Semester 1

Chapter XVII: New Year’s and Promises (December 25, 2016 – January 4, 2017)

This one took a little longer since two of my people from the Czech Republic paid me a visit. They left yesterday. It was cool to have some of the closest around plus I had a chance to practice a role of a guide in this city. Shanghai has been quite cold over the holidays and the pollution stays on extremely unhealthy levels. I guess this won’t get any different over the upcoming couple of weeks though – winters are apparently like that.

I tried to balance hanging out with them Czech assholes and school/work responsibilities. Last week was the most hectic one in terms of finals, final presentations and exams. I believe I have passed it all though. Even the Chinese language. Speaking of that, I was invited to participate in a 6 member feedback group formed out of Chinese language students to make some comments on the way the course was delivered. No idea why ended up among selected but it was a cool event and we were given 100 RMB for participation. Cannot get mad for that.

As for my guide responsibilities, I showed my friends some cool shit I’ve discovered since my arrival. We went to Powerstation of Art, I took them to the game night with vegan buffet, we checked M50, got a vegan brownie with some ice cream at Happy Buddha, had some veggie hot pots, ate shitton of dumplings, drank lots of beer and wine, went to some bars (and to the party in C's where my Macedonian guy did like a 6 hour set), and watched some TV shows. I even fit them into my room. They took my bed and I slept on the floor. A friend of mine lent me a mattress which turned out to be this giant king size thing… I kinda half inflated it so I could squeeze it between the wall and the bed... It was fucking awesome.

On the new year’s, we went to the top of the building I sometimes hang out with with my friends on, and shortly we were joined by a group of my classmates and their friends. Like 10 people in total. This was probably over the line, as for the first time ever, we got kicked out by a guard. I sincerely do hope we didn’t fucked up the place forever.

The city was quite quiet on the new year’s eve. We drank in a park close to South Shaanxi metro station in the French Concession when someone pointed out that midnight is happening in about 2 minutes. No people going crazy all around, no countdowns, no fireworks. We toasted for brighter tomorrows, hugged it all out and continued to Mirror to get some free booze. The club was almost empty so we had a private party with lots of vodka. Eventually, everyone went their own way and me, my friends, and a bottle for Smirnoff (which became my partner for the rest of the night) continued to the Elevator. I barely remember anything from that but we all got home safe… I’m kinda sorry we didn’t do the last night of The Shelter but as I read afterward, police managed to shut that joint down before midnight which is super fucked up as people from different cities and countries came to witness that. Oh well…

So yeah, there we have it… 2016 is over, UK is out of Europe, Trump is the motherfucking president of the USA, world is still the same shithole as it used to – now just a little closer to the doomsday. And boy, it is coming. So what do I wish for 2017? I really don’t need shit… Still don’t know what I want, where to go and how to become a fully functional human being… For others – don’t believe every bullshit you see or read cause the world is not black and white. Don’t fucking hate, don’t generalize, don’t waste your time and energy on shit that don’t make you or others happy and be aware… Be aware of what you do, what do you participate in, what do you support… Try to go to supermarkets less, try to buy less clothes and smart phones, try to eat less meat and animal products, try not to wear leather shit… It ain’t solving shit but being around people, who are aware at least of some shit, is nice… No, we won’t save our planet, we won’t stop corporations from destroying our environment, morality and souls and we won’t stop nazis getting stronger all over Europe. But till this all goes to hell, we can at least try… not to be complete assholes to each other and to the world…

Highlights:

• Went to St. Peter’s church for a Christmas service. It was so packed they didn’t let people in anymore when I arrived (like 20 minutes before the start). So no new experience there…
• The current Biennale in Powerstation of Art. One of the best installations I have ever seen. Period.
• The glass under the kitchen stove cracking during cooking. That was fucking random...