POST 677.

Wooo~ It's gonna be a new year soon~ This year, the resolutions will be on the new blog. So, sayonara~
Don't think I have the time and energy to update until 1st Jan, you see.

The calm before the sea...

One issue down, another pressing in against me and breathing down my neck. It's forcing me to fight back soon, very soon. I noticed I have been PMS-ing ALOT lately. Mood changes quite fast. I am assuming that this is due to the lack of comfort, security, work, and cold. Some how my temper just ain't as great as it was before. Die~ But then again, me being pissed doesn't come without a reason, it's just how easily I am pissed at something or someone. Find it harder to control my emotions these days.

I know the one issue that I might never be able to resolve so I am just gonna leave it to rot. If circumstances does not change, I suppose it meant that it would be time to walk away. One thing Felicia said that I thought is worth mentioning is that if one should find it hard to maintain a friendship, it might just be the hint/red light that it ain't gonna work out fine after all.

I never expected dreams to really come true; I suppose some dreams do come true. Whether would this be a sweet dream or a nightmare, I can only walk on, stay alert and look out for more signs. In time to come, I'm sure there would be a final resolution to these problems and worries.

I will cherish every moment I have with my friends and will do my best to make every moment worth it.

Results are gonna be released soon, very soon indeed. In around 2 weeks I believe. I wonder if would be able to take the pressure in the hall then. Then again, what's done is done. For now I can only hope that the dream that I had that I would get only 5 As would not come true. I really wanna get at least 7 As~ Please let that come true! Good luck to everyone and just a quick shoutout to everyone: hope that everyone will succeed in everything you do in the year to come (although that is highly not possible).

This blog will end its services from now, on post 677.

Jingwen: Terence is a dog. Clarence is a chinzilla. Yu Sheng is a fat cat. Jingwen is astroboy. Roy is a horse. Jermyn is a lion.

17/12/09 ...
Dreams 'bout her had turned out to be nightmares. The fear; I can't help but feel ever distant from her. This shouldn't be happening. I feel like I am grabbing on to a loose rope tied to a tree with no one at the other end. I am gonna drop into the cliff any moment and I don't know when... She feels like a stranger to me... The dream I had, I fear it would become a reality. I shouldn't have felt anger. I shouldn't have felt the need to walk away. Have I reached the limit to my tolerance?




Bitter.

I AM EXHAUSTED!
Holy maccaroni! Boy am I glad to be back at home. Two days at work and I actually think that I can get use to life like this. Seems like I should be able to survive one month as a cleaner after all.

First day at work was frightening as I do not know a single person and I had problems finding my way to the office. It is the second time I am there, but also first time I am heading there on my own. The first time being on the truck of the Senior Supervisor Azli to get my pass in Resort World Sentosa done.

I was arranged to partner along an uncle who will be guiding me along on how to do this and that. I am fortunate to know that he is actually rather friendly. He quite a lot throughout the whole and had a say in almost everything. Well, what can I say, he is old and it's natural for old people like him to be talkative. He talks rather softly though so at times I couldn't really understand his instructions and had to ask him to repeat them.

Work in the toilet was more of messy rather than just dirty. As there are no tourists coming in yet, the place is actually only occupied by the office workers and other staffs in Resort World Sentosa. However, there were the construction workers as well. The construction workers came in packs and did their business in the toilet with their muddy boots on. We had just mopped the toilet and right before our eyes it was distroyed. The floor was covered with muddy tracks. So apparently during my lunch time (11.00am) the head of the construction workers ordered the closest door leading outside where the construction workers are to be locked up so that we could no enter anymore. That kinda made things easier for us. When I mean us it actually includes 2 other Chinese Nationals. We also slacked occasionally as we sat on the benches in the changing room.

Day 2 at work was very smooth, except for the fact that I overslept and was late for work. I had forgot to set the alarm on my phone the night before and my father happily let me slept till it was 5.45am before he woke me up from my sleep. I rushed over to work almost immediately after I woke up but could not escaped from the fact that I was going to be late.

This time, I was paired with an auntie. She looks rather young but already has a daughter that is around my age already, around 2 years younger, according to her. She comes from the Fujian Province apparently and taught me how to slack on duty. She really looked after me well and kept telling me take a rest and seat down. I would sneak into a cubical and seat on the toilet bowl and slack now and then during work, and she would remind me to bring a cloth to cover up just in case a supervisor walks in.

