::: oN cLoUd nIn3 :::

2009-05-09T00:45:00.000+08:00

I've moved on: http://cloudsafloat.spaces.live.com/

Reflections

2009-03-23T14:30:00.002+08:00

I was reflecting alot on the way back from SICA's Opening Ceremony tonight. This is my 6th OC since I entered Peking Uni. There's a tinge of soury sadness amidst the heartwarming familiarity when I see peers who were recruited together with me during the Fall of 2006. How time flies!

When I first joined SICA, I chose Projects Team (项目部) over the others as I wanted a different experience from my senior Regina. It was back to basics during the first semester, and that was what the seniors always told us: Do not belittle the power of simple tasks like pasting posters at chinese student hostels or simply distributing flyers at 三角地. We helped to plan the SICA OC during that year, and I vividly remembered it was held at 正大国际中心二层. The following semester, I helped out with NEAN (Northeast Asian Network) held at Yonsei Uni, took charge of International Cultural Festival's stage performances. I was really happy back then being able to have the chance to work with chinese students in a student association like this and SICA is truly the place where I befriended my closest friends. :) Thereafter, I proceeded to FACES and I'm still learning, bit by bit everyday. It takes a lot to lead a group of people who grew up in a culture very much different from mine, knowing each and everyone's working style, their strengths and weaknesses, thinking about what is best for FACES on the whole. It's really a balance between individual benefits and that of a group's. Another thing is about retaining talent in the association. Very often, we recruit people based on their individual talents and predicted contributions they can make to the association. Yet these people are the hardest to retain as they are always on the lookout for greener pastures. I must admit it's a come-and-go thing and I shouldn't be brooding over this. But I realised these are the intricate things that we have to balance in a group's dynamics during recruitment. We can't have all the capable ones in a team, many of them will end up feeling not valued. But because FACES itself is very much academic in the sense that we focus a lot on knowledge of Sino-US relations, I wouldn't want most of my members to end up not knowing anything in this field, especially if they are the ones who are now going to take up important roles for the conference next November. I'm hoping that while they gain experience with organizations and stuff, they can also be well-equipped with knowledge in this area too. Is it too idealistic? Well perhaps everyone is just too caught up with their own stuff, and they can only spare a bare minimum at FACES. Nevertheless, we still appreciate their commitment very much! After all, student's main priority is still school work!

This semester, even though it's a transitory phase to the conference itself, is still very important for us. We need to work out lots of logistics and administrative cooperative measures with Renmin Uni to ensure a smooth transition to the co-hosting of the November China Conference. And human dynamics is the toughest to tackle! But I'm glad the two chapters kind of complemented each other in the gender ratio...we've an overwhelming number of female officers.

夜深人靜的小小感觸

2009-03-20T01:28:00.001+08:00

我想我真的體會到了棟棟上學期作為FACES北大頭頭的苦心了...唉。做領導真不容易啊！從他那邊接手之後，基本上天天在想怎麼把FACES做得更好，有哪些可以新增設的活動，有哪些資源可以運用...我睡前也想，上課也想，吃飯也都在想。唉～快有強迫症了。上學期當副部也只是等著上頭指揮命令，然後執行，真的簡單多了（心理壓力而言）。現在要諸多考慮...這學期我們的活動應該算比較多拉，希望會員不會一看到我就厭倦哈！！

我想我還是要好好調劑一下自己的心情。真的，退一步，海闊天空。不需要每次都那麼執著于某件事情。就像放風箏的力度一樣，要有所拿捏。拉得太緊，反而容易崩潰。放鬆一點，風箏可能自己就回來了。可能我自己有時候太理想化，有時候太完美主義，能夠接受不完美才真正完美呢。

另外，被TECC-TSI錄取拉！好開心哦～

加油加油！:)

忙死了！

2009-03-13T00:46:00.001+08:00

SICA宣讲会刚结束！phew, 总算搞定一件事拉~ 看来还是还有不少人关注FACES的~呵呵。明天有个TECC的面试，之后回来筛FACES简历~~一直筛到周六....之后还有佛学班！唉，周日还要当面官！今天翘了《庄子》选读去了宣讲会....心痛阿~ 我的庄子。
本来以为这学期少了周末的心理学课可以更轻松...没想到反而越来越忙呢。下周有个赞助商的留美讲座、在人大看电影、SICA Opening Ceremony!
不过充实的大学生活还是应该赞扬的....日子也过得快一些。看到中文系K歌大赛，又有点心动！天啊~~~
如果每天有多过24小时就好了...

今天上的“文艺美学”重点讲了“生命本体论”....开始反思人的存在价值和终极关怀。其实它就是一个很生活化的东西，只不过被哲学、美学的表层所掩盖而已。但是“关注自我”又并非那么简单！纵观本体论的演进：从古希腊到当代就是一个“自上而下”的过程...人从“自然实体本体论”（古希腊关注大自然）到中世纪的“神性本体论”，到近代哲学的“唯理论本体论”（我思，故我在）到19世纪叔本华的“唯意志本体论”再到20世纪“唯本能本体论”（弗洛伊德）...人从关注大自然到个体...真是个实实在在的“自上而下”过程。“生命本体论”在这些理论当中却有所超越。

这句话让我印象深刻：“人所能把握的，都把握在感觉之中，人所能超越的，也都只有通过感觉去超越。”何尝不是呢！

最近很浮躁，必须再次引《武林外传》的经典台词来提醒自己：“世界如此美妙，我却如此浮躁，这样不好，不好。”

Things are finally on track!

2009-03-10T14:26:00.000+08:00

Been feeling frustrated and tired and mentally-drained for the past weeks. You know, when one feels really down and out, it just gets stuck and shittier. Things just get more negative by the days. But I'm happy to say that things are finally on track now, at least for some. :)

1. We are really creating a new milestone in FACES Beida-Renda collaboration! YAYs. We ourselved are simply excited over these new ideas!
20th March: Movie screening at Renmin Uni (US movie probably) Both chapter members and some American students will be joining us! We are thinking of ways to make it interesting for this first effort! Okay, there's snacking, there's "Who wants to be a millionaire" contest after the movie. We'll create score charts, a kind of competition for both chapters...and then total up the score every month. The losing chapter will get to treat all of us! heh. We hope to make this movie screening/informal discussions on Sino-US relations a bi-weekly affair.
4th April/5th April Spring Outing: FACES Amazing Race at Tianjin! (Teams of 5 made up of 2 Beida + 2 Renda + 1 American student).

2. Summer Plans: Oh yes, this has been a constant source of frustration since the semester started. Instead of doing a Summer Program at Berkeley for 8 weeks, I've decided to save up for future grad studies! It sounds more realistic this way. In that case, I'll most probably stay for the PKU summer school from 29 June to 31 July (though I always feel I don't learn much from this!) But anyhow, it makes more room for other plans. And then go for a Technology & Education, Connecting Cultures (TECC) - TECC Summer Institute Volunteer Program in the rural parts of China. I almost jumped at this when I was doing FACES recruitment at 三角地 yesterday. It would be interesting to volunteer, teach and learn! This will take place till mid August. Thereafter, I will fly home for a MOE HQ Attachment. I was really spoilt for choice when I had to choose my top 3 division choices. Hoping to get into Curriculum Planning & Development Division. Otherwise, Training and Development Division would be good too, I can learn and contribute counselling and teaching practices from teachers! :) I was also very attracted by the Education Programme Divsion.....I'm interested to help students with special needs, like autism and ADHD. So looking forward!

Countdown: 5 days to the Jetplane! :D

2009-01-09T12:55:00.002+08:00

3 down, 2 more to go! :)

I can't wait to see my loved ones back home! Whee...I'm enjoying every bit of the exam period: frantic mugging, web-surfing while having dinner in between revision slots, tuning back my biological clock to 11pm-7am daily. At least I have 24 hours to myself (that's very rewarding compared to term time when activities are on-going all the time!). My life revolves around "sleep-eat-revise-sleep-eat-revise" all these while. I'm turning into a glutton! Finals officially end on the 14th Jan, 4pm. YAYs! I believe I'll enjoy another round of frantic packing for my flight home that night! =) Thinking of what modules to choose for the next semester...there's really not much of a choice as most classes that I've always anticipated since my freshman year are no longer available. (either the profs have retired or they've sought "greener pastures".)

This winter doesn't seem to be as uncomfortable as the previous years', surprisingly. No snow, longer hours of daylight, less chill. Darkness used to creep in at 4.30pm during winter and daylight at 8am. This year, however, the sky slowly dims at 5pm and lits up at 7.10am (to be exact). I vividly remembered there was a huge snow right after my exam last winter. A memorable sight to behold if we weren't busy cramming for exams.
This is gonna be my 2nd last winter at PKU. Hoping that next year's would snow!

I was reading an article on NY Times titled "Ex-Prostitutes Say South Korea and U.S. Enabled Sex Trade Near Bases" , on how South Korean women were forced into the sex labor for American soldiers who protected South Korea from North Korea during the Korea war.

"But the women suggest that the government also viewed them as commodities to be used to shore up the country’s struggling economy in the decades after the Korean War. They say the government not only sponsored classes for them in basic English and etiquette — meant to help them sell themselves more effectively — but also sent bureaucrats to praise them for earning dollars when South Korea was desperate for foreign currency."
"At least some South Korean leaders viewed prostitution as something of a necessity. In one exchange in 1960, two lawmakers urged the government to train a supply of prostitutes to meet what one called the “natural needs” of allied soldiers and prevent them from spending their dollars in Japan instead of South Korea. The deputy home minister at the time, Lee Sung-woo, replied that the government had made some improvements in the “supply of prostitutes” and the “recreational system” for American troops.
"The more I think about my life, the more I think women like me were the biggest sacrifice for my country’s alliance with the Americans,” she said. "Looking back, I think my body was not mine, but the government’s and the U.S. military’s.”

It's so nasty to imagine that two governments would resort to such means, at the expense of the welfare of her (South Korea's) own people. Especially when you have officers telling their people that such enslavement "was not something bad for the country either.” It's like a vicious cycle when these prostitutes are forced into the sex trade, they contract STDs from it, they are forced to seek treatment, they get back into the sex trade again...

Quote of the day:

My General Psy Prof left us with this inspiring quote by an Indian spritual teacher and philosopher Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj:

"Love tells me I'm everything. Wisdom tells me I'm nothing. Between the two, my life flows."

2008-11-29T16:37:00.005+08:00

I have no idea where life is bringing me now. Monday was the first time this semster that I really strolled along the roads of PKU, admiring the bare trees, sucking in the winter air. How time flies! Really. This sounds cliché, but it's always these stark realizations in life that jump at us from nowhere out of a sudden. As I look back at the past 6 months of my life, I feel that it has undergone, truly, lots of ups and downs.

It was truly the time when:
I've never been so uncertain about the people around me.
I feel so insecure about how my feelings about different people are ever-changing.
I felt in bliss, many many moments. Yet when they fade, it seemed very hard to relive them.
I constantly think of alternatives....to escape from certain problems and people. What if....what if....I fill my mind with endless thoughts like this.
There are too many pent-up thoughts that I simply can't share...without making sure it's safe to.

I know I shouldn't be thinking so much....but it's making me so unsettled. Perhaps it's the winter gloom. Perhaps it's just time for hibernation.

FACES 2008: 还是很想念大家！

2008-11-29T14:06:00.004+08:00

40 Delegates + 8个Chapter Delegates + 20 Stanford Executive Members = 2008年四月份FACES (Forum for American/Chinese Exchange at Stanford) On Common Ground Part I！

听斯坦福执委他们说，今年共有800多个申请者——其中600来自中国大陆以及港澳台。更让人惊叹的是北大的申请者居多！毋庸置疑，国内外涉及中美关系的论坛不少，但FACES绝对是最优秀的学术论坛之一。 FACES的主要活动包括Panels, Seminars, Social Events, Simulations.(参见abc7news.com：http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local&id=6081470)

Group Photo at Stanford Old Union

由于参与FACES的代表人数不多，而且选拔过程颇为严格，因此最终被录取的代表各个都属不同领域当中出类拔萃的人物。小规模的论坛更能促进各代表之间的交流，使讨论的课题更加深入细致。FACES的美国代表对中国国情都有一定的认识，更重要的是他们怀着一颗好奇、宽容的心来切磋与学习，并且很愿意尊重中国代表在西藏和台独这些敏感课题的想法。其次，有不少美国代表是中国出生的美国华裔，因此在文化认同感这一范畴上，整个团队构成了一种既复杂却又微妙的三角关系。
长达一周的FACES论坛在时间安排上还算是比较紧凑的。
第一天除了Check-in和校园参观还有由Harvard教授在Opening Banquet对于2008年北京奥运的演讲，其中涉及了奥运的三种性质讨论——政治、体育、商业。
第二天便正式开始学术论坛，三个Panels包括 “Practical Solutions for China’s Environmental Issues and the Role of the US”, “Asian Sovereign Wealth Funds and Implications for the World Economy”, “Product Quality, Intellectual Property and Trade Protectionism Against China”。这三个Panels 涉及的讨论范围较广泛，对于中美关系的针对性并不是特别强。尽管这些课题在学术界已经谈论很长一段时间，但是它们在这些方面提供给大家国内外最新研究发展。其次，便是各种小组讨论，主要把自己对上述Panels的想法与大家共享，从各个代表对问题不同的切入点促进彼此的了解。下午播放影片“Nanking”，其特点在于是一位美国导演Bill Guttentag从三个不同的视角——中国、美国、日本，通过追忆的方式来拍摄。之后，导演亲自到现场给大家答疑解惑，是个非常难得的体验！晚上的Social Event 主要是观看美国带有政治讽刺性的节目——The Daily Show 和 The Colbert Report, 促进中国代表对美国政治的一定了解。
第三天便是根据代表的喜好参与不同主题的Small Group Seminars 1. 其中包括 Racial Stereotypes, NGOs, Local US Government. 下午便是Changing Demographics: Aging, Immigration, and effects on Health Care and Social Security. 之后再进行 Small Group Seminars 2: Venture Capitalism, Youth in Politics, Social Causes and Civic Activities, Local China Government. 主题的多样化是FACES的优势所在。我参与的Youth In Politics演讲者是个北大毕业的斯坦福教授，她亲自经历了天安门事件并且深入地与我们分享当时的整个过程与状况。学术了一整天，当然少不了晚上的Social Event: Iron Chef! 主要是个模仿美国节目的烹饪大赛。各小组齐心合力在有限条件下献上他们的拿手好菜!
第四天便是大家期待已久的Panels: The 2008 Elections and Taiwan, Comparative Political Systems．由于团队中有几个台湾代表，因此这个颇为敏感的课题得到非常全面的阐释。午餐时间大家仍然对这个课题滔滔不绝，甚至在草坪上与教授高谈阔论。这样的学术自由果然非常难得。此外，小组还进行了奥运录像大赛，到校园里采访美国学生对中国奥运的想法。下午的Keynote Address 是整个论坛的重点之一，邀请的演讲者是Sidney Rittenberg，一个打从心底懂得中国人的美国人、毛泽东的亲密好友、唯一加入中共的美国人。听了他一番演讲之后，许多中国代表非常感动，更激起了许多代表对他的好奇心。若有朝一日，美国能够有像他那样懂得中国人民的领袖，中美关系日趋明朗化不再是个遥不可及的梦想。由于中国这一年来遭受不少不幸事件，造成了西方媒体对于中国的许多误解，更激起了中国人的愤慨，两国之间的关系更是受到了影响。因此，这更突显FACES塔起中美关系的重要性。或许这样一个小小的学术论坛不具有实际的效用，但是我们希望通过FACES 从小处着落，再慢慢推广开来。
第五天便是一整天的Simulation Preparation 和 Press Conference. 各个代表选择自己感兴趣的课题（如：台独、朝鲜、伊拉克战争等）并且代表中国或美国一方来谈论问题并且呈现解决方案。讨论的过程非常精彩，总会有“突如其来”的情报使大家必须重新定位、思考当前的问题。
第六天便是City Tour! 大家成群结队到旧金山市区游玩半天，其中金门大桥和渔人马头都是热门景点。接下来便是大家期待的Closing Banquet，在欢喜的气氛中参杂着种种不舍。好在半年后的FACES OCG II ，大家还会在上海碰面！
各种期待．．．

