Chinese Hoofers

I was planning on going to the gym this morning but instead I'm sitting here writing while a herd of 'engineers' are fixing something in my bathroom. The call I got from the front desk stated something cryptic and vague, like "The engineers are going to replace the light bulbs in your table. O.K.? Thank-you madam." Okay. I think my table is alright. I let in 3 engineers, who in turn let in 4 more engineers, 2 of which were bearing ladders. The cat is sleeping behind the couch and can't be bothered to investigate what is going on. Now, 2 more engineers are here, one with a metal suitcase and the other with some tubing. The living room has all the countertop contents of the master bath on the floor. I hear a great deal of generic noise, water running, some rapid Chinese chatter, and the sound of tools on pipes. I don't know what exactly they're doing -- routine maintenance I suppose, but it sounds like they're breaking something from the wall. Now all the engineers have left, leaving behind a tremendous mess. Thankfully the maids have just arrived.

Yesterday, I went to People's Square. I have a professional women's group event this evening and I don't want to spoil things by getting lost like I did on Monday. So, I thought I'd do some reconnaissance and see where exactly this place was. The event was going to take place at a the Radisson New World and the hotel's website stated that it was right by the People's Square metro stop. Indeed, they weren't lying. It certainly helped that the hotel is easy to spot because it's topped by a space ship (go look it up -- it really looks like a flying saucer landed permanently on top of the hotel). Next to the Radisson is the New World Shopping Center. When I got there, there was a crowd gathering outside the shopping center. In the middle of the crowd were dancers. Music was playing from a speaker system and then it stopped as a band stepped out onto a stage. I don't know what event this was or whether this is something done routinely. On stage were 3 men, one on drums, one on saxophone, and one on a keyboard.



People dancing in pairs and singly. The solo dancers seemed oblivious to the world, immersed in their own enjoyment. One older gentleman was dressed in a suit and reminded me of the Fatboy Slim's music video 'Weapon of Choice". Watch it if you have the chance. It's one of my favorite videos. I took a few short videos of the dancers, which I hope to put up on Youtube sometime. I love it. In America, if something like this happened, it would likely be with young, professional dancers and everyone in the crowd would be too embarrassed to join in, me included. I prefer to watch, though if the hoofer in the suit had asked me to dance, I don't think I could've refuse.