Category Archives: Travel

A summer to remember

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Looking back at my holidays, I had a truly enjoyable summer exchange at the University of Technology of Troyes in France.

Together with the other NTU students, I took two modules, Project Management and European Culture. These classes were conducted with American exchange students from Michigan, Buffalo and Binghamton. Every weekend, the university would also bring us to different places in France to experience the “French” way of living.

Paris

Our first weekend was in Paris. We did everything a tourist could possibly do, such as climbing the famous Eiffel Tower. Our experience would have been more enjoyable if the winds weren’t so strong, though!

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Sketches from France

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Out of curiosity, how many of you have watched Les Misérables? Man, the film version last year was awesome, but don’t expect explosions or car chases like you might see in a Michael Bay movie. Some of my friends complained that Les Miz was too “singy”. But I said: “Duuuude, it’s a musical. Whaddya expect?”

Anyway, I asked because I was lucky enough to visit the very place Les Miz was filmed. That’s right – France! Studying European art in my first semester in NTU certainly proved useful there.

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My fantastic FYP journey

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This is probably the only time in my student life where I get to work on a year-long project with my friends. I would not trade the experience for anything else, and am really glad we finished the project without any major disputes!

Under the caring guidance of our supervisor Assoc Prof May Oo Lwin, my group mates and I worked on a health communication project in the area of food nutrition labelling.

Basically, we experimented with different types of food packaging and studied their effects on participants who seek nutrition information.

We designed and created our own food packaging, and used them as stimuli in the experiment. We were in charge of everything – from design to data collection to report writing. Although it wasn’t our first time designing an experiment, it was within a research area that was completely new to us. But our determination held strong, and we finished the project amidst crazy schedules, tight deadlines and last-minute “heart attacks”.

We were also fortunate enough to get our research paper accepted for an academic conference in Japan. Two of us got to travel to Kyoto for the presentation, thanks to a travel grant from WKWSCI. It was truly an honour to represent the school!

We journeyed to Osaka, where we visited the beautiful Osaka Castle. Then, we shopped till we dropped at the Shinsaibashi-suji shopping district and gorged on delicious okonomiyaki, a Japanese savoury pancake filled with various ingredients.

Kyoto, where the conference was held, proved to be another captivating city, with cherry blossoms at the Kyoto Garden Palace and the historic Kiyomizudera Temple, one of Kyoto’s many cultural heritage sites. However, the most memorable moment was stepping into a restaurant after a weary day of travelling, and being greeted by polite and endearing Japanese staff who served us fresh authentic Japanese food… oishi!

jeremy3_1Beautiful flowers and even more beautiful memories

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Taiwan withdrawal syndrome

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The second semester has started, but I’m still trying to kick back into gear. Well, this is because I’m experiencing what I call the “Taiwan withdrawal syndrome”.

Taiwan withdrawal syndrome, noun

1. The removal of a being from an overseas environment resulting in a combination of symptoms of uneasiness and pining that are characteristic of the disease.

Note: The disease is usually contracted shortly after removal from the environment, and symptoms will wear off in about a week, depending on the individual’s memories and circumstances.

Credit: The Germaine Tan Dictionary

Jokes aside, I must say the trip to Taiwan with the other University Scholar Programme (USP) students was extremely enlightening. I also managed to use my Polaroid camera to take a few scenic shots, which was really fun. My shots look quite amateur, though!

To be honest, I’ve never been to any museums prior to this trip. In fact, the number of museums I visited in Taiwan exceeds the number I’ve visited my whole life! But I have more appreciation for them now, and I think I’ll be making a trip down to one of Singapore’s museums during my next school break. 😉

We managed to stay in a Minsu (homestay) in Taiwan. It was the most luxurious and comfortable accommodation I’ve ever had on an overseas trip. The two-storey room came with two queen-sized beds and a jacuzzi! I’m not a “wood expert” but I could tell that the furniture and flooring were of good quality. Needless to say, my roomie from NTU and I had a blast, and we had many late nights talking, watching television and munching on the snacks and drinks provided.

G1The Want Want snacks were a pleasant surprise! Made for a great midnight snack, especially with hot green tea.

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Super summer

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I’m the sort of person who warms up to people very slowly. Slower than a slow cooker cooks porridge. So when I signed up for a five-week summer school programme in Tianjin last year, I felt a bit nervous… but as it turns out, I had a blast.

All my peers took the same two modules, so we ended up spending a lot of time together. We got to know each other really quickly – something I wasn’t used to before!

There was no shortage of things to do – we went sightseeing in Beijing and Pingyao, and also found time to explore the streets and corners of Tianjin on our own (my roomie’s sense of direction is as bad as mine… he kept straying from the group). It did not take us very long to find out where the cheap meals, good food and even cute vendors were (they chatted up some girls in our group!).

Goods are much more affordable there, and this meant we went on regular shopping sprees. The guys in our group did not “lose out” to the girls when it came to shopping! Luckily, space constraints in our luggage, together with our “protesting” wallets, kept us in check.

supersummer1Boys’ night out shopping!

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