Monday
[September 16]
[Home
Laptop]
I
didn't work today.
In
the morning, Jenny & I went to Tesco. We had breakfast at KFC.
Feeling mean, I recommend all my AKIC readers do the same.
We
then did a little bit of shopping. While we were doing so, Jenny
told me that the parents of the other children in Tony's class were
complaining that Tony was getting special treatment, and so she was
engaging in some frantic texting on her mobile phone with the teacher
of Tony's class.
In
the afternoon, I finished watching The Westerner starring Gary
Cooper. A strange movie in that it was both tongue-in-cheek and
tragic. I couldn't figure out the relationship between the character
played by Cooper and Judge Roy Bean. Bean didn't deserve the
sentimental treatment that Cooper's character had given him in the
end of the movie. Bean had just admitted that he was responsible for
burning down homesteader's fields and crops.
I
then watched the first twenty minutes of The Mill & the Cross.
The film had little dialogue and was using a famous painting for a
backdrop It was an art film and the characters were going about
their lives solemnly. So, I was feeling of solemnity as I went to
pick up Tony.
So
solemn was I that I forgot to take the tire lock off the e-bike. I
applied the accelerator but was quickly stopped by the lock which had
gotten jammed into the top of the wheel well. I couldn't get the
lock out for two minutes and I was faced with the prospect of not
being able to get to the primary school to pick up Tony. After
having placed the bike on its sides, I was finally able to get the
lock off the bike by just backing it up.
It
turned out that I wasn't late for picking up Tony. I waited about
five minutes and Tony emerged from a crowd of kids. I took him on a
ride of the countryside and to the playground before taking him home.
When
I was in grade one, I walked to school by myself. [I just told this
to Jenny and she told me that she did the same, however she didn't
have a mother and father to come home to. She went home to an uncle
who made she sure she didn't starve but didn't provide much else for
her. In the winter of her first year of primary school, she had only
one pair of shoes, made of cotton, to wear. And of course she was
mocked by all the other girls in her village for being the girl that
her mother didn't want.]
Tuesday
[September 17]
[School
Laptop]
I
work 13:00 to 21:00 today.
Three
interesting things to report today:
- There was an incident in front of the government building that is across the street from Casa Kaulins. I was hanging clothes in the verandah when I saw a car stop near the entrance gate to the government compound. Out of the car came an old man and a younger man. The younger man opened the trunk and pulled out a wheelchair on which then he sat. The old man pulled out another thing, from the trunk, which turned out to be a sign and then pushed the man in the wheelchair to a spot on the road side that was in the lane leading the entrance gate. The man in the wheelchair then unfolded the sign and displayed it. I told Jenny then to take a look and she told me that the pair of men were demanding some compensation from a government official working in the building – there had been an accident or something. The pair were first confronted by the compound's security guards. People came out of the building and talked to the pair. Then a police car showed up. The pair talked to the policemen for about twenty minutes or so. The police car then left, and I then saw the car that brought the pair to the spot come to pick them up. So, there were no beatings.
- I took a completely new way to school. Last week, I told you that I had taken the 617 bus downtown and I was quite taken with the area it rode through. The wife mentioned that I could transfer to the 3 bus to get downtown. Well, I did that this morning. I arrived at a stop that was across the street from the school – it having taken me about 70 minutes to get there from home. This was not quicker than any of the ways I get downtown but it wasn't so awful; so I will take it again.
- I ran into a teacher working at a school that competes with ours. He hadn't heard of the suspensions and deportations at Wuxi Wall Street that resulted from their being found to have employed illegal part-timers. This surprised me. His school had been engaging in the sort of hiring that had gotten Wall Street suspended.
- Did I say three things? I knew there was a fourth thing of interest to type into this blog. I am appearing in a commercial that is playing on all the bus televisions in Wuxi. My 635 bus companion sent me a message saying she saw me when she was riding to work.
- Now there is fifth thing I should mention. I phoned my Mother last night. I told her our good news about the apartment mortgage but she depressed with news of the employment situation in Manitoba, and her weather report. Two degrees in Brandon! It is still in the high twenties here in Wuxi.
- My cousin who had her ninth child last week was on a plane three days after giving birth so she could attend a wedding in Winnipeg! Amazing!
Wednesday
[September 18]
In
other languages, today is Mercredi or 星期三.
I
work 13:00 to 21:00 today. Tomorrow is a holiday: The Mid-Autumn
Festival. So I come to school with jeu
d'esprit.
The
commercial I did for the school, which is now appearing on buses all
over the Wuxi area, has incorrect subtitles. They never replaced the
original script with my edits! Zut
alors!
