Pet peeves and etc…

After one year, the awe of being in an exotic place tends to disappear. Instead of seeing and experiencing a new thing and taking joy from it, I tend to focus on what I have been seeing over and over. Unfortunately, I have developed a few peeves…
No1: Magazine covers, brochures and news papers with English article titles and Chinese characters content. Nothing more frustrating being titillated by the promise of a light read only to find that once you open the magazine, you can’t understand a word! What’s the point? I guess that we’re spoiled back home with dual language publications like the Air Canada’s En Route magasine…who would have thought…

No2: Copies. Although I find it amusing to shop for fake Nike sneakers and North Face pack sacks, I’m not so amused when I think that I’m getting the real mackoy that turns out to be a fake too. I’ve already told you about my Absolute Vodka (bought in a liquor boutique) that smelled like vodka but that turned into a block of ice once I put it in the freezer. Last night, we went for pizza at a high end western food place with a few friends. As Christina grabs the Tobasco Sauce, she instinctively sniffs the small bottle and says to the waitress to go get her the non copy version of the sauce. I was shocked when I discovered that in this authentic looking packaging was a red colored, horrid smelling liquid that bared no resemblance to the real thing…

No3: Unfaithful husbands. Now come on! Seriously! call me naïve but can’t a married man stay faithful even if they spend several months away from home? I am totally disillusioned now. Being in constant presence with a group of men for over a year, I’m starting to realize a few more things about the opposite gender. First off, they abide by Omerta (code of silence) No matter what they may be into the previous evening, they never discuss or brag about it in the bus the next morning. Maybe it’s because of my presence however. I’ll have to investigate further. My Spy, of course is Roxana who goes out dancing/karaoking with a few friends while I’m passing out on the couch. She rats on my colleagues as there are only a few half decent places to go now in the Ollo and sees them accompanied. The women, however, quickly develop relationships with the other girls and readily tell about why they are with so and so. Usually, they say that they either want to learn English or simply leave China. I guess that these girls haven’t figured-out that after the men’s short term gain, they won’t have any long term gain.