Great pm with Nong

Of course I was up around 6am and unguiltily finished off the beer I'd opened when got back as it helped me eventually get a little more kip, despite not having anything to eat. Well it helped me manage a bit more kip till getting on for midday, when Awl called as he wasn't sleeping at 4am, so we had a bit of a chat and as I knew I'd need some more kip I had a little V and cola as it was the afternoon too. I stupidly didn't have anything to eat though and couldn't push myself to go outside so just had a couple more crappy biscuits.

I was having fun though I suppose. But at 2.15pm I pinged Nong to see what she was doing. I didn't hear back but a few minutes later another friend pinged me to go for a bite. Fair enough. Then, of course, Nong pinged me soon after 3pm to ask what I was doing, then to invite me to afternoon KTV as you do. But as I was busy for a bit I told her I needed a bit of a siesta to which she said that wasn't ok but I know her better than that so a little after 4pm I told her I could come around.

I've got nothing against afternoon KTV...especially with my seemingly always jetlagged self. And I'd had a couple of drinks already, so a bit of beer wouldn't be a problem would it? And it was fun of course, even if I didn't do any singing for once. We finished KTV around 6pm and I met up with her for a bite to eat a little later, as one does.

Another afternoon KTV as you do

But I realised I'd not really had any proper food all day, so I headed home to see that I'd had another message from Nong. I pinged back and she was with friends and to come over as I'd not seen most of them so far this month. So I said I'd come over but the dian dong che was on charge, so in the end despite having drunk baijiu she came to pick me up, even though she said she was sending a didi che to get me. Whatever.

We drove to one of her friend's new office north of the guangchang, and immediately I knew 3/4 of the people there. It was one of those tables where each person has their own huoguo saucepan and you cook your own stuff. Lord knows I needed something to eat, so was grateful for the raw chicken even if it took 10 minutes to cook. One of the blokes was apparently the drum teacher from outside Pingguo, who was here to invigilate today's drumming exams, of which Nong's son was a student.

At Nong's friend's new office...huoguo for everyone

Well I did my best, although was really flagging after a rather taxing afternoon both physically and alcoholically. And I managed to ganbei everyone in the two hours or so I was there. I appreciate that Nong knows when I'm flagging and she appreciated that I wanted to walk the 20 minutes or so home, and didn't force a lift on me, just asking that I tell her when I was back. I do appreciate a friend like her...I've bloody known her for 18 years so she's really just a mate, but has her head screwed on more than most people here.

Back home I pinged that I was safe and she said she'd heard I'd gone out somewhere else again. Fair enough, on another evening I might have done but I was ensconced in bead with fatigue. I did allow myself a nightcap though, and think I dropped off some time after 2am, only to wake up half an hour later in a bit of a sweat. Then I had that horrid feeling that I've not had for years, and never in China. I felt physically sick, and went to the bathroom and yacked up for a minute or so. Not that much came out, suggesting I've not been eating enough, but I felt a lot better. Then I realised it was the family zoom so I thought I'd better join (without webcam) and managed till 3.40am.

It had been a long day, and probably too much booze, so I was glad to fall asleep at 4am and not get up till 10am. Not the greatest of sleeps, but probably the longest since I've been here this month.