"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart."

for writing of all kinds. (concrit welcomed. ♥)

Fast Food in China: Modernization Through Western Fast Food Chains

The Western fast food industry in China, nonexistent just a few decades ago, has become an industry large enough to have an impact on the daily lives of many Chinese people. This essay links China’s burgeoning fast food industry to various ...

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Fast Food & Convenience Foods in Japan

The rise of fast food consumption in post-World War II Japan suggests major shifts in Japanese eating patterns. Though the spread of Western fast food franchises is an inevitable effect of globalization and modernization, fast food in Japan is dif...

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Differing Attributions of Koro in China and India

Abstract: Koro is a culture bound syndrome in which the afflicted persons believe their genitals are retracting inwards and that this retraction is fatal. Two large-scale koro studies take different approaches in analyzing koro pr...

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Entry for the January Fan Challenge @ The Watercooler

To The One That Got Away,

I won't ask where you went off to (even if that's what we're all wondering) because I figure if you haven't told us already, then you probably never planned to. Knowing you, even if I did ask, you would just respond with something like worry about yourself before worrying about me, stupid to avoid answering the question. So I won't ask. Instead I'll just tell you, in my typical motherly fashion, to take care of yourself no matter where you decide to go.

I sure will miss you, though, as embarrassing as it is. It's weird to think about how short a time we got to know each other, isn't it? Only one season passed by and you're already gone, but I still feel like I know you so well. Even though in reality, we hardly know each other at all. But in that short span of time, I got to see the real you underneath that laidback exterior: how protective you are of your friends, your kindness even to strangers, your shyness and insecurities. Do you realize how transparent you are? Not that I mean it as an insult! That's part of what we all love about you.

Her included. Even though she always hides it behind a smile, of everyone here, it's pretty obvious that she misses you the most. I know that's cruel of me to say, but I felt you needed to hear it. I think it's a good kind of pain, as weird as that is to say, because even though it hurts for you two to be parted, that pain also shows how much you both care for each other. I've never been one to miss people much, even people who I'm really close to, so even if you curse me for saying this now... enjoy that feeling of missing someone. It's a lot more precious than you think.

You're really lucky, you know that? So much so that I can't help but feel a little envious. As agonizing as I'm sure it is for you sometimes, it must be nice to love someone that much. So no matter what happens, could you promise me one thing? Wherever you are, hold onto her, okay? No matter how much time or distance separates the two of you, don't you dare let her go. So many people never even get to really fall in love, never even come close to it. I hope you two know how lucky the both of you really are.

She'll probably scold me for even mentioning it, but she wonders about you a lot. We're all doing well here, but what about you? Is that painting you wanted to see still around? Have you figured out what you want to be in life? (If you even need to.) Time waits for no one, after all. Make the best of it, okay?

I'm really glad to have met you, even though it was for such a short time. I'm glad for your subtle kindness, for your warm heart, and for playing baseball with me even though I suck at it. Even though you sometimes come off as loud and a little wild, like the hero of some shounen anime, I know you're a really good friend in the ways that matter most. I'll miss you, you big dope.

Hoping to see you again somewhere, someday...
Bell

Anti-Japanese Stigma in China

This is the paper I was freaking out over yesterday. Figured some of you might be interested, though it's definitely not my best work seeing as how crunched I was while writing it. I didn't even get to re-read it fully before turning it in. *FACEP...

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