Riddle me this...

The ability is even to permeate the root of hair to the hair smallly slightly, from inside arrive the outside to moisten, lock the nourishment composition that tight hair need availably.

so says my shampoo bottle. In English. I think.

But what about the fireworks outside my window all evening? And why is it that the cell phone can do everything except receive text messages all of a sudden? And where are all the 60 watt bulbs in this city hiding?

And what do I do when one of my dearest local friends, who I met by crashing haphazardly into her on a bike a windy day a year ago, and have since been alongside her for all of her firsts (first day out of the nunnery, first time finding a job, first time getting a haircut), and have developed a closeness that counts for true friendship (one of the very few in this city), calls me to say: You are so bad, I try call you for a long time... I'm going to Beijing tomorrow... maybe I will stay forever.

Do I attempt to explain that I lost my cell phone and had almost no way to get her number? Do I immediately take a bus down to the tea house where she is sitting with her luggage and three cousins? Do I accept the huge bag of dried yak meat from her hometown that she has brought for me? Do I go with her to help her pack her suitcase better at her cousin's house? Do I share a bowl of yogurt with her? Do I help her carry the entirety of her personal belongings to her brother's house from which she will leave the following morning? Do I sip another cup of butter tea with her? Do I dash back to my apartment to make her the muffins that she loves from muffin mixes that were sent to me from the states? Do I put together a bag of snacks for her to eat on her three day train ride to another planet? Do I walk back to her brother's house and ring the doorbell to give her one more hug before I, potentially, never see her again? Do I hold back my tears?

Yes... yes to everything, but the last one.

She says: don't cry. Learn more Tibetan.
The truth is I'm confused. I'm confused about the fireworks display haunting what has turned out to be a lonesome heartbreaking day. I'm confused about the cell phone which can do everything except the one thing that I most need it to do. I'm confused about the presence of every wattage of light bulb except 60.

And though I understand every word on my shampoo bottle, I'm confused. I don't understand it at all.

At all.