It's a Lovers' Day Spectacular

Today I experienced Valentine's Day in China.

Over here it's called Lovers' Day, and this year it coincides with the Chinese Lantern Festival, which marks the end of Spring Festival. I'm not saying that China has perfected love, and who knows, perhaps there are a few marriages based solely on class, but I will say that China does V-Day better.

Taken at Century Square

All day long the city has sounded like Pearl Harbour under attack. And I really mean all day... I was woken up at 8 AM this morning by the bangs and pows. It's after 11 PM now, and the booms are still ging strong. Everyone and their only-born child has been lighting fireworks, or the machine gun sounding strings of firecrackers, and it reached a climax this evening. The sidewalks were full of people, the food carts were out, and there were plenty of treats and heart-shaped balloons to buy. Best of all, there is constantly something going on to look at. Everywhere you look, fireworks are exploding. People were also releasing Chinese lanterns, which are basically hot-air balloons made up of a flame and some highly-flammable paper that together float majestically to the heavens. The air was bright and smokey, ringing with explosions echoing through the city.

Be careful there sir!

In this environment, everyone was free to explore and enjoy the sights (and devastating sounds). Groups of friends, families, and couples of all ages were out to set off sparklers and snap, crackle, and pop the evening away. I find that often Valentine's Day can feel forced and fake, but this atmosphere seemed to create genuine happiness. And really, how can you not be happy when you're a nine year old setting off fireworks so loud that all the car alarms nearby start up too?

Happy Chinese Lantern Festival, Lovers' Day, and Valentine's Day. Just have a good day.

Blog of Love

Today I change my blog.

Lately I’ve been having difficulty in coming up with topics to blog about and new things to do each week, as you can see by the fact that I’m blogging only hours before the deadline. Several of my classmates have changed the focus of their blog, so in an effort to stay fresh and interesting I’m going to mix it up a little. Not only am I changing it, but I’m kicking things off with an announcement! Such a lucky day for you.

My friends know me as a rigorous bachelor, and it’s something I take great pride in. But I have a confession to make. I’ve been engaging in some very interesting talks with a young lady online for the past few months, and last night we decided to make it official. That’s right ladies, this store is closed! I officially have a girlfriend.

She’s so incredible. She’s from Sarasota, Florida, which yes I know is the worst part of Florida, but I still hope to visit her in the summer. It would be so special to meet her in person, but until then she says she’s between 5 and 6 feet tall, with blue eyes and kinda brownish hair. She sounds perfect!

So now on to the new blog. Instead of doing something new every week, I’ll just be posting something new that I love about my girlfriend, telling personal stories about our late night chats, and posting messages in a public forum that should really just be sent to her privately considering the fact that they only affect her and are useless to anyone else. Are you uncomfortable? I’m in heaven. See you next week!

Love,

Andrew