Shanghai Knights

Sayonara, Shanghai

2010-09-28T03:31:00.000+08:00

Hey guys,

The student leaders have been caught up with the trip preparations, and hence I haven't got the chance to blog. I'm so excited to go back home, but this few days has been quite an experience.

All that field trip would go to waste if we fail to find any meaning in them, and I think learning something isn't too hard to find.

As I scroll through my pictures, I feel as though I've seen so much and honestly, I wouldn't be the same when I go back to Singapore. All the things I've been through in this trip made me think of a lot of things, and i am very sure I am not the only one who thinks this way.

We had some reflection today, and we all got so appreciative for our home. Everything i took for granted, only in their absence do you realise dependent on them. The water, the technology, there's just too many to list. Knowing this is one thing, remembering and acting on it is another.

Don't get me wrong, China is a great place, some of us shared how much it has changed for the better. But there's something about home I still prefer. China may not to be my liking, but hey I'm glad I was here to see all this.

I had fun, I had time to play and shop (maybe not enough, haha) and I got time to interact and look at China. Seeing the world always shape our perspectives, and I think that is what it's doing for me right now. I have a lot on my mind, I honestly don't know what to say here. But, I just want to say that it has been a fruitful trip.

I guess the impetus of my thoughts today was the moving statement Haojie made about us being the next generation for our nation, and went on saying about how are we going to take up that helm. I actually thought about it during this trip, and i feel that many of us still have a long way to go, even for me.

A lot of us need to grow up, you know expand our horizon, learn to do more and stretch ourselves. We have to start doing some thing worth while, and invest time in things more worthy.

That is my burden as I spent the last few days in the trip. As we see all the great stuff happening to us, I just notice that there is some characteristics we share that holds us back, limiting us from our potential. I hope we find an answer to that one day, and I believe it is a team effort.

What I mean is I have truly see how Singapore became such a fantastic country, and what it is being compared to and truly appreciate it, and while i saw that i see my peers, Singaporeans of tomorrow view it and I feel we can do better. We have done well, but still can do even more.

I never thought Shanghai would do this for me, bu hey I'm glad through all that experience I took home some thing personal for me. Good night Shanghai, thanks for everything.

Jerome

Shanghai Study Trip- Day 2(Singapore Pavilion)

2010-09-25T08:32:00.000+08:00

The day starts off with a routine wakeup call from my roommate Nabil at 7am. I was so reluctant to get up, however thinking about the breakfast; I dragged myself out of the bed and took a shower.

After breakfast, all of us moved out of our hotel to start on our very first adventure of the day... For Team B(my team), we were attached to the Singapore pavilion and basically our objective were to learn how the pavilion actually works and how the management team controls the amount of crowd that goes in and out of the pavilion. (By right we were supposed to reach the pavilion by 10.30am, however due to some unforeseen circumstances, we were late and we reached at around 11.15am. Fortunately, it was not serious and everything else went as according to plan)J

Upon reaching the pavilion, we were taken on a tour around it by a staff. We first visited the second floor which was the theatre room where we actually sat and enjoyed a 7minute music video clip featuring Singapore as a whole. I really enjoyed myself as i felt that it was an interesting and meaningful video about how Singapore has developed and became such a modernized country from just a plain island with limited resources.

After that, we were taken to the rooftop garden where there were a wide variety of plants found in Singapore. I was so amazed by it as i never expected there’d be a garden on the rooftop. What’s special about these plants is that they were flown all the way from Singapore, to the pavilion in China. My team and I had a whale of our time there taking pictures of all the exotic and beautiful plant species. It was definitely a eye-catching tour! J

Lastly, we then moved to the first floor of the pavilion whereby it showcases different types of areas which makes up Singapore such as the environment and culture and food. There were displays of the different ethnic costumes found in Singapore. Also, there were galleries which showcases the local food of Singapore such as the famous chilli crab, chicken rice, and also it showcases infrastructures of Singapore and tourist attraction sites such as The Marina Bay Sands, etc..

All in all, i found the tour around the Singapore pavilion to be really interesting and educational, and after the tour, i felt extremely proud to be called a SINGAPOREAN! J

Peace,

Jeremy.

