Waking up to our first morning in Wuhan,
And...
Me saving 1st Victim
Shun Qing saving 2nd Victim.
We had a bonding session with our toilet.
9.30 AM (Non-Shitted)
Victim 1: Clairol Herbal Essence (Pink)
Rescue Time: 30 Minutes
11.30 AM (After 2 Person shitted)
Victim 2: Elseve (Red)
Rescue Time: 15 Minutes (Well Trained professionals after 1st rescue)
Rescue Team: Xanier, Shun Qing, Eshlyn
Rescue Equipments: 2 Sticks (taken from 1st level of hostel, owner:unknown =x)
Our Rescue Video =D
Hi Singaporeans, how lucky are we? Toilet BOWLS everywhere in Singapore and toilet HOLES everywhere in Wuhan. Plus the holes of the toilet are not suited for toilet paper to be thrown in or else it would chock up the whole flushing system.We were considering if we should purchase a piece of wooden plank to cover up the hole when it is not in use. Didn't the person who constructed this toilet HOLE even thought of how inconvenient would it be for people to use?
After 'Project Rescue' comes SHOPPING & EXPLORATION!
A little shot of our hostel.
The laundry shop next to our hostel.
Initially, we wanted to send our clothes for washing every week to the laundry shop. But after looking at the condition it was in, we decided to hand wash all our clothes. Tiring? But I rather get tired than to have my clothes return with a few holes on it and some weird smell.
Canteen also next to our hostel.
Next, we proceeded to the canteen which was packed with students buying their breakfast. It was nothing like canteens in Ngee Ann Poly whereby students are queued up systematically waiting for their turn. The students were all pushing each other in order to reach the front where by there was a wide selection of dishes to select from. Each student was with a bowl and moving to the respective stations for different variety of food. One interesting observation which we discovered was, ALL the students were walking to their classrooms and eating at the same time. Who in Ngee Ann Poly walks to Blk 50 while eating bento set on the way???
FREEE AND EASYYYY~~~
Ok, so today is one free day for us to purchase all our necessary groceries and personal necessities.Oh and also to explore the area our hostel. Never had I treat marketing as such an important task. We walked a few streets away from our hostel in search of our super market and for some exploration adventure!
A shopping list was really generated!
Next, we proceeded to the canteen which was packed with students buying their breakfast. It was nothing like canteens in Ngee Ann Poly whereby students are queued up systematically waiting for their turn. The students were all pushing each other in order to reach the front where by there was a wide selection of dishes to select from. Each student was with a bowl and moving to the respective stations for different variety of food. One interesting observation which we discovered was, ALL the students were walking to their classrooms and eating at the same time. Who in Ngee Ann Poly walks to Blk 50 while eating bento set on the way???
Following on, we proceeded out of campus.
Discovered anything about this street?
There is no green and red man. You are suppose to look at the traffic lights for vehicles to determine when would be the right time to cross the road. As we were first timers here, we just followed Mr Loh blindly, but half way through I realised there was no green man and cars started coming towards us. =.= a good experience eh? You are suppose to look right, look left and cross (left-hand drive). I still don’t understand, is it so expensive to fit a traffic light for pedestrians than to put our lives at risk?
Seldom see this longggg trailers travelling on our roads in Singapore as stringent permission and license is needed before this long vehicle can travel on our road. But this trailers is actually a common sight in Wuhan. Lashings for the cargo is also not done apprioriately with strong and durable shrink wrap or ropes. It is simply bundled together using normal thick ropes and wooden planks at the side to keep it together. Personally I feel that more safety aspects should be observed for such long trailers as it is most prone to accidents such as toppling over, unbalance weight distribution etc. In Singapore,movement of such vehicles on the road must be approved by LTA (Land Transport Authority) before they can travel on the road.
FIERCE SIOL!
Poor Zhang Shao Han, JJ Lin and Jay. Advertisement posters are everywhere in Wuhan. We seldom see this in Singapore right? Even if we do, the colours of our advertisement posters would be kept in tip top condition for a pleasant view.
Another 2 types of road transportation.
Bicycle with cart.
Motorcycle with cart.
A small 'shop' located in a small alley at the corner of the road. Is it a shop anyway? No signboards, no tables only one menu board. 1 Chef and her assistant was located inside the small alley which have limited walking space.Walls covered with black soot due to constant cooking in the non-ventilated small area. Looks extremely turn off but strangely, many locals still buy from them. Before setting up the stall, didn’t they thought of hazards which would occur for eg. Fire, gas explosion due to no air circulation etc. how can this small alley even be used as a cooking area?
I shall try it one day when I think that having a stomachache is fine. =D
Honda Odyssey as a Police Car?
Hah, I still trust Singapore's Subaru WRX police car.
In search of our lunch,
we chanced upon this food street which sells plenty of stuffs!
The condition of the stores were quite terrible. I think even the paint of their walls is covered with a layer of oil and soot. The oil smell was very strong too. This should be due to constant re using of the oil after many times.
We decided to move on further down the road in search of something more pleasing to our 5 senses.