FACES给我的...是一丝丝的感动。因为看到两个不同国家的人，截然不同文化背景的人，在一个相同的环境中找到彼此的共识。Shanghai Fudan Conference中，又一位美国代表Andrew Miller说过：换作是用中文来作为论坛的主导语言，或许很多美国人都无法真切地将想法表达出来。所以他佩服在座的中国代表。这样难能可贵的跨文化理解，或许很容易被日常中的繁琐所忽视和冲淡。

FACES让我找到了真心朋友....尤其是Joy. 那真的是个美丽的意外。没有FACES, 我们也不会相遇。多希望有时间和每一个代表交流...当Charles即将离开北京的那一瞬间，仿佛觉得自己已经很难再找到知心朋友。而在我们匆忙的人生中，或许会因为没有播出那一点时间而错过了结交一个知心好友的机会，而感到深深的遗憾。

Summer 2008 Plans!

2008-06-04T19:45:00.002+08:00

And so it's back to a hectic period of frantic mugging again. Time for finals for my 4th Semester at PKU. I've never felt such a strong urge to go back home until these few weeks...especially after the Sichuan Earthquake. And thus, I am happy to declare that I will spend the bulk of my Summer holidays back in Singapore! There goes:

30th June-23rd July: School Attachment at Northbrooks Secondary! I checked the school website and found it quite hilarious that they call themselves "Brooksian"! hehee...sounds quite geeky to me. Relatively new school..established in 2000 at Yishun, one year after I shifted. (No wonder I haven't seen the school around).
Thereafter-end August: Olympics Video for FACES, catching up with friends and some seminars.
Last week of Aug-31st Aug: Japan Trip! (Highlight of my Summer!) Will be backpacking with some friends and checking out my Jap exchange buddies at Tokyo. Hoping to visit Waseda! =) Thereafter I will be flying back to Beijing.
1st Sept-mid Sept: Yunnan Trip! =) Looking forward.
18th Sept: Term starts. And I'll be moving on to my 3rd year at PKU. How time flies!

回顾两年大学生涯~

2008-06-02T23:40:00.000+08:00

这两年的岁月中，热闹孤独各参半。

但我从来不曾后悔。

沉浸在好友的欢天笑语中，让我感受到自我价值、爱与被爱的各种喜悦与欣慰。但也有在热闹喧哗中独自一人落寞的时候，仿佛觉得自己就像是浮萍，在空中飘荡着...空无依旁。
一个人独处的时候，享受着在北京留学的生活。虽然孤独，但还是很满足。我一直努力尝试寻找人生的平衡点，想让自己尽可能在有限的留学生生涯里收获最大化。

犹记得刚踏入燕园的第一学期，认识的人寥寥无几。一切从零开始。许多无助感隐藏在心底，但也学着在适应与微笑中度过。不知不觉，两年就这样飞逝而去。但值得庆幸的是，在寻寻觅觅的过程中，社交圈子的不断扩大让我找到了人生旅途中的知己。

当自己从一开始...的积极探索各种信息到被动地让他人转告通知，这应该算是一种成就感吧。因为我已经不需要再像以前那样拚命地四处抓狂，也是人脉资源扩大的见证。

当自己从一开始...只认识狭小的新加坡留学生圈子到中文系的小家庭、SICA的众多好友、爱心社的xdjm、勺园的众多留学生、心理系的同学、携同前往NEAN的朋友们、一起参加FACES的友伴、一起挨过2007年国际文化节筹备的工作伙伴、一起打闹的同桌们...还有好多好多在我生命中留下痕迹的朋友们。
从北大到清华到人大到复旦。各种美丽的回忆点点滴滴...

当自己从一开始...打从高中时期只在风景秀丽的成都留下回忆，到至今踏尽大江南北四处闲闲逛逛的半个中国，除了满足，还是满足。环游世界，体验不同地域的各种文化风情一直是我长远的梦想。还有两年：新疆、西藏、桂林、广州、海南...

两年的岁月在一定的程度上改变了我以前的一些想法。人与事，无不处在各种变动之中。
我必须承认自己变得麻木很多，仿佛许多人与事再也激不起自己心灵的一丝颤动。直到四川大地震来袭。因为对四川特别有感情，因为看到国内同志们的团结不懈，因为看到灾情的不断扩散，因为看到世间的冷暖。生命的脆弱无法言喻，当身边的人一个一个离你远去，当幸存的人在黑暗世界里徒劳地挣扎...

以前对于功名利禄还是比较在乎的，但近年来也开始释怀。人活着最重要的是：快乐！无论达到这个终点站的途径是什么，只要问心无愧，有始有终，其它的就不那么重要了。

我希望自己在两年后的这个时候，每当回顾自己在燕园的种种岁月...都能发出会心一笑，完成自己最初踏进北大的梦想。

Back to SG for winter break!

2008-01-20T23:28:00.000+08:00

I realised my blog is kinda dead nowadays! hahaha. Haven't blogged for 3 months odd. heh.
Just came back to Singapore 4 days ago. I've always enjoyed taking the night flight back home..the mesmerizing lights beckoning at us from Changi Airport..and gosh, how I miss Singapore.

Looking back, it has been by far, the most hectic semester. Trying my best to manage my Psy minor with my CL major....and making sure that my major's results are not affected by the additional workload. Yet I realised interest somehow overruled. hah..I still did better in Psy though. :P Hoping to do Exp Psy and Child Psy next term. :)

Have been working on the Northeast Asian Network 2008 OC preparations for the PKU side..sifting through the countless resumes, the never-ending essays from applicants, arranging interviews, booking of air tickets and lots of coordination work between the China OC and Korea OC. I'm glad to be given this learning experience again........and feeling totally excited about visiting Seoul next Sunday!! hahaha..will be staying at Yonsei Uni for a week and then a Korean classmate's house for 2 days to explore the city.

And so...for the remaining holidays, there goes my schedule:
21st Jan-26Jan: Meeting up with friends at NUS/NTU and watching a musical
27th Jan-4th Feb: Northeast Asian Network at Seoul
5th feb-8th Feb: CNY prep and lotsa visiting!
9th Feb: 21st Birthday party (hopefully...since I can't have it on the actual day, this is supposedly the best possible date)
10th Feb-15th Feb: Meet-up with friends
16th Feb: Relatives' gathering
17th Feb: Back to Beijing!

Finally!

2007-10-21T14:29:00.000+08:00

The much-awaited International Cultural Festival finally ended on 20th October. It's kinda nostalgic...seeing a 5-month planned event end just like that. We gave our best...especially the SICA ICF organizing committee..despite many problems that came out unexpectedly. There were unhappiness between the different countries' in-charge as they believe they were not given the equal treatment like some other countries. Sometimes it's so hard to be fair..it was the tweeny-weeny details that gave us a hard hit! I've witnessed for myself the growth in some team-mates..the level of maturity and steadiness they withheld. :) And most importantly, it bonded us together..Even though it's not my first time organising a big-scale school event like this (with over 60 countries participating in booth exhibitions and 36 stage performances going on simultaneously), it's still a worthy learning experience. I've learnt a fair bit.....and saw the whole event from a much macro perspective as compared to last year when I was just doing face painting at the Singapore booth. This year, I didn't really help out much for our booth..heh. But the overall booth design was fantastic! Very different from the past years. Kudos to those who did the designs!

I suppose I will not stay on to help ICF as an organiser next year...would like to try other events-planning..like Northeast Asian Network (NEAN), FACES (the Stanford programme), and those pertaining to France and Switz. Would be a more exciting experience! :)

PKU Top 10 Idol was an enjoyable experience..Even though I didn't really give my best..as I was bogged down by other committment. Thanks to my senior 孙欣 who gave me wonderful advice on stage performances and singing. :)

It's probably time to hit the books again. There's still Singapore Season- Writers' Week next Friday. I suppose I will be more free in November to host Alicia, focus on my exams and continue with my papers. hehe.

2007-10-12T23:46:00.000+08:00

Another month has passed! In a twinkling of an eye. I went to Cheng De Summer Palace (up North) as well as Hong Kong and Macau during the China National Day holidays! Ha....Hong Kong is really a nice place. Would want to go back again. :)

Then it's back to a hectic school semester again.... ^_^ Goodness...it's always as if all my weekends are burnt...and I leave not much time for personal stuff.
It seems like time is controlling me rather than the other way round! :/

I still do envy couples who can lead their lives together. (yeah...I wouldn't put it as same living environment...) Sometimes things just go crazy...despite things being put clearly, one party would interpret it one way....and the other another way. I don't know why..but things do look a little bleak now. sigh. I know it's probably not fair (nothing is fair anyway..), but sometimes I doubt the meaning behind the sacrifices we make.

Maybe I'm just too tired from the stuff I gotta do in school. Shall stop making myself crazy.

Newbies in Beijing!

2007-09-03T22:21:00.000+08:00

Over the past week, newbies swarmed into the school campus. Pretty exciting....haha. Memories from the past year(when we first arrived) flooded my mind. As I count down, today is my official 365th day in Beijing (PKU in particular).

The first time we took SQ802 to Beijing and arrived at 8.30am on 3rd Sept 2006. Ronghui and I were too busy chatting that we didn't realise we queued on the wrong side. Ha...and it took us at least 1.5hr to get out and yiQ was at the arrival hall waiting for us.

Wei Hao was the first senior that I saw in PKU and he helped us with the registration...the procedure of "booking" my room initially (which became quite problematic due to internal problems). Eileen was the second senior we saw...I still remember the soya bean milk and buns that she bought for us while we were busy queuing.

Thereafter, Bandit a.k.a Jin Yao came back to Shao Yuan and there was a big hoo-ha because they were planning a birthday surprise for him at Blk 2. Ha.. I remembered myself waking up late and peeping through the window to see a group of crazy seniors making lots of noise at a golden-haired guy. ha. and unexpectedly, throughout the past year, Jin Yao remains one of my closest seniors in PKU. :)

This year, we have about 10 newbies in Beijing. A rather good mix I would say. Really really happy to have them join the Singaporean community in Beijing...and I'm sure our days would be fun with so many people around! :P Though it's been tiring settling them in...I think I'm really suffering from accumulated fatigue since I came back from 十渡 on 29th August..then went out shopping with Tze Hee's sister around Beijing and the following day the first batch of juniors arrived.

I look forward to the new sem. Yet it's rather ironic. As the new sem starts, it marks a nearer ending to my undergraduate life in Beijing.

Oh god. I can't imagine leaving this place.. I'm left with only 2 years and 10 months to go.

DKYL Summer 2007!! =)

2007-08-27T13:17:00.000+08:00

We toured around Beijing (went to the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, Si Ma Tai Great Wall and some other places), Tianjin, Shan Dong Province (Ji'nan and Tsing Dao).

Had problems with blogspot...so the photos are kind of jumbled up! ^_^
Tsing Dao BEER Museum! August is the month of the International Beer Festival in Tsing Dao! :)

Out at Sea...The China Flag.

At Ji'nan's Da Ming Lake. Very scenic.. or is it because of the morning fog?? ^_^

Tsing Dao's May 4th Memorial Square. It has been said that this is the landmark of Tsing Dao, just like Tian'an Men Square is that of Beijing's.

Halo Olympics! Quite cool to see the yachts from the various countries...though we didn't manage to catch the competition out at sea.

Tianjin's famous 狗不理包子...which tastes just like any other pork buns. We even saw 猫不闻饺子。haha.

古文化街 at Tianjin. Street that sells antiques, teapots, handicrafts etc.

司马台长城...located furthest from the city of Beijing. Yet the most scenic and challenging of all.

COOL pic! :)

Finally reaching the 8th peak...

Lotus galore at Summer Palace (颐和园）

At one of the exits of The Summer Palace.

The Forbidden City. Our favourite photo. :)

One of the Emperor's Throne in the inner halls.

Streets of Tianjin.

2007-08-26T19:51:00.001+08:00

You Are An INFJ

The Protector
You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity.Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is.You are an excellent listener, with almost infinite patience.You have complex, deep feelings, and you take great care to express them.
In love, you truly see relationships as an opportunity to connect and grow.You enjoy relationships as long as they are improving and changing. You can't stand stagnation.
At work, you stay motivated and happy... as long as you are working toward a dream you support.You would make a great photographer, alternative medicine guru, or teacher. How you see yourself: Hardworking, ethical, and helpful
When other people don't get you, they see you as: Manipulative, weak, and unstable

What's" Your Personality Type?

HPAIR 2007

2007-08-23T11:39:00.000+08:00

This year's student-run Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations was held in Beijing's Grand Hyatt from 17th-20th August. Preparations began since last year...and it's seriously not an easy task since I have a few friends in the Host Country Organizing Committee. (HCOC) I was in the "Social Policy" Workshop and it was quite an enriching experience being "enlightened" on the growing obesity epidemic in Asia (sharing by Harvard Medical Sch's prof), the various inequalities facing Asia today...with special focus on India and separatism...how separatists tend to emphaize inequalities and de-emphasize equalities in order to justify separatism. Food for thought: If the people in the country are happy with the inequality status, then is there still a need to push for equality??

Performance by the Korean Delegates on International Night! :)

Gala Dinner @ Grand Hyatt. Mainly Singaporeans...it was great knowing them!! =)

Back Row[L to R]: Eugene, Xuan Rong, Weixin, Shuting (local Chinese), Monica (S Korean), Yao Long, Yujun, Di Kun.

