[experience.bEN]

I've got no idea why my mind is filled with Chinese words right now. So, I'm gonna post in Chinese today instead. For those who can't read Chinese, please bear with me. I hardly have such a drive to post in another language.

11月就這麼雨霖霖地開始。我本身的心情也是雨霖霖的。最近不懂為什麼感覺的這麼累，這麼無精打採，滿腦子都是想這要睡覺。我也幾乎感覺到，我與好友們有些疏遠的傾向了。到聖淘沙旅游學院(TAS)漫長遙遠的路程、繁重的功課、得在拜六學游泳、禮拜天還得上日語課，准備年底的日語能力考試，把我整個人生搞得天翻地覆，不知所措。

最近也發現到自己的信心是在這兩年來最低迷的時候。覺得自己很沒用，沒出息，什麼都做不好，把事情給搞砸了。今天和上個禮拜打了一個爛籃球，今天也在足球場上出丑，真想趕緊挖一個大洞把自己藏在裡頭。我一直責怪自己是個縮頭烏龜，害怕這個，害怕那個，什麼都不敢嘗試，隻能在一旁看著罷了。我很了解自己在屬於什麼狀況，體力也不佳，但我一直告訴我自己，肯嘗試就是做出了一大步，卻沒有那個恆心去持續下去，隻有那區區三分鐘熱度而已。雖然我老是那樣，不過朋友們還是鼓勵我多於嘗試，體驗新的東西。最讓我欣慰的是他們其中一個說：“教好你排球過后，就教你其他更好玩的東西。”我想我再需要多一點時間吧。

朋友之間的關系有惡化的現象。讀到亮豪的博客的某一個小文章，我本身也覺悟到再要好的朋友都會有分歧和爭執，但我們不像以前那麼地坦白和直率了。我自己也沒什麼辦法來解決這個問題，隻覺得這樣下去是不能的。

在新的班裡也沒什麼進展，根本沒有一個比較要好的朋友。有時連話題也沒有，什麼都沒說，就靜靜地過了一天。你真的會感到很 sian。現在要和中學和初院的朋友吃個飯，聊聊天也難。時間無法配合，弄到誰都不能出去會面。我隻希望以真誠、友善、樂於助人的態度跟他們打好關系，好好相處，就知足了。

坦白講，越大越多煩惱啊。以前小時候在家裡看卡通片，玩電玩，或者到樓下的游樂場和別的孩子玩耍就很滿足了。同時很少和父母翻臉吵架，朋友之間對彼此說：“我永遠不跟你好了！”，一個小時后又在一起玩耍了。當小孩真好，不用想那麼多，隻要開開心心地玩、讀書就是人間天堂了。假如能給我一天的時間做回一個五、六歲的小孩，我一定會緊緊地掌握的。

Haven't post from more than two weeks already. Was incredibly busy and at the same time lazy to update. Well, Semester 2 had officially started last Monday and I winded up at the Tourism Academy @ Sentosa (TAS). Going there from home has been a daily challenge, with me having to wake up at 6am only to reach school just nice before the first lesson starts at 9. That certainly has taken a toll on a person who usually wakes up at 7.45am, strolls out of the house at 8am, and reaches school at 8.30. Distance aside, the hot weather these days and the rush hour crowd made the journey there ever more grueling. Haha, guess I shouldn't complain so much since the other 300 or so course mates of mine are facing the same fate too.

Timetable-wise, I personally feel it's better than the schedules other tutorial classes have. I can switch most of my lectures at will and still not clash with my tutorial timeslots. This gives me an extra hour to sleep and feel better for the day ahead. Well, I have been allotted to T07, and a few familiar faces including Pris (who has been my classmate since last year), Ming Ting (another Year 1 classmate), Fiona and Lanna (from SSM last semester) and Hui Qi (my secondary 1 and 2 classmate). In HTM, the girls form the majority of the class with just a measly sum of five boys.

