WUHAN - the adventure begins

2009-04-19T22:52:00.011+08:00

MY SIX NE MESSAGES :

1. Singapore is our homeland. This is where we belong.
Coming to china has made me value and realise how fortunate I am to live in
Singapore. One thing i feel VERY glad about are the rules that are imposed by the
government. We adhere to rules and i feel that this is important as without them,
there would be chaos. An example would be of the traffic lights in china. Despite
the green walking man signal, cars would just pass across as if people there were
invisible.

2. We must preserve racial and religious harmony.
In general say, everyone has to be treated with respect to racial equality to
prevent racial discriminination. It does not only apple to Singapore but to
everywhere we go. Only then will there be harmony and peace amongst us. I have
learnt to mix more with people of other race and can proudly say that I have
abolished the stereotype thinking. Dont judge a book by its cover as they can
surprise you in ways you would never imagine.

3. We must uphold meritocracy and incorruptibility.
For someone to trust you..you first have to be honest not only with him but most
importantly be true to yourself. One thing I have observed is that for a friendship to
work out, you can tell if the other party is genuine or just nice enough to start a
conversation with you. The locals are a great bunch of people and getting to know
them are one of the best things that ever happened in my life.

4. No one owes Singapore a living.
As compared to China's history, Singapore's not even a quarter of it long. I thank
and are grateful to our forefathers which have made into what we are today.
Coming to China has made me more independant and I am able to find my way
around despite not knowing how to speak Chinese. I am glad that I have grabbed
this oppurtunity going to China. It has been an eye opener for me and I shall
impart my knowledge to friends in the days to come.

5. We must ourselves defend Singapore.
Though a small country, we will defend our rights, ourselves and our country. I
feel rather sad as the younger generation lack of love for the country. We take for
granted of what we have and resort to having the easy way out. We whine, we
complain and we stamp our feet when things dont go our way.

6. We have confidence in our future.
If someone were to ask me should they go for an overseas programme trip...my
answer would be a definite YES. I have learnt so much and have gained
experiences i would never have gotten in Singapore.
So if you ask me now...Do you have confidance in your future ?
YES I DO !

2009-04-19T22:14:00.009+08:00

DAY 41 - IS THIS THE END ?

woke up with a knotch in my stomach. it was all too surreal
it felt as if i was in china like the week before
i wasnt my usual self and kept quiet most of the way to the airport

weighing our luggages before moving up the bus
mine was 42kg OMGNESS.
plus hand carry
it was a wonder i could stuff everything into my luggage

buses in china are meant for luggages

NOT PEOPLE

we bid our goodbyes to the restaurant grandma

she teared which made us tear even more

the kids were so adorable we couldnt bear to let them go
without her..i definitely would have lost alot of weight..heee.

i love ci tan cao la mian !

arrival at wuhan airport

i stil remember day one as if it was yesterday

the situation with the locals was so awkward and everyone was with their own cliques

but look at us now !

we've grown up together as one :)

i spy with my little eye

oops i got discovered

even the guys couldnt bear to let one another go

my friends will forever be

you people are the best thing that has ever happened

love love !

changi airport
missing out on steph

she's enjoying in beijing

lucky her !

i will always remember the happy times we shared with one another

god bless

THE END

2009-04-19T02:26:00.007+08:00

DAY 40 - MY WALLET GOT HOLE !!!!

and so today was officially the LAST DAY OF SHOPPING
ta badly needed to find her dad's slippers (which she eventually got) while i just needed to shop summore
call it an addiction ? shopaholic ?
YOU GOTTA EMBRACE CHINAAAA !

pei jie..joey..ta and myself went to han zheng jie..i was surprised joey hasnt gone there before..we knew there was a tinge of excitement deep down inside us as for once we were sure of where we were and instead of being a foreigner..we were showing a local around instead

how much we regretted wearing slippers as it rained

mud was getting to our jeans and feet and nails and..

ohh i wish to stop here.

came back soon after to do some packing before leaving for the back streets to bid our last goodbyes to the people we knew

the shop owner insisted we develop and put our picture in his display rack

on top of that, he gave us figurines depicting

"see no evil..hear no evil..say no evil"

i took see no evil

im a good girl

(i know you guys would be saying ya right, ja....)

had dinner at the usual restaurant before me and pei jie went to have
OUR LAST HAIR TREATMENT

met up with ben and rand at the massage parlour befire heading off to Fa Yuandi

she stayed back despite the end of her working shift

she wasnt her usual self and kept almost quiet most of the time

goodbyes are never easy

the cool doods

OUR hairstylist

he knew what he was doing and it was a pleasure having him around

DEFINITELY.
ben permed his hair btw
he somehow looks a more matured ben now.

the guy on my left washed my hair

and believe it or not he's 2 years younger than me

group shot with the staffs
everyone there anticipated our arrival and we were their last customers
though it was past their closing hours, they were more than happy to chat and mingle with us

the closed ones of fayuandi staff
NE MESSAGE :
We must preserve racial and religious harmony
i enjoy mixing with people of other races and i feel that i learn much more by doing such

there is another world out there waiting for you to discover and explore

People with racist beliefs exhibit stereotype-based prejudices towards individuals and groups of people according to their race

this should not be the case at all

THE END

2009-04-19T01:42:00.008+08:00

DAY 39 - ROCCO'S SWEET 20TH

today was somewhat a celebration cum farewell party
everyone looked at their very best

TO ROCCO....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DEAR FRIEND
I HOPE YOU HAD FUN DURING AND AFTER THE PARTY
I WILL MISS YOU ALOT !

you will never see your friends buying a 3 layer cake for your bday in sg

EMBRACE CHINA !

and of course the choco cake was the first to go

you will never see mr wong do this in sg too !

may your wishes come trueeeee...

