Harbin's reaching melting point!

Harbin is reaching melting point. Its no longer snow, its raining. You see snow coming, but all melts when it reach the ground. We can no longer play with snow, all of it melt away.

We used to "ski" on the smooth icy ground, now it all melts.We could even lie down on the floor to make 'snow fairies' before. Now, the ground is wet and muddy. (awww.) but I am still glad, that I  experienced how fun it was, playing in snow with some international buddies back on 8 March.

Apparently this means SPRING IS COMING!!

Please compare! Before and After!

I was so afraid that it will be too cold in Harbin before I arrived, after a week staying here. I wish the weather could stay around -3 to -15 degree celcius! The moment we can still enjoy seeing snow! I bet when I go back Brunei, I'll be complaining so much about the hot weather! I miss the feeling living in the fridge (really!) If there would a chance to come the second time, I would! :D 

Food ~~

 Familiar with this? Yes it looks like martabak, aint it?? Yes they have it here too~ but it taste a little bit different. They put ginger in it *amazed*.

To the left, you see a picture of four dishes. It was one of meals. You will be pretty amazed that the four dishes only cost us B$2! Of course, this is what we can get from our campus canteen. Outside the campus, it would definitely be much expensive. One dish costs around B$3+. The more high class, the more expensive, yes, of course. And yes, Harbin is famous for its beer as well, below is the picture I took from the restaurant. Quite cheap, RMB 12 ( B$2+ ), you can get a bottle.

 Oh yes, this is my classroom, very chinese style, isn't it? We still stick to blackboard. There is 7 students in our classroom. Initially there were only 6 females, now that we have a new russian boy joining us, so we have 7 in total!

Everyday, there's homework, and the teachers are friendly and helpful. They are so caring. If you missed a class, they would ask and give recommendations on which medicine might be helping us to get well. 

 We are planning to go Siberian Park tomorrow! We can see TIGERS.. ROARRRR! =D Can't wait!

The beauty of Harbin

Before coming, I imagined heavy snow and strong wind. When I stepped out of Harbin airport, the imagination was gone in one click, because it wasn't as scary as imagined. No heavy snow, no strong wind.

Buildings outside Dorm 6, Ha Gong Da (HIT)

Basketball court and tennis court outside Dorm 6

We met a lot of friendly korean in the bus, we were in the same bus going back to campus from airport. They arrived just an hour after us. We celebrated our first night with them. "Guobaorou" was the most delicious dish, and the weirdest dish I think was this (see the pic). I forgot the name and its spicy. No more second time, especially when its spicy. (hehe!)

Unknown, but not delicious to me!

 Our room is bigger than expected. In summary, we are living in dorm 6, 506-2. In this 506, there are two rooms: one single room, and one twin-sharing room. Only post graduate students get to live in the single room. We have an italian software engineering student over here, her name is Ari and she is friendly. Sieh Yee and I share the twin bedroom.

Toilet

View from our bedroom door

Just an introduction to illustrate how our rooms actually connect to the bathroom. When you enter 506 and open the door, basically you will see 3 doors, left to the bathroom, straight to the single bedroom and right to the the twin bedroom which is our room. You could imagine it with the help with the pictures.

Our Socket

Our heater

Our wardrobe and TV

 The heater is SO crucial, thank god for people who invented it. It is -10 degree back then. Now its increasing to -3, which is getting warmer and warmer. Just recently it gets colder because the snow started to melt. This would mean Spring is coming!

Chinese food is homely, it feels like being at home to see those food! I love their tofu! NO MATTER HOW THEY COOK! I like Tofu, Sieh Yee likes potato, we end up buying these very often! The picture shows one of our meals.

MORE PICTURES !! :D

One of the park in our campus

Another view of the park in our campus

A nice looking building in our campus

I heard from our classmates who were here since last semester, they told us that there were little snow in winter. I felt a little sad at first, because I haven't seen any snow. Not until early March.

On 8 March 2012, it was the prettiest day in Harbin. It is also the Women's Day. There is a Russian classmate in Sieh Yee's class and she got a rose! All women in the class get to get one! Awwww!!

On the same day,one of my dream came true!! We made snow fairies on the ground, we slide down the slope, we climbed over gates, we stand on frozen river having our SNOW war! Koreans VS Indonesians+USA people+ Bruneians! It was the one and ONLY day the campus was so crowded! We were so happy, all students were. The only heavy snow that actually freeze the ground completely. Students started to gather and build snow castles, and all sorts of things on the field. There were cats, dungs, mushrooms.. oh my god, they are just so creative! (Pictures still in friends' camera!)


Some pictures of Harbin in SNOW!

My first snow!

 

 

View outside my classroom

Notice this basketball court (compare to the picture earlier on!)

Basketball court in front of Dorm 6

 We are happy, but its going to be the headache of the cleaners, as they are working hard to scope the ice away, to avoid any accidents. You need to be extra careful when its not snowing anymore, especially when the ice is melting.

In this picture, I am standing in front of the international student building, also the place I am having my classes.

Now I registered quite some number of classes. Chinese class is compulsory, and electives are optional. I am here, why not join and have fun!

I chose 3 electives. 1) Ballroom dance, 2) Latin Dance, 3) Love and Sex Education for University Students. Are you feeling weird about this? Well, its a good opportunity to learn some electives that UBD are not offering, plus no one knows me over here, no harm go for dancing, no need to feel embarassed about anything! Plus, this could help me in improving my posture and stimulate more of my feminine side =D My schedules are quite packed !