Be that as it may, the video shows give me a performance that is a
real tour de force.
I
get an enquiry about teaching English from a woman named Anastasia
from Russia. Lovely name.
I
took the 25 bus to school today. Much as I wanted to look at scenery
again, I decided not to board a 617 bus which had arrived earlier. I
needed to use my bus time to study Chinese.
What
will happen tomorrow Chez Casa Kaulins? The Enfant
Terrible (Tony) et moi will probably go out on the
countryside to regardez the trains, or as the Chinese may well
say: 看
火车。
Thursday
[September 19]
[Home
Laptop]
- Mid-Autumn Festival. I don't work today. I go back to work tomorrow. Many workers and students get Thursday, Friday, and Saturday off, and then have to go back to work and school on Sunday. I will work the Friday and Saturday, and then get Sunday and Monday off.
- Happiness equals Reality minus Expectations. A person I know posted this on We Chat! There is something wrong with this but I can't put my finger on it. By saying H = R – E, you are also saying that R = H + E. That is, Reality equals Happiness plus Expectations. You could also say that -E = H – R or E = R - H. That is, Expectations equals Reality minus Happiness.
- I ran into Brian Drapes just as I was about to catch the 635 home. I got to know him from my unsuccessful attempt to run a softball team. He has got the life. One month in China and then a month in America.
I
wrote the previous three points after midnight so technically they
were part of Thursday. Here is what I have done in my real today so
far. That is, my recap till now which is 13:30:
- The K family was up at seven this morning, despite the fact that it was a holiday. The first thing Tony did was immediately grab hold of my Ipad and play Real Racing 3. The first thing I did was sit on the throne and try to figure out what it was that I was going to do with my free day. Alas, I realized it really wasn't free because I had to placate my wife. So I was torn between the need to do things around the house, the need to take of Tony, the urge to take photos for my Casa Kaulins blog, the requirement I put on myself to do some blogging, and the requirement I give myself to do some reading. What I did do was clean some of Tony's toys, fold up some dry laundry, upload Views of China from Casa Kaulins #21, take just two photos for the Casa Kaulins blog, set up train simulator on the laptop for Tony, get a fully charged e-bike from the basement of a parking garage, and have some breakfast.
- While I was getting the e-bike, I saw that a group of hairdressers was giving haircuts near the security gate. I assume their salon was doing a promotion. I should have taken a photo of the four people who were taking advantage of the promotion. It was quite a sight.
- Part of my need to take care of Tony was to get him out of the house. After doddling around the morning in the apartment during which I had thought of not going out, I did get Tony out of the apartment at 10:45. He was hell bent on going to the Wanda Shopping Plaza to buy a toy Ice Cream truck. I just wanted to take him for an e-bike ride around the area. I prevailed in this battle of wills because Jenny was finally able to make Tony realize that he was going to get what he wanted if he just had a little patience.
- The path we took on our e-bike ride was basically rectangular with Casa K being at a point at the middle-bottom or south of the rectangle. We went past the Yanqiao rest stop on the freeway between Jiangyin and Wuxi. We went through some factory areas where we saw that workers were working on what was supposed to be a holiday. We saw two high-speed trains as our path intersected with rail track at two spots. We rode on a road past older factories in Jiangyin. We saw a truck with twenty workers in the back even though it was supposed to a holiday -- but then I remembered seeing groups of workers cutting grass and bushes on e-bike ride we had on another holiday in the same area. (Are there still Coolies in China?) In Yanqiao, we stopped at the Ruhui supermarket where I bought six cans of low-alcohol pineapple beer and Tony wasted three rmb of my money on arcade rides.
- While we were in the supermarket, Jenny phoned to tell us she was heading to the Wanda Plaza. We were to meet her there but we first rode home first so I could drop off the cans of beer. At the Wanda Plaza, we tried a new restaurant, which in English, would have been called the number eight restaurant. Jenny ordered a simple group meal consisting of some fried cauliflower, breaded chicken wings, boiled fish, and fried pork. It was okay. Just. Tony was happy because Jenny had bought him the toy ice cream truck he had been begging for.
- Things got interesting for me when I took Tony to the restroom. While there I ran into a foreigner who told me he recognized me from my blog. He was teaching at a school in Xi Shan for New South Wales University in what I understood to be a university prep program. We exchanged phone numbers and hopefully we will meet again soon. He had only been in Wuxi for a month.
- I have been running into people the past few days... First there was Terry, and Brian and …..
It
is now 10:00 PM.
