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Wednesday, January 06, 2010

This post was written on the 6th of jan but had not been published till now(26-01-2010)
***
First and foremost: Happy Belated Birthday Ms Poon!!! :)
*

i am back from BeiJing!
i havent caught up with my sleep and there are other things to do, but this is a wonderful tale to tell.

After flipping books and having a grasp of BeiJing's places of interest (mainly of historical significance),
it only occurred to me when we were taking off that BeiJing is an urban city.
the flight was thus spent agonizing over how BeiJing is like, and that thoroughly exhausted my imagination.
we arrived at the airport, a massive building with jaw-dropping architecture only thinkably achievable by mad Chinese men (who are also responsible for other insanely massive constructions since ancient times, such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City/ the Imperial Palace) . we learn later on that everything in China is three times its construct in our minds.

the first day was mundane; checking in to our hotel, which is really quite terrible, but in a prime location amidst old hutongs(which have been pleasantly converted into eateries) within walking distance to the heartlands and the subway. Shopping for additional winter clothing in wholesale centres, heated bargaining- grabbed scolded chased by tenacious teenage shop tenders... Our trip had not yet begun, but we were cold and happy; caught in the glitzy glamour of winter, and being in a country whose currency is five times lower than ours.

Days afterwards, we repeatedly stood witness to China's ancient history, centuries old buildings coexisting with modern skyscrapers and shopping malls in perfect harmony. The Forbbiden City and its perfect symmetry, the vast concrete square of Tian'an men with people huddled in a tight semi-circle to watch the elaborate flag-lowering ceremony, the weather-beaten Great Wall of China snaking delicately and tiresomely atop the blades of mountains endless... all the time we were dumbfounded, staring mouth agape frowning: how in the world--- who on earth would even think to build constructs of such staggering, mindblowing proportions? Their magnificence and grandeur is undoubtably awe-inspiring, scenic against fierce terrains like men's brave (and desperate) attempt to leave a mark on the untamed wilderness. it renders us feeling humbled, frail and nerve-jitteringly small. it also forced me to make a contrast with Singapore's history, and our shallow history is precisely why i have trouble feeling rooted to this place.................

***
ha ha ok. yep it's incomplete.. the day i returned from Bei Jing i had the intention to blog up a storm but there were too many smells and sights, revelations kept knocking on the glass windowpanes demanding an audience. there is still food, skiing, walking on frozen lakes FLIGHT DELAYED 4.5 HOURS etc to talk about but the days meant to continue writing this dragged on and on and we're already entering February. it seemed too late.. so there. :)

she's not here @

8:54 PM