Indonesia revisit 07!

Being born in Indo and havin spent a part of childhood ther, I've full of memories there, from the place, to the people, activities and of course food! This time went back with bro to meet dad n mum at Jakarta, finally a time where 4 of us together again at Jakarta, used to b only either me or bro there. Arrived there on the 20th, which is oso the 2nd day of class chalet, missed many fun, the bbq... The plane ride kinda sux i tink, travel with bro n aunt Olive, not very occupied, me n bro took up 1 whole row of seats (still got 1 lady in my row, he moved to the empty 1)

Its of course freaking hot on there, they dun hav many trees and there are LOTS of vehicles, duno wth the gov there doin. As soon as we touched down, mum came to fetch with chauffer Om Didi, then went to met with uncle Tat where he bring us to eat Pempek n Otah wich is heavenly!!! 1st day ended quite fast with dinner at Mall Artha Gading, having Tempayaki at Hanamasa, mum n dad had shabushabu coz they vegi-eater. The 3 of us chiong meat which is very very nice, dip into the sauce then cook on the steel pan... Mmm, Oishii!! By the time finish eating quite late liao, cannot shop, we just strolled around the huge mall and its really HUGE, almost 5 times bigger than westmall, they've this themepark for kids inside the mall. Anyway go slp early to prepare for tml morning, need to wake up early to set off to Bandung with uncle n couz over at Indo.




Oisii~~~ Jap food rox!













WARNING! This photo of Mal Artha Gading is stitched!








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I really hate car rides, its damn boring during the ride and its freaking stuffy and hot even though i got the back seat with aunt Olive and with many food and luggages (its a MPV) Lucky, got many companions like mp3, DS and of course every1 on the car, talking. This trip got me, bro, mum, aunt Olive, uncle tat, couz Novi and her husband Awang. Its always fun to travel with uncle tat n his family, coz they nv stop to joke and he knows lots of places with seriously EXCELLENT food! Like wad mum said, if only aunt Jenny and couz wii was here, seriously damn fun man! Our 1st destination was to this Queen's port... there's an urban legend behind this, heard is smth about the queen who loved the color green, then she was like a sea god or smth, then hor, they say dunt go near sea if ur wearing green or u will just vanish... damn, i'm wearing a dark green T at that time la, felt abit freaked out while we were having lunch by the beach restaurant. Btw, the meal was superb, seafood, the everything on the dish except the veggies are nnnnnnice! Also drank Es Kelapa, coconut! Missed it so much, Singapore can hardly find it and its so Ex.

Later on, went to the hotel wich is oso near the beach. The hotel is really really the Classic 1! Exactly how it looks 40 years ago, it may look really old n like a historical site now but i bet 40 years ago, its really the 5-star hotel. The lift has no Open or Close door buttons, strange? At least in place got Up and Down buttons! They got this notice by the side to teach peeps to learn how to operate it. Btw the room was not that bad, looks decent and the view is facing the sea. The bed, kinda bad, the bed sheet so pathetic, looks dirty, dunt tink they washed it, its like dust-full carpet. At night went out to just get some snacks and food like Martabak then later back to hotel's cafe to have a light dinner. While eating, just chat around then also discuss wer to go tml. Back to hotel n I was preparing to bathe... Omg la, the shower still ok, but the lower tap to run the water for the tub de... its brown wen the 1st 2secs of water flowed! Heck, i just bathe in that not so clear water, cant expect much.

Day 2, went to beach to play, not exactly play coz like its not with many peeps of my generation. Just hand around the hotel area a while then later head towards this south-guanyin temple. The place is located at a super Ulu place, wer the road there sux, undulated landscape, within the mountains. Went to pray ther, the place like some kinda sanctuary, facing the sea, then got all the nice nice structures. Also head to a geyser sorta river area to see see. Alot of locals ther, every1's havin holidae! Damn funny, got some teens there help us wash car but uncle dun wanna pay them, the reason is: oso nv ask u to wash. Was kinda worried then if they'd b angry then attack us. At nite, went to a relativ's house to stay somewer far again which required another long long car ride.



Me, yi Olive, Novi jie @ Queensport beach









Another stitched photo, by bro













Fun at Geyser, wadeva hotbath place








Day 3, the damned day, my stomach freaking pain, almost cant breathe, duno stomach ulcer or cramp, its jus super uncomfortable. I was lying on the bed for the whole morning actually, mom stayed behind to look after me n didnt go out with the others. Well, lucky she stayed behind coz i almost blacked out. Had runs for the whole morning, then at once wen i felt like goin to the toilet, suddenly felt unconcious then later just vomit like siao, 4 to 6 times, like got something forced to the head. Almost collapse at that time and felt super weak, mom had to hold me by the arms to support me. Heng, after the vomit, felt better, just some pain occasionally then also feeling sore all over. Still duno wads the cause, cant be food poisoning coz i vomit water out... no trace of food i've eaten. In the evening,had porridge which is the only ting i ate since the nite b4. Feeling better though... still can travel back to Jakarta, back home...

During car rides, we talked about lots of stuff, very interesting is about... spirits n ghosts coz couz Novi's husband Awang got so called yingyang yan, can see and feel em de. After we left the hotel at the 1st day, he told us his room got, but he nv sae, tat explains y he bought beer that nite, to get himself drunk n sleep better without noticing the pressence. Then later at the relativ's house, he also like quite picky abt wer to sleep, far from the front door, then pulls a pillow over his face to sleep. Creepy man, Also heard from him an incident wer he was driving with his family one nite at a highway then suddenly he braked, every1 (sleeping) jus suddenly woke up then ask him wth happend, he just said some1 was crossing, of course every1 else denied seeing. Then seconds later after they lef that spot, a car coming by just skied and turned... Omg, I tink he damn unlucky to have such... abilities and cant help but feel the pressence.

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2nd part of the trip was to Lampung in the island of Sumatra. After a day of rest since the Bandung trip, we're off again on a stupid long car ride on xmas day. Nothing much to sae since mentioned it on the previous log.

The 2nd day, went to the beach, 2 cars, 15 people and a dog. Lol, very funny, coz go out to play then also bring Jacky along. 'It' still needs to wear shoes n clothes, damn cute. Anyway, at the beach, got kayak, then of course boats, i dun tink its a beach actually, more like seaside or lagoon, coz can hardly feel the waves. Went for a boat ride which was a scam coz it costs like almost Rp450,000 for the ride out to sea, budden the boat sux, then no life vest, while coming back to the shore, the boat broke down! WTH! Pulled by the other boat back which was damn slow... Cool ting is the marine life, ther, can see corals then also got millions of these jellyfish eggs, which is like a cherry then surrounding it is a thick coating of jelly.





I love my family~~~!











Jellyfish egg!