And we came to this small stall that had mini tables and chairs. We found it quite unique so settled in. Plus, we had not tried the traditional 麻辣火锅 before so this shall be the first time we try it. I think people walking past would think that we were crazy because we were the only ones eating steamboat in the early afternoon. Although many china people had came over to open up 麻辣火锅 franchise stalls, but I still prefer eating it right at the place of its origin. More ‘Feel’. Prices were counted by the number of sticks which we had consumed. Would say that it was really worth the money as our total final cost was 25RMB and each person only had to pay $1++ Singapore dollars for a tummy filling lunch =)) 麻辣火锅 in Singapore would cost $20++ per person. A $19 dollars difference! Their 麻辣does not make your lips go red and be in search of water which is what Singapore’s chili taste like. Instead, it numbs your tongue and gives you a very weird feeling. Very different compared to Singapore.
Some exercises after our lunch!
JUMP SHOTS! =D
While we were walking back the street, we witnessed this brutal murdering of Mr Frog!
Sun got too scorching hot. Even Roy is holding an umbrella!!! Anyway that is mine. So… I was in the sunnn
=((
After walking for quite awhile, we discovered another small lane filled with special eateries.
Mango Ice.
Glass Tub for putting the soup in it.
I found this quite funny. a ',' followed by a '!'.
汤包 (VERY DELICIOUS =D)
the soup in it really flows in your mouth. The good point is, it was piping HOT! =0
Went into a school nearby the food street to take a look.
JUMP SHOTS AGAIN =D
After exploring for too long, we realised that our main purpose of coming out was to purchase necessities and groceries. So, we went back to the super market which we saw previously while walking here. Spent almost 4-5 hours in the super mart just to make sure that everything was bought. Buying the cheapest for EVERYTHING. HAHA! Singaporean spirit eh? =D
The guys bought a toilet bowl seat for their hostel. So now whose the weak one here. Male or Female? HUH HUH??? Because they were complaining about the squatting that it was tiring blah blah blah. Train leg muscles dudes! How to go army like that?! =X
Plenty of bottled mineral water for stocking up in our hostel.
Final group shot before we are off to bed! =D
Singaporeans are more particular on hygiene compared to China people. Their flushing system is nothing compared to ours, which is able to provide us with clean and instant drinking water straight from the tap. Do appreciate the effort of our government in providing us with clean and filtered water from every corner of Singapore. Where can you ever find a country which allows you to drink straight from the tap without fear of stomachache?
And seriously, did the inventor of this toilet HOLE even thought of the convenience of users? Today was the first time in my life that I had to squat so long till I’m done with my business. And when I wanted to stand up, I actually had to find a wall to support me up because my legs went numb after squatting for so long. Zzz… We are lucky that there are very few toilet holes in Singapore.
And after experiencing their canteens, what I learnt was. ‘Don’t push, don’t eat’. If you were afraid of pushing your way to the front to collect your food, then you can actually forget about having breakfast, lunch or dinner. Was the culture of pushing inculcated in them since young? Were they taught by their parents that cutting queue was a right thing to do? Singapore’s education had taught us well and inculcated all the right values in us through the subject of ‘moral education’. Our parents too taught us the right thing of not pushing and to queue up for your turn.
Next, the grocery shopping made us realize how dependant we were on our parents back in Singapore. For the very first time, buying groceries became something so important that the 3 of us had to sit down together and plan out exactly what is to be purchased, what was our budget and how necessary is each item mentioned by each of us. This trip forced us to understand every bit of ourselves, from our daily habit to our strengths and weaknesses. I believe that there is more to come in future within this 1 ½ months. I will discover my true inner and outer self!
Our government was really willing to invest plenty of money just to bring the country to its best condition. Providing us with all the facilities and maintaining them in tip-top condition. By not having traffic lights for pedestrians in Singapore, will you not start to wonder where did all the money that was supposedly used for setting up facilities for the citizens went to? Embezzled by the government? Or were they really short cashed to even set up a simple infrastructure such as traffic lights?
Long trailers were seen everywhere on the roads, with no safety precautions taken into considerations. Cargoes were tied loosely, there were no traffic police escorts to clear roads for them, there were not even width, length or height limitations. LTA I LOVE YOU! You saved the life of many Singaporeans. =)
Posters were pasted at every corner that has empty space. No advertisement fees, no booking of advertisement places etc. Advertisement posters are very well taken care of in Singapore.
Hygiene is still a very big issue in China. Roadside stalls are everywhere. Plus the cleanliness of the stores are a very big problem in the hygiene problem. With walls coated with a layer of oil, dust, soot etc. How does hygiene be emphasized?
In conclusion, Singapore government is really willing to spend on infrastructures that could benefit the citizens. Our life has been made real easy because of these entire basic infrastructures that had been built up bit by bit till the Singapore now which has transformed into a beautiful metropolitan area. And lastly, much more emphasize should be placed on hygiene in China before any changes should be made.
“Excellence is not a singular act but a habit. You are what you do repeatedly.”
(If China is able to change the habit of pushing around, cutting of queues etc. and all eateries to keep their environment clean by emphasizing most on their hygiene, I believe that China will soon be just 1 step away from excellence. It is the inculcating of the habit and constant reminders of what is right & wrong).
End.
