This will be quick because the clock is ticking.
Tonight I had dinner with Christelle and Fabien - we went out for pizza (and bourbon), then had chocolate fondue at their house and watched Leon the Professional (until the DVD decided to cark it.) Teary farewells were had, then once I got home we realised we could do it all over again tomorrow for lunch.
So tomorrow my day is jam packed. I have to meet Andri and Can, exchange photos and say goodbye, then off to uni to meet Mega, Fabien and Christelle (and possibly Olly) for lunch, then Mega is going to accompany me to my place to collect my (hopefully by then) packed luggage, then she's taking me to the airport! Unfortunately I've already packed the waterproof mascara.
The next time I blog, I'll be in Australia! See you all soon!
P.S. Mum - bring some tissues to the airport!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye
(Can we tell I've been watching a lot of The Sound of Music lately?)
For those of you who have been living under a rock (or not keeping up to date with my blog - tisk tisk), last night I had a fabulous night out at Guomao, the World Trade Centre in Beijing. The staff at the Louis Vuitton store there offered Andri a farewell party for being one of their regular customers. So first we headed to Guomao for a Chinese Fushion dinner, then to LV for our party!
It was just a little gathering, with eleven of us, along with Nolan, Andri's SA, and Jason, their customer relations manager. We drank expensive champagne, ate delicious nibblies, watched a DVD created by Andri showcasing our year in China with accompanying music selected by all of us (my choice? 'Tear You Apart' by She Wants Revenge! The only non-pop song, and clearly the best choice.)
Andri was allowed to choose an entire outfit from LV to wear for the party. His selection:
The displays were specially chosen by Andri to show off LVs iconic bags:
The shindig in action:
Hokky and I with the Eiffel Tower of LV cases:
(^^ As a side note, the larger cases at the bottom cost roughly AU$10,000 each, so imagine the cost of the entire display!)
Andri was caught trying to run off with a few Keepalls by Nolan:
Group photo:
Cheers:
There are more photos (LOTS MORE!) on Andri's website (aptly named vuittonguy.com) - you can reach the gallery for the party here.
Bad news though. That night confirmed that I do indeed need a Speedy 30, but I think I now want the Red Epi instead of the Damier Azur! Ahh choices, choices! Now, if only the SAs in the Melbourne store were as great as Beijing's stores - I'd be laughing all the way to the bank (or all the way into greater debt).
**********
In other news, I officially know my results for second semester. Care to know? .... Oh bugger, I've just realised they're packed at the bottom of my suitcase. I think I can remember them though. Bearing in mind, these are not my results for my end of semester exams - these are the combined mark of both mid and end of semester exams... We usually don't find out our end of semester exam marks.
Comprehensive Chinese - 83
Listening Comprehension - 84
Reading Comprehension - 77 (I know my end of semester exam mark - 88)
Character Knowledge - 98 !!!!!!!!! Highest mark in the class!
Anyway, I leave Beijing in a touch over 24 hours. My room is a bomb site, I can't fit everything into my suitcase, and I am sick as a dog, with the beginnings of what I think may be an ear infection. So it's going to be interested.
I will blog tomorrow and say a lil something, maybe get a little teary... we'll see!
For those of you who have been living under a rock (or not keeping up to date with my blog - tisk tisk), last night I had a fabulous night out at Guomao, the World Trade Centre in Beijing. The staff at the Louis Vuitton store there offered Andri a farewell party for being one of their regular customers. So first we headed to Guomao for a Chinese Fushion dinner, then to LV for our party!
It was just a little gathering, with eleven of us, along with Nolan, Andri's SA, and Jason, their customer relations manager. We drank expensive champagne, ate delicious nibblies, watched a DVD created by Andri showcasing our year in China with accompanying music selected by all of us (my choice? 'Tear You Apart' by She Wants Revenge! The only non-pop song, and clearly the best choice.)
Andri was allowed to choose an entire outfit from LV to wear for the party. His selection:
The displays were specially chosen by Andri to show off LVs iconic bags:
The shindig in action:
Hokky and I with the Eiffel Tower of LV cases:
(^^ As a side note, the larger cases at the bottom cost roughly AU$10,000 each, so imagine the cost of the entire display!)
Andri was caught trying to run off with a few Keepalls by Nolan:
Group photo:
Cheers:
There are more photos (LOTS MORE!) on Andri's website (aptly named vuittonguy.com) - you can reach the gallery for the party here.
Bad news though. That night confirmed that I do indeed need a Speedy 30, but I think I now want the Red Epi instead of the Damier Azur! Ahh choices, choices! Now, if only the SAs in the Melbourne store were as great as Beijing's stores - I'd be laughing all the way to the bank (or all the way into greater debt).
**********
In other news, I officially know my results for second semester. Care to know? .... Oh bugger, I've just realised they're packed at the bottom of my suitcase. I think I can remember them though. Bearing in mind, these are not my results for my end of semester exams - these are the combined mark of both mid and end of semester exams... We usually don't find out our end of semester exam marks.
Comprehensive Chinese - 83
Listening Comprehension - 84
Reading Comprehension - 77 (I know my end of semester exam mark - 88)
Character Knowledge - 98 !!!!!!!!! Highest mark in the class!
Anyway, I leave Beijing in a touch over 24 hours. My room is a bomb site, I can't fit everything into my suitcase, and I am sick as a dog, with the beginnings of what I think may be an ear infection. So it's going to be interested.
I will blog tomorrow and say a lil something, maybe get a little teary... we'll see!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Ice Ice Baby
I am back from Ha'erbin. Well, I actually arrived home yesterday, but I spent the whole day in bed. There is only one word to describe Ha'erbin - COLD.
