I feel really tall.....

went apartment hunting today, and the ceilings are all really low, i 
felt like a giant.  the first place we visited was tiny, the second 
place huge...they were both trashed and looked like a meth head had 
spent some quality time there....  i couldn't seem to communicate to my 
agent that i wasn't looking to live in a slum, and trying to give him a 
price was kind of a waste of time, he just ignored what i said, said 
that it was too expensive, let me show you other cheap place.  i'm still 
wondering how to combat this problem.

i went to some fairly american districts today, and i'm still amazed at 
the couples i see.  you see a big american...like 6'6", 250+ lbs, 
dressed like he just crawled out of a gutter recently....possibly an 
hour ago...stained shirt, no style, ripped up trashed jeans, lousy 
sneakers, badly in need of a shave and a shower....and on his arm is a 
very well dressed, tiny girl, 5'0", 90 lbs, wearing prada and every name 
brand you can think of....clinging to him and looking ecstatic.  i can't 
figure it out.  there's some articles written about this, they refer to 
the american as an LBH (loser back home), but, apparently, because he 
treats women so much better than the average local guy, women with money 
are going for the LBH.  it's shameful to pay to be in a relationship, 
so, instead they pay for his apartment, his clothes (they're probably 
still brand new in his closet as he hasn't changed or showered in a week 
or a month), and are happy.  it still blows my mind a little....mostly, 
i find it depressing.

it's winter here.  regardless of the fact that it's 28ºC, humid, and a 
little stifling, wear your jacket.  i think i sweat off 5 to 10 pounds 
just following this custom.  it's unfortunately something you need to do 
to be perceived as a non-target (i.e. FOB - Fresh Off Boat=Target....can 
usually be identified by wearing a t shirt, shorts, an RFID wallet 
hanging around the neck, and flip-flops...which is all summer wear, 
minus the wallet around the neck, that's just a bad idea), so, it's 
worth doing for the lack of hassle, but wow, i'm in serious need of a 
shower.  when the sun was beating down today, i saw a guy take off his 
jacket, and his kids jacket, and placed them on their heads to hold so 
that they wouldn't get a tan, so, i guess perhaps i should have done 
that....or just worn a hat...that seems like a better idea to me.

the last apartment i looked at was fantastic.  you can actually see hong 
kong from it.  the guy kept saying, that the price he was quoting wasn't 
the chinese price, so there would be no bargaining. it was on 2 levels, 
and was a little cramped, but, i think i can deal with it, if i can't 
find an agent who will actually find me a place that i want.  the 
language barrier is a little frustrating at times.  nobody can seem to 
understand why i want to learn mandarin, they think i should learn 
cantonese, or better yet?  go find a chinese girl, she'll either teach 
me mandarin, or do everything for me, so, it's perceived as a win, win.  
everybody i talk to here has the same opinion, perhaps it is in fact the 
way to go, but...i'm stubborn, i've paid, and i'm going to get fluent, 
no matter how crazy it seems.

i think it's time to find a new real estate agent who understands that 
when i say "Coco Park CBD" (CBD - Central Business District, i.e. easy 
shopping and metro access), i mean that i would like to be central and 
not living next to hong kong, which is not quite central.  i've now 
finished off the 4 bottles of water in my room, i'm going to take a 
shower and go in search of electrolytes!