The World is Bright and Beautiful. Again.

Finally, a happy entry. Mainly because I'd gotten so sick of myself moping around for the past week, being so bitter and feeling sorry for myself. It had gotten to a point when even I couldn't take myself anymore. So, at the risk of sounding really cheesy, I decided to take a step back and look at the bigger picture, oops not quite yet, another step... better... one more... a bigger one... There! And what I saw (and am seeing) is that it's still a nice and wonderful life that I have.

This entry is just to assure everyone that yes, the old (and real) Joni is back. Thank you so much for putting up with all the whining that I subjected you all with. And thank you for all the kind and wise words. And the funny ones, as well. You guys still managed to make me laugh inspite of my stupid sulking phase.

And now that I'm done with all those, I'm so much more ready for the even brighter things that are yet to come in my life. And I'm looking forward to each and every one of them. :D

*hugs and kisses for everyone

To-do List.

To cheer myself up from the dump that I found myself in these past few days, I occupy myself with making a list of the things that I'll be doing once I get back home. So, the partial list, which is in no particular order, is as follows:

• watch plays! It's been ages. Ages! Well, in exachange I did get to watch more movies (thank you, pirates!) while I'm here but I'm still more of a theater-lover. And yes, Win, we're going to watch together. :)
  
• Boracay. For some reason, I've never been to Boracay. Ok, I give everyone permission to feel sorry for me. But that will all change soon. Mwahahahaha! Nuna, you're the chief organizer for this one.
• get together with different circles of friends:
• the high school bestfriends. Hint hint, sleepover at Virgie's new place! I feel that I need so much catching up to do. And speaking of Virge, we need to talk more about the clothing business. :D
  
• the college blockmates (although I have a feeling this will happen sometime after Cecille gets home too. When are you going home, Ces?)
• the lit majors. Katea usually organizes these things but the newly-wed Bob has generously volunteered to set one up when I get home. Now our job is to keep reminding her.
• the we screw people. Um, the surprise welcome party where I'm going to wear my red cheongsam, remember?
• Pikpakpeeps! A chance to finally see the Pikpakpeeps in person! Salcedo is a bit far but ok, ok, Saturday brunch. Someone has to send detailed instructions on how to get there though. Nuna and I, well, we're not very good at these things.
  
• Courtesy call
• Lit Dept, DLSU
  
• PCHS
  
• enroll in Mandarin and/or Spanish classes. I've been wanting to take Spanish classes since forever. I'll try to see if I can finally do it. As for Mandarin lessons, I think it would be such a waste if I just forget everything that I learned here. We'll see, we'll see.
  
• SM Valenzuela. Because it opened maybe a week after I left. And it's so close to home so I just have to have a go-see.
  
• SM Mall of Asia. Again, I was already out of the country when it opened and I'm very curious. Is it really the biggest mall in Asia? I cannot imagine how big it is. I get lost even in Megamall. And let's not even talk about Robinson's Galleria...
  
• hot oil treatment. My hair is so dry and damaged and ugly and I'll try to see if there's still any way that it can be salvaged.
  
• facial? I'm still thinking about this. Haven't had one for a long time and I'm starting to think that I don't really need one but then I remember that facials feel so good so I'm a bit torn about it. What I really need is a product that can minimize pores. If anyone knows of anything that's effective (and cheap, please!), tell me tell me and I'll be eternally grateful. Better yet, you can give it to me for Christmas. Or a homecoming present! Yeah, that sounds good!
• oh, and the thesis!
  

Meeting Old Friends

It's always great to see old friends and catch up on each other's lives, as well as other people's lives we have no business discussing. Within the past month, I was lucky to be with two of my oldest friends (on separate occasions since they don't know each other).

Weeks ago, I met up with Evonne so she could give me the stuff Nuna sent me from Manila (yes, that stuff include the magical iron). Evonne was my classmate back in the 5th and 6th grades and we lost touch for about 13 years before we found each other again here in Shanghai. Needless to say, we spent the whole night yakking away about people we used to go to school with while her boyfriend quietly ate dinner and had to listen to a bunch of names that probably meant nothing to him at all.