Today's work was rather easy as the water supply was cut off for quite a few hours and thus we had to close off the toilet so that no one can enter to shit. Tough luck for them I would say. But it made the day boring as there was little things to do during this period of time. Guys can still pee as there is the urinal except they can't wash their hands. I had a great look into the girls toilet too and being a cleaner I am, I for once can enter the ladies openly. Not to worry, I am not some sick guy that likes to visit the ladies. I realised their have a special bin beside the toilet bowl for them to dispose of their padding. Okay guys. Don't have your mind wandering around after reading that. Don't be so sick.

So I ended off work happily, though exhausted today. Time passed very swiftly at work today, oh boy am I glad it did even though there was little things to be done.

On the general, the office staff of the building and my colleagues are rather nice and friendly towards me. I guess I put up quite a good impression on them. I would be working tomorrow still since it's not like I really do celebrate christmas. Working on a holiday means double the pay anyway, so why not?

Alright, that's all for today folks.
Ja-

CLARENCE IS WORKING!
AS A CLEANER!
AT THE IR! IN SENTOSA!

Yeap, you hadn't saw it wrong. I am working as a cleaner at the IR in Sentosa~ That means free rides in and out of Sentosa~ I believe they would pay for the ticket. Free season ticket I suppose~

I just hope it won't be too tough. Coz the grounds that I am required to cover seems rather great. The lady informed us in advance that it would possibly be more dirty in the first few days as construction is still undergoing, and there won't be any tourist yet. So I assume if I surive the first few days, the rest should be a breeze in comparison. Let's just hope so.

If all things goes well, I should be getting $1k at the end it all. It is $850 a mth, 6 day-work week and 8 hours a day, morning shift (7am - 3pm). I can see that I would be lying on my bed straight after work already. Hopefully not of course. Cause I plan to exercise maybe 3-4 times a week from now on. Running/jogging in the park - Choa Chu Kang Park - or perhaps basketball, which I would prefer more in comparison.

I wouldn't even consider the interview ealier this afternoon as an interview when they just asked me and Roy to fill up our application and sign the contract. And straight after that plans are made for us to be at Habourfront tomorrow to make our cleaner's pass. We should be starting work on Wednesday. Should I by some miracle have some energyleft after working I might drop by at Kellie's condo and gatecrash the X'mas Party.

So that's all for today folks. I know that I have yet to finish up on my holiday posts. But since almost nobody bothers reading it through thoroughly, it seems almost meaningless to carry on with it. Maybe I'll just upload the photos on facebook and provide the links some time tomorrow when I am free.

Ja~

PART II

Blogger's Note:
No worries 'coz from now on, the post would get relatively short (alright maybe except Day 1 in Jiangnan). Why, you ask? 'Coz Jiangnan trip was rather boring~ So on the whole after 4D4N in Beijing, China, we are moving off to Nanjing...

Beijing Day 5/Jiangnan Day 1 (Nanjing), 11th December 2009 (Day 5 of 10)
It's the last morning in Beijing, China! According to Lisa, our tour guide in Beijing, the weather forecast reported that it would most probably snow that day! Sadly, we missed the snow that really did fall that day...

We woke up at our usual time and started to pack our stuffs before we leave the room for breakfast. We left our luggage at the counter and were given tags to be used as a form of identification when retrieving them, and went off to have breakfast.

After breakfast we went back to the counter to retrieve our luggage, then I realise I had some how lost the identification tag! Oh gosh, I was frantically searching for it in all pockets I could find, but in futile. Luckily, they took our word for it and returned us our luggage. Phew.

We got on the mini-tour bus we had been travelling on all this while in Beijing and headed for the last site on our itinerary - De Sheng Men (得胜门).

貔貅
古书上说的一种凶猛的瑞兽。貔貅是以财为食的，纳食四方之财。中国传统是有“貔貅”的习俗，和龙狮一样，有将这地方的邪气赶走、带来欢乐及好运的作用。
- Courtesy of http://baike.baidu.com/

So there is actually 貔貅 (píxiū) exhibition going on there and so we went there in hope to bring some luck back to Singapore.

After that my family and I were seperated for the rest of the 2 families and the bus took us to the airport for our flight to Nanjing. It was a long wait. It was around 8am and our flight was at 2pm. Lisa had no choice as it was highly plausible that it would snow any moment, she dared not take the risk of getting us trap in the snow on the streets. She and the bus driver would have to pay for our flights should that happened and it ain't gonna be cheap for the two of them at all. And so we explored the Beijing airport and spent the next few hours there before we could check in.

