What I've Gotten For Christmas (So Far)

Note to Self #1

"Reserve judgment until further information is received."

I'm a social extrovert but an internal processor. I usually don't publicize my reflections, but I have become a bit attached to my dear Spielog (you're a good Spielog, yes you are :o)

The above quote is a principle that I'd like to incorporate into my life, gradually (because that's how principles are incorporated.) For the sake of goodness, the Golden Rule, and for my sanity, I'd like to become more thoughtful in my reactions to things. I don't know if it's because of nature or nurture, but I find myself springing to immediate judgments quite often. Emotional reactions 1) Are far easier than rational ones, 2) Feed the delicious sense of self-vindication 3) Are a human curiosity.

I plan on tackling #1 by continuing to develop intellectually and, of course, trying my best to hold myself to the same standard by which I judge "the other." #2 is more difficult, but I will try to realize that being right or wrong is relevant to a situation, but not to my ability to become better (more logical, more tolerant, more understanding.) In other words, proving myself right doesn't accomplish anything in the long run unless I see the big picture. Also, being wrong just makes me a human being. Which brings me to point 3. Emotional reactions will always be a part of the human race. It's not changing, so we might as well make the best of it. Use our powers for good.

I understand I haven't outlined a complete and cohesive worldview here, but it's all I got right now.

Please, if you see me slide on these principles, let me know. That's what friends do, right?

Thoughts?

Jester

Greetings, bloglings!

After a lengthy hiatus, I have decided to once again traverse into the underworld of internet bloggage. Knowing well that a three year old could exceed my attention span, I wisely abstain from making any sort of promises regarding the length of my stay.

But enough of the formalities. I have returned from the physical world so that I can share some of my newfound treasures. Yes, we bloggers are known to venture outside of our basements, leave our laptops in their spiffy cases, and even travel beyond the borders of wi-fi coverage!

One of my hobbies is city-exploring. I love downtown. I love Paseo. I love Hefner Lake. Yes, even within the confines of our endearingly-mediocre metropolis, one can find a haven. OKC.gov has a website promoting a few of such places.


http://www.okc.gov/to_do/index.html



A few weeks ago, Josh and I boarded an OKC River Cruise (not to be confused with the Bricktown Canal Cruises.) It was one of their themed-cruises--"Taste of Italy"--and we had the privilege of feasting upon Italian hors d'oeuvres while crusing down the Oklahoma River. During the one and a half hour cruise, we laughed, sang and mingled with 28 other passengers, including a group of singers from a Methodist choir. The boat was warm and cozy inside, and outside was delightfully brisky. The coolest part was when our boat was locked into a little chamber that filled with water to elevate us across the dam. All in all, a splendid time.


I will periodically update my "Spielog" with new discoveries, rants, and other random musings.


Stay tuned mes amis,


JC

China Rant #1

So, I officially miss the good ol' U.S. of A.

Here are my top Whines (bad) and my top Squeals (good.)

Whines:
1. Bathrooms. I know this is a weird topic to mention first, but the bathrooms here are God-awful. Most public restrooms consist of a hole in the ground, with two steps on either side for you to stand on. They are dirty, and don't even get me started about the smell. There's no toilet paper; you have to bring your own. Now that I think about it, all of the pubic areas in China are pretty dirty.
2. Beds. I can feel every spring in my bed, and I'm staying at an international hotel. My aunt's bed is basically a hard wooden board with a thin layer of woven straw as a "mattress." This is typical. So much for dreams of Tempurpedic heaven.
3. Traffic. OH MY GOODNESS. I'm surprised I'm still alive. China is so populated with taxis, cars, bicycles, mopeds and pedestrians that the streets are nothing short of chaos. No one, I repeat NO ONE, follows the traffic laws. Any number of things that would engender a middle finger and a good amount of road rage in the U.S. is commonplace in China. Practically expected.
4. Pushy salespeople. There are salespeople on almost every corner in Shanghai, most of them trying to push a flyer into your hands or draw you in to their little booth. I usually ignore them, but the other day, as I was walking down the street, one guy walked up next to me and tried to hassle me with some product. I pretended he didn't exist, but this continued for about half the block. Finally, I told him off, but on my God. I swear, I need my man-friend with me.

