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So long, farewell
I can't believe it, it's over.
We made new friends, braved through horrible internet, went on crazy adventures together. It was hard work, but yet ridiculously amazing. This surely is, a once in a lifetime experience. I'll never forget it and all the people I've met on this trip. I wouldn't have had such great memories without all you wonderful people.
Firstly to Daniel,
Thank you for giving me this opportunity to chase my dreams. It has truly been an amazing experience. I don't think I even have the right words in the vocabulary to describe it. All I can say is Thank you, for everything. You put up with all our nonsense, laughed with us and smacked us when we were out of line. I'm really glad I got to know you and thank you for taking such good care of me over the last two weeks babysitter. Stay in touch! (:
Secondly to Miles,
Thank you for being by my side throughout this entire period. I know it hasn't been easy on you either and you are a total star for giving me your 100% support. You are an amazing guy and you have my entire heart <3
Next to my Singaporean SMEs,
You guys, you guys. I don't know what to say. Well first off, WE SURVIVED!!! Two mad weeks of attending events, living together(and killing each other) and fighting the internet together. We're a team made up of people from all walks of life and I'm amazed no one has killed anybody yet(keyword being yet). Thank you for being there with me through this entire experience, ranting along with me, going on group activities together, learning and working together. All these memories of you guys and YOG, I'll never forget. Take care everyone and stay in touch! (:
To the Korean SMEs,
You guys are a noisy crazy fun bunch but I love it. You people are AWESOME. I really got to know some of you over the past two weeks and I have made so so many new friends. It was really great to have met you guys. Hopefully one day I'll get to go to Korea and you guys could bring me around. Hehe. I had a lot of fun hanging out with you, going on the flyer together, shopping, eating, having mad adventures like learning lion dance and going around Sentosa.. Thank you for the wonderful memories you have given me. I'll always remember this trip and you guys! Remember me too alright. Take care and have a safe flight back to Korea. Pleaseeee stay in touch with me! <3
To the China SMEs,
Though I didn't really get to know many of you well, I still made friends with some of you during the group activities and stuff. Hehe I know my chinese is really bad so that's a problem. Sorry! I still tried my best with my half decent chinese. Hahaha. Anyway it was really great having you guys with us in Singapore. I hope you enjoyed your stay and that we were good hosts (: Take care on your flight back to China and stay in touch with all of us! (:
And finally my precious readers,
Without you guys, I would be nothing! Thank you so much for all the support and faith you have given me in the past two weeks. To everyone reading this, family, friends, random people, everyone: THANK YOU SO MUCH. I got the Best Singaporean SME award during the farewell dinner. That would have not been possible without the love all of you have given me. Thank you <3
Aw, so mushy. This ain't the end yet folks! I still have more updates coming up as the YOG draws to a close. Stay tuned! (:
Sun, fun and friends. What more could we ask for
Yesterday was our second group activity at Sentosa! We were split up into groups of six and given a mission for the day. We were to pick two or three attractions to do while at Sentosa and upload pictures onto facebook using our Galaxy phones. Our team decided to try out the Megazip as that was one of the newest attractions at Sentosa. The other place we wanted to visit was the Images of Singapore as we wanted our visitors to learn more about Singapore's history and culture.
We had a meeting before we set out at which we drew lots for our modes of transportation that we were to use to get to Sentosa Island. I picked MRT and Sentosa Express for my team! We decided the fastest way to get to Vivocity would be to take a bus to Outram MRT station and then take the purple line to Harbourfront. From there, we would walk to Vivocity and take the Sentosa Express from there. From the moment we set out, our Galaxy S was already coming in handy! We opened up applications like Shownearby which we used to find out which buses were near us, what buses were at those bus stops and how long were the buses going to take to arrive. My team mate even had an application called SG buses that lists all the bus services in Singapore, their routes and arrival times.
Our mode of transportations!
Waiting for the bus!
We found out which bus got us to Outram Park MRT the quickest and its arrival time. When it came, we boarded it and took a short ride to the MRT station. Once there, we took the MRT to Harbourfront station. We arrived in a matter of minutes and rushed up to the Sentosa Express station where we bought our Sentosa Express tickets. All along the way, everyone was busy using their Galaxy S to take pictures and upload them to facebook or twitter. People were even updating their status on facebook or twitter and checking into places using foursquare. The Galaxy made everything really convenient as I could arrange all my favourite applications into one page so I could access them easily and quickly. For someone who has never used a phone like this before, it was a little overwhelming at first but I soon got used to it with some help from my tech saavy friends. I mostly use applications such as Touiteur, Facebook, Pixelpipe and Foursquare to keep in touch with my friends and stay updated. I use other applications such as Google Maps and Shownearby to navigate around Singapore.
Taking a quick power nap
All my favourite applications on my home page!
The Shownearby application!
I use Pixelpipe to upload my pictures to facebook, twitter, posterous and anywhere else I want!
I stay in touch with my friends and update my status using Touiteur
And of course some games to keep me entertained. This is Abduction, a game similar to Doodle Jump
I'm sure everyone knows this game, Paper toss!