The flight to Nanjing was a short 1 1/2 hour journey, the impression I got from the locals the moment I got down from the plane was bad, very bad. Oh gosh, they seriously have poor hygiene manners - they spit every where! There are litter everywhere on the streets as compared to the clean environment on the streets back in Beijing. The contrast I got from the two places was seriously almost unbelievable had I not seen it for myself. The toilets at the airport stinked like hell! Oh boy, do I miss Beijing already.

We were sent to the hotel by our tour guide, 小李, in Nanjing who would be following us throughout the 6/5 days in Jiangnan. There would be other local guides in each of the area/province we would be visiting and he would also be the local guide for Shanghai - our last stop in Jiangnan - too.

My family and I didn't had lunch that afternoon as it was seriously not within our means due to the time allocated for the flight and the snow that resulted in the early dismissal from the tour back in Beijing, we had to skip lunch. We were glad that time passed very smoothly on the bus trip from Nanjing airport to our hotel as the skies soon turned dark. Dinner was near.

After we had checked in to the hotel we put down our luggage in our room and left for dinner with the tour guide. Dinner was salty, very salty. Dinner was on Sichuan cousine and apparently Sichuan natives loves salty food. The taste was just too strong for us I guess, not really to our liking. My mother and aunt had lots of comments on their food too. I was rather embarrassed over that and sort of pissed when my aunt commented to the owner of the shop that the food would be a waste if they are not finished as they would have to throw them away. Like who are we to comment on their food when most probably it is to the liking of the locals and it is just the way Sichuan cousine is supposed to be.

We spent the night at Zhenbao Holiday Hotel and was warmly welcomed by the locals in the area. They had a fireworks display to welcome us! Okay.. that's just purely our inference. The fireworks display was just simply splendid. Oh how I loved it. That is definitely one thing you wouldn't get to see very often in Singapore except during National Day parades or Chinese New Year Celebrations.

That ends off our first night in Nanjing.

Jiangnan Day 2 (Nanjing/Wuxi/Suzhou), 12th December 2009 (Day 6 of 10)
So at night, our tour guide went back to the airport to pick up the 3 other families that would be joining us in this tour here in Jiangnan. The sequence of our trip that day in Nanjing is as follow:
Song Meiling's (宋美龄) house --> Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge (by coach), Confucious Temple --> Ming Great Wall.

宋美龄，1897年3月5日出生于中国上海，广东文昌县人（今属海南省）。父亲为富商宋嘉澍，与宋蔼龄、宋庆龄并称为“宋氏三姐妹”，毕业于美国威斯里女 子学院（Wellesley College,MA）。宋美龄是蒋介石的第3任妻子（亦说第4任，包括妾姚冶诚），中华民国时期的第一夫人，凭借孔宋家族的强力支援与美国留学背景，活 跃于政治、外交等领域，对近代中国历史与中美关系都产生了深远的影响。宋美龄于北京时间2003年10月24日5时17分在美国逝世，享年106岁。
- Courtesy of http://baike.baidu.com/

Confucious Temple is no temple, don't be mistaken. There used to be a Confucious Temple in the area but however it got torn down in later years and presently it is just a street selling lots of stuffs: local sweets, clothings, you name it.

Then we headed straight for Wuxi (无锡).
Here in Wuxi, the journey is as follow:
Lihu park --> Chongan temple --> Taihu View --> Pearl culture farm.
Wuxi = DULL
Nothing interesting happened today as far as my records show and after Wuxi we rushed to Suzhou for the night.

Jiangnan Day 2 (Nanjing/Wuxi/Suzhou), 12th December 2009 (Day 6 of 10)

TO BE CONTINUED ...

Whatcha Say - Jason DeRulo

[Chorus]
Wha- wha- what did she say
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmm that you only meant well?
Well of course you did
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmmm that it's all for the best?
Of course it is

[Verse 1]
I was so wrong for so long
Only tryin' to please myself (myself)
Girl, I was caught up in her lust
When I don't really want no one else
So, no I know I should of treated you better
But me and you were meant to last forever

[Hook]
So let me in (let me in) give me another chance (another chance)
To really be your man
Cause when the roof cave in and the truth came out
I just didn't know what to do
But when I become a star we'll be living so large
I'll do anything for you
So tell me girl

[Chorus]
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmm that you only meant well?
Well of course you did
Mmmm whatcha say, (whatcha say)
Mmmm that it's all for the best?
Of course it is
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmm that you only meant well?
Well of course you did
Mmmm whatcha say, (whatcha say)
Wha- wha- wha- wha- what did she say

