a few days ago, karen asked me if i am a finder or a keeper...
i told her i am a loser.
what are you?
(as usual, sharon did a better job blogging)
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
moving on
is never easy.
but finding out that people and things have moved on, sans toi, is worse.
my sentiments exactly. been back about 4 days now, and things have just been moving ahead at full-steam. at home, it feels that there's no more space for me or my things; in school, i've been fumbling around, feeling lost and incredibly dumb every single class i've attended; friends, well, i'm still finding out (but it was nice to see familiar faces again - deb, luyi, bren, sj, yinglu, etc etc).
took a walk to lot one (yeah i now walk when i'm not in a hurry because it's actually quite near- new perspective. heh), and it has been transformed. felt a little uneasy squeezing with the ungracious crowds on the trains in the morning, and hearing an unfamiliar voice over the PA system. instinctively jaywalked across the entrance to the central and got stared at. stood on the right of the escalators instead. realised that i could no longer get around with just a few dollars in my wallet. decided that i wasn't ready to play for service this sunday- i don't want another shock when i find out that more things have changed.
the pace has been relentless. there's no time for jetlag. my 7 hour sleeps are no longer to be, and i've to stop being a tourist- there are now responsibilities and gardens to tend to.
it's nobody's fault- just the nature of life.
we're all just going down a river. a river called time. and i'm just trying to get back into the flow of things.
but finding out that people and things have moved on, sans toi, is worse.
my sentiments exactly. been back about 4 days now, and things have just been moving ahead at full-steam. at home, it feels that there's no more space for me or my things; in school, i've been fumbling around, feeling lost and incredibly dumb every single class i've attended; friends, well, i'm still finding out (but it was nice to see familiar faces again - deb, luyi, bren, sj, yinglu, etc etc).
took a walk to lot one (yeah i now walk when i'm not in a hurry because it's actually quite near- new perspective. heh), and it has been transformed. felt a little uneasy squeezing with the ungracious crowds on the trains in the morning, and hearing an unfamiliar voice over the PA system. instinctively jaywalked across the entrance to the central and got stared at. stood on the right of the escalators instead. realised that i could no longer get around with just a few dollars in my wallet. decided that i wasn't ready to play for service this sunday- i don't want another shock when i find out that more things have changed.
the pace has been relentless. there's no time for jetlag. my 7 hour sleeps are no longer to be, and i've to stop being a tourist- there are now responsibilities and gardens to tend to.
it's nobody's fault- just the nature of life.
we're all just going down a river. a river called time. and i'm just trying to get back into the flow of things.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
home
i'm home.
there's so much to be thankful for. getting out of heathrow was a nightmare, but yes, God did answer my prayer to let 32kg of baggage through. exactly 32kg, the lady didn't allow a single kg more. thank God for kelvin and lingli, i dunno what i would have done without them really. now i still have a bag sitting somewhere in their apt. oh no :(
totally missed church today. tho the reason why i decided to leave on sat morning and arrive on sun morning was so that i could go to church. i shouldn't have rushed and left on sat evening instead, bleah. totally slept through, tho ren claims that she tried to call me up. i honestly don't remember a thing. was i that tired? heh.
there's so much to be thankful for. getting out of heathrow was a nightmare, but yes, God did answer my prayer to let 32kg of baggage through. exactly 32kg, the lady didn't allow a single kg more. thank God for kelvin and lingli, i dunno what i would have done without them really. now i still have a bag sitting somewhere in their apt. oh no :(
totally missed church today. tho the reason why i decided to leave on sat morning and arrive on sun morning was so that i could go to church. i shouldn't have rushed and left on sat evening instead, bleah. totally slept through, tho ren claims that she tried to call me up. i honestly don't remember a thing. was i that tired? heh.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Balik Kampung
After 216 days, 31 cities, 17 countries, 3 seasons and 2 homes, i think i am ready to go home. the real home.
the last barrier now standing between me and the plane is the c. 32kg of check-in luggage i need to clear. (which is not bad already!)
everything seems so surreal. i go to sleep now, wake up, and fly to a different world. one i used to know. so much has happened in the last 7 months+, so many changes to go through and i'm finally coming back a full circle. at the same time, so much must have happened at home too, so much from which i've been completely cut off.
what a mesh of emotions, expectations and events.
it's been such a whirl that i have to catch up with myself.
and i have 13 hours to do so.
dear God, please let the person at the check-in be sympathetic and kind, i need to move my life back to singapore, and all the stuff in my bags too.
the last barrier now standing between me and the plane is the c. 32kg of check-in luggage i need to clear. (which is not bad already!)
everything seems so surreal. i go to sleep now, wake up, and fly to a different world. one i used to know. so much has happened in the last 7 months+, so many changes to go through and i'm finally coming back a full circle. at the same time, so much must have happened at home too, so much from which i've been completely cut off.
