现在手上正在阅读的书是，“那些年，我们一起追的女孩。” 很久没有接触到中文小说，有些不确定的字眼。会努力的，已经的八十多篇了。今晚要去北京了。第四次了。名副其实的中国服务员。哈哈。
心角又痛了。痛了一个多小时。嗨。
再会哟，小朋友。
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
但不是。
全世界的人都觉得我是因为有了新欢所以弃了旧爱。连你也是。
但不是。
连你也不了解，我想世界上真的没有人了解了。现在的我是很喜欢我的工作。回到家，就想待在家。真的觉得我对女人越来越没有感觉。觉得女人是很麻烦的事。对。我是没有可能变同性恋的。可是对我有意思的女生都被我拒在千里之外。就是不想有麻烦事。嗨。越来越多同事觉得我是不是喜欢男生的。被问了好多次。哈。真的没有乱来。没有另外个她。
我不是在后悔当初。只恨自己处理的很不好，非常的烂。
那天我在外，不知为何有种莫名的感觉，抬起头。看到了她的好友，很想上前打声招呼。可是却在最后的几秒，选择擦肩而过。不知道为什么。想了想，也不知道要说什么。
对每个人都好也是一种错吗？我就是这样。对每个人都百分百。有位朋友跟我说：“你是个很好的朋友。可是我很希望你成为一个好情人。“
”在朋友的角色你真的做到满分了！身为你真的朋友的我当然也希望你能在将来，在情人的角色也会是一样完美。“
每次看到的都是你。八个月了，还是你。起飞和降落时也是你。全都是你。
但不是。
连你也不了解，我想世界上真的没有人了解了。现在的我是很喜欢我的工作。回到家，就想待在家。真的觉得我对女人越来越没有感觉。觉得女人是很麻烦的事。对。我是没有可能变同性恋的。可是对我有意思的女生都被我拒在千里之外。就是不想有麻烦事。嗨。越来越多同事觉得我是不是喜欢男生的。被问了好多次。哈。真的没有乱来。没有另外个她。
我不是在后悔当初。只恨自己处理的很不好，非常的烂。
那天我在外，不知为何有种莫名的感觉，抬起头。看到了她的好友，很想上前打声招呼。可是却在最后的几秒，选择擦肩而过。不知道为什么。想了想，也不知道要说什么。
对每个人都好也是一种错吗？我就是这样。对每个人都百分百。有位朋友跟我说：“你是个很好的朋友。可是我很希望你成为一个好情人。“
”在朋友的角色你真的做到满分了！身为你真的朋友的我当然也希望你能在将来，在情人的角色也会是一样完美。“
每次看到的都是你。八个月了，还是你。起飞和降落时也是你。全都是你。
Friday, March 23, 2012
火柴。
刚刚听了一句话。“我做了四十年的成功人士。如果接下来的四十年还是做同样的东西，不就是浪费人生吗？” “我可以用我短短的生命去成功两次，我不是算有了两个人生吗？”
我只是想要把我的短短的生命，象火柴一样，发光发热。就是那么的简单。
我只是想要把我的短短的生命，象火柴一样，发光发热。就是那么的简单。
View From The Top
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_from_the_Top
View from the Top is a 2003 romantic comedy film about a young woman from a small town who sets out to fulfill her dream of becoming a flight attendant. The film was directed by Bruno Barreto, and stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Christina Applegate, and Mark Ruffalo.
A movie that I came across when I was in Mumbai. At first I was interested because it was a film about being a flight attendant. As the movie play out, I laugh as I was about to relate to how close the things were like, from the dreams, interview, training, days as a flying crew, life in out station. Slowly and surely, I felt a connection. I realized how similar it was like. Had a lot of thoughts.
Came back to Singapore and decided to watch the movie again. This time I realized more things. There were a lot of lines that struck a chord with me. Donna Jensen felt that no one can tell her that she has or has not seen enough. Even though she knows that Ted loves her and she him. Of course end of the day, as most of the romantic comedies go, both the leads went back together. But the fact is, can real life be the same? And end of the movie, she was not doing what she set out to do, it was different. She was back in Cleveland, her "big waiting room".
The point is she went ahead to do what she wanted to do or get done. If she had not gone ahead to do it, there will also be the regret right? It is not that it is not worth the fight. Just not yet.
Anyway, I think I still cannot fully express myself. Just watch the movie. Haas.
Nights Singapore.
View from the Top is a 2003 romantic comedy film about a young woman from a small town who sets out to fulfill her dream of becoming a flight attendant. The film was directed by Bruno Barreto, and stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Christina Applegate, and Mark Ruffalo.
A movie that I came across when I was in Mumbai. At first I was interested because it was a film about being a flight attendant. As the movie play out, I laugh as I was about to relate to how close the things were like, from the dreams, interview, training, days as a flying crew, life in out station. Slowly and surely, I felt a connection. I realized how similar it was like. Had a lot of thoughts.
Came back to Singapore and decided to watch the movie again. This time I realized more things. There were a lot of lines that struck a chord with me. Donna Jensen felt that no one can tell her that she has or has not seen enough. Even though she knows that Ted loves her and she him. Of course end of the day, as most of the romantic comedies go, both the leads went back together. But the fact is, can real life be the same? And end of the movie, she was not doing what she set out to do, it was different. She was back in Cleveland, her "big waiting room".
The point is she went ahead to do what she wanted to do or get done. If she had not gone ahead to do it, there will also be the regret right? It is not that it is not worth the fight. Just not yet.
Anyway, I think I still cannot fully express myself. Just watch the movie. Haas.
Nights Singapore.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
转眼之间。
今天是我一身以来自己一人去喝酒。喝了一杯。大概一个小时吧。也不知道为什么那么久。可能是庆祝我度过工作的试用期吧。转眼之间，过了六个月。真快。来也匆匆，去也冲冲。说真的， 我很喜欢我的工作。每天都可以看到人与人之间的相处。人是很奇妙的动物。明天要飞去澳洲了。明天是新的一天。鼓起勇气，勇往直前。
晚安了，我美丽的小岛。
晚安了，我美丽的小岛。
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
For all those born in 70's and 80's
Read this post. Love it so much!
We are the last generation that learnt to play in the street, we are the first who've played video games, see cartoons in color and went to the amusement parks. We were the last to record songs of the radio on cassettes and we are the pioneers of walkmans and chatrooms... We learned how to program the VCR before anyone else, play with the Atari. Super Nintendo and believed the the Internet would be a free world all on a 56kbit modem. Traveled in cars without seat belts or air-bags and lived without cell phones. Rode bicycles down the road without brakes. We never had phones but still kept in touch. We do not have Playstation, 99 television stations, flat screens, surround sound, mp3s, iPods, computers and broadband... but nevertheless we had a GREAT time.
We are the last generation that learnt to play in the street, we are the first who've played video games, see cartoons in color and went to the amusement parks. We were the last to record songs of the radio on cassettes and we are the pioneers of walkmans and chatrooms... We learned how to program the VCR before anyone else, play with the Atari. Super Nintendo and believed the the Internet would be a free world all on a 56kbit modem. Traveled in cars without seat belts or air-bags and lived without cell phones. Rode bicycles down the road without brakes. We never had phones but still kept in touch. We do not have Playstation, 99 television stations, flat screens, surround sound, mp3s, iPods, computers and broadband... but nevertheless we had a GREAT time.
Monday, March 19, 2012
我真的什么都写在脸上吗？
今天有人问了我，最后一次交女朋友是几时。我没近过脑就，大概要一年了吧。回想起，真的有了度日如年的感觉。
之后我身边的人都觉得我怪怪的。还以为我哭了。才不是呢。我在工作时，那会感情用事？可是我真的什么都写在脸上吗？：（
之后我身边的人都觉得我怪怪的。还以为我哭了。才不是呢。我在工作时，那会感情用事？可是我真的什么都写在脸上吗？：（
Thursday, March 15, 2012
又不知道要表达什么了。
every time I re-read a book, i always discover something new or there will be new appreciation for something that is written.
我的脑海每次都充满了很多。。。东西；想法；看法。心里有许多感觉。可是往往当我要表达的时候，我都不知道从何开始。我觉得我是一个不喜欢麻烦的人。喜欢简简单单的过每一天。可是我又是一个把朋友放在第一位的人。有时真的有了矛盾的情况。我很像有很多朋友，其实是我认识很多人罢了。有时觉得一点的小空虚。又不知道要表达什么了。
有时觉得可以结婚生子，过小家庭的生活。夫妻两打理一间小档口，过日子。平凡是幸福嘛。可是往往想的很美。有每天的百分百感觉吗？有每天的百分百默契吗？
今天真的很累。
晚安。
我的脑海每次都充满了很多。。。东西；想法；看法。心里有许多感觉。可是往往当我要表达的时候，我都不知道从何开始。我觉得我是一个不喜欢麻烦的人。喜欢简简单单的过每一天。可是我又是一个把朋友放在第一位的人。有时真的有了矛盾的情况。我很像有很多朋友，其实是我认识很多人罢了。有时觉得一点的小空虚。又不知道要表达什么了。
有时觉得可以结婚生子，过小家庭的生活。夫妻两打理一间小档口，过日子。平凡是幸福嘛。可是往往想的很美。有每天的百分百感觉吗？有每天的百分百默契吗？
今天真的很累。
晚安。
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
”有缘千里来相会，无缘对面不相逢“
今天我想起有一个朋友问我：“你说因为现在不是时候。可是如果，三，五，十年后，你觉得时候到了，但是人已不在了。你要怎么办？到哪里在找那个人？“
我不知道。我的决定可能是错的。可能让我后悔一辈子。人生有很多的可能，或许和如果。可是就是没有重来。
都已经决定了，就潇洒一点吧。
”有缘千里来相会，无缘对面不相逢“
如果是真的有缘的话。
晚安。
我不知道。我的决定可能是错的。可能让我后悔一辈子。人生有很多的可能，或许和如果。可是就是没有重来。
都已经决定了，就潇洒一点吧。
”有缘千里来相会，无缘对面不相逢“
如果是真的有缘的话。
晚安。
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
i cant sing, I cant dance.
in this world, there are a lot of very talented people. really admire them. I cant dance, I cant sing. haas. a lot of things need the flare.
