SB went to Shantou, China and brought back a truckload of fountain pens. Cured my itch to add more to my collection, but unfortunately not my itch to fiddle with them during meetings.

Choice gems from singles ads in the Shanghai English newspapers, courtesy of Vivian. More at her blog, here and here.

Look who’s got her priorities straight:

My requirement is simple, that you are wealthy and generous. I’m good looking, open, modern, confident, speak Mandarin and English. good in kitchen, bed and dinning room, drink a little. no smoke

Because prostitutes are really bored single people who didn’t want to work:

I am available right now. I have a lot of time to stay at home and go out at night to have fun. But I need a boyfriend. Because I don’t like working or to be a prostitue. So who you guys want to be my boyfriend?

Gotta love those direct Chinese-to-English translations:

looking for adventure, play sports, see the sunrise/sunset, in mountaintop talk about moon and star story

Vivian: do u know that in china there’s a celebration for single pple on 11th nov?
let me copy and paste something for u
‘It’s a big thing here. For breakfast on Singles Day, the local singles eat four youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks) representing the four “ones” in “11.11″ and one baozi (steamed stuffed buns) representing the middle dot.
And there’s also some mating ritual at bars for singles looking to hook up with someone. It involves the girl displaying a half open box of cigarettes, the guy coming over and taking a cigarette, and asking for a light. If the girl offers him the light, BINGO!’

Victoria: LOL
frankly speaking
if singles keep eating the four youtiaos
they’re likely to continue staying single