Thanksgiving 2009

I. Thanksgiving Festivities

This year, I had the most fulfilling Thanksgiving in a long time. It was the first time in YEARS that my entire immediate family was able to celebrate together. Because of the nature of my family's business, Baba has to travel frequently, so he is usually not in town during American holidays. From the years preceding 2009, my family (minus Baba) spent Thanksgiving on short road-trips.

Looking back two years, in...
...2008, I was in Hangzhou teaching English and had to stay on campus all day. I was a bit sad that I could not spend Thanksgiving with my fellow English teachers. However, I was extremely thankful because I ended up spending Thanksgiving with one of my colleagues/good friends from the university. We had a "dongbei" dinner with all the delicious foods of the northern region. 'Tis a warm memory that stays with me during this cool Californian winter.
...2007, my Mom, Bro, and I went on a road trip to Yosemite, King's Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks. We explored some beautiful mountainous territory and indulged in views of tall trees and dams with deep blue waters. We experienced one notable dinner in an isolated area with shops and a restaurant (the only one open within a radius of about 30 miles). After waiting over 30 minutes to get seated, we ate some mouthwatering Mexican fare. *Shivers deliciously.*

As is the case with some immigrants, Chinese people usually do not "celebrate" Thanksgiving the American way, that is, with a giant marathon dinner (lasting from lunchtime until after dinnertime) consisting of "American" dishes (stuffing, cranberry sauce, etc.). Regardless, many in recent years have used the holiday as a way for family and friends to congregate and share food and fond experiences. In my case, Thanksgiving this year was truly epic.


Pre-Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving (Wednesday and Thursday)

Earlier in the week, Mom asked me to be the Official Recipe Director for our Thanksgiving festivities. I was so excited to plan Thanksgiving, as I never did this when I was younger. From Monday to Wednesday, I looked on various websites for easy, delicious recipes and Bro or Mom gave the recipes a seal of approval. On Wednesday, Bro and I shopped for extra ingredients. At the last store, I had a humbling experience:

At the self-checkout, I was planning to use cash, but I was short two cents. Bro asked the cashier if she could spare two cents for our can of yams. I was so embarrassed to ask the store for money (I could have used my credit card), but I was thankful that cashiers gave a few pennies of assistance. I had no idea they could assist the customers with a few cents of change, ha.

After the shopping odyssey, I reviewed the recipes and started to assist in the preparation of vittles. For the turkey, we used Alton Brown's recipe for a flavorful turkey. I instructed Mom on mixing a fragrant brine and she placed the turkey in the pot to soak overnight. Next, we prepared a pie crust from scratch (using more butter and fattiness than I cared to know about :S). After the pie crust was mixed, we placed this in the refrigerator to set.

The next day, I awoke at 10 AM to help Mom prepare the food. We first prepared the turkey, stuffing it and baking it at 500 degrees for 30 minutes, then allowed the meat to cook through at 350 degrees with a breast "shield." The turkey cooked for about 2 hours, 30 minutes total.

Next, we mixed a pie filling. I was not able to find any pumpkin puree/filling from any stores, so I substituted yam for the filling (bought above). Mom placed the filling into the pie crust; the pie baked for over 50 minutes. For some reason, the pastry was extremely jiggly whenever I tested its readiness. Perhaps it had not fully set (cooled) yet and would not harden until after it was taken out of the oven...

In between the pie-checking, we peeled potatoes. Then, we mashed the starchy goodness, adding rosemary, salt, garlic, milk, and a few other simple flavors. The potatoes did not mash well (we do not possess a proper potato masher), so I suggested we use a hand mixer. What a silly thing to do! The potatoes formed a strange, gluey consistency. From the taste test, we determined that the flavor was good, though the potatoes lacked a starchy-break-in-your-mouth feeling. To add to this fiasco, I accidentally added too much water to a gravy mix. How can one fail at mixing water and powered gravy? ._.U The gravy was too thin, but we discovered the gravy was thin even if we added more powder.