Saturday, March 03, 2012
伤心的理由
这个世界上只有伤心的理由，没有沉沦的借口。
再忙的人，他心里面也应该留一个空位给他的爱人。时间需要分配，爱何尝不是呢。
不论遇到什么伤心的事情，只要你振作起来，都可以重头再来，就怕你自暴自弃，消极沉沦。
我永远记得我当初是多么爱她。可是已经不能回头了。
再忙的人，他心里面也应该留一个空位给他的爱人。时间需要分配，爱何尝不是呢。
不论遇到什么伤心的事情，只要你振作起来，都可以重头再来，就怕你自暴自弃，消极沉沦。
我永远记得我当初是多么爱她。可是已经不能回头了。
Friday, March 02, 2012
Thursday, November 24, 2011
i can kind of put it in words...
I think i can kind of put it into words.
i was talking to my mummy last night. I think it is the pressure that i felt when you put me at the first and foremost. if you did not, i felt so. because i know for now, i cannot do that. i only know that now it is better for everyone to look into their future and do what they want to do. truly want to do. life is too short to be... for lack of a better word, restricted. yes. everyone always believed that they have some one or something to answer to, be it the system, parents etc. but that is not good enough. nobody can tell you who to be or what to do. yes. some may say, parents give birth to you, you have a responsibility. the system empowered you, enriched you, educated you, you have a responsibility. so when do you do something for yourself? I am not being a cynic or skeptic. to an extent, do what you must and do what you want. i am sure the people who gave birth wants their get to be what they can be or at the very least, happy. my mummy once told me this, "i can give birth to your body, but i cannot tell you what to do or what to think. you have to make your own decisions."
there was this conversation recently about a 40 years old friend who was sharing how he would not want to get into a relationship with a girl in her 20s. All the wants and needs are just too much.
there was this other conversation about how 2 different relationships were similar yet not the same.
1) An Asian girl in her early 20s dating a Caucasian male, also in his early 20s. Both of them are at a stage of their life, that they need to think about how they want their future to be like. Asian girl with her family and career. Caucasian male with a bright sporting career. Not mentioning that there is an ocean separating them, they know what they must do. yet it does not make it any less painful. Would had been better for them to meet 10 years later?
2) An Asian girl in her early 20s, falling in love with a Caucasian male in his 40s. The Asian girl studies at where the guy works. where ever he works at, which ever country he decided to stay, she follows. Of course it is difficult for the girl. but looking at it, the relationship has a better chance of flourishing, no? of course putting aside the gender. be it the former is a guy and the latter is a lady, would it be any different? So it is the better time to meet, if you want a happy ending?
a couple of years will go by, do you really want to sit and watch your life go by?
at these times and age, everyone have something that they want to do or accomplish. climb a mountain. build an empire. have a billion dollars. save a forest. have an everlasting love.
times flies. everyday people die. children get birth into this world. do you really want to stand still?
would it be better if we meet later on in life?
i was talking to my mummy last night. I think it is the pressure that i felt when you put me at the first and foremost. if you did not, i felt so. because i know for now, i cannot do that. i only know that now it is better for everyone to look into their future and do what they want to do. truly want to do. life is too short to be... for lack of a better word, restricted. yes. everyone always believed that they have some one or something to answer to, be it the system, parents etc. but that is not good enough. nobody can tell you who to be or what to do. yes. some may say, parents give birth to you, you have a responsibility. the system empowered you, enriched you, educated you, you have a responsibility. so when do you do something for yourself? I am not being a cynic or skeptic. to an extent, do what you must and do what you want. i am sure the people who gave birth wants their get to be what they can be or at the very least, happy. my mummy once told me this, "i can give birth to your body, but i cannot tell you what to do or what to think. you have to make your own decisions."
there was this conversation recently about a 40 years old friend who was sharing how he would not want to get into a relationship with a girl in her 20s. All the wants and needs are just too much.
there was this other conversation about how 2 different relationships were similar yet not the same.
1) An Asian girl in her early 20s dating a Caucasian male, also in his early 20s. Both of them are at a stage of their life, that they need to think about how they want their future to be like. Asian girl with her family and career. Caucasian male with a bright sporting career. Not mentioning that there is an ocean separating them, they know what they must do. yet it does not make it any less painful. Would had been better for them to meet 10 years later?
2) An Asian girl in her early 20s, falling in love with a Caucasian male in his 40s. The Asian girl studies at where the guy works. where ever he works at, which ever country he decided to stay, she follows. Of course it is difficult for the girl. but looking at it, the relationship has a better chance of flourishing, no? of course putting aside the gender. be it the former is a guy and the latter is a lady, would it be any different? So it is the better time to meet, if you want a happy ending?
a couple of years will go by, do you really want to sit and watch your life go by?
at these times and age, everyone have something that they want to do or accomplish. climb a mountain. build an empire. have a billion dollars. save a forest. have an everlasting love.
times flies. everyday people die. children get birth into this world. do you really want to stand still?
would it be better if we meet later on in life?
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Europe - Rome
13 morning - 15 morning Sept'10
Rome - Venice
Arrived so very early in Rome. And our hunt for our hotel is on! At least this time, it is really near, just one stop away from Roma Termini, at Cadovour and we found it in no time. Hostel Ivanhoe! And oh my! It is a great hostel! Can wait to tell u all about it! In a bit…! :)
Right after dumping our bags in the kitchen, we went straight out. First stop, Piazze Di San Paolo. As usual furtherest location first. And also just follow the crowd. You will get there. Sigh. Hmm.. Ever wonder why is there always an obelisk at places?
Spanish steps and the huge Trevi Fountain. Nice. Really impressive. Threw a coin and made a wish. Hope everything ends well.
Went to search for the legendary ice cream, San Crispino. It is suppose to be in the obscure alleyway and Chapman forgotten exactly which and where was it. Oh well, we found it, after a while and it was worth it! :) It was very nice. But kind of expansive thought. 3 scoops is for 5.50euro. The honey flavor is a must-try! The fruit flavors are all very nice. And of course, Chapman had 2 cups, big ones obviously. Haha! Dinner saw the hunt for food again! And as usual, always an extra eye for asian food. After scouring the streets near our hostel, a couple of expansive menu, we noticed a red japanese lantern jutting out from a small shop. As we approached, there was a young chinese-looking lass sitting outside the shop. She spoked to us in not-very-good english. haha! We decided to try our luck at speaking mandarin. It worked! :) This is actually a shop owned by a chinese family.
Last stop of the day, Colosseum! Same day as everyday… Mad rush! haha! nah… it was ok. decided to go out for some food. Chapman decided to have a well-deserved rest in the hostel and watch some movies. The Colosseum was very... ancient. I feel with every step I took, the Colosseum will crumble a little. I hope future generations will be able to still see how majestic the Colosseum is.
Do note that the Arc of Constantine is just round the corner. :)
* A tip: Just need to buy tickets for Colosseum and you are also able to visit the Palatine Hills and Roman Forum. And of course vice versa. Now you know where is the lesser queue? :)
a little something to note on your travels in Europe. space invaders is all over! everywhere! just keep looking around. not always looking down at your maps. :p
The hostel! Ivanhoe! Walking distance from Cadovour Station. It was so fun! Everyone who stayed there are a fun-loving bunch. Everyday there will be something planned. Pasta party. Welcome drinks. etc. Nearing the wee-hour timing, everyone who wants to continue to have fun, will head out and party! :) So do stay there when you are in Roma!
Really hate to leave the city. I am in love with Rome. :)
Alas I have to get on with my travels. Onward to Venice! Yay! :)
little visiters to Roma.
a little crazy me. :p
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Something to share.
We dance around in a ring and suppose, the secret sits in the middle and knows - Robert Frost
Monday, July 11, 2011
Quotes II
Time for some quotes. Things that I picked up along the way. I would like to thank everyone who had posted comments on my previous post. Hope the quotes had done good. :)
1) Do it once. Do it good.
2) Man can be destroyed, but not defeated. - Ernest Hemingway
3) One's perception is his reality.
4) Seek to understand first, then to be understood. - Stephen Covey
5) I am my word.
A man is worth only as much as his word.
6) Life is short.
Live it.
Enjoy it.
Flaunt it.
7) Do it right the first time.
8) Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast
It is not proud, it is not self-seeking
It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs
Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things
Love never fails - Corinthians 13:4-8,13
Good nights Singapore. I love you. :)
1) Do it once. Do it good.
2) Man can be destroyed, but not defeated. - Ernest Hemingway
3) One's perception is his reality.
4) Seek to understand first, then to be understood. - Stephen Covey
5) I am my word.
A man is worth only as much as his word.
6) Life is short.
Live it.
Enjoy it.
Flaunt it.
7) Do it right the first time.
8) Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast
It is not proud, it is not self-seeking
It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs
Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things
Love never fails - Corinthians 13:4-8,13
Good nights Singapore. I love you. :)
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Quotes
I think I am gonna note down some things/phase/sentences/quotes that I like or see along the way. Gonna build it up.
1) As you get older in age, there are more things that you leave behind.
2) Humans lead such pitifully short lives, but they were always ready to throw away these lives for a cause or belief, or doing something as foolish and noble as rushing into a burning tower to save the life if a total stranger.
3) "Hakuna Matata"
4) "Est Sularas Oth Mithas"
5) "With Great Powers, Comes Greater Responsibilties"
6) "Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take , but by the number of times that take your breath away."
7) "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson
Hope for more.
1) As you get older in age, there are more things that you leave behind.
2) Humans lead such pitifully short lives, but they were always ready to throw away these lives for a cause or belief, or doing something as foolish and noble as rushing into a burning tower to save the life if a total stranger.
3) "Hakuna Matata"
4) "Est Sularas Oth Mithas"
5) "With Great Powers, Comes Greater Responsibilties"
6) "Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take , but by the number of times that take your breath away."
7) "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson
Hope for more.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Europe - Innsbruck
finally got enough time to sit down and put up the posts for Europe... :)
12 morning Sept '10
Woke up to a beautiful morning, arriving in beautiful Austria! Once we step out of the train station, I could see the distant snow caps of the famous Alps.