I LOVE the learning environment here, because they are strict. Do you know what "late" means here? In class, if you are late for class 5-15 minutes later, you are late. Later than 15 minutes, its counted "absent". Full attendance students with less than 4 late records will be awarded some cash. WOW, I am so going to get that cash! Another experience, 1 minute late is late. We missed our Harbin tour because we were right in time to the gathering place and we saw the bus departing. How sad! 3 students didn't get to go because we were just right in time. When they tell you to gather 1.30, it means the bus is departing at that time, so we learnt that we should come earlier next time.

OH YES, I forgot this!

Shui jiao

This is 'Shui jiao'. quite delicious, its like wanton back in Brunei but this is bigger and with more meat, most important, its cheaper! Imagine the big plate just cost you RMB 7 ( approx.B$2 +-)

When we arrived, we went to Zhong Yang Da Jie (most popular place recommended in Harbin). Its a street full of shops and shopping centres. We didn't get to buy anything, because we will be doing a lot of walking and didn't want to carry too much along with us. If you come to Harbin, DO invest in a good walking shoe, this is true. and DO eat their ice cream especially in winter! HAHA! I tried, its delicious! :D There are a lot of branded goods- NIKE, ADIDAS, LINING etc etc. Cosmetics and a lot. We didn't finish exploring, because the day was late and we need to catch a bus back to campus! One trip cost you only RMB 1! Transportation in Harbin is efficient, there will be buses every 10-15 minutes, operating from morning till 8.30pm. so no worries.

 

Its freezing cold, I need more accessories to keep me warm. This is my new winter hat I got here for RMB 25, the auntie in the shop made it! =D 

Bear with me!! with this long post, my post will be once in a blue moon. =p hehehe! <3 

Thank you for your concern, my friends! Love ya lots!! <3<3

Opportunities

I am so excited about everything! Opportunity keeps knocking the door, and I am always so easily wanting to let it off just because I am afraid. At the end of the day, I just wanted to slap myself hard and wake up!!!

People say, you will be successful if you’re prepared when opportunity knocks! Well, I pretty much have to agree with that right now. If you’re not prepared, another person who could be better prepared than you do might took away your chance. Pretty much yes.

Seeing a potential in publishing our science notes, Seng yee brought it up and PHMD is going to help us realize this tiny dream. This little booklet might be meaningless to you, but to me(us), this was a well-done job. If publishing it can earn us some bucks, at the same time being an asset to the education in Brunei (wow?! But yes!! I am so confident with that with the help of people around us) , I don’t see why not. Probably some doubts like we not being the students majoring in those subjects could put us down a little on how would other people view us as the author and the book itself. With Mdm Deepa’s words, I am so motivated to help in the production of the A80 series, collaborating with Seng Yee and Sieh Yee. Seems like its pretty much a fate with the Yee’s !

My piggy’s getting a pretty new phone for me, I am so much excited about that. It’s coming in a week time!! NEAR to my birthday! That could count as my birthday wish~ I just can’t believe things are happening. And sometimes I am so amazed by how piggy can read my mind and how generous he is to use all his angpau money on this. At first, guilt come a little but then to think of it, if I am a boy, standing in his shoe, I would be thoroughly happy deep down in, if I am able to realize a little dream of my girlfriend in getting what she wants. It probably is such a coincidence, but coincidence don’t happen all the time, and I never told anyone about it! Right, he always scold me for the right reason at the right time or maybe sometimes put me alone to tears, but afterall I understand it’s for my own good and he always care and want me to be better =) He always let me fly anywhere I want, as long I don’t forget to come back! That is just how sweet he is. It just makes me loving him more each day each time. *loves*

Going to Harbin is 20 days away from now. I am SO excited and a little down! It could also mean, no blog, no social networks for 4 months, but it is going to be fine! You can find me in yahoo or msn alright! I pretty much going to miss a lot of things, and yes I pretty will learn a lot of new things over there! Siewchien90@yahoo.com is my yahoo mail. And janesiewchien@hotmail.com is my hotmail. If you want to find me, here you can. At least these are places I know China didn’t ban!

If you ask “Why Harbin?”. It’s dumb to answer you “I don’t know”. I know it’s dumb. If you ask “What you want to be when you graduate?”, that as well would be dumb if I tell “I don’t know” when I already choose Mathematics as major. It is more like, I go for what I can afford to. Harbin compared to UK, is cheaper in terms of everything IN CASE the government is not going to pay for everything. I felt lucky to have thought that way, but I am still hopeful I can reimburse everything after I come back from China. I am super glad the living expense in Harbin is fairly affordable; otherwise I might have to drop the plan for local COP or attachment. Daddy, I am really sorry for being the burden right now, but I assure you I’ll do you good in the future I promise. Daddy has more white hairs now than ever. Living expense is increasing and salary is not. We 3 big kids are such like monsters eating all his money away for education and our needs/entertainments. To the thought of that, I just wish to finish my degree like a rocket and start working. It’s just helpless to see your parents strive so hard for their children, that would make me think a lot that wasting food, not studying hard, wasting time, not using time wisely are all things we must not do in return.

I want a bright future, realizing dreams. One of them is buying a Brunei house for my family. If you tell me buying a house is guy’s stuff, I might not want to agree with that. Probably it just feels like a proud thing to do being the eldest child in the family. Probably it feels like impossible, but just believe, and the rest would take care of it themselves.

It’s been times, and slowly losing in contact with a lot of people. We’re running in different directions and sometimes we’re just too busy and forget. One thing for sure, I will not forget people who once offer their hands when I am in deep shit. And I will never forget those who make me feel I am someone and change the way I see things. To help others, we definitely need to help ourselves first. You can easily light another person’s life if you have a bright positive life. That’s always been in thoughts.

Thanks for being there =) Friends, Colleagues and family =)