Gan Ha Ya!

The first three weeks went by like a blur. Time indeed flies fast if you're having fun. But a few nights ago I met up with some Filipino friends, mainly high school buddies who've been here for some time already. I realized how different the topics of conversation are compared to what I talk about with the kids in my program. Most of them are still relatively young, mostly sophomores and juniors in college and some high school kids. Anyway this insight made me realize the difference in objectives I have in studying in Beijing. It's easy to forget and get carried away with the fun and games, but I need to keep in mind that I'm here to build a life of my own, and I take this really seriously.

I remember having a conversation like this with some friends back home, wherein people nowadays shy away from having the 'serious' discussion. It's like people have shrouds over their eyes and have different realities. It's like The Great Forgetting in the Story of B by Daniel Quinn (a must read by the way). We forget why we are here and what we are doing with our lives. It's so rare to have meaningful and profound talks with people, and it's a shame because all we care about now are trivial matters that don't really add value to our lives.

So the next few weeks, I'll be focusing on what I'm really here for. I'll try to update you on my progress. As it is, I feel I've made some leaps with my reading and writing, but my conversation skills still needs a lot of improvement. Oh and the meaning of my blog entry title is what Northerners in China say that really means, "What's up". :)

[FYI: I'm using Blogger to cross-post to Multiply, since accessing Multiply is a pain. If you want to leave replies that I can read immediately, just go to tipsytilter.blogspot.com. You can still reply on Multiply but I won't be able to check it as regularly since there are days I can't access it.]