And then a few days ago, I brought Brent to the airport to see him off. I first met Brent in 4th grade (then I transferred to PCHS Annex for the next two years thus meeting Evonne and a bunch of other crazy people, then transferred back to Main for high school) and was classmates with him again in junior year. He and I share the same Chinese surname so we'd sometimes joke about being cousins.

Oh, and if you're wondering why there are so many pictures in the station, it's because it was both our first time to ride the Maglev and we were very excited. *teeheehee! The only other place in Asia with a Maglev is in Japan and well, we still didn't know when we can go to Japan, did we? So what if we looked like weird excited tourists? :p

Just for tonight

I feel like crying. I feel like crying and I don't know why. No, I think I do but I don't want to say it out loud because if I do it'll make it real. So I wouldn't. But not saying it doesn't make it not real either. It just makes me a coward. So maybe I'll cry. And what does it matter if it's true or not? So maybe I'll cry just for tonight then just let everything go. Just once. That is all I'm allowing myself. And then I go on and I live and everything will be as before. And no more hoping this time. No more wishing and being disappointed. And it's not as if I lost anything. I no longer want to think about it after tonight. This is it. The last time. Tomorrow, see if I care.

Joni the Shooter

I finally tried shooting an air rifle in the 10-meter range. I got an 82 overall score, which is not bad. I had a slight advantage though. I propped the rifle on the stand in an effort to make it steadier. And well, it was heavy...

My Identity Crisis

Let me start by saying that I was born on the 8th of January 1980. That makes me a Capricorn. And a sheep, I had always firmly believed. Until I came to China, that is. Then I begin having doubts.

Sometimes, the Chinese, if they want to know how old you are and they're too polite to ask, would ask in what animal year you were born. I have had this conversation countless of times:

New Chinese Friend: 你属什么？

(What animal year were you born in?)

JC: 羊 (Sheep.)

NCF: 你是1979的。27岁。



(You were born in 1979. You're 27.)

JC: 1980年。26岁。



(1980. I'm twenty-six.)

NCF: 那不对啊。

(That's wrong.)

JC: 对。我一月出生的。

(It's right. I was born in January.)

NCF: (stares blankly) 你应该属猴。 (You should be a monkey.)



JC: 羊。还没到春节。

(Sheep. It was before the Spring Festival [or what is commonly known as the Chinese New Year in other parts of the world].)

NCF: (nods understandingly/looks more confused)

At least usually, that's how it ends. Sometimes there will be people who would argue a bit harder that it's only the year that counts but I never really gave it much thought. They just didn't know how it's supposed to be when one's born on a cusp.

I had had warnings though. Warnings that I refused to acknowledge. Months ago, while having a somewhat similar conversation with one of the shooters, she said that she was also born in the year of the sheep. 1979. No surprises there. Most sheep were really born in 1979. But she was born in February. I thought maybe the Spring Festival/Chinese New Year was early that year and dismissed it. I'm a sheep. I had always been a sheep.

And so at breakfast today (after so many days of going without breakfast because I would always be too lazy to get up at 7:30 in the morning), I had yet again, a similar conversation as the above. Slightly similar but this one directly asked how old I was.

New National Team shooter whose name I don't know1: 你多大了？(How old are you?)

JC: 猜。(Guess.)

NNTS1: 21。

JC: 不对。 (Wrong.)

New National Team Shooter2: 大吗？(Older?)

JC: 大。(Older.)

NNTS2: 24。

JC: 不对。(Wrong.)

NNTS2: 还大？

(Still older?)

JC: 是。(Yes.)

NNTS2: 26。

JC: (nodded)

NNTS1: 你是1980的。(You were born in 1980.)

JC: 是。(Yes.)

NNTS1: 你属猴。

(In the year of the monkey.)

JC: 不对。羊。 (No. Sheep.)

NNTS1: 羊是1979的。

(Sheep is 1979.)

