China's a day away

China winter getaway is a day away, and i'm pretty excited about it all. Mostly because it's going to be my first snow experience. And also because i'm spending it with the majority of my chem pals!

We'll be landing in Beijing on the afternoon of 10th and will settle in a 宾馆 (i think it's something less classy than a hotel) which is quite near beijing university and tsing hua university. A week of Beijing will see us having fun at Tiananmen square, forbidden city, tsinghua university, peking university, the great wall, beijing normal university and of course the shopping malls and yummy places.

On the 16th, we'll be leaving Beijing for Tianjin to visit Nankai university, Tianjin normal university and Tianjin university. After a night in Tianjin, we'll head to Dalian on the 17th to see Dalian university of Science and tech, and the institute of chemical physics, before heading to Changchun on the 19th.

Chang chun will be a freezing -20 degrees celcius!!!! And it's just next to haerbin!!! woo goodness. Anyway, we'll hopefully have a ski trip followed by visits to Changchun institute of applied chemistry and Jinlin University. On the 23rd, we'll head back to Beijing and visit the summer palace, Beijing Institute of Chemsitry, its industries, temple of heaven and some free and easy time. We'll return on the 30th of december, just in time for the new year :)

Wee.. sounds really fun. Lots of chemistry. and chinese. and snow (hopefully). Praying for God to make it a meaningful and blessed time.. that He'll grant me a heart than sincerely desires to be his disciple (Matthew 28: 18-20).

the old chinese man within

Can't wait for another china experience - trains bursting at its seams.. old women munching on broken peanuts.. old men playing with smoke dragons.. and me enjoying my time with friends.

More than phil

byron, the philhellenist, is a lover of greeks
philip, well, he's in love with horses
and as for us, phileo-ists, we love our friends
but God? He's Agape.

He

Who changes day into night?

Who brings forth the sun every morning?

Who carries the moon by night?

The Morning Sun.

The morning light peeked between the curtains and woke March up. March wanted to see rainbows, and she longed to hear the buzz of a random bee or the flap of a robin bird's wings. She tumbled around the grass and felt a searing pain pierce through her heart. Not long after, a pile of dirt, swift as a butcher's knife, came cutting through the sky, right onto little March's face. It made her sneeze so badly her throat became sore and tired. March wanted so badly to see the rainbows forming above her, she longed to hear the buzz of a random bee or the flap of a robin bird's wings. Yet, all she could do was sneeze because the dirt had taken a foothold deep down in her throat. It even felt as if it might stay there forever.

But little March drew in a deep breath of crisp air and looked at the Sun for some comfort. It was good. The Sun always made March feel warm and fuzzy inside. She jumped up and ran as fast and as far as she could. So fast, her shadow could not even catch up. Gone were the ominous grey clouds; in their place, sprightly summer clouds glowered over her, like an angel bringing good tidings. March knew that all was fine and good and lovely. She peered into the morning sky and gave the Sun a great big smile.

The korean challenge

I really love hanging out with my mom and my aunts - love hearing them talk those womenly talks, haggle like no body's business and eat as if they owned the eateries. haha. Anyway, we tried Miss Clarity Cafe at purvis street today. Don't be fooled by its outer appearance, gawdily kiddy as it may be, it serves serious food in seriously large portions. Not bad :)

My mom and aunt enjoying their banana tart!

We also visited arab street to look for textile! Walked for 2+ hours but found nothing suitable. Then we headed for people's park and found fabric that were finally suitable!

Then we went for the korean challenge - super spicy korean food. I particularly like the bi bim bab and the peach mochi! yum yum. This restaurant is located on mosque street in chinatown.

Bi Bim Bab

Chilli overload!

And here's all praise and thanks to God for family and relatives! And for His good providence - for food, shelter, and a time for happiness :)

Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly

I take a glance at my reflection in the mirror, and i ask myself. Am i ready?

