HAPPY NATIONAL DAY! Long Live Chairman Ken!

It's too bad my friends in China can't read this blog. Anyway, today is the 56th anniversary of the "liberation" of China. I'm doing absolutely nothing to celebrate. It's not that I don't love the People's Republic of China, but I just don't feel like going to the fireworks. Actually, even my friends who are Communist Party members aren't doing much to celebrate.

There was an election at Graduate House, and I was the big winner, with 123 of 154 votes. The Graduate House Residence Committee, which organises social events and acts as a link between management and residents, holds elections once a year. This year, three candidates ran for seven positions. All three of us won by a landslide. Since I got 123 votes to my Canadian neighbour's 99 and to a Japanese girl's 81, will I be the GHRC chairman by default?

I feel a bit bad about the Japanese girl getting the fewest votes, since she took the campaign most seriously. At the "Meet the Candidates" forum the night before election day, she answered serious questions rather seriously. I, on the other hand, knew that I had nothing to lose, and would rather have a fun-loving and informal committee, so I cracked jokes and answered serious questions bluntly. I couldn't believe that the other candidates would answer questions like politicians would. I, on the other hand, brushed off their lofty goals and ambitions by saying things like "we don't need to re-invent the wheel here" and "why do we have to do something that the ______ Students Association already does?"

One thing I get to do as a member of the Residence Committee is that I get to select movies for the weekly Friday night movie viewings. Which movie should I screen first? "Closer"? "A Clockwork Orange"? "Caligula"?