A new lease on life

~New beginnings~

2011-03-09T13:33:00.003+08:00

This moment, this thought to hold,

so precious to me, I won't let go.

It's starting out slow, but there's no rush,

I'm willing to wait, this isn't a crush.

Can this be the dream I've been waiting for?

Can this be the angel at my door?

I wish you love, I wish you well,

through my heart, that wicked cell.

It betrays my hope, my fervent desire,

that spark of mine that burns like fire.

One day, you will know why,

why you sometimes make me lie,

why you sometimes make me smile,

why you sometimes make me cry.

With all that's said and done,

under the watchful gaze of the sun,

we'll live our lives the best we know how,

to forget the world and enjoy our now.

So please excuse me while I fall for you,

for you and only you, dear Jul...

Snowboarding/Skiing trip to Aviemore~!!

2011-02-14T18:41:00.013+08:00

So this was the long-awaited trip to a snow-capped mountain for some skiing/snowboarding. I can now finally cross it off my list!! Weeks of planning paid off and we had a relative hassle-free trip the whole way. After this experience, I realised that some warmer gear is definitely needed than what I brought. But overall, it was a fantastic experience (despite the weather!) and maybe, just maybe, I'll be going again in the future...haha. Enjoy the pics coming up~!!

Glasgow at 5.15am in the morning

(Bus left at 6.15am)

On our way
Arriving at our ski equipment hire and meeting the woman who helped make this possible
Didn't get a picture with her though =((

Arriving at the base of the slopes at Cairngorm, Aviemore.

The weather was not kind to us..as you can see.

Trying to make it up the staircase in the strong wind.

There was a minor delay cuz we were a snowboard short.

Camwhoring~!!

Boris, Thomas and Leslie

Waiting in line for the train to take us up the mountain

This are some of the skiers who went up earlier

(photos taken from my friend)

Snowboarders on our way up

The rest had already made their way to the top

and were waiting to head out into the blizzard

Receiving their first lessons

Hong Joo demonstrating the right way to fall =D

My POV on snowboarding

A white canvas with tiny people

This was Hong Joo when I found him...poor guy.

Camwhoring outside the window after lunch

Sis with Nick

Us snowboarders (cooler than skiers =p)

Bet you can tell who was the most frozen =D

Brace yourself...camwhoring coming up~!!

Again...

...and again...

Group photo...

started out with 4 ppl wanting their picture taken to almost the whole group

(shouts *wait for me!!* *wait for me!!*)

More people but still abit short =(

Nice =)))

Zicky!

On their way back down...heading home

Happy people..

The weather at the base of the mountain once we got back down

This shows you why it was so bad at the top

Proper group photo on our way home..returning our equipment

Finally, a mini birthday celebration for Nick, who turned 25!!

Well, that's the end of our skiing/snowboarding trip. It was amazing fun although the cold was abit unbearable at times. Kudos to the ones who picked it up faster than the rest of us (especially with operating the ski lifts >_<). It's definitely going to be an experience we can look back on and laugh =p Hope you guys enjoy the pictures...will have some more up on my summer holidays soon. Happy valentine's day everyone!!

Photos Courtesy of Leslie Peacock, Tan Hong Joo and Me

~X'mas 2010~

2011-02-04T08:35:00.007+08:00

It's been a really long while, I guess. Kinda lost the motivation and desire to maintain this blog as I've been feeling detached from people and things I've known for so long. This education has taught me alot but I'm still struggling to learn so many new things. Not to mention, the damn dreams keep me up all night...can't seem to sleep properly these days. Here are some pictures from the festive period a couple of months back (can't believe it's feb already!!)...

Auntie Valerie's christmas tree in 3 different lights!

Elise (the lady from across the street), Auntie Mary (Rob's mum)

and Rob (Laura's husband)

Grandpa (who's 90!!), Auntie Valerie and Cousin Laura =)

Chuffed with her presents..

Sitting down for xmas dinner

Always a fun time with good banter and amazing food

Boxing day and Auntie Mary's birthday.

Sis was back in Singapore celebrating her birthday...happy girl.

Since Sis was back home, I had to prepare the chinese meal on Boxing day to maintain the tradition. Thanks to my Aunt for all her help =)

We had Soy Braised Pork, Mandarin Prawns, Lemon Chicken (which turned out sweet cuz we may have put too much honey in), Pak Choi in Oyster sauce and Basil Pork.

Grandpa even had some!

The Chef and his helper =DD

Laura and the desserts she brought....nice!

Babbling....

2010-11-02T05:57:00.003+08:00

A mountain to cross, life's many troubles.

To trust your heart, you risk reducing it to rubble.

Some things aren't meant to be,

but it doesn't stop me from being me.

I'm searching for the secret to life and love,

for something to fit me like a glove.

I've roamed the night sky and the melodies,

looking for hope and the right remedies.

I once believed in the thought of you,

but for me, it doesn't ring true.

I am grateful you worked your magic on others,

to see them happy makes me proud like a brother.

A conflict of emotions that is embarrassing,

I do a little bit of soul-searching.

I'll never achieve my highest potential,

but perhaps, my work will be quite substantial.

Some nights you are there, just over my shoulder,

other times, you leave me feeling colder.

But life has it's opposing sides,

it ebbs and flows like the ocean tide.

Maybe one day, I will have proven my worth,

once I'm done with my youth.

The vagaries of life have tempered my dreams,

my words flow from me like a stream.

I can only go to sleep at night,

thinking that tomorrow might be alright,

And we'll see what new surprises might...

Welcome to my new flat

2010-10-14T04:32:00.004+08:00

....except that's it's already been 5 weeks since I moved in =D wow, can't believe it's already been 5 weeks. Guess I'm kinda used to living in Glasgow by now...haven't felt as homesick as before although it's still there sometimes...Anyway, here are some pics showcasing la casa..

This is St Andrew's Cathedral which sits in the middle of the square where I stay.

St Andrew's Square!!
There's my place all the way at the end...

Situated in a lovely corner..it's nice and quiet =D

Door 30, Flat 0/2!

My living room which is pretty neat considering it's previous state..

My door is on the right while Nick stays in the room on the left.

Kitchen were we do our cooking...hahaha...we try at least

My Albania punching gloves (thanks, Amy!)

And this is my room!

I've tried to keep it as tidy as I can...seriously!

And that's the whole tour. Well, anyone's welcome to come visit and stay if you want..haha. Address is Flat 0/2, 30 St Andrew's Square, Glasgow, Scotland, G1 5PQ in case anyone wants to send anything. Parcels and letters are all welcome =D Hope everyone is doing well...will post up some more stuff soon.

My Illiad of life

2010-08-31T08:47:00.002+08:00

I stand on my own, a warrior

against the might of what the world throws my way.

Armed with my shield of indifference and my sword of sarcasm,

I face the dreaded Hydra of disappointment,

the hideous Medusa of broken hearts,

the vast Labyrinth of wrong turns and misdirection,

the monstrous Minotaur of true colours at it's center,

and the gargantuan Behemoth of failure.

