Day 11: No time to write

Big bro leaves tomorrow am.
Had din tonight w/ Q and friend and D.
Now we're trying to play w/ a kitty.
It's already past my bedtime!

Day 10: Chubby Cultural Differences

Here's just a quick note about how on the weekend me and Q and my bro were invited to a friend's for tea. (He was really excited to drink Puer tea in his new apt for the first time). A couple more of his friends swung by, one of whom Q had met about a year ago.

He didn't recognize her at first because she's fatter now than she was then. Personally i found it a touch rude, and Q was a bit embarrassed as indeed she does think she's a bit overweight. It's true she doesn't exercise much, but her BMI (for whatever credibility it has) says if anything, that she's underweight.

Anyhow, she agreed, and that was about it. It wasn't taken as rude by anyone, even in the context of a particularly cordial afternoon chilling out.

So, next time a chinese person calls you fat, (which they often do), you can remember it's a cultural thing.


Amd since i'm on the topic of food, i forgot to mention in yesterday's post, my ongoing dharmic question as to whether being lean and borderline underweight justifies full on indulgence with gluttony. Seriously. On the one hand, i think it would be nice to put on a few pounds for winter so i'm not freezing my butt off so often, and it sure is nice eating as much as i want as often as i want. But i do feel that it's indulgence and gluttony, and it definitely doesn't feel healthy to eat to the bursting point, as i do regularly.

Any opinions on this?

Day 9: eat, Eat, EAT

1. My brother extolls his disgust at being able to count my ribs when viewing my backside. He thinks i should start everyday off w/ a fat mug of protein powder. Or (as more traditionally minded folk think) eat meat.

2. I feel pretty accustomed to my body after 35 years of being... slim.

3. My Body Mass Index says i'm NOT underweight.

4. Though i am on the brink.

5. And anyone who knows me, knows i eat copiously regularly.

6. Notably moreso since the temp dropped lately.

7. So.

8. I've started eating more meat.

9. Which is to say that i'm picking less of it out of my portions at school than usual.

10. i justify it by thinking that essentially i'm against the meat industry, and eating or not eating the scraps dished out in the caf basically affect the industry like zilch.

11. Anyways, it tastes pretty good sometimes.

Day 8: Sharks

Last night i watched Sharkwater. Until the dvd jammed maybe 1/2 way through.

It was pretty good. i learned a few things about Sharks.

For example:
The annual average of death from shark attacks is five.
More people die from mishaps with pop machines.

Also, as we know, Sharks are at the top of the food chain, and have been for centuries, remaining virtually unchanged through two major periods of extinctions. As such, they have shaped the development of all creatures below them, and are like the bosses of the foodchain below them.

So.

If the bosses are gone, then we can expect a lot of unruliness to come up, and it's hard to know what that will look like, but it's quite likely it could make for a massive ecological mess.

Anyhow, i hope to watch the rest of it someday, and likely bash away more of the remaining fear i have of sharks.

Day 7: Big BJ, Little BJ

The municipality of Beijing has 17million plus registered residents.
Which sounds like a lot of people to get lost amongst.
But when you meet a few people, then you meet a few other people.
Who know other people.

Then the city starts feeling like a cozy little gang.

For example.

I go to see a friend's show. Then backstage i meet a singer songwriter. When we hang out later, he gives me his cd, and copy of his video (both of which i rather like). Later i show my gf, Q, the video, to which she exclaims, "The drummer is one of my best friends!"

Then last night, Q and my bro acquiesce to go to Mao Livehouse, since a guy i know invited me to his book release party, since he just found a non-independent publisher. i knew quite a few people there, and didn't even realize that my friend was playing guitar in one of the performances w/ a "famous" singer. (and earlier i was considering inviting him out).

And Q, who is sometimes reluctant to come out, was keen to see the last performance because unbeknownst to her, the famous singer turned out to be an old friend of hers.

Hm.

At this rate, the whole scene's gonna be incestuous before i even move to downtown.

Day 6: Spring Is Here

Although this may not be of great interest to many of you, today i am SO HAPPY because i have learned the answer to a problem which has irked me for more than a decade.

Which is:

How does a spring work?
Why does it always bend back?
How can you forge metal in such a way that it stores energy for decades or more?

So on a whim, a good 3 minutes before class started, it was the ideal time for distraction.

Thus i learned:

You can attach one heated metal to pre hardened metal, and then when it cools, it shrinks, and...

PRESTO!

The damn thing is locked in a perpetual state of stress and anxiety!
Forever bound to release drivers from bumps in the road.
To firmly clamp hair to the iron.
And make novelty penises bounce happily forevermore.

What a life!
Oh, the humanity!

Well then.

i hope you have enjoyed today's lesson.

Pop quiz on Monday.

Day 5: Breathe Easy

The air doesn't look so good today.
Didn't smell anything, but it's kinda thick and hazy, and you can feel it in your lungs a bit.