Mr chong was stressing : careful of the cake guyss

please be careful of the cake

THE CAKE..BECAREFUL !

the locals who made living in china pleasant and enjoyable
NE MESSAGE :
we must preserve racial and religious harmony

despite coming from different family backgrounds and religion, we stay united as one. i enjoy their company very much and i feel sad that the end is drawing near
to end it off...OIP has made us a
ONE BIG FAMILY

THE END

2009-04-14T17:21:00.012+08:00

DAY 36 - WHOAAAA !

us MDE went to the ECE campus

strangers became friends

one thing i regret was not knowing them earlier

they are such a hyper bunch of people

happy moments..memorable timess !

the main entrance
it looks like some grand hotel

theres a hill behind it

HUGENESS !

close up view

LSCT + MDE + ECE

we got mixed into 4 groups to play teambuilding games
my group with our spongebob flag
credits to ta for drawing the flag

first game of the day
we had to create a conveyor belt thingy
and fit EVERYONE inside
no scotchtapes, no glue
just newspapers
we got third place though
but i must say that everyone worked and helped one another

i was the first one to go for my group
scared ? NO
excited ? HELL YEAH
and the belayer would like let you go all of a sudden when you jump off
i felt as if my heart fell out too

had lunch after the morning activities passed
visited their dorm after

their humongous toilet
the other one has a toilet bowl

us mde and lsct were like WHOAAAAAA.

compared to ours

they even have a balcony behind those closed doors

they even have room service once a week

kenneth from ECE

the head instructor

we had to play this game where they would ask us to bring stuffs to our group mate in front

some were strands of hair..shoes..jackets..guy carry girl..girl carry guy

clive and meiyun

winson and me

you gotta have skills baby !

following are a few pictures around the school

ENJOY !

THE END

2009-04-07T21:10:00.025+08:00

DAYS 34 & 35 - LULING RESORT

about 4 hours journey to reach Luling
the bus driver....im speechless.
he kept honking though there were no cars
ALL THE WAY
it was so hard to get a decent nap

had a walk around the area after putting our bags in the hotel
was then told that it was once a volcanic spot
some stones i saw were rare and unlike the usual ones we see

imitation of linpei's pose
still cannot make it

hardy and me

its named the lovers waterfall

the tourguide said it looks like a dinosaur fossil

see it !? see it ?!

saw the face ?

they used to sleep here

its hard.its cold.its dark

the deepest part of the area

the depth of the water is unknown as it cannot be measured

simple terms : ITS DEEPER THAN THE OCEAN

went for lunch and had a walk at the local village

the guide said the people were rich despite the conditions here

they have houses elsewhere instead

only the elders remain

bridge to cross to the village

maximum of ten people allowed on it

isnt he adorable !

before leaving for dinner

jump shot is a MUST

campfire's burning now

CAMPFIRE'S BURNING NOW !

i danced cha cha and some line dance thingy

i even went up stage and sang

ive never had so much fun in a day before

DAY TWO

i thought we were saved from stairs since wudang mountain

BUT LOOK AT THIS

its torture yet again

our new loverboys !

hit the bell three times and make a wish

you cant hit it more than thrice

bad luck i suppose

chinese chess

emperor of all gods

belive it or not but the tree and the vines are dead

yet they are still entwined to one another

eternal love they call it

longest vine IN THE WORLD

us girls

they say we cannot block the three words

830m above sea level

it was hotttt

the landscape
theres this loudspeaker played throughout the field
says something about the history of it

entrance
i declare war with ta

pejoy swords

we gave in

PEACE

mode of transport during battle
IM STRONG

spinning around in the battlefield

not everyone gets the chance to do this

hoho

archery

not as easy as it looks

at the entrance of the cave
so much for rand and clive saying it would be hot inside

it was like negative standing at the mouth of the cave

clive lent me his shirt

THANKS CLIVE

:D:D

it got stuck in between the rocks when it fell

they call it the lucky stone

im too short to reach it

the guide said this rock showed two deities
i see it

can you ?

all and all, i feel this tour has been the most relaxing and enjoyable one

BUT

the bus driver....omgness.

he kept honking ALL THE WAY

it was somehow music to his ears

even if there were oncoming cars. he would honk at them for about 5 seconds

it drove us nuts as we couldnt get e decent nap in the bus

i get so annoyed by honking noises now

THE END

2009-04-06T23:23:00.018+08:00

DAY 33 - WE STILL WANT TO SHOP

took a bus and headed to bank of china in the hopes of exchanging our sing money
THEY DONT ACCEPT OUR MONEY AND THEY TOLD US TO WAIT TILL TUESDAY
SO LONG. WE NEED MONEY HERE AND NOW !
they only wanted US currency..likeeee. okayyyy
then this guy approached us and asked if we wanted to exchange from him
he was so persistent i tell you !

drew from the atm instead
what a waste of time and bus fare as there was a teller near school

went to the same place yesterday
everyone bought something eventually
from the looks of it, the shop owner was definitely a rich kid
he's really nice too !

headed to some restaurant for dinner
SOFA SEAT !

i swore i could have stayed there forever

the food was great too

unagi fried rice

in the bus otw back
clive sleeps anywhere, everywhere, anytime

massage in the evening

my bones cracked

was told that my spine was in bad shape

explains why i had lower back pains at times

i have low blood pressure and low calcium intake

she also knew i dream alot

which is a bad sign cause this shows i dont have a peaceful sleep

I AM TRULY AMAZED BY HER ABILITIES

going for foot massage soon !

