Both Eyes Fixed

I'm experiencing a little bit of homesickness. I'm not sure if I just miss Canada or my family or the people I know. But I definitely feel a bit of a disconnect with those I care about. I guess it's to be expected when I'm so far away for so long.

God bless you Anton for taking time out of studying to see how I'm doing!

I find myself often wondering what people say about me behind my back. This year I have heard MANY things that people have said behind my back. Many of those things were great things that I didn't mind hearing. Other things I'm sure were never intended to make it back to me.
I'm not sure what's worse, people saying bad things about you behind your back, or neglecting to say good things about you when someone else is saying the bad. Thanks to those of you who believe the good.

I have recently found out that many people find me very hard to get to know. Interesting. I'll try to be known if you try to know me.

Many Christians often miss the point.

"The Christian life doesn't start with Jesus and then graduate to something better. The true Christian starts with Jesus, stays with Jesus and then ends up with Jesus."-Ron Dunn

Sometimes I miss the point.

I need a better blog. Maybe other people don't think it matters about the colour scheme or how nice it looks, but I actually think I'd enjoy blogging everyday more if my blog looked nice. I should add some pictures or something too. Here's the problem, I know what I would want it to look like, but I don't know how to make it look like that. I know, calm down, I used to be a multimedia major, right? Yeah, well, see.... I never really got into HTML and web design. My strengths were graphic design and 3D design and animation.

Besides, I quit MMedia and moved on to Religious Studies a long time ago. I suppose that helps me out a little more in my current position, *ahem*, but c'mon, doesn't everyone like really cool looking blogs?

I've done it again. Somewhere in this computer is a secret link that shuts out all good emails from all of my email addresses. I think I clicked that accidentally and now all I receive is emails about business related things and a whole lot of junkmail. I can no longer receive emails from people I want to hear from. I don't know what to do... does anyone know how to shut this feature back off?

I guess everyone has these days, so I know everyone can identify with these feelings. I wake up in the morning... actually, come to think of it, it doesn't really matter what time of day it is or how tired I am... and I walk to the fridge looking for the milk. I open the fridge and look in every part of it on every shelf. I move the milk to the left so I can look behind it for the milk. Then I see it's not there, so I move the milk to the right and check there. This is when I turn around with the fridge door still open and look at the table and then the kitchen counter with a really confused and hopeful look in my eyes. Disappointed I look back to the fridge and move the MILK around a bit more looking everywhere for the MILK. Then while staring at the MILK, I yell to the person in the next room, "Where's the milk?" and they tell me it's in the fridge. Suddenly my eyes come to focus and I feel like a complete idiot, but I can't let them know, so I don't say anything at all.

Well, I don't know if it's my roommate's computer or server or IE or what but this situation is almost the same as me not seeing the milk. "Cannot Find Server" or Web Page Not Found or whatever garbage it replies. C'mon, can't find HOTMAIL????? It can't seem to find any web pages AT ALL lately unless I am persistent.... very persistent.

I just need my mom to say to the computer, "If I come in there and find that server and it's right in front of you......"

Have you heard of Skype? I just used it for the first time yesterday. It's an internet phone that works for free. As far as I can tell, it's better than using MSN voice chat. I talked with Darren in Burlington for 40 min and it was really really clear and not much delay. I mean, I've had actual phone cards from Canada with more delay than this. Check it out www.skype.com

Today I got my first fully Chinese email from a Christian girl I met three years ago. I was pretty happy to be able to read most of it, except the KEY POINTS!!!! Too bad they don't teach you Chinese Christianese in school.

I miss playing guitar with other people. I only brought one guitar with me here and even if I bought another one I'd have to teach someone how to play it, which probably doesn't fit into my schedule at the moment. I also miss having my own computer so that I can record music and do multimedia stuff. I wonder if I can just put together a cheap one around here. Maybe I should just wait to buy a notebook.

Does anyone know if they have some good cheese that doesn't have to be kept cold that might last a mail trip from Canada to China?

Ok, I thought I was getting used to being an obvious foreigner in a generally homogeneous country. I thought that I had already become accustomed to random "hello"s from people who are so far past me that they should be saying "good-bye". I was pretty sure that I'd had my fair share of high school kids yelling "nice to meet you!" from across the street where they are too far away to know if I even speak English, let alone go through a formal introduction. It's commonplace for me to see many wide-eyed little kids run toward their parents when they see me so they can point back at me and tell their parents "kan nei ge wai guo ren" (look at that foreigner).

Today was different somehow. Maybe it's because I've lost weight and was wearing nice clothes. As I walked out of the import food market, an 8 yr old looked up at me and just fell over backward. As I was walking down the street, about 6 or 7 girls who looked to be about university age came rushing up to me giggling and asked for my autograph. Do I look like somebody else? What's going on here?

In other news, I've turned comments on for my blog so my faithful readers can bug me to be a faithful blogger. Thanks Jason.

So I'm in Suzhou with my friend Tim. Since there's not much to do at night in the rain, we decide to check out the pubs. Now pubs in China are nothing at all like pubs in Canada. Jason and Austin, I really really miss going to the Cat & Fiddle for some pub grub after practice on Saturday nights. I found myself in strange company in this pub (Whiskey Jack's)

I'll set the stage for you. There's an amazing cover band singing all English songs and singing them really well. They even took requests.

So the waitresses come over and ask to play pool and darts with me and Tim. Tim's playing darts with Annie and I end up playing pool with an art teacher from the Ukraine named Chiba and an engineer from Belgium named Sebastian. The rest of the room is full of Chinese guys and girls until these three slick Italians walk in and pull up a seat a little way from my table.

Carol, the other waitress seems to be flustered that they're hitting on her, so I ask if she's ok. She then asks me if I'll pretend i'm her boyfriend for the evening. Naturally I said no, but she's welcome to play pool with us.

Well, the Italians can't hit on her anymore, so they get bored and come over to play pool too. Now, I'm not one for promoting stereotypes, but I almost laughed when the one guy introduced them.
"I'm Geseppi, he's Geseppi and this is Fabio." Suddenly I had a real craving for pizza and pasta, but the pub food was pretty good for the time being.

So, later in the evening, I decide to play the old Canadian trick and I tell the waitress that it's Chiba's birthday. A few minutes later I hear the band play the opening and this situation unfolds:

Singer- "Today is a very special day and I'd like to call up a very special person. Is Chiba in the room?"

Chiba-"What??!!?! What did I do?"

Singer-"Come on up here Chiba, we'd like to sing happy birthday to you."

(keep in mind the stage and the pool table are at opposite ends of the pub, so there's an elevation of voice and the whole bar is silent and curious)

Chiba-"It's not my birthday! Who said it's my birthday?"

Singer-"Come on up Chiba, don't be shy."

Chiba (getting nervous and frustrated)- "No, it's not my birthday. My birthday is July 1st. Same as Communist Party of China. Who said it's my birthday?"

Singer-"Ok then, who said it was Chiba's birthday."
(thankfully most of the patrons don't understand English very well)
Ian-"Wo cuo le. Dui bu qi. Bu hao yi si." (I was wrong, sorry, I'm very embarassed.)

Chiba then turns to me and asks why I would do such a thing. Apparently he's never been to Kelsey's or East Side Mario's in Canada. Don't worry, things were smoothed over when I requested "Hey Jude" for him and we all sang at the top of our lungs as he did the Ukrainian art teacher in China dance.