miss-chui

My last entry before I return to Shanghai

2009-08-03T10:48:00.002+08:00

I am going back to Shanghai tomorrow.

As blogspot in banned in Shanghai (or whole of China?), my blog will have no more entry until, well until further notice...

So long, farewell!

The oldest man in my family

2009-08-03T10:23:00.002+08:00

My grandfather is 87 years old. He is the oldest man in my family.

When I was a kid, he fetched me from school, looked after me after school and provide lunch for me.
I enjoyed the afternoons with him - sipping kopi from the coffee saucer in a kopitiam, watching HK drama (4 episodes in a row), playing chess and losing all the time. In fact, much of my childhood memories involve spending private time with my grandfather.

I moved out of my grandparents' place when I started my second year in NUS. The main reason I moved back to my own house was because my house is in Dover Road, I can walk to NUS on school days! However, my grandfather's health started to deteriorate. He was semi-deaf by then, suffered from heart problem and later developed symtoms of stroke. Therefore, during my vacation, I always go back to visit him or fetch him to hospitals for medical appointments.

As years passed, his health condition only worsened.

About 2 months ago, when I was still teaching in Shanghai (last week of school term), I received a very long email from my sister about my grandfather's health status. He was suffering badly from digestion problem. From the email, I sensed that my sister was telling me to prepare for the worst. For the next few days, I kept checking my emails and handphone, expecting bad news from home. Then, I received a second email from my sister, saying that my grandfather's health condition had improved after a week of hospitalization.

When I returned to Singapore during my summer vacation, I spent as much time as I can with my grandfather. Every smile, every word, every touch I got from him seems like a blessing. I really wished him to be happy and healthy, this is my greatest wish now.

Popped by my previous school - GESS

2009-07-17T20:24:00.008+08:00

Today, I went back to my previous school - Gan Eng Seng School. The school that I taught for 3 and a half years, the school that housed many of my best friends and great students.

I saw my ex-students like Aneill, Yanti, Ain, Hui Zhen, Teng Feng, Brandon, Teck Kian, Jian Wei, Jason, Jun Da, Shaun and many other students. I had flashbacks of talking to them in GESS Centre, scolding them, meeting their parents (what kind of memories I have?). Then I look at their slightly matured faces now, and truly felt that my boys have grown up. Of course, from what I heard, some of them are still creating troubles. Sigh... Yet, I am glad to see that many of them have outgrown their tantrums and bad tempers. Eugene and Teck Kian even top the level. Well done!

A photo taken last year on my last day in GESS

Then, I met my former 3G students: Li Sin, Yang Yu, Ryan, Sritam, Benjamin (I remember your name now!), Tsun Hao, Harris, Win,my beloved Sultan and many others. Glad to see that they have not lost their good spirits under the stress of O-levels.

Lastly, the great team of teachers who worked with me side-by-side throughout my 3and a half years in GESS. Really missed everyone of them and how we spent our time in the staff room gossiping about students :> Of course, my best best best friends-cum-colleagues like Mdm Chng, Lineng, Lipei and Siti are still pretty as ever.

Mdm Foo, myself, Lipei, Siti and Mrs Palan

I shall spend the next few days travelling down the memory lane....

Farewell lunch with GESS teachers in 2008

Library Club outing in 2008

Dong Dong's temporary home

2009-07-16T20:25:00.005+08:00

Ever since April, I have been trying to find a place to house Dong Dong during the summer vacation when I come back to Singapore.

My original plan was to ask the help of my Shanghainese colleague to look after him. But my colleague has promised to look after another colleague's dog. Well, a dog and a rabbit staying in one place in peace and harmony? I don't think so...

Then, one of my Sinagporean colleague announced that she and her family shall stay back in Shnaghai for the whole summer vacation. In fear of H1N1, as she has a baby girl.I approached her about rabbit-sitting. She wanted to see Dong Dong and see how receptive her daughter is. So, one fine day, I brought Dong Dong over to her place and see if her baby girl will be frightened of Dong Dong. Come on,Dong Dong is such an adorable rabbit. Of course, the baby girl fell in love with Dong Dong. But my colleague herself was frightened of Dong Dong's size....So Plan B failed.

Then I started searching a pet hotel in Shanghai. To my horror, I found out that these pet hotels mostly cater to dogs and cats only. In fact most pet shops do not have any rabbit food supplies or any vet who knows how to handle the needs of rabbits. To the locals, rabbit is a dish in the menu in restaurants. Some of them rear rabbit as a source of food.

