Prelude To Even More Confusion

National Holiday/Vacation time has begun.

Many people are scrambling around today, the last day of work before the mass migration to visit family during the holidays. Traffic is heavy, honking horns everywhere, cars driving on sidewalks, forcing electric bikes, motorists, vendors and even pedestrians aside.

My flatmate Paul is taking a trip with another foreigner down south, and may end up in Macau. They'll be gone for almost a week, leaving myself and my kittens. Around the time of Paul's expected return, Kevin will be visiting from Canada. Much like Santa, he is bringing gifts for all the good girls and boys. A Fossil brand watch I'm paying him for, and catnip toys for my kittens. Kev's a sucker for kitteh!

Laundry day, and downloading a few of my current favourite TV series, and studying a bit of Chinese. Mostly, the rules for writing Chinese characters.

Recalling one of my older posts (http://northkin.blogspot.com/2008/04/i-dont-understand.html) I'm making the same complaint today. Contemplating shaving my head.

Photo: Stree scene. Exact location unknown. Found in google image searching "China street". Double the volume, in the evening, a more accurate example here during this pre holiday season.

In need of a boat!

File size: 643kb Format: .MP4

In 2007 it didn't rain a lot, but when it did...

I wonder what it will be like at my new address when it rains.

Video: 30 minutes of rain made a 25 minute walk into an hour of adventure. Video taken on low settings on my previous Amoi cell phone.

Mr. Condom

Mr. Condom . . .

The name makes me think of a 1940's radio jingle, but the image makes me wonder what someone was thinking. I have never seen a condom machine so colourfully decorated with cartoons. Though I'm not sure that I oppose the idea. A happy reference to something both safe and happy can't be all that bad, can it? I wonder what's inside his closed fist?

In other dirty news, my roomate Paul had some interesting news that tops my story about the road rage I witnessed 2 weeks ago; 2 men pulled up beside a taxi waiting at the lights of a busy intersection. They got out, approached the driver, who was unaware of the coming assault.

anyway ...

Pauls story certainly tops mine. He noticed a lonely taxi driver fail at keeping both hands on the wheel. I'll let you figure out what that means.

Photo: An empty but full icon by day. Hero by night.

Bie Kan Wo!

2 years, and some things are the same, but I guess the things that I assumed had changed have likely become things I simply don't notice anymore.

What I mean is, when I first arrived here in China in October of 2006, it felt like everyone stared at me, and critically analyzed me. Now, it feels like some of that has changed. Perhaps its true, and that I am at a level of comfort that emanates from me, and therefore recieve less occular attention.

Regardless, children still seem fascinated by me, as well as every taxi driver, who seem to enjoy themselves by rambling on when I convey that I don't understand him (a partial truth). Sometimes, I find that I get tired trying to understand while having to sift through their accents and words, while suffering their body oder. It brings to mind the differences between henan dialect and mandarin, and seems to be a reliable end of a usual sequence with my gazing out the window, or sending text messages on my cell.

Today I stayed home to relax, clean the apartment and give my kittens a bath. I found that clipping their claws before the bath, works wonders for my blood ... =)

Well, they aren't that bad, it's only under the water when they try to seek safety. I just wish they went to the floor instead of up my chest and onto my shoulder when they panic.

Has anyone else been following the BBC show Merlin? I finished watching season 1 and 2 of the Showtime show Dexter a few weeks ago. Good stuff! Photo: Open manhole cover. Not so dangerous during the day.

Zhengzhou University

Zhengzhou Univeristy - East campus

So I've got plans to attend Zhengzhou University in September. I'm not sure what program I want to take part in, but I was informed that all courses are available in English.

English version of Zhengzhou U's website.
http://english.zzu.edu.cn/aboutus.htm

Chinese version.
http://www.zzu.edu.cn/

The size of the University is massive. A friend and I had to take a taxi to get to the school the other week. Instead of exiting the taxi at the front gate, we travelled a great distance through the school grounds curvy roads. No swift feat by any means.

That day, we acquired 3 textbooks on the study of Mandarin. With this, my plan is to excel in my procrastinated desire to become fluent in Chinese. So that in September, I could expand my studying options to include Chinese cultural programs.

I could have waited until September to begin studying these books, but I figured I had enough time, and live in the perfect place to study Mandarin. My speaking ability is embarrassing, although I'm told I have excellent pronounciation. It's time to kick into overdrive and make up for lost time.

Picture: Zhengzhou University - Digital arial POV.