Its snowing here today, not knowing anything about snow, I would say that it is falling softly. Its sort of an ethereal feeling to watch it fall. Almost like following music notes.

I'm always impressed by how well people dress in China. Everyone from the office workers to the migrant workers are dressed so well. Hip too. People have a tendency to look at other people's shoes on the street or the subway, I don't know if they are looking for the brand name or just trying to avoid staring.

Yesterday I lost my phone in the taxi and had to find a friend to help me go get it back. We got in another taxi and kept on calling until the cab driver picked it up (it was on vibrate). On the way to meet him, I asked the second cab driver if I should give him a tip for his honesty. The cab driver said that in China some would be insulted, but most wouldn't turn it away. So when we got to the cab with the phone, I got out of the car with a big smile and sort of kowtowed to the cabbie. I reached into my pocket to give him a tip but all I could find were 1 yuan notes (like $1 equivalent) and the cabbie just sort of stared it me in horror. This odd foreigner who leaves his phone and then ransacks his jacket looking for the bill he knows has more value in my country. Finally I found a larger bill and gave it to him. When I got back into the cab, the second cab driver scolded me on how awful I did at kowtowing and giving a tip. He said in China if you don't do these things quickly, it just sort of ruins it. The whole point of one's actions sort of diminishes. He was a good cabbie, telling me how cab drivers don't steal phones or other possessions, they often just never know things were left behind and other customers take them. Later we talked about the differences in teenage pregnancies in the U.S. and China. It was a fun ride.