Travels

Shanghai – Fudan University

by fli on August 1, 2012

China, a country you definitely can’t ignore. To better prepare myself for the steer to this fast- growing country, I decided to stay in Shanghai for two weeks and take two weeks of Mandarin course at Fudan University.

The course starts on a Monday 7/8. 7/6 was the registration day. I got to the school right before the registration ends but no one was at the room.

7/7 is a test day. It is a test to evaluate the students’ Chinese level. Turned out I went to the wrong room the day before but I could still register on the test day.

It was an oral test. The class has 11 levels. Level 11 is a class for people who speak fluent Mandarin and do not know how to write Chinese. I was placed at level 9. Compare to other students, I have very strong Chinese knowledge but I lack the mandarin speaking ability. Test day was a long day. Each student go to the classroom based on which level they think they should be in. Then each room has two teachers to do an oral test with the students and place them in an actual level. The teacher asked me some basic questions and asked me to read a passage from a book.

Class started the next day from 8am to 11:35am. I stayed with my uncle about 20 mins taxi drive from the school. Morning traffic was better than I thought. I prepared myself 45mins in case of traffic but throughout the 2 weeks, 30 mins was the maximum I needed.

Fudan University’s campus is very nice.

My class share teacher with level 10. Each teacher responsible for one chapter in the book. The idea is to interact with more than one teacher to learn more. Both of my teachers Mr. Sze and Mr. Chen were great. Mr. Sze has a more stick-to-the-book style. Level 9 is a discussion class and we discussed the topic from the book. Mr. Chen likes to talk a lot about off topic subjects, which I totally enjoyed.

The two weeks went by so fast. I loved the experience there. I think taking a short term class is a great way to experience the local culture. I tried to talk to my teachers often to understand their thinking. Discussion class was great for me to practice my Mandarin and from my conversation with the teachers I learnt so much more about China.

The class was not cheap. For two weeks it is 2800 RMB; for a month, it’s 3900 RMB. Students can extend by week until end of August.

There are residence for students to rent. However by the time I looked they were all rented out. Luckily that I know an uncle in Shanghai and he offered his place for me to stay. Taxi from his place to school is about 20 mins and it costs about 45 RMB. It’s not a lot in the US standard but to the local, it is quite expensive to travel like this back and forth. Only with my free accommodation the ride seems more worth it.

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3-in-1, Storage Tanks, and Protests around Merak

by Carlos Yeung on January 15, 2012

There is no wasting time here in Indonesia. We landed in Jakarta, and we’re on the road again one day later! First Jakarta, Merak by car, Balikpapan by plane, Samarinda by SUV, then back to Jakarta. Let me tell you, we have seen oil storage operations, mining operations, Indonesian traffic, Indonesian off-road traffic, protests with thousands of scooters, floods, and pineapples. Any more adventure and it would have been enough for a feature length movie!

Security is intense. Bomb checks for cars, security scanners for people, and even fingerprint access to our office. But, people were very friendly and welcoming, and that definitely puts you at ease. First day was in the office. Meet Robert, meet the team, meet the office, and meet the Indonesian 3-in-1 coffee mix that was way too sweet for my tastes. I need to find that Kopi Luwak. And we did. Sort of.

It’s a chain and with a name like Kopi Luwak, it smells tourist trap. However, we had it, and in fact, I’m there again a few days later writing this entry. It’s good, but not the best. Why? Because first, it comes in a package. Bad sign #1. Second, it’s a simple “pour hot water and mix” procedure. Bad sign #2. But it had good aroma and there was free wifi. It’ll do for now but I aim for better.

More on the office life. It was interesting to see the live “trading floor” on day one, and by that, I mean an office full of employees frantically yelling out oil numbers while on the phone, and someone chalking up the results. This was what they did in the office, and we were going to go see what happens behind the scenes, on the ground.

Welcome to our gas and oil storage facility. Here are the necessary precautions you need to take. <30 min. presentation> And here are the safety gear you need to wear. <Put on shoes that were way too small for foreigners> Let’s go!

