Great Dessert, aren't you hungry?

Every time after dinner, my friends and i always love to enjoy a piece of cake or ice-cream. The lovely shape of the dessert and fine taste when circling in mouth always enchant me. My personal favorite is black-forest cake. Indeed, the desserts are charming, but i have only appreciated a few types of them. There are more waiting for us to enjoy. In this post, i may wanna introduce some of the most famous dessert for all of you. I hope you don't get hungry after seeing the post.


First of all, it is my personal favorite- black-forest

Black-forest cake is the American name for the German dessert, Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte.  It consists of several layers of chocolate cake, with whipped cream and cherry between each layer. To be honest, I love chocolate so much. Nowadays, the way of making the cake varies by adding different ingredients. In some European countries, traditional sour cherry is used both between the layers and for decorating the top. Traditionally, Kirschwasser (a clear liquor distilled from tart cherries) is added to the cake, although other liquors are also used (such as rum, which is common in Austrian recipes). In the United States, Black Forest cake is most often prepared without alcohol. Anyway, i hope you can enjoy it. 

Secondly it is Mousse Cake.

Mousse cake is a very famous cake from France. Mousse cake is initially the product of adding all kinds of ingredient with different taste and favor to cream. Nowadays it has evolved into one of the best among all cakes. Many masters usually use the mousse cake to demonstrate their spirit and art inspiration from life. Making a fine mousse cake may also test how good the master is in making cakes. 

Thirdly i wanna talk about the Yule log. 

Yule Log,  Bûche de Noël, is another cake from France. Actually i have never tasted this dessert before. However the shape and the ingredient it uses seem to be attractive to me. 'Yule' is actually the older name for Christmas. From Viking time to present winter celebration, England people always chopped down one tree and take it back home. This tree would be burnt for 12hours since Christmas nite. This tree is called Yule Log. However in France, the tradition is different. Instead of burning the tree, all family members would gather and share the cake called Yule Log to celebrate Christmas. Yule Log then became the essential in the dinner table of the french during Christmas.

Now i would like to introduce another dessert from Italy, Tiramisu.

Tiramisu is made of ladyfingers (Italian:Savoiardi) dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of egg yolks and mascarpone, and flavored with liquor and cocoa. There is even a story about the  the cake. During World War 2, a wife of the Italian soldier want to prepare for her husband. Because her family is very poor, there aren't many things left. So she mix all the bread and cookie and make the cake for her husband. The cake is Tiramisu. In Italian, Tiramisu also means ' pick me up'. That means what we enjoy is not only the cake, but also the love. 

Now it is time for an American dessert, Boston Cream Pie.

Although it is called Boston Cream Pie, it is not a kind of pie, but cake. A Boston cream pie is a round cake that is split and filled with a custard or cream filling and frosted with chocolate. Created by Armenian-French chef M. Sanzian at Boston's Parker House Hotel in 1856, this pudding and cake combination comprises two layers of sponge cake filled with vanilla custard or crème pâtissière. The cake is topped with a chocolate glaze (such as ganache) and sometimes powdered sugar or a cherry.

I think it may be enough for today. Next time i will introduce more desserts for you all. Just wait and be patient!! Thanks for reading!!

Drawing in pencil

It has been quite long since the last time i draw something. I barely remembered the techniques learnt from the painting course. Recently i was a bit down, perhaps drawing could light up my life a bit.


The following drawing actually depicts a little cute girl with big eyes and sweet smile. This picture is drawn using only pencil. I hope you may enjoy it.

Actually drawing in pencil is a very delicate and special technique that not so many people could master. For myself, i am only at the lowest standard. I know there are quite a few excellent  artists who can draw so well and detailed that you even think it is drawn using a pencil, but shot by a camera. If you don/t believe, see the following picture:

These pictures are drawn by Paul Lung, the 38-year-old artist, with only a 0.5mm pencil and A2 paper. Isn’t that amazing? the Ink of the pencil is only black. But the change in depth of the black color, change in texture could make such a big difference.

Here are more to appreciate, the following picture is from a British artist, who is also pro in this field of art:

Aren’t the drawings adorable? I believe you may feel the thrill and desire to draw like that. However we shall understand we should learn from the basics as a beginner. So here are some tips for drawing in pencil.

Firstly it is important to choose a good pencil.

Pencils range in hardness and blackness from 9H to 9B. Pencil manufacturers use the letter “H” to indicate a hard pencil and “B” to designate the blackness of the pencil’s mark. The letter “F” indicates that the pencil sharpens to a fine point. 9H pencil is the hardest pencil available. 9B is the softest pencil you can get and it will create the darkest lines. My ‘pencil kit’ ranges from 2H to 2B, but I recommend using up to a 6B for deep shadows and bold, dark lines. You will find that any harder that 2H is quite difficult to use and may create dents in your paper.