2010-09-25T02:39:00.000+08:00

Exhausted is the word.

This picture depicts how tired all of us are right now. In fact, this picture was a candid picture, we didn’t pose for it!

But today, was probably the most rewarding, interesting, interactive experience most of us had.

We started off the day experiencing public transport in Singapore, which, is not very different. In fact, it is almost just like Singapore! From the way the stations were built, to the interior of the train, it is really similar to Singapore’s SMRT.

The ticket machine! Just like Singapore's!

Train tickets, exactly the same as the ones Singapore used a few years ago before EZ Link Cards were created!

Then we proceeded to the Gallery Suites owned by CTC Travel Agency. It is a boutique hotel and won best boutique hotel in 2010. I have to say that it is really pretty much different from the hotels that we usually stay in. The lightings, furniture and building design, is really unique. Look at how vintage their telephone looks like and how mini their mini-fridge is!! I would definitely love to stay in this hotel once one day.

After that....................

We FINALLY managed to experience and practice the art of BARGAINING!! It is really something we hardly get to experience in Singapore, in fact, never at all. I guess to many of us, the shopping was the highlight of the day. Everything is soooo cheap!!

We visited Cheng Huang Miao today as well. My friends and I tried the different delicacies Shanghai had to offer. This, the “Tang Bao”, is stuffed with soup! After that, we tried Fried Crab in Pepper! Apparently, the people in China eat every single bit of the shell as well!!

Had dinner at the Yu Shanghai, the theatre show was really interesting! The acrobats were really impressive, from the way they did their splits and somersaults, everyone was simply stunned!

Went to the bund after dinner and show, many many many pictures were taken! It is such a romantic and nice place to chill!

Going back to the expo tomorrow, our last and final day at the EXPO, I’d better cherish every moment I have inside it tomorrow so good night while I take a rest.

Second Thoughts

2010-09-24T03:43:00.001+08:00

Day 2 in Shanghai and I say, i am tired. So I decided that I'm going to "emo" and keep myself preoccupied in the Singapore pavilion today.

Little did I know today was a blast. Okay not that awesome yet, I mean it's only day 2, but it was pretty cool.

The first 2 groups were on shift at the Singapore pavilion today, and we honestly felt really proud of our pavilion. Find out about our pavilion here. To be honest, the write ups, photos and including this blog-post will be a huge understatement to the pavilion. You have to see it to believe it, or rather be here to truly accredit its worthiness.

These flowers are found on the roof garden, the leopard skin hybrid orchid(left), and the Scarlett Star (right).

The fauna I saw there impressed me. I know, there are flowers and trees, green everywhere at home, but really these flowers are amazing. (Credits to the Canon that I'm using, the photos I took actually looks decent. Haha.)

I am truly amazed at our country, and I strengthen my sentiment on appreciating Singapore more. I guess these things are just one of those reminders that make you realise the things you take for granted and appreciate them. You should read the other blogs to find out about the Singapore pavilion, there is just so much to talk about that is good!

For once in his life, Nabil is sooo cute, all the girls go "awwwwww" and everyone can't resist laughing at his gestures and snapping on the cam furiously. Hahaha I'm kidding. Here, Nabil is the "Little Durian Boy" (direct translated) the mascot for our nation's pavilion.

After a long day. We had some time at Nanjing road. We had a great time there, although I must say I am a little disappointed that I didn't get to buy much stuff. Nevertheless, I was really satisfied. I shan't say more, I shall let the pictures (guided by captions) do the talking.

Priority 2 in Shanghai. EAT XIAO LONG BAO (XLB). We were spamming XLB at some "restaurant" at Nanjing Road. AWESOMEXZXZXZ. (So aweome my outlandish expressions are released, seriously.)

I had Fauna, Fun, Food and to finish off today, I had a dash of FUNNY too.

Looking for a great shopping experience? Come to our local adaptations of Singapore Brands! Clio coddle (in contrast to Crocodile) and Plaza 353 (in contrast to Somerset 313). Click on the links to compare :)

Ahhh, the genius of brand associations, or not.

All right, that's all from me today, folks. Read the posts of my fellow student committees to find out more of the amazing stuff we're experiencing. Till tomorrow.

