27 January 2007: Finale

This shall be my last blog entry, after almost a week since I left Taiwan, and I thank all friends for reading my blog amid their busy schedules in the past months. Besides Hogzilla and Shan who had always left comments, I know that many others simply read because they could relate to me on MSN what I had done in Taiwan, and I'm grateful for their interest in me as it means that I was not forgotten in Singapore! This has been a remarkable journey for us all, not becuase I have a very interesting blog narrating some exciting adventures and fanatical readers anticipate my everyday post in earnest, but the fact that I had started this blog to communicate with my loved ones and ending it now symbolizes a new phase of my life. There shall be normalization of ties with my friends in Singapore, and I will make it an important point to keep in touch with my peers in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other foreign lands (notably the States) via email, MSN, and postcards. By the way, I had just received a postcard from Marvin who is currently in Japan on holiday, and I am gald to see that he is fine and enjoying Japan! Wear more in the harsh winter, dude.

As promised, here's a list of thanks to my foreign friends:

Ansel, Benben, Debby, Elvis, Kieron, Paul: Thanks for taking the time off your calender to show me around Hong Kong. Here's special thanks to Debby who had looked into every trivial detail of my stay painstakingly! Please come to Singapore again ar~!

Bing: Thanks for the Singapore postcard, and for displaying more patriotism than I do! Glad to see a foreign friend so passionately supportive of Singapore, and please keep our friendship going!

Marvin, Joshua, Shingo, Yasushi: My buddies in the NTU dormitory!

Qifang: Truly glad to have fulfilled a mutual pledge made months ago by seeing you fine and well in Taiwan! Enjoy your tour in Europe and stay in touch! Hope that you had already passed your auditions when you see this post!

Peggy and my Taiwanese friends: Thanks for so much concern and the gifts showered on me! In particular, I would like to thank Albert (I want to stay at your place again when I return to Taiwan for whatever reason!) for driving me to the airport when he was not at all obliged to, the Soochow University gals led by Gao Pin who had spent much time bringing Bing and I around parts of Taipei and even to the extent of giving us presents upon our respective departures from Taiwan, as well as Peggy and her NTUMUN club friends who had committed themselves to the mission of allowing me to experience the best of Taiwan and the warm hospitability of the Taiwanese. To Peggy especially: Thanks for the Converse shoes; I like the design very much! Thanks again for organizing our trip to Yilan, and I would deem it one of the best trips that I had ever embarked on in Taiwan!

I love Taiwan, and it was there that I had taken pictures with 2 of my favourite idols. More importantly, it was there that I had forged enduring friendships and ties that I will hold dear to my heart for many years to come. A sense of loss now lingers in me, and I hope that it will translate into strength that can propel me further in my life ahead. Last but not least, a very sincere thanks to my bike which had suffered much from my mediocre cycling skills, and I believe that your new master Ryota will take patient care of you when I am gone.

P.S. I will only write on this blog once in every few months, just to maintain it for the next few decades. Everything I write is consigned to posterity. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your kind and undivided attention.

22 January 2007: Glimpses of my life in Singapore

My favourite professor, Prof. Teo, munching on a seaweed snack.

A fellow Chinese Studies major, Yong Chang, who often speaks to me in Cantonese.

Raymond, a fellow Cantonese and Marist, had already arrived in Nottingham, United Kingdom, for his exchange programme. I will see him again in the second half of this year.

Here's announcing that my next entry will be the last in this blog, and I shall express much of my gratitude to many of my friends in that post. Please stay tune, and prior to that I would like to thank everyone in advance for taking the time and effort to read my blog, even if it means only selective or speed- reading. Thank You!!

21 January 2007: A Day to Remember

21 January 2007 spells my last day in Taiwan, and hence concludes my SEP at the National Taiwan University. I had breakfast with Qifang and her Taiwanese friends, alongside with Francoise, Jasmine, Joshua and Shingo, at a nearby cafe. Both Jasmine and Shingo are emotional and sentimental souls who teared at our imminent parting, and I personally felt a sudden sense of loss having to leave the place that had nurtured me for the past few months. Qifang went the extra mile by seeing me off at the airport, and I sincerely wish her all the best in her own impending exchange programme in Europe.

Here's a list of thanks to my dear friends in particular who had made my overseas stay a fruitful and enjoyable one:

Connie: Thanks for all the help rendered to me in your capacity as my volunteer student!

