bits and pieces

it’s been a hectic week, for some reason.. travel plans were made in a flurry when i finally discovered when i can go on holiday in the summer last week, and i’m happy that my 2 week trip to china has been booked! its ridiculously expensive to fly over to china even though it’s a mere 1.5 hours away..

the plan is to head to shanghai, visit suzhou and hangzhou along the way, then head to beijing and fly back from there. i just found out that i dont need to apply for a visa so long as i stay for less than 15 days, which is awesome :)

 

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meanwhile, we’ve been given the official word on the 3 newcomers to osaka city, and it’s great that they’re replacing the 2 girls who are leaving. girls are in short supply among us city JETs, and it’s nice that the gender (im)balance wont get any worse. preparations for their arrival in osaka in august are picking up, and what i really want is to be able to take a look at their pictures! but the BOE, for some reason, isnt allowed to reveal those to us yet. booo.

 

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a friend had a birthday celebration last week on a boat, and i was initially rather excited by that prospect. for the simple reason that boat events are usually associated with cool breezes and a romantic atmosphere as it sails down the river, but i forgot that we’re in asia and so we get an asian boat.

asian boat meaning the kind that you see on the Singapore River; the sort you climb down into and lack a deck. so what happened was that we spent the evening sitting down at the table eating, talking, drinking and karaoke-ing, and never once did we step out to enjoy the breeze because we werent quite allowed to do so except to visit the toilet. so much for feeling the wind in your hair and drinking booze while leaning against the deck rails. it was indeed an experience, although i probably shouldnt have had that preconceived notion of it being something it’s not!

 
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to be honest, nothing has been happening recently though. the weather is getting hotter and less dry, and summer is definitely on its way. it’s interesting though, that although temperatures are officially less than 30, standing in the sun it feels way hotter than it ever is in singapore. the sun just blazes down ferociously on you, and it literally burns. meanwhile, i’ve indulged in too much food for the past 3 nights, and friday night even comprised me getting rather tipsy indeed on a mere 3 drinks at my school’s belated welcome enkai for me. it was fun though :)