Blitz

Eh someone said my blog was wordy. Heh that is true I guess ... I often take 50 words to say something that can be said in 20! Well lets make this a concise entry. Here's a blitzy account of the past several days ... Batman Begins with Gore at midnight (really a very good show!) ... French lessons begin at Alliance ... Salsa classes ... meet up with Leowy, Ching, Marcus and half of our looney gang (the admiral cheng ho innundiated me with crazy tales from his Mt Kina expedition) ... the girls ... out with Vet ... run with Lengtze ... first Gym session in a very long while ... lots of joyrides (fuel is VERY expensive even if I ain't in UK now!).
Had several good catch-up chats ... everytime u grow older u see life from a different perspective and this time at Shi Qi Na we were just joking and laughing about our past antics and childish actions ... its really quite funny when u look back on events (or rather slights) that you took so seriously in the past but are now memories to laugh, smile or joke at. Its why I even bother growing up at all!
Well on another note ... the To-Do list and expense list on my white-board just keeps getting longer ... with no respite ... applied for internships and I really do hope I get one ... but hopes are slim ... I really am quite late ... lesson learnt.
Was that your msg candice? You have to add a name when u make comments you know! Heh yes i'll be waiting! Good luck for summer school and hope to cya soon!

32 Degrees Celcius

The HEAT! Is killing me. Actually the humidity. Ran this morning and the last (as usual my honest-to-goodness luck ensured that the sun was in retreat just as I decide its time to try to return my pigmentation to its nice natural tan). Yet was feeling real fatigued after only several km. Still very unused to the choking humidity ... along East Coast Park this morning I heard several old guys mentioning how the weather today was very "fine and cool" ... oh well I'm really in for it when the sun decides to make an appearence.
Well on another note ... have been making small steps toward the ULTIMATE goal - to have every single worthwhile dish in Singapore - so far have covered
1. Soup Kambeng @ ABC Coffee Shop in Joo Chiat
2. Wanton Mee @ Kampong Arang
3. Longtong @ Marine Terrace
4. Thai Laksa & Green Curry @ Thai Express (Siglap)
Yeap this is rather puny really, the rest of the returnees have prob managed to wallop half of Singapore already ... several reasons ... firstly its too hot so my instincts tell me to stay in when the sun blazing in the sky so I'm left with only the mornings and evenings ... secondly my good old buddies conveniently leave for Mt. Kinabalu JUST as I return ... excellent! Yeap other buddies (hint: Leowy and Gore) are sick of local food and prefer Western ... arghhh but I've had SIX MONTHS of that!!!!
Oh and I think that 2 mths at AF is not enought to while away my boredom. I need a job. So I think I'll be looking for smth part-time (cos I prefer flexible hours never mind the pay). Or mebbe do some volunteer work.
One more thing to add ... Yirong and I returned from Heathrow with *gasp* 100 kg of luggage. That's 50 kg each (less hand luggage) ... phew I still can't believe we managed to get through! Lotsa fast talking, my dad's frequent flyer card and a very nice SIA counter guy were crucial! Otherwise excess baggage charge would have amounted to something like 1000 pds! Dats insane isn't it? We could buy a few more tickets for that amount!
Home: Very simple. Its just good to see everyone again! Its like I'd never even left! (Save the condition of the living room ... since I'm no longer there to impose order ... the place has stagnated into CHAOS)

SQ321

Last Post b4 SQ321! A Full English Breakfast to bring me one full circle. No better way to have a taste of London. Actually I must say the simple and dreadfully sinful English breakfast is my favourite of all English fare. It has almost everything a good breakfast should have - it has EGGS, it's large and has variety. This time our (Victor et Moi) breakfast was paid for by Yirong, our aching backs were spent assisting the latter in moving her boxes to Victor's flat.
London's a bright, beautiful and sunny place right now. Wish we could spend a little more time here enjoying some of the sun in the gorgeous and (now) very green parks. Most of the past 9 mths have been spent under a dreary and dull London sky, its kinda sad we dun get to experience this city in its more stunning moments (ah well ... till next year!). Hah but this is a good way to leave London I guess ... under the sun and clear skies!

Friends

While London has shaped our experiences as I've said b4 friends have been the defining factor in shaping these past months. Here are some of those special friends (now that this technological dianasour has finally learnt how to post pictures on his blog).

the wackiest bumming group! the funkiest study group ... eh make that just group ...

our wonderfully gung-ho and ahem ... garang committee!

bummers from Passfield! Sorry Adaleine! dinners and breakfasts become a time for chatting and slacking!

an important friend! ;D

everyone!

