We are just a group of retired spooks that discuss things that you’ll not find anywhere else. It makes us unique. Take a look around. Learn a thing or two.
Oh, I tire of all this anti-China bullshit and all the rest. I just want to live my life in peace and smunch. So here, we are going to digress a spell on something that will “hit you out of left field”…
A Russian simulator.
Who’d figure? Right? There’s some outstanding simulations. One of which is the DF-31 simulator that was developed by one of the MM influencers here. Here’s another one. It’s fun.
Well it is true.
I found this cool and relaxing simulation on a Russian website, HERE, and copied it with my own comments and interjections. All credit to the author, and note that it was edited to fit this venue.
A rural Russian simulator…
Imagine you’re alone in a small wooden hut, not a soul around, only your plot of land, abandoned barns and vast swathes of forest.
.
It’s the closest thing to actually being there.
.
I open my eyes — outside it’s already light. I get out of bed, cover it with a khokhloma throw blanket, admire the dresser with porcelain dinnerware and go downstairs to have breakfast. On the way, I make sure to glance at the candle-lit icon and thank God before tucking in.
It takes you there.
Downstairs, there is a stove and a dining table with a samovar, cherry pie and cabbage pirozhkis. Only, for some reason, I can’t eat them — only pick things up and throw them at the wooden wall.
I really think that there is something really calming about exploring abandoned rural Russia.
There is no TV, let alone a computer, so, out of boredom, I go outside to the sound of birds singing and grasshoppers chirping. On the plot of land, I am greeted by the sight of an empty well, an old barn and the only living creature besides myself — a bull, gazing mournfully into the distance.
This is a description of the video game ‘Симулятор Одиночества В Русской Деревне’ (‘Simulator of Loneliness in a Russian Village’), released by Russian indie developer Flex Entertainment on Steam on April 9, 2021.
It has no monsters (save perhaps for a few rats in the derelict buildings), complex storyline or quests — only an abandoned village in an unknown Russian province and the chance to feel the atmosphere as the sole inhabitant.
“Once there was a bustling life, however, the lack of work, entertainment and generally any prospects forced all the residents to leave.
You are the only one who did not exchange wide fields, dense forests and a morning swim in the river for office work and a dull life in a nine-story panel house. From the point of view of the gameplay, this is a classic walking simulator in recognizable Russian scenery.
Just relax and spend time wandering through the sun-drenched forest and misty swamps, or explore the interiors of the canonical Russian hut, which has realistic graphics and the entire environment is worked out to the smallest detail,” reads the description on the game’s Steam page.
It is, indeed, a classic walking simulator.
The only objective in the game is to explore your own property, study scrawled messages on the walls of the abandoned buildings, or wander through the dense forest, crossing swamps, rivers and small wooden bridges.
If you max up the volume, it might seem you’re not alone in the village — every now and then what seems like footsteps and eerie creaking sounds can be heard.
You can, like your erstwhile neighbors, try to escape to the city, but the mission is impeded by endless forest and no map. You might not even make it back home…
Unsurprisingly, some players complain that the game lacks action — you can’t climb on the stove, drink vodka or go to the banya.
But the developers don’t promise entertainment, just total immersion in the atmosphere of an abandoned Russian backwater.
“The game’s creators highlight the acute topic of the dying Russian countryside, as well as the problem of loneliness and disconnection between people and their own inability and unwillingness to overcome these barriers,” the player by the name of ‘krtdn’ reflects philosophically in his review.
‘Simulator of Loneliness in the Russian Village’ is available on Steam in Russian only for 59 rubles (approx. $0.80).
Do you want more?
I have more articles like this in my Happiness Index here…
Well it is true. I discovered this sound while looking for information on vintage cast iron doorstops and came across an article on the subject. then I went on Kouguo and started download the tunes. Wow! Quite an unusual sound.
How to describe it?
Have you ever woken up on the couch in the middle of the night to find yourself staring at a black-and-white movie from the 1930s flickering on the TV? If so, your slumber may have been gently stirred by the film’s melancholy soundtrack.
Drifting between dream-state and consciousness, at first you may think you recognize the tinny strains of a slow Argentine tango, but then you discern a melody suggesting a Chopin nocturne, albeit one that’s been tuned to an even gloomier minor key of an Eastern European klezmer dance number. Perhaps you’re still dreaming?
In fact, you’re wide awake, and what you’re hearing is a Hollywoodized version of Polish tango.
It’s a popular genre of sentimental songs composed between 1918 and 1939 by classically trained Polish musicians.
“That’s the soundtrack of interwar Poland,”
…says Juliette Bretan, a journalist and researcher based in Lincolnshire and studying in London.
“The music is very melodramatic and really rather sad, filled with these depressing lyrics about people wanting to take their own lives, or the fights they’re having with their lovers. But it’s also a very mature sound, a very Polish sound. Had World War II not happened,”
She adds,
“I believe Polish music would’ve had an even bigger impact than it did on the global stage.”
Bretan has been on a mission to learn about her Eastern European roots.
“We know my grandmother was taken from Poland in 1941 to perform slave labor in Germany,”
Bretan says.
“We think she was in some camps for a time, but it’s very unclear. After the war, she met my granddad in a displaced-persons’ camp, but we don’t really know what happened to him before that. They married and then came here in ’46 or ’47, and that was that.”
As Bretan delved into her family’s history, Polish tango became her soundtrack.
“I stumbled onto this music purely by chance,”
she says.
“I find the sound intoxicating, so it became a connection to the world my grandparents would’ve known when they were living in Poland. On the one hand, for me, the music is like a reconnection to my heritage, but on the other hand, what is there to reconnect to? That heritage is all gone, so it’s almost like I’m writing a new history of my family.”
Bretan fell hard for Polish tango, which, in an article for culture.pl, she described as
“merging pinches of the age-old Polish romantic and sentimental melodies with Jewish inflections and a more modern, brassy sound, dripping in glissandos and vibrato.”
There is some very interesting background on all this regarding the inter-war years when Germany embraced nationalism in the form of Nazi Facism. But I really don’t have the stomach to get into that right now. I just want to enjoy the music.
History
Tango was first introduced to Poland in 1913, with the performance of Victor Jacobi’s opera Targ na Dziewczęta (Girls’ Market) at the New Theatre in Warsaw. Its popularity over the following years grew not from palpable influences, but gramophone records, the radio and newspaper reports.
This popular consumption through media prompted Polish tangos to carve their own position in the history of the nation’s music: with a lack of direct contact, pieces began to veer away from the original Argentinian form, adopting a more melancholic sound influenced heavily by klezmer, and a softer melody and harmony; replacing the underlying rhythm of the stereotypical bandoneon with a proliferation of slides and rigorous vibrato. Theirs was a journey that blossomed along with the Polish state itself – these tangos were bulwarks of a new, revitalised Polish popular culture.
In 1925, Henryk Gold and his brother Artur established the Gold Orchestra, an 8-piece jazz band that played regularly at the Cafe Bodega in Warsaw. At first, the orchestra exclusively played ragtime, but soon, with the echoes of a more exotic yet wistful sound creeping across the continent, it slowly began to dabble with tangos and waltzes, styles that would become the pair’s legacy.
A year later in 1926, Artur Gold and his cousin, Jerzy Petersburski, co-founded the Petersburski & Gold Orchestra. By the end of the decade, it was one of the most renowned dance orchestras in Warsaw, performing in the fashionable Adria restaurant.
Alongside this development was the growth in popularity of theatres and cabarets, the most significant being the Qui Pro Quo theatre, led largely by Julian Tuwim and Marian Hemar, and, later, the Morskie Oko cabaret.
These two groups competed fiercely to recruit the best Polish stars of the interbellum era: artists like the now legendary Eugeniusz Bodo (often pictured with his dog, Sambo) and Mieczysław Fogg, who performed alongside Mira Zimińska, Zula Pogorzelska, Adolf Dymsza, and the smouldering Hanka Ordonówna.
Experiments in 1920s music, which at the time were coming thick and fast, now had epicentres from which new innovations and styles could thrive: Poland was beginning to embrace tango-fever like nothing else.
The Wall Street Crash and subsequent global economic downturn in the late 1920s hit entertainment establishments hard. Both Qui Pro Quo and Morskie Oko closed in 1933 – but the music passionately cultivated by the artists of these clubs only played louder, and interest in the style swelled. By the 1930s, Poland – and particularly Warsaw – was seeping with the sensuous melancholic passion of the tango, with new tunes churned out on a daily basis.
Above all, the record company Syrena Rekord, Poland’s first and arguably most eminent recording company, helped facilitated the development of this culture. Established in 1908 by Juliusz Feigenbaum to satisfy the Polish demand for popular music, Syrena Rekord was already booming on the eve of WWI, producing 2.5 million records a year.
But it was after the war that the popularity of the company truly soared: where other record companies fell following the economic depression, Syrena jumped from strength to strength.
The music of 1930s Poland that Wars helped produce was influenced not only by traditional Polish countryside folk motifs, but also by the cosmopolitan nature of the interwar state: after regaining independence, the Polish nation exploded in freedoms of cultures, languages and lifestyles, with Warsaw the pivot. Entertainment united these disparate voices in a pleasant environment, providing a means by which any style could be heard and appreciated.
This was particularly true for the Jewish population, who were integral to the Polish interwar music scene. Jewish composers, singers, songwriters and musicians, many of whom originated from families steeped in traditions of classical music, found liberty in popular culture, combining their efforts with other previously-silenced minorities and cultivating an original sound for the new nation.
The Syrena founder Feigenbaum himself epitomised this atmosphere: a Catholic of Jewish descent, he worked as a musician, composer, inventor and businessman – the ultimate cosmopolitan multi-talent that inspired a generation of Poles to follow.
Though Polish Radio was the driver behind the record business at the time, they only wanted to push the most renowned artists – making Syrena the only medium by which all the Polish popular music of the period, all the new melodies and styles and flairs, could reach the heights of fame. Waltzes like Szklanka Wina – Fest Dziewczyna!, slow-foxes like Już Jestem Taka Głupia, and foxtrots like Nikodem and Tokaj perpetually quavered from gramophones and echoed out of the doors of fashionable nightclubs across the country in the 1930s.
But it was the wealth of unique tango sounds that the Polish population craved the most. With its influences from Eastern European, Jewish and Gypsy music, these particular interbellum pieces spoke to the population like no other music could: a population characterised by a tumultuous history, an investment in multi-culture, and the desire for sophistication and charm.
Poles of the 1930s were allured by the exotic yearning desire of such music: the quivering Slavic intonations, the broken passion, and enigmatic performers. The artists themselves sustained the vision through the adoption of a multiplicity of enthralling pseudonyms, adding a soupçon of piquant mystery to the culture.
Biggest hits
The breakout tango hit of Syrena happened early: in 1929, Petersburski’s Tango Milonga [provided below] (with lyrics by Andrzej Włast) burst onto the scene and quickly became not only a national favourite but also a widespread international triumph, with the English title being Oh Donna Clara. The aching cadences and swelling Eastern European melody gave the piece a lively originality, and it is no wonder that it is still remembered by many as a classic interwar tune.
But there were also other tangos which had a momentous impact in Poland. The popular Umówiłem Się z Nią na Dziewiątą premiered in 1937, sung by Eugeniusz Bodo, with a legacy that lasts even today. The yearning 1935 hit Graj Skrzypku, Graj portrayed by the rich voice of Adam Aston and the charming tones of Mieczysław Fogg, among many others, was characteristic of the tango culture emerging at the time.
Meanwhile, the 1932 piece Rebeka, and its 1934 complement Rebeka Tańczy Tango epitomised the figure of the heartbroken female lover, a trope found in so many tangos of the period. Another of Petersburski’s greats, the ominous lament To Ostatnia Niedziela, nicknamed ‘Suicide Tango’, came in 1935 and still remains a symbol of pre-war Polish culture.
Here’s some examples.
See if any of you find it appealing.
There’s something about violins, Accordion & Concertina music. It gives me the chills. I hope you all enjoy this playlist.
An Interview with Noam Zylberberg
From HERE. All credit to the author, and kindly note that it was edited to fit this venue.
It was an exciting time in music history – there was nothing to base these songs on. The result was something simple but not simplistic. That’s what I love about it,’ says Noam Zylberberg. The musician, who is performing Polish pieces written and composed in the Interwar period, told us about the sound he is trying to resurrect.
Noam Zylberberg studied conducting at the Jerusalem Academy of Music. He became fascinated with interwar Polish music and established Mała Orkiestra Dancingowa (The Little Dancing Orchestra), which has played concerts in Poland and abroad. Their first album was released this year.
Juliette Bretan: So let’s start from the beginning. Where do your links to Poland come from?
Noam Zylberberg: My grandparents were born in Warsaw but left Poland in 1934. They were young. They wanted to follow their ideals and reinvent themselves. My grandmother’s family were Warsaw people going back many generations and so Warsaw has always been present in my life.
JB: When did you begin to become more involved with Poland and Polish culture?
NZ: I became curious after my grandparents passed away – I was still very young, but I began wondering about their pasts. They never spoke Polish at home, but I’d heard about their lives and families in Warsaw. This fascination followed me into my student years and still does till this day.
JB:Did your interest in interwar Polish music begin from that period?
NZ: Not really; It was a long time until I discovered this music. It all started through an interesting family connection – one of my grandmother’s cousins, Tadeusz Raabe, was a friend of Antoni Słonimski’s. Tadeusz was from a wealthy background – his family owned a factory.
When World War I broke out, they had to leave to Russia. During those years, Tadeusz spent time in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. That was when he discovered their modern art cafés and avant-garde culture – which didn’t exist in Poland at all.
Back then, Poland was in the midst of the Young Poland movement; art was very serious and patriotic. So when Tadeusz returned home, he opened the first modern art café in the city with Antoni Słonimski, who in turn brought with him Julian Tuwim. This was the famous Pod Picadorem cafe.
Later, he also married a well-known singer and movie star, Tola Mankiewiczówna. When I first learned about this, her name meant nothing to me. I found a video online of her singing the tango Odrobinę Szczęścia w Miłości (A Little Luck in Love). If I’m honest, I wasn’t that taken by it – it’s a video of her dressed as a maid, shining a shoe, and at that time I didn’t understand Polish, so I didn’t know what she was singing about.
JB: And when were you taken by these songs?
NZ: I gradually became more familiar with these songs, and as I started to learn about different individuals and pieces I began to think that it would be cool to do something with them, though I didn’t exactly know what. There was something special about these pieces. I was interested in the sound – it’s such a specific sound of the 1920s and 1930s.
The main genre of this style is the Tango.
It was popular all over Europe in the early years of the 20th century, but its life in Warsaw was longer than abroad. Tango was being danced to in Warsaw in the 1920s, but it was only towards the end of that decade that the local musicians began composing them. The first initiative was taken by Jerzy Petersburski and his cousins, the Gold brothers.
JB: What makes a tango Polish?
It’s difficult to answer the question of what makes a Polish tango. I don’t know if I have a good answer, but I suppose there’s a certain softness; the basics of tango are there, but everything else is from a different world. There’s a different warmth to it; it’s less aggressive.
