tonight will be in a sense my last night spent in bj. i will be leaving tomorrow night...or rather saturday morning, at 0010 hours or just after midnight.

i will miss beijing. its is such a lovely place with such interesting people living such different lives from us visitors, and even among themselves. in these 6 weeks i have probably learnt more about beijing than all that i have read up on at home over years. rather than coming as tourists we were here attached to a local school, and that makes all the difference by letting us live life as locals. i wonder how wrong my impression of beijing would have been should i have been following around some tour group.

hmm.

what i love about this place?

its a new experience in general, but i shall name a few.
first of all, the SHOPPING. guys shop too, alright, and i am even more so justified in this aspect, me after all being a teen.
the photo opportunities. what i will never have seen in Singapore i have before my eyes time and time again. in beijing.
the food. its dirt cheap.
the subway. transport made easy in exponential powers. will get you anywhere without fail after you more or less know how to use it.

yet nothing is perfect. have i found any dislikes here?

the toilets. some do not seem to understand the concept of 'cubicles'. beyond a small board of plastic between each bowl. and they are, hmm, not too clean.
the humidity. its so low your skin can crack, and you are always feeling dehydrated.
the lack of internet access in the school dormitories. enough explained? the worst hate of all be this one.
missing home. i miss home, and even more so my friends and family. 6 weeks is a long time to be away, it is.
and having to control my spending by so much. thankfully i am already used to it, monetary self control is a good habit to practice. yet...

aha. something to mull over briefly: oh that pair of levi jeans, and oh that armani shirt. and oh the converse sneakers the soccer boots the chains with a sword, heart-shaped, wing, shield, ring, skull pendant. i have so much that i long to have and do not have. but isnt this the same with everyone? where is your dream car? the house with a swimming pool you saw in the newspapers? what about the pretty girl or handsome guy who you met on the bus? some things are things we have to, and can do without, just that we either do not see, or having seen do not admit it. but while we lag and lament our fate life moves on, leaving behind those who refuse to move on.

haha, perhaps not as serious as that, but to put it in a selfish point of view which some may understand better, you may miss something better for something not as good but you have already taken a blind fancy to.

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now as i prepare to head home all i can think of are the people i am going to see, and i long to see. my parents, my friends and especially a few closest ones... and my teachers, and other people i know, friends, seniors and leaders i know from church. for all your best wishes, blessings, prayer and advice i thank you all. truly.