1 july 2008 1411
and so, my last meal in beijing was a toasted ham and cheese sandwich and a paper cup of hot water from starbucks. kuek foo's sitting next to me and has just finished consuming his, except that he had enough money to get a drink as well. when i finally post this in singapore i'll have eaten dinner on the aeroplane and hugged jon for the first time in almost nine months.
it feels good to be going home.
***
i'm going to leave the title of this post as is, because i was planning to post it just after i got back but of course that never happened. there should've been wireless at the beijing airport but somehow i failed to connect to a network.
jon and i had our first real argument since i got back, last night - okay, that's not true, we've had some disagreements in the past 16 days - but it was our first real argument because he refused to believe that it was the gaelic and hence the french who drank warm beer and not the britons! based, of course, on one very reliable source - asterix and obelix.
on my part, i refused to believe the opposite, and it turned out in the end that he was right.
which means i'll be prevented from boiling sausages in beer, because someone thinks it's an awful waste of said beverage, and after all, no one here drinks warm beer either. just like the french.
my dad pointed out that the french drink wine, anyhow.
all that being said, it's been nothing short of glorious being back home in sunny singapore. it's been disappointing at times because i think i expected just a teensy bit too much. but everytime i walk from my house to the bus stop, seeing how clear and blue the sky looks, how green the trees, how fresh the sunshine - i breathe a silent prayer of thanks, and go on marvelling at how it's as if my glasses have been wiped clean as clean can be. even the exhaust fumes, when i go running, don't smell that bad. i love being able to see blue sky and clouds and the sun so much that even the humidity doesn't affect me greatly.
best of all, abi arrived at my house yesterday bearing the box containing all the books i asked her to purchase for me, save for one or two she couldn't get. i've been absorbed in the adventures of paddington since last night.
***
i'm going to leave the title of this post as is, because i was planning to post it just after i got back but of course that never happened. there should've been wireless at the beijing airport but somehow i failed to connect to a network.
jon and i had our first real argument since i got back, last night - okay, that's not true, we've had some disagreements in the past 16 days - but it was our first real argument because he refused to believe that it was the gaelic and hence the french who drank warm beer and not the britons! based, of course, on one very reliable source - asterix and obelix.
on my part, i refused to believe the opposite, and it turned out in the end that he was right.
which means i'll be prevented from boiling sausages in beer, because someone thinks it's an awful waste of said beverage, and after all, no one here drinks warm beer either. just like the french.
my dad pointed out that the french drink wine, anyhow.
all that being said, it's been nothing short of glorious being back home in sunny singapore. it's been disappointing at times because i think i expected just a teensy bit too much. but everytime i walk from my house to the bus stop, seeing how clear and blue the sky looks, how green the trees, how fresh the sunshine - i breathe a silent prayer of thanks, and go on marvelling at how it's as if my glasses have been wiped clean as clean can be. even the exhaust fumes, when i go running, don't smell that bad. i love being able to see blue sky and clouds and the sun so much that even the humidity doesn't affect me greatly.
best of all, abi arrived at my house yesterday bearing the box containing all the books i asked her to purchase for me, save for one or two she couldn't get. i've been absorbed in the adventures of paddington since last night.
***
others may grouch and complain about rising prices, but trust me, there is always a good food bargain, and it's touching when grumpy hawkers still remember you and your fondness for Extra Vinegar with your bak chor mee sua.
also, because jon is a Class A Slob, we've been going to this coffeeshop near his house (wouldn't YOU like to know which block?) the location of which shall remain classified information, and they serve pretty good fish noodles ($3.50) and u mee ($3). the most amazing thing is for $3 you get three big fat prawns. well, not big and fat exactly, but big and fat enough.
i had my first cup of teh-c-kosong about 5 days ago or so, and it was heavenly. bitter, with just a hint of milky goodness.
lastly, there is nothing, nothing like sambal fried rice and ice cold beer and barbecued chicken wings consumed together. nothing.
however, it all comes with a price. i had a long run yesterday with jon and i'm feeling stiff and sleepy.
also, because jon is a Class A Slob, we've been going to this coffeeshop near his house (wouldn't YOU like to know which block?) the location of which shall remain classified information, and they serve pretty good fish noodles ($3.50) and u mee ($3). the most amazing thing is for $3 you get three big fat prawns. well, not big and fat exactly, but big and fat enough.
i had my first cup of teh-c-kosong about 5 days ago or so, and it was heavenly. bitter, with just a hint of milky goodness.
lastly, there is nothing, nothing like sambal fried rice and ice cold beer and barbecued chicken wings consumed together. nothing.
however, it all comes with a price. i had a long run yesterday with jon and i'm feeling stiff and sleepy.
