unfocused aesthetics and the irrelevant abstract

i spent this past weekend extending my asian tour into the pacific rim of paradise. i love what china has given to me so far, but after a trip into the heart of osaka and some cultural exploring in kyoto, some second guessing has been inevitable. japan has fashion; shanghai does not. now this is not a blanket statement for all of china, but shanghai undoubtedly. a night in japan offered some visually pleasing stimuli including variety:  long hair, different shades/styles of hair, designer clothes, no pajamas in the streets, and lastly- an impressive collection of tattoos. In japan, they seem to have developed the counter-culture that is absent in china. Japan reminded me of a hipster china, but in a good way. even with their strikingly different appearance, the japanese have avoided that “indifferent” attitude that often comes with the hipster generation. the japanese that i met were some of the nicest, most courteous, and polite people that i’ve come across anywhere so far (including home). with streets of people willing to practice english with you, and solid group of new friends willing to drink anywhere with you, japan left me wanting more- more japan. 

change is in the air, welcome to the new age
cw

shanghai to hong kong to johannesburg to zambia to tanzania to dubai to london to newark and back to scranton. it’s official, and my bank accounts will give a teary nod of verification on this one. if only i understood how frequent flyer miles worked. its been a mind rattling process so far, but it feels good to be homeward bound regardless of how far off it really is. just in time for me to see natalie get a bit older. in the mean time, i’ll enjoy my dreams of lions, tanzania and beaches. oh my!

but back to china which i coyly regard as the mature and grown up part of my life. its under the confides of this red flagged territory that i’ve learned to acclimate into “adulthood.” i get to pay bills, report to bosses, and even partake in some professional networking throughout one of the world’s fastest growing financial districts. still, that tends to get boring for a five day span. and for a rush of blood to the head, my weekends bring back football, bars and some exotic trip planning. professional weeks followed by spontaneous weekends strike some kind of chord with my neurological impulses and make me feel all tingly again (surgeon general’s warning: alcohol has been known to enhance the euphoric tingling in small doses)

sometimes i feel like i’m playing “pretend grown-up” here, while avoiding some of the pressing (and depressing) aspects of post-grad life. other times, i question the reality of ever finding this kind of professional opportunity in the united states. with all the freedom that i’m granted at this international school, i often find myself searching the chinese currency for some hints of e pluribus enum. i will admit that in china things like rent, car payments, insurance, and settling down aren’t even on my radar. but still, student loans, employment, and travel are all possible here while establishing some serious professional, athletic and personal relationships. these realities keep the communist country on the cusp of crashing any questions that this could be the current cozy corner for me to settle into for the time being. it’s been real and will continue to get all the more real as the following weeks progress. as my first year of full-time employment burns through these last few calendar sheets, the illusion of playing grown-up dissipates. time to get old, and enjoy myself a bit while doing it

cheers,
cw 

i’ve been noticing some change in my old man-nerisms. with this, i’m growing rather intolerant to unpleasant things. i blame this on one of two things. either i am developing a mild case of adhd, or possibly just losing patience for the frustratingly morbid. both of these can easily be shifted onto my mother for obvious blame. if it’s adhd, i’m calling hereditary inevitability. if i’m becoming a little soft in this hardened world, then mother may have taught me best. i used to pop in episode after episode of criminal minds and gorge myself with clockwork oranges. now, i find myself unable to get through larsson’s dragon tattoos and quite hesitant to check out harry potter 8 with the woman in black. instead i’ve been picking up showtime television series and breezing through young adult novels with endings to look forward to. i’m all about being a realist, but something tells me that no parent wants to send their son/daughter into a classroom where i’m psychoanalyzing their youngest loved ones. so thanks mom, i’m starting to be all pleasant and stuff. it’s your fault. 

during some “strenuous” preparation for next month’s 7th grade history material, ancient japan and the house of the rising sun are about to become a great deal more than just words and folded paper. that’s right, a mere 3 weeks more until i’m brushing shoulders another solid asian ethnicity in the one of the most entertaining centers in osaka, japan. getting out of shanghai is a change of scenery that makes my heart skip just the slightest beat. and by slightest, i mean that if i don’t get out of the city now, my life will continue to merge itself with the looming grey that smogs overhead at an unprecedented rate. so bring on the sushi, time to gag on a bit of seaweed, because mr. roboto is in the right mindset for adventure.

let’s rave,
cw