ACC's trip to Shanghai.The last few weeks have been tough. I had to finish up the documentary I was making for Pomona. It's funny how you can feel so far behind straight until you're done. And when you're done you still think you're behind. The night I finished my video with subtitles and everything, I drop my laptop on the floor.
I believe there's some kind of 9/10ths mentality where a person mentally just can't complete things. They get 90% of it done but can't finish. I don't know if I subconsciously victim to this condition, but I stupidly put my laptop on my chair whose back was loaded with heavy jackets throwing the distribution of weight precariously off balance. Thus, with a little nudge the chair tipped over backwards and my computer along with my my newly subtitled 1st cut of "Beijing Ballers" fell to the floor, flickered, and shutdown. And of course I couldn't get it to start up.
At that point I went insane. It's tough enough when you're in China, at ACC, only speaking and Chinese for 5 months straight, but when your project falls off a chair, there's no sitting down. So I began to run around the apartment swearing in English. I opened the window and yelled. I complained to my Chinese roommate about how we needed carpets so this kind of thing wouldn't occur. I kicked the fallen chair into the fetal position. And then did a lot more swearing and banging.
My roommates, regardless of whether or not they understood the foul English spilling from my mouth, just watched in awe and fear.
Then I opened up my computer, popped in the Windows CD, and repaired windows. And everything was as it should of been. So I closed the window, picked up the chair, and started speaking Chinese again.
I'm ready to go home. Lately, my Chinese has been floating lazily in a stagnant pool of apathy. If anything it will drown itself. The granola that I've been getting on sale from the foreign section in the grocery store is now even more on sale, but but by the third straight month of eating the shit I wasn't all too thrilled by the price reduction. My individual report (also on Chinese streetball) is a string of senseless Chinese. Yesterday, I went and interviewed a representative from Adidas about basketball and was subtly reminded that even in English my tongue possesses little advantage. The tattoo I was planning fell through much the to pleasure of those back home who urged me to reconsider. And I'm perpetually tired.
At least Thanksgiving is next week. Although even that doesn't mean much since we still have to go to school.
I believe there's some kind of 9/10ths mentality where a person mentally just can't complete things. They get 90% of it done but can't finish. I don't know if I subconsciously victim to this condition, but I stupidly put my laptop on my chair whose back was loaded with heavy jackets throwing the distribution of weight precariously off balance. Thus, with a little nudge the chair tipped over backwards and my computer along with my my newly subtitled 1st cut of "Beijing Ballers" fell to the floor, flickered, and shutdown. And of course I couldn't get it to start up.
At that point I went insane. It's tough enough when you're in China, at ACC, only speaking and Chinese for 5 months straight, but when your project falls off a chair, there's no sitting down. So I began to run around the apartment swearing in English. I opened the window and yelled. I complained to my Chinese roommate about how we needed carpets so this kind of thing wouldn't occur. I kicked the fallen chair into the fetal position. And then did a lot more swearing and banging.
My roommates, regardless of whether or not they understood the foul English spilling from my mouth, just watched in awe and fear.
Then I opened up my computer, popped in the Windows CD, and repaired windows. And everything was as it should of been. So I closed the window, picked up the chair, and started speaking Chinese again.
I'm ready to go home. Lately, my Chinese has been floating lazily in a stagnant pool of apathy. If anything it will drown itself. The granola that I've been getting on sale from the foreign section in the grocery store is now even more on sale, but but by the third straight month of eating the shit I wasn't all too thrilled by the price reduction. My individual report (also on Chinese streetball) is a string of senseless Chinese. Yesterday, I went and interviewed a representative from Adidas about basketball and was subtly reminded that even in English my tongue possesses little advantage. The tattoo I was planning fell through much the to pleasure of those back home who urged me to reconsider. And I'm perpetually tired.
At least Thanksgiving is next week. Although even that doesn't mean much since we still have to go to school.
2 comments:
Personally I don't think you did the description of your "freaking out" episode any justice. Although I admit I can relate with the lack of motivation...you're lucky you don't have another semester of this. Great blog by the way...I've only read 3 or 4...but it's better than the one I get paid for doing :-)
Hi David, back to the US. Glad that you did not lose your work. look forward to seeing you in HK and have some downtime to hear about your 6 months and life in general. ewang
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