No doubt that this semester, especially the 1st half, is gonna be much much busier since I've got to contend with not only TP schoolwork, but also my Japanese classes. The JLPT 3 preparation course has been arduous, and I realized that I really need to study a whole lot more to get my stuff right. Not to mention swimming classes also. I dread the pool, and I dread drowning. I'd rather be killed in a war then to drown in the water. No matter, as the saying goes, "Die also have to go." So, no choice lor.

Just to update on what's the hype at Sentosa, I highly recommend those who like spooky stuff to visit the Sentosa Spooktacular at the Images of Singapore. Organized and managed by TP's very own Diploma in Leisure and Resort Management (LRM) students, it recreates Singapore's history into a spooky tale filled with ghouls and monsters hailing from myths and urban legends from the many cultures of Singapore. Even if you do not go in and just wanna drop by to take a look, don't worry, our frightful friends are always there to spook you till you scream and cry, even when you're in a queue. Spooktacular is still running for the last two days (30th and 31st Oct from 7.30pm to 10.30pm) and tickets go at $22 (not incl. the $3 Sentosa entry fee). I assure you, the 25 bucks you spend will definitely not only scare you out of your wits, but ensure you'll have a fun-filled Halloween experience. Here's a short video to spook things up a bit. *Update* Here's a 3-part series from Razor TV giving you a more frightful insight of what's actually going on inside.

 
I had my share of Spooktacular last Friday with my 1H01 regulars. Even from Imbiah Station where we alighted, the whole place had a eerie atmosphere, with ghostly tunes wheezing out of the speakers and as you slowly crawl to the site, spooky ghouls are waiting to welcome you at every corner. The whole Images of Singapore building had been converted into a haunted mansion, with the Grim Reaper, Chinese Vampires and Dead Japanese Soldiers patrolling the areas waiting to ensure that you cower and cry in fear. We didn't miss the opportunity to snap pictures with our favorite Pontianak, and the Victorian photo frame lady (she will ask you to repair her broken fan, and if you fail, be prepared to be cursed for eternity~~!! Muhahahaha). While on the queue, the craziest, crankiest and of course, scariest demon is out to scare those waiting to enter the Door of No Return. He made many girls cry! Too bad our group of 13 had to be split into two, and the boys naturally had to stick with the girls. The atmosphere inside had a stronger ghostly feeling compared to outside, and you felt as if something was there in-front, behind or even beside you. Gabriel accidentally kicked the Japanese soldier's bayonet, and we had to run and apologize at the same time. Throughout the whole journey filled with cries, screams and running. I found myself jumping together with the vampires and making spooky sounds with them! It was extremely fun for me, even though I'm not a person who is very courageous myself.


Alright to end off with a slightly less spooky note, it's the End of Year exam for the Primary and Secondary school kiddos, and the O' Levels for some of my friends. Good luck, revise well, and relax.....~~~~~~~~ You'll do fine :D

Nothing much to post tonight, just a random screen of my scout from an Arsene Circus Chateau de' Bourgogne raid two nights ago. Shall take a full family screen once the new musketeer hair is out next month.

In less than 2 weeks, I'll be back in class again. This time, I'm quite looking forward to my semester long stay at the Tourism Academy @ Sentosa. Well, not just being in the island is exciting enough, but the experience of learning in an environment which is serene, beautiful and full of life makes the long traveling time worthwhile.


Just for those who aren't so familiar, the Tourism Academy @ Sentosa is a collaboration by Temasek Polytechnic and the Sentosa Leisure Group, to train people specialized in the Hospitality and Tourism industry, and to impart them lifeskills which enable them to integrate into the global workforce smoothly. Open only to TP Students hailing from the Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management, the Diploma in Leisure and Resort Management and the post-graduate Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Business, the campus offers premier learning facilities including a training restaurant fully managed by students themselves. Just a stone's throw away from the Sentosa Express Imbiah Station, there is no other campus that is located on a resort island like Sentosa.

Won't you get excited just by reading that?!

Haha, school aside, this semester break I would say, were one of the busiest and active of all of the holidays I've spent before. I've already traveled overseas twice, went out constantly with friends, worked out at the gym on alternate days, crazily revising for my JLPT3, and now I'm burying myself in my driving theory test course books. I'll need to get things worked out for that by the end of next week. Hope I pass well!

