The 2010 ChinaThankStravaganza was spent knee-deep in KFC mashed potatoes, egg products, cheap Chinese wine, and personal reflection/introspection - not to mention copious amounts of internet humor and Dylan Moran standup. If anyone would like a pirated Czech copy of "Monster", just let me know :)
Because of that marathon of self-analysis, I think I've whittled down and classified the "YAY THANK YOU" list to a manageable blog entry. So here we go!:
PAJJ BAILEY'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
See, isn't that lovely?
Some of the more psychologically-well-versed individuals who are in the habit of reading this blog might notice that it bears a striking resemblance to the needs of a Mr. Maslow:
... He, of course, lived before the internet. Poor soul.
At any rate, the things I'm giving thanks for follow his structure fairly closely.
- UTILITIES: I am thankful for plumbing that actually works when it is supposed to, and U-bends installed in toilets so that stench isn't normally a problem. I am thankful for hot showers; the relatively constant availability of electricity and water transferred directly to your home; and real kitchen ovens. The sorts of ovens that make bread - not the terrifying-looking hot plates/Bunsen burners masquerading as "stoves" that populate homes around here.
- Oh, and mattresses! I'm thankful for real mattresses.
- REGULATIONS AND SAFETY: I am thankful that normally, upon purchasing a package of instant coffee, I can be assured that the powdered milk doesn't contain melamine. Standards and regulations for food products are also a pretty nice thing; and being secure in the knowledge that whatever I ingest has undergone at least *minimal* quality control testing is worth being thankful for.
- On the subject of regulations: driver's licenses! And knowing that at least someone had to pass some sort of test before getting behind the wheel of a machine that could raze me from the face of the Earth. Traffic lights and adherence to traffic laws are also good. Getting run over isn't on the Pajj AccomplishMents and Fun List of Exciting Things (PAMFLET, for short).
- FLOW OF INFORMATION
- Lack of regulation for THE INTERNETZ (even though that might cease to be the case in the very near future). I am thankful for email being a widely-used resource, in the United States, and upset that administration at my university refuses to use it as a contact method.
- BOOKS: I am thankful, in the US, for libraries filled with books on any subject I could ever imagine. I am thankful, currently, for the book peddlers who sell pirated copies of English and Japanese novels - most of which, I've recently discovered, are banned in China.
- I'm thankful, SO thankful for hardcover textbooks in libraries and for classes in the United States; the textbooks that we use for classes here are workbooks, printed on newspaper-quality paper. It would be reasonable if that were the case for language-learning materials; more of an interactive approach to the data; but the textbooks are like this for EVERY subject, from chemistry to electrical engineering to sociology.
- EDUCATION
- I am thankful for the ability to question - anything and everything. Also thankful for having been exposed to classes with professors who are devoted to conveying their material in the most engaging and informative manner possible - and being able to recognize a professor who just doesn't care. Professors who are willing to bend over backwards to help their students; to comfort them if they're going through a difficult period; or to encourage them and write recommendation letters if they're ready to take the next step in their career.
- I am thankful for the Scientific Method, and dedicated adherence to it.
- Also incredibly, incredibly thankful for intellectual property rights and regulation.
- RELIGION
- ... or not. In my case, mostly the not. But I'm thankful to have the choice.
- PEOPLE
- I'm thankful that I was able to meet my dad earlier this year, even though it didn't turn out as well as I had hoped.
- FRIENDS = Both the old ones, and the new ones. You guys are inspirational, and hearing about your adventures makes me want to live my own :) Don't think I would have been able to get through this past 12 months if it weren't for the people in my life, and I'm sorry if I haven't made that more clear to you. The next time I see any of you, be prepared to receive the biggest hug in the history of ever.
- ... Have I mentioned coffee, yet? Because dude, I am SO thankful for coffee.
- As a matter of fact, I'm going to go actively demonstrate my love for coffee right now. Coffee+milk. Hierarchy of needs, etc. I can't be creative without it.
<3s and stars, and don't stop believin',
Pajj
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