During the potato-hand-mixing, Baba's side of the family arrived and marveled at our hard work. My cousins were amazed that I was in the kitchen preparing food (a first). Strangely enough, though, Baba's family admitted that they ate before coming over (they arrived around lunchtime). Who goes to a Thanksgiving meal pre-filled with food?...Probably only ultra-polite Asians?

By 1 PM, the scrumptious smells wafted around the first floor and my cousins were eager to sample our creations. By this time, I was stressed out and tired because I worried that the pie and potatoes would not work out. I thought that the effort put into the project might not be reflected by the results.

Finally, the ding of the oven signaled that the turkey was ready for consumption. We placed all the finished dishes in the center of our dining table and Baba carved the turkey for all. The other dishes were placed on the table and everyone was given a preliminary serving of turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, ham, and other dishes. To our delight, the turkey was PERFECT. We were so happy that the turkey breast was juicy and retained the right flavors. Later, we tried the homemade pastry, a yam-cheesecake-pie with the right amount of sweetness. The pie firmed enough in room temperature that it no longer jiggled; I was surprised that 'twas delectable at first taste! We all had several helpings of the dishes, then sat on our couches, defeated by the food. Photo albums came to life through narration and laughter echoed. A good time had by all. Later, everyone had a helping of pumpkin pie and some other dessert. Yummers. Baba's side of the family left around 8 PM, after my insistence at taking family photos.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the great results of our homemade dishes. The turkey was the best-tasting, most tender turkey I have ever helped to create. Many thanks to Alton Brown's Food Network video tutorial and other Food Network recipes. Mom also worked hard in the kitchen. We were able to make Thanksgiving a wonderful success this year!


Friday - Black Friday

Bro and I scanned some Black Friday ads on Thursday evening and made a list of desired items. On Friday morning, I was woken up by X's phone call at 4:30 AM...hahaha. I woke Bro and we headed out the door around 5 AM, the time most stores open...

I dropped Bro off at one of our target stores, while I went to another. I waited about 40 minutes to get into the store, found my desired items, and got into line within 5 minutes of entering. The checkout line wrapped around the store; after 40 minutes, I was able to leave the store, but waited another 30 seconds for a stampede of people to enter the store. There were two police vehicles here for maximum security.

I drove to meet Bro and walked into this other store, which had many walkways blocked by its lines of shoppers and their overweight shopping carts. Visualize the lines and amount of items in shoppers' carts at wholesale stores (i.e. Costco). Triple that and imagine several lines wrapping around a specific store. Bro and I did not find good deals, so I hunted around the store a few times, dismayed. Bro probably waited in line for 1.5 hours. We finished shopping and left to explore three more stores. At this time, it was almost 8 AM. We trudged around the stores, but after seeing the length of the lines, there was an unanimous decision to go home. We ended up not meeting with my friends that day, due to tiredness.

For the rest of that weekend, Bro and I were able to finish the Firefly series. I really enjoyed the characterization, witty dialogue, and unfortunate circumstances within the show. My favorite character on the show is probably Mal, as he has sort of an Indy-like love for adventure, with a foundation of leadership (y'all know how much I LOVE leaders ;P). The cast of mostly-Caucasians speaking Chinese is also an added bonus. I was able to teach Bro a few Chinese phrases, including "fei4 hua4" and "shuai4."

Overall, 'twas an eventful weekend.


II. On Gratitude

Through one incident in China, I learned the meaning of gratitude by experiencing its opposite. In Hangzhou, the city officials planned a fun-packed day where foreign teachers could experience the culture of the city. Because of busy teaching schedules, only moi and one other teacher represented our university. After having lunch and partaking in the splendor of Chinese calligraphy and stamp-carving, my colleague flatly told me that this tourism experience was fabricated and inauthentic. This person wanted to ditch the rest of the festivities and find some "real" culture. My colleague invited me to be a partner-in-crime, but I declined. Though I agree that the Chinese tend to embellish their historical achievements and culture for foreigners, I thought it was rude that this person would just take off in the middle of an event because of boredom, with the desire to see something more "real." It was as if the person felt no gratitude toward the city officials that planned a large-scale event for foreign teachers. This simple event created in me a desire to express my thankfulness and gratitude.