what a mesh of emotions, expectations and events.
it's been such a whirl that i have to catch up with myself.
and i have 13 hours to do so.
dear God, please let the person at the check-in be sympathetic and kind, i need to move my life back to singapore, and all the stuff in my bags too.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Italia Reflections: Venice
VENIZIA
5-7 June 2008
Our Italy trip started in Venice, the sinking city. By the time we got to our hotel and settled in the first day, it was already early afternoon, and we didn’t have much time left. Mummy, Sharon and I were exhausted from all the traveling the day before, doing a whirlwind tour of London and waking up early in the morning to catch the bus to Stansted. But we pressed on and decided to walk around Venice. It was supposed to be small and walkable, but the many waterways and narrow streets formed a complicated maze that it was impossible not to get lost. Essentially, Venice is built on 117 islands, and has 150 canals and 450 bridges. Yet, only 3 bridges cross the Grand Canal, the main waterway. The problem with not having any vehicles on the roads and water taxis costing €6 per trip is that once you’ve committed to walking, the only way to get home is to walk out of the island, no matter how tired, far away or lost you are.
Our walk into the heart of the city was a pleasant one. We gave up navigating using the map halfway because we found signs leading us to San Marco, where we wanted to go. So while going through the tiny alleys and small canals which lead up to the doors of the colourful houses, we enjoyed the tranquility and uniqueness of the place. Going in and out of shops selling Venetian masks, glass, Italian leather and the like was fun, and stopping by each Gelataria to check out the prices helped make the way seem shorter. On the way in, we shared our 1st Italian Gelato, and it didn’t disappoint. We reached the Rialto bridge, one of the 3, and also the icon of Venice, watched the gondolas and other water taxis go by and went shopping at the nearby market place. Piazza San Marco also looked spectacular when we finally got to it. We were transfixed for a while, trying to take in everything from the Torre dell’Orologio, a high clock tower on which stands 2 bronze Moors which strike a gigantic clock on the hour, to the long Procurative Nuove, the Ala Napoleonica, which Napoleon used as his palace and ballroom after commenting that the Piazza was the ‘finest drawing room’ in Europe. Most of all, we were observing how ferocious the pigeons on St Mark’s Square were. They were totally unafraid of the human species and made their way to the shoulders, arms, heads and backs of tourists who stupidly have food on them. There were hoards of them (I’m not sure if tourists still outnumber pigeons!) and they all decided to fly across the square towards us as we were running across it, and since they’re so fearless, they flew so low, brushing past faces and intimidating pigeon haters (like Sharon) who had to face the whole flock coming straight at them at eye-level. Very disgusting indeed. But we did make it safely to the other side of the square towards the water front, where the doges’ palace still stands. It was the seat of the Republic’s bureaucracy, government and main prisons. Walking along the waterfront where rows of shiny black gondolas are parked, we crossed the bridge of sighs, so called because of the sighs prisoners made on their way into the dungeons. By this time we were completely spent and ready for a good night’s rest, though the sky was still bright. Once again, we decided against navigating and decided to follow the signs back to the mainland. Little did we know that the signs would bring us on a huge trek around Venice, and only brought us back some 2.5 hours later. Poor Mummy suffered the most because we had to cross gazillion bridges on the way, and her knee was hurting, no doubt from lugging all the suitcases up and down the stairs in the tube stations the day before. On the way we grabbed some more gelato (actually we are quite proud of ourselves for finding that particular shop that we wanted to patronize, tucked in some corner on some small street).
David finally arrived late that night. Long after everyone had fallen asleep and the (1-star) hotel’s reception had closed for the night. But thank God he arrived safely, because the last time I saw him was back in Copenhagen.
The next day, we decided that we had enough of walking, and that we won’t scrimp on the water taxis anymore, so we bought a 24 hour transport pass and made sure that we made full use of it. We headed to 2 islands off Venice. First, Murano, which is famous for its glass making industry. So we visited the glass factory to watch some glass-blowing, which is pretty amazing, I could never imagine glass to be so soft at some stage that you can actually blow it like a balloon. Next, we called at Burano, famous for its lace-making industry. The houses are pastel-coloured there, so pretty! But, the islands were a lot further than we expected them to be, so we wasted another few hours just traveling on the water taxis. (After a while, it wasn’t so fun anymore). We managed to get back to San Marco Square just minutes before the Basilica di San Marco closed, but they didn’t allow bags inside so I stood outside to watch the bags while the rest went in. Don’t think they managed to see the remains of St Mark though it’s supposedly there. After walking around a bit with David (because he didn’t get to the day before) and attempting to buy train tickets to Rome at the train station, we decided to take the water taxi back to St Mark’s Sq just to see it at night, and to make use of the tripod we’ve been carrying around for nightshots. It was pretty fun just posing around with the 2 partron saints of Venice (St Mark and St Theodore) and comparing whose pictures were better, then we decided to be more cultured and listen to musicians playing for restaurant guests on the square. They were pretty good, and the square was almost romantic at night, with old couples dancing to the music and the crowd swaying to the beat. Leaving Venice was a lot more convenient and less strenuous on the legs that night, thanks to the water taxis.
