competition and Cabaret Theater

Where is World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh located? How many years the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh have been hosting this trivia competition? Are WTAE’s +Sally Wiggin  and Essential Pittsburgh 90.5 WESA’s +Paul Guggenheimer  the hosts for this year’s competition?

⑪Have breakfast with business women leaders @ Center for Women Entrepreneurship, Chatham University

I never won anything in those “prize drawing” activities in any functions, seriously, never. But I did win a $25 ticket for attending a breakfast because I was one of the four people responding to an email the quickest. This ticket turned out to be very important for me to know more about the women business community in Pittsburgh.

The breakfast  was one of a breakfast series organized by the Center for Women Entrepreneurship at Chatham University. Despite the fact that Chatham University has a most charming campus in Shadyside neighborhood, the breakfast at the center was healthy and delicious as well. The building,  James Laughlin Music Hall, housed the breakfast was very lovely, those big windows giving away the snowy scene outside made me feel even more cozy while sitting inside and listening to those inspiring stories. The speaker was the President of BodyMedia, a Pittsburgh-headquartered medical and consumer technology company, Ms. Christine Robins. Her take-away message for the audience was “Be yourself, have a direction, work hard, don’t hesitate making decisions and taking opportunities, and when you do start or run a business, you do all the above and trust your team, especially their talents.”

Courtesy to the director of the Center, Dr. Rebecca Harris, I attended several other events with scholarships. During the annual Think Big Forum in October 2012, I listened to a talk given by keynote speaker, Ms. Michele Fabrizi, the CEO of MARC USA, about her business experience as a woman and a leader in her industry. What’s interesting about this is that her company was the designing company for 2008 Imagine Pittsburgh campaign commemorating the 250 years foundation of the City of Pittsburgh. She herself was heavily involved in the process due to her board member position at the Allegheny Conference on Community Development (ACCD), the very organization championing the marketing for the City of Pittsburgh in every dimension you can imagine: business investments, cultural visibility, policy advocacy, and social life experience, and etc.

I have been a loyal follower of ACCD since February 2012 after listening to a community development model presentation given by VP of ACCD Mr. Dewitt Peart, who himself is a customer of BodyMedia product. And better yet, in October 2013 I met another visionary leader from ACCD, Mr. Bill Flanagan, during a GlobalPittsburgh event and had the opportunity to converse with him. He ended up being an important enabler of this blog and its publication!

You see, how neatly everything is connected! This is one of the reasons why I love Pittsburgh so very much and will always strive to be part of it, to enjoy its prosperity and to contribute to its continuous development.

Beer winning trivia @ Center for Women Entrepreneurship, Chatham University

1.  CWE was founded in 2005 through the funding from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and the Lois Tack Thompson Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation. Later, the PNC Foundation, and the Alcoa Foundation joined the efforts for this noble course. Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation is the only one that has accompanied CWE all the way along. The center has 5 core programs to help business, especially women led business: Small Business Bacis, MyBusiness Startup, MyBusiness Growth, MyConsulting Corner, and MyBoard. 3 social network events: Open House, Think Big Forum, and Women Business Leaders Breakfast Series.

2. BodyMedia was founded in 1999 by four Carnegie Mellon University people. It started with Mr. John Stivoric. He met +Astro Teller (CS’98) on a Carnegie Mellon soccer field in 1994. After working on several projects together, they started a university-sponsored consulting company called Sandbox Advancement Development. In this adventure, gradually the idea of wearable body monitors surfaced. In 1999, they met Chris Kasabach and Chris Pacione started the BodyMedia company. Currently CEO Ms. Christine Robins joined the company in August 2009. Because of BodyMedia’s strong tech team, its informatics group made available a large anonymised human physiology data set for the 2004 International Conference on Machine Learning, running a Machine Learning Challenge. They published about their very large data set and data modeling methodology at the Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence conference in 2011 winning the IAAI Deployed Application award.

3. The luncheon that directly catalyzed the official foundation of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development was held in William Penn Hotel. One of the first and foremost policy advocacy the ACCD did was “Clean Air Act”, which directly impacted a series of changes to the City of Pittsburgh.

Your ID @ CWE, Chatham University

Who is the staff member in CWE gained degrees in Ireland, UK, and visited U.S. as an international scholar, plus a marathon runner?

When and why did Dr. Harris go to the White House and meet the President ?

⑩In the studio where local TV news and weather forecast get broadcasted @ KDKA

In December 2011, I got a chance to visit KDKA-TV studio and office in downtown Pittsburgh, locating on No. 1020. 420 Fort Duquesne Blvd. It’s an interesting and memorable tour because I learned something new, fooled by something deceiving, and lost something beautiful.