Front Row[L to R]: Meng Choo, Yun Li, Singapore Wala. (He really has Singapore in his name! So happening! haha)

One of the Plenary Sessions conducted at the Foreign Language Centre. Provided insights on the upcoming Olympics. Some interesting facts: Beijing mobilized the most number of Olympics volunteers since the history of Olympics: 80,000. Highest operational costs incurred thus far: USD$1.7 billion and China being the 1st country to host Para-Olympics separately.

Leadership Field Trip to CNOOC.

2007-08-05T22:25:00.001+08:00

And so...my first summer school in PKU ended in a twinkling of an eye. 1 month's gone and 4 credits fulfilled. heh. Took environmental ecology, a psy module and aerobics..quite fun though the lessons were a lil' taxing (almost everyday). And now it's time for a BREAK!

DK's here in Beijing and my Aug would be spent travelling! :)

成都/九寨沟/黄龙之旅

2007-07-08T20:46:00.000+08:00

This is the stream beside our hotel room in Jiuzhaigou!

The widest waterfall in Jiuzhaigou: 树正瀑布
Panda Lake: So-called as the difference in water marks during summer and spring resembles the pandas' spots.

Water-free sanitary toilet...on the move!!

三年前的暑假，是怀着一颗极度兴奋、跃跃欲试的心情踏入成都这“天府之国”。成都——留给我的回忆尽是那么地悠闲自在，使我那么地流连忘返。
永远永远也不会忘记石室中学给我留下的种种回忆。
张艺谋曾经说过：“成都是居家的好地方。”这句话我记了三年多。
这里有最温暖和蔼的人、有最令人垂涎欲滴的成都小吃、有最麻的麻辣火锅、有最迷人的四川妹妹、有令人一看就想抱的国宝．．．

三年后的暑假，我再次重游这片土地。仿佛看不出有什么巨大的变化，一切终究是那么地熟悉，那么地令人向往。都市化的过程似乎没有使成都变得像一般大城市那样地让人迷惘、迷失方向。

我和SICA最要好的朋友陈琛一起度过这短暂却又难忘的五天之旅．国航果然延误了两小时，可怜的我们只好领着行李箱在候机处度过那漫长的一夜．我们也真够无聊的了，在首都机场的儿童游乐场玩乐，一边对着≤樱桃小丸子≥发笑．

好不容易到了成都的塞斯特宾馆（就在武侯祠附近）住了一个晚上．隔天早上便到双流机场与其他散客会合，再乘搭班机到九寨黄龙机场．

黄龙确实没有九寨沟的景色漂亮，唯独五彩池是值得一看．或许有了比较，才更显示出九寨沟那＂人间仙境＂般的美景．自九寨沟开发20多年来，沟里的管理员都将它保存得非常好，尽可能以最原始的姿态呈现在我们眼前．一路拍呀拍，数码相机果然负了我们．但正因为这样却迫使我们更加珍惜眼前所拥有的一切．
在九寨沟五彩池遇到的＂狗嘴女＂（她老爱说些损人不利己的东西．．呵呵）以及长海的“狗眼男”（凶神恶煞的表情）确实为我们的九寨之旅增添不少情趣。
Ｙ字形的九寨沟有三个沟、九个寨，一路上乘坐环保车游览九寨沟的美景，当然也走了不少路。其中以熊猫海最为迷人（水位下降和上升时仿佛像熊猫的条纹，因此故名）。游览九寨沟最好是秋季的 9-10月份，好想再回去哟！

北京散客团的小弟弟和阿姨叔叔们都非常地热情，一路上有说有笑．
来送机的陈先生是我们这次旅途中遇到的最可爱的人．他的热情，无人能及．

谢谢陈琛，一路有你．

Start of the summer hols!

2007-06-29T00:30:00.000+08:00

YAY! Exams have ended! Hahah...went to Carrefour with my classmates...shopped around and had a hair cut at Salon 88! :) I like the place and the hairdresser who did my fringe! And also, it's the first time I had my hair cut in darkness... (there was a blackout in the midst of cutting) Then moved near the window pane for a clearer view.
Last night went KTV at 17 miles with friends from the Chinese Faculty! :) Great...got to know more people! Heheh.

I like my fringe..hee.

Went to take photos with 1 of my graduating senior, Liangzhou. :)
Took this photo for him and 闵老师, a dear admin teacher for undergrads in the chinese fac.
And yes...I'm going to Cheng Du tomorrow night!! Looking forward to 九寨沟。 will be back on the 4th July :)

2007-06-26T12:56:00.000+08:00

阿．．又是空欢喜一场．起起落落的通选课成绩．仿佛每一学期都要被正态一下。
社会学导论(Introduction to Sociology) 84...绩点 3.3．Aye..stupid 1 mark curse.
There are simply too many smarties in Beida.

Actually...there's no need to get so hyped up by such figures...most important thing is the learning process right...hahah. (yeah yeah)
And there has been "rumours" that GPA calculation for all modules will be revamped soon. Professors were saying that the GPA score between each level is too far too close. At present, the system is such that:

90 & >9o=4.0 (maximum)
85-89=3.7
82-84=3.3
78-81=3.0
75-77=2.7
72-74=2.3
68-71=2.0
64-67=1.5
60-63=1.0 (passing grade)
All else = 0 (fail)

Thus, 1 mark difference can mean a big jump in GPA. That's not very fair.

Sem 2 is over!

2007-06-25T17:05:00.000+08:00

Another semester has whizzed past like that.
And as we move on to our 2nd year, here are some memories of the teachers that have taught us this semester =)

古文选读：刘子瑜老师． She just came back from Japan and in actual fact, taught us for less than a semester. Nevertheless, she's a kind and patient teacher who seems to be very interested in Singapore. haha. :) our nickname for her: 林黛玉 no. 2!! --> They are both very skinny and...her health is bad.
Photo taken in: 三教404

现代汉语：王韫佳老师. Well...she taught us for a year in total. Mixed feelings. She can be a terribly strict teacher who gets irritated by students who can't copy notes quickly, especially those who try to infringe on her copyright: power point slides. Yet..she has her soft side as well. She works really hard and tries her best to teach us more.
Photo taken in: 中文系五院教员休息室

中国古代史（下）：党宝海老师． Haha..he's my IDOL!! Someone with a very cute personality. He gets shy easily and tries to act strict sometimes >.<> His PhD thesis was a research on the Mongolian Tribe! :) Enjoyed his snippets of interesting history facts every now and then. History without him....and his sharing would be missed.

This is definitely not a teacher...haha. Met Gek Hoon, a fellow MOE local scholar, while she was in Beijing for their NUS USP programme. =)

人生——无奈

2007-06-22T10:57:00.000+08:00

刚看了一个朋友的 livejournal，突然对人生有许许多多的感慨。整颗心也顿时变得沉重无比。那么深刻由衷的愤慨，仿佛对着世态炎凉的社会败风发出无尽的控诉。

我一直以来都非常清楚地意识到自己是多么地幸福：我有一个完整的家庭，一群爱护自己的亲人挚友。但和他相对而言，仿佛“幸福”这个字眼显得太微不足道。
人生不如意之事十之八九．．．又怎么能不以“有色眼镜”去重新看待诠释其中的“一二”呢．．
人对世态的悲观，并不是一朝一夕建立的。那是通过一而再、再而三的失望、绝望、现实给予理想的种种粉碎慢慢地编织出来。
他厌倦了各种各样的慰问与关怀。我知道他现在需要的不是同情，而是坚强地走完这段坎坷旅程的精神。想必，在一旁默默地祝福他便是我所能做到的。

有些人，若你在他最脆弱的时候不在他身边，那你一辈子再也不需要出现。

天下悲伤之事道不尽，唯有默默自个儿倾。

2007-06-21T18:51:00.000+08:00

Oooh! My first elective's result for this sem is out! (History of Chinese Culture) Got 90 marks..Just managed to hit 4.0 happy! One of the top 45 out of 150 ( top 30% >85 marks) hehh hadn't expected such good results cos' it was an open book test...everyone would possibly have written the same stuff except for a few questions which were open-ended. Maybe my paper pulled me up.
Anyway, just hoping for the best for the remaining results!

3 more papers to go!!

Visited Renmin University (中国人民大学) , one of the top few Universities in Beijing (20th in China) for a combined Chinese Orchestra Concert (红楼梦主题音乐会) with the Singapore NAFA's 狮城华乐团。音乐总监/指挥郑朝吉先生 is renowned for his contributions in the music arena and has been invited to perform in various cities of China. Nearing the end of the performance, 王立平先生, who composed the music for 红楼梦 was invited to share his thoughts on the noble contribution (He took 4 years in all)...which turned out to be very inspiring and touching! 崔蕊, a young and talented female vocalist managed to bring out the best of 《葬花吟》during the finale!
Cheers to the Singapore Orchestra and NAFA!!

Renmin Uni's auditorium at 明德堂．awesome place!! too bad my battery went flat when the performers came onstage :X

Graffiti on school campus...creativity or vandalism??

Typical school building...it's a GREEN campus...one section reminded me of Yishun Community Library...the estates and the HDB flats. For a moment, i thought I was home. :)

人大世纪馆：Their Sports Hall! It was huge...

Birthdays birthdays birthdays....

2007-06-18T17:03:00.000+08:00

Recently there are lots of people celebrating their birthdays in June. And despite it being the hectic exam period....we spent some time sharing their joy and significant moments together with them. Happy Birthday to you June babies!! :)

Xiang Zhe's Birthday Dinner at 何贤记! (a very dear friend on exchange from Germany)
L to R: yiQ, yunz, XZ, Jeremy, Sonia~

yunz and Jiankang at Pork Fusion (Liangzhou was there as well)
Out that night......as I completed all my electives exams!! wooo~

Eileen's 21st Birthday present!! :)

Her birthday celebrations at 小红番薯~ The food there is nice (esp their mango desserts!!) But it's quite expensive >.<

And so mugging continues......

2007-06-11T20:45:00.000+08:00

It's exam period again.. Sianz. Final-term exams start from today till 27th June.
Finished my Chinese Cultural History Exam today...5 more to go! Someone fainted during exam...probably due to heat stroke. This is not the first time it happened already...
The weather's really hooooot this summer. Aye. Why am I complaining so much.
Bad weather = terrible mood = unproductivity! Temperatures reaching 37 degree celsius these days. :S

Lunched with the NUS USP Scholars who are in Beijing for these 2 weeks. Met Gek Hoon...after 10 months since last year's MOE TSPC! Oh man..how time flies!

I'm still not getting what I want...
Ultimately, I realised 人最爱的还是自己！

2007-06-06T00:12:00.000+08:00

Met Corine (DK's friend) and her friend, Jocelyn who are in Beijing for internships!
We went to 五道口 Pork Fusion (A Korean Restaurant) for dinner..heh. :)
Then went for massage...fun!
Glad I found more shopping khakis during July... :D

Corine, Jocelyn, yunz

Children's Day

2007-06-02T15:51:00.000+08:00

Happy Children's Day to all China babies!! (or wanna-be babies...) Heheh..
And so while subconsciously knowing that eateries will be very very crowded on this day, we still ended up at Origus. （a Pizza Restaurant near school). The dining experience was quite crazy....this is the first time I see Origus so crowded! :x

S-Nexus

2007-05-28T08:38:00.000+08:00

A year has passed in the twinkling of an eye. S-Nexus (Seniors' Grad Ball in Beijing) was better than my JC Prom...hahahha..at least the food was better than Ritz Carlton around 2 years ago. :) This year it's held at Novotel...quite grand! The video was goooood...funny and heartwarming at the same time.

yunz & Ying Jie: Law exchange student here~

yunz & Liangzhou! One of my dearest seniors in PKU. All the best !!

yunz & "babarian" Jinyao: It's rare to have him take a prim and proper photo with me...especially when he likes to bully me! You'll be missed!

yunz & Regina! "Cyndish" senior! Haha.

Meiying, yunz , Jiasong...On our way to Novotel!

THE place~

Chek and yunz...hahahah..he was so accommodating!

Meiying, Xinhui, yunz with our Note book for 1 of the graduating seniors: Jin Yao! :)
Mission accomplished!

SICA 出游

2007-05-20T21:03:00.000+08:00

出游地点：北京怀柔区黄花山水长城
“三绝”之说：一段没有维修的，几千里长城中唯一一段傍水的古长城、湖水将三段长城自然断开，形成长城戏水、水没古城垣的奇特景观，景区深处遍布的明代板栗园，古树盘根错节，形态各异。
原本以为能轻轻松松地爬长城，没想到竟变成了另类的“素质拓展”课。我们翻过了重重的山岭、层层的石块...一路困难重重，但终于达到终点。半途中在湖里丢了墨镜，却捡了一份珍贵的友谊。
区内的农家庄让我忆起去年“十一”假期的内蒙坝上之旅。
一起烧烤，玩杀人游戏...仿佛一切回忆又重现。无聊的我们一起评论 “红楼梦中人” 参赛者的优缺点...
生平第一次目睹北斗七星（勺子形状）和北极星。郊外夜晚的星星是如此地浪漫迷人。

此长城建于明永乐年间（ 1404 ）。它不仅是守卫京师的北大门，而且成为护卫明皇陵" 十三陵 " 的重要门户，是明长城的精华所在。

登山队！还有好一些人在山底下休息呢...

饮水思源：母牛泉水比一般矿泉水还清纯可口...带点丝丝的甜味。
我们一连串从这儿接了好几次水解渴。半路中，多亏有帅哥相助。哈哈哈。

最无聊的人莫过于我和陈琛了...

5 缺 1。[左起:田主席、沈志良(外联部长)、郭锐(外联副部长）、金晶、XXX ]

农家住宿！赞~

条件还真不错。借宿一晚不过15元。

2007-05-16T23:55:00.000+08:00

余老师 a.k.a Kapo my ex-LEP teacher came to Beijing! =) Heh...a really really pleasant surprise amidst busy schooldays. And so the bunch of us ex-LEP HC students were there to entertain him...and vice versa as well. He came with an old friend (郑校长）ex-principal of Bukit Batok Sec School. Last Sunday, we brought him around PKU campus and lunched together. (His treat of course! Heh..and he was so happy that beer in China is soooo cheappp! about S$0.60 per bottle!)
Tonight the bunch of us went to 北京大董烤鸭店 which is near the city area...one of the famous roast duck restaurants around. Yummy~!

Kapo and HC LEP!
yunz and kapo...see he's acting shy. HAhaha.

yunz and 郑校长.

LEP rocks! Hahhaa. :)
We went for Qing Dao Beer!~
Drunk?? CHeeRs~ =)

SICA 十周年酒会

2007-05-12T21:11:00.000+08:00

SICA (Student International Communication Association) 走过了百年北大的十分之一。虽然我暂且只参与了SICA十分之一的岁月（这个学期结束之后就算满一年了），相信内部改革之后的它会是更加多姿多彩、更具吸引力的。或许改革会分散我们部内的各个成员，或许大家在SICA一起奋斗的日子仍是个未知数，但这份真挚的友谊将永远牵系着我们的心。

改革计划: 将原先的部门重新按照社团所负责的项目来划分。

正大国际中心：我们提前到场帮忙设置场地。

项目部原班人马的一部分成员~

历史系的好友：况颖秋

2007-05-11T15:54:00.000+08:00

Yesss! I finally finished my Sociology paper based on Lin Yutang's "My Country and My People" ...yay! But there's still a few more other papers to go. :/ I think I need some more inspiration..hee.

