FIERCE

I got the idea to post about things that brought to my mind the word fierce while experiencing Beijing for the second and a half time around these last two weeks. The word may bring to mind a whole different set of images/expectations for each of you, but for me, at this point in my life, here are the fiercest of the fierce. (I realize that by the end of this blog, fierce is going to be that word you're going to have to say over and over to yourself trying to make sense of it due to my overuse of the word--like when you're writing a paper at 3AM and the word "the" becomes the most elusive, perplexing word to you and you think to yourself...how do you spell "the"? But I do not apologize. How many times does one get to use the word fierce in one's daily vocabulary? Werd. And yes, the bold and italics are necessary.)

Counting down at #5:

Sleeping on an 'Updated Semen Cassia' pillow. I'm no botanist, so to me, cassia would've offered me that factor of intrigue and perhaps sold me the product as opposed to 'semen cassia'. For the record, that is the actual name of this herb which is claimed to help with obesity. But if I were to choose, I would go with this one:
Who wouldn't want their liver heat removed? And come on--we all know I'm blind as a bat. You just watch, after 10 months in Beijing sleeping on this bad boy, I won't need Dr. Boothe's help anymore!

Coming in at #4:

I'm dedicating this to "Cricket". He is our real estate agent. I sincerely wish I had a picture of this man/boy. How do I describe him? Imagine a 5'3 Chinese male who weighs no more than 110 pounds. He looks about 22-ish which means he's probably closer to 30. He's got this chili bowl haircut and smokes like a chimney. But don't you 小看 (xiao3kan4) him. As we were moving in to our 6th floor apt with no elevator, he took my 50lb suitcase and in one fell swoop lifted it onto his back and sprinted up 6 flights of stairs. Fierce. You just wouldn't expect this tiny little guy to do something like that! If I ever get a photo of him, you will be able to see for yourself.

Coming in at #3:

So I think my parents would flip if they came to visit China at this point. It is definitely not as conservative as they would've hoped. It's also very different from what I remembered it 3 years ago. Everywhere you look...and I do mean everywhere there are these "Sex shops" or better yet "Sex appliance shops". I've never seen anyone walk into them, but they've gotta have business because they're everywhere! I went in, out of curiosity, yesterday after dinner--you know, for research purposes, and I guess it's what you would expect: condoms, dildos, toys, fake viagra (okay, I don't know for sure if it's fake, but the packaging sure looks it) etc. It was weird though. How do I explain? Hmm, well in the states, you can find all the above in stores like that, but you can also find novelty items for say bachelorette parties, etc. Here in China, it was just this tiny 7'x7' store with everything lined up in glass wall cases. Like, you'd have to ask to see each individual item and the store owner would have to unlock the case and take each item out individually for you to examine...as he or she watches over your shoulder. I would say that would set up a pretty awkward shopping experience. Also, half the stuff they have is from Russia as is evidenced by the Cyrillic so I wonder how much of this stuff (especially the medicinal things) is used for the right purposes. Anyway, for those who brave the shopping experience for items in these stores...mad props. fierce.

Coming in at #2:

Female cab drivers. Driving a cab in China is no easy task. From my understanding, cabbies have 12 hour shifts 6 days a week. For this reason alone, it may be harder for women to become cab drivers--especially if they have to take care of their children. Every once in a while, however, you'll end up hailing a cab with a female driver. They mean business. They're there to take you to where you need to go and no horsing around. It's not just me who thinks that. I ended up talking to another cab driver about it last week. The conversation went something like:

Me: Are there many female cab drivers?
Cab: No too many.
Me: Why is that?
Cab: I don't know maybe it's too hard to take care of your children and drive all day for a living. But you know, the ones that work for my company, they are 厉害 (li4hai). They will take 24 hour shifts so they can take another day off to be with their family. You won't ever hear them complain. They are very hard working.

I would agree with that. I always find I have more faith in getting in a cab driven by a female. I know they won't take me the long way around, and they are much better drivers! That's right, they are case and point that Asian females are great drivers--much like the rest of us! ;)

And last but not least coming in at #1:

Introducing to you the BEIJING BIKINI

This is my roommate Simon demonstrating the style for you. It's summer. It's hot and humid. Why not? This is what you see day and night. Men walking around with their shirts pulled up and tucked in under their armpits. Simon got a little shy doing it in the middle of Tiananmen Square, but normally, the entire belly would be on exhibit. Not only is the belly on exhibit, but you've got men slapping their bellies like they get some weird satisfaction from it. Or maybe they're trying to be musical. Sometimes, they just strip it all and walk around in their boxers. I mean, maybe not in Tiananmen, but still, in very public places. Boxers! In Public! fierce.

And that concludes my top 5 countdown. Coming up next time--China fashion.

But for now, here are some pics of the apt!

Here is a picture of our front door--we're officially living in an Asian house. First off, how are these little tiger cut outs un-Asian? Secondly, this was left over from Chinese new years I'm sure which was what...6 months ago? So Asian.
This is our living room complete with fridge and microwave and empty giant fish tank near the window.
Below is a picture of my bedroom--not too shabby. The bed, however, is hard as a rock. I think the only improvement it provides from the floor is elevation.

And of course the most important room of all when one is in China, el bano. Always interesting to shower over one's toilet and trash can, but hey, it makes it one of the most efficient rooms in the house!


Until next time...