The past two weeks were full of meet-ups plus our 1H01 regulars' Mid-Autumn Festival Get-Together at Charyl's house. Dinner was great, and we spent time chatting and watching television shows. The musician in George also inspired him to just play out a few random tunes on Charyl's piano. Not too shabby at all! Since I had to be at home early in the morning as one of the monsters was having tuition, I decided to not stay over and cabbed home instead.

Real life commitments aside, the gamer in me has had a good two months. I've started playing World of Warcraft with my classmates, with them peer-leveling (plvl) me to Level 18 by completing a few instanced raids. I must say WoW's game system is good, but I don't like the idea of having to control the movement of my character, which is a Blood Elf Warrior using the WASD keys. Even though there is a auto-run command I could use, I would still prefer clicking on a spot and just let my character run there. Another sticking point for me is the potting limitations. I can only use the potion to heal only ONCE per battle, which is plain dumb. How can your character survive if its health drops crazily in a flash of time, and that 1 measly potion can just heal a fraction of that damage it receives?! Graphics wise, nothing to say, but it's dated. Man...I'm considering discontinuing my subscription in November since classes are well underway. Coupled with the new workload, I don't think I can support another game like this except GE.

On the other hand, another game, Granado Espada, has also given me a fair share of headaches. Yes, it is very convenient to just press the spacebar and let your team of three AFK and gain experience, but I've gotten really bored of the gameplay. However, it is the convenience of the promising new updates I've seen in the Korean and Japanese servers which rolled out several new improvements and content. That alone makes me want to stay on despite the poor service rendered by my local game server licensor. Well, my characters are past the halfway mark to being master level, they have given me new motivation to carry on.

Sorry WoW, I just don't have the time to be on the screen for hours playing away, and that GE is the natural choice for me to stay on since I've been on it for 2 years already.

Next week's gonna be fun with the regulars heading down to Sentosa. And shit, I've got two trial tests for BTT to attend on Tuesday and Thursday before the real test on Friday. Man...

With so much things to cover over these two weeks, I'm trying to condense them into one single post.

As said in my last post, I received my exam results while I was at the Little Potala Palaca in Chengde. Here's the lowdown of my results:

It has been a bloody long six days since I've posted. Been pretty busy over the weekend due to my Penang trip. Shall continue on posting on my Beijing trip (Days 6-8). I thought of giving up posting it, but I felt it would be a personal milestone for me to complete things that I've always promised, but never done at all. So here goes.

DAY 6: CHENGDE - BEIJING
 
I was indeed glad to get out of that fucked up hotel, which ceiling crashed on my brother the night before. The hotel offered to pay a compensation of 200 yuan, and the manager of the local travel company, which Ms Su was from, personally came down to apologize and offered a bottle of red wine. We didn't want to make more trouble so we let the matter rest, since no one got hurt.

First up was to head down to the Imperial Summer Mountain Retreat (Bishu Shanzhuang). It was really cold in there, with winds giving my limbs the chill. We explored the outer palaces by foot, and then went up an electric tram for a trip round the whole area since it was very big (5.5 sq. km; covering one-third of Chengde's total land area). We visited Yanyu Pavilion, which was the filming site of Princess Pearl (Huanzhu Ge Ge) and also the Mongolian yurts. Ms Su explained that the yurts could only be used during the summer to autumn months by tourists, and when the weather gets cold, it could not be used at all due to the lack of heating.

Next, we went to the Little Potala Palace. Modeled after the real Potala Palace in Tibet, this structure has been scaled down to one-third of the size of the original one. We went in there to pray to the Buddha and made some donations to the temple. It was right after that that I received by exam results for this semester (shall cover that and more on my next post). After that, we ascended to the top of the palace, which wasn't an easy feat considering the number of steps and their steepness. The view up there, although nothing really spectacular, was one of mountains and trees. It gave me quite a soothing feeling as I like the countryside more than urban landscapes.

