Chinese New Year is around the corner. In order to avoid crowds at Carrefour and Walmart, I decided to go to the slightly less crowded wet market.
A lot of action happens outside of the market. The sidewalks are bustling with delivery bikes.
The three-wheeler belongs to a recycler. Recyclers get a nominal fee for the flattened boxes. If I need boxes I will purchase new ones from the Chinese Post office. If I take one discarded by someone else, I feel I am taking income from the recyler.
The pine bows are just one of the auspicious items you see this time of year. It is said that this is a traditional way to invite Toshigami (Shinto god). Other traditions include not washing clothes, as the beginning of the festival is the birthday of the water god. If you wash clothes, you will offend him.
I want it on record that I didn’t offend any gods today.
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Dirty Doodle
My faith started to have hot flashes way before Asia’s potpourri of religions and my imploding marriage. It started unraveling with a dirty doodle.
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Crowds
Chinese New Year is around the corner. In order to avoid crowds at Carrefour and Walmart, I decided to go to the slightly less crowded wet market. A lot of action happens outside of the market. The sidewalks are bustling with delivery bikes. The three-wheeler belongs to a recycler. Recyclers get a nominal fee for the flattened boxes. If I […]
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Digging for Gold
My parents always warned me about not sticking a Q-tip in my ear. However, they never warned me about giving a complete stranger the honors.
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Chicken Tonight
Buying a chicken in China isn’t that much different than buying it at Costco but paying for it is. Also, my horrendous commute to work.
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A Fungus Among Us
I would rather suffer from a parasite than from boredom.
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Take two ping pong balls and call me in the morning.
We looked like m&ms tumbling from the plane as our chutes opened in the sky. Below us was a bounty of trees more colorful than a box of Crayolas. It was October, it was college, and I was suffering from a temporary bout of insanity. I had signed up to go skydiving. Despite hours of instruction, I didn’t bend my […]