This morning we went to one of the region which was badly hit by the great earthquake that occurred two years ago. The whole place was a terrible scene, everything was wrecked and badly damaged. I really felt bad, to think of how the people must have suffered when the disaster stuck. Everything was left untouched ever since the incident, and the whole area is marked and preserved as a memorial. Even the time on the clock tower stopped at the time of the incident at 2.28pm sharp. This disaster is really serious and has left a deep scar in the hearts of 四川 people.
We headed back to the campus after the trip and we took a bus to 广汉 for lunch. We spent the entire remainder of the day in 广汉 as the ladies wanted to do pedicure and the guys wanted to go for a massage. When the sun went down, we heading to the karaoke district of 广汉 and we sang to our hearts content together with 云霞! who spent the whole day with us. We sang till about ten plus and we had to head back otherwise 云霞 will be locked out of her dormitory. This will be the last time I will be in 广汉, I am so gonna miss this town.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
How I wish fun times never end!
The time has come! The common test that we have prepared for finally arrived, right on time in the morning. Well honestly, when I saw everyone's faces, I could see that none of them were in the mood for taking the test. Here is something you can trust me on, taking an academic test on an overseas trip like this is one thing you do not want to do. However, everyone was rejoicing when the test was over. Alas, we can finally let go of this heavy burden and our minds can relax.
After the test, everyone had a quick lunch before heading to the conference room. There, we met up with the directors and teacher for a closing and graduation ceremony. There were a few addresses and messages that were read out and all of them were very meaningful and I felt really thankful to all of them for what they have done for us. We also played our video that we made for all to see. Watching all those photos really flashes back all the times we spent and enjoyed here, it really touched me and made me feel very happy to see all that we have been through. The ceremony was concluded by a short presentation ceremony where we were given a graduation certificate, followed by a formal group photo taken outside the building. We all looked so awesome!
After taking a short break, we headed to this small little retreat venue called 农家乐 where they have loads of facilities there including card rooms, mahjong tables and table tennis! Everyone had fun playing while enjoying dinner and having beer. I wish the fun would continue but nothing lasts forever.... I'm so gonna miss 四川 ...
After the test, everyone had a quick lunch before heading to the conference room. There, we met up with the directors and teacher for a closing and graduation ceremony. There were a few addresses and messages that were read out and all of them were very meaningful and I felt really thankful to all of them for what they have done for us. We also played our video that we made for all to see. Watching all those photos really flashes back all the times we spent and enjoyed here, it really touched me and made me feel very happy to see all that we have been through. The ceremony was concluded by a short presentation ceremony where we were given a graduation certificate, followed by a formal group photo taken outside the building. We all looked so awesome!
After taking a short break, we headed to this small little retreat venue called 农家乐 where they have loads of facilities there including card rooms, mahjong tables and table tennis! Everyone had fun playing while enjoying dinner and having beer. I wish the fun would continue but nothing lasts forever.... I'm so gonna miss 四川 ...
Monday, November 1, 2010
The whole day to myself!
Today was a well utilized day, I managed to do many things and I enjoyed myself. I woke up early today as I got woken up by the others who were heading to 广汉. I chose to stay behind and finish up my outstanding issues. I spent the day finishing up my photo processing and doing up the last bit of my tutorial revision which prepared me for tomorrow's test.
I spent most of the morning till early afternoon doing up the photos and after reviewing all of them, they look awesome! When I was done, it was already mid-afternoon. My tummy was rumbling and I headed downstairs to grab a bite! When I was done, I did my revision and spent some time chatting with the girls who did not go to 广汉 because of Hidayah's injured leg. I realised that sometimes it is better to seek different views from the opposite gender on certain issues in life. They may have a different perspective and can offer a better advice as to always seek advice from the same gender all the time. I headed down to the saloon after that to officially hand over the photo to 天野 and everyone in the shop had a look at the photos. I received positive feedback from all of them which made me very impressed with myself. I also handed to them some new songs to update their music library in their shop's computer, we had so much fun chatting along.
After dinner, I went back to the saloon to have a chat with them as my friends were all busy doing their revision. I brought along the gift which I bought from 峨眉山 that was meant for one of the staff, and all of them persuaded me to wrapped up the present nicely and place a small note inside. I agreed and I went to buy wrapping paper to wrap it up. Surprisingly, the gift was wrapped up nicely and I am proud to say that I wrapped it myself. What an achievement! Haha ...
I spent most of the morning till early afternoon doing up the photos and after reviewing all of them, they look awesome! When I was done, it was already mid-afternoon. My tummy was rumbling and I headed downstairs to grab a bite! When I was done, I did my revision and spent some time chatting with the girls who did not go to 广汉 because of Hidayah's injured leg. I realised that sometimes it is better to seek different views from the opposite gender on certain issues in life. They may have a different perspective and can offer a better advice as to always seek advice from the same gender all the time. I headed down to the saloon after that to officially hand over the photo to 天野 and everyone in the shop had a look at the photos. I received positive feedback from all of them which made me very impressed with myself. I also handed to them some new songs to update their music library in their shop's computer, we had so much fun chatting along.
After dinner, I went back to the saloon to have a chat with them as my friends were all busy doing their revision. I brought along the gift which I bought from 峨眉山 that was meant for one of the staff, and all of them persuaded me to wrapped up the present nicely and place a small note inside. I agreed and I went to buy wrapping paper to wrap it up. Surprisingly, the gift was wrapped up nicely and I am proud to say that I wrapped it myself. What an achievement! Haha ...
Completion of lessons!
Today marks the last lesson of IS and with that we can finally focus on studying for our common test coming up on Friday morning! The lesson was held during the afternoon, therefore I made use of the morning to catch up some sleep. Today's lesson was about Business Etiquette which includes table manners as one of the main sections.
This lesson turned out to be the most boring for me, this is because my family strictly instils a heavy sense of Chinese table manners in me. In the end, it felt as though 李老师 was just taking over my grandpa's place and yabbing the same old stuff to me. Perhaps it would benefit the others who do not know of all these, as this can be useful in the future when we ever do business in China. I spent the remainder of the time processing the photos from yesterday's shoot. Though it promised to hand over the photos today, I told them I would be submitting later as I really wanted to do a good job.
This lesson turned out to be the most boring for me, this is because my family strictly instils a heavy sense of Chinese table manners in me. In the end, it felt as though 李老师 was just taking over my grandpa's place and yabbing the same old stuff to me. Perhaps it would benefit the others who do not know of all these, as this can be useful in the future when we ever do business in China. I spent the remainder of the time processing the photos from yesterday's shoot. Though it promised to hand over the photos today, I told them I would be submitting later as I really wanted to do a good job.
Photoshoot: The China way ...
Today is free and easy!!! Finally, we can do what we want! Okay well, by right we are supposed to stay in our rooms and study, but I doubt any of us actually did. Haha ... Why waste the free time? Well, today was awesome! I did a photoshoot for 天野, one of the hair stylist from the saloon downstairs. On top of that, we took part in a friendly soccer match with the local students.