Last resort, I approached the pet shop that sells rabbit food. The shop that I frequent to buy Dong Dong's stuff. The lady was reluctant as her shop is very small and she doesn't want to start this sort of service. I pleaded my case. Finally she agreed on the condition that the rabbit can only stay not more than 3 weeks. The reason is that rabbits are very timid animals and can be stressed out easily. Rabbits also have very short memory. If I put Dong Dong there longer, he might be frightened of the patrons in the shop and suffer from stress. Then he will die. Also, he might not recognise his owner if he does not see the owner after some time. Sort of 'Out of sight, out of mind'. So, three weeks it is!

On the day before I fly back, I brought Dong Dong over to his temporary home. I put him in a carrier and took a cab to the pet shop. Although I prepared him mentally by telling him that he will only stay there for 3 weeks, he was still angry with me. He backfaced me when I go near his cage and refused to let me touch him. When others tried to touch him, he allowed it. So my conclusion is he is really angry with me...

This is his tempoarary home for 3 weeks. He is lucky that the pet shop is air-conditioned. If not, he will suffer badly as summer in Shanghai is just too hot!

The pet shop owners told me that if a rabbit is tramatized by changes around them, he will not drink or eat. He may even suffer from diarrhoea which is quite deadly. They told me if a rabbit is OK after the first week, he will survive the whole stay. Four days has passed since I left him there. I have not heard any news from the pet shop. Well, let's hope that no news is good news!

My family's visit to Shanghai

2009-07-16T13:07:00.005+08:00

I have not posted anything on my blog for quite some time. The simple reason is Blogspot is banned in China!! If you think it is bad enough, I have worse news: I suspect Facebook is banned in China too... (tried to access the website a few times, but unable to do so...)If this happens, I think I will have a hard time keeping in touch with friends in Sinagpore.

Anyway, I shall try my best to update you all!

My family visited me from 27 Jun - 10 Jul 2009. I had a great time bringing them around. The only setbacks were
1) the weather is simply too hot (35 degree C), and
2) I was suffering from flu and cough throughout their visit.

Nonetheless, we had a good time travelling around Shanghai. We went to the usual tourist places in Shanghai. Went to Zhou Zhuang (very famous watertown) and Hangzhou. Ate a lot of good food. They all enjoyed the trip alot!

Of course, I must bring up Dong Dong, my beloved pet. My family finally met him in person (I mean, in rabbit). The first words that came out from their mouth were:"Oh my god, he is so big!!" Within the next few days, they all fell in love with him.

Summer is here!

2009-05-14T19:52:00.002+08:00

Thinking that since I come from Singapore (a country in summer all year round), I should be glad that summer has finally arrived in Shanghai. A familiar season for Sinagporeans like me.

I was quite wrong there.

Unlike Singapore, air in Shanghai is very dry. My lips and my skin get dry easily. The sun is stronger here. You feel like the sun is burning through your clothes when you walk under the sun. You can't go anywhere without sunglasses and a hat. Oh, and it is not recommended to wear sleeveless shirt here, unless you favor burnt arms hanging from your shoulders.

Last weekend, my rabbit, Dong Dong, and I experienced a dry 34 degree C in Shanghai. The two of us went to my friend's estate and catch little lobsters form a pond. I did not perspire at all even though I was outdoor most of the day. It is an indication how dry it was. I had to drink lots of water to prevent dehydration though.

However, my rabbit Dong Dong suffered from flu due to this outing. I thought he was going to die as he was so lethargic after he got home. Luckily, he is a strong boy. He recovered after a few days. I got so paranoid. Gave him iced water, switched on the air-conditioner, bought him an electric fan, allow him to sleep in my room at night... It was quite an experience...

From this incident, I realise that summer in humid Singapore is not the same as summer in dry cities like Shanghai. I still have a lot to learn about surviving summer in Shanghai.

Rabbit's favorite food: Alfafa Hay!

2009-05-03T13:52:00.003+08:00

The pet food supplier tells me that rabbit's favourite food is alfafa hay. In fact, it should be their main food. I always thought that food pellets should be the one and hay is like their snacks. Well, we learn new things everyday.