Nasi Padang for lunch then went to a adventure camp park, smth like those obs camp, got all the rope challanges n stations. Played for the whole afternoon then went for dinner at a local restaurant. It was a fun day coz got all the couzes from my mom's side, got abit of communication barrier but still gd coz i still rmb how to speak lil bit of Bahasa. At the end of the dae, every1 was dead beat, esp Jacky, it just lied down below the bench then slept. Adding to being tired, every1 was kinda sad coz aunt Olive lost her phone... very strange case coz the maid dun wanna admit that she stole it (mayb). In the morning, charge the phone at the 2nd floor, near the kitchen, then we went out, aunt forgot to discharge n bring it along. When we came back, phone lost... the charger... coiled nicely and placed at the 3rd floor desk!!! That's so very very strange, y would a thief care to do that? Its obvious is the maid coz she's the only 1 at home the whole day while we were out. We combed the house, the maids' room but nth found, well of course a smart thief wld hand it to an outsider n not hide it in the crime scene. Bad situation, then every1 just went to bed and tried to forget it. Aunt Olive lost her contacts, notes n many imp stuff on the fone.



Scaling up the sky










Jacky on train cart










My generation







Last day, goin back to Jakarta, long long car rides again, hate that. On the journey, on the ferry ride, the sea was quite rough, goin left n right, I was indoors n dun feel much. Got a kid sea sick then vomit then heard from Om Didi, it was almost flooded outdoors, waves came crashing, then even his cup of coffee spilled, some even... prayed for safety. Well... arrived safely, we also gave a stranger a ride, a lady, coz shes alone then she stayed like quite far, so she hitched till this urban area to wait for some public transport. Well, i guess its gd to help... like mum said, we may sometimes need tis kinda help too. Back to home at Jakarta near 10pm liao, got some fried beef Kuayteow and Baso, which is again, 1 of the nicer food in Indo!

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Left like 3 days in Indo... Shopping! Friday went to dad's office to see see and meet some people. Many of the staff still recognize bro but not me! I really changed alot meh? Anyway, that evening went for a short shopping session at Mal Kelapa Gading, my all time fav hangout place. Most tings quite cheap, saw this hat that i really want! We went to the pizza hut ther for dinner... Omg, its like 1/3 the price compared to SG! Later on, we went to walk around again, then very very coincidently, met Tony, his mum n his niece! Woah, i was tinking of visiting him that nite, then there he is! Talk for a while then went home le.

Saturday was more dedicated to shopping, the whole afternoon at Mal Artha Gading. 1st at the Sports warehouse, bought lots of clothes, damn cheap cheap, around Rp50k each piece. Then later oso went to supermarket to buy many food and titbits back. Then also hunt n scout around for many xmas gifts for frens. At nite, went to eat with dad's fren, coz he wanna treat me n me bro while we come to Indo, the restaurant quite classy, Ming, chinese cuisine then got nice food, expensiv of course. Damn, actually, plan to eat at Sizzler de, budden eat this chinese food wich can b found in SG also, wasted. Sizzler in Indo is relatively cheap!

Last day liao, not that sad to leave, haha, coz can alwaes come back. Its my home afterall! Went to the airport like noon, with more luggages and boxes of food... Back to SG! Oh, 2 days left to sch, my homework, not done, haha, i'll chiong everything bah! Still... Holiday is fun!

Merry Christmas 07 from Indonesia!

Bloggin overseas, somewer abit far from home, Indonesia, Sumatra island, Lampung, somewer south, near the town... in my uncle's house. We kinda have a family gathering for xmas with relatives from mum's side. Since internets' avail here, thought that i'd blog to keep record but only for this day and the events for today.

Wake up quite early by aunt Olive, she kinda threatened somehow and by someway. Today's another long trip to somewer like acrosss to another island. Actually intend to depart at 7.30am budden in the end drag till like 10.30 or so then leave. Very not punctual, left at the same time with dad, hes off to work even during xmas... feel so sorry. Few hours drive till the port, harbour or wadeva then travel on ferry, with the car inside the vessel. The ride was around 2 hrs, we went to the air-conditioned cabin to rest. Well, gained abit coz I use tis time to do maths :P, cant believe it, after so long, finnaly touched hw. Even though only 1 paper, at least SOMEthing, 2hrs doesnt seem so long with stupid maths ppr, wich is also so around 2hrs per ppr.

Then is another crappy car ride from the 'wer the ship docks' to the town, no choice but to chiong DS till the batt drained. After like an hour plus of drive on the shytty road which is all rocky and full of undulations, finally arrived. Expected, once reached, got dog bark from aunt susi's dog, Jacky, then the other 1, Kelly, will sniff my foot. Had so called dinner, like, just a crackpot party or smth, local delights. Then later gather around on the floor to chat and talk, very very enjoyable and fun! Talk abt from the most unsual creepy things to discussions about dogs and animals. Jacky was damn funny, he get jealous damn easily, if couz agnes hugs aunt or if Kelly gets hugged by aunt, he'd just bark all the way then snarl. Then heard of many story and behaviours abt this 'almost human like' Jacky, only difference in sound and looks

Well, gonna sleep now, Merry Xmas 07 to my blog!

Day10 of BJT07

Day 10, 27/11/07, Tuesday

Last day in Beijing, can’t bear to say goodbye. Anyway, we went to the planning exhibition hall where there were showcase of information and more information on city planning and the infrastructure of Beijing. There were lots of things to see and I kind of hate the fact that we were only given a short time to visit the place. I do have to agree with the teachers that we SHOULD visit this place first when we touched down in Beijing. Inside was... exhibitions then got this theatre which says 3d movie wen u put on the 3d spec, wth, tio scammed, not very 3d lo, its like jus a video on the screen, the specs oso kns, screw came out 1... I like the toilet though, so far the cleanest compare to any other places of attraction.

Moving on was Silk street, another shopping mall for tourist; not interested at all, the things are slightly more expensive. We walked up n down a few times and I bought a set of gym gloves. Lunch was at mac, treat by the tourguides. Very nice of em! ThankQ! The mac sprite sux though, Nicholas asked me to try, omg, its like got some artificial ginger flavouring la, or mayb expire liao, then they mix the sprite with some crap herds to cover the chaosua smell. Lucky nv stomachache la, the burger n fries standard, like those in MACs everywer.

Soon, it was parting with Beijing after noon. Many of us were sad and get freakin emo'ed while saying goodbye to the tour guides, Zhudan and Apple. I think they do feel gloomy sayin goodbye to us yet also happy to have enjoyed this memorable time. Zhudan cried i tink, then Apple like not willing to alight the bus. Anyway, we can just email or smth mah, stil stay in contact.

As for me, not that emo, it’s just another farewell, just like back in the high school, the world is too big and in the future we’ll know of more people that we can get along with, then another farewell. China is a rising power today, there’s no doubt that it will surprise the world at any moment. Hence, I think revisiting this place in the future is not impossible. Packed with an extra checked in luggage and loads of local food and souvenirs, it’s back to warm and humid Singapore! Oh, duno y my luggage got add extra weight, tink mostly coz of food, from 14kg (SG-BJ) then 21KG (BJ-SG).

