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!

Back from Beijing

Jus got back recently from China, beijing... 2 days ago. Been quite busy unpacking, say hi again to many people, resting and do sch stuff. So i guess it'll take some time for me to compile and post the travel log, probably after i write my reflections n essay.

Class outing... Success!!!

*smiles*... todays' class outing is the main event... went to ECP for the afternoon.

Morning kinda sux n dun wanna talk abt it much... did video editing, got some technical problems, some people piss me off, packing of equipments waste lots of my time and they are damn heavy (all together).

Moving on to class outing! I m late so very paiseh... every1 waiting for me in cck control station. Was quite shock wen see Lee siah ther, thought she not coming, hmmm but many turned up, i guess it'll b an exciting day ahead! Arrived at ecp at around 3+pm. Started cycling, to the jetty n other places... it was like drizzling then, so kinda worried. Later was ok :D! most of the time, cycling bah, then sometimes stop to rest somewer. Like: at the jetty, enjoy sceneries and refreshments, the porch... Shir was showing some fortune telling ting wich we all dun get. Jus kept cycling after that, back to the bike shop, then rest awhile ther waiting for drew's gang. we were playing cards, talking, n take pictures.

Coming to nite, Shuqing n leesiah left early... so the rest of us, 10, went bowling b4 dinner. Played 2 games, wah... didnt know i deprove so much, cant control the ball liao, now kinda missed Mayfair's bowling alley. Later went to makan and talk kok. kinda sian liao coz every1 tired then later while walking home i tink daryl kinda pissed by my crap... Haha, duno lei, he trying to emo or mayb he oso tired.

Anywaes... it was a really tiring day, outdoor most of the time. I oso tink i managed to achieve my goal! That is to bond the class, bois n girls, they alwes stay in different grps then hardly talk lo. So i mus b like a missionary, go join the girls conve then the rest will oso join. haha, but i tink now the girls oso more comfortable liao la, not so passive. The bowling game did help n oso the dinner at BK. Certainly love this kinda outings, esp with many people!

Nice pics... thanks to some1...









Sunset...beach at ecp











We were at the jetty enjoying da'breez











Our bikes~! rented of course











Kawaii neko-san near the drink stall











Me n meowmeow at jetty, double NYA~!











Me n godd at bowling alley, nice wut?












I tio pawned by Alvin, Fenrujie n daryl...

Time come, time go

Ya... its holidae, yet getting more lazy and bored of everyday life. Even like blogging, i feel... kind of lazy to type em.

Anyway, for some daily updates, ve'been watching dramas these daes, recently finish PW OP so relieved alot in terms of sch work. Done with Heroes, i'd sae its fairly nice, exciting... but i tink American shows as always, erh, i dun quite get some of their slang and expressions. Feel like watching season 1 once again. Besides dramas, also played a very nice game on DS, luminous arc... a turn based RPG game, completed last Sundae. Now lvling all characters to 99 to chiong dungeon. Nex game to play is probably Rune factory: the ... wdv harvest moon story.

Today went out for the whole dae, 1st badminton to gym then basketball then badminton again. I feel that it was super retarded wut? Ytd, i proposed to go East Coast Park coz got the whole dae to play... then the guys kept saying nex time... then todae, book badminton court on the actual dae, n wtf... onli 1 hour... I came so early... at 10am, jus to wait... to play for that 1 hr? Joudan Janai! but well, happen liao. b4 playing, went to arcade to play, that 1 still quite fun... badminton sux la, 1hr, cant even get warmed up... Later, went to eat then gym at me place with Sam n Ruien. Play bball n abit of badminton. Concludes the dae liao.

I duno wad i've been doin so far... its like all playing, n most likely wasting time. Tml noe overall results, hmmm... mayb i'll decide to chiong studies onot after that.