Dong Dong, being a greedy rabbit, has no particular preference. Or so I thought. He eats everything! Pellets, hay, broccoli, apple, prune, carrot, toilet paper roll, remote control, you name it, he eats it. However, I was told that rabbit has a weak stomach so sweet and juicy food could lead to diarrhoea. Any food given to rabbit should be as dry as possible.

Last night, while feeding him, I finally found out his favourite food! It is Alfafa Hay!!!! How do I know? Just look at him!

Madam Tussauds Wax Museum

2009-05-03T13:01:00.006+08:00

Last week, I went to Madam Tussauds Wax Museum in Shanghai. It is located in New World Emporium (5 min walk from People Square Metro Station). There was a promotion, 50% discount for all tickets. I paid 67.50 RMB (S$1 = 4.50 RMB ?).

Quite value for money I must say. We spent about 2 hours there. The ladies were pleasantly entertained, but the two gentlemen were just overjoyed. It is like they entered a playground, never seen a male snapping so many shots before? What is with man and wax figurine?

This final shot captures all the ladies who went to the museum with me (I was holding the camera, in case you wonder where I am :>)

Then, it occured to me: Where are my beloved Bruce Willis, Keanu Reeves and Jet Li????

Dong Dong is the most handsome rabbit. Really!

2009-04-30T13:40:00.004+08:00

Many people say that mothers are biased. They all think that their children are the cutest, smartest, best children. I can't stand proud mothers sometimes!

However, I really think Dong Dong is the most handsome rabbit on earth. I am not biased! A lot of people who saw Dong Dong's photos think so! My friend even said that he is photogenic! I am definitely not biased. It is the truth...

See for yourself!

A busy weekend

2009-04-19T15:16:00.009+08:00

This weekend has been one of the busiest I had in Shanghai.

On Friday night, I went to the Shanghai Drama Centre for a local drama. My colleague had a pair of free tickets and so I got a free deal! Not only was I seated in the first row, after the show, each audience recieved a 50RMB Haagan Daaz voucher! Of course, the drama was funny and enjoyable too. The evening extended when my colleague brought me to her favourie cafe. It was so beautiful and cozy. Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera, only managed to snap some shots using my camera phone. I will definitely go back again. Maybe in my next entry!

On Saturday, I decided to explore the city area in Shanghai. So, I picked up my sunglasses (finally, we have sunlight in Shanghai!) and the tourist map, and was ready to go! I went to Coffee Beans & Tea Leaves at Xintiandi, had my daily dose of caffeine until 1p.m. Then, I met up with some friends and we had lunch at a cantonese restaurant. At 2.30p.m. we started our 4-hour walk along Huaihai Road to Yu Yuan. Afterwhich, we had a quick dinner at MacDonald's and took a cab to The Bund at Pudong.

The Bund at Pudong is more developed and urbanized than its counterpart in Puxi (which is under reconstruction now). There are restaurants and cafes which give very beautiful bund views. If you choose outdoor seats, you get to enjoy both the view and the cool breeze.

We ended the evening at Hyatt. We wanted to visit Cloud 9, the famous pub in Shanghai, which is on the 87th floor. However, we changed our mind later as it was a foggy night and the view would be obstucted. We went to a cafe at the 54th floor instead. The view was fantastic there!

I was so tired on sunday that I slept till 10a.m. (which is rare, as I always wake up by 8a.m). Esther was up and ready, she wanted to go shopping! So, she dragged me out of the house and we went to UBC cafe for brunch, I had a Longan Milk Tea there. Very sweet and nourishing! After that, Esther went shopping and I went home to type this blog entry :>

Help! Dong Dong is in danger!

2009-04-12T14:00:00.007+08:00

As we all know, Dong Dong is a very active , cute, handsome, cute, smart and cute rabbit. He will run around the house and chew on things that he is not supposed to. Still, he is well-loved by Esther and me.

One fine evening, he ventured to the balcony and started to sniff at every boot there. He found his favourite boot and started nibbling at it. While doing that, he marked his territory by shitting at every corner too.

As we are quite used to his ways, we are ready to clean up after him. Esther started to pick up the broom and dustpan to clean our balcony.

Then, Esther saw that Dong Dong's favourite boot happen to be her favourite boot too! She got angry and decided to throw Dong Dong away!!!

I tried to pacify Esther and tell her how great Dong Dong is. He is so dear to us that all of us who know Dong Dong will be devastated if he is gone.

