江南

back from jiangnan!
we are all so exhausted from our 5-day, 6-night, 5-trains whirlwind tour of hangzhou, suzhou, shanghai and nanjing. hmm honestly, it didn't feel rushed, and didn't feel like we needed to see anymore of each place (except maybe nanjing where it was just freaking wintery cold after the rain). Jiangnan is so pretty! no wonder the poets are always writing about some shan shui that we can't visualize...
but we were just so exhausted everyday. so many stupid suay but memorable things happened - the kind that u wonder: did that just happen to me/us?!
like being stowaways on the train when we ended up holding on to yesterday's train tickets!!! getting pickpocketed within 10min of reaching Shanghai! rapid downgrade from sleeper cabin to soft seater (like a plane cabin) to hard seater (environment feels 杂乱 ) to STANDING tickets. i can't believe it... and jiangnan -in the south- was colder than beijing!!!!!!!! but we -and my MP3 player- are still safe and sound - thank God! =)
this is what happens when you start wondering: shouldn't your life on exchange consist of more than writing a paper on the importance of family upbringing and juvenile crime~ God knows our thoughts and prayers!!!

being loving/tolerant in all circumstances isn't that easy when yr legs are aching, lack sleep and getting banged against for the upteenth time, horrendous music blasted in your face at 6am by a fellow train passenger...

but thanks to dongyan my shanghaiese fren who came to NUS for exchange just last year. good to see her again! =) in her hometown. and thanks to yingchan the only singaporean in zhejiang uni who brought us around hangzhou too.and thanks to yi and her boys - who we put out of their beds when we camped over at their palace-y shanghai apartment. and one of whom recommended us a suzhou hotel tt charges by the hour - guess why?

and so a good break from travelling is to laze around and watch drama serials!!! my lovely samsoon is soooo addictive - just like Goong~

she gained 7kg to play the role! hmmm just come to china on exchange!! the food in shanghai was yummy =)

watching k-drama feels different with lots of korean students and korean fashion/food right here in bejing...hmmm maybe can try the korean hairdresser soon!