Thursday, September 11, 2008

Cheesy tunes, dogs and hot choccy


I met my friend Luke at the bustling Shanghai Dumpling House in Chinatown last night. They always play cheesy music there, which I find perversely enjoyable. Anywhere else, I'd be groaning and rolling my eyes. Last time I went, they played My Heart Will Go On, Rhinestone Cowboy and Them Old Cotton Fields Back Home. The only song I remember from last night is Happy Birthday, played at ear splitting volume just as Luke stepped through the front door as if they had been waiting for his arrival. No, it wasn't his birthday. I assume someone there was having a birthday, but it wouldn't surprise me if they played it just because.

I find much of the dining experience at the Shanghai Dumpling House perversely enjoyable. You're crammed shoulder-to-shoulder with total strangers, you eat off plastic plates and drink your wine out of plastic picnic cups with handles and the staff bark at you like drill sergeants, "Fried pork dumplings!!".


Two dogs

I saw that guy from my street out walking again this morning, only this time he had two dogs with him. You know how last time the dog ran along in front of his owner with a really long stick sideways in his mouth? This time, both dogs ran along side by side, jaws clamped on the same long stick.


Yum!

I had an awesome hot chocolate at the European Cafe after work tonight.

What do you find perversely enjoyable?

6 comments:

Robin said...

Um, I think maybe we are kindred spirits. Love quotes and muppets- check. The having of favorite vocab words- check. (My all-time fave? Ruminate: to chew the cud. Fabulous.) And the taking on of a happiness project, although I never framed it so formally. I just decided one day that it took too much of my time and energy to be unhappy. I was going to be happy, and I was going to share it with others. Good luck! I look forward to future posts.

Katrina said...

I love the cheesy tunes too! :)

patti said...

Love your happiness project - picked you as an Aussie by the way - you have an unmistakably clear Aussie voice :) (I'm from NSW)

Jayne said...

Hi Robin. Thanks for dropping in. Isn't it great when you find someone who loves something you love. I love that "Me too!" buzzy connection!

I quite like the word ruminate, but not the mental activity! It's weird - I only wrote a blog on myspace about two weeks ago about how to stop ruminating (being recently finally out of an off-and-on relationship, I have been prone to ruminating).

Good on you for deciding to be happy. I think it's THE crucial factor in being happy, which is why "Happiness is a choice" is my number one happiness commandment (see sidebar on my blog).

It was only after I started reading The Happiness Project blog (see my links) that I started to refer to my own happiness project, and I think it's a nice reminder that you don't just wake up happy and stay that way. It keeps me consciously focusing on being happy, regardless of what's happening in my life.

Making yourself happy is only part of it - sharing it with others, as you mentioned, is really the cherry on top. If no one read this blog, it would be worthwhile for my own happiness levels, but spreading it around a little makes it so much more enjoyable and boosts my happiness even more.

Jayne said...

Hi Mrs BB. What are some of your fave cheesy tunes? Afternoon Delight, the original version, is one of mine and I have it on my iPod. Part of the reason I like it is because it's quite saucy and I never realised that until recently!

I think the setting is what really adds to my enjoyment of cheesy songs. I don't particularly like Rhinestone Cowboy, but when they play it at a Chinese restuarant, it tickles my fancy.

Jayne said...

Hello Patti. Thanks!

I'm quite pleased to hear I have a clear Aussie voice. Not entirely sure why it pleases me...maybe it has something to do with authenticity - I am what I am?