Brookline High School in China

China 8: Terracotta Warriors

Weird food(you'd think I'd run out of these by now): Pig Ears
Number of DVD's bought (at press time): 16

So I titled this entry "Terracotta Warriors" because we did visit China's 3rd most popular site of visitation by foreign devils. However, as an old teen these kinds of things' long gevity is not appealing to me. Why not weight 40 more years and then it'll be EVEN MORE impressive that they're lasted so long right?

So the warriors were nice. If you don't know what I'm talking about I'm sure a Google search will give you a better idea than I can. The difference between seeing them in person and in picture in negligible to any person who hasn't completed their doctorate in art history.

Yesterday, us 8 teens gone down to the city to see the hustle 'n bustle 'n such. Got myself 9 more DVD's, though I probly should test one of them out my VCR before I buy anymore. You never know with all this internet and global warming stuff going around. We also mosied our way down to the local watering hole where we filled up on dumplings and 4 meatball soups, which actually we shouldn't've gotten seein as we'd been a askin' for plates but you'll know how it is with them Chinese, can't seem they're own language (or we just really suck at chinese ;). So we ended up with 4 meatball soups instead of four plates, and after eating a few we got ourselves to start a speculatin' 'bout their origin. And well... when dixies come to daisies, we began seeing them meatballs as little to like them cow testicles. I mean they eat every other part of the cow, so why not?

We didn't end up eating the rest.

We traveled around the Muslim Quarter where street vendors call to you to "at least look at their wares." We bought various items like Eastpack Backpacks, bracelets, and Mao lighters that play a little song when you open them. I've discovered that I'm a really good bargainer. The orginal price we got for a Mao lighter was 50 yuan. Celine and Ian were able to buy their's for 20. I however kept my money and went down the street a little further and, using my poker face and a stoic attitude, was able to get mine for 8.

Later own some children walked up to me and tucked a rose into the strap of my bag. I apoligized and explained that I had no need for the rose. She kept saying "for you, for you." Well I didn't want to take her only rose for free, so I handed her 50 cents. Then she goes "five dollar". What?! I through the rose back at her and let her keep the 50 cents. Later she would come up again to Ian and after witnessing my experience he took the rose and placed it on the ground and kept walking. Whereupon this little chinese girl who could have been anywhere between the ages of 5 and 30 shouted an angry "Fuck yu!" C'est la vie.

As for life, I need to be focusing more on improving myself as usual. I finished "Mountain Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder, and was left with the feeling that everyone who is not trying to help balance in the inbalance in the world probably should just kill themselves. I'm also beginning to feel fat, though I've actually been getting decent amount of exercise lately with basketball and my daily 6 o'clock runs with Ms. Piggy. (I'm very impressed that she hasn't given up yet, though I'm the one who has to wake her up to go on her runs.) In other news, the group is still cohesive and pleasant. I wonder if there will ever be any strife between any of us during the trip? The way things are going I'd doubt it, but my intuition tells me if things go really well for a while you're heading for a less than really well situation. C'est la vie. Among other topics, I'm not sure what I should be doing on this Saturday night. Should I write back to my emails, write post cards, call up friends, watch a movie, socialize with my brother, start a new book, do some sit ups, or do some homework?

This trip seems to be getting shorter by the day. Everyday I'm realizing how much needs to be done which makes it seem like I have less and less time. Is that what life is? The management of time. Are the happy people the ones who are able to manage time because they're either very organized or have nothing to do? Just one of life's question.

While we're at it why not ask what is love?

Aloha.

posted by dAVID @ 5:43 AM