Since its the last day de post, i wanna finish up with the Shanghai versus Beijing ting... Digging out some thoughts while i still rmb. Very sadly, Shanghai still score alot.
-In terms of toilet, most places in Shanghai, the toilet more clean, Beijing 1 like almost kns everywer u go.
-The police, Shanghai 1 oso like more friendly.
-My own adaptibility to the place, Beijing better bah, coz in Shanghai most peeps speak their own Shanghai hua, which I cant understand, Beijing, no own language, only accent bah.
-Then for traffic condition, shanghai pawns, coz ther not alot of traffic jam, hav oso not as bad as in Beijing, then hor, the Cars in Beijing all very qianbian, as though they bang us is confirm our fault. I nv see most cars in Shanghai with tis prob.
-For goods, erh, prob Beijing bah, they lots of cheapshyt, in Shanghai the flea market oso not cheap.
-Then like amt of patches of saliva found in both city almost the same, duno wads wrong with these faggots, like to spit so much, hope few of them accidently spit on each other then start conflict, initiating some anti-spitting campaign.
-For places of attraction, Beijing kinda win la, coz i tink history more long mah, then love all the historical sites.
-Comparing no. of irritating china people, Beijing win la, got so many arsholes talk so loudy, very rude, push u around in the crowd, even in the high school, i got freakin pushed by 1 lower sec bugger from behind, nv even sae excuse me or sorry, ARGHGGRRGGR! So Shanghai gdgd.
-Since follow tour, wil go alot of restaurants, in terms of the waitresses n waiters, Shanghai 1 more polite n nice, but Beijing 1 got more pretty 1s, me n kahkian like go everywer oso go compare. Guess its a draw.
-For safety, i tink both ok, but i prefer Shanghai, coz somehow, by some way, the peeps wont like tink u r weird by speaking english ther and they wont stare lo. Beijing, unless u fake some kuku accent, they will tink u weird.
-Oh, airport, Shanghai 1 nicer la duh... Beijing 1 like some kind of Bus terminal liddat, the outside look so argly, onli inside better after the immigration. Shanghai 1, the outside very nice, high ceiling, very bright, inside oso nice, except its alwes crowded.
-Urban-scenery Shanghai oso nicer, Beijing like out of nowhere suddenly some high rise building, then later a few metres, 1 slump, then later 1 shopping mall. Very messy, city planning quite lousy. Shanghai the CBD very nice, along the huang pu river, they sae is 1 Bakua sign in the city center wer the east pearl oriental tower stands.
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Final score: [Beijing 2, Shanghai 9]
So, i've decided to visit Shanghai again, mayb Bejing to see if got any improvements while preparing for the 08 Olympics.

Day 9 of BJT07

Day 9, 26/11/07, Monday

I’m starting to love Beijing, all the things and places are just too wonderful! We went to Temple Of Heaven, a.k.a. Tian tan, a really huge garden with lotsa trees and… old peeps! ya, which park dun see old peeps at all, well its kinda different here, coz like its like the whole park made for them la, 90% of the humans in there are oldies excluding the staff n cleaners inside. Coz hor, old people can pay like a yearly fee to get unlimited access to the park then for us young folks, pay per entry. There were all sorts of activities for the elders, the space seem very big for any physical activity to be conducted, i think can even have few baseball games going on at the same time inside. The things inside, trees and pavilions, kinda like man made forest, probably can hunt animals inside, then if play treasure hunt, mayb will find till become like those oldies. There were group taiji sessions (can feel the qi when passing them), chinese dance grps, groups playing games like ‘jian zhi’ and the ‘taiji tennis’.

The coolest thing is the choir formed by the senior citizens. It is an optional and self initiated activity; the whole choir was very enthusiastic and they sang awfully very well,lol, coz its like propaganda song budden consider if i dun understand the lyrics, its perfect. There was a huge crowd gathered around the choir and some have song sheets with them. They do impress me with the harmonious voices, then they also position themselves according to STAB, quite nice. Never can one see this spirit in other countries, especially from old people! Those in SG and Msia, sian sian de, in kopi shop, slack, gossip and stare at us young peeps -.-.

The places of attraction in Beijing really amazed me one after another, underground city was nex. At first I was thinking that it was just another town just that its built underground. What surprised me was that the entrance to this city was so insignificant that it’s located in a residential area, through a door between shop houses, wth la, its like suddenly i discover under my bed got this trap door lead to the core of the earth. Then, another shocking matter was that the place is actually a bomb shelter, narrow and damp deep down the ground, not the town I imagined. The bomb shelter was built like a network of tunnels covering a large area. It was another impressive structure and it just add to the few reasons that I think Mao was a smart n cheeky person. However, the stupid thing was that later on, we arrived at a small hall where they are actually selling silk blankets! That kind of beat the purpose of the visit to the underground city because I was expecting things like souvenirs sold. Then the 1st thing is like, cheh... wanna sell things thats y make this place an attraction, The stupid link is that these silk blanket, the material used as bullet proof vest in the past, wth... china people smart in making random links, wanna sell then sae la, no need hide underground and set this fake mood. I was thinking mayb is fake lo, if the bullet proof vest so geng then wont so many people die liao, they can just mass produce it like they did for everything else then just owne any country.

The next destination was the military museum which was nothing much, to be honest I think the Chinese just want to show off its might and standard of its military sector to other countries, indirectly, the tourist, us la. However, the exhibition on the civil war more interesting than the weaponry displays, weapons all look the same to me la, mayb diff is how strong the firepower, whether can kill some1 with 2 inch fats or 5 inch fats. Of course, inside every corner can feel the propgd aura, cannot avoid de, I think toilet oso hav some pics.

After lunch was a revisit to Xidan, to shop of course. All I do there was eat again and stroll around the area to the other side of Xidan, which is like a classier place. Me n Kahkian went to revisit the roadside stalls, get to taste the Oishii food again, yan shu chicken, milk tea, etc. I think this is call traveling lo, eat everywer u go, damn shiok, duno y those losers only wanna shop, oso not filling, then later tio scammed of fake shyt then complain n cry, or else if chi kui for like 20 cents than angry. So is better to buy food, serve the stomach n taste buds!

There was Kung Fu performance at night, nothing impressive, I think maybe because the acrobatics were much better and Kung Fu is nothing new to me. They perform by some crap story la, some jackass called Kong or smth, then he become monk, then fell in love, so mundane. I think if i would write the story i would write like the Kong should just go terrorize with Kun Fu in new york city then gain some fame, then later just get bounted for few million, after that go into some mortal kombat tournament n get owned.

Last nite le, every1 busy packing, i tink my luggage was okok la, got some space left, most weight contributed by food. This nite, we plan not to have some happy hour at nite de. 1st we me n Zhilun just went to Jes n khaiting de room go finish all the food so no need to bring back, like cup noodles. Jus watched Tv and crap lo. Later went to the 4th floor to join all the non-arts class peeps, with apple and Zhudan. Then again, shift to Ahboi they all de room to play cards, talk kok and stuffs. I wanna see ahboi de way she tio kiap by the bed la budden she not willing to demo, dissapointed. In the end, reaching 4am le, most people half KO'ed. me n Zhixiang jus left Zhilun to sleep in the girls' room :P coz he sleeping quite soundly. Then we oso went back for some slp, prepare to go back to SG the next day!!! ( and sae byebye to the flousy and fugly hotel)

Day 8 of BJT07

Day 8, 25/11/07, Sunday

It’s exactly a week since we arrive in China, I’m definitely adapting to the food, culture and language even though there are still many things to learn. The local accent was cool, with all the 'fu wu yuaners' from kahkian... and all sorts of funny phrases! For starchy food, I just leave them alone if i dun wanna eat, start to be picky actually abt meals. At least we dont't learn how to spit anyhow, thats god damn disgusting and unhygenic.