One good example of a Polish tango is O Piękna Nieznajoma (O Beautiful Unknown Woman). It’s split into two parts – a chorus and an interlude. It’s very soft and lyrical; there’s an elegant countermelody in the background; it’s very sophisticated. It sounds almost like an aria from a Puccini opera. When the intersection comes, it’s like a reminder– ‘this is tango!’
That part is as if not connected to the rest of the song, and when the main theme returns, you can almost forget that it’s really a tango: the only thing that suggests tango at the beginning is the rhythm, like an engine in the background. Everything else is water.
JB: And what about the multicultural aspects of Poland back then – the mix of Poles and Jews and Ukrainians and other minorities?
NZ: It was multicultural – but they were all Poles. They all spoke the same language. Most of the Jewish composers and musicians came from assimilated families. They may have come from different backgrounds, but they shared similar values. Almost all of them were professional musicians, and they all received classical musical education.
They knew what they were doing – if they used a Jewish-sounding motive, it was done deliberately. The same way they also wrote songs in Spanish style about Spain, even though most of them probably hadn’t been there – for the audience, going to the cabarets and the theatres was their way of travelling and accessing something exotic.
They worked quickly. A piece composed one morning could be played the same evening. If something didn’t work the way they’d hoped, they could change it the next day. This way of work is like experimenting in a laboratory. This allowed a new style to take shape relatively quickly. They were even writing for particular musicians, basing their arrangements on who would be in the band on any particular day. One day, they might have three clarinets – so they would arrange the piece for them. The next day, they might have one – and so the next arrangement would be different.
The specific musicians and instruments played a big role in shaping this style. This is what differed it from early pop music played in Berlin or London at the same time.
JB:How were the instruments different?
NZ: A good example is the Hawaiian guitar, which features in so many songs from the period. The main musician playing it was a man called Wiktor Tychowski – he was crazy about the Hawaiian guitar. It’s actually him playing it in a lot of these recordings – the other musicians probably liked working with him – it featured so much that eventually it became a characteristic of the style. Tychowski was just one person but he left a mark – each of these individuals had influence.
JB:And what was the next step for you?
NZ: I spent a lot of time getting to know the style and the people, and then I went through the songs online and made transcriptions of them. Still in Tel Aviv, my idea was to collect a group of people together to play Polish tangos and have dance parties … you know, a very underground scene, playing in a dark basement with hipsters who don’t even look you in the eye – that kind of thing.
Eventually, I never actually set it up. Instead I started travelling to and from Warsaw and met up with some musicians in the city – and one day I just stayed. I spent my time making transcriptions and preparing scores – mostly tangos at that stage.
JB: So you said you transcribe these songs to be able to perform them?
NZ: Yes. When we talk about style, a lot of it has to do with instrumentation. The notes that were published and were available to the public have all the harmonic and melodic information but don’t include any instrumentation, so they’re not helpful for playing in the original style. So I use old recordings and transcribe them.
We try to follow the stylistic traditions of the time – it will never be 100% the same, and that’s not what we want. We’re different people living in a different world, and we’re not interested in imitation. But we try to think about it in similar terms to those in which they were thinking when they created it.
For example, the instruments didn’t change that much, but the technique and approach did. Back then violin players tended to use a lot of portamento – sliding from note to note. But today this is considered bad playing. I can’t ask my violinists to completely change their technique, but I want them to know about it. I want them to be informed, to listen and understand why it sounds the way it sounds.
JB: Do you think this music is coming back into fashion? There seem to be a lot of performers like you whose repertoires include these songs.
NZ: Yes, but each group is doing it differently. There’s room for everyone.
JB: Has this sound always been here, or did it dissipate in 1939?
NZ: In the late 1940s, for a few more years, you could still hear reminiscences of the style in Warsaw. But most of the musicians of the previous generation were gone by then – some perished in the war and other immigrated soon after – and the sound changed. The style back then was based on people; they made it the way it was.
JB: So what about those who survived and kept playing and singing – the best example being, of course, Mieczysław Fogg?
NZ: Fogg’s style changed – you could even say he was a different singer between the 1930s and the 1970s.
What Fogg did – what we owe him for the most – was to be a symbol. Because he was here, he became a symbol of old Warsaw. Some musicians who stayed couldn’t find themselves in the new world. But after the war, Fogg recorded the songs from the 1920s and 1930s in new versions. The songs Fogg didn’t record are mostly forgotten, and those he recorded are the ones we remember. He’s responsible for that.
JB: So what made the Interwar period special?
NZ: It was a peculiar and interesting time all over the world, and it was the beginning of pop culture. Before, there had been serious and folk music – but not pop. The world was changing quickly; technological advances and changes in the social structure changed the way people lived. Suddenly, you have recording and films that need music, and cities were getting larger. It was the first time in history when people had money and time and wanted to have fun. Consumers of culture grew, so there was a need for music.
This music had to be invented. There were questions – ‘How do you write a pop song?’ ‘How long should it be?’ ‘How should you sing one?’
Many of the early songs just don’t work anymore; they’re not relevant and no one speaks this way, so they can’t connect. But things changed – there was an influx of artists, many from Lwów (today’s Lviv), who could create charming rhymes and simple feelings.
JB: And how are your performances taking this into account? Are you performing at the moment?
NZ: There is still more to do – there always is. We perform at SPATiF [a club in Warsaw] regularly, and we have the album, which was produced with the support of Polish Radio.
Almost all of our musicians come from a classical background – they’re a bunch of people who are interested in exploring . None of them grew up with these sounds. This style is not natural for modern musicians. So we have to think: ‘How do we achieve this?’ So even just the way of thinking about the notes was something that we had to work out together.
One point is swing. Today, everyone knows what swing sounds like, but back then, it was something new and unnatural. When we started rehearsing, it sounded more like New York in the 1950s than Warsaw in the 1930s. We had to forget it. Even in concerts, I’ll remind the musicians not to swing. When you start swinging in these songs, everything falls apart and that engine dies. The piece gets heavier – it should be light.
JB: And do you have any favourite pieces?
NZ: One song which is close to me is Codziennie Inna (Different Every Day), which opens our album.
It wasn’t part of our original repertoire – but we had a concert in SPATiF and a couple of the musicians were running a little late. Eventually, we couldn’t wait any more so, in the meantime, I decided I would teach everyone a song. The orchestra didn’t know it either. They caught the melody, and the audience quickly learned the lyrics. By the end, everyone was singing together – it was a great experience.
These songs were a part of this city; these melodies were once hummed in the streets – but then they disappeared. When we did that concert with Codziennie Inna – the audience sang it 20 times. I’m sure it stuck in their heads. Some of them may have even hummed it to themselves on the street the next day.
It’s giving the city back its sounds.
Do you want more?
I have more articles like this in my Happiness Index here…
While Ray Bradbury is most well known for his science fiction and dystopian writings, I consider the Story of Love to be on par in quality and enchantment to his other works. This short story explores the constraints that society puts on love and recognizes that affections cannot always be pursued.
That was the week Ann Taylor came to teach summer school at Green Town Central. It was the summer of her twenty-fourth birthday, and it was the summer when Bob Spaulding was just fourteen.
Everyone remembered Ann Taylor, for she was that teacher for whom all the children wanted to bring huge oranges or pink flowers, and for whom they rolled up the rustling green and yellow maps of the world without being asked. She was that woman who always seemed to be passing by on days when the shade was green under the tunnels of oaks and elms in the old town, her face shifting with the bright shadows as she walked, until it was all things to all people. She was the fine peaches of summer in the snow of winter, and she was cool milk for cereal on a hot early-June morning. Whenever you needed an opposite, Ann Taylor was there. And those rare few days in the world when the climate was balanced as fine as a maple leaf between winds that blew just right, those were the days like Ann Taylor, and should have been so named on the calendar.
As for Bob Spaulding, he was the cousin who walked alone through town on any October evening with a pack of leaves after him like a horde of Hallowe’en mice, or you would see him, like a slow white fish in spring in the tart waters of the Fox Hill Creek, baking brown with the shine of a chestnut to his face by autumn. Or you might hear his voice in those treetops where the wind entertained; dropping down hand by hand, there would come Bob Spaulding to sit alone and look at the world, and later you might see him on the lawn with the ants crawling over his books as he read through the long afternoons alone, or played himself a game of chess on Grandmother’s porch, or picked out a solitary tune upon the black piano in the bay window. You never saw him with any other child.
That first morning, Miss Ann Taylor entered through the side door of the schoolroom and all of the children sat still in their seats as they saw her write her name on the board in a nice round lettering.
“My name is Ann Taylor,” she said, quietly. “And I’m your new teacher.”
The room seemed suddenly flooded with illumination, as if the roof had moved back; and the trees were full of singing birds. Bob Spaulding sat with a spitball he had just made, hidden in his hand. After a half hour of listening to Miss Taylor, he quietly let the spitball drop to the floor.
That day, after class, he brought in a bucket of water and a rag and began to wash the boards.
“What’s this?” She turned to him from her desk, where she had been correcting spelling papers.
“The boards are kind of dirty,” said Bob, at work.
“Yes. I know. Are you sure you want to clean them?”
“I suppose I should have asked permission,” he said, halting uneasily.
“I think we can pretend you did,” she replied, smiling, and at this smile he finished the boards in an amazing burst of speed and pounded the erasers so furiously that the air was full of snow, it seemed, outside the open window.
“Let’s see,” said Miss Taylor. “You’re Bob Spaulding, aren’t you?”
“Yes’m.”
“Well, thank you, Bob.”
“Could I do them every day?” he asked.
“Don’t you think you should let the others try?”
“I’d like to do them,” he said. “Every day.”
“We’ll try it for a while and see,” she said.
He lingered.
“I think you’d better run on home,” she said, finally.
“Good night.” He walked slowly and was gone.
The next morning he happened by the place where she took board and room just as she was coming out to walk to school.
“Well, here I am,” he said.
“And do you know,” she said, “I’m not surprised.”
They walked together.
“May I carry your books?” he asked.
“Why, thank you, Bob.”
“It’s nothing,” he said, taking them.
They walked for a few minutes and he did not say a word. She glanced over and slightly down at him and saw how at ease he was and how happy he seemed, and she decided to let him break the silence, but he never did. When they reached the edge of the school ground he gave the books back to her. “I guess I better leave you here,” he said. “The other kids wouldn’t understand.”
“I’m not sure I do, either, Bob,” said Miss Taylor.
“Why we’re friends,” said Bob earnestly and with a great natural honesty.
“Bob –” she started to say.
“Yes’m?”
“Never mind.” She walked away.
“I’ll be in class,” he said.
And he was in class, and he was there after school every night for the next two weeks, never saying a word, quietly washing the boards and cleaning the erasers and rolling up the maps while she worked at her papers, and there was that clock silence of four o’clock, the silence of the sun going down in the slow sky, the silence with the catlike sound of erasers patted together, and the drip of water from a moving sponge, and the rustle and turn of papers and the scratch of a pen, and perhaps the buzz of a fly banging with a tiny high anger against the tallest clear pane of window in the room. Sometimes the silence would go on this way until almost five, when Miss Taylor would find Bob Spaulding in the last seat of the room, sitting and looking at her silently, waiting for further orders.
“Well, it’s time to go home,” Miss Taylor would say, getting up.
“Yes’m.”
And he would run to fetch her hat and coat. He would also lock the school-room door for her unless the janitor was coming in later. Then they would walk out of school and across the yard, which was empty, the janitor taking down the chain swings slowly on his stepladder, the sun behind the umbrella trees. They talked of all sorts of things.
“And what are you going to be, Bob, when you grow up?”
“A writer,” he said.
“Oh, that’s a big ambition: it takes a lot of work.”
“I know, but I’m going to try,” he said. “I’ve read a lot.”
“Bob, haven’t you anything to do after school?”
“How do you mean?”
“I mean, I hate to see you kept in so much, washing the boards.”
“I like it,” he said. “I never do what I don’t like.”
“But nevertheless.”
“No, I’ve got to to that,” he said. He thought for a while and said, “Do me a favour, Miss Taylor?”
“It all depends.”
“I walk every Saturday from out around Buetrick Street along the creek to Lake Michigan. There’s a lot of butterflies and crayfish and birds. Maybe you’d like to walk, too.”
“Thank you,” he said.
“Then you’ll come?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Don’t you think it’d be fun?”
“Yes, I’m sure of that, but I’m going to be busy.”
He started to ask what, but stopped.
“I take along sandwiches,” he said. “Ham-and-pickle ones. And orange pop and just walk along, taking my time. I get down to the lake about noon and walk back and get home about three o’clock. It makes a real fine day, and I wish you’d come. Do you collect butterflies? I have a big collection. We could start one for you.”
“Thanks, Bob, but no, perhaps some other time.”
He looked at her and said, “I shouldn’t have asked you, should I?”
“You have every right to ask anything you want to,” she said.
A few days later she found an old copy of `Great Expectations’, which she no longer wanted, and gave it to Bob. He was very grateful and took it home and stayed up that night and read it through and talked about it the next morning. Each day now he met her just beyond sight of her boarding house and many days she would start to say, “Bob –” and tell him not to come to meet her any more, but she never finished saying it, and he talked with her about Dickens and Kipling and Poe and others, coming and going to school. She found a butterfly on her desk on Friday morning. She almost waved it away before she found it was dead and had been placed there while she was out of the room. She glanced at Bob over the heads of her other students, but he was looking at his book; not reading, just looking at it.
It was about this time that she found it impossible to call on Bob to recite in class. She would hover her pencil about his name and then call the next person up or down the list. Nor would she look at him while they were walking to or from school. But on several late afternoons as he moved his arm high on the blackboard, sponging away the arithmetic symbols, she found herself glancing over at him for a few seconds at a time before she returned to her papers.
And then on Saturday morning he was standing in the middle of the creek with his overalls rolled up to his knees, kneeling down to catch a crayfish under a rock, when he looked up and there on the edge of the running stream was Miss Ann Taylor.
“Well, here I am,” she said, laughing.
“And do you know,” he said, “I’m not surprised.”
“Show me the crayfish and the butterflies,” she said.
They walked down to the lake and sat on the sand with a warm wind blowing softly about them, fluttering her hair and the ruffle of her blouse, and he sat a few yards back from her and they ate the ham-and-pickle sandwiches and drank the orange pop solemnly.
“Gee, this is swell,” he said. “This is the swellest time ever in my life.”
“I didn’t think I would ever come on a picnic like this,” she said.
“With some kid,” he said.
“I’m comfortable, however,” she said.
“That’s good news.”
They said little else during the afternoon.
“This is all wrong,” he said, later. “And I can’t figure out why it should be. Just walking along and catching old butterflies and crayfish and eating sandwiches. But Mom and Dad’d rib the heck out of me if they knew, and the kids would, too. And the other teachers, I suppose, would laugh at you, wouldn’t they?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“I guess we better not do any more butterfly catching, then.”
“I don’t exactly understand how I came here at all,” she said.
And the day was over.
That was about all there was to the meeting of Ann Taylor and Bob Spaulding, two or three monarch butterflies, a copy of Dickens, a dozen crayfish, four sandwiches and two bottles of Orange Crush. The next Monday, quite unexpectedly, though he waited a long time, Bob did not see Miss Taylor come out to walk to school, but discovered later that she had left earlier and was already at school. Also, Monday night, she left early, with a headache, and another teacher finished her last class. He walked by her boarding house but did not see her anywhere, and he was afraid to ring the bell and inquire.
