In Shanghai

[petronia]

By way of Narita and five hours late courtesy of Continental, who overbooked their flight by an entire tour group. It's called arithmetic, guys, it'll be on THE EXAM OF LIFE. On the bright side there were free whisky samples at the Duty Free and Japanese bathrooms in which to perform one's post-16-hour-flight ablutions, which go a long way to take the edge off. They also gave me a coupon for basically the value of my flight, in case I decide I want to visit Japan for real sometime next year as opposed to the airport.

While on the plane I watched Tropic Thunder, The Vulture (a terrible Japanese movie about corporate takeovers that I'm 97% sure was based on seinen manga, which was of interest in that I find I watch a lot of films nowadays to find out what stories societies tell themselves about their identity and role in the world at large, particularly when said stories are not made for export the way festival-circuit movies tend to be), and Broken Embraces. You know, the thing ppl don't say about Almoldovar is that he makes having kids seem great. XD You totally want to pop out babies so you can have an awesome relationship with your awesome artistic gay son years down the line, as long as he doesn't die of drugs or a car accident or something.

I'd forgotten convenience store booze in Asia is, well, geared toward Asians. To wit, I am drinking a grapefruit-flavoured seltzer to which the makers have helpfully added a whopping 3.5% alcohol. Luckily the parents have a bottle of Johnny Walker in the fridge, rolling, ten bucks say they didn't buy it themselves.

Comments

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

My cousin's husband co-wrote Tropic Thunder. ^^b

What's this about Japanese bathrooms?

[petronia.livejournal.com]

I remember that! XD I enjoyed it a lot, actually, some really apropos casting.

Japanese public bathrooms have private stalls and bidets and shelves to put your things while you freshen up and smooth your frazzles.

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

Niiiice.

I read Zero History yesterday, and there was a part about British WCs actually being closets with doors you could shut behind you. I don't remember anything like that - but I was mostly in the big tourist areas in London (where the only difference from American public bathrooms is that you pay a small fee, and the stalls are much much cleaner) and at hostels (which were a maybe little bit more private than gym locker rooms, but I assumed that was because there were people living there).

[two-if-by-sea.livejournal.com]

I laughed really hard when I got to the grapefruit flavored seltzer sentence. Asia, never change.

[petronia.livejournal.com]

I think I shocked the Japanese shopgirls handing out whisky samples, dying - I was all like Oooh *shotguns*

[uminohikari.livejournal.com]

At least you got a free flight out of it...

[petronia.livejournal.com]

Very true! At least they got us onto the Japan flight at the last minute (really - they had to hold the plane for us), I would have been way more pissed if I had to stay overnight in Newark. XD;