current flow ...

the concept of 'money' developed to make it easier for people to trade goods and services ... (e.g. you no longer need find a baker with whom to trade your blacksmith skills in order to eat bread) thus, money helped transactions to flow more easily ... helped them to flow 'like a current', as it were .... is that where the term 'currency' comes from?!

so get this: i was leaving China and wanted to change my leftover RMB (Chinese currency) back to C$ at the airport, since it doesn't seem that their government allows RMB to be traded outside of the country (you always forget these little communist details ... like having to pass through strict customs before you LEAVE the country!) i went up to the exchange booth, put my money in the tray, and said "Canadian dollars please." the woman pointed to a sign: "to exchange Chinese currency, an ATM or bank withdrawal slip is required" You can't change their money unless you can prove that you took it out of a bank!! wassup wit dat?!

I was stuck with a tonne of the the stuff, so i went to duty-free and bought a bottle of Moet. :D

p.s. i'm home, safe and sound! [twitch]