Formosa Adventures Page 2 - Alishan

Alishan is located in the county of Chiayi. We have to get to Chiayi train station first to begin the ascend.

A poem for a train station haha.

Halfway up Alishan. It started to fog out and rained really heavily. Our driver was skilful enough to manoeuvre along the steep winding roads in face of the splattering rain, poor visibility and slippery slopes.

Same place as the previous picture. The fog cleared as fast as it came.

Ate the 関東煮 available at almost every convenience store in Taiwan. Good for cold weather. Their stores have tables and seats for customers to sit down and enjoy their food too.

The packs are bloated like pillows haha! Must be due to the low ambient pressure.

Alishan is quite a touristy area, with lots of restaurants and souvenir shops. This is the main plaza, a central area for the surrounding hotels. The temperature was 14 degC...brrrr.

Alishan train station, with its retro architecture.

This station is pretty empty in the afternoon but is really crowded before dawn.

There used to be scenic train services plying from Chiayi station to Alishan recreational area, but it is closed ever since the typhoon destroyed the tracks some years ago. The authorities probably find no economic sense to restore it because of the frequent destructive typhoons.

Calligraphy. I can only make out the characters 阿里山 in the foremost piece. The rest is not very legible...

At the upper floor.

Murals at the entrance of Alishan Recreational Park.

Eerie!

Post office or temple?

Alishan is famous for steamboat. The hotpot veggies were so-so but the main dishes were good. May be a little too much for 2 persons.

One of the highlights of Alishan. Sunrise viewing. Crowds start to form at the train station at around 4am, for the 20-min train ride up to 祝山 peak.

It was very cloudy when we just reached the peak. Chance to view the sunrise was low. Anyway that tree has a special significance, that's why it is not chopped down despite blocking the view.

Sky was turning bright but still no sun. Fortunately the wind was strong and managed to blow away most clouds. But it was really really cold up there. The ridge contours are worth admiring though.

Everyone gasped when a glimpse of the sun emerged through the gap in the clouds.

The sun rises above the clouds. This must be the prettiest moment of the sunrise.

Now the sun is too bright to watch. Can only see the sun though photos taken by my camera. Everyone started to leave the peak.

It wasn't the perfect sunrise but the guide said that it was the best among the previous days. There wasn't a blanket of clouds beneath the mountain peaks too. At least it fulfilled my desire of watching mountains from a high place.

P.S. Cross reference to my blog background image. Any similarities? Haha...

Formosa Adventures Page 1 - Taichung

Sorry to keep my blog readers waiting. Without further ado, I shall release the first coverage of my series of travels during the past 2 months.

Taiwan is generally a popular travel destination among Singaporeans. Every vacation period I will have friends here and there travelling to Taiwan. The things are cheaper there, the food is delicious and scenery is beautiful. Above that there is no language barrier and the people are generally nice and helpful. Their service standards and civic-mindedness is undeniably a notch above Singaporeans. There is definitely much more to explore there as compared to our tiny red dot.

Toilet in the coach bus. The sign written in faint ink says: 禁止大号 Lol.

Fengjia shopping district. The 'Ximending of Taichung'.

My accommodation for the night. Cosy and reasonably priced. Close proximity to Fengjia night market.

Looks like a school dormitory hor? I believe some students from the nearby Fengjia University stay here too.

To the left is Fengjia University and to the right is Fengjia Night Market. Most night markets in Taiwan are located next to a university (to earn students' money?). Apparently many students eat at the night market after school. Not a very healthy lifestyle but seems that most students won't get fat from all the oily stuff...

My very first experience in a Taiwan night market. Fascinated by the variety of cheap and tasty-looking food available.

The stalls usually have eye-catching names. And what's 官财板?? Sound like 棺材板...

It says 'boneless' but they still gave me so much bones in the chicken =(

Fengjia Night Market is said to be famous for 大肠包小肠, as seen from the perpetual long queues. The curious me have to go try it out...

The 大肠 is actually just glutinous rice, but it gets a little too sticky and hard to bite together with the normal 小肠.

Eating the tall ice-cream! Ideal for hot weather but taste-wise so-so only because it's quite diluted. 吃爽而已

Originated from Japan. I love bread and fried noodles so this is 两全其美. =)

Have to try this in the 奶茶 paradise. Drinking half a cup is enough to make you feel bloated.

Streets of Taichung outside main train station. The station is pretty far from Fengjia, and there was a not-so-pleasant experience along our way here...haiz. If only Taichung is served by intra-city metro lines, rather than only public buses...

Automated library corner. Good for people who want to pass their time on the train by reading. On the contrary, I doubt this idea can work in Singapore too.

Onboard towards Chiayi!

EXACTLY THE SAME as Japan trains haha.

Loading...Please Wait

I've played enough for the past 2 months...time to get down to work!

Please be patient while I upload and sort out pictures of my trips. Still in a very unsettled state. >_<

For the time being, I shall give a preview.

Enjoy the mesmerizing sunset. =)
  

This fascinating place will be introduced in a few entries' time. Stay tuned!