Crusade camp was more than i expected it to be. I went for it, not knowing what to expect. But at the end of it, I realised that firstly, God placed me there to re-affirm and confess my promise to Him. No more stagnant moments, but a constant desire to love Him more each day. Secondly, to be there for a new friend whom i met in my CG, to pray and help her in her journey with God. Thirdly, to be part of the body of Christ in NUS, where I'd be spending most of my time in.

On another note, i've been thinking much about the body of Christ. What community essentially means. To me, I think it's about unity, committment (or rather committment that comes from ownership), cooperation (because the body is not made up of hands only, but head, and limbs of various kinds, etc.), and of course accountability.

To walk in God's light seems easy. Read the Bible everyday. Pray. But it requires constant determination which has to be renewed each and everyday, such that we can run the race and claim the prize for God's glory.

Are we ready?

Made by God

I'm a slacker! Been slacking ever since summer school ended. BUT i've learnt how to iron office shirts AND cook and bake as well. Under stressful timing and my mom's eagle eyes. Recieved some housewifey injuries on my hands too! An iron burn and a blade slice. Ouch!

Beware! Gruesome picture for your viewing pleasure:

HAHA. i can't stop laughing.

ANYWAY, on another note, it's been long since I've gotten involved in Church activities. Exchange in HK was difficult, because my church was super far away and the chapel in my school is in cantonese. So, at times, I just wake up late and miss church; wake up early to a heavy morning rain and miss church again; wake up and conduct my own service in my room (with worship, sermon and all. haha!). Upon returning, I started helping out at sunday school (though i'm not much of a help, cause i haven't started teaching yet), the little kiddies sunday school (of which i had no control of, but i had fun screaming along with them), and cell of course. :)

Last night, my friends reminded me, or rather, encouraged me, to be inspired by God again. To come to him as Mary did. No more lukewarmness, no more spiritual dead ends, no more apathy. And I've decided once and for all, no more hesitation, that this is the moment I'd surrender totally, and let Him lead my life as He pleases. Can you imagine the freedom we'd have if we could just share Jesus like nobody's business? Out of our own willingness and love, and not out of must? Wouldn't it be wonderful if praising God in every situation, speaking about Him in every conversation, and sharing Him with every friend, comes straight from the bottom of our hearts? Out of our love and charity for the people around us?

Indeed it would!

Wooof!

Naojiro Hayashi - Hikari

from Lemon no koro

~Lemon No Koro~

A touching movie cast around students from a rural school in japan. Lemon no koro is subtle yet moving at the same time, bringing to light the significance and intensity of actions and objects that are simple yet full of life.

A fine week

Today was such a fine day it made me want to take random pictures. My dog, Billy, the cutest dog on earth, went for a hair cut today. Doesn't he look the cutest? And no.. he's not from men in black. haha. though he does talk sometimes. My dog is really spoiled. A brat! Unlike other dogs who munch on their food like hungry animals, my dog is refined. He's fed. By me. On the sofa. All he does is sniff his food, and look away. haha. Sometimes, I have to add some dried chicken jerkey or fish on top of his daily meal, like sprinkles on a cupcake, to make him eat. sigh. what a dog.


Mom and I have been busy making fruit cakes and brownies for a wedding this saturday morning. About 500 boxes in total! And we're still now done. 100 more to go! Here's a snapshot of the brownies we made:

And the fruit cakes in the boxes:

Last sunday, Justina, a girl who went to CUHK for exchange the semester before I did, came to visit barker! We had lunch with tatt at fareast after sunday school. I think God planned it such that we would meet! I heard from my room mate in hong kong, Emily, about Justina, and how much fun they had together. She's from NUS and a Christian too! And she used to come to barker. Haha. how cool is that!

Hallelujah

When a father gives good gifts to his children, you'd know he is a good father.

The NUS system requires us to get approval for modules we intend to take on exchange, and I did, for all the modules i took in CUHK. However, just yesterday, the admin officer emailed me saying that one of the modules (a major module), was not approved! She even showed me the scanned form with the signature on the rejection column.