[Verse 2]
How, could I live with myself
Knowing that I let our love go (love go)
And ooh, when I do with one chance
I just gotta let you know
I know what I did wasn't clever
But me and you we're meant to be together

[Hook]
So let me in (let me in) give me another chance (another chance)
To really be your man
Cause when the roof cave in and the truth came out
I just didn't know what to do
But when I become a star we'll be living so large
I'll do anything for you
So tell me girl

[Chorus]
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmm that you only meant well?
Well of course you did
Mmmm whatcha say, (whatcha say, whatcha say)
Mmmm that it's all for the best?
Of course it is
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmm that you only meant well?
Well of course you did
Mmmm whatcha say, (whatcha say, whatcha say)
Wha- wha- wha- wha- what did she say

[Verse 3]
Girl, tell me whatcha said (said)
I don't want you to leave me
Though you caught me cheatin'
Tell me, tell me whatcha said (said)
I really need you in my life
Cuz things ain't right, girl
Tell me, tell me whatcha said (said)
I don't want you to leave me
Though you caught me cheatin'
Tell me, tell me whatcha said (said)
I really need you in my life
Cuz things ain't right

[Hook]
Cause when the roof cave in and the truth came out
I just didn't know what to do
But when I become a star we'll be living so large
I'll do anything for you
So baby watcha say!

[Chorus]
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmm that you only meant well?
Well of course you did
Mmmm whatcha say, (whatcha say, whatcha say)
Mmmm that it's all for the best?
Of course it is
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmm that you only meant well?
Well of course you did
Mmmm whatcha say, (whatcha say, whatcha say)
Wha- wha- wha- wha- what did she say

Down - Jay Sean Featuring Lil Wayne

Baby are you down down down down down,
Downnnnnnn, downnnnnnn,
Even if the sky is falling down,
Downnnnn, downnnnn
Ooohhh (ohhh)

(Verse 1)

You oughta know, tonight is the night to let it go,
Put on a show, i wanna see how you lose control,

(Bridge)

So leave it behind cause we, have a night to get away,
So come on and fly with me, as we make our great escape.
[Down lyrics on http://free-mp3-lyrics.com]

(Chorus)

So baby dont worry, you are my only,
You wont be lonely, even if the sky is falling down,
Youll be my only, no need to worry,
Baby are you down down down down down,
Dowwwnnnnn, Dowwnnnnn,
Baby are you down down down down down,
Downnnnn, Downnnnnn,
Even if the sky is falling down,

(Verse 2)

Just let it be, come on and bring your body next to me,
Ill take you away, hey, turn this place into our private getaway,

(Bridge)

So leave it behind cause we, have a night to get away,
So come on and fly with me, as we make our great escape,

(So why dont we run away)

(Chorus)

So baby dont worry, you are my only,
You wont be lonely, even if the sky is falling down,
Youll be my only, no need to worry,
Baby are you down down down down down,
Dowwwnnnnn, Dowwnnnnn,
Baby are you down down down down down,
Downnnnn, Downnnnnn,
Even if the sky is falling down,

LiL Wayne
(Verse 3)
Even if the sky is falling down like she supposed to be,
She gets down low for me,
Down like her temperature, cause to me she zero degree,
She cold, overfreeze,
I got that girl from overseas,
Now she my miss America,
now can i be her soldier please,
Im fighting for this girl,
Im a battlefield of love,
Dont it look like baby cupid sent his arrows from above,
Dont you ever leave the side of me,
Indefinitely, not probably,
and honestly im down like the economy,
Yeahhhhhh

(Chorus)

So baby dont worry, you are my only,
You wont be lonely, even if the sky is falling down,
Youll be my only, no need to worry,
Baby are you down down down down down,
Dowwwnnnnn, Dowwnnnnn,
Baby are you down down down down down,
Downnnnn, Downnnnnn,
Even if the sky is falling down.

Blogger's Note:
During my stay in China, I recorded down certain events that happened each day on the writing paper provided at each hotel that I stayed in throughout the 10 days.

Beijing Day 1, 7th December 2009 (Day 1 of 10)

The flight took quite a toll on me as it was a lenghty 5+hours flight from Singapore - non-stop - to Beijing. I barely slept through the flight presumably because I was just too excited. On board the plane I was greeted with warm smiles from the air stewardesses. I got to my seat and settled down. I noticed that I got a good seat - I got a window seat and I could see the aircraft wing very clearly.

