Tag Archives: OMG

John Mayer! and no Houston Hair.

Posted on by
Reply

John Mayer

October 3, 2010

How do you spell John Mayer?   I bought a CD by him today.  I realize it is pirated because my dyslexic mind saw the title John Marter and never realized it was misspelled.  The picture was of John Mayer but it is a Chinese copy.  I am laughing at this minute looking at the CD cover and listening to the CD.  It’s fabulous, with a DVD of him as well…. And I paid 10 Yuan for it.  I have a feeling I will be in the disc store more than anywhere now.  John Marter, wonder if the John Lennon was Jon Lemon?

Filo and Colina which they pronounce Fin-o and Cole-leah-a accompanied me shopping today.  Does anyone understand the way Chinese spell in English?  We went to Aqua City and had a great time looking at clothes and shoes.  H&M is my favorite shop.  Sam got me hooked on this place when I was in Boston.  Sam I found some really cute skinny legged jeans that bunch up at the ankles for 149 Yuan ($22.50) OMG they are so cute, even the girls liked them.  Shoes, well that was another thing, they are so different than in the US, much more fashionable and unique, but cost more than in the US.  So no shoes today!  Can’t pay $50-80 yet…..  I like DSW in the states and $25 shoes.  Got a toaster oven, yeah now I can “sort of” bake!  Found Kenya coffee in the Starbucks and it is the same price world wide, but you know me and a good cup of java!  KENYA is best, I could thank Kyle for that lesson.  Patti, I found this little gadget at IKEA to frappe warm milk into froth.  I can now make a real latte without a coffee maker.  I found coffee filters and use them to drip my African coffee.  I am getting milk from the milk lady on a daily basis at 6:30 am for 59 Yuan a month.  Someone tell me how cool is it to have milk delivered to your door?

The sun was out all day, with a nice cool breeze.  It was lovely.  I mentioned to the girls I was having a good hair day, because my curls were still curly at 3pm.  It is so humid and damp here or hot and sweaty that my hair ends up damp and sticking to my head like when I lived in Houston.  (Remember “Houston Hair?”)  I told the girls we need to curl their hair, cause no one has curly hair here.  Little did I know that it is unacceptable to have curly hair in China!  They told me that Chinese only have straight hair and if they curled it that would be against the rules at school.  So am I going against the rules?  Yes I guess I am, but I am a teacher and they said that was ok.  Would they look too much like a western girl?  Interesting, so I guess I need my “Free Tibet” shirt and curly hair and I would be a real rebel!  Someone make me a Free Tibet shirt, I am feeling like I need to be a hellion today!

During this beautiful clear afternoon I took pictures out my penthouse balcony windows and realized I could see the furthest point of the Yangtze Bridge.  Wow, it is really far, there are many mountains way off in the distance and countless high rise buildings, and apartments.  It’s amazing how much you can see out my windows, just miles and miles of skyscrapers with people in every window.  China has a huge population and I just never realized what a large place this is.  You can see it all from my window.  I love my view, it is amazing and fascinating.  Fireworks go off almost every hour all over the city and they are spectacular from my view.  I love it here.  China and Chinese people are fantastic.  Americans thought this was a black hole, but I have news for you it is really a red nation of lovely warm friends. Red, yes the color is everywhere and on everything.   I actually feel tall here!  Sarah how do you like that, I can call people here “little ones” like you call me.  Wait till you get here, they will really stare at you, probably more than me!  That makes me laugh, “tall one!”

Jenny and Lynn are thinking I need to date!  Lynn thinks he has some professor friends at Nanjing University that he might set me up with!  OMG!  Dating again, I don’t know!  All my American friends said I would come back with a Chinese guy, I don’t know!  I just don’t think so!  Do you think there is anyone out there that can actually care for me?  I am such a hand full. Jenny is so cute, she says husbands should take care of their wife’s, why would you marry one if he didn’t?  Duh, I did!  Let me count three times I believe!  Women here presume not only should men take care of you, but they should provide a home for you as well.  Like purchase land and a house for you.  Well somewhere I went wrong, and did not get this message in America!  What was I doing working three jobs and paying for it all?  Hello!  I am in China and learning my lessons!

