trippin

Home.

2007-07-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm finally back home again. In a way, its nice to be home - but on the other hand, it pains me to know I won't be back in the UK for a long time to come. So its rather conflicting. As I get over my slight jet lag these few days, I will probably have a little time to pen down some stuff left over from my trip and get up all my pictures and stuff. Hopefully before everything becomes but a distant memory.

Really, the past 6 months has been the best in my life so far. So much that it passed so quickly that it almost felt like I've never been away. Its like waking up from a dream - just that I know this is not a dream.

Back to the real life, Chin.

Click.

2007-07-04T01:12:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes we just meet random people along the way and sometimes things just click? Like how there's that instant connection when your eyes meet, telling you there's something special about that other person looking back at you. I think it just happened to me today, it was the sweetest thing that has happened in a very long while.

Of the most unexpected of places, mine happened on a National Express bus back from London to Guildford.

There I was, after a long 28 hour coach ride from Budapest. In my mind, all I could think was getting back to Hazel Farm to finally see my good friend Michael again, and to finally get a well deserved shower and some rest. I mainly stared out the window into the English countryside that I will so dearly miss when I get on my flight back to Malaysia the next day. My thoughts were pretty sedated and numbed at this point of time, so was my bum, actually. I was quite expectedly bored.

There she was sitting there picking up her phone after every few minutes - looking around nervously every other few minutes, sometimes biting on her little mobile phone strap like it would make the phone ring. She took out this tabloid paper and flipped through it hurriedly, perhaps to speed up time so she could try her luck on the mobile once more. I could tell she was really troubled, or rather it was more like a gut feel.

I saw her sitting across me when I got on, and several more times when I took glances around to interrupt the scenery outside that was getting predictably, boring. She was just your typical British girl, blondish hair in a layered ponytail, nice eyes, above average in looks, but definitely not your average Brit-bombshell or traffic-stopper. To be honest, I noticed her more because she was fidgety and nervous.

So much that my first instinct was actually to move a seat closer to her and ask if everything was all right. But I kept that thought to myself, because it would be probably be quite awkward (to her) for me to do that and furthermore, I already had an inking of what was troubling her. In a sense, it would then be more like an excuse to start a conversation out of nothing.

Then during one of my "routine" glance-arounds, she happened to look towards me - and flashed a quick, wry smile, and quickly looked away. Yet, it was not too quick as to miss my reply, which was the most impromptu smile I could muster under the circumstances.

I knew she saw it because she glanced back at me again - and that wry smile blossomed into a nice, sweet smile. The most genuine smile I have seen in a very long time indeed - a smile that spoke a thousand words.

All this happened without a word spoken.

As she packed her stuff and I packed mine as we reached my stop. I opened my mouth to finally break that invisible wall between us.

"Gettin' off here?" I asked, quite rhetorical-ly I might add.

"Yeah." Came the answer, with a meek smile. Yes, one word, but I knew she meant much more than that.

No more words were to be exchanged between us.

We got off, and stole a few more glances at each other and exchanged smiles whilst I was collecting my baggage and she went off to the kerb to make another call. I didn't really care or bother to notice her any more after, because to me - my connecting bus that was arriving at the corner was much more important to me as the schedule-board read "DUE". She probably didn't too because the call she had been waiting an eternity to make was probably much more important to her than some stranger she had just met on a coach.

I crossed the road just as (I believe) her call connected.

I guess that call precipitated in a black car driving up to her. Still, just as my bus screeched to a halt at the stop, before she got into her car. I looked at her just to see how she was doing, because I was actually a little concerned and to make sure everything was fine on her side.

And just that moment, she turned around and looked at me.

She smiled, and waved from that distance while mouthing a vague "Bye".

I did the same. But this time, a real smile.

It was the most unexpected and sweetest gesture that made me feel warm and fuzzy all over. 40 minutes. 4 words exchanged and a couple of smiles - that's all we needed to "click".

That's the last that we will probably see of each other. Tho' the rainbow up in the sky paints the colours of this lovely memory that I will keep.

Eurotrip - Budapest

2007-07-01T06:45:00.000-07:00

It was a great relief to be finally in Budapest after my little adventure in Romania. Being another Eastern European country, I didn't quite know what to expect!

However, I was pleasantly surprised that Budapest's actually a very modern city - with grand boulvards not unlike any other big European City - like Madrid or Milan. And things here were still fairly cheap. Since it used the Hungarian Forint, I had to change my currency (the first time I had to change money at exchange counters) which was when I realised how rip-off counters in train stations are. At Keleti (Train Station) it was 1 EUR to 193 HUF while the bank just outside was 1 EUR to 235 HUF, which was a huge difference! And later I realised that in the city, it was more like 1 EUR to 240 HUF a little better than what I got but still, reasonable.

(Because I didn't write down much, and I'm now fatigued after copying down all my notes I shall just put down bullet points of my time in Budapest)

- Hungarian Food with paprika

- Baths (500 year old!)

- Time to relax and think

- History and Museums

- Bryan Adams Concert (?!)

- Meeting people, interesting stories.

To Budapest

2007-06-28T23:55:00.000-07:00

I'm here on the odd carriage going to Budapest (the only carriage for this train!).

Well maybe I'm not that unlucky after all, I'm the only person in this train car for the night and its comfortably airconditioned. So I'm looking forward to a good night's rest.

Anyways here's a summary of my train journeys these few days, just for the record.

ATH (3pm) - THA (9pm) : 6 hours

Wait at THA (9pm - 12mn): 3 hours

THA (12mn) - BUC (9pm): 21hours

Wait at BUC (9pm - 12mn): 3 hours

BUC (12mn) - BUD (4pm): 16 hours

------------------------------------

Total time: 49 hours (omg!)

(Foord Rations: 2 Sticks of Bread, 1 Roll Orange Biscuits, 1 Roll Cream Crackers, 2L Water.)

Simply amazing. I can't believe what I am capable of. Anyways, 30 minutes to go till Budapest, tons of Sunflowers all through the Hungarian countryside. Pretty.

Fate - Bucharest

2007-06-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

In a twist of fate, I found myself in Bucharest! Apparently, I sat in the wrong carriage when the train split at the crossroads... Well, actually the very first time something like this has happened to me so its an experience. Still, I'm not quite stranded with no place to go, but I've now burnt EUR6 (2 for a phone call, 4 for a new seat reservation!) and have a good 3 hours to bum before my next train to Budapest (hopefully!).

Also, I've now seen the nice part of Romanians, first was the train captain who helped me find a new route to Budapest and even remembering me to help me out after and assure me that things will be fine (in Romanian, no less) and this nice guy who lent me his phone to call Budapest although he will have no use of the EUR2 I gave him for that. Just too bad its too dark for me to sightsee a little.

So now my problem's solved, hope tomorrow finds me finally back in Budapest!

Bulgaria/Romania Border

2007-06-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

Its not quite as scary during the day because you can actually see who's on the same train. Still, this must be the most un-punctual train EVER! It started 30mins late and now not even halfway through, its already 2.5 hours behind time. I hope we reach Budapest before 2pm tho.. cos that's when my reservation lapses.

Also, this must be the most "happening" train ever, its so slow at times and it has to change cars everytime near the border, along with border controls etc. Well on the bright side, there's more to see than just scenery!

Train to Budapest

2007-06-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

Its freaky, the train's dodgy without aircon, old seats and cabins. When I got up, there were jeers from this whole bunch of guys who were "bad" looking. Some without arms, some without legs, all with tattoos on them and all looking at me with some sort of devilish intent. For once, I was really scared - it was like something out of a sick movie...

So all I could do was to seek comfort with this family from Bulgaria. But they're getting off in the morning in Sofia - then I gotta change me plans.

For now, I'm safe. I hope!

Eurotrip - Athens Day 6 & 7

2007-06-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

This was probably the hottest day till now. It really felt like an oven outside, so hot that I only lasted minutes under the sun before the heat and dust got to me and I had to retreat back into the Metro. So, this was how I spent the day, visiting the 2004 Olympic Stadium and Panathinaikos's Home Stadium, I was so bothered by the heat that I didn't even take many pictures like I usually do.

Also, today was also supposed to be my last day in Athens, cos I've already got my (free) ticket to Thassaloniki this night, but Elina suggested that we go catch some free concert that night - I thought it might be interesting so I changed my plans a little and got another ticket for the next day - it was free anyway! =)

Turned out that the concert was a blast! Not so much because of the singing (although it was quite fabulous) - it was the manner where we caught it that blew me away.

The concert was held in this open air theatre on Lycapunos (?) hill, so, being on that hill, it was surrounded by tall rocky "cliffs" on all sides, much like a volcano's crater. The concert itself was a paying one but by climbing up the rocks, we could watch it for free - along with the feeling of being above the whole of Athens at night! We were at midway up the cliff while there were people all the way up on the peak - what a way to catch a concert! (and a great view too!)

So in the end, I thought it was worth not visiting Thassaloniki at all the next day. After that, we went to another beach, this time... it was a beach-pub which was cool and relaxed - looking at the bright lights of Athens from afar on a beach chair under the stars and moon, it was so relaxing that I soon felt myself drifting off into sleep right there.

Spent the next day just waiting for my train back at Dim's place, cos it was too hot to go out. Thats all for Athens, it was a great place with a great host and a great family!

Eurotrip - Athens Day 5

2007-06-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Its a weekday again and this time, no more skipping work for Dim and hence, I have the first day by myself to do some real sightseeing - after all, Athens's one of the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world - I would not be doing it justice if I don't visit the famed Acropolis and its environs during my time here!

Athens's so rich in history I'm sure if you pick any spot and dig hard enough you should find something really really old. Which is what the city did when it decided to build its metro system - tons of sites and artifacts were uncovered, some of which conveniently placed in the Main Syntagma metro station to make it a pseudo museum, which I thought was a really uniquely Athenian touch to an otherwise boring metro system!

Still, temperatures were rising and it was 43 degrees today, making my visit to the exposed Athenian Agora and the Acropolis no simple feat! Sometimes it got so dizzyingly hot that I just had to sit down in the shade, drink some water to "recover" - I'm glad I brought a big bottle of water with me today and refilled it whenever I could to keep me going.

The Agora was the site of ancient forums, temples, roads and everything important and old - standing in there I could not grasp the idea of everything there being so old. At that ancient times, people only knew how to work stones and metals, yet their ideas live on till now, scientific method, democracy, all came from this place. I tried to imagine how this place would have looked like in the past, when everything was new and there were ancient Greeks walking around this very road I'm standing on - it was a staggering thought, they were so primitive and advanced at the same time and they have already left the world thousands of years ago, but their ideas and achievements live on till today. Its incredible how really tiny us individuals are in the face of time and space.

The Acropolis was then an enduring display of magnificence and a symbol of human achievement and on the flipside, stupidity and ignorance. Built by ancients to awe and inspire through the ages, human ignorance and greed rendered it into a mere shadow of what it once was... the destruction of the Parthenon, the pillaging of other temples. Its ironic how the more we know, the less we understand!

I also walked along Ermou street and the Athenian flea market to take in a little of the busy city life before I surrendered to the heat and headed back home - for a good shower and rest. It was a long day, but very fascinating in terms of history.

At night, Dim was tired and fatigued after he an Elina had a minor spat, cos Elina's mom was hospitalized due to some serious allergy, so she was understandably worked up and flustered. So while they worked things out - Dim told me to go out with Stam and I did... and I later found out that this usually meant going to Baby O - a strip club, another first for me.

Dot dot dot. Censored.

Eurotrip - Athens Day 4

2007-06-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Day 4's a slower day. Temperatures has been rising still and its 42 degrees outside by noon - calling for another day at another beach. Really, when the temperature gets so high, there's no place to go other than the beach - and its cool water. We went with another friend and 4 of us spent literally the whole day on the beach. This beach was cleaner then Lagonisi but still not quite as clean as the first one we've been to - although it might as well be because its also deeper. There were also schools of fish going around and even sea urchins on the sea bed with its menacing spikes!

However, the best part of the day was lunch, home made Moussaka - now absolutely my favourite Greek food of all time. I can't quite describe what its like but I have pictures, yum!

Then we had an early night cos everyone was tired. Especially Elina - after all, it was 4 solid days of activity. I think we all deserve this early night!

Stam was supposed to come back from the UK today, but he got back only at midnight so nothing happened.

Eurotrip - Athens Day 3

2007-06-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

So today's a Saturday, and we can all wake up late (after sleeping at only 6am this morning) before we have our proper start to the day, and just because it was so hot outside: 40 degrees! It was a day to another beach again, it seems. This time with Elina's friends. So after a breakfast of pizza leftover from the day before, we headed off to meet Elina. Oh, and because today's also BBQ day at Dim's half-completed summer villa, the two of us had to lug a huge bag with everything from meat to salads, to fruits and even firewood! And after all that, Dim's mom even kept putting in stuff "just in case" till the moment we're leaving - reminds me of my mom. I guess all moms are the same afterall. In the end, it really felt like we were leaving for good, when it was just for a couple of hours!

Today's beach's Lagonisi or Rabbit Island (incidentally, Dim's surname also means rabbit..). Its quite a popular beach so there were plenty of people already there when we arrived. So as a result, it was not as clear and clean as the last one we went, but there was certainly no shortage of babes working their tan under the burning hot sun! It was hot bods galore, this time after a swim we just sat on the beach and enjoyed the cool (relative) breeze from the sea - it was a great relief to be by the sea when temperatures are so searing hot!

After a couple of hours, it was soon evening and we picked up our stuff for the main item of the day.. a BBQ! At this time, we were really quite hungry so the prospect of food was really very inviting. Elina sped off all the way to Dim's family's summer villa to meet up with Konsti and Manos who were already there preparing food. It was really great to just sit down around the table and talk and eat and be merry. And although I couldn't understand 90% of what's going on - I still didn't feel out of place, it was just comfortable being in there, I don't quite know why actually, its just like that!

After dinner, we (me, Dim, Elina) went off to Elina's place to chill - by far the nicest house I've ever been to! But it was scary on too many counts, with an old well in the garden, and puppets and venetian masks hanging by the stairs and walls that actually seem to come alive after some time. So it was really spooky. We sat in the balcony and just chatted until we almost missed the last metro home, so yep, it was in all a very relaxing day, enjoyed it lots!

Eurotrip - Athens Day 2

2007-06-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

Well, after the night before, I wasn't too surprised to see Dim still in bed when I woke up at 9am. So technically, he skipped work - and what was more astounding was to know that it was his mother who urged him to skip work that day and bring me around. I didn't quite know how to feel, guilty or happy? I think it was a mix of both. But it was very nice of his mom indeed!

So since we couldn't visit Greek Islands because it was too short a stay, Dim suggested to go to a nearby beach. So we picked up Elina and there we went, to this beach on the East coast of Athens called (I forgot.. heh). However, something happened on our way there... tyre got punctured. So there we were halfway to that beach (that was probably 50km away from the city), with a flat tyre! Dim pulled up at the next shop and got off to attempt to change the tyre - clearly this doesn't happen much because we got trouble getting started. But after a little fiddling around and a little help from this passerby, we got it up and running again! Now I know how to change a tyre!

The beach was unlike anything I've ever seen (then again, I haven't seen much..) still, I was delighted at the crystal clear water. So clear I could see the sea bed with all the sand, rocks, even corals and lots of fish around me darting around! So for the first time, I was swimming with schools of fish around me and more hiding among the seaweed below, it was an amazing sight! Also, this was quite a secluded beach (which probably explains its cleanliness.) and there were not many people there apart from a few Greeks - so it was perfect for relaxing away from the bustle of Athens, and away from the heat wave engulfing the city!

After the beach, we went to get a couple of Souvlakis and went to another seaside to enjoy our food! We were starving then, Souvlakis are marinated meat grilled on the fly and served with chips, salad and wrapped in pita bread - complete meal for only EUR1.70, an absolute bargain!

To cap off the night, Dim got us free entry into another even more exclusive club called Acrotiri, the group of 6 of us (some friends joined us..) only had to pay EUR75 for a table and a free bottle of scotch as well as unlimited coke, water and sodas to mix around - there was also unlimited ice and tidbits too, so it was quite a bargain. This was a proper posh club by the sea, open air with breathtaking views of the sea, the bright lights of Athens and the stars up in the sky. All with great music and friends, what more can I ask for!

This was where I finally seen the reason Greek guys love tourist girls and the reason why the Greek nightlife's so happening... This night, I enjoyed quite a bit and even danced around a little! and finally we bade the rising sun goodnight at 6am! (After going up some hill to take some pictures of the sun coming up.. pretty!)

So many things in only a day... crazy!

Eurotrip - Athens Day 1

2007-06-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Athens much earlier than expected because I left Patras early . I was actually very excited to finally see a familiar face so I followed his instructions to find his house - which was my first experience going through street names in Greek using my very limited Greek reading abilities. Still, after a little wandering around, I finally found his street Louka Belou and located his house. This was where I got into problem no. 2.

Apparently, the house was an apartment and hence there were many families there with individualized bells at the front door marked with surnames. And it was all in Greek. I cursed my luck when I saw that, cause I didn't quite know Dim's surname and I wasn't about the spend money to call him when I'm right at his door step! Then, I remembered he wrote Dimitris L. once somewhere before, so I searched for the Greek L or Lambda, as my first clue - thankfully there was only one name starting with L so I crossed my fingers and pressed it. A barrage of Greek assaulted me from the speaker but after a bit of "mis"-communication - I was sure this was it and Dim came down to get me up. I was relieved to finally see him!

I spent a few slightly awkward minutes introducing myself to his family: parents and twin brother, Konstantinos, and was whisked away into Dim's room for a bit of catching up and to catch my breath.

After that we got into his car and went off to meet Manos, Dim's friend and Elina, Dim's girlfriend. Tho' Elina studies in Surrey too, this was my first time meeting her. Everyone seemed nice and friendly enough and my initial fear of unfriendly and rude Greeks that I hear so much from other travellers slowly disappeared. I got a quick drive-around tour of Athens and a little introduction to important sights and streets from both Dim and Elina. We also walked down Ermou street - Athens's most expensive street as well. It was full of people even at night and street performers fill every plaza with some colorful performances. We walked through the pub street, a club street and food streets which were full of people, even when outside tempreatures at night was around 32 degrees. This was my first time seeing the scale of Greek nightlife - Dim commented that everyone from 20 - 25 could be found here at night, especially weekends, and if your bored just come down here alone and you'll be sure to find friends, both new and old.

We took a break and went back home for a bit where Dim's mom prepared a feast of traditional Greek food for me, including Greek salad, Greek sausages, Greek dumplings and olives. After that, there was even fruits! It was very nice of her so I tried my best to finish up everything to show my appreciation. I was absolutely bloated then! But it was a nice introduction of Greek food which I quite enjoyed!

At night, we went to Club Mao by the seaside which was beautiful and quite exclusive. (We went in free because Dim's friend managed to get us onto the guestlist!) So it was an ego boosting experience, not to mention free too - an introduction of Greek clubbing. The atmosphere was great and although Greeks don't dance much, after enough alcohol - and encouragement from an apparently very popular gay bartender - people were into it and the whole place exploded with life! I was slightly tired so I couldn't enjoy it as much as I'd like to but still, it was a great experience. We reached home finally at around 5am (!!) and went to bed immediately because Dim had work the next morning...

Oh my, what a great first day in Athens. Absolutely happening!

Train to Athens

2007-06-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

Now I know why people say Greece is beautiful and so many people come here for its beeches and islands... the place's just so scenic! Never in my life have I seen seawater so vividly blue and sand so white! Quaint little houses dot the hills on one side and mountains bound the coast on the other. Its sor pretty its amazing! (Oh, and the train is like 2 carriages of an luxurious MRT doing long distance intercity! cool!)

Eurotrip - Patras

2007-06-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

Alright, land at last - was getting quite restless toward the end of the long ferry ride. So to see Patras (and the glorious sunset that came for free with it) was quite a relief. So I'm now finally in Greece.

