Tree Branches and Trickery

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Well, Jenny’s Bachelorette Party was a great success. It was mostly another KTV excursion with a few familiar faces – but it was exactly what Jenny wanted, and a good time was had by all.

You may recall an entry from a few months back where I posted photos of Jenny, Blade and me hiking around Linying Temple. Please feel free to express confusion at the fact that the photos of the woman pictured here are also labeled “Jenny”… and here’s why:

Those of us still working for the Mouse arrived casually late to the KTV party. We walked in to find three lovely ladies already singing their hearts out – namely, Amy, Summer and some new girl I’d never met before. I figured Jenny had brought a friend, and why wouldn’t she? It’s her party… So, I hugged Amy, high-fived Summer and found myself a cozy place to sit. The lovely new girl gracefully and graciously came over to offer me a glass of water, and I charmingly accepted. Finally, after about 15-20 minutes of no one introducing me and no sign of my Jenny, I leaned over to one of the other Westerners and made the obvious inquiry: “Hey… where’s Jenny?” My friend casually chuckled and teased, “yeah, where is that tramp? It’s her party… where could she be?” and she continued giggling. Another Westerner pointed at the lovely new girl and said, “That’s Jenny, brainoid.” You would not believe the shock I felt in my stomach… not because I had mistakenly not recognized my own friend, but because it dawned on me that there is more than one Jenny and that I’ve been thinking that the wrong Jenny is getting married all this time and I here am at some girl’s party that I don’t even know and here I thought I was hosting this thing being the Maid of Honor and all and this is someone else’s party… maybe not even Jenny’s bachelorette party, but this other Jenny’s birthday party and oh my god how did I end up here???!!!! What an idiot I felt like!

Okay, okay, okay. So… luckily, that is not the case. No, I do have the right Jenny and this party was indeed the bachelorette party that I, myself, was hosting for my friend Jenny whom I know and love. But see, my Jenny went to a cosmetologist today to experiment with hair and make-up for the big day… and my God! A little up-do and a spot of make-up, and our cute little Jenny becomes a Chinese Empress. She is unrecognizably stunning!! I absolutely could not believe it – and WOULD not believe it… until Jenny’s voice shouted across the room in her usual, obnoxious tone: “Ahhh, Jessaaaaayyyyyy!!! Why are you teasing maaaaayyyyyy???!!” My jaw literally dropped and, among several profanities, I expressed my surprise that this was indeed Jenny. Wow. I am looking forward to what they come up with for the actual wedding!!



Anyway…



So, in other news… That’s not the only ounce of Chinese trickery that has befallen me this week. Let it just suffice for me to say that if you should ever receive a text message in a foreign language that asks you to send money to an unfamiliar account number – for the love of God, do not send money to that number. That is all I have to say about that.

Okay, no it isn’t. I have more to say.

See, I did stupidly fall victim to a very obvious fraud trap. I did that. There is no denying it. However, I had many, many reasons for believing this trick. Namely, my landlord has switched my deposit number multiple times, and has previously attempted to contact me via text as well. I literally had every reason to believe this text message requesting that I change the account number again. The very lucky thing (as I am learning to see the positives in every situation these days) is that I had a very stupid conversation with my real estate agent and my landlord (and Sara… of course…) wherein the terms of my contract were up for debate. There was a disagreement as to the due date of my rent. Now, in China – rent is paid in three-month chunks, in advance. That’s a hefty amount of money. However, due to this discussion, we settled on a compromise that I pay only one month’s rent now, and two more months later. So, this little hooligan with his text message shenanigans did find himself one-month’s rent richer… but I did not find myself three-months’ rent poorer. Thank every deity in the sky for that one.

So, between not having paid three-months’ rent to this stranger and the fact that I am not hurt, sick, lost, dying, or without the ability to move any of my limbs… I’d say that that situation turned out as good as it could have. It could have been worse. Not to mention, that day spent at the police department posed a serious bonding opportunity for Sara and myself that was beyond any that we’ve had to date. Nothing says true loyalty like a person who is able to listen to you insult them in as many hurtful ways as you can think of through your frustration, and still be - not just around, but patting you on the back at the end of the day. Bless the woman’s soul – I wouldn’t be whole without her over here. She’s a freaking rock. While I won’t say that I bring nothing to the table, I do feel that I have a lot to learn from her. Just don’t tell her I said that J I wouldn’t want it going to her head. But the fact is, a lot of positives came out of that stupid moment – and it is very important that I acknowledge and embrace that fact.

I am still a believer in things happening for a reason. I am not certain of where those reasons stem from or to what end they are heading… but I am a believer in a sense. There are people that I have had in my life that have undoubtedly been there for a purpose. There is not a person in my history that I have met without having learned something from that encounter. There is not a decision in my history that I have made that has not opened up to the next leg of my life path. I tend to see life paths as a tree, rather than a road; each branch splitting off into a variety of other branches, dotted with blossoms and Autumns along the way. Sometimes life, if you ask me, really is a matter of being able to see the forest for the trees: This interconnected series of life paths all growing next to each other out of the core called Earth, and returning to it to bring light and life to the next series of paths.

China, somehow, is starting to teach me the meaning of a sagacious phrase that I – at one time – could not wrap my head around: “What does it matter?” There is a beauty to being a single tree within a forest. And understanding that one month’s rent is really insignificant in comparison to a clearly-fated friendship (which is also insignificant in the grand scheme, unless you choose to follow the Chinese philosophy of Yuan Fen under which the fated friendship IS the grand scheme… hmmm… decisions decisions) is indeed a great comfort.

And with that, I find myself ready to sleep! Have a terrific Saturday, y’all. It’s a pretty good one!

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Photos

KTV
Summer, Jenny, Sara, Liz, Amy and Queena

KTV
(In my defense, the flash was really bright and we didn't get a second try...)
Me, Summer, Liz, Sara, Jenny, Amy, Queena and Annie