Day 10

It always feels great to have classes cancelled. Especially now that we have to wake up early every day. I was really hoping to sleep in but my hopes were dashed when my group mates planned to discuss our Statement of Work and Work Breakdown Structure at 9 in the morning. So I woke up and prepared for the meeting, doubtful. I didn’t know whether they were already up or whether I was the only one to remember. I knocked on Joanna’s door only to find that she was asleep. Woke her up and let her wash up while I spent the time to get some desperately needed shut eye. After she was done, we called to see whether the guys were up and guess what, they weren’t. So Jo and I went to the streets behind to get cakes for breakfast. We walked back to the campus and sat at the benches at the badminton court[s] to do our work and eat while waiting for the guys to wake up. While doing so, we saw a dog [not sure what breed] looking all dirty and disheveled. Being an animal lover, it made me sad. Animals in Singapore are usually kept as pets and most I’ve seen are domesticated ones. Also, the strays back home are rarely covered in mud and stuff.

Anyway, the dog came to us and sat there watching us eat. It seemed really cute so Jo and I gave him/her cake. She ate all our [sponge] cake thingy and left the layered cake there on the floor. Yuhaw decided to ‘adopt’ the dog as a/our mascot [i’m not entirely sure what for] and gave the name Coffee [but he called it Cake in his blog. I don’t even know why.] The reason that he gave for choosing Coffee as the name was ‘because got brown and white’.

Later in the night, the whole group of us gathered at the badminton court to light up the wishing lanterns that was bought. In Singapore, in celebrations of the Mid Autumn Festival, children would be with their lanterns but I haven’t seen it here in China. Perhaps in place of that, they have their wishing lanterns let go. I remember as a kid, I’d be playing with the lantern with my parents and sister and I’d be focusing more on the candles rather than anything else. Makes me miss being a kid.

Reflection: In Singapore, I don’t exactly celebrate any other festival despite my being of mixed descent. I find it a huge loss because every culture has something to offer & I’d very much like to celebrate all the festivals in Singapore because hey, I’m entitled to. Anyway, the way the mid – autumn is celebrated here and the way it is back home is varied. I guess different lands do things differently. It could be because traditions are usually made simpler in modern countries and also because Singapore has stricter laws against certain items. Like firecrackers. [banned in 1970 due to a fire that killed 6 people]

On another topic altogether, I have a soft spot for animals. I cannot see them all thin, weary and dirty from being outside alone. To me, dogs and cats are domesticated animals and it’s hard to actually make myself believe that they can survive out in the world without an owner. I think the dogs here should be better managed like in Singapore. I know it involves a lot of money and space as compared to our country but it would mean the dogs are properly looked after. The breeds of dogs that roam the streets here don’t seem like strays at all. Yet you see them trotting without an owner. Also, keeping them would mean a cleaner environment [because they don’t defecate everywhere] and a safer space where diseases from the dogs can’t be spread as easily. The management of strays in Singapore would undoubtedly be easier to manage judging by the smaller space we have to take care of.

Day 7 & 8

Day 7

I'm actually a person who loves history but don't know why but during this OIE lesson, I felt really tired and the whole row of us fell asleep. This photo was taken during our 10 minute break. The furthest from the camera would be Wei Lin, Eudora, Michelle, Eliza, Brenda, Me and Jiali. The only reason why my eyes are open is because Sheila is such a noisy camera woman. Right, Nyonya S?

After class, we left our current WUST campus for the new one which was located an hour [bus ride] away.

The campus was much cleaner and comfortable-looking and it had nicer looking buildings. We as a group, we all headed to the Science section of the campus where anatomies of the human body filled the entire room. Body parts were separated into categories and I didn't realize that it was real until 5 minutes into the 'exhibition'. Having been to Bodyworks before, the exhibits didn't exactly cause discomfort but just an irrational fear that the dead might suddenly open their eyes and wake up like those in zombie movies. I know it's illogical but a little imagination wouldn't hurt. I wonder though, all the bodies there, were they being sliced open and put on display with their consent or are they homeless people on the street who died and had nobody to claim their bodies? I wonder whether that wing of the building has a lot of unusual, creepy activity in the night. [I'm not going to put the photos on here because they are really very graphic and it might freak out some. Also, the dead deserve their respect.]