Before that we had to get something settled, our next location. We are suppose to get to Milano but due the lack of train tickets and unhelpful French staff, we got the next best thing by changing our itinerary a bit and get to Innsbruck first.
We found out we can get tickets straight to Rome. Overnight too. Decided to take that as instead of just 4 hours, we could spend more time in Innsbruck. One major problem, our hostel in Milano is already booked for the night. Next up, I am going to introduce to you one of the most "in-bar" things a traveller could have. A internet and call shop. It is so cheap! :) After phoning the hostel up, we managed to change our dates for stay and it helped that the lady over the other side speaks Chinese! :) See! China is taking over the world. They are practically everywhere.
Our exploration of Innsbruck starts, or rather mine as Chapman had been here twice already. He is just back for the goulash soup. :p
There was not much people in sight. As we moved towards the tourist attractions, there were a tad more people, like… Simpang on a weekday 3pm. Haha. And of course we set our eyes on the fabled Golden Roof...
One point to note: There seems to be a lot of more asian tour groups than european or even american ones. Japanese ones are very common and Singaporean ones are normally at the more common locations. Singaporean are very distinct, if you know what I mean.
Made our way around and got to the cable car station. Was really excited! Chapman promised that the view was going to be amazing! Alas, the queue… again… Took a bit more time than expected but we got up. I have not words to describe this. I think my vocabulary is really not adequate to describe the beauty of the place… See for yourself…
After which we had lunch at the restaurant up the mountain, the famous goulash soup. As usual, it was packed… everywhere was packed… But the soup was good. :) And guess what? There were people sky gliding! So cool! :)
We went to the Alpine Zoo. It was really small. With only a total of 150 species of animals and plants, I took about an hour to finish the whole place and that is with all the uphill and upslopes. :)
We lazed at the square of the St. Anne's column for a while and spent about 4 hours at a bistro watching movies and using the laptops. After which was an overnight train again. But this time, to Rome - Italy!
12 morning Sept '10
Woke up to a beautiful morning, arriving in beautiful Austria! Once we step out of the train station, I could see the distant snow caps of the famous Alps.
Before that we had to get something settled, our next location. We are suppose to get to Milano but due the lack of train tickets and unhelpful French staff, we got the next best thing by changing our itinerary a bit and get to Innsbruck first.
We found out we can get tickets straight to Rome. Overnight too. Decided to take that as instead of just 4 hours, we could spend more time in Innsbruck. One major problem, our hostel in Milano is already booked for the night. Next up, I am going to introduce to you one of the most "in-bar" things a traveller could have. A internet and call shop. It is so cheap! :) After phoning the hostel up, we managed to change our dates for stay and it helped that the lady over the other side speaks Chinese! :) See! China is taking over the world. They are practically everywhere.
Our exploration of Innsbruck starts, or rather mine as Chapman had been here twice already. He is just back for the goulash soup. :p
There was not much people in sight. As we moved towards the tourist attractions, there were a tad more people, like… Simpang on a weekday 3pm. Haha. And of course we set our eyes on the fabled Golden Roof...
One point to note: There seems to be a lot of more asian tour groups than european or even american ones. Japanese ones are very common and Singaporean ones are normally at the more common locations. Singaporean are very distinct, if you know what I mean.
Made our way around and got to the cable car station. Was really excited! Chapman promised that the view was going to be amazing! Alas, the queue… again… Took a bit more time than expected but we got up. I have not words to describe this. I think my vocabulary is really not adequate to describe the beauty of the place… See for yourself…
After which we had lunch at the restaurant up the mountain, the famous goulash soup. As usual, it was packed… everywhere was packed… But the soup was good. :) And guess what? There were people sky gliding! So cool! :)
We went to the Alpine Zoo. It was really small. With only a total of 150 species of animals and plants, I took about an hour to finish the whole place and that is with all the uphill and upslopes. :)
We lazed at the square of the St. Anne's column for a while and spent about 4 hours at a bistro watching movies and using the laptops. After which was an overnight train again. But this time, to Rome - Italy!
Monday, October 18, 2010
hmm..
someone just told me she only has 1 heart and i broke it 3 times. hmm... can i really bear her to be out of my life...?
lost and confused
some just cant find the right person because they keep looking for the perfect person who never exist... true? :(
do you want to look for the right one or be the right one?
and i think i need to finish my blog post on my Europe trip... :(
do you want to look for the right one or be the right one?
and i think i need to finish my blog post on my Europe trip... :(
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Europe - Paris
10 Sept '10
Arrived at the most visited country in the world, around 9pm. First impression when I get out of the train, onto the platform of Paris Est. Station was, chaos everywhere. People was everywhere. Traffic was moving in various different directions. As I walk further down, there were signs for all sorts of things. Of course French is not something that I can read. After I puzzle out the mess in front of me, I realized this train station is actually a hub for all sorts of transportation. Metro, inter-city trains, regional train, international trains, food outlets, et ctera. The only transportation that is not there, is the transport to the airport. But that is easily solved, 2 stops away is the Paris Garde Nord. The central station, the mother of all motherships.
In France, it is not easy to find your place around. First you do not speak French and second, the French people are very rude. Once they know, you speak English, they tend to be very impatient and even go as far as to shun you.
Anyway, as it was already quite late, we set off to look for our hostel. Absolute Paris. The ratings for this place is only average but the location is very good. Something interesting happened: A girl (after which we found out, Vaida is from Lithuania) came up to us and ask directions and insisted on tagging along to our hostel. After a couple of minutes, we found that she actually missed her train to Strasburg and had to look for accommodations.
When we finally found our way, we settled down (she got the last spot for the night, so lucky) and went out to grab a bite.
Our room is very nice! As most of the hostels go, the corridors are really small and winding. But our room was surprising, we got a 2 person private and it was kind of like an attic hut. There were even a group of people eat at their balcony opposite my room, across the street! They were eating and drinking, even singing! haha!
11 Sept'10
Went to visiting by myself as Chapman has to settle the tickets to get out of Paris.
After analyzing the map of Paris, I decided that I would start far and come back down. But first, I will go to the place that was the most oddly place from my location and chosen path, the Montmarte. It was a couple of stops of Paris Garde Nord. The road going up to the Montmarte was totally packed with people. I bet 85% are tourist, 14% are tourist trappers and the remaining 1% are just people who are passing through.
Being the first monument in Paris that I set my eyes on, I was not very impressed at first. But as I approach this UNESCO World Heritage Site, I realized that this kind of beauty will slowly dawn upon you. And what is truly beauty was the view that Montmarte offer. With your back facing the entrance of place, feast your eyes on the view of Paris across the horizon.
As I had only a little more than half a day in Paris, I decided not to join the crazy queue of people trying to get into the Montmarte.
One point to note: There is a group of guys who will approach tourists and try to hit on them with colored string bands. One will try to lasso it around your finger and tell you that it is for the entrance fee. And afterwards, I think they will ask you for money.
Took the metro. Second stop, Arc de Triomphe. All you got to do was really just to follow the crowd. The amount of tourist is actually quite amazing. Almost everyone seems to be going to the same attractions. After exiting the metro, I finally set my eyes on the place which has the highest number of traffic accidents each year.
To get to the foot of the Arc, one has to use a special underpass that only goes to the Arc and back. Took quite a number of pictures, even had a couple which show the famous Avenue des Champs-Elysées. After taking in the magnitude of the Arc and the circle, I continued down Champs-Elysées to my next destination, Louvre Museum. About 3 kilometers away. Haha.
One thing to note: There are a lot armed security personnel around. Good right? Very safe. :p
Along the my way down Avenue des Champs-Elysées, I spotted the ever iconic brand of the aunties of Singapore, Louis Vuitton. It is a huge 3 stories building standing at a symbolic 101 address. Of course it looks impressive, it has to be. It is the flagship store. :) Spent about 30mins trying to look for someone to help me to get the product my mummy wants.That was how packed it was. Hmm. Most importantly, it was the amount of Mainland China people that was actually shopping in the shop. Even some of the retail personnel are also from China. After a long search, the product was no longer in stores for the whole of Paris as it was a last season product.
Continuing my way along the long avenue. I went passed a lot of sights. Palace de Concorde. etc.
Finally arrived at the Gardens. Jardin Des Tuileries. Comparing to our Sun Plaza Park, it is huge! And bustling with people. Suntanning, strolling, walking their dogs, playing with their kids or even just lazing around. This is what I think the main difference in the people back home and here in Europe. They take their time and enjoy themselves.
When the Louvre was finally in sight, I took a look at my watch and realize I had practically sprint down the Champs-Elysées. It took me only 2 hours! To my horror, there was a long queue at the main Pyramid entrance. After this took about 30 mins of my life away, I finally got in. After all the security checks, I took some time to gather my thoughts and got my directions corrected. Louvre is really huge. In the end, I decided to head out and check out Scully Wing for the Egyptian collection and make my way to see specific items in other wings, such as Mona Lisa. There was simply no time. So many things to see, so little time… Sigh…
The collections was huge. And so was the crowd. Everywhere was so packed with people. Some stairways made me felt like I was a piece of sardine going into a tin can. The Colossal Statue of Ramses II was not that impressive, I do not even think it was that "colossal". But oh well, he is the Pharaoh whom which I am most familiar with. The "Sitting Scribe" is beautiful. After a very fast 150 mins dash around the Louvre, i went to meet Chapman who was waiting for me at Starbucks. After grabbing a coffee, we decide to visit our next attractions, Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Quasimodo anyone? Hunchback of Notre-Dame? I like that story. If you do not know yet, it is also written by Victor Hugo. Good guys do not always win in the end.
Anyways! The place was quite imposing. But after we saw the queue to get in, we decided immediately we will just take a few pictures and head back to our hostel. It was so long. Maybe the next time when I am in Paris, when it is not summer. It seems that it is very difficult to travel in summer, especially to such tourist attractions.
After we got back to our hostel, we booked hostel for our next location, Milano! Next up Innsbruck - Austria! Another overnight train.
