Life's Persistent Questions

Friday, Nov 26.

We went to the Shanghai Science and Technology Center in Pudong today. It has a pretty impressive outer structure sitting at one end of the Millinum Park. It's more like a high-tech children's hands-on museum, so... we absolutely loved it. Tried everything like a bunch of 10 years olds, which fit in perfectly with 90% of the visitors--droves after droves of elementary school kids. However, the park outside and the museum seemed to be underused on this day. The cold weather is partly to blame, but maybe also because it's a Friday.

I know I didn't have this thing back when I was a youngster--it would have been off da hook, if you know what I mean. But I remembered that I loved everything science and nauture. In danger of sounding like a show-off, or worse, geek, I was at some point in all of the following clubs at school: astronomy, geography, weather, math and computer. Hey if they had some uranium, I would have been the first to sign up for the WM... I mean, Peaceful Alternative Fuel Fource of the Future Club. I wonder if kids these days are the same? Probably. Though I'm not a big fan of kids, I have to admit been a kid is pretty awesome. A lack of solid grasp on the reality of life combined with a superficial understanding of laws of nauture can often produce a ten-year old that ponders about which would benefit the world the most--him been a theoretical mathematician or an astronuant--while thinking he's the next Jet Li at the same time.

Spent the afternoon haggling over knockoffs. I realized how invigorating it could be. And of course, how Shanghai natives drives a much hard bargain than people from outside the city. Yes, we are number one, we rule! Maybe all the people from the North hate us because they always get ripped off when they come to Shanghai, haha.

Dinner with my mom's siblings. All three uncles, and their families. Again, it strikes someone who had only seen snap-shots, years apart, of their lives in their last 14 years of lives how time has raced past everyone. Oh how the adults have added wrinkles and lightened their hair. How the children had grown from shy, awkward teenagers to confident young adults. Oh, and how some of us can get another chance after five turns through the zodiac--Michael say hi. I always have a good time with these uncles. In many ways, I hope that my presence would remind them of my mother, who I know misses them and Shanghai very much, and they the same. Perhaps one day she could spend more time with them. That's a goal of mine.

We then went to Club California (Park 97) and GuanDi. Maybe I don't know my way around Shanghai, but it seemed to me that with the up-n-downs of club scene in Shanghai, you can always count on Park 97 (go Zemans!) By comparison GuanDi seemed less than crowded. But everything was a blur. Maybe I had too much to drink. Maybe my world just gets smaller and collapses on my gf when I'm with her. What is that they say? A million fish in the ocean can't beat one in your net, or something. And boy does she know how to shake it loose. So good times as always.

posted by hedgehog @ 1:52 AM