Day 40 - Packing era

Time really flies when you are having a whale of time. The Immersion Program is nearing it's end as it is. I woke up at 8 today because we had a group meeting to discuss the theme at 9.

The windows movie maker really is a headache, I mean, we still need a theme.

Anyway, went to the laundry and greeted the always smiling auntie.


Wore so nicely just to pose for the camera. I only have this to say, "阿姨,谢谢你" (Auntie, Thank you very much.I went to pack a take-away lunch.

Saw this innocent little girl who seem to pose for me naturally and brightly. Kids are so cute sometimes.

Walked around the campus area after my lunch.

Saw the growing maple leaves in their numbers. And I was left wondering in awe at the beauty of the leaves.

Stayed in my room like a hermit until I went for dinner with 2 Mr Wong, Franice, Winson, Ci Min, Hui Miang and Mengzhen. Went to Nan Ning for the last dinner.

And today, 5 different drinks were served. Introducing(left to right): Coffee, Strawberry, Grape, Mango and Honeydew.

Individually paid 15 yuan for the meal. I was still eating and the others left first.

So in the end, went to the streets to shop for another leather ladies bag for Mr Wong's wife.

Along the way, went to the supermarket to purchase some chocolates. Well, I was always zeroing in chocolates. All I know is that there isn't much variety in chocolate brands so I will just stick to one for now...

Initially, I was asking a lot of questions so that it would be easier to locate a suitable bag. And the problem also lies with the fact that I don't really know how to shop either.

See, Mr Wong was still bargaining for the bag with the shopkeeper who remembered me.

Went to get some bread for my breakfast and some snack during the waiting time as well.

After that, all I can say is that I am 90% done with my packing as it is... The luggage has also increased in load... Oh dear, I hope it's not overweight...

Well, night.

Day 39 - Farewell Gathering

Woke up at 10.52 am. I was spending the whole day slacking until I finally decided to go somewhere in Wuhan.

Finally, after serious consideration, I went over to the laundry auntie and finally decided to go the silk exhibition located near 中山公园.

It's quite a grand affair...

Managed to purchase some silk clothing for family members and chanced upon...

Two mascots waddling down the escalator... The poor guys inside..

Finally done with Silk shopping and so, I headed over to the bus-stops after much questioning and help from the locals, I managed to end up in 江汉路.

Beef buns(牛肉包). It tastes funny namely because this is my first time trying out such stuff.

I ended up being approached by a random student from a nearby hairstyling school. Initially, I was interested at the offer - A 20 yuan deal to perm my hair. I was thinking, "Seriously?"

The student explained that they were having a class competition as well... Competing to see which class can persuade the most people to come over?

I washed my hair in this basin. There was no hot water from the tap and the student hairstylists(They had their student identification hung over their neck) all had to fetch hot water somewhere else.

I am reminded of the 3rd National Education Message: We must uphold meritocracy and incorruptibility. Seeing all these young adults in the hair styling line, I learnt that like Singapore's own ITE(Instituite of technical Education) hairstyling is open to school dropouts as another means of livelihood.

We provide opportunities for all, according to their ability and effort. I am thankful that Singapore allows school drop outs to be re-educated and able to contribute to society. It's good that people are given opportunities as per ability and their effort to master something they are not used to.

Not a saloon. This is the classroom of the hair-styling school.

Now, a female hair stylist is going to trim my hair before perming it.

Somehow, when I saw the pink building, I was reminded of a dream I had a long time ago. I didn't know why though...

Afterwards, I managed to find the bus stop with the help of two 哥哥 hairstylists. Thanks!!

I went straight to classroom 701 and sat there until the whole even began, rather listless and tired. Before the even begun, we needed to get the cake that MDE division was in charge of.

Look at that. We still have to sing karaoke later.

And finally, Fire giving a speech with a LSCT girl as a translator.

And Pei Jie with a three layer hat. What a large head she has.

And the local birthday boy today has a total of 5 cakes... Don't you wish it was your birthday instead?

Happy Birthday, Roco (I think?)

And cake cutting time..

I managed to get the last slice of that chocolate cake though. I was also scooping up all the remaining chocolate flakes into the paper plate.

Look at the cake... The layered cake actually contained wine glasses... So innovative that is, if you'd rather drink wine then eat the cake.

Left the earliest with Sharon (Xiao Ling's room mate) and went to get some supper before heading back to do my blog.

Well, night. Salamat Malam!

Day 38 - Shopping at 司门口

Had presentation at 9.30 with all of us turning up in formal attire. Well, at least the top half is formal...

When Pei Jie and me arrived, Zee Min's group was already there and so, they were to present first. We came in second and so on.

Masita, Hajar and Zee Min preparing the laggy laptop and the simulation.

Yea. Me, Pei Jie and Hui Miang going in next.

Mr Wong's question was really... something I never even noticed until he pointed it out in the model- Our fork truck was wasting time because it was taking time to sort out the cargo...

Xin Hui,Hashanah and Nadiyah's group came in next.

This time, Franice, Ci Min and Mei Yun had more energy then the last presentation.

