View my DNA at bighugelabs.com

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

69

I received the ad today via email, and now I'm going to fly to London just because it's so cool.






Sunday, August 28, 2005

Shades of Gray

There is no racism in China because there are no black people. There is no homophobia in China, because there are no homosexuals.

These are the responses you get if you ask a Chinese person about racism, homophobia, or other types of social biases.

The communist party eradicated gender inequality. Tibet, Xinjiang, and Mongolia are all happy to be part of China, but you have to watch yourself around them. The Tibetans are known to be scandalous and thieving. That Dalai Llama... you know he's just about to stab you in the back.

When the Chinese see a black person they refer to them as 黑人 (Black Person). They yell this in the street, it's on T.V., and they address them as such in restaurants and other public places. Every other non-Chinese is just 外国人 or foreigner. A busload of tourists stops in a public area and everyone turns and starts pointing and yelling 'foreigners! foreigners!" On a number of occasions cab drivers have failed to pick me up because I'm a foreigner. But there's no racism in China, so I'll just have to get over it.

I'm going to refer back to "Farewell My Concubine". I'm not sure if you've seen the movie, but a large part of the plot is the relationship the female character opera singer has with his male benefactor and admirer. This movie is one of the pride and joys of Chinese film. How such a large part of the movie can revolve around a homosexual relationship in a country with no homosexuals is pretty impressive.

A lot of Chinese like to tell me they're Christian. When I respond that I am not, they're shocked. "But you're American! What religion are you?" "I'm not." They don't understand, although officially nobody in China has a religion. Communism and all. Most Chinese claim to be Christian and Buddhist and any other religion you happen to mention.

There just aren't the defining lines here that exist elsewhere in the world. Nothing is black and white. Policy, beliefs, ideology are all gray. That's why Communism has 'existed' here successfully for so long. Because it's not really here at all. It never has been. "Communism" is just a term that Western culture uses to define China since definition is a necessary part of our upbringings. There is actually very little definitive about China.

Even in the language. "Yes" and "No" don't exist. There is no word for "Yes" or "No". Everything either is, or isn't. For example, a simple question like, "Have you seen this movie?" The answer is either "seen" or "haven't seen".

Even if you take something that looks as definitive as the yin and the yang, they really aren't at all. Because everything has a little yin and a little yang. Take the symbol and mix it together and all you have is more gray.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

The World on Time

I was almost run over by a FedEx truck the other day. Every time I step foot on the streets here, someone is always trying to run me down, either by a car, bike, moped, or general inconsiderate walking. I only took note of the FedEx truck because I hope whatever packages were in it actually got there in time.

Walking on the streets here I'm always confronted with near death experiences. The other day I was walking on the street when a window fell from what looked like a perfectly stable building and smashed on the sidewalk in front of me. Other times crates, dangerously piled up, have decided to fall across my path and spill into the street. Today was a new one. I was walking by a construction zone (not unusual, my neighborhood has changed 3 times since I've been here. I'm waiting to wake up one day and be in a completely new building) and some people were welding something on a building. I reached my arm to scratch my back and about three sparks flew in between the 'V' my arm created. There's nothing I can do about this. Just keep walking.

When people are new in China, they're shocked at how close I walk to traffic. I head straight into oncoming cars with no fear. If you want to get anywhere, it's the only way to do it.

I only mention this in case I meet my death by being crushed by a Haier billboard or some other untimely accident. If this is the case I want both my eulogy and epitaph to be "She knew it was coming."

I was sitting on my balcony this evening, enjoying my limited, smog filled view of the bund. There were cars honking all over the city, about seven people yelling on their cell phones 17 floors below me, some guy ringing a bell for no apparent reason, 10 televisions turned up way beyond necessary, a couple jack hammers, and about 20 other noises that could be declared the most annoying in the world. I've become numb to all of them, but when my roommates alarm went off, I couldn't stand it. I think an alarm clock must be the most annoying noise in the world. I can't stand any of them. The one set on my phone drives me crazy. Once I was in Brookstone and one of their alarms went off. I ran around the store trying to find the source and shut it up.

It's the little things you have to worry about.

Sunday, August 21, 2005

End of the World

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Friday, August 19, 2005

My New Job

I got this email this morning:












Dear Kathryn,


Did you know that your particular skills and interest in a career with the government could serve you well in the U.S. Naval Reserve?


As someone who works in the government sector, you know the pride that comes from serving your community, your state or your country. In the Naval Reserve, you can extend your service to include helping to safeguard your country's citizens and protect its shores. In exchange for your dedication and part-time commitment, you will gain unique, career-enhancing skills and leadership abilities and receive countless benefits and rewards


One of the greatest benefits of joining our force is that you won't have to sacrifice your personal life to serve. Your training sessions will almost always be with the Naval Reserve unit located closest to your home.


Click here to see some of the many opportunities available to you in the Naval Reserve. Or, if you would like a Naval Reserve representative to contact you directly, click here.




