Something Positive
Posted by MyLaowai on Sunday, February 17, 2008
I haven’t written so far this month, and so I thought it would be nice that the first post of the New Chinese Year (which has nothing whatsoever to do with the relative orbital positions of the Earth and the Sun, but instead involves the number of times that the Moon has flown around China) would be something positive and happy. Here goes…
For the last two weeks I’ve been eating really wonderful, healthy food. Reasonably priced at that, too. The booze has been second-to-none, and has gone very well indeed with the fresh lobster. I cannot recall hearing a single disparaging remark about foreigners made whilst in my presence, and the vast, overwhelming majority of the people I have seen have been smiling. Quite a few people have greeted me with a genuine “Good Morning”, and there has not been a single case of surliness. The air has been clean, and I have not had to blow crap out of my nose for two weeks. The sky has been blue. So has the sea. I do not recall a single case of ‘mushroom farm in the mouth’ bad breath, and everybody I have met has been washed and clean. Taxi drivers have taken me where I want to actually go, and, on the one occasion when a mistake was made, the driver shut off the meter and corrected his mistake. I have been able to buy a full range of normal consumer items – in sizes and colours that people actually seem to want. Nothing I have bought has broken yet. I have been surrounded by an ancient and fascinating culture that has kept up with the times, and by people who have something to be proud of yet don’t feel the need to shove it down your throat at every opportunity. In short, the last two weeks have been very pleasant indeed.
Anyway, I’ve just arrived back in China. Normal programming will resume.
Wo Shi Laowai - Wo Pa Shui 
Stranded Mariner said
Hmmm, I had a strikingly similar experience. Including the trauma coming back again. Do parallel universes exist?
Neddy said
Parallel universes do exist, but there may be another explanation here: Where did you go for your holidays? Go on, spill the beans!
Walking angel said
“”and by people who have something to be proud of yet don’t feel the need to shove it down your throat at every opportunity.“
oh, we will never hear enough here in China how old the Chinese culture is. Even on TV programs on a bus. It could be the oldest civilization, but it could also be the least developed one.
MyLaowai said
hahaha As many other commentators have noted, claiming to have the oldest ‘civilisation’ is actually a bit of an embarrassment, when you look at the fact that it still hasn’t moved beyond the early bronze age socially.
China: 5,000 Years and Still Developing.
Neddy said
After watching this video
something else crossed my mind: Does positive=wishful thinking (as in daydreaming), or is it propaganda? But, never mind that… just watch it, and either laugh, or weep!
MyLaowai said
@ Neddy:
hahahahahahahahah. Hah.
No idea which country that was set in, but for damn sure it wasn’t China.
Good link mate.
MyLaowai said
Actually, on second thoughts, it could have been China. But only if the people in the video were all Japanese tourists. It’s possible – did you notice how they all had good manners and the women were not ugly?
Chinese – learn some manners from your Japanese betters!
Hunxuer said
MyLaowai: Have you been to the Free, Democratic Nation of Taiwan lately? A much, much better alternative…(the girls are hot, well packaged AND have the manners).
Of course it used to be a Jap colony…
MyLaowai said
Actually, I haven’t been to Taiwan. I tried to go there but they told me that my visa for China wasn’t going to get me across the border, and my RMB couldn’t bribe anyone to turn a blind eye, either.
Strange, it’s almost as through Taiwan were a totally different country.
Stranded Mariner said
That video clip is actually a science fiction movie. The location is China, and the year is 7008. Another 5000 years of developing have passed.
BJD said
Couldn’t watch that video til the end. It was the bit in the plane that got to me. When I was flying to BJ from UQ last summer we couldn’t take off because there were too many boxes of melons on the plane! Luckily a compromise was reached and they were stacked against the emergency exit. They actually sell boxes of melons in the departure lounge.
Neddy said
My second thoughts is, that this actually IS a parallel universe… Can anyone show me the door to go there? Pleeez!
BJD said
Actually I was flying from UQ to BJ.
Apologies