Placement exam!

Whoo..what a tiring day.

Because I had two conflicting schedules, I thought that the entrance exam would start at 8:30 am. Actually I was hoping, because the althernative was at 8:00am and it meant that I would actually need to wake up at least 1.5 hrs before = 6:30 am!!!! Darn, that’s too early! Anyways I did, but because it was rush hour, it seemed as if the trains were moving slower than usual. I only reached at 8:15 am. Late as usual! The exam was a breeze…for the first 2 pages. Haha. After that, darn, where did all the pin ying go? I wasn’t bothered to guess the answers for those that I couldn’t do. It would have beat the purpose of actually learning. Some prior studying did actually pay off. It allowed me to answer at least 5 questions there. Major achievement for a Chinese illiterate like me. I still assume that I would be going to the kindergarden class where they teach you the pin yin sounds, “pua, for, moah, four”.. lol..darn.

Tomorrow, I will know which class I am eligible for. Thank god, it’s a 9:00am class. Would be great if it were a 10:00 am class or say 11:00 am class. I just love my beauty sleep. Its fun going back to school. I feel more focused that I did when I previously was in uni. There are many new faces of different nationalities here. All curious about each other. Great place to make new friends and to open up my mind. But I probably be one of the older category of students there. I felt I had a mild compliment today when one of my new friends told me that I looked in my mid 20s. Whooo Hooo! Mission accomplished! More oats everyday! There’s a party on this weekend, but am unsure whether to go or not. The distance from home is a bit of a turnoff.

Dinner for tonight was home cooked, ginger chicken and stir-fried mixed vege! Yummy yummy, am starting to cook more often. Its the least that I can do for my darling gf who is so gracious. Too bad that I haven't posted up any pictures of my "loh mai kai". It tastes pretty alright. I know how to perfect it after this.

Btw, I got flowers for the first time in my life, from a GIRL! Hehe. What beautiful daisies! =) She beated me to buying them for her. Its nice to receive something for just a normal day, even if its from a gal. Anyways, 15 stalks of daisies only costs RM6 here. Just lovely! I am so waiting for the tulips to bloom. =)

Registration Day!!!

Good gods! I am up early!!!! (That doesn’t happen often, btw! :P)

Having my oh-so-healthy breakfast now, rolled oats with strawberries, kiwi and raisins dripping with calsium rich milk. Looks pretty doesn’t it? It actually tastes quite nice. Only complain my gf had was that it was too cold for her to start her already too cold day. :P

Had been having it for the past two months pretty regularly except for some days in between. Combine it with some light exercise, healthy eating (ok, not for the first week in Beijing.. :P ) and steely determination to say “no” to junk food, voila.. I have lost two kgs. Not too bad for my first two months. Now another targeted 4 kgs to go. *Groan*

Today is Registration Day! Am both excited and curious. I wonder what will happen other than me giving money to them. Will I be doing the entrance exam today? Or on Wednesday? Hmmm… sure going to get “ling kai tan” (a cantonese pun for zero), Ok, maybe not zero, but they’ll just throw me into kindergarden stage anyways.

We did drop by Uni that day, Beijing Language & Culture Uni. I felt like a small kid, with my mom in tow bringing me to uni. Mom = gf. Haha. Thank you, mommy btw. We were both concerned that I would get lost using the subway and bus. And really, on the map, it looked pretty nearby to the subway station, but in reality, it was a 8 minute taxi ride away which probably translates to a good 30 to 45 minute walk away, and pretty too damn far to walk even if it’s a nice weather.

Btw, spring is here! Weird spring for one anyways. Sometimes, its nice and warmer, no need for my great big white down feather jacket to go out in. But these days, its freezing. I can no longer wear shorts in the house. Just too cold for that. The sky looks really clear today, but yesterday was better. Its very rare as Beijing is very air polluted and looks hazy most of the time. We saw the sun on Saturday morning as a great orange yolk, and yes, we could look directly at it. Something abt its rays not being able to penetrate through all that pollution. It’s a pity, I was hoping to still catch some sunrises and sunsets. It seems air quality in Shanghai is still better than here. Anyways, here are some pretty spring blossoms caught on the grounds of my uni.

Its evidence that Life starts again, after a cold harsh winter. =)

15 Mar 09: Dim Sum & Artsy Fartsy 798

Yummy, yummy authentic Beijing dim sum. It is not possible for me to stay fit here. Aarggh!

I should have carried more rolled oats here. But I must say, there’s nothing better than Ipoh’s Ming Court Dimsum. Although small in portions in comparison, but thrilling to the taste buds. The Har Gau here is huge, at least 2 times bigger than what I had in Ming Court. Reminds me of Dim Sum in Marco Polo, KL.

798 Art Zone is a tribute of old warehouses converted into Art Galleries housing many of China’s local artists. What a great place to just stroll around. Even greater place for me to practice my portraiture skills. Everywhere I turn, I see at least a few people carrying dslr cameras around. It is getting more affordable or maybe China folks are getting richer. We even saw a few serious groups of photographers with models and assistants holding reflectors. I can understand why, every nook and cranny has a great spot for pictures to be taken. So, I could not resist. Again another great place to spend the day if you’re a camera enthusiast.

My own models for the day! :P

14 Mar 09: Dashilar, Slanting Street & Hou Hai Riverside

I think I shall learn to love weekends here. My morning started out great with a nice beef fried noodles at the Jackpot Café. Many other yummy stuff. But may cost a wee bit more. Around Y30 a dish. The cost of living in Beijing can be pretty high, especially eating at nicer restaurants.

Then we made our way by taxi to Dashilar (nearby Qianmen Dajie, south of Tiananmen Square) which is actually one long street of silkshops, herbal medicine shops, food, shoe and cheongsam makers. Worth a visit for it’s beautifully decorated and remodeled buildings. Some of those shops have been operating there since the 1800s. I think I would come back one day for a customised cheong sam after.