Lastly, Randolph, Clive and Benedict had their presentation. All three of them sported ties too.

After the whole event, everybody was into photo taking and so, I also got this shot of Masita with Clive's tie and Clive himself.

Afterwards, went to get lunch at MacDonald's with Zee Min before heading back to the hostel room to wait for Anna and Kiwi.

Went shopping at 司门口. (I think that's the street name)

Primary school that we passed by. Reminds me of my own primary school though.

And they are doing exercise that is swifter then Taichi Fist (太极拳). Why am I thinking about ACES day?

As we moved on to keep shopping, we kept rushing into stores whenever we see sales. And for the first time in my life, I was trying on mini-shorts and actually, they are ok since I am so fair.

And we had a photo with the mascot. The poor guy in the suit. I mean, imagine having to wear a costume like this for hours and under the afternoon sun...

We still went shopping as the sun was setting. And on the bridge, we saw...

Many vendors selling their stuff, especially cheap clothing. Even if they weren't cheap, have no fear when you have local friends tagging along. Both 姐姐(elder sisters) were actually bargaining with the store owners all the time.

All these are hand woven by the Lady-boss herself. Even the barbie dolls get some nice clothing due to her nimble and beautiful needle work.


I just realised that all the older generation of woman are fond of knitting, especially after they all retire at the age of 55 plus. This is a form of recreation for women that we will rarely see in Singapore. I find it a pity that not many people are fascinated by knitting and woollen products.

We also passed by some unusual pets that I could not keep...

Unusual pet number 1. Snakes(蛇). Ain't this serpent adorable?

Ok, I wanted this breed of dog as well. A mixed wolf dog with Alaskan heritage with piercing blue eyes.

Unusual pet number 2- Chameleon (变色龙), Ok, Admit that it kind of freaked me out a bit.

And some Guinea pigs or their family.

At last, night falls. And as we head for dinner with Zee Min and Pei Jie pulling us into any shop they fancy along the way...

Check out the lighted Yellow Crane Tower(黄鹤楼) as well as the full moon.

Went for dinner while chatting with Anna and Kiwi. Learnt more about their way of life as well as praising them for being such 'bargaining queens'.

Can you believe that we shopped until 9 plus and yet still feel that we have a lot of ground left uncovered? it's like we are only at the tip of the ice burg.

Reached the room by 10 plus as it is...

Don't expect too much in the last few days as there will be not much activities save for shopping.

Well, night all.

Day 37 - Local interation

Was in the room the whole time since I slept to 10. And after that, I kept working on the Flexsim assignment.

Around this time, the repair man came to claim our fused light bulb and told us he will be back later in the afternoon to fix it. Well, we had to bath with the door ajar for 3 days.

And the report which I was in charge of doing.

Our initial model of the axle business process.

And the improved version. Both were done by Pei Jie. Well done, girl.

Finally, managed to slack in the hostel until 6.40 plus before Pei Jie and me went to the back alley. Went to purchase nail polish before realising that we are late.

Pei Jie and me met up with fellow LSCT students with whom all of us went to the interaction night. It's really pathetic a number of MDE students- only a third of us turned up as compared to LSCT who turned up full force.

Mr Wong called me in the lift presumably to hurry us.

When we arrived, went into one of the classroom whereby Mr Wong scolded us for being late and making the students wait.

Anyway, the show must go on!

Check out the crowd all cramped into the classroom.

Hip-hop to kick off the event.

We are all looking very eager.

They strummed 5 songs.

The Gong Fu (功夫) show for us.

Mr Wong is so.... I mean, he pulled me over to boys to begin the conversation... I was like, "Thanks, Mr Wong, Thanks." Please note my sarcasm.

All to soon I was chatting with the local students from other courses in English and Mandarin. All the 大哥哥 and 大姐姐们 were so funny and amusing.

Finally at 9.20 plus went back to my hostel room with Henry(A girl!!!) and Ann. We are all set to go shopping tomorrow.

Presentation tomorrow at 9.30... Ah, last one. We must all go for it.

Day 36 - Couple Drama

Was awoken by Stephanie. Thanks, girl. We were supposed to assemble by 7-8 but all 3 of us slept until quite late.

Anyway, the 1 hour plus journey to the private WUST school enables me to catch a little catnap.

Apparently, the area we were heading to today was some camp thingy located near the ECE students hostel. I am going to have some nightmares about camps again...

While waiting or us to get out from the toilet...

We spot two overgrown kids on the see-saw. Benedict and Weiguang look so child-like.

Finally we were eventually re-arranged into 4 teams. We were in Team 1 later named as Teamers.

Say hi to one of the instructor as well as some of our group members.

And the Team Captain designing the team flag as Francie, Stephanie and Seok(not in picture) attempted come up with the team cheer.

Finally, the first game of the day.

Our group was passing the flag around as no one wanted to be the team captain. We were all mixed around to interact with other groups.

And firstly, introduction to our flag as well as the cheers.

Using only newspapers, make a giant hamster wheel(tank wheel) whereby all of us will have to compete with other teams by moving along the joined newspapers strips. No glue or additional material is given.