The photoshoot was a first for the hair stylist as he was keen on making a series with regards to hair styles, but to be done outdoor and not 100% focused on the hair. This is something interesting as most of the time, hair stylist require most if not all of the attention to be on the hair. Seeing this good opportunity, I agreed and offered my assistance. Shooting in a different environment with different people really offer different results. Personally, this is the best shoot I have ever done. The models were amateur but they were very co-operative and very serious about being a model. They had no problems understanding what was required of the shoot, they managed to bring out the pose and the expression which suited the environment very well. I am very impressed with the results. It is the most productive shoot I have done, despite only shooting not many shots. This is because most of the shots were well-taken and few re-takes were needed. I guess this is what we mean but quality over quantity.
After the shoot, we headed back to the campus where I participated in the second half of the football match. I would say we performed fairly well, losing to them only by 1 goal. I enjoyed the short match and I believe everyone played well! Way to go, guys!
After the match, we headed to 小区 to have dinner with 天野 which he invited as a form of gratitude and celebration for the success of the shoot. We had hotpot again, but at a different stall. The food was much better than the previous one we had the other time. Dinner was celebrated over beer and everyone was happy. After dinner, we headed back to our dormitory to process our photos. What an enjoyable day!
The photoshoot was a first for the hair stylist as he was keen on making a series with regards to hair styles, but to be done outdoor and not 100% focused on the hair. This is something interesting as most of the time, hair stylist require most if not all of the attention to be on the hair. Seeing this good opportunity, I agreed and offered my assistance. Shooting in a different environment with different people really offer different results. Personally, this is the best shoot I have ever done. The models were amateur but they were very co-operative and very serious about being a model. They had no problems understanding what was required of the shoot, they managed to bring out the pose and the expression which suited the environment very well. I am very impressed with the results. It is the most productive shoot I have done, despite only shooting not many shots. This is because most of the shots were well-taken and few re-takes were needed. I guess this is what we mean but quality over quantity.
After the shoot, we headed back to the campus where I participated in the second half of the football match. I would say we performed fairly well, losing to them only by 1 goal. I enjoyed the short match and I believe everyone played well! Way to go, guys!
After the match, we headed to 小区 to have dinner with 天野 which he invited as a form of gratitude and celebration for the success of the shoot. We had hotpot again, but at a different stall. The food was much better than the previous one we had the other time. Dinner was celebrated over beer and everyone was happy. After dinner, we headed back to our dormitory to process our photos. What an enjoyable day!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Who's gonna do your clothes?
What a trip to 乐山 and 峨眉山. Now to look at the current situation, we've got a whole pile of laundry take which has accumulated from the whole of last week and the weekend getaway! So we had to spend some of the time to do up our laundry, with most of the time taken up by hanging up the clothes. Eventually the whole rooftop was filled with our clothes! What a sight! Haha~
Another thing to be happy about is that Hidayah is back! Her leg has recovered enough for her to walk around and attend class, but I am still concerned that the wound is still not 100% healed. Apart from these activities, we spent our time preparing for our common test and our presentation which would be coming up at the end of the week.
On a sad note, we have come to our last week of our stay here. That is making me feel very sad as I really enjoy the place here and I wish that we could at least stay a week longer here. But that unfortunately, is not going to happen. Sigh ...
Another thing to be happy about is that Hidayah is back! Her leg has recovered enough for her to walk around and attend class, but I am still concerned that the wound is still not 100% healed. Apart from these activities, we spent our time preparing for our common test and our presentation which would be coming up at the end of the week.
On a sad note, we have come to our last week of our stay here. That is making me feel very sad as I really enjoy the place here and I wish that we could at least stay a week longer here. But that unfortunately, is not going to happen. Sigh ...
Friday, October 22, 2010
A close encounter with god
Our weekends were burnt by heading out to visit two famous peaks in 四川, 乐山 and 峨眉山. These two peaks are famous for their significance to Buddhism and many people actually visit them to offer prayers.
The first day was spent heading to 乐山. The main attraction for this mountain was a giant Buddha that is craved out of the mountain face, 乐山大佛. The statue is really huge! I mean huge! huge! I have no idea how did man even crave such out such an enormous mountain face, what an amazing feat! However, apart from the giant Buddha, the place had relatively nothing fancy to visit and it was quite a boring trip.
After that, we headed for dinner which was located at the foot of 峨眉山. The meals that day have been terrible, they all taste weird and I totally lost my appetite to eat the whole day. Dinner was settled quickly since no one really enjoyed the food, and we went to catch another Sichuan performance. This performance was similar to the one we caught at Chengdu previously, but some said the performance here was much better, though I do not really see any difference. Checking in to the hotel after the performance brought as to a very weird place. The hotel rooms looked very sleazy and the location of the hotel felt as though that we were in the "red light" district. The bathroom was separated from the beds by a mere piece of frosted glass, how comfortable would our bath be? Anyway, I felt that the day was really boring and we could have better spent the time elsewhere. Perhaps even interacting with the students in school would be more enjoyable than this.
The next morning was totally waking up from the wrong side of bed. The breakfast was very plain and simple with not much of taste in the food. However, when we headed up 峨眉山 after breakfast, it totally brought as a different feel. The journey up to the peak was quite troublesome, having to switch between bus and cable car and having to go on foot. The fun part was when we reached the peak. Up on the peak was a giant gold Buddha statue, shimmering and shining in the sunlight. This presented a very good photo opportunity and it really made the climb up worth it. However, the weather was not very cooperative and the clouds kept rolling in and obscure our view of the statue, making photo taking very difficult. At the peak, I said a few wishes for someone, as I promised to do so and after that we headed down to half-peak for lunch.
Lunch at half-peak was awesome, we had for the first time, FRESH FISH! All previous meals with fish turned out to be not fresh, many of us took the opportunity and clear the dish. After lunch, I picked up a stuff toy for one of the staff at the saloon and we proceeded to take cable car to visit another temple. After that, we headed down 峨眉山 and we went to Chengdu for dinner before returning back to the campus.
The first day was spent heading to 乐山. The main attraction for this mountain was a giant Buddha that is craved out of the mountain face, 乐山大佛. The statue is really huge! I mean huge! huge! I have no idea how did man even crave such out such an enormous mountain face, what an amazing feat! However, apart from the giant Buddha, the place had relatively nothing fancy to visit and it was quite a boring trip.
After that, we headed for dinner which was located at the foot of 峨眉山. The meals that day have been terrible, they all taste weird and I totally lost my appetite to eat the whole day. Dinner was settled quickly since no one really enjoyed the food, and we went to catch another Sichuan performance. This performance was similar to the one we caught at Chengdu previously, but some said the performance here was much better, though I do not really see any difference. Checking in to the hotel after the performance brought as to a very weird place. The hotel rooms looked very sleazy and the location of the hotel felt as though that we were in the "red light" district. The bathroom was separated from the beds by a mere piece of frosted glass, how comfortable would our bath be? Anyway, I felt that the day was really boring and we could have better spent the time elsewhere. Perhaps even interacting with the students in school would be more enjoyable than this.
