12 drinks later...

I woke up this morning around 8, fully-clothed on my bed with my make-up still on and couldn't remember how I ended up that way. So let's back up.

It was S&W's wedding party at a bar/lounge on Queen West last night and it was open bar. Needless to say, I overindulged, beginning with a glass of pinot grigio and following that with martini after martini...there was a shot that rounded out the night which I am only aware of because there's photo evidence. sigh.

After wakening, confused, I went to the bathroom where I had clearly gotten sick the night before...after cleaning up my mess, I contemplated taking a shower but decided that wasn't a good idea so changed and went back to sleep again and didn't wake up until noon. I spent some time cleaning up the house - brilliant idea while hung over, non? - and tried eating afterwards since I was a bit hungry but it didn't sit well so after praying to the porcelein goddess, I went back to bed again. I woke up again around 4 and was only just able to stomach food.

wL was my date/DD and I remembered telling him the 2 stories I learned earlier in the day in my mandarin class on our drive tot he party, both of which were very a propos given the events of the day.

The first is the story of the origin of the Chinese character, Double Happiness, which is symbolic of weddings. There once was a poor scholar-poet named Wang An Shi who was travelling from afar to Beijing to write the Imperial exams. He happened to stop in a town in which lived a very prosperous family with an intelligent daughter who was doted on by her parents. So much so that her parents indulged her in her wish to marry someone she deemed intelligent enough for her. Her test came in the form of an incomplete rhyming couplet which was traditionally hung outside the entrances of homes. She wrote the first couplet and vowed that she would marry the man who completed the couplet in a satisfactory manner.

Wang An Shi took up the challenge and in so doing, succeeded in winning her hand. But he did not marry her. Instead, he proceeded to Beijing to sit the exams and after coming out the top of his class and thereby raising his family's status and riches, he returned to the town to marry the girl he had won. It was on that night that he created the character Double Happiness, the first happiness he was celebrating was his passing the Imperial exams and bringing honour to his family, and the second happiness was his good fortune in marrying a girl of wealth and intelligence.

The second story was related to the narrative of our latest lesson, which has to do with a drunk boyfriend. Our teacher was telling us that in Chinese culture, drinking doesn't have the same negative connotations as it does in Western culture - the belief is that the truth will out under the influence of alcohol and the acid test for trustworthiness is whether or not someone is willing to get drunk with you because this proves that they have nothing to hide.

I've clearly been practicing this, at least one-sidedly since I have only ever gotten completely trashed with people I know and trust who I know won't take advantage of my vulnerability. Anyway, this is my irrational way of saying that wL is someone I trust to take care of me, and he's apparently willing to take on that responsibility of friendship, even when given an out.

So, thank you again, wL, for being such a good friend.