Something new: the TV hosts are not just gorgeous or handsome people who can read from chi chi screen beautifully and be understood by audience from different geographic locations at the same time, but also they are very hardworking and talented people who would be very involved in the entire program production process. One example, anchor +Kimberly Gill who was introduced to us during the tour and then a new face on KDKA can do everything from anchoring, reporting, photography, to editing. She used to be a FedEx truck driver for 7 years! Never forget her passion and dream, worked hard, pushed limits, and finally arrived at the stage she desired the most.

Something deceiving: Weather forecast hosts don’t have a map at their fingertips, instead it’s only a blank blue backdrop! So it takes practice to match the space on the blank blue backdrop precisely to the right location on the Map that is watched by audience. Nobody has an easy job. Even it’s not easy to do a lousy job!(with all respect to weather forecasting hosts)

Something beautiful: Lost  the belt for one of my favorite suit coat. Interesting, I found myself like the belt even more after I lost it. It seems that remembering or having something on your mind is the highest form of allowing yourself being controlled by that matter. So I try my best to not lose those things I know I would prefer to hold, such as temper.

Beer winning trivia @ KDKA

1. KDKA-TV, virtual Channel 2, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station located in Pittsburgh. The station was originally aired on January 11, 1949, as WDTV then owned by Dumont. Westinghouse purchased it at 9.75 billion in 1954. After the deal was closed in 1955, Westinghouse changed the call letters to KDKA-TV. KDKA-FM 93.7 KDKA-AM 1020 are two radio stations licensed to Pittsburgh. Westinghouse’s fighting against FCC (Federal Communications Commission) for a public television in home market in Pittsburgh later would directly result in the birth of WQED.  

2. TV or Radio Stations have Call Letters, a sequence of letters used by a television or radio station as an identifying code. All call letters start with letter K or W. Stations starting with a “K” are west of the Mississippi, and stations that begin with a “W” are east of the Mississippi. Pittsburgh KDKA-TV is one of the few stations east of the Mississippi River with a "K" call sign.

3. As CBS holds the broadcast contract with the NFL to show games involving AFC teams, KDKA-TV has been the official broadcaster of most Pittsburgh Steelers games since 1998, and serves as the team's flagship station. The team's preseason games that are not nationally televised are also shown on KDKA. KDKA began its relationship with the Steelers in 1962, when CBS first started the league wide television package.

Your ID @ KDKA

Who is the gentleman in the picture showing the group around in the KDKA office?

⑨Grocery Shopping @ Chinese Market, Strip District

I am not driving yet, so buying groceries from Chinese Market in Strip District and getting it back to Oakland can be challenging. So I don’t go there that much and don’t buy a lot either. However, one of the few times I went there, I bumped into a good friend of mine and her family, especially her cute-as-a-button son, which made the shopping experience much significant than just doing a house chore. This is part of the charm living in Pittsburgh, you can potentially come across friends and acquaintances anywhere you go.

Another reason I would go to the Chinese Market once every a while is to experience that familiarity no words can describe. Just like if you are an American travelling in China, after a while, you would want to have your favourite dessert after dinner (Normally, Chinese don’t serve dessert after dinner, technically we don’t have dessert. Even snacking is considered a childish habit.). Walking around those shelves, reading Chinese characters, watching other Chinese people do their shopping (no bargaining though), fantasizing those delicious dishes my Mum can make out of those raw materials I would not know how to deal with,.....I am not a shopper, but I like to linger around the Chinese Market, like many people wouldn’t leave Macy’s unless it’s time for the store to be closed.

Although I consider myself a self-adopted Pittsburgher, I still misses being in China, being at home, and will never give up the connection to the notion of being a Chinese as well.

Beer winning trivia @ Chinese Market, Strip District

1. For tofu lover, the best place and time to buy fresh tofu is Lotus Food Co, and Saturdays. It’s fresh and cheap. An interesting dish that is made out of tofu is called Stinky tofu. But don’t be fooled by the name. It smelled bad, as if something stinky. But it tastes so good and would give you a sense of guilty pleasure. Personally I don’t know how to make it. But It’s a mouth-watering dish in deed.

Your ID @ Chinese Market, Strip District

Is there other Asian grocery section in Lotus Food Co, other than Chinese goods? How about the Wing Fat Hong (永发行) Oriental Food Market?

⑧Alcohol can’t make you drunk but the people can @ PHI Bar

Have to confess that I am not a bar goer. This experience is absolutely an accident. But maybe life is a consequence of a series of accident, so I might as well take it easy and ruminate it lightheartedly.

PHI bar, also called Panther Hollow Inn, is a hideout for many Heinz/CMU students when they want to be rebellious, meaning release the tension from Management Science I & II, database management, and never-ending team projects, and etc. To be happy or not to be, it’s a question. Heinzers said “To be happy”. So off they went to PHI bar. I am a more organized person than spontaneous. But once every a while, I release the little wild horse in my spirits to let it run thousand miles. That’s when +Rachel Szewczyk grabbed me to the PHI bar with Jie and Alison.