The weather has been really good recently! About 17-30 degree celsius....just nice to walk out in shorts and tee-shirts and then tuck in bed comfortably with occasional strong gusts of wind. :)
I'm not reading enough 古文...ahh. Should have heeded Kapo's (ex-LEP teacher) advice and started on 古文观止 long before I landed in PKU. ^_^

Hope everyone's enjoying their summer holidays. Hmm. :)

Funny...

2007-05-09T21:52:00.000+08:00

可能我太累了，抑或太无聊...竟会觉得以下新闻超搞笑。^^

5月9日早报新闻网

斑马也有假的？

(长春讯）吉林省一个动植物园为了赚钱，竟将一只白马，画上黑色条纹冒充非洲斑马，让游客骑马拍照赚钱。

　　《城市晚报》报道，一名家长在“五一”假期期间带家人去动植物公园游玩，看到一个骑马照相的地方，其中一匹马身上密布黑色条纹，公园负责人说是斑马，但是他们花了人民币5元（约1新元）拍照后，到斑马展馆看斑马，才发现他们刚刚骑的根本不是斑马，好像是身上画着黑色条纹的白马。

　　记者接到消息后到该动植物园采访，向负责人查询那匹马是否真是斑马时，对方不耐烦地表示：“这是非洲来的，非洲来的不是斑马是什么？”然而，就在这匹“斑马”附近，记者又发现了一匹同样供游人拍照的小白马，从体态到身上的颜色，都与这匹“斑马”一模一样，缺少的，不过是身上的黑色条纹。

　　记者也发现，这匹“斑马”特别受到游客的欢迎，不到5分钟，已有3名游客骑着“斑马”拍照。一名刚刚带着孩子拍完照的女游客告诉记者，这匹马一看就不是斑马，反正是让孩子骑马开心一下，所以无所谓。

　　记者随后联络公园的管理部门，工作人员说，他们也不太清楚那匹马究竟是不是斑马，但是真的假的其实也无所谓，都是玩的东西，能逗大家开心就好。

五一黄金周诸多发现...

北京天安门广场的垃圾量是反映中国游客文明程度的一个观察点。今年五一黄金周期间，天安门地区清扫出垃圾146吨，明显低于去年同期清出的204吨垃圾量。

　　北京城管部门组建了五支“纠正不文明行为联合宣传检查队”，在北京站、王府井步行街、西单商业街、天安门广场等公共场所对“乱吐乱扔、乱贴乱画”，特别是随地吐痰进行罚款。七天中共有89人因随地吐痰被罚款。

2007-05-09T17:52:00.000+08:00

I've decided to do a minor in Psychology. It has always been what I wanted. After thinking about it for a long time, I think I won't be able to cope with a double major and I still want to enjoy Uni life as much as I can. :) And so, I went to the admin and submitted my form. The admin personnel told me that......it's rare to see a student from the Chinese faculty applying to do a double major/minor in Psychology. Heehh..seems like I'll be one of the first few! =) Results will be out in a month's time.

Despite the fact that doing a double major in Psychology is really really tempting, I've got to be realistic. I'm sure I can't survive the statistics here...Psychometrics will be tough...and I've just got to give up functional anatomy of CNS and abnormal psychology.

This is what I'll be doing:

心理学辅修总学分：25分

1、 必修课：19学分

课程号	课程名	课程名（英文）	学时(周)	学分	开课时间
01630011	普通心理学	General Psychology	4	4	一上
01630031	实验心理学	Experimental Psychology	4	4	二上
01630044	社会心理学	Social Psychology	2	2	二下
01630060	发展心理学	Developmental Psychology	3	3	二下
01630100	生理心理学	Physiological Psychology	2	2	三上
01630120	认知心理学	Cognitive Psychology	4	4	三上

2、选修课：6学分（从心理系课程中选修）

This is what I gave up: Aye

心理学双学位总学分:36学分

1、必修课：30学分

课程号	课程名	课程名（英文）	学时(周)	学分	开课时间
01630011	普通心理学	General Psychology	4	4	一上
01630050	心理统计（1）	Psychological Statistics	2	2	一下
01630031	实验心理学	Experimental Psychology	4	4	二上
01630020	CNS解剖	Functional Anatomy of Central Nervous System	2	2	二下
01630044	社会心理学	Social Psychology	2	2	二下
01603010	心理测量	Psychometrics	2	2	二下
01630060	发展心理学	Developmental Psychology	3	3	二下
01630100	生理心理学	Physiological Psychology	2	2	三上
01630120	认知心理学	Cognitive Psychology	4	4	三上
01630280	管理心理学	Organizational Psychology	2	2	三上
01630090	变态心理学	Abnormal Psychology	3	3	三下

2、选修课程：6学分（从心理学课程中选择）

名人特写

2007-05-07T11:54:00.000+08:00

辜鸿铭 （爱丁堡大学硕士毕业 Edinburgh University）

辜鸿铭曾在北京大学任教，梳着小辫走进课堂，学生们一片哄堂大笑，辜平静地说：“我头上的辫子是有形的，你们心中的辫子却是无形的。”闻听此言，狂傲的北大学生一片静默。

近期阅读林语堂的《中国人》(My Country and My People)得到不少启发。其中更是对辜鸿铭颇感兴趣。
原因在于他对一夫多妻制的极度辩护。一次，他在为纳妾制辩护时说：“你曾看过一个茶壶，四个茶杯在一起，但是你可曾见过一个茶杯和四个茶壶在一起吗？”
辜鸿铭很主张男人要娶小老婆，认为这是社会稳定的基础．
美国的妇运份子特地跑到上海跟辜鸿铭争论这个问题，最后辜鸿铭问她："亲爱的女士，请问你们家的马车有几个轮子？""有四个．""用一个打气筒灌气，还是用四个打气筒灌气？""当然是用一个．""娶小老婆就是这个道理！"

这样的理论，我啼笑皆非。说对也对，说不对也有它的道理。
对于这个问题的最佳答复是《金瓶梅》中西门庆的姬妾潘金莲的一句话：“一个碗内两张匙，不是汤着就是抹着。”

20世纪初，西方人曾流传一句话：“到中国可以不看三大殿，不可不看辜鸿铭。”

I love singing

2007-05-04T23:15:00.000+08:00

The new K Box KTV has found its place near my school campus! yay~ :) It feels so SG-like (x many times the AMK size) I feel as if I'm home! :) 11-2pm K-lunch is cheap..heh 16-19RMB(S$3-4) only! Afternoon slots also equally cheap...16RMB for 5hrs (with 2 free drinks...got milkshake) . This is really cool!
Now it's a fight between 17 miles and K Box..ha. :)

五一北京外出

2007-05-03T22:56:00.000+08:00

原来...简单就是幸福。
平淡中的友谊参杂着缕缕的甜意...
熙熙攘攘的人群中却存有丝丝的默契。

北大红楼~

老舍故居—〉书店！原来猫咪也有看书看到累的一天…

五四大街：Duxin & Yunz -->手里摇晃着北大学生证，重温五四学生爱国运动亢奋的心情。

无聊的时候就一起下棋吧...

我与天坛！

[Jian Kang, yunz, Liang Zhou @ 天坛]-->天坛是北京“天地日月”诸坛之首，是我国和世界上现存最大的古代祭祀性建筑群，始建于明永乐十八年，是一座典型坛庙，是明清两代皇帝祭天祈谷的场所。

他们说...这堵墙能传话...但一点回响也没有。便索性拍照留念！-->升镐、云丽

五四精神的完美写照~
北大红楼 ---〉新文化运动纪念馆。

黄记煌：我吃过最棒的焖锅！=)

May Day Holidays

2007-04-28T23:07:00.000+08:00

I finished 2 out 3 mid-term papers during the past few days. Quite a tough time preparing...maybe because I started late. But it's over..and I don't think I will do as bad as I thought. I thought I could revise pretty well when I'm all alone. But it seems that this may not be the case. I guess I need more self-discipline too! :) Have been strolling around 未名湖 these days...it has a soothing and calming effect...especially when I look at the ripples in the lake. At least that's where I can find peace.

The May Day Holidays are here (about 9 days) and I'll be stuck in Beijing..for extra lessons (!!??) and to do my papers. Hopefully there's time to go explore around. Though Beijing will probably be the most crowded.

Ha..and I got "addicted" on the 2006 Taiwan drama 微笑 pasta starring 张栋梁 and 王心凌! It's really nice...and sweet. :)

只要笑一笑，没什么过不了！

This line may sound simple and a little silly..quite Ah Q actually. But....it struck me quite hard these few days. Maybe I need to smile more to make myself feel happier. I feel that I'm experiencing a considerable amount of stress...and trying to conceal myself from everyone else.
Another thing that's bothering me...Should I even do a double major or minor in Psychology. Double major has 36 extra credits to fulfil...while a minor has 25 credits in all. Will I be able to cope..? The only good thing about the minor is that statistics and psychometrics will be excluded. The other compulsory modules are General Psy, Developmental Psy, Experimental Psy, Social Psy, Physiological Psy and Cognitive Psy. Functional Anatomy of CNS sounds good. Hmm.

This is even funnier...

2007-04-23T22:46:00.001+08:00

Wow...and I see overlapping celebrities! ^_^

This is funny...

2007-04-23T22:31:00.001+08:00

http://www.myheritage.com

植物园踏青~

2007-04-22T01:41:00.000+08:00

It was quite a fruitful Dharma 春游 with fellow Singaporeans...and a few other friends!
Trip to the Botanical Gardens on a friday proved to be quite a good choice..hehe..It was our school's Sports Carnival..and so it's HOLIDAY! :)
The scenery was captivating (though a little artificial at times...there was a stark contrast between some brightly-coloured flowers and the dull grass and trees. We prepared our own food..had a picnic at an open area! The weather was goooood (spring feels like summer already *_*)...but there was occasional strong winds...that almost blew our food away..
Other than hanging around the Botanical Gardens, we visited 卧佛寺, 梁启超之墓 which was just around the vicinity.

Jiasong's tee was very in-sync with the day's theme huh...NO SCHOOL TODAY! :)

Grandpa Weilie...and his grandchild? Do I look like one...with this look-alike "primary sch purple house tee-shirt?" (It's actually my Korean classmates who designed the faculty tee..sob)

Yellow tulips!!

We were at 曹雪芹故居　(yunz, xinhui, meiying)

Ronghui's Chinese friend who's heading to Hong Kong Uni-- Siting with me! Was she trying to slap me?? 0_0
I love pink flowers!! :D
Nice~tulips tulips! :)

Do we seem to be off-balance? Guess what? :)

It's akin to an OBS challenge!!!

Beautifully-sculptured stones and colourful flowers!

It's quite scary to stand under "fat" flowers with the danger of bees swarming by any moment...

Gun violence..

2007-04-18T21:48:00.000+08:00

Virginia Tech massacre final toll: 33 dead...It has happened yet again after the Columbine High School shooting..Major school shootings in US become so rampant that it's horrifying..what is this "gun culture" evolving into??

"The shootings are certain to re-ignite a debate on tougher gun laws. Virginia’s gun laws are among the least strict in the nation." ---quoted by ST Interactive 18 April 07.

There should be tighter restrictions on gun ownership...and the following reports make it more disheartening.

ST Interactive :

'We continue to lose more than 30,000 people every year in this country to gun violence,' he said, calling for the introduction of 'sensible' gun laws.

It's an irony when you see so many died under a supposed form of technological advancement...and yet many more in developing countries died out of poverty..epidemic..etc.

'The illegal gun market in this nation is really fed by a number of loopholes in existing laws that allow criminals and children and other prohibited purchasers persistently and easily to get guns,' he said.

More than 30 states had yet to close loopholes allowing convicted felons to buy weapons at gunfairs, for example, with no background checks, he said.

2007-04-13T19:29:00.000+08:00

Even though I feel happy in school...in Beijing...I still feel that I don't belong at times. It's quite sad...though I have good Chinese friends that I do get along well with...fantastic buddies in class...nice people in CCAs...huge network of fellow SG friends here... Perhaps participating in more activities helps...perhaps knowing more people soothes the sense of loneliness that I feel once in a while...but it feels really really empty deep down. Sometimes, I have no idea who to turn to when I need a listening ear...who I can look for and cry my heart out without fears of being betrayed. I feel as if I'm taking a risk everytime I confide in someone...friendship seems so fragile. Perhaps it's really hard to find true friendship in a big world out there. Occasionally when I wander on the streets, I feel lost..Lost in this big big (and polluted) city. I wouldn't want to go back home...I feel like wandering somewhere....far away..

Just like the rest of my JC khakis, I miss the good old times...and when I read about them having gatherings back home...there's a tinge of soury feeling somewhere out there. I miss 73...I miss dear Wanz where I can tell her everything and anything...I miss DK and my family....
It's hard to be strong sometimes...I don't like telling myself: "Be strong....things will get better." It's so fake.

But I know everything comes with a price...there's got to be a sacrifice for everything somewhere.

茫茫人海中....我找不到一个最熟悉的陌生人...

Spring finally... =)

2007-04-12T20:07:00.000+08:00

Peach blossoms...pretty pretty!! :)

Weather has been good recently...the "much anticipated" sandstorm has not arrived yet! (there was a mild one a few weeks back)..Flowers in full bloom, dotting the campus with beautiful colours!! :)

Took part in 中文系小猪哼哼K歌大赛！There were about 43 teams that took part..I sang 3 songs in total...1 solo (隐形的翅膀),1 duet (被风吹过的夏天 with yiQ), 1 trio (一个像夏天一个像秋天 with my 2 female classmates)! Hee...our trio team got into the finals....to be held this coming friday at 17 miles (Karaokae). Planning to sing twins' 星光游乐园...Seems like we can only work towards putting up a good performance...a funny one especially :) As we are definitely not up against the rest of the competitors. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed singing during the preliminary rounds that night. ^_^

Sigh..my May Day Hols are dashed..aye. Initially planned to go Shanxi with the school tour (留办) but it's been cancelled due to poor response! (only 7 people signed up...there were 40 vacancies) Now it seems I'm staying put in Beijing for the hols....for extra lessons.... :S

Oh yes..got HPAIR..something to be happy about! :D But it’s quite expensive…USD$325…Should I??

Olympics 2008!

2007-04-02T21:29:00.000+08:00

Beijing National Stadium..fondly known as Bird Nest 鸟巢！:) (pic with courtesy from Straits Times Interactive)
Counting down..in less than 500 days..it's the Beijing Olympics 2008!! I'm excited...just applied to be an Olympics volunteer...thinking of para-olympics section..beach volley...sailing...and the list goes on..hee. Let's see what the news report has that's interesting.