After
finishing their meal at Wanda's #8 restaurant, the K family returned
to Casa Kaulins where they hung out till 3:30 PM. In that time,
Andis did some blogging on the laptop before he had to give the
computer to Tony who insisted on having it so he could watch videos.
So Andis instead read a book on his Ipad but then got sleepy and took
a short nap in the bedroom. Andis hated himself for not being able
to concentrate on his book.
At
about 3:30 in the afternoon, the K family then took the 617 bus
before transferring to the 3 bus to get to Nanchang Jie where they
strolled on that bar street browsing at some shops.
On
the bus, Andis saw himself in a commercial. He took peeks at the
screen when his head was facing the floor.
Andis
also saw these three young men, with stylish haircuts, get on the
bus. One of them wore a shirt with the words F*** O**.
At
the start of Nanchang Jie, Andis & Tony saw a fifty foot tall
figure advertising a Spanish beer called Mahou or Five Star. Andis
then saw some swarthy looking Spaniards who seemed to be making
preparations for a massive Mahou Beer promotion. Andis assumed the
promotion was massive because there were signs everywhere advertising
Mahou Beer. Andis asked himself if Mahou was Spain's version of
Australia's Foster's and Canada's Molson Canadian – beers that
aren't all that popular in their home countries.
Tony
bought a bubble maker with soap, container, and wick in a shop that
sold memorabilia with images of Elvis and Audrey Hepburn – there
were also buttons for sale with the word “f***.” From the latter
sight, Andis put two and two together and thought of the young man he
had seen on the bus.
Then
there was a restaurant with a military theme which had a machine-gun
nest display by its entrance and, of course, Tony posed at the
display for his mother and father to take photos.
Andis
was feeling sheepish throughout the Nanchang Jie stroll because he
had actually gotten his wife to agree to go to the Indian Restaurant
behind the Nikko Hotel. He wondered if his wife was going to protest
about the price or the food.
When
the sun set and evening set in, Andis kindly coaxed Jenny & Tony
to head to the restaurant. As they approached the restaurant, Andis
tried to reassure himself that it was a good idea to go to the
restaurant and that it wasn't going to be all that expensive. His
order was going to be simple: butter masala chicken with basmati
rice. But what would Jenny & Tony order? He had no idea, and he
again fell to despair and felt it wasn't going to seem to have been a
good idea.
But
in they went. Looking at Ganesh's menu, Jenny made a comment about
it being expensive and not knowing what to order. This struck a
little fear in Andis but he felt relieved to see that at least what
he wanted to order was cheap. Then, Jenny saw a group set meal and
thus the problem of what she would order was solved. Andis had his
butter chicken masala and was happy though he had to share it with
Jenny and Tony. Jenny ordered some Cheese Nan, Himalayan Soup,
Shrimp and some roast chicken. Andis happily ate his portion. Tony
and Jenny didn't seem enthused but the food but they weren't mad
about it so Andis felt some relief.
Much
to Andis's annoyance, Tony was very interested in the billiards table
that was on the restaurant's main floor. Tony had played billiards
on the Ipad, but in real life, he had no idea how to hold the cue,
and he just pushed the balls into the pockets.
Leaving
Ganesh's, the K family had to go through Nanchang Market where there
were a lot of people because of the holiday. Seeing the crowds,
Andis became glad that to have gone to Ganesh's because the place was
quiet and a nice refuge from all the people.
Friday
[September 20]
[School
Laptop]
I
work 11:00 to 21:00 today. I feel strange coming back to work after
my one day holiday.
I
am annoyed with myself because I forgot to bring up the e-bike from
the underground where it had been charging. I had promised my wife
that I would do this for her.
I
really should do a bit of research for the classes I do. Sometimes,
I can prep just by using the information I can gleam off the top of
my head.
Tony
is not going to school today. Last night, he fell asleep watching
television. It made for a nice picture at my Tony Kaulins in
China wordpress blog.
Till
I get a haircut, hopefully my next days off, I will come my hair
forward, Julius Caesar style.
The
Trattoria Ferrara Restaurant, or as I called it the Italian
restaurant that's near my school, is closing down. The location
ultimately did them in. Having been around nine years, I have seen
that location kill many a business. It is on a side street just a
little bit too far away from the Zhongshan Road pedestrian traffic.
I became disenchanted with the restaurant when its original
management moved on to some other ventures. The reason I mention
this is that I got an email about it from a visitor to my blog, from
Monaco of all places.
Saturday
[September 21]
[School
Laptop]
Memo
to myself: don't take the 617 and 3 buses on a Saturday morning.
You end up standing half the way there, even if the view is nice.