THE END

2009-04-06T23:23:00.008+08:00

DAY 32 - BROKEN TO PIECES

went to hanzhen jie today
cheap.. cheap..EVERYWHERE CHEAP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
we took an ILLEGAL van to our destination
the driver sets his price and we..no clive bargains for a lower price
paid 45 yuan - journey about an hour there

much cheaper then the normal taxi

the driver dropped us sompleace else
walked quite abit though we had snacks along the way
i will never forget the caramel bun i had !

ended up at Grand Ocean

the place where all money was lost
clive bought 6 bags
our family guy

headed to ajisen ramen in the same building after

i had fried udon someting something

green tea ice cream
4 yuan per scoop
ITS TO DIE FOR !
take one

take two

all of us went back feeling helpless with the CENTS we had left

wanted to cab but we had barely enough

endured the bus journey

but we're happy with the stuffs we bought

THE END

2009-04-03T00:13:00.007+08:00

DAY 31 - ASSIGNMENT TWO !

today was presentation day
i felt that it was better than our first assignment as we communicated with one another instead of doing individually
all went well !

look at our matching hairbands

everyone

US

usual eating place
joined with zee n viv

decided to go shopping at the back streets while waiting for rand to finish dinner

bought a bag at their shop

THE HAIR SALON !

take one

take two

end result

THE END

2009-04-02T10:48:00.021+08:00

DAY 30 - VISIT TO NEW WUST CAMPUS

one word - HUGE
still not the biggest campus in Wuhan

Wuhan University is the biggest
imagine having a mountain in the uni
and taking 1 hour by vehicle just to tour the whole place
thats how huge that place is

first stop was their library

students have to scan before entering
no slippers allowed
imagine if NP library imposed this rule
i bet half of us would be sent out

historical museum of the sch as they call it

school song

top ten alumni's of the school

her signature pose

lost and aimless as usual

speechless..wordless..commentless

look at the number of b-ball and badminton courts

they still have indoor courts as well
plus 3 soccer fields
AND A LAKE

us and them :)

headed to anatomy next
pictures may be disturbing for some
believe it or not they're ALL REAL.

seok loves it

we had some interaction with the medical students from WUST after
8 of us and 8 of them played this guessing game where they had to act the character out

a must at every destination
CAMWHORE !

my new found friend
he does boxing

he talks good english which he only learnt for 4 years
amazing !

headed to our usual muslim stall for dinner

look at the kids !

one word - ADORABLE

notice his brother at the back

THE END

2009-03-31T22:15:00.002+08:00

DAY 29 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY !

it was hui miangs 18th today
hope you enjoyed ur birthday love !

the HUGE cake
where can find in singapore
ONLY CHINA !

the birthday girl and her b-ball cake

guess who guess who

no not mr wong
he's engrossed with the headphones

HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY
all the best in your endeavours
WE LOVE YOU !!
:)

went back to the room to finish up assignment 2 due thursday
camwhored with roommates before that

zee gave me an eye mask
she knew i had trouble sleeping with the light on
THANKS BABE :)

typical things we do in our room
ta - engrossed with music
me - fall asleep while reading a book
zee - play her flute ? uhh at times..she couldnt decide

OHH !
linpei, ta and me went shopping at the back streets

ended up buying things we didnt expect we could find at the back alley

hat and shades
vivian said she looked like mc donald
like..uhm yeahhh. okayyyyyy.

bought headband, shades and bag
my luggage to small to cramp everything in already
heeeeee.

THE END

2009-03-30T19:51:00.002+08:00

DAY 27 - COMPUTER TOWN

had loud impatient knocks on the door (thanks clive)...annoying cann.
he was like..faster fasterr.we going computer city now. dun need bathe. they waiting for us ready
ta was still sleeping..i just woke up
and yeah. the four of us (rand, ta, clive, me) left without bathing. heehee

took bus 702 and omg ! the bus journey was sooooooo long and packed.
most of us were jet lagged due to karaoke session
headed to "Computer Town" - so many electronic gadgetssss !

unlike malls back home, they closed at 6pm
the streets were so full of rubbish even i decided to have a go at it myself. hoho
people dont care..they spit..they shit..they pee.
we saw a lil girl shitting in the middle of the pavement and the mom was scooping it up as if it was dog poo.

they're called zebra dogs
was told they could not get any bigger as well

they look really helpless and cold

me and fran

us girls

THE END

2009-03-28T18:24:00.007+08:00

DAY 26 - THE WALKING STREET

we had city tour today
not much of a tour i must say...it was like free and easy kinda thing
which is definitely much better
we ALWAYS had to rush during touring..very exhausting

first meal of the day
you tiao wrapped with egg omelette + soy drink
i wore plastic gloves while eating

statue symbolising :
THE WALKING STREET
finally no cars and bikes on the pavement

trying to be the next linpei
babe i miss you already !
i got no one to annoy and whine withh

i thot by tempting him i can get more discountss

the shop which took all my money
METERBONWE

they really really reallllyyyyy have nice stuffs

winson, mei yun and the big big biggggg turtle

THE END

2009-03-28T18:20:00.015+08:00

DAY 25 - FIBRE OPTICS

headed to Yangtze Fibre Optics Company today
to "The Shopping Mall" later on for starbucks and kara0ke

group shot before leaving
spot my red shoes !

background of YOFC
YOFC is a high-tech cooperation dedicated to the manufacturing, research and development of optical fibre and cable products, which is the largest one of the kind in China at present.It has not only supplied products to all provinces of China but extended the markets to USA, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, Europe, Middle East, etc.