2 April 2007 The Straits Times Interactive

Beijing on track for Olympics

500 days to event and some Chinese are suffering from publicity overload

UNIQUE medal design? Check. Fancy-looking stadiums? Right on schedule. Publicity overkill? Definitely.

Never one to pass up an opportunity to flag its readiness for the 2008 Olympics, Beijing's organisers went into overdrive last week with dozens of celebratory events to mark the 500-day countdown to the sporting spectacle.

State-run media was saturated with reports and pictures of crowds posing against a giant countdown clock in the heart of the Chinese capital, while others took part in a walk-and-jog through the city, accompanied by life-sized mascots of the 2008 Games, the Fuwas.

The organisers also unveiled the winning design for the medals of the upcoming Olympics - one which combined the use of jade, which signifies honour and virtue in Chinese culture, with gold, silver and bronze.

The medals feature the Beijing Olympic logo, the five Olympic rings and 'Beijing 2008' in a centre circle, which is then surrounded by a ring of jade in different colours.

The gold medal has a ring of finer white jade, while the jade used for the silver medal sports a slightly darker tone. The bronze medal has a ring of green jade.

'The elegant design represents Chinese culture and the Olympic spirit,' said Ms Jiang Xiaoyu, an executive vice-president of the Beijing organising committee.

At separate press conferences, the Olympics organisers also gave the assurance that the 31 stadiums being built or renovated for the Games would be ready by year-end as scheduled.

The one exception would be the showcase 91,000-seater National Stadium, known fondly as the 'Bird's Nest'.

Officials said the National Stadium, which will be the main venue for track and field events, would be ready in March next year, but gave no reasons for the slight delay.

One Olympic venue, the Shunyi Olympic Water Park, is expected to be completed in time for its first major test event, the Junior World Rowing Championships, in August.

Located about an hour's drive north-east of Beijing, the park boasts a 3,000-m rowing lake and will host rowing, kayaking and canoeing events.

The media blitz, however, has left some Beijingers wondering if the city was organising one countdown too many.

Taxi-driver Li Wenge groused that it was not that long ago - in August last year - that Beijing had marked the two-year countdown to the Games.

'In a few months' time, we would mark the one-year countdown,' he added. 'Would we then have to mark the 200-day and 100-day countdowns as well? Can't the money be better spent helping the poor?'

But one bit of news which failed to get into the Chinese media last week, was how French politicians and an American movie star are calling on corporate sponsors and athletes to boycott the 2008 Games due to China's ties with Sudan.

Actress Mia Farrow had accused Beijing of 'bank- rolling' the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, while French presidential candidate Francois Bayrou said last week that 'France will do itself honour by refusing to take part' in the 2008 Olympics if Beijing continued to block UN Security Council resolutions condemning Sudan.

Beijing has rebuffed the critics, saying that they did not understand China's policies in Africa.

Hmm... indeed there's so much hype about the nearing of the Olympics...500 days..and the list goes on. Skies are artificially cleared to improve conditions for the big event...modernization is taking place at a rapid pace. Yet some parts of Beijing are still experiencing extreme poverty. What a stark contrast...tall high-rise buildings in the city area..buzzing with excitement over the very prospect that a world-event is to be held soon.

I wonder what will possibly happen after the Olympics.

Visit by Norwegian PM

2007-03-30T01:45:00.000+08:00

I shoke hands with Mr Jens Stoltenberg...very young Prime Minister of Norway! :) Had the chance to present flowers to him on behalf of PKU. Quite fun! Heh..went to attend this talk: "Nora's sisters - A seminar on the role of women in China today".

2006 marked the 100th anniversary of the death of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, of which Pillars of Society, A Doll's House and An Enemy of the People were his more renowned works. There was a special focus on "A Doll's House" as it was extremely important to women's liberation all over the world. Of which famous Nora phenomenon: Nora portrays women's right to freedom and personal growth, escapes the confinement of her home and looks into the future which sets her free. One of her most famous quotes to her husband " I want to become a person free just like you." left a deep impression. The topic on gender inequality, feminist liberation has always been discussed throughout the years.

In fact, famous writers like 胡适、曹禺 were deeply influenced by Ibsen, the term "Ibsenism" was even invented by 胡适 to describe modern dramas.

After the seminar, there was a 千手观音 performance by the deaf association. Normal people would probably take less than a week to master the "dance", but they had to take more than a month...lots of effort indeed.

A terracotta..but a special one. It's female!! Very in sync with the seminar topic.

Held at 英杰交流中心...where PKU hosts her overseas guests.

2007-03-30T01:30:00.000+08:00

Just received news from my ex-JC CT rep Erene that my ex-chem relief tutor Miss Deborah Wee committed suicide. She's probably just 2 years my senior...my only memory of her was a sullen face, disciplined look...forever snapping at our questions. She's a perfect student with top grades, represented the school in Chem Olympics. While waiting for uni, she came to relief teach. She wanted to apply to NUS med but didn't get through the interview (we speculated it was because of her poor attitude). Eventually she got into NUS Bioengineering. （one of the pioneer batch I think). My impression of her hadn't been good at all.

And now...her death seems so sudden.
Though miles away...it's really a big shock. To know that an acquaintance left the world like that (to think we actually didn't had anything good to say about her...)
Nobody knows why she chose to end her life this way...what's more..at a tender age of 22.

Sigh.

SICA Opening Ceremony (春季）

2007-03-24T13:56:00.000+08:00

杨川子，our former team leader..went for studies abroad. 新部长：周密（计算机系四年级..doing her Masters here)

正大国际中心多功能厅：Halfway through the ceremony, surprise surprise! Principal(centre) came to give a speech (beyond anticipation) It turned out that he was dining next door. SICA's reaching her 10th year this coming May..established in 1997 and while our 1st anniversary was being celebrated, it coincided with PKU's centennial celebrations (1998)..double blessings! ^^ At that time, there were many leaders who made their visit to the school and thus they arrived at a conclusion: we need more students to bridge the gaps between PKU and overseas associations!

This is what we did for Rollcall again! Hahaha..加油项目部!

Another trip to IKEA :)

2007-03-18T19:23:00.000+08:00

IKEA never fails to bring me joy. Heh. :D I love my room now.

I bought 5 new cushions in total...with a 160cm x 100cm carpet..so comfy :)

Pretty pretty :) Oops..I shan't be narcissistic.

Ha...Playing with my photos. :) More to come.

My new black "deco tree"(bottom right). Have been eying it since last year when I flipped through the IKEA brochure.

I'm happy and contented.

Random...

2007-03-17T22:56:00.000+08:00

Dear Wanz tagged me...and so I shall do it! heh heh. :) "Weird" is hard to define...I guess it's still relative. What's weird to me may not be weird to you.

This is what you are supposed to cut and paste if you decide to participate in the tagging game..Each player of this game starts off by giving 6 weird things about themselves.People who get tagged need to write in a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state the rules clearly.In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names.After you do that, leave them each a comment letting them know you tagged them and to read your blog.

Here we go, 6 weird things:

1. I like flowers....fake flowers especially. Heehee. Is it considered weird? (and hence I have a new nickname "花花公主" over here..it's not without reason). When I explain the rationale to others that it's because fake flowers will never wither...they simply shrug it off. I get disturbed when real flowers die..even though I know that it's after all a natural process. In a way, I hope things stay the way it is sometimes. Ahh..that was a huge digression.

2. I have special affinity with the young and old. I have no idea why...I seem to be able to connect with them very well. Heh..that's why I'm pretty much into social work and interacting with the kids and elderly. I derive satisfaction from bringing joy to them...even though it may just be sitting there and listening, reading a book with them...singing and dancing.

3. I can be slightly bipolar sometimes. Quite easily affected by the surroundings.

4. I don't like yam.

5. I like reading about the private lives of people. (E.g. 杨贵妃秘传, 慈禧太后私生活秘录 etc)

6. I enjoy horror movies, lots of obstacle challenges, 360 degrees roller coaster rides...

None of them is weird actually. :)

2007-03-15T15:21:00.000+08:00

And so...school life is still quite happening!

Heh..this week's akin to "openhouse" for the various clubs and societies! I was stationed at 三角地 to do promotion for SICA and 爱心社。heh..it was fun (other than having to be there at 7.30am in the morning with strong wind blowing) to see many familiar faces walk past as well as hearty chats with people whom I hadn't known in the association. :) Interviews for the newbies this coming weekend. It's been quite a hectic week..rushing for lessons and being a little behind schedule for my readings. Was also involved in helping with the eng-chi translation for the Singapore FGS Intro!

A glance at my confirmed modules this semester!

Compulsory modules:
1. 中国古代史（下）...Chinese History ranging from Tang Dynasty to Opium War.
2. 现代汉语（下）...with focus on Grammar. Ahh. I've found interest in 汉字学(origins of Chinese characters..heheh)
3. 古文选读 ...Selected readings from the ancient times. The teacher loves to pick on me. O_o

Electives: (Leaving Comp App (2) till Yr 2 and sport modules till summer school!)
1. 中国文化史 Chinese Culture History..quite interesting, with wide coverage on the arts, science and technology, geography,philosophy,religion and some eastern/western cultural differences.
2. 社会学导论...Ahh I was very fortunate to be able to get this module..intro to sociology! Heh..im loving it.
3. 生活中的心理学..Psychology has always been what I wanted. Great. I will continue to take psycho modules for the rest of my sems! :)
4. 影视鉴赏. Ha..it's really not just about watching movies..contrary to popular belief. Learning to appreciate the art of film-making. Watched Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window"...quite funny.

Taking 20 credits this sem. Max already.
Ahh..I just completed HPAIR applications. So last minute. ^_^ Dateline is today.

What to expect for the coming week:
1. Talk by Pakistan's Foreign Minister next Mon afternoon! Something to be excited about. :D
2. SICA Newbies Interview (weekend)
3. IKEA shopping! yay...I still need to get somemore cushions, beanies, small carpet and a new set of bedsheet :)

感触万端

2007-03-12T20:08:00.000+08:00

寒风刺骨的冬天即将化作暖洋洋的春天。

季节的替换却不禁带动无限的感伤...

原来杂乱无章的心情一直都少了一个春天。

未从梦中苏醒过来。
我活在一个不切实际的梦幻泡影中。任它带着我走、带着我飘游...

我的一生不需要大悲大喜，我的一生不需要轰轰烈烈。
谁说风雨过后的彩虹才是最迷人耀眼的？
平淡中那一丝丝的温馨与感动不也是一种幸福吗？

Afterthoughts of an inspiring talk :)

2007-03-09T23:55:00.000+08:00

Attended the BBC Reith (BBC World Service founder John Reith) Lecture Series by International Economist Prof Jeffrey Sachs (Director of the Columbia University Earth Institute) in school today. The talk was about economic progress and saving the environment, with special relevance to China. He felt that international superpowers should be cooperating with each other to bring about greater energy efficiency in the coming years. ( around 2010) Sounds really like a utopian world..very idealistic. He feels that what China can possibly do now is to build power plants that can absorb harmful gases like CO2 and minimise damage caused to the environment, while at the same time not impeding economic growth.

It left me with lots of burning questions...especially so when this topic of interest had been continuously brought up since past decades. Yet nothing much seems to be done. US didn't sign the Kyoto Protocol..so is it going to be a rat race between US and China within the next couple of years?

China...being a growing economic giant, with 1.3 billion population (1/5 of the world's) is not just populous..it's crowded...it's environmentally-stressed. The West has fears about China...are they well-founded? It's probably a new China that the world is looking at now. China is making lots of improvement to reduce environmental damage as compared to past years. Especially so as the 2008 Olympics is nearing (~500 more days!) There were efforts to reduce pollution in many cities. In fact, artificial rain were created to clear the skies many a time. Nevertheless, in Guizhou province, the government closed the coal mines during the 1st month as it was thought to be causing too much damage to the environment. Yet during the 2nd month they were reopened..so it seems, the province's economy is very much dependent on coal-mining..as a result survival and realistic terms were prioritized instead. And this problem doesn't just exist in China alone.

The top end of the government is well aware that there's a need to reduce environmental damage amidst pursuit of technological advancement and economical development. But it's the top-down governmental structure that's causing a lot of problems. The Provincial Government and the Central Government do not cooperate...and thus corruption seems to be eating its way all the time. There shouldn't be attempts to change the way China politics work...for China politics are specifically meant for the Chinese. Western views shouldn't be imposed on the China politics framework in this case. Democracy, free votes, free media and human rights...won't necessarily solve deep-seated problems in China's politics.

A comic strip from the Chinese Newspapers that I read: 全球变暖说法系利益集团炒作？It mentioned global warming phenomenon is a mere hype and the government should not be reducing its energy consumption because of this.

At the end of the talk, we did manage to talk to a research fellow working at a NGO in Beijing..he mentioned the western environmental paradigm and how different they were from China's.
Of course...much more could be done...other than talks from academics. :)

Snow snow snow!

2007-03-04T16:05:00.000+08:00

The morning after the snow.

2 Russian guys built this snow-man at 3am last night (I peeped from my window!!)

Snowflakes falling in the wee hours of the night. :)

Updates & Heart-warming 20th!

2007-03-04T15:38:00.000+08:00

This is my first post in Beijing after a long winter break spent in Singapore! :) It snowed last night and this morning..unexpectedly since march marks the arrival of spring!! *happy* Went to Tsinghua for our dinner gathering again (All thanks to our "imperial chef" Ian)..Met many new exchange students from NUS and NTU. Hope they are enjoying themselves!

Anyway..my 20th Birthday was well-spent. Heh...big 2..quite scary, especially for females. Age seems to catch up very quickly after the 20th. Ha :D And so I met my JC ex-classmates (HC 04S73) for lunch gathering at City Hall. It was nice to see everyone before I depart for studies again. Jaspar and WK went to get a small oreo cheesecake to celebrate my birthday! Thanks everyone..I really appreciate it! :) Have a good year ahead!

That night before I left for the airport....had a mini celebration at home. My younger brother sang me a birthday song. :D

At the waiting area at Changi Airport (past midnight)..Xinhui and Mel gave me a slice of cake and sang "Happy Birthday"!

After touch-down at Beijing, I had a freaky surprise back at my Shao Yuan dorm..while I was thinking where I left my keys..the door knob suddenly turned and my seniors and friends were inside my room, waiting with a mocha cake! :) (It turned out that I left my keys with a senior before I went back for my winter break...ahh)

I feel blessed. Happy 20th to me! :)

If time can tell how much I love them! Thanks..till we meet again!

04S73 lunch gathering...see you next year!

My peach cake from Prima Deli! :)

Home sweet home: I wish for a healthy and peaceful year ahead.

2007-02-22T21:35:00.000+08:00

At Billy Bombers: Wenting, yunz, Mavis

Lunched with my 2004-2005 fellow 黄城夜韵化妆组组长 Mavis + 财政 Wenting at Bugis's Billy Bombers! (triple B huh :D) We had our 4-course New Year delight meal...hehh...an excuse to EAT more since it's new year! :) Both of them didn't change much..they are STILL so happening! Haha..shopped around after that then WT and I went to try out Nail Art..hah =) while Mavis went to meet her project mates at the National Library.