I can't exactly remember what happened when we got back but after my shower, I was sitting on the bed, with my laptop on my crossed legs, talking to Yu Haw on MSN. I was asking for Milo sachets because I haven't had Milo in a while. I wanted to go down and get them but he said it was fine and that he'd deliver it up. I didn't think much of it because I thought he was being nice [for once. hahahahah. i kid!] so when there was a knock on the door, the last thing I expected was a the whole MDE 5th OIP group outside my door with Mr Chia holding a birthday cake. Frankly, that was my first time getting a birthday surprise. [Don't judge~ I know I'm old but birthdays for me are the same every year.]

I didn't know what to do and because I'm the most awkward person in the entire universe, I was silent. [Sorry I wasn't all dramatic and crying and screaming. It would have been nice to have a little scene there though]

It was a pleasant surprise because the whole day through, only 2 of the people on the trip wished me Happy Birthday. It was exactly on the stroke of midnight that Jiali and Sheila jumped on my bed to give me a hug and wished me happy birthday. It wasn't actually their plan but because we were all teary-eyed babies and missing home Jiali decided to wish me to cheer me up. [read: her mistaking me for Sheila and saying, "eh, i think we better wish her happy birthday to cheer her up." it had me doubled over in laughter to see her face when she realised she was talking to the wrong person.]

Here are the photos:

Thank you all for the surprise. & the cake. & the gifts. I didn't expect anyone to remember it. I really appreciate it and thanks to the people who planned the surprise :)
Next is ZHEN ZHAO'S TURN!

Day 8

We had our OIE lesson in the morning and it was conducted by the other lecturer. She was the one that brought us around the classes on the 2nd day. I could concentrate to her lessons better as compared to the other lecturer. Perhaps it's because their way of teaching varies. The new lecturer made us do this puzzle thingy where she gave us a map of China and we were to stick on the names of the parts of China.

Besides that, we also learnt about the rivers, the lakes that exist in China as well as in Hubei / Wuhan. We then left for lunch and headed for the Project Management class.

Reflection: In Singapore, the only river we have would be the Singapore river. It just is a very big canal where trade was carried out in the past and where people can take boat rides in present day. Being a former Geography student, I found it interesting. Okay, honestly, I've been doing plenty of comparisons against Singapore and China and I think it's getting a little old. So I would just wrap up the entire first week.

Initially, I wasn't looking forward to the trip at all. It was due to:
1. separating from my family
2. having to do my own washing and cleaning
3. the bipolar weather

Up to Day 8, the weather has been really warm and it was almost impossible to go anywhere without seeing people fan themselves or hearing people say "very hot!". But the weather would be the last thing on anyone's mind when they make / receive calls to / from home. You just miss everyone and how things are over there. I'm one who doesn't like change but I daresay I adapt well to it.

This trip has enabled me to foster new friendships which otherwise would have been a little far fetched.

I guess I should never be too quick to judge before I actually experience the thing. So far, it has been pretty fun and enjoyable :)

Day 5 and 6

This is going to be a long post because I'd be compiling the happenings for 3 days here~

Day 5, Saturday, 18th September


We had our first ever Free & Easy day but we didn't sleep in. I badly wanted to catch up on my rest but when I heard that we were going to go shop, I readily brushed my thoughts of sleeping in aside.

All of us boarded bus 588 where we passed the Yangtze river for the first time [I think]. It looked like a concrete jungle clouded heavily with pollution. I'm not entirely sure of the exact duration of the ride but it seemed pretty long.

