The apple community

I gave you a sneaky peek inside my apartment, now take a gander at my view. The garden is quite plush, but takes a lot of tending (not by me) as seemingly all plant life withers and dies in Beijing.


On the far right of this picture you can see building 1, which Ben used to live in. When very bored on some long winter nights, Ben and I used to call each other on the phone, look out the window and flash the light switches on and off to see if we could see each other's apartment. We could.

Sharing the mundane

Katie Melua got it wrong: There are 9 million and one bicycles in Beijing. That's right, check out the collapsible bad boy I purchased the other day. It folds up conveniently into the back of a taxi, so if I go out for a few after work libations I can be safely transported home. I just have to remember to remove it from the boot when I reach my final destination, something which I neglect to do with alarming regularity. I leave it parked in my apartment because bike thievery is rampant. Buying this bike has to be one of the best things I've done in Beijing. It's goods exercise and there is nothing more fun than biking around the hutongs (old Chinese alley ways) in the evening.

And now, here are a few pics of my apartment. I still looks a little bare because I haven't yet found the Chinese equivalent of framed Steve Martin LPs to hang on my walls. It's very comfortable, though, and has suitable audio/visual equipment. I spared you the site of the toilet and kitchen because they aren't nearly as tidy as the main room.



The keen eyed amongst you will be able to spot the Mr. Wow T-shirt (above) and unmade bed (below)