Didn't quite feel like doing anything in Patras because there wasn't anything terribly exciting about this place and visiting the famous vineyard may make me miss my train to Athens - so I waited in the train station for the next train to Athens. Since even originally, Athens was the idea.

Now, Patras did not exactly leave nothing to remember. For one, it was the EUR10 a night youth hostel and the free mosquitoes and creepy feeling that came along with the old interiors. Also, met this pretty old man who was my room-mate who was an interesting character to say the least. Basically, he was against the church and was quite a conspiracy theorist. But clearly, he wasn't looney, there was actually a little truth in what he said, tho a little exaggerated.

There, that was Patras, great hills, amazing sunset and a cheap hostel.

Sunrise

2007-06-19T07:45:00.000-07:00

Still in the middle of nowhere.

Woke up in time for sunrise at 5.30am Greek time or 4.30am Italian time. This's probably the first sunrise that I can remember seeing - beautiful to see how the myriad of colours paint the sky and starts spreading like watercolor before the sun peers its head over the horizon.

Then when it actually comes up, its a deep red taht has just awaken from its slumber ready to conquer the sky once more as it floats up to its throne among the clouds.

Magnificent.

Sunset at Sea

2007-06-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

I just saw the sun disappear out at sea - the most lovely sunset I've ever seen! The sky changed from shades of yellow, to Orange, then red to purple till the sun finally melted into the sea in a red puddle. While the sky turned into glorious shades of violet and the moon first peeped through the clouds.

Sometimes, its the little beauty in life that makes it worth living.

Just the sky, the sea and me. No land to be seen. A night in the middle of absolutely nowhere under the stars, how absolutely enchanting.

Ferry to Greece

2007-06-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

Now on the "Pasiphae Palace" cruising down the Adriatic Sea. Its a wonderful ride, even if I only got deck chairs (normal plastic chairs) to sit on - but the breeze and the views great! 30 more hours to go before I reach Patras! Everyone's on the sun deck getting some sun but I'm just contented to be here in the shade enjoying the nice breeze.

Eurotrip - Venice

2007-06-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

This is THE city where the city itself overshadows all the sights within the city. So I took a break from sightseeing and just allowed myself to get lost in the beauty that is Venice!

So got lost I did. In fact, I can't remember not feeling lost anytime here in Venice. Its that kind of "barrier" that one has to break, sure, you can walk around with a map in hand and count every turn and corner, but that takes away the fun! I did that for a couple of streets and realised that it was too much of a pain to keep checking the map so I kept it and just kept walking in random directions. I quite like this challenge of going through this big maze, and worse come to worst, I'd just follow signs to the main plazas.

Every evening, I'd get to the Sam Marco Plaza to sit by the sea and watch the sun go down in the midst of seagulls, pigeons and tourists and endless vaporetto, gondolas and motor boats whizz by. Its a serene picture overall that gives this calm even amidst lots of people walking around - and did I mention I love the sea? It was just the way my version of paradise will be like!

I also remember letting what I usually call "flying rats" on me and feed off my hand just like so many of the others did. I could not really imagine I'd actually let these dirty birds do that but I guess the whole fun atmosphere weakened my resolve and I shared what was supposed to be my dinner - biscuits, with them. In return, they game me lots of fun times, quirky photographs and lots of scratches on my arm. But it was all good, its good to have fun every now and then. =)

Being the last stop in Italy before heading to Greece, I spent a lot on glorious Italian food - some more glorious than others. Pasta, for example are the very embodiment of great Italian cuisine, so were the refreshing gelatios that were lifesavers under the hot European sun. Pizzas, however, were a more questionable expense, despite me giving them a second chance to impress me. So while I might not enjoy Pastamania as much as before, I know I'll appreciate Pizza Hut, even if purists swear against them. Just for the record, my 2nd proper menu meal consisted of, some Bolognese pasta, Venetian style liver and mixed salad for EUR13. Not bad considering I spent EUR7.40 on a Salami, Mozerella, Tomato Pizza the day before!

On the side, I lived in a girls hostel for the two nights and decided to be honest and pay my fees (EUR44) in due time, which was a little moral victory for myself I guess. BUT it was also kinda surreal to have the opposite block full of showering girls at night (of course behind very frosted glass) - but still, it was surreal.

Eurotrip - Verona

2007-06-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

Verona's a charming city straight out of a storybook. (Quite literally, Romeo and Juliet.) However, the most memorable incident was this friendly old man bringing me around part of his city. It was really heartening to see this old man so proud of his city as he proclaimed "Yes, this is my City!" - I guess I looked rather touristy today with my backpack on and my camera in my hand, he saw me taking pictures so he asked if I had been to this side alley by the cathedral, I said no and he offered to bring me around. He looked like a nice man so I trusted my gut.

He tried hard to explain so many things in English when his English was obviously quite basic and I was really touched when he would sometimes break into Italian when he couldn't find the English word he was looking for - and he looked a tad frustrated at himself at times and was really apologetic about it. I could only smile and say its alright and I understood what he was trying to say. I think if anything I should be the apologetic one for not speaking Italian. He brought me around a little more and I could see (justifiably) that he loved his city very much especially the long history as his eyes lighted up when he mentioned the ages of some buildings and some stories.

He had to go soon after, back home to look after his wife who was "not good" (not well) - at this moment, it kills me to not be able to say a proper "thank you and take care" and to wish his wife good health. I could only shake his hand, tell him "Grazie" many times so he understood my appreciation. Then he rode off in his old bike towards home.

Eurotrip - Roma

2007-06-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

The eternal city is an ancient masterpiece passed down from the Romans. It had so many archeological sites all around and within the city, it is easy to see how this city was built and rebuilt over the years, over massive lengths of time. I found the ancient city and the independent Vatican the most fascination. The former because standing in the middle of thousand year old ruins of Roman forums and temples is awe inspiring and its astoundingly interesting to imagine what life was like when people like Julius Caesar still ruled the Roman empire. At that time, technology was already so advanced that wonders such as the Panthenon and the Colesseum could be built much to the bewilderment of even modern day engineers while architects could only look in awe at the intricate designs and stone/marble work that went into the building.

Sill, all this are merely remains of the former glory of the Romans who are no longer here in its full force, its now but a name and a bloodline that becomes increasingly sparse and dilutes - assimilated in the Italian civilization. With time, these symbols and remains will also inevitably crumble into dust - quite a sobering thought, that the greatest human achievements will probably never stand the test of time and former glory will eventually be but a distant, vague memory.

Walking through the city, it is also great to see and hear about stories of Rome, Italians, Romans and the Papal state, as well as Greek elements of the city. Did you know that the Italians were actually once at war with the Papal States but it did not last long because the Italian troops broke through the Roman city walls to capture Rome and hence the city was annexed into the Italian empire, but the Pope was still a powerful figure - evident from his traditional headgear bearing the symbols of 3 crowns, signifying his position of Head of Rome, Head of Italy and Head of the Church.

These stories tied in very well with my experience in the Vatican City - more specifically the Vatican Museums, which was a treasure trove of Christian history and very important artifacts and sculptures that actually made me appreciate them. I think its very much like 3D pictures that must have been extremely hard to conceive and create. Imagine crafting a block of marble into a scene depicting a fierce lion capturing a struggling horse - or even a pig nursing a litter of piglets! Of course, there were busts of important people and gods which were interesting too especially after reading the captions that were (thankfully) in English!

Apart from this, there were images of various scenes throughout Christian history as well as scenes from the Bible. And while I can't understand those from the Bible - I found those from the real history fascination - there was this particularly majestic painting in one of the walls called "The Dream of the Cross" or something like this that told the story of how the Romans converted from Paganism to Christianity. Basically, then King Constantine had a dream showing him victory if he changed the imperial eagle insignia into the cross - which he did and consequently won this battle at some important bridge I can't remember, effectively officially adopting Christianity to become the Holy Roman Empire. There were so many stories like this in grand rooms that I can't possibly remember all of them or even write them down - I just enjoyed myself thoroughly learning history! The Sistine Chapel, however, was slightly disappointing - true, it showed Michelangelo's genius and painstaking attention to detail, but it was too crowded and small for my liking.

I also had an expected gastronomic adventure that was unexpectedly varied in my level of "utility". I tried traditional Italian pizza from this Pizzaria that was supposed to serve "simply the best pizza in Rome", but perhaps I was too adventurous while ordering - something called Pizza alla Scoglio which had Salmon, Prawns, Mozerella and etc, it was too salty and savoury for my liking but on the bright side, it was really fresh - overall, I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd liked. Perhaps real Italian pizza is just like that, not the Pizza Hut variety! (which reminds me, I haven't seen any Pizza Huts around Italy until now.)

The other place I tried Spagetti alla Carbonara (speciality of this Region) and this sidedish/salad of some horrible tasting vegetable with garlic and pepper, I admit I was being too adventurous with this side dish cos it just sounded nice. The spaghetti however, was simply fantastic... a gastronomical delight, simply put, I have never had spaghetti this good, I took pleasure twirling it around my fork and then finally putting it into my mouth bursting into full, rich flavour. Its perfectly al dente and coated with a layer of cheesy goodness and even bits of pork to spice things up! Its really like nothing I've ever had (and its only EUR6!). Gotta have more pasta in Italy...

I loved Rome and it was a busy 2 full days that was filled to the brim - it barely gave it justice for such a wonderful city! (Oh and I survived the notorious public transport system - it looked quite safe to me, I wonder what's the fuss!)

Eurotrip - Firenze

2007-06-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

I'll remember Firenze (Florence) because this is where I first tasted real, authentic Italian food. Not at some over touristed posh restaurant but at a little Tavern-like place called "Trattoria Anita". This was also where I got to experience Italian warmth and hospitality when the people around me tried to joke with me in Italian even when they knew I couldn't speak and understand them! I got what they reccommended - which were (as far as I can decipher from the menu), all for EUR6+EUR1 cover:

Primi: Gomiti alla Puttanesca

Secondi: Arista con Asparagi

Contorni: Piselli alla Florentina

This was my long awaited proper meal in days and I'm really happy with it - also, I got to meet these Japanese girls living in Firenze so it wasn't too lonely a lunch!

After lunch, I went for a gelatio at supposedly one of the best Gelatoria in Firenze. I casually ordered any one I could not quite understand cos chocolate/banana/vanilla etc were too common, so I ordered "Riso". It tasted quite good at first with little chewy bits among smooth gelatio - but I soon realised that "Riso" was "Rice" because I remembered "Risotto" in many restaurant menus which were rice dishes. So - yeah, I just ate rice gelatio and the chewy bits were rice lumps, maybe even slightly raw! It also dawned upon me how I found it all too familiar - its the same taste/smell as uncooked rice straight from the sack and the colour seemed identical to the milky white water when you wash the rice. Alright, that's probably not how it got the flavor but it was enough to slightly unsettle me. Still - I bet few people actually have tried rice flavored gelatio. SO that was a consolation i guess!

Overall, Florence's a very nice city that had a history the could make it another Rome or Milan - huge commercial centres, but it took a different way altogether and became a cultural capital of Europe! Afterall, this is where many fine artwork from renowned artists such as Leonardo, Michangelo and I believe Donatello (3/4 of the TMNT! anyone?) could be found. But ironically, I found it a tad too commercial with huge queues into the Accademia where Michangelo's David was on display. This was not my cup of tea and definitely out of my budget!

Eurotrip - Milano

2007-06-13T03:25:00.000-07:00

Now sitting in the beautiful Milano Doumo, I think I should take this time to write about Milano because I have quite a lot of time to kill.

Frankly, Milano is really a shopping haven for the budget unconscious traveller with world known labels lining each street and alleyway. Sights-wise, it had little to offer and very much walkable within less than a day. Its famous Doumo is probably the main attraction and then tourists flock to the nearby Prada and Gucci stores to break their bank.

So, with so little interesting things to write about the city - I shall write more about my own interesting experiences with the people I meet. This time, my room-mates were a Hongkie (whom I regretedly, forgot his name), Japanese (Aki) and Mexican (Ricardo) - all very cool and interesting people, travelling by themselves too.

The first day was spent covering "ground" with Ricardo and it was nice hearing about Mexico and learning a little Spanish from him (instead of Italian!). We walked a lot but the most memorable time was almost sneaking into the church that held the "Last Supper" by Leonardo Da Vinci. Entry was by advanced booking only and was EUR6.50 and very much out of our reach. But before giving up and leaving, we "accidentally" walked through a series of one way doors that we were not supposed to enter from the outside. We found ourselves first in the souvenir shop and then the audioguide return point (which were supposed to be the end of the tour). So, we were just one more door away from entering from the back door, but sadly there weren't any tourist groups exiting through the last door - so it stayed locked. We lingered around the the exit lobby but thought we must look really suspicious to the people monitoring the cameras perched directly above us, so we left in the end. How cool it would have been to get in there by accident!

That night, I wanted to look for authentic Milanese food, eg. Risotto alla Milanese or Cotoletto alla Milanese but I could not find any I liked. First there was this dodgy cafe selling them for EUR5, but it looked too casual to be any good (IMO) and the other was excellent (2 plats for EUR9.30) but it was ran by a Chinese family - *although* there were lots of Italians in the restaurant, my gut feeling took over and I gave up in the end at 9pm+ after walking around for about 3h! So it was back to bread and biscuits and some fruits from my HK friend - more funds for Rome I guess. (Anyway, the receptionist in the Hostel already told me authentic restaurants run upwards of EUR20, but I still stubbornly went in search nonetheless.). She win.

The next day (today) was spent walking around with the HK guy and we talked about photography (since he was a photographer!) before he left to shop and I left to sleep in the Duomo, one more place to add in my "slept in" list! By the way, before this we were talking about European girls and I was telling him how I wished I could just take pictures of European girls during my time here - they are just so pretty!

Sitting here in the stalls, the majesty slowly fades (its been 2 hours now) and I find it mildly amusing to see people kneel and worship figures and statues on the altar - it feels very much a self imposed obligation to me, since even the relationship of the figures and the religeon is artificially created. There are no divine objects from above but crafted by man to resemble the objects of people's superstition. If anything it should be a celebration of human craftsmanship and the ability of some to "dominate" minds.

Some people's admiration for Cathedrals grow as they sit in and watch, I guess mine diminishes, its too "external" and superficial for my liking. Of course, this is only my opinion, no offence to anybody!

Eurotrip - Geneva/Lausanne

2007-06-11T03:57:00.000-07:00

Spent my first couple of hours in Switzerland napping on random train platforms - cos it was raining pretty badly when I got there at 6am. This area of Switzerland is the French speaking area and the main feature must be the great lake that is surrounded by great mountains that formed the backdrop for this international city. It was a pleasant little city, busy with executives going around - but because of the time and the rain, I didn't stay long before going off to Milan.

Still, now on the train, all I see are awe inspiring mountains and some snow covered peaks. Lovely.

Eurotrip - Barcelona

2007-06-10T04:01:00.000-07:00

Getting off the train from Cordoba - Barcelona, it was refreshing to feel the cool breeze once more. This made me appreciate the importance of hanving the sea to cool down the otherwise hot day.

So, Barcelona's a cool city - probably the most colorful place that I have been to. And most of this "life" comes from its main promenade - the Las Rambla. This short (~1km) stretch of pedestrian street was filled to the brim with people, mostly tourists. And where there are tourists, there would be overprised alfresco dining restaurants/street-side-stalls, and street performers. I've also seen people doing "magic" to con artists doing the "ball-under-which-box" game as well as lots of human statues that REALLY didn't move! They were so real that I only realised some of them were human when the statue "moved" to another spot the next day! Indeed, this street has something interesting going on in it anytime of the day. Once, there was even this group of 20-30 cyclists cycling through the street in the nude chanting and ringing their bells merrily along the way... I was so stunned that I didn't think to get out my camera, but in the end, I managed to get a short video. BUT its really not Youtube safe!

One other thing that made Barcelona great was that it had a very nice beach by the city - clean too! So I took a stroll along the beach on day during midday and it was really quite packed with Sunbathers.. some even topless! This became pretty much my first time being in a "topless" beach - but strangely, it felt normal enough and I didn't really stare too much also, it just felt a little awkward. SO I just concentrated on not getting my shoes wet while making sure I do not trip on bodies along the coast whilst I took a nice stroll on the wet, fine sand.

I also got to try Paella, finally! Which is a Spanish speciality that was Saffron rice cooked with seafood/meat. I had this meal in a proper nice restaurant with great ambience. The story went like this - I was already resigned to having to dine alone in a posh restaurant, which felt weird even to me! So I guess, it was quite a brave thing to do... but in the queue - I met this group of 6 Chinese guys also visiting Barcelona so we talked a bit and I joined them in the end! Quite unexpectedly considering I have very much given up hope of having people to eat with.

Paella washed down with Sangria was the ultimate Spanish meal - it was awesome. After dinner, we spent the night at this musical fountain that they told me about at Plaza de Espana.

This encounter with this group of really nice Chinese guys made me realise that although I'm from M'sia and they were from Beijing, I found out that we had very similar cultures and habits and beliefs. It was strangely comforting to see hwo we just clicked! This also made me think of how Chinese I really am, at that time I felt proud to be speaking Chinese and got even more determined to visit China one day - which they termed, would be akin to returning "home" for me. Cool.

Eurotrip - Girona/Figures

2007-06-08T03:48:00.000-07:00

Girona was a pretty city which was probably the most complete medival-ish city I've ever been to. It even had this 2km stretch of city wall left intact - complete with archer/scout viewing ports and firing chambers. The part of the city the wall (and the river) enclosed was pretty much perched on top of a hill, so the view from on top of the walls, down the valley and across the other hills was breathtaking. It didn't take much imagination to see how city defenders could spot and take down potential threats from afar.

Its constructions were mostly Gothic in nature and probably being a Christian town, the Cathedral and churches and convents stood out as one of the most magnificent structures. No mosques, no Islamic influences as that in Cordoba and Sevilla.

Overall, it was a pleasant walk and I headed off to Figures, the city of Salvador Dali. But, nothing much there - so I took off back to Barcelona!

Train to Barcelona...

2007-06-08T03:45:00.000-07:00

This overnight train has been simply awful. Barely 2 hours into the ride, I've already been assaulted by loud baby crying in the seat next to mine (which I mind less cos its a baby - so wouldn't know better.). BUT what really kills me is the group of school children. When I say the Spanish are loud - they are! and its all coming to haunt me now.

Eventful night ahead!

(But at least, I just found out that the seat can recline... slightly.)

Eurotrip - Sevilla

2007-06-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

Alright, aside from spending EUR100+ in 2 days for train bookings and hostel fees. This charming city was surprisingly enjoyable. In face it was REALLY good because I met this group of nice people and actually went around the city at night from 10.30pm to 2am enjoying the night views as well as discovering open air performances and free flamenco bars. So we spent the night talking, taking pictures and watching flamenco while drinking Sangria - the whole experience was quite Spanish because we did this in a flamenco bar where there was only live flamenco going on without your usual pub music. Also, the locals dancing were not your stereotypical slim and sexy dancers, but "real" women - it was slightly surprising at first cos we expected it to be like those in posters that were pasted everywhere, but it added a touch of authenticity to the whole performance.

Furthermore, I tried tapas (tid-bits traditionally served with drinks) during my first night there when I first met this group of people in the hostel. Speaking of which, it was a nice hostel placed slightly away from the touristy city centre, in the Triana historic district, where the hippies and gypsies used to live in. (Incidentally, this area was an important centre of the development of flamenco. In fact, two songs we heard were about love for Triana and Sevilla!) It was a lovely little terrace house that used to hold 10 families in a house with only 1 kitchen and toilet facilities. So it was quite harsh then. But now, the indoor patio where the families hung out was converted to a lounge that was full of Sevillian influences - tiles and patterns and all.