There were quite a number of shopping malls in the area and when we alighted, the first thing that caught my eye was this little boy busking. He was standing on his head while the bunch of us just stared. It made me think of my brothers and how lucky they are to have their own laptops and PSP each whereas kids here have to busk under the hot sun. [my brothers are 5 and 6].

Anyway, we walked into a shopping mall with its interior looking like Far East Plaza. You know how clothes there are brandless? Well, the clothes here are all imitations. The girls and I [excluding Agnes, Yixuan, Wei Lin and Joanna] went shopping but before that, we had Korean food!



It cost us 48 rmb per person and I believe that is way cheaper than anywhere in Singapore. At Seoul Garden, it would cost twice as much [in Singapore dollars. because 48 is 50 when rounded up. the exchange rate was 5 when my money was changed. so 50 divide by 5 gives you 10].


All of us were really excited to eat [prolly cus we're all hungry] and we took a whole load of food. It wasn't until then that I realised we would be charged for food wastage. Luckily, we managed to stomach all of the food and even went on to take more. What I find weird is that we had a 2 hour time limit to finish eating. I've never had to monitor my stay in a restaurant and it was weird.

We went around to look at some items and I came across this considerably cute/cool biker jacket. It was obvious that it was a fake Moschino 'leather' jacket and I can't believe the fact that the girl actually tried to sell it for 369 rmb. I know, when it's converted to Singapore dollars, it's cheaper. But there's no way in hell that:
1. I will ever wear a fake
2. Let myself be duped by a salesperson

We started our spree at 1 and ended at 5 where I managed to get a denim jacket, a plaid shirt, eyeliner, mascara and 2 different types of face masks.

Because we were separated, we met Zhen Zhao who later brought us to where the rest of the people were.

Being typical tourists, we did as stereotypically expected and took photos everywhere. Also, I think a lot of us ran our mouths without much censorship.




After taking photos at that place [I can't remember what it's called], we headed to the riverbank. Took more photos. Headed towards the Wuhan Yangtze River Boat Harbour to board the ferry back to WUST.



It was a 20 minute ride and we went to eat dinner shortly after. [The Chinese kids. Not Sheila and I though. We just sat there.]. They had dumplings in this little restaurant and every single one of them contained pork. We headed back to the campus after that and it pretty much sums up my 5th day in Wuhan.

Reflection: Because Singapore is more advanced and aren't exactly 'exposed' to poverty, it breaks my heart to see so many people having to beg for money on the streets and kids busking. Children in Singapore are spoilt with their little toys and electronic goods and it has become such a common thing that it seems fine to us all. We give to them [Singaporean kids] these things without bearing in mind the possible effects. It increases their dependency on technology and it doesn't exactly enable people to truly experience what life has to offer. Personally, my toughest day would be having to deal with my insecurities. But for them [beggars, buskers], it's having to worry about their next meal.



Day 6, Sunday 19 September


Waking up at 5.50 am, I wasn't particularly excited for the City Tour. I was feeling rather sluggish and after a while on the bus, I fell asleep. We reached our first stop shortly after.

1st Stop: East Lake




Us girls trying pretending to battle or something of the like.

The scenery at East Lake seemed rather pleasing. It was peaceful and serene; a change from the bustling city streets. See photos here.

2nd Stop: Hubei Museum



I like the way the museum looks. It's grand and important-looking unlike the ones in Singapore.

We had a guided tour around the section for Marquis Yi of Zeng and started walking around by ourselves shortly after. I learnt that he was a minor state subordinate and had 8 concubines on his arm. The ages of his concubines ranged from 13 to 24. In the past, it was a common practise to have relations with a girl as young as 13 but in modern times, it would be seen as pedophilia and laws have been put into place to avoid such things.

The artifacts in their own glass casings seemed interesting to me because they all carry a story. It was a part of history and some of them have really intricate drawings on.