I have experienced so much in the past year, so I want to highlight some people/experiences/items I am grateful to know/have/possess:
- Family: Though I saw Baba very little in the year before 2008, I was grateful for the opportunity to spend extra time with him when I was in China. I am also thankful that Baba is doing well after an unfortunate incident. Mom, thank you for keeping in touch with me in China, being supportive of my endeavors, and cooking for me at home. Bro, thank you for your strange anecdotes, good recommendations, and overall guidance for any of my needs.
- Friends (through school): I won't mention individual names, but I am thankful to see and keep in contact with those awesome friends I know from high school and college. I am really lucky to have the chance to hang out with friends who live really close to me - thank you for making time for me! My Master's and Chinese friends - I was so humbled to be able to live in a different culture (as different as it gets when one is American) and to learn with/from you. Even rarer are those friends I know from childhood - though we do not talk much, I am glad to correspond with you.
- Toastmasters International: I have only been an official member for two months, but I feel the love. I am continually amazed by the caliber of awesomeness (enthusiasm, support) at my local club and I am always excited to learn new ideas about public speaking or life. I am tearfully glad to be part of such a high-quality club, one that pushes its members to become the best.
- China experience: I am happy to have the opportunity to live in a country where I could learn new things, investigate my heritage, spend more time with family members, travel freely, gain some worthy-to-tell-grandchildren stories (the ones they would hear one too many times), teach English and learn about the Chinese youth, earn my Master's, and become outwardly independent and fierce (though my knees may be shaking). I was also glad to have several professors' guidance in my coursework and thesis. As a whole, China 2008-2009 was truly a life-changing experience that opened my eyes to the cultures and mannerisms of the country and the adventures that lie beyond the U.S. borders.
- Work experience: I want to show gratitude for those colleagues who have given me support in my job endeavors and most recently, in my job hunt. I am also glad to have worked (or taken leadership positions) in my college days to build the experience I may need in the near future.
- My cameras throughout the years: Though one was stolen (>:/), I am glad that the others are in good condition and are working for my daily happiness. Though I can replace my cameras (and probably will in the future), the experiences my cameras have recorded will NEVER be replaced.
- This Sony laptop: Thank you for keeping me sane in China. Because of you, I was able to Skype with my family, make new friends, and complete homework. Though your battery life is low these days, I am glad that you are still alive.

Of course, there are more individuals and experiences I am thankful for - perhaps I will record some of these experiences as I get into the habit of blogging again.

In closing, according to a CNN article, those who keep a gratitude journal are happier with their lives. Such a tip could increase society's awareness of gratitude and their own role in influencing lifelong happiness.

Boxes for the Hungry

Thanksgiving is less than a week away, and even though I am unemployed, I have plenty to be thankful for. While I won't get into the specifics of my gratitude yet, I want to relay a short, but meaningful experience I had today.

With my Toastmasters group, I volunteered to pack boxes of food for the needy in an assembly line. My experience included the adrenaline rush that comes from working under pressure - two straight hours of fast-paced can-placing, box-taping action. Hardcore, considering that the speed required one to think on his or her feet (when items required placement reorganization) and quick adaptability (when processes were modified). I worked at the end of the assembly line and strategically used my arms and hands to fold box tabs. With an average rate of one second per folded box, I worked cohesively with those wielding tape dispensers. In this experience, feelings can express my residual excitement, but only concepts can express a few of the ideas running through my head at the time.

During those 120 minutes, the spirit of volunteerism, along with blood, flowed through my body. In my 21+ years of existence, I must regretfully admit that I had never done a good deed that would benefit the needy, low-income, and homeless. However, today's event highly resonates with one event in my childhood. When I was young, my family was not so well off, as we were recent immigrants to the United States. My parents actually used a food bank service a few times and we were able to get some canned vittles, not unlike the ones packed at today's event. I remember feeling joy when my mom brought back random cans of meat and vegetables and wondering where such wonderful food originated. I suppose the mystery of food bank distribution was solved today.