First thing I did was to grab the remote control stowed onto the handles of the seat and started to explore the controls. It has been quite a number years since I last flew on a plane. I was very eager to start exploring the games and movies they offer on the plane but was rather disappointed by the lack of choices. The games were old and rather dumb too. So instead I watched G-Force (which reminded me of someone) and it caught my interest. It was quite a cool show but was unexpectedly short somehow, or at least that was how I felt. I manage to catch a nap in between the flight for an hour or so, just so that I would have some energy to enjoy my first day in Beijing, China.

When the plane was above the clouds over mainland China and it was about 5.00am, I witness a beautiful scene through the window panel - the main advantage of a window seat. I saw the horizon. The sun was rising and at the edge of the clouds I could see a rainbow of colours. I supposed that would be something you would not get to witness in Singapore due to many factors which I shall not elaborate. It was just spectacular. I was very tempted to capture that moment down but the camera was not within my reach, sadly.

During the flight, I attempted to listen to music using my handphone (on OFFLINE mode) but was 'encouraged' by an air stewardess not to as it would affect the navigation system of the aircraft. That turned me off. I was embarrassed and at the same time bemused. They deny the use of handphones even though it might be on Flight Mode?! Gosh. Somebody explain why please?! I was reminded that Clara at least had her mp4 with her for company during her flight when the movies and games did not appeal to her and was frustrated for a moment over it. Oh well.

I was greeted by a VERY cold weather as I walked out of the airport to get on to the tour bus. Luckily I had sufficient fashion to add on to. Mind you, I had already 4 layers of clothing on. The bus journey to the hotel to pick up the other family that arrived the night before was interesting. Along the road I saw bald trees and other nature sights that were rather intriguing. These are sights that you won't get to experience in Singapore, mind you. A trip worth going after all, I thought.

Lisa, our tour guide explained the culture and answered many of our question with regards to Beijing and our trip during the bus journey and after we had picked up the other family, we headed for lunch. Lunch was horrible and it immediately gave me a bad impression of the place. I seriously hoped that the rest of the meals would be much better. As the weather was freaking cold - around 0 degrees Celsius - the food would not stay warm for more than 3 minutes, seriously. It was a buffet and the food tasted awful. The only edible food (exaggeration noted) was the fries (which reminded me of Sharon who mentioned during the class chalet the calories two small fries from McDonalds would offer - which apparently would not suffice in such a cold weather like that of in Beijing, China).

After lunch we headed down to 恭王府 and XiShui Street. It was an awesome experience. XiShui Street offered many fake goods that looked almost like original branded goods, seriously. Now I can understand why some said that the branded goods that KC have are fake products made in China as if I hadn't known beforehand, I would not be able to notice the difference.

I got a fake LV waller to replace my old and dirty Addidas wallet, that cost RMB50. I also got a hoody for RMB105, a pair of 'Converse' snickers for RMB80. The owners always give a crazy starting price like for example the Converse snickers, it started off with around RMB300 after that we slashed the price to RMB80. It's crazy on the whole. I suppose they just hope they could catch a big fish some how. The whole slashing-the-crazy-price-down experience was very interesting. That again would not be seen in Singapore; uniquely China I suppose.

We also watched awfully exciting acrobatic performance! It was splendid like seriously. It just so happens that Derrick watched the exact same performance in Shanghai during his trip as I later found out. It was really awesome and thrilling. I liked the last part the most where 6 motorbikes went round and round and round inside a metal sphere cage. 360 degrees and all sorts of other stunts. Can you imagine that?! I doubt so. Oh well. While we waiting for the show to start I took a nap and meanwhile, we were also waiting for the arrival of a couple that would be arriving and joining us on this tour too. (This couple would be highlighted again in later date.)

Dinner was rather crappy on the whole. Nothing spectacular and it followed on in a similar pattern in terms of the dishes served in the later days in Beijing, China. It was supposed to be called Emperor's Banquet, but it didn't taste anything like that.

For photos, click here.

Beijing Day 2, 8th December 2009 (Day 2 of 10)

Breakfast at Crowne Plaza (北京新云南大饭店) was excellent. That brought me some hope that the meals to come would be better after a poor experience on Day 1. We were arranged to set off at 7.30 am and morning call was set at 6.30 am, however we woke up earlier so as to get ready - 5.30 am. Imagine that, having to wake up so early in the morning even though it is the school holidays and you are going to be running around all day long, in addition from the lack of sleep during the flight.

We headed for Summer Palace (避暑山庄 or 颐和园) that morning. How beautiful it is? Follow up with the photos taken duh?! I liked the Long Corridor best as there were plenty of drawings of the old tales like 西游记 and some others. The scenery is just magnificent.

