Monday, November 5, 2007

Advent of Mortality

Yes, folks, it's that time of year again. The advent of a certain itinerant wanderer, a rogue Michigander, and possible reincarnation of the original terrorist, Guy Fawkes.

A quarter of a century old, and an expatriate living in an ancient land reinventing itself at the speed of fiberoptics. I guess I couldn't have hoped for a better place to be, when I was a decade or two younger and wondering where I would be and what I would be doing at this unfathomably old age. The young Bruce, with his notorious monkey-smile, lives on. Today is an unseasonably warm and sunny day in Chongqing and I'm off to enjoy it.





Charitable donations in celebration of this advent are accepted. All proceeds go to the 'Die, College Loans, Die! Fund'. Address: 264 East 35th Street, San Bernardino, CA 92404.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Bruce!

Sun Yat Fai Lok!
San Ni Kuai Lo!
Sang Ngit Fai Lok!
qu ni sheng er kuai le
San ruit kua lok!
Se Jit khuai lak!
Happy birthday!!! :)
Hartelijk gefeliciteerd! (in Dutch)
Gilotcav dabadebis dges! (in Georgian)
S dniom razhdjenia! (in Russian)


Enjoy the sunny day in Chongqing, I hope you'll have a great birthday and a good party!

I'll drink a decent Belgian beer in your name today here in Brussels! yes, I remember you're not a beer drinker.. but well... I am.. :)

Read you soon!

your Fine Feathered Friend,
Seb

Anonymous said...

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent
To blow up King and Parliament.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England's overthrow;
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

Happy quarter century Bruce!

Laurie Mack.

Bai Hai Feng (AKA: Bruce) said...

Thanks for your birthday wishes (in multiple languages). I believe the first three are variations of Cantonese, the fourth is Mandarin, and the fifth and sixth maybe more Cantonese or Fujianese. You're studying Georgian these days?

There's actually a really nice Belgian restaurant here in my district of Chongqing, opened by a couple of expats. I had a nice Belgian beer there just last night! (Although it was more like a raspberry taste than beer taste, actually.)

Also thanks to Laurie for the Gunpowder Treason and Plot poem, one of my personal favorites. You forgot the extra part at the end where they make a wish to choke the Pope. :-)

Anonymous said...

I was going to add that part too, but I thought it would take away from the excitement of all the explosions. It seemed to have a separate theme. I will add it here though, so that people can get the entire song.

A penny loaf to feed the Pope
A farthing o' cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down.
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head.
Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead.
Hip hip hoorah!
Hip hip hoorah hoorah!