On Tuesday night after school they were both in the silent room again, he sponging the board contentedly, as if this time might go on forever, and she seated, working on her papers as if she, too, would be in this room and this particular peace and happiness forever, when suddenly the courthouse clock struck. It was a block away and its great bronze boom shuddered one’s body and made the ash of time shake away off your bones and slide through your blood, making you seem older by the minute. Stunned by that clock, you could not but sense the crashing flow of time, and as the clock said five o’clock, Miss Taylor suddenly looked up at it for a long time, and then she put down her pen.
“Bob,” she said.
He turned, startled. Neither of them had spoken in the peaceful and good hour before.
“Will you come here?” she asked.
He put down the sponge slowly.
“Yes,” he said.
“Bob, I want you to sit down.”
“Yes’m.”
She looked at him intently for a moment until he looked away. “Bob, I wonder if you know what I’m going to talk to you about. Do you know?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe it’d be a good idea if you told me, first.”
“About us,” he said, at last.
“How old are you, Bob?”
“Going on fourteen.”
“You’re thirteen years old.”
He winced. “Yes’m.”
“And do you know how old I am?”
“Yes’m. I heard. Twenty-four.”
“Twenty-four.”
“I’ll be twenty-four in ten years, almost,” he said.
“But unfortunately you’re not twenty-four now.”
“No, but sometimes I feel twenty-four.”
“Yes, and sometimes you almost act it.”
“Do I, really!”
“Now sit still there, don’t bound around, we’ve a lot to discuss. It’s very important that we understand exactly what is happening, don’t you agree?”
“Yes, I guess so.”
“First, let’s admit that we are the greatest and best friends in the world. Let’s admit I have never had a student like you, nor have I had as much affection for any boy I’ve ever known.” He flushed at this. She went on. “And let me speak for you — you’ve found me to be the nicest teacher of all teachers you’ve ever known.”
“Oh, more than that,” he said.
“Perhaps more than that, but there are facts to be faced and an entire way of life to be considered. I’ve thought this over for a good many days, Bob. Don’t think I’ve missed anything, or been unaware of my own feelings in the matter. Under any normal circumstances our friendship would be odd indeed. But then you are no ordinary boy. I know myself pretty well, I think, and I know I’m not sick, either mentally or physically, and that whatever has evolved here has been a true regard for your character and goodness, Bob; but those are not the things we consider in this world, Bob, unless they occur in a man of a certain age. I don’t know if I’m saying this right.”
“It’s all right,” he said. “It’s just if I was ten years older and about fifteen inches taller it’d make all the difference, and that’s silly,” he said, “to go by how tall a person is.”
“The world hasn’t found it so.”
“I’m not all the world,” he protested.
“I know it seems foolish,” she said. “When you feel very grown up and right and have nothing to be ashamed of. You have nothing at all to be ashamed of, Bob, remember that. You have been very honest and good, and I hope I have been, too.”
“You have,” he said.
“In an ideal climate, Bob, maybe someday they will be able to judge the oldness of a person’s mind so accurately that they can say, `This is a man, though his body is only thirteen; by some miracle of circumstances and fortune, this is a man, with a man’s recognition of responsibility and position and duty’; but until that day, Bob, I’m afraid we’re going to have to go by ages and heights and the ordinary way in an ordinary world.”
“I don’t like that,” he said.
“Perhaps I don’t like it, either, but do you want to end up far unhappier than you are now? Do you want both of us to be unhappy? Which we certainly would be. There really is no way to do anything about us — it is so strange even to try to talk about us.”
“Yes’m.”
“But at least we know all about us and the fact that we have been right and fair and good and there is nothing wrong with our knowing each other, nor did we ever intend that it should be, for we both understand how impossible it is, don’t we?”
“Yes, I know. But I can’t help it.”
“Now we must decide what to do about it,” she said. “Now only you and I know about this. Later, others might know. I can secure a transfer from this school to another one –“
“No!”
“Or I can have you transferred to another school.”
“You don’t have to do that,” he said.
“Why?”
“We’re moving. My folks and I, we’re going to live in Madison. We’re leaving next week.”
“It has nothing to do with all this, has it?”
“No, no, everything’s all right. It’s just that my father has a new job there. It’s only fifty miles away. I can see you, can’t I, when I come to town?”
“Do you think that would be a good idea?”
“No, I guess not.”
They sat awhile in the silent schoolroom.
“When did all of this happen?” he said, helplessly.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Nobody ever knows. They haven’t known for thousands of years, and I don’t think they ever will. People either like each other or don’t, and sometimes two people like each other who shouldn’t. I can’t explain myself, and certainly you can’t explain you.”
“I guess I’d better get home,” he said.
“You’re not mad at me, are you?”
“Oh, gosh no, I could never be mad at you.”
“There’s one more thing. I want you to remember, there are compensations in life. There always are, or we wouldn’t go on living. You don’t feel well, now; neither do I. But something will happen to fix that. Do you believe that?”
“I’d like to.”
“Well, it’s true.”
“If only,” he said.
“What?”
“If only you’d wait for me,” he blurted.
“Ten years?”
“I’d be twenty-four then.”
“But I’d be thirty-four and another person entirely, perhaps. No, I don’t think it can be done.”
“Wouldn’t you like it to be done?” he cried.
“Yes,” she said quietly. “It’s silly and it wouldn’t work, but I would like it very much.”
He sat there a long time.
“I’ll never forget you,” he said.
“It’s nice for you to say that, even though it can’t be true, because life isn’t that way. You’ll forget.”
“I’ll never forget. I’ll find a way of never forgetting you,” he said.
She got up and went to erase the boards.
“I’ll help you,” he said.
“No, no,” she said, hastily. “You go on now, get home, and no more tending to the boards after school. I’ll assign Helen Stevens to do it.”
He left the school. Looking back, outside, he saw Miss Ann Taylor, for the last time, at the board, slowly washing out the chalked words, her hand moving up and down.
He moved away from the town the next week and was gone for sixteen years. Though he was only fifty miles away, he never got down to Green Town again until he was almost thirty and married, and then one spring they were driving through on their way to Chicago and stopped off for a day.
Bob left his wife at the hotel and walked around town and finally asked about Miss Ann Taylor, but no-one remembered at first, and then one of them remembered.
“Oh, yes, the pretty teacher. She died in 1936, not long after you left.”
Had she ever married? No, come to think of it, she never had.
He walked out to the cemetery in the afternoon and found her stone, which said “Ann Taylor, born 1910, died 1936.” And he thought, Twenty-six years old. Why I’m three years older than you are now, Miss Taylor.
Later in the day the people in the town saw Bob Spaulding’s wife strolling to meet him under the elm trees and the oak trees, and they all turned to watch her pass, for her face shifted with bright shadows as she walked; she was the fine peaches of summer in the snow of winter, and she was cool milk for cereal on a hot early-summer morning. And this was one of those rare few days in time when the climate was balanced like a maple leaf between winds that blow just right, one of those days that should have been named, everyone agreed, after Robert Spaulding’s wife.
The End
Do you want more?
I have more stories in my Ray Bradbury Index here…
You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.
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Thank you for continuing with me in the adventure.
But first, let me explain the photo splash at the top of the page. That picture is of two of the band members from the 1980’s hit rock/pop group “Tears for Fears”.
The Seeds of Love is the third studio album by the British rock/pop band Tears for Fears, released on 25 September 1989.. The album, which reportedly cost over £1 million (GBP) to produce, retained the band's epic sound while incorporating influences ranging from jazz and blues to The Beatles, of which the latter is most evident on the hit single "Sowing the Seeds of Love".
-Wikipedia
Tears for Fears – Sowing the Seeds of Love
Sometimes I really wonder about what is going on in the Western world these days. Back in the 1980’s, yes things weren’t perfect, but at least you knew that there were two genders, that a water fountain was GMO free, and that the English Queen was not transgender.
Now, today, you haven’t a clue. The news media completely and absolutely lies about everything and changes the narrative left and right. For instance, consider the latest mass-murdering shooter…
The Liberal Progressive socialists in charge of the American mainstream media and the software giants have rewritten the narrative of the events that transpired.
He was a Obama-following Antifa member, and now his history was changed to a crazed Trump QANAON.
There’s only one thing…
Real Conservatives, if pushed to violence, would not strike out at innocents. They would attack the instigators, the leaders, and those that finance what ever problems that they are dealing with. This fellow attacked innocents. Ergo – not a conservative.
Leftists Change Shooter Patrick Crusius’s MyLife Page
No kidding!
You have this Antifa progressive Obama follower who shoots up a ton load of people in a Walmart. Immediately the news media is blaming Trump for “Right Wing” Violence. When it was no such thing. Now, plastered all over the internet is the rewritten narrative that he was a Right-Wing Trump following kook and guns must be banned.
Perhaps, a little peek at what the news media did and handled this is in order, eh?
Some history…
A Walmart in Texas was shot up in August 2019 when a gunman rampaged through the store using an AK-47 clone. The event is known as the Cielo Vista Mall shooting in El Paso, Texas. He left a manifesto where he claimed to be a follower of Trump and wanted to kill all the illegal aliens in Texas.
Sounds pretty damning. Why it fits exactly the mainstream press narrative of a typical Trump supporter.
Then they got the guy.
Washington Examiner reporter Anna Giaritelli posted the name and a photos of the alleged shooter, sourced to law enforcement. “A law enforcement official in El Paso told me the Walmart shooter is in custody. His name is Patrick Crusius of Allen, a town in Texas outside of Dallas. He is pretty young, having just turned 21 years old this week.
A law enforcement official in El Paso told me the Walmart shooter is in custody. Patrick Crusius of Dallas. Just turned 21 years old this week. pic.twitter.com/CEJh6rYij1
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) August 3, 2019
But don’t ya know, Patrick Crusius has a profile on MyLife.com.
MyLife is an American information brokerage founded in 2002 as Reunion.com.
MyLife gathers personal information through public records and other sources to automatically generate a “MyLife Public Page” for each person, described by MyLife as a “complete Wikipedia-like biography on every American.”
While people can edit their data, the software organization MyLife can change and rewrite a person's profile at will.
So, you would think that the American mainstream news media would take this information and disseminate it to the public? Nope…
On 3AUG19, at 2:46 PM the website MyLife had this profile for the deranged killer Patrick Crusius. It was quite clear. His original profile at 2:46 said he was a registered Democrat.
Look for yourself…
The deranged killer Patrick Crusius is a progressive democrat.
While he was in jail, right after the police caught him, there were some changes made to his profile. How? I do not know. What I do know is that his political affiliation was changed from Democrat to Republican on the day of the mass shooting.
Here is the changed profile. Check the dates and times. Notice what they wrote on the Summary…
Mall shooter has had his past history rewritten.
Yes. The leftists wrote;
"Before becoming a mass shooter / murderer, Patrick was a registered Republican, and Evangelical Christian. A former campaign worker for Donald Trump, he was also a QANON conspiracy theorist, and INCEL. "
Ethnicity was changed to African American, as well. WTF?
Now, if that wasn’t bad enough, it was changed yet again…
Leftists rewriting history yet again.
By Saturday night it continued to be revised. Now including anti-Jewish racial slurs and all sorts of the things that fit the CNN black & White narrative of what a Conservative is.
Progressive Democrat Socialists rewriting the MyLife profile for a mass murdering Antifa member.
Now what can we take from all this nonsense? Well…
Do Not Believe What You Read on the Internet
As far as his political leanings are concerned… traditional conservatives do not harm innocents. Only progressive leftists do. Don’t believe me? Crack open a fucking history book won’t ya?
Last minute commentary…
It seems strange to me that all of a sudden this push for gun bans and Red Flag laws, and "Alt Right" violence. It is almost like the time-table for the Hillary / Socialist take over of the country never reset after the election of Trump.
It's like everything is just following the same timetable that was put in place under Obama.
Here are six posts that discuss this matter in detail…
OK. That being said, let’s move on out of the 1980’s and into contemporaneous Asia…
Bring back the Summer, lover…
I really like this.
I haven’t figured out what it is. Is it a movie? A cartoon? A music video? A narrative? Or what. Whatever it is, I like it.
Imagine this in the USA… not!
You would NEVER see this in the United States. It would be considered cultural misappropriation.
Remember, boys and girls, China is a meritocracy. You must strive to be the best that you can be, or go begging in the streets. There is no room for sloth, welfare moms, and freeloaders.
Remember everyone…
Universities in the United States have been discriminating against Asian students because their success makes racial minorities look and feel bad. Do not think that there will not be some kind of blow-back to their social re-engineering efforts. Ah. You do not mess around with the Chinese. Fools.
As we used to say in Pennsylvania…
You can put on lipstick, curl the hair, wear eyelashes, and put on a nice dress… but a pig is still a pig.
Diversity quotas are like putting lipstick on a pig. It might sound good, it might make the pigs happy, but very few people will actually find the pig beautiful.
Welcome to YiChang…
China has so many cities. Many (so called) towns would pass as large cities in the United States. Here’s an example of the small town of YiChang. Check it out why don’t ya…
Religious girls in Thailand
Just look at these beauties. They are so very yummy.
You know as I get older I really realize that it is our actions that complement our inherent attractiveness. It is how we behave, and how we interact with others that define our overall appearance.
Chinese Aviation
Aviation. I love it whether it is my very own background in American Naval Aviation, or aviation elsewhere, it is an interest and a passion of mine. Yes it is. Sort of like cats, dogs, and pizza. It’s like how I feel about pretty girls and red wine. I love it all.
Here we have a nice video (micro-video natch) concerning Chinese aviation.
Moving up… stay up
The Chinese culture is one of merit. That permeates the entire society. Anyone who tries to cheat, or get special privileges is pretty much shunned. They are known as “Fu er di” and pretty much considered the rich spoiled kinds of society.
Oh yes. The wealthy buy spots for their children in (the easy to bribe) American colleges, but the vast bulk of Chinese society is based upon merit. Every movie, and every song reinforces this notion.
Here is just a small snippet of how this all manifests within the Chinese society.
Yeah. You show that gal that you moved way past her…
Hong Kong Protests
Yeah. There are these “wanna have democracy” protests in Hong Kong. The American media promotes it as a some sort of a “proof” that China is gonna fall apart any day now. Yah right.
Don’t hold your breath.
China and Hong Kong are totally separate entities. Sort of like how Pago Pago in American Samoa is different from Kokomo, Indiana. (Bet ya didn’t know that Pago Pago is a part of an American territory.)
Yup. Hong Kong has their own government and their own laws, and pretty much Beijing allows them autonomy in their affairs. If it didn’t, you would see many changes in Hong Kong that would better fit the traditional Chinese social model. Hong Kong is NOT run in the way Beijing prefers.
Of course, you would never know this, or even have a clue to this situation by only reading American news media. Their role is to keep Americans ignorant of the true situation, huddled and fearful, and easily manipulated to follow heard and group behaviors.
Screen shot of Drudge Report American news aggregator, taken Sunday 4AUG19. What a load of nonsense.
Now, that being said, here’s a video from the Hong Kong government about the situation.
