- It will give you pleasure later in life.
- It reminds you of your goals and progress, and thus keeps you sane (though not necessarily good).
*
- I completed an AIESEC internship for VanceInfo, which mostly involved teaching my charming colleagues English, learning Chinese, and eventually getting some technical work sent my way (as originally promised).
- I helped a number of companies with freelance IT services, and am learning iPhone development for a project involving Chinese training for students and schools.
- I'm about to start daily Chinese lessons at a language school in Wudaokou.
- I've traveled to 20 Chinese cities, several towns, one S.A.R. and a tiny village in the mountains of Shandong.
- I did some voluntary teaching (English for the elderly), was interviewed by TV crews twice, planted beans, got photos published in a magazine, went to a music festival, saw Eason Chan in concert, caught the Olympics in three different venues, got lost in the Confucius family graveyard, fought a hernaic fellow from Essex in Imperial garb, smoked and ate silk worm larvae with a factory boss on a train, experienced the joy of fire cupping, lost the will to live on a freezing holy mountain, been to a village wedding (and made a speech), saw a total solar Eclipse (partially), risked life and limb in all manner of vehicles and worn out umpteen pairs of shoes.
* 3. Narcissism.
Two places you should visit in Beijing:
 St. Michael's Church on Dongjiao Minxiang, and the former legation quarter with its other surprises. |  What? Bar on Beichang Jie. |
2 comments:
You should add a third reason for keeping a journal:
Your readers find the stuff you've been doing interesting.
I use gMote (sweet app), which led me to this blog. Your time in China sounded pretty cool. Keep up the good work (and occasional blog posts!).
A Hernaic Fellow from Essex!! I like that description! I might introduce myself like that from now on!!
Thanks for the postcard, Old Hag!! As a matter of fact, I have a renewed interest in updating my own blog, due to the fact that this saturday, I am going to Plymouth for a year!! Oh and I have summat to remind you of as well:
Remember the tiny tea shop we went into, where that charming fellow showed us his photo album, and we sat and drank tea with him around that ornately carved table? And he pointed at the tea that unfurls from a ball into a delicate arrangement of pink flowers, describing it accurately as "Beautiful"? Well, for the first time the other day, my mum put one of the balls of tea into a transparent caffetiere, which we repeatedly filled with hot water. It unfurled and was indeed beautiful, and we revelled in delights millennia old. Anyway, you know how, in movies, they use that series of flashing images and videos in fast motion to indicate that a character is remembering everything he has ever done? Well, as soon as I smelt the tea, memories flooded my mind in that exact same way!! I seemed to remember every sensation, emotion and vivid memory of my time with you in China!! The sub-zero temperatures, the immensity of ice and coloured lights, the most epic travel documentary/oscar winning movie ever, the natural history museum's insufficient plumbing, the chicken feet and duck's stomachs, the karaoke, the tangential, eminently gripping conversation, but most of all, the fun and friendship!! Truly hernaic!! Thanks Bro!
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