Sunday 8 June 2008

boo ya!!
i had a title for this post last night. i even thought about what i was going to say, but now all that's running through my head are the lyrics to ben folds' still fighting it. in particular, the bit which goes and everybody knows, it sucks to grow up.

the title of this post, therefore, is taken from words i saw printed on the shirt of the tiny boy i met in the lift on my way back home from buying fruits at the mini-mart downstairs. they were encased in a speech bubble, the words seemingly issuing from the mouth of multi-coloured giraffes and zebras.

okay, i'm not very sure what animals they were, but that's what they looked like.

it's been very pleasant the past few days in beijing, especially with jon being back in singapore and able to buy calling cards which give him 340 minutes to talk to me, for $10. two of our girlfriends from the university are also staying over for the weekend - and with that, i suddenly remember what i wanted to call this post!

happy dumpling festival! 粽子节快乐 (zong4 zi3 jie2 kuai4 le4)!

that's what our china friends have been referring to 端午节 (duan1 wu3 jie2) as, and that's also why our friends are staying over, because for one it's too far for her to travel home and everyone else in her hostel has gone home, for another, her parents have gone travelling so although she stays in beijing she's been locked out of her house.

it's been pleasant with them here, with jolie coming over too, and we've been sitting with our laptops on our laps, typing away at assignments and the like, sprawled over the sofas in the living room. chatting idly from time to time, napping, ordering take-away at mealtimes. the sun has been gracing us with his presence, and shines in a nice way through the wall-length living room windows.

i'll miss being an exchange student. i won't miss the whole being away from singapore thing, but just being a student elsewhere. is there a difference?

i decided to go for the international christian fellowship's serivce today, even though i'd dismissed it as being Annoying and Too Americanised sometime during the beginning of my stay in beijing. i'm really glad i did, actually, and although i'm slightly ashamed to admit it i think i'm going to be going back there for my last 3 sundays here. it was almost like being back home, somehow, and i felt terribly lonely as i walked out back into dusty beijing and a wall of spoken chinese.

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