京城中的一天

隨便的寫:莫非我己因為適應新語言而失去思考整理的能力。我是想寫有關北京生活的瑣事，但不知從何說起。

書店. cafe. 工作

星期五下班，感覺特別疲累，到了書局看書，很多書都很吸引，但我實在不能再買書了，來北京後，已買了不下(二)十本的書,北京的書，不但價錢便宜，印刷也很好，不像以前六元一本草紙般的書。
「老爸老媽去旅行」是近來內地很紅的一本書 - 一對上海退休夫妻，不懂英語，不熟悉網絡，不參加旅遊團，自助遊歴歐洲83天。其實主要也是遊記，但書中這兩位老人自己畫的黑白畫很美，而且文筆太令人羡慕了，可能內地人的文筆始終都比我們好很多。我的同事有一次說「她從香港來的，國語都算很好，但我猜只要我們不說太多成語，她會聽得輕鬆一點！」
另一本書，名很catchy - 「建築師不是描圖機器」

上星期去了圓明園旁的MIMA cafe, 那裹除了courtyard cafe,還有一個建築師辦公窒，一間書店。都是又一個著名設計師所設計的，十分寧靜，還有很多貓和古英國牧羊狗，當然跟北京所有其他cafe一樣都有免費wireless. 這cafe最出位的地方應是它的洗手間，鏡面小立方體，映射園林四周，進內後，頂上是魚池，抬頭可看到天空和小魚游動，腳下透明地板則可以看到貓咪在石子路面上行走。
至於今個星期，我要到朝陽區的dog cafe.

工作以外的生活﹣很悠閒，而工作時也是十分新奇的。近日參與在一大型住宅項目中，要與邪惡豬合作，但他究竟有多邪惡，還要給我多點時間觀察。工作雖然新奇，每天試着，學着，和經歴着新旳事情，但也不是所有體會都是正面的。除了邪惡豬之外，近日常要跟發展商開會。過了三個星期，還未選好戶型，這麼多research其實也是希望architect自己結論一個最賺到錢的方法。
昨天我們一班年輕人去吃午飯，boss也說要來，他比邪惡豬好得多，不會盲目在辦公室在亂叫，很會關心我們，又叫我們每人推介京城好吃的家鄉菜（我們很多都從不同地方來）下次午餐開車去。我歸納到一個不幸的結論，同樣的年齡，這是一個爸爸(boss)和未婚男(邪惡豬)的分別。
雖然我說得邪惡豬很懷，但我猜他只是yet to be enlightened,希望日後我會發現他好的一面。

今天午餐吃東北菜，量不可思議的大，我是說真的，beyond imagination, at least 21:18, I am still full to the throat now.. from lunch.

Overheard in the city
「看來京城的春天不遠了」﹣Beijing News
「從鄧麗君到李宇春，中國的確走了很遠」

饞貓

I'm sure you all know how much I adore Japanese food!! I am so craving for good, authentic, high quality jap food again!!! Not those horrible one, and the desire is so immense that I'll satisfy it very soon!!! Didn't thought that I would start missing Japanese food so much so soon! And no matter where I am, I would have this same crave! (Oh, recent example include, leaving my classmates while we were in Paris, to go get some reli hip jap food; and all the expensive Jap food take away in edinburgh -_-" no good Jap food in Edin; oh and also the 7 pounds sea urchin sushi in Regent Street London)



So I have did thorough researches during working hours, I am gonna explore it for you guys, so next time you come, you can go get it too!
Wow I filled two Moleskin pages so quickly this week, what have been stimulating me?
"Talking about food, I had really local Beijing food today, it's not something that we would usually eat when we travel, I guess cuz some of them tastes reli weird, so no good to promote, there's this white sour soup thingy! they say 「你吃慣了便是地道北京人了」apart from that, there's this brown sticky soup thing with pig organs or stuff like that, plus other normal stuff like - 驢打滾，焦圈(donut ?? ) ，碗豆糕，窩窩頭和一些有很多醬料的「冷麵」，真是千奇百怪！好得意。"
P.S. went sing k yesterday, was soooooo fun!!!

The deadline has passed....

Well my question is - why so last minute? If you knew you can't blow water in a foreign language well! 