It served as a summer resort for Empress Dowager Cixi, who diverted 30 million taels of silver, said to be originally designated for the Chinese navy (Beiyang Fleet), into the reconstruction and enlargement of the Summer Palace.

Courtesy of Wikipedia.org.

So after the walk we had lunch a native restaurant. The food was very simple and plain, so much so that I would give it a poor too; however, better than the lunch yesterday. There was a dance performance put up for us too which was kinda crappy and the stage was very big and the 3 dancers were widely spread across the stage and there were only another tour other than ourselves that was present. The dancers were like starring into mid-air as there wasn't a crowd.

After lunch we went snow skiing! It was a replacement for some amusement park that would not be able to get 50% of its machines functioning in this weather. It was quite an experience on the whole. When I first stepped into the 'village' the weather and winds shooked me very badly. It was just too cold! Then the crowd that surrounded the tour shocked me. The crowd was made up of Chinese trainers that were waiting to be hired. It costs RMB 200 per trainer and I was very reluctant to hire one especially after the overwhelming treatment that I recieved from the trainers. They practically stick to you like leeches hoping to be hired and it was really a frustrating sight. The lack of sleep caused me to be in a rather foul mood to take such nonsense and I thus was very determined to just fool around by myself, without the help of a trainer.

The trainers sticked around and offered to help you with the equipments free of charge. But of course, we all know where this was heading too. I was still in a foul mood and was very reluctant to recieve help from them. Things just keep getting better. (Note: Sense the sacarsm.)

After being equipped, one of the trainers guided me some where close to the edge of slope. I was definitely not ready and being in a foul mood, I wasn't thinking well. I had initially decided to stay around the flat surface and yet that freaking b*tch just had to bring me to the edge. So when she release her hand from mine, as she was helping me to stand upright, I couldn't control my movements and slided down the slope. I could not control where I was going and I could immediately identify the effects of adrenaline.

Damn that bitch, I am so darn sure she had did it on purpose just so to get hired, to make me look like a fool. It could have cost me my life! Well, slightly exaggerated. Luckily, I titled my body and allowed myself to lean against the slope when I realised that the trip down the slop ain't going to be a nice experience, and so I stopped in my tracks.

I took off the gear and managed to climb back up the slope. Meanwhile, my mother was apparently convinced that they should hire them to teach us. I was very mad actually. I was on the verge of screaming. Very mad. When I reach the top, I saw my father walking into the hut-like building with some trainers and I knew what was going to happen. And so I screamed across and told him to stop what he was going to do and threatened to take off my gear and just rot in one corner instead. Deep down I know that I cannot. Cause no matter what, it isn't their fault; it was that freaking trainers fault. I gave in and thus started my 1 1/2 hour of snow skiing lesson.

The whole experience was tiring and I could barely feel my legs after the whole 2 hours. I was very unwilling initially and being the forgetful person I am, the matter was thrown at the back of my mind during the lesson most of the time. I seriously felt cheated of my money and pride. I had made it very clear that I would not be using any trainers to help, in the end I had to swallow my anger and unhappiness and pride.

So after the snow skiing, we headed for the Olympics Garden (奥林匹克公园)! The Olympics Garden consists of the Water Cube and Bird's Nest! That ends off the day's itinerary which is rather tiring. Thank goodness we got to end off the day early.

For photos, click here.

Beijing Day 3, 9th December 2009 (Day 3 of 10)
First on the itinerary today would be 北京明皇蜡像馆. It showcased the rise of the Ming Dynasty to its fall through wax figurines. At each exhibition, it would show a scene of the life of a particular Emperor, portraying and sending a certain message across to the viewers on how great/good or bad a particular Emperor was.

As we had to pay a fee of RMB10 to get the licence to take photos of the exhibitions in the wax museum, I took plenty so as to not waste money. So that would be followed in the photos at the end of this section.

After learning of the history of the Ming Dynasty through the wax figurines, we had lunch. Lunch was excellent as we had hotpot! 涮羊肉，牛肉，鸡肉，猪肉. The mutton and beef were excellent on the whole. I had a very enjoyable lunch that day. I will definitely missed that now that I am back in Singapore. I was actually preparing for the next activity, you see. You would need lots of energy for the next activity as our next destination would be the Great Wall of China! We were going to visit the Great Wall at Juyong Pass.

The scenery was very nice but however, as the Wall was very steep and the climb was really very tiring - not to forget the weather was very cold too - the tour stopped at the 1st fort from the pass at our own timings.

