Beijing Revisited

Our ultimate turista experience for the year finally pushed through the third weekend of June. We took this very seriously, being on turista mode days before our scheduled trip. I even dug out my belt bag for the occasion.

So Nuna, Akoh and I hardly slept the night before our morning flight. The trip held individual meanings for each of us. For me, it was a chance to share a glimpse of my life in China with two important people in my life.

Read and see Nuna's version of the China turista experience here: http://thejonastory.multiply.com

My Independence Weekend

I had not been reading fiction lately. In fact I had not been reading anything literary these past months, nor had I been watching plays nor movies. And we all know TV can hardly be considered literary. (Yes, I'm a snob.) The void was not immediately apparent, though, as my days were pretty much filled with words upon words of analyses of the ever-changing political landscape that was the Middle Kingdom. Yet my spur of the moment trip to Powerbooks on Saturday exposed the jarring hole. The realization was so sudden and unexpected. I had almost forgotten what I was missing.

Or perhaps I needed a justification for my purchase of the two books. I always feel the need to justify buying things, it's almost an illness. So I bought two books: a collection of short stories by the Canadian writer Carol Shields and a compilation of interviews of creative writers on the way they write, aptly titled, "The Way We Write." I couldn't wait to start reading them but it was late and I was tired so they had to wait.

I started on the interviews first, over a large flavored coffee at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on a bright Sunday afternoon. Again, something I hadn't done in a long time. There is something about the unfolding of people's stories that never fails to move me and, cliche of cliches, make me feel more human. But that has become a luxury.

Yet another workweek starts and I have to put off my humanity in favor of more important issues for more important people. Stories will have to wait.

On My Lack of a Lovelife

About a week ago, I overheard my sister Nuna telling our friends that she wished I would finally get myself a boyfriend, the reason being it had been a long time since I last had one. She would probably only know that I heard her when she reads this... which is right about... now. There. Hmp, talking about me behind my back. :p

And then last Saturday, after a hearty meal in Tapa King and while waiting for the halo-halo, she said that maybe I should go out more so I could meet more boylets. I had to ask again to clarify that she meant "me," as in, "I" have to go out more? Yes, of course. For a while I thought we were gossiping about someone. So where do I go about finding this boylet who has the ability to magically change my life? "Why don't you join one of those dating events?" "Speed dating?" "Yes!"

Now, I am a very lazy person. In addition to that, I am also very stingy. I refuse to join speed dating events (even as I had helped organize one before) because I would much rather buy myself something nice instead of paying for an overpriced dinner. Not that I don't believe in speed dating. I just cannot bring myself to cough up the money required to attend one.

And I do admit to having very high standards. Well-meaning friends would ask, "So what's your type?" hoping to set me up with their single guy friends. Without batting an eyelash, I would retort, "Why, nothing short of perfection." "No, really, what's your type?" as if I was joking. "Really, he has to be perfect." "But nobody's perfect," would come the reply, four out of five times, I swear. But you asked for my type and that's my type!

Of course "perfect" is relative. It's just that I don't want to have to enumerate all of these traits that everyone wants anyway. Really, would you rather that I rattle off smart (oops, not just smart... more like brilliant), sweet, charming, sensitive, responsible, sincere, affectionate, funny, articulate, successful, ambitious, kind, loving, cute, and open-minded? In random order, of course. I mean, would you? And doesn't it already follow that any woman would want a man who's all of those and then some?

And then people would ask why I don't have a boyfriend. Because there's a dearth of brilliant, sweet, charming, sensitive, responsible, sincere, affectionate, funny, articulate, successful, ambitious, kind, loving, cute, and open-minded men that's why! (In the remote chance that you are all of these, AND a man--a straight man, that is, and single--that's important too!; please come forward.)

Not that I haven't seriously wondered enough about my lack of a lovelife. In fact, I've wondered so much that I have gotten so sick and tired of wondering about it. Now I just spend the time reading about Mao Tse Tung's lovelife (the asshole, cheating on his wife!) because really, what else is there left to do?

Oh. And in another remote chance that you actually know of a living, breathing single straight man who is all of the adjectives above but who for some reason might not be able to read this, do me and my sister a favor and forward this to him. Thanks!