Had a great day out there. :)

2007-02-20T23:48:00.000+08:00

Uncle and aunt with their respective kids. :)

Relatives making merry...gamblers of CNY hahaa! It's a tradition every year and my 3rd uncle (blue top facing camera) seems to be the biggest winner yearly without fail. ^_^

My dear cousin Junni! My emotional support all these years :) We are turning 20 together this year!

She bagged the cutest award in the family: My youngest cousin (3 years old) Yi Mei ;)

While a few of my relatives were glued to the TV set. I wonder what was so captivating!

新年快乐！

2007-02-19T12:52:00.000+08:00

New Year gathering has always been an interesting affair every year.
Apart from seeing everyone else with eyes glued to the TV set (this time it was Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets!), feasting on the new year goodies, it was a good time to reflect and observe the various families at work. :)
In some families, fathers took on the roles of mothers (feeding and playing with the kids) while the mothers took on a more passive role in child-rearing. Has the world changed or am I still stuck in a conservative mindset?? Hehh...in that case, I admire the fathers. Having to juggle with work and take care of the young ones. (",)
I looked at the young ones (age 1.5-14) and started to ponder about the times when we were that young. Were we that naughty? Or are the kids nowadays much harder to handle? I believe we were much easier to discipline then.
Many many years later, they would be like us and we would be like our aunties and uncles (parents feeding our very own kids). A cycle indeed. :)

My family's latest creation!! CNY "tree". How to get the look: We grabbed a flower pot, bought some nice soil and sand, cut off some twigs and branches from the garden and planted it in. Then painted the branches with a fresh coat of brown paint, stuck cotton buds on them and hung decorative items!

This was done by my Mummy and brother while I was away! :) She actually asked me to guess how much she got it for. ^_^

...........

I know it's inevitable to lose touch with friends along the way...since everyone will be progressing on his/her own journey. But sometimes it's just sad...sad...sad. As the years go by...we gain new friends, we lose old ones. It's not about the quantity of friends that we make but rather the quality of the friendships forged. I wonder by the end of my undergrad, how many will I still keep in touch with?

...........

春节有感

2007-02-17T13:54:00.000+08:00

《蟋蟀》（《诗经·唐风》）

蟋蟀在堂，岁聿其莫。今我不乐，日月其除。
无已大康，职思其居。好乐无荒，良士瞿瞿。
蟋蟀在堂，岁聿其逝。今我不乐，日月其迈。
无已大康，职思其外。好乐无荒，良士蹶蹶。
蟋蟀在堂，役车其休。今我不乐，日月其慆。
无已大康，职思其忧。好乐无荒，良士休休。

终岁劳苦，不敢少休
而当此除岁迎新之际，应该纵情欢乐。

预祝大家

新春吉祥
步步高升

:)

Back to those memories.. :)

2007-02-17T01:13:00.000+08:00

I guess one of the happiest things in life is getting to see the all-so-familiar faces once again.
Anderson never fails to leave my heart brimming with warmth whenever I return to visit. :)
This time...it was the kids that made me feel everything was worth a return.
It was not the Chinese New Year performances or the greetings that were returned that fluttered my heart. It was the Indian cleaner auntie that goes.."ahhh...you are back again" with a toothless grin. It was the canteen drinks stall vendor uncle and auntie that poured me the blue weird raspberry drink for free...saying "我知道这是你最喜欢喝的..."(I know it's your favourite..). It was how my ex-students go.."AHHH...Ms Pannnn..." (I wonder why they are perpetually excited). It was how my ex-colleagues cum teachers patted my shoulders and said "Welcome back!" that made the difference.
Nothing feels warmer than home. Thank You! :D

These shall be 2/2'07 representatives. :) Thanks darlings! You made my day.

I really enjoyed the 2hr+ chit-chat. Thanks Mrs Ash'ari! (L-R clockwise):Mrs Ash'ari, yunz, xiaole

Taiwan trip..A discovery journey on Buddhism

2007-02-14T15:50:00.000+08:00

This trip had been special...for it was not just about sight-seeing, posing for the camera, being excited about the various attractions in Taiwan. Seriously, I wasn't expecting much about the accomodation, but it simply got much better and better along the way. :D Throughout the 11 days, there were about 8 days spent visiting different branches of 佛光山..each temple with its special architecture and style. We traversed from 高雄 --〉台南 --> 嘉义 --> 台中--> 苗栗 --> 基隆 --> 宜兰 -->彰化- -> 台北. Most importantly, the spread of Buddhism (especially 人间佛教）was witnessed.

心经：Beautifully sculptured and carved. I'm still an amateur in Buddhism...learning.

I was just trying to mimick 星云大师's statue。hehh。He's 80 this year...with a clear and brilliant mind still. He's from Jiangsu Province, became a monk at the young age of 12. He set up 佛光山 in 1967, with the aims of spreading education and culture via buddhism.

四姐妹@阿里山：Meiying, Yingying, Xinhui and me~!

天仁茗茶：Although there was introduction on the tea-types in Taiwan, process of tea-making, seasons favourable for tea harvest, it still left me a little disappointed. Nevertheless, it was an eye-opener once again...to the different tea cultures around the world.

I caught this by chance on the tour-bus. Quite a funky brand 双猫感冒液！

Outside 佛光山电视中心。So hip!

佛光大学: All the way up the hills. A very peaceful and serene tertiary campus..with emphasis on the humanities and social sciences.

Special toilet sign..with an SIA logo! HAha. I wonder who placed it there. :)

台北市林夜市：I was there early with Ruying for a haircut...it wasn't as crowded..until night descended. Brought back memories of the 04 LEP Immersion where we shopped here nightly without fail. :) Huge galore of clothes, eateries, shoes etc!

Trying to climb over to the railway track. ^_^

Weilie and yunz overlooking 姐妹谭．

We went to 莺歌老街 where clay potteries are made. Along the whole stretch there were interesting small items on sale.

佛光青年两岸交流 (两岸＝大陆vs台湾)：And so we had a discussion with the Taiwanese students on how to improve culture, educational exchange on Buddhism. We were probably in a good position to discuss on this issue since we are all Singaporeans studying in China.

说好话，存好心：This was advocated at the Gaoxiong International Airport...well-wishers can hang their wishes on this makeshift tree.

The 10-year old kids at the 佛光山育幼院~!

Yunz and Ruying at 阳明山！The weather was cool~

灵山寺 aka Taiwan OBS training ground! This is 觉年法师 who single-handedly sees to the workings of this nature-like temple. We had lots of obstacles, like gorging on bitter tea (finally woke up after the long bus journey), ginger, chili, lemons! （酸甜苦辣）well..the sweetness is intangible in this case. We trekked the areas bare-footed on prickly stones, across the slippery rocks of the streams, blindfolded ourselves on the bridge, juggled pots on our heads etc etc! It was a memorable trip.

This is one of the photos that I like best, featuring Jin Yao and Ru Ying. Artistic right?? Haha...漫长等待的写照。

We visited the nursery at 佛光山。The little ones mostly come from single families. I was pretty touched just by looking at how well the kids are taken care of. ^_^

台北饶河夜市：Just by looking at its size, this can't be compared to Shilin Night Market..but it was the first night market we went..as it is very near where we stayed. Had 小吃 like 甜不辣、盐水鸡、蟹肉 etc! :p

A typical filling lunch at 滴水坊。We had sumptuous vegetarian treats almost everyday. ^_^ 果然是“不饿法门”( Another warped intepretation of "不二门" at 佛光山。:)

The view of 滨海 (coastal waters) from our tour-bus. On our way from 宜兰 to 台北。

A pictorial representation of 佛在心中。Very zen indeed.

Accomodation at 佛光山：It left me totally shocked...for I was expecting something simple and plain. But do not be mistaken, only guests and 信徒 receive such treatment, the venerables stay in plain and simple living conditions.

This is 高雄国际航空站, where we touched down on the first day. A very small airport by itself..the weather was good and we had our 便当 dinner right outside the airport. :)

福山寺：This is the place which left me awed by its architecture. The blinds on top screen out sunlight in the day and can be removed for a romantic star-gazing night.

宜兰温泉！Peggy(a new-found Taiwanese year 3 student studying at 北大医学部）and I shared a room...it was a funny experience..my first 泡汤 and we actually made stupid blunders. We turned on the hot-water tap instead of the cold one...for about 30min and wondered why the water became intolerably hot. Finally called for help and got scolded for 1min. Haha..then we hurriedly turned on the right tap and flushed away the scalding water. Eventually, we had about 10min left...I could feel an improved blood circulation and had a much more comfy sleep that night.

夫子庙：Teachers and teahers-to-be..aspiring to be like Confucius' 有教无类。I still have doubts about this. ^_^ Confucius could have done more to remove gender discrimination against the female counterparts back then.

台北阳明山国家公园：It was the 花季 period..and so I saw lovely 樱花！The garden itself is very famous for its various floral species. Hot springs are available up the mountain too!

Ruying and I at 松山火车站。We were waiting for my ex-导游：半月 (2004 Taiwan LEP Immersion) and had our lunch from 7-11 near the area :) In the end, both parties waited for each other for 1hr at the other end of the railway station. :P

台南莲花世界：There wasn't much lotus-in-bloom to be seen. I guess it's just not the right season. And so we posed with the 莲花指！

I took a lot of effort to capture this angle! Hahaa...new-found "hybrid"! :D

嘉义阿里山：The view up the mountain was scenic..with blue sky and fluffy clouds. The 5 attractions up there are: 日出、云海、晚霞、森林、铁路。As we were only up there for the morning, we could only catch the last 2 attractions..heh. :) Mountain Ali has one of the 3 forest railway tracks （森林铁路）in the world. (history of 70 plus years). The railway tracks were constructed during the Japanese Occupation for timber and logging purposes.

These 2 characters left me with the deepest impression. “ 学愚”seemingly easy..but it takes a lot of wisdom to learn to be humble at the right time.

佛化婚礼：An eye-opener for it's an expression of 人间佛教...with various societal meanings. Celebrations like weddings/babies' one-month/anniversaries/birthdays can be taken care of.

~给人方便、给人欢喜~

2007-02-14T15:49:00.000+08:00

Buddha window panes. From far it doesn't look distinct.

Creative artpiece by the kids: CD-rom for the face.

An extremely filling meal..We had an equivalent of 5 meals like this everyday. :o

Cheersss! For a better year ahead~ yiQ, meiying, yunz, albert :)

2007-02-14T12:30:00.000+08:00

阿荣创意咖啡厅
Piggy pottery at 莺歌老街！

献灯仪式：Beautiful lotus...with our wishes adrift.

At 佛光山：祝大家在新的一年里诸事圆满！

This bathtub-turned table was seen at 阿荣创意咖啡厅, just downslope of Mountain Ali. A young couple started the cafe 10 years ago..innovative! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2007-02-14T12:26:00.000+08:00

I had a lovely surprise 1hr 15 min before the stroke of 12 midnight!
As usual, after a long holiday trip, I was busy uploading photos online while everyone else was sound asleep.
The doorbell rang...once, twice, thrice...it sounded really impatient. I was a little freaked out, for I thought my elder brother wouldn't be back on a weekday.
I mustered my courage to open the wooden door...in the vivid darkness, I saw a black figure with a basket of stuff standing outside the gate..he shouted my name.
And so..my V day surprise..with flowers and bears..looks like this! :) All the way from the thoughts of a special someone in Germany. :D

Thank You DK!

Fröhlichen Valentinstag!

Bio revisited

2007-02-02T15:38:00.000+08:00

I crashed Human Anatomy Lab lesson at NUS MD10 yesterday..haha. (By med standards it's not supposed to be cheem). With the help of darling Xiaole who went to borrow her friend's lab coat. :) The prof started off with an intro to the Human Respiratory System..cross-sections of the lungs: aerial and medial views..presence of the cardiac arch and 2 or 3 fissures to differentiate left and right lung. I'm so glad HC Bio notes were cheem enough to allow me to understand at least 70% of the content! And so on the plane, in order to equilibrate external and internal air pressure, 1) swallow 2) suck on sweets 3) yawn. (I like the last option best) .Hahaha...once again the prof said something that I really dislike. Ha...if you want to score distinction, you must do this, do that. If you just want a pass, then you don't have to do this, do that.... :S Sounds really rigid to me. Why do they have to do this all the time. Aye. NUS.

But anyway, the "hands-on" session was quite fun. Reminded of the good old JC Bio lab days when we explored the sheep's kidney, dissected the white mice and a pig's heart. And so this time it was smoker's sooty lungs VS healthy lungs. Even saw the hardened throat linked by the cartilages..all the way to the bronchioles. eww. Time passed extremely fast during lab lessons (by that I mean interesting ones ^_^) next half of the lesson we went up to the Human Anatomy Museum. Quite interesting...met Ze Jia by chance (he's in Med now..and was rushing to CGH. Those were the days when we performed for Musical Soiree..heh)

Had lunch at the Science Canteen..my favourite Claypot Chicken + rice (since NUS openhouse!). I guess I'll still have it a year later should I return. Couldn't locate Sabrina (as I was forgetful enough to leave my hp at home. She's my pri.sch friend) who was supposed to lunch with me..and so XL and I settled for some seats with a girl. When I returned with my food...was totally surprised to see Sab sitting at the same table! Ha..it turns out that Sab knew the girl at the table..and XL knew that girl (Grace) too (the 3 of them are all from Life Science). Such a small world! Had nice chats..and according to Grace, my long-lost pri sch friend Kalpana is in Med. wow. Networks converge in Uni huh. :)

That same morning..I bumped into Eng Eng (doing nursing) and we started chatting outside LT27. Hope she's coming to Beijing to visit sooon! Saw Set coincidentally, he was setting up some books for sale. Wanjun was around but didn't get to talk to her. Great time catching up with debbie too! Then, John and Soon came out after some lesson and rushed off.

What a day!
Whee..I'm leaving for Taiwan tomorrow! (Please don't be envious, it's my winter break! haha)
An nyung everyone~
Will update again when I'm back. :D

Day at NTU...

