My three day trip to Beijing made me like pillows, Facebook and Chinese people.

I did three nights in Beijing last week and here is an attempt at recollecting my thoughts during this visit. For background: my friend had a training there, I had leave from work that week and was able to secure a good deal on the flight (about 440'000 MNT, which equals 325 USD) and I could stay with my friend at the hotel which was paid for by her work.

Our flight was an early morning one; O and her dad were going to pick me up at 6 a.m. I showered and packed the essentials: black top, extra underwear (wherever I go, I always forget to bring extra socks and underwear, but this time I was prepared), extra socks, party dress, high waisted denim shorts etc. I set aside my jeans, striped shirt and "tangerine tango" blazer to wear to the airport, and got into bed by 10 p.m. Needless to say, I lay there awake until almost 2 a.m.

When girlfriends travel together and are stuck waiting at airports or in hotel lobbies, they probably take photos of themselves making duck faces and post them on Instagram. My friend and I play Word Search on my Galaxy S2. It's always fun getting annoyed at all the stupid, made-up words. We set a new high score, beating mije, Mije, Due and other mijes.

On this trip, yet again, I noticed how polite and helpful Chinese people are. Even friendly... Drop me off somewhere in Mexico, Poland or Italy, and I'm sure I can make my way through and communicate with people somehow. Drop me off 1.5 hours south by plane and I feel like an alien. None of the words make any sense to me, no matter how I try to open my ears. None of the letters (well, characters, to be precise) speak to me. Here, I understand what it's like to feel completely lost linguistically.

And yet, people were patient and helpful. Even though we acted like deaf, mute, uncivilized, blundering buffoons most of the time, they smiled and were so... accommodating. Another thing I noticed was how demure and well-behaved they were, in general. O and I, whenever we were frustrated or surprised, or found something funny, everything about our body language and booming voices would express that emotion to the fullest. Only to be followed by pin-drop silence... and we'd look around and notice that we're the loudest and most animated people around.

Note: Publishing this years later. Interesting to read these details now. Don't know the date of the original post, probably end of 2012.

On positivity

Everything is always in motion, morphing. Just remember that and embrace it. Like an ocean tide, it ebbs and flows. Like a wave, it can be rough sometimes, and other times smooth sailing. I feel like the most important thing is to be able to ride that wave, the highs and lows, with ease, grace and full acceptance of what they are and their very nature.

Everything is constantly changing. People, circumstances, our bodies and psychological states. Sometimes abruptly, or sometimes so slowly you do not notice. As long as you accept this fact, you will realize that everything is just going as it should and while it may seem horrible and grave at the time, it really is there as a perhaps harsh learning experience.

Everything makes sense in retrospect.

Invictus

Out of the night the covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole.
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

- William Ernest Henley

La Belle Dame sans Merci Hath thee in thrall!

I am in a situation and this poem comes to mind. Never thought I'd relate to this when I was studying it back in high school and making jokes about the pacing steed. Well, here we go:

O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.

O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel’s granary is full,
And the harvest’s done.

I see a lily on thy brow,
With anguish moist and fever-dew,
And on thy cheeks a fading rose
Fast withereth too.

I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful—a faery’s child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.

I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She looked at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan

I set her on my pacing steed,
And nothing else saw all day long,
For sidelong would she bend, and sing
A faery’s song.

She found me roots of relish sweet,
And honey wild, and manna-dew,
And sure in language strange she said—
‘I love thee true’.

She took me to her Elfin grot,
And there she wept and sighed full sore,
And there I shut her wild wild eyes
With kisses four.

And there she lullèd me asleep,
And there I dreamed—Ah! woe betide!—
The latest dream I ever dreamt
On the cold hill side.

I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried—‘La Belle Dame sans Merci
Hath thee in thrall!’

I saw their starved lips in the gloam,
With horrid warning gapèd wide,
And I awoke and found me here,
On the cold hill’s side.

And this is why I sojourn here,
Alone and palely loitering,
Though the sedge is withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.

***

I don't like hurting sensitive people.

Ceramic Adventures

It has been over a month since the challenge with Boogi. Well, we both decided to extend it for another month and meet up on Dec. 2 to share our pieces.

I started going to the Ceramic Art Studio in October, to the hand-building class. October was a particularly hectic and stressful month at work, with me handling some crazy projects, so the ceramics class was a great way to balance that and get my mind off of work.

In total I made 9 pieces last month, but totally in the glazing process. I think it was mainly because of lack of experience, that I had close to no idea of how the final product would look like, how the glazes would react with one another, how thick I should apply it etc. Even with the surface, I was a little hesitant to experiment with decorations and textures. I just wanted to make basic, simple basic shapes.

Alright, enough talking, let's got on with the pictures.

1. Brainstorming (Ideas)

2. Pieces before firing.

3. Pieces after first firing.

4. Final pieces.

 - Free molded cup. My favorite piece, if only the glaze had turned out good.

- Ger jewelry case. I painted the rope parts and the door with acrylic. You little wobbly looking thing. I will work on the upgrade of this piece.

 - Thumbprint mug. Just wanted to try out a basic shape.

 

 - Pentagon base cup, with triangular handle. Loved the shape, but the total mess of a glaze that looks like baby poop.

 - Free molded pot. Professional photography is an amazing thing.

 - My candelabra/jewelry holder/flower vase.

Month one was a good learning experience and now in my second month, I am interested in working with different textures, how the glaze will turn out on them and also sculptures.

Domestic Friday

This little corner here is where the homeless congregate, drunks drink, ferile kittens play and lovers meet. If a few days ago, the trees were swollen with golden leaves, their branches are now getting bare from one side.

I've been having terrible lower back pain since last night and so took today off from work. Despite the pain, it was nice spending a day at home.

For lunch, I decided to have a simple sandwich with eggs, cilantro and cucumber. This is the most perfectly intact omlette I've made in a long while.

Mmm... I want to have a little cilantro plant in my apartment. I would put it in everything.

And even though my lower back pain is probably my kidneys, I decided to have a nice, proper latte after my lunch. I've cut back on my coffee addiction (seriously, I used to drink 3-6 cups a day) and have it about once or twice a week. So this was my indulgence. The Twix and mint chocolate that came after is just something I have almost everyday. Gotta have my chocolate, hello-o?

Since I couldn't just lie on my back all day, I decided to do a bit of "winterization". Bringing out my sweaters and long underwear, and putting away my colorful, summer clothes. Last summer was so cold, I hardly got to wear them! All my winter clothes look so dark, heavy and gloomy. I definitely need to devise a plan on how to make counteract the impending cold and darkness. More on that later.

So, for a start, how is this for cold weather coziness? Aww...

Junk Envy

I have junk envy that is slowly turning into an obsession. This old, rusted metal stool has been sitting on this balcony for ages and I eye it every morning on my walk to work. I think I've been checking it out for the past few months, if not a year already. I know: creeper! So, since I am one, I went ahead and took a photo to document its junky, raw beauty.

Voila! Those long legs, all rusted and old. That tiny little octagon seat. The legs have a detail that I can't really describe... okay, I'll try. It's a three-legged stool, with each leg consisting of two rods that meet at the bottom. I have half-decided to just walk up to their door and ask to buy it. They obviously don't need it; it's been out on that balcony since forever!

Look, here's a similar piece:

(Source: Design Sponge)

Imagine the poor people who live in there, completely unaware that I'm so fixated on their little old stool. But hey, you know what they say, one man's junk is another chick's treasure!