My preciiiiooouuuss. Where is my preciiiiooouuuss internet?
I just got back to Shanghai from visiting my grandparents in Wuhan. I didn't have internet access while there, and I didn't have an internet to access before that. Doom, when I logged on that day, I couldn't get on any American websites, but all Chinese sites were totally fine. Me: Oh noes! The Chinese internets police are on to me! It's mostly better now, but slow. So…uh…Happy New Year, everyone! :) :) :)
Okey dokey smokey, in review:
~*~ My dad wanted me to come back last Friday, and kept laughing at me for staying so long (at my grandparents’ and mom’s insistence), because 1) It’s not necessarily colder in Wuhan but my grandparents would only turn on the heater or the hot water very very sparringly, and also liked to open all the windows for no reason. Hence, it was freezing there. And 2) There was nothing to do all day because my grandparents neither lets me go anywhere nor listens to anything conversational I say nor lets me do anything around the house. Hence, I finished a 400-page book in two days and watched K-dramas the rest of the time. When I came back dispirited and complaining and with a cold and with a very painful cracked lip, my dad laughed at me even harder. Him: Told you so. Isn’t it like coming back to the nice world after serving a prison term? :/ Aww that’s mean.
~*~ Gah K-dramas are tearjerkers. I’m crying buckets for a character I don’t even like.
~*~ While I was in Wuhan, we tricked the Chinese government into giving me an ID card, which gives me the status of a Chinese citizen domestically even though I haven’t been one and haven’t had a Chinese passport for seven and a half years. And hey, it won’t expire for 20 years, so I’m set until I’m 40.
~*~ I’ve been relying on Chinese newspapers for the news. I’m going to guess that American coverage of Saddam’s execution hasn’t been about how brave/dignified he was while facing death? ;) So what else have I missed?
~*~ My New Year’s resolution is to read more nonfiction books and be better informed. :)
~*~ Trains are nasty and we vowed to never ride them again. Planes are at about 2~3 times the cost (but still very affordable), and reduce the traveling time by 95%. Seriously, it’s about an hour from Shanghai to Wuhan by plane; 20 hours by train. Also, one is less likely to get mugged on a plane and doesn’t have to deal with nasty food and nasty restrooms and toddlers screaming in the middle of the night. [/cranky]
~*~ I’m leaving (for Austin) on Saturday, and school starts two days after I get there. Doomers, tight schedule. I don’t really want to come back (to China) during winter anymore. Well, it’s okay if I only stay in Shanghai, but my mom/grandparents would kill me if I did that. I don’t think I’d have more than two weeks free during summer, and that’s not enough time. And my grandparents would also kill me if I don’t come back once a year. So…suggestions?
~*~ Meal gatherings in review (because let’s face it, that’s what coming back is all about): 1) Dinner with my cousin and family: we scrutinized my and my counsin’s lives, and my uncle never fails to make me feel bad about not liking sports (he was the star athlete in his day). 2) Lunch with my other cousin and family: what was with the weird seating arrangement? Why weren’t you seated with your mom, and why were your grandparents sitting apart? Inquiring minds want to know. Activities included my dad and my cousin’s uncle talking about the stock market and boring everyone else to tears. 3) Dinner with my dad’s boss and family: my dad hates him but I find him amusing, in a I-don’t-have-to-work-with-him-everyday kind of way. 4) Dinner with my dad’s select colleagues: I totally don’t understand the reason for this gathering and the randomness of the people invited. Activities included going bar-hopping after and my dad encouraging me to drink vodka. (FYI, I didn’t.) 5) Dinner with my dad’s old graduate school friends: doom meeting of the middle-aged engineering nerds. Lol everyone has a startup, and it was all “hey, when is your company going public?” and “our sales people have been bugging your company to buy our product for ages; return our calls kthnx.” Conversation also included discussing which religion the Chinese government should use to opiate the masses with so they don’t all join cults in their search for spirituality. 6) Dinner with my grandparents’ friends’ college-age daughter and her friends: they’re all astrology fanatics. They also liked to talk about stuff similar to…um…things we talked about at high school sleepover parties, namely, where to find a romantic guy and what is true love and etc etc etc. Doom. [/obscenely-long paragraph]
Okey dokey smokey, in review:
~*~ My dad wanted me to come back last Friday, and kept laughing at me for staying so long (at my grandparents’ and mom’s insistence), because 1) It’s not necessarily colder in Wuhan but my grandparents would only turn on the heater or the hot water very very sparringly, and also liked to open all the windows for no reason. Hence, it was freezing there. And 2) There was nothing to do all day because my grandparents neither lets me go anywhere nor listens to anything conversational I say nor lets me do anything around the house. Hence, I finished a 400-page book in two days and watched K-dramas the rest of the time. When I came back dispirited and complaining and with a cold and with a very painful cracked lip, my dad laughed at me even harder. Him: Told you so. Isn’t it like coming back to the nice world after serving a prison term? :/ Aww that’s mean.