You’d NEVER see this on American mainstream media. It doesn’t fit inside the narrative.
Actually there is so much information regarding this, that I am afraid that I will need to post 4 or 5 videos about the protests to help put things in context. This is done in the next part – part 13…
I have many more videos, but I just cannot put them into a single
post. It will bog down your computer terribly. So to watch the rest of
the videos in this post, please continue…
If you want to go to the start of this series of posts, then please click HERE.
Links about China
Here are
some links about my observations on China. I think that you, the reader,
might find them to be of interest. Please kindly enjoy.
China and America Comparisons
As an
American, I cannot help but compare what my life was in the United
States with what it is like living in China. Here we discuss that.
The Chinese Business KTV Experience
This is
the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the
British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal
press. This is the reality. Read or not.
Learning About China
Who
doesn’t like to look at pretty girls? Ugly girls? Here we discuss what
China is like by looking at videos of pretty girls doing things in
China.
Contemporaneous Chinese Music
This is a
series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It
is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I
am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series
of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and
enjoyment.
Parks in China
The parks
in China are very unique. They are enormous and tend to be very
mountainous. Here we take a look at this most interesting of subjects.
Really Strange China
Here are
some posts that discuss a number of things about China that might seem
odd, or strange to Westerners. Some of the things are everyday events,
while others are just representative of the differences in culture.
What is China like?
The
purpose of this post is to illustrate that the rest of the world,
outside of America, has moved on with their lives. That while they
might not be as great as America is, they are doing just fine thank
you.
And while
America has been squandering it’s money, decimating it’s resources,
and just being cavalier with it’s military, the rest of the world has
done the opposite. They have husbanded their day to day fortunes, and
you can see this in their day-to-day lives.
Summer in Asia
Let’s take a moment to explore Asia. That includes China, but also includes such places as Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and others…
Articles & Links
You’ll not
find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy
notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a
necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money
off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you
because I just don’t care to.
You can start reading the articles sequentially by going HERE.
You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
This is a little poem that I composed years back. As I recall, I was waiting at an airport for a connecting flight on the way home from a very long and difficult trip. I just started writing and this poem popped out. Enjoy.
My Kitten Knows
My kitten knows.
Quiet She, but can see...
Things inside.
Things I must hide...
From others who dare not know the truth about me.
Feelings inside that stay.
And feelings inside that say...
How I care about you.
And all you do...
For sometime when we can play.
How it will happen I dare not say.
No one knows my secret raw...
How I broke the sacred law...
And fell in love...
With one so pretty.
No one knows...
Except my kitty.
For here I am.
Alone.
In the dark.
Thinking of you and the mark...
... you made on my heart.
Dear. Let's not stay apart...
...too much longer.
And when you see a kitten near...
Please, please remember me dear...
For feelings we so boldly hold...
Are shared with cats that know them cold.
As I recall, I read this poem at a poetry recital in Boston sometime in the late 1990’s. The beatnick wanna-bes and the cute girls in the sheepherder clothing all did seem to dig it. As did the lesbian couples, and the lone chain-smoking bongo-drum player.
I wrote up a ton load of poems. All lost amongst the debris of time. This is the only one that I remember, and the only one that I wish to share at this moment in time. If there is one things that I would like to be remembered for, it would be for my love of wine, my love of friends and companions, and my passion for poetry.
Stories that Inspired Me
Here are reprints in full text of stories that inspired me, but that are nearly impossible to find in China. I place them here as sort of a personal library that I can use for inspiration. The reader is welcome to come and enjoy a read or two as well.
Articles & Links
You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.
Spaghetti was invented by the Chinese. However, if you visit any website in the United States you will read that it originated out of Italy. The detailed parroting of this narrative follows the same tired-old formula.
History of pasta meals had deep origins in the eastern Mediterranean countries such as Greece and several territories of Middle East and Arabian Peninsula.
There, meals made form dough were different in many ways to the food that was used on daily basis in Ancient Roman Empire. As historian records can tell us, the direct origin of the Italian pasta came from the Arab meal called “itriyya” that was often described by the Greeks as “dry pasta”.
This durable and long lasting meal was one of the main sources of nutrition for Arab traders who traveled all across then-known world outside of Europe. Because of their nomadic nature and military conquest, the first European contact with itriyya was recorded sometimes during 7th century AD when Arabs managed to occupy Sicily.
There were rumors about Marco Polo bringing Chinese recipe of pasta to the Italy, but his travels happened more than 500 years later.
-History of Spaghetti
Which is fine.
In the Mediterranean region, ground wheat was made into pasta, that eventually evolved into spaghetti. This recipe found it’s way to America, where it eventually became known as American Spaghetti.
Well, long, long before the European cavemen (and cave women) were playing with wheat and pounding it into mush to make noodles, the Chinese had a very well established version of noodles and spaghetti. However, they made both the noodles, and the sauce quite differently.
This is how you make spaghetti in China…
New Make-up Trends
China is an enormous nation. It’s population dwarfs that of the United States. As such, there are many, many sub-cultures, fads and trends that are going on that are way, way off the radar screen in the United States. One such trend is artistic makeup.
Here, you define your own unique way of putting on makeup instead of the more “polished” looks that you might find in the glamor magazines. Sort of like this…
Lolita Fashion in China.
There are many Japanese fashions that have migrated Westward. China has communities of Japanese fashion in all of the cities. Even tiny Zhuhai, where I live, has a contingent of Lolita fashion aficionados.
Summer Monkey Dancing Parade…
And of course, what kind of a summer would it be without a parade of dancing monkey kings? Well?
Let’s continue…
If you want to go to the start of this series of posts, then please click HERE.
Links about China
Here are
some links about my observations on China. I think that you, the reader,
might find them to be of interest. Please kindly enjoy.
China and America Comparisons
As an
American, I cannot help but compare what my life was in the United
States with what it is like living in China. Here we discuss that.
The Chinese Business KTV Experience
This is
the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the
British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal
press. This is the reality. Read or not.
Learning About China
Who
doesn’t like to look at pretty girls? Ugly girls? Here we discuss what
China is like by looking at videos of pretty girls doing things in
China.
Contemporaneous Chinese Music
This is a
series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It
is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I
am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series
of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and
enjoyment.
Parks in China
The parks
in China are very unique. They are enormous and tend to be very
mountainous. Here we take a look at this most interesting of subjects.
Really Strange China
Here are
some posts that discuss a number of things about China that might seem
odd, or strange to Westerners. Some of the things are everyday events,
while others are just representative of the differences in culture.
What is China like?
The
purpose of this post is to illustrate that the rest of the world,
outside of America, has moved on with their lives. That while they
might not be as great as America is, they are doing just fine thank
you.
And while
America has been squandering it’s money, decimating it’s resources,
and just being cavalier with it’s military, the rest of the world has
done the opposite. They have husbanded their day to day fortunes, and
you can see this in their day-to-day lives.
Articles & Links
You’ll not
find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy
notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a
necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money
off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you
because I just don’t care to.
You can start reading the articles sequentially by going HERE.
You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
Here, we continue on our exploration of China from the comfort of our own personal computer, personal laptop, or personal media device. This is a multi-part post because too many videos will prevent the post from loading, and also, I tend to get sidetracked on various issues.
Sorry.
As a quick reminder, to all the new comers here…
Please kindly note that this post has multiple embedded videos. It is important to view them. If they fail to load, all you need to do is to reload your browser.
Steam-Shovel Doggie-Paddle (Video 8)
Why rent a tug boat, when you can just doggie-paddle up the river?
China is watching a steam-shovel doggie-paddle up a river…
To many Americans, who have been fed a steady diet of “Save the Children” commercials, war in Yemen, War in Somalia, and War in Afghanistan, it seems that the rest of the world still farms with oxen, and owning a shovel is a rare thing. It isn’t. High quality (and low quality, as well) tools and earth-movers are all over the world. We’ve been too busy playing in the mud in the primitive cultures around the world to notice what the rest of the world is doing.
Beer and Chicken (Video 9)
Life is far too short not to enjoy some chicken and beer with your friends. Why not? On a nice evening, how about cooking some chicken, and drinking some beer (make sure it's icy cold - it's best that way) and just hamming it up with your friends. What's stopping you?
Life is too short not to enjoy it with your friends. Really! You should be eating some wonderful chicken and enjoying some fine beer. You deserve it.
China is all about eating out with your friends outside on the porch, and having some delicious chicken and beer…
People like to eat. Humans eat. We also like to eat chicken. Chicken is domesticated all over the world and it is a rare, rare thing to be in a place where you cannot eat chicken. We have spent so much of our time thinking so much about our “American uniqueness” that we have lost sight that many things aren’t all that unique about America. They are common all over the world… What is unique is our Constitution and those of us that follow it as it was written. That is what makes us special.
Depth-charges using the dreaded evil plastic straw! (Video 10)
While Americans are banned from using plastic straws, the rest of the world happily uses them. They are totally oblivious to the efforts being made by Americans to alter their actions and behaviors. Oh, yeah. Did you know that in other nations, the only people that are forbidden to use plastic straws are prisoners inside of correctional institutions. Funny thing, that.
China is about having “depth charges” through a straw. (Nope, China won’t ban plastic straws. Only liberal progressive nations do that.)
A bomb shot typically consists of a shot glass of hard liquor that is dropped into a glass partially filled with beer but sometimes with some other beverage. Many variations exist. When the shot is dropped into a superpint it is commonly known as a "Depth Charge," because it resembles the anti-submarine weapon being dropped on a target.
Oh yes. Please take notice of the poodle sitting on the chair to the left. Yes, in China you are allowed to bring your pets into the restaurants with you. In America you would never see any of this.
There are three reasons…
Plastic straws are banned in the larger cities.
Pets are banned from restaurants.
It’s against the law to drink beer (and whiskey) under 21.
While America has been raising taxes, again and again, over and over. Then throwing the money over military actions in near-poverty stricken third-world nations. In order to improve the lives of Americans, the money is now missing, so the only thing left to do is to improve things without money – by regulation and law. Thus, not only are Americans poorer, the money is getting squandered, but we are being regulated and taxed to a level unheard of in the rest of the world (though the UK is trying hard with “catch-up”).
Going to have fun with your GF (Video 11)
This is a pretty common thing. I wouldn’t bring it up except that it has happened to me time and time over and over in China. Yet not once in the USA. I mean, there are tons of pretty American girls, and all sorts of hotels in the States. It must be a cultural thing. I guess.
America is filled with attractive women, at least outside the liberal enclaves, where the progressives roam. This is screen capture from TOS “Bread and Circuses” which is a nice fit for the theme of this rambling post. Can you guess her role, and how our hero (Captain Kirk) leveraged the situation for his advantage?
Anyways, China is all about having a pretty girl take you by the hand up to the hotel room…
And, at that… here’s to happy endings.
Happy endings, 1960’s Star Trek style.
Happy endings are legal in China. They are illegal in America. Is anyone surprised?
High School Basketball (Video 12)
All over the world, people enjoy playing sports. If I were to criticize anyone, it would be that they are not having enough fun in their life. You should have fun first, and work on a career second. Putting a career first to the extend that your life becomes dull and lifeless is a wasted pursuit.
There is a large and vocal minority that wants to bleach away all fun and enjoyment out of peoples lives. This is the progressive way of doing things. It serves the interests of the wealthiest so that they can lord over the rest of us as our owners. This is just the beginning, and they are only getting started.
China is about playing basketball in the High School gym…
How about instead of spending billions of dollars blowing up mud huts, and terrorizing poor farmers having sex with their donkeys, why don’t we all just settle our differences over some friendly games of basketball, or soccer, or billiards. Heck, I’d even vote for dominoes, or a cut-throat game of poker than have another trillion wasted in Afghanistan, don’t you agree?
Disco Streetlights (Video 13)
China is all about synchronized light displays. Even in small towns and rural villages. Don’t ask me why. I have no idea. But, it is a fun and creative thing to do. Not to mention that it increases the life of the LED’s used in the streetlights.
When you are no longer focused on problems, you can find other venues for creative activity. Like disco streetlights, glow in the dark automobiles, or robotic sex dolls. It doesn’t always have to be about killing other folk.
Continued…
OK. At numerous videos for this part, let’s go and move on to the next part of this post which covers more videos and further commentary about China.
If you want to go to the start of this series of posts, then please click HERE.
Links about China
China and America Comparisons
The Chinese Business KTV Experience
This is the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal press. This is the reality. Read or not.
Learning About China
Contemporaneous Chinese Music
This is a series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and enjoyment.
Parks in China
The parks in China are very unique. They are enormous and tend to be very mountainous. Here we take a look at this most interesting of subjects.
Really Strange China
Here are some posts that discuss a number of things about China that might seem odd, or strange to Westerners. Some of the things are everyday events, while others are just representative of the differences in culture.
Articles & Links
You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.
You can start reading the articles sequentially by going HERE.
You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
Well, what is China like? Is it a smog filled “hell hole”, or is it a Stalinist storm-trooper stomping dictatorship? Just what the heck is it, and what is it like?
This is a post that I threw together after reading a fellow American justify the eight wars that America is currently fighting all over the globe. As he said “…it our duty to police the world because no one has it better than us.”
Eh? Say what?
Of course he was referring to a United States military presence all over the world. And at this I shake my head. Why is my tax dollars being spent in Timbuktu? Why are we building bridges, bases and helping the Saudi’s fight their wars?
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants America to fight a war with Iran. To this end he is very active in providing financial enticements (bribes) to leading American Senators and Congressmen to support yet another military action, only this time in Iran.
Don’t the Saudi Arabians have enough money?
Why do WE have to do it? Why can’t THEY deal with their own issues?
Some background
To best understand what this question and the answers that it garners, we need to have a little background first.
Most non-Americans would be absolutely surprised to discover that the bulk of Americans think that the world is one big garbage dump, and only America is a half-way decent place to live. With this belief, it makes sense that America spread “American-style democracy” all over the world. No matter what the cost.
And so we do. Oh, yeah…
Linda J. Bilmes and Michael D. Intriligator, ask in a recent paper, “How many wars is the US fighting today?”
Today US military operations are involved in scores of countries across all the five continents. The US military is the world’s largest landlord, with significant military facilities in nations around the world, and with a significant presence in Bahrain, Djibouti,Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Kyrgyzstan, in addition to long-established bases in Germany, Japan, South Korea, Italy, and the UK. Some of these are vast, such as the Al Udeid Air Force Base in Qatar, the forward headquarters of the United States Central Command, which has recently been expanded to accommodate up to 10,000 troops and 120 aircraft.
Citing a page at US Central Command’s (CENTCOM) website, they highlight the “areas of responsibility” publicly listed:
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) is active in 20 countries across the Middle Eastern region, and is actively ramping-up military training, counterterrorism programs, logistical support, and funding to the military in various nations. At this point, the US has some kind of military presence in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, U.A.E., Uzbekistan, and Yemen.
US Africa Command (AFRICOM), according to the paper, “supports military-to-military relationships with 54 African nations.”
[Gosztola points out that the U.S. military is also conducting operations of one kind or another in Syrian, Jordan, South Sudan, Kosovo, Libya, Yemen, the Congo, Uganda, Mali, Niger and other countries.]
