homecoming

i haven't been blogging since i got back to singapore.. the long hiatus is due to the fact that i've been incredibly busy- overcoming jet lag, meeting people or sleeping in. haha. i really enjoyed the YA retreat! even though justina and i were chatting as we leisurely drifted on the reservoir instead of vigorously kayaking :) how can, when the boys kept splashing water at us!! haha
anyway, im so glad to be with my church friends again- joyful people who remember and genuinely care for me. i'm happy that i got to know some of the girls better during the YA retreat :)

it's wonderful to be home. the past few weeks abroad have been extremely debilitating. to everyone who has been asking, that explains why i've lost SO MUCH weight. haha.. don't worry, the weight loss is unintentional, i haven't been on a diet etc. through this period of high stress, sadness and suffering, i've learnt so much. i feel that i've seriously aged ALOT.

yet empowering at the same time, especially in Spain, where i played tour guide to my dad and sis despite never having been there before. :) notts was of course, home turf so bringing them around was no problem. london too, cos i'd been there before. this really is a huge personal development for me, because i'm renowned for my poor sense of direction, i always get lost!!! yes, england-spain 2008 gave me a much-needed boost in self-confidence, navigational and leadership skills. thank you daddy for giving me this opportunity, as well as for being so good natured and accomodating during the entire trip. and to my sister, for all the laughter, shopping and fun times! and of course, thank you God for all your blessings towards myself and my family.

Cambridge

Punting!! Our boat was named "Bunny". :)
Something unique to Oxford and Cambridge, so I definitely had to try it. I paid 2 pounds because I was in a group of 6. However, I would have paid more to get a guide who tells you the histories of the various riverside colleges while he rows the boat. I felt quite bad/nauseated after punting because a middle aged Chinese man was "rowing" our boat with the completely wrong technique, plus he wasn't strong enough so our boat went bump every 5 seconds, either against the banks or other boats. at least he always warned us" yao chuang le!!". thanks to the constant bumps, it was a very long journey, which took around 2 hours!! his young daughter was in our boat too and i was getting very annoyed with her because she kept whining to paddle the boat and laughed everytime the paddle splashed water all over my legs. and then she threw a tantrum because she couldn't see the ducks in the river anymore. -_-

at the start of the journey i went crazy taking photos, especially of the boats and the river.
after a while, i decided to stop and just sit back and relax, ignoring the periodic bangs of "Bunny" and the girl's behaviour and imagined myself studying in Cambridge.... every morning, when i rise, i look out of the window to see the peaceful river flowing beneath the arched bridges that Elizabeth the Virgin Queen herself glided through on a boat. i am surrounded by grand, intricate architecture which have stood for centuries and i walk through the very halls that brilliant young idealists strolled through, unknowing, perhaps, that they would in time become great men who will one day shape history. i lie on "The Banks", beneath the shade that the willow tree provides, its umbrella-like canopy fluttering in the gentle breeze. i read, i think, i become refined in all aspects.

what a supremely lovely and awe-inspiring environment to be in. one tour guide remarked "how do students here study, it's soo romantic!". it's the very picture of the romanticised overseas college life that i used to fantasise about during A level literature and history, when we watched classic English films and read novels set in Oxbridge like "Decline and Fall".

of course, notts is beautiful too and is widely held as one of the most attractive campuses in the country. but i'm disillutioned with student life here, as well as the citizens of nottingham in general. just go to the city centre at any time of the day, or simply stay in on a friday/weekend night and be prepared to throw off any preconceived notions of england as cultured and refined. then again, this is probably true of other uk cities too.

and a mighty piece of bad news: I LOST MY PHONE IN CAMBRIDGE.
sighhhhhhhh and i'm really not feeling well- stomach and head, the usual problem areas are feeling weird. it seems as though i have a 101 things to do. my room's still in a mess because of the packing!!! :(
anyway, i have a new number cos i've an extra SIM card so will email family and close friends.

London pics

LONDON
September 2007
(the photos which shld have accompanied the London blog entry)

This is Covent Garden. I love it; went there every day! It's very quaint and charming; buskers flock there to perform. We saw this Irish guy swallow a blown balloon!! And an African guy balance a shoe, then a whole metal trolley on his head.
It's also the setting of William Wycherly's "The Country Wife", for those who did A level Literature. Horner, the protagonist of the book stayed there.

This is Vincent (who took all these wonderful photos) and I. We're in the Embankment, which has a naval theme to it. The lamposts and benches have engravings of fish on them. In the bankground of the picture you can see the Big Ben and the houses of Parliament.

This is a very cool art display in the Embankment. The structures show the expulsion of water from the body, in different ways. In the foreground, you can see vomitting. There were spitting, urinating, perspiring etc too.

This is Whitehall on a cloudy Autumn day. There are guards and horses on the other side of the building. You can see the London Eye in the backdrop. I'm wearing my new Muji rain-proof coat here, bought from Covent Garden! hehh

I'm posting all this as a response to Dazz's endorsement of my blog on her's. haha.. She says to read my blog cos my life is so happening here. Unfortunately I haven't been taking that many photos of life in Nottingham, (so used to it now) so here's something about London! Hope is reader-friendly enough!

Summer/Autumn in London

I'm in London now and loving it!

Day 1: Went to many places that I haven't been to before, like UCL (where my wonderful host Grace is studying), Covent Garden (where Horner from The Country Wife stayed), Carnaby Street etc. Got a little bit lost walking back to her apartment with her housemate Danny but I didn't mind, as I got to see even more of London and chat with him about his Christian faith. Our legs were achingly tired though, after walking for 6 hours non-stop. I really like Grace and Danny!

Day 2:Covent Garden again for shopping and lunch. I bought a buttterfly jewellery stand and toiletries! I like this pair of Fossil shades, shall keep in mind. I just loooove shopping here, things r so unique. We went to Belgo for lunch, which has a very industrial design; it looks like a factory, albeit a really cool one. Next stop was The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square where my personal tour guide pointed out all the interesting and famous paintings. Walked some more to Leicester Square to check out tickets for Les Miserables and da pao duck meat and sio ba for my housemates. I really enjoyed myself today.. :)

Will be going to the Embankment, Waterloo Bridge and Hyde Park tmr.. Excited as I haven't been there before too!

updates

Some updates:

I will be going to Eastern Europe this summer!
With my wonderful Sherwood Hall mates; Fidelia, Maureen, Jason and his 2 friends.
- Bratislava (Slovakia), Vienna (Austria), Budapest (Hungary), Krakow (Poland) and Berlin (Germany).

Taking French next year as my external module too! Woohooo :)

Spring is here... :)