Xiao Chong's Journal

7:41pm: Arrive Beijing Aug 14 1450h. Depart Beijing Aug 25 1550h. I am so excited. Last trip to China for many, many years, here I come!

1:30am: Today was full of excitement. I was standing by the door at work looking out on the street talking with my manager when I saw an old lady that was crossing the street pushing a shopping cart get totally destroyed by a station wagon. I saw the car hit her, I saw her fly through the air, and I saw her hit the ground. I ran out the door yelling to my manager to call 911. I ran up to the scene and assessed the damage. She was an older Asian lady. I immediately saw that she wasn't bleeding (externally, anyway) and she was laying there yelling in pain, so I could see she was conscious. That meant that, really, there was nothing I could do for her that wouldn't possibly make things worse. I told her not to move just as a lady arrived on the scene. I could see that the lady was gonna stay with the old woman, so I went and stopped traffic and started to re-direct it away from the scene. I was disgusted to see people totally ignoring the directions I was giving them, so I started shouting at drivers and managed to divert traffic. People in their cars were trying to see what was going on and causing more danger to the people that were around the old lady trying to comfort her. I directed traffic for a couple of minutes before EMS arrived on scene. Than I went back to work.

I haven't had an adrenaline burst like that for a while, and I was still pretty shaky for like 30 minutes after the accident.

The driver was going too fast for Solano Ave, around 30mph. I know that the reason he hit the lady was that the sun was shining directly through his windshield. As anyone who has driven down Solano as the sun is going down can attest, the glare is pretty brutal. He should have been driving slower and more cautiously given the conditions. I basically saw two lives get ruined today. The old lady was alive, but I could see that she was in bad shape. Her whole pelvic area looked pretty bad. One of the shoes that was blasted off of her feet lay in the middle of the road, a cool 15 feet from her body. The driver of the car, regardless of his excuse, pasted a pedestrian that was crossing in the crosswalk. That guy is fucked coming and going.

I was so disgusted by the people in their cars that were just trying to catch a peek of the action and causing more problems by doing so.

I'm gonna re-cert in first aid.

3:54pm:

6:49pm:

12:53pm: I like shacking up with my girl.

12:07pm: It's fair to say that moving to China was one of the momentous decisions I have ever made. My experience there has changed me irrevocably. It is impossible for me to think about what my life now would be like had I never set foot in China. I think I have reached another one of those momentous occasions. Lauren, my loving and devoted girlfriend, and I are moving in together. We secured lodging in Oakland, in a beautiful turn of the 20th century apartment building. It was the first place we looked at togtether, and we both really liked it. The landlord apparently really liked us, because within in hour of applying for it, he called us to tell us we could have it. Checks were written today, and now I have the keys to our apartment. Neither of us really owns much as far furniture and the like, so are starting from scratch. Together. The apartment is less than half a block away from the parkway theatre, and a 3 minute walk from Lake Merrit. 3 minutes to a Safeway, 10 mimutes from the Grand/Lake area shopping centers. 10 minutes from school! I am really excited to live in an urban environment again. Less excited about the crackheads that are only blocks away, but hey, I'm armed. One of the biggest upshots by far is that I will have a lot more time to spend with Lauren. I have high hopes for us in our place. This, I think, will change me irrevocably, and I am happy.

3:43pm: Damn. I have been hell of missing China these past few days. I have been listening to all of my Chinese and Korean pop, in addition to all the crap songs that were played at all the crap clubs like Manier/Mayflower. I wish I had taken more pictures....

4:07pm: GPA: 4.0

First time ever in my life. Feels like... victory.

8:18pm: I dont think I have ever been anywhere more hot and humid than Beijing right now. Holy crap, Beijing is just a city of extremes. Too cold in the winter, and too hot in the summer.

Lauren arrives in Beijing in 5 and a half hours. I am pretty stoked.

2:14am: Well, it's been over a month since my last post. I am having a good time. It's great to see the boys and kick around town. I really like living with Tamara. We played D and D last week. I ran T and Jody on a really simple game to teach them the rules. It was a lot of fun for me. Both Tamara and Jody are exactly the kind of rolepplayers I like. They very quickly set up recurring personality traits, and got into their characters. We are going to play again tomorrow. I am not kidding, the rain has not stopped. In the month that I have been here, it has rained at least a little EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I am not exaggerating. And this is rain. Lightning, thunder, it's awesome. But, its summer, and I'd like to have some sunny days.

I am glad that I left China when I did. I think I made the right decision. I am ready to grow up some. I feel like the past few years were mainly about me desperately running from adulthood. Well, I think the time is right. As much as I like being here right now, I am glad I am going home soon.

2:49am: Happy Birthday to me.

