Morsels from Manila

Manila... Touched down around 12 noon.. The Philippines is an amazing sight from above - Manila is surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges and well.. for me it seems like the city is surrounded by folded green velvet hahaha..

Anyway, found out that the Clark airport is actually around 2 hours car journey from the actual Metro Manila. Note to self: Do more research when taking budget airlines. Eventually we entered Manila, though.. and hey! I felt like I was back in Indonesia! Almost everything from the weather, the building types, the traffic, the cars, the scenery.... Oh wow.. The only different thing is that signs are in English and Tagalog. Found the hostel, located in quite an interesting area where all the street names are space objects (Jupiter st, Polaris st, Juno st, Orbit st etc). It's actually a studio apartment converted into a hostel, and very cosy! Great first impression of Manila....

... but things kinda went downhill from there.. Took the train to see sunset at Manila Bay (Interestingly, the sunset here is great because the air is opaque due to pollution..). Manila has 3 train lines with the trains looking like KTM (Kereta Api Tanah Melayu from Malaysia). Well, no problem with those, clean and good. Then we reached the Central Manila station.

Hmm... the station itself does not look like a Central Station because it was very dilapidated, and -gasp! - banally modernist.. Walked to Manila Bay, and uhm... reached Manila Bay... and saw a bit of sunset.. and that was it... The thing is, the whole walk consist of a rather barren pavement beside one long, wide concrete road and the so-called landmark buildings are mostly neo-classical cast-concrete entities smothered with pastel-colored paints. (Nothing personal against pastel colored paints.. It's just that I've seen enough of salmon pink and pale yellow Corinthian pillars in Jakarta.) The absence of street food is noticeable, though for the adventurous 'balut' - duck egg with embryo - is very easy to find. Then, there was the smoke, the cars (My apologies for contrasting Manila with the more charming bycicle-laden Vietnam), the smell.. Actually, the smell makes it kinda fun..As one walks, one is really assaulted with various kinds of smells, leaving one's imagination guessing as to what is the source... Hahaha...

As it grew darker, there's not much of street lamps, which, combined with the large scale of roads,pavements and buildings, and the barrenness of it all, creates a rather eerie atmosphere...

Oh, and the last thing... Manila is not a vegetarian friendly city.. not even pescatorian friendly! It was difficult to find vegetable dishes around *tho there's always Subway*. On the other hand, if you love chicken, then this is the place. As we walked along Jupiter st, there was no shortage of billboards with various smiling chicken characters (One of the greatest contradictions in life.. Chickens advertising for places that aren't exactly chicken-friendly..).

The most interesting thing in Manila is probably the jeepney, a special public transport modified from ex- US army jeeps. It's pretty long, and passengers sit in two long lines at the back facing each other while the driver is in front facing the road. Then, when it's time to pay passengers just pass coins from those at the back to those closest to the driver, and each time the driver receives and puts money in a box without really looking.. I wonder if the driver trusts the passengers so much to give the correct amount of money, or he's just got a sixth sense to know if it's correct!

Another good thing would be, everyone here speaks English pretty well, and signs are mostly bilingual, so if you're a traveler that doesn't like to learn a bit of local language (though then I would question your definition of 'traveler'), this is a pretty good place to start.

Well well, for now, that is my impression of Manila.. I know I'm painting a bleak picture of it, and I do hope it will change.. It's Day 1 out of 11, for goodness sake!

For now, though, magandang gabi! *Good night in Tagalog*

On China - Food!

Even considering the risk of diabetes, these things are totally worth it!

Well, well.. It's impossible to talk about China without talking about its food *which, Wikipedia will tell you, can be traced back to 400,000 years ago... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Chinese_cuisine * I gotta say that I thoroughly enjoyed the food in China, whether in small restaurants or street stalls, and just in case you are wondering, nope I didn't get any stomach trouble at all.

