"This is the book i never read,
these are the words i never said,
this is the path i'll never thread,
these are the dreams i'll dream instead..."
- Why, Michelle Chamuel
Remember in the previous post, i mentioned about a single entry apart from it being the only post of the season? Keeping to my word, i'll tell you what it is about. To begin, my semester started a week late, because i was busy being in Beijing, China for the first week. We (me along with four friends) were selected to participate in the Future Petroleum Engineers Conference in China University of Petroleum Beijing, China.
Two main reasons why i applied for this opportunity: conference experience and Beijing.
When i came into my uni (and now going to leave this place soon), i made one item on my to-do list, that was, to represent my university in a competition. I knew sports was not my forte, so given this chance on an international platform, i was more than thrilled and blessed, that ticking this item on the list was a pleasure. The build up to the event was exciting nonetheless. After being selected, we had to send our details for registration, prepare our technical paper for Paper Contest, brush up knowledge on oil and gas related topics, book our flight tickets, and apply for the visa. The visa that we applied for was a single entry visa, hence, the meaning behind the title. When all was ready and done, the journey began.
We arrived at the KLIA on time for our flight to Hong Kong then to Beijing via Cathay Pacific and Dragon Air. It would be my first experience on a Cathay Pacific plane; however, due to a technical error, the plane could not fly and we were delayed over six hours. For compensation, we had vouchers for Burger King. Pressing for time, we flew via MAS directly into Beijing Airport, arriving past midnight. Greeted by Jack, the committee in charge, we got to our hotel around 3am, slept approximately 4 am, and morning-called about 7am. We had our eye bags on.
Day 1 was not that tiring- opening ceremony, tour around the campus and meeting new people. The air in Beijing was bad. The weather still chilly after Spring. In the tour, i noticed the many bicycles! Basements for bicycle parking, indicate healthy lifestyle? Day 2 was stressful as it was one of the main highlights of this event- PetroBowl competition. We got fourth, and although we didn't win, i believe we put on a great show. If only i'd pressed the buzzer quicker. Nevertheless, it was memorable. At night, we went to a public park and joined in an aerobic class. With prying eyes at us, we returned to our hotel. Day 3 was the Paper Contest and it was good in the sense that we received feedback from professional in the industry to improve our projects. At night, we hung out with our committee and their friends. We went for karaoke after dinner.
Day 4 was the day i really mingled with the other participants, exchanged contacts and be friends, and it was a day i was looking forward to. We went to the Great Wall of China! Then to Nanluguoxia and then to the Olympic Park! And for dinner, we had hot pots (liken to steamboat in Malaysia). Saying our goodbyes was not easy but i'm sure in time, we will meet again.
That was the end of the conference, but not the journey. We extended our stay to explore more of Beijing and honestly, Beijing blew me away- good and bad. It was much bigger than i expected. We went to the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Wangfujing Street, Summer Palace, National Grand Theater, Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple, Confucius Temple, Donghuamen Street, Silk Market, and Beijing Zoo. More story on these places can be found in my other blog: wonderfoodtravel.blogspot.com. We flew back to Malaysia via Dragon Air and Cathay Pacific, but i was too tired to enjoy my flight experience- i was practically knocked out on the plane. The moment we took off, i fell asleep and when i woke up, i heard the co-pilot requesting the stewardess to take their seats for landing.
Returning to my uni, i expected to have post-hols blues but luckily, i didn't. This semester, this season, is my final year, final semester moment- and i only have one study course and two project courses. Every week can be said to be my mid-sem break; i have classes on Tuesday and Wednesday only. Sometimes busy, sometimes free, this season will also see much of me wanting to complete my to-do list.
Two weeks back, we had an outing to Pangkor Island- my first, ticked. It was a great trip; recalling the experience makes me miss the waves. Just this morning, my batchmates organized a Sports Day. I was in the Red House, the champion team, but beyond the competition, it was a wonderful bonding moment for all of us and definitely a memory we will all cherish far and out of this uni years.
So many things to explore, to discover, but time is limited. Let me return to the to-do list, prioritze and keep strong balance between the serious stuff and play time. wc13 is ready.
*Ratings for previous season was four star.