Thereon, we immediately proceeded to take our lunch at a local restaurant. Since we bought so much fruit in Beijing a few days earlier, we asked the restaurant to help cut and slice them into smaller pieces. I also gave some to our tour guides and driver as a small gesture. After bidding farewell to Ms Su, we hit the road again and spent a 3.5-hour journey back to Beijing. It was already time for dinner by the time we got back. Had Cantonese cuisine, which totally sucked. Returned back to the Great Wall Sheraton Hotel for the night. OMG, that fucked up hotel in Chengde can't compare at all to the comfort of this magnificent Sheraton.

DAY 7: BEIJING - TIANJIN - BEIJING

Woke up earlier at 6am, and then rushed down for a quick breakfast. We left the hotel on time for a two-hour journey by road to Tianjin, located south of Beijing. A bustling industrial port filled with history, Tianjin has its own sights and sounds, and has also undergone a major revamp before the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The city was filled with office towers and skyscrapers under construction and also avantgarde houses built during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when parts of the city were ceded as International concessions (meaning foreigners were not subject to Chinese sovereignty and law in these areas and foreign governments administered them). Upon arrival, we went to Tianjin's Cultural Street, a place filled with sweet sounds of the zither and noisy merchants selling traditional crafts from their shops. The people here are more polite and friendly compared to Beijing, as they even bothered to say, "Excuse me" when they wanted to overtake you. Here my pig sister got the zither that she wanted for ages for a fraction of the price that one could fetch in Singapore. I went with my god-mum to the nearby hypermarket and helped her carry a whole load of items back to the bus.

Lunch time quickly approached and we were taken to the Food Street (imagine Bugis Junction), which sold many local delicacies and they had many seafood restaurants. We were taken to one of them and I managed to taste the Tianjin Goubuli Buns, which tasted like our meat buns back here. Nothing really special actually. We boarded up the coach and headed straight to Tianjin Railway Station for our bullet train ride back to Beijing. It was really difficult to find a place to park the bus and let us off since it was very crowded and a mini traffic jam ensued. We had to enter by the other entrance, which was much more convenient. The whole railway station was rebuilt for the Olympics, and boasted clean toilets, modern and spacious waiting areas. Very quickly, it was time to board the bullet train. Called the Harmonious One (Hexie Hao) and with speeds up to 330km/h, the train swooped back to Beijing in around 30 minutes.

We proceeded back to the coach and went to Happy Valley, Beijing's very own theme park. Trust me, this is not a rip-off. Built in 2006 by overseas Chinese investors, Happy Valley has 6 themed areas including Shangri-La, Lost Maya, Aegean Harbor, Ant Kingdom, Atlantis and Wild Flord with 50 over rides. That would really put Hong Kong Disneyland to shame and posts serious competition to theme parks in South Korea and Japan. Since we only had one hour, we decided to take the most exhilarating rides, including the suspended roller coaster and vortex pirate ship. Looking at the tracks made me shiver, but the suspended roller coaster was superb, taking me over two overturned loops and wooshing down steep slopes. Trust me, it's that fun. Next up was the vortex pirate ship. So, what's the difference between it and a normal pirate ship? Well, you are sitting in a disc, much like to pendulum, and the central axis moves the disc forward and backward, while allowing the disc to turn and all...okay, this ride is not for the faint-hearted. I went almost 90 degrees and swooped down for another 90 degree dive while turning round and round. I came out literally @_@.

The hour passed by quickly and we went to the OCT Theater, located just outside the park to catch the Golden Mask Dynasty. Boy, the sets were splendid. With so many great effects and wonderful actors, they put up a show so good that the audience roared with applause. Too bad photography was not allowed in the theater. Proceeded for dinner and went back to the hotel after that. Day 7 was indeed most fun and exciting day I've had. With culture, cuisine, modern trains and fun at the theme park making a splendid day out.

