6/04/09
Today i woke up at 9 am and went for the morning remainder class, with Cris and Ben. The lesson was actually optional, however i still insist of going, because i didn’t did well in my first test.
The class was conduct by Mr Chua as Mr Ma was not back yet. Mr Chua go through topics 5, 6 and 7 and explain to us those important points. Then at around 12 pm, we went lunch with Mr Chua at canteen 2. Mr Chua ask us, is canteen 2 fried rice nice? And we replied, “YES!” So everyone ordered fried rice for lunch.
After lunch we went for 2pm lesson, Mr Chua go through Feb 2009 paper. This was the last revision before we take our final test on Wednesday. Mr Chua was very seriously as he teach. I can see that he really want us to score.
After lesson we went canteen 3 for dinner, i ate many fried oily stuff there, haha, can’t resistance it. Noting much today, after dinner i stay in the dorm and did my revision and projects. Well 1 more week to go.
REFLECTION
During the morning remainder, Mr Chua taught us some study tactics and methods. He said, by doing papers and referring to answer at same time, is not a good way to study; instead it will only defeat the purpose of letting us self-studying. Mr Chua was a experience learner, he really taught us many tactics on studying.
He also share with us that, during his youth when he is at the hostile, what he actually did was, he wrote many formula on a piece of paper and paste it on his window, everyday one formula one paper was pasted on it. And every day before he went for classes he will took a min to look through those formulas pasted on this window.
Mr Chua was really a good role model to follow, i learned many things from him, and i am very grateful to have him in this trip.

5/04/09
Today we went to HanKou for shopping! We took a bus to Han Pu, where the IT MALL is located. Then we took a cab to Hankou. Every one of us were excited as we can buy some cheap stuffs. Firstly we went to the ATM mall, this shopping mall sells all kinds of stuff, like fake LV, Porter GUUGI, Vans and many more. We shopped for like two hours in this shopping mall, i bought a LV wallet for my mum and a GUUGI lighter for my grandfather. My friend Cris and Nickki bought lots of T-shirts, well i didn’t buy anything for myself, haha, but there are really endless shops along the streets. At one junction we encountered a lady selling small little cute dogs for 2000 Yuan each. Those dog are really cute and adorable, and their skin were painted in maroon brown, really looks cool.
At around 4pm we went to Pizza Hut for some PIZZAAA! We really miss Pizza alot, because in China u hardly finds pizza. We ordered three Hawaii pizza, two American lover pizza and a salmon pasta. We really enjoy our meal there as the food were well serve and done.
After eating our pizza, we wanted to return to school, however some of my friends still wanted to continue shopping. Therefore we decided to separate, those who want to continue shopping, stick to those that one to go and those who want to return to school, follow those that one to return. I was one of those that wanted to return to school one, as i was really too tired to continue shopping. We took a cab back to our school. The cab driver was really friendly, he chats with us while driving. We reached school at around 8pm and we to the canteen for dinner.
After dinner, my friend Ernest, bought a 16” Cake for his mother birthday. They celebrate through webcam, then after he had celebrate with his mother, he share his cake with everyone of us. We really enjoyed the cake. Ernest was filial piety to his mother and generous too, he shared his cake with us, really appreciate it man, Ernest.
REFLECTION
During the trip back to our school, we had many conversations with the cab driver. He asked us whether we are use to the living conditions in Wuhan, and our diet as well. He also asked us why are we here, is it for studies, tour, or what. And asked us what the currency in Singapore compare to here is and, is our standard for living high in Singapore? Well, he was really friendly and we had a good time talking to him. He gave us some tips on how to prevent cheaters and thief. He also told us which places sells delicious food.
At one time i asked him, how much does a car cost here? He replied, it cost 60K RMB, for a 1.8CC, wow that was very cheap, yet he said was expensive. In Singapore for a 1.8CC car, at least a 50K sing is needed, which is 200k RMB? I could afford 3 car in here man. Then i asked him, how much is a house costs, he replied, it cost 40k RMB, oh my god that was very cheap as well. In Singapore a 4 room flat costs at least 200K Sing which is 800+K RMB.
Well i still thinks that, here the food still is cheapest of all.

Yo HanKou here i come.

Giant ice cream!

Aww...poor little cute dogs for sales...

hehe my cutie..

Lunch at pizza hut

Yummy! PIZZA

Bye Hankou.

THIS IS FOR YOU! MUMMY***

Ernest birthday cake, yummy yummy...

EEeee...