JC: 我知道。但是我是一月出生的。

(I know. But I was born in January.)

NNTS1: 十一月？ (November?)

JC: 一月。 (January.)

NNTS1: 几号？

(What day?)

JC: 还没到春节。(It wasn't the Spring Festival yet.)

NNTS1: 我知道。几号？(I know. What day?)

JC: 8号。

(The 8th.)

NNTS1: 我比你大两天！(I'm two days older than you!)

JC: 是吗？那你也是羊。(Really? Then you're also a sheep.)

NNTS1: 我是猴。

(I'm a monkey.)

JC: 哈? 羊。

(Huh? Sheep! )

NNTS1: 1980是猴年的。(1980 is a monkey year.)

JC: (started getting worried) 但是。。。但是。。。 但是。。。 你应该是羊！(But... but... but... you should be a sheep!)

NNTS1: 我是猴。

(I'm a monkey.)

NNTS2: 他象猴。

(He looks like a monkey.)

JC: 对。

(Yes.)

But what does it mean for me? What? We have almost the same birthday. And he's Chinese! Surely he knows better when it comes to Chinese zodiac signs! *groans. For 26 years I've believed that I was all of these things:

"People born in the Year of Sheep are elegant and highly accomplished in the
arts. They seem to be, at first glance, better off than those born in the
zodiac's other years. But Sheep year people are often shy, pessimistic, and
puzzled about life. They are usually deeply religious, yet timid by nature.
Sometimes clumsy in speech, they are always passionate about what they do and
what they believe in. Sheep people never have to worry about having the best in
life for their abilities make money for them, and they are able to enjoy the
creature comforts that they like. Sheep people are wise, gentle, and
compassionate. They are compatible with Rabbits, Pigs, and Horses.




You are charming, elegant and artistic.


You like to be comfortable.


You can complain and worry too much.


You will make a good actor, gardener or beachcomber."

And then one day I have breakfast and I'm suddenly these:

"People born in the Year of the Monkey are the erratic geniuses of the cycle.
Clever, skillful, and flexible, they are remarkably inventive and original and
can solve the most difficult problems with ease. There are few fields in which
Monkey people wouldn't be successful but they have a disconcerting habit of
being too agreeable. They want to do things now, and if they cannot get started
immediately, they become discouraged and sometimes leave their projects.
Although good at making decisions, they tend to look down on others. Having
common sense, Monkey people have a deep desire for knowledge and have excellent
memories. Monkey people are strong willed but their anger cools quickly. They
are most compatible with the Dragon and Rat.




You are very intelligent, clever, and well liked by everyone.


You will have success in any field."

It is not fair! Neither is it funny! And what do I do with all of my little sheep things: my sheep pendant, my cute sheep pins and brooches, my little sheep paperweight, my cuddly sheep stuffed toy? I've had a lifetime of being a sheep! What now? Do I just suddenly change into a monkey overnight? This is so unfair!!!


(Sheep and monkey profiles are taken from http://www.paulnoll.com/China/Zodiac/index.html)

The First Post

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/
It's a good passing-time read. Be sure to check out the Arts page, especially their movies. I particularly found this so "fucking funny": http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?menuID=5&subID=213

boycott McDonalds

This has been going around lately. Read more here: http://pikpakbum.multiply.com/journal/item/274?last_read=1&mark_read=pikpakbum:journal:274

Excerpt:
So, singer-songwriter-activist Gary Granada led a motorcade march up to the local McDonalds offices to seek a dialogue with them regarding cutting down the usage of styrofoam to package their food products. Sadly, they were met with rudeness, arrogance, and stupidity. And no, not just from the security guards, from whom such behavior is expected (almost mandatory), but rather, from the intelligent young managers, who COULD have averted this now-rising public relations NIGHTMARE by simply being COURTEOUS and CIVIL. Had they been hospitable, they would have continued being my all-time favorite cholesterol joint. Now, they are my enemy. And they should be yours too.



