The Pressure of Being a Single Chinese Woman

I just read an article on BBC about China's "leftover women". Nine out of 10 guys think that women over 27 is too old to become a potential wife. These women are labled as leftovers or sheng nu. Chinese women are offended by the term sheng nu, though it's still wildly used.

Read the full article about China's "leftover women" on BBC.

In other countries, men aren't that obsessed with age as much as Chinese men do. What the Chinese consider as old is quite young to other nationalities. I guess their high regard for age can be rooted from their culture.

Chinese gives importance to bearing offsprings (especially male offsprings). It is the children's duty to light the incense of their ancestors. If they have no offprings, no one will do these stuff and the ancestors' souls will get lost. So yes, it's quite scary to be childless for Chinese couples.

January Blues

Hello everyone! I haven't been here for a while and I missed being cheerfulnuts.:) Since I got back from Christmas vacation, I've been feeling blue. Probably because of the sudden change of the atmosphere. December had been a really great month and I was kind of in denial that it was over. I thought my sadness would quickly go away, but it lingered on for the entire month. Sometimes, I would get so blue that I would burst into tears (of course I'd do this when no one is around).

I Don't Know What to Wear to a Party

Every time I receive an invitation to wedding parties or birthday parties, I get excited. Going to parties gives me a reason to doll up myself and look pretty. Plus, I get to eat delicious foods for free! Well, not exactly free, because I have to buy a gift for the host. Anyway, as the day approaches, I would start worrying about my outfit, but I would always brush my worries off and tell myself that I still got plenty of time to prepare. When the big day finally arrives, I would sit in front of the closet and stare into nothingness. Then the fact that I have nothing to wear would sink in.

That is exactly what happened to me weeks ago. We were invited to a neighbor's wedding party. My entire family has already dressed up except for me. Cold sweat started to drip down my forehead. I rummaged through my closet and tried on different sets of outfits, only to get a thumbs down from my sister. I kept telling my mom and my sister that I don't like to become a laughing stock at the party. My sister suggested me to wear the casual-looking grey dress that I have. Having not much choice, I agreed and wore it. I stepped in front of the mirror and was shocked to see my skeletal figure. I thought that I was meatier than the person staring back at me in the mirror. Where is that great figure that I thought I have? I guess that I was just imagining it after all. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that I was almost in tears. I asked my sister, "How come I'm so thin? I looked like a walking stick!" I could see that my sister was holding back her laughter. I looked pretty, my mom reassured me. But I didn't believe her because all moms think their children are pretty. My sister put a scarf on me to make me appear a few pounds heavier. We were almost late, so I gave up and left home feeling down. I wore a floral scarf around my neck. Now, I looked like a stick with a garland around it.

To make a long story short, I went home in a cheery mood. The food was so-so, but the band was great! Other guests were from middle-class families so I didn't feel so out of place. Despite the bad start of the day, I had fun at the party.

Next month, my family will attend another wedding party. Like before, I have no idea what to wear. I have a strong feeling that the same thing will happen again.

Touching Stories about Dolphins

a mother dolphin carrying its dead offspring

Many stories claimed that dolphins had saved or helped humans in some ways. There were stories about these highly intelligent creatures helping fishermen catch fish or protecting shipwreck survivors from sharks until rescue arrived. Pelorus Jack was one of these amazing dolphins. From 1888 to 1912, he would guide travellers to safety by swimming alongside their ship as it was passing through a dangerous channel to Cook Strait. On Octocber 30, 2004 in Whangarei, New Zealand, a group of lifeguards had been swimming when a pod of dolphins swam towards them.  The dolphins started circling them, which startled the four swimmers. When one of the lifeguards, Rob Howes, swam out of the circle formed by the dolphins, he saw a great white shark two meters away. It was then that he realized that the pod had been protecting them. The rescue team found them later on and brought them to safety.