I fight battle after battle against these monstrosities,

exhausted to the point of collapse,

but desire, determination, a woman called hope and a poet called music

compel me to carry on.

~~~

My bastions of strength come from those around me..

I know in my heart that I cannot fail them..

And so I pick myself up..

Already old bones creaking and protesting against the strain..

Prepared to face the next wave like an obscene video game hero..

Ready to bleed from my expired soul that's already been earmarked for collection..

Maybe I'll have done enough for redemption...

We are the kings and queens of promise~~~!!

2010-07-25T22:45:00.002+08:00

When we arrive, starting our futures...

When we decide, finding our teachers...

We have to live the birth of promise,

we have to face the death of dreams.

And in the end, we'll find a place we know

to escape all our fears, to not look back.

Into the night, clueless and broken...

We have to go fight, through fire 'n wind...

To defeat our nightmares...

To protect our heroes...

We have to live the birth of promise,

we have to face the death of dreams.

And in the end, we'll find a place we know

to escape all our fears, to not look back.

The time to think is over,

the time to act has come.

The moves we make that shape us,

are only just one part...

We have to live the birth of promise,

we have to face the death of dreams.

And in the end, we'll find a place to go,

a place to call our own.

We have the strength!!

We have to fight!!

You will have me...

To be by ur side...

Based on Kings and Queens by 30 Seconds to Mars

Belfast trip (04/04/10 - 08/04/10)

2010-05-31T21:28:00.017+08:00

This year, Easter Break was spent holidaying in Belfast, Northern Ireland! It doesn't have many awesome monuments/museums/sight-seeing spots or great shopping but it was an incredible trip with amazing scenery and fantastic company. We were lucky to have nice weather most of the time and it was just a blast, making the most of our break. We spent the 4th till the 6th in the city centre before heading to the coast at Ballygalley from the 6th to the 8th. And so we start our trip touching down on "another on-time Ryanair flight" in Belfast....

The flight started its descent as soon as it reached the required altitude...

was shorter than the train ride to get to the airport =D

Brilliant sunshine...a must for any vacation...
Jump shot by the track...

After checking into our hostel, we decided to get lunch...kinda got conned into an expensive meal but it was a good proper meal...nice...

Clockwise: Sieu Theng, Mao Yang, Jak Hui and Hong Joo

Belfast City Hall...with the Belfast Eye in the background..

The interior where they had an exhibition on the Titantic...pretty cool.

Failed jump shot attempt...lol

This is an observation deck in a shopping mall...was gutted that it was closed!

On the 2nd day, we took the free tour the hostel provided and headed to 3 popular destinations in Northern Ireland: Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, the Giant's Causeway and Derry (a city).

The beautiful coastline of Ireland...

Shirley, Lester, Nelly & Kum Seng

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge!!

Didn't actually walk it since you have to pay 5 pounds and there's nothing on the little island.

Ended up climbing the higher side of the coast although I don't have the pics...

Next stop: the Giant's Causeway!

More climbing...woot!

The ladies: Hui Lih, Nelly, Shirley and Sieu Theng

Group shot (minus a few others!)

Of course, you know I've got to explore the very end =D

Ended up getting wet and my shoes soaked but well worth it =D

Trecherous conditions...really slippery surface...

After the tour, we went to the Belfast museum...

Pretty cool stuff...really diverse but abit boring after a while...

You have to have at least 1 Guiness if you go to Ireland...it's a must!!

Not my type though....still prefer either lagers or ales..

Ballygalley!!

Our awesome house...yeap, we rented a house for 11 of us for 3 days to enjoy and lounge about...*sigh, awesome*...

The rear-view =)

Flowers in bloom...aahhh, spring was on it's way...

Games!! Played pictionary and boy, it got slightly heated and was super hilarious =D

we all learned a special symbol that we could draw to mean "new"...haha...

Our super stocked fridge...on hindsight, we kinda went overboard cuz we couldn't finish all the food we bought...phew!

Any trip overseas has got to have alcohol and we invited our good friends

Gin, Wine, Whiskey and Vodka to the party...

Lots and lots of food....

Massaging the butter into the chickens during the preparation phase...

Roasting in the oven...4 whole chickens for 11 ppl!!

Man, that was a challenge to finish....

Loved the place...wished we didn't have to leave...

Posing for more pics =D

Getting ready for dinner...I omitted the after pics on purpose...

it wasn't a pretty sight...really....

On our way to finishing...

How's this for a relaxing time?

A glass of wine with some strawberries...nice...

The ocean which was a 5 min walk from our house...

Loved the way Sheng Hao took this shot...looks freaking awesome!!

Haha, more posing and doing funny stuff...

Trying to be Mr Photographer too...

Lol, must give a big shout-out to Lester and Sheng Hao for the awesome shots and for taking the time to produce such nice quality photos. Not to mention, taking pics for the rest of us most of the time...

One big group hug!!

Man, I kinda miss these guys already...looking forward to the next sch year and hopefully more trips together soon. It should be pretty interesting...hahaha...I'll try to upload some pics from my June trip soon...no promises though =p Can't wait to meet up more with my singapore peeps! See you guys soon =D

I never knew how strong a lighthouse has to be...

2010-05-12T10:52:00.003+08:00

1 lighthouse to guard a treacherous coastline.

1 lighthouse to shine the way to safety.

Perched on a collection of rocks in the sea of reality,

it faces the elemental fury of Mother Nature in all it's grandeur.

Shining it's light is of the utmost importance and it's only mission...

With only a lonely keeper to keep it company.

Beset by thunderous typhoons, slashing rain and raging waves,

it's stand stoic against the forces that threaten to tear it down.

It's only aim...to fulfill it's purpose on this Earth,

it's only desire...to protect the people in it's charge.

I look once more at the lighthouse, suffering from all the damage,

and shaking my head, say a silent prayer for it's sacrifice.

And wonder if it was ever worth its while....

Study study

2010-04-16T09:15:00.002+08:00

Proof of studying/doing homework...haha. Got some done at least...more to be done tmr and many more days on. Week 11 is going to be a killer week but it's going to be over soon =)
Back to work!!

Comissioned for a friend

2010-04-13T16:21:00.003+08:00

You look so defeated lying there with your head in your books.

And your pretty smile was all that they had took.

I guess you decided you battled hard but it was more than you could take.

Now, it's eating at your confidence and you are finding it hard to fake.

But I hope you have more luck with this than me.

You used to think that you'll find your way back home.

To fulfill your dreams only to find that they had gone.

But on the, other side of the world lives someone praying for you.

So find the strength to carry on and start your day anew.

But don't submit yourself to your abuse.

I try not to worry

but you've got me terrified.

I wish time would hurry

so I could fllllyyyy, so i could fllllyyyy back,

to comfort u.

You look so defeated lying there with your head between your hands.

You look undefeatable with the courage you possess.

To the tune of Your New Twin Sized Bed by Death Cab for Cutie

For all my friends coping/struggling/dealing with exams.

Good luck!

The little man...

2010-04-13T07:23:00.003+08:00

There is no greater tragedy than having something to say

but no one around to hear it being said.

Or if there is someone to listen,

not finding the words..or the courage...to put it to bed.

There are greater things in this world

than heaven or hell.

So avoid at all costs, that feeling of regret,

of being counted out by the bell.

The deepest recesses are where evil lurk,

reaching out their tendrils from the safety of the dark.

But your light shines true, in the face of temptation,

to uphold your nature, to not leave a mark.

Fear not, the lures of the wicked,

for you, my friend, have the strength to see them all defeated.

Newcastle Games

2010-04-02T20:37:00.009+08:00

Last weekend (27th & 28th of March), I went down to Newcastle with some of my football kakis to take part in a tournament organised by the Malaysian community in Newcastle. Luckily, we were blessed with good weather even if it was slightly cold. As for how we did, continue reading to the end to find out.

Receiving our tactical instructions...

trust me, it wasn't exactly rocket science..haha

The team jokingly called the Glasgow Gods.

Brilliant weather but still a litte cold

Our results in the group stages!

Top of the group!

The semi-final against a pretty good team but they were way too rough.

After scoring the only goal of the game..

In motion..

Getting a short breather before our final against the Black Cats.

Pre-game huddle and team talk!

Tracking the attacker..

Working hard to win the ball..

Providing support...

Haha, I like this shot even though it's quite obvious I've lost the ball.

Playing our hearts out

Getting ready for the 2nd half

The restart after scoring our 2nd goal =)

Getting back in defense

I have no idea where the ball is here..haha

We won 3-0 in the final!

Kum Tak and me reflecting on our win..where are the press?!?

Post-match handshakes

Celebrating our win!

I like this shot!

Team line-up:

Khai, Me, Kamil, Ah Hud and Affan (Top Row)

Syed, Azeim, Ganesh and Kum Tak (Bottom Row)

Jump shot!

Celebrating with our trophy!

Haha, everyone got medals as well!

First time winning a football tournament =D

This will always be one of the proudest moments in my life. Just a shame that none of my friends were there to see it. The only other time I won a medal based on my own merit was back in Pioneer Junior College when my class team won the floorball inter-house championship...now I have a collection =p But this was a team effort and I contributed k? Haha, managed to score 2 goals and we kept 4 clean sheets (means that we didn't concede any goals in the match) out of 5 games...how awesome is that? I shall not bore you guys with anymore statistics or football jargon...missing everyone back home =)

Birthday weekend ~ part 3 (the night celebrations)

2010-04-02T20:17:00.002+08:00

Ok, I know this is really really late but I was really contemplating not putting this up but my mum keeps insisting..hehe. This was the night of the 20th of March when we celebrating Janice's and my birthday together at Mussel Inn before heading over to Mao Yang's place again for some drinks and a pretty rough night (not going to go into details).

Janice and I =)

Everyone enjoying their pots of mussels...
They had the both of us sit at the middle portion cuz the tables were arranged in a U-shape so it seemed like it was a wedding dinner or like the both of us were the head of the family with people coming up this little aisle to pass us gifts/cards.

Giving a toast/speech

Nice birthday cakes!! Home-made too...was delicious.

Thanks Amily and Hann!!

One was a strawberry "pie" and the nearer one was an rum & raisin ice-cream cake!

Both were fabulous!

Making our birthday wishes =D

Back over to the flat for lots of drinks...Bleh, got drunk again.

*Damn Hann, that evil genius*

Picture of when we were first starting out...

Well, that's it for my birthday. It wasn't a pretty sight by 1am but I'll just leave it at that. Just wanna say thanks to my big sister and all my friends in Glasgow who made that day possible. It was an awesome night!

Birthday weekend ~ part 2 (the day itself)

2010-03-26T02:48:00.008+08:00

