Getting off the train

We went for another difficult hike yesterday. With 30 something celcius temperature, 90% humidity and hazy smoggy air.... The first few hundred steps were really tough. The air was so thick that I felt I had problem to breath properly. The sun was beating down on us, we all sweated much that the perspiration running down like small streams on our backs, necks and arms. The heat was most unbearable. My whole body felt heat coming out from inside and I was really worried if the heating sensation doesn't go away soon, I might be about to explode any second. We took a break every 500 steps, not until we reach the 1500 steps mile stone did the alarming situation was remedied.

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I alwasy tried to avoid contact with strangers in subway, never tried to get on a very crowded cart and so on. However, it seems unavoidable not to touch anyone when getting off the train. People tend to rush in and not letting the passengers off the train first.

I understand that's because people in the waiting area are pushed by those standing behind them. Of course, getting on the train first means a better chance of getting a seat. However, I still couldn't bear those who won't let me off the train first and almost want to hit them. Oh well, I never actually hit anyone but I hold my laptop bag in in front of me, and the elbow protruded outward. I guess I "accidentally" hit a guy really hard with my elbow in his chest this morning when defending my way out of the train. I think his face twisted a bit and I walked away the scene as fast as I can.....

Myth of Slogan

In Chinese world, you can see many many slogans in every day life. In Subway station, there are words telling you how well the station staff are politically educated, for example, "Designed and Operated for the People, Efficient and Advanced". Or "No Spitting in the Subway". On the street, you can see "Enforcing Laws without Tolerance" or "Building the Civilised Society". Interesting as if people behave better if they are reminded of what they are supposed to do (or what the government think they should do). We Chinese do believe in the power of words in any banner.

I have heard that there is a slogan saying "It is illegal to rob a police car".

Life of A Consultant

The Crystal Report Master, Alvaro, once commented that consultant doesn't have life when traveling so he/she could work abnormal hours to kill time.

This is definitely not true for our system engineer. One night, he was so bored that he called his driver (who takes care of his transportation in Beijing) to have dinner with him. Gee, that's really a creative thinking.

Hair Disaster

I had my punk rock chick style hair do two weeks ago. Every one thinks it is very nice but myself. I hate the spiky drag lock sticking out from my head in every direction. Cute? Maybe, but it is really not my style.

I hate it very every bit of my heart so I decided to fix it up on Saturday. I thought this is the simplest operation a hair dresser can do (plus I don't want to embarrass my hairdresser), so I walked into a no-name beauty salon and asked them to straighten it. It all went alright except the result was a complete disaster.

My hair was so soft and straight that it lacks the flexibility so they all limping on my head (not the best shape, either). I looked like I am wearing a hat. I spent a whole day worrying about it, thinking what I can do. Pretty much nothing. I was anxious, worried, cannot think of eating. It is amazing how a simple hair cut can affect your emotion.

I went back to the same beauty salon where I got my drag-lock done. Well, it is really embarrassing. I think my hairdresser must try very hard to refrain himself from laughing and try very hard to look sympathetic. Well, at least we can finally get the problem fixed.

Most Prestige Place

On Friday evening, Wei called me up to see if I am to join them to a night clue. Not quite a clubing person I am but I feel obliged to go. It is kinda shameful to be found out being alone at Friday night. Wei's friend from Taiwan works in this newly open club as a DJ and we are planning to throw him a vist.

My colleagues wore this subtle smile while they overheard where I am going. To my dismay, the very same location has the most famous KTV loundge in Beijing. It is famous because the loundge provides girls with the highest qualities, it is also the most expensive. It turns out the night club we are going is right next to the KTV loundge. The place is filled with middle-age, puff-belly business men. Interesting, they must come from the next door to have some fresh air.

We were sitting at the bar, chatting. And there are some very handsome women walking about, talking to men, and the number of people lingering around the bar decreasing. Those girls are of very good quailities, no kidding. I was told later that the KTV loundge got so famous that they no longer need to supply pretty, English-fluent, colleage graduates anymore.

Guess it is very common for business man to have fun that way in China. No matter you are with a group or staying in a hotel alone, you can always find something. Or it is everywhere and I have not be exposed to that side of the world? That is how brotherhood are built in between business makers? By going to the entertainment places and flirt with girls? Perhaps, I cannot imagine those talking about Peak Oil or C++ programming.

Stockings

This is another very interesting scene in Beijing. Women are sometimes wearing skin-tone, ankle-length stockings with sandals, heels, running shoes, slippers.