It was pretty much a very cultural city with a huge Gothic cathedral (largest Gothic, 3rd largest overall) and a group of palaces with gardens. For myself, I just took peeks into the compounds so I didn't really go in. Still, it was enjoyable because other things such as bullfights, flamenco and the southern Spanish speciality, tapas, were in full force there. Hence, it is very much a summary of Spanish culture and habits in this Andalucian region. (As opposed to Cordoba, which was more of a summary of History).

I enjoyed the city so much that I felt a little saddened to be leaving all the friends and all. But that's just how it goes, a new adventure awaits! I'm loving Spain so far - hope Barcelona will make a good end to this fantastic trip in Espanya!

Eurotrip - Cordoba

2007-06-05T07:40:00.000-07:00

While some cities are cool and others are lined with grandeur, Cordoba's steeped in history.

This little city is a Prime example of the conflict between Muslims and Christians that has been ongoing since forever. It was initially Christian - with a very old church back then at around 700AD. Then the Muslims arrived on their version of the Crusades to take the city during the 700s, interestingly they choose to keep the church grounds and expand it into a mosque that is going to be the most important Muslim mosque in the Western Hemisphere. Indeed, its size and beauty was breathtaking.

During the Crusades, however, the Crusaders captured the city and built a cathedral within the mosque compound, effectively turning the mosque into a cathedral. TIll now, the whole confused structure is simply known as the Mosque-Cathedral.

Even more interestingly, the environs around the Mosque-Cathedral was an old Jewish district - complete with windy narrow streets and little houses with humble but colourful exteriors with luxurious interiors that has been preserved till now.

So Cordoba actually housed all three major religions in this area during its time. Not only that, its Alcazar (fortress) was the site where Isabelle greeted Adios to Christopher Columbus and was the headquarters for the inquisition as well as the reconquering of nearby cities such as Granada. So it must be an important city back then!

On another note, the weather was absolutely swelteringly hot today with one of the temperature displays on the street showing 41 degrees! Granted this is not usually accurate with maybe errors of about 3-4 degrees. Still, a temperature of 37 - 45 degrees isn't exactly fun to begin with! There were white pigeons around the place and I met this group of kids collecting coins from the fountain pools - so now the mystery of disappearing coins in wishing ponds is now solved! I've also settled my trip to Barcelona favourly and I promised myself to try Spanish Paella within the next few days!

Ah... good times!

Headache

2007-06-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

Just encountered my first major headache for the trip. Apparently, the Sevilla - Barcelona night train's very very popular and hence the reservation alone's a whooping EUR40+. A price I would NEVER pay. So I've spent the last hour on this train to Cordoba agonizing over alternate plans that costs ranging from EUR20+ to EUR30+ depending on a huge number of factors that I have no idea of. Lets just hope I can find something and work out a better deal - or I'll be really broke!

(Have I mentioned this Spanish train's incredible - its totally like an airplane! very comfy!)

*Fingers Crossed*

Eurotrip - Madrid

2007-06-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

My first night in Madrid, apart from discovering that I have very interesting roommates, it was just luck that it happened to be a Saturday and I got to hear the Madrid that never sleeps!There was lively chatter all through the night and sounds of people chanting and dogs barking that echoed through the great avenues and plazas - this lasted till 8 am in the morning, when it went away, replaced by the growing morning crowd buzz. The legendary party that never stops in Madrid is certainly a "sight" to behold!

(BTW, I've also heard of a campaign called "Madrid Needs Rest!" which was to cut down on late night noise - but good luck with that, these people seem to enjoy it far too much!)

Another really interesting observation was also how loud that locals speak! They easily sound as loud as many times as many people in trains, on streets, in restaurants - basically everywhere! The Spanish are really "colourful" people, in that sense, and I would guess that it would be hillarious if I could actually understand Spanish to have a peak into their lively and hearty conversation!

Anyways, Madrid was amazing, lots of things to do and see - it was a really jam packed three days consisting of going around the city by day and hanging around to chit-chat with my roommates by night till bedtime.

Visited some really interesting places, like the Santiago Bernabeu (just for bragging rights, actually. because it was not anything spectacular, just a big grey building).

The Del Prado museum, which was supposed to be one of the best in Europe, was amazing as well. It was just simply great to see Spanish art in Spain, giving me a feel of what life was at that time and how things were. So as you can see, I am not that technically inclined when it comes to art, the only thing that matters to me was the subject matter. During my time in the museum, I also got acquainted with famous Spanish artists such as El Greco, Frencesco Goya and friends. It was like going back in time to a familiar place in an unfamiliar time - although the captions were in Spanish, the paintings spoke for themselves. I actually remembered feeling really excited in the museum which was a good reminder of how I like some kinds of art!

Also, I watched my first ever bullfight in the biggest ring in Spain. I wrote this before the show:

"Oh my gosh - so exciting! Waiting for my first ever bullfight in the biggest
ring in Spain! The crowd, the atmosphere and the stadium reminds me of one
thing... Old Trafford! Its buzzing all around with excitement and people are
slowly taking their seats all around - even the TV crew's on standby. It was so
reminiscent of the Manchester United match - down to the almost depleted camera
battery! Tickets were EUR5.70 for an excellent view! I'm so excited that I can't
wait for the match to start!"

But that was about it. I enjoyed the first parades and ceremony and all but the bullfight itself was gruesome to say the least! I can't believe I've witnessed the murder of 6 bulls in a space of only 2 hours! It got kinda repetitive after sometime, although it was exciting when the bulls got really close and sometimes even actually injuring the horse the matador was on. It was very much a one-sided fight against a very confused bull because bulls can't see very well - so I found myself actually emphatising with the bull and hoping that it would win once or twice!

That said, it was a great experience, one that is once in a lifetime. No more. I can't change Spanish culture, so I'll just abstain.

Being in Spain for only 3 days, I felt like I've picked up a bit of Spanish here and there and also begun to actually have some confidence in using it. Before it was just "Donde esta metro?" (Where is metro?) buy now it became "Hola senior, donde esta il metro mas cercano?" (Hi sir, where's the nearest metro station?) So there's some progress and at one point of time, some lost tourist even came up to me and asked for directions in Spanish! It was like "Donde esta la Plaza del Sol?" and I was shocked at first that I could understand her perfectly enough to give her an answer! Although I couldn't reply in Spanish, I just pointed at the direction of Plaza del Sol! Hee.

Then there's the inevitable fun/experience in the Hostel - Los Amigos in the city centre. Apart from the street outside being very very colourful by day and annoyingly noisy by night, it was a rockin place where I met some really cool people. It was great just chatting while on our bunks about stories and interesting experiences which was great! Met English, American and Canadian guys that were especially nice and hope to keep in touch! It was definitely a very memorable stay! Room 4 rox!

In one of the chats with my mates, we also talked about backpacking solo versus in groups - we came to a conclusion that we'd very much prefer solo and the freedom it gives whereas in groups its inevitable that tensions will arise and couples split and friends become enemies and all. It was a good enlightening conversation that was mroe food for thought - it was also interesting to see how the solo backpacking bug has bitten all of us now!

Eurotrip - Alcala, El Escorial

2007-06-02T02:40:00.000-07:00

When I got off the train today in the Great city of Madrid, I just wanted to shout a loud "Buenos Dias!" - granted, my Spanish probably consists of only these two words. But I guess Freddies "teachings" actually made me feel very at home in Madrid. Strange, but true!

However, I spent the day outside Madrid - which was supposed to be Toledo, but once again, I have to scrap these plans and visit nearby Alcala and El Escorial instead! These places I have never heard before but apparently, both were heritage sites - and looking at the fact that I accumulated enough rest to be sufficiently perked up for the day, I went for them!

Alcala was a University town, home to one of the earliest Universities in Europe. It started as a 2nd Century settlement and grew in significance until the Romans then Monarchy came at around the 1600s. The University was almost 500 years old and the city came to become an important centre for scholarship and knowledge preservation and teaching. This was probably Spain's version of Oxford.

Having said that, the old building there have been diluted by modern buildings built for modern day needs of the people - so the historic buildings have been interspersed by shopping arcades and apartment blocks. It was not the preserved university city that I've actually hoped to see. Sure, it might be of great historic significance, but I'd probably need much more background information on it than the little phamplet could provide to fully appreciate it.

El Escorial was as flashy as Alcala was understated. Huge grand buildings were everywhere and the biggest and grandest was by far the monastry perched on top of the hill. It was as huge as an entire city block on both sides. Set against the clear blue sky and the nearby hills, its grandeur was breathtaking. Outside, there was a huge park with dedicated paths and lanes through them that were named after historic persons - the entire park was lined with ancient trees planted by on of the old Kings of El Escorial. Old buildings such as guildhouses and barracks were beautifully preserved and the city was littered with aptly unobstrusive cafes and restaurants to offer locals and tourists some respite and rest.

It's indeed a meeting point of culture, natural and man-made beauty.

Along the way to and from El Escorial, the scenery was gorgeous as well. Rolling hills with the occassional lake and animals along with little villages - its not at all similar to the English countryside of grasslands and hills covered in grass, but peppered with little trees and plantations. It was a convenient introduction to the Spanish countryside!

Come tomorrow, I will rule Madrid. Just wait and see! Ciao!

Eurotrip - Lisboa (Lisbon)

2007-06-01T01:44:00.000-07:00

After so many days of tortured sleep, its amazing to wake up happy, recharged and in a new city no less! This freshness is precisely why I make it a point to sleep early and wake up early all my life! Its so good, it must be addictive!

The previous day was supposed to be spent at Sintra, one of those scenic towns that has been preserved so well. But a host of reasons made me change my schedule at the last minute, these are my reasons:

1) It was too early to be at Sintra (I was already there at 7am+).

2) There was another castle there.

3) Other than the castle, the other attractions are a park, and a nice building that wasn't free.

4) The other building probably was not worth the bus and entrance.

5) Going anywhere would incur bus fares.

6) Lisbon seemed to be more interesting than the time I had allocated for it would suggest.

7) Going to and from Sintra (although free), was a painful hour long ordeal that involved 3 train changes.

8) I was so tired that I phased in and out of sleep on trains between stops.

9) I just wanted a good bath to take the lathargy away.

10) And so on...

Back to Lisbon, its really an underrated city. Beautiful, in fact, more beautiful and authentic than anything I've ever seen. There were great plazas and avenues alongside neighbourhoods and windy alleyways. It is also built on a hill by the sea so it was very interesting layout-wise and also navigation-wise. I was really awestruck because I didn't think too highly of Portugese cities before this, but I guess it has just made the "must-visit" list of places in Europe!

Just because Lisbon is so different and "unique" there were many "firsts" here for me, including using this ancient iron elevator to get up the steep cliff. (People used to use these elevators, scattered around the city as a form of "transport" in the old days - now it doubles as a tourist attraction!). And because its really summer here with the sun out in full force, I got pretty sunkissed here, in fact I got burned on the first day and immediately got brown enough to prevent any more burns for the rest of my trip! I love my skin! =)

Met a couple of people here, including the owner of the hostel who was a very nice guy who told me lots about the city and also about running hostels. Business graduate from the USA, now running his own hostel - humble beginnigns but he sure had aspirations for his baby! Apart from him, several American girls, a British-Aussie couple, this Croatian guy and this bunch of NUS people also crossed my path. The hostel certainly was a great place to meet people from all over, great comfy place!

A random thought I thought I should write down (because I think its interesting and funny at the same time): Dirty Laundry is like wine. The longer its kept, the more you will pay for it!

Eurotrip - Porto

2007-05-30T02:33:00.000-07:00

My first flight with Ryan Air was good - although I couldn't get much sleep at Stansted due to noise from repair works and the heater was off for the night. Four hours of disturbed sleep was just about all I got through the night to give me some strength to get through this day. The flight was also useful because it gave me an additional hour of sleep. In this time when every minute of sleep counts - it was a heaven-sent gift for tired me.

Porto's a lovely city in a rough and rugged manner. I haven't seen any city quite like Porto, where narrow alleyways and huge avenues criss cross through the whole city and steep slopes dominate the pedestrian paths. It was somewhat confusing and gave me an interesting time navigating with my lousy (but free!) map - but it gave the city a lot of character. I find myself routinely navigating seemingly deserted and dodgy back alleys to get from place to place, which was a little unsettling at first but apparently, it is the only way to navigate the city! Being a city built on hills, I find myself trekking up 30 degree inclines more often than flat paths with my backpack on my back all the while, effectively reducing my footsteps to little baby steps forward that seemed to get me nowhere. It was a mighty arduous day for me, but I can see the locals are quite used to it and trek up and down slopes with relative ease.

Just as any European city, there were magnificent old buildings alongside "slummy" areas that was connected by a clean and contemporary designed modern train system that gave out a curious mix and a light confusion in the city's "feel" and identity. The Douro River that gives the city life was at its shimmering best as the sun shone high up in the sky - a stark, but welcome contrast to the terrible weather in London. I'm thankful for this.

People in Porto are a friendly bunch, very helpful! My very first experience with this was the moment I arrived at the Airport, when I asked this construction worker where the Metro was - he tried his best to direct me there and even brought me there personally! At the Metro station, a policeman guessed (correctly) that I'm heading towards the city and automatically guided me towards the ticket vending machine to get my ticket and help me validated my ticket. Although these gestures might seem trivial and I could have done all this myself, it was nice to know that people here are so eager to help and any help is greatly appreciated when your in a totally foreign place!

It was a very warm welcome and made me feel at home right from the start! (which was exactly what this old Russian Lady I've met at the Airport told me as I helped her fill up her embarkation form!)

On the side, I also realised that Portuguese girls are generally quite pretty! (Or perhaps, above average, at least!) - just a random thought, means tons of eye candy! =P

I've found Love in Porto too - in the form of vintage Vinho de Porto or Port Wine while visiting this winery for Taylor's. There, I had a chance to see huge aging vats and countless barrels of wine - holding 1.2 million litres of really expensive wine. The sweet aroma that filled up the air was almost intoxicating as we listened to the guide talk about their wine. It was very interesting, not to mention, educational. At the end of the tour, we were treated to a tasting of two of their wines, a Chip White wine which was really dry that didn't take too long to mature and an excellent vintage Red port wine that can take many decades to mature. I loved the red one with its sweet tangy flavour - so did most of the other visitors. At only €11, I would even have bought one if Porto was my last stop, but that's not to be!

So, move along Champagne, I have a new favourite wine in Port.

Eurotrip - London

2007-05-29T02:09:00.000-07:00

After so many months in the UK, I'm finally writing a little bit about London.

So, I met Xin Hui who was here to start her grad trip in Europe and we thought it would be great to go around the place together. We stayed at this hostel for just 6 pounds per person per night - including linen and breakfast! Tho probably because it was supposed to be a slightly shadier neighbourhood and near a cemetary - still, it was a nice enough stay and an absolute bargain.

The weather has just turned cold the night before and it was absolutely freezing and wet outside. We spent out second day bravely walking through the rain in various intensities and winds of different strengths - it became so bad at times that we just had to seek shelter for a moment to thaw our bodies. Add to the fact that I was wearing just 2 layers of normal t-shirts in that 10 degree cold and rain, I was pretty amazed that I actually survived the whole 5 - 6 hour walk!

The next day was slightly better because the rain was not as heavy. Still, it was absolutely temperamental weather outside where it would switch from sunny to rainy in approximately 10 minute intervals. We could not complain because the sun was up most of the time (sometimes behind rainclouds..) and the day was definitely more bearable than the one before!

Travelling with a partner is very different from doing it myself because there was another person's opinions to consider and I'm pretty used to debating with myself and occassionally steam-rolling my way through my own alter ego's opinions. Thankfully, Xin Hui was a good partner and it was nice travelling with her. However, like I said in Bruges, I'm really not sure if I could travel with the same person/group for an extended period of time! I guess its just me, I value freedom and flexibility too much - perhaps this would be my next challenge to overcome.

Anyways, the highlights of this trip was catching the musical "Chicago" in Cambridge Theatre and it was quite mediocre in my opinion. Frankly, I very much prefer the operas I've seen before because in those operas, the singing was excellent and the plots was very interesting to say the least. Chicago here was really quite stale in terms of storyline and it was very predictable but the redeeming factor must be the dances and the fact that it was my first time watching this show. I cannot imagine watching this same show the second time.

Also, we took a free guided tour around London - which was incidentally also my first city tour since I came to Europe. Usually, I prefer to walk around myself and form my own impressions and opinions, which, in my opinion, are more genuine and unique to my own experience. However, this tour was interesting because it was packed with bits and pieces of very interesting stories, quirky to historic, that is associated with several interesting landmarks of London. I could say I enjoyed it a lot and actually stayed till the end - giving him an uncharacteristically (of me) generous tip of 5 pounds.

Anyway, tomorrow will be the start of my actual trip in Porto. Flight's at 6.35am - so tonight, I shall (try to) sleep in Stansted Airport and hope the heating's on.

Europe - here I come!

Open Letter

2007-05-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

It seemed almost like just yesterday I got off that plane in Heathrow and slowly made my way to Guildford, then to the University. I remembered it was a cold night in the midst of winter and I had to drag my luggage through the rain that has just started. It was my first time being in a new place all by myself, so far away from home, I did not quite know what to expect. It was exciting, but deep inside me, I was scared.

In a flash, I am leaving Guildford within the next couple of days. Packing by room back into my luggage has been painful not because of the hassle, but more because of my impending fate of getting on a one way trip back home - not knowing when (if ever) will I be back in this beautiful place again among amazing people like you. I am sure the next time I'm back will be very different from the time I've spent here in the last five months - which has surpassed all my wildest expectations and dreams. It is almost cruel to leave this place so soon.

Without doubt, this few months has been the best of my life so far - from pub crawls (with the Chem Eng folks) to dance competitions in Bath and Blackpool (with the bunch of BLD people), not to mention the numerous friends I've made in Hazel Farm and the Union, and from my travels from Guildford town to the beautiful city of Prague. This simply has been the craziest time of my life!

Having said all that, the past week has been a fitting end to this little adventure of mine - crazy power packed parties and gatherings. It is great to see all you people again for the last time before I leave and it was full of laughs and fun (and photographs!) - like a quick revisit of all the fun we shared in my stay here. It was nice because its friends like you who made it all happen for me - and it will simply by different without all of you around.

Also, I would like to take an opportunity to thank everyone who took the time to write a little something for me, these pieces of paper will form my most cherished memories of my time here - because while I do not mind the inevitable eventual fading away of places I've seen and things I have done, I will never want to forget the people I've met and shared part of my life with.

On this note - Thank you very much for being part of this amazing, unforgettable adventure!

Keep in touch!

Love,
Chin xxx

P/S: If you ever happen to drop by Malaysia or Singapore in the future.. Drop my a line and I'll be more than happy to host/bring you around the place whenever I can.

It's Time

2007-05-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

Now as I pack the last pieces of my room back into my luggage, everything finally sunk in - and Sarah's last "Gonna miss you!" text was like the matchstick that sparked the dry grasslands into life.

Its this heavy sinking feeling that I have tried to deny till now. The sickening feeling that feels like I'm slowly being brought to my gallows, chained and hooded. I am that lonely figure being prodded along down that dark hallway to meet his fate before his time.

Stumbling along as I took heavy steps forward, I could not see where I am or where I am heading towards - but the shadows that danced in the darkness in my head seemed all too real. Colorful figures and shapes melted into a blur of grey - dancing without the care in the world, laughing. Laughter echoed through my mind - down the hallways and into my deaf ears, chilling me to the bone. Shivers rippled through my weak body and it was cold as frost inside me while sweat dripped down to break the silence engulfing the hallway.

Its painful and then surreal, and even those times of drunken stupor felt crystal clear in comparison - more a refreshing thought than my impending fate.

For tonight, time is my executioner.

Chem Eng BBQ

2007-05-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

BBQ and Games and lovely weather - what else can I say.

Champions League and Dance

2007-05-23T16:02:00.000-07:00

Today's the Champions League Finals in Athens between AC Milan and Liverpool, normally I would not miss huge matches like this but today I choose to forgo that in favour of Sarah's End of Year Dance Show.

