Monday, November 2, 2009

Barbeque and Abstract Art

It’s been awesome getting to know some of the other tutors as well. The other day I went to this Muslim-style barbeque place with my buddy Randall. We ordered lamb and beef on sticks that look like really long toothpicks. We also ordered thin mushrooms wrapped in tofu and Mediterranean flat-bread. The two of us sat on low stools at a table that stood no more than 12 inches from the ground. We began talking about work at the Academic Center—what sort of advice we’d given students that afternoon.

Before long, though, our conversation drifted elsewhere. Randall is an abstract artist. He showed me, once, how he takes plaster of Paris and smears it on the canvass, making neat designs and textures. He then uses spray paint, linseed oil, Windex, turpentine and random stuff like onion peels and garlic to finish his various masterpieces. As we sat on our stools eating barbeque, Randall and I speculated as to whether or not there is a potential market for abstract art in China.


Bruce's Birthday and Chinese Karaoke

My friend Bruce recently had a birthday. There was some debate about his age—whether he was turning 21 or 22—because the Chinese begin counting one’s years much earlier than we do in the west. Whatever his age, several of us went to KTV, a popular Chinese karaoke chain, to celebrate. I made a grand fool of myself that evening. We had a blast! Afterwards, Nikki and I took Bruce and Chrissy, another friend, to our favorite Chinese restaurant.