It was Tian An Men Square in the morning then a long walk all the way to Jing Shan park till noon. The Tian An men square was like a place full of taboo. Cannot shout loud loud, cannot gather as a group. It’s where Mao did all his rally talks and also where all the important Chinese events took place. There were police officers and ‘Gong An’ patrolling and keeping their sight at every corner of the square. It feels like a prisoner inside just that you can come and leave at will. The gong an there oso quite funny, they cannot anyhow talk or take pics with visitors, then Shin Yun and Joyce was damn funny, go die die follow 1 officer, say wanna take photo together, make that guy freakin paiseh, blushed n stuffs. We also took a pic of grp photo, holding a banner! Well, actually it sounds normal but in tiananmen sq, its kinda forbidden, coz of past incidents like the gathering of some fa lun gong practitioners.

The Forbidden City was a better place and it is definitely a spectacular place. I do have to admit that the Chinese are once a powerful nation, even stronger than the Romans and Britons. Just imagine, a palace for a country’s emperor, built like and as huge as a city. Nth to say man... We didn’t get to walk even a tenth of the palace but only visit the main and important structures and gates. The sight of those structures is rather unbelievable as I always thought that they were just made-up settings for video shooting seen in television. Being able to visit the Forbidden City is liek a chance to time travel to ancient China. The view from the gate ‘wu men’ was the most magnificent as it shows the high and tough walls.

After a morning of wows and marvels, we had lunch in Hutong, another historical site, more like zone. It was also shocking to hear about the land value there, a very very run down rural area, worth almost as much as those in the city area. I think the government wants to preserve this place to show the life and environment the old times Chinese lived in. We went there to have jiao zhi as lunch, then also a chance to make the jiao zhi ourselves... erm, kinda stupid la, coz i can help mum make em everytime dad came back from Shanghai with the 'skin'. About that place, kinds dirty, i was walking past this i suppose to b a public toilet, ZOMG, its freakin disgusting and like full of brown material n green moss at the sai hole there... heard from the other grp it was pretty much worst, somemore in a house, like a dug out drain.

Afternoon was another round of shopping, this time, it was to places meant for tourist; rather surprised that the vendors are multilingual! I simply can’t believe how cheap things are there. Budden it was like a Warfield; they are more desperate to sell their stuff to us than we wanting to buy them. Competition was intensive too, when I was abt to walk off from one store, the other store opposite was gearing up to pull me over to his store. Funny incident is about kahkian buying shoe, he was lying abt his parents owning shoe factory... nice shot at that dramatic lie and i tink the shop keeper kinda believe him. Anyway, he went also to help Jes and Khaiting they all bargain. I bought this orange nike bag, wich i tink very bohua, freakin tio ripped off even after the bargain... initially was RMB300, then talk talk till RMB100, budden i still tink its pretty expensiv. So abit pisssed off. However, the bag was kinda nice, gd for putting sport wares. By any way, i'm still more happy to get something!

Zzz, its like 2nd last nite liao, so all start to pack n stuffs, then hor, tonight went out again, now with more people. Besides ahboi trio, then got zhixiang, shenghong, kahkian, shin yun, jamie. We went left instead of right this time, at the road junction. Walk quite far till we see the red sign board with KFC... of course got there supper la! After that walked back then pass these railway station, underground. Went to explore, knowing that we will b late, but still go see see. Got this station master very friendly help us take pics then also talk kok with us. Around 10+, near 11pm, we know we late and Mrs Wee will get us freakin murdered, indeed, wen we knocked her door, she abit annoyed, kept asking y we so late. So we have to abit drama, say we make some discovery at railway then blablabla, so she will forgiv us.

Day 7 of BJT07

Day 7, 24/11/07, Saturday

The Great Wall of China, a wonder and pride of the Chinese people; many people talked about this magnificent structure and how 1 can feel its ‘ba qi’, well, I feel so lucky to be able to visit this megastructure in person! It's the coldest,lowest temp we experienced since we arrived in China; I guess coz of the location, mountains and valleys. The bad thing abt a famous tourist location is the crowd density. Got an astronomical no. of people already walking up the wall when we arrived. It’s very difficult to walk among the crowd and the steep steps and slopes makes it worst. Then cannot stop anyhow as the people behind are still walking up and u will be against the flow. However, it’s a maybe once in a life time experience; the view from any part of the wall tells different story, that is, how it is used to defend China against the Mongolians and how peasants in the past sacrificed ( erm...mayb forced to..) themselves to build this structure. Took alot of pics there even though can hardly stop to. at the so called quite high spot on the greatwall got this stall they selling certs with ur name n pic on it. Lol, i tink itsa total scam, can just print that myself la... and jus take some pics, put name in all language somemore then haolian to every1...

The awe doesn’t end with just one historical site, after lunch, we went to see the Ming tombs. Strangely, as I walked around the tomb, the outside and inside, it does not give the eerie feeling like any grave, it’s more like a peaceful and soothing feeling. The area is full of trees, within a valley and even though it’s like afternoon, the surrounding is rather dim. Maybe the place is ‘spiritual’ and supposed to be built in a rural area. It’s a tomb after all, not a graveyard or cemetery, the word to describe is GRAND; I can’t imagine there are more of these kinds of tombs even though we only visited one of the 13 tombs around the area. Oh, then there are lots of these taboos and like 'not to do stuff' while we were inside... No photographs, no shouting, no talk rubbish, no leaving any matter inside the tomb. Quite obvious la, its kinda spiritual place and no harm being abit superstitious, its also to show some kinda respect to the dead. 1 particular thing is the entering of the 'spirit gate', must say 'im comin' wen entering, then also must shout, ya, SHOUT... ' I M Back', then must like 1 leg walk across the door, ledge? guys left leg n girls right... Oh, then b4 that must wipe off dust from ur clothes then also stam the feet a few times.

After spending the whole morning on history lessons, we were off to dinner then another shopping district Wang Fu Jing. This place is more classy, no more ‘bargain shops’, it’s like orchard road in Singapore and the only difference is that it’s an only-pedestrians area. Went to bookstore to look around, then Shenghong and Kahkian they all got lots of books, probly for the sch... coz the teachers sae we can pick for sch. Then also went to eat some rubbish... lol, i ate starfish, its super tough then the wadeva sauce they put on it is god damn salty... That nite felt quite sick but nth serious happened la. Then they also sell seahorse, some bugs n also chou dou fu which is oso nice. Wang fu jing oso got quite some pretty girls la, even at the bookstore la... but i tink for that, Shanghai still got alot... so now score is [Shanghai 2, Beijing 0]. Lol, i tink i abit biased, i should find some crap factors to compare so that Beijing gets some pts.

