Heavenly bastard in the sky... And guarding your personal space
There is a casual term that is used in China, which is a cross between "Oh my God!" and an exclamation of surprise/ awe/ shock..... It translate to: "Heavenly bastard in the sky!"
Considering the stormy weather in NZ, in the past two days, I would say:
"Heavenly bastard in the sky! whazz up with the weather?"
We drove to Auckland in a storm.
We expected the rain to ease, as we drove south...but no such luck...
It rained with heavy strong winds, all the way to Auckland.
Sunday early evening in Ponsonby, was not a happening time.
It felt a little sad... as the strong wind blew the fallen leaves all over the road....and the rain pounded on us, as we walked from our parked car to the Ponsonby Pub to have a beer.
A friendly waitress asks us to select our own table...
I picked the one closest to the warm fireplace.
Jules grumpily said that it is OK.... But he was not very happy to be sitting next to a dirty table, full of leftover food next to us...
I looked at him and laughed...
I reassured him that they will probably clean it soon enough,... and besides.....I reminded him that we are going to CHINA.... Where in some rural places, the method of cleaning tables, is simply wiping everything onto the floor....food, napkins, cigaret buds.... (everything to the floor, beside the chopsticks, glasses and plates)...
We ate some wonderfully fresh meals, in some seriously dirty pits....
The Belgium beer never fails to delight in this place, and the appetizers were good too...
Soto, our favorite Japanese restaurant, is closed on Sundays, but across the street, Jules spotted an open Thai restaurant.
Somehow, we managed to find the worst Thai restaurant in Auckland and had a terrible dinner.
Auckland has some GREAT ethnic foods.... Most of them are pretty good... But here everything was dry and soaking in sickening sugary sauce.
The decor was nauseating also...
Conclusion: do not expect a yummy authentic Thai food in a restaurant decorated with a dusty, aging rock n' roll- disco motif.
Today the weather is still grey, windy and drizzly.
We just had lunch at the Grand Harbour restaurant downtown by the Viaduct Harbour.
A bustling Chinese place, with a really good and fresh Dim Sum lunch.
It was also a good preparation for the disinterested service you'll get in many eateries in China....
They plop the food in front of you, and rarely remember to refresh your tea or water....
Flagging a waiter is an impossible task, and even if you succeed, they listen to your request, nod their head and never bring you what you've asked for,
The Dim Sum however, is so tasty... that it is worth the neglect and lAck of interest...
But it is NOT rudeness that is expressed by offering simple good food with a disinterested service in China.... (We only see it this way, because we are so accustomed to OUR ways....)
It is actually a reality of how busy they are, and a communal understanding, that their job is not to "baby" you....nor to nourish your soul........
You are simply there to eat a good fresh meal...
To refill your energy with needed sustenance....
To drink a warm cup of tea and eat some fresh noodles..........and for this, they do not have to take out the red carpet and put on their best smile....
Just Eat, drink, pay... Thank you.... Fuck off.... Please come again.....
In the West, we are so used to being pampered and cared for, when we go out to eat.... It is built into the system by our expectations...
I saw a show once on American TV, (I am pretty sure it was on Oprah) about how unbelievable rude people are in restaurants, and why do they behave this way......
The stories of what owners and waiters shared, and what people themselves confessed to say or do, were simply unbelievable...
The psychologist said that people are rude in restaurants, for many reasons.
Some people feel so lost that they become control freaks, and they like things done in just a precise way... And if they do not get it, they lash out on the waiter.
Others feel so neglected, unnoticed and uncared for in their lives, jobs and relationships, that they expect the places where they spend their money at, to substitute what is lacking in their lives...they crave kindness, attention, comfort....care...
In China there is a "No bullshit" attitude... It is TRULY NOT rudeness.
Another example, will be a famous custom in Tibet.
In Tibet, there is a habit of entering homes, without announcing yourself.
You do not have to knock on the door or call out to make sure your presence is known... You simply enter and no one is an intruder....
This custom is extremely lovely in my eyes...
Imagine living a life where you see no need to guard your "possessions" and where a stranger's presence, is NOT seen as a threat at all......
If he enters your home... He just needs something..,
Maybe a meal?
A cup of tea?
A place to rest?
I just read an account by an American woman who got lost in rural Tibet and could not find her friends.
She entered a home, all shivering and unable to communicate in their language.
They made her a meal and gave her a bed with an electric blanket to spend the night.
When you think of it, we have nothing REAL to protect....beside illusions...
Our personal 'secrets' are just ridiculous....
We are all humans and subject to the same human experiences, that are so commonly shared by all......the good and the bad...
What do we have to hide?
The fact that we are worried at time?...
Or scared?..... What nonsense!
In fact, 'personal privacy' and 'personal space,' in Tibet, are not "owned" or carefully guarded as they are so foolishly in the West.
When people live with a mentality of no need to guard any personal secrets........no need to hide,....