optical fibres..what are they ??
A plastic or glass (silicon dioxide) fibre no thicker than a human hair used to transmit information using infra-red or even visible light as the carrier. Optical fibres are difficult to tamper with (to monitor or inject data in the middle of a connection), making them appropriate for secure communications.

advantages ?
1. Less expensive - Several miles of optical cable can be made cheaper than equivalent lengths of copper wire
2. Higher carrying capacity - Because optical fibers are thinner than copper wires, more fibers can be bundled into a given-diameter cable than copper wires, allowing more phone lines or channels to go through the same cable
3. Non-flammable - Because no electricity is passed through optical fibers, there is no fire hazard.
4. Low power - Because signals in optical fibers degrade less, lower-power transmitters can be used instead of the high-voltage electrical transmitters needed for copper wires

fibres fibres fibres

the members
fran's missing tho'

anyway, a group of us headed to The Shopping Mall (its really the name)
us three went to starbucks while the rest headed to Mac's

we were just so deprived of starbucks

choco muffin and choco frappe
choco freak

her longing for raspberry frappe

my excitement for both
current fav drink : green tea frappe

told you we were deprived

joined the rest and headed to KTV
SUPER CHEAP !

76 rmb in total for 3 hours...tts like less than 20 dollars
but buttttt. i was sooooooooo annoyed and bored cause all the songs i wanted to sing turned out to some another

cheat my feelings.. DAMN SAD.

we're both cute i know
heeee

my dear roommate leaving us a note before she left for homestay
missing you zee !

THE END

2009-03-28T18:14:00.012+08:00

DAY 24 - PPT AND POOL !

all our quizzes finally over TODAY.
presentations and sharing with the locals
motive was for them to know more about US, ngeeann polytechnic and singapore

80 local students came down
personally, i feel that it was an honour being there with them

with the phrase "students are far more alike than they are different"....

though we come from different countries and nationalities, we students still learn and have fun together

to LSCT students....you made me salivate and drool talking about singapore's food omggggg !
i miss chilli crab =( =(

LSCT group
they're a hyper bunch of people
good job guyssss :)

MDE'S contribution

sang rasa sayang

zee, nad and hash definitely kept the song going

the FUN PART :

clive, ta, linpei and me skipped dinner

FOR THE SAKE OF PLAYING POOL.

like omg guysss !

1 hour - 4yuan

tts like less than a dollar back home

linpei and ta had clive teaching them some pool
played for two hours before our stomachs called out for food

first game of the day
notice the holes are more like of billiards

THE HOLE SO SMALL
so annoyinggggg

round 1 winner
CLIVE I WANT REMATCH

hard at work
look how focused she is
haaha

pro already

dont need clive to teach

THE END

2009-03-25T23:06:00.006+08:00

DAY 23 - SALOON FRENZY

had flexsim test in the morn

lessons as usual in the noon

AND THEN

we headed to the saloon again to do our hair

with addition :

clive highlighting his hair

randolph doing hair treatment

me n ta did our FREE hair treatment

hoho.

ate at fake kfc again

it was impossible to resist

THE END

2009-03-24T23:18:00.006+08:00

DAY 22 - SHOPPING

lesson as usual
nothing much cept for flexsim test tmr

this is a short one :

meal of the day
15 yuan
we call it fake kfc

my china shoes !
believe it or not its all made from cloth
and they're super comfyyyy

result

THE END

2009-03-24T21:54:00.010+08:00

DAY 21 - PIZZA MANIA

class at noon
usual quiz after the lesson

we were soooooooo deprived of good food we decided to head to pizza hut

my first hanging out with you guys
I HAD FUN PEOPLE
:)

green tea smoothie
the ice cream is to die for

herbal shrimps
better than fritters in sg
yummmmmmmy

curry beef rice
only thing was that it was too dry

mango ice cream cake
THE BEST IVE EVER TASTED

ben just loves his food too much

mines all gone =(

nothing can seperate Clive from his food

randolph's pizza
you cant even see the filling

3 bottles of parmesan gone

the bill
total : 514 yuan
the best part
NO GST AND SERVICE CHARGE

us girls were so happy to see the toilet
it smelt FRESH

LIKE FINALYYYYYYY.......................

i rate the toilet 5 stars

THE END

2009-03-24T01:10:00.040+08:00

DAYS 19 & 20 - Wudang Mountain

A brief history

Taoists believe that the legendary Emperor Zhenwu, one of the most influential gods in Taoism, practiced austerities and ascended to heaven as an immortal in the mountain
thousands of pilgrims journey to the mountain each year
also renowned as Immortals' Mountain of Taoism and the World for Swordsman
well-known for its deep-rooted tradition of wushu
has 8 palaces, 2 Taoist temples, 72 rock temples, 12 pavilions and 10 shrines

approx 1,612 meters above sea level
(been there done that ! )

DAY ONE

visited temples and tourist sites
giddy bus rides
ITS TEN TIMES WORSE THEN GENTING HIGHLANDS
the roads are super narrow and steep
with no barriers at all

briefing by the tour guide

one word : HUGE

burning incense in a temple has always been a solemn and grave activity

this pillar has 12 beams attached
they throw coins at it for luck and fortune
reminded me of the muslim ritual
but we throw rocks instead

dead tired

Wudang Wushu
the master punishing his student
(he punched him afterwards)

NGEE ANN WUSHU

i guess we were just too terrible for them

end of day one

everyone was dead tired after today
THANK GOD THE HOTEL WAS DECENT

we finally had a proper bed
(c'mon be jealous pple ! it makes us feel better.... hee)

