lights above nongzhan qiao, after work, trying to get some merry between christmas-new years days

dumplings for warm

have been spending late nights at the office. one work after another, and have been trying to get all things done. obviously, it doesnt simple at it is, the more detail and seemed unnecessary the things you do, the more time for you to finish it. time runs fast.

and in this winter night, where everything looks even darker than you could possibly imagine in summer glories, people are celebrating winter dumpling day. the rumour said that today is offcially winter and it is time to gather and eat dumpling. i am not sure what the history was all about, however fortunately i have hansera to tell me the local stories.

dumpling looks like a human ear. long time ago, the farmers living in northern china where winter was harsh while they also still to survive with the modest clothes to make them stay warm. so, when winter comes, in the late dark and cold-cold night, they boiled dumplings in hot water and eat it together in the hope that the-ear-look-alike food would make them feel warmer and keep their ear not to freeze.

having dumpling in the place called northeast (dongbei), makes it all reasonably warm for one's winter night. red colors and noisy conversation just seem working hard to get through the night.

rickshaw time

the night has just lost its shimmering velvet lights, it gets darker but people conversely gone wilder in summer heat. all noisy gets out of tounges and minds, while are produced by wheels driving its path along the asphalt lanes. summer nights gone zigzag, marking the end of the soon be missing weekend. people bet farewell after dinner, and the schedule soon will roll again. i do not know whether to like or dislike sunday night, but it gives me impression that life has alot of celebration.

sunday night also has dilemma, like other nights of the week. in this intersection, every now and then, people find it as place to fight for a cab. from all direction, people with bags or just a bunch of friens give their best energy to stand and wait for the long awaited taxis, in which the inadequate amount has created the act of scavenging taxi. i do not want to lose this sunday's excitement with getting emotionally exhausting because of lack of taxi in this neighbourhood.

in the midst of figuring out how i can reach home, a sight of rickshaw standing around the corner of the streets ignited my intuition. this could be a best deal, a joyful ride and locally substantive. the rickshaw man was kind and offered me a reasonable price. the first rickshwa ride in this old capital, they have it improved by having an electric bycicle to pull it-unlike the old times with man running in front to pull the cab behind. my choice was a logical ones, and i did not miss the excitement.

we passed lines of cars waiting in the intersection. i can see the landscape of this city under the lights, some shade of dark immersed through small alleys, while the echo of people chit chat outside in the courtyard buzzing amongst trees that grow greener only in summer. my rickshaw was speeding moderately, and i could not help myself to think of how i miss jakarta and its bajaj.

hahaha...

a street of sour and sweet

i'm in the south. a capital of province in the south of mainland, a place literally meant 'south tranquility'. summer heat feels more familiar, because it does not go with dryness, rather more humid that it feels closer to the tropical heat, the warmenss of home.

traveling time to wander the whole city is always less sufficient. we only have a time between lunch and picking up our suitcases for flying home. but thanks to a friend's idea, the short time is worthed and full of surprises.

the small street where the driver took us was resemble to the small cities in our home country. green trees were lining up along the roadside and the leaves were glowing dimmly in summer. there were alot of food stalls and the merchants kept themshelves busy making small steam buns, selling bananas, stirring noddles or making pickles from fruits, like this:

this is truly like home, papaya with sour-sweet-spicy sauce. just let it soaked for a while and enjoy! the chill of cold soaked fruits give the pleasure of summer days. with chopsticks, the seller allowing you pick whatever you like, put them in the basket. if you like spicy, ask the seller to add chillies, in which she'll do it separately. while in our home country, this delicatessen is well known for its sour and sweet excitements, a mouthwathering choice especially when the heat comes along with slow breeze of tropical winds.

what a pleasant surprise...

dessert that far from desert

some people might mis-pronounced dessert and desert. since the capital is got an abundant of sunshine today, the temperature raises and heat wave is on the way. my lazy weekend is almost end, and my plan to visit art galleries can not accomplished due to myself enjoying buying times in this virtual reality.

the day goes even more challenging than to conquer summer heat, which is a shock over local's regulation. this has really toned down everything. i hope this will not cause a perpetual stagnation to personal visions while living here.

back to the dessert and desert word. the point is this afternoon i hope to find a nice and chilled situation, like an oase in this such of desert temperature capital. a thought of having a desert is definitely a good solution. furthermore, i got a pear and a strawberry yoghurt from the fridge, and by adding a considerable amount of honey...voila, a refreshing dessert to help myself escape from this feel-like-desert circumstance.

inflexibility

just got a glimpse of how tight financial regulation makes less ownership for those who possess the utmost right of ownership to their own account. only a long term visiting resident, but still is treated equally with sovereign citizens. perhaps, this is just the tip of the iceberg, that the shrinking of today's world has alerted every nations to adopt strigent acts, and when it comes to individual like us, better consider to the old school wisdom of saving.