Zack and Cedric on the bus to watch the UCL Finals

It was my first experience with modern dance and I quickly got acquainted with the dances and really enjoyed some of the pieces on show. It's quite amazing how different the dances can be from the very abstract to the very mainstream. It was a great experience but it was made better by the fact that few of the dance people came along as well. So it was the show then a little chilling in Channies (where there was the live screening going on before, great atmosphere I must say - lots of cheering and beers going around) - it's quite officially the last day I'd get to see these people.

Just after Sarah's performance.

The thought of leaving friends here behind has not yet sunk in, actually.

At Channies

Aldershot BBQ

2007-05-22T14:22:00.002-07:00

It became South Road BBQ because Punit and Co. couldn't get their lawns tidy because of the rain - so the venue was changed instead. I went over with Kosh and company who included Di and Lea - who were people I actually could really talk to so that kept me occupied through the long 20minutes walk from uni to south road.

It was actually disappointingly small after a huge group of them went off to Uni for their own stuff - but I also realised that the people who make these kind of parties fun were still there - those like Thulini, Barani, Taz, Zamir, Matt, Pratik, Ketan, Punit etc were all still there, so it was cool. They were all genuine people who were being themselves and not (giving me the impression that they were) trying to fit into a group all the time - this made me feel really comfortable being with these people.

So dinner was marinated chicken prepared by Pratik and Indian Cheese sticks prepared by Punit which was very quickly gobbled down by everyone there. Thankfully there was not too much booze or sheesha or whatever sinful indulgences these people might have - it was clean healthy fun in all. Loads of interesting conversations were going on and I had a great time there! Tho I had to get back at around 9pm because it was getting dark and I got a lift back to Hazel Farm - it was all cool.

Love em guys!

Lunch with Cheryl

2007-05-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

(I think it has come to a point in time when every little thing I'm doing here feels significant and I just have to put them down or I might just forget it! But I guess this's the first time sitting down chatting with a friend and I'm not drunk, so I guess it deserves a mention just because so.)

Okay, it was not quite lunch, more like sitting down chatting over some coke and orange juice. It was a 3 hour long chat in total that began when I met her to get back my random pieces of paper that she wrote stuff on which was important to me. But she invited me for a drink at Roots so I thought - why not?

She's a lovely girl that is effortless to talk to (as opposed to conversation "blocks" which are people that have significant conversation inertia and simply hard to maintain a running conversation with). It was pleasant just sitting down and talking and listening for a change - one on one - and she was becoming quite an important friend that was especially nice to talk to all the time. I thought it would be a good idea since I am leaving soon and I had quite a bit of time today (or rather had less important things to do). So we talked about everything around from places to culture to habits to Russia (where she was heading to next for placement) to how men can't multitask - so it was very interesting to say the least.

We headed off to town for a bit to get some of our respective stuff done, and was chatting all throughout the 15min walk from University to town and back - going from Stonehenge to pebble beaches to shopping to our mutual friends. It was refreshing conversation and I could say I can keep talking to her for a long time if I had the time for it. But I had to leave for the BBQ happening in the evening and catch up on a little rest before that.

I've always knew I like just chatting with people in general and it gets me high (on conversation) and makes me keep wanting to continue the conversation. Its not easy for me to actually start, but once I do and get into gear - its a guaranteed good time shared. This was somehow part of the reason I enjoyed travelling alone and meeting new people - although we might never meet again, the intellectual simulation from conversation just keeps me going and wanting more.

So yeah, it was a good time chatting with Cheryl - she is definitely one I would love to keep on my MSN list for those slow days when I just need to talk.

Stunnaz@Rubix

2007-05-22T00:28:00.000-07:00

Awesome night. It was a special night because my friend, Larry was DJ-ing for the first time in the Rubix main hall today so the bunch of us went down to have a bit of fun. It was some R&B night inspired by this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOZl_O1xoRY) and we were supposed to wear slick shades and all - but I didn't have one so I wore by jersey, put on my jacket and went down for some end of exams fun!

It started slow as usual and me and Kosh were there before everyone else at 1030pm and it was literally deserted. But things slowly picked up and my day started to rock when Taz and Punit showed up. A few drinks later (actually, I didn't drink much, in all, just a Vodka Redbull, a pint of Strongbrow and a half pint of Fosters) it was all dancing on the dance floor till the lights came on again. It was also nice to see I had a move or two in me that was actually not too bad - so everything was good.

It was pretty crazy all over the dance floor - random dancing, photos and drinks. And having been on a receiving end of so many pecks till now, I tried taking the initiative and all - which was cool and usually reciprocated! Was high at that time, so I don't quite give a hoot about anything really. Just mindless dancing and picture taking for me (no more drinks after).

In all, it was a great night and its these people who make it all happen! And I am quite sure I broke all my records by being drunk (or more like tipsy and high) twice on the same day. Crazy stuff.

The 25 HD Guys!

End of Exams!

2007-05-21T12:22:00.001-07:00

Today's the day I am "supposed" to finish my exams - because its when the year 2s finish theirs. So I met up with the people after their paper at 11am and we went to Channies to chill a bit. This was one of my "planned" post-exam chilling sessions so I was kind of looking forward to seeing these people again! Initially, I thought of just maybe having some Coke or such because its really quite early for alcohol (IMO). But..

Everyone was so happy (and high, due to caffeine fueled lack of sleep) that they just bought me drinks and all - so this was when I thought "oh heck!". After a few double JD Cokes later, I was quite high and tipsy, and the best part was - it was only around 2pm then! This must be my personal record of getting so tipsy so early in the day. It was wicked cos we chatted about a lot of stuff that was so random I cannot quite remember now, seriously. But I recalled it was fun, and after awhile, we were throwing coins into each other glasses for people to "Save the Queen" - it was laughs and a very good way to spend an afternoon indeed!

After the whole thing ended at 3pm when everyone went off their own ways, I walked to Tesco (still a little tipsy) and did my groceries in this state and trying to keep everything under wraps. Later, while waiting for the bus, I got this idea of going back into town for some shopping (for that A5 pad for people to write on) just out of the blue - the bus home was coming in 7 minutes and under normal circumstances I would have just postponed it to another day - walking in town like that was an interesting experience indeed! =) I actually stopped at people asking for donations and chatted a bit before leaving even while usually I would just shrug them off!

So I did everything and went back home to see Haleek and Di - I am sure they were amused by me getting drunk so early in the day. A nap later and dinner, I am now fine (tho my head was still slightly throbbing a few minutes ago) - ready to go to the Union tonight for "Stunnaz" party.

I feel this week's turning out to be sick! Great way to say goodbye I guess!

Year End Dance Social

2007-05-20T14:31:00.001-07:00

Of sorts. Attendance wasn't too good as this event was organized out of the blue in short notice, so publicity was almost non-existent and there were people who are still having exams. Still, it was a cosy little gathering of sorts that I enjoyed although I was slightly off-key due to the disappointing loss of Man U vs Chelsea in the FA Cup finals just few hours before - so I was slightly tired.

James, Gemma, Nat in Chancellors

It was good to catch up with everyone again and for some of them, like Natalie, this is probably the last time I will see them before I leave. It was a good chat over some beers in Chancellors before moving on to town (Witherspoons and someplace else.) for some more chilling. Chat chat and chat was all we did and I quite enjoyed it - we were lucky because we managed to find comfy sofas in the two pubs that we visited so it was cool.

Paul, Cheryl, John, Sarah, Me! (Peter took the picture)

Also found out that many of them are going on various placement attachments all over the place, Sarah in London doing something in a theatre company, Cheryl going over to cold cold Moscow, Nat and Gemma off to Australia in one semester's time and so on. So the BLD Society next semester is really going to be quite different!

Anyway, I took the chance to take some pictures again! Just for remembrance!

Post Exams Blues

2007-05-18T16:57:00.001-07:00

Yeah so the exams are over. At a risk of sounding full of myself, I would think this exam has been much more effortless than anything I am used to. Studying here in the UK sure is so much less stressful, although the exam mugging part was boring for as long as it lasted.

I celebrated the end of exams with a little pack of 32p custard cream biscuits from OneStop - more symbolic for anything because I was actually craving for something to eat just as all the exam tension flowed out of me in a very inappropriately timed shout/scream. But I know I should do more - but what?

There are a whole lot of parties going on these few weeks but tickets are a problem. Should have been to the Uni's Foam Party today but my mate could not get me tickets. So that was out of the question and I spent a few hours playing on my computer just for the fun of it. (It was not much fun actually..) So I shall make my last week here count and this is what I should be doing:

Friday 18/05:
~~Foam Party, Rubix~~ =(
Saturday 19/05:
FA Cup Final, Channies (Afternoon)
Dance Social, Guildford (Evening)
Sunday 20/05:
Empty.
Monday 21/05:
Post Exam Hangout with Chem Eng's People
Tuesday 22/05:
Empty.
Wednesday 23/05:
PPT WORKSHOP! (Morning - Afternoon)
Sarah's Dance Concert cum Dance Social (Evening)
Thursday 24/05:
Chem Eng Soc Gathering
Friday 25/05:
Empty + Moving into Taz's Place.
Saturday 26/05:
Chill out last day in Guildford.
Sunday 27/05:
Bye Guildford and University of Surrey.

Shall do better to fill up my slots.

But then I also gotta start packing my stuff into my luggage. I sense looming melancholy in the next few days, won't be easy to leave this place behind.

Hidden Dreams

2007-05-17T05:41:00.000-07:00

After listening to some Youtube recordings of various clips (mainly of acapella groups) - I came to this same realisation that has always been in my mind for a very long time and I thought I ought to put them down onto "paper". Its about what I want to do in my life, more specifically - the extracurricular stuff, since my pseudo-perfectionist streak will naturally spur my school-work and life-in-general to reasonable standards, so that's not so much a worry for me - so I don't worry too much about the big picture, but its the details that are so elusive to me.

I want to be a great singer. And a great dancer.

This is the stuff dreams and fantasies are made of. I am a dreamer, I admit. Every once in awhile, bits of them would pop into my mind to tease me and give me a peek of what it would be to finally be good in them - how it will feel, how it would be and all the wonderful things that define the word "fantasy".

One of my dearest dreams is to finally have my own proper Acapella group (preferbly all-guys, Boyz II Men style) that is more than a mere social activity or weekly get together - I want us to be a great performing group with high standards and experience the expectedly extreme pain (no, not in the masochistic sense) and the joy that comes along the way. And while I'm not singing, I want to get out there onto the dance floor with my partner and dance the most beautiful dance the world has ever seen - Cha, Rumba, Waltz, Quickstep and all, even Tap, Ballet and Hiphop stir my imaginations. All this if not for the world, then for my partner and myself.

It feels so far away but at times, it almost seems within grasp.

I'm glad that I'm taking my first steps into these dreams of mine. I just hope for a lot of hard work, and a spark of inspiration - to keep me going and hope one day, I will get there. Its easy to get from zero to something, I am sure every Tom, Dick, Harry or Jane can get here eventually with some excuse of a sense of determination - the real challenge lie in the transition from being something to being great.

I hope I don't get stuck in between.

Exam Blues.

2007-05-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

Finally after so many months of bliss - the realisation has dawned upon me that the exams are here. This must be my worst prepared exam EVER! Usually I would start preparing at least two to three weeks before the paper and slack off during the week of the paper - quietly confident that I will do at least reasonably well for it.

This time, I think I started my revision a grand total of 5 days before the paper. So understandably I am not quite up to my usual standards when it comes to preparedness. Its also hard to convince myself that a 40% pass is all I need because you'll never know where the 40% might come from! By Murphy's Law, the 40% I need might be on those parts that I've conveniently left aside when I "study smart".

But anyhow, this exam season - the entire university changes, people here really do work hard when exams are here. Libraries are packed from the Silent Study Areas on Level 5 and Level 2 to the noisier Group Study Areas on Level 4! Some tutorial rooms are even occupied on weekends in the wee hours in the morning! (But now, what's left are the unfortunate Engineering students and some pockets of other modules here and there - the rest of the world's done with theirs and occupied with the endless partying events in town and in the Union.)

So this caught on to me so I've basically spent the afternoons (12noon to 6pm) of the past 3 days (Saturday, Sunday, Monday) in the Library with my house-mate, Haleek, who was taking the same module as me and was unsurprisingly slightly flustered at the amount of stuff to cover! So much that when I tried to do the same thing today, I could not get past 4pm - and had to come home to take a nap!

I've got a paper tomorrow (Chaos, Complexity and Systems Dynamics) and this Friday (Chemical Reactions Engineering 1) - wish me luck!

The Title!

2007-05-13T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today's when we won the Premiership for the first time in 3 years - the first time Chelsea has been knocked off that pedestal they bought! Its a mighty big day for the Reds - I hope they do battle hard next Saturday to get that FA Cup for the Double! With more to come in the following years!

"It's been a fantastic season for our club, for every one of us," he said, addressing the United fans. "The supporters, the staff, these lads (the players), I can't speak highly enough of them. It's been a wonderful year and we thank you for your support. We hope now that we can add to it next season." - Sir Alex.

This season has been amazing! Its especially special for me cos tis' the season I actually supported the Reds in the Theatre of Dreams! Great experience with this team destined for great glory!

Glory Glory Man United!

Last Dance

2007-05-10T15:53:00.000-07:00

I just went for my very last dance lesson with Nigel and Victoria - I must say the dances have been getting very very interesting lately, with nice twists added onto the basic steps. I even took a video of this particularly interesting Rumba routine that I loved, so that I can teach it to a partner back in Singapore. I would say I enjoyed the dance immensely through the whole semester and going for competitions have been a great experience and bonus - gotta thank my partner, Sarah for all the great dances. Being so involved also brought me closer to the bunch of great people dancing with me!

Nigel and Victoria

So that was the highlight for the day. Today it was at Wates House because Roots and Channies were booked and full respectively. It was good to see and hang out with them after so long being "apart" due to the long Easter holiday. Its always nice to be among friends that makes me feel comfortable and at ease - its nice listening to all the weird conversations going around and adding my bit to them too.

Great people. I will miss them loads - but on the bright side, there's another social coming up really soon! Looking forward to that! =)

Happy.

Time's a-Ticking

2007-05-08T01:47:00.000-07:00

Time flies. The term here ends in less than a month.

The thought of leaving this place for good (probably) has just dawned upon me. Its that heavy sinking thought, the general feeling of being "lost" and being in a constant dilemma. Now that I am caught in the middle, not quite staying for long anymore but its also not too soon till I get back to Singapore - a month can be a long time if used wisely. I find myself rather preoccupied with the thought of missing people I know.

On the one hand, I know I will miss everyone here for the amazing times I had. The Chemical Engineers for the revelation that us Engineers need not be boring people; The BLD Dancers for the journey towards the two unforgettable competitions that I have represented the University in; random people I met through clubbing that I meet occasionally everywhere; my housemates who have been a bunch of happening and crazy bunch of people. I have been through so much with so many people here that it must be cruel to simply disconnect myself from it all when the time comes for me to leave.

On the other hand, now that "going home" does not seem so far fetched anymore. I find myself thinking about people back home more often, and imagining what it would be like to be back home, back in NTU once again. More often than I have openly admitted, I do miss everyone back there too - but ironically, the closer I am to my departure date, the stronger these feelings become. I cannot help but to imagine, and be excited about, what the new year would bring.

So here I am torn between two countries that are as different as the eight hour time difference between them. Frankly, it hurts to finally understand the reality of this situation. At the beginning, I saw this as an opportunity to take a look and experience for myself what life overseas would be, a whole new world to me, I expected myself to be much like a spectre looming around the place and disappearing without trace when my time was up. I thought six months for too short for anything, really.

I could not be more wrong.

A spectre does not form binds to this world, but I have formed my attachments to things and people that I have (foolishly) not expected - I have formed my own personality and in all sense of the word, became a person here that people care about and cares about others. Its like six months of accelerated time where all my experiences are condensed into few weeks at a time - its like living life in fast forward. Again, ironic because the pace of life here is considerably slower to that in Singapore - but due to a mix of having extra time and the excitement of being in something new, I lived life as it should be lived.

From what I hear from people back home, this kind of life has a special name.

Its called a "dream".

But I am sure in this "dream" the gritty details are often overlooked. Like how I would spend this last (exam) month starting to miss the people here because I do not get to see them as often as I would like; activities such as dance lessons and "Happening Thursdays" grinding to a halt; and the disproportionate amount of free time I have right now that culminated in completing 3 seasons of Stargate Atlantis and 2 seasons of Prison Break all in the space of a week. Something is amiss, I am sure.

But I can do something about this. I know I can.

Rumba

2007-05-03T03:46:00.000-07:00

I like Rumba cos its nice and slow and romantic!

Today I learnt a very nice Rumba routine which involves picking the girl up and spinning!

My spinning part was funny cos I didn't know how to spin a girl properly at first, but it was good! Gotta get it down on video sometime so I can remember it when I get back, get a partner and dance! =)

Eurotrip - Paris

2007-04-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

Quick Info
Paris, France
27th April - 29th April
Expenditure: €31.30

Quick Links
- Romance
- Luck
- French Food
- More Pictures

Romance
Paris's the city of lights - the city of romance, and true enough, pretty much everyone else were in pairs there. Rolling on the grass, on the benches, by the Eiffel Tower, near the Arc de Triomphe - everywhere! The French are romantic (or rather, more outwardly expressive of passion) - couples old and young making out everywhere.

(I meant to finish up this part, but I can't quite start from anywhere. Sorry! But yeah, it was nice!)

People here are also more fashionable, people wearing swank suits and paying attention to every detail from their hair to their shoes. The guys work out here, while the ladies are slim (maybe a little too much).

Luck
Or rather, the lack of it.

One thing that I particularly didn't enjoy about Paris was the sweltering heat! It must be something like 28 degrees during the afternoon - and even at night it was warm, which was sometimes a little uncomfortable for me right now. In the afternoon, I had to take breaks and nap around in Jardin (Gardens) and parks and even in front of the Louvre. I heard it was not supposed to be this warm these few days, or even these few weeks.

In fact it was so hot that spontaneous water fights (playful of course) broke out whenever there was a pond or fountain nearby. You see people sticking their feet into anything wet - throwing water bombs, bottles of water. People were sun tanning everywhere sun hit the ground and there were people walking around the gardens topless (mostly guys, girls were in bikini tops) just like its the normal thing to do!

Moreover, it even started to hail on one of the nights where it was slightly cooler and when we finally decided to take a night walk to get a dinner - it ended up raining heavily and even started to hail!

In the three days - we took trains sometimes (which were expensive, €1.40 per ride) and once when we were taking a train to the Eiffel Tower at night for the 10 minute glow and shimmer light show, it broke down 15minutes away from the Tower - which was supposed to be a very rare event. The next day, another train that we were on was delayed. How lucky we were.

French Food
Paris's famous for food. And since I've saved on accommodation - I took the liberty to try lots of French food. They were.. interesting to say the least, and of course, it was very nice! Among the things I tried were:

- French Pastry (Free, French)
- Crêpes x 2 (€5.50, French)
- Falafel (€4.00, Middle East)
- Pizza (€4.00, Italian)
- 3 Course Dinner (€15.00, French):

Entrée: Soupe à l'oignon au Gratiné (Onion Soup)
Plat: Fondue Savoyarde (Cheese Fondue)
Dessert: Gâteau au Chocolat, Creme Anglaise (Chocolate Cake, Custard Cream)

This was the most I've spent on food in my whole stay here till now. But its was a great experience, eating in nice restaurants and all in Paris. I'm glad I got the whole Parisian food thing in during my short stay there.

Gotta thank Jean-Michael for hosting me!
Everyone looking for food at Saint-Michael - the "affordable" food district.

Rainy day in Paris.

Under Construction.

2007-04-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

It'd be some time till I get my diary entries for each destination posted - and they will all be easily accessible from here.