As I attempted to focus on my work, my eyes barely adjusted to the momentum of the assembly line, but my hands were able to work fast. From moving on the assembly line runway to flying through the air on a wooden pallet, the boxes full of peanut butter, condensed milk, canned fruit and vegetables, cereal, rice, and juices traveled closer to their new homes. Packing boxes truly warmed my heart; I became enthused at the prospect of being able to put a little of myself into the resultant happiness of the satiated. I felt unified with the assembly line team because we worked for one goal - to organize final products that give the needy hope and resources to survive a frosty holiday. Our team of 50+ people (for the last shift) averaged about a pallet (30 boxes) every one to two minutes. I wonder the number of pallets our team contributed to the entire food bank project, though I saw a final number of about 20,000 boxes (three shifts, over five different organizations).

My ruminations led me to daydream about economics and leadership subjects of yore. Nerdy? Yes. First, I pondered about the efficient and inefficient amounts of people on a marginal product curve. If there are eight products to be placed in the box, with one person taping and another person stacking boxes on the pallet, only a minimum of ten people are needed for the assembly line (not counting the forklift drivers). With many sets of assembly lines, longer lines, and more products to pack, more people are needed, though the amount of efficiency reaches an apex when no more people can be added to the line without causing the line to slow down. For example, the line reaches the maximum number of people with too many double roles (people packing the same cans) or with a scarcity of tools or machinery (such as tape). Placing extra people and squeezing them into empty spots will only make the assembly line more crowded. Luckily, such inefficiency rarely happened today, though many volunteers dealt with tape-roll malfunction.

Next, I thought about intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is a desire from within to accomplish a task. The opposite is extrinsic motivation, a desire to accomplish tasks coming from external sources, such as money or other material triggers. While I admit that getting free refreshments and an awesome green t-shirt (to match with my buddies) were good incentives to participate, I was also driven by two concepts of intrinsic motivation - camaraderie and the high that comes from doing a good deed. I felt the development of close-knit bonds when I worked with a team to accomplish a common goal that would positively affect many lives (as opposed to volunteering for a private company, where the work would only benefit the employees).

Finally, I contemplated the idea of piecework. Piecework usually refers to an assembly line, where the workers are paid per product that they help to create - the more products they put together, the higher their pay. The opposite of piecework has something to do with salaries or hourly work - you are paid one amount per time frame, no matter how little you do for an organization. There's some conflict between the two because the piecework model causes a person to work harder and take fewer breaks, which may not be a healthy practice, while giving an hourly rate or yearly salary does not encourage a worker to be productive at all times, as he does not receive more money for more effort for the time worked (excluding bonuses). Those effective in a piecework setting are probably more inspired by extrinsic motivation (money), while those effective in a salaried setting are probably more inspired by intrinsic motivation (the feeling of doing a good job).

In total, today's simple, but significant, experience gave me much to think about - not only did it inspire me to give back to my community, but it also allowed me to see the immense power of teamwork and to revisit some fascinating undergraduate concepts. The two hours captivated me with the idea of bringing happiness through a simple donation of my time. However, I did leave with a few battle wounds, including scratches on my fingers and hands. Other casualties experienced by friends included a dirty jacket, which resulted from many accidental footsteps, as well as minor finger cuts and impending soreness from box-lifting.

If helping the less fortunate sounds alien, give the idea a try. Like an exquisite piece of Godiva chocolate, such selfless experiences should be savored and its consumption repeated. We can all add richness and happiness to our lives when we help others.

My Eleven Months - Reflection I

Reflection I: Summary of Travels

Sadly, a combination of laziness and Great Firewall blockage from China diminished my chances of writing in blogger for the longest time. However, the abundance of digital and tangible reminders of my journey (ticket stubs, brochures, Webct posts, Microsoft Word documents, Facebook messages, chat transcripts, and pictures/videos - all 10+ DVDs of them), when pieced together like a puzzle, convey the extent of fun, hard work, and adventure within Hangzhou and other regions of China.