DAY 8 BEIJING - SINGAPORE

In a flash a week has gone by and it was time to return home. I got to sleep in late and skipped breakfast. After washing up, we went to the nearby Hard Rock Cafe and got myself a cool Greenday T-shirt. Headed to the jackpot cafe for lunch, and drove to the airport by 12 noon. Check-in was smooth, with all the baggage settled. The worst part was during the security check. They found a water bottle in my grandma's bag, which I was helping to carry, took it out, threw it away and then sent for rescanning again. It was an awful long process and the security personnel took their own sweet time, one even asked a boy behind me whether he joined any racing competitions since a Tamiya race car was found in his bag. ~_~ Bought two books on the way to the gates. The flight back was pretty smooth, and I was enjoying watching Angels and Demons on my 13" screen, since it was a new plane. Had a birthday cake served to me during the flight. Food was good too. Arrived in Singapore at 10.30pm.

Well that marked the end of my 8-day stint in mainland China, well there were ups and downs. But having to pay only $783, it was considered quite a good trip overall.

In my next post, shall gonna talk about my exam results, regulars dim-sum outing and my Penang trip. Will post around midnight tonight. See ya all then.
 

Didn't bother to post yesterday since I was so tired after coming back from my Japanese replacement class, which ended at 10pm. It was already midnight when I reached home. Alright, gotta continue on typing out my diary entries for my Beijing trip, shall cover Days 3-5 today.

DAY 3 BEIJING (FORBIDDEN CITY/SILK STREET MARKET/WANGFUJING SHOPPING STREET)

It was Monday, and we had to wake up earlier in order to beat the morning rush hour. First up, the coach took us to Beijing Tongrentang, an established traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy which has over 60 international branches, not to considerable amount of branches in every major mainland Chinese city. Be warned, in almost every tour itinerary to China, they would take you to at least one of such medicine shops to rip you off. As usual, there would be a Professor talking to you about the differences between Western and Chinese medicine, followed by having a group of physicians volunteering to give you a free consultation, and with that tell you how "grave" the condition of your body is, and then charge an exorbitant price for the medical herbs you'll need to buy to brew the medicine. Well at least here in Beijing, it wasn't so coercive nor as forceful compared to other places I've visited.

Next up was to walk a few blocks to reach the Forbidden City. A famous symbol of China together with the Great Wall, the Forbidden City started construction in 1406 and was finished in 1420, under the orders of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty. After the Manchus conquered China and established the Qing Dynasty in 1644, the Forbidden City was made their imperial palace and the center of the dynasty's power. With the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC), after the Qing Dynasty was overthrown by the Xinhai Revolution led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen in 1911, the Forbidden City became open to the public as the Palace Museum, and has continued to stay that way until now. We entered through the Eastern Gate or Donghua Men, and to my horror were endless crowds of visitors trying to get into the Palace. Even though it was a working Monday, that did not deter the tens of thousands of visitors to throng into the Forbidden City. We took a look at many palaces located inside, and looked through the artifacts left behind by the dynasties of old. It makes me wonder, won't you ever get lost in there if you were the one living inside? We left by the Northern Gate and proceeded to have our lunch.

Lunch was at Quanjude Peking Barbecued Duck Restaurant. China's most famous chain of restaurants which serve mouth-watering Peking duck, I must say I never regretted tasting the duck even though I hate duck meat. In the end, we could not have enough of it so we ordered an extra duck for ourselves. Yum! After lunch was a short shopping stopover at the Silk Street Market (known as Xiushui Jie to the locals). It is a very popular shopping destination for foreigners trying to get cheap bargains. Well, I didn't really get anything from there since I wasn't very interested in the stuff they were selling. As evening came, we left the area for dinner. Nothing really special tonight, just the normal Chinese fare we have daily. After that, we were taken to Wangfujing Shopping Street, Beijing's equivalent to Orchard Road. It was such a pity that we only had 50 minutes to walk around. In the end we only went into a Nike outlet where that pig sister of mine got herself a S$75 bagpack. Now it's hanging on the dining chair unused. A total waste of money I would say. Returned back to the hotel for the night.