Francoise: The trip to Korea was fun! I had really enjoyed your company in the first half of my stay, and please read my blog years or even decades later should you ever forget some bits of your stay in Taiwan.

Hisashi, Mu'en: Treasure the moments that we had in our Taiwan travels!

Jasmine: You have always been a kind soul, and I really appreciate your efforts in getting us into the TV studio for the pre-recording of Jacky Wu's variety show!

Joshua: Hope that you had enjoyed Taroko! Stop hating the Californians and do chat online when you are free!

Markus: Thanks for being a comical and considerate roommate! You are my first and only Austrian friend, and I hope that you will continue to enjoy your stay in Asia!

Marvin: I would say that you are my best friend in Taiwan, and although our next meeting may seem elusive and distant, I hope that at the very least we can still stay in touch via email and MSN, keeping in contact with each other for as long as circumstances allow us to.

Shingo: Glad that you like our Singapore chicken rice! Always remember the times that we had at the Da'an Park and the Linjiang Night Market! I honour your passion in linguistics and singing, and here's wishing you the best of luck in your choir performances!

Yasushi: Continue to love my favourite Japanese detective, and try emulating him when I see you next time!

I shall have another list of thanks to my respective Hong Kong and Taiwan friends in my future posts, so stay tune!

20 January 2007: Final Moments with Taiwanese friends

I saw Marvin off at the airport in the wee hours of the morning, and we slept next to nothing at the night before. Bon voyage, dude! Hope to see you soon!

I returned to the dormitory for a quick nap, but had overslept and thus arrived dreadfully late for an enjoyable outing with my warm and hospitable Taiwanese friends. We took to the cycling wheels near Danshui and it was a pleasant yet physically-grueling ride at the scenic outskirts of Taipei city. We found ourselves in minor mishaps on the muddy tracks, delighting ironically in their every instant, and this reminds me of a disastrous ride that I had with Jingmin, Joseph and Sam in Yunnan the year before. Similarly accident-prone and hilarious indeed.

My Taiwanese friends and I went to Sweet Dynasty, a Hongkong-style restaurant in which my celeb idol Jacky Wu has a stake, for dinner and dessert, because they all know that I am a Cantonese and might have liked the food there. My response to the cuisine served: absolutely positive, and I must thank them for their meticulous plans and thoughtfulness.

We headed for a lounge bar late at night, and the Singapore Sling was bad, but it was there that I received some of the best gifts that I had ever gotten in my life. An exaggeration perhaps, but this is my way of showing my utmost appreciation for the innumerable efforts devoted by my Taiwanese friends in trying to make the day's outing an ultimately memorable one for me, and they had truly succeeded in achieving this aim. My heartfelt thanks here! Thanks, thanks.

I have known these Taiwanese friends for barely over 2 months at best, but they had showered me with so much generosity and kindness that I feel so indebted to them. Here's a big thank you to all for the camaraderie and friendship, and these are invaluable treasures that I shall keep in my best memory cells. Do keep in touch amid your busy schedules in the days ahead!

19 January 2007: Marvin

Marvin will be leaving for Japan tomorrow morning, and he shall tour the country for 2 whole weeks. Francoise, Hisashi, Jasmine and I enjoyed a dinner with him at a steakhouse, followed by a trip to the Shilin Night Market for local delights and souvenirs. I hope that we will meet again soon. Sob......

I like this photo. Francoise and Jasmine were both taken off-guard when I took it, and it seemed as if they were dancing when they were in fact trying to avoid the smoke that fumed from the hotplate.

18 January 2007: Some Final Goodbyes

Jasmine, Mu'en and I had some pictures taken with our favourite professor, who taught us a course on the classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Later, I grabbed a late lunch with some of my course-mates after submitting my final essays.

In the evening, Marvin and I went to a cafe that serves delectable snacks in perfect ambience. However, I may not have the opportunity to patronize it again, lest frequent it.

Markus will be leaving for Manila tomorrow morning, that is, in a few hours' time, and we don't know when we'll see each other again. I'm glad to have befriended such an avid traveler, and I hope that he'll enjoy his vacation in the Philippines.

17 January 2007: Taiwan's High Rail

Marvin, my best friend in the NTU dormitory, had taken the newly-operated High Rail（高铁）to Kaoshiung（高雄）in the weekend, and it took a mere 2 hours for him to reach his destination. It's a pity that I did not ride on it myself, although I've always wanted to.