The end of Dashilar actually leads further out into a newly built area which was remodeled on its old buildings there with a tram track. You can actually see Qian Men at the end of the road (bottom right most picture). The Government is just so smart; it makes a great Tourist spot. And here, I was introduced to Qianmen Quenjude Roast Duck Restaurant, which I was told went publicly listed in China. *Gasp* What? Roast duck seller went listed??? Damn.. And they had been around since 1861, according to the signboard anyways. I wonder how good it would actually taste...mmm..

Next is Slanting Street, one of the old hutongs turned into a street full of small souvenir shops. Pretty creative things being sold there. Got myself a nicely handcrafted photo album. Am also guessing that there is much less bargaining going on here, judging from all the Visa signs hanging outside the shops. To get here take the bus No 5 from the bus stop beside Tiananmen Square and stop at Gulou Street to get there.

At the end of Slanting Street is the scenic Hou Hai Lake. They have quite a few cafes, restaurants and bars overlooking Ho Hai. I would like to catch tea at one of these café’s one day or a nice beer. What a fantastic view!!! Damn..I wonder how the sunset looks here. Maybe the air is too polluted for a good one. But it’s a marvel how clean they have kept the lake. It was fun watching the locals coming out here for leisure walks with their family and going about their activities. You can also see some old folks practising qi gong, kite flying and qoute writing on the cement floor with just a wet cloth by a few old folks. Creative.

Wish I could post more pictures, I have to find some better way to do this maybe through picasa. Just taking too long.

13 Mar 09: Glorious Food & Wang Fu Jin Xiao Sek Kai

Wooo, what great glorious food we had!

Herbal braised Pork with egg (Dung Bo), Three Type Meat Rice (Forgive my direct translation, we all know what a great Chinese linguist I am.. :P ) and Beijing Steamed Buns (Siew Long Pau). Delicious!!! All except for my Beijing Steamed Buns, rated 7/10, the skin was not as delicate as I hoped it to be. All available at the Food Court in the Malls at Oriental Plaza, at Wang Fu Jin Road, costing say around Y15, Y28, and Y10. Was surprised to find good food easily, given my previous experience through guided tours in Beijing.

Wang Fu Jin Xiao Sek Kai (Xiao Sek Kai = Small Food Street) is dotted with small eating stalls and souvenir shops. Fancy a fried grasshopper or scorpion? They have it here. It was too cold and windy to stomach anything, so taking a rain check for another fine day.

12 Mar 09: First Day in Beijing

The journey into the Chinese me started with a 3 hour bus ride in the wee morning from Ipoh to KLIA, a 2 hour wait for my MAS flight (Thank god for cheap promotional flights by MAS, I have the damnest luck!) and finally a 7 hour plane flight arriving at 2:30 pm at Terminal 2, Beijing International Airport. It was cold when I arrived, a -4 degrees to my knowledge, and the familiar sight of Starbucks is great for thawing the cold and for killing time. Ode to my darling girlfriend for picking me up and housing me!

That evening, I learnt three things:-

No 1: Taking the Subway in Beijing is damn convenient and cheap. A one way journey costs Y2, that’s like RM1.20 from any end to any station.

No 2: I had still not lost all of my cooking skills, which resulted in nicely roasted ‘char siew’ (credits of taste goes to my girlfriend who had marinated it for two nights)

No 3: Everything in China is BIG, including strawberries! Biggest that I have ever seen in my life.

WHY BEIJING, CHINA?

Travelling was something that I always imagined to love doing. But lack of money, a busy work schedule and personal commitments mostly got into the way. Only started actively travelling in the past two years. I would love like most Asians to travel to the other side of the world, the West, namely Italy, France and UK as a start. Would be great to have a nicer bed to sleep in at night instead of cramming with another 5 other weary travelers, which on the other hand, could be a fun experience. And the occasional fine dining experience which means I need hell a lot of money as well. *sob*sob*. Maybe later, if I still have any savings left.

Most people drop their jaw when I tell them that I am going to China to study Mandarin for a few months. Especially those who already learnt Chinese during their childhood. They just cannot comprehend my going over. Many ask me why do I not just do it in Malaysia. Why the sudden need to re-examine my roots? Many probably secretly think that I am just looking for an excuse to get out of the country. Haha. Not that it bothers me at all. We are all entitled to our own views in life, just don't come applying them to me, thank you!

It is time anyways, been too long overdue. My dear girlfriend had always invited me for years to come. But I always had an excuse. Truth was that I was too occupied with life, work and relationship, that I barely had time for me. This also was a challenge to me, to see if I can survive in Beijing, with so little Mandarin with me, and to see how well I can adapt and learn. I will never get the opportunity to practice so much especially in the Westernized environment that I have at home. Comfort with English had always deterred me from speaking, and of course, the occasional laughter on my “Banananess” was also a wee bit disheartening at times. Had always found Mandarin to be a beautiful but complicated language, so naturally spoken with heart.

(‘Banana’ness is a pun for “Yellow on the outside, white on the inside” for those who are clueless about what it means.)

So, another Decision made, and here I am. Challenged & surviving. Barely though. :P Am for sure, having fun exploring Beijing with my trusty cammy! Haha…no no, that’s not my main objective of going there! Really!

So, after all the good byes in Malaysia (it may seemed as if I would be leaving for years! To my gfs disappointment, it seemed I packed too small a luggage to be staying for an indefinate time. haha), here I am blogging on my experiences and travels to touch base with my dear family and friends. Something that I should have started months ago with my new found new independence. So, please excuse my not-so-savy blogging but I hope you will enjoy my photos and write ups! Cheers!!!