We have a guest writer for today.
Me
a guinea pig chemistry faculty exchange student at National Taiwan University who has 20hrs of lessons per week
My room
106台北市大安区辛亥路三段30号 国青宿舍201号房
My roommate
22 years old, studying Chinese, translation and 台語 in NTU;
exchange student for 1 year who has been here since September 2007 and can speak Chinese rather fluently;
a genuine 宅男, who can spend his weekend playing retro games like FF7 on the laptop, reading a lot of comics and watching a lot of animes;
enjoys talking about the history and culture of China and Japan and his favourite political figure is 孫中山;
drinks;
drinks his tea noisily;
very passionate about politics and supports the 民進黨 (he puts the 國名黨 election flags in his shoerack);
dun like to turn on the air con even when it is damn hot;
makes small talks with girls but generally ignores guys and put up posters of cute Japanese cartoon meimeis;
plays the guitar and has performed at numerous events even though I have never heard him play before in the room;
don't turn off the lights when he wants to sleep bcos he’s afraid it will be too dark for me;
types on his keyboard damn hard and loudly;
wears a Taiwan No.1 shirt to sleep and will leave me a message whenever he is not coming back to sleep.
But…despite of all the seemingly negative opinions, I’m very glad I got him as my roomie mainly because we give each other a lot of personal space and I learnt a lot about his culture!
I cannot eat in the room, video call too long, stay up too late bcos he will throw things and bang the door loudly as a way of expressing his disapproval and displeasure;
super absent-minded, goes out of the room and never fail to come back again bcos he forgot something;
sleeps when playing computer game (c/f above);
snores like a pig at times;
locked me out several times even when I'm just going out of the room to bathe or refill my bottle for just 1 min;
force me to bring my keys along even if I need to leave the room and pee for 3 mins;
low level of tolerance for noise;
dashed out of the room and sputtered some Japanese vulgar at the crowd cheering for Man U during the Champions League Finals bcos they were making too much noise;
takes up all the space in the room and leaves all the spoilt things for me; and
I had a hard time accommodating someone who only expects people to accommodate him.
(Bottom section was written by me)
Me
a guinea pig chemistry faculty exchange student at National Taiwan University who has 20hrs of lessons per week
My room
106台北市大安区辛亥路三段30号 国青宿舍201号房
My roommate
22 years old, studying Chinese, translation and 台語 in NTU;
exchange student for 1 year who has been here since September 2007 and can speak Chinese rather fluently;
a genuine 宅男, who can spend his weekend playing retro games like FF7 on the laptop, reading a lot of comics and watching a lot of animes;
enjoys talking about the history and culture of China and Japan and his favourite political figure is 孫中山;
drinks;
drinks his tea noisily;
very passionate about politics and supports the 民進黨 (he puts the 國名黨 election flags in his shoerack);
dun like to turn on the air con even when it is damn hot;
makes small talks with girls but generally ignores guys and put up posters of cute Japanese cartoon meimeis;
plays the guitar and has performed at numerous events even though I have never heard him play before in the room;
don't turn off the lights when he wants to sleep bcos he’s afraid it will be too dark for me;
types on his keyboard damn hard and loudly;
wears a Taiwan No.1 shirt to sleep and will leave me a message whenever he is not coming back to sleep.
I cannot eat in the room, video call too long, stay up too late bcos he will throw things and bang the door loudly as a way of expressing his disapproval and displeasure;
super absent-minded, goes out of the room and never fail to come back again bcos he forgot something;
sleeps when playing computer game (c/f above);
snores like a pig at times;
locked me out several times even when I'm just going out of the room to bathe or refill my bottle for just 1 min;
force me to bring my keys along even if I need to leave the room and pee for 3 mins;
low level of tolerance for noise;
dashed out of the room and sputtered some Japanese vulgar at the crowd cheering for Man U during the Champions League Finals bcos they were making too much noise;
takes up all the space in the room and leaves all the spoilt things for me; and
I had a hard time accommodating someone who only expects people to accommodate him.
(Bottom section was written by me)
香山·夏 I was watching the news on CCTV last night and I saw Premier Wen Jia Bao on the tv.
For a moment, I thought he look like someone I know....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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CFJ & Kwame
Hoho.
PS: Mr CFJ and Dr Kwame are our Senior Lecturers in Real Estate, NUS.
PPS: That's the African President.
A poster at a newspaper booth in Wudaokou.jpg)
I was going to the canteen to eat and the students were distributing these flyers and calling 饭后 捐血!.jpg)
不能靠近你, 但要温暖你清华师生热血献灾区
These are the blood donation buses going around the city
These are the blood donation buses going around the city
I've been watching the news these few days and it was very encouraging to see the Chinese people so enthusiastic in helping the vicitms of the earthquake; donating blood, donating money, writing songs and poems to express their sorrow and condolences, some even went as far as volunteering in the rescue team, in the hospitals and adopting the kids who lost their parents in the disaster.
我要捐血! 我要捐血! 我要捐血!