But in the meantime, here are some photos:
Brussels
Bruges
Amsterdam
Bacharach
Sankt Goarhausen
Koblenz and Koln
Berlin
Munich
Salzburg and Innsbruck
Vienna
Prague

And now,
Paris

Eurotrip Part 1 Epilogue

2007-04-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

Quick Info
Journey Time: 20 Days
Countries Visited: Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic
Total Spending: 460 pounds.

Now that I'm back in the comfort of my own room - there are a few things that I would like to pen down regarding my trip so that I would not forget them, say, tomorrow morning. In all the past 20 days has certainly been an eye opener for me and there has been many opportunities for me to reflect and think about what I was visiting and also more about myself. It was not only a touristy trip but also one of self-discovery.

Since most of the time I would be walking around the place by myself - it gives me a great deal of time and space to think, and to be absorbed into the place. While walking, I would see people, buildings etc and then ask myself - why? And because of this, I tend to get a lot of interesting answers from my point of view. It might not be the most "correct" idea, but its my own conclusions from my own experience - and I think that gives me a unique perspective of the places I visit!

Places/Buildings
European countries owe their amazing architecture and flavour to their long history right from the ancient Roman tines, to the Medieval times to slightly more modern times. Along the way, there has been great changes in the aesthetic styles that greatly influenced the city planning as well as the architecture of their buildings.

Being a centre of the Catholic movement, naturally, Cathedrals and Churches are feature commonly in many European cities and are sometimes even the centre where the city expands from - the majesty and the artistry of the Cathedrals are testaments of the importance of religion in the lives of the people, so much that Cathedrals can take hundreds of years to build and several generations of workers to successfully build.

Castles are also a common feature of European cities - more attributed to the region's militaristic past, and partly to the hilly geography where magnificent castles can be perched on top for a great view of the surroundings - which is of strategic importance for medieval armies. These constructions are sturdy and have withstood the test of time - often times being the only structure in isolated areas. But are now invaded by hordes of tourists - simply because they are castles.

Parks also feature prominently in many cities - these vast areas of green provides welcome breaks from the dull grey of concrete buildings and provide vistas for relaxation after a day's work. Some parks can be enormous, like the Englischer Garten in Berlin, Germany while some places prefer to have little but numerous parks like those in Brussels, Belgium.

After so many days, visiting these kind of somewhat-similar-but-not-quite places can be repetitive, so I actually find I need less time to visit each city because I'd skip "normal" looking cathedrals, "hard-to-get-to" castles and gardens that are too huge to realistically walk the full stretch in. Even so, I like to enjoy parks after a long walk and just sit down, relax and perhaps take a nap under the cool weather.

Language
Its only after coming into Europe that I've realised how English is quite overrated - at least at the grass roots and for the more ordinary people. In Belgium, for example, most people speak Flemish or French - while only very few people have a competent English prowess to communicate effectively. It is even more so when I got to Prague at 10pm at night just to find out I couldn't communicate with the locals to find a direction to my Hostel.

In some ways, it was a slight shock to me. And sometimes, people just do not want to speak English - which is understandable because they don't really need to help me especially if they are uncomfortable speaking my language, after all, I'm in their country and if anything, I should learn their language! This was what I kept trying and it really is a great sense of pride when I got to string together my first sentence to say, ask if the train goes to a particular station. I felt this especially when I could string together a sentence asking if "this train goes to the south train station?" - locals are also more willing to help in this way and it was an interesting way to get involved in the local practices! I take comfort in that nobody's going to blame me if I just break into the usual "Can you repeat that in English?" mid conversation because I'm a newbie!

Still, I enjoy learning bits and pieces of languages and this is especially useful to make people warm up to you. I found myself warming up to this group of Cyprus people just because I could say "Good Morning" in Greek! And I think people really do like to teach you their language - which could result in lots of laughs and fun!

People
Unsurprisingly, Europeans vary in their attitudes towards travellers - in Belgium, it was pretty warm with neutral eye contact and little nods and smiles that might go on along the way. However, in places like Berlin, people are then much colder and I often find myself the target of cold stares and weird glances from the locals which wasn't really very assuring and comfortable. Whereas, in Munich, people are much warmer than in Berlin. I choose to believe that this is as a direct result of the people's culture and history - with for the above example, Berliners being more cautious and weary of foreigners while in Munich, people are probably already used to travellers. Having said that, its just the layer of ice that once broken - would result in friendliness and warmth from all.

Also, Europeans are surprisingly reserved too at times and again, it varies with location - on the one hand, you see men boldly walking up to prostitutes to enquire about their services, but on the other hand - nobody wants to hug this "Free Hug" person as he walked down the street! This was not quite what I expected because I have always thought Europeans are more used to touchy-feely gestures - but probably it depends on the occasion, which explains why couples kiss freely on the streets while stares of daggers dig into me whenever I find myself on public transport and such.

Culture
I enjoyed the cultural of the European cities a lot - particularly that of Vienna and Prague, where performances like Operas and Ballets are more affordable - which is part of the reason why I found these 2 cities the most enjoyable. I've watched Swan Lake (Ballet), Simon Bocanegra (Opera), Don Giovanni (Opera) and listened to the Vienna Boys Choir during one of their services - and enjoyed myself thoroughly. In fact, I recommend Don Giovanni to anyone wanting to have a good time and to watch something classical - it was hilarious and totally changed my mind about boring classics - Mozart must be a cool man to have came out with that script!

Friends
Travelling alone has opened up lots of opportunities to meet lots of people from everywhere around the world. Especially those, like me, are travelling by themselves. Sometimes, we just clicked and we ended up trading contact which was in a way a good way to get to know more people. For the rest of the people I've talked to - its always nice to be of acquaintance, and we'll never know when our paths might cross once more!

Back!

2007-04-12T09:07:00.000-07:00

Just got off a 20 hour trip from Prague, Czech Republic to London. Just look at the map, the distance is really staggering - but it didn't feel quite that long tho.

Its good to be back - and I had an amazing trip! Plenty of stories to tell... Updates in a bit while I sort out all my stuff! =)

Oh and I took 2305 pictures and videos this trip! So stay tuned.

Eurotrip - Prague

2007-04-11T03:22:00.000-07:00

Quick Info
Prague, Czech Republic
9th April - 11th April
Expenditure: 1640Kc (2 days)

Quick Links
- Prague
- Theatre
- Friends
- More Pictures

Prague
Prague was, like what I heard all this time a beautiful city. It was especially so because the surrounding areas were all quite run down and with lots of graffiti and dusty buildings which were remnants of the country's industrial and communist past. So essentially, it was a gem in the midst of the "rubble" - alright, I'm exaggerating, it really was not that bad. Somewhat like Kuala Lumpur without the historic buildings - if you want an idea. Also, Prague's the land of cheap beer, mulled wine, roast pork (quite unlike the Chinese version) and all.

Theatre
I spent my first day walking around the beautiful city centre trying to take in all the interesting sights - which as usual became dull after awhile. But still, the fact that I've scored 300Kc tickets for Swan Lake (Ballet) later that night added that little bounce to my steps.
I was really looking forward to watching my first ballet, and how cool it was to be watching Tchaikovsky's beautiful Swan Lake, with its amazing music and graceful dancers. The first thing that caught my eye was the beautiful set - and the dancer acting as the "Swan". It was a good show but still, I got a little tired halfway through (possibly cause I walked the whole day) and the seats were too comfy - but I soon recovered when the story picked up pace and went towards an exciting twist and finish. By the time it ended, I was sitting up straight at the edge of my seat - it was THAT exciting. Having said that I might have to read the story to really understand the finer bits and details, cos I might have overlooked little bits and pieces at some places.
The highlight for the next day was then watching Don Giovanni in the Estates Theatre, which was the theatre Mozart wrote the play for - so it was like watching Manchester United at Old Trafford, going back to the roots. Also, it was refreshingly funny and had an interesting story that changed my mind about "boring" classics - Mozart must be a cool guy to write this story like that! So I was lucky that I got these last few 300Kc tickets because it saved an otherwise uninteresting day - now that I've visited most of the sights.

Friends
By night, I was drained and slept after having some pizza from... Tesco! Its even Tesco Value! Met a few Portuguese guys, got my free beer and crashed. Met a lot of people the next day, Angie and Sheila (Malaysia), Heather and Jenny (American), Steward (New Zeland) and 7 Cypriots (Maria, Elena, Cristiana, Constantinos, George, Marios and Andreas.) - had a swell time there.
The final day was most interesting because I spent a long time in the hostel chatting up this group of Cypriots which incidentally started with me chatting up this girl - so we all ended up talking about quite a bit and I also learnt lots of Greek! Like:

po-say-leh-neh? (What is your name?)
apa-po-ee-say? (Where are you from?)
harika-po-say-nohrisaa. (Nice to meet you!)
eh-see? (You?)

I knew how to say -
"Are you alright?" and "You are very quiet." too in Greek but can't remember that. =P

25Kc for 500mL Beer

Absinth Mini

Mulled Wine - its hot and strong!

The Cathedral on top of the hill, in the castle.

A monument of the Nazi regime.

First Hitchhike

2007-04-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

Its 10pm.

Touching down in Prague, into the middle of nowhere - with just a metro station on my right, and the bus station on my left with only Euros and absolutely zero Czech Crowns (Kc). My only backup plan was a pool of sharks - taxis asking for €10 for the supposedly short ride to my hostel. I was determined to find my own way to the hostel, by hook or by crook.

But it was too dark to see outside. And nobody spoke a word of English. I spoke no word of Czech.

This was when I got my first taste of a real communication barrier - all I had was a map but no references. There was a river, but I had no idea where it was. It was futile to find street names because it was dark - and I had zero orientation in Prague still.

After walking back and forth to the map and the outside, I was almost giving up hope (and surrendering and "estimated" €10 in the process). However, I made a last ditch effort and walked up to this car pulling by a car park toll to ask for directions - again, it was no English but I handed them an address and they told me "Sit Down!", I looked at the back and it seemed like a jolly family, mom, dad and grandma - seemed safe enough - so I got in!

I got off the car saying "Thank You" in all the languages I knew - French, Spanish, German, English, Italian. But I thought they got the idea and replied "Good Night!".

My first time hitchhiking with lovely people. What an adventure.

On the Bus to Prague

2007-04-08T21:46:00.000-07:00

Just crossed the Austria-Czech border.

Czech Republic is beautiful. Scenic country. Even now I can see vast plains, grasslands, rolling hills with castles on them, little villages and never ending farms and vineyards, sometimes lakes of shimmering blue. All till the horizon.

Its 7pm now so the sun's just above the horizon. The light's a soft warm glow, the sky's painted with reds to orange to bluish white, and the shadows are dragged across the ground. Its a photographer's dream scene, just that in that scene - he wasn't in a bus, much less a moving one at that!

And it will only get better, cos little yellow specks of flowers are just starting to appear on the vast fields - come summer, I would imagine a sea of yellow swaying under the breeze under the evening sun!

3 more hours to go.

Eurotrip - Wien (Vienna)

2007-04-08T11:41:00.000-07:00

Quick Info
Wien, Austria
7th April - 8th April
Expenditure: €59.23 (2 days)

Quick Links
- Vienna
- Opera
- Boy's Choir
- More Pictures

Vienna
I love Vienna. This has been by far the most interesting stop of my whole trip! Simply because there was so much that was going on that is accessible to the budget traveller like me - provided I put in a little bit of time and energy in return! (That rich people wouldn't bother with, or course!)

This very lovely city's a mix of styles that seemed to change around every street corner - one moment I was at a very lively shopping district, the next moment finds me among historical buildings that defines Vienna.

Without doubt, Vienna's a big city with (from what I see) good economy, excellent transport system, lively shopping and interesting landmarks for tourists - it is however, often overlooked in favour of Prague, Munich or even Salzburg! It's a supremely underrated place.

Opera
What I liked the most about Vienna is its culture, or the fact that I had the most personal involvement with cultural events that were held here. The town centre were filled with tons of street performers who could draw huge crowds while buskers genuinely had the ability to serenade the audience, rather that working on pity. It was very enjoyable listening and looking at these acts but it was the opera and the Vienna Boy's Choir that blew me away!

Yes, I watched an Italian opera "Simon Bocanegra" in the historic Vienna State Opera House for €3.50. This got me front facing seats that was at the back of the stall seats, but at the same level as the stage, it was an excellent position that was probably better than the circle/gallery seats, but the catch was I had to queue up to 1.5 hours before the show and the "seats" were actually standing places - which meant I was standing for 3h for the show. There was a subtitle display on each standing place so I had no problem understanding the show.

I enjoyed the show thoroughly and the singing and the music was beautiful - amazing tenor, baritone and soprano voices rang through the concert hall - full of emotion and very touching. It was (as Italians would go) about love, power, deceit, betrayal and reconciliation, but it wasn't tacky and was very well performed, brought across with beautiful lyrics.

Being my first opera, it was an eye opener and I believe has set a high bar for any subsequent performances. Of course, 3h of standing quite still was no simple feat but I'm glad I stood through the whole show - especially the gripping and intense end.

Boy's Choir
The next day, which was a Sunday - Easter Sunday, to be specific - I woke up and checked out early just to queue (again!) for free standing space (again!) to watch the Vienna Boy's Choir. Yes, the famous boy's choir perform in their "home ground" which was at the Hofburgkapelle - a Gothic Chapel/Church. I was so determined to catch this that I ended up getting a front row standing place that was right in the middle of the Church, just behind the main stall seats. The Sunday service then started (which was my first time witnessing a whole service) - a German one in a really Old Church - how cool was that?
The boys performed in the choir stalls at the back top stall of the church so I couldn't see them but from what I heard - it was just amazing! I do not know if there were old boys (or girls) around, but the solo parts for the tenor seemed too mature and the soprano solo hit all the high notes with excellent ring! If it was just boys, then it was absolutely top-class, but I suspect maybe they had slightly older boys, but still - it was fantastic!

So they sang parts through the service and a group of little boys come in front to perform. It was very good still, but not quite as spectacular as the ones before. (perhaps, these were the juniors?)

Apart from all this, random things like meeting this "Free Hug" guy was pretty cool! But I was pretty much the only one who hugged him - I guess, Europeans in general are probably less open than Americans? Or was it just Austrains/Germans?

Also, just found out I'm a bad liar when I jumped the train fare and was really nervous throughout the whole trip - looking for inspectors and all for the 4 stops that I was doing - to save €2.20. But I got through it!

I didn't have much time to do much else but there's certainly more to Vienna (which has an ultra-modern section that was all glass buildings and skyscrapers. Along with huge parks that I would like to spend an evening walking in.) Still, I like the place a lot! Maybe because it was Easter but I don't care - it's just nice!

Easter Eggs and Bunnies

Mozart's Memorial, look at the planted treble clef there.

The Cathedral

Tea-lights in the Cathedral

Cathedral Stalls

Street Artist.

One of the many sculptures and monuments.

Me.

Eurotrip - Salzburg/Innsbruck

2007-04-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

Quick Info
Salzburg and Innsbruck, Austria
6th April
Expenditure: €5.89

Quick Links
- Salzburg
- Glass Music
- Innsbruck
- More Pictures

Salzburg
Salzburg was another unplanned stop because it seemed really popular for people travelling around this region. I thought one whole day in Innsbruck might be a tad too boring, so I decided to drop by Mozart's birthplace for a look.

Its a pretty little city that was probably worth not more than 1 day (at least for me) - but it was indeed very colorful with nice schlosses (palaces) and parks with flowers that were mostly in bloom for spring, moreover, there were street musicians by the street that were very good in their music!

Glass Music

There was this one guy who played music with a table full of glasses, making the notes by rubbing around the rims. It was beautiful "crystal" music that drew quite a crowd! Another was this guy playing the guitar - doing his own arrangements of well known tunes - he was good IMO but there wasn't really a crowd watching him. Still, I was tempted to buy a book of his arrangements, but €15 for 10 songs was too much for me, at least with my trip budget in mind!

There was also a busy high street with markets alongside designer labels - and it was along one of those streets that I saw the legendary Absinth alcohol, or sometimes known as the "Green Fairy" due to its hallucinogenic effect and high (70%) alcohol content.

Innsbruck
On my way to Innsbruck on a 2 hour train ride on a crowded train - the scenery along the way was amazing! With the alps forming a majestic backdrop for lush green fields with quaint little villages under a clear blue sky. As the train zoomed by the countryside, there were sheeps, cows, horses and great lakes that passed me by. It was all pretty, but this was also pretty much all Innsbruck has to offer - it being in the middle of the alps and all. Not that I expected much more- just a stopover and Vienna here I come!

P/S: Sorry - I didn't write up anything about the pictures because ManU are drawing 1-1 with Boro at the moment - tense stuff! Arrgh. Can't concentrate!

Eurotrip - Munchen (Munich)

2007-04-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Quick Info
Munchen, Germany
4th April - 5th April
Expenditure: €47.52 (2 days)

Quick Links
- Munich
- Beer Culture
- Socials
- More Pictures

So this ends my short trip in the country of Germany. A fitting end to an amazing adventure!

Munich
Very unlike Berlin. Munchens are warmer and the entire city is livelier, even if its much smaller than Berlin. In Munich, most of the attractions are clustered around a central ring and the further out you go, the more industrialized and modern the city becomes.

Tourists and locals alike throng the high street everyday (including weekdays) and it was all very carnival like with buskers, street performers and all, and it was pretty packed most of the time! However, the most interesting thing was the huge parks and plazas in the city as well as great residences and palaces around it. Also, Munich is Europe's Beer Capital and it was quite an eye opener to see Germans Gulping down huge litre mugs of beer in the famous beer gardens - the most impressive being the one in the Englische Garten (English Gardens) which is a huge park (the biggest metropolitan park in Europe) that stretched from the city centre to the outskirts of the city!

A pretzel - although it tastes nothing too fantastic, just salty crispy bread - looking at it right now (and slightly hungry), it looks really inviting!

Beer Culture
The beer garden in there was quite like a food court selling food like pretzels and wurst and steaks but the main idea was the beer - downed in mugs of at least 0.5L (most commonly 1.0L). I could not try the whole experience but I did get myself the famous Augustine beer that is said to be the best in Munich. It was light and very much to my taste (like a Corona!) but I'm no beer connoisseur and that's probably not the way to rate beer, so I'll just take it that its really good!

Socials
Spent the night before in the hostel's very happening pub and chatted with the people there till midnight - some people invited me out to club but with an early train the next day, I didn't want to take the chance! Still, this was probably the most social night of my trip but oddly enough, I didn't feel like getting contacts again - just the acquaintance is good enough, I guess.

Busy city streets.

Open air markets.

Beautiful plazas - scarred by unsightly tram lines.

Lots of parks.

Interesting Advert - I can't understand what it is trying to say tho.

Bayern Munchen's home ground, it was big - but compared to Old Trafford, soulless. It was almost deserted there!

A lake in their Olympic Village

The Munich Olympic Village - view from the nearby hill.

Sleeper Trains

2007-04-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

I just had the most amazing night of sleep on a train!

It was a €3.50 reservation fee for a 6 seater cabin but there were only 2 of us so we had 3 seats each to stretch out sleep across the seats on our side! I think I only awoke once or twice all the way between 1am till 8am. Amazing!

Now I feel recharged! But its snowing outside near Munich.. Brr - bring it on!

Eurotrip - Berlin

2007-04-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

Quick Info
Berlin, Germany
2nd April - 3rd April
Expenditure: €37.6 (2 days)

Quick Links
- The History
- People
- Observations
- More Pictures

The History
So this concludes my trip to the lovely city of Berlin. Not so much lovely as in pretty - but rather because it is really interesting how this city has evolved through the years from being separated for numerous decades till now - the merging of the two separate parts into one. Even constructions have swung into full gear to fill up the land where the Berlin wall once stood - very interesting structures resulted!

