It's almost 2009... this will be the last post of 2008... Bye 2008...

Wow, finally this is my 500th post on my blog! My blog is now more than 3 years old.. and I do plan to keep updating it. But next year... everyone faces tremendous difficulty, adversity and much stress. So... never mind. I shall talk about this in my new year post.



For now, is my update about my holiday to China. Sorry I updated so late eh. Haha.



Well ok. Since there are quite some photos I shall make it easier for you to view by giving URL.





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001192.jpg

Arrival at Dalian airport. Not a very big airport. From there, went on the bus, and went to eat at some restaurant.





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001207.jpg

Passed by this as I was going to the airport.





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001216.jpg

The man you see right in the middle with the scarf and white pants was the tour guide from Singapore, not the local China tour guide.





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001241.jpg

Yea, thats him.





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001265.jpg

Everyone name also have. Some keychain guy. Still in Dalian.





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001270.jpg

Street that used to be occupied by Japanese people. Now they are all gone and the houses are empty, and shops line the street.





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001276.jpg

I didnt touch the seafood steamboat at all, I think I will taste freaking disgusting. But the BBQ meat with sauce was freaking nice.





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001282.jpg

Street in Dalian... so busy. Jaywalkers were everywhere.





After that, left Dalian and the bus went to Anshan, some industrial city. But only for a while, didn't stay there at all.



http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001301.jpg

Cycling and sitting down in Anshan.





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001325.jpg

Temple with the "World's Largest Jade Buddha". Not many people in it. I took photos INSIDE the temple, but I was told this was disrespectful as indeed the temple was used for praying. So I deleted the photos.





After that was a bus ride to Shenyang, the provincial capital of Liaoning. Then arrived there, and then stayed there for 2 days.



http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001357.jpg

Some soldier in a booth.





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001369.jpg

Soldiers carrying out military exercises.





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001369.jpg

In a palace in Shenyang.





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001410.jpg

Inside the palace. It had snow!





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001429.jpg

Said to have a mix of Han Chinese, Manchu, Tibetan styles. No nails used to build... I think.





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001453.jpg

Still in Shenyang.





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001467.jpg

The tour guide of Shenyang. Notice she has glowing eyes. HAHAHA





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001490.jpg

As we were travelling from Shenyang to Changchun, passed by this wasteland.





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001501.jpg

Some small town on the way to Changchun.





http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001517.jpg

In Changchun. Changchun looks very different in winter... last year it was nice and cool, now it was frigging cold.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001520.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001521.jpg

This was outside the culture square... I remember coming to this very toilet last year during the China trip.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001523.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001529.jpg

Yea its the culture square...

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001538.jpg

Random sight of Changchun.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001541.jpg

Outside the palace in Changchun! I remember this entire place! This is the entrance! Haha

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001541.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001558.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001576.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001586.jpg

Photos from inside the palace.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001586.jpg

Think I saw this before..

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001586.jpg

Pulled by cute dogs. At the ski resort in Changchun.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001634.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001657.jpg

Jilin city.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001678.jpg

Barren snow-covered land. On the way to Harbin.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001687.jpg

In Harbin

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001694.jpg

The main attraction of Harbin. Saint Sofia church.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001703.jpg

Ice sculptures and buildings behind this.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001737.jpg

It is actually a frozen river.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001743.jpg

Toys story green man pointing middle finger at the ice theme park.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001744.jpg

Ice blocks. So coooool.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001754.jpg

Theme park men.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001760.jpg

Ice on lorries.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001766.jpg
The interior of the bus that took everyone from Dalian all the way to Harbin, covering three provinces. Now thats quite some distance indeed. You can see the great driver in it too. The guy holding a red packet. A very good attitude driver.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001767.jpg

The bus. Lovely bus.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001770.jpg

Lovely sunset. Bear in mind this was only around 4 in the afternoon. I think.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001774.jpg

In Harbin international airport. Sorry about the blur quality. Because the tour group had many people, the airport staff had a hard time checking in our luggage. So the airport official pointed his finger at me. And he was shouting, “你！你！对，是你！” at me! He said, “你长的比较强壮，所以你来帮我们。” Like what the heck? I am supposed to help them load the luggage? But of course I didnt mind - I mean, how often do airport officials ask you to help them? So I helped them load our tour groups luggage into the check in station. Heehee.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/shiny_honda/Dongbei/S6001794.jpg

Taken on the plane. Some Engrish here. Stopcock? Whats a stop cock?