They all had beer and I had whiskey. Not remember much after that. The fried Zucchini and french fries were really good. The atmosphere was conversation friendly.

Rumor says the PHI bar would be closed in a year or so. Maybe I would soon be glad that I went there by accident after all.

Beer winning trivia @ PHI Bar

1.  Even brainiacs need a bar they can call their own. At Carnegie Mellon University, the Panther Hollow Inn has served that purpose. So when the rumor about the closure of this bar spreads, CMU brainiacs petitioned with great enthusiasm. The owner of the PHI Bar, DePasquale of McCandless said, “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated, and I am now swimming in a lot of emotions.”

2. DePasquale is the son of the late former Pittsburgh City Council President Eugene “Jeep” DePasquale and uncle of Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale. The PHI has been in the DePasquale family for 40 years, and Eugene DePasquale (the one who isn't the former city council president or current state auditor general) said he has owned the bar for the past two decades. Unfortunately he doesn’t own the building housing it

Your ID @ PHI Bar

Who owns the building that PHI bar is housed?

⑦Central Oakland’s “Little Italy” @ Panther Hollow neighborhood

Have you ever come across a place unexpected but you just could never forget after the encounter? These pictures were taken during a morning jog. Did you notice the color of paint on the pole, bench and picnic table, and the Italy flag? It’s a memorial station established in December 2007 to acknowledge the Italian immigrants’ heritage rooted in the Panther Hollow neighborhood that have had its unique impact on the City of Pittsburgh since 1800s. This is such a place I can’t forget.


I used to passing through those many streets everyday in a haste and never noticed those significant or insignificant stories here and there, or never stopped to read what’s on a plaque. As if life is always a haste rushing from point A to point B, and anything in between is not important and not worthy of attention. But this little spot in the Panther Hollow neighborhood in central Oakland forever reminded me of the importance of being curious, perceptive, and humble, because it showed me how neglectful, ignorant, and willfully blind I can become. The morning jog was refreshing and this discovery of this memorial make it memorable.


Beer winning trivia @ Panther Hollow neighborhood, Italian Heritage

1. Panther Hollow is a small, somewhat isolated neighborhood at the bottom of Joncaire Street in Junction Hollow that runs along Boundary Street and is located in the Central Oakland. The neighborhood was settled in late 19th century mostly by Italian immigrants from Pizzoferrato and Gamberale, Italy.

2. Christopher Columbus came to the New World in 1492, but it took many generations after that before his fellow Italians would establish a large presence in North America. According to the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, before the Civil War, most Italians left the homeland for South America, settling primarily in Brazil and Argentina because employment there was plentiful. When the United States became prosperous in the late 1800s, more Italians came to America. In 1870, the U.S. Census reported 784 Italian-born residents in our state. By 1890, the population had grown to 2,794, and in 1900, the Italian population had exploded with more than 66,000 people of Italian descent living in Pennsylvania. Most Italians came to Pittsburgh by way of New York City over the railways.With the advent of steamship travel, large number of immigrants started to arrive. Around 1890, these immigrants began to settle in places such as Oakland, East Liberty, the Lower Hill District, and Bloomfield. Many of these neighborhoods had previously been home to German and Irish immigrants.

3. In the year of 1949, the Italian room was established in the Cathedral of Learning. The room is adorned with a gold rosette embellished ceiling, along with an architrave engraved with names of Italian geniuses such as Botticelli, Galileo, Verdi, and Marconi.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers player Franco Harris’ mother was an Italian.


Your ID @ Panther Hollow neighborhood, Italian

How many original Italian families were listed on the remembrance memorial (see the picture)?

⑥Jogging in the woods @ Hollow Run Trail, Panther Hollow Trail, Bridle Trail, Anderson Playground

Keeping up a good workout schedule has always been important to me. Because I was ill most of my childhood, ever since I started to live far away from home for high school study at the age of 15, my parents have always been worried. One of Chinese traditional mentality is that children’s body belongs to their parents. Taking care of the body is a superficial yet important way of respecting our parents. So besides the university gym, the Panther Hollow Trail, Hollow Run Trail and Bridle Trail in the neighborhood have been good enablers for me to include a recharging workout into my weekly activity, if not daily.


The three trails I use A LOT loops together as a whole, you can easily make acquaintance in a one hour workout. You would find people walk their one, two, three or even five dogs in the mornings and evenings, take a stroll on weekends, bike or jog in early mornings or late evenings during weekdays. You could also see a lot Jewish families during Rosh Hashanah holding their bibles to confess to the water in the Panther Hollow Lake and worship their god in meditations. Sometimes, students would practice their play under those stone bridges, runners would have their race event on the Hollow Run Trail, and schools would organize their pupils to do a little bit adventure along the trail.

