The Valentine's Day Walk of Awesome

It was the night of Valentine's Day. Traffic was a mess, so I decided to go through my usual routine walk home, despite the fact it was pretty cold outside. I never had much patience for the bus.

Behind my work place, people were gathering like crazy to go down the Cultural street. At this time of night, lanterns were lit up like crazy. People were selling little hats and headbands that glowed in the dark. It explained why there was such a huge traffic jam. And why getting a bus would be virtually impossible.

So I started walking. Turned on my iPod to have Adelle playing. Her inability to keep up with turning tables my break from the world. I'd managed to get to 7-11 when, out of nowhere, fireworks shot up in the sky! They were everywhere I turned. Every five minutes, I was stopping to watch the fireworks, wondering how carried away people had to be on Valentine's Day.

When I saw the third man walk by with a bouquet of flowers much bigger than his head, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Here, I was thinking people went way overboard with Valentine's Day in America, but I'd never seen bouquets of flowers that were half the size of the people carrying them. And then fireworks on top of that? How else are you going to blow shit up to celebrate a holiday?

Then it hit me. Valentine's Day always brings out the most cynical and nasty of people. There's always the person that so hates this day, that they'll try to shit on anyone trying to enjoy it. (That was me, for a while.) Then there are the ones that are so demanding that they make their S.O.'s (significant others) stress out over what the perfect gift for them is.

And then there are those, like myself now, that find the silver lining in this. Gifts up the bum that couples give and take, apparently fireworks in China? And chocolate? Discount city for the single broke folks! How I never knew of this until recently in America, I don't know. I would've been a lot more pleasant in America around this time, that's for sure.

And then another thought. While Adelle now sang of finding someone like someone else, another thing hit me. (No, I did not pick Adelle on purpose!) I'm too awesome to roll my eyes on this day! Look at the scenario! I'm independent, enjoying life, enjoying my job, and a little too eager for half-off chocolate tomorrow, which China does do if you pick the right store.

If anything, those fireworks weren't celebrating all those couples out there making sure their loved ones get the best Valentine's Days of their lives. They were celebrating the awesome that glows from me! That's how it has to be! It came from my imagination after all. As Barney Stinson says, "Everyone's getting in relationships, getting married, and getting pregnant. I'm just getting more awesome."

And then I found out that the fireworks were the result of Lantern Festival and the last day of Chinese New Year. I'm still not clear if the Lantern Festival and the last day of Chinese New Year are on the same day all the time. Either way, it made my "I'm Awesome" epiphany sound extremely anti-climatic after that. Not as awesome without fireworks, that's for sure.

Tianjin pic of the day!

This is what happens when you're compelled to get lost in the city.