Leaving Venice (the area) for Rome, was a lot more complicated. Train tickets cost a lot more than expected, some €59 one way, so we opted for the slower train which would take us about 6 hours to get to Rome. Alas! Our lack of knowledge of Italian caused us to make a huge mistake. We got onto the wrong train headed for Verona instead. (because that was the train that was to depart from the same platform before the one we were supposed to take, but it was late so the signboard showed our train instead. Sigh). Good thing we met a kind Italian family (the 1st nice Italians we actually met) who tried to help us read the time table. Not that it really helped (but the gesture was nice), we ended up having to top up about to the €59 ticket anyway, to get the next train to rome by that night…
5-7 June 2008
Our Italy trip started in Venice, the sinking city. By the time we got to our hotel and settled in the first day, it was already early afternoon, and we didn’t have much time left. Mummy, Sharon and I were exhausted from all the traveling the day before, doing a whirlwind tour of London and waking up early in the morning to catch the bus to Stansted. But we pressed on and decided to walk around Venice. It was supposed to be small and walkable, but the many waterways and narrow streets formed a complicated maze that it was impossible not to get lost. Essentially, Venice is built on 117 islands, and has 150 canals and 450 bridges. Yet, only 3 bridges cross the Grand Canal, the main waterway. The problem with not having any vehicles on the roads and water taxis costing €6 per trip is that once you’ve committed to walking, the only way to get home is to walk out of the island, no matter how tired, far away or lost you are.
Our walk into the heart of the city was a pleasant one. We gave up navigating using the map halfway because we found signs leading us to San Marco, where we wanted to go. So while going through the tiny alleys and small canals which lead up to the doors of the colourful houses, we enjoyed the tranquility and uniqueness of the place. Going in and out of shops selling Venetian masks, glass, Italian leather and the like was fun, and stopping by each Gelataria to check out the prices helped make the way seem shorter. On the way in, we shared our 1st Italian Gelato, and it didn’t disappoint. We reached the Rialto bridge, one of the 3, and also the icon of Venice, watched the gondolas and other water taxis go by and went shopping at the nearby market place. Piazza San Marco also looked spectacular when we finally got to it. We were transfixed for a while, trying to take in everything from the Torre dell’Orologio, a high clock tower on which stands 2 bronze Moors which strike a gigantic clock on the hour, to the long Procurative Nuove, the Ala Napoleonica, which Napoleon used as his palace and ballroom after commenting that the Piazza was the ‘finest drawing room’ in Europe. Most of all, we were observing how ferocious the pigeons on St Mark’s Square were. They were totally unafraid of the human species and made their way to the shoulders, arms, heads and backs of tourists who stupidly have food on them. There were hoards of them (I’m not sure if tourists still outnumber pigeons!) and they all decided to fly across the square towards us as we were running across it, and since they’re so fearless, they flew so low, brushing past faces and intimidating pigeon haters (like Sharon) who had to face the whole flock coming straight at them at eye-level. Very disgusting indeed. But we did make it safely to the other side of the square towards the water front, where the doges’ palace still stands. It was the seat of the Republic’s bureaucracy, government and main prisons. Walking along the waterfront where rows of shiny black gondolas are parked, we crossed the bridge of sighs, so called because of the sighs prisoners made on their way into the dungeons. By this time we were completely spent and ready for a good night’s rest, though the sky was still bright. Once again, we decided against navigating and decided to follow the signs back to the mainland. Little did we know that the signs would bring us on a huge trek around Venice, and only brought us back some 2.5 hours later. Poor Mummy suffered the most because we had to cross gazillion bridges on the way, and her knee was hurting, no doubt from lugging all the suitcases up and down the stairs in the tube stations the day before. On the way we grabbed some more gelato (actually we are quite proud of ourselves for finding that particular shop that we wanted to patronize, tucked in some corner on some small street).
David finally arrived late that night. Long after everyone had fallen asleep and the (1-star) hotel’s reception had closed for the night. But thank God he arrived safely, because the last time I saw him was back in Copenhagen.