I like the trails in every season, for its beauty just like the endless stream that keeps flowing out, waiting to be discovered. I personally like to either fast walk on both trails, or jog on one of them. If I am alone, I would stop at the entrance of Bridle Trail in Schenley Park to sit on one of those two benches, or stop at the Panther Hollow Lake, enjoy a little bit peace that meditation brings to that busy mind. One thing I need to do better is to remind to bring some bread for those ducks!


Anderson Playground is the conjunction point of both Bridle (left) and Hollow Run (right) trails. There is a swimming pool only several seconds away. It’s a busy playground during summer time, kids would play, families would have BBQ, and friends would get together to play Frisbee, not so much for the winter. I learned how to swing on this playground and would always stop by to swing for a good while if not in any haste. One thing about having a playground close to your apartment that you might not like is people would play music very loud in a nice summer day, even at 10 o’clock in the evening. When this situation happens, you wish two magic words can fall from the sky: Rain and Winter. :)

Beer winning trivia @ Walk/Run Trails, Anderson Playground

1. Panther Hollow Lake is a man-made lake, created in 1880s. It was once the center of a busy
picnic and recreational area that included a boat house adjacent to the lake from which couples
could rent boats for an afternoon. The boathouse was razed in the 1930s.

2. Two stone bridges in the Panther Hollow Lake area were built using TUFA, a variety of limestone, formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from ambient temperature water bodies, in 1908. The same building material was also used for the original Palm Court that is still visible to this date in the Phipps Conservatory and Botanic Garden.


Your ID @ Panther Hollow

Is the train track shown in above picture still functioning?
Is there a shelter on Anderson Playground?

⑤Volunteer with Project Sunshine @ Children’s Institute

October 20, 2011. It’s been a little over two month in Pittsburgh. School and everything was set up for proceeding by and large. So I thought it would be the time for volunteering. Joined +Project Sunshine  at Carnegie Mellon University and worked with those kids with special needs on arts & crafts projects in the Pittsburgh Children’s Institute for two hours. It’s a great getaway from intense school work. More so, it’s always enjoyable and inspiring to work with kids, especially those with special needs, for you just can’t help but being patient, nurturing, empathetic, and always looking for positiveness in the kids you work with. These are characteristics we normally don’t show gothing through each and every “serious” day. I also was pleased to find out that those Asian undergraduates at CMU were so willing to serve and being part of the change they envision. Based on rough observation gained in those meetings and the picture shown above, Asian student made up of a decent portion of volunteers in project sunshine project.


Beer winning trivia @ Project Sunshine, Children’s Institute

1. Project Sunshine is a national organization based in New York City. Project Sunshine
empowers a dynamic and dedicated corps of over 15,000 volunteers to bring programming -
recreational (arts), educational(tutoring and mentoring) and social service (HIV and nutritional
counseling) - to 100,000 children facing medical challenges and their families in 175 cities
across the United States and in four international locations: Canada, China, Israel and Kenya.
In Pittsburgh, three organizations receive services from Project sunshine chapters: Children’s
Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh Family House,
and The Children's Institute.

2. Children’s Institute was founded in 1902 by Mary Irwin Laughlin. U.S. Senator Bob Casey, Jr.
has helped secure funding for the Children's Institute of Pittsburgh. This funding has contributed
to the creation of an autism center and pediatric unit, which treat children with Autism Spectrum
Disorders. In 2010, the contributions also secured the purchase of research equipment for the
study of environmental triggers of autism, to further the development of autism treatment.

3. Project STAR at Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh is a program places children in adoption,
foster care, or respite care situations depending on the child's particular needs. The goal is to
match a child with an appropriate resource family anywhere from a few days to on a permanent
basis. Resource families are trained by the institution and are continuously assisted by the
institution if necessary. A man or woman 21 years of age or older is qualified to become a
resource family. Project STAR does not discriminate in terms of marital status, number of other
children, economic status, employment, or home ownership.


Your ID @ Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh

Where is (are) Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh located?

④What an affordable green place @ Apartment, Central Oakland

August 2011, I settled in an apartment on Parkview Avenue, South Oakland. The landlord is an Italian. He has a lovely wife who always speaks softly and affectionately. His son and daughter ‘s family both moved back in with him after the 2008 economic depression. I live in the basement with a monthly cost of $500, all things except internet are included, there is no washer and dryer. Don’t get me wrong, basement sounds gloomy. In actuality, the porch outside the apartment along with the big glass door to the porch makes the bedroom/study room quiet lovely. Then I got a kitchen, a storage room with a big closet, and a bathroom. The only worrisome aspect of this apartment is the bug problem. Although the landlord is a law obey-er and has professional come in regularly to spray around, those stinky bugs and other small creatures seem to love this place as much as I do, and they just don’t leave me alone!

