1. The bus driver would (finally) get into some crazy traffic accident because of his reckless driving.
2. Another unapologetic, impatient Chinese person would push me from behind and/or step on my foot.
Cup noodles and cilantro
Eating too much of it these days, which is why I think this will be my last cup for a very long time to come. Shown here topped with freshly-cut cilantro leaves, I heart.
Over lunch today
Not your typical October holidays getaway
I know we just came back from a vacation in late September but with China’s National Day and Mid-Autumn’s Day holidays upon us, we couldn’t sit around in Shanghai doing nothing for eight days. J didn’t want to spend all of it traveling and I didn’t have time or money to do anything too off the beaten path.
So Hebei won out because flight tickets to Shijiazhuang were the cheapest that I could find during the peak holiday season and there were also some nature sights near Shijiazhuang. There wasn’t so much to see in the end we even managed to squeeze in a day trip to Henan Province.
Typography UK
Typography Spain
View the entire set here, though there is not much to begin with as I’d neglected to look out for interesting typography during my two days in Barcelona.
People only hear what they want to hear
This holds true especially among older Chinese persons I’ve come into contact with over the years. A conversation with a cleaner at my office building earlier this evening was a prime example.
Guy: So you usually converse in English at work ?
Me: I suppose we use both English and Chinese.
Guy: Yeah, usually English eh ?
1972
Here are some photos taken by Wellesley political science professor William A. Joseph during his 1972 visit to China as part of the Committee of Concerned Asian Scholars (CCAS) delegation. It should be interesting to compare them with Michelangelo Antonioni’s Chung Kuo – Cina which was also produced in 1972. I am currently one-third through the documentary after skipping a particularly gory scene of a woman undergoing C-section.
Weekend snippets #2
Spicy ganguo goodness and bottomless Tsingtao’s on Friday to start off the weekend with a big bang, followed by more beer at the new Dingxi Lu Kaiba.
Over dinner on Saturday evening, the French and the Germans insisted that the turducken must have been a Chinese invention and it turned out that they were wrong.
Drinks with our newly-engaged girlfriend (Congratulations S !) and loads of catching up because everyone is finally back in Shanghai from the holidays.
Hairy crabs again… but I only ate two this time !
Where else but China ? The repair store owner (yes, the same one with highly enviable working hours) managed to fix my speakers for RMB 35 and told me it comes with a one-month-plus warranty period.
I like the design on the base of cheap Chinese drinking glasses.
Gift-buying over the weekend caused a major headache. Luckily I managed to lay my hands on suitable ones on Sunday evening, yay.
Comfort food at Tsui Wah ! While mommy’s fishball noodles are still the best, these guys make a reasonably good substitute to satiate my craving. It helps they have spicy chilli slices in soy sauce too, just the way I like it.
I finally watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The film turned out darker than I’d expected. Also, much of the film took place in darkness/ semi-darkness, quite like Zhang Yimou’s early movies.