So we pick up from where I left out last time and this post is about the afternoon of my birthday. Just a short summary, I went to bed at 4am and awoke at 9am to get ready to go to Phil's place. The following 2 pictures were taken along the way to the meeting point. Just wanted to show you that the birds are now out and about in the sunshine =)

Sparrows!
Bored waiting for Phil to arrive...

Was lucky it was a beautiful day. Nowadays not so nice...

The 4 of us were waiting for the car.

From left: Jak Hui, Mao Yang and Daniel.

Phil's place was about 20-30mins away by car so obviously I fell asleep on the way there. Turns out he rents a place from a farmer which is why it's so far away and he has to commute everywhere he goes as the nearest bus/train is pretty far away. It's a nice cosy place...this was in his living room.

Posing with an authentic double-barrelled shotgun. 600pounds...no kidding man!

Closer look. We didn't get to play with though...hehe.

This was what we played with. An air rifle.

Had one of these ages ago...was a pretty cheap one cuz the first pellet that went in broke sth inside, thereby rendering it useless. Think it's still stashed in my room somewhere.

The targets. Old apples. Haha, pretty small k? Even with a scope..

K, I don't know what breed of dog this is and I think it was a she (didn't bother to check =p).

But she was so cute...kept wanting to play fetch until mao yang and I were exhausted...haha.

Not to mention, we had to wrestle the stick from her mouth in the first place.

Waiting for the toss.

Cats in all shapes and sizes in all sorts of places on the farm.

Horse! Just the one though...didn't get really close.

Seemed intent on just being by itself and nibbling some grass.

Haha, the cat was so fat and lazy. It couldn't stand that the dog was getting all the attention so he (I'm calling it a he) had to come over to get some lovin' too.

Man and his dog.

Fat cat...

But still quite cute..even though he left his fur all over my jacket...zzz.

Beautiful day!!

Like I said, fat and lazy...haha.

Basking in the sun...

Finally, on to the shooting once Phil got back from picking up another friend.
Jak Hui's a real marksman...got the most hits out of all of us.

My turn! =p

Hey, I got at least 1 hit k? Mebbe 2...ahaha.

Daniel's turn..

Always remember to give the shooter room and not to stand in front!!!

Beautiful dog...but I don't think I would be able to keep one..

After taking a few shots each, we took a stroll round the whole estate/farm area. So we ended up along this stream. Haha, I don't know what it is with me and streams but they just fascinate me.

Haha, nice?

And of course, what would a farm be without cows?

I realise that I didn't see any chickens or pigs...must be that type of farm =D

Anyway, after the tour, we headed back up to Phil's living room and had a quick lunch when I got a surprise call from back home. Thanks to Amy, Hui ee, May and Jasmine for the "quick" call =) Loved that I got to hear your voices again. 2 more months left! Can't wait. Too bad my credits ran out. After heading back to Glasgow at 3, I took a short nap (or tried to) but had to wake at 4.30 to get ready for Janice's and my birthday dinner at Mussel Inn. But first, had to head to Walkabout (an aussie pub where I watch my live football) to meet up with Dave and Stef who were there watching the final 6 nations rugby match between Ireland and Scotland. Scotland won!! Played a great game...was a shame I couldn't stay till the end but I can't believe they lost all their other games besides drawing with England. Got to do better next year...Right, lost track there. More pictures might be coming. I'll do some QC..hehe. Till the next post, dear friends and family! (Yar, I'm talking about u, mummy!)

Birthday weekend ~ part 1 (the night before)

2010-03-23T07:38:00.006+08:00

Well, that's my birthday weekend over and gone. Done and dusted. Over and done with. It was one crazy weekend. Didn't have much time for sleep and the stuff we got up to was legendary. I'll only be blogging about friday night and what I did on sat afternoon. Sat night is better left to facebook although I might pick out the nicer pictures to give you all a peek into what happened that night. Suffice to say, it wasn't the prettiest of sights of me but it was still awesome and a great night. But as all good stories go, let's start at the beginning-ish....

An impromptu gathering. All we needed was a destination and we found it at Counting House. Thanks to Huili, Nelly, Mao Yang and Hann for coming along and for the night after.

Huili, Nelly & Mao Yang

Spoilt a nice photo..haiz.

Not as good but can see everybody =)

Way too many beers in 1 hour...way too many.

Group photo!!

Nelly and me

Like I said, way too many..

Getting ready to leave aka getting chased out...again.

Back at the flat, Mao Yang fell asleep in the living room. Big mistake around Hann, the evil genius. Trust him to think of shaving Mao Yang's leg. Here's the first preview..

He tried burning it off with a lighter at first but it wasn't too efficient

so it's on to the shaving cream and Gillette shaver.

And so the shaving starts...

Still sound asleep..

Success! A clean structured patch of smooth hair-free skin.

Go on, touch it! You know u want to...hehe.

If that wasn't enough, they decided to draw on his face.

Say hello to his new facebook profile pic =D

Handsome fellow, I tell ya!

Well, that's friday night/sat morning done. There's actually a whole sub chapter involved there as well but I'd rather not go into it. Part 2 coming soon...

Always the little things...

2010-03-19T10:07:00.003+08:00

Just want to say a big thank you to all my friends who organised the get-together tonight for Pei Fun and me! It's always nice to have something thrown for you...and I'm sure the pictures will come out on facebook soon. I just want to say sometimes we look too much at the things that disappoint us, that get us down, focusing on the things that affect us negatively but friends should always be an outlet for u, a provider of joyous times, a shoulder to lean on and a sympathetic ear. I may have a lot of doubts in this world and not have the best of luck but I reckon that it was all used up finding a pretty damn good group of friends. We shall always have the memories and nothing can take away the good times we've shared.

Live long and prosper, my friends. May we have much more good times than bad =)

Edit: Happiness is but a fleeting moment. I pray that I may plant little seeds of happy thoughts which may provide pure happiness to you and to anyone that picks its ripened fruits. You have given me so much, I only wish that there will never be an end...

The winds of change

2010-02-24T10:55:00.002+08:00

I watch as the little green leaf gets tossed about

by this turbulent force of nature.

I know that it is imminent and omnipresent

so I brace myself to withstand it's awesome power.

Opening my lungs, I inhale deeply

as the cold stinging wind assaults my face.

It invigorates me, it urges me on, it brings me joy,

it.....gives me hope.....

Facing my back to it propels me forward,

quicker and with a greater purpose.

Meeting it head-on gives me a rush,

a battle on an elemental level.

The challenge ignites the recklessness and restless spirit within me.

I yearn to let it lead me to the heavens.

Yet, I am unable to fly...

perhaps only in my dreams...

So I walk this walk with my brothers and sisters,

and see where the wind takes me...

If only....

2010-02-15T10:55:00.002+08:00

It was a good night tonight...

but I bet everyone u know wish u were here...

If only to share in the memories...

And the laughter we shared...

We all want u to come back...

but we'll just have to wait till the next time we meet...

It may not be anytime soon...

but believe that u'll always be in our thoughts...

That may be of scant consolation...

but it testifies to the depth of the impact u had...

So look forward to the life u have...

and enjoy it!!!

There'll never be a true "good-bye"...

just an ever-lasting "see u later"...

And that's the best anyone of us could ever hope for....

If only things were a little different............

Liverpool and a trip to Anfield...

2010-02-02T06:35:00.018+08:00

I've always wanted to go watch Liverpool play and coming to Glasgow seemed to be a good opportunity as it isn't that far away. However, I've been putting it off due to not being able to get tickets, the train tickets being too expensive and having no one to go with...but this time I didn't want to wait anymore, especially after I visited the Nou Camp in Barcelona. I decided to go by myself cuz I could only get 1 ticket as that was the limit and it being my first time, I didn't want to drag someone else around if I got lost (which I did). As is required for a good trip, a plan was needed and I thought I had everything worked out..Here's how it went...

Step 1: Took the 7.35am train from Glasgow Central to Preston before switching trains to go to Liverpool Lime Street, getting in at about 11+am.
[What actually happened: Managed to get up on time and caught the train to Preston but missed my connecting train. Had to jump onto the train bound for Manchester Picadilly and then change to the train to Liverpool Lime Street.]

Step 2: Walk to Anfield from Liverpool Lime Street station which was abt 2miles (abt 3.2km!).
[What actually happened: I exited from the right exit but got my directions slightly mixed up so I had to head back to the station and ended up walking one whole round around it. I took a cab in the end cuz I was in a rush...]

Step 3: Take a tour round Anfield then head over to Goodison Park (Everton's homeground) to fulfill a request.
[What actually happened: that was what actually happened =) I was a bit worried I wouldn't know where the other stadium was cuz there were buildings all around Anfield blocking my view but I found it in the end.]

Step 4: Enjoy the game at Anfield.
[What actually happened: I didn't just enjoy it....I loved it!!]

Step 5: Find my way back to the train station and make sure I don't miss my train. The next one was a really sucky one with a long waiting time.
[What actually happened: Took a slightly earlier train so I had time to kill at Preston while waiting for the train back to Glasgow and that's me back safe and soundly...no problem at all.]

I'll let the pictures talk from here on out...

The official match ticket

Early saturday morning...my outfit for the day.
Starbucks breakfast...wanted to get Costa but there wasn't any mint hot chocolate.

The Reebok stadium..homeground of Liverpool's opponents for the day, Bolton.

The only reason I passed by this was becuz I missed my train...zzz.

Now that we're in Liverpool, this was me heading in the wrong direction.

Liverpool John Moore University...applied there but didn't get in.

Which I'm glad I didn't..it's funny how some things just work out.

Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral...not the famous Liverpool Cathedral unfortunately.

Goodison Park, Everton's homeground.

Everton's gift shop...

Dixie Dean, an Everton legend. (or so I'm told)

Everton FC...now that's enough of that..

On to the better half of merseyside.

The Shankly gates.

Memorial for the 96 who passed away at Hillsborough.

Front entrance to Anfield.

The Kop!!

Bill Shankly!

The entrance to the stadium and to my seat!

Was a tight squeeze...

Upon entering the stadium.

Brilliant weather for the game.

My seat!!

Haha, me with my new Liverpool scarf..

Jussi Jaaskelainen and Ali Al Habsi

(yes, I had to google their names)

Jussi warming up.

Really impressive stuff...his hands must hurt after hearing some of the saves.

The Bolton team warming up.

The Liverpool team warming up.

But they were waaaayyy ooovvverrrr there...sian.

Proof and evidence of a little narcissim.

The Kop beginning to fill up.

That's the centenary stand.

Reina in the far distance warming up.

Jussi again...

The substitutes warming up with a little game.

Maxi, Agger, Gulacsi, Pacheco, Darby, Lucas and Babel.

Before they start televising live..

Packed house.

The teams line up..

Customary handshake before the start of the game.

Reina in goal for the 1st half at our end.

The defence: Insua, Skrtel, Kyriakos and Carragher.

Action at the other end.

Masch and Carra.

Defending a throw-in.

