This guy is the Sub Dean of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering by the way... not much of an explanation huh?
now i need to plan my next move... hmmmm
From: Yeo Song Huat (Assoc Prof)
Sent: Mon 30/05/2005 4:34
PMTo: #TAN XIN NI SHARON#
Cc: Goh Wee Hoon, Madaline
Subject: RE: Question About GER - PE
Dear Sharon,
It is very good that you have completed the requirement of Minor in Business in such a short time.
Students have a chioce on whether to take on a Minor, knowing very well that this means addtional AUs (& additional effort). In general, if a student is not able to cope or not prepared to take additonal AUs to earn the Minor, then he/she should not commit to a Minor. The AUs obtained is to earn the Minor should not be used to fufil other requirement at the same time.
In your case, you should choose another subject under the BM PE list to fufil your 3AUs. I am sure you will learn something from the new subject.
Best wihses,
Yeo SH
-----Original Message-----
From: #TAN XIN NI SHARON#
Sent: Sunday, May 29, 2005 8:48
PMTo: Yeo Song Huat (Assoc Prof)
Subject: Question About GER - PE
Dear Sir,
I am currently a year 2 MAE student and as required by the new GE requirements, I have to take 1 module from the BM (Business and Management) category of PE. At the same time, I have already completed 4 of the required 5 modules to be awarded a minor in Business.
I found out that although the minor modules also appear in the list of BM PEs, I am unable to substitute them to fulfil my BM PE requirements. I would really appreciate if you could explain to me the reasoning behind this arrangement.
This is because from the way I see it, the BM PEs are to broaden our scope of modules taken so that engineering students may have some grounding in Business and Management. The fact that the minor modules appear within that list shows that they all serve the same function of teaching us more about business management. Furthermore, taking a business minor is already overloading on the original number of required GE AUs. Since the modules serve the same purpose, why is it that students like myself cannot use the minor modules to fulfil the BM PE requirements? I know quite a number of engineering students are attempting a business minor, and it would be a lot more helpful if we could spend our AUs on other modules which will further complement our learning interests and process.
I am looking forward to your response on this matter.
Thank you very much!
Sharon
Monday, May 30, 2005
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Exasperated with the Education System!!!
Basically it all started when NTU changed the General Education Requirement (GER)… As an engineering student, I must fulfil the following:
15 AUs of Prescribed Electives (GER-PE) comprising
- Art, Humanities & Social Sciences (AHSS) 9 AU
- Science, Technology & Society (STS) 3 AU
- Business & Management (BM) 3 AU
9 AUs of Unrestricted Electives (GER-UE)
Definitions:
GER-PE = Prescribed electives in GER curriculum, which are categorised into 3 sub-areas of studies comprising Art, Humanities & Social Sciences (AHSS); Science, Technology & Society (STS); and Business & Management (BM).
And AU = Academic Units (the no. of hours of class that module comprises of)
UE = unrestricted electives which means you can take any module outside your own faculty and it would count towards this.
Now the issue comes in with the BM modules… See I am taking a Business Minor, which means I take 5 modules of 3 Aus each, amounting to 15 Aus in total. This 15 AU will also cover my 9 AUs of GER-UE, which by right should leave me with 6 Aus of extra business module units. Till this date, I have finished 12 AUs of my Business Minor modules… Follow so far?
Ok then I look at the GER-PE requirements and find that I must do 3 AUs of a BM category module.. ok no problem… so I look at the list of BM modules offered and notice that the following 5 are cross-listed with Business Minor… of these 5, I have already done the first 3 (and scored pretty well at that as well)
- MB101 Accounting : Cross-listed with Biz Minor
- MB102 Business Finance : Cross-listed with Biz Minor
- MB103 Principles of Marketing : Cross-listed with Biz Minor
- MB361 Operations & Quality Management in Manufacturing and Services Industries : Cross-listed with Biz Minor
- MB363 Management Decision Tools : Cross-listed with Biz Minor
So I thought to myself, "In this case, my business minor modules should count towards my BM requirements.. after all it won't make sense that I take more modules than others to do a minor in business and still need to do another module in business.. especially when my minor modules are mentioned in that list"
But I figured I better make sure so I sent the following email:
-----Original Message-----
From: #TAN XIN NI SHARON#
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 11:56 AM
To: Khong Meng Chee, Elaine
Subject: Question about GE-PE requirements
Dear Mdm,
I was looking at the list of subjects under the Business Management Pescribed Electives and noticed that some of the courses listed inside are cross-linked with the Business Minor. Does this mean that if I have taken those modules to clear my business minor, I do not need to take any more PE from that category?
Sharon
And this is the reply I got today:
From: Khong Meng Chee, Elaine
Sent: Thu 26/05/2005 3:36 PM
To: #TAN XIN NI SHARON#
Subject: RE: Question about GE-PE requirements
Hi Sharon
The subjects that you read for the Business Minor or any Minor are used to off set against General Elective requirements (the new term for this General Education Requirement – Unrestricted Electives ).
However, you would still need to read Prescribed Electives from the Business Management category as they are under the General Education Requirement – Prescribed Electives.
Should you need further clarification, fill free to contact me.
Regards,
Elaine Khong
Can someone explain to me the logic behind this??????? Just because of some crummy requirement in the book, everything has to happen that way? Come on, my Business Minor should be more than enough to teach me about Business and Management... Doesn't make sense that I should spend another 3 hours of my time on business stuff when I can use it to take another more interesting or useful General Elective!!!
And if they wanna argue in terms of AUs, hey mine seems feasible. I have done so far
- 12 AUs of Business Minor
- minus 9 AUs of GER – UE
- Equals 6 AUs of modules which are in BM category also
- Minus 3 AUs of GER – PE (BM) as required
- Equals an extra of another 3 AUs
- Plus the 2 AUs I did for GER – UE in Year 1
- Equals 5 AUs extra than what is required!!!
- And this is excluding the remaining 3 AUs of Business Minor I have left!!!
After I have calmed down, I shall draft and send an email to the Dean or Vice-Dean or someone high up... and if that doesn't work, I shall consider putting together a petition... I'm sure many engineering students do business minor also...
Man… Talk about manifestation of the No U-Turn Syndrome (NUTS)
15 AUs of Prescribed Electives (GER-PE) comprising
- Art, Humanities & Social Sciences (AHSS) 9 AU
- Science, Technology & Society (STS) 3 AU
- Business & Management (BM) 3 AU
9 AUs of Unrestricted Electives (GER-UE)
Definitions:
GER-PE = Prescribed electives in GER curriculum, which are categorised into 3 sub-areas of studies comprising Art, Humanities & Social Sciences (AHSS); Science, Technology & Society (STS); and Business & Management (BM).
And AU = Academic Units (the no. of hours of class that module comprises of)
UE = unrestricted electives which means you can take any module outside your own faculty and it would count towards this.
Now the issue comes in with the BM modules… See I am taking a Business Minor, which means I take 5 modules of 3 Aus each, amounting to 15 Aus in total. This 15 AU will also cover my 9 AUs of GER-UE, which by right should leave me with 6 Aus of extra business module units. Till this date, I have finished 12 AUs of my Business Minor modules… Follow so far?