3rd Stop: Lunch

After having stopped at 2 tourist attractions, we headed to a Chinese restaurant to have lunch. I didn't think that the Halal and Non-Halal food would be separated [or that we'd have different dishes] but it tasted okay. I have to say though, the people in China eat really huge portions. I have never been able to finish any food all the while that I've been here. To me, the serving portion is enough to serve roughly 2.5 people.

4th Stop: Yellow Crane Tower

We headed to the Yellow Crane shortly after and had to climb a few flights of stairs leading to 9 story tall tower.


Since I spent most of the time waiting for my friends to get inscriptions in glass bottle gourds, I ended up climbing the tower later than the rest. I made it up only to the 4th story and came across Mr Richard Chia who said to gather downstairs for a group photo.

To conclude, the day was rather interesting despite having to wake up so early.

Reflection: It showed us the side of China that held so much more than what we see here on the surface. Its rich history is amazing and the trip to these places made me see where 1/4 of me came from. Usually, I don't practice any form of culture because we have been so westernized. It's a sad thing to see because the degradation of your culture is like losing a part of yourself. I guess this is where globalization has brought us :/

Day 4

''Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy'' Okay seriously, no. We woke up at 7 to prepare for class. I don't usually have an actual breakfast normally but I did that morning. We packed, settled our stuff and prepared to walk over to the classroom where we'd have our OIE.


We learnt about China and the way commerce is conducted over there. Initially, the lesson appeared to have went on rather smoothly to me. However, it became disruptive after small groups of LSCT students entered the room at separate times. I don't intend to be uncouth but it annoyed me to see their lack of professionalism. To me, first impressions are really important. It shapes the way people think of you and I guess nobody likes to wait for other people. Like the phrase, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you," if you don't want to have to wait on people, don't make people wait on you. [sidenote: I love how Ngee Ann is going to abolish the 15-minute rule]


Since we're having a combined lecture, their being late didn't reflect well on us MDE students too. To us, we're two separate groups and we don't really bother about each other. But to the Chinese lecturer, we're all Singapore Ngee Ann Polytechnic students. It is our image and reputation at stake and I just don't like the blatant disregard of basic courtesy. [Only a few of the latecomers apologised. Most didn't. How well-mannered *note sarcasm*]. Their coming in late caused apparent displeasure to the Chinese lecturer because it isn't in their culture for the latter to happen.


After our OIE lesson, we had Project Management. What was taught was exactly like what I learnt in Year 1 for Quantitative Logistics Analysis. I felt that the lesson was breeze and it probably is because of Ms Alicia Hock's clear and concise teaching.


We ended at 4-ish pm and returned to our dorm where we rested for a while. Shortly after, Eudora, Sheila and I left for Muslim food near the supermarket. We went with the Malay LSCT girls. The girls were really nice and since the menu was in Mandarin, their Chinese friend actually wrote down every single thing with the pronounciation and English translation.


Sheila and I had the Tom Yam Potato over Noodles [8.5 rmb each] while Eudora had Egg Fried Rice [7rmb]. The food tasted pretty okay but the serving is rather huge. We ended up with a lot of wastage. The next time we head there, I guess we'd share it among 3 people since the serving portions are really huge.

See these really cool bottles? They're selling at 1.5 rmb each. [ONLY 30 SINGAPORE CENTS~] It tasted pretty good and they have really thin and long straws that come along with it.


This eatery will definitely have me as a return customer because I really wish to try their other dishes and seeing how it's the only halal food place available.


All in all, from Day 4, I realised how important it really is to turn up for lectures and not stroll in whenever we see convenient. Also, during the lecture, we had constant 10 minute breaks due to the fact that the equipment had to rest after a certain period of usage. It was a major inconvenience but it made me see the difference on how they study here and how we study back home. In Singapore, we'd take advantage of such things and we'd be glad when our lessons get cut short. But over here, I just realised that it isn't all that fun because it takes away valuable time which can otherwise be used to learn.