...under your matress or pillows.

a premature season

summer days feel like the autumn, that is probably the most logical impression one could get on thses days. though the heat was irrepalceable, yet sunshine could still allowed to be away. heavy clouds above there make the heat trapped beneath the surface of earth and the void of thin air. the day is supposed to be bright on this hour, sometime in the early evening, but all we can see just cloudy skies and heavy fog in its surrounding. a premature season. the greyness of september and october might be similar with this year's june of summer, except for the chiller temperature of course.

summer has not matured yet, or has it been to overcooked that it lost the intense of brightness already?

i can see through my window, the pine trees that have grown green surrounded with a slight white condesed water mixed with dusty material and forming the-not-so-pristine-white color of fog, filling up the entire space. the heat is out there to make the summer still be summer, not to lose its identity. but the precipitation of fog makes a mesmerized impression of a premature season.

that is just lovely.

a contemplate sunday

things happened yet we still unequipped with sufficient knowledge to understand where this will lead, perhaps more allocation of time needed to mastery in life.

Lyrics and Music: Mike Scott

i tried to do the things in my own way

i tried to do what people say

but i was going nowhere fast

and now i'm turning to you at last

what do you want me to do

what so you want me to do

what do you want me to do, lord

i can see the lights of home

but i can't get there on my own

i can see the landing strip

but i need you to guide my ship

i've been a fool and i've been a clown

i've let the enemy turn me around

i've wasted love and i've wasted time

i've been proud and i've been blind

there's such a lot of things to change

a whole world to rearrange

and if you show me how

i'll begin right now

what do you want me to do

what so you want me to do

cause I'm listenin'

thanks for such a sincere song, rod...

summer heat summer fall

the middle of this year, the beginning of summer heat is here, for the next couple of months ahead. i enjoy the warm breeze as i stroll along the pedestrian walk around my work place. people look fabolous with their summer attire, so colorfur and seem full of energy. the summer is girls' best friend, a full season to showcase the collection of your closet while it also intrigues more creativity to get new match from the old stuff.

summer oh summer, the season feels so vibrant yet sometimes suffocate of extreme heat. at this time of the day, short summer rain will do to ease the tense suffocation. i feel like my body always urge for more liquid supply, water, fruit or just an occasional moment in a bathtub. these days, everything also runs like the time is forever, the daylight remain tender outside while i walk home from office, the dimming afternoon looks poetic that i feel closer to the dream, or dormant days in the old continent. the tepid memory chills me and leaves an impression as sweet as oregano smells on the pasta, as the cinnamon pour down onto the baking banana cake. sweet oh sweet, but doesnt last forever, it is here for the next season as well. a circle in the sun.

summer falls in short yet thunderous. dusty roads suddenly get washed and all that remain is silvery wet roads and fresh wind. tonight the evening comes with uplifting shower. tone down the rising heat and yellow storm from gobi. ah, capital looks so lovely this evening. the lights of street lamps shimmering and swinging in the summer breeze. goede avond peking...

turn back time

working days sometimes can be so exhausting. i am kind of missing the academic life lately. the changing of four seasons in other old continent. pages to read, papers to be written. time to consume all the burden of being a student. or maybe there is a little freedon left here that suffocates me to turn back time, the care free days with diaries, bikes and old wooden chairs in caffees around het plein.

. . .

sunday mayday

today is mayday. a labour's day. the day supposed to be for liberation. many people stand for what is right, the truth, the reason to believe. and think about all the desire on this earth, i would say that every now and then, people will choose what they believe in.

here in place where i live now, it is celebrated as the national holiday. the class of workers is the engine of revolution. their stance in the production line makes them in the middle of the social ladder, the in-between class, the most sensitive amongst the settled ones. they could generate a revolution because of this state of mind amid the social condition. a fruit of mere industrialisation, the invention in every century.

today's mayday, lets just call it a day. a wrap. road that once has been chosen is the one than has been travelled. while the road less preferred has strecthed as long as it could, finds its own path. the time we make up our mind, is the time we take one over another. the road taken will follow its line, close another option and open for the new option. like goo goo dolls said: every new beginning comes from other beginning's end.

mayday in early spring. weird, i feel so much relieved now.

pierrie

a name of beverage, sparkling water to be exactly. these days, when the weather gets warmer, my need to quench thirst is by having a drink with the freshness of soda but no sugar at all. i like to have it in the middle of the day after lunch just to let the greasy out of the throat. the fresh feeling of gulping it so much resemble to the spring's nature whose going by. the rain is quite often recently, and it left a crispy cold air that so fresh than the one in winter. it has humidity and thus it does not dry. so moisture that you feel everything rejuvenate again, like the impression i got when i am having this sparkling water, a glass or two, with or without lemon.