Metro SIF PJC project

Hmmm... been writing all about the Beijing trip, i tink i wanna write also on recent stuffs. There's this Metro for children charity thing and pioneers who sign up suppose to go out to all metro outlets at diff time and date to ask people for donation. Of course i got sign up coz i wanna go Cambodia! Hmm, and i tink CIP is quite meaningful la, all sorts of way, even if the CIP hours kns. S22 was incharge of making sculptured balloons to b given out at the metro booth, and i tink also another class os balloon.

Kinda nervous b4 going for the event coz scared cannot make the balloon or it will like burst while i m makin. Went to internet to research on the various shapes then also ask those class peeps who had done it... Well, quite prepared during the 1st day, know an idea wad to make: dog, bird, bee, swords, bear, flower, bunny hat, heart, swan and pHd hat.

1st day, 15/12/07, Saturday

The location is at Causeway points' Metro. Me n Alvin arrived quite early as planned coz we wanna like warm up the also recap while the previous shift is there. That time still not alot of people, so we were quite relieved. Later after we took over, duno for some reason people start to flood in. I was at the 2nd storey, inside Metro store, near the escalator. Me and Alvin seperate coz balloon making person only got 2 and there are... 2 stalls. Most stupid ting is, i was tending the stall myself, baokaliao... from talking to making balloons and to doin all the voucher giving. The 2nd shift person who is suppose to come and do the tlaking job was late and heard he caught in the rain... KNN, !@$%^&*()_+, i've to do like everything and damn busy lo. Later he freaking late like 5pm+ then come, Alvin was sibei pissed off that he late liao still attitude him, so he came down to my stall and help me. That faggot's partner was a girl who actually came only abit late but did help Alvin at the 3rd storey. The faggot himself was an arshole, late liao still so slack, then wen Alvin damn pissed off n walked away, he didnt even come down to apologize and got the girl to do so. Then i guess they feel abit guilty so came down say wanna look after our stall and ask us to go eat dinner. Of course we went la, heck them lo, they oso nv do anyting de. Went to eat KFC then came bck at around 7pm to continue... Lucky ate quite full coz super busy after dinner, both of us were at the 3rd storey stall, right at the Metro front entrance. People keep walking pass then see wad we were selling... So we kept repeating tings like, " Would u like to donate for charity, any amount will do, we are raising funds for a project to help to poor in Cambodia, u can get this bear or a balloon as a gift" or else its " Hi, you mei you xing qu juan qian, duo shao qian dou ke yi, wo zhai chou kuan, ning ke yi na dao yi ge xiao xiong huo zhe ge qi qiu"... I tink its damn catchy to me liao. Then b4 dinner i've to say more about the gift voucher and also the pursuasion part... so i tink i wan 1.5 CIP hours leh! Anyway, we did the balloons quite fast, taking orders of wad shape n colors, like working in restaurant. At the end of the day, gave out until almost 9pm liao, supposedly 8pm leave. While leaving still got few kids gather so we just gave out those balloons we made for display. Damn tired... seriously, hands and fingers all swollen and painful, my throat oso very dry, muscle ache and many crap.

2nd day, 16/12/07, Sunday

Well, me n Alvin quite confident and more excited now. Coz we reflected on the 1st day and we tink is super fun even though tiring. We arrived abit later than b4 coz no more warm up needed, its more than enuff! Mark and Ivan was in the previous shift so Alvin came early to teach them how to make the balloons. Then later evening shift got 4 girls, all doin the talking job. so its 2 of them at each stall and now i swap with Alvin, i go top n Alvin bottom. I knew its a bad idea actually coz 3rd storey confirm more crowded de, at entrance mah. Very busy even though got help from the 2 girls, they like take orders and i've to make. But... talking alwaes very easy compared to the making... i've to make like super fast to meet the orders. But hor, i love the job, its so fun, making balloons then giving out to those little kids. They are very very very cute, got few catagories: 1 is those stare at the balloon in my hand, like they die die want it. Then some very shy coz dun dare to look at me to ask for shape or color yet run towards me. Then also those drag parents all the way from the stores beside to ask from me. Also got those ask me de, very bravely and some shy shy. Got 1 guy most cool de, he came beside me, nudging n pulled my shirt askin me for 1 balloon. Lol, very very kawaii de la, also wen they got the balloon n while leaving, they'd say thankyou korkor or uncle... -.- i very old meh? Anyway, i still like it wen they smiled n took the balloon they wanted, the expressions like very grateful and happy. Its worth it man! Totally! I dun mind the sore and swollen finger since the kids love it. Their parents also quite appreciate our work. Then also got sell the teddy bear, which is like also any amount. I tink quite not worth to sell, since the bear actually coz $10, then to $2, then now to any amount. The balloon is confirm any amount. Then of course all parents and adults wan the bear but kids wan the balloons. The parents oso tell the kids like, balloon will burst, not worth it while bear better can hand on bag... Ya true la, who wants that lousy balloon except for kids. This oso made me thought of y 21st century kids still like balloons, they should like action figures or like gameboy more... Coz even like pri sch kids wants them and some like sec 1/2 de. Anyway, i love this job, no pay but got allowence of $7. Like wad Alvin said, we most kuiben 1, have to work for jus some imaginary no. of hours, then suffer. Anyway i tink its fine for me la, then hor cool thing is got some1 ask me if wanna work for some events like party or performance. Lol, i gave my hp no. lo, coz got job of course wan la. He test me abit also, like ask me make cheem stuff, 1st penguin then crown, i sae i duno lo... but he quite impressed by the bird i made. Seems like i can b a clown liao. Things are more interesting at 2nd storey, experienced by Alvin, he told me about stuff like got detective working on case, following a girl who stole some $95 bra...

Its only a 2 day CIP, me n Alvin ended out shift today, Gampai with a packet of milk and a bottle of soyabean. Thats it for today, of course bringing home the sore n swollen fingers. However, i really enjoyed myself, even plan to go help nex week budden in Indo liao. So far i tink these 2 daes got raise more than $200! very happy indeed.

Day 6 of BJT07

Day 6, 23/11/07, Friday

It’s a rather weird feeling that we are not required to go to the high school anymore; instead it is Tsing Hua University today. Of course like all universities around the world, its’ huge (duh!) in terms of landscape and the facilities are definitely duo zhi duo chai. Tsing Hua is quite a prestigious school (heard so) and I think they definitely have the best facilities for their students; sadly we don’t get to go into any of the buildings used for official teaching or learning. I find the observatory cool! ; it stands tall on a hill and highest among the other buildings. The way that the canteen functions was wicked; not having fixed menus but like a free-for-all buffet! Then there was this Ezlink type of card used to make payment, inside got a certain credit value then just check out ur food with that card lo. Once again, the food portion was huge,alot of us cannot finish the food... Oh, also had ice cream and soya bean made by the Uni students themselves, some Tsing Hua food production department.