End of the first half. Score 1-0 to Liverpool.

As the 2nd half gets underway...

...the action gets more heated.

Gerrard and Reira stand over the corner...

...which Gerrard swings in.

Attacking the corner from the opposite side.

A jersey I bought for Wei Jie (army buddy)

Dunno why he got one of the most difficult names to pronounce in football.

Assorted other stuff due to requests.

My scarf...u already saw it before but I wanted to show it again...haha.

Right, so that was my trip down to see Liverpool play...Haha...was mighty pleased to see them win 2-0 on the day. Would love to travel down again in the future but that would depend on a number of things. Uni's started up again so it's back to sch...loving it in my opinion...time's going to pass by much quicker this way...assignments and reports to look forward to..yawn! This time around...

Barcelona ~ part 3 (19th & 20th)

2010-01-26T22:26:00.000+08:00

Onwards we continue with our journey as our intrepid heroes brave the concrete and somewhat green jungle that is Barcelona city. In this final installment, we travel to the majestic and stunning landscape that is Park Guell, famous for being designed (again) by Antoni Gaudi.

Behold....

The mascot on show.
A harp player hiding in the shade.

Pigeons hiding in the shade.

Ashley and Ra.

They are posing with Gaudi's mosaic dragon

Better view. Sources say it's been vandalised though.

One of Gaudi's unique tiles

A panoramic view of the city in it's splendour.

If you look closely at the horizon, it looks like the sea level is higher than the city.

Must be some sort of optical illusion.

The main terrace.

A better view of the optical illusion

(You can just make out the Sagrada Familia with all it's crane as well)

A performer on show.

Haha, was pretty impressed by how real it looks.

One of the houses in Park Guell.

Converted to a museum.

Haha, you just know that I've got to take a peek.

Busted!

It was a kid's game. I'm guessing about 14-15 yr olds.
Didn't catch them scoring any goals though.

At the top of Park Guell.

I heart this view.

Sometimes, I wish I could have played in a game like that.

Can't wait to play with the guys back home at JP again.

After visiting Park Guell, we had lunch (more paella!) and then headed to one of my favourites places so far: the Nou Camp, Barcelona football club's stadium.

Into the belly of the beast we go...

The visiting teams' dressing room.

Spartan to say the least. Two massage chairs, seriously?

And 1 jacuzzi? Haha, it looks so small!

A small chapel for the religious players.

Back out near the pitch.

Imagine walking out this tunnel to the roar of 90,000++ fans.

Ooo, goosebumps.

The famous logo of the catalan club.

Immaculate, I say.

The press room where they produce Barca tv, I think.

Where the press and media await players and coaches for interviews after games.

Local rivals, but respected anyway.

Check out the artificial sun-lights.

What are the odds you spot ur friend up on a poster posing with Ronaldinho?

(My sis' friend, not mine btw)

That, my friends, is a columbarium.

If I'm not mistaken, they stopped allowing fans to bury their ashes on the grounds of the pitch so they set aside this columbarium to allow fans to keep their ashes near the stadium and club.

The gift shop!! Couldn't believe how much the jerseys were going for!

85 euros! Absolutely ridiculous!

A small portion of their collection of trophies.

Did you know they have a basketball club as well? Basketball's pretty big in Spain and some other european countries. That's how tall they come. 2.12m or sth. Wow!

After leaving the Nou Camp, we headed to La Ramble which is sort of the shopping district/street of Barcelona. I bought several t-shirts so I didn't come away empty-handed..haha. Sorry for not taking any pictures. It was cold and I wasn't in much of a mood. Not to mention, my battery died out on me after taking so many pics in the Nou Camp =D.

Without any way to charge my battery, I'm afraid out journey ends a bit prematurely although there isn't much to add.

We went to the beach on the 2nd last day (the 20th) and soaked up all the sun on offer.

It was such a great time.

Our very own room which we didn't want to share..muahaha!

Messy, I know...bleh.

Fantastic view though and we didn't have to worry about troublesome roommates.

And so we come to the end of our Barcelona adventure. Ra, Sharm and Jin left early in the morning as they were heading to Madrid straight after Barcelona while my sis and I were on the late afternoon flight back home to Glasgow. Home sweet home, or so we've come to view Glasgow, for better or for worse. Really enjoyed my trip...couldn't have asked for better company and we managed to do almost everything we wanted to do and see. 2 thumbs up. Definitely a place to visit for all u first timers and one to go again. That's all from me for now. I might update somemore soon. Hope everyone is well and good back home. Miss you guys loads. Looking forward to my home-coming again this year but first things first. To the new year and new semester ahead!

Barcelona ~ part 2 (the night of the 18th)

2010-01-25T23:53:00.008+08:00

And we're right back in it. We pick things up from the night of the 2nd day after our trip to Montserrat. We spent that night going round the little streets of the Gothic Quarters and stopped by a exhibition of Pablo Picasso's work with a side exhibit of early Japanese erotic art. Was certainly an interesting exhibit to say the least....the Picasso one, I mean =). Anyway, they didn't allow pictures inside but I'll point out which building it is in one of the pictures below. But I digress...let's carry on with our Barcelona journey...

Outside a lovely shop that only sells masks. Really cool!

Masks, masks and more masks. Too expensive to get any though.

They were going for 35 euros each...such a shame. A couple caught my eye.

One of them little alleyways.

Looks menacing doesn't it? Outside the Picasso museum.

Sorry you can't really see it properly.

For the sheer absurdity of it. Plants in a car...
Like what the...?

A really beautiful church...can't rmb the name unfortunately.

Absolutely stunning.

There was a band rehearsing for a concert later that night but we missed their rehearsal.

Would have been nice to listen in even for a while.

Haha, I've run out of superlatives to describe how much I love the architecture.

Surprise!

More paella! I could eat this everyday...it's got everything I like.

'cept for the peas...yuck!

Oh oh oh!!! This is one of the best I've had. Ok, I haven't really had that many but this was way awesome. They have crepes and sth called gofres that are basically waffles.

Haha, I want to go back again!!

Ok, it wasn't very adventurous but I loved it k!

Gofres with chocolate and coconut shavings *groans*

We found the crepe shop while waiting for the flamenco show to start cuz we ate dinner slightly earlier than expected. So after walking around a bit, we went back to the same place where we had dinner and ordered ourselves more sangria and sat down to enjoy the show.

Now, it's ur turn to enjoy the show...picture style!

The dancer.

The band.

More sangria?

Audience participation!

Our first "volunteer": Sharm.

A change of dress and here we go again!

Jin's turn!

And that concludes the night of the 18th. I just realised that I don't have many pictures of the rest of my nights but I'll post up the rest of the pics I took for the other 2 days. Stay tuned....to be continued.....again.

Barcelona ~ part 1 (16th, 17th & 18th)

2010-01-23T00:15:00.037+08:00

It's been a while since I've blogged but here I go again! This time, get ready to be whisked off to Spain, the land of sangrias, paellas, siestas and...eeerrr...spanish people. Our destination today is the wonderful city of Barcelona and we're going to be visiting La Sagrada Familia, Montserrat, Park Guell and the Nou Camp to name a few. Are you ready, kids? Let's go! (somebody shoot him now pls)

Snow-capped mountains on the flight into Barcelona

Luckily, we were blessed with sunshine the whole way.

It wasn't as cold as it looks now.

Torre Agbar

(sorry for it being out of focus)
Our 1st pitcher of sangria! Loved it!
That's Ashley, Ra's american flatmate in the backgroud.

Nice shopping centre near our hostel. We spent our first morning there.
5 girls...whadya expect?

After going the wrong way at first (my bad),

we made it to the Sagrada Familia which was huge!!

Scheduled only for completion in 2026!!

Check out the detail

Future architects admiring a master's work

(Left: Ra, Right: Sharm)

Unique designs..square heads, anyone?

Beautiful stained glass windows

(pity abt the stupid light)

Oh, did I mention that it's huge?!?!

Climbing down from the top

View of Barcelona

The sprawling city below us

Obviously still under construction

Ever-ready for a photo =)

What a drop!

Heads up!

I found these really strange...they just for decoration right?

A close up

I wonder whether this is the finished article as well.

Jin and my sis

(Jin's a friend of Ra and Sharm)

Freaking scary walking down this.

No railing so u've got to hug the wall.

The egyptian godesses and 1 extra =p

Urm, some music theatre...haha.

2nd batch of sangria which we had at this restaurant called Qu Qu.

Red-faced and happy!

Prawn salad..yum!

Paella...double yum!

Desserts..quadruple yum!!

The food was really good but always not quite enough.

The desserts though were to die for.

Day Two: We headed out for Montserrat and the monastery, Santa Maria de Montserrat.

It takes abit of travelling time as it's about 40km outside Barcelona but well-worth the trip.
FYI, this isn't it =)

Them 3 singaporean architects-to-be

Nope, not there yet either.

This is the area where we got off the train and were taking the cable car up.

That's part of it...haha.

In the cable car with 15 other people.

T'was a beautiful day and the scenery just gorgeous.

The sun peeking from behind the mountain

If u strain ur eyes, u can just make out a cross on the end of that cliff.

La cable car (my spanish is terrible, ain't it?)

Stunning! And like I said, ever-ready =)

We were so blessed to have such nice weather that day and throughout most of the trip.

This is the Montserrat Rack Railway.

Cable car is way more fun!

And that my friends, is the Santa Maria de Montserrat abbey.

The monastary is really pretty. Hope you enjoy the following pictures.

Wow! The basilica of the abbey.

There were supposed to be choir boys singing at the exact time we were there but I guess they were enjoying their holidays. Such a shame.

I don't care what anyone says...that is art!

And so is the design and architecture...wow!

The Virgin of Montserrat

It's abit blur but it says:

Carlo Maratta

The Adoration of the Shepherds

Lighting a candle for Por Por

Well, that concludes the first day and a half. Was going to do the whole thing in one shot but too many pictures resulted in the whole process going along very slowly due to the lag. So I think its best if I split it up like I did for my London trip. Stay tuned for night 2 and days 3-5. To be continued....

Welcome to 2010

2010-01-02T13:24:00.002+08:00

The bell strikes twelve and right on cue, it starts to snow. The light flurry of snow float slowly towards the packed masses, dancing and singing in the streets. Now comes the new year, the old slate wiped clean, a new beginning, a chance to start anew....so goes the saying. I breathe in the crisp cold night air and lose myself in the celebrations and cheer. There resides within me a capacity to believe that the twists and turns of fate will reveal their true purposes in time. Indecision and regrets plague my mind but I look to the future and the new year with new eyes, with new perspectives and with an open heart. I look up at the fireworks painting the night sky in an incandescent array of gunpowder and light. I stand, chilled to the bone, as I soak up the beauty on show. The thought runs through my mind, the incessant nagging in my ear, the desire to follow through...Yet I watch the explosion of light and sound tattoo a rhythm on my only heart. These dreams can wait while my eyes are open. Every moment I'm awake, I live another life. Every second of the night ticks by, rushing headlong, caught up in the festivities. I stand back from another hug and it hits me then that I know how to be happy, to enjoy MY life. It doesn't make sense to other people but that's the beauty of it. It is mine to appreciate and up to you to understand, however tough it may be. But I wonder to myself as I embrace another hug, whether trading my dreams for a piece of reality might serve me better.