So, Esther decided that she will let him off this time round. We both agreed that he needs to learn his lesson. Therefore, he shall be grounded.

So, that was the latest story on Dong Dong....

My spontaneous trip to Xiamen

2009-04-06T14:25:00.005+08:00

Just last week, I had a long weekend due to the Tombsweeping Festival. I wanted to visit Hangzhou and enjoy the serenity of Hangzhou in spring. So, a few of us planned to go for a day trip in Hangzhou. Then the plan became history once we found out that it is going to rain in Hangzhou during that weekend.

So, I thought I will spend the next three days lazing around in Shanghai. Until Friday came, one of my colleagues spontaneously asked if I wanna go to Xiamen. So, we began to research and find out what we can do in Xiamen. Then, we log on to www.ctrip.com to book the air tickets.On friday night (7pm) we went to the travel agency to collect our air tickets for the 0805 flight to Xiamen tne next day. Just like that! :>

Taken from the Sunlight Rock, the highest point on Gulangyu

Shueh-Li and I enjoying the famous Zhang Shan Feng milk tea at Gulangyu

Surprisingly, we managed to cover quite a number of spots in Xiamen within two days. We went to Gulangyu (a beautiful island)and Zhongshan Road on the first day. Then we went to the most beautiful university in China (Xiamen University),South Putuo Temple, a foot spa (totally awesome!)and pop by SM Shopping Centre (which was a disappointment by the way) before we hop on the plane back home.

This is one of the most spontaneous trip in my whole life. But I suspect I will do more of these spontaneous trips from now on, since everything turn out fine (more than fine actually, it turned out great!). The three of us had so much fun throughout the trip!

My pet rabbit again (x2)

2009-03-23T20:27:00.004+08:00

My Dong Dong is so cute and elegant at the same time!!!!!!

My flatmate, Esther and I like to call this his '贵妃' pose.
Although I must remind all that Dong Dong is a male rabbit. Hehe...

I just bought a netbook

2009-03-23T20:15:00.003+08:00

For eight months, I have been carrying my laptop from home to school then from school to home. On days when I am too tired to do that, I will leave my laptop in school and deprive myself from the luxury of going online or doing any work at home.

So, I came up with the perfect solution! I got a netbook for myself!
It costs 2650 RMB and weighs about 1.1kg.

Now, I can go online when I am at home or in school. Yeh!

My school trip to Suzhou, Wuxi and Yixin

2009-03-22T14:56:00.007+08:00

Every year, the middle school department from my school will plan a spring excusion for the students. It is one of the highlights of the year.

This year. I took the Sec 2 students to a learning journey around Shanghai. We went to Suzhou, Wuxi and Yixin for a 4 day-3 night trip. I personally enjoyed the trip very much.

In Suzhou, we went to a silk embroidery museum and it was an eye-opener for me. The skills of the embroidery experts were so remarkable! The work they produced is so beautiful, they are the true artists! Check out one of their works.

The follwoing day, we went to a TV production set in Wuxi. We watched a live performance on a famous scene from 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'. Most actors are on horsebacks throughout the show, so it is really about their horsemanship than the plot. As the scene is about the three heros fighting Lu Bu, there was a particular part when four hourse raced around the field while fighting. Bravo!

Yixin is the third and last city we visited. The site that truly made the whole trip worthwhile for me is the Bamboo Forest. It is so natural and beautiful. We are lucky that the weather was cool with occasional sunshine, which made the stroll in the forest even more enjoyable.

If anyone wants to visit Shanghai (the busiest city in China), you may consider spending a day or two in any one of the cities above. It is definitely less crowded and quieter there. The air is so fresh that you wouldn't believe that you are only a few hours away from the pollution in Shanghai!

My Pet Rabbit again!

2009-03-08T14:12:00.003+08:00

It has been one month since Dong Dong came to our apartment.
He is growing healthily and happily here.
He eats alot and shit alot too!

He is a playful boy who is always seeking the our attention by jumping and crawling in his cage. When he gets really comfortable, he will go belly up like in the photo. Sometimes, while eating hay, he will 'drop dead' in his cage and turn belly up to show that he is really a happy rabbit :>

My new pet RABBIT

2009-02-09T09:10:00.006+08:00

After months of talking about buying a pet rabbit, my flatmate and I finally went ahead with the plan. We bought a rabbit each.