DAY 4 THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA/MING TOMBS/SHIMAO TIANJIE (to be updated later)

A very lazy morning began the day for me. I was already sick of the hotel breakfast since it was the same thing everyday. By 8am, we were up in the coach heading towards the Great Wall of China, China's foremost symbol, and arguably the only man-made structure able to be seen from space (traditionally - subject to change nowadays). After traveling for close to an hour, we arrived at Juyongguan Pass. The winds there were very strong and it was very chilly. A sudden gust of wind almost blew my hat away! We were given around 2hours to ascend to the end of this section of wall. The stone steps were extremely steep, and you will never want to look down while ascending. However, the view was superb once we reached the end. Got back down and I rewarded myself with an ice-cream stick, and a DVD video of the Great Wall.

Very quickly, it was already time for lunch. Went to some friendship store, famous for selling imported goods to tourists and the privileged communist party cadres during the mainland's period of socialist command economy, for lunch, tasting "Old Beijing Local" cuisine, consisting mainly of Zha-Jiang Mian (Minced Meat Noodles in Sauce), which is also very popular in Korea. However, it pales in comparison with the one I ate in Seoul a long time back. After lunch, it was time to head down to the Ming Tombs. Consisting of 13 separate tombs for Emperors and members of the imperial family of the Ming Dynasty, we visited the biggest and most well-known of all - the Tomb of Emperor Yongle, builder of the mighty Forbidden City and the emperor who ordered Admiral Zheng He's 7 voyages. Got to look at several artifacts consisting of utensils and other daily items made from Gold, Silver and Jade, which were used by the imperial family. Headed back to Beijing proper after that.

Upon reaching urban Beijing, we were taken to Yaxiu Market for another shopping stop, and we were given roughly an hour and a half or so. Again, nothing really interested me here, but I got myself a pair of sunglasses and some DVDs to bring back home to watch. Very quickly, we went to a Singapore-owned restaurant for dinner. OMG, I've begun to miss Singapore food after 4 days in the mainland, and the dishes were excellent! A little of curry, chill and spice did the job for a splendid evening. I'm sure almost everyone were happy to eat food from our own country when overseas for a while. Headed down to Shimao Tianjie, Beijing's newest shopping district after dinner. We only had a 10-minute photostop. Took some pictures of the area including the large digital screen hung on the ceiling. You must literally look up to see what was being shown there. Returned to the hotel for the night.

DAY 5 DESHENGMEN TOWER/CHENGDE

Ironically one of the most boring days but at the same time "interesting" I would say, with most of the time spent traveling to Chengde. Had to wake up extra early today, since we were leaving Beijing for another city. But first, we went to Deshengmen Tower, an old arrow tower which guarded the imperial capital of old. We were taken on a short introductory tour of the tower, and the guide there explained how imperial guards made use of the tower and what weapons were used. Finally we were ushered into a room where the people there sold us Pixiu (a mythical Chinese animal that is said to bring and protect wealth in addition to warding off evil spirits and bad luck). Well, since many Chinese including us believe in such things, my parents purchased a medium-sized statue and three necklaces. Well, I did not get one for myself since I didn't ask for one as I felt it was a waste of money. It was lunch after that at a local Chinese restaurant. After lunch, the coach drove us to a pearl factory which then sold us pearl jewelry and skincare products at exorbitant prices. It was almost 2.5 times more expensive than what we bought in Shanghai. Absolutely crazy. Went up the bus and took a 3.5 hour journey to Chengde, located in Hebei Province north of Beijing. Stopped halfway for a toilet break, and bought 3 packs of almond tea from the teacher raising funds for a local primary school. Doesn't hurt to do a bit of charity ya'see?

By evening, we arrived in the small Hebei city of Chengde. With a population of 400,000 mostly consisting of Manchu people, Chengde used to be the capital of the northern Rehe province (known popularly as Jehol in the west) when the Kuomintang (KMT) was in power on the mainland. It's home to the Imperial Summer Retreat or Bishu Shanzhuang and the Little Potala Palace, both of which we were going to visit the next day. Arrived at the hotel with the local tour guide, Ms Su, greeting us there. Despite being called the best hotel in Chengde, the hotel was so run down, and dinner was totally pathetic. Now here's the interesting part. The ceiling above my hotel room door totally collapsed when my younger monster brother opened the door. It totally shocked him and he started crying. We frantically called the hotel manager up, but she herself was too flustered to do anything. We decided to move out of that room and I bunked into another room instead. 