After lunch was a visit to the Summer Palace. Siaosiao... there is sucha huge garden and witha vast lake contributing to the amazing vista. The walk through the park damn long, very tiring, they still sae take bus 11, say until so nice which is actually use human legs to travel la. Zhudan also mentioned that summer palace is rebuilt after the invasion by the ‘eight allied nations’ but many original things that exist were either taken away or destroyed. Stupid retarded invaders, bloody selfish and act like bunch of losers... take other nations' property then claim as their own... Somehow, I wonder why Chinese are so inferior and weak in the past, they like zhuo bo about it. Moreover, why don’t these eight countries, in present day, have a sense of guilt, having wrecked so many beautiful things and art pieces? Wdv la, all the swears direct to em la...

Anyway, after dinner, we went to watch the acrobatic show, it was MARVELOUS! Those stunts and moves, I bet it takes years to master; poor performers. Have to agree with the phrase ‘tai shang yi fen zhong, tai xia shi nian gong’, 1min of performance but 1decade of hardwork and they’ve come so far just for these performances. After knowing the price of the ticker, RMB 100, well, I think it’s not that bad, hope their boss give them a reasonable amount of pay. I like the bike 1 most... handless bike riding then... stand on it while its still on motion... the background music oso very nice... the somersault 1 was nt that bad either, they very agile, i wanna learn to just do 1 somersault lol!

Day 5 of BJT07

Day 5, 22/11/07, Thursday

Unknowingly, it’s the last day of the school immersion programme and I just manage to get really ‘immersed’ with my class! To be honest, I get along with the dudes sitting around me more than my buddy, coz the buddy was kinda solo in class, somemore he chairman, alot of saikang to do. Nothing special in class today except for the chemistry class, it was the 1st and one and only lesson I can understand. I think because I’ve learnt that chapter, its on metals... group I i think and the teacher knows how to teach, foreigners! Later on got farewell assembly, we finally get to meet the principal. He looks wise and friendly; he gave a long speech which I think is rather inspirational and set me into deep thoughts, erh...maybe bah, now forgot what he said liao. From what I remembered, he mention about the world economy, importance of education and Chinese culture, well i guess any principal can say these.

I really hoped that China students can visit PJC someday, Its time for us to show 'better' hospitality! We cannot lose to the Chinese in China! Anyway, it’s bid farewell to our buddies, I hope to stay in contact with my buddy and more with the class people because I still have lots of questions to ask them, it’s only them asking me and i dunt get to ask them! With that, left the school and never coming back I guess. Some peeps were like all emoed and don't wanna leave, kind of irritated actually.

Food review again: had steamboat for dinner. Chinese people do eat a lot, the quantity is excessive. Not only we had steamboat stuffs, there are also noodles, rice and extra portions of mutton! It keeps reminding me something my dad said about ‘it is absolutely okay to not finish all the food on the table in China’. So do they mean it this way while they prepare the food? There's rice which is like free flow in all restaurants in China, their rice probably drop like rain. Oh, then also noodles, then of course loads of crap for steamboat.

At night also went to supermarket get stuffs for the other half of the trip, which is of course no more classrooms but places of attraction. Me, Kahkian n Zhilun were walking around the top floor and wth... we were searching for lar pi xiao xin cartoons... then we saw this section... all pron videos, wow... they sell it like its oreo in the biscuit shelves. And i got myself a lip balm which is the lipstick type, more convenient than the 1 mum gave me, which is... ya, effective but very oily... Very happy when Zhudan announced that tml morning meet up time abit late. Yay! finally some time to sleep more.

Day 4 of BJT07

Day 4, 21/11/07, Wednesday

I kind of used to the school system liao; there's a short self-assessment period in the morn then got lessons till afternoon with 10-mins breaks in between. The only interesting lessons are English and PE. The English teacher was COOL! He’s half Canadian and half Vietnamese. What really fascinates me most is he uses 100% American English to teach, no mandarin used to explain and he seem confident that his students will understand his class. Hes hairstyle oso very nice stylo la, like the predator in AVP. In PJ, Chinese lesson got English, mayb bcoz of ANgie, coz i only attended her class, ridiculous! He also teaches vocabulary based on a theme and a text, pretty much like primary school but of secondary school standard in Singapore. We learnt things on Rock 'n' Roll, watch a music video then went through some facts.

PE lessons was ownage! The teacher intro traditional games like the chapteh kind of thing to kick around, the ring and bar and the taiji racquet and the ball. I love all those! Then the uber-cool thing is taiji sword and taiji quan. How I wished I can play a few of these during the 10 years of school in SG! But sian, SG sch the PE lessons kns 1... esp during primary and sec sch, they can jus hire any fatass or heavy smoker person as PE teacher, wth! I bet i'm much much fitter than THAT fantong la! Anyway it’s completely new activity and I envy those China students being able to expose themselves to so many types of physical activities. Speaking of those activities, i know realised that the chapteh ting is damn easy to play n very fun too... Shanxin challanged me... n of course tio owne la, she Beijinger leh. taiji racq ting was awesome too, it relies more on precision n accuracy more than strenght like badminton n tennis. Hmmm, in the end, our PE lessons became double periods coz its jus too fun and we beg the teachers ( both sides) to let us continue PE and ponned lessons :P

In terms of meal so far, lunch was great as I went out of school to eat with Khaiting n Zhixiang's buddy. And it really is far better than school food! DuH! Peking duck, the famous local cuisine was not as nice, its jus the crispy skin that’s outstanding, but overall kns la, can find it in any chinese restaurant in SG. School was fun even though I dunt get most lessons, i jus fake fake nodd wen the teacher was looking over my direction :P but I know how the teachers teach la, very patient de and the studetns respect em alot. One thing’s for sure, the teachers very enthusiastic and engaging, they point out the important points to note. SONG BO! liddat can skip all the retarded memorising. Bad thing is, they giv homework everyday! Zzz. However, the students are very independent learners and they do their assignments despite their busy schedule (i tink). I also feel like part of the class from this day because many students approached me to ask about SG, about capital punishment, the edu system and of course PJC. I was using the entire 10 mins breaks between lessons to chat and crap with them and it was really enjoyable conversing with em. Coz of this, very paiseh, boarded the bus(leaving school) late because to engaged that didn’t notice time.

This night was quite fun, me and the dudes, Zhixiang n Zhilun decide to eat cup noodle... outdoors with thin clothings! But they psed me lo, 1 wear jacket...the other wear long pants,wth... i wear shorts and pj polo lo + slippers. Hmmm, before eating got 1 small event, quite retarded... Jes tried to bluff me that she duno wer the vid cam charger go... initially of course freak out la, lost liao then will cause alot of trouble. ( Mrs wee signed out de, she will be responsible, then i will feel guitly, coz i in charged, then next few days still play wad shyt, no mood liao.) Anyway, that troublemaker tink trying to bluff me very funny lo... so i just dao'ed her for fun la. So.. continue to execute plan, go down eat noodle.... then duno y Jes follow, sae she wanna apologize or else wont go bck. -.-" Haha, of course me n the dudes jus play around with her... Anyway, finally shes off in awhile so we continue eat... waiting for Shanxin to come back. before that Casey returned to the hotel earlier, then he saw me n Zhixiang out ther eating, Zhilun zhao back liao. Talk talk for quite some time, then haha... he treated me to Beer, Song bo! In this cold weather man, damn shiok la! But cannot tell teachers... lol, thats like duh la. Then hor while drinking halfway, Shanxin came bck in her uncles's car, of course I hid the can la, then quickly end any convo. By this time abit buay tahan liao, coz feeling cold, mayb coz inside warm due to beer but outside getting cold.... perhaps is more like uncomfortable, due to tis different, aiyah the wadeva logic Karen spoke of la... Back to room, prepare gift then Zzz quite late.