Altogether, that makes 74 nations where the US is fighting or “helping” some force in some proxy struggle that has been deemed beneficial by the nation’s masters of war.
-U.S. Currently Fighting 74 Different Wars … That It Will Publicly Admit
Good thing that we are in Turkmenistan. I can see how a farmer in Iowa would trudge down to his Congressman, and demand (by pounding on the desk) that his son goes and fights “the good cause” way off there. Just like you and your relatives have. Just like everyone in Ohio, Kentucky, and Illinois have. </sarcasm>
By the way… where is Turkmenistan? Do you even bloody know?
But those are just the public operations; the public stuff that you might be able to find in a newspaper or two. However, there are many, many secret and covert operations all over the globe, don’t you know.
Beyond that, there are Special Operations forces in countries. Jeremy Scahill in Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield, writes, “By mid-2010, the Obama administration had increased the presence of Special Operations forces from sixty countries to seventy-five countries.
Scahill also reports, based on his own “well-placed special operations sources”:
…[A]mong the countries where [Joint Special Operations Command] teams had been deployed under the Obama administration were: Iran, Georgia, Ukraine, Bolivia, Paraguay, Ecuador, Peru, Yemen, Pakistan (including in Baluchistan) and the Philippines. These teams also at times deployed in Turkey, Belgium, France and Spain. JSOC was also supporting US Drug Enforcement Agency operations in Colombia and Mexico…
Ah, yes. His statement stuck to me. I mean, it really did. I thought, you see, that that bunch of ignorance pretty much died off during the Bush years. So I was really taken back to have it repeated again, to my face.
I guess he is just fine throwing away money that is Constitutionally intended to be in our wallets. Hey! Some people don’t care what happens to the money once it is removed from their wallet. They justify it.
Obama was very liberal with the tax monies, as well as the money not yet collected. He gave it away like party favors at a drunk frat party.
However, I for one, do.
It affects MY quality of life. It affects my family. It affects what I do, how I eat, and my general health.
Hey! Dear reader, how much do you manage to save out of each paycheck every month? Not only that, but you and your family (with both working) how much are you able to save? You cannot. That is because of taxes, and you know what? Most of our tax money goes in to wars. War. Endless, endless wars…!
And no amount of bafflegab is going to change that.
Feminist bafflegab.
America is not supposed to be like this.
You have to understand that America, as founded, was the most amazing nation ever to grace this good earth. There are many reasons for this, but nothing can say it better than this…
America's founders embraced a previously unheard-of political philosophy which held that people are "...endowed BY THEIR CREATOR with certain unalienable rights.." This was the statement of guiding principle for the new nation, and, as such, had to be translated into a concrete charter for government. The Constitution of The United States of America became that charter.
Other forms of government, past and present, rely on the state as the grantor of human rights. America's founders, however, believed that a government made up of imperfect people exercising power over other people should possess limited powers. Through their Constitution, they wished to "secure the blessings of liberty" for themselves and for posterity by limiting the powers of government. Through it, they delegated to government only those rights they wanted it to have, holding to themselves all powers not delegated by the Constitution. They even provided the means for controlling those powers they had granted to government.
This was the unique American idea. Many problems we face today result from a departure from this basic concept. Gradually, other "ideas" have influenced legislation which has reversed the roles and given government greater and greater power over individuals. Early generations of Americans pledged their lives to the cause of individual freedom and limited government and warned, over and over again, that eternal vigilance would be required to preserve that freedom for posterity.
-Footnote: "Our Ageless Constitution,"W. David Stedman & La Vaughn G. Lewis, Editors (Asheboro, NC, W. David Stedman Associates, 1987) Part III: ISBN 0-937047-01-5
You see, America today in no way resembles what our Constitution says it is supposed to be. It has turned in to a huge enormous monstrosity.
"Allow me, just now old enough to apprehend the freak show for what it is, to put something radical to my conservative forbearers:
Little about the presentstate of American life is worth conserving. Nothing of what the Founders envisioned remains."
-Andrea Yung
We Americans, living in this mess, move along with the flow and ebb of the political and social winds. Often making the most absurd statements, and rationalizations. Thus this fellow that I was chatting with.
He then went on to say that “We need to police the world. We need to spread democracy... ...the rest of the world is one big shit-hole, seriously.” And then asked me, “Have you ever seen the Mexican side of the border?“
America is very beautiful once you leave many of the urban areas. The sky is often awesome, the roads are wide and often clear of traffic. Many of the houses are large and spacious. When compared to other nations, the United States appears to be (hands down) the most desirable place to live. So it is natural to assume every other place is a hell-hole.
Now this is coming from a guy who doesn’t even has a passport, has never tried to get a visa, and his only experience outside the borders of our country was by watching reruns of Baywatch.
Ah. that old “no one has it better than us Americans” argument. We are so fortunate. Eh. Well, it plays well in Peoria. And it’s a good conversation stopper. As we, as Americans, have all seen the “Save the Children” commercials. That money-generating venture brought images of poverty into the living-rooms of Americans for decades.
So the argument seems to have some validity.
Seems to.
Being older with some experiences…
But, you know, I am from a different generation. I grew up in the 1970’s, and at that time between all the smoking blue haze we came to appreciate the strengths of the American system. We did so cranking Jimmi Hendrix, Robin Trower, Yes, Jefro Tull, Alice Cooper, Boston, Manfred Mann, Traffic, Uriah Heep and Three Dog Night.
"I'd love to change the world... but I don't know what to do.
That 70s show was a television comedy that sort of reflected what it was like living and growing up in the 1970’s.
And…
We knew, since the Vietnam war was still fresh in our minds, that America should be for Americans. We did not need to be off throwing money, and wasting lives in some off-the-beaten track for some globalist oligarch.
We knew that America was wasting money in Vietnam. We knew that people were dying there, and many of them were friends, or relatives. We knew that what ever benefit would come of that war, none of us would ever see that benefit.
We knew that the war was just pissing away American resources.
Americans in Vietnam. We fought and died there for “democracy”. When the truth was that it was an effort with the wealthiest in America to game the situation for their very own personal advantage.
We, almost my entire generation, felt betrayed by those older than us. Those who ended up throwing away lives in far off rice paddy’s, and making laws against marijuana that everyone was obviously breaking. What was the matter with these people? We asked.
Why can’t they just let us be? Why do they have to take too much of our money, regulate too much of our lives, and go off fighting wars that are too far away? Why?
Things were so different the. We weren’t expected to apologize for being born. We weren’t ashamed of our nation. We were American gosh darn it!
Well, that was only the tip of the iceberg.
A few more years passed. Ronald Reagan did put the breaks down to some degree, but he made some other blunders that (sad to say, eventually) set the stage for what was to come…
President Bush Senior spent most of his Presidency trying to undo the good works of Ronald Reagan. In many ways he was very successful.
First, was President Gerald Ford Bush (Senior) who made it his life’s work to undo “Reaganomics”, and implement The New Global Order. Then came a succession of socialist criminals, such as Clinton, Bush Jr and finally Obama.
Each one, in their own way, contributed to the state of affairs that America is enduring today. Each one played a role. Each one created the situation leading to all the complaints that we Americans have about “our” government.
They snipped the brake-lines to the American Constitutional government, and it has been in free-fall ever since.
Free-fall.
Ahhhhhhhhhh.
Those of us, still trapped in a rapidly decaying world try to grasp for straws trying to make out some sense of reason to the hordes of pink-haired ignorance, the black-thugs of Antifa and the BLM that seem to want to put average Americans in concentration camps.
So we listen to the news. Many, well meaning of course, have no idea just how tainted it really is. They believe the news.
They believe CNN when they announce that there are spontaneous protests all over the nation to ban plastic straws.
They believe MSNBC when they announce that President Donald Trump is a full Communist spy on the payroll out of Russia (oh and he likes to pee on bed sheets, too). And they believe FOX when they say that our military isn’t big enough and another “few” trillion dollars would be all that is needed to make the world whole again.
The most dangerous lies are the ones that you WANT to believe. Which is why FOX is just as dangerous as CNN. They both lie. It's just that they focus on different target audiences.
You maybe should open up a window or two and let some fresh air get inside your house. You’ve been cooped up way too long. Maybe since when the Partridge Family, or the Rat Patrol was on television, me thinks.
The world has changed, bub.
Beautiful shanghai at dusk showing the Huangpu river and financial district skyline in sunset. The fellow that I was talking to considered this city, Shanghai to be a “Hell hole” worthy of fighting to “free those imprisoned by the evil communists”.
While you have been sitting there reading American news, American politics, American music, and viewing American-centrist shows, the rest of the world has moved on.
We, as Americans have been boxed in by wealthy and powerful forces. Their objective is for them to achieve “ultimate wealth and power”. As such, they are an evil oligarchy, and they control you, the reader, through media lies, and intentional omissions of news.
Some parts of America has been completely engulfed by this poison. You can see it. It’s not pretty.
Modern Detroit today. At one time Detroit was the automobile capital of the world. It produced products like no other. But successive generations of leadership decided to focus their energies elsewhere, and Detroit fell onto bad times. This is not the only place where this has happened. We have the “rust belt” in the Midwest, and of course, we all know about the crime riddled Seaboard cities.
Luckily, many parts of America has been spared. There are really very nice areas that have not been polluted by this blight. But the dark days are fast approaching.
Beautiful Cleveland, Ohio. This small Mid-West city is typical of what America and is is populated by people that it represents. While there is a major blight in most progressive liberal areas, the rural and smaller cities has so far been spared the progressive influence.
But, why has this blight effected the USA in the first place?
While Bush had the United States fighting in the deserts of Africa, the rest of the world were planting trees, building malls, and rapid mass transit.
While Bush was giving the dictator of some unpronounceable tiny county, trillions of dollars to build up THEIR infrastructure, and build THEIR hospitals, our infrastructure was allowed to decay and fall apart. And when we complained about it, they came after us. Accusing us of tax evasion, or sexual deviance.
While Obama was working on “diversity initiatives” all over the Untied States, the rest of the world were improving their hospitals. While we Americans were being told by Obama to pay more in taxes, to tighten our belts, the rest of the world were having their tax burdens eased, and living under substantially improved lifestyles.
Yes, let me be the first person to tell you, the reader this, while we have been spending bundles and bundles of money in places that you cannot find on a map, the rest of the world has been getting wealthier, better, stronger, and healthier.
Kanye West – Stronger
No longer does the rest of the world look like a “Save the Children” commercial. For the most part, it tends to look like an upscale suburb of Chicago.
“In terms of financial cost, the numbers are staggering. Afghanistan alone has cost a trillion dollars. Just think what we might have accomplished at home if that money had been spent on education, job training, medical research, infrastructure improvements, water purification and sanitation. You can add to this list. It’s all important, but taking a backseat to our military funding.”
-Endless war is bad for America
Scene from the Science Fiction comedy called Idiocracity. It traces the dumbing down of the average American and the resulting effect that it has on society.
So, here’s the slap in the face for you all.
Laugh-In is no longer broadcast on network television, Hugh Hefner is dead, and Playboy magazine is no longer published like it used to be. No one wears “Earth Shoes” anymore, and “love beads” are worn as often as the waitress tells you that your elephant bell-bottom jeans are “groovy”.
Times have changed. The rest of the world has moved on.
The rest of the world has moved on, and I believe that we need to pay attention to what is going on. We need to open our eyes, look around, ask questions and just listen.
We need to look at the world around us.
The American mainstream media has failed us.
Politicized media, from both sides of the spectrum lie and tell partial truths.
There are no “experts” that have all the answers. They are all frauds.
You might need to visit Australia, Germany, Poland, or Thailand. Americans, listen up, the rest of the world does NOT have it worse than America. They have it differently, true.
But, worse… I don’t think so.
The rest of the world could care less about what is going on in the USA. They don’t know what the IRS, who the NSA is, and why the FDA is important. Though, they do have a pretty good idea about the CIA, LOL.
I’m in China, so we are gonna talk about China.
If I were in Australia, I’d talk about that absolutely amazing nation. Indeed, those Aussies have no idea how fortunate they are. Australia is an amazing place. It really, really is. From Kings Cross to Brisbane, it’s awesome from the top to the bottom, and I cannot find anything wrong with it at all.
Beautiful Brisbane, Australia. Australia is a land of wonderful weather, beautiful girls and impressive scenery. Also, you should try their prawns. They are amazing!
And you know, what? The same is true about some other places, like New Zealand. Those Kiwi’s have it good too. I’ll tell you what. The thing is that they don’t go strutting around like a peacock, or like a big cock that is so sure of himself proclaiming “New Zealand is the best!”. They know they are good, and decent. They know that.
Milford sound in New Zealand. Queenstown is known to be the adventure capital of New Zealand, and actually, the world! However, in case you’ve been living under a rock, New Zealand’s beauty is the true draw.
Thailand is in a class by itself and I won’t spend too much time on all the great fun that can be had there. You just need to go out, and experience it yourself. After all, where else in the world will all the pretty ladies call you a “handsome man”, eh?
Getting ready to have some fun in Thailand. It the land of great food, amazing natures, and many, many smiles. This is a photo of a foreigner getting some money out of an ATM. If you are frugal, you will need to husband your money carefully, as Thailand has an enormous tourist industry, and you will need to be careful or else watch your money disappear before your eyes.
Canada has it’s charms, I’ll tell you what. But, it seems too much like a sister-brother nation to the United States. They seem to want to copy whatever progressive pronouncements come out of liberal academia. I know, I know, they speak French, and have politics more in like with the UK than anything resembling America, but it’s a very beautiful nation with some outstanding parks and scenery. Not to mention, just great people.
Still, still, it’s a gorgeous place, with some great fishing. If you ever get a chance to go fishing in Canada go do it. You will not be sorry. Just remember to take some bug-repellent. You will need two or three gallons of it.
Watch out! One of the signs features a large mosquito carrying someone away. Well, maybe they don’t get that big, but you’ve got to be well equipped.
Well, I’m in China. So I am gonna talk about China.
I’m not gonna narrate too much. Just a little wee bit. It will help you, the reader, better understand the context of what is going on in the videos, and that should lead to a better understanding of what you are witnessing. After all, watching Cirque du Soleil without any context would leave anyone confused and disoriented.
So, I’ll just let the micro-videos speak for themselves. You all can come to whatever conclusion you come to. That way the ignorant can’t blame me for “brainwashing” you, the reader.
As they often tend to do.
The following videos describe the China that exists today, and not the “Save the Children” image so rampantly promoted in American media on both sides of the political spectrum. As we used to say in the industry “don’t shoot the messenger”.
They are fun videos. I hope you enjoy them.
Also, please keep in mind that the purpose of this post is to
illustrate that the rest of the world, outside of America, has moved on
with their lives. That while they might not be as great as America is,
they are doing just fine thank you.
And while America has been squandering it’s money, decimating it’s
resources, and just being cavalier with it’s military, the rest of the
world has done the opposite. They have husbanded their day to day
fortunes, and you can see this in their day-to-day lives.
This is a Paleo-conservative response to the hordes of Neocons that argue in favor of global armageddon.
This is what China is. (Video 1)
Please kindly note that this post has multiple embedded videos. It is important to view them. If they fail to load, all you need to do is to reload your browser.
