Day 5, Week 5 in Wuhan, China

Having Lunch....

Is this how they say INSURANCE in CHINA?

I don't think that the 2nd Sentence is phrase well....

Similar to Giant: Plaza Singapura....

Motorbikes on Display...

Usually, they are displayed at Showrooms, not at a SuperMarket.....

Bubble Tea....Chinese Version

A Double Decker Bus in Wuhan....

A 24 Hr Atm Service Station......

They even hang their clothes on roadside streets.

I can't believe this....

Finally, a shoe that fits my huge feet....

What We Did

In the morning, we woke up around 9.30am in the morning again. It was quite unexpected as I slept much earlier the night before. Although I slept for at least 9 hours, I still felt tired and wanted to sleep more, but I had to get some work done. Before we met up with the girls for Lunch, I did a rough calculation of the amount that I would have to convert from Singapore Dollars to Chinese Yuan. I estimated that I needed to change around $200 to fund my expenses for souvenirs as well as my trip to Anhui with the rest.

For lunch, we had Maggie Mee as we had had quite a large number of packets that we brought from Singapore. We decided to have them for lunch as we were also running low on cash as well. We ate our meals with Khoon Fong, Hwee Ping and Sasireika as well.

After lunch, we headed out to the Luxiang District to withdraw Cash for the trip to Anhui. When we alighted around the area, we headed towards the nearest banks to change our currency. However, we were told that they do not have the service on weekends. We decided to try our luck by asking other Banks along the street as well, but they also mentioned the same thing as well. Furthermore, it was also Qing Ming Festival from Saturday to Monday. Thus, we couldn’t do anything. It seemed we had to come back one of the days, next week, to change our currency.

We headed to Carrefour, to get Ziploc Bags for our return trip back to Singapore. That would help us to pack our things, especially when we have a lot of souvenirs as well. I finally found a pair of shoes that I could wear. After weeks of searching, I finally found as size of 48. Although, it was not a brand like Nike or Adidas, it had a good feel. I knew it was going to be expensive, given its size and design. It costed me a price of 199 Yuan ($50). I didn’t want to buy, though I liked it, as I had insufficient funds. I must really thank Sasireika, Hwee Ping and Sebastian for helping to pay for the shoes and other expenses as well. My funds depleted itself by the 4th Week, as I brought only 1800 Yuan. We also bought mutton sticks as a snack as the roadside stall outside our campus vanished weeks ago. We were told that he went to his hometown in Xinjiang Province. It tasted average, but not as good as the one sold outside our campus previously.

On the way back, I decided to try out the Starbucks Coffee at the Shopping Centre. It was slightly cheaper than Singapore’s Starbucks Outlets. I was also needed a drink as well due to the spiciness of the Satay. It tasted quite good actually, but Singapore’s version is still the best. We decided to try our luck and walked down further to see if there were any banks which offered currency conversion. We couldn’t find any as we walked down several streets. We decided to head back to the Campus. On the way, we dropped by the Bakery to get our Breakfast the next day.

Upon reaching the hostel, we went to our apartments to get some rest and get some work done, before heading out to have dinner. After having dinner, we returned to our hostel to continue with our assignments and revision for our Theory Test 2 as well.

What We Think

The Banks in China do not operate on the same basis as the Banks in Singapore. The banks in Singapore, both local and international, on a 5-6 Day Work Week. There are a few banks in Singapore that operate on all 7 days in a week. Nevertheless, they provide all financial services throughout their operating hours. However, there are mostly local banks in China, and there are hardly any foreign banks, even in the city district. Most of the banks are open throughout the week. They have certain days where some financial services are provided.

day 4, Week 5 in Wuhan, China

My fake KFC Meal...

A Tamil Show whereby actors and actresses are speaking in Chinese........

When did this happen?

Nicki and Sebastian playing........

Sebastian playing along......

So is Tom.....He is pretty good at the Game as well.....

What We Did

This morning, we woke up at around 9.30am as we slept slightly late last night. We got up, showered and continued with our IS Assignment (Report on Transportation System in Wuhan, China).

