However, I do feel a little tired. And I am now a little under the weather after Beijing and all its goodness. Hence, today is so good. Finally, a first run after in about 3 weeks? Jokingly, I told some dearest friends I need to get back my fitness, else next time I will have to chase after them very hard.
It was so good to sweat it out in the gym. It's now much cooler here in Abu Dhabi. I did both the stepper and the treadmill. Super good to sweat and lovin' it.
And I have to say good-bye to the pool for now.... and there was no one. I would have loved to jump in, but the sane me says no. Or I will need the hair dryer to warm me up after the dip.
Beijing must have been the highlight in the last 2 weeks.
It was freezing cold; we saw the snow and its marvelous white spleen. :) 感觉实在不同。
好美。And we could see the Forbidden City from our hotel room. We went to the famous 延禧宫。There were so so many people in that particular 宫, really made famous by the Chinese drama.
延禧宫 was destroyed by a fire; still the throngs were there to take a look, including the most eager me. :-D
And thinking about the snow - Steve said he hasn't walked the streets before in 初雪。So we decided to walk down the streets. :) I asked him if the walk felt like he imagined. :)) Like dating days? We just laughed so loud.
I was in Beijing with SJ, Derrick and Doreen to understand the edtech landscape. And it was a tremendous 1 week. It added on to the July China trip, and undoubtedly, China's influence will continue to rise. The people and culture continue to intrigue me. I wonder how my life would have changed if I'd continued in HCJC many years ago on the LEP. Maybe it would have taken a different route - and not that I think my current path is anything less - but I wonder. The many "ifs". :)
The EP Programme Team. :)
I love that there's so much creativity in mankind and humanity. The Beijing learning reinforced it keenly. It starts with 1 idea - and many a times - thru' the English Teacher - who was just teaching and saw the great need. The idea germinated, the business expanded, the business model morphed, the creative pedagogical approaches, the pervasive application of technologies, and I'd think - the 天时地利人和 - and the idea became a business that profits, and benefits the learners and society. :) I really enjoyed the sharing and appreciated the creating.
And I enjoyed listening to the Chinese language too. I think back to the days when we used to 写作文， 背成语， 写笔记， etc. Unfortunately, most of us Singaporeans don't really use the language much, and while there's no problem understanding conversations, the engaging in conversation proficiently in the language is a different matter. So I started watching Chinese dramas a while before the trip. And... got intrigued by one particular song.
歌词好美。
很多很多感触时常都是语言无法形容的。歌词和旋律就是有那么奇妙，能够诉说心情。
And China was both work and play.
It was most memorable that we scaled the Great Wall @ Mutianyu.
It was a ruined and untouched part of the wall, and basically, there was no one except us and the guide.
I loved it. We walked and trekked until we reached the very end. The edge of the world perhaps?
Some tourists were on the helicopter and we waved to them. 好一段路，好一种不同的感觉。
Thankful for SJ and KL. :) KL's wonderful red gloves made a difference.
And this afternoon is restful and reflective. China too, came and went. The forbidden city, tiananmen, the hutongs, the beijing ducks, the sights and scenes - we had them all. :)
Sometimes, I look back at the climb, or of all the other adventures I've had before in my life, and I know that God's protection is real. For Mutianyu, I am sure all of us enjoyed the view, the climb, the history and the cold... but 1 mis-step would land us somewhere else. So TYJ for protection always.
And Christmas is just round the corner. 1 more short trip next week and I'm done with the travels this year. It's going to be a wonderful wonderful Christmas season 2019. 💗
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