The celebrations are all but over, the streets are empty, the people gone home to their beds yet I walk along this road, back to the familiar and safe, alone. Am I scared of change or loss? Even in the new year, some things never change.

Nottingham, England

2009-12-14T22:34:00.010+08:00

Christmas Ceilidh

2009-12-14T21:50:00.010+08:00

St Andrews, Scotland

2009-12-14T21:30:00.011+08:00

Goodnight, travel well...

2009-12-13T13:31:00.005+08:00

I heard the news today.

You've finally gone on your way.

In spite of the hurt and the pain,

I know that you would live through it all over again.

All this time, I hope that you knew...

just how much that I treasured you.

I may not have said the words as such

but deep down I hope you felt my touch.

I'm sorry to see you go

but glad that the pain has lost it's hold.

So goodnight and travel well,

into the lands where dreams dwell.

In memory of Por Por,

Rest In Peace.

Life in Hell's Kitchen

2009-12-03T09:38:00.002+08:00

Made Chicken Rice for my sis, her flatmate (Hannah), Clara (Singaporean) and the Malaysians: Sieu Theng, Hui Lih and Chi Ming. I didn't manage to estimate enough rice for 8 ppl so I had to make a 2nd batch which did not turn out well. It was too sticky already...not very nice. The 1st batch was much better though. Wasn't too happy abt the way the chicken turned out as well but it was alright in the end. Verdict: Average Pass (1st time leh!)

The chilli sauce wasn't that nice. Might get a nicer one soon.

The rest supplied the rest of the dishes.

Cabbages, an egg dish and ice cream with waffles (yum!)

This is the disgusting state my flat's kitchen has become. I'm not going to point fingers but I can assure you, this mess is definitely not the fault of either Dave or I.

Look at how disgusting that is.

Why they can't take 10 mins to clean that is beyond me.

The lady who cleans our flat had to clean some of the dishes in order to make space for her to use the sink. Dave did the washing also tonight in order to get everything away. I expect that there are going to be dirty dishes in it again by the end of tmr. Yuck!

Up to the date

2009-11-30T08:00:00.004+08:00

Fireworks on Guy Fawkes night 5th of Nov 2009

Made some chicken rice

Over at my aunt's

Sorry that some of the photos are bad.

Dunno what went wrong. Batt was pretty low as well.

Out walking the dog in the freezing cold

Was a lovely night though

Under the moonlight

And the legends said that...

the Beast reigned supreme over the lands.

Hound of the Baskervilles.

Ok, I'm just being mean.

Kira's a lovely dog who was out just enjoying her daily walk.

Heard it's going to get colder...not good.

Of happy days..

2009-11-16T05:40:00.002+08:00

How I love to dream about where my future might take me
Opportunities waiting to be seized
Places to unearth
Experiences which help us to grow
Full of love, friendship, anger and sorrow
Under the unpredictable weather
Losing ourselves in this wild, chaotic world

Love the sound you make
Adore the way it leaves me short for breath
Understand that not every situation calls for it
Grateful that it can be shared
Hate that some people never get the chance
Trust that it will stay with us forever
Enjoy sharing it with you
Remember the little things, my friend.

Let me keep you near

2009-11-06T09:23:00.003+08:00

How can you claim to be ready for something you know nothing about?

To have the faith that you'll emerge at the end for the better?

Stuck between a pint of B&J's and a pint of beer,

would you choose comfort or sleep?

Wishing that the dream could last forever

or, perhaps, that the nightmare will come to an end.

If it were possible to tear this world apart,

it would already be done.

Damn the double-edged sword that the world is built on!

Trip to Glencoe and Loch Ness 17/10/09

2009-10-26T07:37:00.010+08:00

Hey-ho! This is yet another episode of my life which I am to put on display for the umpteenth time. Haha, so this is the trip I took up to a place that's pretty familiar to everyone: Loch Ness.

*Cue cheesy narrative voice*

It all started early on a Saturday morning at 8am. There was a chill in the air but it was cool and crisp, hinting of the rain the night before. On board the bus we went, heading off on the rabbie burns tour of Glencoe and Loch Ness. Along the way, we witnessed an amazing sight. The chill of the night had caused the mist to envelop the river below. Reminiscent of The Mist, no? (Liked that movie)

Ladies and Gentlemen, our first stop:

Loch Lomond

The morning sunshine

This is what nature is all about.

If you can't appreciate this, I really feel very sorry for you.

Ducks, ducks...

...And more ducks.

Chalets by the beach, although it was pretty chilly.

This german shepard was so well trained,

he just hopped in the boat after his master.

I cannot remember where I took this but it's called a burn

This is another loch where the water was so calm,

it was as if it were a mirror.

The highlands of Scotland

Jack Russells!!

The owners were really friendly too, letting all of us pet them and

allowing us to borrow their binoculours to look at some stags.

I know it's not much to look at but it almost resembles a letter...haha.

Heading up over the mountains

Mount Doom

The sis

Ooo, rocks!

Believe it or not, this is not a candid shot...

but it could have been...

And so we arrive at Loch Ness...

out there, beyond the trees, lies the fabled monster of the depths.

Ah, a modern marvel.

Scottish engineering at its finest.

Through a series of dams,

this system allows boats to travel over "land" to the other side.

...And on they go.

I would explain how it works but I doubt most, if any, of you are interested.

Loch Ness in all its glory.

Our final stop for the day:

Somewhere in the Highlands of Scotland

It is significant cuz it has this statue to commerate the Scottish Highlands as the place where the commandos of WWII trained in their fight against the nazis.

Still, really beautiful scenery.

Well, that concludes this pictorial depiction of my trip to the Scottish Highlands. Am gonna try to go further north next time. I hope you enjoyed it. Next weekend is gonna be Halloween. Looking forward to all the parties and what not...we've even got a pumpkin this time. Carved it and all but pictures are not family-friendly so you can go FB and check them out, if you're smart enough ;) Cheers, till next time!

Please don't ask me to explain this

2009-10-20T06:01:00.002+08:00

Too much time spent on thinking only leads to possibilities you would never consider...sometimes good, mostly bad.

The trick is to dismiss them as unlikely outcomes,

both the dreams and the nightmares.

What you're left with is the truth...

that you are subject to the capricious nature of this world.

I believe that I can make my own choices

yet why then do I keep making the wrong ones?

Some say that I am too sensitive for such a saturated world,

too indifferent to the machinations of social life.

So I sit here...

ever the optimist...

haunted by the worst nightmare imaginable:

Reality

The best laid plans of mice and men

2009-10-14T05:04:00.006+08:00

Got called out last night on an inpromptu ride to the Ibrox stadium which all you non-football followers will not know is the stadium where Rangers FC play at home. Who are Rangers FC, you say? Rangers and Celtic FC are the top two clubs in Scottish Football and both are based in Glasgow, Scotland. The home stadium of Rangers is the Ibrox stadium whereas Celtic play at the appropriately named Celtic Park. There's loads of history regarding these two clubs but I'll spare you the details. Basically, Rangers is a Protestant club while Celtic is Catholic (Christianity...If you still don't know, you ought to be reading more and get some help, it's embarrassing).

Just some background info cuz I just know I'm going to get grilled on this. Ross is Dave's friend from uni cuz they're in the same course and the three of us (Ross, Dave and I) went on this ride together with Sam, our flatmate who is from France. He's in crutches becuz he injured his shin.

Right, now that all that's out of the way, first stop: Kelvingrove Art Museum. The place was closed but it's still a pretty awesome sight from the outside. I've actually been inside before but it's nothing to get excited about. Haha, looks like a castle from Dracula or sth, even comes with blood red lights on the upper floors.

Sorry about the bad photography. I'm not very good with a camera.

Ross' car. Can you guess his surname?

After the rest finished their smokes, we headed down to the west end and the Tennents' bar which serves really good Tennents beer. Well...better than anywhere we've been anyway. A bit more info then...Tennents is a scottish beer brewed mainly in Glasgow, I think. Anyway, it's locally brewed but most of it is shite, especially the ones that come in the cans.

They have a really huge selection of ales, lagers and spirits.

Take your pick.

A pint of Tennents.

Really smooth and crisp.

Good head too :D

Next stop: Rangers FC stadium aka Ibrox

There were loads of bricks with similar carvings on them.

Wonder how much it costs for one.

Like the idea though..

Outside the front gates

Dave just had to get a picture of him and his flag.

This was my attempt at getting a snap of the pitch at least.

Haha, it wasn't intentional but I like the effect of the light on the pitch.

We got lost trying to find Ibrox that we actually got there quite late and decided to skip Hampden park (where the Scotland national football team call home) and Celtic Park until another time. Felt bad that Ross used so much petrol bringing us around as it is.

Back at the flat, a flash of inspiration and a great idea started to take shape. We decided to cook some potato chips at 12.30am in the morning. We had all the ingredients on hand and just went to it. Sam sliced his potatos while Dave heated up the oil to deep-fry the potato chips. There wasn't much else for me to do so I documented :D

Hard at work

All them potato chips

Was pretty surprised how easy they were to make.

Spring rolls from Chung Ying next door.

Pack of 50 for less than 2 pounds.

First batch of chips peppered and salted and ready to eat!!

Dave and Sam

Sam getting ready the 2nd batch before making some potato crisps

The crisps which were just as good.

What a great success!! It was a good night but really fattening. Went to sleep really satisfied but couldn't wake up the next day. Luckily, I didn't have any classes but it's going to be a problem for me soon. It's just so nice to curl up under my comforter when it's cold out. My alarm doesn't seem to have much effect anymore. I can't believe it's only been 2 and a half weeks since I left. Feel much longer than that. Hope everyone back home is well. Miss u all loads.

Having an off day

2009-10-09T03:29:00.003+08:00

You know how sometimes you can see how everything is going to go wrong? Like it's building up a certain momentum that causes everything to go wrong and you're gonna be stuck with a really crappy ending? My cooking today didn't exactly go as planned. Tried to make green curry chicken. Didn't know what else to add in..decided on shitake mushrooms. Not a fan but anything goes. First mistake: not enough coconut milk = too little curry. Second mistake: mixed up the knobs on the stove and cooked the rice too long and it was all mushy and slightly watery. Third mistake: Didn't remove chicken from freezer early enough which meant I might have eaten slightly raw chicken (not too sure abt that...checked it though). All in all, the wrong cooking experience was terrible, splashing myself, getting stuff on my fingers...oh, and dropping the damn packet of spice paste into the saucepan where i was heating the oil. Imagine grappling a fish while trying to squeeze it's insides out. Edible enough mistake..now just need to wait and see if I pay for it. Still got leftovers for tmr...whoppee...