DAY TWO - the long way up

the brave souls of MDE

i meant to look tired

the long way up
100 steps is nothing compared to the whole way up

he was carrying a DOOR

STOP taking for granted of what you already have back home

look at the bark of the tree
branched out to two

public toilet
the stench is HORRID

peeing in the open
even the locals cant stand the toilet

I MADE IT TO THE TOP
im strong ok

the Golden Palace
at the very top of the mountain

side of the golden palace
they will touch and throw coins
symbol of luck and prosperity

i threw a coin too !

but it hit the head of some old man

these locks signify that your love life has been locked
the higher you lock it the better

LSCT group
they are super fun i tell you

ne ne ni poo poo
i got cookie you dun have

AND THE FUN PART

we went down by cable car

video explains it all

watch it.

2 person per cabin
it was like 80 deg vertical descent

I MADE IT DOWN

must look cool

peope were curious who screamed

when you are in the scenic
spot the fireproofing must
be recorded in your heart
RECORD IN YOUR HEART NOW

TOTALLY HARDCORE

i am future police woman

i threw my headband here
it comes with good luck

THE END

conclusion : guys had abs..us girls had sexy toned legs..WOOHOOO

2009-03-22T23:41:00.004+08:00

DAY 20 - SMILE !

end of year results were out at 9am

had a test at 9am instead

wrote like i never did before

worse then History and SS combined

went out well though

rushed back to log in for the results

hesitant yet anxious

AND THEN........................

i passed :D

and improved

decided to do my hair on the same day

see my fringe

oh trust me this is heavy

she has cotton buds on her hair !

she's just too engrossed thinking
what her hair wold be like

WAIT AND SEE FOR THE END RESULT
:)

THE END

2009-03-22T22:55:00.003+08:00

DAY 19 - WINDOW SHOPPING

STORY OF THE DAY

linpei, ta and me ventured out to some huge mall

got lost

panicked

AND THEN !!!!

some stranger approached us and gave us some namecard
PANICKED AGAIN

he looked like he was on drugss. reallyyyyyy !

he pulled our shirts wanting us to follow him

us girls RANNNNNN AND SCREAMEDDD

he gave chase

people stared

we were hysterical

lucky the bus arrived just in time

some advertisment thingy
they gave me a keychain !
muahahaha

we couldnt resist getting our hands on something
i got a leather belt
she had her gift for her bestie

THE END

2009-03-20T21:27:00.000+08:00

DAY 17 - DOWN WITH THE PILLS

woke up feeeling too excited about the new shoes n black cardi
annoyed my roomates what to wear with it
wore it out to IS class

id have lie down if only there werent too many
small things flying arnd

unfortunately, our 4 weeks of IS came to an end today

to ms xiaoling, thank you for all the knowledge and patience with us

it has been an enjoyable and fruitful journey with you

i have gained much and i am more aware about behaviours and the way of the chinese in China

test the following day

was down with terrible flu in the night

pills...pills..and more pills.....

ps : see la mr wong, your fault

THE END

ps : i dreamt of swensens the previous night

sticky chewy chocolatee.. mmmmmmmmm

2009-03-19T22:20:00.000+08:00

SELAMAT HARI JADI NEK !

JAJA SAYANG NENEK !

:) :)

2009-03-18T21:40:00.000+08:00

DAY 16 - DILEMMA !

todays IS lesson was covering religion

am not gonna post any up cause i feel its a sensitive issue

on a lighter note

I went shopping today

got a black knitted cardi
umbrella (i dont have umbrella !)

black shoes

TOTAL COST = 108 yuan

(tts like less than 30 bucks)

walked past a few saloons and their prices are really cheap !

and so im planning to get my hair cut this friday

im so bored with the current one

BUT

im in a TOTAL HUGE dilemma of what to do to my hair !

friends of mine...endure my whinings till friday :) :)

extensions with bangs ?

messy look ?

curly wurly hair ?

short and sweet ?

curly wurly with extensions ?

this looks nice though

HOW HOW HOWWWWWWWWWWWWW

my previous hair
which i so totally miss

desperate calls for desperate measures

well anyway, we're heading to wudang mountain this weekend
it is renowned as Immortals' Mountain of Taoism and the World for Swordsman.
the highest peak is 1612 metres

two options given to reach the top
1. approx 3 hours of climbing
2. cable car

cable car at wudang mountain

the long way up

the first temples on Mount Wudang were constructed
during the Tang Dynasty (618-907)

wudang mt. is well known for wushu

THE END

2009-03-17T17:59:00.000+08:00

DAY 15 - Wugang Steel Mill

late nights and early mornings had me feeling annoyed when i woke up
headed to Wugang Steel Mill in the morning

cameras were prohibited so these pics are from the net

Some facts :

--> no. 3 biggest steel mill in china (wow)
--> sales revenue reached 63.18 billion yuan in the first six months

--> a town by itself with schools, supermarkets internal
transportation (buses, trains for goods)

a political figure brought us to where they melt the iron ore

temperature of approx 2000 deg for molten iron

chemicals and metal alloys are added to burn the impurities away and harden the steel

water to wash away the impurities during the process

hot rolling mills take slabs of steel
transformed into plates, sheets and strips
temp of 800-900 deg

the final product

the group mates

presenting everyone !

THE END

mood : dead tired

2009-03-16T12:52:00.000+08:00

DAYS 11 - 13 - the river cruise

its gonna be a long one
nuff said

our first toilet stop

us girls had to pee
NO DOORS
NO TOILET HOLE

only a drain which was full of chocolates and lemonade

when you gotta do it

u just HAVE to do it

they locals say it looks like Mao Zedong
do you spot a figure lying down ?

