Made in Taiwan

Bathroom cleaning lady [with due subtle-ness]: ... [jabber-jabber-jabber] měiguó (美國 -- America) ...

Ange [pointing at lady and laughing]: Hey! I understood "měiguó"!

BCL [laughing and pointing]: ... [jabber-jabber-jabber] tall!

Ange [pointing at heels]: It's because of the heels... more tall...

BCL [stands beside tall měiguó rén (美國人 -- American) to measure height difference]

Ange [měiguó rén laughs and exaggerates height; BCL really is quite short, comes to shoulder of large white woman]

BCL companion [same height as BCL -- yes, they are this embarrassingly frank, here]: ... piàoliang (漂亮 -- pretty) ...

Ange [quite pleased with self, that she is now able to use this expression appropriately and to effect]: Nali, nali.

---

Ange [arrives at counter looking rather rain-soaked]: It's raining sooo much!

Bank clerk: Oh! Yes, too much rain! [proceeds to process transfers]

Ange [spacing out]: Nice tie!

BC [shy grin]: Oh... Thank you...

Ange [more spacing out]

BC [more processing]

Ange [after transactions processed]: Thank you. Bye! Xièxiè (謝謝 -- thanks).

BC: I hope the rain will stop for you, when you go outside.

---

Ange [needs to replace ATM card, which has stopped working]

Another bank clerk: May I have your ARC?

Ange: Oh, it's not my card/account... it's the company's... I have the company chops...

ABC: Oh... you... uh... company... represent?

Ange: I'm the bookkeeper...

ABC: Bookkeeper... You... company... authorize?

Ange: Eh?

ABC: You... company... [consults a form on the side, referring to some entry that must be in Chinese and English] responsible?

Ange: Oh... lǎobǎn (老闆 -- boss)? No, he's at the office...

ABC [summons reinforcements, the usual clerk who handles our account and speaks plenty of English]

Silbia: Mark will need to come in person to sign for the card and pick it up.

Ange: Okay. [to ABC] I'll tell my boss...

ABC: Oh! Yes! Boss! Tell him. Boss! Boss... Boss...


---

Some man was standing at the counter beside me, babbling on and on. I have no idea what he was going on about. Should've asked the clerk, heh. I looked over and the lady at that counter was processing other things, maybe related to whatever transaction he was working out, but she wasn't really listening to what he was saying, then was gone altogether, towards the end. He kept jabbering on, into the void. At some point, the person in charge of the foreign section (I know he's the boss, because he's the one the clerks check with before offering a better exchange rate, when I'm making transfers), a few desks down and behind, responded to a couple things he said. He later got up and talked softly to him, possibly asking him to tone it down, but one would never know, because it was all very pleasant. Maybe he was making small talk, in a hushed fashion, contrasting the man's expressive aproach, haha. I found the entire affair quite amusing. At a bank, no less. Of course, this bank is rather casual (used to be part of the oldest bank in China, apparently). Although... while at a smaller HSBC branch a few weeks ago, someone's "Bad Romance -- Lady Gaga" ring tone went off and I started to laugh. The clerk later invited me back to "hear more Lady Gaga", if I'm in the area... :D Update: I now see the same funny man down in the national banking area... reading a newspaper... his bright blue, non-collapsable umbrella hanging familiarly from his hip... making loud burping sounds (casually emitting bodily noises is a very Chinese thing to do)... the security guard seems to be accustomed to this behavior... maybe he likes hanging -- and regularly hangs -- out at the bank... :D

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Brand name for some cleaning supplies: "Happy Hour". Seriously? I know they like happy things here, as well as happy-sounding English words, and I'm pretty sure somebody heard the term and happy-ly thought it would make their products sound... happy. But really... Or maybe they were having happy hour during the branding brainstorming session, aherm.

Perhaps there's a percentage of humanity that is so happy to clean, they deem it a happy hour.

Like me. Deeming cleaning happy, that is -- not me _being_ happy hour.

In which case, the entire affair is perfectly logical.

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"SIPS: Side Impact Protection System", large sticker on the back windshield of an ancient-looking Volvo.

I suppose that means the car will withstand -- possibly even repel -- an attack by a crazed scooter motorist.

Fancy!