Day 1 -
We all caught a heiche (illegal taxi) to the train station for our 9.25pm train - I was expecting pandemonium at the station, but it was fabulous - we walked straight up to the check-in counter, down to the platform and onto our train - all within five minutes.
The trains were dodgier than on the trip to Tibet - the train to Tibet actually had 'walls' facing the corridor (just missing the door), while the train to Ha'erbin didn't even have that wall! Sorry I didn't explain that very well. Hopefully the picture explains it a bit better:
From left to right: Bernard, Hokky, Me, Andri, Devi, Heru, Candra, Nalisha (Vivi is missing)
I slept terribly that night, thanks to having damp bed linen, hundreds of noisy kids in the same carriage, and the fact that I had an afternoon siesta before boarding the train!
Day 2 -
After a few hours sleep, we were woken up by the lights being turned on, and we started applying layers of clothing in preparation. I managed to wear three pairs of thermals underneath my jeans, four long sleeve t-shirts, one thin jumper, one fluffy hoodie jumper, scarf, beanie, big down-filled coat, gloves, three pairs of socks and snow boots. When we stepped off the train, I was surprised at how not cold it was. That might have been due to the amount of clothing I was wearing, but really, I think I had imagined that -25 would be life-or-death, unbearable cold... when really it wasn't. It was surprisingly bearable. That being said, within 15 seconds of stepping off the train, the hair inside my nose froze. Charming, I know. Luckily I didn't have a cold at that point, because when your nose runs, it freezes to your face! Nasty...
We met our tour guide (an absolutely adorable, incredibly young looking 26 year old named Xiao Li - honestly, she looked about 12 or 13), and the rest of our tour group for the day - we were with a family of three, and a group of four sisters from Liaoning (north east of Beijing).
We jumped straight into the touristy stuff - first stop was the Russian St. Sophia's Cathedral for some quick pics, then onto 中央大街 - Zhongyang Dajie (Ha'erbin's version of Wangfujing (or Bourke Street/Pitt Street/equal Brisbane equivalent)).
Myself, Devi and Vivi outside St. Sophia's Cathedral
Andri, Devi, Vivi, Hokky and Heru on Zhongyang Dajie
We then went to watch crazy senior citizens (who clearly weren't the sharpest tools in the shed) swimming in the river. They had cut a swimming pool sized hole in the ice, and we saw at least 30 oldies jump in for a splash. Because it was so damn cold, there were people constantly skimming the pool for ice that was reforming. Some of them looked a bit worse for wear on their way back inside too.
We then went for possibly the greatest meal we've ever had whilst in China. It was a simple, fairly average lunch, but everything was just so delicious (made even more so by the fact none of us had eaten since the previous evening). After our fab lunch, we headed to the Ice Sculpture Festival, which was basically just that - sculptures made of ice.
Our tour group (less the family of three)
Inside the Ice Bar
All the ice is man-made, so they can add colours to it, should they so wish
The biggest chunk of ice ever
Next we headed to the Ice Lantern Festival (the sun set at 4.17pm which really messes up your internal clock). It was at about this time that my camera decided it was just too darn cold to work. My phone and iPod had already stopped working, so it was inevitable really. Actually, they say that anything with an LCD screen or a battery will stop working, as well as camera SD discs, which are only rated to -10.
We only had an hour at the Ice Lantern Festival because other members of our group were catching trains home that evening. It would have been great to spend more time there, but I don't know how we could have lasted any longer in the cold.
We then checked into our motel, at which point I skipped dinner and fell asleep. And woke up on...
Day 3 -
... with a cold! I felt so poorly that I spent all day in bed with a splitting headache and sore throat. It didn't really matter though, because everyone else was just wandering around the city for the day anyway. At 6pm we headed to the train station, made friends with a guy in KFC, then lined up for our train. I fell asleep almost as soon as we got on the train - we were all split up over many carriages, so I had nobody to distract me. I slept terribly, waking up every half an hour because I was either sweating or too cold.
Day 4 -
Arrived back in Beijing. We caught the same heiche back home, at which point I went to bed and slept. And slept.
Day 1 -
We all caught a heiche (illegal taxi) to the train station for our 9.25pm train - I was expecting pandemonium at the station, but it was fabulous - we walked straight up to the check-in counter, down to the platform and onto our train - all within five minutes.
The trains were dodgier than on the trip to Tibet - the train to Tibet actually had 'walls' facing the corridor (just missing the door), while the train to Ha'erbin didn't even have that wall! Sorry I didn't explain that very well. Hopefully the picture explains it a bit better:
From left to right: Bernard, Hokky, Me, Andri, Devi, Heru, Candra, Nalisha (Vivi is missing)
I slept terribly that night, thanks to having damp bed linen, hundreds of noisy kids in the same carriage, and the fact that I had an afternoon siesta before boarding the train!
Day 2 -
After a few hours sleep, we were woken up by the lights being turned on, and we started applying layers of clothing in preparation. I managed to wear three pairs of thermals underneath my jeans, four long sleeve t-shirts, one thin jumper, one fluffy hoodie jumper, scarf, beanie, big down-filled coat, gloves, three pairs of socks and snow boots. When we stepped off the train, I was surprised at how not cold it was. That might have been due to the amount of clothing I was wearing, but really, I think I had imagined that -25 would be life-or-death, unbearable cold... when really it wasn't. It was surprisingly bearable. That being said, within 15 seconds of stepping off the train, the hair inside my nose froze. Charming, I know. Luckily I didn't have a cold at that point, because when your nose runs, it freezes to your face! Nasty...