My real name is Kathryn btw. Nicole is just some alias I was given at birth.

Maybe I'll consider it. As long as I don't have to sacrifice my personal life to serve and my sessions will always be with the Naval Reserve closest to my home (is that Taiwan?), it could be okay. Ha.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

nylon stockings

I know I've been MIA for the past week. No, I haven't dug a hole to America, but one of my oldest and dearest friends came to visit for a week. I was hoping we'd both end up in a different country, but alas, it appears as though I'm still in China and he's moved on back to the union.

It was his first time in China. He doesn't really do third world so we tried to avoid that as much as possible. It pretty much impossible to avoid bicycles and people spitting and peeing on the streets here, but we took as many cabs as possible. We went up to Beijing last weekend. According to my friend, they are not ready for the Olympic games and never will be. Sorry HJ. Beijing really is a shithole though. When we flew in we couldn't see the city until we were 10 feet above it because the pollution was so bad. Cab drivers wouldn't pick us up because we're white, or standing in the wrong place, or because they are fucking assholes. It was very, very hot and the BJ doesn't believe in AC. All the good bars have been ripped down and replaced with shopping centers and all the shopping centers suck. There's too much government and bureaucracy and the expats are all big China losers who think they're better than Shanghai expats.

The duck is good though. I do like my Peking duck. But I've been told I can get that in Shanghai, so hopefully I'll never have to leave this city again.

We also went up to the Great Wall. The most useless manmade piece of architecture in the history of the world. And it resembles Disney Land. But it's really old and exploitable and therefore interesting. I think I disillusioned a couple from the Philippines who had us take their picture.

"This is a once in a life time experience!"

"Actually, this is my seventh time here."

I've since realized that was a lie. It was only my sixth. But hey, everyone who comes to China wants to see the Wall. I wish it was similar to the experience Pink Floyd creates, but it's not. It's good, but it's not that good.

Anyway, the part of the wall we went to was a part I've never been to before. It was cool because it had a toboggan ride from the wall back to the parking lot. It was really unsafe and rickety and a lot of fun. I enjoyed my historic, Great Wall, toboggan experience.

Anyway, we got back to Shanghai as quickly as the night train could carry us with only a three-day stomachache to show for Beijing. Goddamn duck.

There's a magnetic levitation (maglev) train that runs from a subway stop to the airport in Shanghai. It's the fastest train in the world, and since I had never ridden it before I decided to escort my friend to the airport for the ride. It was fun. You kind of had a rush afterwards. 30k in 8 minutes. I think our top speed was 431 kph. Not bad. It's really fast and at times you’re on about a 55-degree angle with the ground. And the train isn't even on tracks, it floats the entire way. Too bad the Chinese still managed to fuck it up by connecting it to the most inconvenient subway station in the city and having it only run from 8-5:30 (not a time when most international flights arrive and take off from Shanghai.)

So anyway, as I was waiting to get on the Maglev for the airport I overheard a blond American chick ask if 'this one went to the airport?' (There are only two stops, the subway station and the airport.) This made me promptly not miss America at all and realize why I'm not there. However, on the way back to the subway station I watched a fat little Chinese kid wearing mid-calf nylon stockings run in circles and bang a half-empty plastic water bottle against his head while his mother took about a minute to gather all the phlegm and spit and mucus and saliva in her mouth before forcefully spitting it in the ashtray. My options of Yankee Doodle and Doodle Dipshits aren't the greatest choices I've had in life.

As I was helping my friend check in I made a comment that I was jealous he was leaving all this. His response was, "But you love it here." I found that extremely depressing for a number of reasons. I really am a masochist.

If I had more money I would have just jumped on any of the other flights leaving while I was there. Frankfurt, Manila, and Tokyo were just a credit card swipe away.

But I'm still here. In Shanghai, in the PRC, and someone bought the apartment next to ours and is renovating the entire inside. I wake up to saws and hammers every morning (7:20 this morning!), and on my way to the elevator I step over Chinese construction workers sleeping in the hallway.

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

friendster message



Hi, I am a chinese who is working in Shenzhen,

Message:
Hi, I am a chinese who is working in Shenzhen,
China. I work for an internet company as marketing
and operating director. I like to make more friends
from all over the world. I like playing football and
tennis ball and Karaokay. Communicating with
friends is a great joy to me. Would you like to be
my friend? We can exchange opnions on
marketing and cooperation management, we also
can talk about economic and chinese tarde. To
me, it is also a good way to practice my english.

Larry Liu's Blog

Saturday, August 06, 2005

social light

I have now reached the pinnacle of society. Yes, yes, that's right. My smiling face has appeared in the Shanghai social pages. Pages normally reserved for head's of state, celebrities, royalty, and now me. As far as I can tell, I no longer have to go on living because my life can't get any better than it is right now. I might as well retire my socialite position, move to the suburbs, consider the galleria a cultural event, and start contributing to the overpopulation of the world.

No, it's alright though. I bumped into a friend of mine who told me about it last night. Yes I did decide to go out. Sure driving was a little dangerous, and we were hydroplaning the entire way, but if you're not willing to take risks in life, why bother living? Also, I was thirsty. So for the past couple days I've been published and I didn't even realize it. Amazing. It's a good picture too, I'm wearing a cute top and everything.

Anyway, I must depart for brunch now. I can't keep my fans waiting.

Friday, August 05, 2005

台风

I am actually sitting in the middle of a typhoon as I write this. Typhoon Matsa is sweeping across Shanghai as I type. It's pretty exciting. I've never been in a typhoon before. I was out celebrating a friend's birthday last night on a rooftop restaurant when it hit. The restaurant is under glass, so it was really neat to see the rain slamming into the sides and all around. Until it started coming in and getting us wet. Then we had to move, and eventually leave and go to the secret entrance bar again. But that closed early because there was a wedding there today, which I really think takes away the whole secret aspect. Don't worry though, I got my fill of typhoon cocktails to steady my nerves.

Typhoon in chinese is 台风 (taifeng), which literally means 'platform wind'. You got to love the Chinese. I originally thought that was just a phonetic translation from a Japanese word but apparently I'm wrong:

The history of typhoon presents a perfect example of the long journey that many words made in coming to English. It traveled from Greece to Arabia to India, and also arose independently in China, before assuming its current form in our language. The Greek word tuphōn, used both as the name of the father of the winds and a common noun meaning “whirlwind, typhoon,” was borrowed into Arabic during the Middle Ages, when Arabic learning both preserved and expanded the classical heritage and passed it on to Europe and other parts of the world. Ṭūfān, the Arabic version of the Greek word, passed into languages spoken in India, where Arabic-speaking Muslim invaders had settled in the 11th century. Thus the descendant of the Arabic word, passing into English (first recorded in 1588) through an Indian language and appearing in English in forms such as touffon and tufan, originally referred specifically to a severe storm in India. The modern form of typhoon was influenced by a borrowing from the Cantonese variety of Chinese, namely the word taaîfung, and respelled to make it look more like Greek. Taaîfung, meaning literally “great wind,” was coincidentally similar to the Arabic borrowing and is first recorded in English guise as tuffoon in 1699. The various forms coalesced and finally became typhoon, a spelling that first appeared in 1819 in Shelley's Prometheus Unbound.

Wow, gun powder, paper, noodles, and now typhoons. What can't the Chinese do?

I was actually supposed to be in America for my cousin's wedding this weekend, but then I would have missed the typhoon. But congratulations Ben and Natalie, hope you had an amazing, typhoon-free ceremony. Wish I were there.

I was actually totally in the dark that a typhoon was headed my way. I was walking around on Friday thinking that it was a pretty windy day and then a friend of mine clued me in. Also, the Koreans were on top of it. Typhoon sounds the same in Korean as well. So anyway, I'm stuck in my house today because I don't like the wind, and I don't want to get wet, and you know, there’s a typhoon out there. They aren't kidding when they say torrential rains. Water is streaming down my windows right now, and I live on the 17th floor. I may study, or just stare at the wall for the rest of the day. I haven't really decided.

So anyway, that's where I'm at. Wish me luck.

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

toolings

I used to have a thing against the French. I remember realizing one day that I had visited France more than any other country and being completely horrified. I no longer have a huge problem with France, but I did get a similar appalling feeling the other day when it occurred to me that I have now lived in China longer than any other country. Except America of course.

A couple years ago I had a family holiday in upstate New York. It was at one of those resort-type places where there is a set schedule of activities, like in Dirty Dancing. Anyway, it was as exciting as family vacations can be. All I really remember from it was some game involving a racquet and net that wasn't ping-pong or tennis and I didn't play it anyway b/c I had too much of an attitude, some misunderstanding concerning a massage, expensive phone calls, and a lot of scrabble. Oh, and apparently toolings is a word.

Anyway, I relive that vacation every day. I play a version of scrabble with my Korean kids. We wrote a bunch of letters on pieces of paper. Only they get to choose 20 letters each, and everyone can see each other's pieces, and you can swap letters with other people. Which should make this the easiest game in the world, but some problems still arise. I try to keep it challenging by only taking 10 letters for myself and not swapping. So I end up with a lot of Zs, Qs, and Xes. Also I have to pick specific letters to make a word from to keep the game spreading and prevent it from bunching in one corner. And the word has to be long and easy enough (so toolings is out of the question.) But it's all right. They seem to like it. I'm personally never going to play scrabble again, but that's just what I got out of it.

I went to this really cool bar last night. You need to know a secret combination to get in the door, and once inside it's fucking amazing. I was drinking from test tubes all night. I woke up this morning a bit hung over, which isn't unusual. If I didn't work with children I'd be drunk all the time. Anyway, I put on my sunglasses and headphones as I do every day. I walked outside and felt a bit off only to realize it was raining. When you live in your own little world you forget about the outside.