The next morning was totally waking up from the wrong side of bed. The breakfast was very plain and simple with not much of taste in the food. However, when we headed up 峨眉山 after breakfast, it totally brought as a different feel. The journey up to the peak was quite troublesome, having to switch between bus and cable car and having to go on foot. The fun part was when we reached the peak. Up on the peak was a giant gold Buddha statue, shimmering and shining in the sunlight. This presented a very good photo opportunity and it really made the climb up worth it. However, the weather was not very cooperative and the clouds kept rolling in and obscure our view of the statue, making photo taking very difficult. At the peak, I said a few wishes for someone, as I promised to do so and after that we headed down to half-peak for lunch.
Lunch at half-peak was awesome, we had for the first time, FRESH FISH! All previous meals with fish turned out to be not fresh, many of us took the opportunity and clear the dish. After lunch, I picked up a stuff toy for one of the staff at the saloon and we proceeded to take cable car to visit another temple. After that, we headed down 峨眉山 and we went to Chengdu for dinner before returning back to the campus.
TGIF!
Thank God It's Friday! Perhaps time is really flying, somehow it feels as though time passes very quickly here, too quickly I think. Can time slow down so we can enjoy this my stay here for as long as possible? In fact, I realised that Hidayah has been absent from class for a whole week now! Hope she gets well soon and can rejoin us in class.
We released fireworks tonight! Something spectacular to witness, since we do not get to play with such things in Singapore. This fireworks which was bought from 兴坪镇 was much better and nicer than the hand-held ones that we played during the last attempt. Surprisingly, the 30 shot box went up really quickly and it was over in an instant. Thankfully, this was just a test to see how well it is and we were planning to buy a few boxes to release on the last night if this worked well, which it did! We are so gonna have a fabulous display!
After the fireworks, we went to the field with the China students to chit-chat for awhile before we headed back to the dormitory to rest.
We released fireworks tonight! Something spectacular to witness, since we do not get to play with such things in Singapore. This fireworks which was bought from 兴坪镇 was much better and nicer than the hand-held ones that we played during the last attempt. Surprisingly, the 30 shot box went up really quickly and it was over in an instant. Thankfully, this was just a test to see how well it is and we were planning to buy a few boxes to release on the last night if this worked well, which it did! We are so gonna have a fabulous display!
After the fireworks, we went to the field with the China students to chit-chat for awhile before we headed back to the dormitory to rest.
Pandemonium!
Today was a fairly relaxed day, since lecture was over. But now we actually have more time for ourselves and we can plan our schedule better and that way we can enjoy our remaining time here.
Anyway, something funny happened during lunchtime. We headed back to the dormitory to visit Hidayah to see that she was okay and to buy her lunch. But apparently she was nowhere to be found in the room!? Where is she? She actually got trapped in the toilet as the lock was stuck! How unlucky can that be? Very ......
After lesson, we went to take photos of everyone wearing the panda hat. We planned to use this panda hate portraits of everyone to form the border our trip poster. This trip poster would be use an advertisement for the whole school to see what a wonderful time we are having here!!! I love 四川!
HP + K! = FJL
New fomula for today! HP + K! = FJL, whereby HP = HotPot, K! = Karaoke and FJL = Fun, Joy and Laughter.
Today was officially the last lecture! After three and a half weeks, we finally covered the whole syllabus. Now we are left with spending the remaining time practising and revising to wind up all the chapters. Apart from that, I realise that at a turn of the eye, we are already in our second half of our stay here. I am starting to feel weird. Many of us are missing home, but I, on the other hand is starting to miss this place. This place is really awesome! I simply refused to count the number of remaining days as that would be very depressing.
Anyway, tonight's activity was awesome! We headed to 小区 for 麻辣火锅 and that was an awesome experience! It's so spicy and so numbing!!! I ate till I was having a whole head of sweat (direct translation of 满头大汗). After dinner, we headed to the Karaoke lounge to sing K!, obviously. The place was a little shabby, with an old school PC and quite a small room. But the song selections were surprisingly quite, QUITE updated. However, it is still very limited compared to Karaoke lounges in Singapore. Anyway, I am treating this as a new experience so I won't complain. Besides, everyone enjoyed themselves, that's what's most important!
Today was officially the last lecture! After three and a half weeks, we finally covered the whole syllabus. Now we are left with spending the remaining time practising and revising to wind up all the chapters. Apart from that, I realise that at a turn of the eye, we are already in our second half of our stay here. I am starting to feel weird. Many of us are missing home, but I, on the other hand is starting to miss this place. This place is really awesome! I simply refused to count the number of remaining days as that would be very depressing.
Anyway, tonight's activity was awesome! We headed to 小区 for 麻辣火锅 and that was an awesome experience! It's so spicy and so numbing!!! I ate till I was having a whole head of sweat (direct translation of 满头大汗). After dinner, we headed to the Karaoke lounge to sing K!, obviously. The place was a little shabby, with an old school PC and quite a small room. But the song selections were surprisingly quite, QUITE updated. However, it is still very limited compared to Karaoke lounges in Singapore. Anyway, I am treating this as a new experience so I won't complain. Besides, everyone enjoyed themselves, that's what's most important!
God saved the people!
Our dear classmate Hidayah is stuck in her room as she can't move above so as to not aggravate for injured leg. Well, she still could attend class (electronically), through the use of webcam! Technology has its advantages yea?
During afternoon lesson, Hidayah said she just washed her hands after using the toilet! We all were rejoicing after hearing the news! So we need not worry and everyone can bathe properly without bothering about rationing the supply.
Still, it does raise a question about how we actually cherish what we have. I also notice how people here are easily contented with what they have and really cherish what they have and what is given to them. This really gives us, Singaporean a good opportunity to self-reflect on ourselves.
During afternoon lesson, Hidayah said she just washed her hands after using the toilet! We all were rejoicing after hearing the news! So we need not worry and everyone can bathe properly without bothering about rationing the supply.
Still, it does raise a question about how we actually cherish what we have. I also notice how people here are easily contented with what they have and really cherish what they have and what is given to them. This really gives us, Singaporean a good opportunity to self-reflect on ourselves.
What's life without that liquid?
Just as you thought you were comfortable at home with all you need, what happens when you do not have them? I knew the answer tonight.
There was no lesson in the morning, as the time for allocated for a short trip to 广汉. I did not follow them and chose to stay back in school as I wanted to stay in bed and catch up for the lost sleep and much needed rest. Afternoon lecture was scheduled after the shopping trip and this was when I realised our dilemma. After lesson ended, I needed to ease myself after holding for the whole length of the lesson. I rushed to the toilet only to find one of my friends there. After easing myself I glanced at my friend, noticing that he was fiddling with the tap. Puzzled, I went to try out the other taps. None of them were working!? We even popped over to the ladies and try the taps there, all were dry!? This was when calls came from our friends who headed back to the dorms, they could not flush! This was when we realise that there was no water!!! Our worst fear was confirmed when our lecturer received a call informing that the water pipe that feeds the water to the campus has burst. WOW! Great ... now we have no water ... As an interim measure, we had to purchase bottled water to bathe and for sanitary purpose, how cool is that?!
The night lecture turned out to be very interesting but most of us were dozing off during the lesson, so I guess there will not be a second time to this. Oh well, it was a good experience!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
兴坪镇
We headed to this small town near our school today to explore and check out the town. The town is really very simple and looks very run down, however the town is has much variety for daily essentials. The walk to the town was terrible, trekking along the gravel road, making our legs all so aching.