Hmm… Some of you maybe wondering about this. Why is there no mention about Eiffel Tower, arguably the most well-known icon in Paris. Alas, I did not go. Yes. You heard me. I DID NOT GO. :( Made a mistake of not going the night before. Did not know that I will be out of Paris THAT quickly. Hmm… Next time I guess… And I wonder when would that be…
Friday, September 10, 2010
Europe - Luxembourg
09 - 10 Sept'10
Spent that next day with just a little exploring around Luxembourg. Went to the Casemates. Another UNESCO World Heritage Site. A couple other places, churches and lunch places. Hit the hostel early and organized my photos, blogged and chill. :)
Had a early night and check out really early the next day and got to Vianden!
This is a very interesting place! Vianden Castle is high up in the hills. We took the chair-lift up to the castle and did a bit of exploring. Got to go down some dirt paths and trails before we can get from the chair-lift point to the castle.
Went to 2 museum, with English guides of course. The Victor Hugo Museum and the Museum of Cartoons and Caricatures. I think most of you guys would not know them the great Victor Hugo, author of the famous Les Misérables, stayed there for a couple of years during his exile. And check out caricature.eu :)
Something to ponder on...
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Europe - Kinderdijk Windmills, Brussels and Bruges - Beligum
06 Sept'10
Left Amsterdam. Went Kinderdijk. UNESCO World Heritage Site. Series of windmills and water canals. Excellent Water Management. It is absolutely amazingly beautiful! :) The windmills spin surprisingly fast!
Arrived in Brussels, Belgium late at night. After get onto the streets, I realized the mistake made. I did not take down the address of place we are staying at… my god… we wandered around for like ages. Got to keep looking because the mood was quickly deteriorating… Guess what? A old japanese lady walking her dog called out to us, asking whether if we need help! Oh my. She was like god-sent. Haha! She brought us around and went asking around the shops, even taking time off to show us where to buy food, good supermarkets, laundry even. :) She has live in Brussels for 37 years! In the end, we got ourselves into a internet shop and got the address off my email account. Viola! The old lady got us to the street and wish us good luck and good journey! So sweet! absolutely an angel. :)
Check into our hotel and I found out my ipod touch was missing… argh… I left it in the Amsterdam hotel room. :( after many many calls, I finally managed to get the hotel manager to pass my ipod to Taufik. Yes. Taufik is there for an extra day. Hao-shan is there for 2 more. Lucky me. :)
Our hotel looks quite run-downed on the outside, the lift was about 1 Xing Yong sized and the doors were creaky but the room was quite nice! It was big and the beds were ok. :)
07 Sept'10
Woke up fairly early the next morning. Had a less than impressive breakfast in hotel and got off to see the many sights of Brussels. First stop the Parc du Cinquantenaire! Nice! :) In front of the arc, there is a big park. People were letting their dogs running round, playing with other dogs. There is also a cute little children playground. The kids are soOoo cute! All the parents were taking turns to work on the carousel. The things parents do for their kids. So sweet… :)
Grand Place was up next. We got to the 11th century marketplace, Brussels' historic main square and the buildings were amazing… The La Masion du Roi, La Maison des Ducs de Brabant, Le Renard, Le Cornet, Le Roi d'Espange and finally the Hotel de Ville! We took so many photos! Some interesting candy shop caught our eyes. The young lady was very nice, let us each taste a full piece of the candy and we had to get a small bag worth. :) Got directions to Mannekan Pis. And after a short walk, following all the tourists (mainly Mainland Chinese), we saw the cute little pissing boy. :p What caught my eye was a small stickers-filled signboard to the left side of Mannekan Pis. Oh dear! It is a "I love TP" sticker! haha! what are the chances…? :p
The streets of Brussels looks very shady at night and the part which we are staying at is the Turkish area. The kebab shop owner around the corner of our hotel was telling us to take care of ourselves, tourist are prone to get into trouble. And his kebab was delicious! He even treated drinks! So nice! :) Did our laundry in at a shop near our hotel.
08 Sept'10
Very early in the morning, we began our trip to Bruges. We have to take a 1hour train to this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Yes. This whole town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. It is a preserved medieval town with a couple of colleges around it. :)
There was a downpour when we got there and we had to wait at the station. Had late lunch in a small bistro/restaurant and tried the Flemish Rabbit. Tasted like chicken. :p
The buildings are so nice. hmm. One thing on the down side is that everything is in French. Yes. That includes the museums… Luckily some of them have summaries in English.
Another notable place in Belgium is the Hergé Museum. Does not ring a bell? He is the author and creator of Tintin! It was one of my most mystical time during my whole Europe trip. I am a Tintin fan! :) There were facts that I did not knew about and there was the shark submarine and there were Tintin comics in every language it was ever published and… and… and.. haha! so many things! Yippee!
A brunch beside the college library. The tomato soup was delicious! :)
On the same day we made our way to Luxembourg. As usual, we made it there when it was dark. Spent a bit of time waiting for the bus and a bit more time getting our directions and we arrived at a very nice hostel. The only hostel in Luxembourg. :) The security was excellent and the rooms are nice. But we did spent 3 hours to get our next stretch of our journey sorted out. The problem was due to the lack of days of our rail passes and the rail connections.
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Europe - Amsterdam, Netherlands!
02 Sept'10
Site of Pro Tour Amsterdam
Arrived at Amsterdam on thursday afternoon. Met up with everyone in the hotel. Taiwan peeps, Hong Kong peeps and our Singapore guys. :) Figured our way around, went for lunch and half the group for a museum visit and the rest of us, Weng Heng, Clifford, Taufik, Chapman and myself went to the tournament venue. :)
The place is amazing! My first experience visiting a Pro-Tour site. The fluff is fabulous! First up, at the entrance, there is a trophy cabinet showing all the current and past trophies that all the champions had hoisted to victory! Just check out all the photos! :)
Chapman and me played the LCQ ( Last Chance Qualifiers) and I got a 5-4 and he was at 6-1, then 6-3. So sad. :( Over the weekend, I played PTQ and the foil set Standard Constructed event. All in all, over the past week, I played quite a few events. 3 grinders, 1 GP, 3 PTQs, 1 Standard and a couple of drafts. :)
A couple of us, Chapman, Shi Tian, Zhiyang, Chye Wee and me, went a couple of museums, had a hell of a big pack of chips, got some drinks by the canal and took a stroll around the alleys of the Amsterdam. It was really an eye-opener! :p Brought some space cakes and went back to the hotel to draft. It was a crazy 10-men pod. I think some of us had a tad too much cake… What a way to end Amsterdam! hahaha!
Kuo Tzu-Ching had a very good start, with 6-2 on the first day. Hao-shan and Shi Tian got into Day 02 with 5-3, Weng Heng went 4-4, Chye Wee was 4-3-1 and Taufik crashed out with 3-5. :(
In the end, Shi Tian was the biggest money finisher! :) YeaH! Congrats! :D
Something very note! The last night in the hotel, half of the guys got stuck in the lift! hahaha! Shi Tian, Tzu-Ching and others. It was so funny! They were calling for help and we were laughing on the outside. Haha! must be the cake... hmm... :)
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Europe - Germany
31 August'10
Just went through something very cool! Took a train from Copenhagen and headed for Berlin. Some unexpected happened! The train came to a shoreline and it went into huge ocean liner! And with us in it! Haha! Disembarked and had breakfast on the ship during the 45mins journey across the sea. And continued on our way. Decided to get off at Hamburg for a few hours. It is the 2nd largest port after Rotterdam in Europe.
This is the absolutely delicious CurryWurst!
Hamburg is a very nice city! Full of live and very nice people! :)
01 - 02 Sept'10
Sitting at the hall of a hostel named, "The 3 Little Pigs". It is very well rated on HostelWorlds.com. I think this is a very nice place. It was previously a very old convent and now renovated to be a hostel. The winding corridors are a tad spooky. :p The facilities are good and at night the hall is filled with people from everywhere playing pool, cards, chatting, using the internet, drinking, letter writing, etc etc.
The side trip to Hamburg is quite fun. It is a thriving city, not too pack and not too "rushy". Just the way I like it. :) Spend about 5 hours there and tried my first ever german Currywurst. It was quite good. :) Walk around and get lost a bit. Haha. And off we go to Berlin!
Touch down at Berlin Haupbahnhof. Central station of Berlin. Came straight to the hostel and once we put down our things, we are out to see how does a normal "Berlin Night" is like. Came to a breath taking sight… The Brandenburg Gate. Oh my… It is absolutely fabulous… Images of rows and rows of soldiers march past the Gate came unbidden to me. I imagine how spectacular is was during the height of Hilter's reign.
Branderburg Gate
After bumming around for a while, we came back to a pub outside the hostel and had drinks and a delicious mushroom pizza. A little bad luck was that the washing machine was out of order. :(
The next morning, I could not wake the sleepy head and only managed to get out of the hostel after 10am. Went to a part of the Berlin Wall and check out a exhibition about the world period. It was mainly with regards to the Gestapo and the other military aspects of the Hilter's reign.
After a slight shower, we got mixed up with the directions and stumbled upon a chinese bistro. I had crispy duck noodle and it was surprisingly good! :)
After which we went to the Reichstag! It is very beautiful! When I did History and my Multimedia project on Germany, I told myself that Germany is one of my "must-go" destination. And just by standing my the Branderburg Gate, Reichstag and the Berlin Wall, I am so overwhelmed! :)
Reichstag
Berlin Wall
En-route to Amsterdam! Haha!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Europe Trip! Denmark! Sweden! :)
A first of many things!
First entry on my first Europe trip! :)
Took a flight to Bangkok on the 25th August'10, 2050hrs. Waited 2hrs for transit. And it was a 11 hours flight to Copenhagen, Denmark. It was 0730 in the morning. The time different is exactly 6hours.
Something very important to know, it is very difficult to get Swedish Korna and Denmark Korne. We went to both the airports' money exchange and we could not get anything, not even SGD$5 worth. So if you are going to Scandinavia countries, do be well prepared.
Took a train for 3 stops to København H Station. And went hunting for money exchange. Point to note: It cost a fee to exchange currency.
The weather was great! Cool wind and sunny day! But according to the locals, it is rainy season. :P
We decided to hang around for the rest of the day before going up to Gothenburg, Sweden. First thing that came to mind was the "Little Mermaid". It is a famous landmark of Copenhagen. Guess what? It is moved to Shanghai! oh my... It is there for the World Expo. All there was a live telecast of the Little Mermaid in Shanghai... :( What a bummer... Everyone there was quite upset... Haha.