We met our tour guide (an absolutely adorable, incredibly young looking 26 year old named Xiao Li - honestly, she looked about 12 or 13), and the rest of our tour group for the day - we were with a family of three, and a group of four sisters from Liaoning (north east of Beijing).
We jumped straight into the touristy stuff - first stop was the Russian St. Sophia's Cathedral for some quick pics, then onto 中央大街 - Zhongyang Dajie (Ha'erbin's version of Wangfujing (or Bourke Street/Pitt Street/equal Brisbane equivalent)).
Myself, Devi and Vivi outside St. Sophia's Cathedral
Andri, Devi, Vivi, Hokky and Heru on Zhongyang Dajie
We then went to watch crazy senior citizens (who clearly weren't the sharpest tools in the shed) swimming in the river. They had cut a swimming pool sized hole in the ice, and we saw at least 30 oldies jump in for a splash. Because it was so damn cold, there were people constantly skimming the pool for ice that was reforming. Some of them looked a bit worse for wear on their way back inside too.
We then went for possibly the greatest meal we've ever had whilst in China. It was a simple, fairly average lunch, but everything was just so delicious (made even more so by the fact none of us had eaten since the previous evening). After our fab lunch, we headed to the Ice Sculpture Festival, which was basically just that - sculptures made of ice.
Our tour group (less the family of three)
Inside the Ice Bar
All the ice is man-made, so they can add colours to it, should they so wish
The biggest chunk of ice ever
Next we headed to the Ice Lantern Festival (the sun set at 4.17pm which really messes up your internal clock). It was at about this time that my camera decided it was just too darn cold to work. My phone and iPod had already stopped working, so it was inevitable really. Actually, they say that anything with an LCD screen or a battery will stop working, as well as camera SD discs, which are only rated to -10.
We only had an hour at the Ice Lantern Festival because other members of our group were catching trains home that evening. It would have been great to spend more time there, but I don't know how we could have lasted any longer in the cold.
We then checked into our motel, at which point I skipped dinner and fell asleep. And woke up on...
Day 3 -
... with a cold! I felt so poorly that I spent all day in bed with a splitting headache and sore throat. It didn't really matter though, because everyone else was just wandering around the city for the day anyway. At 6pm we headed to the train station, made friends with a guy in KFC, then lined up for our train. I fell asleep almost as soon as we got on the train - we were all split up over many carriages, so I had nobody to distract me. I slept terribly, waking up every half an hour because I was either sweating or too cold.
Day 4 -
Arrived back in Beijing. We caught the same heiche back home, at which point I went to bed and slept. And slept.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Eskimo Rach
Just a few quick notes:
Last night we went out for dinner to a restaurant called Nine Bird Heads (that's the translation anyway) for roast duck and other tasty treats. It was just a little celebration for Chris' birthday which is coming up next month (but everyone will be away overseas at that time) and a farewell dinner for me.
Today I picked up my HSK marks (the Chinese proficiency exam I sat back in December) - I got Level 3, the level our teacher expected us to pass. I think about 50% of our class scored a Level 2, and 50% a Level 3. Quite happy. For proof, here is my certificate:
And I'm off to Ha'erbin tonight! I am all ready - I have bought a new scarf and beanie, so teamed with my down-filled coat and fleece lined snow boots, I am hoping I will be warm enough. Here is what I'm going to look like!
Yes, I will look like an eskimo. But so will everyone. At the moment in Beijing it is -10, and not that painful, so fingers crossed -25 isn't too bad. Ha... wishful thinking! Also mind the mess in my room - I'm half packed.
Last night we went out for dinner to a restaurant called Nine Bird Heads (that's the translation anyway) for roast duck and other tasty treats. It was just a little celebration for Chris' birthday which is coming up next month (but everyone will be away overseas at that time) and a farewell dinner for me.
Today I picked up my HSK marks (the Chinese proficiency exam I sat back in December) - I got Level 3, the level our teacher expected us to pass. I think about 50% of our class scored a Level 2, and 50% a Level 3. Quite happy. For proof, here is my certificate:
And I'm off to Ha'erbin tonight! I am all ready - I have bought a new scarf and beanie, so teamed with my down-filled coat and fleece lined snow boots, I am hoping I will be warm enough. Here is what I'm going to look like!
Yes, I will look like an eskimo. But so will everyone. At the moment in Beijing it is -10, and not that painful, so fingers crossed -25 isn't too bad. Ha... wishful thinking! Also mind the mess in my room - I'm half packed.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
I... AM... FINISHED!!!
I have officially finished my year of study - which also means I have finished my degree! All I have to do is send ANU my results from this year, and I can graduate.
My last exam was on Friday - Listening Comprehension. It was quite easy, so I am quite confident I passed everything. I now know two of my results - the 90-something for Character Knowledge, and 88 for my Reading Comprehension (Sorry Mum, I told you the wrong mark). So my final end of year mark for Reading Comprehension is 77, because my mid-semester mark wasn't that great.
Anyway, after our final exam, Andri, Candra, Olly and I went to Yong'anli to go shopping for winter warmth. We spent nearly two hours there, and we came out with pairs of wool-lined snow boots (apart from Olly because he has clown sized feet), and big warm coats. It took us over an hour to get the price of the boots down from 320 to 120 - $20 seems very decent. I got a knee-length down-filled coat that is almost too warm for Beijing - I can wear just a t-shirt underneath and be warm enough. At one of the stores, they had the most fabulous motorcycle helmet, so Olly and I posed:
We then went to Guomao, as Andri wanted to discuss a possible party - to cut a long story short, the manager at LV (Louis Vuitton) offered Andri the use of their conference/party room as a goodbye present for him! So we went and had a chat to Andri's SA (Sales Assistant), before catching a taxi home.