One of the many enthusiasts filling up the form.jpg)
I brought back memories of the beautiful sceneries in Sichuan but just 1 week after I left, the place is totally destroyed. Families torn apart, buildings razed to the ground and the lives of the friendly Sichuan people with their funny Sichuan accent which I enjoy imitating are disrupted. I was at Mt Qing Cheng and Dujiangyan 2 weeks before the earthquake struck. I passed by the worst hit areas of Wenchuan and Maoxian on my way to Jiuzhaigou 2 weeks before the earthquake struck. I passed by Wolong too and I wonder if the silly pandas managed to escape. If I had come back slightly later, I might not be here anymore.. I couldn't find the donation boxes so I did thought of donating blood. However, by the time I got back to the bus again the person said the blood bank was already full. What a huge contrast to the situation in Spore. Here, people rush to donate their blood. Back at home, people had to go onto the streets to beg other people to donate. 
Half-mast in Tsinghua
Half-mast everywhere
I decided to go Tiananmen today as it was the first day of the national mourning for the earthquake victims. I didn't expect it to be such a grand affair!
CCTV van and crew on standby reporting live from Tiananmen Square
I managed to squeeze my way in just behind the 2 guys holding the China flags
They held up their hands like this for quite long as the photographers behind snapped away furiously. Looks like I got a pretty good spot.
Oh jeez I might appear on China tv or some parts of my head might appear in the China press tmr
天府广场默哀仪式.jpg)
I was here 18 days ago before the earthquake struck on 0512.
Chengdu residents hand in hand shouting "中国加油 四川雄起!"On 19 May 2008 14:28pm, (1 week exactly after the earthquake) the whole of China comes to a standstill, observing 3 mins of silence while air-raid sirens blared and motorists stopped their cars and honked their horns. All flags were lowered at half-mast throughout the country and at Chinese embassies and missions overseas. All public cultural and entertainment activities are halted during the 3-day national mourning period. Major Chinese websites such as CCTV and the logo of baidu are in black and white. The video I took is too large to be uploaded here. Go here for a complete coverage of the mourning across China.
As soon as the 3 minutes of silence was over, the crowd burst into chants of 中国万岁! 四川加油! while punching their fists into the air.
I was standing on tip-toe all the time. Amidst all the chaos, I have no idea wad I was shooting.
汗水、泪水、鼻涕全都有I am truly in awe with their level of patriotism for their country. Look at the lady leading the crowd in 中国万岁! She looked really emotional.
Climbing up to get a good shot
散场了 ("让我们化悲痛为力量 一起重建家园...")
A tragedy which took away more than 35,000 lives but united the hearts of 1.3 billion people. This is truly an unforgettable experience.
u know i have picked up some unhealthy practices here
spitting?
haa
no la!
i take bus never pay money
cut Q (sometimes)
print notes also never pay money run away
its quite unbelieveable i actually didn't pay money for the notes i printed
i felt like a thief
haha
can don't pay meh? i think in sg not u don't want is u cannot
ya cos the shop very small then its manual one. got people collect money from u after u print
that day very crowded i was waiting for people to come and take money from me but no one came cos they were too busy
so i ran away haha
hahaha
jialat la u
n they never check how many pages we print
they ask me how many pages instead
so i said 36
then the girl asked 20?
then i nod my head
haa
i smoked through many times ler
hahaha
u seriously don't come back chut stunt
i feel very 丑陋 now
haha
still dare to say
i think im becoming bui buibui
when i first came here i couldn't finish the rice
now i can finish everything
hahaha
u convert into ah tiong already
eh i don't spit ok
haha
i scared u come back speak like one
ya
i will do that to irritate u all
then we will kick u out of the group and u can join -- & --
nooooooooooooooooooo
spitting?
haa
no la!
i take bus never pay money
cut Q (sometimes)
print notes also never pay money run away
its quite unbelieveable i actually didn't pay money for the notes i printed
i felt like a thief
haha
can don't pay meh? i think in sg not u don't want is u cannot
ya cos the shop very small then its manual one. got people collect money from u after u print
that day very crowded i was waiting for people to come and take money from me but no one came cos they were too busy
so i ran away haha
hahaha
jialat la u
n they never check how many pages we print
they ask me how many pages instead
so i said 36
then the girl asked 20?
then i nod my head
haa
i smoked through many times ler
hahaha
u seriously don't come back chut stunt
i feel very 丑陋 now
haha
still dare to say
i think im becoming bui buibui
when i first came here i couldn't finish the rice
now i can finish everything
hahaha
u convert into ah tiong already
eh i don't spit ok
haha
i scared u come back speak like one
ya
i will do that to irritate u all
then we will kick u out of the group and u can join -- & --
nooooooooooooooooooo
独自在成都的最后一天,
却是我在这十天里最快乐的一天.
即使童话世界有多美丽,
川剧有多精彩,
我也宁愿不曾在这里.
之前一直很想离开北京市,
现在恨不得赶紧回北京去.