Didn't exactly have the best start to the day either due to a bad dream that kept me tossing and turning all night. On a separate note, I am at a stage where I am looking at my life and wondering how and where I can start improving it but I keep banging against the proverbial wall. Can someone hand me a gun to kill that voice in my head? Anyone....

I sometimes wish...*Bang*...see? Easy...

After thinking about it....no.

Twilight

2009-10-05T05:50:00.002+08:00

I look to the skies,

wishing you were here.

That I can see your face mapped out by the stars,

while I lie here and miss you.

I watch the night turn light blue,

but it's not the same without you.

The silence isn't so bad,

until I realise I haven't heard your laugh today.

I sit at my window, thinking of what to say,

to let you know that I'll think of you tonight.

I'll doze off safe and soundly,

dreaming of your arms around me...

Some of the best times being back home in Singapore

2009-09-28T06:42:00.010+08:00

Wakeboarding!! Together with my sis and her friends, Fiona, Shu and Shu's bf. It was an awesome experience although I took some time to get used to the board and swallowing loads of seawater. It didn't make pleasant viewing for the first round...could only stand up properly once and I was floating in the water for like 75% of the time. Was so jealous of the rest who were standing and actually wakeboarding. But I was rather glad I managed to do so the 2nd time around. Picture proof.

(I have no idea why this pic is so small)
Haha, I'm sorry!! Cam-whoring...

Gliding across the water (or at least attempting to...)

Still going strong..

Splish Splash, I was taking a bath. Finally lost balance.

Next up, we have our long-overdue, eagerly anticipated, action-packed weekend away to Bintan with RB7. Danny couldn't make it so it was just the 6 of us. After much planning and organization, we managed to squeeze in a trip for all of us. We stayed at the Nirwana Beach Club which exceeded my expectations and I was pleasantly surprised. I've only included the pics I found on my camera as the rest are on facebook and Amy's blog.

This is outside the shack where we rented stuff and time-slots for our water sports.

We did kayaking and sat on the banana boat. It was awesome!!

Amy!! Your face is priceless...

But I'm nice enough not to zoom in and crop your face...haha.

Bintan beauties...

Man, I really miss the fun we had there.

Loves them girls

That's abt it. I also went diving at Tioman island but those pictures are already on facebook. Mebbe I'll do a post about my next dive :D Really enjoyed my trip back as I managed to go on trips and hang out with my friends. Looking forward to next year with more trips and experiences in store. Sending my love to all back home (Mum, Dad, RB7, the whole Yong family, including Auntie Josie and especially Por por)...

Back to before

2009-09-28T01:03:00.002+08:00

Glen-3/1
Caledonian Court
208 Dobbies Loan
Glasgow G4 0JF

That is my new address. It's not that much different from my old one...just that I'm living on the 3rd floor now. Again, anything sent is truly welcome and appreciated :D I've settled back in with some familiar faces and some really familiar places and looking forward to the start of uni. Nothing much else to say at the moment so till next time...adios.

Is this my past here before me?

2009-09-20T19:30:00.004+08:00

One step forward, back to the adventure, the unknown, the challenge. A revisiting of a somewhat familiar...But this duality tears me apart. Two different points in the world. Two contrasting faces, each protecting the soft underbelly waiting to be overwhelmed with doubt, hesitation and the two-faced assassin: hope. What face do I wear? Do I not measure up if I do this? Will I be castigated with criticism or shrugged off with indifference? All these questions, taunting me. Destroying me from within. I live with my decisions, they sleep in my bed, they walk in my shoes, they eat my food....they are a part of me as I am of this Earth. I want to know the reason why I'm here, the way I am, feeling the things I feel. I can barely control all these emotions, emotions I have barely experienced, lived, manipulated, accepted. Perhaps in time, it will be made clear to me what sort of man I'm meant to be. For now, I can't decide................

Phil Collin's is a god!!

2009-08-17T14:17:00.001+08:00

I just want to share these songs with whoever reads this blog. These are just some of the best songs ever. Hope you enjoy them too.

2009-08-17T10:37:00.001+08:00

I don't care anymore. I'm letting it all go. I will never understand how you do it and how lucky you can be. But I know that I will never take for granted the things that you do. Mebbe one day you'll realise that too.

The No. 1 sport in the world

2009-07-05T22:18:00.006+08:00

As much as I love my mumblings and Y chromosome friends, this post is dedicated to my "brudders". We've been playing regularly every week for the past 8 years or so every since we discovered our love for the game way back in secondary 2 (2001). The members have changed over the years, some have gone, most have stayed and we've welcomed new members to the fold. All this built on the foundation of friendship, entertainment and our love of the game.

The random assignment of being the goalkeeper.

(No one likes it so we have to resort to chance)

In action
We usually get the whole court to ourselves although there have been times when we have had to play with other people as common courtesy.

A good fake to get away from the defence

Lining up the shot

(Think I'm the one in goal...saved it obviously :D)

The passion runs through their veins...haha..

even in 40 deg weather!

8 years and counting

(5 years at our current location so far)

[Jurong Point Court, beside blk 666D]

Full line-up for the day.

Most ex-commonwealthians may recognise a couple familiar faces.

Do note that there are still a couple of people missing although we're lucky to have such a big group today.

Starting out from beginners with no prior training, inclination or proper direction in learning how to play football, we've developed our skills and our understanding of each other to gel as a team and one which enjoys playing with each other. We've each had our fair share of embarrassing moments which we would rather forget although no one will let that happen. It's one of the first things I look forward to when the weekend arrives and never fails to make my weekend shine. I hope these guys carry on the flame even when I'm gone. CY FC forever!

If only there were a way to make memories permanent

2009-06-28T18:21:00.007+08:00

Days roll on, night passes by. A month has already expired but I've treasured what time I've had so far. It's abit melodramatic, I know, but bear with me. I have no idea why I'm writing this when everyone who's reading this is in Singapore but this is what I've been up to so far.

Went to Barrio Chino at Club Street sometime back to see Helman perform with some other members from the now-defunct Mus'Art Percussion Club like Kelvin, Bing and Firdaus. Was a really good performance from them. They looked like they were really enjoying themselves which made watching them even better.

Here's some pics from that night...

This was another weekend (I can't remember the date!). Anyway, we went to watch Monsters Vs Aliens after band alumni and we ended up at Dhoby Xchange (I think) to have our dinner and played some arcade games while waiting for the movie to start.

This was another weekend (Surprise surprise). We organised a mini-movie marathon at my place since my parents were away. But first up was a failed attempt to have dinner at Pulau Keppel (Just out of our price range) so we headed to Modesto at Vivo instead.

One of the best pictures of Harry for quite a while.

Thanks Amy.

That's about it for now. I'm filled with trepidation and excitement with some lessons that I'm gonna be taking soon. Have to stop procrastinating though. And I hope that the H1N1 virus blows over soon althought it doesn't look that way. And onto a new week....

Back to before

2009-06-11T11:44:00.004+08:00

So I'm back home. Back to family and friends. Back to surroundings which I am so familiar with. It feels like I never left, meeting with all my friends. I wish no one had to work and that stuff (esp drinks) didn't cost so much so we could go out more often. As it is, I've had to find a job and that takes up every weekday from 8.30am to 6pm.

At least I can look forward to the weekend.

Have been told I've put on weight and yes, it's true. I'd like to think it's added to my build but most of it has gone to the waist instead. Haha, I need to get ready for IPPT anyway. Gonna try to lose it. Reservist training coming up in 1 & 1/2 weeks. Medic training all over again. The joy!!*rolls eyes* Gonna be a drug addict with the needle track marks again. Hope my buddy is a capable guy and that I don't torture him in turn...haha.

I'll upload photos of my previous outings soon. When I have the time and inclination...

And my apologies to those I didn't tell when I got back.

It's London, baby!!! [Part 3]

2009-05-21T00:03:00.009+08:00

As so, we arrive at the final day of our London journey. Having toured the major sites in London and enjoyed ourselves at Singapore Day, we decided to join a tour of Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and the city of Bath. It was up and about at 5.30am Sunday morning to get ready in time for our 7.20am bus. First stop, the home of the Queen herself: Windsor Castle.

The fields of canola we passed along the way.

Think they're grown for their oil.

There were really huge fields of them, all yellow, covering everything.

This is the stretch of shops along the way to the castle...you know, tourist traps.

The outer wall of the castle.

They probably did some work on the walls when they installed windows...haha.

This is actually the exit though you wouldn't know if it weren't for the cops at the gate. Wonder if they knew they would become security guards when they signed up to be policemen.

Again, that is 1 section of Windsor Castle.

It's just too big to be taken in one shot.

And that's the keep. Think the guide said that they've converted it into a library.

This used to be the moat but since there's no more use for it,

they converted it into a pretty nice garden.Looks like something out of those fantasy films, don't it?
Another lovely day to enjoy taking in the sights

No idea what that place is.

It was where we came out after a tour of the tourist section of the castle.

Yeap, that's me.

The shirt with the multi-coloured words were given free during Singapore day. It was one of two choices and I heard people saying that they went and got both. Like seriously.

Ah, the flag flapping at the top of the pole means that the Queen is in.

Makes call screening a tough thing to do if everyone knows you're home.

Making our way back to the coach.
By the time we left Windsor Castle, it was getting close to lunch time. So, we stopped off at an inn called The Bell along the way to Stonehenge. It was a nice little inn with pretty alright pub food.

I always wondered how businesses like these survive. Is it through their pub because I can't picture their rooms being filled most of the time...

After another 40mins or so, we arrived at Stonehenge. This collection of rocks are thought to be over 5000 years ago. The rocks themselves originated from Wales and were thought to have magical powers. Researchers are still unable to explain how the people during that time transported these stones over such a great distance and how they arranged everything.

They believe it had something to do with the sun and perhaps some form of worship. While the common belief was that it was the druids of that time that created Stonehenge, researchers claim that it may have been erected much earlier than that. Who's to know for sure?

