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Thursday, December 07, 2006 @ 23:10
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Back from Yunnan, back from China. back from a once in a lifetime experience. If you asked me to go again, i wouldn't hesitate to. It's really worth going, even with all the _________. Ya. I met new people, had a new experience, found some friends, touched lives, fell in love. I really really learnt alot on this trip, everyone did. But, being the IC for admin comm, i really learnt more than the rest of the people who just participated. I now understand what is meant by when you are in an IC position, you really learn more than just being a participant. I learnt alot. So, let's start the 8 days journey shall we... Let's start... It might take long to load. All the pictures and stuff. AND THIS IS MY FREAKING SECOND TIME ON THIS!!! MY COM RESTARTED ON ME... Sob sob... My hardwork...
PS: All the pictures are not with me, getting them on Saturday. :D So when i get it the time than i post all
Day 1Met at Changi Airport late...
I'm one of the few in orange... ICs must wear that... Damn ugly... Lol...
And than we were off... Order of sequence, AGSSL being Admin, Games, SCDC1, SCDC2 and Log. On saturday, we wanted the order to be GLASS so that we could spell a word, glass. But log had to stay behind and carried our suitcases so ya, AGSSL the order it was. Admin always first. :D On the plane... Let's just say sitting beside Ernest and David, you will not get any sleep accomplished...
Arrived at Kunming international airport... At 0545 after a 3 hour 50 mins plane ride... Temperature was 4 degrees celcius. Woots, so cool... Lol... Than after we checked out blah blah blah, we went off to the village center where there were this 2 gates. If my chinese is not wrong, it's a chicken gate and a horse gate... Lol
The chicken gate
And the horse gate.
Esentially, we were suppose to listen to the tour guide explain about the two gates but in the end we all ended up taking photos and not listening to the tour guide... Lol... So we ended up taking photos after photos after photos...
I just jumped in at the last moment one... That's why I'm the only guy... Lol...
Admin Comm's first photo together... :D
So after the cam-whoring, we went off to the minorities village. That's where the minorities of Yunnan exhibit their things ya... So ya... We went there. When we reach there, there was this mass dance going on. And we joined in!! :D So we danced around this extremly huge courtyard. We danced and danced their dance. Very easy once you get the hang of it, very confusing if you don't. Lol... After a while you will get the hang of it. So we went into the minoritiy village. I won't talk much about it cause it's really just walking about and listening to the tour guide which we all didn't do. Lol. Just took some photos...
For some reason, teachers in the trip refer to the water wheel as a windmill... Oo
I laughed like hell when i saw this sign can... People who know chinese and read the english translation will also laugh like hell... I promise...
And we saw this cute little thing on the stairs letting us take photos of it. :D
So after the minorities village, we went off to our first hotel... Checked in and found out that the room heater was not working and there was no hot water, so for the whole night i was running off to people's room. :D Disturb them, who ask them got hot water and heater. Lol.
After that we went to Yun Da Fu Zhong, a University school (I think). Exchange of dances all that... I fell asleep when they screened their Video on the screen... I was really tired and i didnt get to rest on the plane so ya... I'm so sorry?
Than after that we went shopping at Wal-mart. Lol. One hour to stock up on everything you need. Lol... Should have seen all of us... Running around trying to find the things which we wanted to buy. XD than after that we went for dinner than debrief so ya, nothing to talk about liao.
Day 2Woke up at freaking 0330. X.X 2 hours of sleep. Had to transfer to Shangrila... Zzzz... Want to sleep also cannot sleep. Lol... Emm... Ya, the sun rise from the plane was beautiful. :D Sat at the window seat this time. :D Damn beautiful... Too bad, i can't find the pictures... Lol... When i find it i update it ok... So we reached Shangrila at 0600. Temperature was -9 degrees!! Woo hoo, all of us had alot of layers on lah... Lol... We all look very fat. :D
Went to the hotel... We all were supposed to rest from 9-12 but than... Someone from Admin Comm was feeling unwell so... I had to look after her... So instead of resting, I sat with her until she fell asleep... Than after that we went to have lunch where a story about 2 fisherman and a fish became a story with a turtle, prawn and what else not... lol...