Day 3

Having my breakfast of Kueh Lapis that my mum packed, I woke up at 7 to prepare for school with the 2 other girls. We didn’t actually need alarms because the street market just behind our dorm provides sufficient noise to wake us all up; from the constant honking to the random voices speaking a foreign tongue.

We headed to class shortly after and had an introduction to Project Management.

After class, we all headed to town with the Chinese students and boarded the bus outside the university. It was bus 702 and 1 ride cost us 2rmb each. Because we were a relatively huge group, it took some time for all of us to board. Due to that, we got barked at because the bus driver wanted us to hurry [with his grumpy face and all]. Customer service has been of increasing importance to Singapore the past few years and I guess I’ve never received such treatment in my life ever before. I was appalled but I wasn’t offended because I figured it would take up too much energy; the same energy that I would need to shop with. The ‘ceiling’ of the bottom deck on the bus was rather low and it halted us from properly utilizing the space that was in the bus. Only the *ahem* short *ahem* ones could get to the back due to the steps.

When we reached the Shopping Mall, [that's what it's called] we spazzed when we saw Starbucks and we couldn't wait to get to Walmart to get our toilet seats. Before that, we walked around the area and saw some pretty nice items and went to check the price out. We totally didn't expect the price to range from 600 to 900 rmb. The brands were rather unknown and it was a turn off. So, the whole group of us unanimously settled on the idea of having dinner at Starbucks.

Since Ms Hock's warning, [that the Chinese hate new notes] I felt a pressing need to get rid of mine. Because of that, I paid for my latte and food with a fresh, crisp 100rmb note and they actually have a machine where they check the authenticity of the money. It's a rarity in Singapore to doubt the authenticity. We're more trusting of each other in a sense and I guess since Singapore is much smaller, it's much easier to eradicate the circulation of fake notes.

The latte was just as good as the ones at home. It's probably because they have to uphold Starbucks' reputation. After having out light dinner and cuppas, we all headed to Walmart to get the things we needed.

The highlight of our day and the trip to the town was when we found the toilet seat. It's located where the stools are. Near the bed sheets and stuff.

I couldn't care less about anything else after we had that thing in hand. Finally, I'd be able to do my business in peace.

Our bill amounted to 308rmb and it probably is because we keep counting it in Singapore dollars. It might be considerably cheap when we convert it to our currency. But having to pay 300rmb at one go, it sort of shocked me.

AND OH, WE GOT CUTE SLIPPERS! [I'm just going to call them snuggies]

We all headed out to board the bus back home. I couldn't help but to notice the people begging for money; on the way to town, outside the shopping mall, on the way back. Old ladies were holding out their containers, giving us smiles. With their clothes all disheveled and faces worn with fatigue, it just tugs on my heartstrings to see this happening. To me, children have to be responsible enough to take care of their parents because they've been taking care of us since we were innocent little bundles. It angers me to think that their children can let them out to do such things - even in Singapore. In fact, it angers me to see this occurrence anywhere. It makes me sad to see what these old people have to do. From my viewpoint, it's like they're living day by day. Not like us where we worry about a test that's going to happen in 2 days time or something. It's like they're lucky to even be living the next day. But then again, you can't be too sure on how real it actually is.

What I have to say is that I'm now more appreciative of how things are back at home because I don't have to worry about how I'm going to get my next meal. Or where to go if it rains. But on the other hand, I wonder what goes through their mind. Perhaps they live life to the fullest because every day is a challenge on its own. They won't know what to expect while we're sitting here with plans to have dinner at a certain time and then shower and stuff. It's like they're focused on one specific goal [to get money to buy food] whereas we lose our focus and tend to think about too many things at one time.

Actually, what it seems to me is that we're covering ourselves with superficial things to a very large extent that we lose the purpose of life.

Day 2

After receiving our much needed rest, we woke up to a breakfast of MacDonald’s fish fillet and cup corn. It was thanks to the trip leaders [namely Ms Alicia Hock and Mr Richard Chia] who ordered the food for us.