My rabbit is a brown little thing. He is estimated to be a month old. I named him Dong Dong.

My flatmate's rabbit is grey in colour. We call him 'Ah Pui' (Fatty in Hokkien).

Unfortunately, Ah Pui died yesterday morning. Four days after he came. We suspect that he died of indigestion as he ate too much pellets. We are very sad....

My Beijing Trip

2009-01-26T13:17:00.007+08:00

I went to Beijing for a short trip recently.
It was my second visit. The first visit was due to an exchange program with a local school in Beijing in Nov 2005.

I must say that I am impressed with the transformation of Beijing.
The people are able to converse in English and the street names are in both English and Chinese, very visitor-friendly.

The Forbidden City

A Glimpse of the Great Wall (Badaling)

Even though this is my second visit and I see the same places twice, I am still awed by its rich history and beautiful scenery. Especially The Great Wall at Badaling and The Forbidden City. Other beuatiful places are The Ming Tombs (Shi San Ling Mu)and the Lama Temple (Yong He Gong). If you like to shop, you can always go to Wang Fu Jing and Xi Dan. They are all located near the MRT stations.

Lama Temple (Yong He Gong)

Happy Lunar New Year!

2009-01-21T15:22:00.003+08:00

After the Christmas Break, our school is closing for Lunar New Year Break now! It is going to be another 2-week break! Envious? Hehe, the bad news is after this break, there will be no more long breaks until the summer break. Typical 'Enjoy now, Suffer later' scenario...

As the CNY (春节）is a big thing in China, our school had a grand celebration. The concert was awesome! The fashion show by the teachers was cute too!

The cutest of all is my colleagues' baby girl...

The lady in pink is her mummy and the guy in blue is my Japanese student, Kota.

It's cold in Shanghai!

2009-01-11T13:48:00.002+08:00

For the past 2 days, the temperature in Shanghai has dipped to its lowest for this winter! It is -4 degree C now!

To make matter worse, I suffer from virus attack. Who says virus hibernate in winter? It is a myth! The good thing is I recovered rather quickly. Or else, my trips to the clinic will kill me (Coz it is just too cold out there!) rather than my virus...

Back in Singapore for vacation !!! (Part III)

2009-01-01T23:04:00.002+08:00

I went back to GESS for a short visit on 30 Dec 2008.
So happy to see many of my ex-colleagues.
They are ready for the new academic year to start!
Good Luck & Take Care, fellows!

Keep in touch. All the best for 2009!!!

Back in Singapore for vacation !!! (Part II)

2008-12-29T23:42:00.005+08:00

My mum, sis and I went to the Kwan Im Temple today.

I met a very interesting man there. He is a deaf and dumb person who is trying to enter the Guiness World Records by travelling around the world on his motorcycle. He has stopped over in Singapore trying to call for some monetary support from us. He interacted with the bystanders and tried to tell us where he has been and what are his plans. We showed our support of course. Really proud of people who pursue their dreams despite the obstacles.

After that, I took a very inspiring shot (at least to me, it is quite inspiring...)
Can you count the number of birds on the tree and the number of birds in the air??

Back in Singapore for vacation !!!

2008-12-29T19:00:00.004+08:00

During the 2 weeks christmas break, I came back to Singapore for vacation!!!
My stay in Singapore was from 20 Dec 2008 to 3 Jan 2009.
On the flight home, these things occupied my mind: Mee Siam, Mee Rebus, Fried Kuay Teow, Fried Hor Fun, Roti Prata... My new year resolution is to eat as much Singaporean food as possible before I go back to Shanghai. (Not very ambitious huh?)

I met up with my friends (Joanna and Lihoon, you are 'shot'!)and spent much time with my family members. So happy to see all of them! Tell you more in my next entry :>

Christmas Party in SSIS (2008)

2008-12-29T18:51:00.002+08:00

Unlike schools in Singapore, we do not enjoy term break during December. However, we celebrate Christmas in school! I am really excited as this is my first time celebrating Christmas with students and as a major school event.

We have class party, school concert and the teachers went for christmas party for 'adults only' in the evening. Hehe...scandolous huh?

S2 Ruby, my form class

2008-12-12T15:05:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

These are my students in SSIS. This is my form class for 4 months.
Now, I have handed them over to another teacher of the school.

Under MY guidance, my class won the school Sport's Day for Sec 2... Yipee!!