28 August'10
Writing with a heavy heart… How can I improve my skills and thought process for playing? Just completed the Grand Prix Gothenburg'10 with a very disappointed score of 3-6.
Some background information: There were a total of 1,001 participants. It was the biggest Grand Prix in Scandinavia till date. The event ground was good. Very big and spacious. The people were generally nice, of course there were a few occasional oddballs. The side events were crazy. There were more than 40 pods of drafts and it costed 150SEK to play. That is close of SGD$25! There were other events, such as, EDH, Legacy, Seal, and all sorts of pick-ups.
The day before I played 2 rounds of grinders which costed 250SEK each. Damm expansive. :( haha.
The conduct of the GP was smooth compared to the others that I had been to. We started a little late, around 1030am and ended around 930pm. Given that it is a 9-rounds swiss, it was ok. I opened Baneslayer Angel and passed. The passing was quite well organized actually. Each player was told to put the cards, sorted by colour and in alphabetical order, into the given deckbox and the passing begins. I got a mixed pool of cards. "Frost Titan" X 1, "Grave Titan" X 1, "Steel Overseer" X 1, "Lighting Bolt" X 2, etc. I played blue/white and splashed black and red. I think it was good. And after discussion with the rest, Chapman agreed he would also played blue/white and splash the lighting bolts. My white pool was with 5 flyers, 1 blinding mage and 1 condemn.
Throughout the day, I died due to fireballs, lighting bolts and titans. And I would say that "Mind Control" and "Crystal Ball" are so sick… Most of the time I would be outdraw by "Crystal Ball". With 3 removals in hand and opponent had none, I lost.
Okok. After with Chapman, I understand that M11 or rather core sets are about having more card advantage. The pros almost always play blue. Preordain, Forsee and Augury Owl are very good cards.
29 August'10
Just done with a 75DKK lasagna dinner at the Nis Ericsson Terminal. I have concluded that Scandinavia is a very expansive place. A good point is that almost everyone speaks english and are very helpful. :)
Just completed a 9 round swiss PTQ. It was 250-strong. In Singapore, we seldom have more than 100-strong. Haha. Anyway, it was bad. The rares I had were, "Temple Bell", "Jinxed Idol", "Wild Evocation", " Reverberate" and luckily, 2 copies of "Royal Assassin". I think my build was ok. And to top it off, O had "Lighting Bolt" X 2, "Chandra's Outrage" X 1, "Assassinate" X 1, "Raise of the Grave" X 1, etc. Nonetheless, whenever I see a Titan or two, dead… Went 5-4. It was ok. I had a lot fun, as I made some friends! People from Holland, USA and Argentina. The lady from Argentina even gave out flyers to ask people to support her music! Haha! I will be a sport and help her promote. :p
www.NATUbella.com.
30 August'10
Tivoli Gardens! That is the reason that we went back to Copenhagen. It is the second oldest amusement park in Europe! :) To top it off, we decided to stay in the largest hostel in Europe, which also happen to be in Copenhagen. Just round the corner of Tivoli Gardens. Our stay was pleasant. and it was my first time sleeping in a mixed dorm!:)
Tivoli Gardens is fairly small. The rides are kind of kiddish. But it is fluffed up very nicely! :) If you are there, make sure you stay till nightfall and check out the light-ups! We did not take any rides as it was damm expansive! But we had a lot of fun though! :)
See all the photos in my flickr account! :)
瑞典这一站到此为之。丹麦，我来了！
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Some thoughts from a very dark week...
Below are some thoughts from a very dark week... written on the road, on my ipod. but everything is getting better now. Just wanna post it up to remind myself...
On the bus home. Listening to Gu Ju Ji's Qing Ge Wang. Realised it had been a long time since I had penned down my thoughts. And i think i am having a very emotional period now. After all the "busy-busy" and "rush-around", finally having a breather. I guess everything is rushing back at me in a very big torrent of reflections. Looked at the mirror and did not recognize the person looking back at me...
It had been a very busy 5months. Work peaked and in 4weeks' time, the cadets of 77/09 are going to commission. When I looked back, everything seems like a blur. Since Chinese New Year, I had went to Brunei for 3 weeks and Genting/Kualur Lumpuar straight after. When Chapman asked me to go for the Japan trip, I did not know what hit me or what was going through my mind, I immediately agreed. Discussed on a Wednesday, bought tickets on Thursday and I was in the plane to Japan on Friday afternoon. It was great fun and definitely an experience etched into my memories. Just came back from Thailand, the cadets' second overseas trip. Learn a wee bit of thai.
Just ended all the high-keyed work events. Had a very bad case of emotional backlash for the past week. Outfield, admist the nature and long odd hours, can be very reflective...
A lot of thoughts went through my head... Work, career, people, what's coming up, etc... Seriously what is up ahead of me... I cannot seems see things like I thought I always could. Where is the decisivness? Where is the insight? What is the outlook nowadays? Apparently there is nothing much up ahead... Everything seems bleak... All of a sudden, feel a need to pour out everything... Looking around, i suddenly feel very lonely and afraid of what is ahead...
Just today I saw a couple of people on the train trip from Tampines to Bishan. But I did not approach and say hi... Why?I realised for the past 5 months, I had not been doing that. I think I even go to the extend of turning around and walk down the other direction. I really do not know where did the person, who was once the president of Temasek Polytechnic Students' Union, went... Where are the bubbliness and friendliness?... Sometimes I cannot believe this kind of thing is happening... But what am I talking about... 2 minutes ago, i just turned away from someone I knew on the train... I always thought this kind of thing will only happen to someone else... Ha... :(
Nowadays I realised I am really not good at whatever I am doing, no matter what it is... I cannot sing, I cannot dance, I cannot draw, I cannot write, I cannot seem to take any photos, i cannot seem to play Magic, do not even seem to have people to watch movie with, do not have savings, do not have a mind of what to do in future, blah blah blah and the list goes on and on...
Mondays to Fridays: work
Saturdays: meet up with Mad Cows
Sundays: Magic tourneys or Ah Ma's place
Impressive right? I used up everyday of my week... But why do I feel lost...? I really enjoy my magic sessions. Everyone is so cute!
I really want to talk to someone... Even up till now, i will still subconsiously pick up my mobile and dial the number and the call was never made. Sometimes I already the answer but I think I need is just a little push, a little voice of encouragement. I think we already know each other so well that I know what will be the answer, even down to how
the conversation will be like.
Why...?
Yesterday took a cab back from camp with Min Siang and Kwang Wei. Something the cab driver said stuck with me. He said (in a mix of mandrian and hokkien", "in the past, I was how impressive and fierce, now even if you spit on me, I will apologize. As a father of 4 children, and at this age, somethings just do not really matter anymore..."
I do not know what to say to that...
I know. I know. All of these are only made possible because my own actions. I just cannot find any energy to behave otherwise... I really need to get out of here... Coming will be Manila in June and should be going to europe with Chapman in August.
I want to have a time out to have a late morning coffee and just snap some pictures...
Just came out of Isetan, Lido. Mummy and Daddy brought me to shopping. Came out emptyhanded. The OT shoes are quite nice but cannot seem to buy something nowadays. Decided not to spend money. Have new resolution today: I should buy a house in 2 years' time. Hmm... Wonders...
Sent from my iPod
On the bus home. Listening to Gu Ju Ji's Qing Ge Wang. Realised it had been a long time since I had penned down my thoughts. And i think i am having a very emotional period now. After all the "busy-busy" and "rush-around", finally having a breather. I guess everything is rushing back at me in a very big torrent of reflections. Looked at the mirror and did not recognize the person looking back at me...
It had been a very busy 5months. Work peaked and in 4weeks' time, the cadets of 77/09 are going to commission. When I looked back, everything seems like a blur. Since Chinese New Year, I had went to Brunei for 3 weeks and Genting/Kualur Lumpuar straight after. When Chapman asked me to go for the Japan trip, I did not know what hit me or what was going through my mind, I immediately agreed. Discussed on a Wednesday, bought tickets on Thursday and I was in the plane to Japan on Friday afternoon. It was great fun and definitely an experience etched into my memories. Just came back from Thailand, the cadets' second overseas trip. Learn a wee bit of thai.
Just ended all the high-keyed work events. Had a very bad case of emotional backlash for the past week. Outfield, admist the nature and long odd hours, can be very reflective...
A lot of thoughts went through my head... Work, career, people, what's coming up, etc... Seriously what is up ahead of me... I cannot seems see things like I thought I always could. Where is the decisivness? Where is the insight? What is the outlook nowadays? Apparently there is nothing much up ahead... Everything seems bleak... All of a sudden, feel a need to pour out everything... Looking around, i suddenly feel very lonely and afraid of what is ahead...
Just today I saw a couple of people on the train trip from Tampines to Bishan. But I did not approach and say hi... Why?I realised for the past 5 months, I had not been doing that. I think I even go to the extend of turning around and walk down the other direction. I really do not know where did the person, who was once the president of Temasek Polytechnic Students' Union, went... Where are the bubbliness and friendliness?... Sometimes I cannot believe this kind of thing is happening... But what am I talking about... 2 minutes ago, i just turned away from someone I knew on the train... I always thought this kind of thing will only happen to someone else... Ha... :(
Nowadays I realised I am really not good at whatever I am doing, no matter what it is... I cannot sing, I cannot dance, I cannot draw, I cannot write, I cannot seem to take any photos, i cannot seem to play Magic, do not even seem to have people to watch movie with, do not have savings, do not have a mind of what to do in future, blah blah blah and the list goes on and on...
Mondays to Fridays: work
Saturdays: meet up with Mad Cows
Sundays: Magic tourneys or Ah Ma's place
Impressive right? I used up everyday of my week... But why do I feel lost...? I really enjoy my magic sessions. Everyone is so cute!
I really want to talk to someone... Even up till now, i will still subconsiously pick up my mobile and dial the number and the call was never made. Sometimes I already the answer but I think I need is just a little push, a little voice of encouragement. I think we already know each other so well that I know what will be the answer, even down to how
the conversation will be like.