Ok then I look at the GER-PE requirements and find that I must do 3 AUs of a BM category module.. ok no problem… so I look at the list of BM modules offered and notice that the following 5 are cross-listed with Business Minor… of these 5, I have already done the first 3 (and scored pretty well at that as well)
- MB101 Accounting : Cross-listed with Biz Minor
- MB102 Business Finance : Cross-listed with Biz Minor
- MB103 Principles of Marketing : Cross-listed with Biz Minor
- MB361 Operations & Quality Management in Manufacturing and Services Industries : Cross-listed with Biz Minor
- MB363 Management Decision Tools : Cross-listed with Biz Minor
So I thought to myself, "In this case, my business minor modules should count towards my BM requirements.. after all it won't make sense that I take more modules than others to do a minor in business and still need to do another module in business.. especially when my minor modules are mentioned in that list"
But I figured I better make sure so I sent the following email:
-----Original Message-----
From: #TAN XIN NI SHARON#
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 11:56 AM
To: Khong Meng Chee, Elaine
Subject: Question about GE-PE requirements
Dear Mdm,
I was looking at the list of subjects under the Business Management Pescribed Electives and noticed that some of the courses listed inside are cross-linked with the Business Minor. Does this mean that if I have taken those modules to clear my business minor, I do not need to take any more PE from that category?
Sharon
And this is the reply I got today:
From: Khong Meng Chee, Elaine
Sent: Thu 26/05/2005 3:36 PM
To: #TAN XIN NI SHARON#
Subject: RE: Question about GE-PE requirements
Hi Sharon
The subjects that you read for the Business Minor or any Minor are used to off set against General Elective requirements (the new term for this General Education Requirement – Unrestricted Electives ).
However, you would still need to read Prescribed Electives from the Business Management category as they are under the General Education Requirement – Prescribed Electives.
Should you need further clarification, fill free to contact me.
Regards,
Elaine Khong
Can someone explain to me the logic behind this??????? Just because of some crummy requirement in the book, everything has to happen that way? Come on, my Business Minor should be more than enough to teach me about Business and Management... Doesn't make sense that I should spend another 3 hours of my time on business stuff when I can use it to take another more interesting or useful General Elective!!!
And if they wanna argue in terms of AUs, hey mine seems feasible. I have done so far
- 12 AUs of Business Minor
- minus 9 AUs of GER – UE
- Equals 6 AUs of modules which are in BM category also
- Minus 3 AUs of GER – PE (BM) as required
- Equals an extra of another 3 AUs
- Plus the 2 AUs I did for GER – UE in Year 1
- Equals 5 AUs extra than what is required!!!
- And this is excluding the remaining 3 AUs of Business Minor I have left!!!
After I have calmed down, I shall draft and send an email to the Dean or Vice-Dean or someone high up... and if that doesn't work, I shall consider putting together a petition... I'm sure many engineering students do business minor also...
Man… Talk about manifestation of the No U-Turn Syndrome (NUTS)
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
My learning got disrupted by my education...
yes here I am, back to bitch about the education system in Singapore... for those who know me quite well, u've probably heard this before... anyway, just to clarify, the title of this entry was a line quoted by Mark Twain... ok maybe not exactly but u get the message huh...
I don't understand why the schools here overload students with so many subjects... it almost seems like a competition where the faculties see who can give more modules to their students... now we have general electives and prescribed electives and core modules and what not... yeah yeah it's all for the sake of a broad-based education... but do they see that education NOT EQUALS learning??
education is a process... a process involving textbooks, notes, guidebooks, tests, exams, projects, lecturers, tutors and mentors... and here it's become such a process that students only go for it just for the sake of going... education no longer has the connotation of making someone "highly learned"; rather, it is now so associated with spoon-feeding, with the mentality that one studies enought to pass just so to move on to the next year...
it's kind of sad that Singapore is recognised for its high standards of education... but if u look on campus, the ironic case is that Singapore students are the ones "manipulating" and "spoiling" the name of education... most of the time they are the ones skipping classes, not doing well for exams and tests, while the foreign students are the one really there to learn and achieve... I don't have anything against them, and it's because for some of these students, they feel that they learn and achieve more being involved in ECA or hall activities...
actually, do u think there's that much to learn from classes? i go from class to class and year to year... and what I hear is that what we learn in university won't be that useful at work also... is that true? maybe to a certain extent... if so, why the heavy focus on core modules? why not lower the core load, and encourage broad-based learning that is truly broad based in the sense that you choose whichever ones you are really interested in? and not because u have to fulfil 6 units in that particular category? why are enrichment activities only restricted to the top how many % of the cohort? these are the projects that really inculcate some hands-on practical stuff or learning stuff... isn't university our last chance to study and take courses full time, whether or not they are within our faculty? shouldn't such opportunities be open to all who are interested?
yeah i sound so idealistic... but to me.. uni IS the last chance where there are opportunities to learn in depth things beyond my faculty... and it's really sad that the education process here is so good and recognised internationally that our own students no longer see its value-addedness in terms of learing...
I don't understand why the schools here overload students with so many subjects... it almost seems like a competition where the faculties see who can give more modules to their students... now we have general electives and prescribed electives and core modules and what not... yeah yeah it's all for the sake of a broad-based education... but do they see that education NOT EQUALS learning??
education is a process... a process involving textbooks, notes, guidebooks, tests, exams, projects, lecturers, tutors and mentors... and here it's become such a process that students only go for it just for the sake of going... education no longer has the connotation of making someone "highly learned"; rather, it is now so associated with spoon-feeding, with the mentality that one studies enought to pass just so to move on to the next year...
it's kind of sad that Singapore is recognised for its high standards of education... but if u look on campus, the ironic case is that Singapore students are the ones "manipulating" and "spoiling" the name of education... most of the time they are the ones skipping classes, not doing well for exams and tests, while the foreign students are the one really there to learn and achieve... I don't have anything against them, and it's because for some of these students, they feel that they learn and achieve more being involved in ECA or hall activities...
actually, do u think there's that much to learn from classes? i go from class to class and year to year... and what I hear is that what we learn in university won't be that useful at work also... is that true? maybe to a certain extent... if so, why the heavy focus on core modules? why not lower the core load, and encourage broad-based learning that is truly broad based in the sense that you choose whichever ones you are really interested in? and not because u have to fulfil 6 units in that particular category? why are enrichment activities only restricted to the top how many % of the cohort? these are the projects that really inculcate some hands-on practical stuff or learning stuff... isn't university our last chance to study and take courses full time, whether or not they are within our faculty? shouldn't such opportunities be open to all who are interested?
yeah i sound so idealistic... but to me.. uni IS the last chance where there are opportunities to learn in depth things beyond my faculty... and it's really sad that the education process here is so good and recognised internationally that our own students no longer see its value-addedness in terms of learing...
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Random thoughts
Randomness Number 1
Some guys have problem with girls being "better"... doing this 5 weeks project called Engineering Innovation and Design (EID) for NTU... compulsory for all year 2 engineering students and in my faculty, we (a group of 12) come up with an innovation or product and develop a business plan to market it la... in my group, I am the only Singaporean (the rest are Malaysians)... also, I am one of the 3 girls in the whole group... doesn't help that the other 2 girls are usually quite quiet... anyway, I'm the kind of person who just voices all the concerns or possible loopholes for each idea or product la... u can say I'm pessimistic, but I always believe that for such things, need to think really objectively and any possible flaw must be voiced out and addressed... so yeah... think some guys don't like me for that.. doesn't help even more that mostly what I say somehow comes true in the end.. ie the concern I raised is crucial, or a point I made about why something won't work really happens... is this a "Guy Ego" thing? or am I really that irritating?