Lucky Escape

2008-11-27T19:47:00.002+08:00

Dear all,

Did you watch the news?

There were terrorist attacks in Mumbai and Bangkok!

To think that I just went to these two places not too long ago...

I can only say that I am really lucky!

Let's hope that all these bombing and killing will stop one day...

GESS Table Tennis team's visit

2008-11-23T16:40:00.003+08:00

The GESS table tennis team came to Shanghai for the annual training/ exchange.
I met up with all of them for the weekend!

Too bad their schedule is very tight and the weather is cold and wet.
I wanted to bring them around but there is little time and it is always raining here.

Miss Tay stayed over at my place for one night and left Mr Phua with all the girls :p
Then I invited all of them to my apartment. They were fascinated with my toilet (???)
Thank you for bringing news of GESS and Singapore food to me !!

Miss you all!!!

My trip to Mumbai

2008-11-23T16:22:00.004+08:00

I went to Mumbai, India for a course earlier. It was 3-day course.

Mumbai is a very interesting city and the people are quite nice.
Too bad the place is polluted in every way (land, air, sound, etc)
Poverty is also pretty evident.

I met many teachers of different nationalities during my course and we exchanged alot of teaching ideas and resources.

The most exciting part of my trip is my flight.
Mu flight is arranged as such:
Pudong, Shanghai --> Hong Kong --> Bangkok, Thailand --> Mumbai, India (16 hours)

My return flight will therefore be:
Mumbai, India --> Bangkok, Thailand --> Hong Kong --> Pudong, Shanghai (18 hours)

Why 18 hours flight? Because we could not board the plane on time at HK, therefore
we miss the flight! Almost have to spend the night at the airport transit area(reminds me of The Terminal).

Life is sure very exciting in Shanghai (or Mumbai?)

My New Apartment (Part II)

2008-11-23T16:14:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

As many of you think that my room is cozy and my bedsheet is a good choice.
I am here to show you more.
Keep the praises coming !!!! (:p)

My NeW ApArTmEnT !

2008-10-25T17:37:00.004+08:00

Hello all,
I have moved in to my new apartment!
It is located in Lianhua Road. It has 2 bedrooms, 1 living room, 1 dining room and 1 kitchen. I am staying in the master bedroom now; my roommate took the other room.
We plan to switch rooms every few months, to have a few of the other room :>

All the Best, 4G !!!

2008-09-24T09:50:00.003+08:00

Dear 4G,

I had wanted to send something over from Shanghai for your Graduation Ceremony.
But, I ran into some problem with my housing matters here, so I could not find time to do that.

Nonetheless, my wish for you is the same. Study hard and do well for your O-levels!
I believe in all of you! Especially your Chemistry, you can do it!

Just prepare for it and leave no chance to regrets.
As long as you have done your best, it will be good enough.
Of course if you can get an 'A', don't settle for a B.
If you have the ability to get a 'B', don't stop at C.
No one shall fail your Chemistry.

Don't be discouraged if you did not do well for your Prelims,
the real deal is your O-levels!!!!!
You still have time, every day counts!

Take care!!!! Miss you!!!

A day in Pudong

2008-09-07T13:00:00.007+08:00

Hi everyone!
Yesterday, I went to Pudong, wanted to go for shopping. Note the word 'wanted'. It means I did not get to do it in the end.

Why is that so? Because that place is meant for RICH RICH RICH people! And I am definitely not rich. There is this plaza called the Super Brands Mall, the brands are truly superb. There is another area which have Yaohan (a very ancient name for most youngster, FYI, there used to be 2 Yaohans in Singapore). Also, they have Time Square, which carries very branded goods.

My friend and I spent the whole day whooing and ahhing at the prices there and doing mentals sums to find out the price of the items in Singapore dollars. Then, we concluded that most of the stuff there are more expensive than what we get in Singapore. They have Haagen Daaz like we have Macdonald's!

Well, it is not as bad as it sounds. Just an experience. We saw the very famous Dong Fang Ming Zhu Tower. It is beautiful and grand, isn't it?

My dinner tasted very good too! It is the first time I eat fast food with indisposible cutley.

The food is delicious and it is only 22RMB, about S$4.50.
See the balanced diet?

The name of the fast food restaurant is quite interesting too!

Can you read that? It's called 'Uncle'!

