Flashbacks in May

From a stack of old textbooks, I dug out Introduction to Literature.

On a cool autumn morning, in a classroom in the newly-built Yifulou, the professor was reading Shakespeare with his royal British accent:

Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
Thou are more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer's lease hath all too short a date…

A final exam paper was lying in between the pages. The last question was to analyze a poem by Robert Frost:

The Road Not Taken

… Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The poem was like a prophecy that foretold the choices I was going to face after graduation.

It’s been five years. I can barely remember the meanings of the poetry terms, but my understanding of the poem has become much deeper.

The other day I came to 中国书店 (Cathay bookshop) by chance. It sells and recycles second-hand books, most of which were older than me. It reminded me of our school library, and the encyclopedia which would raise a cloud of dust with a turn of the page.

It’s hard to find a decent library outside the university. All around are glittering shopping malls and fancy star hotels. But I’m glad to see my bookshelf getting full and pleased to say I’ve read each book.

"Sorry, the number you dialed does not exist."

“… Would you consider selling or renting your apartment?”
“No.” I must have received a million calls from these real estate agencies.

“Hello, blah blah blah…”
When I heard the word “insurance”, I hung up the phone.

“… Are you interested in joining our equestrian club?”
“What?!” I still can’t figure out how my number fell into the hands of an equestrian club.

“Brand new BMW: 50,000RMB, Toyota: 30,000RMB…” the text message read.
Come on! Are you kidding?!

“You have won a laptop in the lucky draw. Please remit 200RMB to this bank account as postage.”
“Really?! When did I become the lucky dog?”

“Zara, MNG, Nike… 50-70% off!”
Hum, is this good news?

I’ve had enough. Last month I changed my cell phone number and it works, at least for now. And I also get of rid people whom I don’t want to contact anymore, for example, stalkers. Next time when a stranger calls, the only thing he will hear is “Sorry, the number you dialed does not exist.”

H&M finally opens in Beijing

The opening of H&M’s first store in Beijing must have created quite a sensation. I can imagine that.

I’ve been to the stores in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Nanjing. It’s become a must-shop during my travels. I like it not just because it’s cheap and chic. What matters more is I couldn’t have it in Beijing. It’s the rarity that makes it more alluring. People are always desperate for things they cannot get, and things they have lost or missed.

Today the store is right on Qianmen strip, adding another page to our shopping list.

Walking Bruges

Picturesque scenery, nice music, great acting, witty dialogues and a juice story… what else can I expect from a movie?

HBO Asia is airing the fairy tale version of In Bruges, as all the f-words have been surreptitiously deleted. It’s more fun watching it on DVD.

Spring

Willow leaves are gently dancing in the wind;
Cherry blossoms are silently drifting to ground;
White clouds are smiling in the sky;
Bright sunshine is shimmering on the river.

I’ve been walking a lot recently and my foot hurt. After seeing the doctor yesterday morning, I was in no hurry to go to work. Slowing down, I discovered the peaceful scene. It’s right around our office building beside Liangma river.

A week in the south

Xitang

Wuzhen

Sunset, Hangzhou

Leifengta equipped with elevators, omg!

Taiziwan park, Hangzhou

Suzhou

烟花三月下江南

也许因为2月只有28天，所以一直感觉3月是一年中最漫长的一个月，于是休假去了南方。

第一站是南京。阴沉的天空，破旧的建筑，这个城市给我的第一印象是一个落寞的古都。中午刚到就遇上雷阵雨，天空瞬间犹如夜晚，正好被困在新街口的商场，逛了久违的H&M。南京并没有江南水乡的细腻和浪漫，如果不是好友从上海赶来做伴，这将是一段单调的旅程。临走前一天晚上特意去吃了朋友推荐的鸭血粉丝汤，没有留下遗憾。

然后来到苏州，小桥流水，白墙黑瓦，一个很精致的小城，只是人工雕凿的痕迹太重。苏州人怎样，短短的一天或许不足以公正地评价。但是下了火车就不断碰壁，甚为扫兴，于是第二天一早便踏上下一站的旅途。

非常幸运，到杭州头几天一直阳光明媚。一下车看到马路两边绿绿葱葱的大树，便明白了上海人为什么会把杭州称作他们的后花园。在路边看站牌的时候，有人问我要去哪儿。其实我也不知道，只想随便走走，看看沿路的风景，碰到有意思的地方进去探个究竟。漫无目的的旅行才放松，而且导游书里介绍的景点未必是我的兴趣所在。于是就这样误打误撞地来到太子湾公园，满园的樱花仿佛世外桃源，美不胜收。

从杭州去了乌镇和西塘。两个小镇的旅游业都已经很成熟，巷子里挤满了卖特产和手工艺品的小店，而原汁原味的古镇却随着游客的增多在渐渐消失。在乌镇看了皮影戏，吃到了热腾腾的青团。想起去年这个时候在上海也见到过，但那时觉得把糯米团子做成绿色实在太奇怪，便没有尝试，这次可不能错过了。

知道西塘，是因为几年前那部Mission impossible 3。如今西塘的西街仿佛是北京后海的翻版。一路上吃了很多小吃，一口粽，芡实糕，麦芽糖。。。最惬意的是在春日温暖的午后，停下脚步，在烟雨长廊的河边饭馆儿晒晒太阳，尝尝当地的特色菜。

古人说：“读万卷书，行万里路。”前者对现代人来说可能真的是mission impossible，而后者还是可行的。走过这么多地方，回来抬头一看，日历还停留在3月。回到北京，天气干燥阴冷，不过心里很踏实。