The first picture was taken from my porch, and the rest three were taken on that (Panther Hollow) bridge in the first picture. I was amazed by all those green in the pictures, as if the entire Oakland just landed on a green carpet. As the season changes, I see them all just from that old wooden porch outside my study. Beautiful colorful fall, quiet snowy and white winter, brownish and greenish spring, and flowery as well as bright green summer. Did I get you jealous of the price I pay for such an apartment yet? Well, get used to it. Pittsburgh’s living is quite affordable.


Beer winning trivia @ Apartment, Pittsburgh

Housing affordability in Pennsylvania is slightly better than the national level. But still median
annual mortgage level is higher than 30% of the household income. (Note: Affordability is
defined by the cup of 30% of annual household income. Owner cost and rental cost that are less
than 30% of household income are considered as affordable cost. ) Generally renting a house is
less financially burdensome than owning it, mainly because of the mortgage level is higher than
rent. Pittsburgh enjoys decent housing affordability both in homeownership and rental housing
market because it has the highest median household income ($ 60,259) while its mortgage ($
16,620) and gross rent ($ 7,728) level are the lowest. Philadelphia struggles from the housing
affordability the most, because it has the lowest median annual household income ($ 47,497)
while the cost for mortgage ($ 21,624) and rent ($ 11,016) are the highest.


Your ID @ Apartment, Affordability

What’s the gross annual rental cost in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington DC,
Beijing, Tokyo, Moscow, Paris, and Bumby? How about the gross annual homeownership cost?

③A journey in a poem @ Hamburg Hall, Heinz College

1968
A SUPA (“Super”, School or Urban and Public Affairs) year, Heinz College was born one day after the Halloween in the Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall, East end of the campus

1988
A Dragon year, I was born in an August morning in my Grandparents’ dirt house, a Chinese village in the Middle West.

2011
The year, on August 8th, I travelled 23 hours across the Pacific Ocean coming to a beautiful city called Pittsburgh, and married to the Hamburg Hall with a green hat. Two days after the class started, I turned into 23 years old. Meets the legal marrying age. I hope you will not argue that I have a legitimate marriage with HBH. Although no wedding band.

2012
One day after Halloween, when I was thinking to write something for my charming spouse, I realize in the slightly more than a year of marriage, so many memories have been photocopied by my eyes and permanently stored in my heart. Don’t need to take Desktop multimedia class to beautify those pictures, they are, perfect, themselves.

I am too selfish to show all of them to you at once, but maybe just one piece, because you will have your own to cherish, that I am certain.

A rainy day outside, In the Hamburg hallway it’s different.

I dragged my heavy bag with piles of finished/unfinished homework. A little bit blue, feeling like the limited brain cells have been constantly challenged by the curriculum, along with livelihood.

Dianna, the secretary at Room1011, walked towards me from the other end of the hall. our eyes met for a second, then she asked with empathy:
“Honey? Is everything alright?”
“Yes, everything is good, just so many things to mind.”
“Life is tough, but you will be alright! Remember just take one thing at a time, one step at a time, from here you will thrive!”

Then she threw her arms around me like protecting a newly born baby from the most gentle wind that can’t even move a piece of leaf off a late autumn ginko tree.

At that moment I saw, I felt a thread of sunshine cast through the crowded fabric, shine brightly in my heart.

….Many memories...more to come as I go on every day.

In these dynamics, I see myself, I see other people, I see community, I see responsibility, I see capability, I see possibility.…..I see no divorce, even though Nikolas and Amaris apparently are filtering with him rather openly.

You know what I mean, I just don’t know what words to put it in.


Beer winning trivia @ Hamburg Hall, Heinz College

1. Hamburg Hall was built in 1915, and awarded the plaque of historical landmark by the Pittsburgh Historical and Landmark Foundation in 2000. One of the favourite rooms, if not the most popular classroom, is A100 in the basement of West wing. It’s a computer cluster, classroom, project room, and social gathering place. Class of 2013 is the last class to enjoy all its functionality!. But it’s converted into office room in the summer of 2013. Heinzers are civil enough to not have a riot, also it is because this action is part of bigger plan the college has for space optimization.

2. Heinz College was founded by Richard King Mellon in 1968, the same person who also championed for the foundation of Allegheny Conference on Community Development in 1944. Its motto is “Educating men and women for intelligent action”. In 2010, Heinz College had 663 students enrolled in all of its programs offered worldwide. Students from the U.S. consisted of 51.6% of the student body. In 2012, 784 students, in which 42.1% are American students, while 57.9% are international students. Not surprisingly, Chinese and Indian students are two biggest foreign student groups.

3. Professor Alessandro Acquisti, expert in behavioral economics and economics of privacy, had his TedGlobal Talk in October 2013 about Privacy in the Internet Era. HERE is his talk. This very idea was presented during Heinz Think Big Forum August, 2012. I was in the audience and thrilled.