First week in Shanghai Singapore International School (SSIS)

2008-08-31T13:46:00.002+08:00

Hi everyone!

I am sorry that I have been 'dead' on my blog for the past week or so.

As many of you know, 25 Aug is the first day of school for me (BTW, Happy belated Birthday Shi JIe!)). I was busy preparing for my lessons and getting to know my students. In a new school and new environment, I am on my own. So, it took me awhile to charm some colleagues and befriend them!

I am quite optimistic with my new school and my new life ahead. There is some difference between China and Singapore. I am still adjusting. Luckily, I can speak mandarin and read chinese, that makes it easier for me. I am also the translator for my caucasian colleagues. Very soon, I will start charging for my service!

I must tell you this: the bilingual education system in Singapore is a wonderful thing. Because of my bilingual ability, we are able to communiacate with the westerners and the local chinese, we are their bridge. Sinagporeans also earn respect from both sides because of this.

Another wonderful thing is our mathematics background. Singaporean teachers are like walking calculators. When we go out as a group, our caucasian colleagues will wait for us to figure out the bills, the change we get back from the bill, the exchange rate, etc. They are very impressed with the way we count.

Sorry to sound like a singapore education preacher. But, I am proud to be a Singaporean teacher!

Alright, will update you soon. Hopefully, you guys get to see my new apartment soon!

The historical watertown - Zhu Jia Jiao

2008-08-17T23:07:00.016+08:00

Today, we visited the infamous historical watertown - Zhu Jia Jiao.
We were told that this watertown is already 3000 years old!!

The impressive part is how well the buildings are preserved and I was amazed with how the residents balance the old and the new in this town.

In this watertown, people live in the rows of houses along the river. They rely on the river to provide them with water for consumption, food, washing, etc.

Many years back, the government converted this watertown into a tourists' attraction. All the houses became tourist shops.

What I see now is a very commercialised town. The streets are clean, the shops sell souvenirs, and the restaurants are air-conditioned. I would not say that this is a bad thing as tourism provides means of living for the residents. But somehow the beauty of this commercialised town does not appeal to me as much as I wish...

Air pollution in Shanghai

2008-08-15T22:54:00.003+08:00

Shanghai is a big city. It is modern, urbanised and well-developed.
Urbanization brought about improved economy and upgraded the lifestyles of the Chinese.
It also brought about the rise in pollution.

The place I live in, Sunisland, is located at the outskirt of Shanghai. I do not see or feel the ill effect of the pollution.

However, when we visit the inner ring of Shanghai, where the heavy industires are located, this is what we get...

The air is so bad that we can't really see the buildings ahead.

It takes me 5 seconds to decide that I don't want to be there. So I have decided that when I look for an apartment, I will be away from the city area.

A Glimpse of Miss Chui in Shanghai !!!

2008-08-13T22:10:00.003+08:00

My home on Sunisland Resort in Shanghai!

I am staying in one of the eight rooms available in each chalet.

The scenery is great and I am away from the polluted air in the main city!

Peaceful and scenic, isn't it?

My room !!!!

Hi, everyone, today is my second day in Shanghai. Everything is doing fine.

I am very comfortable in my room and very happy here.

I shall tell you more about my school in my next entry!

4G's (very thick) Class T-shirt

2008-08-11T01:01:00.002+08:00

I met 10 pupils from 4G, 2008 and they handed me this very thick class t-shirt, or should I call call it a sweater. Warm my body and my heart...

Height does not matter !!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-06T23:47:00.005+08:00

Eugene Ng (the tallest student)

V.S.

Miss Chui (the shortest teacher)

As the saying goes: 'A picture speaks a thousand words'....

Farewell at GESS

2008-08-04T00:58:00.000+08:00

I was looking through the gifts from my students and colleagues and found each gift to be special and touching.

I love to read the letters and cards given. When I read the words, sweet memories of the happy days in GESS just flow through my mind.

I felt happy that, in one way or another, I made a difference in some of my students' lives. There were things mentioned that I don't even remember anymore, yet they had such great impact on others. No matter what, I was glad that I did what I did. As my actions served a good purpose.

Goodbye, everyone in GESS. You will be missed!

Last couple of days in sunny Singapore...

2008-08-01T20:40:00.000+08:00

Today is Day 1 of my last 12 days in Singapore before my new life in Shanghai...

I am busy packing my clothes, books and other items in my luggage.