Before I post anything further about my travels in China, here are some eye candies for all of you.
Sheraton Hotel at Haikou (海口), Hainan Island (海南岛)
The sunset view at Haikou.
We had steamboat for dinner. Those look like worms, don't they? They're actually pipefish.
Beach at Haikou
On the highway back to the villa in Haikou
My aunt's villa in Haikou
Development in Haikou isn't bad right? Notice the "twin towers" of Haikou?
How about a dinner on board a ship? It is a real ship that will take you on a short trip to enjoy the night view of Haikou while you are having dinner.
The development of Haikou is admirable.
At the Huang Hua Gang Mausoleum, near the exit.
Visiting an ex-bombing site in Guangzhou. (Tunneling through!)
View of Guangzhou from Er-Sha Island (二沙岛).
Is your mouth watering?
Lovely soup! really liked it!
Some sort of mushroom
The tallest tower in Guangzhou: 01信 if I'm not wrong.
A big screen where people gather around (even my dad got interested to it) to watch the evening news and other television programmes. Picture taken at the square of Xia Jiu Road (下九路)
At the square of Xia Jiu Road
There are more pictures. But I'll leave those for some other time together with the description of some interesting highlights of my travels worth talking about here. You'll never know how much you can learn. All pictures were taken using Nokia N70.
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;;As my travels for this year came to an end, I reflected upon it and realised how much I actually long for home. For even though in many ways the pastures seem greener elsewhere, I couldn't help but eager to feel the warmth of my own bed rather than enjoying the lavishness that I enjoyed in Haikou and Guangzhou for nine days.
I figured that I couldn't sleep unless I write up this post. For some reason I am still very much energetic (although the bed seems so appealing; yes, I am home). As I write this post, for some reason my stomach fluttered and there is an empty feel in me. I was happy to be able to get things off my mind while travelling in China, and I'm equally happy to be back home. Yet, what is this melancholy that lingers at the edge of my eyes?
Never before have I felt so disconnected from my friends whom I have not been contacting.
Thankfully, it has been a rather enjoyable trip to China. This trip to Hainan Island and Guangzhou has indeed opened up my family's eyes. Various lessons have been learnt, especially when dealing with the Chinese people. Yes, although this sounds rather racist, believe me, we Malaysian Chinese are somehow far better than the Chinese in terms of ethics, humanity and many more. I will tell you more later.
As I landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), memories begin to flood my mind. I began forming a list of names whom I would contact upon my arrival. And sure enough, I gave them either a "missed call" or a short message or even both the moment I stepped into the terminal. Never before have I felt so disconnected from my friends whom I have not been contacting. Before I went to China, I have been trying my best to keep in touch with all my friends, both from university and from my school, either via MSN Messenger or even Friendster. I felt a sudden need to contact them, and I felt the same upon my arriving at KLIA.
It is also for this reason, I suppose, that I am so eager to write this post. Although I have stated in the chatbox that I am back, it seemed so insufficient.
My travels in China were just a temporary leave from my worries and my dilemmas. Now that I'm back home, I feel the days drawing closer for me to address all my problems once and for all. Soon enough, there will be at least one heart that I have to break by pouring out the truth, and that one heart is actually so tender and so dear to me that I feel so reluctant to do so. Yet, I shudder in terror to think of how even more badly shattered that heart would be if I delay matters.
There have been people whom I have not stopped thinking about while I was in China: my parents, my friends back at home, my friends in university, my one friend in Suzhou (China) and... a crush of mine.
There is a mixture of various emotions running in me: relief, joy, anguish, concern and so on. As I sign off now at 0530 hours, there is this one thing I look forward to.
My day of breaking that one heart. Very heartless of me, I know, but it's for the happiness of the future.
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This is a little piece of insight I received from the PERMATA (PETRONAS Management Training) camp I recently had in Casa Rachado, Port Dickson, from the 18th to the 22nd of June, 2007. Tell me what you think about it.
How many doors are there in your life? Think about it. How many doors have you seen in your life that you can think about? Perhaps you remember the crib door from your youth - or the great big glass doors at the office where your dad worked. Or that ominous wooden door that leads into the examination hall where you did your SPM.