At around lunchtime, we met with Tom to have our lunch. After our lunch, we headed down to the ticketing office to get our tickets for the train ride to Anhui, Tom’s Hometown. When we arrived there, we were informed by its staff, that we the train was cancelled since late March. We were told that the Train service was cancelled due to the lack of commuters onboard the particular route. After deciding after a while, Tom suggested we rook the bus instead. It took the same time as the train as well, but the cost of travelling by it is slightly higher. As my finances were running low, I knew I would have to change currency again. However, we had to consult with Mr. Chua regarding the matter first before taking any more steps.

After leaving the agency, we headed to have lunch at the ‘Fake KFC’ nearby. When we entered, it was empty. The meals available were the same with some changes in the dishes. It was definitely much cheaper compared to the real KFC. I ordered a Burrito and Chicken Burger Set and it only cost me 11.30 Yuan. That was considered relatively cheap compared to the real KFC meal which would set me back as it would cost at least 20 Yuan. When we tried it out, I felt that the Burger was the same as KFC standard and Burrito had too much mayonnaise in it. However, according to Sebastian, the Chicken was considered better than the one sold in the real KFC. Sebastian wanted to try out the Popcorn Chicken as well and it certainly fell below expectations.
On the way back, we bought our bread for our breakfast the next day, to save time at night, while Sasireika bought a new umbrella to replace the one she lost at Hankou. While she was buying, Sebastian, Tom and I were trying out the shades. They were not the originals, but they looked exactly liked them and they were also at a low price of 16 Yuan, which is $4 in Singapore Currency. I might probably come back to check it out again.

We returned to our hostel to watch the 4th Quarter of the NBA Games, but we were too late. So, we brought Tom into our Apartment to play a few Computer Games. What started out as a small try in Counterstrike Version 1.6, ended up into a marathon playoff for about 2.5 hours. Nicki, Sebastian, Stefen, Tom and occasionally me played the Computer Game continuously. They were certainly very engrossed in the game. I decided to let them continue playing while I did my washing of clothes and showered as well. I also took down the details of Tom’s residence as well along with other important details to be submitted to Mr. Chua on Monday. When we stopped playing, we realized that Sasireika and Hwee Ping were trying to contact us regarding the Submission of their particular sections for the IS Report on Transportation. We decided not to tell them, about what we did in the afternoon, but they eventually found out about it.

At around 6.30pm, we met up with the girls and went for Dinner along with Tom at Canteen 2. I tried out the Vegetarian Noodles (Which looked like spaghetti) for Dinner. The plate was so full, that it could overflow the next second. To make matters worse, I had not fully mastered the art of using Chopsticks and ended up dropping my noodles whenever I tried to it. I eventually managed to eat up the noodles slowly, without splattering much sauce on my shirt.
We headed out to the night street to get some things, after sending of Tom. We wanted to get our fish pancake, but the lady did not arrive today. We headed further up to get some items from the local supermarket before returning to the hostel. Once, we reached the hostel, we resumes with our work till late night, before retiring for the day.

What We Think

Train Services in China is usually cancelled whenever there are not many commuters on a particular service. In their perspective, it is considered to be a huge saving, as running such a service is not cheap, but this gives a disadvantage to commuters whom want to get back to their hometowns by train. In Singapore, we do not have a train system like those in China, but we have a smaller version of the Transport System in the form a Mass Rapid Transit System (MRT for short). They do not stop service just because there is a dip in commuter travel. This could probably be because Singapore has a small of land and a much smaller population, unlike China.

In Singapore, we hardly find a fake Fast Food centre and an Original Fast Food Centre on the same street. However, in China, it seems perfectly alright of having it. There seems to be no fear of competition from both sides at all. I wonder why?

Day 3, Week 5 in Wuhan, China

The mistake has been corrected......

The mistake has been corrected......

Sasireika and Hwee Ping

Tom and Me

Wuchang Fish........A famous Delicacy in Wuhan

Different Types of Fireworks.....

Fireworks....

More Fireworks.......

This is certainly unique.....looks different, especially

in the shape of a rocket.