Jerome

China Pavillion-Day 2

2010-09-24T02:35:00.001+08:00

My day started off with a good breakfast at the hotel, most of the food I tried was nice. The pity part was I didn't have more time to enjoyed the food, thus I will wake up earlier for my breakfast tomorrow! (I should say later (>.<)

After our breakfast, we proceeded to the World Expo and the journey from our hotel to the Expo is about 1 hour. But we took more than an hour due to traffic jam and seriously traffic in China is really^10 dangerous. Though we took more than an hour to arrive at the Expo, the good thing is the queue to go into the Expo was rather short and efficient as most visitors will rush in early in the morning bout 8am plus, upon our arrival it's already about 10am plus.

Today, we were split into 2 group as one group will be helping out at the Singapore Pavilion and the other will visit the China Pavilion. My group were to visit the China Pavilion and we queued for approximately 2 hours to get into the Pavilion and WE WERE ALREADY AT THE PRIORITY QUEUE!!!! Can you imagine if we were to queue like normal visitors? The waiting time will be about 5 hours. (Look at the above picture, you will know how horrible is the queue!) But I have to say the time spent queueing for the Pavilion was worth what we get to see inside. On the 12 floor (yes you didn't see wrongly, I typed 12 floor and it's not a typo!) they show a video in the theatre of how China had developed thus far till the time of the World Expo. Another part worth mentioning about the pavilion was the tram ride, the tram went through tunnels which they project visual on the walls and tells us how their bridge had been developing. Overall the journey in the China Pavilion was a fruitful and interesting one and the view from there was awesome as it was tall enough to see the other pavilions.

After our China Pavilion, we went to Singapore Pavilion to meet the project managers that were the in-charge over there. They told us about how long they had been preparing for it and the whole pavilion was built from scratch! From the design to the construction of the pavilion. Oh and we met the mascot for our Singapore Pavilion, it has a durain head and a body with merlion on the stomach, (I'll share the picture if I am able to upload them.) it was actually quite cute and they said the mascot was very famous in the Expo. =)

Then, we proceeded to Nan Jing Road for dinner and shopping! (YAYY, everyone was so excited for shopping!) But in the end I didn't buy anything as there was no enough time. :( But my dinner was fun though the food is kind of horrible. We went in a group of 12 with 4 year 2s (including me) and 8 year 3s. We end up enjoying our chit chat way better than our food.

After dinner we proceeded back to hotel and THAT IT FOR THE DAY! =D

Bye bye and I need to complete my workbook before going to sleep. :/

-Li Ming

Guess who is inside the mascot? Answer reveal tomorrow!

Day 2- AHHH our legs!!!

2010-09-24T01:42:00.084+08:00

It is only Day 2 and our legs are already screaming 'HELP! We need a massage badly!!!'. It has been like a really long time since we walked so much. We may sound like we are exaggerating but I think we might have even covered 10km today. Looking on the bright side, all that distance covered was good because I bet we lost calories from all that snacking in Shanghai (the Sofie ice cream sold in the Expo is really delectable).

So for today, the 60 of us were divided into 2 groups. 1 went to the Singapore Pavilion for a detailed tour, and the other went to the China Pavilion. Our teams together with Li Ming and Nabil's were the ones who went to the much talked about China Pavilion where we queued for approximately 2 1/2 hours.

China Pavilion is as huge as it looks from the outside. And I must say we were impressed with the host country's pavilion. Not only was it magnificent looking on the outside, the interior was also nicely decorated and designed. Tell me, which other country have escalators and lifts in their pavilion?

There were a number of things to see inside. They explained how they have improved over the years through a video projected over 3 screens (right left and center) in a large theater, educate the public on ways they can help save the Earth (taking a private car causes more pollution than trains or buses), showcase the famous painting by a late emperor through animations (we were all fascinated by it and marveled at the efforts and skills that went into making the painting 'come to life') and even have a track car ride. If you ask me if it was worth the wait, I'd say definitely!

We were supposed to watch the night parade in Expo but somehow got the timing fixed up and missed the show. As a result, we headed to Nanjing Road for dinner and some shopping.