No need to 'protect' their 'private' lives,.......... then life become simpler and the soul of the individual rests easier....
Considering the stormy weather in NZ, in the past two days, I would say:
"Heavenly bastard in the sky! whazz up with the weather?"
We drove to Auckland in a storm.
We expected the rain to ease, as we drove south...but no such luck...
It rained with heavy strong winds, all the way to Auckland.
Sunday early evening in Ponsonby, was not a happening time.
It felt a little sad... as the strong wind blew the fallen leaves all over the road....and the rain pounded on us, as we walked from our parked car to the Ponsonby Pub to have a beer.
A friendly waitress asks us to select our own table...
I picked the one closest to the warm fireplace.
Jules grumpily said that it is OK.... But he was not very happy to be sitting next to a dirty table, full of leftover food next to us...
I looked at him and laughed...
I reassured him that they will probably clean it soon enough,... and besides.....I reminded him that we are going to CHINA.... Where in some rural places, the method of cleaning tables, is simply wiping everything onto the floor....food, napkins, cigaret buds.... (everything to the floor, beside the chopsticks, glasses and plates)...
We ate some wonderfully fresh meals, in some seriously dirty pits....
The Belgium beer never fails to delight in this place, and the appetizers were good too...
Soto, our favorite Japanese restaurant, is closed on Sundays, but across the street, Jules spotted an open Thai restaurant.
Somehow, we managed to find the worst Thai restaurant in Auckland and had a terrible dinner.
Auckland has some GREAT ethnic foods.... Most of them are pretty good... But here everything was dry and soaking in sickening sugary sauce.
The decor was nauseating also...
Conclusion: do not expect a yummy authentic Thai food in a restaurant decorated with a dusty, aging rock n' roll- disco motif.
Today the weather is still grey, windy and drizzly.
We just had lunch at the Grand Harbour restaurant downtown by the Viaduct Harbour.
A bustling Chinese place, with a really good and fresh Dim Sum lunch.
It was also a good preparation for the disinterested service you'll get in many eateries in China....
They plop the food in front of you, and rarely remember to refresh your tea or water....
Flagging a waiter is an impossible task, and even if you succeed, they listen to your request, nod their head and never bring you what you've asked for,
The Dim Sum however, is so tasty... that it is worth the neglect and lAck of interest...
But it is NOT rudeness that is expressed by offering simple good food with a disinterested service in China.... (We only see it this way, because we are so accustomed to OUR ways....)
It is actually a reality of how busy they are, and a communal understanding, that their job is not to "baby" you....nor to nourish your soul........
You are simply there to eat a good fresh meal...
To refill your energy with needed sustenance....
To drink a warm cup of tea and eat some fresh noodles..........and for this, they do not have to take out the red carpet and put on their best smile....
Just Eat, drink, pay... Thank you.... Fuck off.... Please come again.....
In the West, we are so used to being pampered and cared for, when we go out to eat.... It is built into the system by our expectations...
I saw a show once on American TV, (I am pretty sure it was on Oprah) about how unbelievable rude people are in restaurants, and why do they behave this way......
The stories of what owners and waiters shared, and what people themselves confessed to say or do, were simply unbelievable...
The psychologist said that people are rude in restaurants, for many reasons.
Some people feel so lost that they become control freaks, and they like things done in just a precise way... And if they do not get it, they lash out on the waiter.
Others feel so neglected, unnoticed and uncared for in their lives, jobs and relationships, that they expect the places where they spend their money at, to substitute what is lacking in their lives...they crave kindness, attention, comfort....care...
In China there is a "No bullshit" attitude... It is TRULY NOT rudeness.
Another example, will be a famous custom in Tibet.
In Tibet, there is a habit of entering homes, without announcing yourself.
You do not have to knock on the door or call out to make sure your presence is known... You simply enter and no one is an intruder....
This custom is extremely lovely in my eyes...
Imagine living a life where you see no need to guard your "possessions" and where a stranger's presence, is NOT seen as a threat at all......
If he enters your home... He just needs something..,
Maybe a meal?
A cup of tea?
A place to rest?
I just read an account by an American woman who got lost in rural Tibet and could not find her friends.
She entered a home, all shivering and unable to communicate in their language.
They made her a meal and gave her a bed with an electric blanket to spend the night.
When you think of it, we have nothing REAL to protect....beside illusions...
Our personal 'secrets' are just ridiculous....
We are all humans and subject to the same human experiences, that are so commonly shared by all......the good and the bad...
What do we have to hide?
The fact that we are worried at time?...
Or scared?..... What nonsense!
In fact, 'personal privacy' and 'personal space,' in Tibet, are not "owned" or carefully guarded as they are so foolishly in the West.
When people live with a mentality of no need to guard any personal secrets........no need to hide,....
No need to 'protect' their 'private' lives,.......... then life become simpler and the soul of the individual rests easier....