It was really unfair because they did not inform me about this rejection. If I knew that it was not approved at the beginning, i would not have taken it on exchange, furthermore, it made me worry because i'd have to repeat that module this coming semester. What's more, it's a year 2 module, and i'm already in year 3. Sigh. I was anxious and very angry because I was at a lost of what to do. The only thing i did was to email the department coordinator, who said that she'd help me check with the previous coordinator (who signed the form).

On the trip to the fish market, i kept thinking and worrying. Worried about the number of core modules I'd have to take next semester. Thinking about what to do with the module I took on SEP.

Then Mom reminded me of God's goodness. God is a good God, He'll look after my every need. The music from the car sang "hallelujah" and I realised that the battle was already won, because God is with me, I need not have to worry about anything. He is a father who gives good gifts. He will not leave me in the dumps. So, at that moment, i stopped worrying.

Then, just now, the department coordinator emailed me, saying that the module which was rejected at the start is now accepted as a special case for me. Hallelujah! :)

Exactly Exakta

My dad just dugged out an Exakta! For old times sake. Love my dad.

I'm excited.

Wantons of God's goodness

My aunt came over to make wantons with us today :)

Here a bowl of a day's hard work plus some nice fragrant "猪油渣" or pork lard as you would call it. Yummy! We spoke about how we became Christians over dinner. Everytime my parents tell our testimony, there's always a certain excitement and freshness to it. It doesn't get boring. God is so good! I'm really so glad that God saved our family. If it wasn't for Him, this family would not have lived to see this day.

Kungfu Hustle

rocks my socks! especially if its in canto :) Terribly entertaining! Go watch!

I love the scene where chou xin chi (stephen chow) tried his hand at kungfu but failed to do so. Super duper funny!!!

Pictures taken from:

http://www.starpulse.com/Movies/Kung_Fu_Hustle/gallery/SPC004/
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kung_fu_hustle/pictures/3.php#highlighted_picture

Splash!!

Went for PAH - Paint A Home today! Despite having to step on wet paint and getting newspaper stuck all over you feet, it was quite an enjoyable experience.. especially the smell of paint.. mwahaha.. just kidding. I'm not a paint-smell-addict.

Started off with white washing.. then measured out the half way mark, then painted one half pink, stencilled flowers on the walls, painted flowers, painted doors and gate... Fun eh?

We were in-charged of the corridor

The walls with stencilling done

Painting the doors with oil paint! so sticky!

And this gate.

The children's home!

Wai (who introduced me to this) and I! I accidentally painted on her hair.. oops..

Yummy

God is goood!

