Beijing and Singapore

Aug 29 - Sept 3: Beijing

Aug 29

G picked me up at the airport (I spotted him, white dude among Chinese people, first :)) . Got back to air bnb place - was a little tripped out by the old building, waste bursting out of pipes onto the side walks, shit and all. Grabbed some dinner by a small noodles shop (proud of myself for being G's translator), and headed down to a hutong near Guijie. G found a pretty neat show (Steely Heart) at School Bar - Chinese rock music with lots of good vibes, good crowd - I even had to chug down a cup of disgusting jagerbomb to get in for free (felt a little old for that sort of stuff, but 'never too old' was what G told me).

Aug 30

Headed down to 798. I wrote about 798 a few years ago when it was one of those burgeoning art scenes in China. Now it's become a tourist attraction and it was impossible to make any sense out of the place. It was then my 'great' idea to go to Cao Chang Di as I had the impression that you would be able to find some 'authentic' art there. It was a long walk, we didn't find anything there (except Ai Wei Wei's studio number), but trust G to always make the best out of things. We had a couple of good, cheap baos, and walked into a commercial wasteland. Huge, half-built buildings, a deserted shophouse, concrete slabs strewn all over the street, 1 dog, (in the words of G - 'cue the scabby dog'), 1 security guard, all right smack in the middle of a busy central district in Beijing. What made it interesting was that just at the corner of this ghost-town, we found the lovely Oops Wine Bar, where we had some wine and a special dessert treat from the owner herself.

From here, we went down to the Olympic Stadium to check out the IAAF. We were late and didn't make it for the event, but it was all good fun anyway.

Aug 31

Great Wall of China! Took a local bus and cab to Mutianyu, and had a good chat with the locals (all because G gave his seat up). It's been my secret dream to climb the Great Wall with G, and I was just happy that we had this chance. Beautiful scenery, perfect weather, lots of good ol' walking.

Sept 1

Went to check out the CCTV towers in the morning, then to the Summer Palace. Beijing is huge. There is an interesting blend of old and new architecture, the streets are modernized but still ghetto in many ways. Lots of spitting, babies with cut-out pants to facilitate easier bowel expulsion, half-finished construction jobs, traffic lights that mean nothing to nobody, messy sidewalks, old men gambling on the streets, 'cue the scabby dog', bright lights, loud noise, hutongs and the young hipster crowd, just sensory overload, and a surprising feeling of security.

We met up with Yijin and her boyfriend at Sanlitun for the best dinner of the trip (Beijing hotpot!). Yijin then took us to a yuppie rooftop bar for drinks (place was bad, drinks were bad, but the company made it worthwhile). Great night through and through.

Sept 2

Got down to Tiananmen Square but as it was day before the commemoration, we weren't able to get in. Had just enough of a view of Mao's portrait and some parts of the square. Moved on to the Marco Polo Bridge / Lugou qiao which reminded one of Europe (Marco Polo praised this bridge as one of the most beautiful bridges in his journal). We chanced upon the event of Zuma, South Africa's President, visiting at the war commemoration hall.

At Movie Town, we had hope to catch a film but it was the holidays, so nothing was available. An upcoming, cleaned-up part of Beijing.

Sept 4 - Sept 8

Sept 4

G arrives in Singapore!!

Sept 5

Got up early to get some prata breakfast with Alan and Felicia. They dropped us off at Joo Chiat, where we walked around a bit to check out the old houses, before meeting them again at one of OH's site. Had vietnamese lunch, and then walked a hot, slimy walk back to the house. We then headed off to The Projector for Taxi Tehran. It wasn't very good but we had a beer in hand...had some chicken rice for dinner, walked around Arab Street for a bit, and then off to a bar where we met up with Pris and Bin. Yes, I just wanted to show off G. He's great. :)

Sept 6

Had a family lunch - lots of local food for G (I doubt he remembers exactly what he ate). We went to work on the book, then got to Marina Bay Sands hotel and Gardens by the Bay. That was my first time there as well, so it was quite an interesting 'utopian' experience. Bizarre super trees. Walked from the Gardens to Esplanade where we had a nice dinner. We play some ping-pong at the Esplanade. Got back home for some Louis.

Sept 7

Took a bus ride to Johor Bahru, grabbed some lunch at the shopping mall right by the train station, and grabbed a ridiculously short 5 minutes JB - Woodlands train ride (the ride was short, but the immigration clearance was long, strict and tedious). Took the MRT past the West side of Singapore, before stopping at Tiong Bahru for a coffee. Headed back to the East side, where we joined the Marine Parade Workers' Party rally.

Sept 8

G's last day in Singapore. Checked out the Singapore Art Museum, got a Jaime t-shirt printed for him, walked around Fort Canning, G bought a cake for the family, family dinner, and off to the airport.

The separation is becoming nearly unbearable. I miss you so much, but I have nothing to say to you. I don't know why I was not able to follow through with the plan to move in November. I let all sorts of voices get into my head and I could not see clearly. Clarity came to me only when you left and I felt a void open up inside of me.

I used to think that I couldn't be that easily affected by my surroundings, that hope and happiness came from within - when I am immersed in work or when I'm learning something interesting - which meant that I could possibly be in any place and I would be fine. Now I've realized that what motivates those inner feelings has to do with your external environment. Living at home like a child who doesn't need to worry about food or shelter, taking up a job for the money and comfort, has really brought me back to a self I sought to change. It's time for another move.