Actually, street stalls are God-given since the food is so cheap - you can get pretty stuffed for the equivalent of S$1 - and the variety is great. Popular street food changes according to seasons. Since it was winter when I was there, the common snacks include jian bing (which is kind of like flour crepe with egg, spring onion, and wheat crackers inside), bing tang hu lu (the above photo, which is fruits on a stick, coated with sugar. The sugar melts too easily in summer so this is a winter delicacy. And man, when one bites that cold, sweet, crunchy layer of sugar, to reach the juicy mandarin oranges below...owwww...), and hong di gua (baked sweet potatoes.. They use oil drums as an oven haha..)

Another thing I cannot forget is the dumplings.. I had some dumplings stuffed with egg and chinese chives, and these hot, steaming dumplings just make you forget that outside the temperature is below freezing ;p Lots of stir-fried vegetable dishes available, and contrary to popular believe, you can find things that are not too oily / uses so much seasoning. Well, but it is true that Chinese food contains quite a lot of oil and sugar. One of my favorite drink in China is 'peanut milk', which is like soybean milk, just made from peanuts. It's sold in bottles and dang, they really didn't hold back on the sugar.. It tastes great, though.. Had a discussion with a friend on whether Chinese people will get diabetes and other diseases due to all this unhealthy food.. The thing is, most Chinese people I see are really not fat, considering the things they eat. Or maybe they just didn't eat as much as us, over-excited tourists who patronizes so many snack stalls we passed by in the name of winter survival.. Am suprised I wasn't really chubby by the time I got back..

Anyway, my moment of revelation about Chinese food came when my Beijing friend brought me to a commercial food court (Actually, the place looked like it is under Singapore management.. and the brand name is the same, I think it was Food Junction). Thing is, the place only has Chinese food and each stall specialises in a different Chinese cuisine, from different regions.. You've got Beijing, Shanghai, Henan, Sichuan etc, and that's when it hits me that so far I've been lumping an amazing variety of cuisine into one banal category- "Chinese food"- which clearly doesn't do it justice. I mean, it's a bit like lumping Italian, French and Spanish cuisine into one and calling it 'Western food'.

Talking about Western food, as much as you can, DO NOT eat Western food in China, because it's expensive and totally not worth it. I had a really lame tuna panini one night in Starbucks just because I was wondering whether Starbucks, as a famous Western brand, can serve decent Western food in China. (Answer: nope) Oh, and according to my friend, the only place to get decent coffee at a reasonable price is McDonald's. I didn't crave coffee when I was in China so I really don't know, but there you go.

But hmmm.. if you ask me if I crave some egg and chive dumplings right now....

The ChinaMania continues...

classic Beijing snapshot.. ahh..

*Newsflash: Dissertation topic on Beijing, approved! Well technically it's about informal landscapes, but Beijing is chosen as a case study. Which means.. I can spend lots of time reading about a subject that totally fascinates me while calling it 'research' hehehe.. Now this is what you call 'work smart' *

Anyway, the more I read about China and Beijing, the more I want to try and live there, be a part of it all.. And the more frustrated I become when reading about all the destruction of cultural heritage that's going on.. And, on the grounds of cultural revolution alone, the more I hate Chairman Mao...

I can't pour in the jumbled up thoughts in my mind, but basically, the Cultural Revolution screwed China upside down by destroying traditions, destroying urban fabric, destroying appreciation of imperial China and the wealth of culture, beauty and refinement that it represents.. The maxim of the 'revolution' is to destroy the Four Olds - Thoughts, Culture, Customs, and Habits. I just find it ironic that the bits that should be preserved, like appreciation and pride for China's imperial history and the architectural manifestations is brainwashed away, while bits like corruption (which was rampant towards the end of imperial rule) came back right away after the Revolution and is still deeply ingrained. Talk about disastrous failure.

I've fallen in love with the hutong, no denying it. My view might be the naive, romantic outsider view that sees it as a very unique way of life that deserves to be preserved while the very people inhabiting these hutongs think they are sub-standard dwellings and want to move away to modern apartments. Then again, it is possible to make these places beautiful AND comfortable as well, it is a matter of political will and whether people view heritage as something important. I mean, look at all the famous European cities.. Paris, Rome, Venice.. what gives the city character are all the old buildings, and I don't mean the landmarks like Colosseum, but just the typical old housing.. Beijing is in the process of gutting itself and dang, few things are more painful than seeing something you love in the process of self-destruction..