Then... the celebration began! Olly and I met up at Lush, Wudaokou's premier night spot for some dinner (wedges with sweet chilli sauce and sour cream - I've been dreaming of them ever since I left Australia, and I only find them now!), some bourbon, and some live music. Rich, the guy playing guitar demanded people request songs - so in one of his breaks I went up and asked for anything Aussie - and turns out he is Aussie! And from Melbourne no less! We had a bit of a chat about home, and then he dedicated 'Land Down Under' to me! Many bourbons ensued, we made some new friends (actually a lot of new friends!), then we headed to Nan Jie - a nightclub just near Sanlitun for more drinks and more dancing - THEN we headed to Bar Blu for more drinks/dancing. We finally made it home at about 5am, ending what was then a 12 hour celebration. Needless to say, I spend the entirety of Saturday in bed.
Rich the Melbournian
My last exam was on Friday - Listening Comprehension. It was quite easy, so I am quite confident I passed everything. I now know two of my results - the 90-something for Character Knowledge, and 88 for my Reading Comprehension (Sorry Mum, I told you the wrong mark). So my final end of year mark for Reading Comprehension is 77, because my mid-semester mark wasn't that great.
Anyway, after our final exam, Andri, Candra, Olly and I went to Yong'anli to go shopping for winter warmth. We spent nearly two hours there, and we came out with pairs of wool-lined snow boots (apart from Olly because he has clown sized feet), and big warm coats. It took us over an hour to get the price of the boots down from 320 to 120 - $20 seems very decent. I got a knee-length down-filled coat that is almost too warm for Beijing - I can wear just a t-shirt underneath and be warm enough. At one of the stores, they had the most fabulous motorcycle helmet, so Olly and I posed:
We then went to Guomao, as Andri wanted to discuss a possible party - to cut a long story short, the manager at LV (Louis Vuitton) offered Andri the use of their conference/party room as a goodbye present for him! So we went and had a chat to Andri's SA (Sales Assistant), before catching a taxi home.
Then... the celebration began! Olly and I met up at Lush, Wudaokou's premier night spot for some dinner (wedges with sweet chilli sauce and sour cream - I've been dreaming of them ever since I left Australia, and I only find them now!), some bourbon, and some live music. Rich, the guy playing guitar demanded people request songs - so in one of his breaks I went up and asked for anything Aussie - and turns out he is Aussie! And from Melbourne no less! We had a bit of a chat about home, and then he dedicated 'Land Down Under' to me! Many bourbons ensued, we made some new friends (actually a lot of new friends!), then we headed to Nan Jie - a nightclub just near Sanlitun for more drinks and more dancing - THEN we headed to Bar Blu for more drinks/dancing. We finally made it home at about 5am, ending what was then a 12 hour celebration. Needless to say, I spend the entirety of Saturday in bed.
Rich the Melbournian
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
There's a dead chicken in my dinner!
It turns out when you order roast chicken for dinner in China, you really get everything. I was not really paying attention, just watching some South Park and eating my dinner, when I picked up the head and bit into it. It was so nasty I took a photo of it for you all to enjoy. So enjoy:
Well, I am only two days or two and a half hours away from post-exam bliss! Today I had my oral exam, which I am quietly confident about. My teacher says I did quite well in the Character Knowledge exam - at least over 90! That will be my best mark for the semester I think. Now I only have Reading Comprehension tomorrow, and Listening the day after, then I'm FREEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Also, it turns out we are only going to Ha'erbin for four days now instead of five, as the five day tour included a day of skiing, which none of us want to do.
10 days til I leave Beijing!!
Well, I am only two days or two and a half hours away from post-exam bliss! Today I had my oral exam, which I am quietly confident about. My teacher says I did quite well in the Character Knowledge exam - at least over 90! That will be my best mark for the semester I think. Now I only have Reading Comprehension tomorrow, and Listening the day after, then I'm FREEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Also, it turns out we are only going to Ha'erbin for four days now instead of five, as the five day tour included a day of skiing, which none of us want to do.
10 days til I leave Beijing!!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
I wish I was asleep...
It's 2am and I only have 6 hours until my exam starts - I should be either studying, or safely tucked into bed, but I am doing neither. Why, you may ask? Because I am the queen of procrastination. Thus this useless 2am blog.
I had my first exam today (well, technically yesterday now). The only exam I had really put any effort into up until 6 hours ago. The class was 汉字知识 (Character Knowledge) - and I think the exam went smashingly. As usual, it appears I overstudied for the exam, and I probably could have passed even without opening the text book. So I'm confident I will score at least an 80/85 for that exam, something in the 90s would be fab.
Post exam - I slept. I only slept three hours on Sunday night, and I must have looked terrible at the exam, because everybody commented on how well rested I didn't look. So Monday arvo I slept for 7 hours. This worked out well because a) I love an afternoon siesta, and b) I should be able to stay awake right through until after my Tuesday exam.
So I guess I had better get back to my study... I have three more lessons to summarise, and then I need to memorise lots and lots of example sentences, all the while refraining from such temptations as eBay and Facebook. I think it's time for another 红牛 (Red Bull).
11 days til I leave Beijing!!!!
I had my first exam today (well, technically yesterday now). The only exam I had really put any effort into up until 6 hours ago. The class was 汉字知识 (Character Knowledge) - and I think the exam went smashingly. As usual, it appears I overstudied for the exam, and I probably could have passed even without opening the text book. So I'm confident I will score at least an 80/85 for that exam, something in the 90s would be fab.