We explored the town for quite a bit of time and found that there were many snack stalls selling local snacks, such as 凑豆腐. We dropped by the fireworks stall and decided to a box of fireworks, which could fire up into the skies much higher than the hand-held ones they got the other time.
I headed back to the campus first with the fireworks in hand, as I thought it would not make any practical sense to be carrying the huge box around the town. We had an awesome dinner at the teacher's hostel with goose liver that we bought from the town, what a treat!
We explored the town for quite a bit of time and found that there were many snack stalls selling local snacks, such as 凑豆腐. We dropped by the fireworks stall and decided to a box of fireworks, which could fire up into the skies much higher than the hand-held ones they got the other time.
I headed back to the campus first with the fireworks in hand, as I thought it would not make any practical sense to be carrying the huge box around the town. We had an awesome dinner at the teacher's hostel with goose liver that we bought from the town, what a treat!
Back to class!
After the week of fun-filled activities, it is time to head back to our lessons! Though I was not in the mood to study, I somehow absorbed a lot from this lesson.
After lesson, we headed for some sports activities. That was where I saw a different side of Mr Cheah. He really knows how to enjoy his time, as in he knows how to set his mind aside for the various things he does. He isn't bothered and worried about the module's tight schedule and plays happily and enjoys his game. In fact, he's really good a playing table tennis. Perhaps we should develop such a sense of mindset. It is not good to be always stressing over our woes.
A new look and A Happy National Day China!
The first of October, China's national day! Happy National Day China! Today hosted a lot of unforgettable events for me. IS lesson today was conducted by 刘老师, a friendly teacher. He is a very nice guy and is very sociable with us. Though his topic was a very dry topic about politics and stuff, he made the lesson interesting with videos. After lesson, he brought some of them to the nearby town to buy fireworks, firecrackers and 芤明灯.
Meanwhile, I was back in the dormitory, thinking about whether I should dye my hair. Eventually, I made he choice to dye it and headed down to the saloon. There, I met a few of us and the saloon staff and we all chatted while the dyeing was done. I chose golden brown after going through the list of colours. The dyeing process took quite long as the dye needed time to settle into the hair, but the results were awesome! I love it!
After dyeing my hair, it was time to head out to the river to release the fireworks and 芤明灯. I extended my invitation to the saloon staff to join us and everyone enjoyed it. Though the fireworks was a little disappointing, we still had fun releasing the lanterns.
This is a day worth to remember! 01/10/10!
Meanwhile, I was back in the dormitory, thinking about whether I should dye my hair. Eventually, I made he choice to dye it and headed down to the saloon. There, I met a few of us and the saloon staff and we all chatted while the dyeing was done. I chose golden brown after going through the list of colours. The dyeing process took quite long as the dye needed time to settle into the hair, but the results were awesome! I love it!
After dyeing my hair, it was time to head out to the river to release the fireworks and 芤明灯. I extended my invitation to the saloon staff to join us and everyone enjoyed it. Though the fireworks was a little disappointing, we still had fun releasing the lanterns.
This is a day worth to remember! 01/10/10!
欢乐欢乐！我们在欢乐谷！
Fun fun! Dam fun! This theme park is awesome! What is Singapore's theme park compared to this, this place is huge like a valley literally. There are so many attractions and things to do here. You'd probably find all sorts of entertainment here.
Everyone had their fun here and personally I cannot believe I spent 100RMB trying to topple cans using sandbags just to win a stuffed toy, haha! After all the day's fun, we went shopping at the various sports factory outlets. I got myself an Adidas shirt that was rather cheap. Though the shirt was an old release, like a few seasons ago. Dinner was at Ajisen Ramen and the service there really was terrible. Our orders were screwed up and some of us even gave up eating dinner entirely. After heading back to the campus, we all hit our beds and I am sure everyone played till they literally dropped (on the bed).
Everyone had their fun here and personally I cannot believe I spent 100RMB trying to topple cans using sandbags just to win a stuffed toy, haha! After all the day's fun, we went shopping at the various sports factory outlets. I got myself an Adidas shirt that was rather cheap. Though the shirt was an old release, like a few seasons ago. Dinner was at Ajisen Ramen and the service there really was terrible. Our orders were screwed up and some of us even gave up eating dinner entirely. After heading back to the campus, we all hit our beds and I am sure everyone played till they literally dropped (on the bed).
成都 we meet again.
Perhaps it does sound crazy that we are always heading to Chengdu. But we just can't get enough of here. There so many things to shop here!!! This time we are here on a 100% free and easy trip! Shopping spree to the maximum ... Woo!
Lunch was awesome! We had pizza hut and we ordered a whole table full of food. Thankfully, we managed to finish most of what we ordered, including the side dishes which included Escargot!
After lunch, we headed for shopping and I bought myself a backpack to replace my current one which was rather old. We also bought a Nike jacket for 云霞 as a gift for her.
When we got back to campus, we attended the freshie's night performance as invited. Our item was quite screwed up this time, due to the lack of instruments which was all a result of improper planning on the school's side, what a disappointment.
Lunch was awesome! We had pizza hut and we ordered a whole table full of food. Thankfully, we managed to finish most of what we ordered, including the side dishes which included Escargot!
After lunch, we headed for shopping and I bought myself a backpack to replace my current one which was rather old. We also bought a Nike jacket for 云霞 as a gift for her.
When we got back to campus, we attended the freshie's night performance as invited. Our item was quite screwed up this time, due to the lack of instruments which was all a result of improper planning on the school's side, what a disappointment.
Yin yang in all things.
Perhaps what they say is true, there's balance in life. Apart from the usual lessons, we had a host of after lesson activities.
The local students organised a friendly basketball match and invited us to take part. The way the played made me impressed and I pondered over them. I realise that when one actually has the free time and bothers to spend that free time regularly playing sports, he/she gets good at it over time. In Singapore, nobody even has that kind of time to spend. Perhaps Singaporeans should learn to take a step back and relax from the busy world, this die-hard working attitude could possibly kill us all in the long run.
After the match, we headed to 小区 to check out their mahjong den. Amazingly, most people here play with automatic tables, whereby tiles are shuffled and arranged for you with just a press of a button. Local mahjong here is different from the typical Cantonese style mahjong that we play in Singapore. They lack the big tiles such as the four winds and three scholar tiles. They do not even contain the eight flower and four animal bonus tiles. This made playing a little complex but we continued to play nonetheless. After playing awhile, we all felt hungry and headed back to the campus for a nice dinner at the corner stall just below of dormitories.
The local students organised a friendly basketball match and invited us to take part. The way the played made me impressed and I pondered over them. I realise that when one actually has the free time and bothers to spend that free time regularly playing sports, he/she gets good at it over time. In Singapore, nobody even has that kind of time to spend. Perhaps Singaporeans should learn to take a step back and relax from the busy world, this die-hard working attitude could possibly kill us all in the long run.