PIG says: (23:06:32)仲有50分钟CITY 的NONJUP就会CLOSE, 我而家要报一科语言学与语言科技. TRACY帮我写了,但她不会写如何对我将来职业有关系,因为规定要写~ 你就帮我看一眼
Maoshan* says: (23:09:04)why all of u are doing things last minute?
PIG says: (23:09:27):|人地都系GUM?
Maoshan* says: (23:09:27) I am helping two other friends at the moment
PIG says: (23:17:28)快啊快啊~~~CONNIE~~~~

PIG says: (23:17:33)12点DEADLINE
PIG says: (23:19:45)点解要读,希望读到D咩  将来要做什么, 读这一科和将来的工作有什么关系Maoshan* says: (23:19:52)you want me to add things to it?

PIG says: (23:20:25)求其,最紧要正常D同快


Niki*❤ANTM* says: (22:05:05)
yea but everyone is doing
so it juz make it kinda important
: S
i hv asked pooh ytd
she said she didnt knoww whether it is important or noe
haha
she juz ask me to write


-------
Niki*❤ANTM* says: (00:03:37)shit
Niki*❤ANTM* says: (00:03:44)the deadline has passed
Niki*❤ANTM* says: (00:03:49)my fd told me the wrong time

My Beijing's "to-do list"

在北京我有很多事情想做，但時間有限，在六月離開前共有二十六天的週末，工作天則不能常常去玩了。不過，我很喜歡這裹有這麼多事情可以做，因為白羊座的我一缺乏新鮮感就感到很不快了。現把部份想做的事情列出來，以免忘記！

1. Volunteer
2. Visit a local home
3. 各大奧運場館
4. 北京的大小胡同，多達7000多條，每條都有一段掌故傳說。胡同的名稱五花八門，有的以人物命名，有的以市場，商品命名（羊肉胡同）...北京胡同是老北京人的生活象徵，所以要自己到那些地區閒逛一下。
5. 雖然來過北京幾次，但上一次到長城是六歲半的事，故deborah來時要跟她一起去
6. debs到時也打算再到頤和園+圓明園的
7. 小徐常說要吃全聚得烤鴨
8. 而我則喜歡涮羊肉
9. 法國范兒在胡同裹-Domus
10. 喝要退瓶的酸奶
11. 到帽兒胡同的cafe
12. 也有打算想到各大學裹散步
13. 798 工厰﹣原本是空置的厰房，現改造成為藝術家聚集的地方
14. Visit China's National Library
15. 唱k！
16. 各大書城﹣北京圖書大厦，中關村圖書大廈，外文書店，地壇書市.... ohhh...
17. debs來時也打算再到訪各大名人的故居
18. 我們是打算去那個蛋形的National Grand Theatre of China 看一個performance 的
19. 當然還有MUSEUM，特別是朝陽區那個現代藝術館
20.噢，我們是打算去秀水街的hahaha
21.亂行

Beijing =)

Haven't had time to write since arriving at Beijing.
Awww, I dunno where to start, but in short, I feel very stimulated and inspired everyday. I almost feel that I'm in love with the city. Parted with the city for 7 years, this time I seems to have a whole new perspective of this place, perhaps it's cuz I am not just a tourist, but a person who lives and work here, and also since the place has changed soooo much...

As some of you might know, one of the reasons I wanted to come and live in Beijing was, even though as a Chinese, I know very little of how actually living in China is like. It's almost one of the place where I would have the highest possibility of having a (counter-) cultural shock, everywhere else I sort of know what to expect, but China, seems so ever-changing!

Real Working life is also something new for me, working 9 - 17:30 leaves me with very little time to do personal things (even blogging), however, it's almost one of the few times in my life that I am constantly productive throughout the day. Apart from working, I have to take a long ride to work every morning, and the trip is very interesting indeed, with view of different parts of the city, and more understanding of other common people.

My moleskin pretty much shows how much new things I have seen and experienced these days. Still haven't had time to really tour around the city yet, but I'll do that during weekend, and when spring comes, my really nice colleagues says that they will bring me around the city when the flowers blossom! Things I jotted down in moleskin are all small things, but interesting to note, e.g. 

