Excerpts from 'Breathe (2 a.m.)' - Anna Nalick

2 AM and she calls me 'cause I'm still awake,
can you help me unravel my latest mistake,
don't love him, winter just wasn't my season
Yeah we walk through the doors, so accusing their eyes
Like they have any right at all to critisize,
hypocrites, you're all here for the very same reason

'Cause you can't jump the track,we're like cars on a cable
and life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button girl,
So cradle your head in you hands
And breathe, just breathe,
Woah breathe, just breathe

There's a light at each end of this tunnel, you shout
But you're just as far in as you'll ever be out
These mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again
If you only try turning around.

2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a song
If I get it all down on paper, its no longer
inside of me, threatening the life they belong to
And i feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd
Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud
And I know that you'll use them, however you want to

Sing it if you understand.
and breathe, just breathe
woah breathe, just breathe,oh breathe, just breathe.



I've been listening to this song for about a day now. My favourite line is in the chorus 'And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table...'
There is not time to sit and wonder 'what if' in the tough world out there. You just wake up the next morning and keep fighting the day. As a friend of mine once said - "Hearts of gold - but balls of steel!"

It's 2 a.m.

Yup it's that late/early depending on the kind of sleeper you are. Strange things have happened over the last two days and none of them involve a devilish chihuahua and a pair of grey socks. (Don't ask me why I wrote that - it's 2a.m.!!)

But seriously, I did have a pretty interesting last three days. We got invited to a party at a bar called Vics - it's where all the cool people of Beijing hang out when the sun goes down. This girl was turning 21 and wanted to have a big celebration so she told all her friends to bring their friends and that all those friends should bring their friends too. Result: Crystal (Leon's girlfriend) invites Leon who invites us. I'm not at my most comfortable in a bar or disco so to be in there knowing exactly 4 people out of 50 (I think) was fairly awkward. Luckily, Peter & John had pretty much the same feelings. The birthday girl was nice enough though to come to the table where we sat and show photographs from her (yet to begin) modelling career. At this point we're thinking: "Nice that she feels like sharing something important to her with complete strangers."

About two minutes later, she returns with bookmark styled photos (copies of what she'd just shown us) and says: "Pick what you like". (Insert your own funny comment here). Lets just cut a long story short - 'humility' isnt a word in her dictionary. The cake was about the same size as the table it sat on and a short 'acceptance' speech (I want to thank God and my mother and all the members of the academy for coming here tonight!) preceeded the actual cutting of the cake. About an hour later, we were back outside the bar headed home. Thanks 'birthday girl' we enjoyed spending two minutes with you.

P.S. We brought back all the 'bookmarks' (We have many books back at the office) (She's also pretty to look at!)

P.P.S: We didnt say goodbye to the birthday girl

P.P.P.S: Despite its size, we didnt get any birthday cake!

It's been three weeks to the day, since I arrived. My learning curve has been pretty steep, especially in the language dept. I can bargain with most shopkeepers, name my favourite chinese foods (Kung pow chicken, Mushrooms and Tofu) and I can ask for Lemon Ice tea, Green tea or Cola. But most importantly, I've finally managed to tell a Cabbie how to get me home (I'll only be totally comfortable if I can do that when I'm dead drunk or half dead..!)

Leon's been guiding me around Beijing and the inevitable questions always come up to him: "Where's he from?" or "Are you his interpretor?" The first question, I know how to answer for myself in Chinese. The minute he's asked the second, the irony is almost too much to bear. "No... I dont interpret for him... HE WORKS FOR ME!!!" Unfortunately, his role as MCP puts him in this line of fire everytime he goes out with Peter or John or me. Leon my man... you'll get used to it!

Now for a Chinese joke that Leon told me this afternoon. (The translation to English is supposedly crap, but it's told with so much hope... "PLEASE DO THIS FOR US!!")

So Pierre, can you do three really big things for China?
1. Paint the great wall pink
2. Install elevators in Tibet
3. Have airplanes with a reverse gear

"Leon, I'm afraid to say, I can't do any of those."

"The Pierre, can you do three small things for China?"
1. Make flies wear gloves
2. Put muzzles on those damn mosquitoes

But if you still can't do any of these.... can you atleast...
Make the bugs in our apartments wear condoms!

China's Shopping Spree...

The news channels here are flush with the latest stories of which Chinese company is the latest in staking its claim in the US market. A little under a year ago, no one besides the Chinese had heard of Lenovo. Today, anyone who hasn't heard of it's $1.25 bn purchase of IBM's PC division has either been hibernating in a cave or was on a manned mission to Mars.

Of late another 'giant killer' story have been doing the rounds.

Haier (yes, It is Chinese!!) has made a bid on Maytag, the third largest home appliances company in the US. Its worth - $1.28 bn!! Apparently Haier will use the same strategy as Lenovo to get in and have its share of the massive consumer economy in the US. Buying out a huge reputation, use the brand, make profits and then slowly evolve it to integrate the products into it's own stable.

But the biggest giant killer story of them all... for now atleast, is the story of one China National Offshore Oil Corporation. Everyone knows about China's thirst for oil and its need to build up reserves. So this latest battle seems even more ominous. It's not about showing money muscle any more, it's about long term survival of an economy. CNOOC recently bested ChevronTexaco's bid for UNOCAL by 10%. The bid now stands at a whopping $20 bn! The result - ChevronTexaco's shares fell by 56 cents that day.