Why...?
Yesterday took a cab back from camp with Min Siang and Kwang Wei. Something the cab driver said stuck with me. He said (in a mix of mandrian and hokkien", "in the past, I was how impressive and fierce, now even if you spit on me, I will apologize. As a father of 4 children, and at this age, somethings just do not really matter anymore..."
I do not know what to say to that...
I know. I know. All of these are only made possible because my own actions. I just cannot find any energy to behave otherwise... I really need to get out of here... Coming will be Manila in June and should be going to europe with Chapman in August.
I want to have a time out to have a late morning coffee and just snap some pictures...
Just came out of Isetan, Lido. Mummy and Daddy brought me to shopping. Came out emptyhanded. The OT shoes are quite nice but cannot seem to buy something nowadays. Decided not to spend money. Have new resolution today: I should buy a house in 2 years' time. Hmm... Wonders...
Sent from my iPod
Monday, May 24, 2010
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Birthday.
3hrs into my birthday. had dinner with yuting and meet up with jodin, joan, alan, justin and angel after that. Had a really long chat up and it was good. :) Had fun. spoke of the past and funny things and of course funny people. :) Jo, Cai and Eddie called and wished me and did a kind of phone prank. haha. Thank you all! :)
Wanna to rest. I was feeling very tired since my driving earlier in the evening. was quite elated cos Chong commented on my driving. and after that the first song on my ipod was my fav. "The Man That Can't Be Moved" - by The Script. :) Dunno why but now not feeling sleepy. gonna have dinner with eng meng and my family. the plan to rest at home is kind of not gonna work out as I think i need to go down to redhill to send in my Lumix for repairs (the shuttle cant close. :( argh. )
Anyway everything looks like it is gonna be fine. 2 weeks of tekong field camp coming up. :) Good Night Singapore and Thank You for all the wishes! :)
Wanna to rest. I was feeling very tired since my driving earlier in the evening. was quite elated cos Chong commented on my driving. and after that the first song on my ipod was my fav. "The Man That Can't Be Moved" - by The Script. :) Dunno why but now not feeling sleepy. gonna have dinner with eng meng and my family. the plan to rest at home is kind of not gonna work out as I think i need to go down to redhill to send in my Lumix for repairs (the shuttle cant close. :( argh. )
Anyway everything looks like it is gonna be fine. 2 weeks of tekong field camp coming up. :) Good Night Singapore and Thank You for all the wishes! :)
Thursday, October 29, 2009
A case of bad air
There was a time when people says aLvin neO is a very busy and nosy person. Nowadays there is change to an always angry and upset person.
Ya. Do not know why i become so... hmm. really got to get a grip on myself. reflecting on myself and now, it is not because of the job. I like it. I like wearing green. I hold my values strong and dear. I serve with my heart and soul. I have this sense of satisfaction, a sense of achievement when things that I taught are understood and executed correctly.
This up and coming Saturday is my birthday. Thank you to everyone who wants to celebrate it with me. I am touched that there are still people out there who remember my birthday not because of facebook reminder. But nowadays I just want to have a rest at home and a quiet dinner with my parents. That is all I ask for. I am really quite tired of all the ra-ra-ing, big big parties, fun and games. "Dinner, cake, booze and party" package is kind of out for me alreay.
This is my birthday right? I have the choice right?
Ya. Do not know why i become so... hmm. really got to get a grip on myself. reflecting on myself and now, it is not because of the job. I like it. I like wearing green. I hold my values strong and dear. I serve with my heart and soul. I have this sense of satisfaction, a sense of achievement when things that I taught are understood and executed correctly.
This up and coming Saturday is my birthday. Thank you to everyone who wants to celebrate it with me. I am touched that there are still people out there who remember my birthday not because of facebook reminder. But nowadays I just want to have a rest at home and a quiet dinner with my parents. That is all I ask for. I am really quite tired of all the ra-ra-ing, big big parties, fun and games. "Dinner, cake, booze and party" package is kind of out for me alreay.
This is my birthday right? I have the choice right?
Monday, July 20, 2009
PAssion Card Anchor!
It’s been a while since I came back from Taiwan. Lotsa things have happened… Has it been only 2 months?
Work-wise, everything is still pretty much the same, just that training has intensified quite a bit… Shall not go into details. I’ve also been trying to make it for MPS. :)
That said, I am involved in this damm cool project with PA. You know the whole interest in new media these days, right? Those facebook, youtube kind of stuff… Getting youngsters like us engaged through the Internet because we are spending so much time online everyday… Well, they approached me earlier this year and taa daa, yours truly is now a *ahem* PAssion anchor guy. Haha. :P Let me tell you more about it before your thinking strays too far off.
There are some videos posted at www.passioncard.tv, all produced in-house by a team over at PA. Do give us your support! Wah, and now, they are arranging for me to try out some of the stuff they have at OBS. Exciting hor? Must check out the videos, ok!
Anyway, quite tired already. :)
Good night, Singapore!
Work-wise, everything is still pretty much the same, just that training has intensified quite a bit… Shall not go into details. I’ve also been trying to make it for MPS. :)
That said, I am involved in this damm cool project with PA. You know the whole interest in new media these days, right? Those facebook, youtube kind of stuff… Getting youngsters like us engaged through the Internet because we are spending so much time online everyday… Well, they approached me earlier this year and taa daa, yours truly is now a *ahem* PAssion anchor guy. Haha. :P Let me tell you more about it before your thinking strays too far off.
There are some videos posted at www.passioncard.tv, all produced in-house by a team over at PA. Do give us your support! Wah, and now, they are arranging for me to try out some of the stuff they have at OBS. Exciting hor? Must check out the videos, ok!
Anyway, quite tired already. :)
Good night, Singapore!
Monday, May 04, 2009
Back Home!
yO! I am back! :) Taiwan was damm cool! Training was good. I can see that all my boys are really for ATEC. So proud of them! :) 1 bad thing about Taiwan... always spend too much... really spend until I broke. :(
I realise something. I suck at taking night shots and with people photos... :( really need to work it out. Brought 2 mags from Taiwan. learning... :p
Anyway. lots of things off my buy list. will update after this coming pay day. haha.
580EXII in July.
Lappy in Dec.
70-200 / 70-300 in 2 years.
Cheers!
Good Night Singapore! finally back on my bed. :D
I realise something. I suck at taking night shots and with people photos... :( really need to work it out. Brought 2 mags from Taiwan. learning... :p
Anyway. lots of things off my buy list. will update after this coming pay day. haha.
580EXII in July.
Lappy in Dec.
70-200 / 70-300 in 2 years.
Cheers!
Good Night Singapore! finally back on my bed. :D
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
8th April 2009
Need to be at the airport in roughly 10mins... just wanna say bye and take care to all you peeps out there! Luckily my house is just 7mins away. haha!
Hmm. there are a lot of thoughts running through my mind right now... really feeling the fatigue... Sigh... Guess this trip out came at the right time. Can concentrate on training and hopefully when I am back, everything will iron out, if not things may turn out to be not very important and I maybe wrong. Who knows?
Alright! Take care everyone! Do serious try to miss me.! haha. And all who knows Eng Meng, please shower some love. Although I need some too... hmm.. haha. Thanks!
Hmm. there are a lot of thoughts running through my mind right now... really feeling the fatigue... Sigh... Guess this trip out came at the right time. Can concentrate on training and hopefully when I am back, everything will iron out, if not things may turn out to be not very important and I maybe wrong. Who knows?
Alright! Take care everyone! Do serious try to miss me.! haha. And all who knows Eng Meng, please shower some love. Although I need some too... hmm.. haha. Thanks!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Yays! Wishlist updated!
Yo! n Yays! Just minus off some things off my ever-longest-Guinness-world-recordish wishlist. :p
Got my:
1) LXG Graphic Comics. Vol 1 & 2. even the Black Dossier. :p
2) 300 Graphic Comic
3) Watchmen
4) Wrath of Mad God. third book of the dark war trilogy. Think there is a fourth installation. :(
5) Naruto: 45th.
So for Graphic Comics part... I am left with V for Vendetta. :p
I think Kino always likes it when I visits them. Haha.
Got my:
1) LXG Graphic Comics. Vol 1 & 2. even the Black Dossier. :p
2) 300 Graphic Comic
3) Watchmen
4) Wrath of Mad God. third book of the dark war trilogy. Think there is a fourth installation. :(
5) Naruto: 45th.
So for Graphic Comics part... I am left with V for Vendetta. :p
I think Kino always likes it when I visits them. Haha.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Thoughts...
24th March, 2009.
0030hrs.
Time flies. Coming close to 10months since I was posted to 1GDS. Gonna ORD in May if I had not signed on. Its not so bad. Got the kind of fulfillment when leading my men.
Just went to MPS just now. A lot of new faces. Been a while since I had been there. Really should go more often. :) Lots of babes nowadays. :p Cookies sales doing well!
Since coping with the aftermath of GP Singapore. Going for PTQ this sunday, the last extended tourney in Singapore. We have a team blog! madcowthegathering.blogspot.com :) Visit it for our team exploits! or for more info on local magic scene. :)
0030hrs.
Time flies. Coming close to 10months since I was posted to 1GDS. Gonna ORD in May if I had not signed on. Its not so bad. Got the kind of fulfillment when leading my men.
Just went to MPS just now. A lot of new faces. Been a while since I had been there. Really should go more often. :) Lots of babes nowadays. :p Cookies sales doing well!
Since coping with the aftermath of GP Singapore. Going for PTQ this sunday, the last extended tourney in Singapore. We have a team blog! madcowthegathering.blogspot.com :) Visit it for our team exploits! or for more info on local magic scene. :)
Monday, March 23, 2009
Grand Prix Singapore'09
22nd March, 2009
End of Grand Prix Singapore 2009. End of the season in Singapore. And near to the end of the Extended Season. For 3 consecutive years, the Grand Prix in Singapore had been the Extended Format.
For me, this year I had a very good "feel" to how things will turn out to be. In the end, I had done too many mistakes to make my play justifiable. :( I must say that I really need more play.
