Time for another kick axe haircut, this one being even cheaper at 80, about 10 bucks (I have no idea why), and even better than last time.   I’m getting spoiled here.

After that, I decided to go all out (for me) and enjoy the rest of the evening before heading back in to do some more work, so I went down to the caffe and talked to Sandro and the waitresses.   This time, I had them talk to me only in Chinese (not Sandro), unless, of course, I had to ask how to say something.   That’s good practice.   I had a salad, some white wine, and some excellent pasta.   I finished off the dinner with some tang yuan which is the traditional dessert on this final day of the Chinese New Year season.   Theyre these little balls made from sticky rice with a gritty blueish black sweet substance in the middle.   They’re served in sweetened water.   They are supposed to help bring happiness and prosperity.

Again, there were fireworks tonight, but with more frequency.   Someone told me of a party not far from where I live, but now it’s pretty late and I need to go do some more work to prepare for tomorrow.

I’d only heard a little bit about Chinese opera, and from what I heard, I suspected it wouldn’t be easily endured by my ears. Well, coming out of the subway to the environs of Mix City (can never remember the Chinese name of the exit), I heard the caterwauling of Chinese opera. The sound is most identifiable from the female – high-pitched nasal shrieks accompanied by a small orchestra of Chinese instruments. By the time I got in a good position to shoot some cheap video with my camera, the woman had finished. So, I captured a man singing…still entertaining, and easier on the ears:

More shots of buildings (right across the street from the operatic singing):