I guess for now, I'll just have to accept that China and perhaps *though I hope not really* the majority of its people do not care about the priceless, irreplaceable architectural heritage that it is thoughtlessly destroying. After all, if the existence of rundown, neglected hutongs is still sinonymous with poverty, it is unfair for Chinese people too. Guess what I gotta do is be very, very passionate about saving the heritage I just fell in love with, and hope this passion infect as many people as possible..

On a side note, I read about an overseas American tycoon that started buying up old buildings in Beijing so that the government and developers cannot raze them.. He went to the extent that he took apart an old building in a soon-to-be-destroyed area and reconstructed it piece by piece somewhere else.. Wow.. The hua qiao blood in me is boiling already!

"A measure of any great city is its potential for accidental discoveries, those places without entrance fees and tour guides that make you want to stay longer in hopes of finding the next one. Despite the advanced stage of the Old City's destruction, Beijing still held this attraction."
- Michael Meyer, The Last Days of Old Beijing

"Medicine is the only field that keeps fighting against the very reason for its existence."
- Bro DB quoting from somewhere..

"Curiosity is the lust of the mind."
- Thomas Hobbes

*When I read the quote above, I was stunned for a while, because.. well because it's so true! I've never thought of curiosity as a kind of lust.. but there really is no better way of expressing that chasing after, lusting after, knowledge and answers..*
__
A bit of update on life:
- I realised that I love travelling because I get to meet all sorts of interesting people, and I realise also that hey, am I that stupid that I can't find ways to meet interesting people in Singapore? So, did some stuff, and... life in Singapore is promising to be lots of fun at least for now..
- A surefire way to meet someone interesting: promise to yourself that wouldn't get involved in anything, with anyone, and really mean it. As soon as you do that, BAM! Temptations start coming. Tsk, that's life.

On China - People (2)

getting to know the Chaoyang Library English Corner

Yups, the in-thing in China now is English corners where foreigners can drop by and talk with Chinese people - they have in in universities and libraries, as far as I know. Out of curiosity, went to one in Beijing, and.. well I guess you could see from the photo that I had a great time =D

The very inspiring thing was that there were grandpas and grandmas that speak way better English that some youngsters I spoke to, simply because they really aren't afraid to speak up. It was very interesting to speak to them as well, because they grew up during the Mao era and saw how China changed.. we were talking using lots of vocab like "reactionary", "Red army", "commune".. Heavy stuff, hey.. *btw the Chaoyang Corner is made up of around 50 people, the people on the photo were part of my group hehe*

So yeah, the 'system' is that the class gets divided into groups based on how many foreigners come in, then we just chat around. Surprisingly in my group there was a guy who knew a lot about Indonesia, because he was a travel agent. I learnt how to say 'Bandung' in Mandarin hahaha.. And being a 'hua qiao' *overseas Chinese* put me in the exotic category, somewhat.. there were some people from my grandpa's region! *Fujian* Was speaking Fujian with them though my Fujian accent is waaaay lousier compared to my Chinese accent.. The thing about language is, as with everything, it's not just what you say but how you say it.. I don't mean the accent, but the sincerity and the desire to communicate.. We were also using a lot of hand gestures and smiles, and well, let's just say I felt really at home I was sad to leave the class..

There were other foreigners of course, and they really spoke Mandarin! Hardcore man, one American guy even told a Chinese joke which instantly earned him enormous favour. Actually, some foreigners I met in China were really into Chinese culture and language, which.. made me a bit ashamed... *sudden awakening of Chinese roots..yeah..* The student I met on the night train also said it's kinda amazing how these foreigners come and learn so much about China that they actually know more stuff than the average Chinese person.. Hats off to them..

