14122009 A University City

Early in the morning, woke up to find out that we were being ‘summoned’ to a hotel, because the generous and kind lady wants to ‘treat us to a scrumptious breakfast’. So we dragged ourselves out of bed, washed and got dressed, and took a taxi to the hotel where she was said to be staying.

And wait and waited for almost over an hour. Because some of them weren’t ready.

We tried to distract ourselves with the Christmas trees and other antiques on display, but I still couldn’t help but to feel a wee bit irritated, that she was ordering us around on our supposed holiday. And she wasn’t exactly part of the group.

Finally, finally she was ready, and brought us to a dim sum place nearby for breakfast. Over tea and small palates of steamed goods, she suggested that we rent a van to bring us to the university. After much nudging under the table, and pinching each other on the thighs, it was finally decided that only four would follow her, while the rest, including me opted to take the MRT. The more primitive form of transport according to her.

Whatever. I enjoyed my MRT ride.

The Cantonese government had allocated a generous piece of land, where most of the university and higher institutions of learning were grouped together, and they named it a city of university. Much of it were still under construction, and the roads were deserted, so we went mad, posing in the middle of the wide roads for pictures, and chasing one another like unruly kids.

Finally we reached the Xinghai Conservatory of Music! As we got nearer, the bell to signal that afternoon break is over, and a swarm of students poured out from the hostel and disappeared inside the main buildings with their instruments slung over their backs, or in some cases, carried in.

After meeting with the professor in charge, we also got down to practice the afternoon away. Needless to say, much scolding also came along from our own teacher. Before the results were satisfying enough for her, we had to then make way for an orchestra practice.

Wrapping up our practice session, it was time for dinner already. Again, the generous lady suggested some grand fare for dinner, and I quickly opted out of it. Choosed to split and meet up with my nephew for dinner at a local stall.

We had wan tan mee at a local stall, and the meat dumplings were so huge compared to ours back in Malaysia! They even gave you free sesame oil and pepper to adjust the taste to your liking, though the chilli wasn’t that nice. We were so full after our bowl of mee, so we decided to walk back to his hostel, and ended up playing video games with his five other roommates.

Yes, I trespassed the male dormitory, but it was fun. Their dorm was narrow and long, and it had 3 sets of double decker beds, so that it would fit 6 people in one room, and the toilet was at the end of the room. Fair enough.

For supper, we headed out into the cold night for ma lat noodles. You get to choose your own ingredients and noodles, before sitting on very low tables and chairs to enjoy it. It was very very very hot, so we downed bottles of coke along with it in the process.