End of University Awards

When I graduated from junior college, I did an award presentation entry, giving credit (and discredit) to subjects and teachers I like (and dislike). (Refer to Dec 2005 entries) So I guess I shall do the same for my university graduation too. Only module titles will be mentioned haha. 

Most Big Family:
MA1505 - Mathematics I

A fundamental module common to all Year 1 engineering students. So basically the entire engin cohort is taking this module at the same semester, with a whopping class size of 1500+ students.

Most Small Family:
JS3208 – Approaches to Japanese Linguistics

A really tiny enrolment size of 10 students conducted in seminar-style class. What's the probability of meeting another fellow chemical engineering student taking this same module? I broke the odds haha. 

Most Improvement:
LSM1401 - Fundamentals of Biochemistry

At the beginning I was totally lost because of the lack of biology background. (My bio knowledge stopped at lower secondary) Eventually I gained interest in the subject after intensive reading of the textbook. Felt that I coped with the assignments and exams pretty well.

Most Lonely:
SC1101E - Making Sense of Society

I took this module by myself during Semester 1 and did not make any friends nor acquaintances in lectures and tutorials. The project is individual-based too, so I'm practically a lone warrior in this module. 

Most Enthusiastic:
JS3208 – Approaches to Japanese Linguistics

Hmm, partly due to the small class size and more importantly my genuine interest in the subject.

Best Lecture Notes:
IT1005 – Introduction to MATLAB

Well organized, clearly presented and full of humour. Not to mention the superbly drawn illustrations.

  

Worst Final Exam:
CN4203R – Polymer Engineering

The worst thing to do in setting exam papers is to let students set their own questions. It's even worse when the lecturer doesn't edit/QC the questions.

Best Final Exam:
MA1505 - Mathematics I

After the exam I felt like I could score full marks. Never had such confidence before.

Most Expensive: 

CN4118R – Final Year Project

Spent a bomb on printing and binding my final report and poster. Fortunately my $$$ paid off, though I felt it didn't turn out as good-looking as I thought. 

Most Surprised Grade:
SSA2215 – Biophysical Environment of Singapore

Had a shock when I checked my grades. The performance of my group assignments was only so-so. Didn't have much confidence for my final exams too. I wasn't really paying attention during lectures too. Somehow the results turned out much better than expected. Thanks to the bell curve I guess.

Best Grades (Core):

MA1505 - Mathematics I

MA1506 – Mathematics II

CN3124 – Particle Technology

CN3132 – Separation Processes  

CN4211R – Petrochemicals and Processing Technology

Have to thank the bell curve for these. Some are just tyco-ly surprising.

Worst Grades (Core):

CN2108 – Chemical Engineering Process Laboratory I

CN3109 – Chemical Engineering Laboratory III 

EG2401 – Engineering Professionalism

CN4203R – Polymer Engineering 

CN4215R – Food Technology and Engineering 

CN4201R – Petroleum Refining 

The word 'worst' is just used in a comparative sense. The grades aren't bad at all haha.

Best Grades (Elective):

SSA2215 – Biophysical Environment of Singapore

LAJ3202 – Japanese 6

JS1101E/GEK1002 – Introduction to Japanese Studies 

LAJ4203 – Newspaper Reading

JS3208 – Approaches to Japanese Linguistics  

I should have majored in Japanese Studies hor? Lol.

Worst Grades (Elective + All):

GEM2901 - Reporting Statistics in the Media

No tie for this award. This module is obviously my worst-performing all time in NUS. Luckily this module is S/U-able. Shall forgive this module since it's so slack haha.

Star Cruise Revisited

Superstar Virgo hasn't changed much since my last visit about 4 years ago, except for certain rules to limit entry into the non-chargeable restaurants/buffet in order to reduce food wastage. Since I've already explored most parts of the ship before and this time I didn't leave the ship throughout the whole journey, there wasn't much to do except eat eat eat...

With RWS, the view at the harbourfront is much nicer now!

This cable car is the main reason why larger cruise ships cannot enter the harbour. I want Oasis of the Seas!!

Another relatively new landmark along the habour. =).

The Pantheon pool is more exciting now, with the addition of a water slide. Didn't get to try it though.

Nothing has changed in the main hall, not even a bit.

*Absorbed into the view*

Observing the sunset from the sea can be so pretty too!

Thank you Japan

Most of the memorable moments during my NUS life is attributed to Japanese-related events and interactions with various Japanese students. I probably won't get to enjoy all these anymore after I graduate.

Hoho...lucky! (taken at a summer festival in Iwate Prefecture)

Visit to Mediacorp radio station. First time hearing my own voice on air. Sounds very strange haha.

Won 2nd Place (tertiary category) in Japanese Speech Contest 2010. This is my proudest individual achievement in my life. Btw the Hitachi TV sits dormant in my room. Other than video games and ZXJA, I don't use it at all. At this rate I think it might break down due to under-utilization lol.