For fine details, you will often require a sharp pencil, or a mechanical pencil. Using a sharp or mechanical pencil with keep all your strokes fine and small.

secondly it is also necessary to get the good paper and other materials.

You will also require good quality paper, an eraser and a sharpener. Make sure you have a clean and uncluttered desk to draw on, or if that is impossible or you are outside, draw on a solid clipboard with a bulldog clip to stop your paper from flying.

You might find the kneaded rubber eraser to be an invaluable tool for eliminating erroneous lines and softening tone as you have a lot more control than a generic rubber. Using a patting technique you can gently lighten areas which are too dark, or to harmonize incongruent tone. (Or you might find it a complete waste of money, as personally, I hate kneaded erases, they are too malleable, and when molded to a fine point never stay that way.)

Your papers’ texture can drastically determine the kind of drawing you will create, and may require different pencils. Drawing realistically, with plenty of details requires smoother paper, characterized by not very much tooth (texture) so that the individual pencil strokes are barely evident. Rough paper holds more graphite than smooth paper, allowing your drawings to have deeper shadows, and more contrast, though the grainy texture of rough paper makes it difficult to render fine detail. Drawing on smooth paper requires softer pencils to create dark shades.

Medium paper give the best of both worlds (purchase it if you are unsure of your own preference), paper with enough ‘tooth’ to grasp the graphite without producing a metallic sheen, but smooth enough to allow for the application of relatively fine detail. I draw on 100% cotton Rag paper, which is long lasting and gives me the freedom to watercolour my drawings.

After getting all those material, you may start some practices. You may get some books which is readily accessible either online or from book store.

There are somethings i think we need to take note while drawing:

To draw with a pencil skillfully you must be able to hold your pencil in a comfortable position where you have optimal control. If you have pain in the hand or shoulder after a long drawing session, it could be an indication of holding your pencil ‘incorrectly’. Don’t grip relentlessly to your pencil, and drive it into your paper with your entire body weight! The paper is not your enemy, soothe it with delicate, beautiful pencil stokes and it with reward your poise with a lovely drawing.

There is no real ‘correct’ way to hold a pencil when drawing; it is a matter of personal preference, and comfort. Experiment with different grips (perhaps the way you hold your fork or maybe in a similar way to how you hold chopsticks).

The technique you use will habitually be determined by the initial purpose of your drawing, or the aspirations you have for the illustration. Sketching for a watercolour would require an entirely different technique than that for a detailed photo-realistic drawing. You have most likely seen the techniques cross-hatching, circles, scribbles and contour lines and you may have even experimented with a couple, but have you ever completed your final work with these techniques?

There are some rules in drawing:

Objects appear smaller as they move back away from your eye and equally objects drawn larger appear closer!

Lines and surfaces are their largest closest to the picture plane.

Lines or edges that are parallel appear to meet as they recede from the picture plane.

All vertical lines are parallel when using one point perspective (the viewer is not looking up or down at the objects)

Objects drawn in front of one another appear closer (overlapping!)

Images further away will appear lighter, with less contrast and detail.

Thanks for reading my post. Perhaps i hope you can enjoy drawing your own thing. Perhaps next time, i will explain how to draw in water color and even the tradition style of Chinese painting and the revolution of the western painting.

Have a nice day!! :D

中国房价的讨论

近一段时间以来，全国各地都在面临着不同程度的房价降低潮。这是人们所期望的，所盼望的。在北京，二环以内的房价由每平米一万八降到每平米一万三。这显示了市场正在显示其调控作用，但是更多的是政府干预的影响。但是，我们仍然不能调以轻心，也许在未来的某一段时间，高房价仍将到来。在这里，我们不禁要问，是什么造成了房价的高增长？背后的黑手又是什么？

我们经常听到房地产的增长是由于房地产市场背后的一只隐形的手的推动造成的，是由于房地产商的恶意囤积，恶意哄抬而造成的。但是事实真的就仅仅是这样吗？我承认有一些房地产商在恶意囤积土地，导致土地以及房地产市场的公平竞争消失，这对区域内的房地产有着影响。但是为什么这个影响会波及到全国呢？从沿海大城市到内陆的中小城市？还有一个有趣的现象，房地产波及的区域仅仅只是城市及其周边的地区，对于农村区域的影响却又是十分的小？这一切的都是为什么呢？

首先我们要看到中国的国情，中国实行的是一党专政，共产党在国内的统治是无可置疑的，其力量也会死无可置疑的。在强力的政府下，又有哪个房地产商有胆子去哄抬房价，挑战政府的权威呢？但是不得不提的是，从某一方面来说，政府也是乐于看见房价在可控的范围里提价的。房地产或者说房价，是政府与民争利的最大战场。因为它是政府的支柱产业，很遗憾，它关系到民众安身之求。不过，这里的“民”大致是指大中小城市的白领阶层，以及从农村去城市闯荡的青年精英。这个尺度把握地非常好，打捞一笔，又绝不会影响政局。因为高房价带来的灼伤，农村地区基本没有被波及。房价的上涨，政府乐观其成。但是未来3到5年的人口结构变化，将给高房价带来沉重打击，政府不得不改变策略。当今世界经济是泡沫式的经济。维持泡沫，必须有等量以上的后继资金持续注入，一旦后来者数量大幅下降，必然导致泡沫的破灭，股市如此，楼市亦然。

