Weds Jan 22.

Today we slept in until almost noon. My dad wanted to play some NHL 2020 hockey with me but was already sleeping by the time I checked my phone. We are gloriously free of any plan until about 6 PM for dinner. I worked on editing and proofing a few iChongqing articles. We had a simple brunch: boiled eggs and avocado toast, coffee, and honey water for Lin.

I stretch my body a bit. It got sunny for a few minutes, and we took the dogs to the parking garage with two chairs and sat in the sun for a bit. That was glorious.

Around 5:30 PM, we got ready to head to Raffles City, the new mall in Chongqing, to meet our son and his girlfriend for dinner. His girlfriend, Cici, was treating us. She's a real sweetheart. Lin really likes her. Good thing.

On the subway, Xiaolin agreed to wear a mask, and luckily, I have a bunch to spare. This time we noticed more like 1 out of 3 people on the subway were also wearing masks, and we moved to stand next to some masked people rather than unmasked ones.

Rhino art at Raffles City

We got off the subway in Jiefangbei, the original downtown center. We walked to a place I haven't been before, Raffles City mall. I've heard the name and frankly, didn't like it, but it was pretty spectacular. Designed by Moshe Safdie, the architect of the famous Singapore buildings, Raffles City Chongqing is a $4.8 billion horizontal skyscraper on top of an enormous shopping plaza. It's very modern inside. I can smell a strong disinfectant spray there. By this time, many people, over half, are wearing masks outside, and I think almost everyone inside is. We walk around for a few minutes before Lin gets a call, and we go to a Vietnamese restaurant. We see Jin and Cici seated. They aren't wearing masks, and we self consciously take ours off. They have an amazing, colorful, fragrant, massive spread of soups, curry, rice, and seafood in front of them. It's all really delicious and clean, and it was a really relaxing experience. Afterward, we get some Crème brûlée and caramel cake. It's amazing and delicious and feels so normal and happy to be sharing a meal with family.

Crème brûlée and caramel cake at Raffles City

Later, we walk around a bit and buy Jin and Cici some N95 masks. Most shops are sold out, but we eventually find a 3 pack. A boy about 30 meters away is running, and he stops to violently sneeze into the air. He's not wearing a mask. I feel like he's a terrorist. His father grabs his hand and marches him off. People have stopped to stare but continue on. Collectively people are becoming a bit more paranoid or careful.

We take the subway home around 10, with our masks on, and most people have them on. A few don't. Our eyes meet. Who is normal, them or us?