Return to Singapore 1995

Li Xiaofan just looked at the admission requirements for the ITE Junior Certificate Course:

For Singapore or Malaysian residents, any two O-level exams are sufficient, and the N-level requires three courses including mathematics and science.

Mainland workers like Li Xiaofan can also directly apply for the course with a technical school or secondary school diploma.

The junior ITE in-service junior electronic engineering certificate course has four courses:

Electrical Principles and Measurements

Digital Electronics

Analogue Electronics

Electronic Communications System

Classes are held two evenings a week: from 18:45 to 21:45.

Weekends: Classes are held once a week, from 9 am to 4 pm.

Theory and experiment are 60 hours each, a total of 120 hours, and the course starts in March. In this way, 12 hours a week, it takes 10 weeks to complete a course. The original intention of ITE was to complete a course in one quarter and then take the national unified examination, four courses a year. Normally, students can get a junior electronic engineering certificate after passing four courses in one year, and then obtain a national electronic engineering certificate in another year.

"Well, yes, studying one course at a time is too slow!" Li Xiaofan replied.

The old lady at the registration office raised her reading glasses and said, "Young man, it's not possible. Each course requires two nights on weekdays and one weekend day, which means you have to come to school almost three times a week! There are only seven days in a week, so you can only sign up for two courses at most, otherwise you won't be able to split your time!"

"Okay, I'll sign up for the junior electronic engineering certificate course, and first choose the electrical principles and measurement and digital circuits!"

"Okay, each course costs 40 yuan, a total of 80 yuan!"

After signing up for ITE, Li Xiaofan felt that the tuition fee for ITE was really cheap. The only thing he was unhappy about was that the old lady didn't let him sign up for four courses at the same time. He thought that passing the exams for these four courses was a piece of cake for him, and the most troublesome thing was to sign in for classes three times a week, otherwise, it would be no problem to sign up for eight courses at once.

After returning, I have to discuss the shift change with the workshop director Lin Qianxue. Now it seems that the first shift during the day is the best choice.

After taking the No. 2 bus back to Changi Village Bus Terminal, Li Xiaofan felt that there was something unusual on this bus today.

There were several women dressed in short skirts and black stockings who were dressed very seductively with him. After getting on the bus, they went to the rear of the top floor and chatted in the corner.

After listening to their voices carefully, Li Xiaofan was amused. It turned out that they were the "Aguai" in Singapore, similar to transvestites, men dressed as women!

After getting on the bus, Li Xiaofan opened the English book "no money on honey", which introduced that the first country famous for "transvestites" was Singapore, not Thailand!

In the 1950s, there was a newspaper in Singapore called The Singapore Free Press, which recorded Bugis Street, which is now Bugis Street. At that time, there were many "transvestites" and bars on this street. At that time, many Europeans and Americans came here to spend their days drinking and partying, which was a bit like the feeling of Pattaya in Thailand now. This is how the "ladyboy" and tourism industry were combined.

The book introduces that until the 1970s, the entire Bugis Street in Singapore reached its peak of development, where a lot of nightclub culture developed, such as using PP to clamp burning paper and start dancing, commonly known as the butt flame dance! Then you can see all kinds of performances in Thailand now, such as opening wine bottles and stuffing goldfish, which can be seen in Singapore at that time.

It was not until the 1980s that Singapore's economy began to take off and prosper unprecedentedly, and there was a wave of AIDS fear in the world, so the Singapore government began to deliberately suppress Bugis Street, and the "ladyboy" culture in Lion City began to decline.

The parking lot around Changi Village, the starting point of Bus No. 2, is a famous gathering place for local "Aguai" on weekends.

In his previous life, Li Xiaofan had lived in Singapore for a long time and heard many stories about "Aguai". The TAN in the dormitory was even bolder. He once made friends with a Singaporean "weirdo". It was said that the "weirdo" was a college student in Singapore and a white-collar worker in a bank. Of course, the straight man TAN and the "weirdo" friend only chatted and drank coffee. TAN was just curious...

The handsome Li Xiaofan was also approached by "weirdos". Li Xiaofan felt that "they" were very polite and courteous, and not as scary as the legend said. After you reject "them", "they" will not harass you, and will say sorry very politely...

When the No. 2 bus arrived at Changi Terminal, a slim "weirdo" got off the bus and whispered to Li Xiaofan next to him in Chinese: "Handsome guy, are you traveling to Singapore from Taiwan or Hong Kong?"

In the morning at Tampines Plaza, Li Xiaofan bought a pair of Levi's 501 series jeans and a new season T-shirt. He put them on right after buying them and threw the old clothes he was wearing in China directly into the trash can.

Clothes make the man, saddles make the horse, bells run happily. After wearing Levi's 501 jeans and a new T-shirt, Li Xiaofan's temperament is very close to the local fashionable youth in Singapore, but the locals in Singapore don't have such good skin as him.

So it's no wonder that this "weirdo" thought Li Xiaofan was a young tourist from Hong Kong and Taiwan who came to Lion City for tourism.

"Haha, I'm from the mainland..." Li Xiaofan laughed.

"Oh, I really can't tell!"

Li Xiaofan chatted with "her" briefly and left quickly.

After returning to the Orchid Village dormitory and taking a shower, it was already past five o'clock.

At this time, two factory buses carrying Wu Lingling, Liu Xiaoyue, A TAN and other workers who were off work also arrived.

Just after six o'clock, Li Xiaofan and his workers met at Zui Baxian Seafood Restaurant where Wu Lingling hosted a banquet.

Zui Baxian Seafood Restaurant is located between Orchid Village and Changi Beach Park. It is quiet in the bustling city. It is not only beautiful, but also famous for its special dishes such as pepper crabs. It is also one of the popular food check-in places for people all over the island on weekends.

Commander Wu is very hospitable and ordered a full table of local specialties. There are the most distinctive local black pepper crabs, cereal shrimps, curry fish heads, bak kut teh, broccoli fried scallops, satay chicken skewers, Malay scenery, etc., a full table.

There is also hot seafood barbecue. The first dish is grilled tiger prawns. The large tiger prawns are cut on both sides and sprinkled with a thin layer of garlic to remove the fishy smell and enhance the flavor. A lime is placed on the head of the prawn very kindly. The proprietress reminds everyone to squeeze the lime juice on the dish and squeeze it! It can improve the overall taste of the grilled tiger prawns.

Everyone squeezed the lime on the tiger prawns according to the proprietress's instructions. Sure enough, the whole taste is sweet and the meat is very firm and delicious!

Then take a big sip of TIGER iced beer, it's so refreshing!

After coming to Singapore from China, everyone has been busy working overtime for more than half a year to make money. Usually, they eat at the market or the factory restaurant. It has been a long time since they drank and ate meat so generously.

After the banquet started, the atmosphere was warm and everyone lined up to toast Commander Wu.

No one noticed that someone quietly slipped out for a long time under the pretext of going to the bathroom.

This person was Li Xiaofan.