Note that no cameras are allowed, and yet I still managed to get you these awesome photos. How great is that?

There are over a dozen storage tanks in the site and they hold different things: diesel, gasoline, and chemicals. There are automated measuring of tank levels, cooling facilities, fueling stations, oil separators, and emergency situation equipment. Then there’s the jetty.

The jetty is a structure built beside the ocean for tankers to dock and upload their tank contents. From the jetty, the fuel or whatever gets delivered to the storage tanks via really long pipes. Afterwards, there is a plunger-like object that gets pressure-pushed through the pipes to clean out the remnants. This was one impressive jetty. Just look at the view! Great lunch spot (but no alcohol allowed).

Our day was cut short due to protests and major traffic jams. Supposedly, it was a protest against the planned removal of the fuel subsidy. There were thousands of scooters lined up and while we were going the other direction, it was not pretty where we were heading too. Thus, we missed out on seeing a chicken farm, a Pro Energi customer, but despite that, we learned a great deal about the storage tank operations. The operators and site managers were extremely informative, a great resource for our work.

Next post, floods, mines, and pineapples in the trip to Balikpapan and Samarinda!

Terima Kasih!

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Lastest SPG Triple Bonus Starpoints Promotion 2012

by fli on January 9, 2012

It’s back! The triple bonus Starpoints promotion from SPG. Get your free nights sooner! Register here.

Unfortunately this promotion excludes Asia Pacific. According to the Starwood officials, the reason being another promotion going on at the same time by MasterCard. Use your MasterCard to book your stays at any participating hotel or resort from 29 November 2011 to 15 March 2012, stay 5 nights to get 1 night free or stay 9 nights to get 2 nights free. You don’t have to stay consecutive nights to qualify. Then redeem your free nights from 1 January 2012 to 10 April 2012.

But if you’re traveling outside of the Asia Pacific, go register the triple bonus now! There are 144 non-participating hotels. So make sure you check your hotel from the list below.

Register for SPG’s Better by the Night promotion, and earn potentially unlimited bonus Starpoints for stays between January 9-April 8, 2012 at over 750 participating hotels and resorts in North and Latin America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

-Earn Double Starpoints on eligible charges for two-night stays.

-Earn Triple Starpoints on stays of three consecutive nights or longer.

You must register by March 15, 2012 and then book your stays to begin earning the bonuses.

Terms & Conditions

Here are the Terms and Conditions from SPG’s website:

Registration: SPG® members must register online at SPG.com/bythenight by March 15, 2012, midnight Eastern Time. Registered members can earn bonus Starpoints® with every eligible stay between January 9, 2012, and April 8, 2012, (the “promotion period”) at more than 750 participating properties only. A list of non-participating properties can be found at SPG.com/bythenight and is subject to change. A list of non-SPG-participating hotels can be found at SPG.com/t&c under section 5.1.
Earning: Registered members will earn double Starpoints for all eligible charges during stays of two consecutive nights at participating properties during the promotion period that post to their SPG account. Registered members will earn triple Starpoints for all eligible charges during stays of three or more consecutive nights at participating properties during the promotion period that post to their SPG account. A member who earns double Starpoints will earn an additional two Starpoints per eligible US$1 spent at a participating property during the promotion period (for a total of four Starpoints per dollar). An elite member still earns one extra Starpoint per eligible US$1 spent, regardless of any bonusing that occurs (for a total of five Starpoints per dollar). A member who earns triple Starpoints will earn an additional four Starpoints per eligible US$1 spent at a participating property during the promotion period (for a total of six Starpoints per dollar). An elite member still earns one extra Starpoint per eligible US$1 spent, regardless of any bonusing that occurs (for a total of seven Starpoints per dollar). The triple Starpoints for stays of three consecutive nights or longer are in lieu of, not in addition to, double Starpoints. There is no limit to the number of bonus Starpoints that can be earned during the promotion period.
Bonusing: Starpoints earned, whether double Starpoints or triple Starpoints, will post to the registered member’s account within 2–4 weeks after the qualifying stay posts.
Eligible stays: An eligible stay is defined as two or more consecutive nights within the promotion period at any of the more than 725 participating properties paying an eligible rate in the same hotel, regardless of the number of check-ins or checkouts that occur and post to the member’s Starwood Preferred Guest® account. Multiple rooms charged to the same member during the same stay will count as one stay. SPG-participating hotels and resorts and a description of qualifying rates can be found at SPG.com/t&c under program terms and conditions. See Section 4B.4 for the complete definition of Eligible Rates, but note that certain prepaid rooms where the booking is made through a third party (including but not limited to travelocity.com, expedia.com and orbitz.com) are not Eligible Rates and do not earn Starpoints or qualify toward promotional earnings.
Qualifications and Starwood terms: A definition of what comprises eligible charges can be found at SPG.com/t&c under section 5.3. All promotions are subject to the Starwood Preferred Guest program terms and conditions, which are subject to change without notice and can be found at SPG.com. Offer is applicable to individual members only and is not available to groups or Starwood employees. Not responsible for omissions or typographical errors. Starwood reserves the right to discontinue this offer at any time. To update your communication preferences or learn about our privacy practices, view our Privacy Statement on SPG.com/privacy, or call 1-877-782-0071 in the U.S. and Canada or +353-21-4930474 in all other countries to access our privacy information line. Starpoints, SPG, Preferred Guest, Sheraton, Four Points, W, Aloft, The Luxury Collection, Le Méridien, Element, Westin, St. Regis and their respective logos are the trademarks of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., or its affiliates. Void where prohibited by law. © 2012 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. All rights reserved.

Non-Participating Property List

While there doesn’t seem to be a list of participating properties, in a rather backwards fashion, SPG has at least provided a list of non-participating properties throughout the world, so be sure to check it before booking any stays:

The below properties are not participating in the SPG® Better by the Night promotion.

ALGERIA
Le Méridien Oran Hotel & Conference Center
Sheraton Oran

AUSTRIA
Schloss Fuschl, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Fuschlsee-Salzburg
Sheraton Fuschlsee Salzburg Hotel Jagdhof

ARGENTINA
Sheraton Mar del Plata

BRAZIL
Sheraton Barra
Four Points Curitiba

CANADA
Sheraton Cavalier Saskatoon

CHAD
Le Méridien Chari

CHILE
Sheraton Miramar

COLOMBIA
Four Points Cali
Four Points Medellin

EGYPT
Sheraton Cairo Hotel, Towers and Casino

EL SALVADOR
Sheraton Presidente San Salvador

FRANCE
Prince de Galles, Paris

GERMANY
Four Points by Sheraton Muenchen Olympiapark
Four Points by Sheraton Muenchen Central
Four Points by Sheraton Brauneck
Le Méridien Grand Hotel Nuernberg
Dom Hotel
Le Méridien Parkhotel Frankfurt
Le Méridien Munich
Le Méridien Stuttgart
Sheraton Frankfurt Congress Hotel
Sheraton Offenbach Hotel
Sheraton Munich Arabellapark Hotel
Sheraton Munich Westpark Hotel
Sheraton Munich Airport Hotel
Arabella Sheraton Alpenhotel
Sheraton Essen Hotel
Sheraton Hanover Pelikan Hotel
The Westin Grand Frankfurt
The Westin Grand Munich
The Westin Grand Hotel Berlin
The Westin Bellevue Dresden

GREECE
Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens
Vedema Resort
Blue Palace Luxury Collection Resort and Spa
Mystique, Santorini
The Romanos, Costa Navarino
Santa Marina Resort & Villas, Mykonos
Sheraton Rhodes Resort
The Westin Resort, Costa Navarino