First post 2 days after my return from Beijing. The trip overall had ups and downs, and fatigued literally overcame me with all that unpacking to be completed. For the first time, I did a complete diary of my trip, shall post the 1st few days in this post. I'll be continuously updating this post as soon as I can get content out of my head.

DAY 1: SINGAPORE-BEIJING

Reached the airport at around 10.30pm in the evening. Was half an hour early. Couldn't find the tour agency's representative at the Group Check-in Counter, had to call her instead. Shortly afterwards, the area was jammed packed with people from both our and other tour agencies. Got the e-tickets from the representative and checked-in ourselves. Went up the plane just right before the gate closed. Since we were assigned to a 3-3-3-1 seating arrangement, the poor me had to sit alone with total strangers. The two beside me were an old Australian couple, they seemed to be very nice and warm, and I made some small talk during the duration of the flight. Watched Terminator 4 and listened to J-POP along the way. Breakfast was poached eggs and veal sausage with potatoes, which I thought was a light but delicious start to the day. Arrived in Beijing later than expected at 7.30am.

After clearing customs and claiming our luggage, we were whisked away by our tour leader, Edmund, to McDonald's, where the Tour Manager was attending to the other group members who arrived by an Air China flight an hour earlier. Had McChicken and Coke there (couldn't choose since breakfast was not meant to be paid by the Inbound TO). Went up the bus and swooped straight down to Tiananmen Square. Being a person who DOES NOT recognize the legitimacy of the "People's Republic of China" in accordance to the ROC's One-China Policy, I tried to avoid taking photos of state symbols, well except the famous Tiananmen Square Tower featuring Mao's portrait. It was really a long walk from the parking area to the square, and Grandma couldn't walk very far due to her knees.

Tiananmen Square was filled with people - walking, talking, squatting, spitting, you name it. After that, we took a short walk to Qianmen Street, Beijing's oldest commercial street, with a history dating back a few hundred years ago. The area was undergoing a massive renovation with old traditional shops mingling with modern outlets. Spent 10 minutes taking a look, and then boarded the bus which then took us to a Shaoxing-style restaurant. Shaoxing, a town in Zhejiang Province, in southern China, featured dishes which were similar we have back home. The rice was sticky enough, just the way I like it since I love Korean and Japanese rice. Afterwards, we headed down to the Temple of Heaven, which was a place where Emperors came to pray for good harvests. It was a long walk up before arriving at Qinian Hall (Hall for the Prayer of Good Harvests). Luckily, we remembered to bring down the wheelchair for Grandma, and she was seemingly comfortable as we pushed her along the way.

Before dinner, we were taken to a theater and watched an Acrobatics show. The performers were all minors, seemingly below 18. Watching them perform such difficult stuff makes me think how difficult life is for them, coming from poor families and having to undergo grueling training sessions. They performed splendidly and received an equal amount of applause from the audience. By the time we were out, it was already night time. We were taken to a Beijing Hotpot Restaurant for our dinner. To me, that dinner was the best of all, with so many of my favorite ingredients such as mutton, vegetables and mushrooms, coupled with the local Shaobing (Beijing local fried biscuit of sorts). The soup at the end of the dinner was thick and nice, and tasted as if it has been doubled-boiled. OMG, I'm salivating now...We were taken back to the hotel straight after dinner. Paying $783 per person (incl. tax) and staying 6 nights in a 5-star hotel such as the Great Wall Sheraton, was unimaginable. The room was great, beds were comfortable, and the bathroom was spick and span. By 10pm, I was so tired that I just fell asleep on the bed.