Nanjing Road is like Orchard Road which houses recognisable brands like Gucci, Guess, Giordano, Uniqlo, ZARA, MANGO, City Chain and the likes. Unfortunately, the prices there were about the same or a little pricey than Singapore's. We left empty handed because we did not see anything worth buying. At the moment. Haha! However, I have to add that we had wonderful crepes and ice cream at Hua Miao Shopping Centre (if I remembered correctly) Each cost 15RMB (approx. $3SGD)? Quite a bargain given the fact that the crepes in Singapore cost at most $7.

What we learnt about China today: Don't look down on them! Sharlene said in 5 years time, we might not be able to regconise Shanghai anymore due to the constant upgrading they are undergoing. I heard from our tour guide that it took them a year to complete an MRT line. That's how efficient they are! They currently have 13 MRT lines and we will experience taking the public transport soon but I'll leave that update to another day.

It's time to head to bed now and recharge for another long day tomorrow. Good night, or perhaps it's more apt to say GOOOOOOOOD MORNING! Hehe :p

PS: We would really love to post pictures and not bore you with a lengthy post but unfortunately we can't seem to host our pictures online. Will try to do so this week or when we get back to Singapore. For now, bear with us and check back frequently! :)

- Sharlene & Amanda

Day 2, adventure

2010-09-24T00:56:00.000+08:00

Tonight, I'm going to concentrate much about food. We all know how much of an importance of the food and berverage industry is to each country.

Starting with breakfast at the hotel's restaurant. Poridgge, Egg station, Pastries and bread, Sushi (??) was served, there you see that it's international; like the guests of the hotel.

Lunch was icecream and some Phillipino dessert. A few of us sneaked into the Phillipino pavillion ;) by a secret backdoor (It was a rather small pavillion with maybe almost equal amount of display artifacts and sales item). So about lunch, I asked one of the staff serving there, what was the dessert made of, as it tasted really familar yet I could not put a name to it. He was unsure and said he would check with the chef. Little did I know that, he came back with almost the recipie to making the dessert. That service impressed me very very much, afterall he has no obligation to come back to me at my table. They had live bands/performance playing constantly in the pavillion, intrustments ranges from electric painos to drums made of animal skin and hair.

Music + dessert = good combination however I would grade the overall experience a 10/10 even though the pavillion was small due to the unexpected service given by the staff.

Teabreak was a lamb sausage in the Australian pavillion, it was recommended and turned out really flavourful. Had it while watching a old black and white chinese film with accompany music for a 5 member instrumental band. (Aussie pavillion has this focus area of how Austrailia is made of many immigrants and that they have this sistery bond with China. Think Sydney and Shanghai being sisters)

Dinner was in a tiny shop at some alley at Nanjing Road. It was a gamble, for we doubted the hygiene in the shop and it was very crowded but none of us would want to have fastfood or other globalised restaurant for dinner. The main attraction of the shop was Xiao long baos!!! So we stayed and fought for a table that could hold 7 of us. (Cheryl, MeiYu, Jerome, Alexis, Jeremy & Yong Rui) Its really cheap though, 20 excellent xiao long baos, 1 plate of fried rice, 1 bowl of tiny wanton soup + 4 fried juicy meat bun = 74 RMB for 3 of us ( 5 SGD each)

Thats all for tonight; food! Yummy day today yea ;)

'Delora

Shocking Shanghai

2010-09-23T02:09:00.002+08:00

Wow. Little did I thought Shanghai would be like so. I was really taken a back today. Really, I wasn't prepared for the culture shock i experienced today, but even so, I had a memorable time in World Expo.

To be honest, I am looking forward to better food and a bath the entire day. All that made me think about how complacent and spoilt I am as a Singaporean and an individual, maybe its time for me to do some character adjustment. I also felt that I got to think about how to enjoy being in the MICE industry (will write more in my personal blog ).

Today while I got lost, I chance upon the Israel pavilion. Now the student leaders know how fond I am of this pavilion. So I became gutsy and decided to queue for it!

The Israel pavilion sign in Chinese, Japanese and English (left), The pavilion

shaped in a sea shell (top right) and the Whispering Gardens.

