Being back from China has had some interesting moments. It's not like I feel a certain camaraderie towards Chinese people I happen to meet here in the Cities. BUT I can understand some of the things that they say.
MWAHAHAHAHA!!!
I have had just a few run-ins with the language but the best one so far was when I was in a dressing room. A Chinese woman went into the stall next to me. Her son peeked under the door and waved hello to me before his mom swiftly pulled him up. A few moments later the little boy wanted to go, so he started to whine, "Zou! Mama wo yao zou! Zou! Zou!" or "Go! Mom I want to go! Go! Go!"
I think the general tone of this request coming from the under 8 crew always sounds the same no matter the language. It was really funny to me. I started to laugh from my little room. Then the little boy poked his head under again and laughed to. He pointed at me and said, "A Chinese!" I corrected him and told him that I was Korean, which he then asked what a Korean was.
After everyone was dressed, I got to meet his mother and we talked in Chinglish for a little bit and I told her that I had recently come back from China. She was originally from the southern part of China and came over because her husband was working over here. Anyhow, it was fun to eavesdrop in on another conversation in a foreign language. Now, I know that my Chinese skillz are not very good at all, but it is interesting to overhear little snippets of conversation and see what the "foreigners" are thinking about the little bit of world that I now occupy once again.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Chinchilla Fun
Today my mom brought home a little pet harness and leash for small animals. I had been wanting to try it on Deva, one of my little chinchillas. Now, many of you have never met Deva, but she is just about the tamest chinchilla ever. I can just kinda push her over and pet her belly. Easy mark. So operation, "Walk the chinchilla" was beginning to take shape.
Task One: Get Chinchilla Out of Cage. This was pretty easy as she is almost too trusting and can easily be tempted by a raisin. So chinchilla out and ready to proceed with Task two.
Task Two: Put Harness on Chinchilla. This isn't as easy as one might think. You have a little creature who looks a lot chubbier than she actually is and that can shed her fur at will and (the most obvious part of the operation) does not want said harness put on her. So my little Deva squirms and squirms, gets the strap in her mouth so she can slip it through. Puts her arms out in a strange position so it is impossible to line up the straps. Ugh. Worse that a toddler getting ready for bed. But the end of everything I was wearing about a chinchillas worth of fur and I had a very pissed off little ball of chinchilla fury.
Task Three: Attach leash. Deva tried to make a break for it with the harness on before I could attach the leash. She wound up just jumping and flipping on the bed wrestling with the harness. I got the leash on on put her on the floor. Squirt! She popped right out of the harness and ran under the bed.
Task Four: Lure chinchilla out with piece of papaya and repeat task two.
Success!?! She HATED the whole thing and while on the leash would just flip around and circle her tail trying to figure out what was happening. I know she didn't like it, but it was still really funny. Laughing at the misery of others, ah, good times.
I don't think that it help that (I think) she knew she looked utterly stupid. Once back on the bed she struggled with the harness and flipped and flipped until she just decided to lay there, dejected until I took the harness off.
Oh well. I was good for a laugh and now I know what to do when she's naughty 'cause she was starting to have fun with her old chinnie punishment.
Eventually I'll put up a picture. Eventually.
Task One: Get Chinchilla Out of Cage. This was pretty easy as she is almost too trusting and can easily be tempted by a raisin. So chinchilla out and ready to proceed with Task two.
Task Two: Put Harness on Chinchilla. This isn't as easy as one might think. You have a little creature who looks a lot chubbier than she actually is and that can shed her fur at will and (the most obvious part of the operation) does not want said harness put on her. So my little Deva squirms and squirms, gets the strap in her mouth so she can slip it through. Puts her arms out in a strange position so it is impossible to line up the straps. Ugh. Worse that a toddler getting ready for bed. But the end of everything I was wearing about a chinchillas worth of fur and I had a very pissed off little ball of chinchilla fury.
Task Three: Attach leash. Deva tried to make a break for it with the harness on before I could attach the leash. She wound up just jumping and flipping on the bed wrestling with the harness. I got the leash on on put her on the floor. Squirt! She popped right out of the harness and ran under the bed.
Task Four: Lure chinchilla out with piece of papaya and repeat task two.
Success!?! She HATED the whole thing and while on the leash would just flip around and circle her tail trying to figure out what was happening. I know she didn't like it, but it was still really funny. Laughing at the misery of others, ah, good times.
I don't think that it help that (I think) she knew she looked utterly stupid. Once back on the bed she struggled with the harness and flipped and flipped until she just decided to lay there, dejected until I took the harness off.
Oh well. I was good for a laugh and now I know what to do when she's naughty 'cause she was starting to have fun with her old chinnie punishment.
Eventually I'll put up a picture. Eventually.