Quake aftermath

蟾蜍群出、井水混浊、蟑螂涌现 广东也将大地震？
● 杨永欣（广州特派员）

　　先是福建省，再是深圳，近日轮到广州：蟾蜍成群出现，井水混浊，大批蟑螂从下水道涌出来甚至集体死亡……很多华南地区的民众担心，这些现象都是地震的前兆。
巴西“预言家”： 南宁和海南之间将发生9.1级强震
　　此外，中国网上最近也流传所谓巴西“预言家”朱瑟里诺的“惊天大预言”：“2008年9月13日中国将发生9.1级巨大地震，震源在南宁和海南之间，并引发30米高的海啸，造成数百万人死亡，并可能冲击到日本”。
　　种种真假难分的谣言、信息满天飞之际，记者观察到，在广州，无论是德士上或餐桌上，除了汶川大地震外，另一个热议话题就是大地震是否也会来到广东省。
　　不少当地媒体近日报道了“疑似地震前兆”的新闻，让广东民众心情越来越凝重。在这种氛围下，广东省地震局的两名副局长这两天先后站出来澄清，广东一带的地质活动正常，没有地震的征兆。
　　据本报向专家了解，虽然说地震来临前，可能会有动物、水井等出现异常反应，但这种反应也与动物的特性、季节、地质等因素有关，不一定就是地震前兆。
　　广东省地震局副局长吕金水在接受广东电视台访问时更说：“要做成预测的话，我们也得根据其他方面（的资料），例如地球物理场的改变、地震的小震活动等等，综合地判别才能作出预测。”
据了解，福建省的蟾蜍大量出现、井水变黄等现象，经证实后与春季繁殖期、四川地震后所引发的地质反应等有关，并不是地震前兆。
200观察站密切注意
广东地震活动正常
　　吕金水说，广东省地震局最近也接到很多类似现象的报告，但经调查后，也发现它们与地震无关，目前广东一带的地震活动正常。
　　广东省地震局另一名副局长梁干在接受广州《南方都市报》访问时明确表示，目前没有任何迹象显示广东会有地震，民众大可放心。
　　他进一步解释说，引起动物异常的情况很多，地震前兆一般会有多种异常现象集中出现，仅凭一两个现象就判断是地震前兆很不科学。
　　他也强调，地震前兆分为微观和宏观两个方面。其中微观异常包括有小地震活动、地壳形变、地球磁场电场发生异常等，这些均需要通过科学仪器来监测：“我们一直加强此方面的监测，目前为止没有一项指标出现异常。”
　　据了解，广东省地震局在广东全省境内安置了近200个观察站，密切注意地震活动情况。该局强调，民众无需过度惊慌，平时可以多了解防震、自救等知识。

抗震专家周福霖：
官方也不能太麻痹
另一方面，中国工程院院士、广州大学工程抗震中心主任周福霖认为，动物异常由多种原因造成，市民不用草木皆兵，但也不能麻痹大意。他认为是否是地震前兆要综合分析，市民的有相关信息应向地震部门反映，地震部门也不能太过麻痹，应积极应对，加强监测。
　　华南濒危动物研究所从事两栖爬行动物研究的龚诗平博士则认为，因为近来广州大雨不断，且十雨九酸，这造成蟾蜍大规模迁徙。此外，在下水道生活的蟑螂也可能因酸雨而从原栖息地逃跑出来，向更干燥的地方逃生。
　　至于朱瑟里诺的“惊天大预言”，海南省地震局之前也作出了正面回应，其研究员沈繁銮表示，“海南将发生9.1级大地震”的预言没有任何科学依据和观测事实。目前，海南和华南地区的地震活动水平和前兆异常情况均远低于1994年（发生了台湾海峡7.3级地震）之前的情况，中国大陆的地震活动也处于低水平，南宁与海南岛之间不可能会发生大地震和海啸。
　　目前中国共有四个地震带，包括天山地震带、南北地震带、华北地震带和东南沿海地震带(pray for these areas)。广东处于东南沿海地震带上，地震发生比较多的都是沿海一带，上个世纪初期，南澳岛就发生过一次7.3级的大地震。越往广东内陆去，地震活动就越少。目前来说，广东境内地震活动较多的，是河源和阳江一带，但这些地震强度都不大。
　　据了解，广东东部沿海多个市县的建筑物抗震设防标准要求较高，达地震烈度8度，珠江口是7度，而广州市的要求则是6至7度。


Exodus 8
The Plague of Frogs
"1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. 3 The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. 4 The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials.' "
5 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.' "
6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land. 7 But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
8 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD."
9 Moses said to Pharaoh, "I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile."
10 "Tomorrow," Pharaoh said. Moses replied, "It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the LORD our God. 11 The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile."
12 After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the LORD about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. 13 And the LORD did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. 14 They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them."

Exodus 10
The Plague of Locusts
"13 So Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and the LORD made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts; 14 they invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again. 15 They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.
16 Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. 17 Now forgive my sin once more and pray to the LORD your God to take this deadly plague away from me."
18 Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD. 19 And the LORD changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea. Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt."


Article from: http://www.zaobao.com/zg/zg080528_504_2.shtml and the Bible.

