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The Chinese Hospital Experience

The Chinese Hospital Experience

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Waiting in line at the hospital is really fun. Really.

I woke up and it punched me hard in the gut: stomach pain.  I curled into the fetal position from the pain, but I knew that the show must go on.  I got out of bed, showered, clothed myself and hobbled back to bed where I cradled myself and my sore intestines.  Fifteen minutes later and with the excuse of ‘still being able to walk,’ I crawled out from my bed, grabbed my pre-made bento from the fridge and slipped on my high heels ready to strut to work.  I was ready to make my Japanese company proud and go to work completely ill. read more

Singles Day in Asia

Singles Day in Asia

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泽楠

光棍节

I was browsing through advertising agency news when I stumbled upon this article concerning China’s equivalent to Black Friday in the United States.

11.11

In other words

Single’s Day

Leave it up to the Chinese to create a holiday that is, utterly, pointless.  “Single’s Day” was supposedly devised up by some really lonely college students in a dorm, and somehow the craze has spread to the national scale–with the entire country recognizing this bizarre phenomenon and celebrating it much like the Moon Festival or even New Years.  There really is no deeper meaning to the day other than the fact that 1 is a lonely number, and 4 of them lined up together makes it even lonelier—thus, ensuing commiseration. read more

結婚願望 (The Lust for Marriage)

結婚願望 (The Lust for Marriage)

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bloggie

I think for women, there’s only one difference when it comes to dating in your early twenties as opposed to your later twenties:

urgency.

Even the most liberal of us start to countdown to 30 and hear the impending doom of the ‘clock ticking’ after we surpass 25.  It’s when we start telling ourselves that we can’t goof around and date losers anymore.  Being in the same band or liking the same indie movies doesn’t constitute as appealing qualifications for boyfriend material anymore.  Instead, women start to look beyond the personality and into the ‘what he can do for you’ category: In other words, salary, job, social status, and age.  The things we used to tell ourselves didn’t matter look far more enticing after 25. read more

Going to Bali Alone (and escaping China)

Going to Bali Alone (and escaping China)

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I’m running away from China and going here:

Bali… here I come

I really need to escape China.  Badly.  And I think anyone that’s lived here longer than a year can 100% agree with me.
Beaches.  Rice Terraces.  No masses of people.  No spitting.  No people shoving me every corner I turn.  Sunshine.  Clean air.  Clean water.  Food without fake meat (aka no fox meat substituted for beef).

Oh yes.  Please.

Getting Out of China First

As I type this I’m in the Hangzhou airport.  Since it’s National Holiday Here （国庆节） I decided to take the safe route and come early.  During National Holiday, the roads are usually plugged up with traffic and the wait to purchase a train ticket can take a few hours.  Although my flight leaves for Bali at 11:00 PM, I decided to get my ass out of Shanghai at 2:30 PM and come to the Hangzhou airport early. read more

What the Japanese Deem Romantic

What the Japanese Deem Romantic

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Japan and the Moon

blogphoto3K and I were walking through the streets of Beijing.  We were with a loud, rowdy mix of foreigners and Chinese, and the feeling of summer was fresh in the air.  The district we just passed through was famous for Sichuan cuisine and outdoor eating.  The whole road was lined with red lanterns and hundreds of tables on the sidewalk, each filled to the brim with steaming hot fish, boiling red pepper hot pot or stir fried vegetables and meat.  The floor was littered in peanut and sunflower seed shells, the official snacks of China.  The street was loud, but in a good way, the way that makes a city feel alive.  Whole. read more

One Night in Beijing

One Night in Beijing

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So I literally spent one night in Beijing, as the famous song goes:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-E-qmtDPKk&w=420&h=315]

On a complete, random, spur of the moment instinct I hopped on the high speed train and took a five hour (no, you did not misread, five hour) train.  The first three hours were relaxing, a book in hand and some good tunes on my smartphone, but when I got the 4th hour on the train I was starting to go crazy.

Anyway, I made it to Beijing and it was amazing.  Beijing, I love you. read more

Inside the Mind of a Chinese Woman

Inside the Mind of a Chinese Woman

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Image

Inside the Mind of a Chinese Woman

I was having dinner with my old classmate yesterday  and she basically poured out her soul to me.

Now usually when someone opens their heart to you; really, just spills their guts, you discover new things about people you never knew before.

You start to question your own life, your own goals, this world, the universe, why life and death exist.  Nothing is the same for you, for your friend–for anyone.

My reaction?

 Do all Chinese Women Want the Same Thing? read more

Eric X. Li: A tale of two political systems 二政治体制の物語

Eric X. Li: A tale of two political systems 二政治体制の物語

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Interested in how the Chinese government works?  Want to hear this guy appeal to the masses about a one party system?

Do you want to read about it IN JAPANESE!?

Knock yourself out

*This is a personal translation, not a professional one.  If my Japanese is incorrect or incomprehensible, please do not hesitate to comment.

———————

[ted id=1778]

Good morning, My name is Eric li and I was born here.  But no, I wasn’t born there.  This was where I was born:  Shanghai at the height of the cultural revolution.  My grandmother told me she heard the sound of gunfire along with the sound of my first cries. read more

Taking the JLPT Test in China

Taking the JLPT Test in China

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The Horrors of Taking the JLPT Test in China

I took the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) N1 last Sunday.  I won’t even go into the logistics of the test.   Like, who says あるまじき anymore?  Whatever.

What I want to complain about is: The test center.  I signed up for the nearest testing location in Shanghai, which  was deep in the-middle-of-nowhere subrb.  I get to the university (testing location) and ask the nearest guard about the JLPT test, and she’s oblivious.  She points me to a nearby sign that has some stuff on it.  Lo and behold, it lists all information about the JLPT–except where to actually take it. read more