16 January 2007: Yasushi's Final Night in Taipei

Yasushi will be heading back for Japan tomorrow afternoon, so we had our last dinner with him at a nearby restaurant in the evening. Sob......

Prior to this, Yasushi introduced me to his Japanese friend, Ryota, who will be coming over to Singapore in early March. Welcome!!

15 January 2007: Markus

It's Markus' birthday today! Here's wishing him a very Happy Birthday, and all the best to him in the year ahead!

14 January 2007: Da'an Park

Shingo and I went to the Da'an Park（大安公园）this afternoon. It was really an impromptu decision on my part, so neither of us had a camera to capture footages of this bustling park of leisurely, weekend activities.

My cycling skills have improved tremendously in Taiwan, and we rode to the Linjiang Night Market（临江夜市）for dinner . This may be my last trip to the marketplace, at least for the next few months.

By the way, Shingo is a tenor who can hit the high notes at corridors and in shower rooms. On a separate note, I sometimes wonder if Singapore's Partyworld KTV franchise is affiliated to Taiwan's Partyworld Cashbox. I had gone for 2 KTV sessions in Cashbox outlets, and was truly delighted to find a wider variety of songs available than that offered by the ones in Singapore. Given my time constraints, I seriously doubt that I will ever have the chance to sing again in Taiwan.

13 Jaunary 2007: My Received Files

I am now classifying my received files from friends via MSN into folders for easy identification. Here are just some random pictures that I find either comical or memorable. For one, I have always kept the Merlion in my mind.

12 January 2007: Shots with Teachers

I took some pictures with 2 of my friendly NTU professors, and they are both from China. One of them is an accomplished zither player, and the other contributes articles to school journals on a regular basis. I like the second professor, because he epitomizes the ideal teacher who has always emphasized the importance of independent learning and the need to know beyond our disciplines and interests. I had learnt much from him indeed.

Happy Birthday to Debby from Hong Kong! Here's wishing you beauty, health and happiness in eternity! Please take care and we will meet again in the near future! Have faith!

11 January 2007: Dinner with Yasushi

Francoise, Jasmine, Joshua, Marvin, Shingo, Yasushi and I dined at a Japanese restaurant. It may be our last dinner with Yasushi, because exams are looming and he will be leaving Taiwan in a few days' time. Sigh.

10 January 2007: National Taiwan University

I will be leaving Taiwan soon, but I have yet to introduce the National Taiwan University in my blog. Marvin had accompanied me in my tour of the campus grounds in the morning, and we took pictures of some of the most secluded parts of the university.

NTU owns a farm, in which we find domesticated animals, crop plantations and a greenhouse.

Gardens and ponds.

The central library of NTU.

The multi-purpose sports complex of NTU.

Most NTU students ride scooters to school. In fact, scooters are the most common mode of transport for the Taiwanese.

9 January 2007: Random Stuff

I just had a chat with Andres from Denmark, Angela and Jonathon from Australia and Marvin, and they all claimed that Singaporeans are rich people. Andres mentioned that one small part of Denmark has been demanding independence, and it cites Singapore as a successful example. However, I replied that Singaporeans are poorer than Hongkongers in terms of per capita GDP, and we possess a small and vulnerable economy. Our success comes with limitations.

I will be studying 6 modules again after returning to NUS for the new semester. I hope that I am not courting doomsday by doing so.

8 January 2007: My Views on Sino-Indian Relations

I was inspired by Hogzilla's comment to write this irrelevant entry, but since it discusses a topic that may bore most readers to tears I suggest that uninterested friends skip the post as they deem fit.

China and India are the world’s most populous nations, and both had emerged as new political entities shortly after World War II. For the past decades, China and India had been suspicious of each other’s ambitions to a fair extent, and relations between the two countries were troubled. Potential areas of conflict between China and India may arrive as legacies of the past, and one of them is the wrestle to achieve regional hegemony in Asia.

With vast pools of resources to exploit, both China and India enjoy the potential to become the world’s next superpowers. Competition between them for sheer national pride and prestige is inevitable. Located at close proximity to each other, they seem destined to be traditional foes, possessing the same agenda to dominate Asia politically. Communist China is a nationalistic China, and since it’s founding has been devoting itself to reclaiming all lost territories of the bygone Qing Dynasty. India was a newly independent nation seeking to recover the lost glory of the old Mughal Empire, and to reassert itself from its centuries-old dormant position in the sub-continent.