With breakfast done, we all had a tour of the school. We were showed where our classrooms were and had a look at the computer labs.

It was pretty decent and it seemed like it was a reasonable & comfortable place to study. Initially led by the Wuhan lecturers, we had 2 China students began to guide us around later on and they brought us out of WUST.

We headed to a supermarket somewhere around the campus where Jiali, Sheila and I went to get the essentials and ran up a bill of 271rmb. We bought pails & fruits, floor mats & tissues and had to lug it all back. But before that, we all went to eat at a restaurant near the supermarket where I shared a 4 course ‘Romantic Lovers Set’ with Shi Ling. It was a really filling feast which cost 148rmb where we calculated it to be around SGD$ 15 per person. It is way cheaper than in Singapore where it could have easily went up to 50 per person. The setting and the ambience of the place was rather warm and it gave the ‘romantic’ feel which probably influenced our choice of food.

When we were done, we all made our way back to the dormitory where the 3 of us [Jiali, Sheila and I] lounged on our beds and surfed the internet. While doing that, I couldn’t help but notice the street market at the back of our dorm.

The constant honking and loud noises attracted my attention and we went out to the balcony to see how things were. The streets were bustling with people and it somehow looked like Chinatown or whenever Singapore is about to have any important festival – like Chinese New Year or something.

At around 8.30 pm, the girls were gathered to practice the dance that we had to put on for the performance. I’ll be honest here and say that dancing is not my cup of tea [well, mainly because I'm a huge coffee drinker]. It definitely comes as a challenge to me but I see that the others are learning it just fine. Well, different people are better at different things. Although I would most certainly be glad if I had to write an article [on the performance] instead of performing, I have to take this all in stride because as Spencer Johnson said in his book, we have to be receptive to the changes around us because things doesn’t always go according to plan. Also, if we don’t open ourselves up to new things, there isn’t room to learn new things and we could be missing out on a lot of things. So, despite my being born with 2 left feet, I’m going to enjoy myself just because.

The book:

Day 1

With the sea of red shirts and the company of fellow comrades, I undoubtedly felt a myriad of emotions at the airport. I was excited because I’d be overseas with my friends, but I was sad at the same time due to the fact that I’d be leaving my family. Also, I probably had the slight feeling of anxiousness because I’d be leaving for a foreign land with a language I could barely speak – or it could have been the breakfast.



The flight to Guangzhou, albeit rather uncomfortable, was pretty okay. I don’t have much to complain about except that the food wasn’t all that nice. The domestic flight was rather rough though but I guess it doesn’t come as a surprise. [It was delayed]



On the bus ride to the Wuhan University of Science and Technology, everyone seemed to have been pretty beat and out of it so I guess many people were asleep throughout the ride or spacing out of some sort. I was looking out the window and the condition of places over here and conditions back at home are very different. It would be a rarity to find abandoned buildings at home [Singapore] but there appeared to be an abundance of seemingly abandoned buildings here. Okay, some of them aren’t exactly abandoned. It’s just that the condition is really bad and the only sign that lets you know that people are living there would be by the hanging of clothes outside. It made me appreciate what I have back in Singapore because things are just safer and more secure than it is over here. Plus, it doesn’t look run down.




We got to the dorm at around 2 and there was a slight confusion on the room allocation. When we got in, Jiali, Sheila and I went straight towards the beds as if we had been assigned who sleeps where and stuff. It’s not comparable to the loft but it works just fine. :)

Well, there isn’t much to say in this first post besides the apparent culture shock that was presented to us. People behave differently in different lands and like that of the first NE message, ‘Singapore is our homeland; this is where we belong,’ everyone has diverse homes and sets of practices. It just highlights the fact that various individuals have varied perceptions on how things should ideally be done and it all depends in the environment and culture that they have been brought up in. After all, another man’s meat could very well be another man’s poison.


Because I'm forever tak glam, I shall end this post with me looking like an angry old woman. Adios Amigo (: