Aw-k-ward

Alvin and I decided to go out to a rice restaurant right outside our apartment the other day. We saw that it might rain, so we brought our umbrella. It hardly rains in this city except very rarely in August.

When we left our building, it was lightly raining. In one minute, the weather changed to pouring. It was a little windy, so our pants were getting soaked. We were only about 5 minute walk away from our apartment, but we went for the first shelter, the atm area at the bank. This atm area is indoors and is a small room that can fit about 10 people.

This room already had about 6 people in it waiting out the rain. Alvin and I were in the back of the room, while everyone else was at the glass door looking out. As we were waiting, another guy runs into the room. A girl, who was already there, starts telling him that he didn't have to come. They were talking for about 5 minutes, but then I noticed that the crowd around them started backing away. I didn't think much about it, but 30 seconds later, the girl bursts. At first you didn't notice, but then she starts getting louder and louder, and she starts shaking because she is crying uncontrollably. She was actually very loud.

What I gathered from her monologue is that she just broke up with her boyfriend, (not the guy that was there), and her mom is mad at her. The whole place is silent, and we are all pretending we are unaware what is happening, but honestly we are all stuck in a cramped room, and this lady is not being private about her private life. Very aw-k-ward. The guy, not knowing what to do, and probably aware that everyone is feeling awkward, is just patting her shoulder. More aw-k-ward.

This situation lasted for five minutes, and then the rain subsided a little. Alvin and I took that time to escape from the awkwardness and run out to dinner. We both had a little laugh at the weird situation.

Split Pants

I have gotten one present from the butcher's wife here, one of my local friends. She has officially given my baby his/her first pair of split pants. She gave me four of them.

My question is, which side is the front? Do you think it is the pair on the right or the pair on the left that is supposed to face the front?

Ex-Pat Baby Shower

Last month, some ex-pats threw three of the pregnant foreign women a baby shower. It was fun, and very pretty. I also found out from many of the non-American attendees, that they have never been to or seen a baby shower before. We played some silly games, ate food,and opened presents. The three pregnant women basically received diapers, wipes, and lots and lots of Johnson's baby shampoo (since they sell that at our local grocery market). The big topic of conversation was where to find suitable diapers and which brand here is the best. They do have Pampers here, but what I found out is that not all Pampers diaper styles are created equal.

Thanks to all the hosts and for letting me attend my first international baby shower.

Internet Paradise

A friend just moved into the apartment near us, and was asking us how the internet speed is in the complex. He moved from 10 minutes away, and his internet used to be slow. He asked, "can you stream videos here?" Alvin and I laughed, "haha, stream video, yeah right!" You see, if we were to stream an hour video from YouTube or Hulu, it would take 4-6 hours to watch that show. We laughed all the way when we walked back home.

But then we thought, "oh wait, is there a place in the world where people can actually stream video without it buffering every 5 seconds? It must be paradise"

Pregnancy No-Niu (Chinese word for cow)

A couple weeks ago, I found out another pregnancy rule. Pregnant women should not see pregnant cows. The sight of a pregnant cow will take away the woman's ability to produce milk.

This would not be a rule that you need to remember often, but it just so happened that I was out in the countryside and I met a pregnant cow. The owner of the cow quickly ran outside and informed me that I needed to go inside because this cow was pregnant. My friend then explained the rule.

Hmm, I did not know that. So here is the picture of the pregnant cow.

Warning! If you are pregnant, look at this picture at your own risk.

Surprise Skype Baby Shower

On Saturday morning, Alvin and I had a scheduled Skype call with a friend in Los Angeles. As we started talking to my friend, all of a sudden Alvin hands me an invitation. It was an invitation to my surprise Skype baby shower. Six of my girlfriends in LA gathered together at my friend's house to throw a shower for me. They have been arranging with Alvin the logistics and sent a couple of packages. So Alvin led me into the baby room where he set up a display of food and decorations. The girlfriends sent the same food and decorations they were having at their party. They also sent some presents and so I had the opportunity to talk with each girl individually as I opened their present.

It was very touching and thoughtful; as I ate the dips and popcorn, I felt like I was there at the party. I really enjoyed the time with the girlfriends and it was an extra special time with them all.

School Project

Sometimes as foreign students, we get asked to do random things which, possibly because of the language barrier, we unwittingly agree to do. About two weeks ago, I got asked by our school administrators to learn to play and sing a song in Chinese to represent our school of international students. I agreed.

Later, I found out that the song needed to be recorded and shot on video, and that the video would be submitted to some national talent competition for schools with international students, showing off these students' embrace and learning of Chinese culture. Some show off their Chinese calligraphy. Others read Chinese poetry. Some perform classical Beijing opera.

But for me and one of my classmates here at the school... we decided we would cover a popular song by Jay Chou. Jay Chou, if you don't know, is super-popular in China. He recently also starred as Kato in The Green Hornet.

So here it is. 简单爱 ("Simple Love") by Jay Chou:



If you're interested in the lyrics translated, the Jay Chou Lyrics Blog has them. Personally, I think the lyrics seem a bit strange when translated into English. ("I want to watch baseball with you" and "I want to take you to my grandma's house" for some reason sound perfectly fine in Chinese, but sound kind of hokey in English)

Oh yeah, if our competition entry gets selected for the next round, we apparently get to perform live on some stage in Beijing. I'll keep you posted, but I think it's highly unlikely.