But back to Chinese people. Am glad to say that the friendliness and sincerity of the people I met *At least the Beijingers and Dong Bei people.. Shanghai people supposedly aren't that friendly...* spurred me to really learn Chinese culture and language.. Three weeks of travelling did more to me that years of forced Chinese tuition, parents' prodding, desire to read comics.. I believe now that the very strong longing to communicate with other people is the best motivation to learn a language.

On an additional note, a lot of Chinese people are excited to learn English, I think. On one occasion, I was going to have lunch in a small restaurant with a friend, and we had difficulties with the menu. *Photos but no English* So, we asked our waiter if anyone there could speak English.. She went to the back room and a few moments later came out together with another girl.. Before that girl came to our table, she looked hard at the other waiter as if asking for encouragement, then shouted *yeap, shouted, the whole restaurant could hear* "ALRIGHT LET'S GO!" like she was going for a sports competition =D China is fun fun fun!

China Diaries - On People (1)

Alright, won't keep postponing all the stuff I want to write about China, since I'll be going to Manila soon and then I'll have Manila to reflect on also.. and then I'll have thought indigestion huhuhu.. That's the thing about travelling.. Long after the actual travel is done, one can still savour, mull over, and learn from the experiences gained..

But on to the main points. I've written before of my HUGE inferiority complex of not being able to speak Chinese, and an image that stuck to my mind was of me being scolded/looked down on by some old/middle-aged/young (yeah I have an active imagination) Chinese person for looking like a Chinese but speaking like an American gone wrong..

Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, my inability to speak Chinese, coupled with the fact that for the most part I was hanging out with "lao wai"s, brought lots of fun to my travel. One of the first incidents was when I had to top-up my prepaid SIM card.. I kept replaying in my mind how to answer the possible questions..Whether I want a new SIM or just to top-up? check. The card value I want? check.
"Hi miss, I want to top up my SIM card, 30 RMB please.."
"Which $#%%$#%$fgregg?"
"What...? OH!" *I gathered that she meant which phone company*
"Uhm...uhm..." *tried to show label in mobile phone to her, but she couldn't read English huhu..*
In the end, I called my Beijing friend to explain to her which company did my SIM card subscribe to huhuhu.. and then, an old man inside the shop who had been watching my idiotic attempt to communicate approached me and asked, "Are you Korean?" *I get this a lot, somehow.."
"Ah no.. am Indonesian Chinese..that's why my Chinese is not good.."
"Oh don't worry, it's okay.. we are all still Chinese people.."

Needless to say I was morally buoyed by this show of solidarity haha.. The thing is, I don't know whether my luck is just good, but the Chinese people I met, from taxi drivers to waitresses to people on the street and the train, were very friendly and very accepting of me as a non-white foreigner.. It really made me fell in love with China.. No more inferiority complex!

The night train ride from Beijing to Dalian was particularly memorable.. I was struggling to hoist my backpack onto the top baggage compartment when a tall Chinese man came and helped me to it.. Then, he struck a conversation with me saying I must be a foreigner because Chinese people don't use backpacks.. A pretty and very soft-spoken lady joined in saying, "Yes, when you came in all covered up I thought you might be a boy.. your bag is so big!" They said something more and I didn't really understand, so another person, a student from Dalian, joined in to translate because his English was good.. And before I knew it I was talking about Chinese people, my impressions, my background, and asking about theirs too.. The Chinese man was a landscape architect! In the end we communicated through drawings because he wanted to know how vertical gardens are done in Singapore, and we pestered the student so often because the landscape architect would be saying something, and I'd have a blank face and turn to the student, and he'd say "Drainage.." Hahaha... And when the lady spoke it was with such soft tones that I realized the Chinese language is indeed beautiful..