Picture from: 美联社 ; 联合早报网; 编辑：王婉瑗

we're old

cause we're 5sc3

time flies!

Prayers needed

More than 80,000 people were left dead or missing by the magnitude-8.0 earthquake that struck Sichuan province on May 12, with more than 5.47 million others left homeless. -- AFP

Let's keep the Sichuan victims and their families in our prayers everyday.

Sichuan quake

I'm supposed to be in Sichuan and Yunnan right now, but by the grace of God, there were change of plans, and i'm home safe and sound.

Death toll from China quake soars past 13,000
* Tens of thousands unaccounted for
* First deaths confirmed in epicentre Wenchuan
* More than 18,000 buried in city of Mianyang, Sichuan
* Confirmed deaths in Mianzhu, Sichuan, rise to 3,000

DUJIANGYAN (China) - THE death toll in China's earthquake climbed past 13,000 on Tuesday and looked likely to rise much higher after media said some 19,000 people were buried in rubble in just one area.

Rain and severed roads hampered rescuers in the mountainous area near the epicentre of Monday's 7.9-magnitude quake in the southwestern province of Sichuan, China's worst earthquake in over three decades.
State media reported devastation as troops reached stricken villages near the epicentre in Wenchuan, a remote county cut off by landslides about 100km northwest of the provincial capital, Chengdu.

Officials announced late on Tuesday that 500 Wenchuan residents were confirmed dead, the Xinhua news agency reported.

But the toll there and elsewhere is likely to soar.

Search continues

Thirty People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops arrived at Wenchuan's Yingxiu township and rescued 300 residents, Xinhua said. But only 2,000 were found alive in the town of 12,000, according to a local official.

'They could hear people under the debris calling for help but no one could, because there were no professional rescue teams,' state television quoted the official He Biao as saying.

About 60,000 people were unaccounted for across Wenchuan.
'What we most need is medicine. There is no medicine, there are no doctors and after such a long time, no food,' He said.

Attempts to find survivors have become a race against time and bad weather. Premier Wen Jiabao, who has thrown himself into the task of running these efforts, told officials not to slacken.

'The disaster situation is worse than expected, and the rescue sites are quite complex,' Mr Wen said, according to Xinhua.

He ordered 3,000 medical staff to travel to Sichuan.

Toll likely to rise

But official reports have presented a grim litany of rising death, suggesting that crumpled homes, schools and factories will yield many more bodies than survivors.

In Mianzhu, Sichuan, rescuers said the death toll had risen to 3,000. About 500 people were pulled out alive from crushed buildings. An earlier report said 10,000 people there had been buried under rubble.

A further 18,645 people were buried under debris in Mianyang, a city that also covers much farmland, Xinhua said.

In hard-hit Beichuan County in Mianyang, at least 1,000 students and teachers were buried under a seven-storey school building, and rows of apartment buildings in the town collapsed.

Locals told Xinhua that up to 8,000 residents may have died.

'People escaped from the buildings but were only devoured by the landslides,' one survivor, Lei Xiaoying, told Xinhua. 'There was no way to escape.' Over 320 deaths from the quake have so far been confirmed in provinces apart from Sichuan.

---

The following is a detailed list of casualties reported from different regions of China, based on the latest government statistics.

1. SICHUAN PROVINCE - The death toll has reached 12,012. Another 26,206 people were injured and 9,404 buried in debris. Some 7,841 people are missing.
Wenchuan County: At least 500 people confirmed dead at the quake epicentre.
Mianyang City: 7,395 dead. (Up to 5,000 dead and 80 per cent of buildings collapsed in Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County)
Mianzhu City: 3,000 killed and more than 10,000 injured.
Chengdu City: 959 dead.
Qingchuan County: At least 1,000 killed, 5,000 injured and 300 buried in the rubble; 80 per cent of buildings collapsed. At the Muyu Township Middle School, 94 students killed, 120 injured and 191 missing.

