Reminisces: 16/12/2005
16/12/2005 12.56pm
I am now sitting in the first peace and quiet the house has known for some time. A family from my church in Patience is touring China, at my father's encouragement, and so the family is currently sharing the flat with my own family. I'm used to crowdedness, but 14 people in only 190+ square meters is a bit much, don't you think? Still, I'm not complaining: it's very pleasant company. Unfortunately it does mean that around bedtime, the two bathrooms get rather traffic-clogged. I haven't had a bath in ages!
Anyway, they've been here for about 3 or 4 days, and we've taken them shopping every day. [Post-note: Their luggage was 40 kilos overweight when they went back to Patience.] So far I think they've enjoyed it a lot, especially the shopping: but they're starting to dread the word 'walking'. So am I: my feet are getting seriously sore. At least I can sit in the house now and recuperate while they go traipsing all over Beijing. That's why the hosue is so quiet now: half the occupants are on their way to footsores and snowballs. May they have joy of it! [Post-note: Beijing didn't snow while they were there, so all they got was footsores.]
I visited Fuzhou Road the other day, and again noticed the Homosexuality in Art book. Obviously nobody has wanted to buy it--and not much question why either, to me. Low as moral standards here are, people aren't quite that brazen yet. I also saw Kelly Armstrong's latest book--Haunted--in the bookstore, and finished it there and then. It was enjoyable, quite good, but I still prefer its immediate predecessor: it was longer. But she's a good writer all the same, and at least she's more frequent than Rowling anyway.
As it is, my hand is numb. Have you ever tried writing with a numb hand? The words come out extremely misshapen. Quite terrible if you ask me: but I've turned on a heater and am now gradually getting somewhat toasty. It feels really nice. (Incidentally, the gweilos whom I've come into contact with think that Malaysians overuse "nice". I'm going to have to expand my vocabulary.)
We went off to the Orange-Yellow Temple yesterday for a full day of shopping. I bought a couple of Indian fans (RMB 68 each to RMB 10 each) and a bamboo sword, barely longer than my feet (the shopkeeper refused to haggle). I'm quite satisfied: the sword has lovely decorative value and the fans will be useful when I think my hostel is getting stuffy. Who says I don't plan for my future?
Right now, though, I've got 4 pages of math questions to wade through. I know it's a good thing that my teachers are so dedicated, but isn't this too much of a good thing?
I am now sitting in the first peace and quiet the house has known for some time. A family from my church in Patience is touring China, at my father's encouragement, and so the family is currently sharing the flat with my own family. I'm used to crowdedness, but 14 people in only 190+ square meters is a bit much, don't you think? Still, I'm not complaining: it's very pleasant company. Unfortunately it does mean that around bedtime, the two bathrooms get rather traffic-clogged. I haven't had a bath in ages!
Anyway, they've been here for about 3 or 4 days, and we've taken them shopping every day. [Post-note: Their luggage was 40 kilos overweight when they went back to Patience.] So far I think they've enjoyed it a lot, especially the shopping: but they're starting to dread the word 'walking'. So am I: my feet are getting seriously sore. At least I can sit in the house now and recuperate while they go traipsing all over Beijing. That's why the hosue is so quiet now: half the occupants are on their way to footsores and snowballs. May they have joy of it! [Post-note: Beijing didn't snow while they were there, so all they got was footsores.]
I visited Fuzhou Road the other day, and again noticed the Homosexuality in Art book. Obviously nobody has wanted to buy it--and not much question why either, to me. Low as moral standards here are, people aren't quite that brazen yet. I also saw Kelly Armstrong's latest book--Haunted--in the bookstore, and finished it there and then. It was enjoyable, quite good, but I still prefer its immediate predecessor: it was longer. But she's a good writer all the same, and at least she's more frequent than Rowling anyway.
As it is, my hand is numb. Have you ever tried writing with a numb hand? The words come out extremely misshapen. Quite terrible if you ask me: but I've turned on a heater and am now gradually getting somewhat toasty. It feels really nice. (Incidentally, the gweilos whom I've come into contact with think that Malaysians overuse "nice". I'm going to have to expand my vocabulary.)
We went off to the Orange-Yellow Temple yesterday for a full day of shopping. I bought a couple of Indian fans (RMB 68 each to RMB 10 each) and a bamboo sword, barely longer than my feet (the shopkeeper refused to haggle). I'm quite satisfied: the sword has lovely decorative value and the fans will be useful when I think my hostel is getting stuffy. Who says I don't plan for my future?
Right now, though, I've got 4 pages of math questions to wade through. I know it's a good thing that my teachers are so dedicated, but isn't this too much of a good thing?
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