The past few weeks were spent gallivanting with Mel, her Aussie friend Emma and her cousins Jon and Gerard, and her cousins' friends etc. It's been a whirlwind of shopping and touristy activities, and me not being very hospitable as I am always scoffing at tourist traps e.g. at Chijmes you pay $10 for a plate of cheese fries, at the zoo you have to pay $15 upon entry, $18 to eat breakfast with Ah Meng, $5 to sit on the tram, $8 to ride an elephant, and so forth.

(It is reminiscent of this time when we in Li Jiang and there was an old man at a tourist attraction we visitied with a sign by his side that said, "10 yuan to take a picture with the old man" and Helen saying quite insensitively, "he's not even that old.")

It's incredibly funny how we have vaguely known Jon and Gerard most of our lives, but never actually talking to them until to now, and realizing that they pretty good folks. It's good not to be a teenager anymore.

11:45 PM
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