How strange the nylon is not comfortable, in a way, I think the cotton socks are more supiror in obsorbing sweat and provide traction. Ah-Ha! It must be of asthetic reason. However, it is so easy to see the supposingly invisible stocking because of the bends.

That is very puzzling.

Hiking With HongXia's Family

HongXia, her husband and RuanShuan. We went for a hike in Xiang Mountain on Saturday.... It is almost 600 meter high and 2,300 steps to the top. The humidity was high but it was quite enjoyable.

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It is very interesting to see toddlers in China wearing a sort of pants, which are wide open at the bottom. Kids can easily squat and do their business without the hassle to pull down anything. You can see a mother holding baby, with it facing her chests, whose rear ends are exposed to the general public though this type of pants.

Sometimes you can also catch a glimsp of 2 or 3 year old weeing at side of the road. I actaully feel quite embarrassed and withdraw from it immediately.

I have nothing against this but I just thought, perhaps it is a good thing to grow the sense of privacy and diginity by a habit of peeing in a covered space at young age. Well, who am I to make this conclusion? Being private is more civilised?

However, just to be fair, we can see the open-air urinals in London as well. Alcohol inflated bladders are definitely heavier than privacy.

Walking Marriage

In the Yuan-Nan province, south west of China, close to the boarder of Cambodia and Thai, there is a monority group, in which the mothers are in charge of the duty of growing and maintaining the family lines.

A mother is the head of a household, the family members are of childrens and elders. Men are only a tools of reproduction. A woman can have many husbands, however, the wife-husband bonding is lose. A man sneaks in to the woman's house at night and leaves by dawn. Childrens were born without accurate knowlege of their biological fathers.

It is said that this minority group has no writing script and it is hard to figure out why is this custome. But possibly the whole village are somhow related by blood, a way of building connection with each other so they can survive as a whole?

I am more curious about the iron-will women. How do they deal with jealousy and anger, all that kind of emotion when seeing her man sleeping around? By taking the revenge of making many lovers stay overnight in her house? What if there is a woman who is very popular and one is not? Do they treat each other fairly?

Sore Throat

I hesitate to write about this topic for quite a while. What is the difference between Beijing inhabitants' breathing systems amongst other cities? In Beijing, you can hear the clearing thoat sound everywhere. I think it is most ubiquteous when walking on the street. But occasionally, you can hear it in workplaces (remember the toilet door is always wide open?) or in the restaurants.

It is the rumbling sound from deep throat, slowly coming up to the behind of the month. And inevitably, a spitting follows. It is so interesting that people make almost identical sounds regardless the age and gender. A very well-dressed woman walking in front of you could turn her beautifully make-up head and spit right before your toes.

I am only afraid of being hit by the spitting bomb.

Eye shadow

I have my hair cut very short, I am not very used to it because the haircut makes me look too modern. This morning I decided to apply some dark brown eye shadow to go with my new hair style and then some people think I had a lousy sleep last night because my eyes look swallon...

I hurried to the lady's to take it off.

American Born Chinese

Very cute salt and pepper containers
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They are very interesting species. If you remember the 4 girls from Joy Luck Club, despite their different mothers, they all think, behave, or even look similar. I can identify ABCs among real Chinese quite easily. Most have very healthy appearance, nice skin, shining white teeth. They speak fluent English and strange-tone Mandarin. They think like westerners, although brought up in Traditional Chinese families. The young ABCs are bright, never shy away from any possiblity of having fun. Very confident, I guess it is because the western education system praises the individualism highly. It is so unthinkable for them to place a single thread of doubt in their values as an individual (But I do that all the time... ).

The old ABCs are more modest, I guess it is the aging process makes them wonder what they actually are. Generally, they are mild, earnest, well-eduated with not-so-distinguishable personalities, just like average American. But somehow you have no desire to know more about him/her due to the fear of finding out the fact they are all the same?

Beijing is like a big play ground for them. Most work for multinational company, as the bridge between the US headquater and the virgin market in China. Foriegn companies need them, they are more reliable and controllable comparing to the locals. US salary makes them the elite group, they all hire maids to clean their flats. The circle of expats is so small that you see the same faces (differnt girls though) over and over again in different clubs, where no real conversation is carried out and the mixture of green tea/whisky is served. I wonder how they keep their sanity with the same activity on weekly basis.

I guess I can be friend with them if I can tell who is who?