Most of the time I think that the google searches i get are funny. But occasionally one comes along that is truly disturbing:
bathing+suit+stain+pee+OR+piss+OR+poop
Sadly, no dirty undies or the like here. I'm assuming the Pooh pictures you were jonesing for were not of the "Winnie-the" variety.
You are a gross-body.
Things not to do on your day off:
1. Go into a restricted Chinese militarized zone.
Today was quite the event packed day. Woke up early and went down to the school at 7:30 to meet up with our friend and our boss's parents. We were going cherry-picking! Today was the first day of a cherry festival (I think) and a perfect day to go to one of the orchards to pick fruit. The parents spoke Chinese so it made it much easier to make our way there. There were several orchards to chose from, all near the town of Lushun. So we went to Lushun where there would be complimentary mini-buses to take us to the various locations.
We were dropped off at a small square where Ernie's parents spoke to one of the representatives about when the bus would arrive. No more than 10 minutes had passed when a man approached me, showing me his police ID. After a brief conversation with the cop, E's parents explained to us that foreigners aren't allowed in this town because there's a military base nearby. So, we were taken into custody.
We sat at the police station while negotiations were underway. Of course we couldn't understand what was being said so we just sat still like naughty children in the principal's office. At one point we were just talking quietly amongst ourselves, joking around about something and the cop reprimanded us, telling E's parents that we shouldn't laugh because this was a serious matter. We were on our best behaviour after that.
Of course everything was complicated by the fact that none of us had brought our passports, so we couldn't even prove that we had permission to be in China. Luckily, our school came through for us and faxed copies of all the info. Soooooo....after about 2 hours of deliberating over the appropriate punishment, our school was able to bail us out. Originally the cop said it would be 700rmb (over $100) a piece plus a fine for not carrying our passports, but because we were all so well-mannered and co-operative, and clearly we didn't do anything wrong on purpose, there would only be a charge of 300rmb for the group. Seemed like just another way for the government to scam some money - I bet that guys going out for a nice dinner tonight! But we didn't have much choice.
We had to sign a bunch of papers, but first we needed Chinese names. So that's me - Aimida* - common criminal.
To wrap up this loooooooooooooong story, we did eventually make it to the cherry orchard. Picked and ate loads of plump, juicy, perfect cherries. Mm-mmm! I've never gone cherry picking before, but I have a strong background in playing Hi-Ho-Cherry-O!, so I was a natural. What a fun day - run in with the law and all!
Mmm....delicious. A bunch more pictures in my cherry picking album
*Ai - Love
Mi - Beautiful
Da - Achieve
(or any number of other meanings depending on tone - I could be Herb, Rice, Big, but that's not quite as pretty)
Ah the joys of my digital camera, now I can share so many little things with you! I just couldn't resist buying a few treats the other day, just because they made me laugh.
Sadly, I didn't see any double stuft Olios.
And how could I resist buying these crackers? It's like poetry in my mouth!
Also on the cracker box....
In case you can't read it: The fashion snack that fit you more Daliyuan foods give you the minerable feeling. They are ideal for your relaxation, breakfast and to take with you on your day out. A "minerable feeling"? I'm intrigued and must buy.
And having nothing to do with food.... well, not really:
Theran had a really sore throat and these were his medicines. The yellow ones look like Nerds!
Woohoo! I came home after a long day of school and squeezed in some time to play with my new camera (I'm in love with it, by the way). So please, take a little virtual tour of my humble abode - check out My apartment (and around) in my photo albums! The building is a bit discouraging when you first see it. We start out with the dingy exterior, carry on into the gloomy stairwell, then open the door into its surprisingly warm and cozy belly. Once again, I haven't bothered to tidy up, so please ignore the beer bottles, scattered shoes, underwear hanging up and other miscellaneous junk. The living room pic is sparkling clean - but that's an old picture.
I'd also like to take this chance to introduce to you a very non-western phenomenon. The Shoilet*. The shoilet is the toilet/shower combination all rolled up into one compact ball. The floor of the shower is just the floor of the bathroom. Get off the pooper and take one step into the shower. How convenient!
I HATE shoilets. I like to have a bit more of a distinct line between where I wash and where I..........
Also, the shoilet is quite smelly. At least at times, and especially in the summer. The shower water, as well as our laundry water, just flows along to this little drain. Sometimes things seem to be backed up or something and there is a VERY unpleasant smell. Ew. I hardly feel like I'm getting clean when the whole room reeks of sewage. Like I said, EW.