It was quite stirring to be standing by the last remaining stretch of the Berlin wall and also looking at numerous memorials and tributes that lay scattered throughout the city as a reminder of the city's turbulent history. Berliners might not be the warmest people around - but I can almost feel their stubbornness and determination to make things work while being weary and cautious all at the same time. Somehow I thought it reflected the culture and evolution of the city and its people - which was definitely some food for thought.

People
Having said that, I must say that Berliners I've met have been very nice, so I believe the lack or aversion to eye contact and smiling in probably just their nature and culture. Or maybe, it was because I don't quite speak German - and this communication problem made it hard for much exchange, its a complicated relationship so lets put that it is for now.

These two days have been eventful social days - which is, of course a welcomed change from my period of "zen" like "peacefulness" in the Rhine Valley. As I checked into my room - I spoke a little with my American roommate who is an artist and was looking for a permanent residence in Berlin to start off his career. It was not a long chat but I got a feel of what being a stereotypical "struggling artist" must be like - having chosen to start his career in Berlin instead of New York or Paris. So good luck to him.

Then I met this Korean girl and American guy (separately) who have both been travelling for 2 months each - it was interesting to listen to their motivations to backpack and talk about my own experiences too! At night, and kinda by accident/coincidence while doing my laundry, I then met this group (of 7!) of Danish girls who were just checking out after having completed their high school trip. I quite enjoyed the conversation because there's quite a lot of difference between their culture and mine! It was also interesting to see how different 18 year old girls behave from Denmark and those that I'm used to. They are very independent and daring to say the least with a lot of them smoking and all - I would say maybe a little too independent and daring! Chatting with some of them, I could see how they are different from each other, just like one who kept going on and on and just liked to talk to me (a joy to talk to really!) and another being all spiritual and all - having travelled to most parts of Asia and enjoying the "peacefulness" of some countries like Vietnam, which was really not something I am used to hearing from crazy 18 year old girls. The rest of them were interesting characters too but I haven't talked much to them so I would not know for sure.

I did not really get any of the above people's details - but I'm just glad to be of acquaintance!

The next day, after checking out and all - I met this Hong Kong girl who has just arrived - she was on a year's exchange to Germany (near Mannheim) and we thought it would be a good idea to go out and walk around the city together - so we did. It was interesting to hear the difference between HK and M'sia/S'pore all while walking down the streets of Berlin, Germany - for example, I found out how HK names have a standard translation scheme into English! By the end of the day, we ended up talking about food and cooking and she taught me a few simple "recipes" that I might try when I get back! We ended the day with a simple canned food picnic before I had to go.

Observations
Sights-wise, Berlin had plenty to offer and more if museums are your thing (and you have the time and money to visit them!) - it will easily take up a week of time but I had to go through it in 2 days. Impossible, you might say and I would agree, but I'm sure looking at Berlin by my own has given me a different perspective and understanding. Its a big city, with big city problems - beggars, ruffians and all, especially since the cost of living is rising rapidly as Berlin undergoes fast modernisation and development - in a huge city that is 8 times the size of Paris.

One little observation was also how the German language sounds like some Chinese dialect, and some Germans have jet black hair - so its quite hard to tell and differentiate at a distance, or if they're behind you. Also - Germans appear to put on less make up than the British - so you can usually see more freckles and blemishes - something i've observed too!

In Berlin's huge Tiergarten Park

This guy took a picture with me, when I asked them to take a picture of me! It was cool tho..

The locals call this the Chick-on-a-Stick. Its the goddess of war, actually.

A very minimalist church that was in the middle of the Kill Zone near the walls - to commemorate the fall of the wall and all the people who died.

Tourists.

On top of the Bradenburger Tor.

Berlin's nicest square.

The Berlin Dom - a Protestant Cathedral.

Eurotrip - Koblenz/Koln (Cologne)

2007-04-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

Quick Info
Koblenz and Koln, Germany
1st April
Expenditure: €8.00

Quick Links
- Koblenz
- Koln
- Language
- More Pictures

Koblenz
Cruised down the Rhine on a 2 hour ferry ride to reach Koblenz - a charming riverside town that was on the confluence of both the Rhine and Mosel. It was quite cool to be at the front top deck to take it all in. Lucky for me, I was told that this Sunday was one of the 4 Sundays a year where the government allows shops to open. So, the place was bustling with activity - which was really nice to see actually!

Koblenz had modern city buildings alongside natural scenery such as old cathedrals, medieval structures and all. In fact, one of the most prominent feature of Koblenz was the medieval fortress perched up on a hill nearby, imposing itself on the entire city just like the old days - but since I was quite bogged down by my backpack, and the weather was probably at a sweltering 20 degrees - I decided against visiting there - there was too much mist for good pictures anyway!

After several hours of walking around, looking at the hordes of people bathing under the glorious (hot!) sun - I got on the train to Koln (Cologne), an impromptu stop because I didn't want to stay too long in Koblenz. I was quite desperate to get into a real big city all over again!

Warm Spring day!

Sunbathing and relaxing by the river.

A rare Sunday crowd.

Duo Fame - their singing touched me, classical pop - yum!

The other bank of Koblenz.

Ducks suntanning.

Koln
Again, at Koln, I had to thank my lucky stars because apparently there has been a football match between FC Koln and FC Koblenz (what a coincidence!) - the match has apparently just ended and the streets were filled with people donning club colors - the entire atmosphere was very jovial with lots of street performances and a humongous crowd moving along the shopping district towards the train station.

There, I also had the chance to witness a service in progress in Koln's Gothic Dom (Cathedral) - which is well known to be one of the grandest in the whole of Germany. I liked its architecture a lot because of its intricate, dark, Gothic style. Heard the service pipe organ and choir through the middle of the service. Reminds me of singing in a proper cathedral in Bremen once again - the acoustics were awesome!

Language
Spent the rest of the evening talking to this German, Kai - it was really weird because he didn't know English very well and I didn't know German very well - but it was a very interesting experience. I think I've even learnt a bit of German along the way!

My 1.55am train to Berlin is coming soon. Tomorrow morning, I will be in the biggest city in Germany.

Chius! (Bye!)

Kai and me outside the Dom.

The magnificent Dom.

Nice colours from the stained glass windows.

Just outside the train station - very busy!

Finally a proper city!

Clowns giving cheer to little children!

Street bands doing their stuff!

Football supporters in the club colors!

Podolski anyone?

Eurotrip - Sankt Goarshausen

2007-03-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

Quick Info
Sankt Goarshausen, Germany
31st March
Expenditure: €21.30

Quick Links
- Ferry Ride
- The Loreley Cliffs
- Wondering
- More Pictures

Ferry Ride
The Rhine Valley's amazingly beautiful and there's really no better way to explore it than being on a ferry! Castles and churches line the valley and little time forgotten villages lie along the coast. Its really not hard to imagine how this place looked during the medieval times when there were knights still present to collect tolls from passing travellers. (yes, they need money for their shining armors too!)

The Loreley Cliffs
The view from the top of the legendary Loreley Cliffs' simply breathtaking. Almost 200 metres above the ground (I think), the steep cliffs were an excellent vantage point to view everything along the river. Although climbing up proved to be an arduous task - after the sweat has evaporated, it was not hard to forget about the long hike when the stunning view was in front of me. Everything was misty and all at a distance and it made everything seem dreamy and in a way, romantic.

Again - because this was an off season period, I could not really find other backpackers like me and it was until night before I realise that this hostel had some other people other than myself present, although it was some family that didn't seem too friendly. Of course, along the way during the day, there were people whom I've shared little conversations with, like several people from the US, Taiwan, Japan on the ferry and a particularly nice German couple at the cliffs. I was pretty much by myself most of the time - and when I'm by myself, my mind wanders and my thoughts run wild to fill the void - even one as beautiful as the Lorerey Cliffs.

Wondering
I spent quite a long time sitting by the cliff just looking into the valley below, counting train carriages (average 28!), looking at ships manoeuvre sharp corners and trying to decipher ship signals while they turn... all while admiring the beauty in front of me. It got me thinking how this trip has been a journey of self discovery of sorts. Now I see how lonely I can feel sometimes, especially when I've always thought I had a high tolerance for loneliness/like to be alone, but yet I feel happiest when I'm talking to people - even about random stuff that could be mundane and boring, but I enjoy all that. I even felt glad that there were people living a few rooms away (even if they didn't seem nice) - the little bit of noise to break the deafening silence was a relief and ironically, brought peace and calm to me.

All this while I'm sitting here by the cliff by myself, looking out into the vast unknown (to me).

I find myself thinking of Lauren from the US and how amazing the time was with her back in Brussels - even if for a few hours, and how I really want to meet up with her back in the UK when I get back. I also find myself thinking of how Matt (my roommate in Bacharach who checked in really late, after I got my diary written) is doing somewhere in the cities in Germany. Simply because these people are doing the same as me, exploring the world and discovering themselves at the same time - although we're doing the same thing, the experience would be vastly different and unique to each of us.

I realised how these different stories are intertwined as we go through life - so much that even if we never do meet each other ever in our lives, ever again - we have already made an impact, big or small, an impression in each other that will only fade but will never completely disappear.

Just look at this valley in front of me. I might not remember exactly what I felt looking at it - but I'm sure, I'll always be sure, that its something magical.

This, to me, is the magic of life and memories.

The start of a long ascent up the cliff.

Highlands on top of the Loreley.

The view.

Meanders, cliffs and little villages.

Me. Just looking out.

Kinda misty.

Wandering out into the highlands.

Found woods..

Flowers.

The morning after.

Castles in the air.

On the descend.

Where I stayed for the night - on top of the Loreley.

Found a heart.

Eurotrip - Bacharach

2007-03-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

Quick Info
Bacharach, Germany
30th March
Expenditure: €20.49

Quick Links
- The Village
- The Next Village
- Reflection
- More Pictures

I almost missed my stop on the way to Bacharach today! I was due to arrive in Karlshure Hbf at 4.25am so I set my alarm to go off at around 3.30am - it went off, but what happened was that the alarm went on for almost 1 hour with me still sound asleep and I got up only at 4.15am to turn the alarm off and the train was just stopping at Karlshure! Close shave here... the rest of the passengers must be annoyed but thankfully, the alarm wasn't too loud. This incident probably showed how tired I was! I really can't imagine what hassle it would have been if I had missed the stop!

The Village
Fresh air was a welcomed change from the coffeeshop fumes of Amsterdam. Bacharach was a lovely city in the Rhine Valley that was once the seat of the Knights Templar. After going through so many city areas, the scenic beauty of Bacharach was a refreshing change too! What's more - I'm staying in a youth hostel which is actually a 12th century castle! How cool is that!

That was my castle!

The steep 10min hike up the sides of the hike up the sides of the hill was well worth it just for the breathtaking view! I met this old man when I got off the train and he explained to me how the castle was made up of slate which was readily found in the ground here. This was also probably the reason for the excellent wines that Bacharach was known for through the centuries! In fact in the past - the kings in the area cut off wine supplies as sanctions for other states and Bacharach wine was coveted by royalty all over.

The view

The Next Village
He also told me about how the next village was just a short walk away and there was a game park there - I hiked to the next village which was quaint enough but couldn't find any game park and the deers that he spoke of! Still, I found chickens, dogs, cats and goats along the way which was nice! So now, instead of walking through crowded streets, I find myself hiking around hill sides for excellent views and deserted paths... which was a nice change, if you ask me!

The Next Village in a distance..

Paintings on the wall

Easter's coming!

Reflection
The town/village of Bacharach houses 160 inhabitants (according to the old man), so it was really small and quiet because this isn't the usual tourist high season - it kinda got a bit boring walking for the whole day around that little place (because I haven't met anyone so far!). So I walked up to the river side at least twice - and fell asleep on the bench for a bit, threw pebbles into the still river water, and carved stuff on the sand to entertain myself. It was strangely lonely at first but I soon grew used to it and it became somewhat therapeutic to look at the river splashing at the sides, always taking away and putting back bits of sand on and on and on.

The village felt like time flowed slow for it, with largely untouched medieval buildings surrounded by castle walls and paved with cobblestone paths - a good place to recharge my batteries and relax to prepare for the next part of my trip!

Sleeping early tonight!

Empty streets.

Old houses and shops along cobblestone paths.

Half timbered houses - very medieval.

A church.

Misty river.

View from top of the hill.

Before I left..

View from my window - path leading to castle at night.

The Rhine Valley at night

Eurotrip - Amsterdam

2007-03-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

Quick Info
Amsterdam, Netherlands
28th March - 29th March
Expenditure: €52 (2 days)

Quick Links
- Coffeeshops and Smartshops
- The Red Light District
- Bike Ride
- More Pictures

The journey to Amsterdam was "interesting" - it turned out that I had to take a 6.40am train and hence I had to sleep in the train station (first time!) because I didn't have accommodation for the night! So from Brugge, I took a train back to Brussels' Gare du Midi and spent the night there - it was hard to sleep but thankfully there were 3 Chinese girls there who were waiting for their 4am bus to the airport - they kept me company for those time when I was awake (mostly). It was also really really cold in the train station so in the end, I couldn't get much rest!

Amsterdam is out of this world. Period.

Coffeeshops and Smartshops
A lingering smell of marijuana smoke greeted my arrival to Amsterdam the moment I stepped out of the train station. This was probably a sign that this stop was not going to be like anything I've ever seen!

Walking around town, neon lights abound - which I imagine would be an impressive night scene. It was chock full of tourists and the streets constantly had this jolly song playing in the background from all kinds of sources. All over, there was a slight smell of smoke that was unpleasant yet mildly intoxicating. "Coffeeshops" and "Smartshops" were at every street selling their wares, weed and "magic mushrooms" respectively. I was curious enough to enter the colourful smartshops to look at the mushrooms and various "herbs" - it was interesting how they described the effects of the "herbs" - it was somewhat like describing the taste of good wine. So sophisticated. It was interesting to learn about the different types that were displayed and their effects and strengths. At this time, I wasn't ready to get into coffeeshops because they smelt bad and were mostly quite dim and shady-looking, but I was really quite curious about their weed too!

Apart from these queer little shops (that were everywhere, mind you!) there were also sex shops everywhere selling everything from aphrodisiacs to sex toys/equipment. There were some shops that remained curiously closed in the afternoon, but these were the ones with lots of windows with curtains behind them - go figure! But of course, there were other "normal" shops too but those were boring and I thought these were worth mentioning, just cause its Amsterdam.

That evening, I met this cool guy, Paul, from Canada who was in the same 18-bed room as me and we decided to take a night (evening) walk and visit the notorious Red Light District. We walked around until Paul wanted to get a joint, so being the opportunist that I was, this was my chance to get into a real coffeeshop and see for myself what its like from the inside! Nothing much actually, very much like little pubs and bars. He got a pre-rolled joint of pure weed for €7.50 but it was huge, as long as a cigarette and as thick as my finger and filled with the dried leaves. Nah - I didn't get one myself. But lets just let that be it.

The Red Light District
The RLD took a great long while to find when it was actually very near to our hostel - but still, we found ourselves back in the city on more than one occasion. But when we finally got there after 1 hour of wandering around - it was an amazing sight! A street glowing red that was filled with tons of people, from tourists to prospective customers. There were glass doors with curtains where the girls will strut their stuff (like a box) and customers go into these "boxes" for their service (with the curtains closed of course!). The girls were fine, some were really hot but it was the fact that the street seemed like a zoo that fascinated me - young and old (and families even!) from all parts of the world in all shapes and sizes, which was pretty much the same to describe the girls in the glass boxes. There were even little kids in prams if I recall correctly!

The street was pretty short and because we didn't have much to do, we eventually went around the place 5 times (partly because we walked kinda fast through the streets too.) just because this was once in a lifetime thing and just because it was Amsterdam! It was also surreal to hear the church (yes, there was one right smack in the middle of the RLD) chime while walking through the streets - which pretty much describes everything going on in Amsterdam, it was a paradox in itself. After so much of the RLD, we somehow half expect every window we encounter subsequently to have a half-naked girl doing her thing, but we were mostly disappointed, not that it mattered tho.

Bike Ride
The next day, I rented a bike for €5.50 (3 hours, but the lady gave me 4!) and took an amazing bike trip around the whole city! It was awesome because it was a good, cool day and this was my first time really cycling in a city - it felt really good to feel the wind in my hair and just going random places around the city. This was pretty much the perfect way to explore Amsterdam - through bridges and canals and through all the districts with different histories and flavour, Amsterdam's scenery has always been overshadowed by its sin-nery but I felt that it was a pretty city with an under appreciated beauty. Towards the end of the 4 hours, I also got quite lost at the city outskirts which completes my Amsterdam experience!

Before I left for my first time on a sleeper train (City NightLine) - my dinner was a Maoz "falafel" that my Malaysian friends were raving about just the day before. Its basically vegetarian "balls" wrapped in pita bread and salad on top - but the best part was, the salad can be refilled! Vegetarian all you can eat! I think I went back to the salad bar more than 7 times - a welcome treat for a hungry me!

In all, Amsterdam is amazing because its pretty and historic with beautiful canals through the city and incredibly old buildings with lots of history. Plus the fact that it is at the epitome of liberal-ness with sex and drugs being so commonplace it becomes an attraction. I felt that it was a nice place to visit but not one to live in (to me, at least).

But it was a crazy place, only in Amsterdam.

A cute and lively side of Amsterdam.

The busy side of Amsterdam.

The pretty side of Amsterdam.

Amsterdam - grow weed like how the Brits grow Tulips and Daffodils.

This was probably my only night shot.

Market in the morning - too early for most people it seems.

Some castle thingy which was actually an eating place!

My favourite flowers - daffodils.

WTF? LOL!

Its by the sea and its sinking, so..

Eurotrip - Brugge (Bruges)

2007-03-27T06:20:00.000-07:00

Quick Info
Brugge, Belgium
27th March
Expenditure: €22.36 (including fine!)

Quick Links
- Friends
- Fined
- The Place
- More Pictures

Friends
Visited Brugge with this group of 4 Malaysian friends I'd just met in Brussels (we walked about quite a bit till almost 1am in Brussels too but that was after I wrote my diary entry so they weren't included). Initially they didn't think of visiting Brugge but decided to follow me there for the day, since they had a really long time in Brussels and it was getting stale.

However travelling with a group for 1.5 days made me realise how I could not see myself doing a 20 day trip with the same group of friends - after awhile, it gets slightly boring at times and I think it feels much nicer to travel with different partners every day with fresh ideas, conversation and interesting stories that makes travelling so much more enjoyable! Still, it was good travelling with them and they are the closest friends I've made the whole trip - they even thought of visiting me in the summer this year!

Me, Stella, Ing Chang, Qing Xi and Kyle

Fined
The day started out bad. Simply because we were idiotic enough (it was our fault I guess) and eventually were made to pay a €60 supplement to our fare because we accidentally sat on first class seats.

The story went like this: it was a genuine error on our part because it was all our first time taking a train in Europe and we didn't know how to differentiate first class and second class seats - nor did we know how second class seats should be in Europe. In fact, my first thought was how comfortable the train seats are in Belgium! So 45minutes into our ride from Brussels to Brugge, a ticket inspector came and promptly told us that we were in the first class cabin. Being the "cautious" person I am, I immediately thought to leave - BUT this person heard the inspector mutter something like "Its Okay." and we thought he was kind enough not to make us move since we were almost in Brugge.

HOWEVER, just 2 minutes later, he came back with another attendant (supposedly his superior) - and they chased us out of the cabin. So we made our way to the link between the first and second class carriages to await our stop - clueless about how fuming mad the 2nd attendant was with us. He came to look for us and demanded for us to pay up - and any attempts to calm him down and talk sense into him was met with indifference and more fury. He just didn't want to listen and kept saying things like "This is not Hollywood!" and "Good acting!" and such. The 1st attendant was not helpful too cause he kept repeating "I'm not paid to talk.". So in a foreign land, and faced with fuming Belgium men - we had no choice. *poof* €60 gone.

It was an eventful ride but something I'd rather not have.