Attraction 1 - Three Gorges Project

the worlds largest hydroelectric power station

benefits : generate electricity and prevent floods

at the highest peak

we look like hamsters

at least this toilet was decent enough
thank goodness

timmy's on the road again

Attraction Two - The Three Gorges Dam

river cruise of 3 days 2 nights
scenic places..breath taking view

have a look

my room

she's just so in love with her egg drink

THE GROUP SHOT !

Shennong Stream of the Three Gorges

the men would first row and then pull us using their bodies

the gathering place

tour guide for the ride

the bridge which was destroyed due to the rising
level of the river

look at the stairs !

The Temple

we had to climb a flight of stairs about 20 mins to reach the temple

and it was like NEVER-ENDING !
my legs were sore the next day

so you can imagine how high the temple was

bones of the dead

THE END

2009-03-12T20:54:00.000+08:00

DAY TEN - HISTORY LESSON TWO

I was curious in class today as to the topic of foot binding and eunuchs
did some research back at the hostel and here are my findings

FOOT BINDING

a lil something for the girls

It began during the Tang Dynasty and ended in 1911. Foot binding was an ancient tradition of beauty and torture which lasted for about a 1000 years. There are many theories as to why foot binding.

1. Women who had their feet bound are less independant and can be controlled

It was to ensure that the women would not wander and travel away from the control of their husbands and fathers. The pain would be too great to allow them the freedom of being free

2. The smaller a woman's feet, the more desirable she would be in marriage

Families needed the security of a daughter marrying “well” to ensure the families place in society

3. To show status

Neighbours would perceive they have a capable and working member of their family not work, hence implying success

Foot binding was to restrict growth so that the feet would not exceed 3-4 inches. It was considered elegant to have small feet and the process normally begins when the girls are between ages 3 - 11 years.

begins with the clipping of toe nails and the soaking of feet
the feet is then massaged and doused with alum
all toes (except the big one) are BROKEN and FOLDED under the sole

To encourage the feet to achieve its desired conformation, the girls are made to walk long distances. Their own weight would crush their feet into shape.

the ideal length of a woman's feet

EUNUCH

a lil something for the guys

castration = to remove the testicles of a (male)

a rough idea on how its done

Sun Yaoting
the last Chinese eunuch

He was castrated at 8 by his father with a SINGLE SWOOP of a razor. Not only did he endure a lifetime of incontinence and sexual frustration but also in fear of punishment during the Cultural Revolution.

Eunuchs went through excruciating pain without benefit of anesthesia (other than chile peppers in some cases). In addition to this, they had a lifetime of impotence. They would keep their severed genitals pickled in a jar so they could be buried as complete men.

Sun Yaoting died in 1996. His family disposed of his pickled "precious three" during the Cultural Revolution, denying him the right to return to earth as a complete man.

THE END

2009-03-11T18:38:00.000+08:00

DAY NINE - HISTORY LESSON

and today marked my FIRST and MOST attentive history lesson in China
Some stuffs i learnt :

The Great Wall

built in the 5th century BC
stretches over 6400 km
estimated about 2-3 million people died in the midst of building
purpose : to defend the Middle Kingdom from the Mongolian soldiers

The Grand Canal

the longest artificial man-made river in the world
total length of approxiately 1795km
starts north in Beijing and ends south in Hangzhou
about half of 6 million men recruited died while at work
purpose : unify and improve China's growing economy

THE FOUR GREAT INNOVATIONS OF CHINA

gunpowder

compass

block printing

paper

ZHOU DYNASTY

Laozi was a famous thinker and educator of ancient china
his name was translated to CONFUCIUS
by Jesuit Matteo Ricci

Sun Tzu - he wrote the book of "The Art of War"
an influential ancient chinese book on military strategy
commonly used by people in the business industry

HAN DYNASTY

Emperor Wu Di
chosen as prince at 7 years of age
enthroned at age 16
made Han Dynasty the most powerul regime

TANG DYNASTY

Emperor Wu Zetian
only woman in the history of China to be made Emperor
killed her own daughter in order to get desired position
buried with tombstone w/o any inscription
made many great political achievements

THE END

2009-03-10T21:22:00.000+08:00

DAY EIGHT - up and away to starbucks !

woke up at 8
HORRIFIED to see a spider creeping up my bed side

zeemin was brave enough to help me take it away
BRUTALLY KILLING and MURDERING it in every sense
i just hate insectss....
or whatever creepy crawly thingy with tiny legss

a group of us went to the shopping mall
the ONLY mall in Wuhan where they had starbucks
or rather the ONE AND ONLY starbucks in Wuhan

how delighted i was to see that familiar billboard up on the wall

headed to Walmart to get some necessities
its like carrefour. only bigger

less talk. more pics.

to buy
or not to buy
but i must say their fruits here are quite expensive

frozen fishes
unlike sg, the fishes are REALLY FROZEN
they're like rocks...

cleaser laii cleaser

AND THE BEST THING OF ALL !

DURIANSSS !

me and peijie wanted to get one but the staff was so unfriendly and rude to us

we were soooo annoyed but oh wells.

and one seed cost 8.07 yuan

roughly 2 bucks in sg.