Gary Granda's website: http://garygranada.com

On his ordeal with the Mcdo managers: http://garygranada.com/5%20seconds.htm

The latest update wherein Mcdo sends him a letter via a PR agency: http://garygranada.com/Bonjin.htm

I've migrated

It's actually been more than a year since I last came here. My new cyberaddress is at http://sanapakaininmoko.multiply.com

Me and My Iron

Unpaid advertisement:

Years ago, I thought that it was normal to be so tired and sleepy all
the time. There were days when I didn't have to go to work but still
feel tired the whole day, not doing anything. I'd wake up feeling sleepy. I'd sleep and still feel tired after a few hours and yearn for the bed.

Everything changed when I
discovered iron supplements.




I did not have to take naps all the time. Things seem to be clearer somehow. It's hard to explain but it's like I just became more awake.

When I came to China, I brought several months' supply of vitamins with me: iron and vitamin C. When these ran out, I tried different supplements but I never really found the perfect vitamins. I gradually went back to being tired and sleepy and listless all the time. Except that it was so gradual that I didn't really notice it. Again, I thought it was normal.

Today, I was pleasantly surprised that I did not need to take naps throughout the day and still had enough energy to make loads of lesson plans that I'd been neglecting to write, prepared for my classes for tonight (which I never really do. I just think of what we'll talk about and take it from there), and am writing this entry.

Ordinarily, I would be sleepy by the time I get up in the morning. I only drag myself out of bed so I won't feel bad about staying in bed the whole day (which I sometimes do, actually). I take at least one nap during the day, sometimes two, and almost always still wake up feeling tired. I always say that heaven is if I could sleep all day and on the same breath wish that I don't have to be so sleepy all the time because I'm missing out on so many things.

And so I finally met up with Evonne again last night. She went home to Manila during the October holidays and thus had the opportunity to bring me things that I asked Nuna to send me. And so after a looong time, I am reunited with my iron.

It took me a while to realize why I wasn't feeling as tired as I should be today. I was still up and running after lunch and for me, that was odd. And then I realized that I had my iron fix the night before. And so after more than two hours of classes (I had overtime :p), I still have the energy to tell you about my amazing miracle vitamin. It put the life back into my life!

I love my iron.

Shanghai Museum 8: Cuneiform!

Cuneiform is the ancient Sumerian/Babylonian form of writing. It's characterized by its wedge-shaped uh, shapes. Sumerian is perhaps the earliest known civilization. It is from them that we got the 60-unit system of numeration; ie. 60-second minute, 60-minute hour, 360-degree circle, etc.

I was almost jumping up and down when I came upon the tablet where a part of The Epic of Gilgamesh was inscribed (last picture). The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest known epic. The other tablets are records of a sale of a house and other such everyday things.

This is the last of my Shanghai Museum series. By this time, my camera was already lying useless in my bag. Wang Jie, seeing my glee turned to frustration, lent me hers.

Shanghai Museum 7: Pottery and Sculpture

Shanghai Museum 6: Painting and Seals

Shanghai Museum 5: Calligraphy

When I came to China, I realized there are so many different kinds of calligraphy. These are some of them.

Shanghai Museum 4: Furniture

I wanted to take them all home!

Shanghai Museum 3: The Jade Collection

Shanghai Museum 2: Costumes, Masks and Accessories

There are 56 recognized ethnicities in China. These are some of the costumes, masks and accessories of some of the ethnic minorities.

Kicking and Screaming

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Drama

I can think of many different reasons not to like this movie: it's too talky, it's pretentious, this is how Dawson's Creek characters would talk after they finish college, etc etc. But the fact is I liked it. I liked it so much that I watched it two days in a row. And I'm still thinking about it now and wishing I had written it. Damn Noah Baumbach.

"Kicking and Screaming" is about a group of just-graduated-from-college friends who sit around talking to each other about seemingly inessential things instead of living their lives. Or, as Chet puts it and I paraphrase, "This IS my life."

Six years out of college and I still feel that this movie is about my life (minus the sleeping with freshmen part). It just shows how far I've come since I got my undergrad diploma, huh?

