5 Observations About Beijing
I have been in Beijing for almost 2 months now, I guess it’s about time to conclude some of my ‘findings’ and personal experience to share with my readers who have been majorly neglected (if any left..haha)
credit:rtas.org
so here are the top 5 observations I have made in Beijing during these 2 months,
1. Public Transportation : Hah! The most talked about topic in Singapore lately? Beijing buses are awesome in my opinion – they have a person on the bus to announce the stops and to warn the traffic/bus driver about situations on the roads, there is also a rolling text screen to tell you where you are at with announcements made in both Eng/Chi on most of the buses. The subway is easy to understand too but I personally prefer the bus because there’s bag safety checks at the subway station which is a chore to me. Plus it is easier to get a seat on the bus than subway, if you can even get on the train. I dare say it’s the same around the world when it is peak hours anyway – you probably have tuna-packed trains and a ‘grinding party’ as I’d like to call it. I would actually say that it is more enjoyable to get around Beijing than in Singapore! (minus the distance factor of course.)
2. People : What can I say? All the misconception about the China-Chinese people in Singapore has a certain influence on me when I first arrived, I was almost expecting to deal with “barbarians” for the rest of the two years here. Surprisingly, the people here are wonderful! Sure, they are loud (especially the older generation) and they value this ‘mian zi/face/reputation’ very much but in general, they are way friendlier and easier to get along with than most Singaporeans. The students are very keen on making friends as they don’t have much overseas exposure and are very curious learners. So much so that sometimes it scares me alil on how ‘aggressive’ their friends-making is. The older generation here is darn adorable too – try walking up to a bunch of old man playing chess along the streets and they will welcome you with their broken English attempts and show you more of their local culture. The taxi drivers are amazingly nice (or at least those I’ve met), they are patient and they’d stop the meter if they are unsure about the place you’re heading to and check for you personally. Most of the people here welcomes foreigners and they try to learn English from us, maybe just louder in volume and less educated for the older generation. But I really like the people I’ve met so far.
3. Food: I strongly believe in ‘whatever the locals are eating, I should survive too if I eat them.’ I love the streetside food here (no, I’m not referring to those exotic food that even the locals do not have it often in their daily lives – those are really for tourists anyway). A simple meal would consist of 1 dish…I barely have a bowl of rice now. It’s almost like an misconception of how Chinese can’t survive without rice in a meal because most of the time, we don’t have rice on the table but just dishes or a bun at most. I love the huge portions because you really need to order just one dish per meal and it’s not too expensive to keep yourself full. The vegetables and fruits are amazingly sweet and fresh here but usually I stay away from meat since their steaks often disappoint me (it doesn’t even look like a proper steak). I love the hotpot culture here since I’m a big fan of hotpot – it is cheap and you can either have an individual pot to yourself or one that’s shared with friends. Always my top choice when out with friends.
4. Traffic : One word to describe traffic in Beijing would be “chaos”. The first day I reached Beijing, it took me 5 minutes to cross the street because none of the cars stopped when it was green light for me to cross and there were always bicycles and buses turning in from all directions. You will eventually learn to adapt to the local culture of ‘just cross, don’t stop’, while keeping your eyes open of course. I stopped listening to my music on the roads since you have to listen out to the traffic most of the time. But it is an organized mess I would say, everyone seems to know this ‘invisible rule’ and so far I have not seen any major accidents around my neighborhood as compared to the frequency of China traffic accidents news in the Singapore media.
5. Education: Being the first batch of English-taught International MA program students, we certainly have VIP welcome when we first arrived. Everyone was fussing over how we adapt to the education system here, the language barrier, the lifestyle etc. The professors who are in my program are mostly scholars from overseas universities with a reasonable standard in the English language. We have a lot of freedom in deciding how our program should be run but I must admit that it was rather disorganized. The local students are really helpful and it has been an amazing learning experience so far with a REAL international environment to study in. Singapore is advanced and globalized but we lack the interaction with international students from all over the world. My program alone has 16 of us from 12 different countries and I have been hanging out with friends from other parts of the world (some which I still have no idea where it is located at) in my university core module. Eye-opening experience indeed and you’d realize how lucky we Singaporeans are once you travel or understand the people from other parts of the world.
I will try to constantly update on my happenings and experience here in Beijing, as well as my MA program etc. It is just overwhelming now with many conferences going on, as well as course papers to finish, the insane amount of readings and research….the list goes on. You can view my updates on twitter @iammyy or facebook (if you’re a friend). If not, feel free to leave a comment or email! I’d love to hear from you.