I found out that I am going to be in Johnnys wedding. This means I'll be having a tuxedo made, which means I will be owning a tuxedo! Things have been very good here. I have spent some time hanging out with Johnny. Last night I went over to Johnnys inlaws house for dinner. The dinner was incredible. Before I came here I decided that I was going to eat whatever anyone put in front of me. Well, last night was a real test. They had clams, crazy clams with two weird flanges sticking off the end, making it look like a bifurcated tongue. Also on the table, tiny snails and prawns with the heads and legs still on. Well, I did it. I ate at least a little bit of everything.

Longtime readers of my journal will remember when I went to Xuxus folks house the first time and was detained for a moment by soldiers. (Her father is in the Army and they live on base) Well, it happened again. A couple of soldiers accompanyed us to the apartment to ensure I wasnt going to take pictures. After Xuxus dad vouched for me all was clear. They were, at least, very friendly soldiers.

Today being my birthday, I am going out with a group of folks to a place where they brew their own (decent) beer and sell it for 5 kuai a pitcher. They also have a dinner show with magic and singing and shit like that. This place has always been a good time in the past. I also got a really incredible Bday gift from my girlfriend. She recorded herself singing my favortie Wang Fei song. She sang the whole thing in Chinese. As you may or may not know my GF is an incredible singer, so this was actually an awesome gift.

In other good news, I got a hold of Michael, my friend in Beijing whom I thought I would never see again. I am going down there pretty soon to see him and see some music with Will. Man, goodtimes...

5:42pm: Damn. Driving from the train station to where I'll be staying was awesome. Place names came flooding back to me. Bei an lu, Chongqing lu, Renmin dajie. And with theplaces memories of things I'd done and people I was with. It feels good to be back. Tamaras place is awesome. She has the uncanny knack to beautify a place and make it into a home. It helps that her apartment is awesome to begin with. I didnt bring much with me, a few T shirts and a couple pair of pants and jeans. I unpacked in a few minutes. Obviously my computer is all set up.

Tamara lives on Xikang lu. This is my old neighborhood. My stomping grounds. The noise from Tongzhi Jie; the honking and shouting. the squealing of bus brakes, it's all there. I didnt realize how much I could miss these things.

Ah well.

Home sweet home.

8:59pm: Headed to Changchun tonight, will arrive tomorrow morning at 6. No problem since that seems to be when I wake up now. Tamara is running a RPG, but I dont know if it is D and D or what. Looks like I'll still be able to get my geek on. Huge rainstorm last night, incredible thunder and lighning, and rain was pouring down. I ran outside for less than a minute and came in soaked. Warm rain is the best. I love the weather here so much. We'll see about that in a m onth though, when the heat peaks.

Yesterday I wandered about Beijing. I have a really good grasp of how this city works. Walkig and subway are a really easy way to get around here, and it skips the horrendous traffic that this city has.

6:27am: Well, the name of this journal is finally accurate again. I arrived in Beijing yesterday, droppped my bags of at Wills house, and got some food/beer. Will lives in what is the center of expat life in Beijing, Sanlitun. For those that may know the city, he lives on bar street, very near Poachers. This part of Beijing is weird. That being said, I am already enjoying myself. The weather is nice. The sky is just a grey mass, but thats what its supposed to be right now. Very warm, about 80 degrees yesterday. I'll likely head up to Changchun tomorrow on the overnight train. My plan today is to get some money changed, get some grub, and kick around town for a bit. No jetlag, although it is 630 and I am awake.

Will has a nice little bachelor pad, very clean. We had an awesome time shooting the shit over dollar beers last night, and I met his Aussie buddy Simon. We talked about both countries respective military traditons. Will and I were pretty into the wind, and Simon, having class at 6 am wasnt.

7:16pm: Dear friend,

Thank you for signing our emergency petition to save the courts. Your name has been added to the petition and your comments will be delivered shortly to your Senators.

Our next petition delivery will leave the printer in 10 hours, 50 minutes, 18 seconds and we still need 38,599 signatures to hit our goal for this round. Can you help us get there?

This is one of the most important petitions we've ever done. The final "nuclear" vote is still too close to call -- if we can raise our voice loud enough in the next 72 hours to swing just three more votes we can win this thing.

Please take a minute to forward this petition to at least five friends or family members who you think might sign. Their names and comments will combine with yours and thousands of others', going straight to every single senator every 3 hours, every day, from Monday morning until the final vote.

You can help spread the word by forwarding the sample message below.

Thanks, for all you do.

Sincerely,

--The Team

Here's a sample message to send to your friends:

Subject: Please sign emergency petition to save our courts

Hi!

I just signed MoveOn PAC's emergency petition to stop the "nuclear option" the far right wing's plan to seize absolute power to stack our courts -– and I hope you will sign too.

Starting Monday, the petition will be delivered straight to Congress every three hours until the final vote, and many of our comments will be read aloud on the Senate floor.

Please sign right now at:

http://www.moveonpac.org/nuclear

Why is this an emergency?