And finally, as if I hadn't already given ample reason to despise it, along with the shoilet comes the joys of sewer bugs. All these little flies come up out of the drain and stick to the walls. They are very slow and stupid (due to breathing shit fumes for all their lives) and easily squished. Still, another hearry EEEW! from crowds.
Here is a look at a shoilet fly.
*The term shoilet is being credited to my sister, who in turn credits it to some girl I don't know.
Alrighty, didn't have much time to fiddle with my new camera today, unfortunately. Had Chinese class, then did some school work, then wrote up a bunch of report cards and got ready for tomorrow's classes. I did manage to sqeeze in a test shot of my bedroom. It's not the best, but I'm just starting. So here it is, my bedroom, where all the bloggin magic happens!
Look, I didn't even clean up, so this is a genuine peek into my lair! I'm so honest. Honest, lazy...whatever.
And yes, those are my stats up on the screen :)
I did it! I got a digital camera!
Decided on the Canon A95 which got really good reviews and seems to have everything I want. And it looks nice too! I found it at a few places and ended up getting it for about $460 Cdn - including a 512MB memory card. About the same as home I think, so that's good. Did my best bargaining and knocked over $120 off the tagged price until he wouldn't go any lower. So, I'm satisfied. I'm very excited and now I will go play with all the buttons.
You know, I didn't think it was possible, but with this nifty new camera, I'm even cooler than before!
Yes, cool people say the word "nifty".
Feeling down? Need to relax and enjoy just a brief moment of bliss? Have I got the solution for you! Straight from Singapore, it's the one and only Kickapoo JOY juice!! The original (I wasn't aware there were any imitations out there)
The name alone cheers me up!
But maybe you need something a bit stronger. A perky little can of pop won't cut it, so we turn to China to bring you the hard stuff! It looks unassuming but this baby's 50% alcohol! The convenient squeezie bottle is perfect for when you're on the go!
I was walking about downtown today, in my never-ending search for the best price on a camera (by the way, thanks for all the suggestions and advice, it's been very helpful!) and I passed the one and only Subway in the entire city. Mmm...I haven't had a sub since I left Canada. So we went in and they gave me the english menu. I decided on my usual - a 6'' veggie deluxe with bacon. The sub was 6.80 RMB (about a dollar) and my 2 strips of bacon were another 4. Plus a drink. I watched eagerly, my mouth beginning to water more and more with every topping that was added.
She added it up and told me I owed 28 RMB. Wait a sec...something was wrong here. It should be just under 15. So the manager, who spoke some english, came over to explain. I wasn't allowed to just order a veggie and 2 strips of bacon, they were charging me for a B.L.T. which was over twice the price. The manager pointed to an asterix beside "bacon" and then at the bottom of the page where the asterix was explained. IN CHINESE!! I was so annoyed. The menu is in English, but it was like they purposely left the small print in Chinese so there was no hope in hell of knowing what would happen. Anyhoo, I told her I didn't want it because that was double the price and there was no way I could know that. Now, you'd think that given the situation, she might let me have it for the price I originally expected to pay. But no! No business sense whatsoever. I ended up leaving without buying anything and they had a sub that was now wasted.
Guess I'll just have to wait til I get home for my sub fix.
Did you read the title? That's what's going on.
Just took a taxi home from the bar, and on the way (almost immediately actually), the driver pulls over to let someone else in. It's a bit strange, but whatever, I guess if we're headed in the same direction... But here's what pissed me off: the driver still expected my friend and I to pay the full fare!! What a jerkball! Just because we're foreigners, he thinks he can make us pay for someone else's ride? Bah, I say. BAH! So my friend and I ended up paying 15 out of 18. How annoying!
But now I will stop thinking about being ripped off and start thinking about my pillow....my flat, mediocre pillow...how enticing you are!
Damn, another unproductive day. I was all hopeful that I would get a new camera, but once I started reading about them on the internet, I just felt overwhelmed. So I dealt with the problem head on. I called my mommy to tell her I didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to do either, but it always feels good to whine about it. The rest of the day was spent chatting with my sister on Skype while surfing the internet. Yay for free calling - it allowed us to do nothing, together!
Okay, first step to being productive...get away from the computer!
