Writers also set out rules in their essays which were to be followed when drinking alcohol.
For example, one's drinking companions should be "elegant, unrestrained, forthright, understanding, old friends or beautiful". The best places for drinking should be "in front of flowers, in the bamboo forest, in a high pavilion, in a boat, in a peaceful villa, along a zig-zag stream or by a lotus pool".
And the best time for drinking should be "spring, a time when flowers are blooming, or in cool autumn, or after snow, or on rainy days or on nights with a crescent moon".
Sunday, September 17, 2006
为我弟弟干杯
Internet twiddling led me to this entertaining article about the history of drinking in China. The best part is this:
我第一弟弟学习中文
My brother is learning Mandarin too now. Awesome! We can now tell secrets at family gatherings. Though he probably doesn't know very much yet - I bet most of the secrets will be "Uncle so-and-so is very tall." "Does he have a dog?" "No, he doesn't have a dog. Aunt such-and-such has a dog."
Oh man, I have to look up how to say aunt and uncle again. I forget words about as fast as I learn them.
Goshin jitsu is today. Joker posted on the GJ message board, speculating about whether MMA-type training is the same as hazing, along with a scanned-in copy of an article that made me want to puke. He was wondering whether all that work helps these guys somehow, or if he's actually just a big fat bully. I think whether he's a bully or not is in his head, and depends on his intentions - we're all getting something out of it, though, so if he intends to be a bully and make us unjustifiabley miserable maybe he should step it up.
There's some validity in the idea that martial arts training is kind of a rite of passage, though. It's overwhelmingly full of young men who probably find confidence in their own strength through testing it, and social acceptance in a group of other men who are doing the same thing. I admit that I also want to be liked, especially by people who are better at martial arts than me.
As for women like me.... well, there's no reason we can't want those things. Our priorities are just skewed from all the women who look for validation from other women by worrying together about their weight & looks or doing yoga together or something. Not that I don't dig yoga, it's just that in the US it's a very female activity and there's certain kinds of lady activities that surround that.
I was kind of down yesterday because I feel like everybody else improves faster at bjj than I do. Today I'm not down, I just guess I should work harder & smarter. If only I were smart!
Oh man, I have to look up how to say aunt and uncle again. I forget words about as fast as I learn them.
Goshin jitsu is today. Joker posted on the GJ message board, speculating about whether MMA-type training is the same as hazing, along with a scanned-in copy of an article that made me want to puke. He was wondering whether all that work helps these guys somehow, or if he's actually just a big fat bully. I think whether he's a bully or not is in his head, and depends on his intentions - we're all getting something out of it, though, so if he intends to be a bully and make us unjustifiabley miserable maybe he should step it up.
There's some validity in the idea that martial arts training is kind of a rite of passage, though. It's overwhelmingly full of young men who probably find confidence in their own strength through testing it, and social acceptance in a group of other men who are doing the same thing. I admit that I also want to be liked, especially by people who are better at martial arts than me.
As for women like me.... well, there's no reason we can't want those things. Our priorities are just skewed from all the women who look for validation from other women by worrying together about their weight & looks or doing yoga together or something. Not that I don't dig yoga, it's just that in the US it's a very female activity and there's certain kinds of lady activities that surround that.
I was kind of down yesterday because I feel like everybody else improves faster at bjj than I do. Today I'm not down, I just guess I should work harder & smarter. If only I were smart!
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Energy levels, excited states
I'm taking three classes this semester (3rd semester Chinese, an optics lab, and a communications signal processing course). That adds up to 12 hours, as the university counts it. I'm a 4th-year grad student, and my courseload would count as full-time for an undergrad! Is this stupid? Yes.
I do have a good reason (for the two non-Chinese classes): if I take 7 hours of applicable class per semester, I'll be done with classes after next fall. That's incentive, right there. I do not have a good reason for taking Chinese - I mean, it's useful, tons of people speak it in my department, I do think it would be fun to visit China, etc etc. But those aren't reasons on the same level as "it counts towards my degree" is a reason.
Taking this many classes, getting back into taiji, keeping up with BJJ/JKD, and hitting Goshin Jitsu once a week (I want to work on my stand-up fighting) makes me feel like I never have any down time. I never had any before, but that was because I spent a lot of time being social - White Horse Thursdays, pool at Crane Alley after BJJ Tuesday nights, lots of Settlers of Catan... I filled that time up. Now I have to empty that time out again, so I can spend it on school. It's hard saying "no, I can't go out" when I'm not used to it. I don't doubt I can make it, but it demands a slightly harder, more serious side of LV.
Oh! Also I'm volunteering (mostly - they feed us sometimes and I get a little money) as a graduate mentor for an undergraduate women engineers' mentoring & professional development class. I get to skip all the boring resume-writing and professional developing, and take ladies on tours of my lab, sing karaoke with them, introduce them to professional types that I know, and other fun big sister things. Awesome!
I do have a good reason (for the two non-Chinese classes): if I take 7 hours of applicable class per semester, I'll be done with classes after next fall. That's incentive, right there. I do not have a good reason for taking Chinese - I mean, it's useful, tons of people speak it in my department, I do think it would be fun to visit China, etc etc. But those aren't reasons on the same level as "it counts towards my degree" is a reason.
Taking this many classes, getting back into taiji, keeping up with BJJ/JKD, and hitting Goshin Jitsu once a week (I want to work on my stand-up fighting) makes me feel like I never have any down time. I never had any before, but that was because I spent a lot of time being social - White Horse Thursdays, pool at Crane Alley after BJJ Tuesday nights, lots of Settlers of Catan... I filled that time up. Now I have to empty that time out again, so I can spend it on school. It's hard saying "no, I can't go out" when I'm not used to it. I don't doubt I can make it, but it demands a slightly harder, more serious side of LV.
Oh! Also I'm volunteering (mostly - they feed us sometimes and I get a little money) as a graduate mentor for an undergraduate women engineers' mentoring & professional development class. I get to skip all the boring resume-writing and professional developing, and take ladies on tours of my lab, sing karaoke with them, introduce them to professional types that I know, and other fun big sister things. Awesome!
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