There are many star professors at Heinz. But what’s more striking to me is that all those I had the privilege working with are nurturing and caring as if they know you are here for a purpose and they would help you to realize it. I have to mention Professor Dennis Rousseau’s evidence-based management class, for it is my favourite, not because I got A+, but because it opened my eye for a new mentality: To challenge assumptions and to gather evidence so that a better informed decision can be made when it’s needed the most. In her class, I also had a chance to write a letter for a future me in 20 years. It’s a great thing to do, great way to utilize cosmic intelligence to go places! Another professor I have to point out is Professor Shelby Stewman, whose demography class was so demanding but also eye opening. People and its changes are destiny of any development. That’s why I am so glad that Pittsburgh finally had its population increase positive in 2011 by 0.85% since 1970s and 1980s industry downfall.

4. Hamburg Hall, Heinz College, locates on 4800 Forbes Avenue. Forbes Avenue is one of the longest streets in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It has a length of about ten miles (16km) and is named for John Forbes (1707–1759), whose expedition recaptured Fort Duquesne and who renamed the place Pittsburgh in 1758.


You ID @ Hamburg Hall, Heinz College

Who is the current Dean of Heinz College?
Who is the Assistant Dean, and program director that Dianna Pawlowski mentioned in the poem works with closely and shares an office suite?
Who are those two people on a team to organize almost all student activities, don’t forget free pizza!?
Who is the director of Alumni relationship?
Who is the director of the Center of Economic Development?
Who is the assistant director of Career Service office working mainly with MSPPM program students?
What’s the name of the fund that you need to work to raise money for first and then are eligible for applying funding from?

②First trip to Pittsburgh during 2009 India Day @ Schenley Plaza @ Mt. Washington

September 13, 2009. It was the first chance traveling to Pittsburgh after the rush through in the airport. Since the founder and director of the exchange study program, Dr. Raj Garg is an Indian nationality living in Pittsburgh, he initiated the trip during the India Day and promised that the group would have a great time.


The event took place at Schenley Plaza. Indian music, dance, food and laughter were ample. Many Indian families gathered. Kids were playing on the big lawn and the Merry Go Round. Parents were chattering at the tables but always keeping an eye on their boys and girls affectionately as if their eyesights can wave into a protection net to keep their children safe and happy. Young lovers picked those quiet spots in the White tent and chatted intimately as if they were each other’s whole world. Among the attendees, there were also some white, black, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese folks. Food was a big attraction, but I saw curiosity, intoxication, and veneration in their eyes also when several Indian artists were performing on the stage in the White tent. I noticed that outside the Indian event circle, other folks in the Plaza were just as charm as every Indian. Some of them were laying on the lawn reading, sitting on the bench chatting, or appreciating the beautiful reed in the garden. With the Cathedral of Learning as their background, and the Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain as their muse in the front sight, they sure had their tranquility and composure to construct their own world.

I was not confident about my spoken English at that time, so decided to spend most of the afternoon with those kids. After all kids are not judgmental and they only speak what they know and then ask questions or shut up, so they are easy to understand and they are good teachers. The Indian parents were protective but eventually didn’t make a fuss about me playing with their kids, but with one condition, no picture of their kids, in which the faces are recognizable, should be shared on social media. I agreed and promised to the parents, so kids and I got to play the Duck Duck Goose and many other games on the lawn.


When the performance was in session, I wondered what would it like to see the crowd mesmerized in the exotic Indian atmosphere from a distance. So I sneaked my way out of the tent and walked around and about. The music was even more beautiful when heard in the dark. When I was far away enough to feel a sense of bystander, I turned around facing the tent and noticed the glow of the stage against the silence and darkness around it magnified the glory of the essence of Indian culture. Like Jesus said "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." At that moment, from the distance, I felt the Indian culture every Indian holds dearly in their heart is their faith, their religion, their light of life, which gave them a sense of belonging whether they are at home or away from family. For some reason, that thought made me feel very warm and close to home again.


On the way back to Indiana, Raj asked the student driver for the school bus to take the group to check out the night view of the City. The best spot for the view is Grandview Avenue, Mt. Washington. That’s where we went. The city in the night was absolutely gorgeous. When the night falls, those architectures can only differentiate themselves through unique TOP, so those architects put different tops and light programmings on different buildings to address the issue. This is like during the day, women would want to wear different outfits to make themselves stand out from each other. Should they ever bump into someone wearing the same outfit, they would be extremely uneasy and feel a sense rivalry. I suspect this probably was the reason why a lot of woman apparel were designed to be wearable on both sides.


Beer winning trivia @ Schenley Plaza @ Mt. Washington @ Indian/Chinese/Asian Population

1. When Schenley Plaza was purchased by the City of Pittsburgh from Mary Schenley, the area was known as St. Pierre’s Ravine. Original Schenley Plaza was envisioned by the City as a grand entrance to Schenley Park. However due to Oakland’s expansion and then Forbes Field’s popularity, in 1949 the Plaza lost its park function and was officially designated to be a parking lot (In the same year, China officially realized its independence and unity. A central government led by Communist Party was founded. Chair Mao ordered to fire 28 gun salute during the National celebration ceremony in Tian An Men Square on October 1st, meaning the ordeal since the foundation of the party in 1921 was forever over. The world needed to know). The Schenley Plaza we enjoy and experience today officially started its restoration in 2004 and finished in 2006. The grand opening event was witnessed by 40,000 people. Schenley Plaza has become a center for dining, outdoor recreation, social gathering, and culture event.

