Little things do wonders for the mood

This photo contains a several CD's of Mozart, some er, hem, cheap DVD's of recent recent release movies, some Skippy peanut butter, a French stick (the bread is impossibly sweet in China), some wheat puffs cereal (only UHT milk is available - but good sweet yoghurt). The Snickers chocolate bar is not there, coz i ate it - no doubt causing me cold sores. I also bought a pair of speakers to plug into my laptop so I could listen to the Mozart.

Also on the (supplied but rarely used) microwave with Chinese controls, sits a table lamp ($6) which has an incandescent globe, providing a blessed relief to the dim 25 watt purplish fluorescent in the ceiling. It makes the room livable (although it could do with a rug and a wall hanging or two.)

Later I found out that two of the Mozart discs, despite their printed covers in outrageous chinglish, had exactly the same tracks! The store was happy to swap, and I did, but who's complaining for RMB 12.80 (AU$2)?

I must remind myself that I am only here for another 8 weeks and that feathering my nest like this is a bit silly - unless I take stuff home with me. Which I probably won't. Sadly such bits and pieces of furnishings, although put into "the storage room" ostensibly for the next Australian to live in these apartments, will almost certainly disappear, snaffled up by the Chinese staff. A redistribution of wealth.