HUNGARY
Le Méridien Budapest

IRELAND
Sheraton Athlone Hotel

ITALY
Gritti Palace
Hotel Pitrizza, Costa Smeralda
Hotel Romazzino, Costa Smeralda
Hotel Cala di Volpe, Costa Smeralda
Sheraton Diana Majestic
The Westin Palace Milan

JORDAN
Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel & Towers

LEBANON
Four Points by Sheraton Bhamdoun
Four Points by Sheraton Le Verdun

LITHUANIA
Le Méridien Vilnius

MAURITIUS
The Grand Mauritian Resort & Spa

MEXICO
Sheraton Ambassador Monterrey

NIGERIA
Sheraton Lagos Hotel

OMAN
Sheraton Oman Hotel

PAKISTAN
Sheraton Karachi Hotel

RUSSIA
Le Méridien Moscow Country Club

SAUDI ARABIA
Le Méridien Jeddah
Sheraton Jeddah Hotel
Sheraton Riyadh Hotel & Towers
Sheraton Dammam Hotel & Towers
The Westin Jeddah

SPAIN
Hotel Maria Cristina, San Sebastian
Castillo Hotel Son Vida, Palma de Mallorca
Hotel Alfonso XIII, Seville
Sheraton Mallorca Arabella Golf Hotel
Sheraton La Caleta Resort & Spa
St. Regis Mardavall, Mallorca

SWITZERLAND
Hotel President Wilson

SYRIA
Le Méridien Lattakia
Sheraton Aleppo Hotel
Sheraton Ma’aret Sednaya Hotel & Resort
Sheraton Damascus Hotel

TURKEY
Le Méridien Istanbul Etiler
Sheraton Ankara Hotel and Convention Center
Lugal, A Luxury Collection Hotel Ankara
Sheraton Cesme

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Four Points by Sheraton Sheikh Zayed Road
Le Méridien Dubai
Le Méridien Fairway
Le Méridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina
Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort & Spa
Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort
Grosvenor House
Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel and Towers
The St. Regis Abu Dhabi
The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina

UNITED KINGDOM
The Lanesborough, a St. Regis Hotel

UNITED STATES
Aloft Charlotte Ballantyne
Aloft Frisco
Aloft Las Colinas
Aloft Milwaukee Downtown
Aloft Phoenix-Airport
Aloft Plano
Cove Haven Resort
Four Points by Sheraton Destin Fort Walton Beach
Four Points by Sheraton Charlotte-Pineville
Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton Gateway
Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton West
Four Points by Sheraton Jacksonville Beach
Four Points by Sheraton Louisville Airport
Four Points by Sheraton Newark
Four Points by Sheraton Punta Gorda Harborside
Four Points by Sheraton Tallahassee Downtown
Four Points by Sheraton Norwalk
Four Points by Sheraton San Jose
Le Parker Méridien Palm Springs
Paradise Stream Resort
Pocono Palace Resort
Sheraton Bellevue
Sheraton Grand Sacramento
Sheraton Mahwah Hotel
Sheraton Metairie – New Orleans Hotel
Sheraton Reston Hotel
Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel
Sheraton Suites Key West
SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills
Sunset Key Guest Cottages
The St. Regis Deer Valley
The St. Regis Atlanta
THE US GRANT
The Westin Bellevue
The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites
The Westin Edina Galleria
The Westin Galleria Houston
The Westin Houston, Memorial City
The Westin Imagine Orlando
The Westin Key West Resort Marina
The Westin Los Angeles Airport
The Westin Reston Heights
The Westin Riverfront Mountain Villas
The Westin South Coast Plaza
The Westin Tampa Harbour Island
Vistana’s Beach Club
W San Diego
W Silicon Valley
Walt Disney World Dolphin
Walt Disney World Swan

URUGUAY
Sheraton Colonia

YEMEN
Sheraton Sana’a Hotel

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Oil, islands, and some kopi luwak to come

January 8, 2012

No this is not where I am working. I’m not there yet. After 3 stops half way around the world, BOS -> YYZ -> SFO -> HKG, I’m still not there yet. But almost. While enjoying the view and the food durin…

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