2007-01-31T23:59:00.000+08:00

I visited Wanz at her NTU dorm again! :D

Her bed! (Dear Tweety and Bear had the honour of wearing her caps)

And so...I thought they would look good on me too. :)

I found my way to her dorm again...and just as expected, she was still lazing in bed! Hahaha..enjoyed looking at her HK Ripples Pics..Macau seems a nice and cultured place to visit! Shortly after we had lunch, while she went for her tutorial, I bummed around at the NBS lecture theatres and met my sec-sch mates: Gim Yean who was rushing off for her lessons, Kim Meng with her bf, Kah Kah and company at the South Plaza. It was a total surprise!
And as we talked about Uni life being a place with too much freedom, we gathered that "freedom is most suitable for those with goals in their life", whereas "those without goals in their life will possibly dwindle with too much freedom". Thus, Uni life is all about discipline..self discipline. ahh.
Watched the film 生日快乐 "Happy Birthday" (starring Louis Khoo and Rene Liu) with dear Wanz at West Mall today. Quite a touching plot (at least it got us teary-eyed)..though a little cliche. Their romance was bittersweet...separation and getting together again. It's just so hard to be "a little closer than a best friend". The part that left the deepest impression was when Rene(Xiao Mi) received a yearly birthday SMS from Louis's (Xiao Nan) handphone, but this time it came later by 2 days. Many would have thought that he probably forgot all about her but the actual fact was he died from cancer and before his death, reminded his sis to send her birthday SMSes every year without fail and his sis actually forgot. Eventually, she didn't know of his death and continued leading her life...think the ending was a little flawed. The director should have filmed it such that she accepted his death and yet continued to live on....

And the song 《有多少爱可以重来》being played in the movie keeps ringing in our ears..有多少爱可以重来，有多少人值得等待, 当懂得珍惜以后回来却不知那份爱会不会还在...当爱情已经桑田沧海是否还有勇气去爱...”

Thanks Wanz..."Today I stopped and thought, what a special friend I have in You." Great minds think alike--wallets as presents (hahah), getting all teary-eyed for a film (when everyone else in the cinema didn't think it was THAT touching ^_^ hmm.), the typical wanz "surprises" every now and then. I appreciate them all. :) You are simply wonderful!

A fruitful weekend!

2007-01-30T01:23:00.000+08:00

Saturday: Met up with my ex-colleagues (relief teaching at Anderson Sec): Reuben, Xiaole and Xin Yu at Wheelock Place's Big O cafe..nice place with great ambience. :) Talks about hectic semesters at NUS and SMU...with lots of projects and stuff. Hah...student life =) XY joined us after that...finally had a chance to catch up with this busy girl. Heard from the other 2 that they had to book her 1 month in advance and ended up not having the chance to meet her up as she was too busy with school activities. :)

Evening was spent at Soon Bee Huat Trading P/L's anniversary Dinner and Dance (they are basically suppliers)...great experience! Held at Singapore Expo and this year's theme was "Lost gold in the city". The DJ was super funny and engaging.. there were a few thousand contractors invited. And I was super lucky to win the 15th prize:$100 Taka voucher! :) heehee. Had a glimpse of the company's big-shot boss. :D

Sunday: Met up with Mr Tay (my ex-teacher) at Quality Hotel's 莲心素食餐馆 for lunch buffet! Thumbs-up for the food there!! But they can't be compared to those in Beijing: Vegetarian restaurants at 天厨妙香 and 荷塘月色! Quality Hotel's quite an ulu place which I wouldn't have otherwise known..it's at Balestier, next to Ruby Plaza. Had a good time catching up and lots of sharing. (That was the first time I saw him in a Batik shirt :) heh)

Thereafter, went to meet my ex-colleagues from VE..Kat, Yikang, Jieying, Serena. Dined at Cafe Cartel. Really happy to see them! Oh no..they say I have the China accent already! Ha...Thanks so much for your card (with courtesy from Kat) and presents! :D Went singing at Kbox till 3am ^_^ I'm just so glad that they came and it felt good talking to them again. All the best to YK's exams at the end of the year!

Monday: Went to NUS to crash lectures (现代文学） again..hahhaha..this time there were new crashers! Heh...Liangchou and yiQ! :) But my mind drifted as he touched on irrelevant stuff..hah. All in all...there were many learning points. I'm thankful I have the chance to do my undergrad at PKU. :D Oh yes..finally had the chance to meet the famous Eric! Haha..all the talk about him from seniors in PKU...his face mask in the study room...his corny actions!

1 sem later: Rebecca. Yunz. yiQ. Tzehee (We are still looking gooood!)

Yay! The reunion of the china-bound~! We met at Tampines for dinner and finally settled for Han's...it was a great time catching up. (Dear Rebecca, the Chinese ain't that bad to get along with..hehe) Well it seems there's a big contrast in the behaviour of the chinese in China and those that we see schooling in Singapore! The ones in SG (from past experiences in ANDSS and HCJC are quite aloof and self-centered) Yet the ones that I witnessed in Beijing are generous, amiable, a little 单纯 (in terms of thinking, especially for the Yr 1 and 2s..probably because they've never travelled out of their hometown) , extremely 好客 (they enjoy treating us to sumptuous treats!) And so I've gathered that it's probably because Singaporeans seem intimidating! hahah..with our wide usage of Singlish in daily communications...they find it hard to mix around with fellow Singaporeans and thus clicked within themselves.
Despite the meet-up being short (yiQ shared his 东北 holiday snapshots with us)...it's heart-warming to see old friends again. All the best to them!

2007-01-27T10:18:00.000+08:00

Hey! Went to Changi Airport for the nth time again! Hee...was there actually to meet Georgia, my HC Junior. Since it was early, I caught her at T1 anticipating the arrival of Fahrenheit(!!?? I must have been so detached from showbiz) in Singapore at noon. There were hundreds of schoolgirls screaming at the top of their lungs, vehemently waving at their idols (even though it's not reciprocated), snapping photos like nobody's business, speeding after the threesome(1 didn't appear) in taxis after they left the airport. Met some girls that told me they skipped school just because of this ^_^ (the aunties and uncles sat at the benches with puzzled and nonchalant expressions). When I look at the young fans, I feel happy that at least there's something passionate that young students feel for nowadays, yet on the other hand, they are simply wasting a lot of time, money and energy on things that will become passe sooner or later. Perhaps they will grow out of it in no time.

And so I lunched with Georgia at Crystal Jade for 4hrs +..hah...spent our time catching up about her internship at SPH (zaobao). Enjoyed listening to her exciting experiences about attending conferences and meeting lots of people. Let's hope she gets the scholarship and comes over to PKU! :) I was really happy when she said she had the motivation to come over for studies after bouts of sharing and clarification on the applications.

Met Zhe Han in the evening for dinner...wanted to go Satay Club but then it rained again ^_^ Sigh..I missed the chance of dining at Liquids Cafe. (very near my house) I suppose it won't be around when I come back a year later. Heh. Thus we settled for Sakae Sushi and chatted till the place was vacant other than us and the service crew. Great catching up pal! Ha..all the best to you!
Happy...I'm meeting my ex-colleagues at Anderson Sec (relief teachers) later and a company dinner in the evening. :D

2007-01-25T18:30:00.000+08:00

The day was spent helping my dad with HDB renovation applications and accompanying my mum at the office. Had long hearty chats about life and the future...felt really happy. :D Medicine's really getting costly..Was looking at dad's prescriptions. 40mg of Relpax (12 tabs) cost $134...Each tab costs about $11. Hmm. This drug is migraine-specific and relatively new in the market. Medical treatment can get so expensive...it really pays to be healthy. ^_^

Spent an enjoyable evening with Wai Keat. (other than the teasing) :)He looks so much more decent now! A changed man indeed. haha. Met at J8 and we went dining at Ajisen Ramen. Ha..had tomato ramen which was quite ok. Shopped around and I finally found 恶作剧之吻 (Jap version) VCD at Poh Kim after searching for it for 7 years! Yipee! It's a treasure to keep! I remembered looking everywhere for it while I was in Beijing but to no avail. They only have the Taiwan version nowadays. The first and last time I watched it was during P6..after PSLE when a couple of us girls squinted in front of the class PC. Great memories! And so...I just completed my 6-VCD marathon! Hehee..the ending never fails to bring tears to my eyes, just like 7 years ago..but this time it's a totally different inspiration! Rewatched the bittersweet ending many times. :) 柏原崇(入江直树) and 佐藤篮子(相原琴子)...my idols of Jap drama! Yuki(his brother) is funny..a primary school kid who speaks and lectures others like an adult. I like the line when the mum told 直树(subtitles of course since everything was in Jap :p): "琴子为了敲开你冰冷的心，试了一次又一次，把自己弄得遍体鳞伤。"
It just seems so impossible in real life.

Trip to NUS

2007-01-22T23:08:00.000+08:00

HEh...I finally made a trip down to NUS. It's quite a long journey from home all the way to Clementi. The 96 bus stand at Clementi Interchange is forever that long. :X Met my ex-roomie Kaiqin (NUS Exchange at PKU) at Biz canteen. Was quite surprised to see Beijing food being sold at the canteen. Hee..food there wasn't very nice and it was really crowded (Probably because the Arts canteen is under renovation ^_^)

Thereafter, went to slack at her dorm at Temasek Hall. It seems like the double rooms are much better furnished than the single rooms. ;) Ahh..but none can be compared to PKU's (we don't even have floor tiles..heh) Then in the afternoon went to crash lectures. The first one was Film Analysis..Heh..Citizen Kane. Quite an enjoyable lecture..analysed the meaning behind the appearance of the "wedding gown". Learnt new terms like motif, art of cinematography, how different shots (in and out) are being used as techniques in film making. Due to time constraint, the lecturer hurriedly ended off with "This is what you just have to know...". Very typical of Singapore's education. Heehhe. Notes are well-printed, important points noted for the students. That's quite different from what I experienced in PKU. Lecturer doesn't provide anything at all..hah. Things get really basic and we are trained to listen properly. :)

Oh yes..coincidentally I met Jias and Zhiqi at the AS lecture theatres! :) What a small world. Saw Yanjie (a.k.a. 奶妈！)just as he was rushing for Geog lesson. =)Met a couple of friends by chance. It sets me thinking a lot about fate. Seeing a particular group of people at a specific place and time unplanned. I wonder if we'll ever get to meet if all these didn't take place. Hee...had nice short chats with them before proceeding to the next lecture: 现代文学（中文系）. Was quite looking forward to the lecture since the lecturer was 王润华。The lecturer mainly covered 新文学革命之原因--近因/远因。He sidetracks in order to sustain the students' interest. Quite funny though and he made lots of remarks about PKU. ^_^ Thinking of attending his lecture next week again. :D

I think I would be making more trips down to NUS..afterall most of my friends are there! =)

2007-01-22T01:19:00.000+08:00

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion:

You have medium extroversion.
You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party.
Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences.
But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time."

Conscientiousness:

You have medium conscientiousness.
You're generally good at balancing work and play.
When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done.
But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it.

Agreeableness:

You have high agreeableness.
You are easy to get along with, and you value harmony highly.
Helpful and generous, you are willing to compromise with almost anyone.
You give people the benefit of the doubt and don't mind giving someone a second chance.

Neuroticism:

You have low neuroticism.
You are very emotionally stable and mentally together.
Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly.
Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure.

Openness to experience:

Your openness to new experiences is high.
In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas.
You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits.
A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.

The Five Factor Personality Test

2007-01-22T01:06:00.000+08:00

You Have a Phlegmatic Temperament

Mild mannered and laid back, you take life at a slow pace.
You are very consistent - both in emotions and actions.
You tend to absorb set backs easily. You are cool and collected.

It is difficult to offend you. You can remain composed and unemotional.
You are a great friend and lover. You don't demand much of others.
While you are quiet, you have a subtle wit that your friends know well.

At your worst, you are lazy and unwilling to work at anything.
You often get stuck in a rut, without aspirations or dreams.
You can get too dependent on others, setting yourself up for abandonment.

What Temperment Are You?

Random thoughts...

2007-01-20T23:19:00.000+08:00

It's inevitable..I'm starting to think alot about the future. Probably it's because I've too much time to think now that everyone's busy out there. ^_^

1) I need to get my driving licence during my NIE year.(That's like 4 years later) Undeniably it's late...fees are definitely going to get higher by the years. Knowing how to drive is really a necessity...Especially so when I realised if my brother wasn't around, who's going to ferry my dad next time should he be deemed unfit to drive?

2) Am I going to continue with Post-Grad studies? It seems a little early to think about all these considering that I just completed my first sem in Uni. Masters in China is probably a no-no since undergrad experience would have been sufficient. I'm thinking of doing cultural studies in US/UK. Hmm.

I realised I've not made any New Year Resolution! Haha. Here goes:
i) A healthy year ahead for my family.
ii)More learning and exciting experiences for the coming sems! :D

Goodness..I'm turning 20. It's a little scary to think about it. And that encompasses lots of responsibilities. (Well I guess a lot of it depends on personal expectations) You can be 40 and feel like a kid or 18 with a heart like you've lived for decades.
Looking back, my first semester in Uni hadn't been chaotic like the first 6 months last year when I stepped out into the working world. I tried many things that I would never have done...I touched the lives of many.
Though I believe many would say...enjoy the years of studying..it's true. There's much lesser things to worry about and just be content with the pursuit of higher education. But I feel that something is lacking..some sort of unexpected challenge and that touch of excitement at life's junctions. I can vividly see what's going to happen in the next 10 years of my life. But then again, it was a matter of choice, wasn't it?
My first semester whizzed past..but the pace of life was slower than what I had expected. I had trouble adjusting to it...it's like abandoning a frantic lifestyle and leading a new life somewhere out there again. There were quite a few activities to keep me busy but I've yet to find the sense of satisfaction that keeps me going like before.

I look forward to a more fulfilling semester ahead! =)

2007-01-19T15:50:00.000+08:00

~Love. Care. Share~

DKYL with the completed puzzle! We clocked about 8hrs in all..just by piecing 500 pieces together. Hard work. yes :)

Home Sweet Home~!

2007-01-19T13:08:00.000+08:00

Yes...I'm finally back home! The flight back home felt surprisingly LOOONG though it was only about 7hrs+. Went back with Albert and the 3 flowers..Albert slept throughout the flight while we watched 还珠格格 dvd. Hehee. There was a 40min delay but I must say Garuda is not that bad afterall! Ha..I may just be its frequent flyer from now. :D Touched down on 13th afternoon and dk was there with a packet of carrot cake! Hahaa..too bad I was down with high fever and we went to see doc immediately.

The past few days were spent nursing myself back to health...with my family and dk. Went to watch Night at a Museum..quite corny..plot was a no-brainer though :P I like the *dumb-dumb;gum-gum* thing..haha. We went Vivocity (finally!)..huge mall..feels like Marina Square. Pieced together a 500-piece Precious Moment Jigsaw..really sweet. Finally sent him off last night back to Frankfurt. ~_^

After a few days of rest..I feel so much better! It's probably time to visit my old friends at NUS/NTU/SMU...as well as my ex-colleagues! :) Looking forward to seeing them before I fly for Taiwan again!