Where did I go during these 11 months? Not only did I live in Hangzhou, Zhejiang (杭州, 浙江省), known for West Lake and for being the capital of Southern Song Dynasty (BONUS: Visited the landscape on the current 1 Yuan bill!), but I also visited, in chronological order...*deep breath*...

- Shanghai (上海) - China's metropolis

- Shaoxing, Zhejiang (绍兴, 浙江省) - hometown of Cultural Revolution author Lu Xun (鲁迅）

- Chengdu, Sichuan (成都, 四川省) - known for its pandas pre-Sichuan quake

- Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan (九寨沟, 四川省) - a national park that corresponds with America's Yellowstone National Park

- Guilin, Guangxi (桂林, 广西) - famous for its parabolic (round) mountains and water landscape combination, as well as limestone caves lit in a rainbow of colors (BONUS: Visited the landscape on the current 20 Yuan bill!)

- Suzhou, Jiangsu (苏州, 江苏) - known for its beautiful garden landscapes

- Nanjing, Jiangsu (南京, 江苏) - capital of Jiangsu and site of the Nanjing Massacre

- Zhoushan, Zhejiang (舟山, 浙江省) - a city on the eastern side of Zhejiang, which encompasses the fishing ports of Shenjiamen/沈家门 and Dinghai/定海. The Shenjiamen area is near several famous islands, including Putuoshan/普陀山 (one of the four Buddhist mountains in China), Taohua Dao/桃花岛 (a smaller island with many beautiful rocky seascapes), and Zhujiajian/朱家尖 (an area known for its beaches and sand-sculpture competitions).

- Guangzhou, Guangdong (广州, 广东) - "Five Rams City" near the Pearl River

- Zhongshan, Guangdong (中山，广东) - site of artifacts from opium war, as well as the hometown of Sun Yat-sen

- Chongqing, Sichuan (重庆, 四川省) - home of Chongqing-styled spicy hotpot and take-off site of many Yangtse Three Gorges cruise ships

- Yangtse River (长江) - where China's great civilization thrived

- Yichang, Hubei (宜昌, 湖北省)- end of the Three Gorges tour, near the Xiling Gorge

- Wuhan, Hubei (武汉, 湖北省) - site of the Yellow Crane Tower (黄鹤楼), an inspiration to ancient and modern poets; also, the Battle of Red Cliffs was fought here

- Huangshan, Anhui (黄山, 安徽省) - area with many beautiful mountain-and-pine landscapes and "cloud seas" (BONUS: Visited the landscape on the current 5 Yuan bill!)

- Hong Kong (香港) - international city with a history of British colonization

Of course, one might ask, "Why didn't you go to Beijing?!" I have gone on many a China tour in the past, so I have already visited many other cities in China once before (Beijing, Xi'an, Lijiang...etc.). I also visited Thailand and Malaysia whilst overseas.

Ah...If I could relive these eleven months, I would. The time in China was precious, not only because of the new discoveries I made about myself and my new environment, but it was also time well-spent in visiting relatives and family. Not only did I teach English to university students, but I also spent much of my time studying - reading textbooks and composing documents for my Master's. It was a productive eleven months, the best 11-months of my life!

Existence of Chinese Morality?

This weekend, I went to Shanghai and experienced some UNSCRUPULOUS activities. There are two main ones I want to mention.

1) Ripping off customers, leading to lower customer trust.

My friend and I went to a tourist area called "上海老街." This area features old-style architecture coupled with multiple vendors and restaurants that allow the tourist on a budget to easily overspend. Additionally, if a tourist is not aware of how much the vendor may raise prices to raise profit margins (with disregard for how much they overcharge) or the amount of fake or cheaply-made products out there, he or she will definitely be ripped off.