4/04/09
Today was a free and easy day, didn’t really go elsewhere and woke up at 1pm! So far this is the longest sleep in the trip. At 2pm we had lunch in the canteen and after lunch we went out for shopping near our school.
Firstly we went to the laundry shop to collect Nickki and Shu Gen clothes. Then we followed Cris to a medicine shop to buy some medicated oil for his grandmother. We then went to the shop near the KFC restaurant for some clothes. The moment we saw the brand ‘PLAYBOY’, our focus immediately changed to that brand name. I bought two T-shirts, one for my brother and one for myself. The total cost was 262 Yuan, compare to Singapore, is considered cheap. As this brand in Singapore could cost around 60 dollar Sing for one T-shirt.
After we bought our PLAYBOY stuff, we went to a shop that sells many cute stuff, like soft toys, key chains and wallets. I bought a Naruto key chain and my friend Cris bought a wallet. Then we went further down to the IT shop. I bought a mouse there, as my current mouse was already spoiled. Then we went back to the dorm to rest and do our own stuff.
At around 7 pm, we went to the canteen for dinner, i ate mushrooms chicken fried rice. It was really tasty, haha first time ordered it. After dinner we went back to our dorm. I did my project and journal. Then at around 9 pm, my mum called me through MSN, my aunties were there as well, i was really happy to see my aunties for once again. They were happy too, they kept cracking jokes about me. We talked for like 30 minutes, and then my brother just came back from NS. My brother then join in the conversation. I was really happy as i could hear my family and love ones voices. At around 2 am i went to bed, why so late? Haha i played CS and did some project stuff.
REFLECTION
The best time for today was the called from my family, i was really very happy to hear their voices. They really miss me a lot and so do i. Well only Ten more days to go. Time really flies, didn’t really realizes that we only left less than two weeks in Wuhan.
Every time my love ones called, i always look at the calendar, questioning myself how many more days left, because i really miss my family so much. I really want to go back and share my experience with them. I am really grateful that my parent could afford me to this trip. This trip really was a worth going trip.

YEAH! Ready for Shopping!

This is the place we went today.

3/04/09
Today we had APPG lesson in the morning, before we start our lesson, Mr Chua have some feedbacks on what commented on yesterday survey, he said that many of us commented this trip schedule was too packed, we kept rushing for school work. Then Mr Chua give us some tips on how to manage your time.
After Mr Chua speech, we had our APPG Test 1 result back. I was disappointed with my result, I made many careless mistake. Well this is not the end for me; I will work harder for my Test 2 on this coming Wednesday.
Today lesson ends at 12 only, we had no lesson in the afternoon. I spent my whole afternoon time in the dorm doing my miniproject. At night, we went to eat zhu cao again, we order pots of soup and dishes, really enjoy the food. After dinner, it was gamming time. We had a mass CounterStrike, we played till 3 am, haha, really crazy right? And we slept at 3 30am.
REFLECTION
I would like to reflect on the advice gave by Mr Chua this morning. He told us that during his youth, how he manage his time, in both academic and sports. He told us that he was a playful boy, and likes to play around. However, he was also concern about his academic too. Thus he was give himself a timetable for himself, not the school time, is after school hours. So that he could be more systematic, knowing what to do every hour.
Therefore Mr Chua encourage us to cultivate such habit too. He said one sentence that really inspired me, he say “If you want to surpass your parents, you got to put in that extra effort!” Ha! Thanks Mr Chua for your advice, really appreciate it.

Food ordered during dinner, mushroom chicken soup and

Tofu with fired fish in HOT PLATE.

Intercultural Readiness Self Assessment

The first column itemizes personal characteristics that are helpful for cross-cultural interactions.
Evaluate your own current intercultural readiness on a scale of 1-100.
Also set a target for graduation day. Do this honestly and intuitively.


Characteristic
Current self estimate
Score: 1-100:
Target for NP graduation day
Score: 1-100:
Comment and/or
learning strategy:

-Open-mindedness
70
90
This will help me to accept others behaviour better, as most in the locals here are more open minded.

-Respect for other beliefs
90
95
This will help me to be more respectful towards others beliefs.

-Trust in other people
80
50
As people tend to take advantages, thus in China, is hard to gain people trust.

-Tolerance for discomfort
60
85
So I can be more tolerance with others bad habit. As people in different part of the world behave differently.

-Tolerance for ambiguity
60
85
As unexpected things are bound to occur anywhere, anytime, therefore how we manage them is the most important.

-Patience
80
70
As, the Chinese tends to do things fast and always get angry if they had to wait for something.

-Sense of personal control
70
80
Personal control in a foreign country is very important, as we would have to be very careful in finance, food and etc.

-Interpersonal skills
60
90
This will help me in my communication to give a better impression to people, especially people in other countries.

-Willingness to take initiative
75
85
Willingness to take initiative is very important, as he/she would be able to help themselves as well as those around them.

-Willingness to take risks
70
80
As no risk, no gain.

-Sense of humor
85
95
Sense of humour is one of the most useful tools in communication with people, thus by knowing how to crack jokes, people would likely to feel better in talking to you.

-Curiosity about other cultures
70
85
In China, I explored many different culture, after all China is the birth place for most religion, thus I could explore more religion and culture.