Movie Buzz : Saw 3D – The Final Chapter
source : firstshowing.net
The supposed finale of this never-ending SAW saga, probably one of the most recognised horror thriller movie series in film history. As much as I hate horror films, I totally enjoy the gore in the SAW series and that made me a fan. Jigsaw has the most interesting twisted ideas and it is the mystery and twists that make the series genius. SAW 3D has ambitious ideas which reveals the backstory,connecting the little jigsaw pieces together but lack the means to pull them off.
In SAW 3D, I really love the concept of this Jigsaw support group and getting to see some of our favorite characters once again. But the story isn’t getting any deeper and we can tell that the writers have ran out of characters to create and it is merely the basic elements of SAW that pulled this movie together. In other words,it’s time to wrap up.
The subplot was uninteresting and I feel that the subplot has gotten more screen time than the main story which should be the main focus instead. I didn’t feel any connection to the characters and Chad Donella, who played Detective Gibson, was unconvincing. I wished the story focused more on the relationship between Jill and Hoffman that was more interesting. Perhaps I’m biased as I think Jigsaw was killed too early in the sequels and Hoffman was merely a murderer rather than a replacement.
On the flip side, the traps were good. Some had me gripping the edge of my seat in anticipation to see if the victims will manage to escape in time. Plenty of blood and gore with the effects that was up to the past 6 movies’ standard. Might just be best among all. Watch it as a summary of the SAW series but don’t expect it as a stand-alone movie. Not sure if this is really the end of SAW saga but I find myself leaving with even more questions than answers.
I’ll give this a 2.5/5 – watch if you’re a SAW fan or if you really like gory scenes. People with a weak bladder,forget it.
In less than 140 characters
Decided to keep things short and wrap twenty-ten in one tweet.
“Heartbroken.Loving myself more.Self discovery.Table talks treasured.Parents aging.Home alone.Final sem.New jobs.Doomie.Blogging continues.“
Back to singlehood, learning to love myself more and re-discovering the focus in life. Appreciating chats with friends and the oh so wise parents (though I refuse to admit it most of the time). Great experience to have the house to myself for a couple of months and I have to say, taking care of me myself alone and the flat is tiring yet quite an adventure. Bid farewell to year 3 and moving on to my final year as undergrad in SMU. Started coaching students and totally loving my new job. Picked up a new language (French).Gotten another part time job offer which I’m looking forward to begin in the new year. Doomie the hamster never fails to amuse me and she has no choice but stay by my side during teary lonely nights. Blogging has been fun despite the once-in-awhile-laziness but grateful to meet new friends and having opportunities such as being Top 20 World’s Coolest Intern and the chance to attend awesome events etc.
It has been an interesting year – not exactly my best but I am grateful for all the experiences I’ve had. Hopefully 2011 will be a better year (Of course it will…I am FINALLY graduating!)
Thank you for being part of my 2010 and continuous support as a friend/reader! Let’s have a blast in 2011 together!
“You live only once, but if you manage your life right, once is sufficient.” – Joe Louis
2010 in Moving Images
TV has taken my life over like an imperialistic regime, let’s just say I spent at least 8 hours in a week catching up on TV shows. Let’s see some of my personal favorites of this year.
1) How I Met Your Mother – This comedy is like a huge mystery to us fans – WHO IS TED’S WIFE ?! This season has its basic humor and a little surrealism to elevate it above the past seasons. New schticks and the usual awesome Barneyism. Looking forward to the end to find out (I) who is the wife ? (II) will Robin and Barney end up together eventually ? (III) Will Lily and Marshall have tons of kids? – but not quite looking forward to the last episode as well since this is apparently the last season.
2) The Big Bang Theory – Needless to say, these 4 brainiacs are as adorable as ever since the past 3 seasons. Interesting addition to the group is Amy Farrah Fowler, a girl who is a friend, but not Sheldon’s ‘girlfriend’. I love how she’s the female version of Sheldon. Sadly I find that Leonard’s story is dying down alil but always good to see Raj and Howard getting more lines. Will be interesting to see how Amy and Sheldon gets into a relationship and whether Leonard and Penny will get back together.
3) The Walking Dead – Rise of the zombies ! For those of you who have yet to read the comics (Neither have I, but soon!) will most likely to find it convincing, both visually and emotionally. I love how realistic and established the scenes were and it is definitely one of the most intriguing shows this season. Looking forward to more brains, guts, hearts and the undead.