Ok, that took so long, I'm going to have to save Squeals for later.

Peace,

JC

Chinese Acrobats

Last night I saw some Chinese acrobats.

No, seriously, I went to the Shanghai Circus to see their "Intersection of Time" show.

This is a seriously updated version of classic Chinese circus acrobatics. As the name suggests, the show combined an old and new perspective of China's history. So while one scene opened with a farmer and his wife "rowing" across the stage in a primitive boat, another displayed futuristic apparatus and robotic acrobats.

These are pictures from their website, since flash photography isn't allowed.

Some of the stuff I've seen before, like the curtain acrobatics and the trapeze stuff, but I must say the giant ferris wheel was my favorite.

My brothers liked the final act: the motorcycles in a giant hamster ball stunt. There were up to 5 cyclists whizzing around at once inside.

I must say, I spent a lot of the 1 1/2 hours holding my breath and hoping to God that no one would slip or look away. Yeah, one hell of a show, but I don't think my blood pressure could take too many of these.

Suzhou

Yesterday I went to a famous landmark called Suzhou. It's famous for its silk and water gardens.

I must say Suzhou is one of the most scenic places I've seen in China. The gardens are located in the house of a nobleman, with separate quarters for each member of the family.

I also visited a Buddhist Temple in Suzhou. Here is the outside of one of the buildings in the complex. It is disrespectful to take pictures inside the temple, but I can describe it: A giant, almost ridiculous-looking golden statue sits in the middle of the hall, with lavish decorations around it. On both sides of the hall is a line of golden monk statues, each with a different face.

Not being Buddhist, I thought I would remain unaffected by this centerpiece of faith, the faith of possibly 500 million people. But the place definitely had a certain ominous feel, like the statues were frowning on you. I realized how far removed I was from the Chinese culture, as I saw a woman bow with the utmost reverence to the statue.

However, I did light incense outside of the temple. You light this big wooden stick, say a prayer facing Buddha, and bow in all four directions. This is my "I don't know what I'm doing" stance.

I prayed to find God. Ha. Ironic.

Arrived: Shanghai

I'm here. Shanghai.

I'm staying on the 19th floor of the Jianguo Hotel, a 4-star hotel located in one of the three major shopping districts of Shanghai (score!) The hotel has been usurped by the 400+ attendees of my Dad's biostatistics conference. Website here .

Here is the view from my room (yes, you can be jealous now):

Last night, I had a traditional Shanghai dinner with my Dad, his friend (a professor from Fudan University, the Harvard of China) and some Fudan grad students. It was a feast: around 20 spicy vegetable and meat dishes. A blog on food, which is paramont in Shanghai, will come later.

Shanghai is the granddaddy of all cities. There are over 4,000 buildings over 30 stories. We're not even staying in the most modern district of Shanghai, which I understand is even cooler than this one.

More later.

Til then,

JC

OKC to Memphis to Philadelphia

It's past midnight.

I've just arrived at the Philadelphia Int'l Airport from OKC, via Memphis. I'm sitting comfortably in my Dad's two-story white stucco home in suburbia PA. I hear crickets from outside my window and jazz from my radio, a kind break from the obnoxious rap and shouted ebonics of after-hours Boulder Ridge (my apartment back home.)

At the Memphis Airport, I stopped for dinner at Corky's Bar-B-Que. Dinner was delicious (Memphis bar-b-que, after all), and the entertainment was, to my fortune, equally Memphis-esque.

He sang old-time blues, accompanied by his ipod and his soul. At times he shouted, at times he almost cried. It was beautiful. Each song was written for him and by him, it seemed. Even though travelers were scurrying across the way, and hungry diners were waiting impatiently in line, the Blues Man never lost a beat. A fortysomething woman in the corner would shut her eyes and gently rock her body to each line he uttered. A young boy clapped his hands to the lively notes as if his hands were an instrument.

Tomorrow, I rest. Then Wednesday morning, and by morning I mean 3:00 am, my Dad's company car will come take us to the airport. Our flight to Atlanta won't be bad, but from Atlanta to Shanghai = 15 grueling hours of air travel. Thank God for naps, books and love letters to keep me sane.

You'll hear from me soon, friends.

Always,

JC