In 45 minutes I will have crossed the threshhold into having just under a week to go. Time feels like it has been going by so slowly lately, I am really appreciating every day while at the same time steadily building excitement for returning to America.
The brunt of our tests finished on wednesday, thursday, and friday (yes consecutive - ouch) with the friday being concluded with a huge 3 hour program where we all had performances. They provide us with a DVD of the performance just like last year. No, you may not see me embarass myself yet again.
Ron came in from shanxi for the day so I got a trip to hang out with him, seeing him made me remember the old Hangzhou crew and I got a bit Hangzhou-sick for a bit. Good thing I get to see the JJ and the Bob in a week. AHHHH TOP SCORE
I need to map out the list of places to eat at before I leave, I've been mainly focusing on buying things for everyone else and forgotten to plan that part. I also need to make sure I buy a few things for myself, some good CD's, books, and Chinese movies.
CHINAAAAAAAAA WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
One Month To Go
My friend's Chinese roommate gave me a book to read a few weeks ago after hearing how much I like the movie "To Live". The author wrote the book To Live that the movie is based off of (which I plan to buy before leaving), and this book is similar is story. I picked up the book two days ago to see if I could read the first page or two and understand it, and to my surprise it sucked me in. I have now in two days read 42 pages of a Chinese novel. In Chinese. 42 pages. I gave a report on what I'd read to my teacher today and she couldn't believe I was reading so fast, and to be honest I can't believe I'm reading it so quickly either. I never imagined that I would be able to pick up a Chinese novel and read it at a pace equivalent of an English book. I am excited.
Today I drew a picture of a ninja doing a sky uppercut on a dinosaur holding a mace while using the gun in his other hand to shoot at a robot below. Meanwhile a space pirate if flying in from the left firing a cannon while Thomas Jefferson and Gandalf swing in on a rope to join the fight. I did all this on the dry erase board before class and thus got to use the picture in a lot of our grammar structures. I believe this is an outward manifestation of missing my friends. Dan is clearly Gandalf, and JJ is clearly Thomas Jefferson. I believe the robot is probably Anita, the ninja with a gun is Bob for certain, and the dinosaur wielding an awesome mace is probably Stevo. Mandy is definitely the pirate in the flying space capable pirate ship. That doesn't even need to be stated.
I miss home.
Today I drew a picture of a ninja doing a sky uppercut on a dinosaur holding a mace while using the gun in his other hand to shoot at a robot below. Meanwhile a space pirate if flying in from the left firing a cannon while Thomas Jefferson and Gandalf swing in on a rope to join the fight. I did all this on the dry erase board before class and thus got to use the picture in a lot of our grammar structures. I believe this is an outward manifestation of missing my friends. Dan is clearly Gandalf, and JJ is clearly Thomas Jefferson. I believe the robot is probably Anita, the ninja with a gun is Bob for certain, and the dinosaur wielding an awesome mace is probably Stevo. Mandy is definitely the pirate in the flying space capable pirate ship. That doesn't even need to be stated.
I miss home.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Almost As Bad As Jack Johnson
This weekend I let my friends convince me that going to a radiohead-influenced Chinese band's concert would be a good experience.
Yeah that was a terrible idea.
Yeah that was a terrible idea.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
BLACK POWDER
My workouts have just been rejuvenated. One of my friends gave me some Black Powder, telling me a friend had given it to them when leaving China but they didn't want to use it. I have taken this as a sign from God as a reward for my good deeds and a mandate to workout and blow everyone's minds, and thus today I did just that. I am so excited, I have enough left for about 14 days, which is oddly the amount of workout days I have left. Tell me this isn't a sign from a higher power.
To prepare my body for the punishment I went and had my first massage since being in Hangzhou. I sprung the extra 50 RMB for the swedish style massage with oil and oh dear lord. No regrets there, I am so relaxed right now, I am really going to miss the massages when back in America.
I am sad that my computer is dead for good until I can return to America and replace the mother board, but not having the internet has been pretty good for my free time. As a result I've found some cool underground markets to explore for gifts and goodies for myself. Seriously awesome markets, you enter this 5 foot by 5 foot building in the middle of nowhere and go down the staircase into this giant underground multi-level market complete with an underground Korea Town. It blows my mind and will require several days to fully map out and buy things from.
