Ryu2.mind

"too tired to live, too lazy to die"
-- from my coworker's MSN screen name

My thoughts exactly...

It's over.  For now at least. 

Update: For those of you who want a more work-centric look at the last two months, check out Daniel's (our producer) blog, and Audran's (our art director) photo gallery.

So what next?  I decided against going to E3 this year; as it would have been on my own dime, and unlike last year with the next-gen unveilings, there really isn't anything groundbreaking in store for me (from the pure tech perspective).  I will miss seeing how the world reacts to our game and our many all-nighters spent on it, the usual wild parti... err, I mean industry networking and reconnecting, as well as the chance to presumably play honest-to-goodness (other than my company's own, of course) PS3 or even Wii titles  hands on for the very first time.

My May holiday week that never was now becomes an even better one -- a (paid) week off, without the Golden Week crowds.  Things have been so down to the wire that I haven't even had time to plan things out, but I'd like to leave Shanghai for at least part of the week.  The blessing here is that it should be relatively easy to arrange last-minute travel, compared to being impossible just a week ago.

Last year, I went to Thailand and Malaysia, but I'd like to stay domestic this time, since I realize that my time outside Shanghai's synthetic bubble and the only slightly-less ones in the other big cities has been rather limited. 

With most of my friends working, I'll be on my own -- something I've not done in a while -- and which I'm looking forward to, actually.  While some of my best memories are with friends during trips, independet travel lets me immerse myself in experiencing the destination, rather than just the people in my group, and go about things worry free without thinking about what other people's schedules and interests lie. 

Ideally, I'd like to make it a personal retreat as well, with a lot of time for reading, thinking and reflection.  Of course, this being China, I might be hardpressed to find a peaceful spot where this can best happen, but I'll try. =)

My shortlist so far and some of my thoughts, mostly based on what various friends have suggested previously:

* the Silk Road (Xi'an -- Dunhuang -- Turpan -- Kashgar -- Urumuqi)-- excites me the most, and great photo ops, but don't know if I'llhave the time to really enjoy things on this route if only given a week.
* Sanya, Hainan -- nice beaches... for China, anyways.  Probably the best place for a personal retreat...
* Beijing -- been there, done that... very much for the friends, not the sightseeing.  Maybe Inner Mongolia as well, but then again, I've been to the real deal before, and it seems China's "autonomous region" pales in comparison.
* Dali/Lijiang, Yunnan -- some of the prime tourist spots of this country, but overrated and commercialized for that very reason, some would say...
* Guilin -- same as above...?
* Sichuan -- my favorite spicy cuisine!  =)  Plus, ummm... pandas?
* Huangshan -- never done it before... the weather should be not too warm.
* Northeast (Dalian, Harbin, Yanji, maybe Changbaishan [Paekdusan for the Koreans]) -- scenery and a chance to relive a bit of my Korea experience last October.

Decisions, decisions...  Feel free to add or comment!