The Mean Streets of Beijing

So tonight was pretty eventful. We went to this opening thrown by some French socialites that epitomized why I think a lot of art is bullshit, but at the same time I embraced it, understanding it's function as a means for people to get together and mingle. The former French president's illegitimate daughter was to paint on a high-fashion designer dress, live. She started, the bongo player and pianist were way out of time, and she just kind of drew a couple strokes and was done in no more than a minute. Everyone stood in an awkward silence that said, "is that it?" and then someone close to her asked about the meaning, to which she sheepishly replies, "no meaning". After some more awkward silence one of the event organizers came up to her, patted her on the shoulder, and complimented her work.

Later, we were on a bus uptown and I was with my girlfriend and two of our friends, also foreigners. My girlfriend and I were talking, huddled together, and some fat Chinese guy next to me starts calling me a "dumb pussy" in Chinese. I turn and look him in the eye and he asks me if I understand, in Chinese. I tell him I understand and we get off at the same stop. I'm walking away and he smugly stares at me as if he's won, so I flick the fat schmuck off, and he gets all riled up and comes to start fighting me. He grapples me and punches me in the head, and it's weak so I don't feel it, and I rip off his glasses and chuck them into the pavement. His parents end up pulling him off me and I walk away with them yelling at me. The fat ass was yelling at me as I walked away, asking if I was really Chinese. He was implying I should be ashamed for being with a white girl and having foreign friends. It was ridiculous. It was fun.

Ubiquitous Dogs and Comic Sans

Somewhere, a dog barked.
I'm Comic Sans, asshole.

World Cup

Being here for the World Cup is incredible. All the games are broadcasted live and without commercials, which I didn't really even notice until someone mentioned it today. Everyone here is so full of spirit. Sometimes seeing people that happy and united makes me want to cry. I am a baby.

I am going to the Australia vs. Ghana game this coming Saturday. It was kind of a last minute decision, but luckily things fell into place really quickly. We are getting transported there for free by the Indian grocery store man's friends! Woo Australia sucks but I'm excited to root for an African team. Yeah Ghana! The tickets were $160, and at first I was a bit hesitant.. but then I went gambling (again) and made back the money, so I felt okay about it. And free transport! WHOooooo!


Okay, it's like almost 10-- way past my bedtime. GOODNIGHT.

Adventures with Anthony

Ch.1 The Adventure of the NYC Subway
Despite having communicated very vague details, we decided to meet in the massive 42 st subway station. Two trains had come and go while I waited and despaired. It wasn't until the crowd dispersed that I turned and we spotted each other: amazingly, we had managed to find each other on the platform in under 20 min. Awww.

We then transfered onto a series of trains on our way to Bleeker St to meet up with Maddie & Co. We caught up on our lives quickly, me talking about my new devotion to marketing and him talking about cattle.

Ch. 2 The Adventure of K-Town
With Maddie & Co, we whiled away time drinking fruitpunchvodkas and playing Taboo to the sweet sounds of 90s pop. Of course, Anthony quickly became "very committed" to the game (shouting "FUCKYOU" to his teammate upon very word not guessed correctly). Then strangers appeared and we went to K-Town for a 3am snack. Of course, food was not up to certain standards and we had bill drama (damn strangers). But we left intact and full, if not satisfied.

Ch.3 The Adventure of the Night Over
Here we went our separate ways to get home. Anthony was staying a few blocks from me so we took the train toward our destination of 103 st from 34 st. This took about 30 min and in my late night stupor, I led us onto the wrong train into East Harlem. Luckily another good-looking college-aged white male (APPROACHABLE!) did too, and we took a cab together back to my place. We then went up to my apartment and sadly by we, I mean me and Anthony. He wanted to shower at my place, for he had never used a public shower in the US (NEVER?! Never.) He had planned to leave and walk to where he was staying but ended up crashing on my couch. Score.

Ch. 4 The RUSH Adventure
RUSH: An 18+ gay club, where girls pay more cover than guys. While Anthony entertained his UNICEF friends, me and Crystal stood at the bar and stared, facsinated with the 18yr.old boys table dancing (one of which was dressed as a True Blood vampire), the adorableeee bartender, and a built dancer who, in Anthony's words (and we agree) "oozed sex." Also, sometime during the night Anthony became inexplicably very drunk.

