Back! With trepidation.

At the airport, I bought a copy of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. It's in both Chinese and English, so I can practise off it by reading one chapter and then the same chapter again. Perfect, since it's one of those books that one can always re-read and gain a deeper understanding. Apparently, 温家宝 has it next to his bedside table and has read it many times. Kind of like the Bible. I finally see why people swear by the Bible. It's nice to have something that one can just believe, without questioning, without skepticism, without looking for holes in the argument, as one must do with everything else, now that one is all grown up, and being like a naive young child is no longer acceptable. This of course, contradicts with my previous post, but I have not made up my mind fully. Thus, I am looking for guidance from an ancient roman emperor. Who I envision in the Hollywood version, as the benevolent one that freed Russel Crowe. :-)

Hong Kong is definitely different from the mainland. It is the land where my weekly food fees can send a mainland child to school for a month. A good school at that. Where I think nothing of paying 65HKD for a taxi fare that isn't even that far. And justify it to myself by converting to NZD, not the 10 meals or so that could have bought me across the border. All because of currency and capital flow controls for the good of the export economy, yes, but, it still feels just as unfair. I'm filled with goods guilt. I have sooooo much stuff. Ok, I've spent a lot of money, but not that much. It's mostly stuff I had sent over. Mostly.

I really want to shut myself out of this place and escape to other places when I have the chance. Pray that I get a good timetable.

Also, where are all the Asians in this place? Just when I have gotten used to Chinese culture, I seem surrounded by Europeans. My roommate seems to be a European too. But I have no idea. Mixed pictures.