It is rare for a single company to make everything for their products. They buy screws from a screw manufacturer, they get rubber parts from a rubber manufacturer, and get glass from a glass manufacturer. Over the last two decades a system has developed where a company can retain control of it's products, but utilize cheap off-shore labor.
While the rest of the world was “off shoring” their products, China was learning, acquiring, and building. While the rich oligarchy in the USA and Europe were taking their enormous profits and investing in political power, liberal initiatives, and spending the money on lavish entertainments, China was working hard and studying.
It’s paying off.
Scene from the television show “Star Trek”. TOS season 2. It pictured a world where America adopted the way that Rome ruled the world only doing so contemporaneously. I wonder, would Americans recognize the similarities between Ancient Rome and modern Washington DC?
While all this has been going on, some curious trends started to manifest.
Today, many manufacturers all over the world implement “supply-chain management”, which means (in layman’s terms) that they farm out critical sub-assemblies, and parts to other factories in other nations where the manufacturing costs are low. As such, they are able keep their core factories and manufacturing facilities and maintain their local labor rates, social benefits, and environmental controls, but only conduct final manufacture of components.
We know about this every time we call a help line that gets rerouted to India, or when we discover that it will take a month or longer to get a spare part for our American made product.
Many companies do this. Many, that you, the reader, have no idea has so many off-shored components and assemblies. Hey! Surprise!
And now for my first video…
China is about selecting the interior color scheme in your car…
I really love Bentleys. I love everything about them. The primary assembly plant is in Crewe, England. They do a lot of supply-chain management and most of it is with Chinese and local suppliers. One of the things that I admire about Bentley is how they installed solar panels over their parking lot. How’s that for innovation, as well as keeping the parked car cool and out of the hot sun?
Bentley parking lot, all protected from the sun with solar panels.
The point of this is simple. While almost every American company is outsourcing products, parts, and sub-assemblies to China, they are not alone. EVERY developed nation is doing this. America is not the only nation that out sources.
Getting close to nature – Camping Chinese style. (Video 2)
People are people everywhere. We like to eat, talk, and play with our friends. We like to fish, play sports, and just have a good time.
China is about having fun with your friends. Here we talk about camping in the wilds “Chinese style”.
I think that everyone should experience camping with friends and family. In fact, it is the core of some of my greatest memories. Though, for me, putting a tent up often meant getting rained upon. Sigh.
Notice that there are a couple of things that I would like to point out to the reader to take note of and observe.
It is done as a group. The Chinese find strength in friendships. In America, it’s every man for himself, lone-wolf style. So camping in the USA is usually in small groups of two to four people. Camping in China is often a much larger communal experience.
There are different activities to meet the different styles and pleasures of the individuals. Some gals just want to sit at the table, drink wine and watch the guys play. Some want to play around and have a good time, while others want to cook and play some sports. What ever makes your boat float, I say.
Tents are there for passing out, sex, and naps, not to mention spending the night. They are usually the first thing to go up, and the last thing to take down. They serve as the anchor to the campground or camping area. Not the fire-pit, which would be more common in the USA.
They use portable tables, and stoves. It is rare to have open fires in China.
The point of this is that people all over the globe enjoy themselves. They fish. They eat. They get drunk, fall in love, and have a great time. (Maybe not in that exact order.) The rest of the world is not a Brazilian garbage dump or a smog filled desert. It’s not.
New, big and modern. (Video 3)
With two decades of rapid advancement, it should come as no surprise that antiquated infrastructure would be replaced, and new systems put in place. What is surprising is the pace, and the extent at which is is done. The speed, pace, and quantity of new structures is unlike anything seen int he United States.
China is about miles and miles of big, brand new, impressive skyscrapers, modern efficient public transportation, and fun night light shows.
This is not confined to the first top level cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. It permeates the entire Chinese society. It is everywhere. China was not squandering it’s resources fighting eight wars all over the globe, nor policing the Muslim world. They were solving their own domestic issues.
It is evident if you take a gander. Here’s a small town in China. Yes… believe it or not 4 million people is a town in China.
"It's all Chinese propaganda from behind the red-firewall. He's gone full Chicom. All you need to know is to check out his other postings. You shouldn't read or listen to anything he says."
-(Name removed by request)
The point of this is that the money wasted on wars against primitive people in crude terrain for appease the oligarchy could be used on Americans. It could be used on Americans to improve the lives of Americans. Or at the very least to curb the out of control devaluation of the US dollar.
China is all about the party. (Video 4)
Chinese culture is traditional conservative. They follow the model that has been in place in China for 5000 years. They tried the progressive liberal Marxist technique under Mr. Mao and it darn near exterminated 30 million people. Since the 1970's they have implemented a new type of government. They call it "Socialist with Chinese Characteristics".
What it is, using American vernacular, is a Conservative Dictatorship following Reaganomics, and a "Make China Great Today" philosophy.
Being conservative, and traditional, drinking alcohol is part of the culture. All those attempts to cub “vices” stems from progressive and liberal schools of thought.
In past in America, people could drink and smoke and party to the wee hours of the night. This all started to change when progressive liberal values began to “improve” American life, society and culture. One of the first things that they tried to do was ban drinking. It failed, so they started to tax it. Then came smoking. Then came all sorts of restrictions on various other vices. Don’t let the progressive democrat narrative of freedom to “get high” fool you. They only want to control you, and the most effective way is to control access to vices.
If you talk to someone who says that they visited China, but they cannot tell you about the KTV experience, they are either lying or lived a very exclusive life. You know, how Hillary Clinton mingles with the people in Walmart. The Chinese party scene is not like what you have in the United States, where a certain percentage of the population, maybe 20-40% might want to go out and drink and dance. In China, it is ingrained in the Chinese culture.
Everyone, to one extent or the other, parties.
Friends, family and business associates will naturally invite you to dinner and drinks, and if they and you are worthy of friendship, a KTV. If you are not worthy of such an experience then you are, and will forever be, an outsider.
Thus one way that you can determine just how knowledgeable a "Chinese expert" is in the understandings of China, Chinese people, and Chinese culture, is to ask them about their experiences drinking, singing, and hanging out with the Chinese people on a personal basis.
The more experiences they have, the more visceral their understanding is of the Chinese sphere.
China is about going out to the clubs or the KTV’s with tons of pretty girls and getting drunk to the gills…
Most people around the world party and have a great time. This would continue whether or not Americans burn money in wars or not. However, the kinds of parties that you have and the extent of your enjoyment at them are a function of the value of your currency. By devaluing the USD through constant fiscal mismanagement, and endless wars most Americans have to settle for the cheaper kinds of entertainment. It’s beer and Doritos instead of steaks and galas.
China is ENORMOUS. (Video 5)
China is an enormous nation, about the same size as the USA, but with a billion more people.
Yes it is. In fact, it is geographically similar to the size of the United States. That means that it is enormous.
United States is around the same size as China. China is approximately 9,596,960 sq km, while United States is approximately 9,833,517 sq km. Meanwhile, the population of China is ~1 billion people (1 billion fewer people live in United States).Size of United States compared to China - MyLifeElsewhere
A size comparison between the United States and China. They are roughly the same size. Though, I would tend to say that while China has more mountains, the USA has a longer coastline. Also there is a greater difference from the one end of the nation to the other.
China is about amazing parks, scenery that seems like it came from a science fiction movie, and strange and exotic wildlife…
"These videos that you post aren't from China. They are actually from parks in America. You should stop being so deceptive."
-Gonzoberry
The size of the nation does not change whether it is involved in wars or not. However, the quality of the life inside that nation is a function of the amount of money the government spends on it. China has been spending billions of dollars improving China, the infrastructure and the lives of it’s people. America has been squandering it in Yemen, Libya, and Afghanistan, to name of few places.
Diverse range of cultural stratification. (Video 6)
All nations are culturally stratified to one degree or the other. China is no exception. However, the rapid rate of growth over the last two decades has created a melting-pot of social classes, and they all mingle together.
America is stratified. There are the oligarchy that lives in their exclusive areas, and the “upper middle class” which are now almost entirely working for the government, and the rest of us. We are further segregated in where we live. There are the urban liberals, and the rural conservatives, and it is quite a rare thing to fall outside those two groupings.
In China there is a mish-mash of cultures, and social stratification. This can manifest in different ways depending where you are.
China is about getting a $1 haircut on the street…
Social stratification arises through all cultures. The best way to manage it is to provide services based on merit, and ability. The worst way is to provide services based on what group or “tribe” you are a member of, or what your gender is, or some other characteristic based on demographics. China provides services based on merit, and thus the society is homogenized. India and America provides services based on other concerns, and that leads to dangerous social stratification.
Playing with your dog. (Video 7)
Life is about living. have a good time and enjoy yourself. Why not? Eh?
And China is about going for a ride with your dog…
Every nation has people enjoying their time with their pets. This includes China. Where most of China enjoys playing with their beloved dogs. They don’t eat them (at least 99.95% doesn’t). One of the things that aides social stratification is the creation of an “us” vs. “them” mentality. One side demonizes another, and makes them seem inhuman, cruel and evil. Thus the reason for the last five decades of anti-Chinese propaganda originating out of the liberal media outlets in the United States.
Yes, China is many many things.
While America is willing to pour trillions of (taxpayer) dollars into third-world shit-holes all over the globe, China has a different plan. China invests the money for China. In China, it is “Make China First Today”.
In America, you have a percentage of the population that also see the value in this. They voted for Donald Trump, and they wear MAGA hats, which is pretty much an Americanized version of the Chinese slogan.
Here’s to all those people in America that believe that America should be great again, and stand for something.
Here’s to all those people in America that believe that America should be great again, and stand for something. Here’s to a nation that puts God before everything else, and accepts the premise and the promise that Rights are ordained by God, and NOT by man. Here’s to all the people who have fought for and died for this belief.
And…
Looking that the world as it is, first hand, both the good and the bad, gives you a better perspective on your own life. There are good and bad things about the USA, just like there are good and bad things about China.
Continued…
OK. At numerous videos for this part, let’s go and move on to the next part of this post which covers more videos and further commentary about China.
If you want to go to the start of this series of posts, then please click HERE.
Links about China
China and America Comparisons
The Chinese Business KTV Experience
This is the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal press. This is the reality. Read or not.
Learning About China
Contemporaneous Chinese Music
This is a series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and enjoyment.
Parks in China
The parks in China are very unique. They are enormous and tend to be very mountainous. Here we take a look at this most interesting of subjects.
Really Strange China
Here are some posts that discuss a number of things about China that might seem odd, or strange to Westerners. Some of the things are everyday events, while others are just representative of the differences in culture.
Articles & Links
You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.
You can start reading the articles sequentially by going HERE.
You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
This is the story about how I got married to my wife in China. As such, this is my dedication to all the others who have to plow through obstacles to be together. Here is what to look out for, and how getting married in China works.
“Sometimes this culture of controlling their kids and who they marry then gets passed down from generation to generation..."
I know all the details are too tedious and boring for casual reading. So I am not going to go into the details.
However, there is a music video 听见下雨的声音 that describes what it was like for me and wife to get married. I want to dedicate this post using this video as the narrative.
This is the way it happened. I tell you the truth.
Please kindly note that this post has multiple embedded videos. It is important to view them. If they fail to load, all you need to do is to reload your browser.
Let it be well understood that getting married to the love of my life was was not easy. It wasn’t easy. There were all sorts of hurdles in the way, and yes per Chinese tradition she was to be married off to another boy. This guy was richer, better, more attractive than me.
It was an arrangement made many many years ago. It was made when I was still in elementary school, and while my love knew about it, she somehow felt that she could get around it.
No. She could not.
He was better than me in every measurable way. But somehow we overcame all those obstacles. There is a music video that aptly describes what it was like for us to get together, and I refer to it throughout this post.
Have I been treated unfairly by a boyfriend’s mother because I was not their kind of Asian?
Absolutely! (Two now-ex boyfriends, in fact.)
I was never going to be good enough because I wasn’t the right shade of Asian. I didn’t come from the same background, go to an Ivy League school, or have the right last name.
Yes, my background is certainly more capable than the humble clerk in the music video. Yet, this is a timeless story that others, just like me and my wife, have gone through. This is my dedication to all the others who have to plow through obstacles to be together.
This is my dedication to all the others (maybe others like you, perhaps) who have to plow through obstacles to be together. This is my dedication for all you out there who are in love and are fighting to be together. This is my dedication for you, and for your love.
This boy and this girl loves each other. He is working at a 7-11 as a clerk. He doesn’t make enough money, but he is a hard worker. He is kind, honest, and loyal. She doesn’t love him for his money. She doesn’t love him for his family, the car he drives, or the school he went to. She loves him for who he is.
It’s true.
In fact, if you want to get married to a Chinese guy or girl in China, you WILL need their parents approval. This is codified in law, as well as the documents that all families have. If you get married, your name will go into a household register, and who controls that document? Well… the parents do.
Unless you have their approval, you will not be able to get married in China.
This is because in China, you will need more than love. You will need HEART.
This means that love will not be enough. You will need to make your relationship work. Not only functionally, but you will need to obtain the approval of parents. Many, of whom will have natural biases against you.
These biases are many, and depending on where your love lives, it can include anything from your familial background to your earning potential.
Chinese parents will come with automatic biases that they will judge you by. This will include your earning potential. This will include your intelligence. This will include your family’s social standing, and this will include your ability to be a good provider. Chinese families are traditional.
So yes. You will need to love, and you will need to work. You will need to prove yourself, but also you will need to fight for your love.
More so than Westerners, many Chinese view dating as a pragmatic affair. It’s not always about finding love so much as it is about finding a potential marriage partner who fits with one’s own ideals. For example, although many men get married without a house and a car, Chinese women will often say that they’re looking for these things because that’s the sort of person who probably has a stable career and will be able to provide for her and their future children in the long-term. It’s not always about love. As one contestant on China’s most popular dating show put it, "I’d rather cry in a BMW than laugh on a bicycle."
-ThoughtCo
You must, of course, fight. I don’t mean put on some boxing gloves. I mean push yourself, and push yourself to your limits. You need to make the money to prove that you are worthy. You need to be a little better than everyone else. You need to show to your mate that you are worthy of them.
He is a worker. He doesn’t laze around. He works, and earns money. He works at three or four jobs and saves up all his money. (7-11 clerk, deliver food, deliver newspapers, and janitor)
In this video, a poor boy is working all the time so that he can be married to the girl of his dreams. This girl is the one. You know what I am talking about?
The ONE; that one very special person that you want to share your life with.
Ah, but.. But he doesn’t have a college degree. He is of limited means, so he works at what he can do. He works multiple jobs and saves and saves his pennies. He works and works. He does his best, and yes it is dirty, and demeaning work.
But in China, love is not enough to form the basis of a family. You need money, connections and potential. Her father already has picked up a nice promising man for her to marry. Here in the video, he is “interviewing” him as a potential husband for his daughter. This is a often referred to as a “date” in China.
Well, the father does not like him. Instead, he chooses a rich boy, one who is upwardly mobile for his daughter. And she, as a good Chinese daughter, listens to her father.
She obeys her father.
This is a very sweet version of the song from the video, sung by Kiniyo. I place it here so that you, the reader, can listen to it now.