When we arrived at Sentosa, we alighted at the beach station and decided to take a beach tram to the Megazip ticketing booth. However we were in for a disappointment when we got there. We found out the attraction only opens at 2pm! ): This called for a change of plans as we were not able to come back later at 2pm due to time constraints. Instead we decided to go for the luge as that would bring us to Imbiah Walk where Images of Singapore was located. When we got to the Luge ticketing booth, we found out that there was a new trail! Our group decided to buy a package so that we could try out both Luge trails. It was a good choice as our visitors really enjoyed the high speed travelling down in the Luge carts and the scenic views over Sentosa when we were on the Sky Ride.
At the beach station waiting for the tram
All ready for the Luge!
Having fun on the Sky Ride
Afterwards, we headed to Images of Singapore and learnt more about our history and culture as we explored the air-conditioned multi sensory musuem. The museum was surprisingly well kept and decorated with wax figurines and different zones such as a war zone during the japanese occupation, Chinatown and Little India. All cultures and our history were well represented in the musuem. I was bombarded with new sights and sounds as we walked around the place. I liked the museum as I felt like I was entering a different world everytime I walked into a new area. Everything was very exciting and realistic.
Wow, this post is getting way way way too long. I'll continue the Universal part of the day in another post soon. Toodle-loo! (:
Meeting all sorts of friends, Chinese, Korean and even some feathery ones
A few days ago, we had a combined group outing with the Korean and Chinese SMEs. The programme of the day: Learning Lion Dance, followed by a trip to Jurong Bird Park. When we heard about the itinerary for the day, many of us were whining and complaining. "Huuuuhhh lion dance is so stupid, the bird park is so boring etc etc."
After breakfast, we boarded the bus for Radin Mas Community Centre. Upon arrival, we watched several demonstration videos on lion dance and dragon dance. They then brought us downstairs for some live demonstrations. After that, it was our turn! We were split up into groups for the day, while we were waiting I was talking to Na Hee, Jake, Grace and Mushroom(my team mates for the day) trying to get to know them better. When our instructor approached us with the equipment, we stood up apprehensively. None of us had done lion dance before and we were really nervous. I didn't want to make a fool out of myself! Turns out, it was pretty fun. We took turns trying to carrying the lion and running at other people to scare them. At the end of the session each group did a performance for the rest. The session turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected (:
Short but sweet demonstration from the group of instructors
Trying it out for ourselves!
Afterwards, we headed to Jurong Bird Park for lunch and to explore the park. Entering the bird park, my korean team mates were quite excited to check out specific bird exclosures. I tried my best to show them around despite not being very familiar with the park. We rode the panorail and watched some bird shows which were really entertaining as the birds flew over the audience and performed tricks showing off their skills. There was even a bird who could sing and talk! Everyone had fun together even though it was a pretty hot day. I really got to know some of my korean and chinese friends better. We talked a lot during the day, telling each other about our countries and cultures. Though not everyone spoke english, language was not a problem as I could speak basic mandarin and the koreans could speak really good english. Though I started the day with a negative mind set, I ended up really enjoying myself with my new friends as we learnt new things together and explored the bird park.
Having fun at the bird park
Welcome to the heat, oops I mean Singapore
While out with my Chinese and Korean friends, I took the opportunity to talk to them and ask them what they thought about Singapore after being here for several days.
I talked to Wang Xuan from China and asked her what she thought about Singapore
Singapore is a very beautiful place, the people here are very kind. There are many different nationalities living here, China, Korea and Malaysia etc. I like the Hainese Chicken Rice here. The climate here is very good, it is hot in the day but it is nice and cooling at night.
I then talked to Jihyang from Korean and asked him to compare Singapore to his home country.
Singapore is so hot, I live in Jeju Island but Singapore is even hotter even though Jeju Island is the hottest area in Korea. I have not tried any Singaporean food yet but I plan to try Chilli Crab during my stay here. The surprising thing about Singapore is that it is very clean and the people here are very kind.
Proud to be Singaporean
I was at the YOG Opening Ceremony when I happened to overhear this couple proudly proclaiming to the people beside them that they are proud to be Singaporeans, especially today. Seizing the opportunity, I ran over to do an impromptu interview with them(all hail the voice recording function on the Galaxy S which has saved my life countless times).
Bert and Anita, an enthusiastic Singaporean couple proudly proclaiming that they are proud to be Singaporean especially today. They think the Youth Olympic Games is extremely fine and they hope that the athletes would do their very best with record breaking performances at the games.
Pride for countries was evident as there were many flags being waved and roars of approval were heard especially when the flags of the 204 participating countries were presented.
Cute Korean girls who happily picked up their flags when I focused my camera onto them
Took some time and mad gesturing from my side before I managed to get these koreans to understand that I wanted them to pose with their banner.
Getting up close and personal
Wandering around Suntec, I was lucky enough to bump into an athlete exploring the Olympic Photo Gallery with her family. I eagerly approached her and asked her if I could do an interview with her. She agreed at once and started answering my questions with a radiant smile.
