dealing with a pretty strong hangover today, and I didn't even go out last night. Need to cut down on the Scotch.
One thing that you don't see often in China but a lot of in SEA and the West: single moms. They're the bane of dating in the US, because if you filter them out your number of choices plummet. In China I can count on one hand the number I've met in two years. It's nice not to wonder if a woman has kids when you start chatting at the bar. To compare with SEA, it's also nice not to have to wonder if she's a hooker or has a penis. Abortion doesn't have a stigma here like it does in Catholic or Buddhist countries, which accounts for the difference I guess. Also the family would lose a lot of face if you spit out a bastard child.
A friend of mine married a divorced mother (a divorced mom on the wrong side of thirty is about the definition of "zero market value"). 2 months after meeting her. No one thought it was a good idea. Then he immediately got her pregnant and disappeared from the social scene like Jimmy Hoffa. perhaps he wanted all of that. Perhaps her family's guanxi is worth it. Perhaps he's happy. I don't know because I've never had a chance to ask him.
I'm having a party on Sunday for my coworkers. I haven't seen most of them outside of work, it should be a lot of fun. After that party I'm gonna have so much face it'll be coming outta my ears
. Fortunately I"ve got today and tomorrow off to prepare (a fact that really pissed off one of my coworkers, who complained that I'm the new guy and already getting weekends off and he's never gotten one).
I'm been wanting to write a short essay "how not to be a miserable expat in China", because they seem to be everywhere.