At another time, was looking through pirated books *yes, a concept I really love.. will blog about it next time* when the vendor showed some English books to me and said "These ones are really good!" Amongst them was the book titled: "Why men marry bitches", so with my minimum Chinese I told the vendor, "Uncle..Do you know what this book says? It says here, good men likes naughty women...." And he blushed! I mean, HE BLUSHED!! And he just looked so adorable hahahahaha.. We both laughed and before I went off he said, "Yes, actually you are right.. Good men likes naughty women..." *Anyone wanna try to disprove that?* ;p

The Pain That Never Came

Two days ago I went to consult a doctor on whether to pull my wisdom tooth, since I've been having some pain and I didn't want it to give me problems in Manila *going to Manila yay!*

Anyway, I had always been wary of visiting a dentist since I had a wisdom tooth pulled 3 years ago, and the dentist who did it was so rough that not only I had several ulcers thanks to his hasty maneuvering, the whole procedure felt like forever, I saw lots of blood going through the suction tube, and it became so traumatic..

Plus, 2 months ago I went to have a dental check-up and it was a young, also kinda rough doctor who did it, not to mention he seemed all haughty towards his Philippino assistant *never trust doctors with an attitude problem* He told me I gotta have my teeth pulled but, well, I don't wanna open my mouth in front of him ever again.

So. A hostelmate suggested a clinic in Toa Payoh; I went there and specifically asked the receptionist to give me an appointment with a gentle doctor. She said "No worries". Cool. Went in, it was another young *or at least young-looking* doctor.. but I could tell right away that he's a gentle destist! Hahaha..

It's funny really.. connecting with doctors is like connecting with people.. Some people you just instantly like and trust.. Anyway, when he was checking my teeth he was constantly telling me what's he doing, what was happening.. which is really cool since I hate doctors who just sit there and let patients wonder "ok what's going on..? What's gonna happen next...?"

Then comes decision time.. Do I or do I not let this doctor pull my teeth...? Ow heck, he told me "It's important for me that patients don't feel pain.. You just sit there, relax, and let me do the hard work.." Doc I love you!! True enough.. the tooth extraction lasted less than 10 minutes, it was really simple and he was soothing me throughout.. ("ok 90% out, don't worry...")

BUT, you say, of course I would feel no pain, I had been anaesthetized.. Precisely my thinking. Which was why I went back and was nervous the whole evening.. Waiting for my mouth to start feeling painful.. The doc said the anaesthetics would wear off around 8 PM.. Was ready in front of my computer, reading comics to distract me from any sudden feeling of pain.. Then, it was 9PM... 10PM... 11PM... Still no pain... Hmm... Decided to sleep cuz well.. I can't possibly wait for the pain to hit the whole night..

The next morning.. still no pain! Hmm... and, my friend told me, it's cool because no swelling either.. And here I am, 2 days later, still no pain and with my mouth healed such that I even forgot I have an extraction wound inside...

Oh wow, I've written that to lead a good life you gotta get 3 things right: what you believe, whom you marry, and what you do for living. Let's add a 4th, very very important point: Find a dentist you can trust!

On (Why I Wanna Stay In) Indonesia

"It is a well known fact that we recognize our homeland the moment we are about to lose it."
- Albert Camus

Am in the middle of reading a very interesting book (Planet of Slums by Mike Davis), but well, I promised this article to a friend more than a month ago, so here goes...

Background: When I was in Australia, thinking about all the countries I've been to, I was compiling in my mind all the criterias of a country/ city I would like to live in. It then struck me that hey, Indonesia fulfills a lot of those criterias, but I've never ever before that considered going back to Indonesia to work, not even one bit. Well, I had a rethought, and here are all the reasons why Indonesia is now my no 1 candidate country for long-term stay:

1. Language
OK, I think most of my close friends know that I love the Indonesian language, even more than any other language, including French. There's something about Indonesian that allows one to be most poetic with the simplest sounds (unlike French which tends to be rather 'flowery'. Silly as it sounds, I can't live in a country where I don't like the language.. that's why I can't live in Vietnam though the country is so beautiful and the people so nice.. No offense to Vietnamese people, but well.. I can't imagine hearing it everyday, or having kids and have my kids learn Vietnamese.. Same with Singlish..