A) The salesgirls working at the technology store saw me glancing at a USB drive. I was thinking of buying one at Suning, a reputable technology store in China. However, since I saw USB sticks there in Shanghai, I was thinking of getting one. The list price the lady gave me was ¥630. The Sony flash drive allegedly had 120 gigabytes of free space. The packaging seemed legit, as there were no misspellings. My friend helped me to haggle. Finally, they lowered the price to about ¥260, so I bought it. I asked them to check the product before I bought it as a security measure - the lady plugged the drive into the computer and the flash drive showed there was 119 gigabytes of free space.

After I got home, I did some research about the USB stick. I was shocked to find that the actual Sony Memory Vault is only limited to 8 gigs. Also, I did a search on the same specifications to see if anyone had bought the same product. Apparently, at this stage of time in the world, there is no flash drive technology that surpasses 8 gigabytes. I tested this 'fake' flash drive and it cannot hold more than about 2.7 gigs. After uploads of over 3 gigs on the flash drive, the files seem to be on the drive, but if you unplug the USB from the computer and plug it again, you will find that the rest of the files are corrupt. Additionally, a person said that the flash drive was modified or hacked so that it would show 119 gigs of free space when there wasn't even 1/10 that amount of space.

To add to the ridiculousness, when I first plugged the flash drive into my computer, there was a pop-up message that warned me that "doc.exe" on the flash drive might be a virus/trojan. I was shocked (to even find a file) and deleted this file. Later, my friend was going to transfer some files via my new USB stick. When she plugged it in, there was a pop-up notice saying that the USB had some data-mining program or trojan on it. I was shocked, once again, because I thought my computer had already gotten rid of the problem. I was musing to myself aloud about why this did not even happen when the sale was being made, to which my friend countered, "The computer probably didn't have a virus scanner on it."

Some things I wonder are:
- Did these salesgirls know they were ripping off customers - did they know the original purchase price per item and did they set the final retail price (¥630)?
- Did these salesgirls know they were selling FAKE products that do not actually exist in the real market?
- If these salesgirls knew these things, what were the moral implications? Did any of them feel guilty or did they think it was right to take advantage of others, since perhaps the salesgirls did not have the best of backgrounds?

B) I wanted to buy a name stamp. The salesgirl told me to look at the ones I'd like and she said she'd give me a good price. She took a look at the "retail" price posted on one really nice stamp and told me she'd give me 50% off. Retail was ¥560. I was looking at the left side of her display table and coincidentally noticed that there were prices posted for certain types of stone. She told me I didn't have to look at that, as she'd give me the price. I think I chose the ¥280 stone - was it true, then, that I bought it at the jacked-up retail price? The price percentage off that the salespeople give doesn't mean a thing - honestly, they probably just give jacked-up numbers to bring customers the sense that they are 'saving money,' when in fact they are being ripped off less. I asked if she could lower the price down to ¥200. She told me that she was already giving me 50% off because she knew I was a student and then said something about how she charges more for other people. Sigh, I bought the name stamp because I liked it, but when they carved it, the G was really strange. I'll keep the stamp as a souvenir to remind me to haggle next time, as well as use it to stamp some documents.

C) Before the Leehom concert, a man was grilling outside of the stadium. The food that he grilled looked like delicious barbequed meat. We had not eaten and decided to buy four sticks of "meat." Once we bit into the meat, most of us were aghast to find that these were not sticks of meat - they were sticks of FAT. One lucky friend actually had a few pieces of meat on her stick, but the rest of us had been tricked for ¥3 of our money!

The sense of injustice at being charged unfair prices or obtaining fake, expensive products empowers individuals. Why should a customer have to pay much more than needed? Not all tourists have money! It is especially sad to be tricked and taken advantage of by another human, but it seems that the stores that do not set prices (free market prices) are avenues for trickery, so one can just decide not to shop in those streets.


2) Petty thievery.

