Marion and I went for Swedish Meatballs at the IKEA Restaurant tonight, and like adolescent young adults that we are, we were playing with our food, placing the balls and fries around our plate in such a way that it resembled a face or an island, using the parsley for trees. It all started off quite innocently, of course, but I went straight for the gutter once I found another way to use parsley to represent a different kind of bush. The meatballs and fries were just too easy.
It was nice shopping at IKEA just thirty minutes before closing, as it was pretty vacant. We were free to roam around to our heart's content without customers getting in the way of our outlandish acts of 'living' within the showroom suites and taking pictures as we moved about. From the bedroom suite to the kitchen suite, and the living room suite to the office suite, we posed for the camera on ten-second-timer, pretending to argue, fight, work, eat, and drink wine. Reviewing the photo just after it was taken, we burst out laughing with chants of "Again! Again!" Hooliganism is fun!
We crashed at Leo's for the night and consumed his prized tequila while watching a movie called Once Upon A Time in China. I couldn't keep my eyes open beyond the first ten minutes, falling asleep on a pad right in front of the television.
Sunday, February 3rd: Olympic Park.
Lee, Leo, Filip, Rafi, Marion, and I took a trip out to visit the Olympic Park in the afternoon to survey the new developments and compose our shots through the viewfinder. It was a pleasant day out with just enough chill in the air to keep us moving briskly along. As we were gathered around one of the gates to the Birds Nest, aka National Stadium, a reporter and a cameraman from CCTV approached us for an interview. She wanted a foreigner's perspective on what the Olympics means to us. Lee and Leo were all too happy to tell her (and in essence, to Beijingers) what they wanted to hear.
2 Minutes of Fame.
Monday, February 4th: The Cheap Drunk.
After looking and comparing laptop computers at Zhongguancun for Marion, we moved on to The Red House for some pizza, beer, and socialising with Kyle. The gourmet pizzas served here are decadent, with high quality ingredients such as prosciutto and mozzarella cheese for a mouth-watering experience. Basked in the warm and social atmosphere of The Red House with the lights dimmed down to its minimal, we got carried away with the cheap Tsingdao beers and I found myself taking one after another during a game of "Waterfall". Soon after, and as a testiment to how intollerant I've become to alcohol, Kyle and Marion had to pick me up from the restaurant floor.
I was in no shape to head back to my own apartment, so I'd spent the night over at Kyle's.
Tuesday, February 5th: PATTHECAT.
A new CouchSurfer by the name of Patrick (PATTHECAT) arrived at my door today, by bike. Cycling from his hometown of Barcelona, he made a stopover in Beijing on his around-the-world trip to which he'd given himself 2.5 years to complete. Check out his website at www.imagineonbike.com/
Wednesday, February 6th: Rastafarians in the Spring.
Yet another CouchSurfer, this time by the name of Diana (DINOVY) arrived at my door this afternoon. I had met her first when I was in Guilin at a CS dinner gathering back in October of 2007. As this was the eve of "Chun Jie" (Spring Festival) and on the day of Bob Marley's birthday anniversary, we were in for lots of fun tonight at a club called Yu Gong Yi Shan. The Jamaican Embassy had put on a reggae night in honour of Mr. Marley to bring Rastafarians together, and when the clock struck midnight, the crackling and booming sounds of fireworks were in full swing to announce the arrival of the year of the rat.
Thursday, February 7th: "Willst du Deine Pömpel?!"
Leo requested to borrow my plunger a few days ago so I brought it along with me today as we made plans to get together for a trip up to Jingshan Park. I had brought my two CouchSurfers, Patrick and Diana, with me and met up with Leo (who's a local CSer) at Tian'anmen West subway station. Just then, I got a call from Lee (another local CSer) who was having lunch with a CSer he was hosting from Australia just next to Jingshan Park. Our group of five CSers balooned to six with Shuichi (to whom I also met at the CS dinner in Guilin) joining us for lunch. At the park, we met Elle and her cousin, and a photographer who a visiting CSer met on the train ride to Beijing not long ago. Talk about a small world.
Our group expanded to the point that it became hard to move together as one heard amongst the crowd of tourists in the area. We didn't have the yellow flag that organised tour guides are often seen with, nor did we have matching yellow ball caps for everyone, so the plunger I was carrying became the replacement for the flag, to which was met with an uproarious laughter. Lee took the lead, holding the plunger high up in the air, and did a wonderful job as our leader, guiding us to the bar and cafe street of Nanluoguxiang. And that's where a new CSer by the name of Brie (BRIOS) joined us.
The night just kept getting better and better and we finished it off with a dinner gathering at a Chinese restaurant near the Bell Tower.
Friday, February 8th: Mutainyu, Conquered.
Mutainyu: an incredible experience. Diana, Brie, and I took to the walls this morning arranged by the Far East Hostel. Just see the pictures to see how happy we all were to have conquered it!
I was invited to a Crepe party tonight. Joanne, Nico, and Marion (the Frenchies) were hard at work in the kitchen with making the crepes, while I was in the living room chatting it up with the others at the party and waiting for the crepes to arrive. I filled mine with peanut butter and Nutella, and also tried another one with a jam concoction. It was definitely savoury and I was begging for more!
Saturday, February 9th: Madamme Legume.
I welcomed Alberto and Daisy, a couple from Shanghai, to surf my couch tonight. We went out for Hot Pot with Leo, Kyle, Marion, Brie, and Madamme Legume, which was around Xizhimen (across the street from where we had the Crepe night at the Frenchies), then moved on to show them Sanlitun, and finally wound up at the Bookworm for a chillout. A hard days' night, indeed.
Sunday, February 10th: Funned out.
Finally, a day of nothingness! Chillaxed. Woke up at 1530. Said my goodbyes to Alberto and Daisy, and watched YouTube videos at Lee's. Sometimes, I too, need a break from all the fun in Beijing.