不上长城非好汉。This was said by Mao Zhe Dong (毛泽东). During my trip to the Great Wall at Juyong Pass a Chinese National said this, "不知这句话害了多少人。" I thought it was rather funny and kinda cute. It's rather true. I truly wonder how many people risk their lives and push themselves to the limits just to fit the criteria of a hero. Along my journey up the first fort, I saw many signs with grammar mistakes and many writings/carvings of those who were there before too. I was very tempted to carved my name down too but didn't have the necessary items and so I dismissed the though. And about the grammar mistakes, I captured them on camera so that everyone can have a good laugh at them.

For photos, click here.

Beijing Day 4, 10th December 2009 (Day 4 of 10)
Okay! Early in the morning we headed of the Temple of Heaven (天坛)! The scenery was spectacular! If you should see the album for this you would notice I tried to capture the sun in the sky. It was very very tiny, seriously tiny. It had barely any effect on the temperature and the weather was just cold as usual even with the sun up in the sky.

The elderly are really very active in Beijing, or rather the elderly in China on the whole. They wake up very early to work out, to exercise or do street dancing. Yeap, they call it street dancing over there. It's similar to line dancing in Singapore but they just happen to have different names. They also play a lot of chapteh over there, the elderly especially. They also have a very interesting game that looks like tennis just that it the racket is smaller, the ball is lighter and maybe something else which I can't recall.

Then after that we had lunch at Quan Ji De (全系得 - unsure). We had Peking Duck! Supposedly it is known to be nice which turns out to be a false opinion. Or at least we didn't feel the same. Only a small portion of the Peking Duck was served and thus maybe that was why we didn't not get to enjoy the full taste of this well-known dish. Or it could be because it just didn't suit our tastebuds.

After Peking Duck it is time for the second highlight of the trip after the Great Wall - the Forbidden City (故宫/紫禁城)! But before that it was Tian An Men Square which was near the Forbidden City. I took plenty of photos that day too. Did I mention that I am supposed to be the camera man for trip? Okay, that's extra information. So anyway the photos would most probably relate better then through the use of words given my limited vocabulary.

After both sites we hop onto a tricycle and went on a Hutong tour of about 15 minutes. Then we had dinner. During dinner, some thing interesting happened! Remember the couple I mentioned? I would have never realised how small Singapore or the earth until that day. The guy is called Alvin Yong and he is a teacher. That's not the big deal, not at all. The deal is that he is a Chemistry teacher of AJC. Like 'WOW!' My father had heard before dinner that Mr Yong is a teacher and so he was just going to confirm what he had heard. Personally when I heard that he is a teacher I was rather surprise and was very tempted to ask which school does he teach in but was very hesitant. Lucky for me, my father initiated the conversation topic and revealed the unexpected.

So I actually asked him on one of the weird questions that was in the O level paper.

The question was: How does a hydrogen fuel works?

If I'm not mistaken, or something along that line.

In which he gave me his explaination/answer: The reaction between hydrogen and oxygen is a spontaneous reaction. Hydrogen loses elections at the hydrogen electrode to the oxygen electrode and the electron flow creates a current.

So he also further explained that why the electrons flowed from the hydrogen electrode to the oxygen electrode was because of some electrical potential or something, which I can't recall anymore.

Anyway, that's the side dish. Cause the main deal is that it's a small world and I was on a holiday with my future Chemistry teacher (that is I if get into AJC). It felt really very cool.

I never knew you could use tea bags to relieve dark eye rings (panda eyes) until that day too. My sister was using them herself which kinda work. So girls out there, you found the recipe and might as well try it out the next time to stay up late for a number of days. It reminded me of Sharon's fake cuccumber that she used during the Choir Camp so that she would not have panda eyes the next day for Prom.

For photos, click here.

Beijing Day 5, 11th December 2009 (Day 5 of 10)

TO BE CONTINUED...

06.12.09 (12th December 2009)

Replay by IYAZ Lyrics

Shawty's like a melody in my head
That I can't keep out
Got me singin' like
Na na na na everyday
It's like my iPod stuck on replay, replay-ay-ay-ay (2x)

Remember the first time we met
You was at the mall wit yo friend
I was scared to approach ya
But then you came closer
Hopin' you would give me a chance

Who would have ever knew
That we would ever be more than friends
We're real worldwide, breakin all the rules
She like a song played again and again

That girl, like somethin off a poster
That girl, is a dime they say
That girl, is a gun to my holster
She's runnin through my mind all day, ay

Shawty's like a melody in my head
That I can't keep out
Got me singin' like
Na na na na everyday
It's like my iPod stuck on replay, replay-ay-ay-ay (2x)