Nic: What country are you from?
Jessie: I'm from the United States.
N: What sport are you competing in?
J: Taekwondo
N: What's your name and how old are you?
J: I'm Jessie Bates and I'm 16 years old.
N: Okay so I hear that you're fighting tomorrow?
J: Yes I fight tomorrow, at 2pm I'll be competing in the 49 and under category.
N: Are you excited to be here for YOG?
J: I am so excited, it's such a great opportunity and I never imagined that Taekwondo could have ever taken me so far. It's amazing to see people of my calibre everywhere in different sports. It's just incredible.
N: Taekwondo is a korean martial art, how come you ended up learning Taekwondo?
J: I actually used to live in England before, so I started Taekwondo in England. When I moved back to the States, I kept doing it because it was something that I was good at and I had the potential for it. It started when I was little kid, just something to get me active and I excelled at it.
N: So how are you feeling about tomorrow?
J: I'm so excited, there is nothing more I could ever dream of. Watching everyone fight today is making me even that much more excited for tomorrow.
N: Do you think you can go far tomorrow? What are your goals?
J: To win the whole thing. In a fight, match after match, round after round, I'll fight with everything I've got in my heart. If I win, good then I'll go to the next one. But if I lose, then I know I put everything out there.
N: Okay thank you for your time and I hope you do well tomorrow.
J: Thank you!
We ended the interview with an impulsive hug and took some pictures together. Jessie was a really sweet and friendly girl and I'm so glad I got the chance to meet and interview her (:
Jessie doing a Taekwondo pose for her family
Posing for a picture with Jessie after our interview
Catching some Taekwondo fighting action
After educating myself about Taekwondo, it was time to head up to the competition venue for the start of the Semi Finals for the Women Under 44kg and the Men Under 48kg category. By the time I cleared the security checks the competition had already started so I hurried up and got myself a good seat in the stands. I turned my attention to the fight going on and I was surprised, two of the girls fighting were quite small in size! However don't let their diminutive sizes fool you as they were full of energy as they aimed kicks and punches with each other. Their fierces screams and battle cries certainly didn't match their small bodies. The fights were really exciting and I found myself cheering for the Russian athlete VALUEVA Anastasia to win as she was really cute but fiery too with her well placed kicks. She did eventually emerge the champion at the end of the day and as she took a victory lap around the hall, the Russian delegation went crazy cheering for her.
Anastasia from Russia aiming a kick at her Turkish opponent in the Semi Finals
The Turkish girl desperately trying to fight back with mere seconds left on the clock in the final round.
The boys event was somewhat less eventful though the Semi Finals were good fights, the Final match was a walkover so that was pretty disappointing for me. I thought that was pretty messed up as they did not even give a reason for the walkover and instead they announced the winner straight away. Hm which left me speculating as to why there was a walkover. Could it be due to the fact that Israel was meeting Iran in the Final and they refused to fight due to some political issues? Hm hm hm. What do you guys think?
Here are pictures from the fantastic demonstration put up by the World Taekwondo Federation team
I'm a fighter
On Sunday I journeyed to Suntec City to cover a sport I have never watched before, TAEKWONDO. When I arrived, I found out that the semi finals only start at 6.30 so since I had a little time to kill I decided to wander around and check out the action outside the venue. I went down and found a Learn To Play program! In this programme, you could learn either Taekwondo or Fencing. Since I'm a fencer, I decided I should learn Taekwondo as I wanted to know more about it since it's the event I'm covering today. I hurried over excitedly and filled out the form. Once that was done, I had to go through a short briefing where I learnt about Taekwondo's history and rules. So here are some of the stuff I learnt:
After we finished the briefing, we then lined up on the mats facing our instructors. Looking at the other participants, I realised I was the only teenager there. However I decided to put aside my dignity and join the little kids in their fun and boy did I enjoy myself. The course was quite a short one, we learnt a few simple kicks like the front kick and side kick. We also learnt how to punch! Though the course only lasted 5 minutes, I was huffing and puffing by the end of it. Taekwondo certainly isn't as simple as it looks!
Okay in my next post I'll be uploading pictures and talking about the fights I watched that day! (:
Me attempting a side kick!
Super happy with my certificate after I completed the course!
Hehe little kids I learnt Taekwondo with!
While I'm blogging
I'm currently writing up my Taekwondo article now, but just to keep you guys entertained I thought I'd do a short update. I went down to the Singapore office after breakfast and look what I found there.
Hehe this is me, running in the torch relay! (:
I went searching around the office for more goodies and I found some really cute Lyo and Merly YOG pins. Hehe don't you think it's cute. I went crazy when I found them. Since I'm such a nice person(hehehe) I decided to share my treasures with you! Comment on this post and tell me what you think of my blog so far. Examples of comments: Oh I love your blog, it's really nice to read. Hahahah kidding. I'll choose my favourite comment and give that person this super cute pin! Leave your email address in your comment and I'll be in touch with you if you're my favourite commenter. Go go go comment! Contest ends this Friday 20th August at 11.59pm.