“Tacos,” a Massage and bad mushrooms!

Posted on by
1

“Tacos” is the name of the cafe I walked to yesterday, thinking some Mexican food would be great.  A western name for a more Chinese style cuisine.  Yes I did see an enchilada looking meal on the menu.  I am thinking does this waiter understand me well enough to explain to the chef I am wanting a vegetarian enchilada with a taco?  Probably not!  So I say I am vegetarian and he points to the pizza.  Ok a pizza it is plus garlic bread, lots of carbs.  There is reading material next to the table on a display rack, I check it out and some is in partial English.  I read there are five churches, and ten museums.  There is an article about local westerners not losing weight, cause the food is so good!  Yes, I can agree.  Pizza arrives, and it has corn on it, just like at S.I.T. (Sculpting in Time cafe)  This must a traditional recipe.  Cheese is blah, can’t even tell what kind it is, no Parmesan or mozzarella.  Oh well, it is still tasty.

Then I decide to walk to my fitness center to wear off the carbs.  Nice walk and a beautiful sunny cool day for a change.  I find the massage/spa area and ask if there is time for a massage.  Of course she speaks no English, and I somewhat show her I want a full body massage with hand gestures.  She points to 68 yuan.  Deal!  She hands me this Chinese cotton PJ outfit to put on — ok the top wraps around and ties, can do.  The pants are another thing, they look like a kids size 12 and I didn’t even attempt it.  Hopped on the table with a towel, underwear and Chinese top and in walks this young skinny Chinese male masseur.  Never had a male massage, first time for everything right?  My colleague Peter, had said he got a great massage the other day and it was “legit!”  So we will see!  No oil, and no skin to skin, ah that is why the PJ outfit.  Hope he can handle the no PJ bottom part and he seems ok with it.  He has a small sheet and works my back with his palms till I think every bone has cracked a few times.  Then we does some thumb pressure points and pushes a second time real hard, that can be painfully interesting!  I think he even tried to straighten my bowed legs by bending them entirely the other direction, wow!  Finally he rolls me over and massages the wrinkles off my face and then does the same to my ears and head.  Massage is over, it is legit and a mer ten American dollars for one hour.  I am calm and ready for a nap.  Head back to the hotel and sleep for hours.  Delightful.

Woke up to the TV running and a guy painting with  ink and a bamboo brush.  Wow, I can learn this easy enough.  He shows his mixture for ink and then starts with the bamboo stalk, then the branches and lastly leaves.  It was a great art demo and easy to follow.  I have ink and a ton of bamboo brushes at school, think I will give it a try tomorrow when I am teaching on Saturday.

Then the news showed three sick little children in the hospital, unconsciouses, on air and hooked up to an IV.  Now what is this about?  There is a peasant looking mom, bad teeth and tired eyes speaking.  Then mushrooms show on the screen.  Did she pick bad mushrooms and cook them for these kids?  OMG yes!  The newscaster is on the scene in the woods with her and she shows them the four kinds she picked, a yellow tree fungus, white toadstool , brown and one with polka dots on the inside.  None of these look edible to me…only hallucinogenic.  The scientist on the show, take four white lab rats and make a concoction serum  of each one of the mushrooms and inject into the poor little rats.  The clock ticks away two hours, four hours, ah at six hours we have some unsightly little rats!  There tails and feet are different colors, no longer sweet pink!  And one is spread out on all fours like a pancake, with eyes bugging out, I would say he is “tripping!”  Ah ha the mushroom that is the culprit was the plain white one.  Although the other three they marked with a big X too…….  The story ends happily, kids get treated and are smiling again.  Mom gets a lesson in mushroom picking along those of us who watched the story and the rats had an exciting day tripping in the lab!