Randomness Number 2
It just sort of hit me that my term in MC (Member Committee) of AIESEC in Singapore is just around the corner... it may sound weird but all along, meeting a trainee or SN or anyone who was in MC always seemed such a "whoah" thing... like far away and so impressive... and then today after the 1st day of MC Team-to-Team Transition, I realised that I am really gonna be in the MC... and that it isn't such a far-off thing anymore... I don't mean this in the sense that I don't understand the significance of my role... it's just so gradual in a sense, cos I guess some of us have been working closely with the current MCs anyway... anyway it's also the "wow... how time flies!" concept... in not too long, I'm gonna have 2 batches of juniors... and I'll be in a team I, as a junior, used to think was daunting... hmmmm... reversal of perspective in some sense?
Randomness Number 3
I've been doing wushu since 2001, which means this is going into the 5th year... never was conscious of that until Yamini asked me today... this was after she saw the screen saver on my laptop.. yeah you guessed it... photos of wushu weapons, pro people doing the routines, photos of Jet Li, Bruce Lee, Vincent Ng, Donny Yen... hehe... sometimes I wonder why I have these photos and all the collections of wushu related stuff... sometimes I think I do it because it's a way of reminding myself of my passion for the ART, the "glorious" past, the fun days... but I sometimes also wonder if it's due to guilt on my part... honestly I haven't really had the time to train as much as I want to, or to go back to HCJC and get involved in the wushu community more, or to even meet up with my wushu buddies... and there is this gnawing feeling of guilt at the back of my head which tells me it's just WRONG to let go of the connection with Wushu, and what it has given me... and because I don't have the time to take physical action in training, I seek solace in collecting these things, perhaps only in a bid to prove to myself that I still hold that connection with Wushu, to remind myself of my passion for it and that it is burning on... so is this really all there is???
Randomness Number 4
Why am I blogging till 1.30am when I have a meeting tmr morning at 11am, followed by transition with Triin, followed by dinner gathering with wushu buddies??
Sometimes I wish I understood myself... and sometimes I wish I don't...
Some guys have problem with girls being "better"... doing this 5 weeks project called Engineering Innovation and Design (EID) for NTU... compulsory for all year 2 engineering students and in my faculty, we (a group of 12) come up with an innovation or product and develop a business plan to market it la... in my group, I am the only Singaporean (the rest are Malaysians)... also, I am one of the 3 girls in the whole group... doesn't help that the other 2 girls are usually quite quiet... anyway, I'm the kind of person who just voices all the concerns or possible loopholes for each idea or product la... u can say I'm pessimistic, but I always believe that for such things, need to think really objectively and any possible flaw must be voiced out and addressed... so yeah... think some guys don't like me for that.. doesn't help even more that mostly what I say somehow comes true in the end.. ie the concern I raised is crucial, or a point I made about why something won't work really happens... is this a "Guy Ego" thing? or am I really that irritating?
Randomness Number 2
It just sort of hit me that my term in MC (Member Committee) of AIESEC in Singapore is just around the corner... it may sound weird but all along, meeting a trainee or SN or anyone who was in MC always seemed such a "whoah" thing... like far away and so impressive... and then today after the 1st day of MC Team-to-Team Transition, I realised that I am really gonna be in the MC... and that it isn't such a far-off thing anymore... I don't mean this in the sense that I don't understand the significance of my role... it's just so gradual in a sense, cos I guess some of us have been working closely with the current MCs anyway... anyway it's also the "wow... how time flies!" concept... in not too long, I'm gonna have 2 batches of juniors... and I'll be in a team I, as a junior, used to think was daunting... hmmmm... reversal of perspective in some sense?
Randomness Number 3
I've been doing wushu since 2001, which means this is going into the 5th year... never was conscious of that until Yamini asked me today... this was after she saw the screen saver on my laptop.. yeah you guessed it... photos of wushu weapons, pro people doing the routines, photos of Jet Li, Bruce Lee, Vincent Ng, Donny Yen... hehe... sometimes I wonder why I have these photos and all the collections of wushu related stuff... sometimes I think I do it because it's a way of reminding myself of my passion for the ART, the "glorious" past, the fun days... but I sometimes also wonder if it's due to guilt on my part... honestly I haven't really had the time to train as much as I want to, or to go back to HCJC and get involved in the wushu community more, or to even meet up with my wushu buddies... and there is this gnawing feeling of guilt at the back of my head which tells me it's just WRONG to let go of the connection with Wushu, and what it has given me... and because I don't have the time to take physical action in training, I seek solace in collecting these things, perhaps only in a bid to prove to myself that I still hold that connection with Wushu, to remind myself of my passion for it and that it is burning on... so is this really all there is???
Randomness Number 4
Why am I blogging till 1.30am when I have a meeting tmr morning at 11am, followed by transition with Triin, followed by dinner gathering with wushu buddies??
Sometimes I wish I understood myself... and sometimes I wish I don't...
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Afterthoughts on Taipei Trip 5th to 9th May 2005
What can I say? I really really enjoyed myself sooo much ths trip... Many thanks to Aibek and Jane to host me...
Many thanks to Aibek, Triin and Jing Wen too... I remember we were sitting at the Coffee Bean at Lot 1 in Choa Chu Kang after visiting the Singapore zoo... I was complaining about how I wanted to go outside and travel around, see and explore new places but that I couldn't find the time to do it... Then Aibek and Triin were telling me that if I wanted to go that much, I should make my own time out, and not use work as an excuse cos there will always be work still undone... and it was there that we decided we shall go to Taiwan and visit Aibek after the NTU exams... =)
This was actually the 1st trip outside Singapore which I made on my own.. in the past, I either went with family, or with friends on expedition kinds of trips.. so it was really a cool experience for me.. it felt different la.. feels more independent, and you can really do things which YOU yourself like (unlike in a huge group there may be conflicts on where to go.. hehe) only slight problem is that you may not have someone to explain the places to you, you may have to resort to posing for your own photos to show you were there, and when you see something funny you can't just laugh out loud without people around you giving you weird stares.. but that aside, before this, travelling always seemed so difficult, cos must wait for others, must plan stuff etc. But hey I just realised how easy it is!! Just book a ticket, get some maps, take a plane and you're there!!