After the match, we headed to 小区 to check out their mahjong den. Amazingly, most people here play with automatic tables, whereby tiles are shuffled and arranged for you with just a press of a button. Local mahjong here is different from the typical Cantonese style mahjong that we play in Singapore. They lack the big tiles such as the four winds and three scholar tiles. They do not even contain the eight flower and four animal bonus tiles. This made playing a little complex but we continued to play nonetheless. After playing awhile, we all felt hungry and headed back to the campus for a nice dinner at the corner stall just below of dormitories.
Bad, Worse, Worst!
Picture this, crawling out of bed early in the morning. Heading to a museum early in the morning is a crazy thing to do, which makes thing worse. Reaching there just to realise that the museum is not yet open is the worst! How bad can that get? We got there even earlier than the staff did!
Well, I suppose the proud thing is that we are the first visitors to the place for the day. The museum is filled with ancient artefacts and articles that date back to ancient times. Something to ponder about is that why did we only realise such modern techniques of construction etc. only in modern times when the ancient people knew it a long time ago?
After the museum, we had a snack outside which was selling dried bean curd. The bean curd was awesome and many of us bought packs of them back. We headed back for afternoon lesson after the trip and played sports with the local students after lesson. I am beginning to enjoy life here! How I wish I could stay here forever.
Well, I suppose the proud thing is that we are the first visitors to the place for the day. The museum is filled with ancient artefacts and articles that date back to ancient times. Something to ponder about is that why did we only realise such modern techniques of construction etc. only in modern times when the ancient people knew it a long time ago?
After the museum, we had a snack outside which was selling dried bean curd. The bean curd was awesome and many of us bought packs of them back. We headed back for afternoon lesson after the trip and played sports with the local students after lesson. I am beginning to enjoy life here! How I wish I could stay here forever.
Sunday lesson-mania!
Sucks to be studying on a Sunday eh? How about having lessons on Sunday? Though it sounds like a moody thing to do on a Sunday, it was a necessary sacrifice in order for us to go out and have fun over the following days. This raises a question though, why do the local students keep questioning us on where we went to play. Don't they not know we are here to study as the main focus and not a holiday trip?
After class, we headed to 广汉 to pick up some groceries and stock up our supplies. It's surprising how we can finish so much stuff in such a short period of time!
After class, we headed to 广汉 to pick up some groceries and stock up our supplies. It's surprising how we can finish so much stuff in such a short period of time!
成都再来！
We're back in Chengdu again. This time we are visiting two of Chengdu's greatest projects. The 都江堰 and 青城山.
都江堰 is an irrigation project dating back into the dynasty era of China and it served as a means of channel the water that comes down from the mountains which is the only major source of water for an inland place like Sichuan. The projects comprises of flood gates to tame the water and various channels that spread out and flow in different directions into Chengdu, providing the water source to everyone.
The climb up 青城山 was very tiring and in fact one of the more tiring peaks I ever ascended. We did not reach the summit as time did not allow for that. But when we came down our legs were all soft and wobbly, I so needed to rest my legs.
I knocked out after reaching the campus, was simply too tired and needed a good night's rest.
都江堰 is an irrigation project dating back into the dynasty era of China and it served as a means of channel the water that comes down from the mountains which is the only major source of water for an inland place like Sichuan. The projects comprises of flood gates to tame the water and various channels that spread out and flow in different directions into Chengdu, providing the water source to everyone.
The climb up 青城山 was very tiring and in fact one of the more tiring peaks I ever ascended. We did not reach the summit as time did not allow for that. But when we came down our legs were all soft and wobbly, I so needed to rest my legs.
I knocked out after reaching the campus, was simply too tired and needed a good night's rest.
Fish pond in our room!
What happens when a toilet drain gets choked? Well, it means that our toilet turned into a massive fish pond. It doesn't look like one, but it sure smells like one. Thankfully, the plumber came today and helped us clear the choked up drain. Now the toilet smells better and we need not borrow our friend's toilet to bathe any more.
三星堆遗址！
Cycling in China is awesome! Okay perhaps it's scary at the same time. After lesson we cycled to an excavated site where they found ancient articles of an ancient civilization. The place is beautiful and presented a very nice photographic opportunity. Hopefully we shoot something interesting here.
Though we had load of problems with the bicycles and even ended up in a very angered situation. However, it did not dampen our mood and everyone still enjoyed the trip!
Though we had load of problems with the bicycles and even ended up in a very angered situation. However, it did not dampen our mood and everyone still enjoyed the trip!
中秋节快乐！
This was the first time I celebrated a traditional festival overseas, and the experience is unforgettable. Thankfully, the weather is now cool and the temperature makes everything very comfortable.
Everyone gathered today for the last practice session before the actual performance tonight. This time, with the full arrangement, the music finally came together and it was a good practice run. I believe with this, everyone is prepared.
Show time! The performance started off with much cheers and on a high note. As the items proceeded, our items got nearer. My first item was the combined set up of Harold and myself along with two guys from the guitar club. Surprisingly, I was not nervous at all, not even when I went up to perform. The song we were performing was a Cantonese song, and the song is actually very popular with the students here. Everyone sang along with the song and enjoyed it. When the song ended, the crowd went into cheers. We took a breather and awaited for our next item which was the song we prepared so hard for.
The song was well performed and the crowd enjoyed it, although I have no idea how many of them actually understood the lyrics. The crowd came down after our performance and interacted with us, taking photos and conducting interviews. We had loads of laughter and fun! I guess everyone enjoyed themselves that night.
The night ended in a high note with a happy dinner/supper and everyone had a good night's rest.
Show time! The performance started off with much cheers and on a high note. As the items proceeded, our items got nearer. My first item was the combined set up of Harold and myself along with two guys from the guitar club. Surprisingly, I was not nervous at all, not even when I went up to perform. The song we were performing was a Cantonese song, and the song is actually very popular with the students here. Everyone sang along with the song and enjoyed it. When the song ended, the crowd went into cheers. We took a breather and awaited for our next item which was the song we prepared so hard for.
The song was well performed and the crowd enjoyed it, although I have no idea how many of them actually understood the lyrics. The crowd came down after our performance and interacted with us, taking photos and conducting interviews. We had loads of laughter and fun! I guess everyone enjoyed themselves that night.
The night ended in a high note with a happy dinner/supper and everyone had a good night's rest.
The heavens opened up...
What a topsy turvy day! A lot of events happened today and it caused quite a mess actually.
Morning went as usual with lecture class, with only to find out that we have to perform on the mid-autumn festival celebration which is tomorrow!
During lunch, I spent the time sorting out the music and trying to find a way to get everyone to get it right. After what happened yesterday, we really need to work this out, least we disappoint the local students.
I figured that we were short of a drum set which would probably provide us with the needed beat to keep everyone singing correctly.
Just during lunch, it started to pour! A heavy rain suddenly engulfed the area, and that really took the heat away. However, the rain did more than what I wanted it to do. The lighting tripped the sub-station and power to the whole campus was cut off. Without power, my amplifier couldn't work and I was unable to play.