2. Size
I considered this when I was travelling in Europe, Australia, and then China, thinking how I would love to stay in a big country/ continent so on weekends I can go travelling to many places, without needing a passport hahaha.. I think this desperation to stay in a large country comes from living in Singapore for 8 years, worsened by the fact that so much of Singapore looks the same so you practically only entertain yourself with a very small proportion of area.. But yeah, Indonesia's size definitely guarantees that I won't be bored with the country.

3. Nature and its various manifestations
What I mean is, how in a country you can find everything from sea, mountain, desert, forest, large rivers, mudflats etc etc.. since I love going outdoors and trekking.. I realised just how cool it is to have a country with all these places in Australia, where you can be on the beach and in the forest on the same day. With some of the world's most pristine rainforests, Asia's largest rivers, most beautiful islands, scenic mountains and other things like rice terraces, Indonesia's clearly not lacking in this department.

4. Food
For Indonesians reading this.. Do I even have to elaborate..? The variety of food in Indonesia is simply amazing, and so flavorful! I mean, well Singapore has lots of food too, but mostly Malay, Indian, Western food etc assimilated into the culture. For originality and flavor.. go Indonesian. Plus, my number one most favorite food is very common in Indonesia but difficult to find outside Indonesia-Malaysia region: tempe. If you've never tried it.. Man, you're missing a lot..
Another factor, Indonesian street food is cheap and delicious *unlike Aussi and France where food, though really good, is also bloody expensive* . Well, ok, there's a risk of typhoid fever attached to it, but hey, that just means Indonesian food trains you to be stronger!

5. Friendliness of people
I don't really know how to explain this one, but trust me, Indonesians are among the friendliest people. Consider that when I travel I try as much as I can to interact with the local people and to date I've been to quite a lot of countries. Strangely enough, my Westerner friends who have travelled to Indonesia all agree with me that Indonesian people are really nice, while the Singaporeans are quite convinced Indonesians are out to cheat you =D

6. Education system
Right.. Somehow, a country's education system is an important indicator for me whether to stay there, and well, even if Indonesia's education system is not as cool as Sweden where they have forest kindergarten, or as liberal and humanistic as France, at least it leaves a lot of free time for kids to explore other hobbies.. Till now I'm really grateful that at least I spent my childhood in Indonesia. Though, I can't say anything regarding Indonesian universities.

7. Culture
I know that I can't stay in a place that's not beautiful, that lacks artistic/ creative people. Cities like Hanoi, Paris, Melbourne and Beijing with long history, beautiful buildings, and strong culture, I immediately fell in love with.. And yes, Indonesian cities, especially in Java, has very rich culture and history too. I especially love the depictions of wayang characters in batik art in Yogyakarta, but Indonesia has many other art forms including woodwork, silverware, exotic dances etc. Yeah, it's funny how when I grew up in Indonesia I never appreciate the diversity that we have, but now that I'm in Singapore and can only watch these things through youtube, I realize just how culturally rich my country is.

8. Ease to find a job, and cost of living
Well, several cities that I've visited so far fulfill most of the criterias above, the strongest contender being France and Australia, but what clinches the deal for Indonesia is that.. well.. if I go back, I'm technically not a foreigner, not an immigrant, so it will be way easier to find a job, compared to if I try to migrate to Paris or Melbourne..

So yeah, that's it. Oh and postscript, after coming back from China, though I fell in love again with Beijing, I know I'd love to stay in a tropical country for the long term, because I just love sun and rain.. and somewhat hates the fierce, biting winter I encountered in Beijing.

On China and World Domination

OK, I have to admit that right now I'm just fascinated with all things Chinese, and especially all things Beijing.. Am currently reading the above book, which is really interesting. It's about the quest of an American family to try to live for one year without buying anything made in China.. and it's hillarious! Because panic sets in every time something is broken/needed.. From the simplest of things like toys (Some are produced in Indonesia and Thailand), shoes (Italian ones) to more unusual ones like inflatable swimming pool and mousetraps (homemade, but eventually they found some made in the USA) , the author had to use so much ingenuity to get non-Chinese ones, or - more often than not- give up on the thing altogether... There were some sobering facts, like how there is no such thing as a lamp made in the USA because nobody in the USA produce the parts. They're all outsourced to China... At one point the author was searching for children safety buoys and she was sure they would not be made in China because.. well, because one can trust China for trivial things like toys, but not for life-saving products like medicine and safety buoys...