The central theme for the pavilion was on building better lives, in response to the slogan of World Expo 2010, better city, Better lives. I think this peace loving portrayal is a stark contrast of Israel's reputation on waging wars.

However, I am enthused by the fact that they are God-fearing. Even so, they have justified something so subjective called faith, with rational, factual ways of living it out, by creating better medical advances in technology and engineering.

In the Whispering gardens, there is a rock that is at the foot of the entrance. Many times in the Jewish faith, in the bible they show a rock being represented as a milestone ( like in Genesis 28, where Jacob uses a rock he named "Bethel" to signify Go's presence), and it suggest a humanly milestone. The whispering garden shows a suggestive biblical denotation of creation, and how this slowly leads to how Israel has done.

The "Cornerstone of the Israel pavilion(top left), A sign that says "Shalom" which means peace, seems to be a way to greet visitors, especially the ones from Shanghai as a way to show their gratitude for what Shanghai did for Israel in WW I (top right), and the Whispering gardens (bottom). Notice the speakers and spotlights in the garden facilitates a living. whispering fauna.

In the pavilion, Israel has shown its contribution to humankind with her history (worth about 30 plus centuries), her geniuses (Albert Einstein's e=mc squared original manuscripts were featured) and then its technological advances that help all of us, ending it with a technological display.

The original manuscripts expanding the famous "e = mc Squared" (Top) and the theater in pavilion that has node-looking screens for people with a central orb that looks like the Central processor(bottom).

Until now, this is the Israel pavilion, inspiring me that religion is still relevant in the age of science, that they show not seen as apart but as a driving force or a compliment of another appropriately. Kinda make us think that there is meaning in our life after all heh?

Jerome

First Day in Shanghai

2010-09-23T01:56:00.001+08:00

Today is our first day in Shanghai, yayyyyyyy!!!

I’ll start saying from when I’m on board of the plane, everyone was seated according to the order thus I wasn’t seating with my friends(not even one that I know was beside me!). Nevertheless, I got to know this two guys, at least know their names, Hao Jie and Peng Kiam. I believe you guys will think that the photo above is beautiful right! (unfortunately I can't upload the photos! :<) It was taken while I was on air, the sun had just rise and it’s the clouds underneath!

Next I shall share my experience at the pavilions, I visited the Coca-cola, Denmark and African pavilions.

The Coca-cola pavilion was AWESOME!!!!! We were introduced such a wonderful way to taste Coke! I bet no one had tried this before unless you visited the Coca-cola pavilion. Next up is the Denmark pavilion, I finally saw the Little Mermaid! Ever since we had stated our research on the pavilions I had be very interested to see this Little Mermaid Statue which Denmark bought all the way to Shanghai just for the World Expo. There was some surprise though as one tourist fell into the pool where the Little Mermaid was placed, it was a “real surprise” as no one was suppose to enter the pool and I remembered Jerome saw it and was laughing out really hard!

Overall it was a very tiring but wonderful day as we been to two most popular pavilions. And the best part is, we got priority so we don’t have to queue for long hours withstanding the strong wind. We have to really thank Mr Rama as he was the one who arranges the priority for us so we saved a lot of time. Of course, not forgetting the other three facilitators, Mrs Pillai, Miss Zarina and Miss Andrea who also accompanied us through the “hardship” today.

Okay I shall end here and go to bath! BYE.

-Li Ming

Day 1, war zone

2010-09-23T01:27:00.000+08:00

Day 1 in the Dragon City,

It’s a war zone in here. WAR ZONE

It was 8 around in the morning, you could see spirals of people “in line”. I could see the excitement of many Chinese nationals, when they see a stamping booth. I see that same excitement when the ferry is here to ship us to the another side of the shore ( Pudong and PuXi). People start pushing towards the start line and RUN towards the entrance of the ferry, it’s like the mad dash for the final limited edition hello kitty at MacDonald then, or maybe they are training for the Olympics.

Im Chinese, they are Chinese. But I think we culture shock each other. The way they look at me when I or my friends say thank you after they stamp my expo passport, it shows like this simple gesture never got to them.

...