What was really worthwhile and meaningful, was that the final formation of Mad Cow Inc. All the seven team mates had fun and gained a lot of experience. In two years time, the team would like to get at least half, if not the whole team, into Day Two of Grand Prix Singapore'11. It is definitely a year to look forward to as its my ORD year. :p
Japanese Players are really strong and most importantly, careful. To read more, please go to see the Events Coverage and my Flickr, for the photos that I took.
Gonna crash now... Very drained and feeling very brain dead. Losing stamina at such things now. haha. And I would like to catch up to everyone in the team and at least able to guide the younger member along. :)
Cheers. Good Night Singapore. :) *hugs!
Sunday, March 01, 2009
A New Beginning
March 1st, 2009
This is the first post of the year 2009 for me. And as a lot of people had commented, I have to come and clean up the cobwebs here. Ya. The cobwebs rivals even the Great Shelob's Lair from LOTR. Now you know how Frodo got stuck ya? :p
Anyway, its been a long time. Been busy with my new job. Now a SAF Regular. An officer in the Singapore Armed Forces. A Platoon Commander in 1st Singapore Battalion Guards. Just came back from a family trip to Hokkaido and Shanghai for a White Christmas (See previous post). Most recent trip would be the Brunei training trip with my men. So proud of them. Could not had ask for a better group of soldiers. Going for Taiwan soon. My last leg of the race with them. Going to hand over soon. Although it is still around 2 plus month away, I am already feeling quite miserable. Just thinking of leaving put sorrow in my heart. Seen my boys turning into men. The way they went from whinny little chaps of barely 18years to strong and mature team of troopers.
Been thinking. Realised that I had given too much of my time to others instead of to people who matters and most importantly myself. As a late new year resolution, I will give more of my time to my family (go and rock climb with my brother, run with my dad etc.) , close friends ( meet up with them more, play magic, foos more), work, and time to learn my skills. I had thought of a "to-buy-list", a "to-read-list" and a "to-learn-list". :)
For now, just to share some of the "to-learn-list" (The others are a story for another time :p)
1) Class 3 license
2) Cless 2B license
3) An Instrument - Piano / Saxophone
4) Japanese
5) French
6) Better my foos skills
6) Many many more. :p
So ya! Watch out world! :)
This is the first post of the year 2009 for me. And as a lot of people had commented, I have to come and clean up the cobwebs here. Ya. The cobwebs rivals even the Great Shelob's Lair from LOTR. Now you know how Frodo got stuck ya? :p
Anyway, its been a long time. Been busy with my new job. Now a SAF Regular. An officer in the Singapore Armed Forces. A Platoon Commander in 1st Singapore Battalion Guards. Just came back from a family trip to Hokkaido and Shanghai for a White Christmas (See previous post). Most recent trip would be the Brunei training trip with my men. So proud of them. Could not had ask for a better group of soldiers. Going for Taiwan soon. My last leg of the race with them. Going to hand over soon. Although it is still around 2 plus month away, I am already feeling quite miserable. Just thinking of leaving put sorrow in my heart. Seen my boys turning into men. The way they went from whinny little chaps of barely 18years to strong and mature team of troopers.
Been thinking. Realised that I had given too much of my time to others instead of to people who matters and most importantly myself. As a late new year resolution, I will give more of my time to my family (go and rock climb with my brother, run with my dad etc.) , close friends ( meet up with them more, play magic, foos more), work, and time to learn my skills. I had thought of a "to-buy-list", a "to-read-list" and a "to-learn-list". :)
For now, just to share some of the "to-learn-list" (The others are a story for another time :p)
1) Class 3 license
2) Cless 2B license
3) An Instrument - Piano / Saxophone
4) Japanese
5) French
6) Better my foos skills
6) Many many more. :p
So ya! Watch out world! :)
Hokkaido & Shanghai Trip (A White Christmas)
31st December, 2008
2210hrs(GMT + 8, Beijing, Singapore time)
Less than 2hrs till a brand new year. New year, new resolution. Do I have one? I think I have quite a few. Going to have my countdown on the plane. Exciting? First time I am going into a new year on a plane, in the air.
This trip to China turned out to be quite fun. The group grew to be very fun! :) Everyone warmed up and stick together once in here. It is true that what is worth the trip are the beautiful sights in China. There are a lot of changes since the last time I was here. But is the same is the China people. The way that they conduct themselves is still the same. Loud. Rude. Dirty. Inconsiderate. Parents here let their children take a piss just by squatting in the middle of the shopping street. They will just rush to the front of the lift even though a lot of people had being queuing. They will just knocked into you in order to walk their own way, the pathway is quite big mind you. I know that they are slowly changing. Maybe in 10, 20 years I would come again.
The next time I post will be the next year already. Good to had been on this trip. Tonnes of work are waiting for me back home. Going back to camp on the 3rd. Have a live firing on the 4th. Training all the way till 9th. Sigh. Have to work on a Sunday even. Cannot even have a good rest.
Goodbye Shanghai. Farewell Year 2008! Haha! :)
27th December, 2008
1213hrs (GMT + 9, Japan time)
Gonna be leaving Chitose Airport in less than 40mins. Today is a good day. The view at breakfast is damm cool. Imagine a huge golf course filled with snow? HAHA! Just said byebye to Sayuri. See if we are able to see each other in Singapore. Anyway, think I gotta change a passport. Really do not look like mine now... 19 merry xmas msgs. My god! Haha!
Shanghai here I come!
26th December, 2008
2305hrs (GMT + 9, Japan time)
Had an uneventful Christmas. But the scenery is really very fitting. A White Christmas.
Guess what? It is -9 degree today! My god! Freezing cold. Today we went to a place call "Jigoku " - Hell Valley. It is a boiling point of the region which produced 3000L of water for the hot spring.
Question! Anyone know where was the G8 Summit held early this year? Lake Toya! It is the lake that never freezes as there is a live volcano nearby. Too bad we cannot be treated with the full scenic view of the lake as the there was a very strong snow drift.
Went play the snow mobile. The kind Jackie Chan and James Bond filmed chases on snow? :p Quite cool. Went onto a guided trail up to 1000ft above sea level. Freaking cold but the view is breath-taking.
Tonight is the last night in Hokkaido, Japan. Tomorrow I will be taking a short flight to Shanghai. There are worries that we may not be able to fly on time. That is the case today. The flights are cancelled/delayed due to the snow and strength of the wind.
Today a candid shot behind Sayuri today. Not gonna let her know until I mail her. Haha. Today's onsen is so cool! Beautiful! And it was snowing when I went for the outdoor pool. My god! Too bad I cannot bring in the camera. Hmm. Nevermind. Maybe I will give it a try tomorrow. Haha! Gonna grab some sleep now.
Good Night Japan! For the last time. For now. Haha!
24th December, 2008
2016hrs (GMT + 9, Japan time)
Catching my daily dose of Japan drama. Haha. Here for 4 days and I am hooked onto a baseball-coach-turned-high-school-teacher drama. From what I understand (Haha!), it is something like GTO - Great Teacher Onisuka. There are even some real life baseball stories after each episode. And the funny thing is that when I chance upon it, it was the first episode! :p
Today I am at a place named, Akankohan. A town which is build around a huge lake! This lake is around 4 X the size of Singapore. The little red dot indeed. :p The drama just ended. Today's travels is quite boring. Most of the time was spend traveling. There were a lot of sight-seeing though and the scenery is breath-taking! Our route even took us past an active volcano. Sayuri told us to be quiet so as to not wake the volcano. Haha! We went to 2 waterfalls, Gin Ga No Taki and Ryu Sei No Taki, side by side of each other. The "Galaxy Waterfall" and "Meteor Shower Waterfall". They are nearly frozen solid. Cool! :p Sayuri was saying we are very lucky. When we need to see the scenery, it will not be snowing, the weather will be damm good. :p Thanks!
I think my photography needs a great deal more work. I still need to try out a lot of different shots to get a right lighting. And what is irritating is that I always cannot seem to get the lighting right out in the sun. The sun always get into LCD screen. :( But I am damm impressed by my Canon 10-22mm UWA. :p
Today we had the traditional Japanese food! A huge spread! There was even live sashimi! The fish is still gulping! My god! Jiang Zhen De?! Hen Nan De Leh. Haha! Check out the photos! Hehe.
Tomorrow will be the day which we will spend the longest time on the road. We are going back down towards Sapporo. It will be around 5-6hrs of traveling. Guess I gotta go and grab some early rest today. This Christmas Eve is really quiet. :p Gonna be Christmas here in another 3hrs. :p
Good Night Japan! And Merry Christmas Santa! :p Sleeping on Tatami again. So damm cool right?! Haha!
23th December, 2008
2230hrs (GMT + 9, Japan time)
Less than 2hrs to Christmas Eve. Listening to "Chasing Pavements" by Adele. This song got into my head after I watched the animation film, "Dragon Hunters" with Yuting. I think it is a simple story with something to tell. I like it. Back to Christmas Eve, I believe it is the one of most looked-forward-to holiday across the globe, with celebrations big and small, special to everyone in their own unique way. This year is the first time I am out of Singapore for this holiday. But I guess it is not as celebrated in Hokkaido as it is in some other countries. The festive mood is... lacking I would say. :p
Going into today's travels. Right now I am in this hotel named, "Crescent" in Asahikawa. Nope. This is not the place that Asahi Beer is being brewed, which what Yuting thought when I msged her. Haha. We went to Tomita Farm, a place where they are famous for growing lavender. Since it is winter, we only had a greenhouse to view. We were told that during autumn the fields are filled with lavender. The lovely scent will be spreaded miles and miles away. Had lunch at a stop in Furano.
After which we went to Asahikawa Zoo! Yea! It had been a long time since I had been to a zoo. I must make time to go to Singapore Zoo when I get back. :p When you visit a zoo in during winter and under snowing conditions, you tend to not to see much things. :p What are special here are the Timber Wolves, which is what I really want to see now. This is because of the series I am reading now. "The Song of Ice and Fire" series by George R. R. Martin. It is really not bad. Quite good actually. Oh. And "Santa Monica" by Savage Garden is playing. Nice.
Back to the zoo. I got to see cranes, huge polar bears, penguins big and small, tiger that keeps running around its enclosure and a constantly roaring lion! :p It stopped snowing after a while. That was after I can feel my fingers. :( haha.