4) Lie To Me – Tim Roth is really magnetic and charming as Cal Lightman, the soul of the story. I enjoy the acting of the cast but not quite the plot which tends to digress into not-so-important details. It is still fascinating to watch how the Lightman group solves these crimes nonetheless.
5) Community – Meta-sitcom structure aside, Community has wonderfully drawn characters and remarkable cast. I totally love Abed and Troy, they never fail to bring a blast to the end of the show which happens to be the best last few minutes of each episode. Not sure how long can they last in college but will be looking forward to more.
6) Raising Hope – Very similar to ‘My Name Is Earl’ as they are both created by Greg Garcia. I like how it is built around the working class and how ‘screwed up’ life can be. Likable characters (The grandma character is hilarious), fun plot and you really can’t resist the charm of the baby. A simple yet very homely off-beat comedy.
7) Running Wilde - Slapstick humor, another way to describe the style would be ‘Arrested Development’ as it is co-created by its producers. There are flaws but some episodes get the humor. I like Kerri Russel enough to watch the show and I’m still amused by how shiny and ‘plastic’ Will Arnett’s forehead is.
8) The Office – This season has been funny so far and probably it’s all thanks to a good cast. Steve Carell has his ways when it comes to ‘mockumentary’ – of course, clever writing helps. I am still lovin’ it.
9) Nikita – After Alias, I think this gotta be the best female kickass show on screen after a long time. Maggie Q is ever so hot and seductive in her character and I’m glad the plot gets better. A fair balance between sub-plots and action, what more can I ask for ?
10) The Vampire Diaries – Guilty pleasure. I really think Damon (on the right) is the hottest vampire around, who really gives a damn about sparkling Edward. Plot aside, gorgeous cast and excellent OST.
Not forgetting I’m always a fan of Saturday Night Live, Family Guy, singing from Glee (not so for the plot), Tower Prep (I know, it’s aired on Cartoon Network and I’m way overage for that..but Drew Van Acker is too cute to resist and anything with supernatural powers is pretty awesome to watch). Hellcats is another guilty pleasure as the story really sucks but the cast is worth watching, based on looks that is. Criminal Minds and NCIS have been interesting but it gets just alil boring after episodes and episodes of similar predictable endings. I catch a glimpse of Parenthood once in awhile but it gets too sappy for me. Not forgetting the ‘to-catch-up-on’ list of Modern Family,Weed, Futurama and Mad Men.
Oh boy, I sure need more time for TV in 2011. Looking forward to Jan when all my shows return !
World’s Coolest Intern…Perhaps ?
I know, the original deadline was 15th October. It took me this long to figure what I wanted to blog about, I’ve seen professional-looking videos, amazingly written resume-like posts, visually pleasing entries…let’s just say, the competition is tough, not just within the social media circle ! Suddenly, the mainstream media was talking all about this internship – even the aunties in the market heard of this ‘S$30,000′ internship. I was really cracking my head to come up with something that would made me stand out among the applicants and yet not too ‘superficial’ or ‘extravagant’…so till the last day (which is today) – I decided to just blog like how I’d normally do – being myself is always the best choice!
No one person is perfect – it is important for employers to find out the strengths that’s required for a position and find someone who is ‘world class’ in these areas despite certain weakness in the less important domains. I may not be the best (knowing there are many out there who might be better than me academically or with pages long resume..hur) but I do think I’m up for this challenge and it will not be just a job but self-discovering learning experience for me (like how my other internships have been).
Just earlier this year, I was thinking of my future career path and looking for new learning experience and this opportunity came along! Not only is the job scope attractive (Events+Social Media = What more can I ask for!) and a brand new industry (Working in a bank is like the ultimate dream for most SMU students but reality check : No non-finance/business student will apply for a banking job with a <50% success rate) AND perfect timing since I’m graduating next April !
Instead of pleading or hard-selling myself like many others (since you can pretty much figure out from my blog/facebook/tweets/social media platforms/getting to know me better when we do meet..lol), I will just share my views on #WorldCoolestIntern. Needless to say this is an amplifying marketing tactic and it has certainly maximize conversations in social ecospheres. Not only there’s a product tie-in (the iPhone app ‘Breeze‘ ), the excitement of this competition was buzz worthy (be it negative or positive) and increased traffic, not only in terms of this campaign alone I’m sure. In HR perspective, I think by searching for someone in the blogosophere allowed the team to see one’s personality and passion as well – it’s not always about popularity (though of course it still plays a part, aka traffic). Honestly six months is not enough to accomplish anything concrete but that being said, the intern will definitely learn from the guidance he/she would receive.