Going on, I went to this joint African pavilion and the Demark pavilion and Coca Cola pavilion. All of them did not need me stand in line under the drizzle, due to the awesomeness of Mr Rama! The Coca Cola pavilion was small, but it delivered a strong punch. “ The way the hand us a bottle of coke with gloves and so, its like a price ceremony, and magic happened soon after that, my coke froze up a little inside. You so got to be there to know.

Denmark Pavillion made me want to retire there. I love the way they designed their pavilion, where by stranger interact with each other. An example would be on this fountain, people would have to jump on them together in order to make the water flow out. I also saw how people feel about Denmark. It’s love. One of them said: “Denmark is a land where we don’t pray very much, but that is ok, because we believe in each other” – Stine Spedsbjerg. I want to be in a country whereby the community know that everyone is different but they work together with one another to keep the flow of Denmark love going.

Alright, its been almost 36 hours without a proper sleep, GOOD night people. Need to prepare for the war tomrw!! ROARRR

‘Delora

IT'S IN A DAY!

2010-09-21T02:06:00.000+08:00

Right now, I'm feeling really excited! In fact, being excited is an understatement! I can't wait to be on the plane, travelling across the world with a bunch of great people to experience another wonderful country. Yeah, China may not be the top 10 list of "Must Visit Countries" but think about it, everything is MADE IN CHINA!

Anyway, really hope you guys are all ready and hyped about the trip! I guess for us, student leaders, it's really something we've been looking forward to, or rather, at least for me. After all the crazy hectic work that we've been through, this is it!! This is FINALLY IT! All the planning & trashy work done and now, for the real deal!

Can't wait to be on the plane (hopefully I get a seat next to the window), and then look out and enjoy the scenery. The clouds, the sky.. Man! What a beautiful sight! Can't wait to meet the exchange students, have a taste of what it's like studying in a different country, the different culture in China & all that.

Still quite bummed about being unable to catch the F1 :( but, I'm still glad I was given this opportunity to visit Shanghai almost for FREE!

Alright, enough said. See you guys tomorrow at Terminal 3! Get ready for lots of FUN, FOOD, SHOPPING AND SHOPPING AND SHOPPING! :D (& of course, EDUCATIONAL SITE SEEING! Teehee!)

Aeroplane by ~LullabyToParalyse

Love,
Cheryl

2010-09-20T17:48:00.004+08:00

Dear all, please note the changes in weather in Shanghai. Previously, it was said to hit a high of 33degress celsius and as of now, the predicted temperature is 25-17degrees. YAHOOOO! We won't have to queue/walk around in the immense heat. But that's beside the point. Do remember to pack a jacket and an umbrella, alright? :)

- Amanda

Enthusiasum

2010-09-20T02:03:00.001+08:00

Today, I am going to share about Enthusiasium.

I feel enthusiasium is the start of many things. It's like fuel to a vehicle, without fuel the car (ferrari) can't move whereas the another car (honda) who has lots of enthusiasium speds far ahead of it's counterpart.

This Shanghai study trip will be such a hands-on learning journey whereby much stuff has to be reflected by ourself, (unlike lessons in class, whereby the 6p will cover 90% of what we learn that day, where is that other 10% you may think, that 10% will be covered by students who go the extra mile and do more research, that is also powered by the need to know stuff, in other words, enthusiasium on that topic) for not everyone sees certain matter feel/learn the same amount from it.

However with enthusiasium like us, we are great sponges and will open our eyes, our brains and ears to absorb our surrounding and information. ( eg; from large scale exhitbition being held like Expo- we can learn about design, crowd control, security, location of ammentities, see sucessful pavillion and some not so sucessful pavillions and with enthusiasium juices flowing in us, we would want to make out why is it not sucessful and prevent it from happening in the future or about team dymamics or about how cultural difference segregats us )

PS, I feel good vibes/ good mindset from this group, good start yea ;)
PSS, Let's go spread our enthusiasum like a wild fire ppl.

Lights off,
Delora

First time to Shanghai and I want to try the FAMOUS Xiao Long Bao!

2010-09-20T01:00:00.001+08:00

It’s 12.54am now and I received a missed call from Delora at 9.15pm just now, I only realised and called back at 9.31pm. Below is our conversation.