The new infusion of Black Powder made me miss Bob and JJ and thus I had to watch (and by watch, I mean force my friends to watch for the first time as well) the Powerthirsts, Brawndos, NFL Crunchtime, and Superbingo on youtube. Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to go watch the Big Lebowski with them. PERFECT DAY.
Also, Texas beat OU.
To prepare my body for the punishment I went and had my first massage since being in Hangzhou. I sprung the extra 50 RMB for the swedish style massage with oil and oh dear lord. No regrets there, I am so relaxed right now, I am really going to miss the massages when back in America.
I am sad that my computer is dead for good until I can return to America and replace the mother board, but not having the internet has been pretty good for my free time. As a result I've found some cool underground markets to explore for gifts and goodies for myself. Seriously awesome markets, you enter this 5 foot by 5 foot building in the middle of nowhere and go down the staircase into this giant underground multi-level market complete with an underground Korea Town. It blows my mind and will require several days to fully map out and buy things from.
The new infusion of Black Powder made me miss Bob and JJ and thus I had to watch (and by watch, I mean force my friends to watch for the first time as well) the Powerthirsts, Brawndos, NFL Crunchtime, and Superbingo on youtube. Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to go watch the Big Lebowski with them. PERFECT DAY.
Also, Texas beat OU.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Technology Continues To Betray
My computer has died. Randomly, without caust, it refuses to turn on. I have taken it in to a Toshiba certified shop, and as we have eliminated most other causes we believe it to be a motherboard problem. Hooray.
That news put me in a foul mood, and the only way to cure foul moods is to go to the gym. In this case, I needed an epic gym trip. I decided to channel the spirit of JJ and Bob, the two gym partners I have been missing dearly since our parting of ways in Hangzhou.
I haven't taken preworkout drinks in a little over a month, and I finished my last cycle of Creatine before returning to America around that time as well. Thus my workouts, while excellent, don't have that epic Bob-insanity level that they had before. I decided that only through the power of Bob's beloved Red Bull could I do that.
As I explained to my friends, for a balanced and truly epic workout you must combine the 5 elements, much like when forming the Power Rangers or Captain Planet. There has to be five:
JJ is the power of smoldering rage, you simply take whatever is bothering you at the time (girlfriend, homework, bowel problems, China) and turn it into sheer willpower. Give homage to the spirit of JJ before working out, and your rage fueled workout will leave you happy and carefree after the workout. Side effects include epic hair.
Dan is the power of epic metal, only through harnessing the power of a well stocked ipod and focusing ones inner spirit can one truly find harmony with the epic gods of metal and have a fulfilling destructive workout. Only through him can you find the power to do 10 sets of pullups and call it a warm up.
Stevo is the power of competition. Oh, you lifted that much last week? Well the Bear Spirit of Stevo will not only add 20 pounds, but he will do 3 more reps than you did with the lighter weight. It shouldn't be humanly possible, but since when is the bear spirit Stevo confined to logic. Pussy.
I bring with me the power of excess. Yes, that weight is dangerously heavy. No, it is not necessary for me to do that many sets of bench press. I'm not sure what you mean by 'rest day' but the concept sounds silly. Embracing the power of Chris requires moderation, it can bring great gains, but within this power also lies the path to overtraining, one of the great sins against the workout gods.
Bob brings the power of insanity. Not controlled insanity, not refined insanity, simply insanity. Embracing the spirit of Bob is what leads people to mix red bull, noxplode, and instant coffee in a nalgene before working out. Bob is the reason 24 hour fitness has a coffee station in the middle of the gym. Bob is a strong man, and he dares any of you to take a run at him.
