So, from the photos it is apparent that I had hotpot with my new Chinese friends, Qiqi and Joyce and my dear Malaysian friend, Doreen yesterday night. It was my very first time partaking in the customary Chinese hotpot. I had the opportunity to try the 麻 辣 "ma la" sauce which I have to say was not spicy considering our Malaysian spiciness standards. However, Joyce who is from the Szechuan province commented that the sauce is usually a lot spicier from where she is since it originates from there. I hope I have the opportunity to try the original in Szechuan one day! We ate so much as we ordered 3 plates of meat, consisting of beef and lamb, Chinese cabbage, straw mushrooms, soybean "foo pei" and some sort of noodles. I have a feeling that if I keep this up my body shape might soon suffer. In any case, I had this drink called 果 水 which was essentially "haw juice". I am confident that most Malaysian Chinese have tasted haw flakes? After that, Qiqi and Joyce brought us to an area where a most beautiful lake is located and further down to an area populated by bars. The former was so tranquil especially on such a clear night. However, the bars were too noisy for my liking. Also, the incessant touting by the waiters and waitresses asking us to drink at their respective bars was rather annoying. We walked back halfway but soon realised that it was too far and it was getting rather late. So we hailed a taxi. I was thankful we did have some exercise after the heavy dinner. All in all a very good night!

As for today, I just arrived home about half an hour ago from a house party. It was such a nice gesture from the other Malaysian students who welcomed us with a home-cooked meal. Elvis was the Master Chef and easily whipped up a few dishes for us to share. We had noodles with beef, fried dumplings in sweet and sour sauce, and mixed vegetables in assam sauce. It was so yummy! I think I overate a little again today. I had better start exercising for fear that I might end up being gigantic by the time I go back in January 2010. After the meal, we all watched Amelie together. I have to say that watching Amelie but with Mandarin subtitles is very different from when I usually watch foreign movies with English subtitles. I had to really concentrate on the characters and half-way through I started feeling rather sleepy. All the brain power!! I feel extremely blessed that the Malaysians here are so friendly. Also, Wen Jia asked if I could help her with her English and of course I agreed. So, we will probably meet up twice a week to help each other with our linguistic skills. I will teach her English and she Mandarin. I cannot wait.