London

Today I wander alone through the streets of London. Though I have done this many times before, today is special. Tonight is my last night in London. This city that has captured my dreams, my heart and my mind.

Endsleigh Place - Passfield Hall

Peering through the thoughts of another, I discover the reason why I shall miss this city so. There is a reason why this parting is like no other. This city, which perhaps I now have some claim to call, my city, has had a drastic impact on our lives.

Drury Lane

Living together, struggling together, playing together, I have, and perhaps its safe to say, we have, been through a certain metamorphosis. This might sound dramatic but I believe all who return this year, return changed and molded by their time in London.

Crossroads at Holborn Tube - One of busiests junctions in London

We here in London have no home but our halls, no family but this community we have built. It is an experience that set us apart from those back home, not in any way making us superior but yes has given us something special.

SOAS - Route from Holborn/ School to Passfield

Yet I thought it prudent, that in response to those thoughts, I would like to say that while at each turning point in our lives we lose familiarity and some part of ourselves, the memories remain forever with us and these continue to shape us throughout life in a way God intended for us. Indeed I believe these breaks in continuity are important milestones in life that mark that passing on from one phase of life to another; where we learn more about ourselves and move on another phase where we can progress further. For while order gives stability and structure to lives, true life is flux and chaos, change and metamorphosis. Hence while we grief for the passing of one phase, we should also celebrate the coming of the next.

Euston Road - The Route to Regent's Park where I had several runs

This post I dedicate to my last 9 months in London and the coming 2 years of joy and laughter (and must never forget ... hardwork!)

Till I Hear It From You

A catchy tune I discovered from Leowy's song archives!

Gin Blossom - Till I Hear It From You

I didn't ask, you shouldn't have told me
But first I'd laugh right now
I'm sinking fast, whatever you sold me
But baby

I don't want to take advice from fools
I just figure everything is cool
Until I hear it from you
(hear it from you)

And it gets hard the memories fading
Who gets what they say
It's likely just they're jealous and jaded
Well baby

I don't want to take advice from fools
I just figure everything is cool
Until I hear it from you
(hear it from you)

Until I hear it from you
(hear it from you)

I don't want to get it up
Or put down the train of thought
And as far as nothings wron
Until I hear it from you

The Kebab

I dedicate this post to the humble kebab!
From the ordinary doner kebab (the ones they slice off the huge circular moving roast of meat), shish kebabs, lamb and chicken kebab ... the kebab is YUMMY. A rather exotic dish back home and never really popular, the kebab is relatively standard fare in most European nations due to the large Turkish emigre. 3 of the 4 European nations I've been, Germany, UK and France seem to have many, many Turkish kebab cafes.
I just had a fantastic kebab supper and it all started like this. I was VERY bored since most folks have already left London and the rest seem to have countless errands to run; meanwhile Passfield is really a shell now with many students having already left for home; thus I found myself taking a walk out to Oxford Street hoping to exhaust myself so that I could plumb back into bed upon my return. Heh after 20 min however I was overwhelmed by a craving for kebab! Hence I walked to the END of Oxford Street, Goodge Street, Warren Street (where previously some Passfield fellows had mentioned abt a 24hr kebab place) and back to Euston but to no avail. It was already ONE HOUR since I had left ... and now I was really hungry! Just as I was starting to compare myself to Harry (as in Harry and Kumar Go To Whitecastle - they travel leagues and endure terrible mishaps just to get the fabled Whitecastle burger!), I stumble upon *drum roll* "24 hr Fish and Chips" along King's Cross! Ah the fulfillment of a nights dream! Supper almost never tasted this good! Ok I'm really dramatising things here cos I'm b_r_d, but you get the picture!
There that's it for my adventures with the humble kebab.