I think Kiniyo does a nice job singing about this very, very common situation that Chinese boys and girls must endure.
This is not fifty years ago. This is today. This is contemporary China, and yes this practice is still very common. It is the most common way for a person to get married in China. However, today (in most of China) they tend to be a little softer about who the daughter is to marry.
As such, they give them a year or two to find a mate. If they don’t find a boy, then the parents will find one for them.
Every parent is different, of course, but in general Chinese parents expect to be more involved in their children’s relationships. It’s not uncommon for parents and grandparents to set their children up on blind dates with suitable matches they’ve found.
If their child’s significant other doesn’t meet with the parents’ approval, continuing the relationship will be very difficult. That’s why if you’re dating someone who is Chinese, it’s very important you make a good first impression with the parents! -ThoughtCo
In richer families, like my wife’s, they are often very strict and particular on who will marry. They are absolute in this regards, most especially if you come from certain regions in China. Like some of the richer sections of Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taiwan, or Beijing. Or in certain provinces or cultural enclaves like Wenzhou.
And, in certain areas (regions) of China, dating a 外国人 (wài guó rén) – a non-Chinese foreigner, is absolutely out of the question.
The father will decide who will marry his daughter.
The father has picked up a socially and financially mobile husband out for her and he tells her that she WILL marry this boy. This is the Chinese way and it is still very common. And yes. It happened to me.
But you know, love is the glue that builds a family. Not a document or diploma. It’s not how good you look or how well connected you are. It is the love that binds the family together and enables the family to persist through hardship.
Love is what you need to make things last decade after decade. Love has a purpose and there is a reason why it exists. When you love someone you are connected to them, and you can “feel” them and what is going on with them.
Yes. You can “feel” them, and this is a real connection.
When you love someone you are “attuned” to that person. You can “feel” them and are aware of them to a certain extent. This awareness varies from person to person, but it does exist.
In China, especially if you come from a wealthy or prominent family, you WILL marry who they tell you to marry. This is the way that it is done, and I can tell you that I encountered this situation personally.
This is what it is like. You need to have parental approval to get married in China.
If you have any questions or confusion about this, then perhaps you should get your head out of the sand and watch the movie “Rich Crazy Asians“. That movie had a number of scenes that really reflected how parents influence the people their children marry.
The Chinese parents exert a tremendous amount of influence on their children. They expect their children to excel in life, and they will make sure and enforce who they will marry.
Crazy Rich Asians is a 2013 novel by Kevin Kwan. Kwan stated that his intention in writing the novel was to "introduce a contemporary Asia to a North American audience". He claimed the novel was loosely based on his own childhood in Singapore. The novel became a bestseller and was followed by two sequels, China Rich Girlfriend in 2015 and Rich People Problems in 2017. A film adaptation of the novel was released on August 15, 2018. -Crazy Rich Asians - Wikipedia
This influence can be an enormous burden and hardship on the child. This is especially true when they love someone, and their parents forbid them to be together. While it is true that many people can get married in China and avoid family approval, this is not true for everyone.
There are still many families that take marriage and future family composition quite seriously.
Midway through Crazy Rich Asians, Michelle Yeoh–who plays the disapproving mother of Constance Wu’s love interest and would-be husband–tells Wu’s character, “You will never be enough.” -Fastcompany
In the MV by Jay Chou titled 听见下雨的声音, this is quite realistically portrayed.
This fact of life, and Chinese truth, can be very difficult. In the case with most Chinese daughters who love another boy, they find that they must marry someone that they do not love. Meanwhile they are forbidden to be with the one who they love.
In the video, the boy saves up all of his money.
That’s what a guy does. he saves up everything and than gives it all to the girl of his dreams. This might sound so strange as it doesn’t fit the progressive liberal reality of what a family is. It is the way traditional families are structures, and in traditional families, the man works as hard as he can and give all of it to his wife.
Not some of it. Not most of it.
All of it.
ALL OF IT.
The boy works hard and gives everything to his girl. In China, a family man gives 100% of what he earns straight to his wife. Not “most” of his money. Not 99.5% of his money. He gives ALL OF HIS MONEY, as his wife and his family is everything to him. That is what a traditional life, and a traditional family is all about.
That is how the dowry came into being. It was a way to show that the boy loves the girl well enough to give everything to her.
That is what a dowry is. But in today’s world, it isn’t enough.
Often in China, the mechanism for getting married was set in place many, many years earlier. The love of your life; your dream girl… THE ONE, might be promised to someone else. And the entire community might know of it. And there might not be anything that you can do about it.
She will be obligated to marry who ever her parents tell her to, or else the entire face of the family will be in jeopardy.
Just like in the English expression “saving face,” the “face” we’re talking about here isn’t a literal face. Rather, it’s a metaphor for a person’s reputation amongst their peers. So, for example, if you hear it said that someone “has face,” that means that they have a good reputation. Someone who doesn’t have face is someone who has a very bad reputation. -Face Culture in China
But life is not that simple.
Love isn’t enough. Money isn’t enough.
You need the blessings of the parents. Without those blessings, you will be absolutely unsuccessful in getting married or having a family register in China. Without a family register, you cannot have children.
This is what a Household Register looks like in China. It is a book. It is kept by your parents, and when you get married, your name and your spouse is added to that register, and your parents keep the book. If they do not approve of your love, you can never get your partner added to the book.
You need the blessings of the parents.
The household register can trace your family’s genealogy back many, many generations.
But, there are often other forces and other situations that will define what happens in your life. There are complex relationships, long held debts, and familial responsibilities that you can be caught up in and not even know about.
The parents will have a duty to make sure that you obey the familial obligations.
The girl is going to her pre-arranged marriage. This is common in China, and this is what happened to us in my life. You might think that this is all a nice made up tale. It isn’t. It is real life in China. It makes us better understand the importance of love and relationships.
But you know, sometimes being wealthy, being kind, saving money, working hard… isn’t enough. The things running against you two being together are too large. The obstacles are too formidable.
The ultimate goal of most relationships in China is marriage. Young Chinese adults are often under a lot of pressure from the elders in their family to find a good husband or wife and get married relatively early.
This pressure is particularly acute for women, who can be called “left-over women” if they pass the age of 26 or 27 without finding a husband. Men can find themselves similarly left-over if they wait too long to get married.
This is a big part of why dating is often taken so seriously. Chinese young people often feel like they don’t have the time to “play the field” that their Western counterparts are afforded by society. -ThoughtCo
Sometimes everything is just impossible to overcome. You cannot do it on your own. All you can do is your best, and often doing it alone won’t be enough.
When that happens, you just cannot give up. You can never give up. You must keep on going and never give up.
I know that it will seem impossible. It will seem difficult, and you will look at what you have; your resources, and see that are are sorely lacking. You will see the world trying, and doing so successfully, to take away what you (in your heart) yearns for.
It doesn’t matter.
You must never give up.
Never. Give. Up.
I am dead-on serious about this. If what you love is so darn important to you then you must fight for it. You must work and strive for a strong life with the one; yes, (here we go again) that ONE person in your life that is THE ONE.
Never. Never ever give up.
You must fight for the things that are important to you.
Seriously. You MUST fight for the things worth having.
You must fight for the important things. And no, often you will not be ready. You won’t have enough money. You won’t have the right job. You won’t have the family blessings. You won’t have what it takes. But…
But… you MUST fight for the things that are important to you.
Well, maybe all your plans fall flat on their face. Maybe everything collapses. Maybe it all goes to deep shit. It doesn’t matter. You keep on fighting for what you love.
One of the great things about love is the strength of it when it is shared. Yes things can be impossible, and the obstacles can be far too great. However, when both of you are working TOGETHER, there is nothing that can come between your love.
As long as both of you…
Both of you share the same kind of love…
It is very easy to follow the parents, peers, and society. But if the love is strong enough, and the heart is fierce enough, you can make decisions before it is too late.
There is nothing that should come between your love for each other. That is why love is so important in a family. It is the glue that outlasts money, that outlasts, beauty and that outlasts family commitments.
But, love will melt away unless you desire it with all of your heart. You will need to make some difficult choices in your life, and there will be others who will not understand. You will need to make them, and it might not be all that easy.
One of the most difficult things that a person might have to do is to disobey their parents and follow their heart. Doing so, especially in Asian cultures, will come at a cost, and there will be a price. But, only you know if it will be worth it. You have to decide. It is a red-pill, a black and white moment.
Things can become uncomfortable. But you know…
The things that are important must be fought for.
In China, and in most of Asia, you might need to disobey your parents. In my case, we ended up getting married in Hong Kong because her parents did not approve of her marriage to an American. I understand that in certain circles in Singapore, or Indonesia it is even stricter with religious and social strata considerations.
And don’t even get me started with India…
The better things in life are the harder to get. Even though your family might want the best for you, only you know in your heart what is important to you. You do need to follow your heart.
Always follow your heart.
Always follow your heart.
Your heart will tell you what to do. Your feelings and your emotions will guide you. Listen to them.
You need to listen to your feelings.
Remember, feelings and emotions, are the glue that hold families together. When you are younger, the emotions are very strong. There is a biological reason for this. Use it.
Listen to your feelings.
Follow them and let them lead you.
When there are things that matter to you, you need to FIGHT for them. You just cannot be passive about the things that are important to you. You must fight for the things that have meaning, and others might be hurt in the process. But you need to put your needs first.
And just like the music video… and just like the fairy tales… there actually can be a “happily ever after”. Just remember that you need to fight for the things that matter to you, and if you find the ONE… that ONE person that you want to spend the rest of your life with, then both of you should fight together.
You can achieve your dreams when both of you two are fighting together for the same thing…
There can be a happily ever after. You just need to believe and follow through. Don’t give up. Don’t you ever give up. If there is one thing worth fighting for in this earth it is LOVE.
If there is one thing worth fighting for in this earth… it is love.
I really believe that if both of you share the same emotions, and both of you are willing to have a traditional, conservative family with a solid grounding in familial roles, there will be nothing that you cannot accomplish. [This is not a political issue. Many progressive democrats have conservative, traditional families. Like the Obama’s for instance.]
A traditional, conservative family is a time-tested 100% guarantee of family success with over 5000 years of documented proof. It is a family where the man works and gives 100% of his labors to this family. The wife handles the budget, the household and teaches the children.
While you might end up fighting against the wishes and desires of the parents to get married, do not neglect the importance of your new family. Establish it with a solid foundation.
Love.
And they lived happily ever after. And no it’s not a fairy tale. This is real life you all. This is the real deal. This is what happened in my life, and this is what can happen in your life as well.
Fairy tales DO come true. There is, actually is, a rainbow with a pot of gold under it.
Conclusion
My life was from my time and based on my situation. I could get all involved telling the story about this conditions, and that condition, as every situation is complex. There is nothing really simple about relationships. Once you start documenting your own, you will find that it gets complex really… really quickly.
Yet, fundamentally, my story is one of love and cultural complexities. In fact, I think that a foreigner marrying an Asian, whether they are from China or some other nation, will also encounter some situations of relative similarity to mine.
And yes, while I wrote this little post about myself, it’s really about YOU the reader.
I want to impress to you that you, I mean everyone, needs to have the fundamentals in their life “locked down”, put in place and secured. That means a life and relationship founded on love, and created with a solid emotional foundation, and structured in a proven traditional way.
It’s a winning combination.
It really is.
It is a little like this…
The Video that I refer to.
In this post I repeatedly referred to a music video (MV) that I believe reflects the story that I am trying to relate. Earlier in the post, I embedded the song sung by Kiniyo. I think that she really “nailed” the emotions and the feelings of the situation quite clearly. Indeed, if you want to get “goosebumps” on you arms, you should go to a concert where everyone is singing this song together.
Who says that this is an uncommon experience?
Like this version of the song sung by A-Lin. Watch the people in the audience. Yes, this situation is more common that we in the West would assume. Check it out…
If you are so inclined, you can see the lyrics (in Chinese) alongside the English translation HERE.
A non-Asian views the video
The thing is that this is Asian – Chinese culture. It is difficult for a non-Asian to understand it. They will make all kinds of inaccurate assumptions on what is going on.
Here we see an American chick watching the MV movie and is confused by what is going on.
An American girl comments on the video when viewing it the first time. She does so based upon the visual clues and makes erroneous assumptions as she does not understand Chinese Asian culture.
Yes, she understands that the father doesn’t like the boy, and that they are rich, but she doesn’t understand that she MUST obey her father. And, she doesn’t understand that they are meeting at her house simply because that is the place where they can meet. (She orders take-out just so that she can meet him.)
Oh, and that “store” where she get the top is not a store. It’s her father’s factory, and she picked out a top for the boy to wear, and the father says no. So, it is not just any store.
Even seeing the MV, and not understanding the lyrics or the cultural framework, you can be well moved by the video.
No, girl, it’s not as easy as you think.
She doesn’t understand that the boy is working four jobs, it’s not an option for him. And that mark on his face is a birthmark, and yes there are many people in China that have these.
She doesn’t understand that this is a formal arranged marriage, and who cares if he is handsome, wealthy and your parents like him. If there is no love, there cannot be a family.
To truly understand what is going on and why, you need to have some understanding of Asian culture. This is NOT America. This is China, and things can be very complicated.
She doesn’t understand that when the girl gets out of the car and runs to the boy it is not a cliché, that there are a lot of things going on and risks that she is taking are serious ones. This is not America, girl. This is China.
She might hate the story line because it is so cliché, but this is China today, and these things and events do actually happen. Maybe not in America they don’t, but in China they most especially do happen.
And yes, happy endings do actually happen.
Oh, BTW, I'm not trying to get in her grill. She just doesn't understand Chinese - Asian culture, and thus missed some of the important elements of the story. Besides, later on she comments on another one of my favorite Jay Chou videos. And, it's closer to what is going on.
The Song the MV is based upon.
This is a live version by Jay Chou.
Afterwards
After the hardship will be a period of calm and happiness. I promise.
It happened to me, and it will happen to you.
About Traditional Families
I am a big believer that you must build up a life with the ONE who you love. As such, there is a time-tested method to make your love last a lifetime.
That method is known as the “traditional conservative” method.
The trouble is that it is just about extinct in the United States today. It is not taught anywhere, and there are all sorts of distortions of what it actually is. Well I talk about it and go into get lengths to explain it.
You can read about it here…
Links about China
China and America Comparisons
The Chinese Business KTV Experience
This is the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal press. This is the reality. Read or not.
Learning About China
Contemporaneous Chinese Music
This is a series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and enjoyment.
Parks in China
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I like parks and nature. I like friends, and to share fine wine and song with them. But you can have your own pastimes. Certainly parks are awesome. I love the clean fresh air, and the exercise you get from walking and climbing. I love the new views and the adventures that you can experience.
Each and every park is different. When I used to explore the park in Indiana, back in the USA, I was amazed to discover how each one had their own flavor and “feeling” to it. It wasn’t just the layout, or the types of trees and vegetation. It was the smells in the air, and the humidity. It was the way the sun hit the trees and the care and design of the wooden bridges.
It was the mountains, the rivers, the lakes, the streams and the rocks. It was how the people interacted with each other, and the various little special nooks, crannies and glades that would appear here and there. It was the meadows and the brooks. It was the rustling grass on a perfect croquet playing day, or the dim dark shade of a deep forest tangle.
