石敢當：敢做敢当
Well this is the end of Week 13, the end of the instructional period in NUS. It was indeed very daring of me to leave Singapore during this week because I think everyone knows that this week is like the MOST CHIONG week in the semester. Essays, exam hints, etc.
Well I really need a break off all these shit in the little red dot. Not that the little red dot is shit, but many people (and things they do) in the red dot is shit. 全部都带赛！
Anyway, I made a couple of so-called “brave decisions” in this trip. It isn’t really “brave” per se, but I guess you won’t make the same irrational choice as me if you were in my shoes:
1. Use AirBnB
I know it is a bit DUH, but you know what, 凡是都有第一次的嘛…… 林北又不是没有钱，第一次送给它咯…… It’s pretty interesting anyway, I stayed with this old couple, who told me that they too were virgins in AirBnB and I was their first guest.
They picked me up from the airport. And I left my laptop in the plane. So we went back to the airport again, and back home. And then for the next few days they sent me to Naha City everyday and pick me up at night. And I get meals everyday. And I get free tea/bread/fruits/vegetables/biscuits every day.
哪里有酱好的东西来的……？But I have. The perks of being a virgin to another (plural, in this case). And you know what, I booked this place only two days before my flight. 几够力一下有没有？
2. Travelling without knowledge of the local language (aka Japanese).
Well I’ve been to Israel before last year, their English is pretty bad too, but Japan is a whole new level. 英语烂，华语烂，无变 (Hokkien) 的啦…… I have to lower my English standards so that they understand me, and I bring paper and pen wherever I go so that I can write in Chinese characters (kanji, that is).
Heng my Chinese good. If not die. That’s government ask you learn second language, third language. Stop complaining, or you’ll become another monolingual pseudo-American.
3. Brought only 20000 Yen, that is about $200-ish. For five days.There are many ways to live on a shoestring. Most of my expenses went to the museums though, and I bought all my souvenirs (read “food”) in the local supermarkets. Transport is expensive in Japan, but everything else in Okinawa is cheaper than in Singapore. For example: this 2 meals combined cost me only 2600 Yen.
4. Chose a place to stay in Shanghai only a day before the flight.
真的是西北 last minute 的做法，实在没有办法，整个礼拜晚上有空的时候就坐在人客厅里面写死鬼 essay。 It’s no joke to have three essays with the same deadline. Perks of having “no-exam” modules.
So I chose to stay at this place called 裸徒, it’s like a guest house near the Pudong Airport. A very cozy and fun place, even though I only spent a night there but it felt so much like home. I really didn’t want to come back to Singapore and face all those nonsense all over again. 林北难得跑出去，妈的又要回来做赛，让我情何以堪？
And I spent only S$15 for one night of stay. And $4 for two bottles of beer. Two-way taxi cost me $24 in total. That was how I survived Shanghai from 10pm to 12nn.
5. I bought a cheap flight ticket, i.e. MUST TRANSFER.
I like transfer flights, because I can go to two (or more, if I go to Canada) places in the same trip. Yeah I know it’s no big deal, but there are really that many places I wanna visit before I die!
Ok that’s not really the main point. My experience all these while is that transfer flights are bound to screw up. Almost all the time (OK I never take SIA so maybe my choice of airlines sucks) my luggage goes missing/delay. The trip from Okinawa back to Shanghai was a long delay of 7 hours, which I was reimbursed RMB500 MUAHAHAHAHAHA.
这一趟旅途真的遇到了很多贵人的帮助。
Well I really need a break off all these shit in the little red dot. Not that the little red dot is shit, but many people (and things they do) in the red dot is shit. 全部都带赛！
Anyway, I made a couple of so-called “brave decisions” in this trip. It isn’t really “brave” per se, but I guess you won’t make the same irrational choice as me if you were in my shoes:
1. Use AirBnB
I know it is a bit DUH, but you know what, 凡是都有第一次的嘛…… 林北又不是没有钱，第一次送给它咯…… It’s pretty interesting anyway, I stayed with this old couple, who told me that they too were virgins in AirBnB and I was their first guest.
