So I'm finally ready to admit that being on exchange, and especially so in China is putting me out of my comfort zone. After all the little hiccups with the exchange application, the visa application, the matriculation card that took us 1 month to get, the housing conditions and now CUPL has introduced a new administrative problem of not knowing their own examination dates.
It is rather frustrating to receive an exam date schedule that only raises more questions than answers, there are no module codes, the tutors do not know either when their papers are, or what the exam format is, and appearing at the administration office only gives them a chance to refer us to this department, and then the next department and then the other department over there. And none of the staff knows the answer or who is in charge.
C'mon CUPL! You can do better than this!!
Indeed a huge step out of my comfort zone and learning how to keep my cool in times like this, with the uncertainty and wondering whether my travel plans will even materialise now or when I will go home. How I love NUS!
5/30/2007
5/27/2007
捉紧时间！
時間はゆっくり消えています。
でも、ゆっくりじゃない...速いですね！
でも、ゆっくりじゃない...速いですね！
生涯の日を正しく数えるように教えてください。知恵ある心を得ることができますように。-詩編 90編 12節
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. -Psalm 90:12
求你教我们怎样数算自己的日子，好叫我们得着智慧的心。-诗篇90:12
Rest
Hello! I need rest!
Came home from church and was immediately knocked out for quite long. It started from deciding to go for a later service because I couldn't quite wake up in the morning, then popped by Sunday School for a while, then a group prayer that lasted almost two hours. By the time lunch came it was 3pm, I went home without following the rest to see the new Sunday School room in the new church building.
Which summarises my Sunday and how time just flew by so quickly when you're enjoying rest.
On the other hand, I learnt not to be too chummy with friendly, male, ang moh strangers. It is getting a bit unnerving to have too much of such opportunities in Beijing.
Came home from church and was immediately knocked out for quite long. It started from deciding to go for a later service because I couldn't quite wake up in the morning, then popped by Sunday School for a while, then a group prayer that lasted almost two hours. By the time lunch came it was 3pm, I went home without following the rest to see the new Sunday School room in the new church building.
Which summarises my Sunday and how time just flew by so quickly when you're enjoying rest.
On the other hand, I learnt not to be too chummy with friendly, male, ang moh strangers. It is getting a bit unnerving to have too much of such opportunities in Beijing.
最近
疲れましたね。
一ヶ月試験があるので、心配しています！だから、一生懸命勉強しなければならい。
シンガポールがいつも念していますね...大変！
日本語なぜ今までまだ上手ではないですが...大変！
いつもいつも「妹早く帰り」と思う、休みたいんです。
一ヶ月試験があるので、心配しています！だから、一生懸命勉強しなければならい。
シンガポールがいつも念していますね...大変！
日本語なぜ今までまだ上手ではないですが...大変！
いつもいつも「妹早く帰り」と思う、休みたいんです。
5/22/2007
Hard disk
failure.
But it isn't that bad, and I was surprisingly calm about it, after being distressed for a while. Decided not to send my laptop (I have named it Nakamura 中村, so that it has a name before it dies) to one of the dodgy servicing centres here cos I heard they steal your laptop parts, and I need to data recover too (costs about 2000rmb for professional data recovery) and probably change my hard disk. No lousy chiong hard disk for my Japanese product, yah! So I'm fortunate enough to have Fangxi's laptop to use for 2 weeks while she is in Shanghai, blessed enough to have my sister send Nakamura back to Singapore, and to have a geeky partner fix it for me, and then sending it back to Beijing.
On the other hand, it's so nice to be able to talk to Rixin who is on exchange in Taiwan. Sharing about different experiences and learning from each other. It's so comfortable sharing about the countries, our burdens and interests in missions. Haha, and going 'totally understand!!!' at every thought and emotion. MEET has been really useful through and through. Feels good to know that we're never alone.
But it isn't that bad, and I was surprisingly calm about it, after being distressed for a while. Decided not to send my laptop (I have named it Nakamura 中村, so that it has a name before it dies) to one of the dodgy servicing centres here cos I heard they steal your laptop parts, and I need to data recover too (costs about 2000rmb for professional data recovery) and probably change my hard disk. No lousy chiong hard disk for my Japanese product, yah! So I'm fortunate enough to have Fangxi's laptop to use for 2 weeks while she is in Shanghai, blessed enough to have my sister send Nakamura back to Singapore, and to have a geeky partner fix it for me, and then sending it back to Beijing.
On the other hand, it's so nice to be able to talk to Rixin who is on exchange in Taiwan. Sharing about different experiences and learning from each other. It's so comfortable sharing about the countries, our burdens and interests in missions. Haha, and going 'totally understand!!!' at every thought and emotion. MEET has been really useful through and through. Feels good to know that we're never alone.
5/20/2007
Food food food!