Filling my head with crap
Yes, yes, that is what I have been doing since getting back to the US. I have been systematically and ruthlessly filling my head with crap. Maybe it is because I need to catch up on 2 years of stupid TV pop culture crap, maybe it is because all of the channels (except for one) are in English, maybe it is because everything is new, or maybe it is because I just have to see who Bret Michaels picks in the end of his reality show. I dunno. I can't stop watching.
I was watching CSI: Miami the other day and my dad asked me if it was a re-run. I just had to laugh a little as I would really have no idea if it was or not. Everything is new to me. The crap is fun for now and I have been finding some good stuff!
I do have some favorites - I loooove the Food Network! Unwrapped is great and I just finished watching the last installment of Feasting on Asphalt 2 - The River Run (motorcycle trip up the Mississippi River and stopping to enjoy the local cuisine along the way). Also I can't get enough of LA and Miami Ink! Other than that I have been just watching the marathons of CSI, Law and Order, and The Sopranos. Good to know that I have been using my time at home productively.
Between episodes of the Dog Whisperer, I have managed to get some things done like look for apartments, jobs, cars and such. I have also been sorting through a bunch of my old stuff and the oodles of boxes that have been coming from China. So far, nothing too broken! It is fun to go through all of the China stuff - a lot of, "I remember bargaining for that!" nostalgia.
Hmmm...what else do I do...I do some surveys online and get $$$ and gift cards for doing so, win stuff, etc. I like winning stuff. I think I will try to do it more often. This may seems like an unusual if not impractical goal to have, but for me, it actually makes a little sense. I win stuff. I just do.
Every now and then I will email, but haven't been too good at that lately. I went out to see a couple of cars and met the most apathetic used car salesman ever. It was almost comical. It almost seemed as though he was trying not to sell a car. ANYHOW, still no car. Don't know if I will get one before I move again, but I am looking for 1999 or newer, under 80,000 miles, 4 door, manual or automatic car. Pretty broad requirements, but it would be nice if it wasn't too big and sorta cute.
Sometimes I read. Not a lot, but sometimes.
I hang out with my mom. She's cool.
I had another toe stubbing day recently - same little left toes as in China, and still hurts like a !?%#*
I keep on telling you to hold on for more posts, but have only been working on them half-heartedly. I just haven't been in the writing mood lately. I have some more pictures to post up too - the last batches from China. But I need to renew my Flickr subscription, maybe after we have a little more money....
Anyhow, that's about it. I have some other recent events to write about, but mostly I have been filling my belly with cheese popcorn and my head with guilty pleasures. So all in all I would have to say that I am now full of crap :)
I was watching CSI: Miami the other day and my dad asked me if it was a re-run. I just had to laugh a little as I would really have no idea if it was or not. Everything is new to me. The crap is fun for now and I have been finding some good stuff!
I do have some favorites - I loooove the Food Network! Unwrapped is great and I just finished watching the last installment of Feasting on Asphalt 2 - The River Run (motorcycle trip up the Mississippi River and stopping to enjoy the local cuisine along the way). Also I can't get enough of LA and Miami Ink! Other than that I have been just watching the marathons of CSI, Law and Order, and The Sopranos. Good to know that I have been using my time at home productively.
Between episodes of the Dog Whisperer, I have managed to get some things done like look for apartments, jobs, cars and such. I have also been sorting through a bunch of my old stuff and the oodles of boxes that have been coming from China. So far, nothing too broken! It is fun to go through all of the China stuff - a lot of, "I remember bargaining for that!" nostalgia.
Hmmm...what else do I do...I do some surveys online and get $$$ and gift cards for doing so, win stuff, etc. I like winning stuff. I think I will try to do it more often. This may seems like an unusual if not impractical goal to have, but for me, it actually makes a little sense. I win stuff. I just do.
Every now and then I will email, but haven't been too good at that lately. I went out to see a couple of cars and met the most apathetic used car salesman ever. It was almost comical. It almost seemed as though he was trying not to sell a car. ANYHOW, still no car. Don't know if I will get one before I move again, but I am looking for 1999 or newer, under 80,000 miles, 4 door, manual or automatic car. Pretty broad requirements, but it would be nice if it wasn't too big and sorta cute.
Sometimes I read. Not a lot, but sometimes.
I hang out with my mom. She's cool.
I had another toe stubbing day recently - same little left toes as in China, and still hurts like a !?%#*
I keep on telling you to hold on for more posts, but have only been working on them half-heartedly. I just haven't been in the writing mood lately. I have some more pictures to post up too - the last batches from China. But I need to renew my Flickr subscription, maybe after we have a little more money....