Have been accompanying my dad to the hospitals for drip these days. It's been hard on him..but I'm happy that I'm home. :D

迎接2007年的小雪！

2006-12-30T08:23:00.000+08:00

Yay~! It snowed in the wee hours of the night again! This snow is so much greater in quantity than last time's! heh..I woke up to my surprise when I saw my classmate "loitering" outside my room's balcony taking photos of the snow!! :) What a huge bang to end Year 2006 admist periods of mugging!~ ^_^

Anyway, events at a glance:

1)Yesterday was the last day of chinese history lessons..We'll miss 丁一川老师！His cute smile and the I-know-it expression :)
2)Our makan trip to 五道口双马餐厅 ! The pork and chicken cutlets are yummy~! Shopped and walked around..had nice chats at LingLing's estate's pavilion.
3)SSA X'mas Party! The theme was "Nightmare Before X'mas". Venue was really special..held near the "798 studio" which houses artworks during the Cultural Revolution
4)Helping out with the facilitating of NEAN 2007 (Northeast Asian Network)Interview.
It was a real eye-opener..for there were discussions on Jap's culture being influential in Taiwan as compared to China's, Korea's involvenment in the World Cultural Heritage Dumpling Festival, the triangle relationship revolving around Korea-China-Japan.. ^_~

For now...it's frantic preparations for final-terms. Sigh~
Looking back, this semester has been very eventful..heh. I wonder why time flies that quickly during happy moments.
I'm counting down...2 more weeks before I fly back home! :)

“12.9” 71周年师生歌咏比赛

2006-12-11T12:43:00.000+08:00

This is the first event that I participated with 中文系！=) There were 13 teams which participated and our faculty was the last to perform. Being the last team has its advantages and disadvantages. We were quite tired after such a long agonising wait...nevertheless we could gain an edge over the others by ending off with a huge bang!
I'm really thankful to be given this chance to immerse myself in such a meaningful activity..and of course to know more friends within the faculty. A month ago, had it not been for 何双双(one of the girls from the class), I wouldn't have thought about joining in the competition.
Throughout this one month...there were practices twice a week. All these sessions wouldn't have become more enjoyable without 罗静,one of my closest friends there and the several 爱心社 friends. And there were yiQ and Kaiqin around who made me feel I wasn't alone.
Though we didn't emerge first, I felt we've truly won the competition. We sang 新秋之歌 (an extremely touching song penned by 林庚先生. Many a times, I had the urge to cry as we sang this song). The last song 游击队歌 was slightly flawed..but nevertheless we did try our best! May the tradition continue to run high! ^_^

Econs Fac~ The banner was a pleasant surprise! :)

News & Communications Fac~

An interesting Animae video presentation from one of the faculties =)

Pre-competition mood~

And of course...our very own Fac：中文系！

Another group photo! :)

罗静!~I suppose there's some special affinity between us. ~_^ Probably because I look like her cousin. *grins*

Ski!

2006-12-06T18:16:00.000+08:00

There was a change of plans..we went to 南山滑雪场 (Nanshan Ski Village) on Sunday morning instead! It's about 2 hours from PKU via 八达岭高速。 :) Spent about 220RMB (including snow equipment, entrance fees and transport fees). We were really fortunate to have Taiwanese friends from 北医 to coach us on snowboarding and skiing techniques! Ha..fell down terribly. Practically everywhere (forward, backward, sideways and upside down!) We were feeling adventurous that day and went to the intermediate snowtrack (中级滑雪道)Ha...something stupid happened though. Got stuck in the net at the sides of the track and while I was struggling to untangle my snowboard, my gloves came off one by one. And so I was stranded on the steep slope trying to reach for my equipment and waiting for help to arrive! :P
We did lots of stupid things..and I was amazed at how some little kids managed to ski so effortlessly! Ha..skiing's...FUN and addictive! :D

On the mini-bus: 奕蓓 & 云丽! Ha..we were so freaking excited!!

href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3076/627/1600/157080/snowboard.jpg">
This is my snowboard..we tried skiing with 单板 first！

初级滑雪道~

That's me preparing to SKI! =)

2006-12-01T23:58:00.000+08:00

My International Cultural Festival article's published on 北大地带！hehe..Quite surprised to see it online. Mainly my views on the day's event! :)

http://www.pkuzone.cn/campuslife/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=2060

Juniors and teachers from this year's LEP Immersion Programme arrived in PKU on Monday..we brought them around the campus and tried to "persuade" them to study here..haha. I was really really happy to see my Anderson junior amongst them!
Got to know this year's HC Guitar President..ha..all the talk about Musical Soiree! :) Those memories..Hee..as well as 陈春燕老师 who brought us to Taiwan 2 years ago. As I looked at them, I felt a tinge of nostalgia..gone were the days when we were THAT young..haha!

wHee..I'm going skiing at 渔阳国际滑雪场 on Sunday morning! :) Kind of excited..I'm expecting myself to fall terribly..hehee.

Dim Sum Treat!

2006-12-01T22:30:00.000+08:00

We went for Dim Sum at 金鼎轩..heh. A very nice and cosy place to dine! :) It's located near 雍和宫。 Travelled there via bus and subway!
*Dim Sum can be extremely filling!*

yUnz, Xiangzhe, Kaiqin~

Say cheese! Jiawei.yUnz.Xiangzhe.Liangchou.Kaiqin~

The day it snowed...

2006-11-25T22:18:00.000+08:00

I woke up early this morning and realised the weather forecast was right after all..Haha. It SNOWED...mildly last night! I hurried to wash up...rushed out to the balcony and snapped some photos! There were snow-covered pine trees...heaps of white snow on the roads. This is the first time I witnessed snow in my life! :)
I went out of my dorm and strolled along the pavements..touched the snow on my palms and felt them lightly. Then I realised...snow looks magnificent from afar..but when I went near..it doesn't seem to be as beautiful as I thought. ~_^

Many events happened over the past few weeks.
1)There was the visit to 现代文学馆 organized by 中文系。It was quite an enriching experience. :) I'm learning to appreciate lots of literary works.

2)联大手语活动。We brought them around PKU and communicated with them via sign language..Sign language is probably the most beautiful language in this world. =)

3)Khoo Family Donation's Press Conference and Mr Tharman's visit to Beijing. A pleasant surprise to see Mr Ang and Mr Hon there too! It was a good experience exchanging views with the Planning Divisions Personnel of MOE with regard to the change in syllabus..especially in the realms of Chinese Language and Literature.

4)SICA 腐败！！That was probably what I enjoyed the most. Ha..we dined at Kro's Nest and had hearty chats. This semester we'll be working on NEAN's (Northeast Asian Network)Conference held next Feb at Yonsei Uni, Seoul, Korea. I think it'll really be a good learning experience to be involved in the planning process! There's also HCAP, a PKU-Harvard Exchange Program to be held next Feb and March too.

I've been feeling down, thinking and grumbling a lot recently. Hahah..

What's my ultimate purpose in coming to PKU?

Have I been giving my best effort in the things that I do..?

Thanks to those who have been there to listen to my grumbles..hah. I should start facing reality and not be self-absorbed anymore.

I need to start working hard. really hard.

I shouldn't take things for granted anymore!

2006-11-25T17:47:00.000+08:00

2006-11-25T16:02:00.000+08:00

SICA 腐败！Dinner at Kro's Nest

Tsinghua tour!

2006-11-05T22:09:00.000+08:00

Ohaiyo!

Travelled out to Tsinghua Uni with Yun Xuan (NUS exchange)on the night of ICF. We set off at midnight..It was a comical experience as we had problems with the bikes and we took turns to ride along the way! :) hee..I realised Tsinghua's so much more romantic at night!
Bunked in with her at 紫荆公寓　as her roomie went back to Korea for a short while. The dorms there are much better furnished than PKU's..heh. Finally had a chance to watch some Taiwanese drama on TV. :D The following morning..woke up early to explore Tsinghua. Spent about 2hrs+ and we could only cover the east-west areas.
Their canteen serves free soup and porridge..with food portions twice ours for the same price!

A classroom block! Bears a striking resemblance with NUS's?

2006-11-05T11:54:00.000+08:00

Tsinghua's sports stadium! COOL~! :)

Auditorium: I wonder what's so happening on a Sunday morning.

清华园：Many stopped to take a photo~

Lunchtime at 紫荆食堂! Such big portions for the 2 of us!

ICF 2006!

2006-11-01T23:58:00.000+08:00

It was a day filled with fun and joy! The first time I enjoyed saying the Singapore Pledge out loud..ha. =) I guess it's really a different feeling doing that overseas.

International Cultural Festival 2006 was held on 28th October. This year's theme is TOURISM! 3 teams did different sections of the booth decoration. :) Ours is TEAM AH MENG--(yes! the one from Singapore Zoo)he's 60+ years old this year!

We had yummy food ranging from the all-year delight Bak Kwa, kaya bread, agar agar, bandung! Many were attracted to our booth..cos of Ah Meng, JJ Lin's poster, Stephanie Sun's songs! I did face painting from 9am-12pm. Quite an interesting experience..Haha. Though I believe I could have done better! Among my "patrons" were small babies, toddlers, students outside PKU, my chinese friends, old grannies and ah peks, not forgetting our very own Singaporeans! =p

Some misconceptions about Singapore from our dear chinese here.
1. Christopher Lee is from Singapore.
2. Hu Jin Tao is Singapore's Prime Minister!! (this came from an old granny so she's pardoned)
3. Singapore is Malaysia's capital. (sigh!)
4. Singapore has her own dialect/language. ehhh...I was quite embarrassed to admit that Singlish is our very own 'language'! LOL =p

Points of interest:
(a) Macau, Hong Kong and TAIWAN's booths were part of China's display. Talk about never-ending politics...
(b) North Korea's booth was evidently the most crowded throughout the 7 hours! Ha..the North Koreans lurking outside the booth did look intimidating though. This year, there were personnels around to answer sensitive questions. ;)

Shortly after..we went to KFC for a Ru Ying's 21st Birthday Celebration! Ha...back to those childhood days! heee..played 警察抓小偷，终极密码 ! simply exhilarating! especially when we had to finish the whole cake filled with excess cream! :)

2006-11-01T23:57:00.000+08:00

Charis and I! Whee..she's my first guinea pig of the day! :)
COOL right!

Singapore!

2006-11-01T23:56:00.000+08:00

Andersonians...forever!

ICF 2006! ~with ah meng~

KFC Birthday celebration! Reminiscing those childhood days... =)

The finale! Near the doorstep of KFC at 第三极~

Life after the hols..

2006-10-22T00:18:00.000+08:00

wHee..I just learnt the hand-signs for 小虎队'S <爱>...A performance to be held on Sunday night at the school's auditorium! :)

Attended SICA's (Students' Int' Communication Association) Opening Ceremony..I'm in Projects Team （项目部）:)...we'll be handling short and long-term activities internally and outside PKU. (e.g. international forums and exchange programmes etc)

Rollcall! (i.e. performance by newbies)

SICA President with her opening speech.

SICA guys~

Junior-Senior: Regina and I! :)

BOEs of SICA

2006-10-22T00:17:00.000+08:00

.:.yunz.:.xiaoxi.:.

The cutest chinese girl I've met..LOL (Year 2 Law Fac)

Korean friends!

(cont'd)...

2006-10-18T22:54:00.000+08:00

riding the camel~

my darling 小黄马

candid shot: on air!

Inner Mongolia (cont'd)!

2006-10-18T19:11:00.000+08:00

I miss those days..free and easy..and so carefree! =)

Horses galloping...on our way down some steep slope.

百草敖包：我们简称"草包" =D　

蓝天白云。。。沙丘。

wHee! YASP members and US! =D

The 3 of us~ :)

Mongolian yurts (蒙古包) Doesn't really offer good protection from the cold ^_^

Inner Mongolia!

2006-10-07T12:25:00.000+08:00

Hey everyone!
I'm back from Inner Mongolia...it was simply breath-taking! =) According to the locals there, the best time to visit is from July-Oct. Spent a total of 6 days backpacking with PKU's Photographic Society (YASP) members, along with my room-mate Kai Qin and another Tsinghua exchange student, Yun Xuan. :) Budget around RMB 500 per person! Took train to 四合永(nearer to Hebei province). Weather's good..just that there's huge difference in temperature between day and night (i.e. ~20 degree celsius - <5 degree celsius)..It felt like paradise...I did everything I wanted..from archery to horse-riding to camel rides...and we had 烤全羊 (roast mutton) on a particular night. It's especially easy to catch the sunrise and sunset there...with hills and vast plains and grasslands... ^_^

cherry-lookalike

The clear blue sky..along with white fluffy clouds..

懒洋洋的羊儿。。they can be really shy! :X

My first camel ride with this 6-yr-old darling! (P.S: camels can run faster than horses!)

Despite the fun..I'm feeling terribly sick now...feverish. Gotta recover soon as school starts the day after :X (more photos to be uploaded)

2006-09-30T05:44:00.000+08:00

An nyung everyone!
Went to 西山八大处 last Saturday with the Buddhist class fellow-mates. So called as it's a conglomeration of 8 temples, of which I heard only 1 is worth visiting =) (that's where we went)

5RM for 1 hit!

My senior buddy ---Ivonne and I!

Tight security check as we pay a visit to the pagoda which houses the relics.

Mural of 50 bronze statues.

点灯仪式~

At Tsinghua for MAF celebration that night! (Charis, yunz, Kaiqin)

1 of the scenic spots in Tsinghua~

2006-09-26T15:21:00.000+08:00

Your True Love Is a Capricorn

Why you'll love a Capricorn:

Hard working and driven, a Capricorn will work overtime to win your heart.
Be prepared to get wined and dined, even once you're convince that your Capricorn is the one!

Why a Capricorn will love you:

You don't rush things. You know it will take a while for a Capricorn to trust you, and you can wait.
Social and outgoing, you can introduce normally shy Capricorn to a great circle of friends.

What Sign Is Your True Love?

2006-09-26T10:36:00.000+08:00

You Are Sunset

Even though you still may be young, you already feel like you've accomplished a lot in life.
And you feel free to pave your own path now, and you're not even sure where it will take you.
Maybe you'll pursue higher education in a subject you enjoy - or travel the world for a few years.
Either way, you approach life with a relaxed, open attitude. And that will take you far!

What Time Of Day Are You?

2006-09-26T05:16:00.000+08:00

Your Inner Blood Type is AB!

Your personality is hard to define - you're very unconventional.
And even if your personality could be defined, it would be completely different next week!
Outgoing and shy, sensitive and thoughtless, you tend to have a very split personality.
This makes you unpredictable. You can be a total angel - and a total devil.

You are most compatible with: everyone!

Famous Type AB's: Jackie Chan and Marilyn Monroe

What's Your Inner Blood Type?

2006-09-26T04:31:00.000+08:00

You Have A Type A- Personality

You are one of the most balanced people around
Motivated and focused, you are good at getting what you want
You rule at success, but success doesn't rule you.

When it's playtime, you really know how to kick back
Whether it's hanging out with friends or doing something you love!
You live life to the fullest - encorporating the best of both worlds

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

2006-09-26T03:43:00.000+08:00

Your Brain is 93% Female, 7% Male

You have the brain of a girly girl
Which isn't a bad thing at all
You're emphatetic, caring, and in tune with emotions.
You're a good friend and give great advice.

What Gender Is Your Brain?