End of Year Holiday '07 II

[Yeahness... more time this weekend to continue my holiday posts... sigh... it's already like march 2008 and i'm still doing like "end of year" stuffs... sigh sigh =( ... anywayyyz... here it comes, the second part! =D hui hui]

PS dis post was written yonks ago.. finally published today coz i finally have some time off after mini exams!!! WOOOTTTT XD

So... following a short few days in Malaysia, I departed to Shanghai for my intensive dance training. I was to meet up with my girls at the Shanghai airport, and then our receiving school, Xin Zhong Zhong Xue (新中中学)'s representatives will then take us to our dorms. We shall then start our exciting intensive dance training! It was SO exciting. The down side was that, upon embarkation, I was entirely lost at the airport. I flew by myself, so I had no one to talk to or anyone to depend on. Out of desperation, I bought some phone cards to call the contacts that I was given. I finally got in touch with someone, and found Zhang Lao Shi, the teacher from Xin Zhong who was to take us to the school/take care of us during our stay. Wasted RMB 100 on phone cards. Poo big time. Finally, everyone else showed up, and we were escorted to the school! And the fun begins!

La awesome Zhang Lao Shi and me

Before the fun begins though... I must say, we noticed the really bad smog present in Shanghai straight away even though we were traveling in a bus at night. The neon lights and signs were really, truely awesome though, and I still cannot believe how much resources Shanghai puts into making neons! It's CRAZY. That's the word. C.R.A.Z.Y.

Neon much? Teehee... the famous river bank

Yes... so, the next day, we met our dance teachers, Ji Lao Shi and Ge Lao Shi. Both are awesome, both are hardcore. We swiftly got into the routine of dance, dance, dance... and everyone was absolutely sore after only the first day! I guess that was expected... but we started to feel better after the 3rd day. Even though we were sore and tired, we were fed very well! The school specialized in making dim sum, so they made a lot of Shanghai specialty dishes for us! It was SO EXCITING. Notice: me = food lover = in heaven = *melts*. Ahhh... the food. Glorious, I tell you. Yes, so other than having a tonne of fun learning new dances, we all had another tonne of fun enjoying the food!

A typical breakfast... seriously over filled hey?

Aunty Anita, Jen, Viv, Shy, Mel & Shu at the lunch table! OMG the food... *faints*

Besides dancing, we had plenty of shopping trips into the city, as well as some scheduled tours of Shanghai and Hangzhou. Our tour guide, Xiao He, was absolutely awesome, but there was a language barrier. Other than that, the tours were insightful, relaxing and definitely fun! What more can I say about shopping... it's pretty much self explanatory yes? Teehee... I bought 5 pairs of boots, 5 pairs of sneakers, 5 pairs of jeans, a tonne of socks & leg warmers... man, did I have a good time?!?!?!

Foggy/smoggy day, but still did quality sightseeing. This is by that famous river bank, one of the historical buildings which I cannot remember right now... =P

Chen Huang Miao (Temple) where authentic architecture masks the underlying tourist shopping heaven XD

One of the islands of West Lake... a famous lake for its perfect size and serenity

The most picturesque post-card like background I've ever seen...

Back on track... we learnt 3 new dances in total- 1 Tibetan, 1 Mongolian and 1 Classical Han. They are all SO much fun, energetic and contemporary... a big change from whatever we learn here back in Perth. Ji Lao Shi was our main choreographer who only graduated from the Beijing Arts Academy recently, so we were inspired with fresh, new and exhilarating dance pieces that I appreciate with all my heart. The feeling of each dance is entirely different, technique wise as well, and even though we took it all in in 2 weeks, we still have much to work on in perfecting the dances. So enjoyable they are, it doesn't matter!

Chung Wah Dance girls in modern Tibetan costume!

Ji Lao Shi and moi =)

Me, Ge Lao Shi and Belle

Our Shanghai trip would not be complete without the mention of our trips to the hairdressers. We found a newly opened hairdressing shop just around the corner, with a Jay Chou lookalike hairdresser inside. That's how we noticed the shop. Anyway, everyone basically had something done to their hair- perm, cut, dye, wash... the list is endless. Cass had a good time talking to the little Year 1 boy next door; Belle was complimented by the Jay Chou about having gorgeous eyes (which I totally agree); and... I met my boy there too. Teehee... made me believe in love at first sight- his name is Tony, and he did my hair! Notice the hot hair? Yes, done by the hot hairdresser. Teeheehee... he also cut Cass's hair, which is also absolutely stunning. The good times.