Than after lunch we went to the Lama temple, some stayed back in the hotel because they were feeling unwell... I went there. :D Cultural lesson... Learnt alot.
This is their temple... Very powerful right... So big and golden... lol...
Than after that we were given a chance to either go shopping or go back to the hotel and rest... I opted to go back and rest... Was feeling very dizzy... So i went up to my hotel room and just collasped on the bed with everything still on and i slept for like... one hour before we had to go back and assemble... Because alot of us were feeling unwell, the night activities were cancelled... I think all of us really needed that... We were all too tired...
Day 3Morning call at 0630... Most time consuming activity of the day, bus ride from Shangrila to Sizhong... Took us freaking 3 hours and that's not counting the number of stops we took to let people puke their guts out... Lol... 3 hour journey round and round and round mountains... :D Very beautiful scenary... If i was awake? Lol... Most of the bus journey I was sleeping... But at the pit stop, we had this to take...
Damn beautiful right... Lol... This is only taken with a 3.24 megapixel camera, imagine seeing it with your own eyes...
OH, I forgot!!! This is what happened inside the bus window...
3 guesses to what that is and the first 2 don't count... Lol... Ice formed inside the bus... INSIDE the bus... Guess how cold it was...
Oh yes, at the pit stop, we also managed to see this...
Snow on the mountain... :D Too bad, it was down a slope and the teachers didn't allow us to go down... But ya, just seeing it is more than enough i guess...
So we continued on and on... Until we finally reached the school... Being part of the main comm, we had to sacrifice our rest to recee the school first... So off the main comm went, off to the school... Though i was preparing for it, I really didn't expect it... This was what the school looked like...
That's their science lab building...
So we went around receeing, we discovered that the students were washing the floor and clearing the place up for us... Really touching... So we went back to the hotel and had our lunch... Than after lunch we went back to the school, this time, the whole school was standing on either sides of the path to the school to welcome us... So there, we were divided into classrooms, Classroom 9. :D
We went to classroom 89... Really touching to see them, they were willing to learn from us so we taught them some cheers and some songs...
The class
So when we had to go, they were like, really unwilling to let us go... But, we had to go back to the hotel and have our dinner and come back at night for... the Campfire! But on the way back to the hotel, I saw this sign...
Zai qiong ye qiong bu liao jiao yu, zai ku ye ku bu liao hai zi...For those of you who don't know chinese (Or maybe because my chinese sucks) Ask those who knows what it means and than you ask yourself whether this is what your parents are doing for you know...
So we went back to the school at night... We had mass dance around the campfire and under the moon and stars... So this time, we really did dance under the stars... :D Dance after dance after dance, we practically dance the whole night away... One thing i found out, when they hold your hands, they don't just hold it, they interlock hands with you... It's just a sign of friendship when someone does that... Really had fun that night...
Day 4Went back to the school to say goodbye to them... I think we all really did cry that time... It really pains your heart to let them go after just the 6 hours that we spent with them... But... All good things must come to an end... We let them go... Mr Leow said this outside the school gates:
What makes flowers beautiful? It's because they don't last forever...Humans are funny creatures... We don't treasure what lasts forever but we treasure what doesn't last forever... People who are reading this blog, get this...
Parents won't last forever... There will come a time when they have to go...If that's the reason, why can't we treasure them? I learnt alot than and there...
So we took another bus ride to Bai Shui Tai... Imagine a calcium carbonate... The top layer had an ice layer and the bottom had water running... Damn beautiful lah...
The sign welcoming us...
The scenary halfway up the mountain... Damn beautiful right...
Oh I love this picture alot... Lol... Except that my finger had to be in it...
And
Yups... So we had sometime to do whatever we wanted to on the top of the mountain... Guess what we did... We took photos... Duh... Next few are very boring... All photos of me and people... Please skip if you don't want to look...
BUT, there was something that totally spoiled my mood on top of the mountain... The councillors... Don't know whether it's a slip of tongue or whatever but they started yelling this...
26th, please assemble so that we can take photo... For 5 minutes they keep yelling this... Immediatly, you could see a few faces change... And I did ask some of the councillors who are my friends, they also admitted that it was a stupid and insensitive thing to do... But, Forget about that...