In July, 2012, a video of an adult Chinese white dolphin carrying a dead baby dolphin has gone viral in the internet and was all over the news. This tear-jerking moment was witnessed by a group of people (probably tourists) at Qinzhou Sanniang Bay, a dolphin watching spot in Guangxi, China. The adult dolphin would swim under the dead baby and carry it on its back. The dead dolphin, which had a long wound on its belly, had slipped off several times from the mother’s back. The mother didn’t give up and would swim back to the sinking dolphin and replace it on its back.


I have never interacted with dolphins and have only observed them from afar in theme parks and zoos. I don’t dislike dolphins, but they aren’t my favourite animals either. That said, these stories have really touched my heart. It made me realize that even wild animals such as dolphins can sometimes think, act, and feel like humans do.

Saizen July Weekend Promo

I’m a frequent shopper at Saizen, the authorized retailer of Daiso Sangyo Corp. in the Philippines. The store offers a wide collection of high-quality items. The items range from school/office supplies, accessories, toys, to kitchen utensils, snacks, and cleaning products. If you’re not familiar with Daiso, it’s a franchise of 100-yen stores in Japan. As the name implies, Daiso sells everything for 100 yen, which is around 50 pesos (or approximately $1). However, in the Philippines, Daiso products cost a little bit higher than in Japan – 85 pesos (around $2). It’s still very affordable though. Most products are imported from China. A few others are from Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. That said, you can still find items that are made in Japan.

In my visit to the mall today, I dropped by at Saizen to buy some items for home. Despite the very low price, my bill had reached $20. The price does add up if you bought several items. After the cashier told me the total price and I got guilty (again) for buying too much, she told me I could get 2 items for FREE! I found out that Saizen is having a weekend promo for the month of July. Buy 5 items and you’ll get 1 item of your choice for free (I’ve bought 10 items). My guilt started to evaporate and I was glad to have shopped there at the right time. I just hope that I will really make use of the new things I’ve bought (and not end up hidden in the closet).

It’s Not Right: Speaking Foreign Language to Undereducated Compatriots

a cool sign I've stumbled upon on Flickr.com

While waiting for my order to arrive in a middle-class restaurant, I overheard a woman speaking to a waiter in English. I could sense the uneasiness from the waiter who clearly wasn’t knowledgeable in the language. She would raise her voice a bit, asking him if he understood her. The waiter just nodded meekly.

In the Philippines, people who speak English appear to be educated, rich, or high-class. In some families, parents speak English with their kids to help them master the language. In schools, English is the medium of instruction. Some Filipinos are used to speaking English either because of their heritage (e.g. half-American) or their environment. Unfortunately, a high percentage of Filipinos only understand basic English, and not all of them are fluent.

I could not understand why this woman had to speak English to the waiter when she was actually speaking Filipino with her family members who were with her. It was not only unnecessary, but also inconsiderate and condescending.

At work, our blue-collar workers would always complain about a certain manager of a company that we had business transactions with. She would always speak English to them. Most of our men haven’t graduated from high school. Ironically, the manager speaks Filipino with her bosses, her colleagues, and the rest of the people who are more educated than our workers.

I am very blessed to have graduated from college and to know the English language. I will try to be considerate with people who can only speak Filipino fluently.

The Japanese Remake of Ghost

1990

2010

The first time I’ve seen the Hollywood movie Ghost was several years ago. I was young then, and my first reaction about the movie was: “Wow, I want to be this guy (Sam Wheat). I want to be a good guy and go to heaven.” At that young age, I’ve lost a few good relatives. It feels good to know that death isn’t really the end of everything and good things do happen to good people.

I’ve watched the Ghost a few times through the years when it was aired on TV. It has always put a smile on my face. When I learned that a remake has been released by the Japanese in 2010, I was ecstatic (I’m a fan of Japanese movies and dramas)! The leads are Nanako Matsushima, a favourite actress of mine since childhood, and Song Seung Heon, the protagonist in the famous Korean drama Endless Love. You can read my review on Ghost: In Your Arms Again on my Asian Dramas and Movies Review blog.


Note: The photos are from Amazon.