TCS, I'm bummed.

So my summer internship at The Container Store's corporate office is a no-go. I got the official word from Karyn, the recruiting director, today via email. I emailed her last week to see if there was an update, but unfortunately it wasn't the update I was hoping for. Trying to be positive... I'll might get to stay in Austin this summer instead of working in a city where I have no friends/boyfriend. I pray that my work in Austin won't be retail. If it is, I might be bitter.

F. I'm bitter now! If someone from TCS reads this, I don't care. Marketing departments haven't quite figured out that marketing majors work their ass off (for next to nothing$) just like the accounting and finance kids. No difference between us and them-- we just have more artistic flair!

And now I'm in the middle of studying for my last midterm. Our presentation and skit in Women's Movement went well today. Yes, we did a skit. We had signs, props, and a narrator and it was great. All five minutes of it. The locals laughed at the funny parts which is always a good sign. The Q&A at the end was a little awkward, but we didn't have to pull teeth to get answers. Oh, and Helen (the TA) and I are so close. Almost BFF. Well, maybe she would disagree. We're at least on a first-name basis and we say hello when we see each other on campus. Anyway, with Helen on our side, I'm sure we got a decent grade.

Oh, and today during lunch I picked up a small Hong Kong magazine to go alongside my turkey sandwich and banana. Inside was a 4-page spread on hairdressers in Hong Kong. I was THIS close to scheduling a haircut. I might hold out until I come home, but don't be surprised if I give in for the sake of feeling fresh 'n' summer-y.

Speaking of summer-- it was SO warm today! It's just around the corner!

Ta ta ta-day!

Whew! I survived both of my midterms today, but my right hand is barely hanging on. Too much furious writing on those tiny one-arm auditorium desks. Oh, and just my luck... the girl behind me during my marketing exam smacked her gum for the entire two hours. In an auditorium with a seating capacity around 250, I had to sit near her?!! I never said anything, but I'd continually turn around and give her one of "those" looks.

I'm working on my patience.

Before my first class this morning, I got to talk to Cindy and my dad-- which is always lovely. Dad makes jokes about China and I laugh. I think he still wonders why I'm over here. Nonetheless it was good to hear his voice.

From Kristin's last message it sounds like Kat brought home her new dog named Pip. Kat if you're reading this... Jesus! Email me sometime. For all I know you could have fallen into a well and everyone's telling lies that you're still alive. But I wouldn't exactly know because I haven't talked to you since JANUARY. Plus, I want to see pictures of this new man I'll be living with.

The only other moderately exciting news today was that Jen applied for our Vietnam visas today while I was running around being examined. Except when she got downtown, the man said they wouldn't be ready to pick up until Thursday-- the day we leave. She looked at him and said, "What?! No. Sir, just one day earlier, please!" He laughed. "Only if you pay $500HK to have it expedited will it be ready before Thursday." Jen, "But I don't have $500HK." He laughed again. Now she's pissed. She pulls out her credit card, but he just stands there and says, "We don't take credit cards." Shit.

Jen's working on patience too.

No big deal. I'll get them Thursday morning before class and we'll be good to go for our flight Thursday night. I think when I get to Vietnam, I'll feel more connected to Forrest Gump. Jen can be Lieutenant Dan.

Forrest: "They're sendin' me to Vietnam... it's a whole 'nother country."

Reading again

Since I have enormous amounts of free time (compared to life in Austin), I've gotten the chance to read more. You know, like the kind of books that should be read simply because you WANT to read them?! I finished Middlesex, most of Freakonomics (a few years late) and now I've started the wonderful Eat, Pray, Love. Last night I finished the first third on Italy. Maggie, I thought of you the whole time! Well, maybe not the whole time. In Italy she had to deal with depression, loneliness, and the official end of a relationship. But the rest sounded completely delightful! Now onward to two places I likely won't get to visit during my time here-- India and Indonesia. Who knows?! Still one more trip to go after Vietnam!

If I could figure out how to connect to people like Elizabeth Gillbert does in Eat, Pray, Love, I could make a lot of money. Even better than that, I would never be alone.

Oh yeah...

... I finally booked my flight home from Hong Kong to Houston. I land in Humble at 7:20pm on Saturday, May 31. That means I should be in Austin soon after that. It's not exactly Paris, but I'll be just as happy (if not more) to be in Texas.

In need of repair

I need a pedicure. I use the word 'need' to suggest that that my health, rather than my happiness, is dependant upon me getting a pedicure. As far as polish goes, both of my big toes have a jagged splash of color that begins 1/4" from the cuticle. Oh, and the other eight toes? They've decided to go au naturale. Or maybe I should say they've shed their coats in favor of air and sunshine; they're happier, but I'm not. I just have ugly-looking toes.

And the general condition of my feet is a cross between a hobbit (minus the hair) and a reptile (minus the green color). My decision to only wear tennis shoes in the gym is evident in the subtle, painless blisters and discolored markings along the sides of my feet. The most remarkable lines across the top of my feet tuck neatly between my first and second toes, as if to highlight my nail polish neglect. I can thank my Rainbow-brand flip flops for those lines. The other markings stay well hidden when my shoes are on. My shoes are good at keeping secrets.