On a side note that is unrelated to my application, I think Social Media is a wonderful platform and the next big thing for HR executives to pay attention to. Look at DIGG‘s case and you’ll understand why. Such a warm ‘buzzy’ feeling I get reading those tweets to help those in need ! =)
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Cutting the long story short, 5 reasons why I think I deserve a chance to be with the Breeze Team :
I.AM.MYY and IAM….
1. Serious Fun : Always a balance between having fun and being serious at work
2. Leader-Follower : I love being in a team but I am self-driven to achieve my goals
3. Conventionally Quirky : I believe in rules but there’ll always be twists in life to make things more exciting
4. Illogically logical : There’s no such thing as impossible – we humans make illogical decisions and claim we’re logical anyways!
5. ‘Barney Stinson’ : Ordinarily AWESOME…and challenge accepted ! *Ok, I admit I’m a TV junkie too*
Can’t end the post without featuring a song…and secretly wishing the team will start singing Fefe Dobson’s ‘I Want you’
“Now let me say it again,I want you…I’m gonna gonna make you mine!“
so “just see what we could be“… and fingers crossed ? 
AOTW [35] : Angels And Airwaves
Usually I’ll try to feature youtube/myspace artists but couldn’t find anyone who covered this song by Angels and Airwaves, so here’s the original artist with one of my favourite song from their 2007 I-Empire album. Catchy beat and of course the ever-catchy line of saying “everything’s magic”. Honestly, I prefer the acoustic version featured below.
What I like about Angels and Airwaves (apart from the fact that it’s lead by Blink 182′s Tom DeLonge) is that their music is inspiring and you can always feel the message behind each song. Their songs somehow grow on you after a few playbacks. Looking forward to see their film ‘Love‘, pretty sure the soundtrack will be awesome !
So down with depressing songs that remind you of the past or dwelling in relationships problems, here’s one to remind you that you still have a purpose in life, give life your best shot, live to the fullest and don’t be afraid to fall in love again.
Angels and Airwaves – Everything’s Magic
And do you ever feel like you’re alone?
And do you ever wish you’d be unknown?
I could say that i have i could say that i have
And do you ever feel things here aren’t right?
And do you ever feel the time slip by?
I can say that i have and i can say that i have
So hear this please
And watch as your heart speeds up endlessly
And look for the stars as the sun goes down
Each breath that you take has a thunderous sound
Everything everything’s magic
Just sit back and hold on but hold on tight
Prepare for the best and the fastest ride
And reach out your hand and i’ll make you mine
Everything everything’s magic
And do you ever lay awake at night?
And do you ever told yourself don’t try
Don’t try to let yourself down don’t try to let yourself down
And do you ever see yourself in love?
And do you ever take a chance my love?
Because you know that i will because you know that i will
So hear this please
And watch as your heart speeds up endlessly
And look for the stars as the sun goes down
Each breath that you take has a thunderous sound
Everything everything’s magic
Just sit back and hold on but hold on tight
Prepare for the best and the fastest ride
And reach out your hand and i’ll make you mine
Everything everything’s magic everything everything’s magic
So hear this please
And watch as your heart speeds up endlessly
And look for the stars as the sun goes down
Each breath that you take has a thunderous sound
Everything everything’s magic
Just sit back and hold on but hold on tight
Prepare for the best and the fastest ride
And reach out your hand and i’ll make you mine
Everything everything’s magic
Time Out
Been really busy in school.
Totally killed the mood and lack of time to blog.
Be Back Soon.
Blog A Trend: Forging Our Future Friendship
I forgot where I’ve heard this being questioned : ” Who on earth still receives mails in their mailbox from friends anyways ?”
I still do ! But that’s beside the point – it’s just so amazing to see the ‘revolution’ of friendship with the help of technology. I still remember writing letters and notes to keep in touch with friends, say 10 years back. It was a regular thing to do with my overseas friends and funny enough, I still keep most of them since I’m pretty sentimental. But with the introduction of emails, IM and mIRC in those days, writing and snail mails are long forgotten.
One thing that really allowed me to make more friends was those mIRC days in secondary school. Who can possibly forget the numerous nights you spent infront of the computer at various #, ‘fighting’ to become @op/+v randomly having people asking you “a/s/l?” Surprisingly, I’ve met several friends on mIRC and we’re still friends even though mIRC is like, dinosaur era for us.