Each park is special, and each park stands alone. Individually and special.
But for those of you who don’t like to walk or hike, the world has so much to offer. This includes the lights of the big city, and the noisy calliope of people. You see, in my mind, it is the experiences that we have, and who we share those experiences with that defines to what degree we are living life.
A person like Howard Hughes might have been a millionaire, but as a recluse he stopping living life. Ah. That is what mental illness does to you. It affects your ability to function properly.
So whether you wish to go forth and live life in nature, or just want to live it where you are right now, that’s all good. The key is to make the best of what you have right now. That is the key and that is what is important.
Whether it is this…
Notice what they are doing?
That’s right. They are hopping up and down. They are shaking and moving about. Dancing does not have to be done expertly. It’s all about moving about and having fun.
Oh, and by the way, you don’t need to drink alcoholic beverages to have fun. While I love to do so, that’s just me. You need to have fun your way. Do it your way. You do not have to do it my way. And your way can be really different.
It could mean going sled racing with your huskies pulling away, or riding horse. It could mean tromping out though the hills to an isolated brook and fishing for brook trout. It could mean riding quads in and out of mud holes. It could mean going to a friends house and eating nachos and watching Vincent Price movies on their big screen monitor.
Or this…
The important thing to keep in mind is how fleeting life actually is. When you get older, your parents are gone. You find that a number of your close friends are also gone. Some tragically.
You cannot count on anything. All you can do is make your own life count.
Make your life count.
Thank you for visiting. I hope that you enjoyed this post and maybe learned something new in the process. Have a wonderful rest of the day!
And, may your days and nights be filled with happiness.
If you want to go to the start of this series of posts, then please click HERE.
Links about China
China and America Comparisons
The Chinese Business KTV Experience
This is the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal press. This is the reality. Read or not.
Learning About China
Contemporaneous Chinese Music
This is a series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and enjoyment.
Please kindly note that this post has multiple embedded videos. It is important to view them. If they fail to load, all you need to do is to reload your browser.
You do not need to live a life like I do. It’s not for everyone…
Indeed…
But there are places that you should see in person; places and life that you should experience. Not through the lens of a camera or a video, but rather with all of your senses… not only your visual and audio senses…
There are amazing places out there. Places that are beyond your comprehension. These places are not found on travel websites listing five-star hotels as approved by California software companies. These are off-the-beaten track adventures.
Yes, they are packaged to appeal. These are fine vacations where you can stay in a five star hotel, or get a “better listed” room in someone’s house. You can travel in style and churn up a month’s wages for the experience. You can bask in the sun on a fantastic beach resort, or go skiing at a famous resort frequented by the perpetually wealthy in the Untied States.
Or, you can just throw darts at a wall map of the globe.
My best and most remembered experiences were those with friends in unremarkable places.
You can go out and have a nice meal and some wine with your loved ones or your friends and just talk about… About what it would be like to just take a chance and go someplace really different. Talk about spending time together with your friends. Talk about the good food, and the things that you might want to do.
Think about all the selfies you all could take.
It doesn’t need much in the way of planning. But it does need shared desire. So, what’s stopping you? What’s stopping you for buying a bottle of cheap wine, a loaf of French crusty bread and a block of cheese? What’s stopping you from dialing your friend right now, this very second and asking them if they want to join you for dinner. What’s stopping you?
They call to you…
Now, let’s go to the next part of this post. (If I throw in too many micro-videos nothing appears and the post takes forever to load.) So to continue, please go follow this arrow…
If you want to go to the start of this series of posts, then please click HERE.
Links about China
China and America Comparisons
The Chinese Business KTV Experience
This is the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal press. This is the reality. Read or not.
Learning About China
Contemporaneous Chinese Music
This is a series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and enjoyment.
One of the things about China is that they are not afraid to experiment. There just aren’t legions of nay-Sayers or guardians of regulations and red tape that you need to fight to do something new. There are no overweight social justice warriors in bureaucratic positions that love to say “No!” to new ideas, or committees of well-entrenched stogies that say “pay me my fees so that I can study this matter“.
They just go ahead and do what they want.
If they want a water fountain with playful water they just go ahead and make it.
That’s right, and if some old busybody gets wet and complains, they will report that person to the police so that they can have their mental health examined. In such a large populous nation such as China there is absolutely zero tolerance to busybodies, social justice warriors or people with mental issues. Once they become dangerous, such as disrupting the lifestyles and fun of others, they are segregated from society.
They are then isolated, and studied to see if they need to be “corrected”.
There have been abuses of sending social justice warriors straight to mental hospitals instead to prison. This problem has since been corrected by the Chinese government. If a person is making a public disruption it needs to be ascertained whether they are acting due to [1] a mental illness or just [2] social activism contrary to the government policy. If they have a mental issue they go to the mental hospital. If they a just a SJW, then they go to prison for public and social disruption. Things are much clearer today than they used to be. The Chinese have greatly strengthened the protections of people and citizens in China.
Anyways, here’s a water fountain in China. Why not have fun with the water like everyone else is? I think it’s a great playful fountain. You betcha!
I really like how the mothers are with their children and the kids scatter when the water ceiling starts to collapse. It’s so very cute and awesome! What fun!
Having fun in China can mean going to parks. It can mean playing in the KTV’s. It can mean having fun off-road in a vehicle. It can mean fishing, or eating fantastic food. It can mean all sorts of things. Not just natural scenery at parks.
It could mean exploring all the many, many cities…
People, life is about living it and having experiences. It is not about falling into habits at the mercy of your boss… or following the rules that box you in. You need to go out and make your life count.
Do you remember what it was like when you were young? Do you remember what it was like when you would hang out with your friends? Do you remember talking with your friends about your hopes and dreams and what you would like to do someday? I do.
I really do.
And, yes, I did have a tree house. My friends and I did have a club house. Yes. We did ride our bikes all over the countryside into late at night. That is what life used to be like int he USA. It was a land of freedom.
I remember one such day.
We had rode our bikes on a long all-day excursion. It was August, and it was pleasant. Maybe 81F, and low humidity. The trees were getting apples and the blueberry bushes were all laden with fruit. We had rode up to the top of one of the hills. It was all planted with wheat, and it was a beautiful golden field that the wind would blow back and forth.
The sky was brilliant blue with the white cotton ball clouds and we just laid in that field and talked about music, and what we would do when we would eventually have a girl friend. For some of us, it didn’t happen for a number of years.
What was so important, was not what we were talking about. It was not what our dreams were. It was not the beautiful day, nor the amazing scene that laid around us. It was the time spent with our friends.
That was what was the most important thing that I remember to this day.
Life is short. You need to make it count. Spend it with your friends. Laugh. Cry. Swear, and make a scene if you want. But by all means do it with those you care about.
All these experiences won’t magically appear one day. They will not happen once you get “all your ducks in a row”. They will not happen once you get a raise. Or, more money in the bank. Or when your next pay check clear the bank. Or, when the trash is cleared out of the garage. Or, when you finish that project that you have been working on.
Now is your chance. Now is your opportunity. Now.
Please don’t squander the wonderful life that God has gifted you with. You have two arms. You have two legs. You have money in your wallet. Go forth and use that life that you have.
You know, life is not one-dimensional.
People. People! You can’t just segregate traveling and experiencing the parks of China and leave out who are experiencing it or why.
Life is not a Facebook post, a Google listing, or a Wikipedia listing. It cannot be narrowed down to facts and figures. It’s about all of the senses, not just one or two. It’s about all your experiences, your relationships, your knowledge and prior experiences and how they all coalesce when you experience a new adventure with your friends.
That is what parks are all about.
Now, let’s go to the next part of this post. (If I throw in too many micro-videos nothing appears and the post takes forever to load.) So to continue, please go follow this arrow…
If you want to go to the start of this series of posts, then please click HERE.
Links about China
China and America Comparisons
The Chinese Business KTV Experience
This is the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal press. This is the reality. Read or not.
Learning About China
Contemporaneous Chinese Music
This is a series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and enjoyment.
Again, you need to have some fun. And don’t argue with me on this. Humans need fun. No, I’m not talking about software games, first-person shooters, or mindless entertainments on your cell-phone. I am talking about things that you can share with all five of your senses with a friend… or two… or others.
Bring a dog why don’t ya. The cat’s can stay home and protect the house.
You know, when you are a child, play is your work. Children automatically play as that is how they learn. Play is important. It is critical to the development of a child. Play is how a person learns and programs themselves to interact with the world around them.
Well, after you grow up a bit, the need to play and have fun takes on a different role. It is not only how you learn new things, but it becomes a method; a technique, in how you can “turn off” your mind from repetitive actions. As that is how the brain works. It goes on auto-pilot every chance it gets.
So you need to shut it down from time to time.
We do this through play and personal entertainments. You know, like games, sports, exercise, food, and drinking. Oh, and yes, sex does play a role also.
In China, like in the United States there are artificial “parks”. These are not natural parks with hiking trails and scenic views. Instead. these are places to have fun in. They will often have a roller coaster, and other similar rides.
Oh Baby!
They will often have all sorts of alternative entertainments that you might not see in American theme parks. For instance, there will be stage shows, musicians, public dancing displays and other events staged at random locations at specific times. Often these performances are pretty darn cool.
There are so many different kinds of parks in China. After all, China is an enormous nation.
There are kiddy-parks, water-parks, natural-parks, seaside-parks, theme-parks, slides, dives, and everything in between. These parks are great places to go and have fun. You can go with your friends, your family or with loved ones. Very rarely do people visit them alone.
Being alone is very lonely.
Outings
You don’t want to be alone. You want to share your life. You want to experience life with others.
I do enjoy a good outing. Don’t you?
Some of the best times that I have ever had was at parks. It doesn’t matter if I was dirt-poor and eating a can of beans over a fire behind a parking lot, or if I was with others having a big gala celebration in a pavilion. The parks are great places to be.
Can’t you just smell the burning charcoal or wood (snapping and popping)? Can’t you just imagine sitting at a picnic table while the rain pours outside the shelter? Can’t you just image now great those potatoes and onions taste when they are pulled out of the ashes in the fire pit?
I can. I can well imagine a can of Campbell’s Pork and Beans with the top open sitting in the ashes of a fire cooking away. I can image a coal-black cast iron skillet with fresh fish or eggs sizzling away. I can imagine eggs and bacon cooking. I can imagine a hotdog on a long pointy stick that I carved with my pen-knife.
Can’t you just imagine the cold frosty bear when you pop a top or pull a tab?
Budweiser Beer
Oh, by the way, Budweiser beer is very popular in China. Only they don’t call it “Bud”. Instead they call it “Bye Way”. So when you go to a restaurant, you say something along the lines of “fu yuan, gei wo, yi peng, bei wei pijiu. Bing dong de.”
Or in other words; “Waiter, give me a bottle of Budweiser beer, icy cold.”
You can enjoy this anywhere in China. You can enjoy this in any of the restaurants, bars, clubs or KTV’s. You can enjoy it on the street, in the parks, or inside a hospital. You can enjoy it in a parking lot, or while waiting for the train.
It can be at the beach…
Enjoy yourself
You can have fun anywhere. It doesn’t have to be in China. I just happen to use China as an example because I happen to live here. You can go forth and enjoy your life where ever you are right now.
You can ride a bicycle. You can ride a motorcycle or a trike. You can hike or climb. You can backpack or go there in comfort. It just matters that you go forth on your own and just do it. Do it near a beach.
Or it can be on the top of a mountain.
When I was growing up, it was pretty much assumed that we would have “vacations” when we were out of school, AND the factory was shut down for the two week summer shut-down period. This is something that was pretty much assumed during the 1960’s. This meant that the only fun and vacations that were taken away from our home was during the Summer.
But…
You will be able to go to the parks in the Summer as well as in the Winter. Each time will be unique. Each time will be special.
Of course, what’s a mountain trail without a glass-floored bridge? Many Chiense parks have these enormous glass-floored pedestrian bridges that you can walk on, and many have the pizeo electric actuated PVD interlayer that will display images electronically.
This is a great way to have fun. It looks like the glass is breaking underneith your feet. LOL.
Now, let’s go to the next part of this post. (If I throw in too many micro-videos nothing appears and the post takes forever to load.) So to continue, please go follow this arrow…
If you want to go to the start of this series of posts, then please click HERE.
Links about China
China and America Comparisons
The Chinese Business KTV Experience
This is the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal press. This is the reality. Read or not.
Learning About China
Contemporaneous Chinese Music
This is a series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and enjoyment.
Of course, you will need to take a train or a car to go to many of the parks. Any parks that are located in a city tend to be over-used and mildly challenging. To fully experience China, you need to travel. That means driving through China.
Go ahead, any drive through China will be an adventure. It’s a little bit like this…
In some ways, the civil engineers in China really get carried away. It’s like what it was like when I was a young boy playing with my erector set or Lincoln logs. I used to make all kinds of complexes. I would make these amazing race-tracks for my “Hot Wheels” cars, and all sorts of interesting railroad track layouts.
Vintage erector set. This is the kind of thing that I had when I was a young boy. I used to try to make all kinds of things such as bridges and cranes with the collection of metal and nuts and bolts that the kit provided.
It’s kind of a thing with us boys.
Well, the Chinese are permitted to go ahead and let loose. You can see this all over China. That’s one thing that I like about China. You don’t have all these armies of bureaucrats telling you what you can and what you cannot do. You don’t have SJW’s telling you what you can or what you cannot do or say. You just don’t have that.
So, you can go ahead and do your thing.
Go ahead have fun.
One of the first things you notice about China is the freedom. You can sit down in a restaurant, bring in your own bottle of VSOP. Plop it down, pour yourself a good stiff drink, and light up a cigarette. You can put your big Siberian husky in the seat next to you and when you order a meal, the waitress won’t say anything to you except…
Ahhh, what a cute dog you have! What’s his name?
It’s all about freedom, liberty and having fun. There are no rules. At least nothing that you need to worry about. So go head. Just enjoy yourself.
And please remember to share the experience with a friend of two. People, you should NEVER ever be lonely. There are people out there… people who want to do things. People who want to share a meal. People who like pets…dogs and cats. People who would love to share a beer or a cigarette with you.
What is better than sharing quality time with friends and family. Especially when that means sharing drinks and fine lively discussion. My Lord, we all spend too much time on social media, don’t we. Do out and have fun.
You should be sharing your time… Your self, and your life. You should be sharing your enjoyments, your meals and your happiness with others.
That’s what friends are for.
Don’t forget about the water.
Parks are places to have fun. They are places to have adventures, and to obtain experiences. It’s not only the tall mountains. It’s the rivers, the pastures, the farms, the coasts, the cities and the townships.
You can explore the rivers, and ride down the rapids. That’s always a great way to have a great deal of fun.
Now, let’s go to the next part of this post. (If I throw in too many micro-videos nothing appears and the post takes forever to load.) So to continue, please go follow this arrow…
If you want to go to the start of this series of posts, then please click HERE.
Links about China
China and America Comparisons
The Chinese Business KTV Experience
This is the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal press. This is the reality. Read or not.
Learning About China
Contemporaneous Chinese Music
This is a series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and enjoyment.