I TOLD YOU FRUITS HERE ARE EXPENSIVE

and flowers are starting to bloom

THE END

joey's birthday - DAY SEVEN

2009-03-10T12:32:00.000+08:00

DAY SEVEN - joey's birthday

i had my internet fixed today . FINALLY.

it was so annoying having to take turns sharing

much hammering and knocking done
bed area was in a mess
and so was the entire room

HOUSEKEEPING EXERCISE TWO

and the present they gave us before leaving
fyi, there were two other cig buds in my room

LIKE WHAT IS THIS STUFF ?!

sweeping the floor is hard work
and look at the amount of rubbish I lived with in 7 days

one word = GROSS

but at least our sink is sparkling now
:D:D

the largest birthday cake ive ever seen before !
say hello to chinA friend joey, the birthday girl

chocolates on top and lemon flavoured at the bottom

to : joey
HAPPY BIRTHDAY !
WE LOVE YOU !
:D

birthday celebration singapore style
ooh and everyone had cake on their faces in the end

and the culprit who started the whole thing
nadiyah

tsk tsk

played truth and dare after the whole cake fight thing was over

to be exact.. no truths..ONLY dares

and xinhui's dare was the worst and the most hilarious
she had to call up some random guy
ask for his name, age and say i love you to him

my dear roommate had her hair cut
not much
no need for excitement

THE END

themepark - DAY SIX

2009-03-09T22:13:00.000+08:00

DAY SIX – the MOST unforgettable bath ever

here was NO hot water when it was my turn to bathe and I was jumping like a mad monkey trying to get warm. We went to the themepark today…

and those who know me well enough..im NOT a fan of theme parks.
it was just this HUGE area with many different rides – rollercoaster, viking, house of mirrors, mini Cadbury ( as I call it)...you name it

We stayed for about 5 hours before leaving for shopping.
Dinner wasn’t much. Only fries from macs and a bottled drink.

Ironically that made me full.

Nuff said.

the awesome guys

china people

hamster rides sold my hamster man

MORE china people.
THEY’RE EVERYWHERE !

say hello to my china friend, Journey

and say hello to Fire

i look chubby

WHY !!

feels like ure gonna fly off from the seat anytime

you can imagine how squashed and cramp it is inside.
Fyi it turns 360 deg with the machines moving round as well.

I just couldn’t help myself from getting another cotton candy
cost = 3 yuan

he drew this for me
see the resemblance people ???
cost = 10 yuan
So that’s roughly $2.20 in sg.

ice cream in the cold
TRY IT

THE END

the tour - DAY FIVE

2009-03-07T22:20:00.000+08:00

Day 5 and the weeks almost over – which is DAMN fast !
woke up at 630 for meeting time at 750am
me n ta self-declared ourselves top 2 students cause we were there on time despite going across to get breakfast from the streets.

Attractions for they day : east lake
- the biggest manmade lake (oh trust me…the place was HUGE)

: Hubei provincial museum
- saw the largest coffin ever in my life !

: Yellow Crane Tower
- did some souvenior shopping

This entry will be LESS TALK, MORE PHOTOS

CHAPTER ONE = EAST LAKE

The last woman standing

JA SQUARED

He had a great swim indeed
PS : dayah this one is specially for you. I kept my promise ok. HAAHA

Water safety – no one is allowed to take any boat rides
by : mr wong

Plum blossomssss !
they have a really sweet fragrance

CHAPTER TWO = HUBEI PROVINCIAL MUSEUM

Oh btw this was just part of the area
whatever huge in china is 4 times the size of that in singapore

You wouldn’t guess what was inside

OUR INSPIRATION !
OUR IDOL !

Their soup ladle back then
Notice that it has a flat surface instead of a concave

In approximately the spring, autumn and warring states period, ancient Indians cut the leaves of patra trees into long strips and write Buddhist sutras on them

Queue to the museum

That’s a load of china people

Celebration of being the first three to reach back to the bus
PS : pei jie, we are now the top three students
:D :D

CHAPTER THREE = LUNCH

The chilli was SUPER HOT AND SPICY

You’ll NEVER get cotton candies as big as this back home
JEALOUS RIGHT !
hoho

ne ne ni poo poo
no cotton candy for you

CHAPTER FOUR = YELLOW CRANE TOWER

to the entrance of the crane tower

up to the highest floor - 9th story

no lifts...just a whole lot of stairs
fatigue made us into retards

my current bf....pei jie
isnt it romantic ?

this is the one-and-a-half floor level
was told that from outside, the tower has 5 floors
but in actual fact
it consists of 9 storys

to touch
or not to touch

yes to touch

and she thought she was superwoman after touching the bell

the OIP. MDE girls

love love !

THE END

stay home, stay room - DAY FOUR

2009-03-06T19:16:00.000+08:00

weathers getting warmer learnt some business stuff in class
30 MCQ QUIZ ON THE FIRST LESSON

HUNGRYYYYYYYYYYY !

went out to eat with ta outside the gates and roamed around

no we weren’t lost at all

pictures ahead

The street food

Some pancake thingy with flour, egg, spices, spring onion and crackers.
looks bland BUT it tastes good
you can feel the richness and freshness in every bite.. woaahhhhhhhhhh !

but really you can !:D:D

Them making handmade noodles

so basically if you want to know if they’re muslim or not, they have Arabic words on their signboards and pictures like this pasted on the wall

OHH !
and you gotta eat reeaaaaalll fast (which im not used to) else your food will get cold

the fried handmade noodle

i NEVER get sick of it

heading back to campus

snapshots of the common toilet of our girls domitory

and we complained how unsatisfactory our OWN toilet is

people of SG

BE THANKFUL.

the entrance

and oh goodness the smell

i feel like it sticks to your clothes

the wash area

their cubicle
the door is not spoilt
they have NO DOORS
toilet roll must be self brought
sanitary dustbinsss
well.....
ive got no comments

since today was stay home stay room day, i did the washing of clothes.