从人口统计学来观察，我发现一个惊人的规律：楼市疯狂上涨之后，当“25—34岁”这个群体数量走到历
育年龄，买房是一种“刚性需求”，一旦这种“刚性需求”下跌，前期大量炒作资金无法出逃，泡沫也就破
灭了。后继者大规模的消失，炒作者必然死翘翘。可以说，“25—34岁”婚育人口的剧烈变化对房地产市场的泡沫的兴衰存亡有着决定性的影响。可以看看“1990年日本房地产泡沫破灭”和“2007年美国次级债引发的房地产崩溃的例子。

80后将是中国高房价的最后一批买单者。这也并不是危言耸听。

以上的分析已经说明中国的房价在未来的十年之类很有可能会面临着大幅度的降低。但是也不排除其会增长的可能。

在上文中我们以及提到，国内的房地产商没有能力改变中国的房价，那么谁应该为中国前十年的高增长房价负责呢？
(以下为英文)
Whenever an economy is swamped by excess liquidity and goods inflation is capped, the prices of assets like real estate and stocks rise. Excess money has to go somewhere. When the amount of liquidity is exceptional, the rise of asset prices is similarly exceptional. In all the resulting asset bubbles, financial speculation and peculation accelerate. The recycling of China’s huge foreign exchange reserves was far from the only source of the tsunami of liquidity, but it was one of the largest. Chinese leaders have angrily denied that Chinese funds and inexpensive exports played this role, but ultimately it is a simple fact. Conversely, Western politicians have been far too quick to blame Chinese currency policies when the actual problem stemmed from the U.S. bubble demand, combined with high Chinese savings rates, that were the inexorable consequences of a huge, young Chinese population desperately needing to save to ensure that their children would receive good educations, and that they themselves would have adequate health care and retirement security given the country’s lack of adequate medical insurance, social security, and pensions. The Chinese government was investing proportionately huge sums to address those inadequacies, but the shortfalls were too large to be offset in anything less than decades.

简单一点，高房价的原因可以是国际热钱的涌入。国际热钱是以外币的形式进入中国市场，而等量的外币在国内必须要有等量等价的人民币与之兑换。国际热钱的流动是以亿为单位的而不是我们日常生活的中的一百一千，所以国际热钱的大量涌入导致了人民币的大量印刷。我们都知道，纸币是一种信誉货币，它不像贵重金属一样是硬通货，它是基于一个政府的信誉上而定值的。纸币的发行也必须要有一个与之等价的物品来作为凭证，否则这个纸币便是物价的。比如，一颗钻石价值10万美金，那么这颗钻石就保证了这标明为10万的纸币的价值，这是为人们所接受的。

而在国内的情况，国际热钱的凭证便是房产。因为货物是流通的，货币也是具有流通性的。当房地产从修建者到中介者手中时，其价值则是提高了许多。而房产到了人民手里是，其价值又升高了许多。但是房产实际价值升高了吗？房子还是原来一套房子，只是人们对房子的perceived value提高了。这种利用房产以及其derivatives(金融衍生品) 的perceived value升高的手段wall street 的 hedge managers 在美国次贷危机之前也用过，这导致了美国房地产泡沫的破灭。国内面临的情况有许多相似之处，因为perceived value 的提高，更多的货币被印出来，来体现其价值。这导致了通货膨胀的产生。这时，我们遇到了一个dilemma。 如果我们抑制房价，房子价值大幅下降，那么那些多出来的货币则会导致货币直接的贬值，通货膨胀直接发生。但是我们继续让房价提高，通货膨胀率会越来越高。其结果可能更加严重。

现在的房价的降低则是政府有效调控的体现。而以上的段落着描述了1年前房价疯涨的缘故之一，房价的增长其实是个complex issue. 不可能在有限的文段里把所有的问题描述完整，我只是提供了有限的，比较重要的几个解释。另外说一句，能与政府对抗的就只有国外财团，国际热钱的涌入也是他们所造成的结果。但是虽然中国已经加入了wto， 向世界open market，但是国外财团的渗透不应该这么深，对国内重要的房地产市场不可能这么大～。国内政府虽然很希望引进外资，但是对外资仍然有某种程度上的防范。这都表明国外财团在国内有自己的合作者已及代言人。但是其中的暗箱操作又是什么，又是如何，那就不是我能够知道的了。我对我们的政府还是有信心的，政府不管出于什么样的利益都是会维持国内市场的稳定的。

以上文章属于自己的见解，只做参考，不做为最终结论。谁也不知道自己是否正确。