Our team hard at work with commander-in-charge as well as our team captain suggesting the pros and cons of certain design.

Still hard at work as the clock is ticking.

And at last, we all had a strategy- To fold all sides of the newspaper and move as one before pulling the wheel to move forward under the command, "1,2, pull!".

Teamers won. While it is true that the newspapers was broken at one point, it was quickly fixed and we kept up the lead all the way.

Compared to the rest of the team, we fared a lot better despite our different views and some miscommunication. However, the majority of the team followed instructions and in turn also gave out helpful suggestions and actions(getting rocks to stack on the newspapers)

This reminds me of the 6th NE message: We have confidence in our future.United, determined and well-prepared, we have what it takes to build a bright future for ourselves, and to progress together as one nation.

From this simple team building game, we can see the spirit and bond of the future workforce. As the friends we make will last a lifetime, it is possible that we will interact with one another at work and still possess the zest for the teamwork that will shape our future.

From this game, we can say our team is well prepared(following the commands), united(in the game), and determined (we are all determined to win). This 3 traits will be important in our future.

We are Team Teamers! We are the champions!

Mr Wong and our flag design.

We drew a large goofy and feminine looking face along with a bow tie.

Explanation goes: The eyes(with eyelashes) represent the girls for cuteness. The teeth(with a hint of black) and nose represent boys for toughness. The bow tie where we all signed our name represents us all, bonded as one.

After the first game, we proceeded to have lunch and were told to assemble by 1.15. We followed the ECE students who have stayed in the area for 5 weeks plus to the canteen.

Their canteen is like, so much better then ours de. Ah well...

The 清真(halal) store had this 消毒(poison removal) chopstick dispenser. That's something Singapore should have since we all practice food hygiene.

After the meal, followed some of the ECE students to check out their hostel. I should not have been there at all because now we were all marvelling at their room.

They have a common hall with television! Hey... good sia. And they get the quiet nights rest while we have to content with the occasional honking of cars.

And the part that irk me the most. Why do we have so different beds? They have cotton lining bed while all we have is a wooden plank. They are getting hotel treatment here...

Jit Siong with his stiffed teddy bear lying on the bed and posing for Hashanah and me.

Much later on, Hashanah could not find her bag and was mock blaming Jit Siong. When she finally did found her bag, she practically bashed him up.

Made way back to the area for more fun when we stopped by the provision shop for some ice cream.

Played the game whereby we have to supply our group representative with whatever the person wanted us to give.... Nice way to warm us up.

Finally, spilt into 2 groups to try out 3 activities. First up is...

Masita, go girl! You have girl power!

Well, it's my turn to climb the obstacle course.

Actually, when I reached the bridge I was thinking, "Woah, that's far," and then just walked over to the edge before jumping.

Finally, the thrill of 'following gravity' for once.

And it's over. Next up, we have the 'Trust in me to catch you' game.

Masita looks smug...

Naturally we have to support those who were supporting the person falling down.

Morale of the story, it's good to be light, you don't stress the people supporting you.

And here I go...

I sat up as quickly as possible. think I landed too hard on my backside.

Waited for the rest as we finally proceeded to the rock wall-Last activity is rock climbing.

Zee Min helping me with my harness as Weiguang took this shot.

Me climbing for the first time. Ehh.. It's really easy and gets harder at the top...

I wasn't satisfied with my first climb as I was withdrawn for not wearing the helmet properly. I decided to go again.

Second time, naturally, my arm muscles were even more strenuous then before. I wasn't good with arm power but I kept trying to get my footing again and again.

Sadly, I failed to reach the top and was soon send plummeting back to earth, my arm aching.

However, Weiguang was like, "I am impressed with your never-say-die-attitude". This echoes what Zee Min said as, "Not bad. it's the determination that counts," Guys, thanks but I have always tried to strive higher.

Mr Wong told us the bus would arrive at 6.20 and so, we went deeper into the park.

The view of the lake area.

Our group and Mr Wong?

This is where the blog got its title from.

Seriously, watching the sunset in the embrace of your loved one makes this picture lovely. The stars- Sebastian and Hwee Ping.

Another couple. Zee Min and ShaoMing's shadow set againest the setting sun. A friend couple.

The real show. Much to our amusement and to our cameras. Aww....

Khoon Fong and Sasi making a rather irregular heart shaped.

And another nicer heart shaped.

And soon, we had to turn back as the bus had arrived.

Ok, that place should have been named as 'Lover's Pier' soon...

Back to our bus! Bade the ECE students farewell. Will be meeting them back in Singapore soon.

Passing through the garden...

And lastly, their school's a private school so, the facilities are better... rich people...

Even the exterior of the hostel or service apartments look so inviting as compared to ours. It's ok, I'll accept what life gives me anyday.

In the bus, we were alerted by photographer Randolph to the red setting sun. Managed to capture the red sun excatly in the middle. It's a moving vehicle though.

Finally, we get to rest a little and will do the presentation on Thursday.

Well, good evening. Salamat malam!!