2. GANSU PROVINCE - 206 killed, 2,179 injured and 21,100 evacuated.
Longnan City: 173 killed and 2,027 injured.

3. SHAANXI PROVINCE - 103 killed, 893 injured and 9 million evacuated.

4. CHONGQING MUNICIPALITY - 11 killed, including five pupils, and more than 2.13 million people affected.

5. YUNNAN PROVINCE - One confirmed dead.

6. HENAN PROVINCE - One confirmed dead.

7. HUBEI PROVINCE - One confirmed dead.

Information taken from http://www.straitstimes.com

Amazing friends

It's almost the end of my exchange already... less than two weeks before i'm back in good ol' singapore. I think what makes my exchange in hk so amazing is the friends I've made - whom I feel, is the essence of my stay here. When i first applied for SEP, I didn't feel that it would be reality. But it really did come true. And I'm happy to say that I enjoyed every moment of hk. At first, I was scared and doubtful because I applied to hk alone, afraid I wouldn't be able to adapt to life alone, etc.. But God is so amazing. He blessed me with a great room mate, Emily, whom I've been able to share most of my life with, whom I've managed to learn so much from. Managed to make many many friends in hall: Yusa who's really funny and serious at the same time, Ceci who pokes my pat pat and offers me siew mai and ice cream all the time, Mancy who brought me out to sham shui po to shop for earring accessories, Rachel who often come in and offer us cookies to eat, Tracy who's really steady and helpful, Rabbit who lives opposite me and chats with me about fish and Singapore politics, Natalie who borrows my thumbdrive haha, Laura whom I've had many fun times with, her roomie who cooks really well, Fiona (HK) who always smile at me, Rice a nice girl, Bean the chem major who taught me how to do assignments, Jimmy who invited us to his home for dinner, and whom I helped sell milk tea at the carnival, William who offered me the sugared strawberry then, Kenson who takes soci class with emily and I a seriously funny boy, Ko ka yin Roy's room mate who's really funny and whom I believe makes a really good and trusting friend and who takes great pictures, Gin zhe the matron who's very personal, King zhe who's really sweet, the aunty who complains every morning who's very hardworking, Kwong shok and hong shok the two nice uncles, and the uncle who stays on our floor who cooks dessert for us every day during the study week, Lion who's very caring and friendly and often dates me for cycling, her room mate who bought the salted fish for me, Mimosa whom i first met when she came to borrow rock sugar, and all of my friends here are just from Grace tien alone! Really thankful because living in Grace tien feels so much like home. Everytime I cook, I'd have people to talk to.. even when I'm in my room studying, my friends would just budge in, chit chat and play around. Even in the wee hours of the morning.. I'd get to play around with them. It's really a whole new experience, something that I know I'd never get to experience when I'm back home in Singapore. Really thankful also to have made many good friends, both international and Singaporeans.. especially my good friend Roy whom I've learnt so much from - whom i think is the most significant person that has helped me grow - both in my thoughts and of course physically horizontal (because we always eat alot together) :) and whom I've spent most of my exchange life with, besides Emily! Really thank God for sending so many lovely people into my life.

It's a skinny world... woo hooo...

this is what u get when you study too much chemistry

and the picture of the year goes to...

me and my baby

New Asia's amazing view

* click for larger view :)

Fun in 志文

Sharing my study burdens with my trusty blog

WHAT?! Molecule Optomechanical Machine: Force Measured by AFM Cantilever? S-Au bond to the AFM tip? Amide bond to the amino functionalized glass? Exposing an azobenzene polymer attached to a cantilever to 420nm light puts the polymer in tis lengthened trans state. Exposure to 365nm light causes the backbone to contract, pulling on the cantilever. Length difference = 2.8nm. HUH?! WHAT?!

ARGHHHH! *pull my hair*

Spur me on Langmuir!

Tyranny! Tycoon! Typhoon!