-Comfort level with strangers
50
80
This will help in building my level of confidence and comfort level with strangers, after all our daily life, we always met strangers.

2/04/09
Today we had IS throughout the day. In the morning we had Taoism and Buddhism. We learned how Taoism and Buddhism were established. The lecturer was the same person as yesterday. Today topic was interesting, because i like religion stuff, as religion stuff really makes you think beyond the limits.
After lunch, we had another IS lecture, it was about Traditional Chinese Wedding and Feng Shui. This topic was also interesting, as I get to know how the Chinese celebrate their wedding. Then at around 4 pm was Feng Shui lecture. Feng shui this topic really makes people wonder, because in Feng Shui, things that you won’t be expecting might affect your life, it really keeps you in mystery.
After lesson, we went for a earlier dinner and then went back to our dorm to do our IS summary.
REFLECTION
Today i gained the most information so far in Wuhan, i learned the history of Taoism, Buddhism and gained some knowledge on Feng Shui and Chinese wedding culture.
However i felt that the lecturer doesn’t really tell us what Taoism and Buddhism are really about. I can tell that his knowledge of Taoism and Buddhism is limited. Maybe he just want to briefly explain what Taoism and Buddhism are about...
Next was Chinese weddings i learned that auspicious dates are required for the Chinese wedding, the betrothal and the installation of the bridal bed. A Chinese monk, a temple official or a fortune teller are able to advise on a suitable date based on the couple's birth dates and times. Some may also refer to the Chinese calendar or almanac for good days. Usually, even numbered months and dates are preferred, and the lunar seventh month is avoided as it is the month of the Hungry Ghost Festival, haha.
Lastly was Feng Shui, I learned that Feng Shui is about the 5 elements, FIRE - PASSION AND HIGH ENERGY , EARTH - NOURISHMENT AND STABILITY, METAL - CLARITY AND PRECISENESS, WATER - EASE, FRESHNESS AND ABUNDANCE , WOOD - HEALTH AND VITALITY. I also learned the things placed in your bedroom may affect your luck and life. A slight repositioning of furniture will be sufficient , repositioning the bedroom art or decor items is good enough. If you make a big change in the positioning of your furniture, the Feng Shui will be changed.

Overall, the IS lecture really worth listening, as I get to know lots of new stuff…

1/04/09
Yeah! Finally two weeks to go. Today was Aprilful day, haha... everyone started making lame jokes and began to punk others. Well, in the morning we had our IS lecture. Today topic was Chinese traditional thoughts. The lecturer is the principal of the foreign language school, his English was good, he can speak fluently. It was a 4hours lecture. During this lecture we learned many things; we learned the history of china, the mindset of the Chinese in the past and the history of Confucius.
After the IS lecture, we went for lunch and back to class again at 2pm for the summary of this lecture. Then after classes we went for basketball. We asked many of our peers to join us; almost half the group played with us basketball.
After basketball, we went to the canteen for dinner, then we went back to our dorm and continue our miniproject…
REFLECTION
Today IS topic was very interesting, it really inspired me. I briefly had some knowledge about each dynasty in China. The most interesting part on today IS topic is the thought of Confucius (孔夫子) and Mencius. The lecturer said that if everyone follows the thought of Confucius exactly, then the world will be in peace, there won’t be war, crime and conflict. As Mencius believed men are born innocent. Everyone could be a sage. They have the inclination towards goodness. All the social corruptions and perversions are due to the distortion of human nature and the falling away of men’s character from its original goodness. The abuse of innate goodness that leads men into evil doings could be vanish if the individual has once recovered his/her original goodness and the state returned to the purity. This is one of the core of Mencius’ doctrine, the orthodoxy of the Confucian school.
Yup is true you know, we human seriously has no direction at all, in this modern society, most of us had our own modern thoughts, everyone only care for themselves, and humans never be satisfy. The problem with human is that, they do not know which way to follow, the good side or the bad side, worst still, some may thought that the good side might be bad for them and likewise the bad side might be good for them.
Well… Confucianism is just only a teaching, so the decision is still up to the people whether they should follow Confucian thoughts. I personally felt that parents is the most role in this part. Just like the story of Mencuis. When Mencius was a boy, their house was near a graveyard. The boys played a game of grave-digging and Mencius was most energetic at the game---building the tombs and burying the dead. “This is no place for my child.” said Mother Mong, so she moved to live next to a market. This time Mencius played with the boys to peddle (叫卖) the “goods”. Mother Mong said once more, “This is no place for my child.” Once again she moved to live near a school. This time Mercies played at reading and practiced rituals. “ This is truly a place for my child,” said the mother and she settled down. Mencius learned the six arts and became a learned scholar. Mother Mong was a great mother who knew the significance of gradual transformation.

This part of Mencius story tells us that, the environment forms the child character. Thus as a parent, you have to choose the correct environment for your child, if not he/she will go a stray.

Confucian