I think after this trip, I want to do more of such travelling... I dunno why but I've always been fascinated by all the amazing stuff outside tiny Singapore... and now, I've realised that it's not that difficult to go out there and see more.. Just need a bit more gung-ho attitude, a bit less kiasu and kiasee mentality, a bit more time to save money and off I go again...
maybe to China next... I wanna see Shaolin Temple and Great Wall... =)
P.S. for those who wanna see photos, here is a repeat announcement that they are on http://sharontan.mtphotoalbum.com
Many thanks to Aibek, Triin and Jing Wen too... I remember we were sitting at the Coffee Bean at Lot 1 in Choa Chu Kang after visiting the Singapore zoo... I was complaining about how I wanted to go outside and travel around, see and explore new places but that I couldn't find the time to do it... Then Aibek and Triin were telling me that if I wanted to go that much, I should make my own time out, and not use work as an excuse cos there will always be work still undone... and it was there that we decided we shall go to Taiwan and visit Aibek after the NTU exams... =)
This was actually the 1st trip outside Singapore which I made on my own.. in the past, I either went with family, or with friends on expedition kinds of trips.. so it was really a cool experience for me.. it felt different la.. feels more independent, and you can really do things which YOU yourself like (unlike in a huge group there may be conflicts on where to go.. hehe) only slight problem is that you may not have someone to explain the places to you, you may have to resort to posing for your own photos to show you were there, and when you see something funny you can't just laugh out loud without people around you giving you weird stares.. but that aside, before this, travelling always seemed so difficult, cos must wait for others, must plan stuff etc. But hey I just realised how easy it is!! Just book a ticket, get some maps, take a plane and you're there!!
I think after this trip, I want to do more of such travelling... I dunno why but I've always been fascinated by all the amazing stuff outside tiny Singapore... and now, I've realised that it's not that difficult to go out there and see more.. Just need a bit more gung-ho attitude, a bit less kiasu and kiasee mentality, a bit more time to save money and off I go again...
maybe to China next... I wanna see Shaolin Temple and Great Wall... =)
P.S. for those who wanna see photos, here is a repeat announcement that they are on http://sharontan.mtphotoalbum.com
Day 5 in Taipei
My last day in Taiwan!! Flight is at 6pm so I had the morning and a bit of the afternoon to walk around somemore before going home.. Aibek and Jane went off to work so I was on my own again.. I went to Xi Men to meet Jing Wen, Sherina, Shin and Yi Cui for breakfast!! Yup, another AIESEC Singapore gang were in Taipei and they were with Sharol from Soo Chow LC.. we visited their campus and AIESEC office before heading off to the canteen for breakfast.. I had what I ate on the 1st day (it's called Dan4 Bing3 in chinese but I dunno its english name) again and the gang tried it too, it being their 1st morning in Taiwan.. Sherina was trying to take photos of everything and Sharol was quite embarrassed sometimes.. hahah.. quite entertaining..
Anyway, they were heading off to Taichung for a day and since I was on a more rushed schedule, I went off 1st and walked around Xi Men.. most shops were still closed so nothing much to see.. then I dropped off at Zhong Xiao Dun Hua which Jane said was something like Orchard Road.. well of course the buildings weren't as high (cos of earthquake danger) and not as fanciful as those here.. it wasn't really what I expected until I found the underground mall.. it's like our City Link Shopping Mall, just a lot longer.. =) it even links to another MRT station.. I got bored walking there after a while since I'm not much of a shopper and went aboveground.. found a street and alley with lots of eating places and tried the pork chop rice.. this dish is really common and everywhere I go I see stalls selling it.. so figured I might as well try it before I go.. quite tasty la.. hahah.. I think generally Taiwanese eat quite a lot of meat, since most of the roadside stalls I had seen sell meat dishes..
After that, I headed home to pack and get my luggage.. Jane had kindly passed me her keys so I wouldn't have to go around in the morning with all my luggage.. then it was off to Taipei Main Station, taking the express train back to CKS International Airport.. and it was as cold as the day I arrived.. -_-" I was early so I had to hang around.. then I noticed that the queue in front of the closed check-in counter was getting longer.. I wonder if it's a Singaporean thing or a Chinese thing.. so Kiasu.. hahahaha.. even when at the boarding gate people were so eager to board the plane.. The seats are already assigned so I was wondering why until I overhead this guy saying they should board quickly so that there will be enough space in the baggage compartment for their stuff.. kiasu-ism at work.. but looking at the amount of stuff people bought, I won't be surprised if they don't have space.. I think I was the only person carrying 1 backpack… everyone else has a few more bags of stuff bought in Taiwan.. shopping la.. so Singaporean =)
Anyway, this time back I was lucky enough to get a window seat and since it was evening the sun was still bright enough for photos.. the view was great, with clouds below and above us.. further below us, I could see the lights of Taiwan and the sprawling mountains and greenery.. then the most unlucky thing happened.. my digicam battery suddenly died!!! So ironic I thought.. just when I get a window seat and a perfect view the camera dies.. so I got thick-skinned and asked if the people beside me had any batteries to lend.. they must have thought I was weird but I don't care they had batteries so I could take my photos happily.. the plane had passed by the more perfect view but beggars for batteries can't be picky so I took whatever I could see.. My last view of Taiwan was thus my view from the plane.. See in the following shot, you can see part of the mountains sticking out among the layer of clouds.. cool huh?
And that.. is the story of my 5 days in Taipei.. =)
Anyway, they were heading off to Taichung for a day and since I was on a more rushed schedule, I went off 1st and walked around Xi Men.. most shops were still closed so nothing much to see.. then I dropped off at Zhong Xiao Dun Hua which Jane said was something like Orchard Road.. well of course the buildings weren't as high (cos of earthquake danger) and not as fanciful as those here.. it wasn't really what I expected until I found the underground mall.. it's like our City Link Shopping Mall, just a lot longer.. =) it even links to another MRT station.. I got bored walking there after a while since I'm not much of a shopper and went aboveground.. found a street and alley with lots of eating places and tried the pork chop rice.. this dish is really common and everywhere I go I see stalls selling it.. so figured I might as well try it before I go.. quite tasty la.. hahah.. I think generally Taiwanese eat quite a lot of meat, since most of the roadside stalls I had seen sell meat dishes..
After that, I headed home to pack and get my luggage.. Jane had kindly passed me her keys so I wouldn't have to go around in the morning with all my luggage.. then it was off to Taipei Main Station, taking the express train back to CKS International Airport.. and it was as cold as the day I arrived.. -_-" I was early so I had to hang around.. then I noticed that the queue in front of the closed check-in counter was getting longer.. I wonder if it's a Singaporean thing or a Chinese thing.. so Kiasu.. hahahaha.. even when at the boarding gate people were so eager to board the plane.. The seats are already assigned so I was wondering why until I overhead this guy saying they should board quickly so that there will be enough space in the baggage compartment for their stuff.. kiasu-ism at work.. but looking at the amount of stuff people bought, I won't be surprised if they don't have space.. I think I was the only person carrying 1 backpack… everyone else has a few more bags of stuff bought in Taiwan.. shopping la.. so Singaporean =)
Anyway, this time back I was lucky enough to get a window seat and since it was evening the sun was still bright enough for photos.. the view was great, with clouds below and above us.. further below us, I could see the lights of Taiwan and the sprawling mountains and greenery.. then the most unlucky thing happened.. my digicam battery suddenly died!!! So ironic I thought.. just when I get a window seat and a perfect view the camera dies.. so I got thick-skinned and asked if the people beside me had any batteries to lend.. they must have thought I was weird but I don't care they had batteries so I could take my photos happily.. the plane had passed by the more perfect view but beggars for batteries can't be picky so I took whatever I could see.. My last view of Taiwan was thus my view from the plane.. See in the following shot, you can see part of the mountains sticking out among the layer of clouds.. cool huh?