2. Major Pittsburgh parks are Frick Park--has dog park, Highland Park, Riverview Park, Schenley Park, Schenley Plaza, Mellon Square, Mellon Park, Cliffside Park. The organization you can find all the information for parks is Pittsburgh Park Conservancy. They have volunteer projects as well. I once volunteered to plant flowers in the neighborhood garden in Oakland.

3. The 42-story Cathedral of Learning was commissioned in 1921 and ground was broken in 1926. The first class of University of Pittsburgh was held in the building in 1931 and its exterior finished in October 1934. It’s the tallest educational building in the Western Hemisphere and the second tallest university building in the world (the tallest is in Moscow state university’s main campus). As of 2013, there are 29 nationality rooms in the building. 27 of them are functional classrooms and the other two are displays. The national room project began in 1926. Each nationality room was designed, funded, and finished by a committee from that nationality. Pitt only provides the space and upkeep.

There might be small errors in some cultural decor. So when you visit your nationality room, be alert and critical. You may find something out of place. I found one obvious error in the two Lion statues. Traditionally a male and female lion statue were positioned by the door to protect the house. The only apparent way to differentiate the gender of those two lions was the object under one of their pawls. Stone for male lion, and baby lion for female lion. But I couldn’t find differentiation in those two lions in the Chinese nationality room.

4. Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain, also known as A Song to Nature. It’s designed by Victor Brenner after the death of Mary Schenley in 1903 during the national competition for Mary Schenley memorial championed by Edward Manning Biglow, then the director of City Park. The Memorial Fountain comprises two major figures: a reclining Pan, the Greek god of wild, shepherds, and flocks, and above him a female singer playing a Lyre. Along the fountain's rim four turtles spew water into the basin. An inscription on the pedestal reads, "A Song of Nature, Pan the Earth God Answers to the Harmony and Magic Tones Sung to the Lyre by Sweet Humanity." The basin of the fountain is 15 feet high, above which the figures rise another 15 feet.

5. Duck Duck Goose is a popular kid’s game and has different editions in different countries. In China, we call “丢手绢 diu shou juan”. In Israel, the game is called "Black Rabbit". In Turkey, "Yağ Satarım" In India,"Ghoda Chamaar Khai", In Mexico, "Chocolateado".

6. 10 Great scenic views of Pittsburgh: The West End/Elliot Overlook; The Upper Platform of Duquesne Incline; Walk the North Shore; Grandview Avenue; Point State Park; Bike Trail by Station Square; On the water; West End Bridge; 31st Street Bridge; and Liberty Bridge.

7. Based on 2012 American Community Survey 1-year estimates (U.S census bureau ), Indian population currently comprises 1% of U.S population, has about 3.05 million people. While Chinese has 1.2% share and has about 3.66 million people. Asian population has a total 5% share of U.S. population (15.56million/314 million). In Pittsburgh Metro area, among 2.4 million population, Indians have a 0.6% (about 15,000 people) share while Chinese 0.5% (12,000), Asian has a total 1.8% make-up. In the city of Pittsburgh, we have a total of 306,212 people, among which 15,299 (5%) are Asian. Indians have a total population at 4,396 making 1.4% of Pittsburgh’s overall demographic composition, while Chinese, 4,849, 1.6%. Since the total population margin of error for these two cohorts has an average of +/- 1,600, the percentage margin of error would be about +/-0.5%. The reason why the margin of error is so large is
intriguing though.


Your ID @ Schenley Plaza:

See the “WheelChair Accessible” at the Merry Go Round? What other examples can you give to explore the “Accessibility” of the City of Pittsburgh?

①Love at the first sight @ Pittsburgh International Airport

August 25th, 2009, one day before my 21st birthday, I arrived at the Pittsburgh International Airport for the first time, only to find myself heading in haste to Indiana County to embark on one  year of exchange study at Eberly College of Business and Information Technology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Never got a chance to explore the airport, let alone take pictures with the famous Pittsburgh Steelers player, Franco Harris, in his number 32 football gear or the founding father of the United States of America, George Washington, in his continental uniform. But subconsciously a voice was whispering to me “Lingling, you need to take a picture before you walk out of this airport. As if saying “Maybe when you return, your life will never be the same.” So I set aside my luggage, took out the Canon camera my father bought me as a gift for this trip, ignored my classmates’ nervous and urgent yell ”hurry up or we will miss the bus”, turned around and snapped this giant dinosaur: T. Rex.

