My Chinese Name

So it's been a long time coming but I've finally given my self a Chinese name. Chinese people often give themselves an English name that they use around English speakers. This is partly because some Chinese names are very difficult for us English speakers to pronounce/remember (ex -Liu Yicun...trust me, you're pronouncing it incorrectly) or they cause English people to giggle uncontrollably which must be very irritating (ex. Long Wang...sigh, I still can't stop giggling...when will I grow up?). In this light I've decided it would be fun to give myself a Chinese name and I've decided on Deng Xu Hu (pronounced dung shoe who). Deng is the Chinese equivalent of the Dun part of Duncan and it is also the family name of the Chinese leader that came after Mao Ze Dong (Deng Xiao Ping). I've been reading about him lately and quite admire his accomplishments. Xu Hu translates into, lol, "morning tiger", which I think is awesome/hilarious. I can't quite separate the mental image of Hobbes (of Calvin and Hobbes) and real tigers. This leads to images of me yawning and stretching as I awake and then roaring as I pounce out of bed into a position ready to attack. It's probably a good thing that nobody actually has access to my brain except for me...it would be a bit confusing :)

The Strangest Club on Earth

My experiences with clubs in China have all been memorable ones. Last weekend I went to one that really took the cake though. On the outside it is covered with stained glass windows with religious scenes making it appear to be a church or something. This of course seems a bit odd when entering a bar but this just intrigued me more so I forged ahead. Inside the building has been decorated in such a way that it looks like it's straight out of "The Golden Compass". This is augmented by the 1:1 staff to customer ratio wherein the staff are dressed up in costumes that make them look like Oompa Loompas from Charlie and the Chooclate Factory. Topping off the entry is an actual, honest-to-goodness Chinese midget. Wow. I just wonder what the designer was going for, you know? What possible theme covers midgets, God and childrens stories? And if this theme actually exists, does it really attract the demographic that wants to go out drinking on a weekend?

(CS Lewis being the obvious answer, I suppose, but I highly doubt that he resonates with the Chinese or with drinkers)

Tales from a Canadian

I'm looking for a hockey party but there's not much to pick from in Jilin on a Monday night. I awoke painfully early this morning and took in the gold medal hockey final. Without a doubt, one of the best games of hockey that I've ever seen, even without the drama. Wow. I paraded around school all day telling everyone repeatedly about the win, they think I'm crazy. They're right. Watching Crosby score that goal was pure euphoria...Go Canada!

On a whole, I didn't get to watch as much of the Games as I would have liked but by following along online I am very proud to be Canadian. It's an amazing feeling to be on the other side of the world watching your country throw a huge party. I am a believer in the power of the Games!

Chinese New Year

Holy crap! The Chinese really know how to celebrate the coming of a new year. They beat us hands down...it's not even a competition. They have a bit of an obsession with firecrackers at all times but all restraint has gone out the window this week. I've seriously had moments where I thought Jilin was under attack. This morning I woke up to the tintinabulation of explosions outside my window at 7am and they didn't stop until 10am. Not even for a moment...it was constant explosions. Even now at 3:45p the explosions are still going. New Years Day was 4 days ago! I'm in awe.

Vacation Synopsis

As I was lounging in Cambodia I took to writing to pass the time. I've put together from these scattered thoughts a rather detailed description of my trip that I would like to share but it is too long to post here. It also contains some sensitive topics so I need to screen who reads it. (how mysterious...!) So, if you're interested then pop me an email and I'll send it your way. duncanjohnharvie@gmail.com

Cambodia Pictures

Hello ladies and germs. I'm back from my vacation to Cambodia and have posted some pictures if you care to see them: http://www.flickr.com/photos/44196127@N04/

The trip was amazing and I plan to have a description posted in the not too distant future, but the pics will have to suffice for now.

In other news, I've returned to find the internet is even more restrained than when I left. Sites I used to go to are now blocked, sometimes the site pops up but the pictures don't (ex - Wikipedia...I can get the text, but no pictures). It's pretty bad. So far gmail is still operational but I fear that sooner or later the internet (and things like my blog) will become too restricted to function properly.

Mystifiying Things Ch. 1

The Chinese do some things that just don't make sense. I suspect that part of this is because I'm in a backwater, undeveloped part of China and that many of these things don't happen in, say, Beijing or Shanghai. So maybe I should say that Jiliners do some things that just don't make sense. I've decided to start posting a list of things that I can legitimately find no explanation for.

I live on the top floor. I have no neighbours. There is no elevator. Between my floor and the penultimate floor is a staircase with a landing. There is no reason for anyone except me to ever regularly ascend to this landing. At the landing is a small panel door that allows access to some plumbing. There is a bit of a ledge inside. A supply of recycling (ex. empty water bottles, coke cans etc.) slowly builds up on this ledge and then periodically disappears. What is going on? Why would somebody go to the trouble of climbing the stairs to this landing, in order to keep their recycling in a place not intended or suitable for recycling?

This mystery nags at me in an entirely inordinate amount. There is just no reason for this to be happening. People don't go out of their way to purposefully inconvenience themselves for no reward. I have considered a wide range of possibilities and none seem any more likely than that someone is choosing to store their recycling there. But the issue really isn't the mystery, it's the fact that based on my experiences with Jiliners so far, there probably IS NO REASONABLE explanation...and that drives me nuts. If I were to find the person who was doing it they probably couldn't tell me why they did it. Instead the conversation would probably go something like this: Me: "Why do you keep your recycling in such an inconvenient place"...Culprit: "that's where the recycling is kept"...Me: "But why right there? Why not somewhere that's more suited for it and easier to get to?"...Culprit: "I keep my recycling in this little hole in the wall"...Me: "I see that, but I'm trying to understand WHY you choose to put it THERE..."...Culprit: "because that's where the recycling is kept". Sigh. All day, every day, folks.