Think about all the doors in your life. Perhaps when you entered varsity life from high school, the change of pace came to you as a liberation. That's one door - the door to a new stage in your life. Or maybe you made a change in yourself one day, something for the better - another door, the door to positive change.
What is a door for? What is its purpose? Most would say security, or privacy. It guarantees your safety (most of the time). When the lock is broken, it feels as if even the merest wind will push it open. You can't sleep at night, knowing your privacy is not as guaranteed as it was before, when the lock worked.
A door might also serve to restrict access sometimes, and also to provide a first impression to new visitors. When a wooden door is old or broken, some people use it as firewood. Others use it as a raft. More creative people draw and spray it with graffiti, giving it new life as an art canvas.
Then think of what we normally do to doors. When we're in a bad mood, we slam the door. At times we release our anger on the door. We punch, kick, bang, bash, hammer, scrape and tear at the door. We clobber it relentlessly till we need to catch our breaths and take a look at the damage we've done. Then remorsefully, we step away and return to our lives, slightly less pressured than before.For all that it has done throughout its life for you, it meets its end in a way that is cruel and uncaring.
Think of the one door in your life. The one door that provides you with security and comfort. Privacy, even. The one door you can't sleep at night for, knowing that it doesn't work as well as before, or is slightly spoiled. The door that protects you despite everything you do to it in anger.
Think about it. When you were young, one door bore you into this earth, and watched with tearful eyes and radiant smiles as it cradled you for the first time. This door ran its fingers over your head, cooing gently as you gazed at this new world around you. And somehow, your instincts told you this door was the one responsible for your life.
The door watched as you learned to walk and talk. It gave gentle encouragement to you every step of the way, and protected you fiercely from that which might harm you. In the dark of night, when a lone mosquito sought you as prey, the door did not just chase it away, but crushed it that it may never return to hurt you again.
As you entered school for the first time, this door fawned over every inch of you, fussing over your uniform and books and hair. You cried when the door brought you to this strange new place full of other children just like you. And though the door might not say anything at times, it prayed for you silently each time you were away from home. It prayed that you may find new friends and gain much knowledge. The door waits for you till you come home, cupping your cheek and helping you with your bag. It asks, "How was your first day at school?"
Gradually you grew bigger and bigger. The door continued to look after you as you progressed from primary to secondary. How proud it was of you! It shuttled you back and forth, providing you with the best things it could give - all for your sake. You grew into a useful person, learning more and more with each passing day.
Soon, the door realizes that time has passed so quickly, and you move on to the new daunting world of varsity life. How would you cope on your own? it wondered. It cried as the day drew near for you to leave home for the next stage in your life. The door watched as you left, tears brimming in its eyes and fear and worry lodged deep in its heart.
And everyday you were away, whether you were studying or hanging out or even blogging, this one door prayed for your safety and health. It prayed that you may aspire to even greater heights, and that you may continue to receive all the best things while you were not home. It prayed for you, and even in the wee hours of the night, the door woke to lucid dreams, sweat beading on its forehead, but it still prayed even as it wept as it realized you were not home, but away in your new place.
And it is this same door we kick and punch and scream at when we are angry. We hate it at times for not understanding us. We slam it when the mood strikes us. And when this door grows old, we throw it out with the trash, some people even using it for firewood. For all that it has done throughout its life for you, it meets its end in a way that is cruel and uncaring.
By now, you would have realized that this door is actually symbolically representing your parents. Think about all that the door has done for you. Think back about what you have done in return. And think about all that you will do for this door in future. Will you savor and love this door for all eternity? Or will you consign it to the bonfire and leave it to burn by itself in the night?
Think about it.
~verus rara avis~
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;;While Haikou is a very impressive city in Hainan, it is utterly sad that I cannot say the same for Sanya which is located at the far south of Hainan. I had the impression that as both Haikou and Sanya have airports, they should be equally developed and on par with one another.
However, that is strictly not so. While Haikou is very much developed into a big city, Sanya is still lagging behind quite badly (except for a few streets with high-rise buildings). While the people in Haikou are more ethical and more well-behaved, you have to be more careful about your personal belongings if you are in Sanya (that is one of the reasons why I did not take many pictures in Sanya). While the 4-star hotels in Haikou are quite OK, 4-star hotels in Sanya are comparable to those of 2-star hotels. But one thing both have in common: the mentality of the people are still quite poor. I shall explain about it more detail when I return to Malaysia.