The person who won the 1st Place is my classmate, so I'm happy for her too. If not for the guidance by 千葉先生, we couldn't have made it so far.

Took a few interpretation jobs too, mainly for school exchange programmes. Looks like there are more opportunities nowadays for local students, even at the primary and secondary level, to interact with foreign students. I don't remember participating in such exchange programmes during my time.

Japanese high school students playing balloons with Singaporean primary school students. Why such an age gap? There is actually a good reason for this...

Eh Ah Bengs, 不要教坏小妹妹 hor...

The entire hall turned into a big playground. 大哥哥大姐姐 playing with the small kids. =) Some interesting differences I observed about exchange with primary school, compared to that of secondary school or university.

The Japanese students presented an AKB dance. Erm...something doesn't look right...lol.

I also participated in the BnS (Brothers and Sisters) programme, where I brought Japanese high school students around places of interest in Singapore, like a tour guide haha. They were always very surprised that I'm much older than them. =p One of the most challenging things is satisfying their desire in buying souvenirs and snacks that are uniquely Singapore (except Merlion-related goods).

My very first BnS experience, and one of my most memorable ones. That 'lian'-ish girl on my right kept teasing my Japanese. So I teased her English too haha. Most Japanese are too polite to tease foreigners of their language, so she's a pretty rare breed haha. 

Took this group shortly after returning from Europe so my face was very red haha. Made them walk under the hot sun all the way from Plaza Singapore to DFS. They were so exhausted and sweated like crazy, so I treated them bubble tea from SweetTalk =)

The longest BnS assignment. It lasted about 10 hours, but there was no moment of boredom. I brought them to eat the take-all-you-can Javier, and they really stacked the food like mountains (shared of course). For a gracious society like Japan, I doubt they have such serving style. (not saying that Javier is ungracious haha) Those sunglasses were bought at Chinatown =p

Had a nice time chatting with this group, especially with the 2nd guy from the left. Discussed about deep topics like Japanese attitudes towards the Chinese and Koreans. I treated them ice-kachang and when I told them that it's very easy to fall sick if you eat cold stuff right after eating spicy food and walking under the hot sun, they gave me a O_O face -- "Then why treat us in the first place?“ LOL.   

There was a guy who kept walking far ahead by himself, oblivious to the rest of the group who were busily chatting behind. Somehow it feels like I'm looking at myself...

I became very 八卦 and asked about the relationship with their girlfriends, where they usually go for dating and what they do. Also requested to look at their photos haha. Hope they are not irritated by me =p

The friendly group that said hi to Jupiter lol. They were pretty enthusiastic too, and were very curious about Singapore's culture. But there were 2 super ultra quiet guys. Even when I tried to initiate a conversation with them, they only replied with a simple one-liner, in a hardly audible voice, with eyes looking somewhere else... Sigh...

My most apologetic group. Due to my poor time management, I ended up bringing them back to the reporting point almost 1 hour late, even after taking a taxi. The Japanese are very particular about punctuality and that was considered very very very unacceptable. The BnS in-charge also got scolded because of me, and was late for a project meeting. So he took a taxi and subsequently lost his phone >_<

The most international group I've taken. (They come from an international school) Most of them have lived overseas before, like in US, so their English is much much better than typical Japanese. One of them lived in Netherlands during her childhood, so she could speak several languages including Dutch. One is an American-Japanese. One can speak Mandarin very well because she went China for exchange. One is currently learning French and Korean, and likes Kpop very much haha. 

The most adventurous group I've met. Unlike most Japanese, they were very willing to try spicy food. They even requested me to bring them to eat durian! They also bought local desserts and fruit juice on their own, like chendol and 罗汉果 juice, without any need of my recommendations. Anyway, sorry for the unsightly leftover at the picture foreground...lol

On top of Sentosa Merlion. They are the only group that wrote a thank you card to me after returning to Japan. Just a few simple words but it's enough to make me feel touched =)

Hmm...a little bochup group. They didn't seem very interested in things around them, except for sports shops. Brought them to Velocity at Novena but only 1 person bought something...

They saw people doing this and wanted to try out themselves too haha.

It was their last day in Singapore and one of the girls was so desperate to find something to buy for her mum. We went from shop to shop but couldn't find a suitable accessory, so in the end she settled for a perfume.

They are from Kobe and their Kansai accent is very strong, so I had some difficulties in catching what they were trying to say. Nevertheless I learnt some Kansai dialect from them. Will it come in useful for my Kansai trip? Haha

I don't really like to bring the students to Orchard because there are just too many high-end shops. They don't really seem interested in the basement food stalls of Takashimaya too. It can be quite a challenge to understand what they really want to see or buy. Singapore doesn't have so many souvenir/gift snacks shops everywhere like in Japan.

My final BnS. Got a free ride on Singapore Flyer. Since my previous ride, there were more displays and exhibits to look at before entering the boarding platform. This assignment wasn't as memorable as I hoped it to be, because they got tired and wanted to return to the hotel earlier.

Once again I would like to thank Japan for providing such an enjoyable enrichment to my student life. ^_^