The Place
Brugge is a very pretty place (exactly why we came here for) because it is all medieval such that it is not hard to imagine how this place was like during the times when horses walked the cobblestone streets and there were no cars and busses around the place. It is amazingly romantic IF there weren't so many tourists around - with the odd horse-carriage running along the streets lined with old-restored houses and all - time was lost in this place. Its canals and spires are certainly a sight to behold because they gave a calm and majestic feel all at once!

The town squares were particularly lovely because they are usually surrounded by intricate towering ornate buildings with food stalls around the place and people eating in little umbrella shades around the square. Its nice to see people enjoying themselves and taking it slow - but then again, the tourists (like us) ruined such a beautiful picture.

It was relaxing and because it was a lovely day - it was even more so! There were parks everywhere and green fields where people brought out their dogs and sit on the grass/play fetch. By the river there were even windmills perched on top little hills of green grass. It was a lovely day so we walked and sat around just admiring that peaceful beauty that was in front of us and the amazing cool early spring weather.

Brugge is just so refreshingly different compared to Brussels!

Feeding my map of Brussels to the horse of one of the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse".

While the other held my hand.

Homemade alcohol - I tried the mango one - it was delicious!

We visited an interesting toy shop - so much physics involved in toys!

Hordes of tourists.

Girls posing for me while I tried to take a picture of the status, so well - I took them instead! =x

The river was shimmering.

Pretty.

Lovely swan

Eurotrip - Bruxelles (Brussels)

2007-03-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

Quick Info
Brussels, Belgium
25th March - 26th March
Expenditure: €55 (2 days)

Quick Links
- Friends
- Belgium Food
- The Place
- More Pictures (on Facebook)

I'm writing this while sitting on a bench in this beautiful park in the European Union quarter in Brussels, under and absolutely scorching 19 degrees Celsius sun! Its so warm now that I can't believe that yesterday at this time my fingers were frozen stiff! That's why people say April can't decide and blows hot and cold!

Friends
But anyhow, my trip in Brussels started yesterday morning after I got off the Eurolines coach and I met this Indian guy from the UK doing his MBA who was also visiting Brussels by himself. It was by chance that we were staying at the same hostel (CHAB) so in the end we went around the city together - especially cause it was like 6am and we had to walk all the way in the relative darkness to our hostel, these walks are always good with company! We walked around and took pictures and all and talked a little about things here and there but there wasn't any especially interesting bits there - just mostly sightseeing and all. Today we kinda parted ways because he was exhausted in the morning and wanted to get more sleep.

Joshi and me.

Just this morning, I met this lovely girl Lauren (from the UK, studying in the UK) during breakfast and we kinda clicked! It was a great way to start the day, talking about stuff and travelling experiences and all (she was also travelling alone), we exchanged contacts before she had to go. BUT I wanted to kick myself soon after because I forgot to take a picture of us just for keepsake - and I immediately regretted that! Somehow, I managed to reassure myself that I might still meet her in the city and with that I put that matter at the back of my mind. However, to be honest, I really could not see that happening because Brussels wasn't a tiny city, it was huge!

So after breakfast I did what I usually do, walking, looking, taking pictures UNTIL I saw a familiar face walking pass while I was walking towards the Grand Place. It was her! I was overjoyed and we ended up walking around the place together all the while chatting about stuff the whole way. She brought me to this quite secluded multi-story carpark where we could catch a great view of the city from the top deck - which was lovely and I brought her to look for mussels because I could feel she wanted them really badly before she had to leave (I was going to have them in Bruges actually). We looked around and finally went into this quite "posh" restaurant with an amazing ambience about it (my first since I got to the UK!) - I was so much into it by then that I suggested sharing the food - this would bring down the "cost" to €5 each (for a humongous portion) so she was happy too!

Lauren and Me.. Happily eating!

Belgium Food
The mussels were served in sauce with celery, onions etc with salad and frites by the side - good food, amazing company (we actually found out we had lots in common and I found that she travels pretty much like me - bare bones and all, but willing to splurge when required! Rare indeed!). It was a great 1 hour meal and it was really enjoyable - we almost lost track of time (she had to catch a bus) so we quickly got the bill and walked back to the hostel, and a few photos later - she checked out.

The famous mussles!

I think its chance meetings like this that makes travelling alone great fun!

Still on the topic of food, the Frites (Belgium/French fries), Waffles and Chocolates are famous so I took my time to find good shops (Maison Antoine for Frites, Leonidas for Chocolates and some random Waffle shop!) and enjoyed my Belgium experience! The fries were fresh and juicy with an authentic potato after taste that wasn't too oily while the Waffle was the best I've had with an amazing (dripping!) spread of Belgium chocolate sauce on top! I left the Chocolates for next time and that was basically how I splurged on food here in Belgium.

Maison Antoine - the traditional frites place! Always with a queue.

Frites

The Waffle!

My box of Chocolates - it was fantastic! Just melts in your moth! I regret not buying more now! =P

The Place
Brussels is a nice compact little city that is historic and modern both at the same time! Everything is within walking distance and there are squares and parks among concrete and brick buildings - it is known for many "attractions" like the Grand Place ("the Most Beautiful square in the world"), the Mannikin Pis (a little status urinating that people draw parallels to the statue of liberty!), and the food!

Grand Place by day.

Evening in the Grand Place!

Mannikin Pis - it was tinier than I expected.

However, I think to enjoy Brussels, food is the most important part of the experience, behind the Grand Place, little streets are lined with restaurants serving all kinds of seafood and good food - but with prices from €12 and above, it was out of my reach! It is not one of Europe's culinary capitals for nothing indeed! Going through the sights took me less than a day - but it was a nice walk on a pleasant Sunday where there were few cars and a great "holiday" atmosphere about. So I took the second day easy and relaxed in parks and take pictures leisurely - and let it all soak in. Oh and since people here spoke French, I took a bit of time to practice a few phrases too - and it was a good feeling to be able to ask directions in their language! It was also amazing how so many people don't speak English - I've been living in my well for all too long now, I realise!

It was almost Easter! Huge chocolate egg with bunnies popping out.

First time travelling in Europe - first city for me. It has been an eye opener so far - hope it will always be!

Napping in the central park.

By the lake in a park. I think it was Leopold's Park.

Beautiful sky.

Interesting traffic lights!

An Introduction to Solo Travel

2007-03-24T05:27:00.000-07:00

Because England is separated from continental Europe by the English Channel, there was a ferry crossing between Dover, UK and Calais, France in my travel itinerary from London to Brussels. Since it was crossing in the wee hours of the morning - I thought it was going to be nothing interesting so I grabbed a couch in this dining/lounge area and before I knew it, I was sound asleep.

In what seemed like moments later, I was stirred by this little buzz of commotion around me - lazily I peeled open my eyelids and to my surprise (the horror!).. There were almost 20 people around me with their cameras pointing towards me! It was such a shock that I immediately tried to grab hold of my consciousness and believe me, it was hard given that it was so early in the morning!

I soon realised that the cause of the commotion was that the table in front of me, which was empty when I fell asleep suddenly became filled with what seemed like 20 empty beer bottles and pint glasses - and the way I slouched on the couch seemed like I had one (or 20!) too many and was out cold. It was actually very amusing. By the way, this realisation and all took less than 5 seconds to make. So I was caught in a situation where my brain didn't work and I had to say something because the crowd was becoming really "guilty" trying to hide their cameras and giggles - which was not what I would like actually! After all, its really funny!

So I spoke "Oh gosh, I couldn't remember a thing!" and the crowd burst out laughing and instantly (am I a genius of what?) the ice melted and soon - they were taking turns taking pictures with this Chinese drunkard. Soon after, I then got 10-15 people around me trying to get a group photo taken! It was cool because there was interesting conversation and how they thought I was the coolest Chinese chap they'd ever met! It was a great honour and got me quite pleased actually!

So they were in high school (seriously, the thing about Caucasians is they look so much older than they are!) and going to this school trip to the French Alps for a week of skiing. Chatted a bit and before long - the ferry arrived at the dock and we had to part ways. I gave them my email and asked for the photos and they very nicely obliged. When they left they kinda made another great commotion saying "Bye Chin!" and some were drunk and started chanting my name and all that the whole lounge was probably looking at us. But I didn't care - it beats sleeping by myself and certainly made a boring ferry trip much more interesting!

It was fun and great acquaintances made - we left with photos and hugs. Kinda surreal if you ask me - but it was great!

(I sure hope they would send me the pictures so I can post them up tho!)

p/s: This day was a fitting introduction to Solo Travel, because when your not with anyone, it is so much easier for people to approach you and strike up conversations and such. What a start to my amazing trip!

pp/s: 12th April, they mailed me! Gonna get the photos soon and put them up here!

Away.

2007-03-24T04:46:00.000-07:00

I will be away for 20 days while I visit Europe. For my schedules (in case you want/need to know), please check my Facebook, under Notes.

Flirt! at Rubix

2007-03-24T03:47:00.000-07:00

Tonight's the last Flirt! night in Rubix before the Easter Break ends! The theme today was Easter Bunny Girl and Playboy night! =) I dressed up in the only set of outfit that I brought over from Malaysia - but it was pretty alright still!

The night started badly because I couldn't feel the music, and (probably thanks to the night before! see last blog post!) I couldn't drink alcohol! Just the taste of alcohol makes my stomach churn and do backflips - so there was no way I was going to go near that stuff for the night!

Also, the fact that all my mates around me were pretty much drunk made me the nanny for the first part of the night - the only amusement being seeing how pissed some people were. And got to meet a few girls I haven't seen in a long while too!

Cute bunny Nat - my first picture for the night!

But the night was just about to transform itself into a super fun and high night even without alcohol involved (for me). Met up with a few of my dance mates, like Lauren, Cheryl, Paul, Freddie and company - and it was great to be dancing mindlessly to the music (I thought it improved somehow). And it helped me loosen up a lot and get into the real bouncy mood!

Sweet Freddie, she gave me a spanish birthday song, hugs, kisses and a pint of coke (my choice)! =)

A perk of clubbing on my birthday was that I got a ton of hugs and kisses from everyone! Made me feel really loved and it was all a great night! I think more people kissed me today as compared to my whole life added up thus far - it was pretty amazing really!

Polash jumping into the photograph!

After that it was pretty much all dancing till the cows came home! Or rather, Rubix had to close at 3am. Lazed around a bit while my mates got some muchies and we cabbed back at 4am. It was in all a great night - with the cute bunnies and all! Thanks everyone!

Easter Bunnies Freddie and Lauren!

Lauren, Gemma, Me, Paul

Mike in a bathrobe!

Official Pubcrawl 2007

2007-03-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

This is the last "Happening Thursday" for the term before Easter Holidays and by far the craziest birthday celebration I've ever had!

Where it all started - Channies!

The night started pretty dull with a long 25min bus ride to Channies from Hazel Farm driving me to sleep - just to be awakened by Chris and Rachael who are already there. A couple of minutes later, the rest of the gang (20+ of us) showed up and everyone started ordering their pints - with committee late comers having to down 1/2 pint per 5 minutes late. Most of them had to down at least 1 pint. Since this is still in the University, I thought I will pass this stop and start at the next pub.

The route was planned like this, nicely printed at the back of all our t-shirts!

7.15pm Channies
7.45pm Yates
8.05pm Wetherspoons
8.20pm George Abbot
8.35pm The White House
8.55pm Brittania
9.20pm The Star
9.35pm The King's Head
9.50pm The Royal Oak
10.10pm The Robin Hood (Cancelled)
10.25pm The Albany
10.45pm Three Pigeons
11.00pm Guildford Tup

Taz, Punit, Pratik. While I was still sober - so could still take pictures properly! Punit helped me take lots of photos this evening! Thanks dude!

So basically, everyone was required to drink something (alcoholic or otherwise) from every stop - which is something I dreaded because an average pint would cost around 2 pounds! But I soon found out that I will have got exemption from this rule because of "special exceptions" - because it was my birthday! I kept hearing things about pyramids and half-pyramids - but I choose not to ask at the moment, because ignorance is bliss!

Everyone!

My very first drink was at Yates, a white chocolate shot - which was yum! Enjoyed it lots, and this was sadly about the last time I could taste anything that night. Then came to the next drink which was a "tradition" of sorts to have a Reef Challenge at Wetherspoons - this was to be my first crazy stunt of the day. Basically, Reef was a fruity (I like!) orange mixer, and we were supposed to stick a straw into the bottle - BUT we had to drink it by sticking the mouth of the bottle into our mouths, so air could only enter the bottle by the straw. Then we were supposed to tip the bottle and gulp down the drink as fast as we could - boy, I think I finished that standard bottle of drink in less than 5 seconds! I've never drank anything so fast before, ever! Its sort of like pouring the drink into your stomach directly... crazy.

Reef Challenge!

Because of that, the effect from the drink came fast - soon my ears were warm, then the full fledged RED DOT returned! This was probably enough for me to get exempted from the next 2 pubs while I try to cool down and recover - it was pretty interesting actually!

Then at the Brittania, the tradition was to get a tequila shot from the bar. But because it was my special day - we all did tequila suicides, which was the craziest thing only the British can think of - snort a line of salt, down the shot, squeeze the lemon in an eye. Aw - nasty! I've got a video too to prove it!

That was more for the novel factor but at The Star - the main course was just about to begin! A pyramid is a shot, a double shot, a half pint, a pint, a half pint, a double shot, a shot. So a half pyramid would then be a shot, a double shot, a half pint, a pint. Now, because it was MY BIRTHDAY, I had to do the half pyramid! And it was not such that I could take my time to sip all the drinks - it must be done in quick succession without pause! I prepared for the worst (everyone prepared for the worst actually, and my caretakers were appointed, and a clearance zone was drawn in case I felt sick..) - so, having no choice left, I did that among a song of Happy Birthday from the folks! On hindsight, it was a nice cozy affair at that outdoor little lounge thingy! Should have took a video of it! But I survived....

The half-pyramid.

That effectively gave me exemption from whatever pubs that would come next, so all I did was take little sips from people who offered me drinks and wait for the pyramid effect to set in. It set in quick! Very soon I lost logical thought and was caught in a big daze most of the time - I could walk straight at first, but my balance was dodgy... and very soon I was on the floor! It all became harder and harder to keep going and I remembered I was pretty wasted - apart from the occasional joke I could still pull here and there. But my mates took great care of a drunk like me - they were amazing!

When I was getting drunk.

Very soon after the last pub, I was brought to a friend's home to rest up - along with some other casualties. But I was by far the worst hit! I even puked outside this kebab store when my friends went to get some kebabs to "sober up" - but it was a great puke. Felt much better after!

After the good night's rest - I'm up and going all over again. No hangover. Nothing - so I was pretty surpirsed, and my friends were mighty impressed! =) But in all - it was a great day that was filled with crazy things that I will never have done in Singapore usually! It was also cool to know that if I were staying here, I would get tons of votes for committee positions from all the people there, just because they thought I was fun!

Chris and Jide

Punit, Me, Charlie

Me, Frank, Tom and Rachael

The morning after the night before.

Facebook!

2007-03-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

After hearing "Are you on Facebook?" countless times. I realised there is no point resisting and just today, I signed up for it!

All I have to say is its one cool thingy! I liked it a lot and I reckon I'll get more and more addicted to it by the weeks if not for the fact that I will not be around a computer 24/7 during Easter. I particularly like the ease of everything and how intuitive it is - uploading pictures has never been such an ease!

Also while browsing around I saw this particularly funny discussion on "Best Things Stolen While Drunk..." - here some really funny replies. This made me chuckle to myself so hard it was hard not to laugh out loud!

"got an ever growing collection of cones and signs. But did take a cement mixer last year in halls"

"Woke up with a hell of a hangover last year sometime and found a garden chess peice in our house, its about 3 feet tall and must have taken 3 of us 2 carry it, but no 1 remembers getting it...."

So to everyone reading this now...

"Are you on Facebook?"

EUROTRIP Part 1

2007-03-20T03:34:00.000-07:00

This coming Easter Break would be the first part of my adventures in Europe. Although I would like to be as spontaneous as possible, I'd rather play it safer because I'd be going Solo - so I did a bit of planning and booked hostels here and there (for better deals too!)

Destinations:
1) Brussels, Belgium
2) Bruges, Belgium
3) Amsterdam, Netherlands
4) Bonn, Germany (Stopover)
5) Bacharach, Germany
6) St. Goarshausen, Germany
7) Koblenz, Germany
8) Berlin, Germany
9) Munich, Germany
10) Innsbruck, Austria
11) Vienna, Austria
12) Prague, Czech Republic

Should probably take me 20 days and hopefully about EUR600-700. This would be fun =)

Party People! Its MONDAY Night!

2007-03-20T01:56:00.000-07:00

Yep - its Monday and we are all out partying. At least, the group of us dance people were... It started out as a social event organized by the committee thingy that was way overdue - but nevertheless, I'm glad this one happened because it was lot of fun!

The night started out with sleepy me (after a long day in school) meeting Cat on the bus while on my way to Chancellors to meet the people, turns out that we were quite early and it was soo cold outside, so we sat in and chatted a bit till everyone arrived. Then the little troupe of us slowly made our way to our dinner place, which was this "The Britannia" place - a cosy little pub for some dinner pub fare. Along the way, it hailed several times, kinda like clear sand falling all over and bouncing off my coat and head and all over, everyone was dreading the weather, but since it was my first time being in hail - I kind of enjoyed the whole thing!

In the Britannia

Cheryl was her jolly self.

Counting all her money.

At the pub, I ordered this Angus Burger thingy because my first choice (Sirloin Steak) and my second choice (Chicken stuffed with Mozzarella) were both sold out - so had to settle for the burger. It wasn't too bad and quite filling, so it was a great start to the night that was to come! Along the course of dinner, Haytham brought a lovely home baked cake for Sarah for her efforts to put together the whole dance thingy (she was the Team Captain) so it was really well deserved. And in a twist of events, they suddenly remembered that my birthday was later this week and sang a great birthday song for me! I was touched beyond words and had just a grin plastered all over my face! =) It was nice because I could never expect anyone to celebrate my birthday for me here in the UK, but this bunch of people proved me very wrong indeed! I was happy!

Sarah and her "Thank You" cake by Haytham.

This was my slice of the cake!

When we were about to leave for greener pastures.

After dinner - we braved the cold weather (its amazing how cold it can get when we just had lovely weather just the week before), to a club called "Harpers". Along the way, a group of us lagging behind "cuddled up" into a tight straight line thingy and walked together because it was soo cold! We did crazy things like trying to stop traffic (because we were in a line) but it was fun in the cold and all!

The traffic stoppers.

Walking to Harpers in the cold!

The drinks - mine was in front of me, the Vodka Red.

In Harpers - I just had a WKD Vodka Red (3 pounds) to drink and we danced through the night, bouncing around like nobody's business and bobbing away into the early hours of morning. It was a proper club with smoke and lights and girls dancing on poles and things like that (nah, not professional pole dancers, just random people going up the podiums to strut their stuff), so it was quite an eye opener. It was great to do all this with great friends and I enjoyed every bit of it! Surprisingly, the club was quite filled considering it was Monday night - and when we finally left at 1.30am - people were still streaming into the club. Indeed the night was still young. Took a cab home with John and Sarah and crashed into bed at 2am - happy!

The dance floor - see the pole podiums and the cage and all?

Some of us!

The ladies..

And the guys...

Catherine.

La chicas.. Freddie and Natalie

The girls having fun!

It was all pretty surreal after awhile..

But we still had to leave! It was a good night tho!

Hail the Spring!

2007-03-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

It just hailed a little when I was in class! It was a cold day all over again with strong chilling winds and such, quite like few weeks back - just when I thought Spring was here!

But all's still good - its nice in a cool kinda way! Going out for some dinner thingy with the dance people - and chilling in town after that, will be awesome! =)

Brighton

2007-03-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

Quick Info
Guildford - Gatwick Airport - Brighton (~2 hours) 11.40 pounds return.

Spent a lovely day at the beach today. It was refreshing to say the least!

