china? bizzare, surreal, introspective on a morally and physically painful level, and thankfully over. not that i don't like the place, far from it, i feel it has Character and a severe case of contradiction that i find so appealing, but i need a break from it and all that it entails for me right now. i need i guess some space to figure out myself after a semester of being Way Out There, so far out that i didn't feel myself anymore.

in other words, the mfa sent me an e-christmascard. wtf. how spooky.

i ran into a coworker in the office wearing a huge black felt patch and a safety pin as i was getting water. i only caught her regard for a split second, but the circles under the eyes and the tired expression were enough to confirm what it was. for those who don't know, the black patch affixed to the left sleeve with a safety pin is a sign of mourning, specifically for the death of a close relative.

i realised i never see that anymore, naturally not in the states but also not in singapore. i don't feel like the traditional chinese void deck funeral where the coffin lies in state for a couple of days and everyone gathers together and plays mahjong is dying, but i suppose now that i think about it it is diminishing. maybe it's where i live now, in the middle of landed property, but there are no more burnings of gold paper, large bonfires of paper houses and cars, processions and white-clad bereaveds. i remember one point when i was in primary school, you'd see classmates with blue patches, blue on white patches, black patches etc. every so often. of course, that was then. now it's the workplace and modern times, and people don't display their old-fashioned grief now, do they.

<@codstar> rice crispies and hangovers don't go together
<@codstar> first time ive ever told a bowl of cereal to stfu

HAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAH