Chocolate and chocolate and gifts, oh my!

Turns out, I don't need a secret angel to acquire surprise goodies! Tonight a group of hostel members came by and delivered two chocolate bars and a bottle of Lucozade Brain Energy! Also, a bottle of Listerine Vanilla Mint mouthwash for my roommate and I to share. There is also a poster advertising Listerine Vanilla Mint mouthwash in the fourth floor common area--I thought it was only there to add color to the bulletin board. Actually, it was a bit disappointing to think that someone actually hung that advertisement up with a greater purpose; I would have done it just for the pretty shade of green and delicate vanilla flowers.

Then, a half hour later one of the girls who lives across the hall told me to come to her room because she had a gift for me! Then I got to choose my favorite out of the cellphone charm/keychains with Olympic mascots she'd displayed across her desk! And I've only ever said hello! I picked the panda even though on the keychain its face is an odd shade of pink instead of white because it's doing archery. That's right, don't even think about bringing him to extinction. Also, I just looked up the Fuwa (that's the name for the mascots, they're also called the Friendlies) on Wikipedia and yes, the panda is so the best one. Represented ideal: Happiness. Personality: Honest, optimistic. He's a symbol of China and environmentalism and the "harmonious coexistance of humankind and nature." And his name is Jingjing (晶晶) which happens to be the best of all the names. So. Who cares about a miscolored face? Not me.

What else...oh! I saw a pack of cigarettes today and it was SCARY. Plastered across the front was a photograph of a mangled, miscolored and utterly disgusting foot with the government warning that smoking causes peripheral vascular diseases. Shudder.

Also, just now I was looking through the ingredients of my Brain Energy drink to see what makes it so special. Nothing unusual--no colorings made from fish products like yesterday's tropical fruit juice--except for "Flavorings (including Caffiene)" and "Colour (Sunset Yellow)." Caffiene has a flavor? Colors don't have to be named by some combination of letters and numbers? Why did I not notice this before? Tomorrow's mission: scour the Park N Shop for the most creative artificial colouring.