Paris Redux

Sitting now in a much emptier, sparser T9, Passfield Hall. 7 boxes emptied out from the room on Saturday thanx to Uncle Kenny. Was dreadfully sick the that day, cloughing out blood in addition to phelm, whilst running a fever during the night. Had to shower several times even whilst sponging myself repeatedly to keep away the heat. Arghhh I hate fevers! Thankfully I felt better in the morning and most fortunate it was cos our bus to Paris was at 1100!
Paris redux. We return almost exactly 6 mth later, our first trip actually running from the 11th to 13th Dec and this time round its from the 12th to 14th June! Coincidental I guess but it feels more complete as if we've come one full circle.
Anyhow 7hr of dreadul bus ride was to await us and we passed most of the time in slumber (mdm seems to have the record for this!) save for the 1.5 hrs that we were on board the ferry from Dover to Calais. Unfortunately I never got to take a picture of the legendary Chalk Cliffs of Dover which I read about as a student of Geography in high sch and JC. The bright Parisien sky greeted us even as we arrived at 2000. Whilst Sam goes to Compaigne, mdm and I decided to stay in Paris .... ostensibly to shop heh.
Now interestingly a hint for u people out there ... it is not recommended that one arrives in a popular European city destination in Summer w/o first BOOKING a hotel room. Upon leaving the metro at Anvers we were greeted with the magnificient spectacle of the Sacred-Coeur - the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, one of the sights we missed the last time round; this was followed by decently cheap French meal at a quaint family owned restaurant. Heh the fun begins after this where we move from hostel to hotel in search of a room ... alas bed and breakfast continually evade the weary (either because of the price or availability) and we decided to as we call it '24h' our way throught e night. After horlaning (ironically the Let's Go French Travel Guide, 2003 advises travellers to avoid Pigalle, Monmarte and its environs and guess where we were wondering at 0100!) my way across Paris (sighz as expectedly, most admittedly my fault) we thankfully find this 24hr pub (malheuresement c'est tres cher) at 0130. The next 7 hrs are one of the most looney of my life ... we alternate 45 min each sleeping and looking out till 5 (filling in the gaps watching this chain-smoking woman down glass after glass of gin and tonic and wondering wad people think of two Chinese students at night in a pub in an area normally more renowned for 'nocturnal' pursuits!) where we set out for the tube ... eh sorry metro and hehe because of our travel card we pass time by taking the train up and down, the lines till 8! Haha tok abt joy riding! After securing a room at the Woodstock Hostel for the following night (we can't 24hrs TWO days in a row!), coffee at another French cafe (nothing like savouring une tasse de cafe whilst chatting with bee and taking in the French atmosphere; never got to sit down and savour the milieu the last time and sometimes I think truly travelling and enjoying a city should include an evening of just slacking in a roadside cafe, watching the people of the city go about their lives), kebabs, we head to Marques Avenue!
Phew my narration here's a little draggy so let me speed up ... We shop and shop ... and shop ... (some people more than others!) and finally fall comatose on a bench! I finally get to go up L'Arc de Triomph. Oh and should I add ... making a side trip in the morning to Trocadero to see the Musee de Cinema, we catch hold of the most stunning and maginficent view ever of the Eiffel Tower! Period. Words CANNOT do it justice ... neither can the fotos really, but let me just let u have a look at em when I finally discover how to load fotos onto my blog!
With Sam joining us, we head for dinner once again at Chatelier ... traditional French restaurant serving authentic French cusine since 1869! Haha. Alas the food wasn't as yummy as the last time (but the escargos were still zai! never tot snails could taste so good!). Off to an early night we settle down to breakfast the next morning only to meet two Singaporean girls from HCJC and TJ on vacation. Apparently the very Singaporean way that Sam utters "chocolate" gave us away hehe. Furthermore one of the girls, Jamie (the other is Pan Pan, yeah dun get me started on her name) knows Den! Really ... said it once ... but tis a small world! Kinda respect these girls who travel out into the world alone at only 17 (and their parents too who allow them to do so!) A short stroll in Monmarte and this time we're back in the bus. Time zips by this time and suddenly we're in the HK Diner and before long I'm back in my seat (furious that the downloads I have left over the weekend have HANGED!).
One new travel partner this time. The Son of a Gan is quite a funny travelling companion ... and thanx to him this time for settling our transportation. Will prob get to know this Uncle Cracker better by next year when we become house mates.
I love Paris. Vet says it doesn't live up to her expectations but I think its still a beautiful city ... rich and full of culture and magnficience that the Parisiens are very fortunate to be able to take for granted. But I guess its better to see Paris as a tourist ... magnificence fades into quotidience when imbibed on a daily dosage. Then the memory will be that much sweeter. Just like life.

We're HOMELESS! Someone Put A Roof Over Our Heads!