The first major diplomatic row between the two huge neighbors was the 1959 establishment of the Tibetan government-in-exile in India that had enraged China and soured relations between them, and this occurred years after the Chinese annexation of Tibet in 1951. Border issues between India and Tibet (then part of China) had remained unresolved, and these escalated into the Sino-Indian Border War in 1962. Later, India annexed Sikkim in 1975 and China refused to recognize this. Obviously, territorial disputes were a major source of conflict between China and India, and they will stay so in the near future. The dispute over Tibet lingers, and the long boundary shared by China and India has yet to be defined. The Himalayas shall thus remain as a buffer zone between the two contesting countries for regional hegemony.

The Cold War before its end had its detrimental effects on the bilateral relations between China and India. From American perspectives, Communist China under Mao was antagonistic at the early stages of its founding, having reinforced the North Korean regime in the Korean War, allied itself with the Soviet Union until the Sino-Soviet divide, and supported Ho Chi Minh in the Vietnam War. At such times, India, the world’s largest democracy by population, seemed to the United States (and later the Soviet Union) like a convenient partner to court in retaliation against looming China. Albeit determined to field its own stand in world affairs and reluctant to be viewed as a pawn by the two world superpowers, India had assumed this position, because it required arms imports and financial aid from them, as well as it faced a real threat from China. The Soviet Union later overtook the United States (aligned more to Pakistan) as India’s most influential ally, but more seeds of discord had already been sowed between China and India as a result of the Cold War.

On their own, both China and India had also resorted to forming strategic alliances with the aim of counteracting each other. China had allegedly exported arms and perhaps nukes as well to Pakistan, hoping to woo India’s (worse) sworn enemy to its side. To offset the China-Pakistan encirclement, India allied itself with the United States, which has its own conflict with China over Taiwan. Viewed in the larger context of the Asia-Pacific region, many third parties are involved in the power play between China and India. Consequently, relations between China and India are susceptible to influence by external factors beyond their direct control, and conflict may arise between them when they are required by circumstances to honor their alliances or national interests. These alliances are nonetheless bids or efforts aimed at securing an important national interest of gaining regional hegemony in Asia.

Therefore, China and India will potentially conflict over exerting a greater political clout than the other in Asia. The thaw of relations between them in recent years had not led to conclusive agreements over many unresolved issues, and this may brew trouble for their bilateral ties in future.

To Hogzilla: I will try my best to find your books. I am proud of your interests. If you don't mind, I can talk to you more about the Sino-Japanese War after returning to Singapore.

7 January 2007: Meeting Qifang

I went for dinner with Qifang, having asked Marvin, Shingo and Yasushi along too. Qifang needed to meet me urgently, because she had brought some delicious 太阳饼 from Taichung and I must consume them fast for best taste. I was glad to see her again before heading back for Singapore. Here's best of luck to her in the coming exams!

6 January 2007: Teresa in Taipei

Teresa, whom I had seen just a week ago, and her friend arrived in Taipei from Hong Kong last afternoon. I had missed them both at the National Taiwan University the night before, so in the evening, Marvin and I went to meet them in Ximending for supper after some window-shopping at the new Pacific Sogo outlet in Zhongxiao Fuxing. Teresa has plans to visit Danshui, Jioufen, National Palace Museum, Shilin Night Market, and Yeliu in the next few days, and I hope that she will enjoy her vacation here in Taiwan. Please send my regards to our friends in Hong Kong!

5 January 2007: Firefly

几个月的时间一眨眼就过去了。这段奇妙的经历虽趣味横生、扣人心弦，但人的记忆可靠吗？昔日令人欢愉、感动的情景，在人持续荡漾起伏的内心里是否能保存完整？若果能如此，保鲜期又会是多久？这唯独时间才能证明，但也就是这时间冲淡了一切所有可以证明的。

遥望故乡小岛，归心的箭已跃然在弦。纵使彻夜收拾，也似乎整理不完行李家当。姑且休息片刻，正要合眼时，一侧恍然大悟，那突如其来的内心震荡终使疲惫的身躯无法入眠。收拾行李不仅是项辛苦的体力工作，也是场艰辛的心理活动。缕缕情义、绵绵情怀，悠悠我心。带不走曾经拥有的回忆，却带走一份肝肠寸断。

即使未来是个未知数，也望与天下有心者共勉之。

4 January 2007: A Surge of Patriotism Mounting in Me

Singapore is an orderly and peaceful place for ideal residence. I love Singapore, for its efficient system and lush greenery. I love Singapore, because I know that I can always count on clean and fresh air to breathe in. I love Singapore, because I can drink directly from running taps without fearing water contamination of any sort. I love Singapore, because all my loved ones are there.