flowers are in bloom and colors of nature revive. once the petals are blossomming in such fresh air, soon they will fall and fly away put the leaves on the branches as the weather gets warm. so then summer gives green turn mature under the bright sunshine.

rain and wind, brings chilly and refreshing everything. the spring in beijing usually followed by sand storm blown from gobi desert. people change their coats and fashion has light colors on the stage now.

ritan, early spring, the year of rabbit.

the altar of the sun

it is very interesting to reside in this city. the time is here to stay, it truly is. you can see the past, the present and the future altogether in this capital. like all the ancient capital, the city has some gardens in every corner of it. and in my neighbourhood, there is ritan park.

in chinese, the name means the altar of the sun. maybe it used to be a place where the emperor bowed to the sun up in the sky and offerings were sent out there for the good wishes. nowadays, the park has been a witness to this country's opening its door and let the outsiders in. in the surrounding is the complex of embassies where all the foreign dignitaries come and reside for the sake of the two country's good relations. the compounds there are those of the first established in china. that is why the neighborhood looks like an old town in a big city. and of course, the park sited in it.

ritan park was packed these days. inhabitants come and go for strolling in a morning or in the evening. when i entered the gate, there were families and elders enjoying the spring sun. the trees have just started to become green and the breezy wind was a bit dry. soon dusty win from the gobi will be blown here but today it has not yet. in the middle of the park, there was a little pagoda and people gathered around with conversation in the air. an old man was standing in the middle and he was playing his saxophone. an old and yet a familiar tune was played. it brought a different taste to the old time's atmosphere in there. a mixture of time and blend of culture.

i was glad because i live in such a good neighborhood. i even could plan some daily exercise here. well...i hope i dont feel lazy soon.

week end's companion

week end around central business district can be so much quite. walking on empty streets, amid skyrocketting buildings, it feels like you are among the few that left in the city. my neighbourhood is nice though, for an old-fashioned like myself, it is healthy to stay in a futuristic environment like this area. other wise i would seize the day like the feeling of having a king's of convenience-homesick-a slow pace of film rolling in moderate speed, playing the scenes on the wall while the sunset chewing the blue sky with intimate desire. sentimental while also somewhere in distant.

as i spend more and more weekends in this area, i find more and more nice thing to be listed as "friendly facts". here they are:

a big colorful screen on the top of the roof in the shopping mall's pedestrian street.

the iconic inspiring building that always gives me the sense of living in the inspiring new century.

moving on

its all set and done. things should be packed have been in the boxes sealed. things to bring along have been put in order in the suitcases. ticket is in my hand and i have a back pack with me. its heavy but full of hope. a wish that the journey which i would embark soon will bring luck.

of all the moving out experiences have always been so exhaustive, enthrilling and bewildered. for one it consumes physical energy, and promising for the coming possible encounterings. moving out from a place to another in a certain period of time make me feel a bit lost. every pile to sort out would bring back the old plans, old books, and old funny little things collected from the past. in the end myself got surprised how time flies without compromise.

moving out also implies moving on. thats how life works for us. accompanied with my inner sense of curiosity. of anxiety. of hope. meanwhile, the flight schedulling keeps rolling, like a maestro, it orients me, to the north capital.

country side rain

it rains all the time this weekend. the road gets so slippery but we manage to stay on road. traversing the southern inland of celebes, from one city to another. for an intended purpose to the impromptu ones.

it has always been a refreshing journey, through hills and forest. our stop over is a place of one of the people who inhabit a remote village located along the main road of celebes. the small family has a daughter who decided to return home after graduated from a reputable university in makassar. now she spends most of the time helping her parents taking care their plants and selling the domestic products as their small stall by the road. some are avocados and papayas. it is generally practiced for local people to place their home-based production of fruits, traditional food or drinks in a small stall made of bamboo by the road. it aims to attract the travelers with cars or buses to stop over and make a small shopping for refreshment.

the air is considerably chilly since the place located in a high plain of celebes terrain. the blowing wind brings the whisper of rain. small beads of crystal clear water transform themselves into raindrops. falling the rooftop, the greyish asphalt, the green leaves and the lives. the longer time passes by, the heavier it pours down. punching the earth and every surface it faces with determined sounds of wave. sometimes it sounds like a war drum beats heavily. on some other time, it makes a intangible curtain which revealed slowly in silent.

a country side rain gives life a chance to continue. for plants to grow, for animal to quench their thirst, for human to take a break. once a while in our lives, we need to slow down, take the lower gear for pacing down and make a moment to be in present. buying time and wait for the right moment to take another step. like a man who decides to stop over. spending the hour of the day under a stage house and waiting for the rain to stop. he takes off his helmet and tries to count how much the raindrop will pour on the land today.

the nature goes like a circle. there is always time for changing season. soon the rain will rain and time for make a move is coming. should be no hesitant because the every thing will be just fine. a rainbow will appear and a country side rain remains sweet and fresh.