the place to be

so i had a bite of crunchy deep-fried scorpion.
it was like eating prawns, with the little legs hanging out from the bottom.
it was quite good.
but while the experience was awfully exhilarating, courage took a harrowing turn for the worse when baby birds came into the picture. three salted bbq xiao niaos on a stick, between 6 of us. i had the head. i think i bit into the gooey brains in the first mouthful. might just go vegetarian for a week to get over the guilt=[

that aside, the exquisite taste of Wang Fu Jing is something to remember.

shopping malls line up next to each other, while casually breaking into little lanes housing stalls of sugar-coated fruit sticks, amongst others. rows of red lanterns drape the air, welcoming people of all ages into its humble abode. stall vendors beckon to you at every turn, tempting you into buying into the Chinese delicacies- be it a handful of dumplings, or meat on a stick (no, not just starfish or lizards split into half on a stick..), milk in clay jars, or even small bowls of noodles that you can finish in three mouthfuls. other retailers invite you into a bargain game for souvenir-worthy collectibles like chopsticks, handmade keychains and knick knacks of the sort. the trails keep breaking up into more and more alleys that you find yourself exploring without any realization of how fast time passes. almost like getting lost in translation.

the stark contrast between the different worlds of Beijing is also captured in the above picture. Beijing opera houses with daily performances sit next to quaint little restaurants that decorate the embellished alleys.. but looming buildings under construction tower over the delicate features, almost as though threatening an impending take-over. the two converging ends of Beijing still amazes me. on the other side, the Foreign Language Bookstore tucks neatly into the corner the Wang Fu Jing square, its name well-known among BLCU international students for being one of the few bookstores stocking non-chinese books. at night, the street comes alive with the night market that is basically a culinary adventure of local delights for dinner. best probed with a couple of friends who are willing to put anything down their throats.. the variety is endless!

coming to Beijing is probably one of the few good decisions that i have made in my life. even with intensive 6 hour per day classes, BLCU makes life here an enjoyable stay with friendly teachers, excellent books (published by BLCU Press themselves) and ample opportunity to learn. the campus is very self-sufficient, with everything you need under its banner. the volleyball courts and running tracks have been my evening haunts (the sports arena here is pretty decent). the locals indulge in plenty of exercise daily, so it is no surprise that almost all of them are fit to the bone. being one of the few Malaysians here in BLCU, the circle of friends is still mostly international and therefore very multi-cultural. it is not uncommon to have a language partner to make learning the language easier. dinner, homework and drinks at the local cafes are almost a nightly ritual with plenty of affordable retreats on campus and around Wu Dao Kou.




it has been good so far.