Post exam - I slept. I only slept three hours on Sunday night, and I must have looked terrible at the exam, because everybody commented on how well rested I didn't look. So Monday arvo I slept for 7 hours. This worked out well because a) I love an afternoon siesta, and b) I should be able to stay awake right through until after my Tuesday exam.
So I guess I had better get back to my study... I have three more lessons to summarise, and then I need to memorise lots and lots of example sentences, all the while refraining from such temptations as eBay and Facebook. I think it's time for another 红牛 (Red Bull).
11 days til I leave Beijing!!!!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
新年快乐 and 哈尔滨 (Happy New Year) and (Harbin)
Happy New Year everyone! And Happy Birthday Nan and Bronwyn! What did I do to welcome in the New Year? Why, I studied, and then watched Pulp Fiction, of course! The exam period is nearly upon us - only 2 days of class left (6 hours, not that I'm counting) and then exams start on Monday.
Now, for the exciting news! I'm going to 哈尔滨 (Hā'ěrbīn in Pinyin, Harbin in English). It is China's most northern major city, located about 10 hours north of Beijing by train. Every winter, starting on January 5th, they hold their annual Ha'erbin Ice Festival for around three months. Here is a lil map to show you where Ha'erbin is (spelt Harbin here):
The reason they can have a three month ice festival is because it's bloody cold! January's average high temperature -14℃, and the average low is -26℃, but it can get down to -38℃. At what point is frostbite a possibility? In fact, the temperature is below 0℃ for six months of the year. That must be depressing.
Anyway, eight or nine of my classmates and I are stupid enough to want to go! We're going on a five day tour, leaving on the 14th of January, returning on the 19th - just in time for me to warm up in what will be a blistering Beijing winter, before flying out on the 20th to Bangkok. I normally wouldn't go to such a cold place, because the cold in Beijing is enough for me, but it is so cheap! For five days, hard sleeper train, meals, accommodation and entry tickets (so basically everything included) - less than AU$200! I couldn't really turn that down - I spend almost double that on a pair of jeans.
I don't have a copy of the itinerary yet - I only decided a few hours ago (read: asked mum if it was ok to go), but tomorrow one of the guys in my class is bringing it along hopefully.
And so you get an idea of what we will be seeing, here are a few pictures:
Also, there is a fabulous website by an author/photographer, with lots of great pictures, but I cannot link to them for copyright reasons. So here is the address - take a squiz - it looks fabulously tacky! (Click on the years below)
2003
2005
2007
I will post our itinerary when I get it! Oh, and for those who are interested who is going - Andri, Candra, Nalisha (Candra's girlfriend - she's from one of the -stan countries, possibly Kyrgyzstan, I can never quite remember - so it'll probably quite pleasant for her), Hokky, Vivi, Heru... and I'm sure who else. It'll be quite the Indo trip though!
Now, for the exciting news! I'm going to 哈尔滨 (Hā'ěrbīn in Pinyin, Harbin in English). It is China's most northern major city, located about 10 hours north of Beijing by train. Every winter, starting on January 5th, they hold their annual Ha'erbin Ice Festival for around three months. Here is a lil map to show you where Ha'erbin is (spelt Harbin here):
The reason they can have a three month ice festival is because it's bloody cold! January's average high temperature -14℃, and the average low is -26℃, but it can get down to -38℃. At what point is frostbite a possibility? In fact, the temperature is below 0℃ for six months of the year. That must be depressing.
Anyway, eight or nine of my classmates and I are stupid enough to want to go! We're going on a five day tour, leaving on the 14th of January, returning on the 19th - just in time for me to warm up in what will be a blistering Beijing winter, before flying out on the 20th to Bangkok. I normally wouldn't go to such a cold place, because the cold in Beijing is enough for me, but it is so cheap! For five days, hard sleeper train, meals, accommodation and entry tickets (so basically everything included) - less than AU$200! I couldn't really turn that down - I spend almost double that on a pair of jeans.
I don't have a copy of the itinerary yet - I only decided a few hours ago (read: asked mum if it was ok to go), but tomorrow one of the guys in my class is bringing it along hopefully.
And so you get an idea of what we will be seeing, here are a few pictures:
Also, there is a fabulous website by an author/photographer, with lots of great pictures, but I cannot link to them for copyright reasons. So here is the address - take a squiz - it looks fabulously tacky! (Click on the years below)
2003
2005
2007
I will post our itinerary when I get it! Oh, and for those who are interested who is going - Andri, Candra, Nalisha (Candra's girlfriend - she's from one of the -stan countries, possibly Kyrgyzstan, I can never quite remember - so it'll probably quite pleasant for her), Hokky, Vivi, Heru... and I'm sure who else. It'll be quite the Indo trip though!
Friday, December 28, 2007
Our Boxing Day Bash
Merry Christmas everyone. I'm saying that rather half-heartedly, because it doesn't feel anything like Christmas. For starters, it's about 30 degrees too cold, and I'm at uni all week. But we did manage to squeeze in a little get-together on Boxing Day night at Fabien and Christelle's apartment.
For dinner, we had handmade dumplings (most of which fell apart when cooked), pasta, Beijing duck, cheese and bread, and chocolate fondue. Unfortunately, I was feeling really ill (my eyes were hurting - I didn't quite understand why until the following day when I couldn't open them for the blinding pain - my first migraine!) so I left before the chocolate fondue. Anyway, a couple of pictures:
Fabien's chocolate collection - his excuse? He's Swiss.
Christelle in the kitchen.
And IT SNOWED AGAIN! But not at all exciting this time, because a) it only snowed a tad, and b) it snowed during the night... Most of it had melted by mid afternoon again. At least now the eerie mist has lifted again.
