que pasa

Facebook blocked in China.  UGH.  Just as I was having fun with the status updates...

I remember there was one time in college when we had this heat wave during the month of May.  And my roommate and I decided to have this little contest going in our small group where people could submit their entries to us by completing the sentence "It's so hot that..." and there would be a prize for the winner with the best line.

Not in college anymore, but it sure is ridiculously hot and humid right now in Shanghai.  Summer has really arrived.  It's nasty.   So anyway, here are few of my own entries this time round:

It's so hot that...

... even sitting down in my apartment makes me sweat

... 7-eleven has become a place to hang out (because of the cold a/c)

... people are walking around with grimaces on their faces

... I plan my walking route to the subway via the "coolest" path i.e. the places with the most a/c

... I keep moving so that I generate some draught to cool of my sweat

... at 6pm, it is already dark because of the grey clouds looming overhead and they look like they're gonna burst with rain

Well, irritatingly enough, ãlmost 3 hours later, it still hasn't poured like I thought it would.  Instead we're getting this nonsense super-light drizzle that is doing nothing to alleviate the humidity and heat.  LET IT POUR PLS!

I've started making daily walks to the park nearby during my lunch hour to just sit and be quiet for a while.  Helps with thinking about work stuff, getting some sun/fresh air (if the air in shanghai can be considered that). 

The first time I went there a month ago, I was telling myself what a wonderful pitch it was for ultimate.  Grass is thick and soft, pitch is flat.  The only problem was the fact that it's kinda oddly shaped, and has these lamp posts in the middle (because there's this concrete walkway in the middle).  But I figured we could play around it.

To my dismay, last week, the powers-that-be have moved in these STUPID COWS.  I have no beef with cows (pun intended :p) but it's so sad to see these huge bronze cows sitting in the pitch.  They're killing the grass underneath them and they don't look that great anyway.  I know this park is called "Sculpture Park" but surely you don't have to put ugly sculptures in them and effectively prevent good utilization of the field? 

Anyway, here they are, well, 3 of 5 of them at least.

Got to throw some frisbee yesterday which was great.  Hoping weather will warm up so that can play more.  So glad I finally found a few people who want and know how to play, but not in the hardcore way.  Apparently spring in Shanghai is short-lived, but this funky fluctuating weather is truly bizarre.

Had an interesting conversation yesterday with F, who was throwing with me.  She too is in Shanghai for a certain time and will be leaving in a few months.  She commented that especially for people like us who are transient in a city, Papa meant for us to be here so that we could meet certain people, have certain conversations, and do certain things.  I was thinking that perhaps she feels this to be especially the case because she came here for non-commercial reasons. 

I've been frustrated at work again lately.  The way I feel right now, I told Papa last night, show me those people, let me have those conversations, do those things and get me out of here. 

...I just want to scream.

People at work are driving me crazy. 

AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I used to get quite frustrated at lousy or slow drivers back home. I figured since I don't drive in China I shouldn't get mad at drivers anymore, but I do.  

Drivers here have no respect for pedestrian rights.  I was honked at the other day by this driver who was turning even though I was crossing at the traffic light when the green man was on.  Drivers, motorcyclists, electric scooterists have run red red lights without caring for pedestrians.  I have been thisclose to a moving bus, more than once.

You know that saying, "Look right, look left, and right again," (depending on which side of the road you drive) when before crossing the road?  Over here, it's look right, left, right, left, right, left... until you finish crossing the road.  Else you might find a vehicle sharing the same space on the road as you one day by no fault of yours.  

I don't like that my first reaction is to curse the irritating driver who pisses me of on my way to work.  The first words out of my mouth each day really shouldn't be so awful.  I'm going to have to work on that, but really, did these people really bribe their driving test instructor??!?!  Argh.  

The only drivers who don't behave badly on the road are those driving expensive cars, because their cars are probably valuable enough that the damage/expenses incurred from knocking someone down...

Woke up this morning to sound of drilling going on at 830am.  Mind you, on a saturday morning.  Happens on sunday mornings too.  Been like that for the past month.  It's the weekend, can't I sleep in?!?!?  Surely people should have some respect for weekends.  Start at 11am at least, sigh.

Couldn't ignore it.  Rolled out of bed.  Did tons of laundry and then went to work.  Been working every night and weekend for goodness knows how long.  Intray piling up faster than I can clear.  It's probably better that the drilling woke me to get me going.