A) My friends and I headed to the Shanghai stadium for an awesome concert. We did not eat beforehand, leading to the above situation (1.C.). Then, I was hungry and I brought along some chestnuts. I was so hungry that I started to eat them. I had my camera hanging from my wrist and the two handles of the bags hanging from my wrist as well. I took one picture of a horned man and then within 2-3 minutes, I noticed that my camera was gone. I was freaking out and in disbelief. As some of you know how much I love photography and how much I love my camera...well, it will take me awhile to get over the disbelief and sadness. I showed my friends my wrist afterward and most agreed that it looks like the thief cut off the camera from my wrist.


It makes me wonder, what is the state of China today? With its majority of atheists, is it a wonder that some people have no morals and worry not about the emotional, financial, and LEGAL consequences of ripping people off or stealing?


What are preventative measures for these threats? Only with street smarts will a tourist survive. Here are some tips:

Shopping (in tourist zones):

- No questionable large purchases in tourist traps (unless you don't mind getting ripped off or discovering later that you bought a fake item). Make a purchase of an expensive item in a reputable store.

- If the price seems abnormally high, it is imperative for one to shop around (do not rush the buying process). Perhaps you will see what the actual prices are when you observe other people buying the same items that you want.

- Initially, give a low price that even you might think is extreme. Slowly go up, but not too far, for you don't want to pay too much.

- Do not show the salespeople how much you want the item - if you put on a face of "I don't want the item anyway," then of course you have no demand for the product. The salesperson would be more desperate to make a sale, even if it means he or she would make less profit.

- Start low, end low. Start your bid at 1/4 or 1/3 of the price. Sometimes, this upsets shopkeepers, though they may be pretending.

- Set maximum prices you'd pay for items. Do this by researching the fair market prices for each item.

Remember, most Chinese salespeople in tourist zones will bid the price up so high that one would fall off one's seat reading about people's negative experiences. In another example, my friend wanted to buy a fan and the saleslady said ¥68 initially. Later, we acted like we didn't want it and then the lady gave us fans for ¥10 each. If these prices are correct, the lady dared to drive up the price 680%. Thus, one must be cautious when buying products in the tourist zones, but one should also take a risk and bid prices down lower. Saving money in one place means there's more money to do more.


Avoiding theft

- Do not show that you have expensive items. Keep these out of sight of property predators OR if you do need to use the item, remember to keep it close to you. Hold the item in your hand - dangling it on your wrist will not keep thieves from stealing it from your body.

- Do not eat and take pictures. If your hand is busy eating and you have things on your wrist, thieves will take note and take advantage of the situation.

- Be wary of high-traffic situations and stay away from large crowds. Keep belongings close.


Hopefully, with more caution and experience (vicarious or real), one will be able to save money in tourist spots and keep valuables away from thieves.

Monkey Disease?!

Right now, I think I WOULD jump on the opportunity to be entertained, but it's difficult to want to move at all. My nose was stuffy this morning and I was suffering a little bit through my classes because I chose to read the text, instead of having the audio player do it. Now that, my readers, is what you call teacherly sacrifice.

So I have been lacking appetite for 6 days now. Since last Tuesday, I felt that every time I were to take a bite, I could not breathe and my stomach would be bloated. I did a bunch of research on monkey bites (see my teachjinglish blog) and I think I psyched myself out quite a bit. I'm going to get it checked again on Wednesday or Thursday.

Anyway...because I psyched myself out, I probably caused myself some anxiety...in actuality, a LOT of anxiety. I couldn't eat much, let alone enjoy what I ate. In fact, right now, I feel as though I am in purgatory - no reason to do anything and destined for temporary boredom. I don't want to initiate contact with friends nor talk to anyone. However, I don't really want to be alone. I really want to go to bed early, which is what I'll end up doing...I took some cold medicine a few hours ago and intend to take some more just before I sleep. I need to cover up. Even my room seems kind of chilly. My hands are already frozen over...

No hunger means no reason to eat. I did eat very little today...an exploding persimmon, some bread, and some peanuts. Slight headache...

Perhaps I will finish my blogs tomorrow when I get up...or, I might just sleep 10+ hours.

Interracial Dating?