Our 1st Fireworks Set......Can't wait to get it started.....

The box that contained the Fireworks once it was completed.

I wonder what Sebastian is trying to do?

Lightings at the Motel

Revolving Door at the Motel

What We Did

This morning, we attended Lesson to start our revision on our Final Theory Test which was scheduled to take place in the afternoon on the 8th of April 2009. We went through the Theory Test 1 which we did in Week 3 first. As Mr. Ma went through, I realized that I made many careless mistakes. Although, we were not given our Paper, I already knew that my results would not hit the target that I was expecting before.

When he gave out the paper, I realized that I got a relatively lower grade than what I previously expected. I really felt very frustrated. No matter how hard I prepare, I am always achieving results that are not on par with the level of revision that I do. I really felt disappointed, as most of my peers achieved better grades than I had achieved.

I couldn’t keep the Test Result of my mind as all, even during Lunchtime as well. I ended up being very quiet and reserved, which certainly affected the entire mood of my group mates, but I didn’t realize that until I reached the hostel, where I was told by Sebastian that I was behaving differently. I didn’t want my bad mood to affect those around me as well as affect my upcoming assessments as well.

I headed back down to the Office to see Mr. Chua to collect the Answers for the 2nd Test Paper that was given to us, as the lesson was cancelled for Study Break for the Students.
Following that, we went up to meet Sasireika and Hwee Ping to do carry on with our Assignments as the due date was drawing soon. We continued with our IS Assignment, the report on the Transportation System in Wuhan, China. We did whatever we could, and got ready to meet Tom for Dinner at the same Fishball Restaurant, we ate earlier in the programme. We wanted to treat him for what he had done for us since, we arrived at the University. He such a good guy, as he showed us around and made us feel right at home. It was slightly cold once more, and we had to bring out our coats again.

We waited for him at the restaurant. He came slightly late as he initially went to the Fishball Restaurant to wait for us, but he later decided to go to our Hostel to find us and since, we were not there, he headed back to Fishball Restaurant again. We took our seats at the same table when we came before, and allowed Tom to order the food. He insisted that we order as well, but we told him to order instead. He ordered the Fish Balls, Wuchang Fish (The Famous Fish Item that is well known in Wuhan) and Egg as well. While eating, Tom brought up the matter of asking us to come over to his hometown in Anhui Province for a 3D2N trip. He told us that it would certainly be great fun indeed. We told him that we would have to ask Mr. Chua for permission as he had previously mentioned that we were only allowed to go out to local’s houses for a 2D1N visit only.

After Dinner, we decided to pay the bill, that was when Sasireika and Hwee Ping went to pay indirectly by making sure that Sebastian and I sat, with Tom so that he wouldn’t know anything. I think he already knew about it. When we went out, we were told by Hwee Ping that the cost of the entire Dinner of 3 Meals only 100 Yuan (in Singapore Currency would be $25, Dividing among the 5 of us, would be $5 each.) That was pretty reasonable.

On the way to the bakery, Tom decided to bring us into a fireworks shop, to try them out. When we entered the shop, we were surrounded by many types of firework materials, varying in size and design. As we decided to try out one of them, we got a 25 Yuan Fireworks Set, which contained 25 Fireworks in it. Initially, we placed it near the building, but the shop owner told us to put it at the edge of the road, not to affect the surrounding buildings.

When, Sebastian lit the firework, it took a while for it to react (especially due to the rainy weather), but suddenly; it exploded in the night sky as one shot exploded, one after another. Sasireika started yelling at every single shot that was fired, guess she was caught in the excitement. One of the shots actually entered a nearby tree as well. Thank fully, nothing bad happened.

We decided to call Mr. Chua to ask him regarding the trip to Tom’s Hometown, but initially, he mentioned that he was out of Campus and to tell him about the trip on Monday instead. As we walked a bit further away from the School towards the Bakery, we received another call from Mr. Chua telling us to come down to the Lobby of the Motel near the Campus that he was staying at in 25 minutes to talk about the trip.