Anyway, most of them have toppled from their positions as well as having been the victims of vandals over the years. It's unfortunate because they chipped away at the stones and this has created cracks in the rocks. When it rains, water collects in the cracks and freeze over when the temperature drops at night. This causes more cracks in the rocks and accelerates their destruction. So it's sad to say, that there may not be much left of Stonehenge in a few more decades.

The weather took a slight turn for the worse during our time here but at least it didn't rain too hard.

A rock which was separated from the rest. It kinda looks like a face, no?

And onwards we went from Stonehenge to the city of Bath. It's such a lovely city. Really beautiful but very spread out. It's located in a sort of valley with houses on both sides with alot of narrow winding roads. Would be quite hard to get around without some sort of transportation although it would probably be worth it.

This is Bath cathedral with the old Roman Baths right next door.

They had a lot of strange statues dotting the surroundings around the bath. Most of them were strange mixes of animals and humans in various poses. Never found out why.

We were given about half an hour before meeting back in front of the Roman Baths for our tour so we took a quick walk around Bath's city centre (I think). Stumbled across a small stall selling crepes. Heard good stuff about crepes from Damus so decided to get a Nutella one. Man, if I found it hard eating the chocolate waffle previously, this was freaking mission impossible. It was so messy to eat but still so good..haha. Had to really clean up after it though. Not something you should eat when walking about and in public...haha.

This is a river cutting throught the city, me thinks.

You can never find something like this in Singapore which is kinda sad.

I remember sitting at West Coast enjoying the breeze but the view of container ships, cranes and bright lights just spoilt everything.

A small park right in the middle of town

The city of Bath was named that because the romans built a town around the hot springs found in the area. This was similar to the baths they had back in Italy. However, it has now closed down and serves as a museum.

A roman to give the tour, in costume at least.

Looks good, doesn't it? Although it is all open-air...

must have been really warm to prevent people from getting chilly in this weather.

I really like the architecture from long ago.

Really tall ceilings although probably not the most cosy.

The water is all green because of the moss that has grown due to lack of maintenance.

Sunlight + damp settings = algae.

After that, we were dropped off somewhat near our hotel. Took us about 10mins to walk back and it was time to get something to eat before getting on the bus ride of hell back to Glasgow. Suffice to say, things did not go as planned on the trip back. Just when I thought I was comfortable and possibly able to survive the trip back, disaster struck. Enough said. I'm just glad it's over. That concludes my weekend down in London. Just want to say a big thank you to Angel and Damus who settled everything for our trip down to London. Everything was great although I think I'll insist we take the train next time :D Hope everyone's doing well, both back home and elsewhere. For those with exams, good luck and I'll see the rest of ya when I'm back.

CAN'T WAIT!!!

It's London, baby!! [Part 2]

2009-05-16T19:33:00.012+08:00

As promised, here's the 2nd installment of our trip to London at the end of April. This was on the 25th of April, Sat and the day we went for Singapore Day in London. It was held at Hampton Court Palace and we were incredibly lucky to have awesome weather on that day. It didn't begin particularly well with a light shower in the morning but it soon cleared up and the sun emerged in all its glory by 9am. Part of the reason why we stayed at Hotel Ibis was because there was a bus chartered for people going to Singapore Day and that was out transportation to and from Hampton Court Palace. I must say, we did pretty well with the 3 of us sharing one bathroom even though we had to wake up at 6.30am to be ready for the 8.30am bus. Anyway, we made it on time and arrived without any problems at Hampton Court Palace, luckily with the sun already in its rightful place.

The many Singaporeans turning up for the event

As the clouds begin to clear

We were surrounded by greenery along the whole way there

I just love this picture,

like it's just aching for someone to sit down on it and enjoy the day

They had such lovely flowers in bloom, many different colours

Before you start to wonder why I'm gushing about the sun and the weather all the time, you must understand that it is pretty uncommon for the weather to be so nice in the UK even though it's supposed to be summer. My uncle even commented that he couldn't understand why I didn't appreciate it more but that's only because we get it all the time in Singapore, no?

Found the trees hilarious though, like Hershey's kisses

My obligatory photo of myself :D
The ERP sign over the entrance was a good touch in my opinion.

I found it really funny.

Do we need to pay to get in?

Damn, forgot to bring cashcard

And it beeps as you pass under it...haha

They had these big balloons which were tethered to the ground which depicted several "quirks" and icons from Singapore. For example, there was one balloon with all the different sort of bans (i.e. no dogs, no food, no drinks, no durians etc) and one with Ah Meng on it.

Once the gates were opened, people flooded in and we set about deciding what to line up for and try. Haha, seeing some "kiasu" people running to get to the queues first was so funny. On hindsight, I should have gone to get the chicken rice first because the queue never shortened throughout the whole day. So disappointed but I went to get Hokkien Mee first. Wasn't too bad but it had beansprouts in it which I hate. Much prefer the one at BT market and the portions were small.

Rojak and Old Chang Kee curry puff stalls

While there were really long queues for some, it wasn't the case for some other stalls although they still probably ran out in the end. It wasn't this bad..haha..this picture was just taken very early on when people were still streaming in.

The hawkers hard at work

I was pretty excited when I saw this, I'll admit. But the pieces of ( I don't know what it's called...the main flat pieces) were all stuck together and was quite disgusting to eat. The other stuff wasn't half bad though.

That's the main stage where Michelle Chong and Adrian Pang were trying their best to entertain everyone although they were fighting a losing battle when everyone was busy queuing for free food...haha.

Once people had enough of queuing, they started finding spots to sit in front of the stage. Again, we were lucky it was such a good day. We were able to sit and enjoy the sun and the warmth even though there was a strong wind blowing.
The muah chee was surprisingly good.

Never heard of the place before though.

As I said, long queue for the chicken rice. Such a pity. Was one of the dishes I was really looking forward to. Would have tried cooking it myself but it was too much of a hassle for just one person.

Me writing some words of encouragement for the Singapore youth olympics team.

Damus was approached to do it but he asked me to write it instead. See, Damus, I helped you out ok? Not because xiao mei mei asked me..haha.

HAHA! The SAF section. I can't believe that they had a section for National Service. 9 times out of 10, you'll hear from guys that NS is a waste of time so I was wondering what the purpose of putting this up was. Surely not to let ppl know what a great experience National Service is?...Is it?

Combat rations on show and they had portions for you to try as well. I couldn't believe they were trying to make it seem as if it was a culinary treat. It was preserved food in packets that you ate when out in the jungle and hoped that you didn't need to go to the toilet after eating it. Context is such an important aspect of everything.

The helpful sign...haha.

See? Told you there was an Ah Meng balloon.

Adrian and Michelle putting on a show

Mark Lee was hilarious although he kept slipping into Hokkien which I got lost with quickly.

Jack Neo doing his thing

Hossan Leong doing his bit as an SIA stewardess with the Dim Sum Dollies.

Rui En.

Taufik Batisah and the Broadway Beng appeared later on in the show but we didn't stay around long enough to see them.

Enjoying the show

Soaking up the sun and laughter

And so, it was time to go. Back through the ERP gantry.
Which reminds me of what I'm going to have to remember if I'm driving my dad's car when I'm back home. Putting in the cashcard when going under the ERP gantry and paying more money *groan*

Isn't that just lovely? Come a couple of days/weeks, I'll probably be drenched in sweat because of such weather. If only there were a balance between the two...

We had a bit of time to kill before heading back to the bus so we walked around Hampton Court Palace for a while and spotted this family of ducks building a nest near the entrance to Singapore Day.

After taking a short break at the hotel, we then headed out into the city square to look around. Stopped at a waffle place just outside the train station to get something to eat as we were hungry. The food at Singapore Day was too little to fill up our stomaches.

My chocolate waffle.

Quite nice but very messy to eat, much less walking and eating at the same time.

In case you were wondering, this is a Beard Papa cafe. Apparently, their cream puffs are very good which they were. But I never hear of good stuff like this..haha.

After a couple of hours walking around, we stopped at Aberdeen Angus Steak House for dinner. And none of us had the steaks on offer. Haha.

And that concludes Day 2 of our trip to London. I bought 4 Uniqlo t-shirts during the walk around as I wanted new t-shirts and I found some I liked. We took the train back home and slept around midnight, knowing we had to wake up early again as we had decided to join a tour tmr of Windsor castle, Stonehenge and the town of Bath but more of that in the next post. To be continued...

It's London, baby!! [Part 1]

2009-05-02T05:08:00.014+08:00

So here's the trip down to London in all it's glory. Right, I am super duper lazy so as usual, I'm splitting the whole trip blog/report/post/update into 3 parts. 1 post for each day. Can you guess how many days we were there? :D So here's the very first day...It's London, baby!

The main reason for this trip was because Singapore Day was held on the 25th of April. We figured we might as well travel around London while we were at it. So, Damus, Angel and I decided to head down by bus to London. How wrong was I in thinking that it might not be as bad this time around. The key is getting a seat by the window. Epic fail in that regard. The whole freaking bus was packed so I had to sit beside the damn toilet and near the back where it was freaking hot and smelled really bad. Here goes the start of the journey.

Does this bring back memories, Amy?

After a torturous 8hrs(!), we arrived in London on a lovely sunny Friday morning where we were dropped off Victoria Station. We then headed to find the underground to catch the train to our hotel.
The London Underground.
It's like a catacomb down there. So many entrances and exits with tunnels that lead you from platform to platform. You won't get lost that easily but it can get rather worrying wandering the tunnels. Felt that it was reasonably efficient although rather pricey even though it was the only mode of transportation we took in London.
We walked everywhere else...haha.
The view from our hotel, Hotel Ibis. It was located more or less in the south-west corner of London, in an area called Earl's Court. Stamford Bridge (Chelsea FC) was located near-by.

The rooms were sparsely furnished but I was so tired after the bus ride down and all the walking on the other days that I just fell right asleep once my head hit the pillow every night.

The first order of business after dropping all our luggage at the hotel was getting some food and getting a head-start on completing our marathon first day of visiting all the important sites in London. We stopped at this organic/bakery place where they had this nice ham & cheese croissant. So nice I had two although I was starving having had nothing to eat on the bus ride. This was my first meal of the day!