Not forgetting social networking sites like friendster and facebook ! Many ‘old friends’ are found when everyone starts using facebook and looking up for eachother via the internet. I’m happy to have found most of my friends back in primary school and of course those who are overseas, facebook really made everything more convenient for us to keep in touch.
Having friends overseas is a huge problem back then, because it takes weeks to exchange letters ! Now we can just skype or call directly from computer-to-landlines to keep in touch. I really survive on skype with my friends on exchange although my current dinosaur laptop doesn’t have a webcam *coughs* (haha). But it’s almost like we’re at the same place when we do get to ‘see’ eachother…perhaps next time it’ll be a 3D-call ! Who knows, that might just be the new trend in years to come.
Moving on, now we have Foursquare which is a mobile app to ‘follow’ your friends when they are out. I don’t know if I want to let my friends know whether I’m a few blocks away from them or ‘stalk’ me virtually. But I see the advantages for those who are around the area and wants to meet up for a short gathering. In fact, if you’re adventurous, you can probably meet new friends if they happen to be on Foursquare too ! Mobile is like the next important thing now, I definitely think we will be relying on the mobile platform to keep in touch – and not just via calls and smses.
It’s probably a good thing that we have so many various platforms to keep in touch with our friends and technology has indeed make things alot easier. However, I think having such ‘virtual relationships’ still can’t be compared to a ‘real friendship’. Worst of all, now we have robotic friends/pets that keep the next generation company. Will our future generation forget how to interact with a real human being and just maintain such virtual/digital relationships in the future ?
It’s rather sad to see couples or friends sitting at the same table with their faces plastered to their mobiles/laptops. As much as I appreciate the technology, I truly agree with this quote I’ve found off the net,
“True friendship isn’t about being there when it’s convenient; it’s about being there when it’s not.”
So spend time with your loved ones, not because it’s ‘convenient’ but because you love them and want to be with them. Technology can only help you that much, it takes your individual effort to keep in touch afterall !
AOTW [24] : NajMeTender
If you have been following me on twitter, you’ll probably notice that I’ve been talking about the Ukulele alot recently.
NajMeTender caught my eyes because she looks so adorable in the videos ! I really like her style and the best part of it all ? She’s a fellow Singaporean and just 2 years (I think) younger than I am ! Support local talents ! (Here I go again..haha)
Enjoy her Ukulele cover of Lady Gaga’s ‘Pokerface’ (which for some strange reason I kept typing ‘Pokkaface’ instead -sips on Pokka Oolong Tea-)
Oh,I just have to share this as well because it used to be my favourite show.
You’ll realize there’s something else after 0:44 (seriously cuteness!)
Addam’s Family Theme song
I’ll be sharing more Ukulele-related videos for the upcoming AOTW posts, stay tuned !
Looking back at 2009
It is not uncommon for me to read through my previous entries and cringe, because most of them are really crap and honestly nothing to be proud of (in terms of writing). It is pretty much a love/hate thing with this blog – I enjoy blogging and is happy to see there’s somewhat a regular ‘readership’, even happier to see comments or encouraging ones that motivates me to continue blogging. However, like every other lazybummers out there, I am far from being disciplined to produce regular entries. Sometimes you just can’t get down to blog even though there are interesting happenings then eventually you will forget whatever ‘interesting content’ and forget about it altogether. Yes, I’m guilty of that…all the time ! -looks at the food entry drafts on dashboard-
How much longer do I want to keep going ? Do I want to find a focus (like the boyfriend) and separate my personal life from this ? Do I want to dig in deeper and actually blog about more ‘serious’ topics ? So I ask myself how serious I am with this (about blogging that is), I figured that I’m purely doing this for myself. As long as I am enjoying myself and I think it’s good enough. There’s no need for me to be categorized under ‘blogger’ or whatever titles there are out there. I’m contented =) and I hope my readers will be too !
Through this blog (somewhat), I got to know alot of new people this year. Thank you for being part of my life and hopefully our paths will cross again someday (that was rather cheesy! haha). Many thanks to those who commented and visited my blog on a regular basis..really appreciate it ! Fear not, more AOTW to be featured and better content (I hope) will be coming up for the brand new year !
There can’t be a even more cliche blog entry title than this…I was deciding between this and “Goodbye 2009″ okay ! HAHA ! Have a good laugh with the video below ! I like JibJab since forever ! Funny people =)
Happy New Year and have a great 2010 ahead !
original img credit : =detail24