We met with Mr. Chua who apparently bought pastries for us as well. He talked with Tom about the Programme he had planned for us in Anhui as well as Accommodation, Food and other essential matters. I think that Mr. Chua was certainly impresses with Tom as he looked up to him for having the confidence to come to a lecturer and speak with them about this matter. They bought talked among one another about the various places that we would be visiting as well. Well, we were extremely pleased that Mr. Chua mentioned that we can go ahead for the trip. It would certainly be a unique experience indeed.

After that, we decided to head down to the bakery to get our bread for the next day. Following that, we returned back to the hostel where Tom accompanied us to the hostel. As it was getting late, Tom took his leave and we returned to our apartments where we continued with on our IS Assignments.

What We Think

Today, I felt very disappointed with the result that I obtained, despite the amount of effort that I had placed for the revision for the Theory Test 1. I guess I would have the past behind, and take them as a learning lesson and a step to enable me to move forward.
The upcoming trip to Anhui would definitely help me and the others to explore further into China, especially in different provinces. As this is the 1st time, we are travelling to another province, we would be able to explore more of the surrounding area and understand their way of life and culture as well.

Playing fireworks in China is considered legal unlike Singapore, due to safety concerns. One can simply buy fireworks set in a shop and play with it whenever they wanted to do, even in day time as well.

Day 2, Week 5 in Wuhan, China

Our Lecturer and Dean for the Foreign Languages School, Mr.Philip An

Class ended.....


Students heading for Lunch......

Is this Spaghetti? Or is it Noodles?

The Classroom which uses Headsets for Lessons........

Mr. Christopher, Our Guest Lecturer

The Console to use the Headset

What are they doing?

Busy at work....

Me, Xin Rong, Mr. Christopher and Mr.Ma

Guess he was looking at his screen when we took the shot....

Mr. Chua trying to listen to my phone....

Chicken Sasuege (Packed)

Chicken Sasuege (Unpacked)

What We Did

This morning, we woke and got ready for lesson at around 7.15am and met up with the Sasireika and Hwee Ping. When we stepped out of the Hostel, we realized that the temperature in Wuhan plunged to 9 Degree Celsius. No Wonder, it was very cold indeed. The weather in Wuhan can certainly be freaky at times. Thankfully, I wore sufficient clothing for the weather.

When we arrived in class, we were told that there was some changes in our timetable and so were our Tests and Submission of Assignments. Apparently, the Excursion to the Green Forest Fortress, Valley of Beautiful Girls and the Hollow Mountain was rescheduled to Sunday and Monday, instead of Saturday and Monday. Not only that, we also have to undergo a 1 Day Adventure Camp at the Camp Facility, located next to the School. Thus, our Test was also postponed to Thursday, next week, which is still being confirmed by Mr. Ma and Mr. Chua. We were also informed that the IS Guest Lecture was pushed forward to today in the afternoon. Even the topic was changed as well. Initially, it was China’s Politics and Culture, but later it was changed to Chinese Traditional Weddings and Fengshui. So, the entire day, became an IS Day. I wanted to ask Mr. Ma regarding my problem for Mini Project, but now I have no time!

We continued on our Lecture on Part 2 of Chinese Philosophy. We were brought through the various aspects of Taoism and Buddhism such as their famous people, their teachings and origins, their influence on people and the government (in the past as well as the present). I really understood a great deal of Taoism History and its culture to a much better extent and the reasons why it was adopted by the people in China and around the world as well.

I also learnt more about Buddhism as well. I had already learnt of how Buddhism originated from India and how it became popular in India, but I didn’t know, how it impacted the people of China. The lesson that we had today, told me more of how the influence of Buddhism spread across the nation. Buddhist Temples can be found almost in every part of China. The nearest one is in Hanyang, when we were travelling along the Yangtze River. We didn’t recognize it, as it was night time. Although I felt that this subject is one of the most abstract subjects among the lectures undertaken by WUST, the lecturer and Dean, Mr. Philip An presented the PowerPoint well. I would have to admit that I was trying my best to stay awake, as I was dozing off every now and then. I can’t sleep in the 1st row of a Dean’s Class. That’s very embarrassing. Not to mention rude as well….

