Girl and City

Part of 30 Days of Me

A week ago today, I packed my life’s belongings into two suitcases and left Toronto, with the song “Leaving on a jet plane” fittingly stuck in my head.

Although I’ve only been in China for a week, it feels a lot longer than that. I’ve already adjusted to the rhythm of life here, the heat, the horrible traffic, the delicious (but often salty) food, and so on. Usually on my visits to China, I regard everything with a somewhat temporal indifference, knowing I’ll return to Canada sooner or later, as if I expect to be awoken from a dream at any moment. This time it’s different. Sure, Singapore and China are vastly different, but they are also quite alike, and I am getting myself ready (for Asia in general) through these similarities: the heat, the fact that the population is a homogenous sea of black hair, the intensely flavoured food, and so on.

In light of my more permanent outlook, I have tried more consciously to adopt the new culture, which means opening myself up for new experiences. Thus, this past week has contained a lot of firsts for me.
It was my first time moving, permanently, away from home. It was my first time having to say goodbye to all the important people in my life. It was my first time eating (and actually stomaching) lamb hot pot and tofu soup and freshwater lobsters. It was my first time taking cold showers. It was my first time exploring Nanjing on my own. And tomorrow, it will be my first time traveling in China alone¹. (more…)

1. Tomorrow I go to Shanghai by train, a few days later, I’ll be flying to Hong Kong. [↩]

Part of 30 Days of Me

I woke up at 5am for the second day in a row, although today it was on purpose. My aunt and uncle had told me they always go hiking on the early mornings of weekends, so I got up early and dressed in my “most casual” clothes. I honestly didn’t bring any shorts or t-shirts, other than my fitness clothes which are a little bit awkward to wear on a hike (most people in China just wear shorts and a white t-shirt when they exercise). I ended up wearing an Esprit t-shirt and a pair of khaki capris.

We went to Purple Mountain, which also has a lake that my uncle normally goes swimming in every morning. I saw enough wrinkly old men in tight swimming trunks to last me a lifetime. The sad thing is, most of these seniors are in better shape than I am. I saw one old lady on the bridge who looked to be at least 70, and she could lift her leg all the way up to touch her head! I don’t think I’ve been able to do that since I was six years old.

We didn’t hike to the top because my uncle said we had a lot more to see, so I still had plenty of energy and was in the lead the whole time. Little did I know how much more climbing and walking we’d be doing the rest of the day.

We then went to the tomb of the first Ming dynasty emporer, Ming Kang Xi, which had been recently restored and was quite colourful. In China, when you say you’re going to see a tomb, most of the time, it doesn’t mean you actually see the tomb (although sometimes it does). Usually, it means you’re going to see the palace built to house the tomb, which is what we did. These palaces are stunning, with thick outer walls and colourful inner walls, with big arched gates and red doors with gold handles, with stone lions and dragons carved on bridges and stone fences. Everything had a fanciful name like “Heavenly Peace Gate” and “Stone Phoenix Bridge”. (more…)

Part of 30 Days of Me.

I’ve been blogging for eight years, so you can imagine that I’ve gained and lost a lot of readers during that time. A few of my readers have been following me for up to six years, which is longer than I’ve known some of my closest friends. In addition to commenting on blogs, I have also gotten to know readers through email, chat messenger, snail mail, and occasionally, in person. Today I’m going to talk about one reader in particular with whom I have done all these things.

I stumbled upon PJ‘s blog in 2004 through the blog of her (real-life) friend, Tatiana. PJ was a very consistent commenter, and seemed to take a genuine interest in my life. After a year of following each other’s blogs, we became penpals. We wrote each other embarrassingly long letters every few weeks, and this lasted for several months. We even sent each other birthday presents by post.
At the time, PJ was studying in Vancouver, but in 2007, she transferred to Ontario for university to be closer to her boyfriend. So I took a bus to her university and finally met her. We spent the afternoon chatting and catching up with each other’s lives as if we’d known each other all along. Although she was not what I expected (I don’t really know what I expected), we got along extremely well and she remains one of the sweetest people I have ever known.
In 2008, she moved in with her boyfriend in UniversityTown, so we saw more of each other. We even had a baking party at her house, and that was when I met her boyfriend.
She had just gotten engaged when I first met her in 2007. I didn’t expect to be included in her wedding, but she ended up inviting me to her wedding shower, bachelorette party, and wedding. At her wedding shower, I also met Tatiana, the girl whose blog I had read in 2004.
In the summer of 2009, PJ had a small wedding of about 100 people in a country club on the outskirts of the City. I felt so honoured to be included in her special day and to be among the most important people in her life.

Looking back, it’s unbelievable how a few comments in 2004 sparked this friendship. Unlike my real-life friends, I am not worried about what my move to Singapore will do to this friendship; I know this friendship will withstand the test of time and distance because we have overcome that already. We did not become friends out of context or convenience. We made a commitment to each other when we were total strangers because we related to each other on a deeper level.

PJ is one of two bloggers I have met in real life. I also email/chat regularly with three people I met through my blog. Most of these relationships span over three years. Considering how important anonymity is for me as a blogger, this is quite a lot. Soon, I will be adding two more to the list, as I will be meeting The Girl is Goosed in Shanghai (and staying with her, in fact!) and hopefully meeting Nashe in Singapore.

These experiences, seeing someone make such a commitment to a total stranger, gives me faith in the human race. It also reaffirms my belief in the power of blogs. Blogging is not just for entertainment. When you share yourself truthfully with the world, the people who respond are ones who identify with you, regardless of background or context. And that can be a very powerful thing.

So I am very grateful to readers who comment, not just for the two-way communication, but because it leaves me in awe of the empathy and sympathy in this world.

Have you ever formed “real” friendships with readers of your blog or blogs that you read?

Part of 30 Days of Me.

This video sums up how I feel about all Apple products. To this day, I still have not gotten on the Apple bandwagon. I simply refuse to pay a premium for their brand when I can get products that are just as good (or even better) for less.

What’s one of your favourite YouTube videos?

Part of 30 Days of Me.

Tumblr sites don’t really count as true websites, but I can’t help but share this one: TravelThisWorld (hint: click on the archive to see a thumbnail of all photos!).

I’ve been following her (his?) Tumblr for a few months, since it’s clear that I’ve been bitten by the travel bug this summer. The photos are all stunning, and some of them are from exotic places I’d never heard of or thought of visiting.

What website has made an impression on you recently? Any favourite image or photography-based sites?