I combined these elements and had one heck of an epic workout yesterday. I embraced the raging fury within me, bought two red bulls (the non carbonated Chinese version), and with Through The Fire And Flames blaring loudly downed the first in remembrance of JJ in Hangzhou and his love for the occasional single preworkout red bull. I looked at the second, and with a thought of remembrance for Bob and his reckless abandon seen in the concoctions made preworkout in Hangzhou, downed the second Red Bull. My ipod seemed to know that this was not a normal workout, and the shuffle seemed to switch perfectly from Dimmu Borgir to Ayreon to Blind Guardian to Iron Maiden, keeping me supplied with fresh epic workout fueling metal. I began with Dan style pull ups, pushups, and dips to get into the mood, then pointed out the trainer that likes to think he can compete with me to come and be my spotter, loaded 225 onto the squat bar, and the rest became a blur as the 5 elements combined to form whatever we combine to form. I like to think its a gundam or megazord or something.
Man, now I want to workout. CHINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
That news put me in a foul mood, and the only way to cure foul moods is to go to the gym. In this case, I needed an epic gym trip. I decided to channel the spirit of JJ and Bob, the two gym partners I have been missing dearly since our parting of ways in Hangzhou.
I haven't taken preworkout drinks in a little over a month, and I finished my last cycle of Creatine before returning to America around that time as well. Thus my workouts, while excellent, don't have that epic Bob-insanity level that they had before. I decided that only through the power of Bob's beloved Red Bull could I do that.
As I explained to my friends, for a balanced and truly epic workout you must combine the 5 elements, much like when forming the Power Rangers or Captain Planet. There has to be five:
JJ is the power of smoldering rage, you simply take whatever is bothering you at the time (girlfriend, homework, bowel problems, China) and turn it into sheer willpower. Give homage to the spirit of JJ before working out, and your rage fueled workout will leave you happy and carefree after the workout. Side effects include epic hair.
Dan is the power of epic metal, only through harnessing the power of a well stocked ipod and focusing ones inner spirit can one truly find harmony with the epic gods of metal and have a fulfilling destructive workout. Only through him can you find the power to do 10 sets of pullups and call it a warm up.
Stevo is the power of competition. Oh, you lifted that much last week? Well the Bear Spirit of Stevo will not only add 20 pounds, but he will do 3 more reps than you did with the lighter weight. It shouldn't be humanly possible, but since when is the bear spirit Stevo confined to logic. Pussy.
I bring with me the power of excess. Yes, that weight is dangerously heavy. No, it is not necessary for me to do that many sets of bench press. I'm not sure what you mean by 'rest day' but the concept sounds silly. Embracing the power of Chris requires moderation, it can bring great gains, but within this power also lies the path to overtraining, one of the great sins against the workout gods.
Bob brings the power of insanity. Not controlled insanity, not refined insanity, simply insanity. Embracing the spirit of Bob is what leads people to mix red bull, noxplode, and instant coffee in a nalgene before working out. Bob is the reason 24 hour fitness has a coffee station in the middle of the gym. Bob is a strong man, and he dares any of you to take a run at him.
I combined these elements and had one heck of an epic workout yesterday. I embraced the raging fury within me, bought two red bulls (the non carbonated Chinese version), and with Through The Fire And Flames blaring loudly downed the first in remembrance of JJ in Hangzhou and his love for the occasional single preworkout red bull. I looked at the second, and with a thought of remembrance for Bob and his reckless abandon seen in the concoctions made preworkout in Hangzhou, downed the second Red Bull. My ipod seemed to know that this was not a normal workout, and the shuffle seemed to switch perfectly from Dimmu Borgir to Ayreon to Blind Guardian to Iron Maiden, keeping me supplied with fresh epic workout fueling metal. I began with Dan style pull ups, pushups, and dips to get into the mood, then pointed out the trainer that likes to think he can compete with me to come and be my spotter, loaded 225 onto the squat bar, and the rest became a blur as the 5 elements combined to form whatever we combine to form. I like to think its a gundam or megazord or something.
Man, now I want to workout. CHINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Andrew Jackson
Me: Any ideas on what my presentation should be about?
Mother: OK --just brainstorming here -- skyscrapers, what we eat for breakfast, Andrew Jackson, Chinatowns in America, OU UT game.
Andrew Jackson.
Mother: OK --just brainstorming here -- skyscrapers, what we eat for breakfast, Andrew Jackson, Chinatowns in America, OU UT game.
Andrew Jackson.