In spring my cousin had a baby, and we were talking about life in bj.

She was born here, and loves living in bj (even though she's out a ways even farther from dntn than me). She's comfy here,and doesn't want to live anywhere else.

i like it too, and neither me nor the other beijingers seem to be suffering from toxins, but still everybody knows it ain't good for you.

However, if i were a parent, the cause for concern would obviously be higher. (my cuz said the pollution is the ONLY reason she'd want to leave BJ. i kinda agree).

Especially since, did you know that of all the toxins accumulated in the human body, the highest concentrations of those toxins is found is... mothers' breast milk?

This phenomenon has been demonstrated in dolphins' high calf mortality rate, from high mercury levels. The most safe and natural seeming activity killed them. That's pretty depressing.

Anyhow. Nonetheless, i don't want to waste too much time on the internet, hence i will presently make an effort to exit the premises, hop on a bike, and get some fresh air.

Day 4: Time (same old same old)

Every day i wake up at 7:04am.
1st class at 8.
Last class done at 2:40.
Dinner at 5.
Usually home before 6.
Usually kill 2 hrs or more on the internet doing stuff like
writing a blog
checking a news site or 2
wasting time on FB, and Youtube
(thx to my newly acquired from UBC VPN,
which also allows me to blog)
and other possibly unmentionable websites
possibly marking some student work
possibly watching a bit of a video
etc
etc.

But then virtually every night i hope to get in bed by 10:30.
Considering how hard it is to wake up in the morning each day.
But it never happsns.

right now it's 23:02.
And i still need to brush.
And do my daily meditation,
which is about a measly 8 min
before i decide that sleep is the priority
to enlightenment.

Repeat.

Day 3: Adventures in Democracy

I'm a bit surprised that i find this Confederation stuff rather interesting.

And teaching it in China is more interesting.

However, you may consider from time to time, that teaching this stuff in China is... different.

For example:

In one class i was teaching the kids about how in early canada (pre confederation), the govt was shitty, so the people protested, and then the govt shot the protesters. "Actually this has happened in many countries. It happened here in Beijing even, not long ago."

Some kids were like "what? i've nver heard that!"
Others said, "It's true!"

Then they started blabbing in Chinese for a couple seconds before i said,"Ok ok, let's just keep going w/ the book. i pbly shouldn't even say anything about that."

Then the nxt day the principal individually talked to all staffers, to say that our official position, in the foreign, Canadian-styled school, if it comes up, is that we can and will talk about it, but w/out judgement. Which was a pretty bold stand for him to take in dealing w/the chinese admin, methinks. Apparently the chinese govt's official position is that It Never Happened. i mentioned my previous classroom discussion to him, to which he responded, "Really! Funny, i thought this stuff would never come in your class." He obviously doesn't know me that well.

I've discussed the T-incident w/ a small handful of folks, and some have awareness about it, (occasionally first hand!), and some donet. However, H and her bf were surfing Wikipedia one time, and H clicked on the Tian o men link, and could hardly believe that it connected. Her bf, it turns out, had never heard of the event, and was quite sickened to read about it.

As the govt manages to keep the incident out of the history books, it's interesting to see how it seems to have become an oral history. Of course, it's also a history that will be largely limited to the educated and urban. However, i've been told that younger students aren't as likely to know anything about it, and it doesn't seem like the older students are all hype to stir the pot either.

Well, at least there's Hong Kong, where they have their T-anniversary candle light vigils, and open letters to the PRC govt, and ongoing calls for the release (still!) of imprisoned dissidents.

Note: the title of this post is a bit tongue in cheek. Although i do feel that democracy is generally a pretty great (ahem) idea, i don't necessarily feel like its the holy grail of political systems. Well, not yet, anyhow.


Picture from www.uppercanadahistory.ca.

Day 2: Halloween Catch up

Generally, Halloween's not so big in China. However, in Beijing it's bigger than most places around here. If you hang out in the right spots.

So this year, Halloween was on a wkend, thus i figured i'd do it up for the 1st time on this here continent. Me and some coworkers hit up an 80's night Halloween gig, which did deliver up free mystery shots and highballs for those in costume, though the place wasn't super-populated.

Then we hit up another bar which was pretty full of young drunk people, but hardly a costume in sight. Oh well. 1/2 a beer there on top of the previous mystery drinks was a groggy enough of a mixture to convince me to have a quick puke as soon as i flopped out of the taxi outside my apt building.

Which is a bit odd, considering i didn't even feel so drunk beforehand. Then i promptly brushed my teeth and passeed out immediately in bed, and had a great sleep.

That was ok, but really the funnest part of the night was when we were all throwing our costumes together, papers and tape and scissors and makeup all getting their workouts, music rumbling, and a sip of gin here and there.

Not quite as epic or as underground as Halloween gets in Van, but not so bad either. Better than staying at home watching Twilight, anyhow.