- Unlike the really dumb roadshow in HK buses, Beijing buses have live news
- Many old people keeps Chinese dogs
- yuan lai, people over 65 years old can take public transport for FREE everyday, not only on weekends
- In China, You dun call an engineer mr. sth, they are called e.g. 楊工，李工 very funny lol
- Books are good quality and really cheap
- That day I picked up a hat for the old woman who dropped it, she held my hands and thanked me.
- My new favourite architectural magazine, is one that's edited by Tsingwa

- Haven't read so much for a long time, all the cheap books I bought and the enormous amount of magazine my flatmate buys!

- The city and culture of Beijing actually bear resemblances to that of Paris (i'll write more about this next time) 
etc. etc. etc.

[Spring in Beijing]  - Photo Album Constantly updating 

Bags of dilemmas (1)

Am I still too young to comprehend? or too inexprienced to let go?
It's commonly agreed that sharing love or care is often more satisfying than giving, but it's not just satisfying, it also makes you think more. I was about to say " as I often move around from places to places and school to school" but that's probably not the only reason, I guess many people of my age, or is it the twenty first century? - experiences a lot of transitions and changes, we are constantly stimulated by new circumstances and inspired by new people we meet. Is it only me? That always face this problem? Similar to those friends from Edinburgh Starbucks. Is it the unexplored that sparked the imagination thus sympathy? Anyways, it seems to be a problem that exists in my life, tiny perfect and touching relationships with seemingly strangers, having to end often because I have to leave. Desirable for some, to have only beautiful memories of a person, but at the same time painful... a struggle to understand whether any further development is possible in those friendships, or how they these friendships should be positioned among the other ones.
hmm, I guess I should admit, it's often time a bit of a compassion x curiosity (?) that led me to these friendships, and it also makes me wonder whether they really need my help (!) (or did I helped?) If yes, now that I have to leave again, how should I treat this feeling of lost of a friend (not so close), and what would I be in the other person's heart? From school time, Muso? Dorm?, SB, LPC, kids I know from volunteering, service trips...etc. I feel like I am quite good in leaving things down, and moving on (I should understand that it's probably the same for the other person too? - or is it? ) just that the immediate moment, i'd feel agitated. (?) Is it how things should go?

Having said that also reminds me my "never had best friend"(never thought I need one) kinda thoughts.
Also how I thought it should be nice enough to be an encouragement/support to the person at one point of their life, even though they might not remember me forever, but as long as s/he continue to (because of the encouragement) have a great life, then it doesn't really matter what my position was in the process. Either I am very short-sighted, or I only like to make local/micro efforts, I thought it's great already to give supports, even tiny ones. (But did I force dropped or habitually faded out some of those relationships, or is it my personality?)
To the thoughts/ dilemmas above, I thought of two possible solutions.

What did I last say I wish to become? My recent aspiration has returned to my answer on the LPC application 5 years ago, oh?

P.S. I have gave the present to Lucky Boy and his domestic helper Irene, in return, I received a letter from her this evening, very SB style. I still owe many students letter, sigh, foreseeable... trap, trap, mental trap

Lucky Boy's Birthday

Tomorrow is Lucky boy's 2 years old birthday! Lucky boy is arguably one of the most difficult dog to walk here, especially because he didn't get any training and his family never let him into any areas of the flat apart from the kitchen, nor did they ever walked their dog. So all the difficult work was left to his patient domestic helper. 

He is one of the most famous dogs in Bel-Air. Famed for his mischief and diverse expressions! Labradors are known to be quite kind tempered, and are often employed as dog doctors. 

However, like Marley from Marley & Me, Lucky is boisterous, powerful, endlessly hungry and eager to be active (even though completely without malice) Every morning, he runs into the mud puddles, stick his head into the dirty water, and get himself and others all brown and dirty; instead of drinking the water form a bowl, he put his head in it and spill it everywhere. Lucky loves to pretend to be dead so that he doesn't have to go home, and always jump so high to kiss people. He once jumped up to the kitchen table and ate a whole roast chicken! Even though he's so large in size, he's scared when huskies walk towards him, he's scared of remote-control-toy cars and would hide under the chair looking horrified! 

Gonna buy him and his domestic helper something! hmm, what should i get?