Delora: “Li Ming! We are flying off tomorrow (Monday) rite?”

Me: “yes (without thinking). Eh, no it’s Tuesday not tomorrow!”

Delora: “Are you sure it’s not tomorrow?”

Me: “Yes, I confirmed it’s Tuesday, 21^st September!” (But I’m actually checking the calendar making sure I’m correct but I sounded confident) :P

Okay, end of the “funny” conversation and back to my main purpose for blogging. :)

It’s my first time to China and it’s also my first study trip and I believe my first time will turn out to be a good one as I’m going with my friends and friends-to-be (those who I’ve yet to know them), of course not forgetting our facilitators!

Initially I wasn’t really excited about the trip which I don’t know why when it’s my first time there. BUT, I’m really^5 excited now! HAHA, I guess it’s because I’m less than 2 days away from the trip. And I really look forward to the things and activities there in Shanghai, especially the World Expo which is one of our main purposes there as it’s a rare chance experiencing such a large scale event. I also look forward to eating the “Xiao Long Bao” there which I heard the Cheng Huang Miao one is really famous! So this will definitely be a fruitful trip as I get to gain experience and eat the renown Xiao Long Bao!

Okay, I shall end here and get started with packing my stuff.

Bye guys!

Li Ming =D

Shanghai, here comes me!!

2010-09-18T23:08:00.001+08:00

Yeah mannn! The long awaited DIEM Shanghai Study Trip is finally hereeeeee! Just 3 more days to go! Whoooo! :D so exicited man!

I still remember my very first overseas study trip which was back in Primary 4, it was a social studies trip to Bangkok, Thailand. (only 3 people from each class who scored the highest for their examinations were chosen to go.. *hint hints* ;) ) hahahaha! The most memorable part of that trip for me was when my friends dared me to eat some deep-fried insects.. or were they crickets… :S *yuck..* But, actually they dint turn out that bad as I expected, really! IKR... ;)

Personally for me, this is the second time I’ll be going to the HUGE majestic country of CHINA! The first time I went was back in the 1990’s.. (forgot the exact year though) It was a basically just a simple family trip and we went to visit some of the historical sites and stuff. Frankly speaking, it was so long ago that I seriously don’t remember anything much about what I did or went I visited. :S sorry~

Hm.. for this trip next week, eventhough it’s really more of a study trip instead of a leisure trip, I feel that I’ll really be able to enjoy myself, also going with such a huge group of lovely and beautiful people of SOH DIEM, it’ll confirm, definitely, no doubt, surely, did I mention definitely, be a BLAST! :D

Lets gear up for this exciting learning journey together!!

Peace.

-Jeremy

All my bags are packed I'm ready to go.

2010-09-18T16:00:00.003+08:00

image source

My heart is bursting with excitement because this is my first ever study trip! Imagine the amount of fascinating places we are going to visit, the shopping, immersing in the rich culture of global city- Shanghai and what have you. But let's not take the word 'study' out of 'study trip', least we forget the main purpose of our visit.

I bet learning will be much more fun with various site inspections (three cheers for first-hand experiences!), where we will apply and identify whatever we have learnt thus far. And what is even better is that our lovely friends and facilitators all have a part in creating memorable experiences together. Let's all go on this trip with a positive attitude alright? Since very often, it is our attitude that sets the stage for outcomes in our lives.

So brace yourself coursemates, for it is going to be LEGEN-wait for it...DARY! :)

- Amanda

What's Shanghai going to be for me?

2010-09-16T22:43:00.004+08:00

Well, I am a strong advocate of owning your own perspective, even widening it for that matter so Shanghai's going to be more than a learning journey for me.

I love thinking about things back and forth, and finding its meaning. We all do it, all of us want to understand things. When we don't, we fear. When we do, we feel more safe and complete.

Mr Rama and the faci-s will vouch for Shanghai, deeming China to be a powerhouse and massive economy in the future. We see it here at home, with fresher PRC immigrants (because we chinese all orignated from there, no?) visible in every possible sector of Singapore. Indeed, China will be a country to watch. For us as DIEM students, we try to make sense of it, to let it be related to what we study in. My question is; what is it, really, for you?