~*~ Gah K-dramas are tearjerkers. I’m crying buckets for a character I don’t even like.
~*~ While I was in Wuhan, we tricked the Chinese government into giving me an ID card, which gives me the status of a Chinese citizen domestically even though I haven’t been one and haven’t had a Chinese passport for seven and a half years. And hey, it won’t expire for 20 years, so I’m set until I’m 40.
~*~ I’ve been relying on Chinese newspapers for the news. I’m going to guess that American coverage of Saddam’s execution hasn’t been about how brave/dignified he was while facing death? ;) So what else have I missed?
~*~ My New Year’s resolution is to read more nonfiction books and be better informed. :)
~*~ Trains are nasty and we vowed to never ride them again. Planes are at about 2~3 times the cost (but still very affordable), and reduce the traveling time by 95%. Seriously, it’s about an hour from Shanghai to Wuhan by plane; 20 hours by train. Also, one is less likely to get mugged on a plane and doesn’t have to deal with nasty food and nasty restrooms and toddlers screaming in the middle of the night. [/cranky]
~*~ I’m leaving (for Austin) on Saturday, and school starts two days after I get there. Doomers, tight schedule. I don’t really want to come back (to China) during winter anymore. Well, it’s okay if I only stay in Shanghai, but my mom/grandparents would kill me if I did that. I don’t think I’d have more than two weeks free during summer, and that’s not enough time. And my grandparents would also kill me if I don’t come back once a year. So…suggestions?
~*~ Meal gatherings in review (because let’s face it, that’s what coming back is all about): 1) Dinner with my cousin and family: we scrutinized my and my counsin’s lives, and my uncle never fails to make me feel bad about not liking sports (he was the star athlete in his day). 2) Lunch with my other cousin and family: what was with the weird seating arrangement? Why weren’t you seated with your mom, and why were your grandparents sitting apart? Inquiring minds want to know. Activities included my dad and my cousin’s uncle talking about the stock market and boring everyone else to tears. 3) Dinner with my dad’s boss and family: my dad hates him but I find him amusing, in a I-don’t-have-to-work-with-him-everyday kind of way. 4) Dinner with my dad’s select colleagues: I totally don’t understand the reason for this gathering and the randomness of the people invited. Activities included going bar-hopping after and my dad encouraging me to drink vodka. (FYI, I didn’t.) 5) Dinner with my dad’s old graduate school friends: doom meeting of the middle-aged engineering nerds. Lol everyone has a startup, and it was all “hey, when is your company going public?” and “our sales people have been bugging your company to buy our product for ages; return our calls kthnx.” Conversation also included discussing which religion the Chinese government should use to opiate the masses with so they don’t all join cults in their search for spirituality. 6) Dinner with my grandparents’ friends’ college-age daughter and her friends: they’re all astrology fanatics. They also liked to talk about stuff similar to…um…things we talked about at high school sleepover parties, namely, where to find a romantic guy and what is true love and etc etc etc. Doom. [/obscenely-long paragraph]