From Third-World to First-World, Singapore had made it. Singapore is where my home lies, and I know, deep in my heart, that I will forever be a proud son of Singapore.

3 January 2007: Updates of my new semester in NUS

I had just spent a hefty 1500 in bid points on Human Relations, taught by my favourite Prof. Teo. I have never studied under him before, and frankly speaking, there is actually no need for me to, because I had long cleared my USP First-Tier Modules a year ago. However, I heard that he will be leaving USP soon, and I would like to grab this last opportunity to read the course and experience his style of teaching. I am sure that it will be fun, because he is a very nice person to begin with. For instance, he had generously treated us to an eating binge at the Shangri-La Hotel in Changchun last year!

Jianhao and Jingmin will not be going to New York with me as promised, but Howard told me that Qingru had been accepted into the HPAIR Symposium too. I was relieved upon hearing that, because it will be so boring for me to go there without the company of any friend.

2 January 2007: Thanks, Debby!

I had just gone to Hong Kong and Macau last week, and shall be heading back for Singapore in a few weeks' time. Meanwhile, I really appreciate Debby's efforts and time in ensuring that my stay in Hong Kong was both comfortable and enjoyable. And thanks for the handphone strap! My objectives in this trip were achieved, and I had treasured the precious moments spent with my peers in Hong Kong. I had tried my very best to reduce the amount of inconvenience and pressure placed upon my Hong Kong friends, notably Debby, with my sudden visiting tour, but I think they were inevitably troubled by the likes of keeping me company and showing me around in this whole duration. Consistent readers of my blog would have noticed that I had traveled little in Hong Kong, and that is because I bore only a simple desire of meeting my friends over gatherings and meals. Here's heartfelt thanks to what my friends had done for me, and I wish to express my deepest gratitude to Debby who had shown me the wonders of a beautiful friendship.

Debby was my group leader in the 2006 Lee Shiu Summer Programme. As mentioned time and again, I had participated in numerous exchange/summer programmes for the past 2 years, but I only harp on the Lee Shiu one in my blog, simply because it has been so memorable. I have no intentions of acting effusively sentimental here, but I feel a compelling need to thank Debby and all whom I had met in the Programme for the pleasant experience.

1 January 2007: Happy New Year!

As we usher in the new year, let us all remember the good times we had together in the past year and discard all bad memories from the consciousness of our minds. In a nutshell, 2006 has been an extremely fruitful and satisfying year for me. I had achieved virtually all my academic goals, won in some competitions or contests, made many friends (and more diplomatically, learnt much) in the various exchange/summer programmes organized by USP, and enjoyed myself thoroughly in Taiwan. In retrospect, I had actually spent more than half of 2006 overseas on assignment (as well as much money), and I should really spend more time in Singapore in 2007, furthering my academic goals to attain a higher class, as well as at home with my loved ones.

I have never believed in new year resolutions, but I do hope that life simply gets better as time progresses, and I wish all my loved ones the best of health in the year ahead.

31 December 2006: Countdown Taipei

It was so darn crowded at the countdown venue near Taipei 101! Anyway, here are some details and shots of the countdown celebrations held in Taipei. The main programme on stage was hosted by 徐乃麟 and 蓝心湄, and had featured celebrities such as 黄立行、F.I.R.、梁静茹、品冠、杨乃文、蔡旻佑（吴宗宪发掘的！）、元卫觉醒、强辩乐团 (a relatively unknown)、五月天、蔡依林 and 罗志祥. Jacky Wu is in Tainan, so there were no incentives for me to take any shot of the star-studded performances. However, I love magnesium explosions in air, hence these following photos:

This is for Shan, but I would like to stress again that my idol is still Jacky Wu.

Happy New Year 2007, folks! Here's wishing you all the best in your future endeavours in the year ahead!