Today was kinda insane and quite worrying really ... we met in school today ... Ben, Vet, Sam, Astrid and I to try and settle our housing woes. Yet two hrs in front of the PC in the brunch bowl plus a spree of phone calls yielded two leads out of a possible 15-20? Finally after one dramatic turn after another led us to the Bloomsbury letting office in Gray's Inn where we were near resigned to having to settle for accomodation only in September. Heh finally ...we each went our separate way in a slightly despondent manner. Went back for Passfield dinner only to set off again for Oxford Street to search for pillow cases and bedsheets (that dreaded Passfield Hall misplaced my set ... so they are recompensating me ... I didn't get too pricey a set though didn't feel right to rip them off) ... in the meantime I also bought a nice little shirt for my cousin Tristan!
Going to see two more places tmr ... yet my thoughts are the hopes are slim ... sighz. Seems the seniors were right when they tagged the house finding experience as a nightmare! Meeting Uncle Kenny tmr to transfer my load over! Certainly hope I can finish packing by tonight!
Having a good tok with SJ abt stuff and life back home now ... much to consider ...

Two Days

Been a dense and exhausting two days but rather fun and fulfilling!
Watched Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith! at last ... been wanting to catch this and a few other shows recently. Heh was a pretty good movie ... definitely better than the 1st and 2nd episodes ... but this is still no match for the original 1960s and 70s Star Wars, espisodes IV-VI ... as my dear companion pointed out ... subtlety was sacrificed in the name of overt and explicit imagery. Heh seeing the light-saber duels and other special effects however, still makes the movie a worthwhile one. Ah and might I add ... I received a (somewhat expected) scolding for buying the tics when they cost 10.50 pds hehe. (But hey guess wad ... this is the CHEAPEST ticket ... tickets on the higher levels were going for like 17 pds! These Londoners are nuts) But it was too tempting and changing plans is pretty irritating so haha I went ahead and bought it anyway. Absurdly, that particular Odeon in Leceister Square is the ONLY one in London screening this show!
The only dissapointment ... its still not time.
The next morning I woke up late cos I forgot my phone again (hence no alarm) ... rushed off to find boxes from Tesco/ Sainsbury's (blasted packing!) ... and later rushed off again to Bankside for our soccer game. That is most of the bankside guys, Singaporeans and Malaysian as well as a Mauritian. Soccer really felt very good! My legs have been itching for so long and this mere two and a half hours of soccer was heavenly! Alas ... the lack of fitness and the heat (only 22 degrees and I could feel the onset of heat exhaustion ... I'm quite dead when I go back!) ensured that two hours into our game most of us were no longer running but crawling :( . Oh and btw soccer rookie Wee Yang was the TOP scorer of the day! After that we painfully trudged (and I mean painfully - Ben was like half dead and my knee was in quite a state) back to Bankside. Heh we were then treated to Wee Yang's and Wilfred's (extra salty; but still pretty good!) pasta ... sauce courtesy of Wilfred's excess cans of Campbell chunky potatoe soup!
Y? I know there are concerns.
After a really healthy nap (apparently Rayna was knocking outside to say goodbye but I just slept right through it!) ... Ministry of Sound! Been looking forward to it for awhile as we've not clubbed in AGES. Went with a whole bunch of people ... but they were not the usual bunch so this time it felt a little different ... well as in not so familiar with em. Plus everyone left kinda early at ard 0215 ... so that by then there were only the two of us left! Anyhow it was pretty good ... save at times I would have preferred more RETRO ... disgustingly the main chamber started playing house music from 0130 onwards. Yuck. So most of the time we were stuck in the R&B chamber. Crashed home prob at around 0430 ... I have no idea exactly wad time it was save that the birds were starting to chirp and that dawn was approaching.
No pressure ... but tell me more? I'd like to know too ;p.
Woke up this morning to the horror of a parched and very sore throat (still is!) and a mild headache but glad nonetheless ... till I looked around me and observed the mess that is my room. Managed to pack two boxes today but that still kinda leaves my room only half as messy as it was on tuesday morning! Sighz ... seriously how am I ever going to manage to move everything??! One of the boxes (not the largest by far) weighs already a massive 20kg!
I've loved every moment of the journey and would gladly go further but someday I too would like to see the light at the end of the tunnel?
Heh also sent Sherwayn and Ong off. Both were very excited bout seeing home again ... Looking around me now ... Passfield is so empty ... most of my better hall frens are gone. A house is not home without the friends that I've come to regard as family ...