I'm home in 25 days!
For dinner, we had handmade dumplings (most of which fell apart when cooked), pasta, Beijing duck, cheese and bread, and chocolate fondue. Unfortunately, I was feeling really ill (my eyes were hurting - I didn't quite understand why until the following day when I couldn't open them for the blinding pain - my first migraine!) so I left before the chocolate fondue. Anyway, a couple of pictures:
Fabien's chocolate collection - his excuse? He's Swiss.
Christelle in the kitchen.
And IT SNOWED AGAIN! But not at all exciting this time, because a) it only snowed a tad, and b) it snowed during the night... Most of it had melted by mid afternoon again. At least now the eerie mist has lifted again.
I'm home in 25 days!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Hooters (yes, exactly what you're thinking)
On Saturday, a number of my classmates and myself sat the HSK exams - HSK stands for 汉语水平考试, and is a proficiency test for Mandarin. The only reason we sat it was because it was free - normally you have to pay around 5-600元, but they'd recently made some changes so we were able to sit it for free. It was split into two sections, and in total went for nearly 5 hours.
There is nothing quite like getting up at 7am on a Saturday to sit an exam that isn't even compulsory. It really takes something out of you. So... we went to Hooters. Now, for those that aren't aware of Hooters, it is an American institution comprising of meat, beer and buxom girls is little clothing. And a Hooters had recently opened in Beijing, so we thought it was the perfect place to celebrate a job well done on the HSK.
The food was great, service was very enthusiastic, and the entertainment... entertaining. Our waitress was a girl called Cice (pronounced C-C). I had the chicken caesar salad, which I was very excited about. We also ordered for the table 50 chicken wings, which we hardly made a dent in. Every half an hour the girls do a little dance in the aisles. Very entertaining. We even told them it was Hokky's birthday, and they made him get up on a stool while they sang Happy Birthday and embarrassed the hell out of him.
From left - me, Yumin (Chinese), Mega, Olly, Candy, Andri, Devi (Indo), Candra, Hokky (Indo)
All the girls in the place!
There is nothing quite like getting up at 7am on a Saturday to sit an exam that isn't even compulsory. It really takes something out of you. So... we went to Hooters. Now, for those that aren't aware of Hooters, it is an American institution comprising of meat, beer and buxom girls is little clothing. And a Hooters had recently opened in Beijing, so we thought it was the perfect place to celebrate a job well done on the HSK.
The food was great, service was very enthusiastic, and the entertainment... entertaining. Our waitress was a girl called Cice (pronounced C-C). I had the chicken caesar salad, which I was very excited about. We also ordered for the table 50 chicken wings, which we hardly made a dent in. Every half an hour the girls do a little dance in the aisles. Very entertaining. We even told them it was Hokky's birthday, and they made him get up on a stool while they sang Happy Birthday and embarrassed the hell out of him.
From left - me, Yumin (Chinese), Mega, Olly, Candy, Andri, Devi (Indo), Candra, Hokky (Indo)
All the girls in the place!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
That's right - it snowed! (A few days ago). I would have blogged sooner to post photos, but I was unfortunately sick in bed with a feisty hangover that day, and my camera is out of batteries so I had to wait until one of my friends posted their pictures online! I am sneaky like that. And well, I kill two birds with one stone, because this picture is practically an entire class photo.
13 of the 18 people in that photo are Indonesian... Not surprisingly, my Indonesian has improved dramatically this semester. Our 'listening class' teacher is the lady in the middle, with the pink handbag.
Unfortunately, the snow melted almost entirely the same day. But I'm hoping for a pretty heavy downfall between now and Christmas so I will get my first white Christmas!
13 of the 18 people in that photo are Indonesian... Not surprisingly, my Indonesian has improved dramatically this semester. Our 'listening class' teacher is the lady in the middle, with the pink handbag.
Unfortunately, the snow melted almost entirely the same day. But I'm hoping for a pretty heavy downfall between now and Christmas so I will get my first white Christmas!
Friday, December 7, 2007
I ate meat with a knife and fork!
Yes, yes, very exciting. Today is/was Christelle's birthday - she's a Canadian/French girl (Quebec actually). So we all headed out to a relatively fancy restaurant called Annies for eats - what particularly interested us was their chocolate fondue (but more on that later).
I ordered the New Zealand rock of lamb with vegies, and oh my.... it was FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC. I took a photo, but it's only on my phone so you'll have to wait until I return home to see (which I'm sure you all shall). Watching Horacio trying to eat with a knife and fork was hilarious... The poor tyke could hardly cut his chops, but I'm sure with a set of chopsticks he could have worked wonders. For dessert, Mega and I split a cheesecake, and also had chocolate fondue. Chocolate fondue was clearly created on by God on the seventh day... It combines the decadence of chocolate with the goodness of fruit - a tad like the goodness of a crab, in the convenience of a stick (Dave Hughes fans will know what I mean, in reference to the fantastic-ness (yes, it's a word) of fish'n'chip shop crab sticks).
After dinner, Mega, Olly, Xavier and I headed to Club 13 - a club near university that I've been trying, unsuccessfully, for months to drag people to, but nobody is ever interested, primarily because the club specialises in metal, heavy metal and death metal. Tonight was a tribute to Dimebag Darrell - the lead singer of Pantera who was shot and killed at one of his concerts. It was really odd to see Chinese guys with dreads rockin' out to metal music, but lots of fun. And I am very glad I finally got some people to Club 13 - they all loved it so hopefully we'll get the chance to go back before I leave (tomorrow night is a Sgt. Peppers tribute night, so fingers crossed).
42 days to go, and 80 hours of class to go! Photos to come soon!