And that.. is the story of my 5 days in Taipei.. =)
Day 4 in Taipei
Today is Sunday!! The day of the big trip out of Taipei City!! This time, we took one of the trains (the railway kind) to Kee Lung, which is where one of the ports of Taiwan is located.. right beside the Ocean also I think (I'm not too sure cos my chinese map says that's the East Sea) We didn't really see Kee Lung itself cos upon reaching we took the bus to Bi Sha Fish Port (I did the chinese to english translation cos my map speaks chinese) It's a small fishing port town famous for seafood and we saw lots of weird seafood at the fish market there.. crabs, lobsters, giant prawns, crayfishes, shark meat, huge whole fishes, sea urchins, fish roe, seaweed, squids, all sorts of clams and shellfish.. aside from the fish meat, most of the other sea creatures are sold alive so it's really really fresh.. we had a seafood dinner at one of the restaurants there.. Jane and I had to guess what the dishes were cos we weren't very sure what the chinese names of all those fishes were.. luckily what we ordered turned out quite decent.. hahaha..
After lunch, we took a boat to Kee Lung Island some 20 minutes away from the port.. after getting off at the island, we followed a guide as she brought us around.. unfortunately she was speaking Hokkien, so we only managed to figure out that the island used to be a naval port and was used by the Japanese when they occupied Taiwan.. today the island doesn't have its own source of water or electricity and I don't think it's really inhabited la.. lots of greenery, rocks, stones and other stuff you typically find on an undeveloped island =) you can see photos from Aibek's blog if you like.. he was climbing around taking photos..
When the tour ended, we waited (for quite a while) for the boat back to the port and then tried some SEAFOOD ICE CREAM.. yes the ice cream is made from seafood.. we tried 3 flavours: prawn, squid and seaweed.. the prawn one tasted like prawn paste that was cold and creamy.. Squid didn't taste very much like squid but it was gray cos they mixed in squid ink.. the seaweed tasted.. well seaweedy.. hahaha.. interesting huh?
After that we took a cab up to Jiu Fen, which used to be a gold mine town that has revived and is a popular and unique place to visit, since it rests on the mountainside.. we had to climb lots of stairs to get up but once there, the view is great.. you get to see Kee Lung Island and the port where we had come from.. in the distance, rolling misty mountains flanked by the sea completes the perfect scenary.. ahhh.. so nice.. =) the shops here sell nicer stuff too.. a lot of souvenirs made of wood and the food sold here is also different from that in the city.. the whole place has this old exotic feel as you walk along the sloping cobbly pavement with short squat shophouses lining both sides… I did most of my shopping here.. =) then we had dinner in a restaurant perched near the edge of the slope so we could enjoy the night view while eating..
But being more village than city, the shops starting closing at 8 plus or 9 plus and we had to rush to the bus stop in case we missed the last bus out.. the road down was very winding like Genting and quite dark and narrow at some places.. it's quite amazing how the driver could get us safely down.. we alighted at Rui Fang where we took the railway train back to Taipei again.. the train ride back was very funny cos we were sitting in the carriage with a local family and the kids were staring openly at the 3 of us.. probably because we were speaking English, because Aibek didn't look local and because we were taking photos of ourselves.. =)
What a day!! I thoroughly enjoyed everything =)
After lunch, we took a boat to Kee Lung Island some 20 minutes away from the port.. after getting off at the island, we followed a guide as she brought us around.. unfortunately she was speaking Hokkien, so we only managed to figure out that the island used to be a naval port and was used by the Japanese when they occupied Taiwan.. today the island doesn't have its own source of water or electricity and I don't think it's really inhabited la.. lots of greenery, rocks, stones and other stuff you typically find on an undeveloped island =) you can see photos from Aibek's blog if you like.. he was climbing around taking photos..
When the tour ended, we waited (for quite a while) for the boat back to the port and then tried some SEAFOOD ICE CREAM.. yes the ice cream is made from seafood.. we tried 3 flavours: prawn, squid and seaweed.. the prawn one tasted like prawn paste that was cold and creamy.. Squid didn't taste very much like squid but it was gray cos they mixed in squid ink.. the seaweed tasted.. well seaweedy.. hahaha.. interesting huh?
After that we took a cab up to Jiu Fen, which used to be a gold mine town that has revived and is a popular and unique place to visit, since it rests on the mountainside.. we had to climb lots of stairs to get up but once there, the view is great.. you get to see Kee Lung Island and the port where we had come from.. in the distance, rolling misty mountains flanked by the sea completes the perfect scenary.. ahhh.. so nice.. =) the shops here sell nicer stuff too.. a lot of souvenirs made of wood and the food sold here is also different from that in the city.. the whole place has this old exotic feel as you walk along the sloping cobbly pavement with short squat shophouses lining both sides… I did most of my shopping here.. =) then we had dinner in a restaurant perched near the edge of the slope so we could enjoy the night view while eating..
But being more village than city, the shops starting closing at 8 plus or 9 plus and we had to rush to the bus stop in case we missed the last bus out.. the road down was very winding like Genting and quite dark and narrow at some places.. it's quite amazing how the driver could get us safely down.. we alighted at Rui Fang where we took the railway train back to Taipei again.. the train ride back was very funny cos we were sitting in the carriage with a local family and the kids were staring openly at the 3 of us.. probably because we were speaking English, because Aibek didn't look local and because we were taking photos of ourselves.. =)
What a day!! I thoroughly enjoyed everything =)
Friday, May 13, 2005
Day 3 in Taipei
Saturday!!! No work for Jane and Aibek! They brought me to eat a Taiwan breakfast, which consisted of something like a popiah but with egg and different filling, and toast in egg (is it??? damn I can't remember what ingredient it was) and milk tea.. Very filling for me as I don't usually eat a lot for breakfast but very delicious.. I have a good mind to try and bring that food to Singapore =)
After breakfast, Jane and I headed straight for Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world (for now). Aibek would meet us later as he was in the panel for the SRB at his LC.. (see he's still so involved in AIESEC) Well Taipei101 is located near their City Hall MRT Station.. passed by a few large shopping centres.. the kind that sells branded stuff like in Orchard Road.. there’s a mall at Taipei 101 also but that one is just 5 floors... we paid 350 yuan for a ticket and took the world's fastest elevator up to the observatory on the 87th floor of the world's tallest building.. then you get this funky gadget with a earpiece and it explains to you the views and stuff.. we spent quite some time up there cos the weather was great and the view was fantastic.. I took the most photos up there in all my 5 days in Taipei.. yeah I have this thing for big open spaces.. guess you can't blame me as we don't have much of that in Singapore.. hehe
After Taipei101, we headed for Sun Yat Sen memorial hall.. just in time to see the guards changing shift.. what an elaborate routine for something as simple as changing shifts.. the guards had to march slowly, fiddle around with their rifles, salute a few times and fiddle with their rifles somemore.. after the guards on the old shift finally walked off, the new ones stood there for a while letting visitors take photos with them before marching slowly to their stands.. Mr Sun Yat Sen's Statue had probably seen that routine countless times =)
After looking around in the Sun Yat Sen museum inside the memorial hall, we set off again, this time for Dan Shui, which is further north of Taipei City.. It's as up north you can go on the island via MRT and if you travel further up you can see where the river flows into the Pacific Ocean =) The MRT ride took almost an hour I think but the time spend was definitely worth it cos the place is beautiful.. once you get out of the MRT station, you are greeted with a view of the river and Bali Island on the opposite bank (cool huh? Taiwan has its own Bali Island also) The breeze is a bit strong but the sun was out so it wasn't too cold… stalls and shops line the walkway as we walk along the river... a lot of amusement park style stalls like throwing balls into hoops, darts onto balloons etc.. a lot of stalls selling food as well.. a lot of fried stuff and grilled stuff.. oh and I got the chance to try the fried ice cream =) and they had these ice cream cones where the cream went up to at least 30 cm high.. Taiwan food is fun man.. hahah
Anyway, Jane and I walked along, enjoying the view and talking and laughing about a lot of stuff.. we then took a bus to Fishermen's Wharf where we could see the Pacific Ocean.. OCEAN leh!!!! Hahahha.. lots of people were around cos there was a performance thingy going on there and it was the weekend.. quite a number of them were with their dogs also.. they do love their dogs; they bring them everywhere man… anyway we hung around, enjoyed the scenary and the ocean breeze.. then we took a boat back to Danshui.. so that's another form of transportation I had taken =) by this time it was early evening so we got a preview of the pre-sunset sky.. nice..