Following that we went for our Lunch, at Canteen 2. On the way back to the hostel, we stopped by the Shop to print out Intercultural Readiness Self Assessment for Submission to Mr. Chua. We then headed back to the hostel for some rest, before going back to the School of Foreign Language.

We returned to class for our IS Lesson on a different room (04-03), where we entered the class to find the Guest Lecturer, Christopher already seated waiting for us. The classroom was definitely unique as we were doing our lessons by listening through a Headset. It was definitely a unique experience indeed, although my ears felt extremely painful after putting on the headset for a short while. As the lessons were held through them, I had to put them on to hear the Lecturer very clearly. He covered various aspects of the Traditional Chinese Marriage, Modern Chinese Marriage, Chinese Customs and Mannerisms as well as Fengshui, its Effects towards one’s life and Fengshui in Homes. This lesson was much more interactive as we were shown videos of the different customs and traditions followed by the Chinese during Weddings (both Traditional and Modern Times) as well as Fengshui at home. It was certainly a unique experience as well, because most of the Students who undergo lessons at the School of Foreign Language undergo such lessons through headset.

At the end of the lesson, Mr. Chua informed the class, that there was another change of plans in the timetable. He asked the class, if we wanted to cancel the Tour to the Green Forest Fortress, Valley of Beautiful Girls and the Hollow Mountain, due to lack of time to prepare and rest for the Theory Test 2, given the tight schedule. As the whole class wanted to prepare, we cancelled the trip, freeing up our Weekend for our own revision and other matters as well. I had to plan once more in how I intend to study for the Theory Test and do my Assignments as well.

After our Lesson, we headed back to the hostel, placed our belongings and headed out for Dinner. Due to time constraint, Sasireika and Hwee Ping went to order our Dinner, while Sebastian and I went to get the breakfast for the 4 of us, at the local bakery and bought some snacks for the night as well. At the end of the meal, we went to see if the store next to the canteen sold Cornflakes, but they didn’t. Sebastian bought Sausage (Chicken) to try how it tastes like. He took one bite and gave us a weird face. I decided to give it a try since it was chicken. The next minute, I spat the entire meat out of my mouth. I just couldn’t swallow it. Although, there were many locals watching me, I couldn’t help it. It tasted very raw and disgusting. How did the Chinese People eat this? People usually just buy one of these packets and eat them on the spot, like candy or something. Guess, they like the taste of it.
We then headed back to continue on our assignments as well as our journals and prepare for tomorrow’s revision for Theory Test 2. We would also be going through Theory Test 1 as well. I wonder how I fared. Hopefully, I am able to achieve a decent grade….

What We Think

Today, during lesson, we were informed not once, but twice of changes to our timetable. I have the habit of planning what I intend to do one I received my timetable or lesson plan. As the timetable constantly changes, I would have to change my plan again and again. I am not the type of person who is able to adapt to such changes immediately. I do realize that this is what I shall expect out in the working world, but I have not gotten used to it yet. At time, it feels frustrating, but that something that I would have to adapt to.

I have somewhat adapted to the cooked food being sold at the Canteen in the Campus and outside as well. However, the processed food that was sold at the shops such as the processed sausage and instant Whipped Potatoes tasted very weird. One bite of the sausage made me spit the entire thing out. I wonder how the locals are able to eat normally, when it tasted raw to me?

Day 1, Week 5 in Wuhan, China

Given Spelling: Haye a Goog Time!

Make any sense?

Correct Spelling: Have a Good Time!

Back at Work.....

What is he planniing to do with that shovel?

An Antenna that might fall anytime at all.....

Careful.......

I didn't know that they had these kinds of Post Boxes...

Interesting.....

Hey, but why is it Green?

Upcoming Developments in the Area....

Are these supposed to help absorb water in the even the hydrant leaks or they there

simply for fun??

The Real KFC Outlet.

Sebastian with the Marshal that we though was real......and stiff as well.

Sasireika and Hwee Ping with the Marshal.

Me with the Marshal.