I ordered the New Zealand rock of lamb with vegies, and oh my.... it was FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC. I took a photo, but it's only on my phone so you'll have to wait until I return home to see (which I'm sure you all shall). Watching Horacio trying to eat with a knife and fork was hilarious... The poor tyke could hardly cut his chops, but I'm sure with a set of chopsticks he could have worked wonders. For dessert, Mega and I split a cheesecake, and also had chocolate fondue. Chocolate fondue was clearly created on by God on the seventh day... It combines the decadence of chocolate with the goodness of fruit - a tad like the goodness of a crab, in the convenience of a stick (Dave Hughes fans will know what I mean, in reference to the fantastic-ness (yes, it's a word) of fish'n'chip shop crab sticks).
After dinner, Mega, Olly, Xavier and I headed to Club 13 - a club near university that I've been trying, unsuccessfully, for months to drag people to, but nobody is ever interested, primarily because the club specialises in metal, heavy metal and death metal. Tonight was a tribute to Dimebag Darrell - the lead singer of Pantera who was shot and killed at one of his concerts. It was really odd to see Chinese guys with dreads rockin' out to metal music, but lots of fun. And I am very glad I finally got some people to Club 13 - they all loved it so hopefully we'll get the chance to go back before I leave (tomorrow night is a Sgt. Peppers tribute night, so fingers crossed).
42 days to go, and 80 hours of class to go! Photos to come soon!
Friday, November 23, 2007
Dad, why did they build the Great Wall of China?
My friend sent me this, and I had to post it. Dazza, eat ya heart out!
(Click on the picture to make it bigger)
(Click on the picture to make it bigger)
Monday, November 19, 2007
Syndication
On the weekend just passed, Candy, Mega, Yumin and I headed to a dnb party (drum'n bass - it's a style of music) and I've got some pictures to share! The party wasn't overly fabulous, but the music was great, the drinks relatively cheap and the bourbon a-plenty.
Another exciting thing to point out - this was our first time catching the brand new subway line - Line 5. If any of you have been to Beijing in recent years, you may know that there were 3 subway lines - 1, 2, and 13. Yes, Chinese people cannot count. Or they're just quite ahead of themselves. Well, finally we have our Line 5, and it is gorgeous! The inside of the station looks like a museum, it is clean and colourful and very modern. It's so nice, we didn't want to leave.
You may notice that Candy is absent from all the pictures - she is highly allergic to cameras.
Another exciting thing to point out - this was our first time catching the brand new subway line - Line 5. If any of you have been to Beijing in recent years, you may know that there were 3 subway lines - 1, 2, and 13. Yes, Chinese people cannot count. Or they're just quite ahead of themselves. Well, finally we have our Line 5, and it is gorgeous! The inside of the station looks like a museum, it is clean and colourful and very modern. It's so nice, we didn't want to leave.
You may notice that Candy is absent from all the pictures - she is highly allergic to cameras.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Chh-chh-chh-chilly!
Just a quick message - it's cold. Really cold. It was meant to snow today, but it hasn't so far and I'm disappointed. It snowed a tad two days ago, but nothing spectacular. Most nights are below zero now, and during the day it struggles to get above 10. I have also learnt that it is near impossible to blow your nose when both your hands and your nose are numb - I may have broken my nose in the process, I'm not too sure.
That's about all the news I have really. My daily routine is so boring and monotonous now - wake up, class, lunch, return home, do homework, eat dinner, watch tv/movie, sleep. Except for weekends when all I do is sleep, eat and watch tv.
UPDATE - 65 days til I leave, 67 days til I'm eating a Banno Pub parma.
That's about all the news I have really. My daily routine is so boring and monotonous now - wake up, class, lunch, return home, do homework, eat dinner, watch tv/movie, sleep. Except for weekends when all I do is sleep, eat and watch tv.
UPDATE - 65 days til I leave, 67 days til I'm eating a Banno Pub parma.
Monday, November 12, 2007
我通过了 (I passed!)
Yes, it shocks me as much as it shocks you! Considering the *cough* mammoth *cough* effort I put in in the lead-up to my exams, I was very surprised to find out this morning that I had passed every single class! Well, the only shock was my reading exam mark. Everybody found the exam harder than performing DIY surgery, and I was one of the lucky ones who just scraped through with a pass. Anyway, my results are as follows:
Normal class - 82
Oral - 83
Listening - 78
Reading - 67
For comparison, a 60 (out of 100) is the minimum mark to pass the course. And for further comparison, anything higher than 80 in Australia is a High Distinction. So I'd like to think that I received two HDs, one D (distinction) and a C (credit).
Needless to say, I think I'll be putting in a tad more effort for the final exams... I might even get the double figures in terms of hours spent studying!
And for those of you who miss me, I'll be back in Australia in exactly 70 days. Better start counting down!
Normal class - 82
Oral - 83
Listening - 78
Reading - 67
For comparison, a 60 (out of 100) is the minimum mark to pass the course. And for further comparison, anything higher than 80 in Australia is a High Distinction. So I'd like to think that I received two HDs, one D (distinction) and a C (credit).
Needless to say, I think I'll be putting in a tad more effort for the final exams... I might even get the double figures in terms of hours spent studying!
And for those of you who miss me, I'll be back in Australia in exactly 70 days. Better start counting down!
Saturday, November 3, 2007
76 days to go
Have I officially caught up on my blogging? I think/hope so! I guess I had better actually write something instead of just posting pictures, and let you know what I'm up to at the moment.
I'm just about half way through this semester - we have mid-semester exams next week which I should be studying for right now (but there's always tomorrow). I think I am finally beginning to like my teacher, or perhaps just hate him less, I'm not sure.
