Sometimes I am stuck inside of a huge, grey, dismal world, but then, all I have to do is step out of my apartment and discover the wonders around me. I am lucky enough to be in the right place for observing a multitude of things that can make one giggle out of the blue and bring a long-lasting smile on one’s face. Here are the things that turned my mood around in the past in China:

• A middle-aged man carrying a Winnie the Pooh textile design suitcase in the metro.

 

• A conversation with a 5-year-old during English class that went like this:
• -Do you have cat?
• -Yes, I do.
• -What’s its name?
• -Cat.

 

• Women matching summer shoes with cotton socks.

 

• -Hey, let’s have a nap!
• –Where?
• –Does it matter?                                                                                                                              
  
  

  

  

• Old men wearing socks that look like lace or a type of laced transparent women’s stockings.

 

• People heading out for a walk, for shopping or for other daily tasks in their pajamas.

 

• Welcome to the new world of the latest fashion trends embraced by the old generation.

• Migrant workers carrying heavy loads in raffia or nylon sacks in subways, buses and trains.

 

• Some people bring their own foldable camping stools to sit down on when it is too crowded in the subway or trains.

 

• People eating sunflower seeds pretty much everywhere: from airplanes and trains to restaurants, while waiting in the queue to get a dinner table.

 

• People buying and wearing t-shirts, blouses, jackets and bags with messed-up messages in English.                                                                                                                     
  
  

  

  
• Small bubble tea shops that have more than 12 employees on the same shift and can barely accommodate all of them.

 

• Chinese restaurants that don’t provide tissues at tables or together with your ordered food.

 

• People cleaning their plates, soup bowls, cups and glasses with hot tea before proceeding to serve themselves from the common dishes.

 

• When at the beach, try the popular facekini!

• Old Chinese people saying hello to me and smiling out of nowhere.

 

• Kids shouting to their moms or grandmas, whenever they see me ‘laowai’ (foreigner), as if I were some sort of exotic monkey.

 

• People occupying two seats in the subway and not bothering to move when other commuters are standing.

 

• Young boys and toddlers getting a ‘bowl style’ haircut as if it would be the most fashionable thing ever.                                                                                                                
  
  

  
• Other popular haircuts for kids!

 

• People stocking up on rice and oil in the supermarket as if preparing for the end of the world.

 

• Some people carrying enough crap on their e-bikes or simply on their backs to furnish an entire apartment.                                                                                                      
  
  

  

  
• Street cleaners still using the old style twig broom.

 

• Cleaners in subways and in some small Chinese restaurants mopping the floor while people are still walking by, ending up with a wet, dirty, slippery mess.

 

• Toddlers, show us your butts! Trousers or overalls for kids that have butt holes to make peeing and pooping faster and easier, anywhere, at any time!                                        

• No space is too public to stop you from doing urgent tasks , such as toenail clipping or having a haircut.

• The new use for the extra baby stroller in the house: walking the dogs or carrying grocery bags.

• Dogs in China be like: Bitch, I am more fashionable than you with my new trendy hair color!                                                                                                                                        
  
  

  
• Chilling out, talking or waiting in the most natural position of all: squatting.                         
  
  

  
• Talking about road and baby safety!

• The kingdom of fake stuff!