Day 3 of BJT07

Day 3, 20/11/07, Tuesday

It was a rather short day even though we went to a number of places. Same thing like yesterday, lessons in school. This time, I learnt more things because I attended other lessons like English, physics, PE and maths.

Maths: rather difficult coz they learn stuffs like parabola and elipse, then the formular n explanation in Chinese, Cheem! English: like primary six? They learning simple grammer, then there's this ws on vocab, quite ordinary. I wished i can have grammer lessons too coz i tink my english is not that gd. Physics: catch nothing coz its liek, electricity topic? Probably magnetism, then in chinese, gone! PE: sit around watch the guys do gymnastics, then b4 that went to jog around the track with them too. Something different is that guys n gals the PE separate.... Oh ya, and i'm quite pissed off during English lesson, coz the teacher like... very smug n irritating. While she was teaching, then the class like sian sian then questions with no response, so she was murmuring, more like whispering to the guy infront... Mayb the guy is English pro in that class or mayb hes the supernerd. If i'm not wrong, she definately said 'bu yao shu gei na ge wai guo ren' WTH! Its like i'm a loser ther lah and u China people alwes no.1 in anything -_-*...

This time, during lunch time, I went out with my buddy to get some snacks then we went to play basketball. He says there r only 3 ways of eating during lunch time: eat out, snack or go canteen. I think the seniors would prefer to eat out or just snack. Anyway, he also took me for a tour around the schl, the science block, garden and computer rooms. All these no diff from Pj la. It’s another tiring period of lesson (Chinese Culture i tink) before leaving school. Its the 2nd day but i managed to know some of the class peeps, besides me buddy, theres this cool dude sitting beside me, LuYan then the friendly lady at the left, YaoLing. Oh, and there's this Korean girl too, they all very friendly and socialable.

We went to this Olympics site, shaped like a bird nest, strange why they like it that way (did the guide explain? lol, didnt listen i guess, i feeling abit sick coz cold) Next 2 destinations were tea house and Then restaurant for dinner and cultural show.At the tea house quite cool, got this lar pi siao xin ting to check for the warmth of the water, if suitable then it will pee! COOL! Then hor, saw this attendant, which me n Kah Kian think is rather pretty, so decided to take a pic b4 leaving for dinner budden no time liao then cannot find her around! fate, sad... Nth special for dinner but it’s the 1^st ‘delicious’ meal, maybe to welcome the other grp of teachers?

The only interesting thing today was the night walk. Gladys, Ahboi, Onon and me went out for a walk at night. We went to buy fruits actually, budden decided to walk on. It was cold of course, and very quiet, few cars. Strangely, I don’t feel so insecure; I mean we’re in a foreign country and in a suburb area. I guess probably because we look very local and walk along main roads hence more safe. Funny thing also, we actually walked pass that chen ren bao jian shop... after some discussion, decide not to go in coz still not sure wads inside :P Anyway, went to a convenience store coz the gurls wanna get batt... then we get ice creams! Very very strange, eating icecream in cold weather, very shiok feeling, its like not cold anymore. Walk back while eating then we walk pass this ... area (park, temple?), with this huge beautiful boulder with Beijing 08 olympics logo on it. So went in to take photos then walk walk. Lol, then suddenly hear dog barks and the guard was seen like looking out, so...Jus Zhao lo! Then while crossing street got siren... Lol, we still thought is like police chasing us la, in the end is jus ambulance. Got back to hotel quite late le, nearly 11pm, split the fruits and off to sleep!

Day 2 of BJT07

Day 2, 19/11/07, Monday

Finally, it’s the main event we pioneers are here for, the exchange programme. I feel kinda nervous; wonder if the students were like very enthusiastic/friendly or rude/serious type. We had a short tour when we arrived at the school, a teacher was already waiting there, at least HE seem like a friendly guy. Hes great coz he tried to converse in English which i tink is not bad, then he always smiling, then he very enthu. I do have to say that I’M envious… their school is equipped with plenty of facilities (many pool tables, {pjc 1 lousy surface and old, kns} indoor basketball court and lift!)

Their assembly… not what I expected, because I heard they can sing their national anthem with PRIDE, loud and heads up. Budden what I see and hear is the students, some only standing, few even yawned, goin Zzzz and only the group behind me (buddies) sang out loud coz i tink they put up show lol. Well, ‘bai wen bu r u yi jian’ with a different meaning. Met the students and my buddy, Zhao TianCheng from class 9. 1st impression of class: 7/10 because they are not that lively and enthusiastic but at least they smiled back at me when I greet them. Lessons were boring because it’s Chinese language kns man dun get a shyt, then the way the teacher present oso sian sian de. Their standard of mandarin, without doubt few times more difficult and all the students duno is fake or wad, seem to understand. The next thing to reflect on is actually the class the school food, average, so its obvious that many students choose to go out and eat.

After leaving school, we went to Xidan, a shopping district where teens hangout, like Shibuya in jap budden the girls not HOT de lor, look so freaking lianz. From the 3 buildings I went, 2 of them sell mostly stuffs for youngsters/teenagers. Definitely not for tourist but you can bargain. Saw lots of stuffs, from accessories to shoes and clothes, but the coolest thing is is the food! They have barbeque Squid and chicken!, Taiwan sausage, BBQ corn, Hot milk Tea and Ping tang hulu! I spent like nearly 50yen on food, never shop for other stuffs. So most of the shopping time with Kah Kian and Zhilun, go around eat. Sorry Zhixiang n Shenghong for psing u 2.
1 conclusion for the day, if I were to be in that school, I’d choose to go out and eat… moreover the food at roadside stalls in Xidan is heavenly godly good!

Day 1 of BJT07

Day 1, 18/11/07, Sunday

Arrived at Beijing at around 3pm plus, it was cold as expected when we stepped outdoors, 6 degrees at that time. Hmmm, but i think it's so much worst then Shanghai. Somehow, it’s not that bad still and I think it’ll be worst coming few days, just curious how the locals can take it; they have four seasons, omg, they gonna have lotsa type of clothings. The tour guide Zhudan, look rather friendly, was worried if she’d be angry because some of us were ignoring her when she’s talking abt Chinese history. We arrived at the hotel shortly and the sky’s pretty dark at 5pm! Rather unusual in Singapore and also dinner time at around 6pm? I had mine at like, 7 or 8, depends on me mom or my bro who dabao.