That too handicapped the practice session and resulted in a disaster. Everyone got fed up with the music as it was not complete due to the lack of the electric instruments and they blamed us for screwing up the performance. They even called for the removal of music from the item and that really angered me. To think that the effort I put in was on the brink of cancellation was really frustrating. Eventually, we cancelled the practice session, and the afternoon lesson was cancelled too and everyone was left with a whole afternoon of free time.
When the power came back, I attempted to try out the music one last time. Since the drum set was available, I called on one of my friends to play it and one of us volunteered to be the vocalist. Amazingly, the set up worked and everything came together in one piece. I finally got the hope that this performance could be done well. Eventually, all the songs turned out well and I was very impress. The issues were resolved and what's left was to arrange one final practice session the next day to ensure everyone is familiar.
OSIM! Oh Shit, It's Monday ...
Okay, so it's back to lesson. Fortunately this subject is mathematics-based, at least Maths is my forte. To add on, today is the first IS lesson.
The IS we are taking is about Insights about China, and our first lesson is about touring China. The lesson was interesting, but the humid weather is making it very difficult to stay awake and focused.
Tonight was the full-dress rehearsal for the freshie's night coming up next week. The performance was screwed up as everyone was unprepared. I feel disappointed as no one actually bothered to put in the effort into this and yet still blame others for the downfall.
The IS we are taking is about Insights about China, and our first lesson is about touring China. The lesson was interesting, but the humid weather is making it very difficult to stay awake and focused.
Tonight was the full-dress rehearsal for the freshie's night coming up next week. The performance was screwed up as everyone was unprepared. I feel disappointed as no one actually bothered to put in the effort into this and yet still blame others for the downfall.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
It's SUNDAY!!!
Today's a Sunday! So what more to spend a Sunday than to slack and relax. But, today is a pretty packed day with quite a lot of things to do. The main thing today was the practice session with the students from the guitar club.
Mentioning about the guitar club, I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to them for their help. They really put in a lot of effort and time to assist us in our upcoming performance. They even spent money to rent equipment for us to use that which includes an electric guitar, a bass guitar and two amplifiers for the 2 guitars. As much as I wanted to repay them, they strongly refused. They made a remark saying "As friends, there is no need to be calculative." They also helped us to restring the guitars they lent to us which kept snapping as mentioned in the earlier post.
They made effort and took time off their own personal time to go to the town to try to purchase new guitars when they could not confirm whether they could rent the equipment. Eventually, the equipment was rented and I am deeply grateful to them. In the end all the equipment was provided by the guitar club rather than the school which they initially promised. I am somehow disappointed in this aspect. This really affected our practice as we could not get the required instruments to practice. By telling us that they would try their best while not giving us a definite answer and procrastination would not solve the problem.
The practice session went well and I finally have a bass guitar to play. Finally, with the bass guitar and can figure out the bass notes and construct the bass line for the various songs that we are performing. Many people questioned me on why the need of the bass and many friends even laughed at me, saying that I am being insistent because I want to perform (or show off). Perhaps it is due to the shallow or no music knowledge that they do not understand. The bass plays an important role in all music, regardless whether it is vocal bass as in some one singing or instrumental bass as in the example of me using a bass guitar. The bass provides the beat or tempo and the rhythm of the music and it bridges and binds the rhythm and beats from the other instruments such as the drum set to the melody. in essence, it binds the whole music together. Without bass, a music/song is just like random sounds playing independently at the same time rather than 1 solid music. Being the first day of practice and getting the guitar today, I cannot play the songs perfectly yet. But at least I got almost all the major structures done. I would practice hard and given my musical skills, it should not be too hard for me. Since the guitar club entrusted me to play the bass for their item, I promised them that I will definitely deliver an acceptable bass line for them.
Eventually, I did not do up my tutorial which I wanted to, but with the performance round the corner and the remaining time left to prepare for it, I thought I needed to settle the music and notations as soon as possible. After all, the china student were looking forward to our performance. Therefore, it is apparent that we deliver a solid and well done performance.
I went to bed with the music playing in my mind over and over again. That makes me wonder though, perhaps my parents were right when they said I am musically talented. Come to think of it, I have always been inclined towards music and music always seems to flow through me naturally, such as figuring out the notes and keys of the song whenever I listen to them (carefully). This is something that makes me puzzled to, even I myself cannot understand how I did them. Even unknown songs or genre which I have never heard before can be translated into the respective notes and keys to play on a bass guitar or any instrument I want. May be it is just cause I love music :D
Mentioning about the guitar club, I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to them for their help. They really put in a lot of effort and time to assist us in our upcoming performance. They even spent money to rent equipment for us to use that which includes an electric guitar, a bass guitar and two amplifiers for the 2 guitars. As much as I wanted to repay them, they strongly refused. They made a remark saying "As friends, there is no need to be calculative." They also helped us to restring the guitars they lent to us which kept snapping as mentioned in the earlier post.
They made effort and took time off their own personal time to go to the town to try to purchase new guitars when they could not confirm whether they could rent the equipment. Eventually, the equipment was rented and I am deeply grateful to them. In the end all the equipment was provided by the guitar club rather than the school which they initially promised. I am somehow disappointed in this aspect. This really affected our practice as we could not get the required instruments to practice. By telling us that they would try their best while not giving us a definite answer and procrastination would not solve the problem.
The practice session went well and I finally have a bass guitar to play. Finally, with the bass guitar and can figure out the bass notes and construct the bass line for the various songs that we are performing. Many people questioned me on why the need of the bass and many friends even laughed at me, saying that I am being insistent because I want to perform (or show off). Perhaps it is due to the shallow or no music knowledge that they do not understand. The bass plays an important role in all music, regardless whether it is vocal bass as in some one singing or instrumental bass as in the example of me using a bass guitar. The bass provides the beat or tempo and the rhythm of the music and it bridges and binds the rhythm and beats from the other instruments such as the drum set to the melody. in essence, it binds the whole music together. Without bass, a music/song is just like random sounds playing independently at the same time rather than 1 solid music. Being the first day of practice and getting the guitar today, I cannot play the songs perfectly yet. But at least I got almost all the major structures done. I would practice hard and given my musical skills, it should not be too hard for me. Since the guitar club entrusted me to play the bass for their item, I promised them that I will definitely deliver an acceptable bass line for them.
Eventually, I did not do up my tutorial which I wanted to, but with the performance round the corner and the remaining time left to prepare for it, I thought I needed to settle the music and notations as soon as possible. After all, the china student were looking forward to our performance. Therefore, it is apparent that we deliver a solid and well done performance.
I went to bed with the music playing in my mind over and over again. That makes me wonder though, perhaps my parents were right when they said I am musically talented. Come to think of it, I have always been inclined towards music and music always seems to flow through me naturally, such as figuring out the notes and keys of the song whenever I listen to them (carefully). This is something that makes me puzzled to, even I myself cannot understand how I did them. Even unknown songs or genre which I have never heard before can be translated into the respective notes and keys to play on a bass guitar or any instrument I want. May be it is just cause I love music :D
I got beaten up by Pandaren Brewmaster
成都我来了! Today is a one day tour of Chendu, the capital of Sichuan.
Here's the highlights:
That of which rises a question. If they are serious about conservation and saving the Pandas, why are things such as cleanliness and well being are not maintained? After all, if the staff here at the conservation lab does not take care of the bears, who will? If there was something I wanted to feedback, I would definitely want to see the bears in better condition.