DAY 2 BEIJING (SUMMER PALACE, OLYMPIC PARK)

Although the morning call was 6.30am, I lazily lied in bed till 7. Had to quickly brush my teeth and shower, and then go down for breakfast. Breakfast was in buffet style, with both western and Chinese dishes available. Hopped onto the bus which then drove us to the Summer Palace, a huge estate whereby the imperial family would come over to stay to avoid the sweltering heat in the Forbidden City during the summer months. I can tell you this is one of the most beautiful places I've been to, and the view of Kunming Lake was spectacular.  After that, we zipped to the Olympic Park, went into and glanced at the imposing Bird's Nest National Stadium and the Water Cube National Aquatics Center. Again these two structures were filled with tourists, and it was very crowded. But they were indeed beautiful.

Next, we went to a Hangzhou-style restaurant for lunch and the dishes tasted pretty okay except the freshwater fish, which was filled with bones. After lunch, it was time to experience how the locals lived in Beijing. So the tour guide took us on a trishaw ride of the back-alleys or Hutongs of Beijing. In these alleyways many Siheyuans, or courtyard houses were built. Many Chinese leaders and the nobility used to live in these large courtyard houses. Paid the trishaw rider about 20 yuan for his services. As evening approached, we were taken to a restaurant which served imperial cuisine or literally the Emperor's meals (皇帝餐). Certainly the dishes served were not all that the imperial family had, but only a small fraction of a over one hundred dishes served per meal. Well to my disappointment, the food wasn't very fantastic. We boarded the bus again after dinner to the Red Theater, and caught a show called "The Legend of Kungfu: Chun Yi". It tells the story of a young boy abandoned by his mother, and raised in a monastery to become one of the strongest monk warriors to have ever lived despite many setbacks. The skills of the performers were excellent I can say. Returned back to the hotel after the end of the performance.

The entries of the next 6 days will be up latest by the end of the week.

Alright! I'm done with packing and watching this week's Naruto. In a flash and poof! 1 week just passed by like this. 6 weeks left for the holidays.

I spent the whole night yesterday to redesign this old Space of mine. Added stuff such as a Tag Board, Wish list in addition to rearranging the layout and using a whole new theme, with new headings altogether. I hope that it would improve both your and mine reading experience, and coming with it a more personal touch.

Today was quite a blast since I met up with my A03 buddies in the evening. It's becoming increasing rare for us to meet up and have a quick dinner together due to our conflicting schedules. The Polytechnic peeps are enjoying their holidays while the JC ones are mugging it out for their A' Level Prelims. Plus, with me going to Beijing for a whole week, I can't meet them during the September one-week break. Luckily today was good, and most of us didn't have anything on in the early evening. To make things convenient, Alson suggested that we go to Pasir Ris White Sands' Manhattan Fish Market, which all of us love. 

Even though it wasn't our first time eating at Manhattan Fish Market, the food was still as good as ever. Got myself a "Grade A Student Platter" which to my horror was hell of a big portion. Had country mushrooms, fish chunks, calamari rings, a bit of sauteed veggies, awesome butter rice, and a whole load of fries! In the end I got Alson to help me with it haha. The whole while was Pris and Steph blurting out crazy jokes from the "Your Mother is SOOO FAT/STUPID" series. All of us literally cracked up and ate at the same time. It was quite lucky that none of us choked on our food.

Next we went to the arcade upstairs, played 2 rounds of Daytona. Grrr...I was in the lead for both of the two rounds, but ended up getting knocked over by either Alson, Pris or Jarred. Well being 2nd and 3rd in place wasn't too bad. Pris, Jarred and Qianhui challenged me to Taiko no Tatsujin aka "Drums for Everyone". WTH?! I thought someone would take over me, although I ended up competing with the 3 of them. Lost to Jarred but I won Pris and Qianhui by a thin margin. My hands were seriously sore and red after we finished.

Well, no pictures today since I was too lazy to take my phone out to snap them. But today was indeed fulfilling. Hope to have more dinners and mini-outings with you peeps soon.

In less than 24 hours I would be in the skies flying towards Beijing. Actually, I consider this as more of a field-study trip than a holiday since my main objective is to observe how an outbound tour is carried out, rather than to sit back and relax all the time. I'm sure this would be a good experience for me with that extra know-how in the tourism industry. Alright then, see ya all on the night of my 18th Birthday! Until then, stay happy and stay healthy.