At the 3 –star hotel we were staying, not that bad actually, basic facilities all in and looks decent. But, the 1st thing we were told is to check if anything is… faulty or broken. WTH! Obviously the hotel is crappy, its either they have lousy maintenance or they want to scam my money. Anyway, dinner was fine, quantity without quality I guess. All spicy food, sux, then starchy and full of gravy, yux. Again, i wanna compared with my visit to Shanghai, now, [Shanghai 1, Beijing 0] coz of the food.

After meal, went to a department store to get daily needs and food. Things are definitely cheaper than in Singapore and many packed in large quantity like the 2litres Coke! I spent like only RMB20+ on some snacks, 2 bags of titbits, $4? Then those other noobs, buy until so Ex. While going back, the streets were kind of empty and quiet, its true like what Zhudan said, Beijingers no night life. All I see was KTV and massage parlour, no other entertainment spots, not even bar. Oh, oh, thers' this thing called the 'Cheng Ren Bao Jian', guess wad? Itsa sex shop! nice name man, i still tink is like pharmacy or massage or gym thing la... Anyway, that night had a soso, okok sleep, but Zhilun n Zhixiang those 2 arh... keep telling me some taboo crap abt staying in hotels... make me uneasy la. Lucky, had a gd slp la, 3 people sharing a room, abit squeezy but more lively!

BJT07 - Beijing 2008 Olympic games

Haha, after like, 1 week plus le, finally post reflections for Beijing trip 2007, been so busy for the past few days, go msia, go sch, host visitors. Zzz, now that i'm free, will start on those reflections stuff and of course i wanna save my report that i handed in, here.

I shall now name the Beijing trip 2007 BJT07... in short la, coz the nex few posts will have daily reflections, individual postings. Well, here goes the report for the teacher de, CNPed here.

Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

Beijing, the capital city of China had been given the honour to host the Olympic Games, a global event, in 2008. Following this decision is loads of planning and preparation for the People’s Republic of China. The winning of this bid in 2001 for the host of particularly the summer Olympic games is hard to come by and hence China is doing her very best to look into all aspects like the facilities, competition locations, communications and other needs. According to the locals, many think that it is a chance for the 1.3 billion Chinese to ‘shine’ and show the world that they are more than just a heavily populated nation; it is an opportunity to draw the world’s attention to China’s rising economy, technology and as an influential world power.

China is known for her long yet mesmerizing history and culture; hence the Beijing 2008 Olympic emblem also reflects China’s unique culture and tradition. The design is seen as a combination of a red seal used commonly since ancient China and a traditional calligraphy written Chinese character ‘jing’ from the words ‘Beijing’. The symbol is known as ‘Dancing Beijing’ where the ‘jing’ is written like a dancing athlete with implications of world peace, progression, love and hospitality. The slogan ‘One World One Dream’ conveys the profound message of world peace and progress, working together towards a common aspiration despite the difference in language and race. This is an inspiring phrase that expresses what is needed most in the world today, peace among mankind in the one world we share and care.

The most eye-catching article related to Beijing 2008 Olympics is the Fuwa, official mascots of the event. Fuwa literally means ‘good luck dolls’ and they consist of 5 members, representing 5 traditional elements and the 5 Olympic rings. Each of the ambassadors namely Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, Nini, are created to express different meanings and greetings. When the names are put together, it will produce the phrase ‘beijing huan ying ni’ which means ‘Beijing welcomes you’.

Beibei represents the blue Olympic ring, with the design of a fish and carries the blessing of prosperity.Jingjing is an endangered animal from China, the panda. Despite being the black ring, it brings happiness to people everywhere. Huanhuan is a more unique character as it being red in colour, symbolises the Olympic flame. Of course, he spreads the passion for sports and Olympic spirit. The yellow ring, Yingying, represents the Tibetan antelope. He brings the blessing of health as the antelope is an active and agile animal that runs the vast fields of China. Lastly, Nini is the green ring, the swallow or kite that spreads good luck and fortune across the skies. These characters are very meaningful and they convey the wishes that the Chinese host have for their visitors in 2008. These mascots are successful in spreading news of the arrival of the Olympic Games in 2008. Merchandises and cartoons made featuring them are very popular among locals and tourists.

The biggest preparation still lies with the facilities and the schedule of the games itself. The Beijing National stadium was constructed in preparation for the games; it is to hold the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games. The place is known as ‘Bird nest’ due to its unique nest-like design and features. Other 30 venues for the games are clustered around Beijing city hosting more than 300 events. Transportation and communication systems are also carefully planned and built. The main modes of transport like the subway trains, buses and taxis will be widely available by then. The Olympic Village will also be constructed with the best facilities with training centres to cater the needs of athletes.

Despite these preparations, many people are still concern about many problems that still surfaced in China such as environmental and social issues. The air pollution problem still lingers and had tarnished China’s image. It has been identified that the heavy traffic is causing this and hence there are actions to reduce on-road cars and consumption of petrol. Water supply has also been a huge concern as even the locals are aware of the problem; thus most were drinking from bottled water instead of the tap. In terms of social problems, the government are trying to bring attention to the locals to be conscious of their actions and will implement penalties like fines. The appearance of counterfeit money notes in recent years had been a major predicament; tourists and even locals themselves are conscious of notes during any transactions. Other morally incorrect behaviours like spitting and shouting inconsiderately in public places are also discouraged.

The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is a grand event that involves the masses around the world in a way or the other. I believe that we are all counting down till the 8^th of August 2008 along with Beijing, excited to see how well Beijing can show its warm hospitality and contribute to the success of each game.

The BIG universe we are in...

For 1 time, i realise that i've never look above my head at stars. Yesterday night at Pagoh, many of us ( me, family n couzes) witness this beautiful cluster of STARS!!!

It was like usual, family gathering, all talking away, watching tv and eating even its like 10pm+. Cyan n I were watching animations after animations from his whole collection. Then suddenly, the laptop screen jus turned dark, the surroundings too... guess what, blackout of course. There was abit of a commontion, searching for torchlights n candles, i used my LED screen DS to navigate (Proud of the DS for its bright bright screen). We settled down, then some1, not sure who, went outdoors then go like 'WOAH' so we all went out to see... starting, we gazed at the direction facing out from the door, there were like hundreds of twinklies! Then, another 180 degrees turn of the head...... THOUSANDS of them!!!! STARS!!!

Its extremely beautiful and gorgeous, they look so bright in the cloudless night sky and of course no 'man-made' lights. The 1st thought every1 had was 'how come we didnt realise the star scenery from here (pagoh) was so nice?' Every1 jus stood there for like half an hour... Gazing, faces up, neck rotating. Of course, we talked about astronomy, astrology and all those scientific crap and myths. To be honest, the whole sky was magnificant, its like a ceiling decor... i wish i had that in my room, so like wen lights out, it'll b damn cool.

It turned out rather cold due to the breeze, coz of no clouds? perhaps dark... so every1 went indoors, slept early also... pretty rare i guess... i was planning on a movie marathon, but nth i can do abt the power failure. However, learnt something... there are many daily things that requires our attention too... not jus like fuzzy things in sch or newspaper, we often neglect many many beautiful things and opportunity... hence i think i need to be more observant!