There isn't much to see in Sanya, and there is almost nothing special about Sanya. We joined a local tour and it was indeed a regrettable experience. In Haikou, the people are still very honest. In Sanya, in order for the people there to survive, they must resort to cunning tactics that are utterly deceitful, which is in a way a trademark of the Chinese people in China. I'll tell you about my experiences in Sanya later.
Now, what do you say to snorkelling? Yes, I have had the experience of snorkelling here in Hainan. It was indeed a wonderful experience diving underwater at the South China Sea to see all sorts of marine life, from corals to various types of fishes (clownfish, lion fish, etc.) and dangerous species such as the spiked pufferfish and sea anemone. Thankfully there was no jellyfish. Although I'd like to have a picture of me snorkelling to be taken underwater, each picture of it costs RMB35 (which is equivalent to RM17.50). That's expensive! I'd rather take pictures of me snorkelling in Australia or even Pulau Redang!
I've got so many funny stories that have good moral lessons behind them during my travel especially in Sanya and one in Haikou. As my schedule on the Internet is quite tight, I can't write them all here. With that, I shall sign out.
P/S: Brian! OK, I'll take pictures of the food in Guangzhou. Perhaps I'll even get something from Guangzhou as souvenirs for you!
P/S 2: Another eye candy from Blogger. I've changed the settings of my aunt's computer to Dutch, and this is how the Blogger Dashboard and New Post pages would look like in Dutch:
(Bragging "unintended") Did Henry ever mention that he understands some Dutch as well? Well, he can! =p
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;;Greetings from Haikou (Hainan), China!
8 mad rant(s) » Add your own! RANDTed: Henry Yew at 11:19:00 PMHello, people! Henry signing in from Haikou (海口) within the Hainan Island in China! I'm currently staying in my aunt's villa and she has a laptop and an Internet connection so after she is done with her business transactions, she let me use her laptop (it's a JVC laptop measuring about 11 inches from the corner of the screen to the other corner).
How has my trip been so far, you ask? Well, it's nothing short of enjoyable and breath-taking. Let me state this frankly. Haikou, or more specifically Hainan, went through rapid development for the past three years or so. Before 2004, much of Hainan is still rural. Now, skyscrapers fill the air-view. Highways wider than our Malaysian highways are everywhere. New houses are sprouting from every corner. In fact, there are more high-rise buildings in Haikou than Kuala Lumpur! Within a year or two, it can be more advanced than Kuala Lumpur! This is totally the opposite from what we initially expected.
Hainan is an island that is about 600 kilometres away from Guangzhou. Only three years ago the people here were still in poverty. But now, surprisingly very few beggars are seen on the streets. Cleanliness is comparable to that of Singapore although the people's mentality needs some changes (will talk about it next time). The people here are polite and the food is just as good as our Malaysian food! In fact, their taste is very similar to ours!
Communicating with the people here isn't a problem at all for me. I put up my apparently Beijing accent (that Joe and Melissa agreed on) and I did manage to fool some of the locals here. Some guessed I am from Beijing, some thought I am from Shanghai or Hunan. They were surprised when I told them we are from Malaysia. The people in Hainan speak Mandarin which is influenced by the Hainanese dialect accent. Nevertheless, their intonations are clear although the pronunciation may run a bit.
I wonder where Brian's (Gungrave1988) hometown is. He is a Hainanese and here I am, Brian, in Hainan! On the 21st of June, I'll be travelling from Haikou to Sanya (三亚) which is three hours away, so you can imagine how big Hainan Island is generally. On the 23rd, I shall be flying back to Guangzhou (广州) where I shall stay for another three days before flying back to KLIA on the evening of 26th. For those who don't know, Guangzhou is the FOOD HEAVEN of China. In fact, the best food can be found here in Guangzhou. The Malaysian Chinese food that you taste locally are heavily influenced by the Guangzhou taste because the great majority of Malaysian Chinese originate from the area of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton).