Let me just share my pre-trip thoughts. Looking at our itinerary, our focal point would be the World Expo and the Exchange session with the local counterparts. I would presume that I would be constantly engage in how the hospitality sector is like in China, in Singapore and in the World. Same goes for the MICE industry. Now I ask myself, what then is Events for me? Why am I in events? What part of me did I want to discover when I came to Shanghai?

Do not mistake me for a boring person, who got everything together. I mean c'mon! I am one of you, a student, in a FOREIGN countries, with THE OPPOSITE SEX, and so much time to PLAY AND SHOP. I am so looking forward to that ( I REALLY WANNA BUY SHOES!).

But I'm on a study trip. Why not make it relevant for me, to find passion in whatever I do in school, you know make PDTs and PPTs more enjoyable knowing what being a DIEM student means to me, here on this trip. If I could, I really wanna clarify my thoughts on what I wanna do with my diploma next time on this trip, to motivate me. It sounds easy, because what I am trying to bring across is seeking clarity will make it less harder and much more pleasant to do.

My point is: Make the most out of the trip. Don't just achieve fun and Specific learning objectives, find some more meaning to it, more personal ones.

Woohoo, if we can pretend that airplanes on the night sky are like shooting stars, does that mean we are on a wish and can make plenty of them in a few days time ? ;)

- Jerome

Guidelines on Hand-Carried Luggage

2010-09-14T21:38:00.001+08:00

Ohmy! There are guidelines to follow! Lets all take it down now! :O

Guidelines on Hand-Carried Luggage
On 8 May 2007, Singapore implemented guidelines that restrict the amount of liquids, aerosols and gels that passengers can carry in their hand-carried luggage. The guidelines apply to all flights departing Singapore.
Passengers are advised to check-in all liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGs) that do not meet the new guidelines. Liquids, aerosols and gels in hand-carried luggage should be packed in accordance with the new guidelines, before passengers arrive at the airport.
The guidelines on hand-carried luggage are :
Liquids, aerosols and gels must be in containers with a maximum capacity of not more than 100ml each. Liquids, aerosols and gels in containers larger than 100ml will not be accepted, even if the container is partially-filled;
Containers must be placed in a transparent re-sealable plastic bag with a maximum capacity not exceeding 1-litre. These containers must fit comfortably within the transparent re-sealable plastic bag, which must be completely closed;
Each passenger is allowed to carry only one transparent re-sealable plastic bag, which must be presented separately for examination at the security screening point;
Exemptions will be made for medications, baby food and special dietary items. These items will be subjected to additional checks at the security screening point.
Passengers are encouraged to check in 2 to 3 hours before their flight (subject to airlines' requirements).
Liquids, aerosols and gels include:
Drinks, including water and juices
Soups and sauces
Perfumes and deodorants (liquid or liquid-solid mixture)
Creams, balms, lotions and oils
Cosmetics such as mascara and lip gloss
Pastes, including toothpaste
Pressurised foams and sprays, including shaving foam, hairspray and spray deodorants
Gels, including hair and shower gels
Contact lens solution
Any other items of similar consistency

Source: http://www.changiairport.com/passenger-guide/departure/guidelines-on-hand-carried-luggage/guidelines-on-hand-carried-luggage

- Sharlene

EXACTLY ONE MORE WEEK!

2010-09-14T00:20:00.001+08:00

WHOA WHOA WHOAAAA!

In exactly one more week time, we will be all be ready to set off, meet at Changi Airport T3 AND SIT THE AIRPLANE TO SHANGHAI!!!!!

I believe everyone is excited as me! Are you guys prepared yet?!

Better be ready to walk walk walk, shop shop shop, eat eat eat! HAHAH!

Anyway, that's not really the point!

The point is! Better get ready to pack your bag with everything you need! And also don't forget to bring your passport! (And money! Whats the point of traveling if there's no money right?!) HAHAHA!

Okay! Time for us to do some research on what to expect in Shanghai! :D

*Getting ready now!*

- Sharlene

Excited

2010-08-31T13:56:00.001+08:00

It's 22 days to our Shanghai Trip!

Credits: SOOOO Excited by ~lhosford on deviantART.

- Cheryl