The closest thing I've come to foot therapy in Hong Kong was a foot massage in Thailand. Even then, the young Thai woman looked frightened when I took off my shoes. It was like the time I ate mysterious crab dip in high school and broke out in thousands of hives-- to the point that I almost had hives on hives. I went to the family clinic near my house and as soon as I removed the beautiful green paper gown I was afraid the doctor would leave a human-shaped cutout as he escaped through the door. Luckily, there was no door for the Thai masseuse to run though. She calmly got up, got a warm bucket of soapy water and tried to wash off my flip flop lines. Much to her astonishment, they didn't come off. I half-smiled and shrugged my shoulders. For the next 30 minutes we both tried to ignore the condition my feet were in.

The only thing between me and happy/healthy feet are three midterms and a trip to Vietnam. I might even add a few tan lines to my feet in Ho Chi Minh City. Then the polish will look really good and divert attention away from those blisters. After that I might even consider reflexology. And I can rest assure the reflexologist won't run.

Sevens Mania!

Before I write anything else about my spring break in China, I have to tell you about last weekend in Hong Kong. Luckily, Mom and George got a small taste of the Rugby Sevens when we had dinner the last night in Central. Ok, so Rugby Sevens (aka Hong Kong Sevens) is an annual tournament that brings huge numbers of fans to Hong Kong. Instead of a 15-a-side game with 40 minute halves, this tournament is only 7-a-side (on the same sized pitch) with only 7 minutes in each half. Don't worry they get a 1-minute halftime to rest. The drastic change in speed supposedly makes for really exciting games. I didn't get to see any actual games, but the after parties were enough to give you a feel for the tournament. Not to mention, I don't know much about rugby, so the 7 minute halves might have seemed like the normal 40.

In Hong Kong, the tournament turns into a big costume party. Jen and I went to Wan Chai on Saturday night, had dinner at Outback (Steven would have been a better waiter than the one we had) and enjoyed some of the best foreign people-watching of the semester. We walked up and down the street only stopping to get a cheap beer at the 7-11. Please keep in mind we don't know any of these people; they were just entertained by other people wanting their picture.






We finally ended up at a Mexican bar called Coyote because they had live music and it wasn't unbearably crowded. We managed to find two seats (so lucky!), but before we even got our drinks we were "attacked" by an 60-something retired jockey about 4'9" tall. Ok, maybe he hit 5-feet on a good day. Saturday night was not his good day. See for yourself.

He introduced himself by asking Jen if she would be his girlfriend. Then he turned to his left and did the same to me. Of course we couldn't stop laughing! After looking around, we finally got the attention of some guys who had been "hanging out" with Ross before we got there (and that's when we found out his name and his Australian jockey background). Apparently he hadn't had a drink in a few hours, but that didn't matter. He just wanted to hug everyone, dance, talk (right in your face), etc. We even got special invitations to meet him the next morning to go gamble in Macau. Jen's invite was illegibly written on the back of a coaster. It somehow wasn't annoying because he was the best entertainment we had had all evening.

What was also nice was that we got to talk to people from the states-- one of whom was from Kansas which made for good March Madness trash talking. The free drinks he provided weren't bad either! They were giving away cowboy hats, so Jen and I felt the need to have two each. Somehow we only made it home with one a piece. ???

Ross, it'll be a while before I forget you. Meanwhile, you've probably forgotten everything... or never remembered it the next morning.

The night was simply TO GOOD (minus the fact that Jen felt terrible the next day). After Mom and George left that morning, I was feeling really homesick. Our night in Wan Chai, thanks to Rugby Sevens, was just what I needed to remind me how great Hong Kong can be.

Interesting Tidbits

Random things I heard/learned/experienced today...

• I downloaded a podcast for a pilates workout from PilatesOnFifth.com. I tried a new plank move this morning and about busted my face on my dorm room floor. Too bad everyone missed it. I ended the workout 4 minutes short because of my lack of balance.
• In Austin: I found out that my roommate Kat might be getting a little dog named Pip. Good news/bad news? Not sure yet.
• Also in Austin: Jenn got an internship, but didn't tell me! Now I'm shouting from the rooftops-- or at least this page. Congrats!
• I just got an email that said the library will be closed for the Ching Ming Festival on Friday. It's a holiday to honor your ancestors and sweep their graves (among other things). I guess I'll have to make my way to a cemetery since I "can't" study.
• Printed in the China Daily: After reading the newspaper this afternoon I found out that the penalty for stealing over 100,000 yuan ($14,200) in China from a financial institution is life in prison or death. There was a story printed about a man who stole 175,000 yuan from an ATM who had his sentenced reduced on the grounds that the machine was faulty. Conveniently printed right below that story was another about two former bank employees just executed in Hubei for their heist. Don't worry-- I'm not robbing anyone soon. Just thought it was interesting.
• Also interesting: In Hong Kong there are laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender. There are no laws that mention age discrimination.
• In discussing divorce in Women's Movement, the class audibly gasped when I said the divorce rate in the US was hovering around 50%. Our professor couldn't give an estimation on rates in China or HK. Maybe it's lower because of all the affection and canoodling (right, Mom).
• I'm tired of wearing my hair in a ponytail because of the rain and humidity.
• I temporarily lost my wallet in the dining hall. It was returned promptly to the Security Center. When I went into the office, I saw two men staring at the 20+ monitors on the left wall. I then realized that they pretty frequently (if not constantly) monitor the elevator cameras. I immediately started laughing. The very nice English-speaking guard quickly asked, "Why are you laughing?" I said, "Ha! Well, let's just say you've probably enjoyed watching me dance in the elevators a time or two." Dear iPod, thanks for the embarrassment.