Expectations

People seem to always go above and beyond them. Thank you for making my birthday something special and going the extra mile, it meant so much to me. You didn't have to do anything, but you did, and it reminds me of all the great people that I'm surrounded by. It's cheesy, but I love you guys like family. I may not always show it and I'm sorry for falling short.

At any rate, enough with the sentimental stuff, it isn't becoming of a gentleman. That's totally Wilde right there.

I caught an interesting read on CNN that I thought I would share: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/02/china.sex.ap/index.html

It seems that China is going through a sexual revolution. I've learned about Chinese history and philosophy before, but it's tough to imagine modern China without pulling up all of the stereotypes. I find it very amusing that the word sex, or "xing," is still largely taboo in public circles. Some highlights that caught my eye or amused me...

Abortion is readily available and viewed as a much better alternative to the searing shame of being an unwed teenage mother in China.

A walk-in abortion costs $140 at the Haidian Maternal and Child Health Hospital, a large public hospital in northwest Beijing. Too pricey? Skip the anesthesia and the price falls to $55.

As a result, sex education has not kept up with sexual activity, with some unwelcome consequences. High school girls make up 80 percent of the patients at Shanghai abortion clinics during one-week school holidays, state media reported last year.

Studies indicate that 60 percent to 70 percent of Chinese have had sex before marriage, up from 15 percent in 1989, according to Li Yinhe, a sex expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

In that time, the average urban marriage age has crept steadily higher, reaching 31 for men in Shanghai last year. There has also been a notable shift in attitudes, particularly among those born in the booming '80s.

"If two people want to be together, time isn't an issue," he said, still avoiding the word "sex" when talking to a stranger.