I guess I'm just lucky to be around right now. While this country takes over the world through economic imperialism, I've got myself a ringside seat.... and the show's only just getting started!!

Incoming Messages..

So I thought that India is the only country where politicians willingly spend Rs.100 million on campaigns to flood everyone's SMS inboxes with promises of great prosperity in return for the favour of a single vote. Here's further proof to the argument that it doesnt matter which country you're from, nothing is beneath the lowest of politicians! ;)

Extracts from a Reuters News story:

In the build-up to Friday's run-off between pragmatic cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and hardline Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, it is certainly Rafsanjani supporters who are circulating the better jokes.
Many of the text messages masquerade as directives from a newly elected President Ahmadinejad.
"Ahmadinejad announces his ministries: ministry of the veil, ministry of censorship, ministry of the Revolutionary Guard, ministry of religious paramilitaries."
Another text message refers to a Tehran traffic directive that allows cars with license plates ending in odd numbers into the city center on one day and those with even numbers the next day.
"The odd/even directive is being expanded to have one day when women can go out on the street, while men are allowed out the next day," it reads, mocking a conservative preference for segregation of the sexes in public.
The official IRNA news agency reported that Ahmadinejad's campaign team was furious with the insulting messages and that Tehran's conservative prosecutor's office would crack down on messages that offended candidates.

May the best man (or joker) win!

Nightswimming

We decided to try out the pool at the club near our home last night. It's been calling us each time we pass: "Enter if you have possess a six-pack". The sign also says 'Full Bottom' for what is ostensibly a foot massage. Dont ask me why but direct translations from Chinese to English usually end up saying "more" than they intended to.

Now we arrive at the club house all excited about using our new membership card - punch in the authorisation key and get they keys to our lockers. Right as we enter the changing rooms - staring me in the face, are a group of stark naked, middle aged, men showering after their swim. Now call me old fashioned, but I think that it's just my naturally prudish Indian culture. Sights like these, they're rare from where I come from, so my first reaction is to look away, half out of defference for Mr. Chang's family jewels and half from sheer "Oh my God! I can't really be here!!"

The swim itself was SOOOO refreshing. I've been swimming since I was six but several non-swimming years in the middle caused me to grow a gut the size of a mini beer keg. So now as a friend told me online last night, is the time I get back to my old lean, mean self. :) I did a little less than a kilometer I think.

I wanted to make sure that I'd allowed the last of the Chinese Middle-aged Streakers Association to finish their business and get on with their pants. Unlucky me. I think that they'd all settled down to a nice round of 'cigarettes in the buff' right in the middle of the locker room. I vaguely recall comments that included 'laoi' (foreigner) and i'm sure -other not so flattering comments. I wasnt hanging around to confirm any of them. I was equal parts embarassed, exhausted and sore to bother too much.

My whole body hurts this morning.

If you guys want to know what a true nomad's life is like - check out Ralph (Delphy's) blog!! I've got a link somewhere down the right. The guy's been upto all sorts of stuff! Dodging tigers, drinking with strange homeless men, getting massages, 6 hour bus rides through rural China - way to go Delphy!! Man.. if only we could join you!

Cheers dude!

Bringing up the past...

We spent the nights at team days watching the presentations each of us had sent in to introduce ourselves at the April conference - more getting to know everyone!We also looked at pictures from old international conferences - with some R.E.M. playing in the background for effect. Looking at all the people we've met along the way, trying to remember the names and the moments we'd spent together and wondering when or if we'd ever see any of them again. Sadly though, its something I've grown accustomed to in AIESEC over the last four years. I've made many friends here and knowing that some of the relationships are little more than transient ones makes you want to be more cautious about how you choose your friends. Almost immediately though, the only way you move on is by spending time getting to know everyone you come across a little better - its how you stay sane - it's how AIESEC remains beautiful.
The song playing right now is "A Message" by Coldplay - so here's one to everyone I've met before and may or may not meet again. If you read this - let me know how you're coming along by leaving a comment. If you read this and share the same feelings I do - leave a comment. AIESEC's a small world - someone somewhere, you know may be connected in some way to this blog. :) Have a great week ahead.

Where it all started..

There's a few things I really enjoy and this weekend we managed to fit in a ton of them! Officially, the weekend was meant for the AIESEC MoC MC team to bond and begin the initial phase of transition and planning. Unofficially this meant a lot of fun getting to know everyone.
Beginning with the usual personal sharing on Friday morning, we stepped out of the hotel for lunch. Being the total foodie that I am, I managed to devour as many mushrooms, bits of doufu, beef and other assorted chinese dishes as possible until Leon announced that as part of the whole bonding business, we were going to climb the hill that was about a kilometer away. My stomach hit the breaks - I'm not what you'd call supermodel thin as it is and the thought of hauling my weight and all the food I'd just ingested ingested was paralysing. Worse still - since I had packed so carefully before leaving, the climbing equipment I was left with was a pair of bathroom slippers! (Great job wiseguy!)
Needless to say, we made it up... eventually but by the time I'd hauled myself over the last step, I was drenched in sweat & completely out of breath. So much for my planned weight loss program!

The view from the top though was fantastic and we spent about thirty minutes up there before making our way back down. I have to admit, we had some great conversations all the way up - about where we saw AIESEC China one year from now, about mountain climbing, about clear blue skies (Beijing has 3 days of them every 4 years) and about how getting into better shape is now a first rate priority for the team!