Initially, I half expected Brighton to be some little town with nothing much to see and do - like Portsmouth perhaps. But I was glad I'm wrong - in fact, I think I personally rank Brighton at the top along with Bath on the Chin's Most Beautiful Places To Visit list.

Pastel coloured houses in Brighton.

Just because it has a nice beach - and the weather was kind today.

It was the kind of weather that made a day out at the beach what it should be - relaxing. The cool winds would blow in from the sea and the sun would warm up the skin. This refreshing balance of warmth and cool-ness was nicely struck here at Brighton.

Walking from the train station down towards the High Street and the shopping places early in the morning (10am), there were nice little shops that were just opening and al fresco restaurants and eateries were just laying their seats out in the open. There was a nice little market as well, selling fruits, vegetables, random things and artwork. Yes, artwork - I thought Brighton was a surprisingly artsy place where there were an impressive number of little galleries where people can get their art pieces to decorate their home with. There were people carrying drawings and paintings around the street and its kind of nice actually to see how people here appreciate art so much.

Streets of Brighton.

A flower shop by the road - it was beside this chocolate stall that I spent 40p to buy some Swiss dark chocolate that I munched on along the way.

Also it was right here in Brighton that I went to cut my hair for the first time since I've been in the UK - cost me 5 pounds, which was cheap by UK's standards. The little shop even had a nice little abstract painting of sorts hanging on the wall - with a little caption for it (that I didn't really take the time to read!). But nevertheless, I could feel the artsy vibe all around the place. It was a good vibe.

Wandering around the place, I soon found myself at the Royal Pavilion, which is a "Palace" of sorts that really looked like a huge mosque - this was apparently the draw of Brighton. However, to me, it felt more like an excuse to visit the Brighton beach that was just straight down the road from the Pavilion. Nothing much here, so I walked to the beach where the Brighton Pier was.

The Royal Pavilion - I didn't find it special enough.

Nice flowers in the Pavilion garden.

Now this was the real deal.

The Pier was bustling with activity with tourists (I reckon') swarming and little funfair rides and little finger food stalls set up along the length of it. It reached quite far into the sea and it was a nice slow walk along it to finally reach a larger amusement park at the end. I didn't care too much about the amusement park - but was looking at the nice sea and enjoying the cool breeze, along with looking at the seagulls flying overhead all over the place. It was a real seaside town - seagulls were everywhere!

Brighton Pier.

Funfair on the Pier.

Amusement rides for kids.

Where the land ends into the sea.

Pier from below the Pier.

After that, I decided to get onto the pebble beach and have my little snack-lunch - among the pigeons and the seagulls, and a few other people. It was not that crowded - just the way I liked it. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to lie down and relax - looking up into the blue sky and looking at the seagulls sweep across the sky, so freely. I fed them a little digestive biscuits that I had - and it was all nice and dandy there.

Lunch mates.

In mid flight.

A feather.

It was just beautiful - I hadn't feel so carefree for a long time. It was a good change, and something I wanted to hold on to - I was even smiling gently for no reason all the while, it was that nice.

Took a nice long stroll along the beach before I decided to get back to civilization by attempting to find Angela who was around the place - after 1.5 hours of searching (she didn't know I was coming). I got to her house and she was pretty surprised, chat a bit - walked a bit then I continued on my little solo trip up to the marina. By this time, the sea was raging and the wind was really blowing hard at the shore - water was splashing up all over the breakwaters which was a majestic sight to behold. (but not a pleasant experience!)

Sail boats along the beach.

The Pier from a distance.

The Pier after I rushed back just to miss the setting sun.

Not before long, it was near sunset - but it was a waste that I couldn't get back to the Pier in time to take a picture of the big red setting sun. The sun literally sunk by the minute under the sea - in 15 minutes, it dropped from the sky nowhere to be seen, leaving just traces of red and orange in the evening sky. Still beautiful, but not nearly as pretty as the sunset.

That was pretty much the end of a really enjoyable trip to Brighton.

Me. With my freshly cut hair.

Some nice guys on the beach who introduced me to Kite Surfing - a cool but somewhat dangerous sport. It involves surfing while carried forward by a kite, apparently when the wind's too strong it might just lift you up to the air, but normally its just strong enough to allow you to leap almost 40metres horizontally in a single bound!

A young couple, looking down at the beach below.

Sun's gone.

The stormy sea.

Silhouettes.

Happening Thursdays 4

2007-03-15T17:09:00.000-07:00

This Happening Thursday was not spent with the Chem Eng people, instead it was spent with the folks from dance! It was a great chillout session at Roots after practice (it was Tango today and I loved it!) just the group of us taking up the space chatting and stuff from 9 till 11 plus when we all had to go home. I had a pint of coke. heh.

It was really a great time spent doing crazy things and talking about nothing and everything all the same. I enjoyed it a lot.

Sadly I didn't bring along my camera - but Freddie did and I'm waiting for pictures so I get to upload a bit up here! =)

IVDC@Blackpool III

2007-03-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

Day 3 - Leaving on a Minibus

After a whole long day of dancing and finally dropping into bed at 2+am, its not surprising that some of us got trouble waking up fresh and early. Had breakfast (which was Full English, like yesterday, and checked out at 10am. After which we proceeded to circle around Blackpool town (our only sight-seeing in Blackpool because we didn't have time to drop by the Pier or the Beach, which are the more famous sights in Blackpool.).

After taking a quick "tour" of the whole place, we went on our 6 hour journey home. Everyone was tired, but I'm sure we are all happy for what we did and what we all shared these 3 days that passed in a blink.

It was a tiring but rewarding three days out. Gotta thank Ben and John for their excellent driving to and from Blackpool - the bottles of wine are well deserved!

Full English Breakfast

Dim doesn't want to leave.

But we had to go...

On the bus, while I awoke from some nap, I found this right in front of me - Cat's feet.

The English Countryside view.

IVDC@Blackpool II

2007-03-10T11:46:00.000-08:00

Day 2 - Dance, Dance and Dance

Finally after 5 sessions of formal lessons (for me, its quite amazing how short it really is).

The team number and the Division 2 4th place medal! I'm mighty proud!

This day was pretty much the highlight and the point of the whole trip. This year's IVDC (Inter Varsity Dancesport Competition) was held at Winter Gardens, Blackpool - which is THE place to dance and countless international and national competitions has been held at this same venue - its really quite something to imagine how I'm dancing on the same floor as World Champions.

The Empress Ballroom

View of the dancefloor from the balcony!

The day started off at 8am where we went down to have breakfast - which was the typical Full English Breakfast (ham, bacon, baked beans, eggs, sausage and toast etc), breakfast was not too bad compared to our dinner the night before which was mostly boiled stuff (which I was told, was quite typically British - I could never get used to British food!) We walked off to Winter Gardens after breakfast for our day of dancing which started at 9am.

Early morning walk towards the Winter Gardens for our competitions!

Our team preparing for the stage!

As usual, Ballroom dancing was first - and since I could not find a partner (..I'm still confident that if I had a partner I could do well in Ballroom Waltz and Quickstep!) - I had to sit out and watch people dance. It was interesting but the length of time that I had to wait till I get some action was supremely long (Latin was scheduled to start at 3.30pm) - it killed my enthusiasm to enjoy the show, although I quite liked the advanced ballroom dances because of their dances and amazing costumes. I also saw the first casualty for the day when Dim and Freddie (our best ballroom dancers) didn't get past the first round - it was unbelievable but it was probably due to the crowded floor (almost 30 couples!) and the relatively few adjudicators to take down numbers - we concluded that the first few rounds were somewhat random because it is impossible for the judges to really check out everyone. Bad luck.

Beautiful dances by the Advanced Ballroom people!

Beautiful dresses of the Ballroom couples.

Time passed slowly as the announcer brought in heat after heat and round after round of competitors - at 1pm it finally gave way to the Offbeat and Rock n Roll competitions which was my cue to finally change up and prepare for the Latin dances immediately after, all while eating Jaffa Cakes to stave off hunger. This was when I "discovered" a wall mirror nearby and (for the first time - have a good look at my moves in front of the mirror, and found lots of problems!) the next hour or so I spent in front of that mirror trying to correct these problems like posture, gestures among others. Now then I appreciate dancing in front of mirrors so much more - its tremendous help! I did ironed out a few creases in my dances, but it still felt very much like an un-ironed shirt, its almost impossible to get it crease free in such a short time - but still I felt I've improved a lot since before I found the mirror.

When it was time to get on - I was thinking of not making silly mistakes on stage, keeping my posture and also to enjoy myself. It was great to be finally dancing on the stage, however short it might be, after all, these few minutes on the stage is what we have trained and travelled so much for. After the the two dances Cha-cha and Jive I was just hoping that some judges would notice us and keep us for the next round - I felt we did much better than in Bath and I knew we deserved to be recalled. Fingers crossed here.

After a whole set of beginners heats - that I am beginning to dread due to their numbers, we got called back for the next round. It felt great while it lasted but we didn't get recalled for the 3rd round - personally I felt we were good enough for the next round, but probably the judges didn't see us amongst the crowd in the middle of the dance floor (bad choice of location on my part I guess). A little disappointed, especially after my revelation in front of the mirror - but it was over. However, in all - we thought we put up a good fight, and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly on the floor, that's all that mattered, we told ourselves.

The thing about getting kicked out early (like most in our young team) was that it left us with nothing to look forward for the rest of the day (little did we know what was in store for us later in the night). We spent time looking at other people's dances, chatting and doing other random social activities - yes it was boring at times, but it was also an excellent opportunity to talk to friends and gel as a group. It was great to just sit there and laugh and all while music was playing in the background. So it wasn't too bad, really.

An interesting feature of the competition was the general dancing time allocated during breaks where they will blast random songs for people to get onto the dance floor to dance. Earlier on, it was proper ballroom songs where I got a bit of chance to dance a little waltz and stuff. But somehow in the middle of the Latin heats - the competition broke into some disco/club dance thingy - people went on to the floor to dance to songs like Macarena, YMCA and other (mostly quite retro) dance anthems that was really cool! It lasted for probably 30 mins or so, and the whole Ballroom was almost transformed into a club (minus the alcohol) and by the end, there were long trains running around the dance-floor and people just dancing randomly - By this time I was already quite hyped up and warmed up for good dancing - so it was great! It was really great fun and craziness, especially with this great group of friends!

Lauren, Natalie and Gemma enjoying themselves!

"General dancing" time - this was when it all turned retro.

After the Latin dances, there was a tradition for the IVDC to have a "demo" team dance which comprises of two teams of 4 couples each (all of which were Champions in at least one competition) - to "compete" for the best team, I wrote "compete" because I suspect its more for the entertainment and that it's rigged so it will always be a draw. The highlight for this are the Under 12 Champions who were so adorable but professional, they were so good - I felt like I'm 10 years too late to dance!

The Demo Couples - Jive, skip to the final quarter of the video for the Under 12 Champions - simply amazing.

At night, it was our team competitions and were were streamed into Division 2 who were mostly novice-intermediate couples while Division 1 were mostly intermediate-advanced couples. So we danced as a team of 4 couples for different dances (in the sense that, our score would be totalled to determine if we went into the next round!). So it was Paul and Lauren for Waltz, Me and Sarah on Cha-Cha, Dim and Freddie on Quickstep and Adam and Stephanie on Jive. After 5 rounds, No. 194 (our team number) went into the Finals! We were almost in disbelief when our team was not announced for the Playoff Finals (position 7-12) - the fact that we were Top 6 sunk in only when we were announced to get to the floor to start our first dance which was Waltz.

All this happened at midnight - because the event was running behind schedule (the whole competition should have ended at 11.30pm, but it eventually ended only at 1.30am). It was quite something to battle the Z-monster and lose focus - I could see so many tired faces in the team and even my partner was quite losing it - indeed getting all hoppity and boppity after such a long day will never be easy, especially when its getting increasingly harder to even keep a smile up. Strangely, I was the most upbeat one in the group - going around waking people up and giving that little hug or something, all I wanted was to get on that stage to dance some more - and the fact that the finals was within reach made it all the more easier to keep up.

Outside Winter Gardens at night, nothing spectacular from the outside.

Hunger got the better of us eventually. This was dinner, and lunch.

I like the feeling on the floor, the lights, the audience, I feel comfortable on the floor - so much that I do not care if the other competitors are advanced dancers, I just get on with my dance with my partner and do it all with a great smile. I like dance because it lets me express myself in this way, which is so refreshing I feel like I'm a different person altogether!

In the end, we got 4th and received a medal. It was a great achievement (since we are a really young group of dancers who were supposed to be Beginners, but ended up dancing Novice) and I'm sure everyone's happy for us, because at least we did not go home empty-handed. For me, its like taking back a slice of heaven, a physical manifestation of a memory that I will always treasure.

The whole team!

The 4 couples in the finals with our medals!

In all, it was an amazing trip - where among others and most importantly, friendships were forged. I felt very much closer to everyone in the team since then. They have made a great difference in my life, I just hope I have done the same for them - which I'm reasonably sure I have! =)

Before we had to go - I took a bit of time to walk on the Dance Floor one last time, while workers were cleaning the seating areas. To feel it and imagine it all one last time - to finally appreciate how beautiful the hall really is and to recall how it felt to be dancing on the floor. Because I knew I had just danced possibly the last competitive dance of my time here in the UK - in this amazing place, the Winter Gardens' Empress Ballroom.

I would like to thank the whole team for this amazing experience, and most importantly, my partner, Sarah!

Our Jive - I need to do more about my posture and footwork, but apart from that, I think I've improved lots since Bath.

Our Cha-Cha - again, lots of space to improve, but I think its much better than the last video.

The four dances for our FINALS! One after another, like some dance match!

A great view from the balcony. (Advanced Vienesse Waltz Finals)

IVDC@Blackpool I

2007-03-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

Day 1 - Journey to Blackpool

After all these days of hard work - the day's finally (almost) here. It started strangely enough for me because I had to skip lessons and I had to make a good breakfast and lunch to last me all the way to Blackpool and I had to pack my stuff - not much time but nonetheless I got to Uni early to meet the people. We met at 1pm and targeted a leaving time of 1.30pm, which we did leave.

There was an air of silent excitement around while we were waiting for the minibus to arrive (yes, we drove there ourselves) some even dreamt of dancing the night before! There was a cold gust blowing and it made it all feel surreal.

On the bus, it was pretty quiet with little conversations going around here and there - probably because the journey had just started and it was a rather daunting 6 hour drive to Blackpool in a cramped little minibus. Also, probably there wasn't much warm-up yet, the bus sure got a little "buzzier" towards the end of the ride - which of course meant it got more "fun", with myself speaking mostly to Freddie, James, Catherine and Dim who were close by.

Wind was howling from the half open window in front of me and this was punctuated by hearty Spanish dialogue between Freddie and her Mom, Cat and James were talking couple stuff and right at the back of the bus was jolly Cheryl who burst into laughter every now and then. Some of us were catching a wink while some of us (including me) were looking out the window.

I was looking at how the English countryside zoomed past me - big fluffy clouds in a clear blue sky on a sunny day, along with bare trees, vast grasslands (with animals like horses, sheep and cows) and the occasional farms and villages as far as the eye can see. I felt pretty much at peace looking at the beautiful scenery.

It felt as if I'm sitting still and everything - the scenery, cars, roadsigns and the conversations was zooming past me. It was indeed quite a thought that all this would become all but a memory as I stood still and let it all fly past.

And here it was - the 16 of us on our way to Blackpool for the biggest dance stage of our lives.

The Cumbrian - where we stayed for the 2 nights - cosy place, with great friendly hosts.

Our "family room" for the 5 of us - there's Dim and Stam with Paul at the corner.

Paul and James

The whole gang chilling out at night at the little bar in our hotel - the crowd finally dwindled and disappeared at 12+midnight - everyone was tired.

Things that goes on in an all guys room...

The pretty ladies.

The Past

2007-03-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

I just had a great one-to-one talk in my room with one of my mates, Zack. It's just so interesting hearing about people's life and what they did to get here. He's 24 now but basically he was an excellent footballer (and is still good). When he first arrived at Holland from Somalia at around 12, he immediately got a place in the youth league playing as a No.9 and scored 1 goal on his debut, 2 goals on his 2nd match and 5 assists in his 3rd. He got "promoted" to the wings as a No. 7 and whipped crosses from the flanks to his mate from Somalia to head - that year, the club won lots of cups and trophies, with lots of help from him.

He was so good that he got scouted by Feyenoord not once, not twice but thrice over two years when he was 14! The first two times he couldn't accept their offer because of family matters but they kept track of him and persisted and eventually he joined the Feyenoord youth team as a promising young footballer. He was training well with them after his family had to move and he could not keep up with studies and football training at the same time - hence he choose to quit football for studies.

Just 2 years ago, when he was playing in some lower division league in the UK while studying - he helped the team get league cups and that team got invited by Fulham FC for a friendly/training match at Craven Cottage - he remembered tackling Tomasz Radzinski hard when he was going on goal, so hard that Radzinski remembered him and went to look for him in the dressing room after the match (which ended in a surprising 1-1 draw). They shook hands, exchanged numbers and exchange shirts. Radzinski invited him to watch a match one week but he had to decline because of training - unfortunately that was the last he heard from him.

He also shared stories about how his training routines were like - 3 session days sandwiching studies and leisure time and matches, and how he used to play on sandy beaches back in Somalia. And how there were people like him there - young people looking towards possibilities. He shared how tough the training can be - and how eventually he had no choice but to quit because of studies, however hard this decision might be. He also shared stories on people he had played with, and how some of them are so exceptional - like this 13 year old kid with impeccable technique (that he compared to Ronaldinho) who was snapped up by Fulham and this 15 year old kid who was good but dropped out of West Ham because he missed a training session.

So in all, he had these opportunities to become what many people have dreamed of - becoming a pro-footballer in Europe. But what people don't hear of is the rationalization and the heavy consideration for committing your future to something so uncertain -to him and his family, having a good education was the most important, so now there are only memories for him to keep, but there's no regret whatsoever from him. I think this whole story's amazing - something to think about really. Now, at 24, he is too old anyway to be realistically chasing that dream.

I shared a bit of my past - my glory days, if you would call them. But it soon got too late and we had to go to bed (at least I had to). It was a really good chat.

Dance Partners

2007-03-05T15:51:00.000-08:00

I realised how different people respond differently to dance. Its really different dancing with different people as well!

There are people whom you "click" well with and there are some who makes dancing a torture - I think a good partner is one who works with you and one that provides that little bit of encouragement during those times when we need it. Right now I know one girl whom I don't like dancing with at all. Having said that, I will have to say I like my (latin) dance partner, Sarah very much!

Right now, I wish I had a partner for ballroom. I know my Waltz and Quickstep routines, but I need a partner for the competition - but I don't think its happening, which is a waste because I think I can do well in this too. Oh well, lesson learnt - gotta be more ambitious right from the start next time!

Cha-Cha, Jive, Waltz and Quickstep - now I know four of em (not counting those I've learnt casually like Samba, Rumba etc). I'm mighty proud of myself.

Next up I wanna try my hand at Tap Dancing! Just for the fun of it!

Lunar Eclipse

2007-03-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

There's a Lunar Total Eclipse going on now!

The moon's a fuzzy red colour from being in Earth's shadow with a bright ring around it. It looks like this (I didn't take this, somebody took a photo and put it on Wikipedia):

Total Eclipse of the Moon

From Wikipedia:

"The current total lunar eclipse which is taking place right now (3 March 2007) is fully visible over Europe and Africa and at least partly visible over the eastern Americas, Asia, and western Australia.^[1] and the penumbra shadow at 02:24 The moon entered the penumbral shadow at 20:18 UTC, and the umbral shadow at 21:30 UTC. The total phase lasted between 22:44 UTC and 23:58 UTC. The moon will leave the umbra shadow at 01:11 UTCUTC 4 March 2007.
The next lunar eclipse will occur on 28 August 2007."