Me and my CCF in Beijing Day 9

I just had the most amusing encounter at the lift in my office building. Here goes -

I was minding my own business, standing in the lift, when these two ladies behind me started talking about me, in Chinese, very loudly. They were saying that I was very tall, and I looked so refined, but why do I wear such ugly shoes? (I am wearing my Nikes with jeans today, and happened to have my blazer on because I was cold at the office.) I'm not really bothered by their remarks, but highly amused by how loud they were speaking just behind me, as if I couldn't understand.

Is there anyway I don't look Chinese? And I have never spoken to them, so my lousy Chinese doesn't justify it. Besides, I definitely can understand simple things like that.

haha. The funny things that happen in lifts.

This is not the only incident when people around here have told me how refined I am. The local culture must be really different, and relatively 'unrefined'. For in Singapore, no one has ever told me I'm refined, or graceful, or anything remotely close. I consider myself to be rather 'chor2 lor4', and my mum scolds me all the time. Funny.