First and foremost, I'd like to be thankful for the GLORIOUS days we had in London, with the exception of the temporary sprinkle on sat morning. The sun was out, shining in it's incandescent glory. Since we were staying on the west side of London, we decided to head east in order to cover everything. First stop, Kensington Park/Hyde Park. Oh ya, we met with a malaysian called Nick as well. He's an architecture student studying in Glasgow but came down to London to do an attachment I think. You won't really see him in the pictures. Mebbe in D&A's ones but not mine.

I could barely contain my excitement that it was such a nice sunny day. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the weather in Scotland as well, even the cold. But the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the air just made my day. Not to mention, it reminded me of home. Although, I don't miss the sweating so much.

Kensington House (or sth to that effect)

The happy couple. Haha, so good for each other.

This was a mini lake in the middle of the park.

It's too big to be a pond yet too small to be a lake.

Loads of open-air space and greenery. You can't really compare it to the Botanical Gardens in Singapore because they just don't have the space. They tend to cram as much as they can in one place whereas everything here was spaced out and you could sit under your own tree and have a picnic or walk your dog or go for a run. There was this mother who had dressed her two wee daughters up in pretty dresses but kinda freaked out when Nick wanted to take a photo. Mother's instinct, I suppose. *shrug*

The park was huge!

I believe it was probably bigger than the NUS campus, without the slopes and all, of course.
This was a river which ran through half the park. There were people paddling boats and those floating devices where you pedal your way around. Oh, there was ice-cream to be enjoyed as well. For dog-lovers (D&A in particular), it is a very nice place to bring your dog or just to admire other dogs.

A cafe across the river.

Very picturesque

The cute duck and her ducklings.

They must have hatched a couple of months ago, I think. Saw loads of lambs in the countryside as well. Not to mention, a friend of mine had a mare which just gave birth to a foal last month (Horses, in case you didn't know). Haha, all the little creatures coming into the world.

Now, I have no idea what this arch is supposed to represent or what it's name it. But Angel made a good point. There have been arches in Paris, Berlin and, now, London. What is their obsession with arches and statues on top? Should Singapore be looking to get an arch for themselves? :D

On exiting Hyde Park, we reached Buckingham Palace! Yes, this is the home of the Queen herself although we found out later that she only stays here on Tuesdays as she prefers Windsor Castle as her hideout. There will be more on that in the last part of the blog/report/post/update. Truth be told, it wasn't very spectacular although I suppose it is pretty old and we have been spoiled with pretty modern spectacular buildings. Aren't we lucky?

See? Not that impressive, is it? There was still alot of security though.

Similar story to the arch. A statue in the middle of a roundabout. What will they think of next? Surely not something that you can find somewhere else in Europe? Hahaha, again, didn't bother finding out the names but look at all the little kids sitting on the steps. They were there on some excursion, sitting facing Buckingham Palace and drawing it.

Onwards we went on our journey. A short walk ahead was Westminister Abbey. We were wondering what an abbey was and how it was different from a church. Apparently, it's where they used to store the remains of the dead. Underneath the building, of course. It's not a mausoleum but that would make it an ossuary. My, aren't you learning something new today.

Entry was 9pounds and I wasn't interested in paying so D&A went in while I got another ice-cream and sat down on the grass outside the abbey with Nick. We talked for a while before the warmth and the damn bus ride got to me and I took a nap in the sun.

Woke up to this. This is the front side of Westminister Abbey. Turns out you can't take pictures inside the Abbey so D&A were rather disappointed with that.

From Westminister, we headed in the direction of Big Ben and the Parliament House. And on the other side of the river, the London Eye.

Big Ben.

One thing I've noticed in Glasgow and London is the amount of planes that fly across the sky. These are not commercial planes but private jets, I think, streaking across the sky. I just really notice them alot, probably because I love looking up at the bright blue sky.

Hey, hey. That's me! In front of the London Eye.

And warm enough not to need a jacket.

Am loving the shades I bought from you, Amy!

Right, I have no idea why this picture is blue(it is blue, isn't it?). I think it's probably the angle that the sun was at that affected the shot.

I guess?

The London Eye had a really long queue and we didn't want to take it that badly anyway so we walked right past it and loads of street entertainers to Shakespeare's theatre. Taking Romeo and Juliet for Literature in secondary school was one of the best things that I enjoyed (the result still pissed me off) and I would have loved nothing more than to see the theatre. However, there were actors inside rehearsing for the play so we weren't allowed to take pictures. We decided to pass on it and headed on towards the Tower Bridge.

Hey, hey. Me again!

Must have me in some pictures or else will kenna scolding :D

Was wondering what that pointy building was.

Seen it on tv a couple of times. It's really weird, no?

Actually on the Tower Bridge.

Ok, I kinda insisted on coming here because, come one, it's an iconic place.

Although I don't know why I was so adamant...

This was St Paul's Cathedral. Another lovely garden. At this point in time, I was getting tired so that's the end of my photo-taking for the day. Hope you had fun looking at them. It's time for the words to fill up the rest of the post. Take one last look. Ready?

After St Paul's cathedral, we headed to London's Chinatown. We had heard of this place called the Four Seasons which had really good roast duck. So we went there for dinner. And what a coincidence it was to meet Xiuli in the same restuarant. The food wasn't spectacular but it was still good. Loved the chilli!! It's the first time I've had it since I've been overseas. Haha, hogged the whole bowl to myself in the end. We went for a small walk around after that but decided to head back once it turned dark (which was at 9pm at night, btw) as we were still pretty tired by the bus ride down and needing to wake up at 6.30am the next morning in order to make it on time to Singapore Day (3ppl, 1 room, 1 toilet = rotation required). Once we were back in the hotel, we met with San Chu who is a Singaporean who has been living in London for the better part of 40 years. He was one of the organizers of Singapore Day in London and helped us with the arrangements of getting there.

That concludes the first day of our trip to London. Glad to say, we managed to hit almost all the touristy spots. The others just weren't as important or attractive to attempt. It was a good day to walk around all day and I really enjoyed myself seeing everything. Stay tuned for how Singapore Day turned out...

Transition

2009-04-21T22:04:00.002+08:00

It's a glorious day today. Loving it!! Here's just a little slide-show about how the seasons have passed me by. It's been 7 months already! Looking forward to the last 6-7 weeks before going home.

The start of Autumn as the leaves turn golden

Heading towards the end of '08

Winter Wonderland in Jan & Feb '09

Such a lovely day today

Will be in London over the weekend. Looking forward to the food that I've been missing...haha. I really looking forward to going to London and seeing all the sights. Hope this good weather holds up.

Into the world of Ramsey and Yan

2009-04-08T17:14:00.002+08:00

Last night, I tried my hand at making rendang. Now, I can only assume that most of you know how twisted my logic can be sometimes so this was ALOT different from a normal rendang dish. Right, I got the spice packet from Chung Ying again so that's as aunthentic as can be. But I had this packet of pork belly which I wanted to use to make tau you bak but I still haven't gotten the recipie to make that yet (:D). So, got the pork belly out and chopped it up, dumping them into the mixture shown below in figure 1.

Fig. 1

Figure 2 shows the end of letting the gravy simmer for abt 50mins and after siphoning all the oil out of the dish. It was only about 30mins in that I realised the reason why pork probably wasn't such a good idea because of all the oil that seeps out when cooking it. To be fair, the packet only asked for chicken, beef or lamb. What can I say? I like to do things differently.

Fig. 2

Finally, the piece de resistance. Pork rendang with spaghetti...hahaha. It makes for an interesting meal to be honest. The sauce was excellent, really flavourful and the pork was pretty alright. There you go...figure 3!

Fig. 3It's already april!! Couple of months to go before I return to Singapore..finally! Might travel to a couple of places and do some things before I come back though. Haven't confirmed anything yet except my trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland for Dave's birthday. I can forsee alot of drinking..hope I'll survive! Can't wait to see this group of people again. Not to forget my family too of course :D Miss u guys loads. Cya soon yea?

Harsh realities

2009-03-27T00:21:00.004+08:00

The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike.

There is no discerning difference between moral and immoral men.

Only their actions are a true reflection of their character.

There is no compromise in the face of Armageddon.

Sorry, caught the film the Watchmen last night.

It was good, though not as depressing as the comic book was.

Good food for thought.

A quiet transition..

2009-03-24T07:13:00.002+08:00

This was what happened on friday the 20th of March. Gotta show evidence, ya know..It was a pretty good day. Enjoyed reading the cards sent from loved ones back home :D Thanks for those that sent a card. Of course, thanks if u wished me on facebook as well...I'm not fussy. Been enjoying my football, both watching and playing. Haha, think I may have found a 3rd group to play football with. Weird how things just come if u're patient. After a couple of low-key birthday celebrations, I think I should bring it up a couple of notches. Worth keeping in mind for next year :D
So anyway, this was the surprise Stef and Dave got for me. It's a chocolate caterpillar cake. HAHA!! I didn't see it at first..thought that face was distinctly mousy. Still, debate aside, it was a nice cake..U can't go wrong with chocolate.

Ming and Stef. Gemma's never in...

Forgot to make a wish before blowing out the candles.

Haiz, they never come true anyway.

Dave.

Had to rush to catch the train after that to head over to my aunt's for the weekend. It was pretty much the same as usual over there. Good food + good company. Haha, had a ball watching the final 6 nations rugby games on telly. Nail-biting stuff with Ireland completing the Grand Slam thanks to a 50m miss by the welsh kicker with the very last kick of the game. It was a shame for Wales but everyone was rooting for the Irish..haha. Love how passionate the people here are about their sport. Scotland didn't fare very well but people still turn out to watch them play and give their support. It creates such a great atmosphere, even in the pubs.
It's getting to that time where assignments are due. Luckily, I only have the one essay due next week this time. Then a presentation to prepare for and another essay for the final week of term by which I would have completed my Spanish assessment. It's going to be a good couple of months before I head home...FINALLY!! Can't wait...