天府广场·成都
02052008 7.20pm
文殊院·成都
五花海·九寨沟
Jiuzhaigou is a great masterpiece of nature with dreamlike scenery and abundant natural resources. It combines blue lakes, waterfalls, verdant forests, snow-covered mountains, and the folk customs of the Tibetan and Qiang people. Hidden in the mountains 3000m above sea level, it has been known as "童话世界" (utopia) or "人间天堂" (paradise). It is not enough to visit this place once as each season is equally beautiful.
春韵九寨 浪漫天堂
夏情九寨 梦幻天堂
秋诗九寨 多彩天堂
冬韵九寨 晶莹天堂
Legend has it that long, long ago the deity of mountain named Dago had a crush on the goddess Semo, and he gave a mirror that was made from wind and clouds to the goddess. However, the devil appeared and created trouble for Semo. Inadvertently, Semo broke the mirror into 108 pieces, which fell down to the earth and turned to 108 colorful lakes. Be prepared to see the most beautiful sceneries that u can ever imagine ahead!
The plan was to go all the way up to the top right hand corner of the map (原始森林) and then view the sceneries as we come down. Stop at the middle (诺日朗) for lunch, then move on to the left side of the map. Proceed all the way down, past 诺日朗 again and down to the entrance.
My first time seeing snow-capped mountains!
I was aware of the vast temperature difference in the morning/night and afternoon and had wanted to bring an additional sweater along but decided against it bcos it was rather smelly and dirty from last night's Tibet dinner. Bad decision. It was so cold I couldn't even stand straight or talk properly. I was freezing at 3060m above sea level and there were people calling out to me "Very cold hor? Come la, we got clothes on rent! Come la! Wear already not cold anymore, very warm one!" Kanna sai...
The primeval forest felt like lord of the rings. It looked like it has been there since the earliest of times, superbly silent.
镜海/Mirror Lake
天鹅海/Swan Lake
Gorgeous
动物饮水通道/Passage for animals
I overheard a worker saying she has seen tigers and pandas around here.
Breath-taking~
熊猫海/Panda Lake
When u peer into the lake u can see black and white, like the eyes of the panda, hence the name Panda Lake
Can u see the carps?
金铃海/Golden Bell Lake
I bet u can never see such crystal clear blue waters anywhere else on earth
珍珠滩/Pearl Shoals
天鹅海/Swan Lake
Gorgeous
动物饮水通道/Passage for animalsI overheard a worker saying she has seen tigers and pandas around here.
Breath-taking~
熊猫海/Panda Lake
When u peer into the lake u can see black and white, like the eyes of the panda, hence the name Panda Lake
We were highly anticipative of the Panda Waterfall as we were jokingly expecting pandas falling off the cliffs. However when we got here, there wasn't any water at all, needless to say pandas! 好失望!!
Can u see the carps?
金铃海/Golden Bell Lake
I bet u can never see such crystal clear blue waters anywhere else on earth
珍珠滩/Pearl Shoals
诺日朗瀑布/Nuorilang Waterfall
Nuorilang refers to a male diety in Tibetan language and also means 'grand and magnificent'. When the sun shines in the morning, flowery rainbows can be seen on the waterfall.
Lunch time!
They only have buffets at exorbitant rates of 50, 90 and 120 yuan. A decent meal at tourist attractions cost 15 yuan which is considered expensive already.
They only have buffets at exorbitant rates of 50, 90 and 120 yuan. A decent meal at tourist attractions cost 15 yuan which is considered expensive already.
Even instant noodles cost a whopping 15yuan! That's 4 times the amount in supermarkets! I refused to eat anything from here.
The plastic bag will roll down after u finish ur business.
These are the green buses which bring tourists around the valley
长海/Long Lake
The largest lake in Jiuzhaigou. The source of water comes from the melted snow from the mountains.
五彩池
These are the green buses which bring tourists around the valley
长海/Long Lake
The largest lake in Jiuzhaigou. The source of water comes from the melted snow from the mountains.
五彩池
This was very disappointing bcos it has almost dried up and it wasn't as colorful as the name suggests. The water used to fill up to the bridge! But now it's just a pathetic small pool of water :(
老虎海/Tiger Lake
树正瀑布/Shuzheng Waterfall
When's the last time u saw a waterfall?
These colorful cloths have religious scriptures on them and are commonly hung in temples and sacred places. I wanted to search for the name of these cloths but alot of sites with the name "Tibet" was banned over here hence I couldn't get any result.
The sign reads 色嫫出浴图/Wonuosemo Stone Image
The guys said got lalang means got tiger. Really?
There were newly weds who came all the way here to take wedding photos!
Byebye 阿坝/Aba! Home of the Pandas!
神奇九寨 is a timeless classic in Sichuan, like erm 细水长流、关怀方式 or 城里的月光 in Singapore's context. The Tibet family sang the song to us last night and we heard it on the radio in the cab the next day. When we got back to Chengdu, I heard the song again at Tianfu Square.