One year ago in faraway Mongolia, a bunch of bubbly girls on a mission trip were walking in the freezing cold rain in search of a guan (restaurant). It was the first day of the Nadaam Festival and they had just returned from watching the opening ceremony which looked vaguely like the National Day Parade back in Singapore except the soldiers were much more skilful and could ride and perform stunts on horses. And there were also formation dances, where kids danced on the stadium field waving huge gold ankle bones (playing with cow's ankle bones is one of the Mongolians' favourite pastimes).
So a bunch of girls, Aagii and Chris the missionary trudging in the rain in search of a guan, hungry and frozen. And because it was Nadaam, which was their huge huge huge national holiday, every single shop was closed.
I'm not sure why I'm writing this. Perhaps it's the misery of feeling cold and hungry and even more misery looking at the choice of food after we finally found a guan that was open for business. Mongolians don't have much of a choice, they basically eat the same sort of food everyday, which is understandable for a nomad's life. Hence every guan sells the same thing. I didn't really develop an appetite for bootz (meat dumplings) and huurshuur (meat pancakes) and other variations of oily meat dishes, and stubbornly stuck to calat (salad) for most of my meals.
Nyamaa teaching us how to make bootz.
Ernie, Joyce and MZ posing with their last huushuur. I can't even remember if I ate mine. If I did, it was probably done reluctantly.
Haluina's sister enjoying suteze (tea with salted milk, has more salt than milk and very little tea). I wasn't very used to this, but somehow Ernie and Rixin loved loved it.
But but but when we had a Singaporean food presentation for one of our English lessons, we prepared curry (canned food of course) which tasted glorious! And bak kut teh! (Yum yum) And rendang! (what is there more handsome?) My Mongolian friends commented never had I looked so happy seeing food in front of me.
So, dearest Joce (who was with me in Mongolia and hence knows I need this) presented me with curry and rendang premixes before I left for Mongolia. At the airport, I pleaded with the Cathay flight attendant to allow me to bring my precious Milo over despite my luggage being seriously overweight. Then Joel came over with Post Cereals, Milo and lots of San Remo pasta. Joel's mummy made JoBeth bring even more San Remo pasta, so I gave a couple away ;p. Then my sister came, more Milo and more Post Cereals. And suddenly Sida, Rachel, Nat and Jamie popped by after a transit at Thailand and viola! Mungbean dessert premixes and GREEN CURRY! Today Fangxi and Bona came with good ol' sponge cake and Bengawan solo kueh lapis, laksa, more curry stuff. With omg, Richfield's chocolate with macadamia! Two months to finish this!
So a bunch of girls, Aagii and Chris the missionary trudging in the rain in search of a guan, hungry and frozen. And because it was Nadaam, which was their huge huge huge national holiday, every single shop was closed.
I'm not sure why I'm writing this. Perhaps it's the misery of feeling cold and hungry and even more misery looking at the choice of food after we finally found a guan that was open for business. Mongolians don't have much of a choice, they basically eat the same sort of food everyday, which is understandable for a nomad's life. Hence every guan sells the same thing. I didn't really develop an appetite for bootz (meat dumplings) and huurshuur (meat pancakes) and other variations of oily meat dishes, and stubbornly stuck to calat (salad) for most of my meals.
Nyamaa teaching us how to make bootz.
Ernie, Joyce and MZ posing with their last huushuur. I can't even remember if I ate mine. If I did, it was probably done reluctantly.
Haluina's sister enjoying suteze (tea with salted milk, has more salt than milk and very little tea). I wasn't very used to this, but somehow Ernie and Rixin loved loved it.
But but but when we had a Singaporean food presentation for one of our English lessons, we prepared curry (canned food of course) which tasted glorious! And bak kut teh! (Yum yum) And rendang! (what is there more handsome?) My Mongolian friends commented never had I looked so happy seeing food in front of me.
So, dearest Joce (who was with me in Mongolia and hence knows I need this) presented me with curry and rendang premixes before I left for Mongolia. At the airport, I pleaded with the Cathay flight attendant to allow me to bring my precious Milo over despite my luggage being seriously overweight. Then Joel came over with Post Cereals, Milo and lots of San Remo pasta. Joel's mummy made JoBeth bring even more San Remo pasta, so I gave a couple away ;p. Then my sister came, more Milo and more Post Cereals. And suddenly Sida, Rachel, Nat and Jamie popped by after a transit at Thailand and viola! Mungbean dessert premixes and GREEN CURRY! Today Fangxi and Bona came with good ol' sponge cake and Bengawan solo kueh lapis, laksa, more curry stuff. With omg, Richfield's chocolate with macadamia! Two months to finish this!
Food, glorious food!
Eat right through the menu.
Just loosen your belt
Two inches and then you
Work up a new appetite.
In this interlude...
Once again, food
Fabulous food,
Glorious food.
5/19/2007
Doodles
Typing is bad communication.It's so nice to have someone listen and provide suggestions. Feeling a bit more hopeful already. Crossing my fingers for now.
Yup, thanks for the reminder. And thank you, my favourite teacher, for making me to do an assignment on the difference between death by hanging and death caused by strangling someone...
It's about time you do something related to school.
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