Ch.5 The Adventure of the Night Over, No. 2
While waiting for the subway train, Anthony decided his feet hurt and took off his shoes and rolled up his jeans. Again: Anthony was in socks in the NYC subway station. Crystal was embarassed. Then Anthony performed his banana song. Crystal was entertained. Anthony quote of the night: "Oh poo poo."

Afterward Anthony came to my apartment for another shower, before which he promptly fell asleep on my living room floor.

Ch. 6 The Adventure of our Last Time Together in NY
I thought we were going to have dinner but instead I got a phone call. I'll miss you Anthony.

yeah usa!

So I found out that the boy who had been using my laptop actually spilled wine on the keyboard. GAH. After a day of rest, my computer finally turned on, but the keyboard connection is all messed up (i.e. when you type "s," it comes out "sw"). I spent Saturday running around town trying to get someone to fix (or at least clean the inside of) my laptop, but no one will even touch it because it's a Sony, a brand people aren't really familiar with here. THUS I must wait until I return home to get it fixed... I did end up buying a screwdriver and taking apart my laptop to see if I could clean it myself, but that did nothing. There was a pretty substantial amount of wine in it, though. GR. That was the drama of the weekend.

In other news, this weekend I felt so well connected, haha. On Saturday, a man who basically founded one of the biggest grocery chains in southern Africa invited us all over for dinner because his son is going to Penn in the fall. The house was incredible-- it was like an Indian palace, and they stuffed us with tons of roasted meat--lamb, chicken, pork-- as just the appetizer. We stayed and watched the USA vs. England game over some wine and scotch. Wooo USA! The next day, a few of us went hiking (see picture) and befriended a (white) family from South Africa. The father is a group manager or something for a diamond company in Botswana, so again, very well off. They gave us a free lift home and their contact info, insisting that they must show us around the area another weekend. They also invited us to stay at any of their houses (they have one in Jo-burg, another in Mozambique--ON THE BEACH, and more in other cool places but I'm blanking on where they are) if we ever need housing in those areas. Cooool.

I get that it's an old house, but....

This morning I woke up to the sound of pieces of my ceiling falling on my desk. I've been hearing something scrambling and digging around up there, probably on the roof of the part of my room that has the bay windows and sticks out from the building, but I didn't really worry. At home there are mice in the attic during the winter that make the same kinds of sounds, annoying, but harmless -- there's nothing in the attic but a fan and insulation. There's someone that lives above me here (Geoff, actually, from Gregory) but then there's also roof above the part of my room where my bed is because the third floor, where his room is, is smaller than the second. The section of roof that's above the bay windows, and consequently my bed and desk, is apparently some animal's habitat (mouse, squirrel, I don't know -- a friend at work said it was probably either raccoons or possums if they're nesting in my roof...) and this morning I woke up to the sound of it digging in the ceiling, and I could actually see pieces of ceiling and plaster dust and little twigs fall out of this tiny hole as I listened to it dig.

So I came home from work, and my landlord still hasn't sent anyone to fix this. But they said there will be someone here tomorrow, so that's good. I was afraid that I would come home from work and the hole would be like 2-feet wide and a raccoon would be living in my apartment. Luckily there's been no change, really. I'm leaving the detritus on my desk and floor as proof. And off to Ireland in two days!

well.

Sorry I complain so much on here!

I hung out with Knight again last night, this time with 3 other interns. We got drinks at some fancy country club near his apartment, and then we went to a pub nearby where we thought there'd be karaoke but instead turned out to be a lot of expats watching the World Cup concert. It was chilllll.

Today one of the girls mentioned that we hung out with Knight to a program supervisor, and APPARENTLY he is no good, too! The girl just emailed me and wrote: "ALSO Knight is a stalker. gill and nicky said he has caused so much trouble in the past and they had to call the police. i think she'll tell you about him. so be careful! ahhhhhhhhhhh"

Ergh. Everyone is so sketch! Trust no one!

ALSO I CAME HOME LAST NIGHT TO FIND MY LAPTOP DEAD. I let people use it to check emails and facebook while I was gone (since no one else's computer connects to the internet here-- no one can figure out why), and now it absolutely won't turn on! I don't know what happened to it. I'm most upset about the fact that all my med school application stuff is on there. GRRFCK.