At that very moment, with the late night loneliness in the airport and the soft lights and  reflections, a very profound feeling vividly landed in my consciousness, “Wow, this is a nice and homey place.” I tucked away the camera, turned around and with a big smile on my face joined other Chinese fellow students walking toward the exit, heading to the bus that would later haul us to Indiana. 

August 10th, 2011, I returned to the Pittsburgh International Airport. This time I was heading to the City of Pittsburgh and settled in an apartment in Oakland for the graduate school study at Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University. This time I didn’t take any pictures at the airport. I guess I was too eager to start a new page of life’s adventure this trip. 

August 20th, 2013: for the third time I arrived at the Pittsburgh International Airport after a month-long visit at home in China. This time, I came back to take on a year-long service position as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, to build technology capacity for the nonprofit community in Pittsburgh. I also came back to have a life here before someday eventually return to my home country, China.

In the ladies room, a lady janitor smiled and talked to me about the hot weather during the summer. I looked into the mirror and smiled to myself, “Hey, you are back here again.” While walking to pick up my luggage, I looked around as if I’d returned as a careful landlord checking on her property following a long vacation in Florida to avoid the snowy winter in Pennsylvania. I realized that I had missed Pittsburgh very much. Otherwise, why would it feel as such a thrill to be here again like it’s a homecoming?

From this Airport, I have had two departures and three arrivals. As old people around here said to me again and again “Pittsburgh is a place you always want to come back to.” Apparently, it has captured me! As famous American poet, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry winner, Gary Snyder once said “Find your place on the planet. Dig in, and take responsibility from there.” I believe I have found my place. In the past two years, I have fallen in love with it day by day, but still there is so much to learn, experience, and create. Now a deep drive is urging me to take responsibility and be part of the voice for the City. I will listen to that inner voice, take up the torch, and share with everyone and anyone the Pittsburgh that has me kept coming back. 

This blog is created for this very reason and will showcase real a Pittsburgh Experience as a self-adopted Pittsburgher continues to accumulate those experiences: day after day. Through those present experiences, hopefully, a window for this Iron City’s history and future will unfolded over time. If anyone read the blog get inspired more or less along the way to expand your horizon, that would be most fulfilling to me.

The blog will not focus on “I” but the experience. The content will include original picture(s), experience, and history/background of the objects of the experience. Keeping each blog post Original, Succinct, and Informative is the creed I will strive to follow. Since this is the first post, as well as the introduction of the entire blog, I included three ascending experiences and made it long. To prevent "bad" from getting "worse", here comes the last piece. Maybe next time when you are waiting in PIT airport for a flight, you could find something interesting to explore and read. Airport trivia is a good way to go! No more non-productive waiting in any airport. If you are not sleeping or meditating, let the airport trivia jeopardy begin.

Beer winning trivia @ Pittsburgh International Airport: 

1. As you make your way to Baggage Claim from the terminals you see three signature displays: A life-sized image of George Washington in a Continental uniform, who had seized Fort Duquesne from the French; a life-sized statue of Franco Harris’ immaculate reception that was installed in 2006 by the Heinz History Center, home of the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum; and a full-sized Tyrannosaurus Rex. The last is tucked between the two escalators and looks like it is purposefully hidden and ready to strike at anytime. It is from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, which is well known for its dinosaur artifacts and had the first fossils of a T. Rex.

2. Upon opening of the new airport in 1992, the AirMall at PIT was the largest airport shopping complex in the United States and local shoppers were able to visit the AirMall, which is on the Airside, without a boarding pass. Following the September 11, 2011 attacks, only ticketed passengers and airport and airline employees were able to enter the AirMall. 

3. The airport complex consists of two main buildings, the "Landside Terminal" and the "Airside Terminal." They are linked by the Pittsburgh airport underground people mover after the security checkpoint. It is run fully by computers with no human control aside from emergencies.

4. As of July, 2013, 10 aircraft accidents and incidents involving PIT occurred. The biggest accident occurred on September 8, 1994, when USAir flight 427 crashed on approach from Chicago O’Hare International Airport. All 132 people were killed. It resulted in the longest and most thorough National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation in history. Boeing retrofitted every 737 because of the data gathered from this crash. 

5. The airport was designed by Pittsburgh architect Joseph W. Hoover. One of the features of his style is the use of simple, exposed concrete, steel, and glass materials. The terminal building was constructed in "stepped" levels, which means that the uncovered roof of the lower level could be an observation deck. Also found the rounded "Horizon Room" on the fourth floor with a commanding view of the airport. One of the memorable features of the lobby was the large compass laid in the floor made from green and yellow-orange terrazzo. A re-creation of the compass was installed in the new terminal at an exhibit dedicated to the old "Greater Pitt.” 

Your ID @ Pittsburgh International Airport: 

What can you throw in the T.REX display box without being stopped by a police?