Aibek should have finished by now so we headed off to Jian Tan MRT station to visit Shilin Night Market! The largest in Taipei I heard.. we had dinner at the nearby food center, and I was somewhat amazed to see that even the stalls there sell pretty much similar stuff.. I tried the oyster ommelete and the beef noodles.. a bit different from in Singapore but still very tasty.. after dinner we went to the Night Market and man it was sooo crowded and bright.. lots of food, clothes, shoes, accessories, souvenirs on sale.. the most interesting thing I saw was the battery-operated vibrating condom.. hahahhaah..
Well we had already been out for a while so everyone was kind of tired so we went back home again.. we were going to watch Moulin Rouge DVD but after watching TV, I went into the room to find my 2 hosts fast asleep already =) So I watched TV on my own and then off to sleep.. tomorrow would be an even longer day as we were going outside of Taipei City..
After breakfast, Jane and I headed straight for Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world (for now). Aibek would meet us later as he was in the panel for the SRB at his LC.. (see he's still so involved in AIESEC) Well Taipei101 is located near their City Hall MRT Station.. passed by a few large shopping centres.. the kind that sells branded stuff like in Orchard Road.. there’s a mall at Taipei 101 also but that one is just 5 floors... we paid 350 yuan for a ticket and took the world's fastest elevator up to the observatory on the 87th floor of the world's tallest building.. then you get this funky gadget with a earpiece and it explains to you the views and stuff.. we spent quite some time up there cos the weather was great and the view was fantastic.. I took the most photos up there in all my 5 days in Taipei.. yeah I have this thing for big open spaces.. guess you can't blame me as we don't have much of that in Singapore.. hehe
After Taipei101, we headed for Sun Yat Sen memorial hall.. just in time to see the guards changing shift.. what an elaborate routine for something as simple as changing shifts.. the guards had to march slowly, fiddle around with their rifles, salute a few times and fiddle with their rifles somemore.. after the guards on the old shift finally walked off, the new ones stood there for a while letting visitors take photos with them before marching slowly to their stands.. Mr Sun Yat Sen's Statue had probably seen that routine countless times =)
After looking around in the Sun Yat Sen museum inside the memorial hall, we set off again, this time for Dan Shui, which is further north of Taipei City.. It's as up north you can go on the island via MRT and if you travel further up you can see where the river flows into the Pacific Ocean =) The MRT ride took almost an hour I think but the time spend was definitely worth it cos the place is beautiful.. once you get out of the MRT station, you are greeted with a view of the river and Bali Island on the opposite bank (cool huh? Taiwan has its own Bali Island also) The breeze is a bit strong but the sun was out so it wasn't too cold… stalls and shops line the walkway as we walk along the river... a lot of amusement park style stalls like throwing balls into hoops, darts onto balloons etc.. a lot of stalls selling food as well.. a lot of fried stuff and grilled stuff.. oh and I got the chance to try the fried ice cream =) and they had these ice cream cones where the cream went up to at least 30 cm high.. Taiwan food is fun man.. hahah
Anyway, Jane and I walked along, enjoying the view and talking and laughing about a lot of stuff.. we then took a bus to Fishermen's Wharf where we could see the Pacific Ocean.. OCEAN leh!!!! Hahahha.. lots of people were around cos there was a performance thingy going on there and it was the weekend.. quite a number of them were with their dogs also.. they do love their dogs; they bring them everywhere man… anyway we hung around, enjoyed the scenary and the ocean breeze.. then we took a boat back to Danshui.. so that's another form of transportation I had taken =) by this time it was early evening so we got a preview of the pre-sunset sky.. nice..
Aibek should have finished by now so we headed off to Jian Tan MRT station to visit Shilin Night Market! The largest in Taipei I heard.. we had dinner at the nearby food center, and I was somewhat amazed to see that even the stalls there sell pretty much similar stuff.. I tried the oyster ommelete and the beef noodles.. a bit different from in Singapore but still very tasty.. after dinner we went to the Night Market and man it was sooo crowded and bright.. lots of food, clothes, shoes, accessories, souvenirs on sale.. the most interesting thing I saw was the battery-operated vibrating condom.. hahahhaah..
Well we had already been out for a while so everyone was kind of tired so we went back home again.. we were going to watch Moulin Rouge DVD but after watching TV, I went into the room to find my 2 hosts fast asleep already =) So I watched TV on my own and then off to sleep.. tomorrow would be an even longer day as we were going outside of Taipei City..
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Day 2 in Taipei
Being a Friday, Aibek and Jane had to go to work so I basically went around on my own that day.. it was drizzling so instead of going to Beitou to see the hot springs, I went to the National Palace Museum 1st by dropping off at Shilin and taking a bus there.. that place is huge (actually Taipei to me was huge.. so much open spaces here and there) and the architecture was beautiful.. very chinese ah..
hehehe.. there were jade and bronze sculptures, artifacts mostly dating back to Qing Dynasty, calligraphy, maps, accessories.. I stayed like 2 hours at the museum.. it was quite amazing to see with my own eyes these artifacts which were so OLD.. it's like they came alive from the pictures found in my chinese textbooks back in school =) I particularly like the Jade White Cabbage.. it looked so cute.. and the concept was quite interesting.. hehe..
Anyway after immersing myself in chinese culture and history, I got quite hungry so back to Shilin I headed.. had a nice lunch there.. Goose Meat Noodles.. you don't get much of that in Singapore cos apparently goose here in Singapore is more expensive than chicken or duck.. I was trying to pay after ordering and got some weird looks.. later I found out that in Taipei, usually people pay after eating and just before leaving.. hehe..
so after the little lunch escapade, I headed for Bei Tou to see the hot springs… actually the MRT station is Xin Bei Tou.. gotta change at Bei Tou station.. then armed with my map, I wandered around and reached the Hot Springs Museum (yes many museums around) It used to be a Public Bath House and the design was quite Japanese with a Tatami-matted hall, those huge bathing pools, the wooden apparatus and stuff.. oh you can see a stream nearby as well.. that's where the spring water flows down from the hill top (yeah it was on a hill).. after the museum, I walked further uphill and turned into this alley lined with many bathhouses shops.. following the stream up, I finally reached the top and it was like WOW.. all I could see was a huge pool with lots and lots of white steam coming out of it.. yes I had reached Hot Spring Valley (or Hell Valley in some maps)
The water was so hot you can actually see it bubbling and boiling on its surface… the place smelt a bit strange, probably the sulphur and the water looks quite blue and mineral-ly.. what a sight.. oh and I saw a sign that says "Please do not cook eggs here" hahahha.. so cute =)
Anyway, after the spring I headed back downhill again, this time walked beside a small drain with spring water... the water was still warm here.. can still see it steaming..
