So yeah, this afternoon was going to be all about me studying and writing my essay. Um, yeah.. I'll be sweating it this evening instead, as usual.

Anyways, found a fantastic blog:

http://bokane.org/
http://www.bokane.org/chinese/ (his blog in Chinese)

This guy is absolutely amazing - a 23-year old from Philadelphia/Ireland, who's been studying Chinese for 5 years and now works as a translator. He studied at Beida too, but two years ago, and before that, he was an English teacher in Harbin. Hobbies including translating Chinese poems for fun. Good God, he makes me want to cover my head with a paper bag in shame over my own poor Chinese skills - reading his Chinese posts is way too much of an effort for me. Oh, and his English blog is both fun and well-written too (and uses words like peristalsis, while cracking me up), check out these posts especially:

His plane trip to Philly
Obscure Chinese characters fun (yes, that should be an oxymoron, but I find it absolutely fascinating)
side-splitting Chinese toilet anecdote
and not so fun but very profound: what to expect if you're thinking about studying Chinese.
this is what I'm occasionally worried about in China
this one breaks my heart a little, especially the ending, beautifully written

and last but not least, he shares my views on the Chinese perambulation style

These are only a few examples - his writing is brilliant, both humorous and touching, and will be the reason I'll be up past midnight working on the essay I'm putting off writing.

it's bittersweet to read his thoughts on Beijing as a foreign student and realize how similar some are to my own, and then realize I'm reading it all in English because I don't have the skills to read it in Chinese. I could be writing this in Chinese - it's sad being able to say this at the age of 21, but I regret shunning that part of my education and upbringing for all those years.
But then again... if I was already fluent in Chinese, would I be here now, in a city that confuses, fascinates, frustrates and delights me beyond belief?


*Addendum: just found this during my procrastination stint. It's irony piled on top of irony, piled on top of more irony. Like a giant irony pancake cake (Swedish dessert).