I woke up to the early hours of the morning. It took a long time for the outside to turn white, for the birds to wake up and sing. And then the street cleaning people are out with the sound of their broom brushing the street, and bicycles riding quietly outside in the valleys of the residential compound.

The city of shanghai feels like in a state of fever these days. The five-nation summit will be on this week and rumors say that the U.S. FBI has warned the shanghai government of a possible terrist attack. Rules are up in certain part of the city for people not to open their windows during those days, not to hang clothes outside to dry. Domestic companies (not the multinationals) also had the people working last weekend to give days off during the week. As a result, we are free from Wednesday till the end of the week and don’t have to go to work until Monday.

Nights are busy. Man, woman, elderly and children are all watching the world cup. TV sets stay in the channel of the world cup’s live broadcasting, at home, in the fruit stands, and grocery stores. Taxi drivers keep the radio on it. There are also advertisement close or remotely related to the cup passing by everywhere. Games are in Germany and people stay up to watch - I heard my upstairs neighbor watching the three o’clock game last night. The game started only a few days ago, and it will last for a month.

I came back Sunday afternoon and weeped hard in D and his shabby old T-shirt. It has been an especially hard trip going back and forth between New York, Boston and Philadelphia. I broke the record of not missing an plane ever, and lost my ipod in the Avis Logan airport Boston. None of that caused any damages since I managed to get everything back. The hard part of the trip is the revelation of the insecurity, the ignorance, the arrogance and the cruelty of people around me. And the sadness of my dispensibleness, helplessness and hopeless inexperience.

“It is all in your brain. Your thoughts are killing you!” Irene said.

I try not to think and I started to watch the game with the rest of the city. Last night, it was Australia and Japan, and I could not make up my mind who I wanted to win. It was Japan at first because one of the big Australian tackled a Japanese guy purposefully. Then the Japanese guy did something of similar malice. So i was not sure anymore. But it was quite amazing to see the Australians got in three goals in the last ten minutes. Wild.

I try not to think. Mom gave me the book of “No. 1 Lady’s Detective Agency” to read. It is about a clever fat Lady who opened a detective agency in Botswana. Easy read but very interesting, and peaceful. I was reluctant to finish it. When I did, I ran out to the bookstore trying to get more books, only to discover that they are light, incoherent and frivilos. And I think I’d read them only for the purpose of investigation study of current Chinese literature.

Now it is six o’clock in the morning June 13th 2006. I am in Shanghai. I am not thinking. I am writing my blog. D is sleeping in the bedroom soundly, but the city is now awoke. Cars and trucks will come out soon and another day of bussling and hussling is coming.

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