Another week has gone by... (Celine Dion wordplay)

Yay! I got to watch the boolegged version of Harry Potter yesterday. My roommate's former boyfriend (yup I was right about their guan xi) put some crap on my laptop and I was able to view it. I asked him if it was wei fa (illegal), and he said "bu yi ding" (not neccessarily). Anyway...

I bought my guzheng! It costs about 1,150 RMB. I played it and I am absolutely in love with it. I can play it like a piano only it doesn't have fa or ti in "do re mi fa so la ti do". So the only song I can play is "Ma Li you yi zhi xiao yang" (Mary had a Little Lamb).

Thao and I have discussed a conspiracy theory about our teachers. We ren wei (think) that they have a meeting every night about what they find out about us in our yi dui yi (one on one) sessions. Whatever you say one day with one teacher carries over the next day to another teacher. They really care about us. But they don't believe in confidentiality. Again, ge qiang you er (the walls have ears).

Thao and I have been interviewing people every week about random topics. Last week it was about internet porn. It was a questionable method we used since we asked one guy next door who asked his one guy friend who asked his other guy friend who asked his other guy friend =4. It's like a Chain letter at its best. Anyway, all the guys have never witnessed it since there are internet restrictions in China. But I think its ke bu si yi (unbelievable).

I miss Abhi. My little apprentice tells me a certain IT guy is quitting, a blood related IT guy has a girlfriend (OMG), and my Ketki is lost in Europe. Well not lost, but its a big world. I just realized, if Abhi brings his salary over to China, he can live like a king.

My Tong Wu went to KTV twice in one week. KTV is karaoke, only the hours when its really cheap is between 12 AM-6AM. It's really inconvenient because I feel like I can't play my guzheng since she sleeps when I am awake. Today, I dunno, I was fed up with it, so I played a morning tune. It was really awkward because well she didn't chuan yi fu, like she went to sleep without yi fu. My conception of chinese people are they are really conservative, but you know "sheng ri fu zhuang" isn't something I am really all that excited in seeing.

Today I ate a bunch of mian bao (bread) that you would normally find in those Chinese bakeries in Chinatown. I am now unconsciously purchasing mian bao that I used to say had no flavor. I think my teacher described it best, what's most important is that you are full. Although today he told us he ate 3 mantous for breakfast and drank a pint of dou fu, which I think is a bit of an overkill.

Today I counted the number of mosquito bites I had. I have 22 small ones and 2 big ones. The small ones aren't noticable unless I scratch myself. Like they aren't spread out, more like juxtaposed. So 5 small ones are equivalent to one big one. It looks like I have 6, actually 4 because two are hidden.

I am so excited to see my parents this weekend in Beijing. Its not that I missed them but there are small things that remind me of them. Like yesterday, Si wen serenaded us with tian mi mi. Like I absolutely hated that song, but its an old classic my dad used to sing. Something about songs mark milestones in my life. Like The Killers "Mr.Brightside", Keane's "Somewhere only We Know", Fan Wei Qi's "Wo Men Ke Bu Ke Yi Bu Yong Gan", Jay Chou's "Qian Li Zhi Wai".
I'm going to publish a memoir in the future. Well if not publish, just tell an oral gu shi to my loved ones. I am staying in a five star hotel (AGAIN) owned by the Starwood corporation. Oh how I miss Western toilets. Also, I'm really proud with what I've learned within the past two weeks. With my friends here, I have no problem conversing fluidly. That doesn't mean I'm saying it right but I couldn't have imagined a more rapid progression. I need to learn to order food though. Chinese people don't really have an opinion about local favorites.

If you da pen ti (sneeze), say yi bai sui.

Good luck = Zhu ni xin yun.