This Tuesday, the Senate will vote on Republican Leader Bill Frist's "nuclear option" to break the rules of the Senate and give the Republican Party absolute control over appointing federal judges.

For 200 years the minority's right to filibuster has kept our courts fair, by making sure that federal judges needed to get at least some support from both sides of the aisle before they were given life time appointments.

If Frist eliminates the filibuster, his next step would be to force far right partisan judges onto the powerful U.S. Courts of Appeals. The real targets, however, are the four seats on the Supreme Court likely to become vacant in the next four years.

With that much power on the Supreme Court, the far right could strike down decades of progress on labor rights, environmental protections, reproductive rights, and privacy.

The "nuclear option" will live or die by a final vote, probably on Tuesday, and the vote is still way too close to call. There are at least 6 moderate Republicans still on the fence and only 3 more votes needed to win. If we can get enough of our voices into congress and into the streets in the next 72 hours, we can still save our courts.

Please take a minute to join me and sign the emergency petition today.

http://www.moveonpac.org/nuclear

Thanks!

12:00pm: Almost 27 years after I was born, I learned how to tie a neck tie.

1:07pm: Got me a ticket to China. I'm off to see the wizard in June. Staying til August.

12:57pm: Ho Hum my ass. My cousin bought me an AK-47. It's about to get real exciting here in California.

12:03pm: ho hum

8:49pm: Well, Life is on track. I am working and going to school. I like both very much. I am a bit more tired, as I now have to wake up at 7 am to BART to school. I really like taking BART, and walking. I have no desire to have a car in the forseeable future. A house closer to BART would be nice, but the walk up the killer hill serves to get me some exercise. I am taking two Chinese classes and an Asian American studies class.

I received a CD in the mail today. My first ever package from Thailand. I'll need a return addy in New Zealand. I am listening to Superman, by Crash Test Dummies. I remember when they hit it big way back when.

A funny thing was said by my Chinese teacher today. We were just pronouncing words, and I said Beijing. She stopped me, and had me repeat myself. She did this a couple of times, and than started laughing. "It's so funny to hear an American speak Chinese with a DongBei (northeast) accent."

7:51pm: I havent gotten a mix tape/CD from someone since I dated Theresa, some 8 years ago. Theresa was the one who "turned me on" to Pink Floyd, when she gave a 4th or 5th generation copy of The Wall.

So, heres what I want. Someone send me a mix CD with songs you think are awesome. I promise to do the same for anyone who sends me a CD, no matter where on Earth you may be.

Odin
One Six Two Seven Elm Ave.
Richmond, CA, 94805
USA

I hope I get a lot...

10:42pm: Check this shit out:

This large table of 6 people came into the restaurant. I overheard one of the women talking about going to China, so I asked her about it a little later on. She mentioned that she was going to Beijing, and I said that I had lived up there for three years. One of the guys at the table asked me what I was doing, and I said studying. He asked me if I was fluent, and I said no; but that I was very conversational. "Oh," he says, " I am a photographer and I am working on a project that will be in China, and I need an interpreter. Do you have a card?"

"A card?", I asked, pretty bewildered. "Yeah, a business card."

I said that I didn't but that I would make one. I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote, very legibly, my contact info. After dinner we talked, and he said that his project would be ready in 4 or 5 months, and that he would get in touch with me in a while to see if I could be his intrepeter.

This all put me in a very cheery mood. Upon arriving at home, I looked him up on the interner.

Richard Misrach.

11:21pm: a friend asked the following set of questions:

Compared to this time last year, are you:
I. happier or sadder?
II. thinner or fatter?
III. richer or poorer?




I. Equally sad, much to my own dismay.

II. It's hard to tell. I think I might weigh more now, but that weight may be healthier than where I was in China.

III. Poorer, much, much poorer.

I hate living in America.

3:10pm: I read today that Iris Chang, author of The Rape of Nanking, commited suicide. That hell of depresses me. I just finshed reading another of her books, The Chinese in America.

I fucking hate suicide.

11:46pm: It wasnt my intention as such, but after Bush "won" the first time, I left the country for three, almost four years. Now, with the very real prospect of four more years of Bush, I am thinking of leaving again. I really want to leave, and Kerry being President wouldnt change that, but now, Bush is a factor. I am amazed and disgusted by the rest of America. It is poor sportsmanship to complain that my side lost. Even I didnt REALLY support my side. I am more of a "anyone BUT Bush" person, as opposed to someone who really beleives Kerry will make a difference, but, still; Bush has lead this country to a bad place. We are in the middle of war that cant be won, and shouldnt be fought.

Lots of people worry that there will be a draft soon; I worry that there wont. The USA is quite obviously commited to this war in Iraq, even Kerry supports it, but this war will not be won without troops on the ground. I really dont see a lot of people going out to sign up for the military.

I am drunk, and I am disgusted...

And all this bullshit isnt even over yet. I could wake up to a President elect....

I hope.