We went to a place which had a sakae museum and had a sampling. It was not bad. The place even had a spring for us to take water back! It is said to be so good that the locals collected it by the bottles and use to cook! True enough, we saw one after another of them coming with bigger and bigger containers to store the water! Haha.
We had our japanese take-away today from a big shopping mall, named Aeon. It has the size of about 3 X Tampines Mall. Had some sushi, tempura, bento, ramen (maggie style), chicken drumlets, bananas and strawberries! The food here is really quite expensive but everything is very fresh.
Once we are in the mountains (since yesterday night), the scenery had been breath-taking. The powdery white snow and mountain ranges that reaches up to the clouds, the dainty little houses, icy streams, very nice and courteous people. I think I will really pick up Japanese language, Ni-hon-go. Thinking of coming here to stay for awhile.
Anyway to end of the post, I would like to wish a special someone, Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Birthday. Sorry I cannot be there. Glad that my gift arrived and you like it. :) Thanks for everything. You are lovely. Always in my heart.
Good Night Japan! Till tomorrow! 1hr more here till Christmas. :)
22th December, 2008
2135hrs (GMT + 9, Japan time)
The second day of my Hokkaido Trip! And it is snowing! :p
I totally K.O.ed yesterday. Had to dragged myself to bed. It was damm tiring just getting here. We took a 5hrs flight to Shanghai for a transit. It took us another 3hrs plus to get to Chitose Airport. Finally arrived! :) When the plane landed, we were welcome by the first sign snow for the season. :) We had to take another hour's ride to reach our first destination, Sapporo. Yes. Sapporo the beer. Sapporo is the capital city of Hokkaido. The city is not filled with sky-scrappers or any tall buildings. I think it can be comparably rural to most of the China major city. And our tour guide's name is Sayuri, a Singaporean too!
Japan is divided into 4 major parts. Kyushu and the Southern Islands. Western Honshu and Shikoku. Central Honshu. Hokkaido and Northern Honshu. What is unique about Hokkaido is that it has the climate akin to Siberia and its indigenous people, the Ainu.
We went to visit a couple of famous streets and a underground mall. Mum bought a Coach, Blue Label bag. :p By the time we were out of the place, it was already dark. The sun sets at around 1530hrs! After which we went to another cool shopping street and got us our, White Lover Chocolate! Guess what?! We took off with a box load! Haha!
First meal in Hokkaido! We had BBQ and... Abalone! The abalone was supposed to be eaten raw but we being Singaporean and not Japanese, Sayuri recommended us to eat it after is it slightly grilled. It is so tender! Dad even brought back the shells as souvenir. We had to missed one of the stops as it was deemed unsafe to go up due to the snow and icy road. After checking into the hotel, we went out to have stroll and had a mini shopping spree at the 7-11 of Japan, Lawson.
Today the first place we went to was the Asahi Beer factory, had a short tour and free sampling of first beer. It is very smooth and fresh! We should have this in Singapore, instead of having it locked up at customs for 1 to 3 months. :( Next stop, White Chocolate Lover Factory cum Museum. The owner designed and build it like a children's playground. I realised the factories in Japan used a lot of stainless steel, giving them a very clean look. With that, we took our leave of Sapporo.
Otaru! Lunch was at a seafood market cum steamboat house. That kind of place catered for tourists. We were given a choice of getting our own seafood. Guess what was on the recommendation list again?! :p Crabs! Ours cost us 12,600yen! Mum, Daniel and myself tried crab sashimi! So fresh! So sweet! So succulent! :) Next stop we were taken to Otaru's most famous street! Served high tea in one of the tea house. The cups are for us to take away after our drink! Dainty little shot cups. There is a famous steam clock on the street. Just 2 in the world. One in Vancouver, Canada and the other here in Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan! It was snowing very heavily the better half of the day. We ended our day trip with a 5-flavoured ice cream! It is Melon, Strawberry, Chocolate, Lavender and Vanilla! Yummy! Took another hr's ride into the mountains and checked into the hotel. Onsen! Hahaa! Had a go before dinner and now I am going for it again! Haha!
Back! YEA! So shiok! Gonna crash now. But there is a very upsetting thing that happened... I think there is a tiny little scratch on my Oakley lens... argh! :(
Monday, September 24, 2007
24th September, 2007
2.10am
In around another 5 hours, I will be booking into SAFTI MI. For the next 9 months of my life, I will be living there. Looking forward to it. Heard so much about OCS, thought so much about it, yet in the coming 9 months I will be truly experience how is the life in OCS. My platoon, Taurus 4, had very good results in terms of posting. 17 of us are going OCS, 16 are going SISPEC, 1 is going Police, 1 is going Transport, 3 are going Unit and 2 are going Medical Corp. I sincerely hope all 40 of us will finish our NS with a smile.
Good Night Singapore. 3 weeks of confinement. See you guys after that. Cheers! and take care!
In around another 5 hours, I will be booking into SAFTI MI. For the next 9 months of my life, I will be living there. Looking forward to it. Heard so much about OCS, thought so much about it, yet in the coming 9 months I will be truly experience how is the life in OCS. My platoon, Taurus 4, had very good results in terms of posting. 17 of us are going OCS, 16 are going SISPEC, 1 is going Police, 1 is going Transport, 3 are going Unit and 2 are going Medical Corp. I sincerely hope all 40 of us will finish our NS with a smile.
Good Night Singapore. 3 weeks of confinement. See you guys after that. Cheers! and take care!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
11th September, 2007
23.59pm
POP loh! Today finally marks the end of my BMTC training. Kind of emo right now. 9 weeks in Taurus Company. Kind of sad that I did not get any awards nevertheless I am looking forward to the next phase of NS. :)
Cheers! Good night Singapore!
POP loh! Today finally marks the end of my BMTC training. Kind of emo right now. 9 weeks in Taurus Company. Kind of sad that I did not get any awards nevertheless I am looking forward to the next phase of NS. :)
Cheers! Good night Singapore!
Thursday, August 09, 2007
9th August, 2007
Happy Birthday Singapore! Happy National Day! :)
Hi peeps! Had not blog in like nearly a month. Sorry man. Book out days are packed. A sudden change a schedule left me with a whole day of free time. Checked flooded mails. Read. Watched the 4 episodes of Bleach. Got in touch with rest of the world, kind of. Haha. And going to book in later, by 8pm. So sad that I cannot get to watch the NDP07. A new place and tonnes of fireworks. :(
My National Service is kind of fun. Currently in Platoon 4, Taurus Company, BMTC School 2. As those who had been through NS would know, Platoon 4 means I am staying on the 5th story. It was a killer initially. It does not hurt so much now. Haha. But I had came to appreciate the view that my bunk offered. Both the front and back windows offers a killer view to the wondrous sea. I was just admiring the orange sunset before I book out yesterday. It was breath-taking. Tekong is not so bad as the stories that are around. The stars at night as simply beautiful. You cannot get to see it anywhere on the mainland Singapore. Yes. Although most of the time we are not so free to enjoy the scenery. :p And we never get the chance to catch the sun raise. :( Field Camp is weekend. And POP is on 11th Sept. Merely 5 weeks away! :)
NDP07 is on air now. Gonna catch it now. I gotta leave house to book in in a while though. :( Might as well catch as much as I can! :p
Once again, Happy Birthday Singapore! Take care!
Hi peeps! Had not blog in like nearly a month. Sorry man. Book out days are packed. A sudden change a schedule left me with a whole day of free time. Checked flooded mails. Read. Watched the 4 episodes of Bleach. Got in touch with rest of the world, kind of. Haha. And going to book in later, by 8pm. So sad that I cannot get to watch the NDP07. A new place and tonnes of fireworks. :(
My National Service is kind of fun. Currently in Platoon 4, Taurus Company, BMTC School 2. As those who had been through NS would know, Platoon 4 means I am staying on the 5th story. It was a killer initially. It does not hurt so much now. Haha. But I had came to appreciate the view that my bunk offered. Both the front and back windows offers a killer view to the wondrous sea. I was just admiring the orange sunset before I book out yesterday. It was breath-taking. Tekong is not so bad as the stories that are around. The stars at night as simply beautiful. You cannot get to see it anywhere on the mainland Singapore. Yes. Although most of the time we are not so free to enjoy the scenery. :p And we never get the chance to catch the sun raise. :( Field Camp is weekend. And POP is on 11th Sept. Merely 5 weeks away! :)
NDP07 is on air now. Gonna catch it now. I gotta leave house to book in in a while though. :( Might as well catch as much as I can! :p
Once again, Happy Birthday Singapore! Take care!
Friday, July 13, 2007
13th July, 2007
Friday the 13. Google or wikipedia this day. You will be surprise the amount of myths and stories about this day. For me, I am going to be enlisted in less than 12 hours. To protect and serve the nation. Haha. Cool yea? Kind of looking forward to it. To make new friends, get to know more things, move on with life. :)
Had a farewell dinner with Union peeps. 4 tables full! Haha. Thank you everyone for coming! Had tonnes of SMSes from a lot people wishing me well. Like I am never coming back. Haha. Thanks for the kind thoughts! Don't worry I will be back to bug everyone. The world is too boring without me! Haha!
Anyway! Becoming Royston is confirmed to be on screens (The Picturehouse), from 2nd of August onwards. Do support! Hopefully I can book out. :)
I had tried to upload as many photos as I could onto my Flickr account. Do browse! :) www.flickr.com/photos/alvinneowk
Good Night Singapore! And take care everyone! Will miss everything! :p
Had a farewell dinner with Union peeps. 4 tables full! Haha. Thank you everyone for coming! Had tonnes of SMSes from a lot people wishing me well. Like I am never coming back. Haha. Thanks for the kind thoughts! Don't worry I will be back to bug everyone. The world is too boring without me! Haha!
Anyway! Becoming Royston is confirmed to be on screens (The Picturehouse), from 2nd of August onwards. Do support! Hopefully I can book out. :)
I had tried to upload as many photos as I could onto my Flickr account. Do browse! :) www.flickr.com/photos/alvinneowk
Good Night Singapore! And take care everyone! Will miss everything! :p
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