Culture, Ritual and Literature
High Table Dinner #2 was today. Similar to the first. As a courtesy to the veggies they had the restaurant make them salads- fruit salad with some sort of dressing that was almost definitely mayonnaise (which Alli can't eat). Aside from the dietary issues with that, watermelon, honeydew and strawberries in mayo just isn't that good. The rest of the food was sort of so-so, but nothing with its heads still attached, so that was nice.
We were once again excused from the hall meeting as our hall leader (Chloe) is apparently incapable of holding the meeting in english. All in all better than on Anna's floor though, where they require her to attend and still speak in Cantonese.
I totally forgot to tell the story of Valentine's amusement the other day so I'll tell you now. The other night we were chillin’ on the roof and heard some ruckus in the street below. We observed from the roof the most horrifying ritualistic events ever. There were two groups, one boys, one girls, gathered together. The boys were in wide circle, kneeling on the ground and all holding bouquets of flowers. The girls were standing a few feet off.
The guys would come to the center of the circle one at a time, take a knee and offer the flowers to one of the girls (or so it seemed, we couldn’t really hear from 15 floors up). The girls would then all squeal and sometimes jump up and down and one would come forward and either accept or reject the man. It was hilarious. It seemed very dramatic and also it seemed if the guy was rejected he’d try again.
So this excitement went on for about 10 minutes when two cops show up on motorcycles (which seems to be the primary cop transportation round these parts) and broke up the party. We are assuming there was a noise complaint or something. After all offering yourself to women in the most humiliating, ritualistic way possible isn’t illegal.
Finally, I’d like to mention that I finished Vanity Fair today. I’ve been working on that bad boy since before Christmas with a relatively small level of commitment- despite the fact that I utterly loved it. I can now say with authority that the movie starring Reese Witherspoon butchered the spirit of the novel (in the most Hollywood way possible). Also that Thackeray may be my new favorite author. The book is written with such informality and honesty. Even the rambling, ranting bits are sort of heart-felt in their bitterness and they are so logical in a stream-of-consciousness way.
Well, I guess what I’m getting at is you should all read it. It’d be like Abby’s Book Club. I’d be bigger than Oprah in the reading club department. To keep you on track I’m starting Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand by Leonard Peikoff tomorrow.
That is All. Go Away.
Abby
We were once again excused from the hall meeting as our hall leader (Chloe) is apparently incapable of holding the meeting in english. All in all better than on Anna's floor though, where they require her to attend and still speak in Cantonese.
I totally forgot to tell the story of Valentine's amusement the other day so I'll tell you now. The other night we were chillin’ on the roof and heard some ruckus in the street below. We observed from the roof the most horrifying ritualistic events ever. There were two groups, one boys, one girls, gathered together. The boys were in wide circle, kneeling on the ground and all holding bouquets of flowers. The girls were standing a few feet off.
The guys would come to the center of the circle one at a time, take a knee and offer the flowers to one of the girls (or so it seemed, we couldn’t really hear from 15 floors up). The girls would then all squeal and sometimes jump up and down and one would come forward and either accept or reject the man. It was hilarious. It seemed very dramatic and also it seemed if the guy was rejected he’d try again.
So this excitement went on for about 10 minutes when two cops show up on motorcycles (which seems to be the primary cop transportation round these parts) and broke up the party. We are assuming there was a noise complaint or something. After all offering yourself to women in the most humiliating, ritualistic way possible isn’t illegal.
Finally, I’d like to mention that I finished Vanity Fair today. I’ve been working on that bad boy since before Christmas with a relatively small level of commitment- despite the fact that I utterly loved it. I can now say with authority that the movie starring Reese Witherspoon butchered the spirit of the novel (in the most Hollywood way possible). Also that Thackeray may be my new favorite author. The book is written with such informality and honesty. Even the rambling, ranting bits are sort of heart-felt in their bitterness and they are so logical in a stream-of-consciousness way.
Well, I guess what I’m getting at is you should all read it. It’d be like Abby’s Book Club. I’d be bigger than Oprah in the reading club department. To keep you on track I’m starting Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand by Leonard Peikoff tomorrow.
That is All. Go Away.
Abby
posted by Abby-Wan Kenobi at 8:19 AM
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