On the balcony, the woman was busy trying to find a place for the orchids. Her vegetables and herbs were in plastic containers in sizes of rather on the large side, leaving not much room for anything else on the floor. So, for the time being, the woman decided to set the orchids on the concrete guard rail, thinking to hang them from a nail tomorrow when there was daylight.

Chinese customs seem to be going through a cultural change due to the huge generation gap between people who grew up in rural communities and their children who crave smartphones and other things their parents could never afford.

Learned  people inherently knew there were three channels to learn wisdom. The first method was by pondering and reflection, that supposedly was the most noble way. But this was for people smarter than me who sat cross-legged in caves all day and ate nothing but lettuce leaves.

As most of you already know, on China Love Match we pride ourselves on providing good service. However, recently we've had a few issues with members not receiving our emails even though they have verified their addresses with us, which means their own email providers should be accepting our messages into their Inboxes. But it seems that a number of email providers have now started taking it upon themselves to block messages even though the recipient has clearly indicated they wish to receive them.

This India adventure has been interesting. Four months as a Fulbright scholar has offered me the opportunity to interact with Indian college students, Uber drivers, and vegetable vendors; to walk in the footsteps of the Buddha, trace the journey of Rama, and float on the holy Ganges; to view Bollywood movies, Indian art shows, and the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam; to learn the difference among nan, roti, and paratha, as well as that among tabla, tampura, and sitar. In short, to experience first-hand—even if only in a limited and at an ultimately superficial level—India.

The small shop was full of flowers every kind, in colors one could have never imagined of existing. Daffodils, tulips, lilies, gladiolas, carnations, orchids, and, of course, most people's favorite, roses were everywhere, on the floors, in fridges, on the walls, and in buckets. There was barely room for the customers to walk around. The flowers' scents filled up your nose with such a freshness that you could easily imagine standing in a meadow somewhere in the Alps, breathing in the essence of the virgin Earth.

Noi and I had said our farewells at the airport in Bangkok. I detest airport farewells. I get emotional. The month in Thailand had gone by all too quickly. And, I was not looking forward to England for many reasons. But, I knew my stay there would be brief. I was sad to be leaving Noi. But, we had got to know each other well. Our future was looking good. The trip had also resulted in us finding the house at Kanchanaburi. I could look forward to my return and settling down in that area.

China has long been known for its wonderful ability to copy products. In March this year there was a national 'awareness day' during which people were told to consider the implications of buying 'knock-off' products. Copying products is almost part of Chinese culture itself.

The rest of the remaining month soon passed. Why do happy times seem fleeting? Yet, bad times seem to linger. I had to make plans to leave the villa in Kanchanaburi. Noi and I both knew the time was fast approaching for me to fly back to England. She understood the reasons why I had to leave. I assured her I would return as quickly as possible. Certainly, once I had attended to outstanding business back there.

Spring Festival in China is a tradition that involves the biggest human migration in the world. People from all over China head home to visit their family. Many of those young people who are still single are filled with dread, instead of excitement, at seeing their family again. They must face the wrath of their parents and grandparents for not being married.