Well, I shall be updating you all soon about my overall trip. I shall be posting up pictures as well then. But here's an eye candy and some information for you. You see, in China, Blogger blogs are blocked from being viewed (so even though I can post this I can't view it!), but surprisingly I can log into Blogger to post this! And best of all, by default when I browse into Blogger, everything is in Mandarin! Here are some pictures of the screenshots that I took:
Fortunately I can understand all that is written in Mandarin (although I'm not Chinese educated!). Otherwise I'd have some troubles trying to post this in the first place.
That's all for now. Cheers! Remember, I can't check on how my post would turn out to be. I'd like to ask for assistance from the administrators if my post turns out wrong, as in looking strange or something like that.
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;;After much of a hassle and trouble in Kuala Lumpur a few days ago, it's decided. Henry Yew is going to take off (double entendres intended).
The first "take off" started when his aunt from the Netherlands called him up and asked him to go to Hainan Island (in China) for a vacation. However, although he is keen to have a vacation, he wasn't so keen to go to Hainan because it is very hot there now that it is summertime. And as Hainan is an island which is currently under development, there isn't much to see.As ungrateful as it may sound, he decided that he would want to go and his parents agreed to go together. Therefore, this began a series of troubles which Henry Yew would not want to discuss here. More can be seen elsewhere (mark that). Nevertheless, long story short, there were many shortcomings and in the end just three days ago Henry Yew and his family were in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur at Plaza OSK to have the Chinese Visas done. As everything was done in a hurry, a hefty sum of RM510 had to be paid for three visas instead of RM90.
Today itself, something happened that threatened to cancel one of the air-tickets. This drew Henry Yew into a mad fit of rage. His rage rectified the problem immediately and everything was in proper order again. Therefore, it has been set. Henry Yew will take off to Hainan on the 18th of June 2007 at 0820 hours to Guangzhou first, before transiting to Hainan at 1450 hours.
As he shall be away for nine days (in Hainan for five days, then Guangzhou for four), this is the second "take off". From the 18th of June onwards till the 26th, he shall be taking off from RANDTS temporarily. Upon his return, he promises that he shall post pictures (that will be taken using his Nokia N70 phone) of his visit in Hainan and Guangzhou.
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;;Hi,guys!! I'm back in UTP! I feel the holidays are so short for us...Only 4 days..unlike others...Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk...Btw, did anyone went to see the Eye on Malaysia? I manage to get a sit on the ferris wheel. It was kind of a nice experience but for the cost of Rm15 for 4 rounds....I would not go for it again... here are some pictures that I took at Tasik Titiwangsa. Enjoy!!! (^__^)
Look at the amount of visitors....All the way out of the tents....
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Hey people! Just in case any of you noticed, I haven't been posting for quite a while. But now it's official, I'm back to posting. Shoutout to StMaverick... Sorry for the short abscence dude. To everyone else, Happy Chinese New Year! :)
Anyways, this is one of the few times when I'm actually free or either have nothing to do. Got back to JB about 2 days ago by an 8-hour bus trip. It's rare I have any holidays nowadays. My gosh, it's still the beginning of the semester and I'm thinking about the end of it already.
I haven't really been doing anything really "Chinese New Year-ish" though. Besides eating reunion dinner and receiving financial stimulus from my relatives and trying to make full use of it while I'm still not married. What do you guys do during Chinese New Year anyways? Mind sharing a little about your holidays? or how fat your wallets have been getting?
'Til next time, I'm gonna go eat some snacks now... I am getting really hungry and really irritable.
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;;Hey friends, this post relates to a current event. I originally intended to post something longer than this, but what the hey, I'm not really in the mood for it.
So, I've taken the liberty to summarize what I want to say in four points.
1) Goodbye Year of the Dog.
2) Hi Year of the Pig/Boar.
3) And to those who are going anywhere these holidays, do be careful.
And lastly...
4) Happy Chinese New Year and have a great year, aight?
OK. I'm off to celebrate in good ol' Kay El. See y'all in a bit.
Cheers!
Oh yeah, before I forget...
If anybody is in a generous mood and feels like contributing an ang pow (or two, or three, or four... I'm not really that picky), please don't hesitate to contact me. Heheh...
:-)
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