It's angsty. It's witty. It's funny. It's depressing. I love it!

There's Grover, unable to move on after his girlfriend moved to Prague. There's surly Max who moans at his loss of identity. I don't remember the exact line but it's something like, "A few hours ago I was Max (forget the last name), a senior. English major. Now I'm just nothing." There's Otis, leaving for Milwaukee for his Master's but somehow always manages to put things off. And then there's Skippy who reenrolls for fear that he missed things while he was in school.

And I know this might be a spoiler to people who had never seen it but would want to, but the last scene is just too kilig not to mention.

"Grover: Ok, the way I see it, if we were an old couple, dated for years, graduated away from all these scholastic complications, and I reached over and kissed you, you wouldn't say a word, you'd be delighted, probably, but if I was to do that now it'd be quite forward, and if I did it the first time we ever met you probably would hit me.

Jane: What do you mean?

Grover: I just wish we were an old couple so I could do that."

Oh, and this was released in 1995. I was 15 in 1995. My angst was of a totally different nature at that age. No wonder I wasn't able to write it first.

Shanghai Museum 1: Chinese Currencies

I took gazillions of pictures when I went to the Shanghai Museum. Here is the first batch.

Random Pictures of Shanghai

But first, you'll get to see the latest manifestation of my narcissism.

Random Pictures of Shanghai

But first, you'll get to see the latest manifestation of my narcissism.

Chinese Dance

Dancing outdoors in any available space is quite popular among middle-aged Chinese people. This usually happens in the evenings during spring or fall.

Shanghai Explored

Because of the week-long holiday (October 1-8), the agenda for this week is to explore as much of Shanghai as I could. My holiday actually started two days earlier since I only have a Tuesday-and-Thursday class schedule so by Friday, I could pretty much do whatever I wanted.

Friday was spent watching the archery World Cup at the training camp, then taking some of the Pinoy delegates shopping at the Metro Market in Xujiahui in the evening. This was also the day when the women's compound team won the bronze so the mood was a celebratory one despite everyone being dead-tired. Never mind that I lost most of the people that I was supposedly showing around because of the sheer size of the place. All was forgiven the next day.

The next day was the finals and awarding in the World Cup. We watched the morning part because we just had to be there to see the women's compound team get their medals. The afternoon was spent shopping in YuYuan, or Yu Garden. Once again I lost my companions but found the others who were originally missing.

I moved from the training camp to an apartment near the Shanghai stadium on Sunday. This apartment is owned by the company that I'm working in so I can stay here rent-free for the week. It's nearer the center of town and it's more convenient for carrying out my agenda. Tiffany, my roommate, is such an angel so everything's going great.

On Monday, I met up with some of the Pinoy archers for more exploration. We started the day with lunch at Crystal Jade in XinTianDi then proceeded to wander about in shopping malls because of the rain. We thought of going up the Oriental Pearl but decided against it upon seeing how expensive it was. Instead we had coffee at Starbucks and wandered some more while waiting for the rain to stop. We then decided to walk along Nanjing Road, into what will turn out to be our death march. I wish I could show you the map of how far we walked but you'll just have to believe me when I say that it really felt like a death march. We walked all the way to the Bund, then back to XinTianDi because we couldn't find any taxis. I got home at around 12 midnight, not before Tiffany sending a message telling me to call her if I couldn't find my way home.

I found myself on the same road on Tuesday as I went shopping with Tiffany, her twin brother WangYong, and his girlfriend WeiWei. My legs and feet had not yet recovered from the death march but I gamely let them take me to shops in YuYuan, then to different places along Nanjing Road. When asked if I wanted to go to the Bund, I couldn't resist a pained expression and said, "I was there last night. No, please." And so we stayed along Nanjing Road until a little over 9pm to wait for the fountain that was supposed to start spurting water every hour. At 9pm on October 3, it didn't.

