Funny Mom and Dad Stories...AGAIN

From an email exchange with my sister, even from the subject line I knew it was going to be GOOD.


SUBJECT:  Parents AV Competence -- low


EMAIL 1
I came today to find mom and dad watching the M's playing the Chisox on TV.  They have this beautiful TV and I'm like, "why is the TV so fuzzy and stretched!?!?!"  Both of them are like 'huh', what are you talking about?'  So then they realize they have been using the SAME channels as they were for the past 10 years instead of the new HD channels.  I change it for them and they're both 'huh, yeah it is clearer and the people aren't so stretched out'  Sigh.  They have this nice TV and still accept the crappy fuzzy TV!!!


EMAIL 2
Then Dad was hilarious when watching the Chisox he flately states 'all the players look the same." At first I thought 'Dad's making generalizations."  But then we looked at the batters, and he's right --  Youkilis, Dunn, Pierzynski, Danks and some other dude and he was right.  All white guys with brown hair and goatee or stubble.  You had to be here.

Shanghai Skyline

John P, myself, D & Joe P (the boys are friends of D's from Michigan now living in Shanghai) spent a few days hanging out before I headed back to Beijing to start school.

Shanghai, the Paris of the East.  Here we are along, The Bund, which is where the British built up a very European looking waterfront.

And the Chinese are VERY much in charge here now!

Across the Huangpu River, the insta-city of Pudong.  It is now the heart of modern Shanghai

Alas, time to say "arrivederci" to D.  I'm staying here in China and she heads back to Rome.  A great year of travel and we've finally agreed on my title, "gay starter husband"

D is always making me pose like statues.

The Oriental Pearl Tower at night.

This is more ionic columns that I've ever seen on any Greek or Roman building.

In the foreground, the Jinmao Tower, which was the highest building in China until the Shanghai World Financial Center (left).  The building on the right will top both of those upon completion.

We went up to the restaurant/bar of the Shanghai World Financial Center and this was our view!

The Bund from the highest observation deck in the world.

Shanghai People's Park Marriage Market

Walking through People's Park in central Shanghai, all of a sudden, you see these strips of paper hanging all over the place.

It's personal ads.  Apparently, every Sunday there is a "marriage market"  Important information, such as age, age range desired, height, level of education and monthly earnings are all included.

There are more females looking for a mate than male.

Families or the person seeking a partner can hire a broker.

Others are represented by their actual parents.  I spoke with a few of the parents here (D asked me to do some investigation).  They told me that many times their children are working so hard at advancing their careers that their parents simply want to help the process along.  Parents have a vested interest and will screen potential mates.  Then collect contact information and pass it on to their children. 

The parents also warned that brokers have only financial interest in the process and therefore have been known to pass on false leads. 

Lastly, I wonder if there is a gay marriage market?  Probably not, but I'd sure be interested in it!

Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway

 Beijing to Shanghai (around 1200 km or 720 miles)

1912 --  The two cities were FIRST connected by rail
1933 --  44 hour train ride
1949 -- 24 hours
1968 -- 21.5 hours
1997 -- 14 hours
2004 -- 12 hours
2011 -- 4 hours (when traveling at top speed)

Check out more at this Wikipedia link.  Train leaves about three to four times an hour from both Beijing South Railway Station (in and of itself masterpiece of futuristic architecture) to Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station.

The last train from each station leaves at 1755.  The trains arrive in the other city JUST before 2330, right before the stations close.

After a few days in Beijing, D and I headed down to Shanghai to hang out with her friends John and Joe.

Trains have first class, second class and a dining car.  Some toilets were sit down, but some had squat toilets. The latter was a surprise, especially for these modern trains.

Litter free, shiny train staions.  We're not in Italy anymore.

Five seats a row, and 18 rows per car in second class.  The seats?  UNCOMFORTABLE.  Seriously, were they being cheap?  Or is that what comfort is here?  The seat felt as if it was pitching me forward off the seat.  I felt like I was doing a workout just to stay in the seat.

Plugs come with every set of sears, except their placement restricts stretching your legs out fully.

Maximum speed is around 330km/hr, but the trains cost less to operate at around 300km/hr.  "G" trains are the runs that are the fastest, some making only one stop and completing the journey in 4 hours and 45 minutes.  Most, like the one I was on, stopped at 7 station and total travel time is about 5 hours and 20 minutes.

Street Food in My Neighboorhood

On the street.....a restaurant.

It's actually three stalls that all inhabit the same portion of the sidewalk.  At this one, it's all things boiled.  Simply step up and pick whatever you want or if it's vegetables you desire, they'll cook them up for you in some hot sauce.

The next stall, is your kebabs.  Pick from octopus, beef, eggplant, broccoli, tofu.  It's all there.

Hand it to the guy behind the grill and head on over to.....

The noodle guy.

Magically, the noodles appear.  At this stand they also make dumplings.

Into the pot....

The finished product.  A note about the plastic.  I thought it was to protect me from germs, but alas, it allows the restaurant to forgo washing dishes.

The BBQ.  Tonight there was chicken, beef, octopus, squid, eggplant and beans.

Total cost, with an iced tea?  $5  And this is why I will most likely never cook in my apartment.

Found Photos

Going through my hard drive and clearing out folders, I've come across some photos that I may or may not have posted.  Just some fun photos.

The classic picture of why Anna Fabi and I were meant to be Italian Mother and Asian-American son.  We were both caught napping during a school trip to Florence.

I wonder if I had a small bladder even back when I was potty training?

Might the lack of hair at this stage in life be a sign of future hair loss?

I got lots of compliments on this haircut, so I decided to have a picture of it to take to the barber.