The return.
It's good to be back. I feel a little out of place and foreign, but that's just temporary.
I forgot the heat (and, honestly, today's temperature of 33 degrees Celsius isn't really that hot), and I forgot what it felt like to feel real sun rays, and feel the brightness of the sun.
It's weird to think it's the exact same sun that shone on China, just yesterday. One produces a faint smog of light in one place (kind of like how the light shines from the bulb after you take a long shower and the room is full of steam), whilst 9-hours-plane-ride away, it produces harsh shadows and lights the pavements up so much that your eyes literally water looking at the ground.
I forgot what it felt like to have to crane my neck up at an angle of inclination to look at people (average height in Sydney is much taller than in Guangzhou, that's for sure). I forgot what clean streets looked like (or smelled like; honestly, they're so clean I can actually sit on them!!). I forgot the feeling of being able to read signs and know where I am. I forgot the feeling of knowing my relatives are so far away, and not knowing what they're up to. It's a mixed bag, really. But isn't everything?
And oh, I forgot how beautiful the sky is. Oh god. It's gorgeous.
If I had to make a list of my favourite things about living in Australia, one of the top things would be its infinite skies.
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| An old photo, from last month. |
Ahhh, home feels good.
Social media release wasn't as amazing as I thought. The first moment was nice, opening all my snapchats and checking my many facebook notifications. Tweeting, etc., the lot. Nothing really revolutionary happened; maybe I'm just feeling slow from the 1hr of sleep last night on the plane (jet lag and aeroplane flights, my sleeping pattern's worse nightmare).
But, a lot to do. A lot of packing, tidying up, blogging, and preparing for various new things that are about to begin in my life.
No time to stop and rest! Time stops for no one, and the world keeps turning, wherever on the planet you are.
The upcoming posts from my China + HK trip will be slowly staggered (probably one a day? Or more?) so it can cover the time I'll be away again in another city volunteering. So, in the meantime, enjoy the posts, photos, and stay safe.
Also going to take the opportunity to talk about a book I just finished reading (on the plane ride back, actually!) called 'Anatomies', written by Hugh Aldersey-Williams.
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| Courtesy of hughalderseywilliams.com |
It was recommended to me by my bio friend, HN, and I loved it. It was really great.
At first I was kind of ??? because it's not your typical writing style. It's non-fiction, and so there's always the situation of how to make it as engaging, exciting, and thrilling as a fiction novel, but I feel like Aldersey-Williams nailed it.
To be honest, I do recommend it. I recommend it not only to biology lovers (or science/medicine lovers), but anyone who wants to learn about the human body. It's very, very interesting, and explains things in layman's terms, without the complex terminology.
SPOILER ALERT BELOW
One particular part that stuck out with me was the chapter on immortality. I've always had fears of existentialism since I was a very young girl, and so it's no surprise this one really captured my interest and made me think. Got me thinking of existentialism on the plane, which may not have been a good idea, but it all turned out alright!
Anyway, what my point was going to be was that it considered the possibility of living longer. Of living forever, or at least, for a few hundred years, and the implications of that.
"What would you do if you could live for another 100 years?"
People answer 'compete in the Olympics', 'make my childhood dream come true', 'travel to ___ for a holiday', etc., etc., and a lot of other goals. I think we all have our own answers, filled with our dreams and aspirations that we seem to think we'd be able to do (or at least try to do) if we had another 100 years.
But the question is, "Why not do them now?"
That got me thinking. Hm.
ANYWAY, END OF SPOILER.
Enough about the book. It's a lovely treasure. I would seriously highly recommend to anyone, and it's definitely going on my shelf in the 're-read sometime' section.
Also, a late Happy New Year to everyone!
For the record, I don't have any New Year's Resolutions. I've never really believed in them, and the one year that I tried them, it didn't really change me or have any impact on me, except my realisation that they weren't for me. I feel like any time is the right time to change yourself for the better -- why wait for the New Year? Every day should be a new day for resolutions, for new goals, for new experiences.
But that's another story!
I hope this year leans more to the 'well' side than 'unwell', but let's not forget that everything is really a mixed bag. We make the most of what we get. Best of wishes!
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