oh btw, the brush was just for show. haaha

to end it off

the state of our bed area :

zee min

THE END

oh my - DAY THREE

2009-03-05T21:37:00.000+08:00

sleep was much much better. woke up to the knocking of mr wong

realised it was already 8 and had to rush madly for our 9 oclock class

deceived - class was at 1 instead

nuff said///

courts were full with people playing ping pong and badminton

snapshot of 5000 years chinese history.

intrigued ?

situation was they had to march ONLY in a straight line while carrying the national flag

they stood in the middle of the road despite cars honking

very patriotic

two new friends - xin hui, wei guang

awesomeness :)

sweet potatoes anyone ?

ooh yeah he wants it

meal of the day
tastes like chap chye with loads of gravy and rice
cost : 12 yuan

THE END

a walk around - DAY TWO

2009-03-05T11:18:00.000+08:00

woke up feeling groggy and dizzy. sleep wasnt much at all due to the temperature. it was about 3 am and i was like "ta...are u asleep ?". "nooooooo. not yet cannot sleep. so colddd".....got up and wore another 3 layers of jackets. so 6 in total.

following are a few pictures of the surrounding. not much though

this is the nearest canteen to our hostel- CHUN HUA CANTING. hahaha. pity non of the stalls had muslim food. and one thing about wuhan, they have no doors to their malls nor shops. they have like thick plastic overalls instead of doors.

i love the trees especially !

some cute short bare tree in the middle of the pavement. haaha. mostly ALL the trees here are painted white and of the same length at the tree bark. it looks so organised unlike those back home.

on the left there's like a row of ping pong tables with bricks for net as substitutes. so called the recreation thingy perhaps ? i dont know. theres a few badminton courts too.

ta'a failed attempt to look lost ? emo ? no idea. the best out of the other 7 shots. hahaaa

boots, leg warmers, scarf...the fashion thats here in wuhan. cept that the locals have so much nicer fancier coats. i was kinda surprised honestly. its not that backward as you think they are. for the smell, well, thats a whole different story. heh

and i dont look sad. it was just ffing cold !

to us in china, remember when the teachers said china's slogan is "anything is possible" ? ive got proof ! hoho.

the following two pics are taken from the classroom - advice for learning english. i bet students would be DAMN happy if they were implemented.

you should never do homework. YES I AGREE YESSSS.

and for closure :

jump shot for the day ! zi if u're reading this. me and ta DID NOT perspire AT ALL. hahahahaaa.

the adventure begins - DAY ONE

2009-03-04T23:53:00.001+08:00

DAY ONE - THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

And finally my long and anticipated wait is finally here. Woke up at 4 and reached the airport at 0530. Departure time to Shenyang,Guangzhou – 0800 CZ 352.

So this is my beloved cousin going with me to Wuhan. Hey hey qilah, u’ll see more of me annoying YOU. HOW EXCITING WOULD THAT BE ?! and yes my backpack and luggage is SUPER heavy, My luggage weighed 28.9kg – by far the heaviest among my group, with the max of 30kg per indi. Thank goodness !

group photo before departing from singapore. mommy in red. take care of yourself and the rest okayyy. i love you ! muah.

The complete JATAZI gang. Ziiiiiiii……..you look cute with bangs :) don’t cry don’t cry. Oh hell yeah we cried hugging each other before we left.

Family members who came to send me off… im gonna miss all of you. And Along, thank you for getting me my coat the day before departure. 3 degrees is no kidding, with rain and wind combined.

Dear saffy boy , thanks for sending me off with my family. Meeting you in May tgt with souveniors from taiwan ok ? and that’s my adorable brother. Listen to mommy . I love you !

My new found three babes at the opposite aisle. To hash : sleep ah summore. Sleep. Haha

His name is Timmy. Timmy’s gonna keep me company during days and cold nights. heeee

Oh and read this. This was a card we had to fill up in the plane before landing. Termed aliens of all the possible things they could come up with….

foreigners would definitely sound more welcoming.

The airplane food that was served by them. Tempting ? not really. Oh anyway it had rice w curry chicken and vege in it. It tasted as if the cabbage was only soaked In boling water. Had oolong tea for drinks. Not exactly my cup of tea. The closest it could get though.

im at Baiyun Port in Guangzhou. the shop reminded me of guardian. and i find it ironical cause the airport ALWAYS had two of the same shops, either side by side or opposite. OH ! and there were fruit shops too. oranges, apples, you name it they have it.

outside the airport. the wind was SUPER chilly ! and i emphasise again my backpack is SUPER heavy.

JA SQUARED. i miss you bby !

okayyy, so this are my three other malay friends with me. from left - hash, ta, me and nad.

Baiyun airport. i love how it was designed and built. they even had a park outside ! it was weird though, cause people both young and old were smoking despite the signs. and yes they DO TALK LOUDLY. not much of a genuine experience here

luggage collection. talk about empty. the place is HUGE !

Our FIRST meal in Wuhan - something fried handmade noodle. hah and we had to walk a distance like say 10-20 minutes ? and you can see from the plastic cups..they DONT sell drinks. dead tired. stomach hungry. what to do. EAT EAT EAT.

and finally sleeping time ! packing took about roughly an hour. this was about 1 am - pretty long day for us

PS : and mom if ure seeing this, FAT HOPE if you're certain im gonna clean my room when i get back. HAHA

nuff said.

looking forward to day two.

to all the people with me on my departure to china, thanks for the help and advice !

:) :) :) :) :)

THE END