Back to the Future (or "Day Zero")

[This was written a few days ago, but I just never got around to
posting it up. So I'll be posting the next few progressively.]

I suppose before I begin my entry for my month long journey to China,
I should probably acknowledge that we have a new president-elect,
Barack Obama. With any new incoming President, there are uncertainties
as to how he will initiate policies. Will he try for bi-partisan
efforts, or merely go ahead with the Democratic agenda? How will he
lead domestic and international policies? How will he handle the
immense role as Commander-in-Chief; will he withdraw troops within the
next year and a half, or will he have to judge based on circumstances?
And then there's the economy... though to be honest, financial
policies aren't necessarily the responsibility of the President. Don't
you wish we had Alan Greenspan leading our finances?

Enough politics. I leave that to greater men to handle. I will be the
first to admit that I'm not the most brilliant when it comes to
argumentative talks.

On Thursday, November 6, I left the house to LAX with my brother as my
cheuffer. The day had finally come. It still really hasn't hit me. Am
I excited? Am I scared? I dunno. Thus far, I've been in the airport
the whole time. I write this in the Shanghai Pudong airport's waiting
area for my flight to Beijing. My laptop says the time is 4:25am right
now, but here in Shanghai it's around 8:25pm. Outside the airport, the
skies are pouring rain. Is that what I'm to expect on my vacation? On
a brighter note, my late night sleeping habits have adjusted perfectly
with this time zone!

The flight was around 18 hours from LAX to Shanghai. And if you add
the additional 16 hour time difference between Eastern China and Los
Angeles, you can say that I jumped into the future. The flight had
it's share of ups and downs... literally. Most of the flight went
rather smoothly, until the last third of the flight when we
experienced "turbulence", a term I dread, as my stomach and head can
testify towards. They served two meals on the initial flight, though I
wasn't able to eat much due to my stomach.

Watched several movies, as I was unable to sleep (I can't sleep in a
vertical position). There was Spider-Man 3, The Spitfire Grill,
America's Sweethearts, Eight Below, Herbie Fully Loaded, and part of a
chinese film called "Invincible Target"... I wished they had shown the
latter film first, though I will admit that "The Spitfire Grill" was
very moving (about a kind stranger with a dark past that goes to a
small town). "Eight Below" is a Disney live-action film about how a
bunch of huskies were left in Antarctica on their own for over half a
year. The dog scenes were cool, though I felt that the human actors
dragged the movie down. It was "inspired based on a true story",
though that doesn't mean much in Disney terms.

[Once I reached Beijing...]

The second flight to Beijing was only 2 hours, but it made my motion
sickness worse. I was so ready to blow chunks... And after that, there
was a 40 minute bus drive. I could taste the vomit... But I was able
to maintain myself all the way to the 5 star hotel.

My room was very nice. I had to pay a few hundred more for a single
[for the entire tour] because I was traveling alone. But the room was
nice, and any time you can have a queen-sized bed to yourself is
always a nice thing. The bathroom was nice as well, with a tub and a
shower that flowed from the ceiling, so it was nice to try those out.
I'll be in this same room for the next few days of the tour. Not
really sure what to expect, but I'm keeping an open mind about things.

I'm sleep deprived, hungry yet nauscous, and bored... It begins tomorrow.

Welcome to China.