Anyhow, that's about it. I have some other recent events to write about, but mostly I have been filling my belly with cheese popcorn and my head with guilty pleasures. So all in all I would have to say that I am now full of crap :)
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
I Suck.
It's true.
I haven't been working on my posts at all.
AND I haven't been answering any email.
I don't have any good reason, I just don't feel like doing anything. I'm just lazy. Absolutely, positively lazy.
Wanna get me on the phone? Chances are I won't pick it up. If you leave a message there is a pretty good chance I won't call back.
Wanna email me? I might read it, but no guarantee. Will I write back? From the way things are going and the current size of my inbox, I would answer that with a big N-O.
Wanna try to IM with me? Good luck I might be on, but you can't see me.
Wanna invite me to be your friend for a social networking type of thing? Keep sending me those invites and MAYBE I'll get around to it, but not until at least two of the invite time frames expire.
Hmmm...sounds pretty anti-social, doesn't it. Not like, the clinical anti-social disorder kind of anti-social (eek), but a little more like the self-imposed isolation kind.
I'll try harder.
But first I have some serious corner time to think about what I have done (or in my case, what I haven't done).
I haven't been working on my posts at all.
AND I haven't been answering any email.
I don't have any good reason, I just don't feel like doing anything. I'm just lazy. Absolutely, positively lazy.
Wanna get me on the phone? Chances are I won't pick it up. If you leave a message there is a pretty good chance I won't call back.
Wanna email me? I might read it, but no guarantee. Will I write back? From the way things are going and the current size of my inbox, I would answer that with a big N-O.
Wanna try to IM with me? Good luck I might be on, but you can't see me.
Wanna invite me to be your friend for a social networking type of thing? Keep sending me those invites and MAYBE I'll get around to it, but not until at least two of the invite time frames expire.
Hmmm...sounds pretty anti-social, doesn't it. Not like, the clinical anti-social disorder kind of anti-social (eek), but a little more like the self-imposed isolation kind.
I'll try harder.
But first I have some serious corner time to think about what I have done (or in my case, what I haven't done).
China Moments
Like "Senior Moments" but, like with China.
So the adjustment is going very well. I am having fun being back and having the opportunity to hang out with my parents again. But I thought that some of you would like to hear about some of my China moments - well the top three, the rest would bore me by telling you.
1. Toilets. Y'can't smell the public ones from down the hall. There is paper in every stall, each stall has its own door, and you can sit down. I must confess, I still sometimes throw my used paper in the garbage can rather than flush it down. I do have to say though that I LOVE going to the bathroom without an audience. Not that I really had a huge problem with it (at least later on in China) but I still prefer doing my business without one.
2. Chinese and Chinglish. I did spend most of my time in China speaking English, but I didn't know how much I got accustomed to saying certain things in Chinese. And now when I need to ask or say the English equivalent, the Chinese comes out first. Usually it has to do with asking for something, asking where something is, asking what something is and asking what the price is of something. But there are other things too, but I won't go in to all of the excruciating details of all of that.
3. English. I often find myself not listening to the English being spoken at me. It is just too fast sometimes, so I just glaze over and not really listen to anything of what is being said. I also find myself speaking really, really slow and often using very simple English. Sometimes in public, I think that other people may think that I am a foreigner because my English is, at times, so strange, slow and simple. Either that or a little retarded. Sorry, but it's true.
So the adjustment is going very well. I am having fun being back and having the opportunity to hang out with my parents again. But I thought that some of you would like to hear about some of my China moments - well the top three, the rest would bore me by telling you.
1. Toilets. Y'can't smell the public ones from down the hall. There is paper in every stall, each stall has its own door, and you can sit down. I must confess, I still sometimes throw my used paper in the garbage can rather than flush it down. I do have to say though that I LOVE going to the bathroom without an audience. Not that I really had a huge problem with it (at least later on in China) but I still prefer doing my business without one.
2. Chinese and Chinglish. I did spend most of my time in China speaking English, but I didn't know how much I got accustomed to saying certain things in Chinese. And now when I need to ask or say the English equivalent, the Chinese comes out first. Usually it has to do with asking for something, asking where something is, asking what something is and asking what the price is of something. But there are other things too, but I won't go in to all of the excruciating details of all of that.
3. English. I often find myself not listening to the English being spoken at me. It is just too fast sometimes, so I just glaze over and not really listen to anything of what is being said. I also find myself speaking really, really slow and often using very simple English. Sometimes in public, I think that other people may think that I am a foreigner because my English is, at times, so strange, slow and simple. Either that or a little retarded. Sorry, but it's true.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Car Sick :P
Ugh. I am tired of looking for cars. Why can't someone just give me a rad car? There is just too much to consider. Ack!
So, to all of you out there, do you have any car advice for me?
So, to all of you out there, do you have any car advice for me?
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