* Hong Kong

Tropical Cyclone Bulletin
Here is the latest Tropical Cyclone Bulletin issued by the Hong Kong Observatory.
The Strong Wind Signal, No. 3 is in force.
This means that winds with mean speeds of 41 to 62 kilometres per hour are expected.
At midnight, Typhoon Neoguri was estimated to be about 420 kilometres southwest of Hong Kong (near 19.5 degrees north 111.4 degrees east) and is forecast to move north at about 14 kilometres per hour crossing the seas east of Hainan Island towards western Guandong.

Information taken from: http://www.hko.gov.hk/contente.htm

*The wind was super powerful when I went out just now.. no kidding!

This marks the end

of my lectures in CUHK

... till the exams.

Something to boast about

20大最多好評餐廳 on http://www.openrice.com !!!

1 澳門翠苑茶餐廳(旺角)
2 澳洲牛奶公司(佐敦)
3 維記咖啡粉麵(深水步)
4 肥媽小食店(旺角)
5 時新快餐店(紅磡)
6 金寶小食店 (越南...(旺角)

I've tried it all.

深水步

Food adventure for the day:

維記咖啡粉麵

I ordered 蛋牛面.. Doesn't look nice right, but taste wonderful! Hot soup with maggie noodles, lots of beef fillets and a sunny side up with goey egg yolk. HK$21.

Kayan toast!!! Is it Kaya? who knows. Not very oily, freshly made. Only HK$7!

三姐 松記糖水 - wrong one!

I made a poo poo and brought us to the wrong 松記糖水! haaa.

松記糖水

(The real one)

Famous dessert called "hello" or 哈囖. Coconut milk, mango syrup, coconut jelly, ching chao jelly, nuts (chick peas, long bean, etc), Q-Q balls, sago balls.. NICCEE!!!

Presenting the royal food tasters:

Roy Chia

Robyn Hay

My lunch today - It's arrowfish fillet seasoned with onions, brocolli and tomato and special japanese powder, wrapped in Al foil and boiled in water. Delicato!

Sweet pleasures

Life's most beautiful pleasures are in enjoying its simplest moments -
you don't have to pay a hefty sum to enjoy good food
friendship is like honey which binds people together and
makes these moments so much sweeter
Growing up seems a heavy load to carry
but the joys of it outweighs it all
Trips I'd never ever thought would be fun-
to a computer centre
or a wet market
or even school
seems like life's most wonderful pleasures
because of this-
I'm treasuring every moment that God gives me.

No longer a virgin backpacker

After leaving school for Shen zhen (which is only about 20 minutes away), we bought tickets for Guang Zhou. Took the very crowded metro to Guang Zhou dong where there is a railway station to go to various provinces in China. Arrived there on a rainy night and was timely disappointed by the lady in the speakers who kept repeating that the day's tickets were all sold out. We finally managed to get tickets for the next day, after some testing of patience.

At Guang Zhou bar street for dinner.

Just before we boarded the train to Sanya the next day!

Waiting for the train in the railway station.

In the triple deckered, 6 bedded cabin.

Sunrise.. signified our almost arrival in Sanya! hurray!

Sanya Railway station. I can never forget what tatt mentioned:

he said the reason why the floor was so reflective was because there were too many spits on the ground :\

In Blue Sky International Youth Hostel!

One of the dishes in our first meal in Sanya. It's beancurd with fatty pork, and lots of chilli - yum!

At 南山 - not bad but not as interesting as expected, it's a 4 star tourist attraction, you see.

Enjoyed this place the most - 天涯海角. Beautiful scenary and sea breeze.

Kodak moments!

Closed bridge to nowhere.

Beautiful sunset!

Taking the exciting and thrilling toot-toot to seafood place.

Yay to our hostel!

Found a great restaurant selling 饺子- only like RMB$10-13 for 20 of them! YUMMY!!!

Another place I enjoyed - sun, sea and sand - 亚龙 bay!

Yay to Hainan - Sanya!

Thank you Lord for making this trip so enjoyable!!!