Was at cell group today.  I was rather out of it as Papa seemed to be drawing my attention to something else from what the speaker was saying.  Felt that my priorities are quite out of whack.  How did things turn out like this?  I don't know if I can make the necessary adjustments.  But I got the message.

We had (belated) thanksgiving dinner and hung out after that, which was really fantastic actually.  Seriously good laughs.   I will miss them when they've gone home for christmas.  I'm so thankful for them.

Wonder if there will be drilling tomorrow morning.  Maybe don't need to set alarm anymore. 

Wow, I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden my apostrophies have gone screwy.  I just corrected this month's and last month's posts.  I could have sworn they didn't look like that before. 

Argh, hate cleaning up!

So in all the infinite wisdom of the local electricity power board, they have decided to cut off all power supply to my place from 0800 to 2130 today. Today – Tuesday, 30 October 2007, a working day, during working hours. Something about fixing/upgrading the power cable.

So the staff have the day off and will come back on Saturday to make up for it. Meanwhile I am in quite a situation because there is no power at home AND at work so it means I can’t be at either place. That sucks. Considering my life at the present moment comprises my home and my work, and that all my friends are working - as they should be on a working day during working hours.

Yes, I’m upset. Well, kinda and yet not really. I had good reason to sleep to noon today. That totally rocked. Of course that’s going to kill my sleep pattern but who cares. How often do you get to sleep to noon on a work day and not feel guilty for it?

Anyway, I’m at a western café opposite my place and they have free wireless internet so that works for me. It feels a little strange not to be following my usual routine on a work day, and this isn’t my weekend routine either. I blame the power board for messing up my schedule…

I’m seated by the window and I’ve seen a few people walk their rat dogs by me. I feel so tempted to run out and punt those dogs but logic tells me that I shouldn’t. Because they wouldn’t fly very far since they’re still on leash.

We have new cabs on the street. The authorities have approved the increase in supply and Volkswagen has secured the deal so now we have a new fleet of green Volkswagen cabs on the street. Not dark emerald green, more like a brighter green with a silverfish tinge to it. The old cabs were just bright green or bright blue with yellow trimmings. The new Hyundai cabs remind me of baby whales in the sense that they’re not big cars (compared to the rest on the streets) but their shape is kinda whal-ish. The drivers of the new cabs also seem to be less reckless but maybe that’s the way with drivers of all new cars.

I’ve been watching people walk up and down the road outside this café. They don’t seem to be in any particular rush. I can’t tell if they’re on work errands or not because they’re all dressed so casually and don’t seem to be in any rush. I’m convinced that this is as fast as life goes in Chengdu. You can’t make them move any faster unless they’re trying to catch a bus.

Hmm, this guy just rode a motorbike up to the diner. Quite cool because I think his is the first motor bike I’ve seen in my time here. People seem to be more into bicycles and electric scooters. But his a real motorbike… with a rumble too. A foreigner who speaks Chinese. But he is seated too far away and I’m not in the mood to go up to talk to strangers just for the sake of making a new friend. Okay, he just took of his helmet. I stand by my decision… because he’s not cute. Besides, I’m not into bikes, it was just nice to see something different.

Have arranged to go for a massage tonight seeing as my friend also has no power at home. Yay. She too is suffering from the long power outage at home.

Five and a half more hours before I can go home. Time to do some work.

P.S. The staff is putting carved out pumpkins and decorations. It's Halloween tomorrow people!  What will you be?

When I wrote the previous piece “When you just don’t wanna hear” I actually wasn’t writing about myself.  But it’s funny how life throws you curve balls, ain’t it?  I’m in the dumps now. 

It is hard to explain what is going on, but it’s concerning work.  I’ve usually picked myself up but this time I’m really hurting.  I can’t seem to get back up again.  I’m in a bad place.  It doesn't matter whose fault it is (and i'm definitely part of the problem), doesn't matter who started it, doesn't matter what it's about.

Previously when similar events like this occur, I’ve always leaned towards the “hang-in-there-tough-it-out” side.  But now I’m on the tipping edge.  I wanna pack up and go home.  But if I go home now, I would not have achieved the objective of coming over in the first place.  Then 2.5 years of my life, and the sacrifices that were made during that time, would have been for naught?  Then what would I have been working for?  And if I leave now, wouldn’t I be an irresponsible person for starting something and not finishing it?

I know, I’ve learnt so much in during this time, so it’s not a meaningless 2.5 years.  But that’s not a tangible achievement.  Anybody who really wanted to could go out there and live for a couple of years.  They would be bound to learn lotsa stuff too.

I can’t continue this post anymore.  God I feel like crap.