Back from China! :D

Hey all!

I'm back from my overseas trip in China. :D

Anyone missed me? I guess not. Haha.

Before I left for China, there were frequent breakdowns of the MRT. I guess I don't really have to elaborate much about it, but I'm really thankful that I didn't get caught in any of the incidences, considering the fact that I take the MRT, the North-South Line, to work every single day. Phew (:

And during my overseas trip, I heard from my dad that Orchard Road was flooded again...

Well, my trip was fun and enjoyable. I have learnt a couple of things about visiting a country experiencing winter annually.

1. Going outdoors is really troublesome because you have to wear many layers of clothing.
2. Always use your moisturizer to prevent your skin from getting dried up.. You'll look like you've aged 10 years or more..
3. Drink lots of water, preferably hot/lukewarm water.
4. Apply lip balm/ lip gloss.
5. Place a cup of water in the hotel room before you go to bed every night to prevent yourself from getting a sore throat the next morning.
6. Prepare some medicine/ lozenges to get rid of any phlegm stuck in your throat.
7. Take a quick shower. It's very cold when you're naked, even with the heater on.
8. A mask or equivalent would be very helpful especially when there is a strong cold wind blowing towards you.
9. Find a glove that suits your hand. Don't get one that is too big or too small. If it is too big, you won't be able to handle your camera well. If it is too small, your wrist may be exposed.
10. Bring lots of tissue. You may experience a nose bleed if the air is too dry. Otherwise, you may have a runny nose too. It would also be useful for ladies if you enter a toilet that does not provide tissue.. which is quite common in China.
11. Heat packs are very useful - put them between your socks, especially if you're gonna step on ice or snow.
12. You will love the sun.

I was actually compiling a list like this in my head while I was in China, but I seemed to have forgotten a whole lot of it. Hahaha. (And don't get the impression that I hate winter, I'm fine with it! (: )

Oh, I think I forgot to mention that I went to the Northeastern (东北) part of China.

19th Dec - Midnight flight from SG to Shanghai

20th Dec - Morning flight from Shanghai to Dalian.

Touring around Dalian.

21st Dec - Touring around Dalian.

22nd Dec - Touring around Dalian.

23rd Dec - Head to Shenyang.

Touring around Shenyang.

24th Dec - Touring around Shenyang.

25th Dec - Head to Changchun.

Touring around Changchun.

26th Dec - Touring around Changchun.

27th Dec - Head to Harbin.

Touring around Harbin.

28th Dec - Touring around Harbin.

29th Dec - Flight from Harbin to Shanghai.

Touring around Shanghai.

30th Dec - Touring around Shanghai.

Flight from Shanghai to SG.

Basically, this was the itinerary. I shall not delve into where we visited and stuff like that. But there's one thing that I want to add: from Harbin to Shanghai to SG, the temperature difference was about 50deg Celsius. Seriously.

Temp @ Harbin: -20 degC

Temp @ Shanghai: 3 degC

Temp @ SG: 30 degC

So yeah.. From Dalian to Harbin was colder and colder, so we actually had time to adapt to the increasingly cold weather. The sun also descended around 4pm daily, so we could hardly go out at night because night time was very cold. The temperature difference between daytime and night time was about 10 degC difference. :/

I was quite reluctant to leave Shanghai on 30th Dec actually, because we barely had time to explore the area well enough. Only a touch of it and that's all.. :(

Maybe I would consider going there some time.. (:

Okay, that's probably all that I have to say about my overseas trip.. For now, I'll just relax a little more and pray hard for my O Level results..! Good luck to all receiving their results! All the best. :)

And, one last thing, today is the last day of 2011. This year has definitely been a fulfilling one - from being the class chairperson, to obtaining a Gold award in the SYF for PRSS Choir, to more studying and Prelims and then the final big day, O Levels... Time has flown past too quickly for me to enjoy every single moment of it. This has really been a "quick" year. :/

Anyways, before I start feeling a bit nostalgic, I would like to wish everyone a Happy 2012, good luck, good health, and always stay happy! May you have all your wishes come true! Look towards a better tomorrow and a better year ahead. :)