America in 5 Minutes
This week has been simultaneously eventful and yet not much of mention.
I have a new partner my friend introduced me to at the gym. And since I'm me, there is obviously a story attached. She wants to practice her English, which is decent already, and since I already ended my dedicated language pledge with speaking to my mother I decided why not. Turns out this girl is, in the Chinese sense of beauty, an absolute knockout model of perfection. I wouldn't quite echo this sentiment, but after I spoke with her the first time at the gym all the male trainers found me in the locker room and asked me what I thought, what we talked about, if I could introduce them to her, etc. I was the cool kid before due to being white, large, and powerful with my use of the Chinese language, but now I have achieved superstar status after becoming this girls tutor. These people are fascinating sometimes.
Speaking of, the topic is America in 5 minutes. I have been wracking my brain all week trying to think of my topic for my end of semester presentation. At the end of the semester we head to a rural school and give our 5 minute presentation to a class of students using Chinese to introduce something about America. Last year it took me a long time to think of something and finally decide upon football, and this year is just as difficult. Other students are doing Christmas, Thanksgiving, or the NBA, but I feel these topics aren't unique and engaging enough. So far my list has cowboys and barbeque as the top contenders, but I still haven't decided and must do so soon. Just can't think of what to tell them about.
My technology jynx continues. My camera, gameboy, external hard drive, and computer (fan) all continue to betray me at random points and either not load, not charge, or malfunction randomly. However, I still do not trust the mechanics in China to not break my things: America hurry!
I kept starting a topic this week about the things I miss most, but I just couldn't bring myself to go through it all. I wanted to commemorate that I had under a month to go and start getting myself excited about America, but it is still too soon to start doing so without getting too homesick. The majority of the things I missed revolved around Bob and JJ and all the things that I used to do in Hangzhou for fun. I still do some of them in Beijing, but no one understands me.
And perhaps the best news for last, I found and bought the ultimate Christmas gift for myself and the other members of the workout team. I can't say what it is since I don't want to ruin the surprise in case they read this, but I can say it involved long dealings, shady transactions, and possible bribery. Epic gifts are epic.
I have a new partner my friend introduced me to at the gym. And since I'm me, there is obviously a story attached. She wants to practice her English, which is decent already, and since I already ended my dedicated language pledge with speaking to my mother I decided why not. Turns out this girl is, in the Chinese sense of beauty, an absolute knockout model of perfection. I wouldn't quite echo this sentiment, but after I spoke with her the first time at the gym all the male trainers found me in the locker room and asked me what I thought, what we talked about, if I could introduce them to her, etc. I was the cool kid before due to being white, large, and powerful with my use of the Chinese language, but now I have achieved superstar status after becoming this girls tutor. These people are fascinating sometimes.
Speaking of, the topic is America in 5 minutes. I have been wracking my brain all week trying to think of my topic for my end of semester presentation. At the end of the semester we head to a rural school and give our 5 minute presentation to a class of students using Chinese to introduce something about America. Last year it took me a long time to think of something and finally decide upon football, and this year is just as difficult. Other students are doing Christmas, Thanksgiving, or the NBA, but I feel these topics aren't unique and engaging enough. So far my list has cowboys and barbeque as the top contenders, but I still haven't decided and must do so soon. Just can't think of what to tell them about.
My technology jynx continues. My camera, gameboy, external hard drive, and computer (fan) all continue to betray me at random points and either not load, not charge, or malfunction randomly. However, I still do not trust the mechanics in China to not break my things: America hurry!
I kept starting a topic this week about the things I miss most, but I just couldn't bring myself to go through it all. I wanted to commemorate that I had under a month to go and start getting myself excited about America, but it is still too soon to start doing so without getting too homesick. The majority of the things I missed revolved around Bob and JJ and all the things that I used to do in Hangzhou for fun. I still do some of them in Beijing, but no one understands me.
And perhaps the best news for last, I found and bought the ultimate Christmas gift for myself and the other members of the workout team. I can't say what it is since I don't want to ruin the surprise in case they read this, but I can say it involved long dealings, shady transactions, and possible bribery. Epic gifts are epic.
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