Reached another museum on the way.. Ketagalan Culture Center.. just a building with a few floors of info and exhibit pertaining more to the different cultures and tribes in Taiwan.. you know, the aborigines.. I was the only person in the whole place so I didn't stay too long.. =) but it was interesting la.. just that it wasn't on my planned itinerary so I didn’t wanna spend too much time there..
So back to the MRT station and off to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall.. oh my gosh that place is so HUGE!!! You'll have to walk for a while across the courtyard to reach the hall itself.. haha… but it was really grand and a sight to behold.. especially when all around the Memoral Site was modern looking buildings.. interesting contrast.. there happened to be an exhibition at the courtyard there as well featuring satellite images of places all around Taiwan.. so in a way I travelled a bit out of Taipei without actually doing it.. hahaha.. this place is definitely worth a visit for anyone who goes to Taipei =)
Oh and the Memorial Hall is also located pretty near the government buildings of Taipei.. I got a bit lost cos the roads didn't all have road signs at every junction but I managed to find the Kuo Min Tang Headquarters.. I also went to take a look at the Parliament House.. interestingly, these 2 buildings lie in a straight line facing each other.. talking about facing your opponent everyday =)
Having satisfied myself seing these 2 buildings, I walked to NTU Hospital MRT station and took the train to Long Shan Temple Station.. this was near evening already so I got to see the temple when it was all lighted up.. quite a number of people were there praying also.. it’s a lot larger than the temples I had been to in Singapore and quite serene as they played the chanting music over the PA system.. well after some photos there, I set off to look for snake alley, having read interesting stuff about what's to see there from Gitti's blog.. unfortunately, I headed in the wrong direction and got to a night market instead.. so sad I didn't see snake alley.. would have tried some snake’s meat or something.. but it was getting late and I was going to meet Jane at Houshanpi later so I headed off instead of turning back to look for the place..
Dropped off at Xi Men also for a while.. this place is a lot more modern and youthful.. youths walking everywhere, fashion shops, cinemas, fastfood outlets, maybe it was because of the rain but I didn't see anybody dressed too "weirdly" such a pity... had heard some interesting stories from Jane.. =) all in all, Xi Men is like our Orchard Road near Far East Plaza =)
So on this day, I travelled from Houshanpi to Shilin to Beitou to CKS Memorial to Long Shan to Xi Men and back again to Houshanpi all on my own.. I walked so much my legs felt weird.. hahaha.. after getting back home, Jane cooked up a nice dinner and the 3 of us sat in front of the TV and ate.. speaking of TV, they have more than 100 channels in Taipei and it’s free no need to pay for the cable channels.. Spoilt for choice I say..
hehehe.. there were jade and bronze sculptures, artifacts mostly dating back to Qing Dynasty, calligraphy, maps, accessories.. I stayed like 2 hours at the museum.. it was quite amazing to see with my own eyes these artifacts which were so OLD.. it's like they came alive from the pictures found in my chinese textbooks back in school =) I particularly like the Jade White Cabbage.. it looked so cute.. and the concept was quite interesting.. hehe..
Anyway after immersing myself in chinese culture and history, I got quite hungry so back to Shilin I headed.. had a nice lunch there.. Goose Meat Noodles.. you don't get much of that in Singapore cos apparently goose here in Singapore is more expensive than chicken or duck.. I was trying to pay after ordering and got some weird looks.. later I found out that in Taipei, usually people pay after eating and just before leaving.. hehe..
so after the little lunch escapade, I headed for Bei Tou to see the hot springs… actually the MRT station is Xin Bei Tou.. gotta change at Bei Tou station.. then armed with my map, I wandered around and reached the Hot Springs Museum (yes many museums around) It used to be a Public Bath House and the design was quite Japanese with a Tatami-matted hall, those huge bathing pools, the wooden apparatus and stuff.. oh you can see a stream nearby as well.. that's where the spring water flows down from the hill top (yeah it was on a hill).. after the museum, I walked further uphill and turned into this alley lined with many bathhouses shops.. following the stream up, I finally reached the top and it was like WOW.. all I could see was a huge pool with lots and lots of white steam coming out of it.. yes I had reached Hot Spring Valley (or Hell Valley in some maps)
The water was so hot you can actually see it bubbling and boiling on its surface… the place smelt a bit strange, probably the sulphur and the water looks quite blue and mineral-ly.. what a sight.. oh and I saw a sign that says "Please do not cook eggs here" hahahha.. so cute =)
Anyway, after the spring I headed back downhill again, this time walked beside a small drain with spring water... the water was still warm here.. can still see it steaming..
Reached another museum on the way.. Ketagalan Culture Center.. just a building with a few floors of info and exhibit pertaining more to the different cultures and tribes in Taiwan.. you know, the aborigines.. I was the only person in the whole place so I didn't stay too long.. =) but it was interesting la.. just that it wasn't on my planned itinerary so I didn’t wanna spend too much time there..
So back to the MRT station and off to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall.. oh my gosh that place is so HUGE!!! You'll have to walk for a while across the courtyard to reach the hall itself.. haha… but it was really grand and a sight to behold.. especially when all around the Memoral Site was modern looking buildings.. interesting contrast.. there happened to be an exhibition at the courtyard there as well featuring satellite images of places all around Taiwan.. so in a way I travelled a bit out of Taipei without actually doing it.. hahaha.. this place is definitely worth a visit for anyone who goes to Taipei =)
Oh and the Memorial Hall is also located pretty near the government buildings of Taipei.. I got a bit lost cos the roads didn't all have road signs at every junction but I managed to find the Kuo Min Tang Headquarters.. I also went to take a look at the Parliament House.. interestingly, these 2 buildings lie in a straight line facing each other.. talking about facing your opponent everyday =)
Having satisfied myself seing these 2 buildings, I walked to NTU Hospital MRT station and took the train to Long Shan Temple Station.. this was near evening already so I got to see the temple when it was all lighted up.. quite a number of people were there praying also.. it’s a lot larger than the temples I had been to in Singapore and quite serene as they played the chanting music over the PA system.. well after some photos there, I set off to look for snake alley, having read interesting stuff about what's to see there from Gitti's blog.. unfortunately, I headed in the wrong direction and got to a night market instead.. so sad I didn't see snake alley.. would have tried some snake’s meat or something.. but it was getting late and I was going to meet Jane at Houshanpi later so I headed off instead of turning back to look for the place..