I stayed home during the day on Wednesday, catching up on lost sleep and reading some English fashion magazines I found lying around the house. Now I think I want some mascara and I need to buy sunblock. In the evening, I met up with Wang Jie, a staff at the training camp, and her 10-year-old son Tommy. I teach Tommy and his 9-year-old friend English for free when I have time. We had dinner then walked around. Wang Jie bought me a dress that I tried on but was still contemplating if 50RMB was a little too much.

Wang Jie brought me to the Shanghai Museum the next day. I'd been wanting to check out the museum for a long time and I was not disappointed. I loved that museum. Unfortunately, my camera ran out of power before we were done for the day.

Friday is Mid-Autumn Festival. I spent the early part of the day with Tiffany, WangYong and WeiWei. We went to watch the latest Jackie Chan movie. My fear was that I wouldn't understand anything. No subtitles, whether English or Chinese. It took a few minutes to get used to hearing Jackie Chan talking in Chinese and not the nasal voice used to dub him in English. About a quarter through the movie, I realized that I was actually watching the movie. I wasn't even translating in my head. I was just watching. Really watching. And that, my friends, made me so proud of myself. Of course it helped that the movie was not that hard to follow. Nevertheless, I was happy with my little achievement. After lunch, the lovers went about in their own merry way and Tiffany and I went home. I took the best nap that I had in a long time and woke up refreshed and ready to Multiply the rest of the evening.

While I was Multiplying, Tiffany suddenly made weird gestures towards the window. She couldn't say what was wrong and just kept gesturing at the big window. Because I'm naturally praning, I got scared thinking that there was a monster trying to break into the apartment or something. She got up and drew the curtains. It turned out that she saw the fireworks and got excited. Whew. She then decided to look for more Mid-autumn celebrations on TV and we spent the night watching different shows with this and that celebrity singing Chinese songs, old and new. I was perfectly happy with that, of course. She wrote the lyrics for "Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo de Xin" and "Xi Wang" for me and I couldn't be happier.

At one point, Tiffany said that if she were at home, her mom would probably have cooked a special dish to celebrate the day. Mid-autumn day is supposed to be celebrated with the entire family together. A few minutes later, she said her mom had probably cooked something for her older brother already and I felt so sad for her then. I suggested that she call her mom but she said she couldn't. She was specifically told by both her mom and older brother not to let WangYong, her twin, go to WangYong's girlfriend's house because "they're not yet married" and of course WangYong was in his girlfriend's house that night. Tight spot, sister. So we just celebrated the Mid-autumn night by singing Chinese songs. I think it was fun.

We're staying home today. Tiffany just ordered pizza and I'm looking forward to taking a nap after I finish this entry. Later I might take a walk. I'm going back to the training camp on Monday. By the way, come Monday, it'll be 6 more weeks before I go home. I have started my countdown.

2 More Weeks

Start:

Nov 6, '06

4 More Weeks

Start:

Oct 23, '06

6 More Weeks

Start:

Oct 9, '06

and Achi Janice's birthday too

One Month to Go

Start:

Oct 20, '06

Last Day on the Job

Start:	Nov 20, '06 12:00a
End:	Nov 20, '06 11:45p

Awarding Ceremony for the 2006 FITA Meteksan Archery World Cup in Shanghai

Warning: This is very shaky. Disclaimer: There were so many people! Those being said, enjoy.

Exploring Shanghai with the Pinoys

I became the Pinoys' unofficial interpreter and tour guide. The first 8 pictures were taken on the 30th of September as I accompanied some of the delegates to see the Yu Garden.

The rest were taken on October 2 or what was referred as our death march because that was what it felt like. We were walking for close to two hours along Nanjing Road to the Bund and to XinTianDi. Now that it's over, I can say that it was fun and funny.

FITA Meteksan Archery World Cup 2006 (Shanghai)

The 4th leg of the 2006 Archery World Cup was held in Shanghai from the 26th to the 30th of September. As luck would have it, the venue was at the training camp where I live (the shooting and archery center in Shanghai). I watched and cheered for the Philippine team. The women’s team would eventually win the bronze in the compound competition team event, our first ever medal in archery in a worldwide scale. Gold went to Russia and silver to the USA.