mrsjono

Sabrina brought a specialty from Yunnan today.

Yak meat (牦牛肉)Yaks I saw in Sichuan

The yaks she saw in Shangrila are mostly black in color while those I saw in Sichuan are all-white in color. I never dare to eat their meat cos they look really too exotic. Domesticated yaks are kept primarily for their milk, fiber and meat, and as beasts of burden. They are everywhere in high altitude places and yak meat is very common, just like how chicken is very common to us. They're just like cows but with lots of hair. She offered me one, it's just a very small piece that comes in a small packet. Can't believe I actually ate that poor fella (above) I saw in Mao county (茂县). Gulps. Taste like the 张飞牛肉 (Zhangfei beef) I bought in Chengdu.

When I was in Beijing,

Students in Tsinghua thought I am local before I speak

When I was in Beijing,

Taxi drivers are not sure where I'm from when I speak

The usual guesses are Malaysia and Hong Kong

When I was in Beijing,

Ignorant sales assistant thought I'm from India (?!)

When I was in Beijing,

Waitresses in a Chinese restaurant assumed I'm Korean when I didn't respond to what they were saying (the area I lived in has a high population of Korean students)

When I was on the train from Beijing to Hong Kong,

A freelance photographer from Britain guessed I'm from Hong Kong when we were introducing ourselves on the 24 hours train ride

When I was in Chengdu,

Taxi driver guessed we were from Guangzhou or Guangdong when we speak

When I was in Hong Kong,

Sales assistant thought I'm from Taiwan

When I was in Macau,

Bad attitude waitress thought we were from mainland China

Bcos we speak Chinese and not Cantonese

She made nasty comments and we didn't want to pay the service charge bcos of their bad service

When I'm in Singapore,

A Shanghai artist thought I'm from China when I speak to him

Bcos he said I speak 标准普通话 (accurate Chinese)

When I'm in Singapore,

A financial consultant I met at Harborfront asked me whether I'm Singaporean

She said I don't look local

She said I look very demure and she thought I'm from Vietnam

When I asked RS whether I look like a Singaporean,

He said I don't

He thought I was a Malaysian when we first met

He always tease me about saying hi to my compatriots (同胞) when we see students from China

So I'm from China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, India & Vietnam. Result of the Chinese diaspora. But why no one thinks I'm Singaporean? Bcos of my look? Dressing? Language? What does a typical Singaporean male or female look like?

Introducing...

If u can't see the small print, it says the responsibilities are to take care of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, explore the islands, clean the pool, feed the fish and collect the mail. Accommodation is provided on Hamilton Island, and u get paid for AUD$150,000 for 6 months!? Sounds more like having a holiday than working! Isn't this my ideal job?

Click below to find out more!

2008 is a short year for me as I was away for 4 months. Nevertheless, it's one of the most fulfilling year I ever had, despite all the sour, sweet, bitter and spicy.

SEP
Some say that SEP is a life changing experience. I wouldn't say it has changed my life in very significant ways but it has certainly broadened my horizons and made me want to see so much more. The experience I got can never be taught in lecture notes and textbooks. Living alone for 4 months has trained me to be brave and calm in the face of obstacles and problems. The Chinese way of life taught me to be tougher and nothing is not negotiable, especially price. Travelling alone can be boring but the amount of freedom and flexibility I get allowed me to take my own sweet time to capture the best shots/moments of the places I visited and sharpened my photography skills. I also learnt how to draft my own itinerary on my own which has brought me to places I never thought I would be able to visit - Chengdu, Hong Kong & Macau. This whole journey has been truly remarkable, despite all the highs and lows. I hope I will not forget the many lessons my SEP experience in Beijing has taught me and given a chance, I will still go for exchange again.

Internship
I was fortunate to be able to do internship (thanks to my sis) despite returning back late. It was good exposure as I learnt about managing corporate portfolios, database management systems, market fees, residential, office, retail and industrial rents in various cities across APAC. People were friendly, nice and easy to get along with (lest for one). I also had the chance to try out rollerblading for the first time. During the "holidays", I also experienced some problems fitting back in. The group of friends whom I felt comfortable and happy with became unfamiliar to me and I felt left out and out of place. I noticed many changes ever since I came back and I felt that things will not be the same again. I questioned this friendship and underwent (undue) emotional stress for a few weeks. Things turned out fine in the end and I couldn't be more glad. A blessing in disguise; for I realise that I do have friends who care.

I had too much time and wasted too much time. Slacked too much in Tsinghua and I realised I've lost the vigour and devotion to projects that I used to have. It was a torture having to drag myself up every Friday for morning classes. Amidst all the work everyone had to complete, there were lots of fun and laughter too. I was very lucky to win $250 Takashimaya vouchers (which I've still not use) for the International Exchange Day Photo Contest for the local interaction category. Ktv, bday celebrations, bugis excursion and most unforgettable of all, acting in our conflict & negotiation video which was extremely hilarious.

It has been a rather quiet holiday. Everyone's busy or gone missing. Plans to work were abolished to spend time on dissertation. No work means no money so I couldn't go anywhere this holiday. That's the (abrupt) end of my 2008.