Yea so that basically wraps up my trip. It was fun while it lasted. I guess I wont be going anywhere for a year now. Next year after the O levels, I hope to be able to travel to my dream travel destination - North Korea! I've been longing to go there for some time now. If I cant go (which is quite likely), then I dont really wish to go to China for a holiday again, maybe nearby destination like Thailand or Indonesia (which I have never visited, but I do really have interest in visiting.) A more exotic location would be Myanmar too, but nah my parents probably wont want to go there. So, its going to be 2009 soon. Well that sucks. Too bad. Heehee.

So I hope you have enjoyed reading and looking at the photos I took. Leave a message on my cbox to tell me what you think. Thanks.

I have left my blog just... like that? And it seems to be dead with only sporadic updates. I shall blog now then.

Unfortunately, next year I shall not have so much time on my hands. Next year is the year of hell, where life is a daily torture, where you are driven to insanity, where you wish you could kill someone to release all your anger, the year when students grind their teeth in an furious rage. Nah. Just a year when everyone mugs like an asshole, and you had better do so. Otherwise, your life will be permanently ruined, like a scar from a dishonourable battle which cannot be removed, fated to remain on your face for the rest of your life to remind you on a daily basis of your regrettable actions. Indeed. So I wish everyone luck.

My badminton game has improved. If this continues, and Zixin remains the way he is, it is highly possible I can win him. One day. But that is highly unlikely.





Times have been bad recently.. Singapore is in a recession, no? Only good thing is that oil prices have fallen to record lows, which is great news. But everything else.. well the outlook is dull. Today I was reading the newspaper and I remember reading something about foreign workers. One thing, it seems, that we have not been learning about foreign workers during all those Bao Zhang Bao Dao practice this year, is the fact that they do indeed have another meritable purpose - they serve as a buffer. When a recession like this hits and jobs are cut, these guys are the first people the be fired, to protect locals. Now isnt that a good thing? Heartless, but still, in such bad times, one must place the needs of his people above the needs of foreign entities.

Which brings me to one thing. About foreigners, and migration. A disturbing thing I have been noticing is that a lot of people seem to want to migrate overseas. Well, how about this analogy. People frequently say that what goes around comes around. Therefore, one should not do evil things, such as insulting another person, if one does not want to be insulted by others. Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you, right? So how about the case of foreigners steaming in. Like, a China guy comes, and throughout a few years, makes the lives of locals miserable like this - he tops the class, he gets into university, gets an education, and flies off like a bird. Well, maybe thats not really how things are, but as locals, you get pissed off when foreigners barge in and rob you of your livelihood. Although, as mentioned above, they make a good buffer and are a good measure. Similarly, when you migrate out, you piss people living in those countries. They hate you for taking over their jobs and robbing them of their livelihood, I am sure of that. This is hardly any different from old-fashioned colonialists, who reach a land, belittle the natives and make their lives miserable, plunder the land, steal cultural relics and disrespect local customs, before enslaving them under their flag and boot, and when all the riches have been sucked dry, they pack their bags and leave quicker than lightning! Do you want such things? No? Yes? Depends on which side you're on? Argh!

Well, my post is not to disrespect foreign talent, or to make a personal attack on locals who have migrated to other lands, but rather, this shows the world is one free-for-all. Do not get me wrong. I do not intend to discriminate anyone here. Just my thoughts.

And where did this whole freakin global economic crisis come from? None other than the subprime mortgage crisis of the United States, so screw the guys whose homes have caused this global mess. In fact, China has blamed US policies for the current mess - http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2008/12/04/chinese-blame-us-policies-for-financial-crisis-during-economic-talks.html

So lets hope the world gets out of this shit as soon as possible, the world is in a lot of other deep shit at the same time too, gah.

I know many will find things to refute in my thoughts, but, who cares.

Bye.