No such luck. Everything on the isle was made in China.

..Which brings me to my point on world domination. The author wondered, what if one day China decided to stop importing lamp parts to the USA? How bad would it be hit? What if China stopped importing all the other things? I'd say USA would be hit pretty bad, and herein lies China's power.. It is powerful not because other countries fear China, but they fear the absence of China.

When I went to Australia, it's eerie just how every piece of souvenir is made in China.. My brothers and I noticed them mainly because those two anti-mainland China campaigners *yup those are my bros* were making jokes about how Chinese people would come to Australia and see that everything is 'homemade'.. It got me thinking about the appropriateness of giving out to people souvenirs made in China though they're supposed to be mementos of my trip to Australia.. I'd say the tourism industry is pretty big in Australia, and it's creepily funny that China has managed to infiltrate this industry in its own capitalist way..

So, if world domination is measured in the prevalence of the 'made in ______' label, clearly China is a world dominator (or dominatrix, if so you prefer..). Am thinking of starting my own experiment of living without things made in China, but something in me says I won't last long anyway, why bother trying..

P.S Funnily enough, I checked around my room to see just how many archi stuff are made in China, and actually, we can survive pretty well without anything Chinese, since Steadler pencils are made in Germany, A3 cartridge paper made in England, white glue made in Taiwan *ok I'm taking the stand that Taiwan's not really China..*, x-acto blades made in the USA.. Dang it explains why architecture is such an expensive course to study..

Oh but wait, Moleskines are made in China!

Resolution 2010

When the clock struck 12, I happened to be lounging in a  cafe in Beijing, with an architecture friend. They must've put something in the tea because we ended up spontaneously making a bet for the end of 2010:

I guess my work is cut out for me.. 

I'll be back...

Last view of Beijing: snow sprinkled runway

... to China.....

Aaaaah China... Just came back home and dead tired but I feel that I gotta at least scribble a quick update (Just wanna relish the feel of my MacBook keyboard haha.. and kinda miss blogging since I had lots of thoughts but couldn't blog in China)

Aaaaanyway.. for those wondering how was China.. it was AMAZING..... Totally tops my expectations hahaha.. Had no problem with toilets and cleanliness at all, met so many interesting people, saw really cool *and cold!* places, and sorted out my loose threads hahaha.. 

Actually... I fell in love with Beijing.. huhuhu... Dang even the cold weather couldn't dampen my spirits when I was wandering around the hutongs.. The bare trees lent the whole city kind of a poetic air.. and the food... oh gosh the food... Will never look at "Chinese food" the same way again.. I admit that Singapore food is great for its variety, but I've always loved street food and the Beijing street food scene is just fantabulous!

Oh well, am gonna do a series of posts on China since I've got lots of thoughts about China and Chinese people haha.. This is just a glimpse on my current feelings towards China, especially Beijing, which is highly, highly positive.

On the other hand, since I started wandering around 2 years ago, this is the first trip where I actually missed Singapore.. haha.. and quite often, at that! Every time piercing cold wind blew on my face, I just automatically remember the Singapore sun huhuhu.. Thing is, Chinese winters are fiercely cold, and there's something about the realisation that you could DIE just by staying outside a bit too long, that gave me renewed appreciation for our great tropical weather. I love Singapore weather, that's for sure. *Oh and I realise European winters are for wusses.. Because even some guys from Sweden were conquered by the combination of -20 temperatures and really strong wind in Beijing..*

So yeah, really content right now since I'm back in this sunny little island, though missing Beijing a bit. Gonna try to find work / volunteer so I can go back to China in summer =D Excited about school and happy since this semester shouldn't be as busy as the last one. All pumped up on learning Chinese.. must improve!

But first... hoahm... Good night everyone!