I have some more news to report.
- I successfully completed a Star Wars marathon (13 hours of telly was really a struggle, but I pulled through)... Next weekend we're doing either the Indiana Jones marathon, or the Bourne marathon, which at a measly three movies each will be a walk in the park compared to the six Star Wars episodes.
- (Something my parents may not be so proud of) I drank a whole bottle of bourbon in one sitting. My new classmate Olly (British) threw a hat party a few weekends ago, but I don't really remember much. Good times.
- I have been sick in the past week, so I've been cracking open the snake bile cough medicine. Yes, I even googled it - it is made from the bile of a poisonous cobra, and two random Chinese plants. It tastes and has the consistency of honey, and does the trick, so I'll be bringing a jar home. If you're game, you're more than welcome to try!
- My room has heating! This may not be big news, but for a while I was quite worried I would freeze to death in my room during the upcoming winter like my poor guinea pig. But in the last few days, they have definitely turned the heating on. Apparently the heating system is under the floor, because the tiles are very toasty to walk on. I only realised when I sat down on the floor to clean out the fridge.
- Which brings me to my next point. The weather is lovely! Maximum temperatures of around 10 - 15 at the moment, with the overnight temp occasionally dropping below 0. Also, the sky of late has been blue more often than not. Pity it wont stay like this for long. I wouldn't mind snow for Christmas though.
- Which brings me to my NEXT point (and I want sympathy here) - I have scheduled class all through the holiday period. Oh yes, that involves all the good days - Xmas Eve, Xmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Eve AND New Years Day. Almost everyone I know is already planning on skipping those days, but I cannot afford to miss too many more days thanks to already missing a few classes due to being ill, so I'll probably be the one student in class on those days.
I guess that's it. It's really getting down to the final weeks of my stay, and I've started a countdown on Facebook (a website like Myspace for those out of the loop). As of today, I have only 76 days left in Beijing! I can almost taste the Banno Pub parma!
I'm just about half way through this semester - we have mid-semester exams next week which I should be studying for right now (but there's always tomorrow). I think I am finally beginning to like my teacher, or perhaps just hate him less, I'm not sure.
I have some more news to report.
- I successfully completed a Star Wars marathon (13 hours of telly was really a struggle, but I pulled through)... Next weekend we're doing either the Indiana Jones marathon, or the Bourne marathon, which at a measly three movies each will be a walk in the park compared to the six Star Wars episodes.
- (Something my parents may not be so proud of) I drank a whole bottle of bourbon in one sitting. My new classmate Olly (British) threw a hat party a few weekends ago, but I don't really remember much. Good times.
- I have been sick in the past week, so I've been cracking open the snake bile cough medicine. Yes, I even googled it - it is made from the bile of a poisonous cobra, and two random Chinese plants. It tastes and has the consistency of honey, and does the trick, so I'll be bringing a jar home. If you're game, you're more than welcome to try!
- My room has heating! This may not be big news, but for a while I was quite worried I would freeze to death in my room during the upcoming winter like my poor guinea pig. But in the last few days, they have definitely turned the heating on. Apparently the heating system is under the floor, because the tiles are very toasty to walk on. I only realised when I sat down on the floor to clean out the fridge.
- Which brings me to my next point. The weather is lovely! Maximum temperatures of around 10 - 15 at the moment, with the overnight temp occasionally dropping below 0. Also, the sky of late has been blue more often than not. Pity it wont stay like this for long. I wouldn't mind snow for Christmas though.
- Which brings me to my NEXT point (and I want sympathy here) - I have scheduled class all through the holiday period. Oh yes, that involves all the good days - Xmas Eve, Xmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Eve AND New Years Day. Almost everyone I know is already planning on skipping those days, but I cannot afford to miss too many more days thanks to already missing a few classes due to being ill, so I'll probably be the one student in class on those days.
I guess that's it. It's really getting down to the final weeks of my stay, and I've started a countdown on Facebook (a website like Myspace for those out of the loop). As of today, I have only 76 days left in Beijing! I can almost taste the Banno Pub parma!
桂林山水甲天下 - Guilin
I am finally catching up on my blog - it's only taken a few months. So, our next installment is Guilin - a relatively small town (1.3 million) in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. We were there during the hottest part of the year, so it was quite like spending 3 days in a sauna.
(Again, I apologise but my memory is a little foggy, so it's going to be mostly pictures - Dad did apparently keep a little journal, but it's not exactly nearby for me to use).
Fubo Hill - this was right outside our motel
Moon Hill
Two pagodas in the centre of town
Reed Flute Cave
We took an all-day tour to Yangshuo, a nearby town about an hour away by road, but we sailed up the Lijiang river. The first picture is the scene printed on the 20元 notes, which our very excitable tour guide kept reminding us.
Downtown Yangshuo
The grandaddy of all trees
Our little boat ride - with Dad doing the audience participation bit
Dad catching a strain of the Avian flu
More downtown Yangshuo
(Again, I apologise but my memory is a little foggy, so it's going to be mostly pictures - Dad did apparently keep a little journal, but it's not exactly nearby for me to use).
Fubo Hill - this was right outside our motel
Moon Hill
Two pagodas in the centre of town
Reed Flute Cave
We took an all-day tour to Yangshuo, a nearby town about an hour away by road, but we sailed up the Lijiang river. The first picture is the scene printed on the 20元 notes, which our very excitable tour guide kept reminding us.
Downtown Yangshuo
The grandaddy of all trees
Our little boat ride - with Dad doing the audience participation bit
Dad catching a strain of the Avian flu
More downtown Yangshuo
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