Okay, so if you thought that was about it for the Panda base, you're wrong. In fact the giant pandas are not the main attraction in my opinion. Have you heard of the Red Panda? It is not surprising is you haven't. Red pandas are a rare species that are only found around the Himalayas Region. The red panda is no where near the size of the typically well known giant panda, they are not even genetically related. They look like raccoons or foxes rather than bearish looking. They have a long tail and they are very agile. In fact the Kungfu master Shifu from the movie Kungfu Panda is actually a red panda. Actually, the original name Panda was referring to them rather than the giant panda. Something interesting and unexpected from the visit, I even asked 云霞, "they have a fox enclosure here?"
Anyway the blog's background is a photo that I captured of the Red Panda. Nice eh? Credits to me :P
The next stop would be Dufu's residence or 杜甫草堂 which means Dufu's straw hut. Dufu is a famous poet from the Tang dynasty and he is known for his poems which often depict the current livelihood of the people. He constantly writes about realistic current affairs and how the people are suffering. Through he writings, we can see that the people were going through a lot of hardship. Dufu himself feels for these people and he himself is a very simple person. The straw hut he lived in shows the simple and basic lifestyle he lived in as he is one who thinks of others before himself. One phrase in his poem that made me look up to him was "If my happiness and blissfulness can be exchanged for the happiness and blissful of others (everyone), I'd rather give it up." For someone who gives his all for others, he really deserves my respect.
The wrath of the weather is driving me crazy. When we reached our next sop which was 武侯祠, I gave up fighting the war with the heat. I went to the souvenir store and choose a beautiful fan to buy and use, I really could not take the heat any more. The fan was painted (actually printed) with the major characters/people from The Three Kingdoms period. People such as 诸葛亮 (Zhuge Liang), 张飞 (Zhang Fei), 刘备 (Liu Bei), 吕布 (Lu Bu) etc. Apart from the various shrines and display of the famous people, its not that interesting. After all, it is a temple.
After dinner, we had some spare time, therefore we walked around the shopping district in Chengdu. To my amazement, the branded goods here are not that cheap as I thought. But before long, we had to stop our window shopping and head to the theatre for the cultural performance. The cultural performance includes many items that are unique to Sichuan, such as the Sichuan opera, Changing Faces, Hand shadows show and the balancing act.
The Sichuan Opera is very similar to opera from the other dialects so it is not something that makes you go "wow!". But the other performances, such as the changing faces, where by the artist swaps masks in a matter of split seconds. This is not simple act as they come up to the audiences and swap faces right in front of their eyes. If that does not
WOW!" you, I think the next item would. The balancing act here is not your typical balancing act. The artist balancing a bowl of filled with oil and a lighted wig crawling under and jumping over benches is no mean feat, a slight mishap would result in burning himself. The audiences are all left in shock and awe. Personally, I was impressed with a puppeteer, whose act require her to carrying the puppet in air (above her height) and operate the puppet throughout the acts such as the opera and changing faces. She is very fluent in her movement and moves tirelessly despite the long duration of the performance. Thumbs up to her man.
After the performance, we boarded the bus and wrapped up the tour. The tour guide bid farewell to us in a sad manner and got off the bus. It was quite a sad moment but all good things come to an end, so do good moments. Well, it was a pleasure to have him as our guide.
That's all for today's long activity. It was an enjoyable one and it is definitely worth the time.
Here's the highlights:
- Panda conservation lab
- 杜甫草堂 (Dufu's Residence)
- 武侯祠 (The Temple of the Marquis of Wu)
- Sichuan opera and cultural performance
The Panda monument given by WWF
Golden Panda Sculpture
That of which rises a question. If they are serious about conservation and saving the Pandas, why are things such as cleanliness and well being are not maintained? After all, if the staff here at the conservation lab does not take care of the bears, who will? If there was something I wanted to feedback, I would definitely want to see the bears in better condition.
Lazy Panda >.>
Lazy Panda #2 ...
Okay these 2 are not pandas ... Subaa and Tom
Do not disturb...
Oops ... Sorry for disturbing.
Finally an awake Panda ...
And another sleeping one .... >.>
This is 云霞, I'm sorry if I look dominating :X
The Red Panda!
They look like foxes and are around the size of a cat ...
They love to climb and run about
they are fast and agile ...
and aggressive if you piss them off.
A group shot before we leave :)
Anyway the blog's background is a photo that I captured of the Red Panda. Nice eh? Credits to me :P
China's fake Coke haha! 我一牛
麻婆豆腐！
汤圆 ... Awesome man!
韭菜饺 ... Mmm ...
The next stop would be Dufu's residence or 杜甫草堂 which means Dufu's straw hut. Dufu is a famous poet from the Tang dynasty and he is known for his poems which often depict the current livelihood of the people. He constantly writes about realistic current affairs and how the people are suffering. Through he writings, we can see that the people were going through a lot of hardship. Dufu himself feels for these people and he himself is a very simple person. The straw hut he lived in shows the simple and basic lifestyle he lived in as he is one who thinks of others before himself. One phrase in his poem that made me look up to him was "If my happiness and blissfulness can be exchanged for the happiness and blissful of others (everyone), I'd rather give it up." For someone who gives his all for others, he really deserves my respect.
杜甫
诗史堂 (Poem Writing Room in literal translation) :D
工... Err I don't know other 2 :D
another monument for 杜甫
The entrance to 杜甫's straw house
The wrath of the weather is driving me crazy. When we reached our next sop which was 武侯祠, I gave up fighting the war with the heat. I went to the souvenir store and choose a beautiful fan to buy and use, I really could not take the heat any more. The fan was painted (actually printed) with the major characters/people from The Three Kingdoms period. People such as 诸葛亮 (Zhuge Liang), 张飞 (Zhang Fei), 刘备 (Liu Bei), 吕布 (Lu Bu) etc. Apart from the various shrines and display of the famous people, its not that interesting. After all, it is a temple.
武侯祠
明良千古
静远堂
Group shot before souvenir street
Sichuan Opera - The Three Kingdoms
The end
Sichuan dance
Puppet Opera
The Sichuan Opera is very similar to opera from the other dialects so it is not something that makes you go "wow!". But the other performances, such as the changing faces, where by the artist swaps masks in a matter of split seconds. This is not simple act as they come up to the audiences and swap faces right in front of their eyes. If that does not
WOW!" you, I think the next item would. The balancing act here is not your typical balancing act. The artist balancing a bowl of filled with oil and a lighted wig crawling under and jumping over benches is no mean feat, a slight mishap would result in burning himself. The audiences are all left in shock and awe. Personally, I was impressed with a puppeteer, whose act require her to carrying the puppet in air (above her height) and operate the puppet throughout the acts such as the opera and changing faces. She is very fluent in her movement and moves tirelessly despite the long duration of the performance. Thumbs up to her man.
After the performance, we boarded the bus and wrapped up the tour. The tour guide bid farewell to us in a sad manner and got off the bus. It was quite a sad moment but all good things come to an end, so do good moments. Well, it was a pleasure to have him as our guide.
