Before I start talking about the men...
I had dinner with some friends tonight in a Korean restaurant. Most of the restaurants here have private rooms where there's a videoke so one can sing while eating with the company of friends. Usually after everyone has eaten, someone would reach for the microphone and people would take turns singing. Tonight was no different. What was so surprising to me was there were actually OPM songs in the videoke machine! I have long since given up hope on that. It was hard enough to find 'singable' English songs, I was pretty sure nobody would even dream of putting OPM songs in those machines. Not in this part of China, I thought. Imagine my surprise when I saw Freddie Aguilar's "Anak" while I was skimming through the list. Scroll down scroll down, Eraserhead's "Ang Huling El Bimbo"! I couldn't pass up the chance. Off-key as I was, nobody could even tell. I was giggling at the double meanings in the song but they probably just thought I was very happy. After they sang several Chinese songs, I found myself holding the mic again. Scroll down scroll down, Regine Velasquez's "You Are My Song." I should go there with Marvin and Joy. We'll have a blast.
And now the men...
I'm still uncertain about the whole Andy-business. We go out once or twice a week but I'm beginning to think he isn't really interested in me that way. That's my defense mechanism for a just-in-case-he-isn't-so-I-won't-get-too-disappointed scenario. So there. We're friends.
There's this other guy whom I've been seeing on the side. Not as funny and charming and intelligent as Andy but very persistent and insistent. Rain hates him and tells me so every chance he has. There's something about this man that makes me almost feel sorry for him. There are rumors that he's married though, which he denies vehemently. Ho-hum.
And then there's another Andy whom I met months ago but only met up with the other night. Andy-number-2 speaks very good English which used to be one of my requirements. Now that my Chinese has considerably improved, it's not that necessary anymore but one can think of it as bonus points. Rain, my one-man screening committee, favors Andy-number-2 because "he's very relaxed" as compared to Andy-number-1 whom he described as "a pussy." The observation must have come from the time when I brought the first Andy to BeeHouse and he refused to drink beer. That's not being a pussy. That's not giving in to pressure. Hmp.
Now that I don't update my calendar anymore, I'll let you peek into how I spent the last few days and will spend the next few, in relation to the raining men:
Friday afternoon: museum with Andy1. The museum was closed so we went to have a drink (hot milk :p) and he tried to teach me Chinese from my HSK book. We didn't stay out long because he had a cold.
Saturday night: Andy2 wanted to meet up. We decided on watching a movie in my house but while he was on his way, Rain called to say that a bunch of them are going to BeeHouse so Andy2 and I went too. Ivy, Rain's girlfriend, whispered to me that Rain told her that I have many boyfriends. A little while later, Rain told me that the actual conversation was:
Ivy: So Joni can date different boys now?
Rain: Of course. She's a goodlooking foreign girl. She's on it like a fat kid on Smarties.
I don't know which is worse. He did say "goodlooking" so I forgive him. I'm easy to appease.
Sunday night: I watched a show sponsored by China Mobile (think of Globe or Smart) with Andy1 and some of his friends. All girls. One seemed to be really close to him. Mei shi. We're friends.
Monday night (tonight): Korean restaurant with the guy whose guts Rain hates.
Tuesday afternoon (tomorrow): Andy2 invited me to his demo-teach (of some sort) at his school.
Wednesday night: I'll be seeing Andy1 because I'm scheduled to give a foreign class to his class at WaiYan. Every once in a while, I give foreign classes to classes taught by Chinese teachers. This is the first time that I'll be giving one to Andy1's class.
I must remind myself that I have a test on Sunday. That should make me stay home on Thursday and Friday. I plan to spend the night in Shenyang on Saturday because I have to be at the test site by 7:50am on Sunday. Yes, I am shaking with fear.
I have absolutely no clue who any of these people are, but using this entry as my sole source of information (reminds me of uni assignments and fictional biographies) I'm going to have to say using Rain - funky name btw - as a screening committee doesn't sound like a bad idea. His interpretations sound a lot like mine, although I doubt I would have used the words "he's very relaxed". Something like "doesn't have a telegraph pole up his bum" or le ol' faithful "he's cool" would have done...
ReplyDeleteBottom line: you just can't trust people who don't drink beer.
Hahahaha! Rain's my oldest and best friend here in China. He's Canadian and drinks like there's no tomorrow so I'm sure you'll get along quite well. His interpretation of the not drinking beer night was "he's trying to overly impress" me. It is very unusual in China to find a male person over 18 who can't drink. I think it's cute--whether he really can't or he was just trying to impress me. Hehehe.
ReplyDeleteOdd. I'm a really crap (semi-) Chinese person, so I know next to nothing about Chinese culture, but Australian and Fijian social requirements involve drinking - to the state I like to call 'oblivion' and not drinking until oblivion, or at least not making a serious attempt to feign it, would be considered a rather harsh social gaff.
ReplyDeleteKinda like pooping yourself in public.
You can sorta wing it on a technicalities like being on antibotics, but that sort of get-out-of-jail-free card has 'this time only' restrictions. And you'd still get bagged almost as much anyway. That said, I am rather curious as to exactly how is not drinking impressive? Is is supposed to be some sort of 'I have restraint' (i.e. 'okay, really, I'm just a big fat pussy') thing?
Yes, it does show that he has restraint. It's impressive because it means that he's not easily swayed by public opinion (so-what-if-people-think-I'm-a-pussy attitude). He doesn't conform to society's macho image of how a man should be, which shows that he thinks for himself.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that's what Rain had in mind when he said that he was just trying to impress me though. I think Rain was referring to my nerdiness and how Andy must be thinking that if he doesn't drink, it would make him look like a "good boy."
too much analysis about not drinking beer. i don't drink beer. not for any other reason but that i don't like how it tastes. my rule is: as long as it's sweet, i don't care how much alcohol is in it.
ReplyDeleteAh, that makes a little more sense... sorta.
ReplyDeleteAnd Jona, hush. Everytime someone says something like that, a chronic alcoholic misplaces his beer money. And I need my beer money...
Relationships with Chinese = ????????
ReplyDeleteHahahaha!
ReplyDeleteRelationships with Chinese = !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
not too long ago you swore you couldn't find any chinese guy attractive. china is changing you. tsk tsk tsk.
ReplyDeleteMaybe because I couldn't understand enough Chinese then. I don't know! Actually, I still don't think they're very attractive. Hahahaha! But Andy1 is so funny and nice, thus making him attractive. Hmm, the others are nice too but well, let's just say that Andy1's leading the race. :p
ReplyDeletemy god joni, you're a hottie! how do you remember all their names and not mix up your date scheds? :P
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Being a foreigner makes me desirable :p. I doubt anyone would even take a second look if I were a local. If you noticed, there are two Andys (Andies?). I told Rain he should be thankful that he doesn't have to remember a lot of names (which is what I do with his girls). Um, people don't make plans here until five minutes before the event. It's actually very unusual that I get to make plans a day before. Anyway, that means I don't have to worry about mixing up the scheds because there aren't really any scheds to speak of. I'm going by the whomever-calls-first rule.
ReplyDeleteif you can't beat 'em, join 'em!...hehehe
ReplyDeleteI've been offline for a while due to my own exploits in Chinese dating...I will post something worthy of dialogue tonight...it's been a crazy week!
ReplyDeleteHahaha! We've been quite busy, aren't we? And I've been meaning to post my HSK experience if only I have the time and energy. I'm looking forward to that entry.
ReplyDelete