See you been all around the globe
Not once did you leave my mind
We talk on the phone, from night til the morn
Girl you really change my life
Doin things I never do
I'm in the kitchin cookin things she likes

We're real worldwide, breakin all the rules
Someday I wanna make you my wife
That girl, like somethin off a poster
That girl, is a dime they say
That girl, is the gun to my holster
She's runnin through my mind all day, ay

Shawty's like a melody in my head
That I can't keep out
Got me singin' like
Na na na na everyday
It's like my iPod stuck on replay, replay-ay-ay-ay (2x)

I can be your melody
A girl that could write you a symphony
The one that could fill your fantasies
So come baby girl let's sing with me
Ay, I can be your melody
A girl that could write you a symphony
The one that could fill your fantasies
So come baby girl let's sing with me

Ay, na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Shawty got me singin
Na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na
Now she got me singin

Shawty's like a melody in my head
That I can't keep out
Got me singin' like
Na na na na everyday
It's like my iPod stuck on replay, replay-ay-ay-ay (2x)

Replay - I.Y.A.Z




Was at Bukit Timah playing pool with Roy, Shaun (TAY) and Zheng Yang yesterday. They had to pay $2 membership fee; lucky for me I'm already a member and brought my membership card along. If we had known we would have went to Bukit Timah Plaza to play instead.

Then after that Shaun accompanied me to Bugis Street to settle some things. After I'm done, we went to ILUMA. Wow! The place is awesome! The LAN Gaming Centre and Arcade are wonderful! Good quality stuffs man! And they are hiring! So I'm thinking if possible, I'm gonna work there after I have returned from my China trip. I am quite certain the pay would be good, you see. So I'm not gonna let such a wonderful chance slip by.

***
Gonna fly in like 8 hours! I'm already starting to feel home sick. Can't bear to leave this place. Awww~ Especially after what happened last night. The situation right now isn't exactly fantastic either. It doesn't feel like the right time to fly at all. Let's just try out Sharon's way of doing things, "Some times leaving things as it is may not be the best solution, but it's for the better."

I know you peeps out there would miss me! I'll miss you all too! The whole packing that's going right now in my house is making rather messy. So many things to pack. That doubles my reluctance to fly.

It is the first time I'm flying to somewhere with 4 seasons and it just so happens that I might experience true winter during my vacation in China. There's gonna be snow! Or rather hopefully - and possibly - there might be snow. Either way, I can't wait to play in the snow and have snow fights! It would be like a dream come true! I have always seen such scenes on TV, this time it's gonna be for real! Can't help but feel anxiety! There are butterflies in my stomach after saying so much!

And so I am stuck between homesick and my adventurous spirit!

Then again, this could be a good time to escape from all my worries, and when I'm back, I might just have better ideas on how to resolve everything. Wait for me! Stay strong and keep yourselves safe!

I will be back on 17.12.09 peeps. So till then! Sayonara! Remember to miss me!

P.S: Hope that HoeXian/Sharon can get the Chrismas Party rolling soon before I return! By the time I return, all I'd need to say is "I'm going!"

P.S.S: Can't wait to find work after my trip to China too!

The words we attach to our experience become our experience - Tony Robbins

TRIO!

I cannot choose what I can't control, but I know what I can: work hard and believe that one day, the sun will shine on us.

I SEEM TO BE REMEMBERING MY DREAMS MORE OFTEN LATELY...

I had a dream last last night (well, it was actually in the morning as I woke up and went back to Lala-land in the early morning) and in that dream I received a SMS from [her] asking about me, being concerned that I have not been talking to her for quite awhile now. But I knew it couldn't be for real, coz she would never do so... It wouldn't bother her, my absence, not at all. Possibly not even a single pang of guilt struck her, not for a moment. No doubt. All those times and lies, I believed that maybe there would be some friendship still. But I guess I was wrong. Awfully wrong.

Then last night, I had another dream ...

In this dream I was visited by a group of close friends and other friends. It caught me by surprise as I had not expected a visit apparently, well, that's how I felt in that dream. Then a certain some one walked up to me and handed me a letter. That really caught me by surprise. A letter coming from that friend; I had to be dreaming.

The contents of the letter? I remembered it like an hour ago, and as it was a dream, I had forgotten about it already... Well, I do remember the rough idea of the contents, but like how it had been for the other dream ... if pigs could fly, then maybe it would come true.


P/S: I don't like your Personal Message (PM) one bit. Not at all. In fact, I am very put off by it... Sorry.