To every end, there is a beginning

Copied off old place...

Well, I'm back, and a new post appears to grace the top of this deadly silent place. If I ever get around to blogging properly again (?), ought to get something more functional and practical for the layout.

10 days in China, and it's all over, yet again. Back in the chair, in front of the computer. 10 days of learning, 10 days of fun. 10 days of laughter, and the 10 days are done.

Quick recap. 20/11/2005 - 29/11/2005. 人大附中 in Beijing.

Day one, plane, same airport, bus, food card, hostel beyond expectations (^-^), walk to dinner (^-^), dinner, walk back, sleep...

Okay, maybe too quick a recap. I should (by what force of compellation, I know not,) write much more detailed-ly, but that's not what I do... -.-

Day two, First breakfast. Available: 包子(as said by GG, good stuff.), 油条, 豆浆, porridge and some other stuff. First lesson, P&C. Generally ok, Chinese doesn't prove to be as large a stumbling block as expected. Appear in front of school during assembly. Meep. Big populace, though school compounds is small (supposedly no larger than RI). Astroturf grass, dismissal through 'Dismiss'. Lunch, 'Western' food, fried rice with chopsticks. Nothing of note. Afternoon, walk to Carrefour, tour of school, dinner in teacher's canteen, buffet dinner. Short speech by principal of school. 20 minute walk to visit to bookshop. Only 6 guys went. 4 storeys, big area esp. on 3rd & 4th floors. Bought Rome Total War. Good walk. Walk good. Green bicycle red man shot.

Day three, Sequences. 马兰拉面 lunch. Afternoon 颐和园, standard stuff. 大笔书法家 x2. Sunset photography attempt. Forgot contrast adjustment. Group photo, moving head. Dinner out, buffet dinner again. Return to hostel. First use of recreation room tonight (I think). Korean guys come, play table tennis with Wai Sum, get thrashed and leave, never to return in our presence (bah). Returns to room and bounces ping pong ball.

Day four, Number theory. 雍和宫 aka llama temple or somesuch. Ticket comes with small vcd with 5 minute documentary thingo. Funkiness in a can, or a paper sleeve, rather. 孔庙. Whole place renovating. Nothing to be seen. Some shopping place, see people bargain, buy nothing. Dinner out at some hotel with a huge lantern, Ms cho and split table rule. '少林功夫' show, mostly gymnasts and ballet dancers (?). 永和大王 supper. Logo like Colonel Sanders, sell some dian xin, noodles. Specialise in 豆浆 and 油条. House special 豆浆 comes with no sugar, instead derives it's taste from some sweet beans added to each cup. Return to hostel, no trumpets sign in school too. Girl appears in rec. room after washing clothes. They start using the room.

Day five, Functions. A lot of people reported sick in the morning, 10 girls, 2 boys. Class half empty. Afternoon 长城 visit cancelled. Proposition to visit universities first, but no trip made since classes at universities were ongoing. Sick people get porridge with salted veg and some red tofu (?) for lunch. no one touches the latter two. Healthy people go to Carrefour (again). KFC dinner, Chong Min and smart ordering. Very late teachers, search party, Coke with Salt. Sick people playing table tennis, cards in rec. room.

Day six, Inequalities. Sick people better, joined in class. Free early afternoon time. Spent in rec. room instead of in front of computer. Played soccer. Meet sunday students. Return to room.

Day seven, 天安门广场, 故宫, 天坛, standard beijing viewing.

Day eight, sunday, go out with students. Public bus, good expeirience. 香山, good climb via the steep way, nice view via cable car. Slightly late lunch at 香饼居 or similar. Specialising in some prata like things with various fillings. Tasty. Short walk to botanical gardens. Not much to see given season. Did NOT pay 40 yuan to see tropical plants (-.-). 卧佛寺 closed for the day just before we arrive. Fail to see main attraction. Return.

Day nine, test thingy. Wasted lots and lots of marks. P&C, best area, yet utter carelessness causes everything. Afternoon go 长城 in substitution of Thursday. 没香山那么起经. Mostly a stroll. Stone at the top for long time. Singing on the way back. Mostly Chinese. Dinner, then sing school songs. Bad idea to attempt Yellow Sub. -.-

Day ten, return test, wasted marks everywhere, as with every other maths paper. Failure to spot square pattern cost 8 marks, sheer idiocy cost 3, and an hour of blur-ness cost 20. Return to the airport again, sadness over the over-ness of the trip. Got out of a ST seat, Smoothest landing ever (?). Ying Xiang was unaware that we had landed. A final goodbye, the end.

Some random notes...

It's really freaky how people you never knew existed, or even not know after x days know so much about you.
Most girls knew all the guys' names by what... 4th day dinner? Most guys still don't know all the girls' names (to match to faces, at least)

I manage to pull off looking horrible(or like me) in all the photos. Figures that I should concentrate on my non-me photography.

I really need a new camera, a proper one preferably, not a point-and-click type. =/

Somehow I can manage to forget stuff repeated so often (songs?), even things like titles. Meep.

To whoever who asked for 'Hey Jude' on the ninth day, sorry but I couldn't remember past the chorus the first time round.

Some people can really sing ^-^ Hidden talents galore.

Some things can't wait till the end. When it's too late, it really is too late. Regret solves nothing. Not everything can, or will wait. When opportunity presents itself, grab with both hands, (and legs, if required). Regret leaves just a mere shadow of a man.

It's never to late to make new friends. =)

Welp, thus ends the longest post in a long while, unless I decide to write another big analysis again.

To every end, there is a beginning, and to that beginning, the end.