25 And A Half Hours Later

Okay T plus one day (after exams that is). Had a sumptous and loony meal at Four Seasons ... peppered with Hailey's insane antics and Sherwayn's comic relief moments ... also a celebration for Victor's birthday which is on the 12th.
Abt the paper? Next topic pls ....
We strolled back in the fine London weather taking more than an hour to reach home I think and all the while we toked and joked ... finally able to release some steam. Its just great to finally see the smiles and laughter, a real contrast from just awhile ago.
Back home I could NOT sleep again ... actually engaged the better part of 3 hours searching for a short trip for us to occupy these two weeks we have left in London. Hmm actually it ain't all relaxed ... right now I am surrounded by 9 months of clutter, memorabilia, junk, food and memories ... these have to fit into boxes which at this point of time I DO NOT have.
Post Exam blues. Feels queer.
Met Jacky, Hailey and Yirong for lunch today ... just a last goodbye before we leave for Hong Kong and Singapore respectively. I know over the course of the year I have not made a great effort to know many foreign friends. Yet I must say that there are a few good ones like Jacky for example. Nice to know that we have friends and ties further afield than tiny little old Singapore. Even if its home and home to friends and family ... somehow it seems just that bit smaller now that it already was. In London you really see how big the world is and how sheltered our lives really were. I'm sure its the same if I ever get the chance to study or work abroad again ... every time u move on ... to somewhere new ... somewhere larger ... Yet this in no way tarnishes the joy of home-coming. Small and sheltered as Singapore is ... it is home Truly. No other place evokes the simple warmth and comfort of that little island ... one does not realize the uniqueness of one's culture till one is able to mix and fraternize with other cultures.
An incident a week or two back comes to mind ... we're at dinner with Jen, President of Passfield Hall and Rayna, my Bulgarian friend, Kiong, a South Korean, Sherwayn and I. Jen remarks that when we speak to her we seem to have to make an effort to enunciate and use full sentences but when speaking to each other ... we Singaporeans seem almost to have a totally different language. Ideas, forms and whole phrases are shortened into words such as "got meh?", "si bei sian!". It something almost uniquely Singaporean ... this tendency to cut entire chunks down into bit-sized bits. A reflection of the pace of life and mentality in Singapore? - Faster, Quicker, The Rat Race Is On.
11 Days left in London. I will miss the life I have here. 12 Days to Home. I miss Home too.

One Final Leap

Phew ... its finally coming to an end. I have never been so drained at the end of an exam before, physically, mentally, emotionally. It has not only been intensive but has dragged on for so long. Right now ... one last effort ... and its over. I pray for clarity, focus and just a little bit of luck for all of us here. And after that close to two weeks of some fun and laughter before we leave for home again to see friends and family.
Hee finally special thanks to the coolest study group ever! Actually something more than and less than a study group cos we were often hard pressed to achieve our original purpose (i.e. study) but were successful in many other areas (aka loads of anime, cooking sumptuous meals)! I won't forget the claypot rice, porridge with daced fish, laksa, hokkien mee. Eh I sound greedy right but its all about having fun and being merry over the simpler things in life (i.e. FOOD!). Ah well I can't say I will miss this period but I do appreciate the mutual assistance and support we gave to each other during trying time. I've learnt more about my friends and hopefully and learnt better ways to study as well. I know that over-studying is useless and especially in my case ... can be very harmful. I've also acquired a wider and perhaps a clearer perspective of other friendships and relationships as well which can hopefully be put to good use.
Hmm thinking back ... we are ALREADY at the end of our term! So fast! Doesn't seem too long ago that I was stepping onto the plane and preparing myself for what I believed then and can now confirm as the greatest "adventure" of my life! Perhaps the only period of my life where time zipped by as fast was in JCII when I was having a ball of a time with buddies and friends. Forced to spend so much time together for comfort and mutual assistance, I can only conclude that all of us here in London were at first friends of cicumstances but have now transcended that superficiality to become genuine friends of choice.
Right now ... I'm going to hunt for food again before hitting the sack!

P.S. My package finally arrived a few days back ;) (tot it was never gonna come!) 25kg worth of food ... one dented rice cooker, contact lens solution and all the other amenities of a good Singaporean life! Once again I gratefully thank my family for their love and thank the Lord that I have been lucky enough to recieve this blessing.

Nothing On The Screen ...

More books today. Something to keep my restless mind occupied (apart from the studying that is!). This one's one of my better reads and celebrates the mortality of humanity. Life we often see as too short but at the same time its brevity gives meaning to our every single moment and makes it all the more precious. Plus the book was autographed! Just an added bonus lah.
For some reason I just slipped into that kind of mood again and my thoughts ran along the following lines: We chase each goal with passion and vigour and if we don't succeed we're overwhelmed by the injustice of it all ... yet victory also seems somehow tainted. At the apex of each goal, we look down and it doesn't seem that we've climbed very far; victory never seems to fulfill those expectations. More targets are set yet they never seem to hit the spot either. Is this the sum of human drives and desires? To forever and seek and never attain? Someone tell me. Or is it the same for all of you too?
Radarless. I need something to aim at.