Last time, when I was strolling the moonlit lake called Xihu, or West Lake, I noticed quite a few young interracial couples, mostly white males with Asian (probably Chinese females). And I've wondered...is it mostly because one likes one's personality, or is it because of the exoticism factor? Could it be equal, or does one dominate?

By exoticism factor, I mean, purely, LOOKS, or PHYSICAL ATTRACTION. The liking of someone who doesn't look like you because they don't look like you - they have a more exotic look, one of which you have no familiarity.

I've liked all types of guys. While I do have a physical preference, I have found many types of guys attractive. I do have that "exoticism" mentality that makes me wonder about whether our babies will be cute or not. HAHAHA. Seriously, though, I would really pursue someone because of chemistry, not just physical attraction (I'd hope the same for those who pursue me).

Still, I will wonder about this issue for a bit...and post more when I have a better answer or more observations.

My Dreams will make me RICH!

...That is, if I could write screenplays for them.

1) I was partying with Ren and Jen at some dive bar one night. After we chilled inside, we departed for the night. I drove this one car (it wasn't mine and it wasn't really rented out to me, neither - 'twas white, 80's style, with some emblems on the side). I was driving on the road when a policecar sped past me...on the wrong side of the road. I swerved to avoid it, when a car came down the road. I swerved again, only to actually crash into a police car. Then, there was a bird's eye view of this disaster and it zoomed out. A policecar or something strange came to my rescue and said I should follow it. I followed it for what seemed like...night to day. Somehow, the time and settings changed (maybe it became an entirely different dream). Anyway, I was driving a different car and chasing after that policecar-thing-or-other, when it turned left into a road, transformed and leaped over this metal fence. I stopped my car at the fence and saw that the barbed parts were covered on this side, but exposed on the other. I had to drive all the way around that fenced-in property and finally entered the front door. Interestingly enough, it wasn't locked. However, what I saw inside shocked me...

It was a playground, but not an ordinary playground. From some assumptions I made in the dream, it was a playground for child warriors. Inside, I saw a group of African kids playing on swings and other childly contraptions. As I looked closer, there were also strength-training things. And...funnily enough, I saw Kyle and Brian pushing children on the swings. I was nonchalantly walking around on this playing field, when I saw a group of locked-in children. When I made sure no one was looking, I unlocked the door to the children's jail and left the premises. End dream.

2) This dream made some sense in terms of action, but otherwise, not really. I viewed it like I would view a movie. "I" was in a household teaching English. During my off times, the children would play a galactical ball video game, where you had to strategically bounce a ball to get rid of all the bricks. In my dream, I was also signed up as an extra for a USA-channel-based movie set; when I finally walked through, I became someone else, or so I think. I became part of the movie. I was in a city-area in Europe (or wherever they have cobblestone roads) with lots of fragile, archaic buildings. There was an emergency set, where there were two men helping an injured man. Then, somehow, I got an older Indian man as a sidekick and what were we doing...driving around? I don't know why, but we went to this grassy field, though it may been a golf field because it was so nice. This was outside of the city. For some reason, we kept hearing a whistling sound. Not too long after, the camera or my 'perspective' would zoom into the source of the whistle. There were dead bodies dressed in various costumes that would be hurled from a flying thing in the sky. These bodies would land in the most opportune zones - aesthetically, that is. One would wear stripes on his left side and have his face painted; he would land in a zone that would have the exact same pattern. Quite odd.

I was running away from this blimp/flying thing that hurled dead people, until it hurled this box...this floating box that turned out to be a funky car. We escaped from this situation and he said goodbye to his daughters and family.

Eventually, I dreamt that my mom also played the game and willed herself to break all the bricks, or used some type of hack. There was some symbolic meaning of this toward the action of the 'movie' dream. After we got to the end and had a happy ending, I somehow 'willed' the turning back of time, from scene 3 to scene 1...and we were back in the beginning again. And that's how it ended. Oh, also...the lady whose children I taught English...said I was a good teacher, that she didn't know I'd be so energetic around her kids. O_o

This sounded much cooler and more epic in my head...:/