Monday, September 27, 2010
The day with loads of things to blog about
Good morning Sichuan, once again I'm waking up with a very sticky body. And here's the news I got for the morning.
Yahoo! weather: Sichuan, Guanghan. Humidity: 92%.
92!!! That's crazy! It's probably so Humid that if you sneeze it may just remain in the air in liquid form. Okay that's exaggerating haha. Well, I certainly would not be hoping for my laundry to dry.
Oh my god, I just can't believe how I am going to leave through with this kind of climate. I hate warm weathers and what's worst is that the weather is humid! I cannot stand my skin being sticky. I am even more concerned about my face. At such conditions, my face gets oily very easily and that will result in the a pimple boom! Not something I want to have, because it is already bad enough in its current condition. Oh please weather please change. It is already Autumn, you should be cool and dry now, not hot and wet.
Okay, now talk about the module I am taking. As previously mentioned, the module is called System Dynamics and Control or SDC for short. Basically, this module about calculation and analysis on the effect on forces acting on a system dynamically. Simply speaking, it is finding out how forces that act on a system effects it with respect to time. This calculation and analysis encompass both mechanical and electrical systems. The 3 major types we work on are Translational and Rotational Mechanical Systems and Electrical systems.
Translational are basically linear mechanical forces, while rotational are well rotational forces. Eventually, we will work on Mechatronic systems which are system which contain both Mechanical and Electrical component. But that's the later topics. For now, its is just basic Mathematical calculations. Okay I think I should stop here, before it starts to get dry.
Lastly, I would talk about 云霞, she's a student whom the teacher in-charge, 李老师 assigned to help us during our stay here. She is a 3rd and final year student studying Logistics management and is really very helpful to us. I first met her when she was with the girls, helping them with some matters regarding the dormitories. That brings me to other point, our dormitories really have a lot of problems. She has to contact the respective people to help maintain and fix the problems with our rooms, tough job huh?
Well, today she came over to our classroom early in the morning to hand us some more guitars for us to use and practice for our upcoming performances. Well supposedly this would be beneficial, until we discovered that the guitars were in bad shape. The strings were out of tune and the strings themselves were already very high in tension. We went ahead with practice and that revealed the already bad strings. With a "twang" sound, that could only mean 1 thing, a snapped string. With 2 guitars down, we are back to square 1 literally. Before much playing, the practice session was scrapped in favour of personal time to settle our own things, since the equipments were in bad shape and we were rather unprepared.
Something I learnt from today is that proper planning is crucial in order to ensure that everything is all as well, taking example from the musical equipment. Okay time for some well deserved sleep.
Yahoo! weather: Sichuan, Guanghan. Humidity: 92%.
92!!! That's crazy! It's probably so Humid that if you sneeze it may just remain in the air in liquid form. Okay that's exaggerating haha. Well, I certainly would not be hoping for my laundry to dry.
Oh my god, I just can't believe how I am going to leave through with this kind of climate. I hate warm weathers and what's worst is that the weather is humid! I cannot stand my skin being sticky. I am even more concerned about my face. At such conditions, my face gets oily very easily and that will result in the a pimple boom! Not something I want to have, because it is already bad enough in its current condition. Oh please weather please change. It is already Autumn, you should be cool and dry now, not hot and wet.
Okay, now talk about the module I am taking. As previously mentioned, the module is called System Dynamics and Control or SDC for short. Basically, this module about calculation and analysis on the effect on forces acting on a system dynamically. Simply speaking, it is finding out how forces that act on a system effects it with respect to time. This calculation and analysis encompass both mechanical and electrical systems. The 3 major types we work on are Translational and Rotational Mechanical Systems and Electrical systems.
Translational are basically linear mechanical forces, while rotational are well rotational forces. Eventually, we will work on Mechatronic systems which are system which contain both Mechanical and Electrical component. But that's the later topics. For now, its is just basic Mathematical calculations. Okay I think I should stop here, before it starts to get dry.
Lastly, I would talk about 云霞, she's a student whom the teacher in-charge, 李老师 assigned to help us during our stay here. She is a 3rd and final year student studying Logistics management and is really very helpful to us. I first met her when she was with the girls, helping them with some matters regarding the dormitories. That brings me to other point, our dormitories really have a lot of problems. She has to contact the respective people to help maintain and fix the problems with our rooms, tough job huh?
Well, today she came over to our classroom early in the morning to hand us some more guitars for us to use and practice for our upcoming performances. Well supposedly this would be beneficial, until we discovered that the guitars were in bad shape. The strings were out of tune and the strings themselves were already very high in tension. We went ahead with practice and that revealed the already bad strings. With a "twang" sound, that could only mean 1 thing, a snapped string. With 2 guitars down, we are back to square 1 literally. Before much playing, the practice session was scrapped in favour of personal time to settle our own things, since the equipments were in bad shape and we were rather unprepared.
Something I learnt from today is that proper planning is crucial in order to ensure that everything is all as well, taking example from the musical equipment. Okay time for some well deserved sleep.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
广汉 here we come!
Okay! Lecture today starts at 9am! That means an extra hour of sleep, though It did not really help much. I was still able to focus and concentrate in class, probably due to the breaks in the between. the lesson was smooth and it was really fruitful.
Lunch was yet again another spicy meal. One thing about Sichuan cuisine is the use of their local peppercorn or 花椒. This peppercorn is not very spicy but I produces a very numb effect on your mouth when you eat it. That's where their famous 麻辣 recipe gets the numbing sensation. After eating the local 麻婆豆腐 here, you can be sure you'll never like to eat it in Singapore again. Its so much more delicious and more spicy here and it's really 麻 (numb in Chinese).
After lunch, it's back to the classroom again for a short tutorial. I really like a felt kid during the tutorial, where you have to follow and copy the teacher's example on the blackboard and do your practice questions (or homework as they call it back in primary school). This really makes me remember those old classic study environments. Personally, it is very enjoying to study under such an environment. Surprisingly, productivity and understanding levels seem to be much higher than the modern whiteboard air-conditioned classroom environment back in Ngee Ann or rather Singapore in general.
This topic does make me ponder, why did Singapore stop using the blackboard in education anyway? I remember I attended blackboard lessons till around primary 5. Subsequent classrooms were fitted with whiteboards. That change really did not affect me back then, but now that I experience the old environment again, it suddenly changes my studying performance. Wonder why is it so.....
Finally, lesson is over!!! Everyone was looking forward to today's post lesson activity. We headed to the nearby city (广汉市) which was about 10-15mins away by public bus. This is the city centre of 广汉 town and its actually quite big with many shop houses resembling the 90s, giving the town a very retro image. Really brings me back to the time when I was still a kid growing up in Singapore.
On the way to 广汉！
Retro town
Singapore 90's look alike don't you think so?
Local Snack store! 米花糖 is a must try!
Cake shop!
Crossing a China road, everyone made it across :D
Enjoying life ... You hardly see such scenes in Singapore nowadays ...
Mooncakes!!
Satay in China!!!
Here it is! Served only in mutton ...
A primary school .. Err in between the shop houses O.o?
Group shot in front of a sports store :O
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)