doggiessss :D

7/7:

I've always been the "good" kid in the family. Ever since I was little, I was respectful and listened to my parents. I studied and worked hard in school. I never begged my parents to buy me things. All my relatives have always told my parents how guai I am. Because I'm such a good kid in my relative's eyes, I've always been the standard for comparisons. I don't know how many times I've heard, "look at Kevin, look at the way he ____." The blank usually involves school or listening to my parents. I know it makes my cousins uncomfortable when their parents compare them to me, and it makes me even more uncomfortable. They've put me on a pedestal, but I know I'm not nearly as perfect as they make me out to be.

That's how I started my morning. I was packing my stuff quietly, getting ready to go to Gaochang's house. Tianyi was in his room, loudly tossing clothes everywhere and not ready at all. His dad saw me packing like and instantly made sure to rub it in Tianyi's face. "Look at Kevin, he's already packed. Look at how neat he is." Of course Tianyi wasn't pleased, and I just felt uncomfortable. Good thing Tianyi isn't the type to hold grudges, or else he would've started hating me back when we were wee kids.

Gaochang's mom took me and Gaochang to a mall to buy some souvenirs for me. I bought some small anime figurines, some for me, but mostly to try to merchant online. I'll see what I can make of it. I'll at least try to earn some pocket money for college. I also bought this super cute black soot pillow from the movie My Neighbor Totoro. If you don't know what I'm talking about, this should refresh your memory: http://www.toysnjoys.com/ghibli/sootspritebabydoll.jpg The pillow's definitely coming with me to college next semester :)

We went to a local pet shop to look at puppies for Gaochang after the shopping center. Since she scored so well on her college entrance exam, her mom decided to finally give in and buy her the Alaskan husky she's been pining for since she was a kid. This pet shop was definitely not the same as your local Petsmart. Bunnies, hedgehogs, kittens in cages were left out in front of the shop, a couple of feet away from fast moving traffic. The animals didn't look very healthy, and their food bowls were empty. Puppies and some other kittens were kept inside of the shop. One cage had mutts that were only 30 or 40 yuan each. The other cage had specific breeds. All of them were adorable, and I couldn't help but smile when I saw them climbing over one another to get to the front of the cage. I regret not bringing my camera :(

Next I had a badminton date with Tianyang, Tianyi, and Tianyang's dad, who's really good at badminton. We played in a high school gym. Normally, American gyms are usually painted for basketball, but Chinese gyms are painted with 7 badminton courts. Badminton's definitely huge here. We played a doubles match with Tianyang and Tianyi on one team against me and Tianyang's dad on another team. I've never really played badminton before. I've hit the birdie around, but I've never played with a net or anything like that. Tianyang's dad took care of most of the shots, and I stood back and hit whatever came my way. I felt pretty inferior to Tianyang's dad's superior skill. He basically won that game singlehandedly. I was just happy to finally get some exercise.

Tianyang's mom came and picked us up to go grab some dinner at a family friend's restaurant. The owner of the restaurant was a rambunctious middle age woman who wore heavy makeup. Her brother has this super adorable daughter named Tong Tong, who I really enjoyed playing with. She’s five and half years old and never stops moving. She runs around constantly screaming, and it's a gas to watch her play. I always feel so happy when I see kids like her having fun. They're so carefree. Makes me wish I was a kid again. No worries in the world. I really wish I could've taken a picture of her. So adorable...

7/8:

Tianyi, Tianyang, and I slept in one of Tianyi’s parent’s other houses. They buy nice condos, renovate and furnish them, and then wait until the market value of the house rises. The condo we stayed in is one of those furnished condos that no one lives in. We woke up at 5am to go play badminton again with Tianyang’s dad. Remember, the sun rises at 430 here, so it’s already pretty bright outside by 5am. I was definitely very tired, but I didn’t want to be left behind to sleep in. We went to the same high school gym and had to claim a court before the place started filling up. Lots of people actually play at 5am in the morning. I’m sure all of them play and then go to work right afterward. It’s part of their daily routine. I thought Tianyang’s dad was good, but man, the people there were way better. I was quite impressed. One thing irked me to no end though. A few of the men who were playing stared smoking in the gym. It made breathing harder for me and I had to walk away from our court just to get some air. I couldn’t believe it. I really don’t understand how you can smoke in the middle of playing a sport. One guy was puffing while playing. It was just unbelievable…

We played until 7am and went back to the same restaurant as last night for breakfast. Tong Tong was there as well, making figures with some dough and flour. I sat next to her and watched her make a man out of the dough. The arms were bigger than the body, but it didn’t matter. She smiled proudly at her masterpiece and I complimented her on how well she made the figure. I made a snowman with three balls of dough, but she quickly told me real snowmen are made from two balls. Man, she’s so fun to play with, but she had to leave for day care within 10 minutes of our arrival. I hope I’ll see her again before I leave. I’ll definitely bring my camera next time.

Tianyi, Tianyang, and I took a taxi back to the condo we stayed in last night and all fell asleep as soon as we got back. No way I’m waking up at 5am again. I think I slept from 9am to around 3pm, but I’m not really sure. My dreams were pretty crazy. I remember a car that could control time and also become invisible. I also remember being on an alien planet with colorful lush vegetation and hovering platforms. Aliens were everywhere. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a vivid and colorful dream before. Definitely odd.

I went to Gaochang’s house after I woke up to eat dumplings for dinner. I didn’t eat much because I’m not a big fan of dumplings (not very asian right?). After dinner, Gaochang, Tianyi, and I went to visit my grandma on my mom’s side (the one undergoing chemo). She was experiencing some side effects from her medication, so we wanted to go see how she was doing. She seemed to be doing quite well when we went to see her, and said “I already feel a lot better just from seeing you three.” Quite the heartwarming thing to say. Gaochang’s parents came by later and took me and Gaochang to explore Shenyang’s night time food markets. People filled the streets even at 10pm, and there were so many different food carts. The streets were alive with performers and people, and I felt so immersed in my city’s culture while walking around. Our last stop was at Carrefour, the supermarket, to buy some snacks. We bought some mung bean ice cream popsicles that I’ve been craving and ate them on the way home. They were delicious of course. Now I’m sitting here at Gaochang’s dinner table, staying up late once again to finish this update. Everyone’s asleep and I’m about to do the same. Until next time.