Introduction to China - A Day in Transit

7th November 2012, Guangzhou Airport

So I've arrived in the country that makes almost everything you can touch these days, including probably the device on which you're reading this. The old cliche goes "first impression is the lasting impression", and if that's anything to go by, I think I'd want to come here more often. Mind you, this is not a statement made in awe of the infrastructure, technology, or sights here (I haven't even stepped out of the airport yet), but instead on the people.

Sometimes, you go to a new place with a blank slate in terms of what to expect. However, the human nature is such that, wherever bereft of any prior experience we tend to cling onto past knowledge, from random and varied sources of information, to form a preconceived notion which provides us the liberty of defining our comfort zones. This is where China thus far has pleasantly surprised me.

The people are so friendly you'd feel they are trying to impress you with their hospitality in each interaction. Despite an evident gap in communication due to the language, the efforts taken by the locals here stand out, especially through that ever-present smile that almost everyone seems to wear. Things taken for granted due to their perceived triviality in many other countries are taken seriously here. While transiting for eight hours at the huge Guangzhou airport, I got a response for my "thank you" at the end of each window-shopping excursion I took, something that becomes more noticeable particularly when you've gotten used to not expecting any response in a similar situation most of the times.

So as I finally board my second flight of the day to end the transit at Guangzhou, there's a sense of excitement at the prospect of further exploring this nation, and interacting with it's people.

Oh and before I forget, I did also manage to glimpse why the world comes to China for all the manufacturing. Sample this for greater value in your investments here: the exact same Subway meal which gets me a sub, a drink, and a cookie in Singapore, gives me all that PLUS an extra cookie here. Now that's what I'd like to call, Made in China!

Rediscovering myself - Day 1

So I now have a long weekend ahead of me with no one in the house, and an (innately futile) desire to cost-cut until I cover that amount lost in the failed long weekend getaway.

Sounds to me like the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with myself. Even though we don't have to fix a convenient time or place for an appointment, it's strange how rarely we get to meet up with ourselves in today's world. Think of when was the last time you were all alone, not asleep and with nothing or nobody keeping some part of your mind occupied? In my case, I can't even remember the last time that happened. Could have been months back, perhaps even years ago.

So while I go spend some alone time with myself, and in the process hope to return having conjured an eternal couplet of my own along the lines of 'mai aur meri tanhayee, aksar baatein karte hain', let me leave you with the first fact I've rediscovered about myself.

1. I fail to understand my body clock - With there being no plans and an absolutely free day beckoning me to sleep through if possible, I found myself awake without an alarm, showered and ready for a blank day, all by 9.40am. In today's hashtag lingo, this is the apt definition that should be provided for #FacePalm