Yup... SO after that we went back to the hotel, put our things down and went out for dinner... Guess who our special guest was... Mr Koh, our principal... And guess what he ordered for us...
Yup, a cup of red wine for everyone... :D
So after that we went back to the hotel and instead of our usual debrief... We had a sharing session... Mr Tan had my group since Miss Tan had lost her voice... It was a session with tears... We all let out our troubles... Even Mr Tan and I'm glad to say that we now know each other better now... So after that, we went back to our rooms and not before I saw this...
Guess what that is... Don't know? Let me show you a similar machine in Thailand which i took last year...
3 guesses and the first 2 don't count...
Day 5So we woke up and prepared for another bus trip again... This time to Lijiang... Nothing interesting on the way, just more photos and stuff...
So when we reached Lijiang, we checked into a hotel... First time i see a hotel key which is really a key... Not a card or something...
Lol... SO when we reached Lijiang, we went to the gu chen or old town... We had Free and Easy there... But for the whole afternoon, I followed the Malay students around, acting as their translator... Lol... What to do... No choice bah...
Somehow, this was referred to as the wind mill, our meeting point...
The old town is really old...
So we assembled back at the "wind Mill" and we left for dinner... Yet again, I found myself with girls...
We met up with another group at KFC and we joined them walking around and I ended up being their PA, holding their bags and stuff... Lol...
Than we went back, went back to our hotel rooms and had a party!!!
Day 6Free and easy yet again... This time, I attached myself to this girl... lol... I was her PA lah... The rest all also had mah... So what leh... lol... We went shopping again... Very boring, got to bargain all that... lol...
little doggy... Lol
Someone tell me what this word is suppose to be!!!!
CSLs at the water mill... Woots... Lol...
So after we shopped finish, we took a plane back to Shangrila... Lol... Before the Admin Comm. Party, we had a debrief by Mr Tan in his room... He sounded so emo lah... So weird... But, we learned alot again...
Than we Partied again...
Day 6Woke up at 0730... Had breakfast sent up to us... :D For meeting all the time requirements... :D Than we went up to the conference room and we had a sharing session this time by the teachers... I think at the end of it, everyone was crying... The same message was repeated again and again...
Everyone wants to be appreciated... That's why, Michelle... I swear on
my name that I get you accepted by the class, by hook or by crook... I swear... If worst comes to worst, than i join you...
06S02, wake up! One year has already passed and you call this a class??!! Don't make me laugh! We're more like passerbys rather than classmates. Wake up, next year is going to be very fast... Cherish your friends and your classmates... I am but one person... How much can I do since I don't know you all that well since I joined you all one week late... Amanda's trying her hardest, Ridzuan is also trying his hardest... How much can 3 people do?? Don't tell me that you all are so petty that you are going to carry this grudge over to J2... WAKE UP!
Yup... AFter that... Not much already... Just going to the airport... I swear, the metal dectetor at the airport is spoilt... Everyone who walks through, it goes beepp... WTF... So while we were waiting for our flight, there was this annoucement... "Flight Mu749 has been delayed for an hour due to unforeseen circumstances." WTF... Imagine you already homesick until like xiao, than hear that... WTF lah... So what do we do with the one hour? We cam-whore yet again...
Oh, I owe her a bunch of flowers... :D I promised her... Cause she helped me choose this...
For my mother...
Csls...
Admin Comm
And the main comm, the people who made this trip possible...
Overall Teacher IC: Mr Thomas Tan
Overall student ICs: Michell and Sherman
Admin ICs: Me and Huiqi
Log ICs: Han Yang and Ming Hor
Games ICs: Alex and Carrie
SCDC1 ICs: Amira and Leonard
SCDC2 ICs: Clara and Pei Qi
Yup... So we took our flight back... And i Swear, this sign never looked more inviting...
My god... Just clear this and we'll be home...
What i Learnt on this trip is not something that can be taught just by saying it... It has to be experienced in order to feel it... I'm glad i was given an opportunity to experience it... Thank you whoever made this trip possible...
PS: KAROLYN!!! I WANT A LIVE KICKING KANGAROO FROM AUSTRALIA. YOU RETAREDED PERSON!!! GO OFF NEVER TELL ME!!! TAKE CARE AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT MY KANGAROO!!! :D