I
was approached by another foreigner this morning. This time because
he saw me in the commercial being shown on the bus television. “You
look better in person than on the television!” he told me. I don't
know how to take that.
Last
class of the day, the 17:00 to 18:00 with two boys of high school
age, was annoying. One of the students just wasn't prepared and I
should have failed him but I just want to get on with my weekend.
I
meet Jenny and Tony at school at the end of my shift. We ate at a
nearby noodle house and then took the bus home. Tony kept on
muttering about playing with the Ipad. I eventually barked back at
him.
Sunday
[September 22]
[Home Laptop]
I
don't work today but Tony goes to school. This is because of the
National Day holiday that is coming on October 1 and the
powers-that-be rearranging days off so the people can get October 1st
to 7th off. So, Tony will be going to school from Sunday
to Friday [the 22nd to the 27th], then will get
a day off on Saturday [the 28th], and go back to school on
a Sunday and a Monday [the 29th and 30th]
before getting seven days off [October 1st to 7th].
My holidays won't coincide with his. I will get the 29th,
30th, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th,
and 7th off. I have to go to work on a Friday and
Saturday [the 4th and 5th]. 看得懂吗？Comprendre?
¿Entiendes?
No
plans for today other than doing some blogging and watching a movie
on my Ipad.
I
began watching Duel in the Sun with Joseph Cotten and Gregory Peck on
Friday night. The acting by one Jennifer Jones seems overwrought,
but it I suppose it takes some skill to be overwrought facially while
riding a horse. The movie was made by the studio that make Wizard of
Oz and so it is a visual treat at times, even if it is clearly
flawed. I would love to be able to dress up like the Joseph Cotten
character who wears a cowboy hat, elegant boots, sleek corduroy
riding pants, a dress shirt, string tie, and a riding jacket.
In
the afternoon, I took the e-bike to the grocery store in Yanqiao to
buy some pineapple beer, and had a most pleasant shopping experience.
The store was practically deserted except for staff and a few
customers. I assume the store was not crowded for two reasons: 1)
the competition from Tesco and the Wanda Plaza grocery store. 2) The
fact that this Sunday was like a Monday with most people at work or
at school.
I
finished watching Duel in the Sun. The movie, though made by the
studio that produced Wizard of Oz, is really more in the vein of Gone
with the Wind, and in fact, the studio that made Duel had also made
Gone with the Wind. Referring to the Wikipedia article about Duel,
my suspicions were confirmed when I read that the producers of Duel
had hoped to make a second Gone with the Wind. Instead the studio
probably produced one of the first examples of a movie being
advertised as being made by the makers of a previous hit movie. Duel
tried to have many elements of Gone with the Wind. It had a female
character who attracts many strong male characters. So it tried to
be a chick flick. Duel was made on an Epic scale. It was meant to
be an Epic Western as GWTW was meant to be a Civil War epic. There
was a scene in Duel where there must have over 200 horses and riders.
Most Westerns get at most ten or twenty horse and riders in a shot.
There were hundreds of extras in other shots as well. Like GWTW,
Duel was shot in glorious technicolour so it must have been a joy to
see in the cinema. Unfortunately, the female character in Duel,
played by Jennifer Jones, didn't have the strength of character of
Scarlet O'Hara. Jones' character was that of a woman stupidly in
love with a bad man. Jones' acting was worthy of parody. But the
movie was not so awful. I'd give it three stars our of four. Cotten
and Peck gave good performances.
I
was able to finish watching the movie before the enfant terrible
came home from school. Jenny now has him doing homework. I will
bystand. Tony's griping and moaning about doing his homework and
Jenny's high standards are things I don't have the stomach to witness
or deal with.
After
supper, I took Tony to the playground in the central park. I walked
there while Tony brought his push-bike. We first went down a street
that had about fifty shops, offices, and restaurants. I enjoyed
being able to watch the street's activity for there was so much of
it. No where in Canada would you be able to find a street so
bustling. On this obscure Wuxi side street, I saw many people
getting haircuts, many children playing, many adults eating and
drinking, many woman dancing, and people sitting and talking. Past
the bustling street, we were at the park which was dark and where it
seemed to me that most of the parents had probably already taken
their children home. I didn't mind one bit that the park was empty
because Tony seems to want to get in trouble when there are other
children around. But when Tony saw that the park was empty, he said
there were no boys there and that he wanted to go home. There was no
point in arguing with him. Trying to take a round about way home got
Tony angry and he actually tried to block me from going down a path
that he didn't want to go down.
Back
at home, Tony & I took a shower – something we always do after
returning from a trip outside.
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