They picked me up from the airport. And I left my laptop in the plane. So we went back to the airport again, and back home. And then for the next few days they sent me to Naha City everyday and pick me up at night. And I get meals everyday. And I get free tea/bread/fruits/vegetables/biscuits every day.
哪里有酱好的东西来的……？But I have. The perks of being a virgin to another (plural, in this case). And you know what, I booked this place only two days before my flight. 几够力一下有没有？
2. Travelling without knowledge of the local language (aka Japanese).
Well I’ve been to Israel before last year, their English is pretty bad too, but Japan is a whole new level. 英语烂，华语烂，无变 (Hokkien) 的啦…… I have to lower my English standards so that they understand me, and I bring paper and pen wherever I go so that I can write in Chinese characters (kanji, that is).
Heng my Chinese good. If not die. That’s government ask you learn second language, third language. Stop complaining, or you’ll become another monolingual pseudo-American.
3. Brought only 20000 Yen, that is about $200-ish. For five days.There are many ways to live on a shoestring. Most of my expenses went to the museums though, and I bought all my souvenirs (read “food”) in the local supermarkets. Transport is expensive in Japan, but everything else in Okinawa is cheaper than in Singapore. For example: this 2 meals combined cost me only 2600 Yen.
4. Chose a place to stay in Shanghai only a day before the flight.
真的是西北 last minute 的做法，实在没有办法，整个礼拜晚上有空的时候就坐在人客厅里面写死鬼 essay。 It’s no joke to have three essays with the same deadline. Perks of having “no-exam” modules.
So I chose to stay at this place called 裸徒, it’s like a guest house near the Pudong Airport. A very cozy and fun place, even though I only spent a night there but it felt so much like home. I really didn’t want to come back to Singapore and face all those nonsense all over again. 林北难得跑出去，妈的又要回来做赛，让我情何以堪？
And I spent only S$15 for one night of stay. And $4 for two bottles of beer. Two-way taxi cost me $24 in total. That was how I survived Shanghai from 10pm to 12nn.
5. I bought a cheap flight ticket, i.e. MUST TRANSFER.
I like transfer flights, because I can go to two (or more, if I go to Canada) places in the same trip. Yeah I know it’s no big deal, but there are really that many places I wanna visit before I die!
Ok that’s not really the main point. My experience all these while is that transfer flights are bound to screw up. Almost all the time (OK I never take SIA so maybe my choice of airlines sucks) my luggage goes missing/delay. The trip from Okinawa back to Shanghai was a long delay of 7 hours, which I was reimbursed RMB500 MUAHAHAHAHAHA.
这一趟旅途真的遇到了很多贵人的帮助。
- 我在早上六点到上海浦东机场，什么鸟店都没开，居然有一个会讲华语的韩国人肯陪林北聊天聊到九点半，还请喝咖啡……
- 朋友给我了点钱，说是应急的。结果林北卡在冲绳机场里面，真的要用钱应急咯……
- 房东每天晚上“孜孜不倦”地帮我安排隔日行程，虽然说日本人真的很龟毛，太仔细了，但是没有他们这几天肯定会很不方便啦。
- 我拜四需要交作文，所以只好到 Kokusai-Dori （国际通）一间叫“自遊空间”的网吧。鬼知道它的店只有 member 才可以用，membership fee 又贵的要死…… 在我的手舞足蹈+指手画脚+指桑骂槐之下，服务生融化了…… 我得以提交我的报告咯……！
- 其实航空公司也可以是贵人。从冲绳回上海的飞机延误了。延误不是好事，但是林北就这样子莫名其妙跟中国东方航空当天领了人民币500块的补助金咯！西北赚到有没有！
- 最开心的莫过于在这一趟旅途中认识的人。新郎新娘的亲友也好，房东一家也好，在上海认识的新朋友们，甚至是路上冲林北微笑的小朋友/糟老头/三轮车夫/小姐/空姐/刘三姐，都是这段旅途中最欸的风景线。
