i went to suzhou on the weekend with some schoolmates. took the train over and loooked at the gardens there and at a pangoda. It was so hot that day, it was terrible! suzhou itself isnt that interesting, even with all its history, u there isnt much left. im going to hangzhou for the weekend, and i ve heard its the most beautiful city in china. we'll see about that.

i saw my first chinese movie in a chinese theatre. it was called ' house of flying daggers' . it had that girl from couching tiger hidden dragon and Andy Lau, a famous hong kong star. the movie was very 'beautiful' because it was so colourful. the effects were amazing and the way the costumes contrasted or blended with the scenery was breathtaking. the storyline itself was ok with some plot twists. thank god for the chinese subtitles or i would have been even more confused than i already was (no eng subtitles). of course, i loved the fight scenes. cant beat the flying daggers and swords! i heard "Hero' with Jet li is also a good movie too. i wanna check that out too.

i went to Yu Gardens yesterday, and actually went inside to see the gardens instead of just looking at the buildings around it. (you have to pay to get in). the garden was ok i guess..it was quiet....very tranquil. but...it was very hot of course.