Awesome buildings with funky paint jobs on the opposite side of the road to the hairdresser's

Best La Mian (a type of hand made noodles) that I've ever had! [next door to hairdresser's]

In the process of dying me hot hair... teehee... so much fun =)

Ta da! Finished cut...

... continued with near-finished colour...

... and the final product from the back! It has long since grown out now... boo =(

Tony and I... =)

Dancing, shopping, touring, eating, relaxing, hairdressing... all in 2 weeks' work. We also met the dance crew of Xin Zhong, who were fun loving, crazy like us and just so much fun despite the language barrier!!! We ended our trip on a note of exchange, where we performed for one another in front of a small special crowd, and we all received certificates for participating in this intensive training trip. It was a nice gesture, I was totally surprised and grateful!

Dance Crew Perth (in red) VS Dance Crew Shanghai

On the sadder side, obviously I had to part with my boy... and fly back to Malaysia to continue the last leg of my summer holiday. Belle was on the plane with me flying back, and she cried more than I did! It was rather funny, but having her there comforted me a bit more... as she was there when it all happened, and she understands. She's a pal.

Off we went on the 30th Dec, just one day before Belle's birthday, and I was once again back in Malaysia, meeting my mother's smiling face at the airport. The trip goes on, with me a little more inspired, a little more mature, a little more sad, a little more exhilarated. So many things were happening at once, so much to handle, so much to learn. However, it all turned out well and enjoyable/fun, which is the most important thing. Ahhh... the memories of Shanghai.



Hui Hui ^^b

Hectic Life

[OMG... there flies another month and i haven't posted nothing! so much for my food blogs... sigh!... but... guess... i should update on what i'm doing now/why i can't blog so much nemore =( ... tehee... hope everyone had a good day ^^... hui]

1 Uni
With the start of uni on the 18th Feb (2 weeks before everyone else at UWA... and earlier than most other universities anyway...), my life returned to its studious state. With about 30-35 contact hours a week, studying just cannot get any better! No, seriously. Anyway, now that it's the 3rd week into uni, everything/every unit has officially started/gotten more intense, so every night equals typing notes/organizing books/pre-reading etc etc... Oh, the life of a uni student. Dent, especially. Sigh.

NOTE: I absolutely LOVE dentistry to bits... it's just that there's so much to do, and one just cannot help but whine. Teehee.

2 Work
Yes, I'm officially a Brumby's girl! GOOOO BRUMBY'S and NOT Baker's Delight! Wahaha... yes... I have now started working casual shifts at Brumby's Nedlands, just near OHCWA where I go for lessons. My boss is awesome, the environment is awesome, and the job is simply awesome! I absolutely LOVE bread to bits as well, and being surrounded by fresh bread is such a dream come true for me. Love this job, love its flexible hours, and love the people there! Plus... there's always the free bread to love too. =)

3 Dance
As usual since I was 11, dance training is something I have to do to feel like I'm in place. Every Saturday, I still teach dance, train, and have a lot of fun with my dance girls and teacher. Good times, every weekend! So awesome. Especially after our intensive training in Shanghai. The new dances are fabulous, energetic and interesting... can't get enough. Training as usual is also cool, though not so cool in summer (everyone literally sweats like waterfalls), and learning basics/from scratch really strengthens our movement. LOVE this art.

In summary...

Hui is juggling these 3 precious things in her life right now. All of them are time consuming, and basically if she's not doing one of those things, she'll be out and about clubbing/hosting house parties/going to house parties/meeting up with buddies. The latter only happens one night a week though, as that's all that she can afford in order to not fall behind in her studies/have fun at work/enjoy dancing. Please understand?

Not that friends and family are not important, but my parents are currently in Malaysia, and I still meet up with friends, just not as frequent as before. Life is full of give and takes... I guess I'm taking a lot of what I want to do now and giving up on a bit of fun. It balances out in the end, so it's still OK. Just that time management is a huge issue. I still spend time with my brother, we're still tight. It's all good! =D

Hui Hui ^^b