I feel like it's time for another full post. And now that I'm sober, unlike my last post, I'll actually take some time to write something and put up some pictures. Although I have to say, I am quite eloquent when I'm drunk.
I just got back from my first business trip of the year, which was down to Nanning, the capital of Guangxi province. It was my first time in Nanning, although not my first time in Guangxi, but I wasn't very excited about being there. It's just another big Chinese city, nothing very exciting. I thought I might take some pictures and post them, but there was nothing interesting to take pictures of. Also I spent most of my time in the hotel because I was there for a work event which was being held in the hotel where we were staying. I did, however, manage to take a couple pictures, which I think sum up 3rd tier China quite nicely:
1. Here is a man changing his pants in the middle of the airport, in front of a random white guy whose face is plastered all over medical advertisements in the airport.
2. Here is a car at the airport this morning, which my plane was supposed to follow (you may have guessed that already from the neon sign that says FOLLOW ME) and which for some reason had a sign in English.
This is my first trip of the year, but this year is already pretty packed with travel. I can pretty much tell you where I'll be every week from now until May, and most of those weeks include something other than Shanghai, if they include Shanghai at all. I thought it would slow down when I moved to China, but I was wrong. Which is why, despite all my negative feelings about it, I've finally started online dating.
I was pretty against it for a long time. I feel like I don't need the internet to meet someone. But, well, I haven't met anyone. And also a good friend of mine met the love of her life on OK Cupid recently, so I figured I might as well try. So I've been on OK Cupid for a while now, and it's not nearly as bad as I expected. I've been out on one date so far, which was not particularly good, but we'll see how it goes from here. I've got a couple more lined up this week, since I'm actually in town this week, one of which I'm actually excited about. That's a weird feeling.
The worst part about OK Cupid here in China (and I guess dating in general here in China) is the utter lack of Jewish women. If I search for Jewish women in Shanghai, 6 show up. Out of these 6, one is my very good friend, and another is a man (I know this not from personal experience, but from anecdotal evidence). So slim pickings. Which is why I also enjoy searching for Jewish women in other random places around the world. And I've come to the realization that I should probably be living in Washington D.C. But that isn't likely to be happening anytime soon.
Another exciting event this week was when I found the band Goat. Goat is a very strange Swedish band that somehow makes world music that seems to originate from everywhere in the world. It's kind of a cross between psych rock, West African music, Eastern European folk, and all other kinds of weird things thrown in for good measure. They also have some weird background story they've made up about having originated in some village in Northern Sweden that was cursed by voodoo magic and they all wear tribal masks when they perform. I'm not really sure what's going on here, but I like it.
Apparently they put out an album in 2012, which I missed. It was called World Music, a name which I guess sums these guys up. My favorite song off the album is Goathead (they have lots of songs with Goat in the name. Again, I'm not really sure what's going on here.).
And then they also put out an album in 2014, called Commune. Now I know I'm only supposed to share one song per post, but when introducing a new band I may share two. Also this gives me a bit of leeway in the future to claim that I shared two songs in a day and can therefore skip a day at some point (likely either due to travel or alcohol or the Chinese government hating free speech) but still feel ok about it because at the end of the year I'll have 365 songs.
I was planning to share Talk to God, the opening track on the album, but when I searched for that I got weird Jesusy stuff and nothing about Goats or Swedes. So instead I'll share the second track on the album, Words, which is also great.
If you don't like it, I totally get it. But I love it and I hope you do too.
I just got back from my first business trip of the year, which was down to Nanning, the capital of Guangxi province. It was my first time in Nanning, although not my first time in Guangxi, but I wasn't very excited about being there. It's just another big Chinese city, nothing very exciting. I thought I might take some pictures and post them, but there was nothing interesting to take pictures of. Also I spent most of my time in the hotel because I was there for a work event which was being held in the hotel where we were staying. I did, however, manage to take a couple pictures, which I think sum up 3rd tier China quite nicely:
1. Here is a man changing his pants in the middle of the airport, in front of a random white guy whose face is plastered all over medical advertisements in the airport.
2. Here is a car at the airport this morning, which my plane was supposed to follow (you may have guessed that already from the neon sign that says FOLLOW ME) and which for some reason had a sign in English.
This is my first trip of the year, but this year is already pretty packed with travel. I can pretty much tell you where I'll be every week from now until May, and most of those weeks include something other than Shanghai, if they include Shanghai at all. I thought it would slow down when I moved to China, but I was wrong. Which is why, despite all my negative feelings about it, I've finally started online dating.
I was pretty against it for a long time. I feel like I don't need the internet to meet someone. But, well, I haven't met anyone. And also a good friend of mine met the love of her life on OK Cupid recently, so I figured I might as well try. So I've been on OK Cupid for a while now, and it's not nearly as bad as I expected. I've been out on one date so far, which was not particularly good, but we'll see how it goes from here. I've got a couple more lined up this week, since I'm actually in town this week, one of which I'm actually excited about. That's a weird feeling.
The worst part about OK Cupid here in China (and I guess dating in general here in China) is the utter lack of Jewish women. If I search for Jewish women in Shanghai, 6 show up. Out of these 6, one is my very good friend, and another is a man (I know this not from personal experience, but from anecdotal evidence). So slim pickings. Which is why I also enjoy searching for Jewish women in other random places around the world. And I've come to the realization that I should probably be living in Washington D.C. But that isn't likely to be happening anytime soon.
Another exciting event this week was when I found the band Goat. Goat is a very strange Swedish band that somehow makes world music that seems to originate from everywhere in the world. It's kind of a cross between psych rock, West African music, Eastern European folk, and all other kinds of weird things thrown in for good measure. They also have some weird background story they've made up about having originated in some village in Northern Sweden that was cursed by voodoo magic and they all wear tribal masks when they perform. I'm not really sure what's going on here, but I like it.
Apparently they put out an album in 2012, which I missed. It was called World Music, a name which I guess sums these guys up. My favorite song off the album is Goathead (they have lots of songs with Goat in the name. Again, I'm not really sure what's going on here.).
And then they also put out an album in 2014, called Commune. Now I know I'm only supposed to share one song per post, but when introducing a new band I may share two. Also this gives me a bit of leeway in the future to claim that I shared two songs in a day and can therefore skip a day at some point (likely either due to travel or alcohol or the Chinese government hating free speech) but still feel ok about it because at the end of the year I'll have 365 songs.
I was planning to share Talk to God, the opening track on the album, but when I searched for that I got weird Jesusy stuff and nothing about Goats or Swedes. So instead I'll share the second track on the album, Words, which is also great.
If you don't like it, I totally get it. But I love it and I hope you do too.
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