Dropped off at Xi Men also for a while.. this place is a lot more modern and youthful.. youths walking everywhere, fashion shops, cinemas, fastfood outlets, maybe it was because of the rain but I didn't see anybody dressed too "weirdly" such a pity... had heard some interesting stories from Jane.. =) all in all, Xi Men is like our Orchard Road near Far East Plaza =)
So on this day, I travelled from Houshanpi to Shilin to Beitou to CKS Memorial to Long Shan to Xi Men and back again to Houshanpi all on my own.. I walked so much my legs felt weird.. hahaha.. after getting back home, Jane cooked up a nice dinner and the 3 of us sat in front of the TV and ate.. speaking of TV, they have more than 100 channels in Taipei and it’s free no need to pay for the cable channels.. Spoilt for choice I say..
Day 1 in Taipei
After a 4.5 hours flight on Jetstar Asia, I FINALLY touched down in Chiang Kai Shek International Airport Terminal 1.. well it was a pretty small airport, a few shops here and there, not many people around.. oh but it was awfully cold.. wonder why they keep it so air-conditioned =)
Anyway I headed for the bus terminal and got a ticket to Taipei City.. and then it was another hour of travelling the roads to Taipei City.. I remember being quite torn between deciding to sleep or look at the scenary.. so I looked at the scenary for a while, took some photos here and there.. and then got bored.. we were travelling through the more "villagy" part to Taipei so there wasn't too much to see.. I ended up stoning..
Luckily there were more things to see as we neared the city.. buildings, shops selling stuff, people.. but I was more intent of getting to where I wanted to go.. so at last we reached Taipei Main Station and I took the metro to Houshanpi, which is where Aibek and Jane stay.. yup I will be bunking with them for the next few days..
It was good to see familiar faces again after so much travelling.. Aibek kindly took my bag back home while Jane and I headed off for a Tepanyaki style dinner.. I didn’t take any photos of it though.. too busy talking and catching up.. haha.. Aibek was quite amused to hear the more Singlish side of Jane as we chatted..
After dinner, we went for a walk in the area.. 1st we went to Wu Fen Bu.. it’s this wholesale area that sells clothes and shoes and fashion stuff… Taiwanese Fashion is a lot more daring than Singapore I must say.. and the girls have this thing for socks.. hehe.. oh then we went to Rao He Night Market.. at last I had come to this Night Market thing which everyone in Singapore always talks about when you mention Taiwan.. well it was quite like the Pasar Malam here in Singapore.. just that they sell more stuff, and are a bit cheaper.. interesting that so many shops selling similar things at similar prices can survive so long next to each other =)
So we walked around a bit, then took a cab home.. Aibek and Jane stay in a condo (a 5 floor building cramped along the alley) and they were kind enough to host me for these days.. hehe thanks again guys!! and so ended my 1st day in Taipei… =) not bad considering that in one day, I had taken an airplane, a bus, the metro and a cab.. and not to mention having met the infamous housemate of Jane’s mentioned in her blog..
Anyway I headed for the bus terminal and got a ticket to Taipei City.. and then it was another hour of travelling the roads to Taipei City.. I remember being quite torn between deciding to sleep or look at the scenary.. so I looked at the scenary for a while, took some photos here and there.. and then got bored.. we were travelling through the more "villagy" part to Taipei so there wasn't too much to see.. I ended up stoning..
Luckily there were more things to see as we neared the city.. buildings, shops selling stuff, people.. but I was more intent of getting to where I wanted to go.. so at last we reached Taipei Main Station and I took the metro to Houshanpi, which is where Aibek and Jane stay.. yup I will be bunking with them for the next few days..
It was good to see familiar faces again after so much travelling.. Aibek kindly took my bag back home while Jane and I headed off for a Tepanyaki style dinner.. I didn’t take any photos of it though.. too busy talking and catching up.. haha.. Aibek was quite amused to hear the more Singlish side of Jane as we chatted..
After dinner, we went for a walk in the area.. 1st we went to Wu Fen Bu.. it’s this wholesale area that sells clothes and shoes and fashion stuff… Taiwanese Fashion is a lot more daring than Singapore I must say.. and the girls have this thing for socks.. hehe.. oh then we went to Rao He Night Market.. at last I had come to this Night Market thing which everyone in Singapore always talks about when you mention Taiwan.. well it was quite like the Pasar Malam here in Singapore.. just that they sell more stuff, and are a bit cheaper.. interesting that so many shops selling similar things at similar prices can survive so long next to each other =)
So we walked around a bit, then took a cab home.. Aibek and Jane stay in a condo (a 5 floor building cramped along the alley) and they were kind enough to host me for these days.. hehe thanks again guys!! and so ended my 1st day in Taipei… =) not bad considering that in one day, I had taken an airplane, a bus, the metro and a cab.. and not to mention having met the infamous housemate of Jane’s mentioned in her blog..
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Back from the unknown!
I'm back!!!
and yes I have loads of photos... those interested can go to this site to view them...
I'll put up the details of what I did each day in Taipei soon enough... Have it in a word document... just trying to put some photos into the entries... I always have problems when it comes to getting the photos up properly...
and there's tonnes of things to be done by end of the week!!! Help me!!! =(
Jane, Aibek, I should have stayed in Taipei permanently...
and yes I have loads of photos... those interested can go to this site to view them...
I'll put up the details of what I did each day in Taipei soon enough... Have it in a word document... just trying to put some photos into the entries... I always have problems when it comes to getting the photos up properly...
and there's tonnes of things to be done by end of the week!!! Help me!!! =(
Jane, Aibek, I should have stayed in Taipei permanently...
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Into the Great Unknown...
Ok so I exagerate... with Internet, television and newspapers these days, Taiwan seems quite far from being a great unknown... =)
Well unknown or not, I'll be heading there tmr!! Yes!! Taking the plane on my own to meet Aibek and Jane there!! and planning to bravely wander the streets of Taipei, seeking out new adventures... hahahah
hmmm... this is actually my first real trip abroad on my own... some friends say that's really brave but I think it should be quite easy right? I mean I can speak Mandarin... ad understand some hokkien... should be more than enough to get me through man... hahaha... besides, I'll have tour guides in Taipei.. Aibek from Krygyztan did an AIESEC traineeship in Singapore and is now in Taipei for his 2nd one.. I was his reception officer when he arrived here so I showed him around and all... now the tables have turned and he's my reception officer... =)
But anyway, I'll provide an update after I get back la... be prepared to be greeted with loads of photos... I'm even contemplating bringing a small notebook along so I can write down random thoughts here and there =)
hmmmm... =)
Well unknown or not, I'll be heading there tmr!! Yes!! Taking the plane on my own to meet Aibek and Jane there!! and planning to bravely wander the streets of Taipei, seeking out new adventures... hahahah
hmmm... this is actually my first real trip abroad on my own... some friends say that's really brave but I think it should be quite easy right? I mean I can speak Mandarin... ad understand some hokkien... should be more than enough to get me through man... hahaha... besides, I'll have tour guides in Taipei.. Aibek from Krygyztan did an AIESEC traineeship in Singapore and is now in Taipei for his 2nd one.. I was his reception officer when he arrived here so I showed him around and all... now the tables have turned and he's my reception officer... =)
But anyway, I'll provide an update after I get back la... be prepared to be greeted with loads of photos... I'm even contemplating bringing a small notebook along so I can write down random thoughts here and there =)
hmmmm... =)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)