11.11

'Son, do you know what festival today is?' my father asked,as I could tell, obviously in a very joking way.

'Halaween is over but today is...?' All of sudden, I came to realize today was Nov. 11, a so- called day of 'bare sticks', a little discrimitive addressing of singles in China, especially the male ones. All right, 1 1 1 1 = bare sticks? Actually I just can't help admiring the first person, so creative to relate these two? And to joke about our bigger and bigger young population in today's China who prefer to stay free, or walk out of marriage castles ?

Finding some one to share your rest of life sounds so mysterious and incredible, and requires great courage and luck too. Or a super strong faith in it.

As parents, and older genenation, they are always worried about my status now. But they are meanwhile learning that their children are grown up and already grown beyond their control, or sometimes recongnition. They, thankfully remind less and less frequently, which make our encounters each time easier and less tense.

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A funny story

On a public bus in Hangzhou, the driver and a passenger had a bad quarrel. In the end the driver became so angry that he just pulled over his bus full of passengers by the streets and got off.

Out of the passengers one woman responded, ' if you don't drive, I will!' The driver wasn't amused, thinking it as weakest and funniest protest. He stayed off and began smoking.

This woman really sat on his seat and started the engine, and drove his bus away. Thank god, she must be very familiar with the route, after two stops, close to her home, she proudly parked at the staion and left, while the bus driver hurriedly got a cab and chased after the bus.