Y2 S2 Countdown @ UNNC

I'm left with two papers finally.
Having 7 papers isn't fun at all - there are 7 modules.
Fortunately, 7 papers in 3 weeks is still acceptable.
But as usual there are more shitty ones than OKs.
I have degraded my expectation to so low that I don't feel any impact after doing very shitty papers.
So how?

Once upon a time, I dreamed to achieve FIRST CLASS HONOUR.
I hope this dream sticks and I will go all out in my final year, despite foreseeing myself being busy with my society work as a VP.
I know I can do it, that's why I ran for the post initially, right?
I guess so.

This year, countdown means a lot to me as well - I'm finally stepping in the land with Tropical Forests and All Year Long Summer, again.
Yay! People, food, bed, WAIT FOR ME! :D

Of course, I will miss part of my life here - not just Taobao which I know I'll miss A LOT, but also the people and how much you can grumble just because you are an international student who is given very high priority and attention here as you are minority.
I'll miss the life on campus, where everything is so convenient, and you have people knocking on your door randomly, or staying in a friend's room to crap for hours and hours, or watching movie together.

Next, countdown means I am meeting my friend in Shanghai, I am travelling in Guilin before returning.
I am so looking forward to seeing Lavender field in Shanghai, and having fun with my homestay partner in her hometown.

I am so bored, and hence lots of selca are taken.

WYT: I'm showing off my new headphones on the right :P

Blink my eyes MORE and MORE, and everything will be over soon :')

1st CNY far from a place I call H.O.M.E

I realise since I've been to Ningbo, I haven't really posted enough blog entries. I know I should, but I keep blaming the almighty Great Wall of China that makes it hard to enter blogspot page.

Cut things short (and sweet):
I had Reunion Dinner and spent first half of the 1st Day of CNY at a local's house, a random friend we knew while lining up to get our bank account set up in Finance Office, back to 1st week of arrival. She's being friendly to invite us to her house :)

The second half of the 1st Day of CNY, I rushed back to campus, get packed and sat the latest train to Shanghai. I spent a night of Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. The next day, my friend and I went all the way to a Korean restaurant to have really good meal. We finally reached our destination, Yinchuan, Ningxia (银川，宁夏回族自治区) to meet our respective homestay partners, on my thickest clothes found in my closet.

I stayed there from 24th Jan - 31st Jan, went to numerous houses to have good CNY meals, some tourist spots and skiing.

I left to Beijing on the night of 31st Jan, sitting upstraight on the wah-very-hard-stuffy-and-packed train. Reached Beijing in one piece, with a ill travelling buddy. Under the extreme weather condition (COLD + WIND = CHILLING), I managed to conquer two famous Peking Duck restaurants, Yi He Yuan, Yong He Gong Lama Temple, Gu Gong, Bird's Nest and Water Cube. It was a 6D5N trip and I think I didn't do much there. What a waste =/

That's all. I love how Malaysian Chinese celebrate CNY. I think we are more traditional in a way. According to my friend, the Chinese are probably brainwashed by Mou Zedong during Cultural Revolution.

[What a boring post]

I'm Alive in Ningbo (2)

Well I think I shouldn't neglect my blog although I claim that my Facebook is kind of updated.
PS: I saved this as a draft about 1 month ago

Recall of what I've been doing and been through so far (think of me 1 month ago)

1. University of Nottingham Ningbo Campus - This is my home in China, my hang out place, my study campus. With green environment and confusing buildings (they have identical buildings with different names and I got them mixed up when I was rushing to class once), I like this place as the campus to live and study in.

The famous clock tower of Nottingham

The infamous and my personal favourite Nottingham mascot - DUCKie!

2. Walmart, Tesco, Metro & Carrefour - I've been to these 4 major super centres (not super markets) to get my groceries and spent A LOT initially til I was broke.

My room with stickers (and I still do walk pass my room once in awhile without realising I miss my door)

3. Bank of China - The bank has made my life miserable as I could see my money in my account but couldn't withdraw them due to unavailability of my passport during the critical period.

If you ask me what I will miss in China, I will definitely say DQ, the best ever er.... ice cream I supposed :P

4. Taobao - Living in China, having a Taobao and Alipay (支付宝) account is a MUST. This is the place to get cheap cheap stuff and still live like a queen in Ningbo, the rather expensive city to live in.

If you think buying from the shop itself is expensive, then Taobao - a place where you can almost anything

5. Street Food - When you are hungry, lazy to cook, dislike being cheated by 'Black Restaurant' in the campus, then think of street food, a place where you can get a BIG bowl of noodle at 6yuan (RM3).

I can't get rid of my bad habit, to buy snack everytime I go to night market; and from day to night, this street is always opened. And so, most of my meals are snacks. Feel so sorry for my health.

6.Tiayi Square, Wanda Plaza - For shopping, food and entertainment

3 yuan Mapo Taufu?! (RM1.50 Mapo Taufu?!?!?!)

Lastly, I realise I don't know how to self-capture photo due to lack of practise.

Unfortunately crazy amount of dusts in Ningbo causes my face to have rashes all the time :'(((

I'm Alive in Ningbo

Just in case I lose my memory in the future and have no idea why I hadn't posted anything these days...

I wanted to blame China firewall then Freegate...
But come to think of it, it's my own problem, for keeping myself so busy, with I have no idea what.

So about 1.5 months ago, I received an email 'Essay Composition Competition - The Moving Moment... 300words for English essay...' I was telling myself you should join since it's 300 words, how hard can it be? I personally am someone who gets moved very extremely easily. Honestly, I've shed numerous tears since I reached Ningbo, for dramas, for emails, for seeing my parents through Skype.
...
......
.........
After 1.5 months, this piece of document had never appeared until 30 minutes before deadline. Here it goes:

The Moving Moment

October has always been my favourite month of the year, no other complicated reasons but simply because it is the month where I was borned. It is also a month where I get to meet friends who are busy with studies and work and have no free time to meet up. It has been the traditional among us for years. However, it is different this year, the first ever time I did not get to celebrate birthday with my closest, dearest ones…

                October was a cooling month in Ningbo, China since it was autumn already. Life was filled with lectures, seminars, several talks and club activities. Hence, my friends and I decided to travel to somewhere nearby for a weekend getaway, Xitang. As the trip organizer, my head was filled with crucial information to make sure the trip was a pleasant and wonderful one. On the second day of the trip, it slipped through my mind it was my birthday until I received a message via WhatsApp in the morning from a very good friend of mine who was also far away from home, in UK. Although it was a simple ‘Happy Birthday!’ wish, I was moved; not for she remembered my birthday, but because we were both far away from home and needed warm messages to cure homesick.

                Later the day when we got back to Ningbo, we were all exhausted and picked a nearby restaurant to have light dinner. It was an awful dinner and everyone was thinking about their beds badly. All of the sudden, I heard someone singing birthday song. I was totally shocked and got teary when I saw a birthday cake. It was totally unpredictable because my friends made up stories to slip away and got me a lovely cake. ‘It is your 20^th birthday. How can you not have a cake on your big day?’

 

                When I got back to dormitory, I did my usual daily routines, to check emails and other notifications. I felt warm on my cheeks when I was reading emails and messages received, all wishing me a blessed birthday in China, sending from wherever my friends and family members were.

My first ever birthday in overseas, celebrated in warmth. And, as usual my birthday wishes are to have a peaceful world, friends and families all in good health and smile always. Moved, the only word to describe my 20^th birthday.

Happy 20th Birthday, Denise :)

If this reflects a Malaysian student's writing skills, I am so sorry. I feel extremely bad for representing Malaysia Campus in such way :(