Looking at the wrong direction......

This is the size of the Popcorn Chicken in China. Only 1 Size.......

Before Dinner .........

After Dinner...

Hot Fudge Sundae; tasted somewhat like White Rabbit Candy

Still tasted good!

The 'fake KFC' that we wanted to go to......

The ones on the far right, look appetixing, but the 2 other rows don't look nice although

they are all the same thing( Muffins ), but of different flavours.

What We Did

This morning, we woke up at 6.30am and got ready for lesson with our IS Lesson with the Guest Lecturer from the School of Foreign Languages. We initially wanted to meet at 7.15pm and head down to Class. However, we only left at around 7.40pm as the girls came down, slightly later.

When we arrived at the class, we met Mr. Philip An. He is the Dean of the Foreign Languages School that we were studying at. He came into our Class, to teach us on Chinese Philosophy. He even sent us a message to remind us the lesson today at 8am, early in the morning. That was nice of him to remind us of our lesson. During Lesson, we went through the 1st Part of the Lesson on Chinese Philosophy. He went through several areas such as History of the Different Dynasties in China. He gave many examples of the different practices in China in the areas of Confucianism and how they affected daily life in ancient China. He also went through the main characters involved during the various periods such as the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period. Apparently, some elements of Chinese Philosophy came from India as well. It was really an eye opener for me, to learn about the different beliefs and thoughts about China and its people.

Following that, we went for Lunch at Canteen 3 and headed back to the Foyer of the Building to start on our summary for Submission for the lesson earlier. We also prepared on the Mini Project and tried to solve out errors that we couldn’t tackle before.

We returned to class for our IS/APPG Lesson. For the 1st Hour, we completed Part 1 of Summary on Chinese Philosophy. We managed to complete it quite first, as we were distributed the work among ourselves 2 days before the actual lesson so as to be prepared. For the remaining time of the Lessons, we completed Lab 7 which I got stuck the night before. I went to see Mr. Ma to clarify regarding the Problem. As he wanted me to know how to troubleshoot on my own, he told me to try at each section of the Program to narrow down the Problem at hand using MessageBox.Show. By applying the technique he taught me, I was able to narrow down the problem quickly. Thanks Mr. Ma!

Upon completing the Program for Lab 7, I continued on my Mini Project. Previously, I was stuck with two major problems (Linking of Forms & Running the Main Form). I managed to complete them with the help of my classmates. However, now I had bigger problems as my calculations were in a mess. I had to be careful on editing the codes, as the simples mistake could end up affecting my Program even more.

After Class, we headed back to our hostel to drop our belongings at the hostel, before heading out of the campus for dinner, as it was getting very boring having our dinner in School all the time. We decided to head out to the somewhat called the “fake KFC”. We asked the customer service assistant at the nearby Supermarket and they told us to head out and turn left. We ended up walking beyond the actual KFC outlet to find it, but as the road ahead was far, we decided to head back due to safety concerns as we were not familiar with the location. We decided to have our meal at KFC instead. On the way back, we spotted the ‘fake KFC’, a stone’s throw away from the actual KFC. We wanted to try out their food to see what the difference is. Furthermore, it was sold more cheaply as well. Argh…

We decided to head back after buying our Bread at the Bakery. On the way back to our hostel, we also bought Fish Pancake for a light snack as well.

What We Think

This is the start of Week 5 and we are 13 more days till the end of our Programme in Wuhan, China. As the days get closer, our assessment submissions would be around the corner soon. Although, I have studied in the Polytechnic for at least a year, I have not gotten used to fast pace of student life. Here in China, it is much faster as we are doing a curriculum that has been structured for 16 weeks in 4-5 weeks. So, it’s definitely hard to cope. Furthermore, Programming has not been one of my strong modules as well, I would have to work slightly harder to do a Good Job for my Mini Project and do my best for the final Theory Test 2. As we would be leaving soon, we would have to complete this syllabus as well as the IS Module, so as to ensure that when we returned to School on the 20th of April, we wouldn’t be taxed as much. After all, No Pain, No Gain…..