summer

It’s over 39 degrees celsius outside. It’s 10:45, i was supposed to wake up at 9. My head is pounding, ears are ringing, throat is parched.

Yesterday was the hottest day in 50 years, i went to the office at noon and everyone had gone out to lunch because the power was out. We couldn’t turn on all the air-conditioners on full blast for the rest of the day and the power still went out every 30 minutes. So by 5, the boss told us that we could leave if we want. And i didnt need to think twice about that offer.

After work, i had dinner with my uncle and his friends (there was a monk, a philosopher, an author, CEO of microsoft in china, a photographer, the founder of China’s National Geographic). The thing with having a lot of successful and thoughtful people at one dinner table is that the dinner conversation becomes some sort of lecture on the meaning of life. Each person takes turn educating the others about how their theories of the world is more profound, insightful, blah blah blah. Needless to say, it was not a scene for someone who just wanted to eat some lamb kabobs.

I left at 9 to meet up with my friends at this bar near the workers’ stadium called vics. Finally, people my own age. The night started out kinda awkward and slow, because everyone was trying to get to know each other a little bit while furiously trying to escape sobriety (or maybe that was just me).

There are some things everyone should know before going out in China: 1) the alcohol that clubs carry here are diluted (5 shots = nothing) 2) they blast the music so loud that your ears start to bleed, and we had to type on our cellphones to communicate 3) the girls here dress sluttier but act more reserved 4) the guys here are even more reserved than the girls but a few of them dance like freaks that makes everyone watching them very uncomfortable.

After spending some time at vic’s, we went across the street to Mix. Because they had a cover charge of 30 yuan, the ratio was a lot better there. My friend decided to not waste money on mix drinks and shots anymore and got a vip card that came with a “free” bottle of scotch whisky. And the rest of the night will not be written down for record. All i can say/remember is that there was chugging, chatting, dancing, screaming, stumbling, and searching. Highs and lows.

It is over 100 degrees fahrenheit today. Why can’t I hear anything.