The next day, we decided that we had enough of walking, and that we won’t scrimp on the water taxis anymore, so we bought a 24 hour transport pass and made sure that we made full use of it. We headed to 2 islands off Venice. First, Murano, which is famous for its glass making industry. So we visited the glass factory to watch some glass-blowing, which is pretty amazing, I could never imagine glass to be so soft at some stage that you can actually blow it like a balloon. Next, we called at Burano, famous for its lace-making industry. The houses are pastel-coloured there, so pretty! But, the islands were a lot further than we expected them to be, so we wasted another few hours just traveling on the water taxis. (After a while, it wasn’t so fun anymore). We managed to get back to San Marco Square just minutes before the Basilica di San Marco closed, but they didn’t allow bags inside so I stood outside to watch the bags while the rest went in. Don’t think they managed to see the remains of St Mark though it’s supposedly there. After walking around a bit with David (because he didn’t get to the day before) and attempting to buy train tickets to Rome at the train station, we decided to take the water taxi back to St Mark’s Sq just to see it at night, and to make use of the tripod we’ve been carrying around for nightshots. It was pretty fun just posing around with the 2 partron saints of Venice (St Mark and St Theodore) and comparing whose pictures were better, then we decided to be more cultured and listen to musicians playing for restaurant guests on the square. They were pretty good, and the square was almost romantic at night, with old couples dancing to the music and the crowd swaying to the beat. Leaving Venice was a lot more convenient and less strenuous on the legs that night, thanks to the water taxis.
Leaving Venice (the area) for Rome, was a lot more complicated. Train tickets cost a lot more than expected, some €59 one way, so we opted for the slower train which would take us about 6 hours to get to Rome. Alas! Our lack of knowledge of Italian caused us to make a huge mistake. We got onto the wrong train headed for Verona instead. (because that was the train that was to depart from the same platform before the one we were supposed to take, but it was late so the signboard showed our train instead. Sigh). Good thing we met a kind Italian family (the 1st nice Italians we actually met) who tried to help us read the time table. Not that it really helped (but the gesture was nice), we ended up having to top up about to the €59 ticket anyway, to get the next train to rome by that night…
Monday, August 04, 2008
RIP, little red umbrella.
london is not the place for umbrellas, regardless of how heavy the rain. either the rain will stop the moment you try to open an umbrella (since the weather changes once every 2 mins), or the poor umbrella won't survive the winds.
the latter was the fate of the red umbrella ren left for me. i used it a grand total of ONCE, before it met its fateful end. been carrying it around regularly, but never ever used it. until today. today was quite a disastrous day. planned to go to the market in the morning to get something for sharon, as well as check out king's cross station (for platform 9 and 3/4). alas, i walked to the tube station, only to find it closed for the entire weekend for renovations. sigh. they ALWAYS do things like that in london on weekends. grrr. so i made a rash decision to check out the tower of london instead, since it's been sitting within my view since i moved here and i havent stepped inside. it wasn't that spectacular, and i'll post pictures some other time (i.e. it's not gonna happen haha.)
went home and got ready to go to church but it was raining again outside. and with the station closed, i had to walk 20 minutes to the next station. i was barely 5 minutes into my journey, crossing good ol' tower bridge, and the wind was just tearing the poor umbrella apart. 2 spokes broke, and i decided to walk in the rather heavy rain. sighhh. (then again, european rain isn't really heavy heavy in the singapore sense la huh, as jiamin would say - gu niang rain). until the wind blows, that is.
sorry sharon, do you want me to go buy you another red umbrella from primemark? haha.
the latter was the fate of the red umbrella ren left for me. i used it a grand total of ONCE, before it met its fateful end. been carrying it around regularly, but never ever used it. until today. today was quite a disastrous day. planned to go to the market in the morning to get something for sharon, as well as check out king's cross station (for platform 9 and 3/4). alas, i walked to the tube station, only to find it closed for the entire weekend for renovations. sigh. they ALWAYS do things like that in london on weekends. grrr. so i made a rash decision to check out the tower of london instead, since it's been sitting within my view since i moved here and i havent stepped inside. it wasn't that spectacular, and i'll post pictures some other time (i.e. it's not gonna happen haha.)
went home and got ready to go to church but it was raining again outside. and with the station closed, i had to walk 20 minutes to the next station. i was barely 5 minutes into my journey, crossing good ol' tower bridge, and the wind was just tearing the poor umbrella apart. 2 spokes broke, and i decided to walk in the rather heavy rain. sighhh. (then again, european rain isn't really heavy heavy in the singapore sense la huh, as jiamin would say - gu niang rain). until the wind blows, that is.
sorry sharon, do you want me to go buy you another red umbrella from primemark? haha.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
10 things i did this week
1. forgot to put detergent into the washing machine
2. played ultimate frisbee at hyde park (at last!)
3. cooked beef stew that lasted me 3 nights
4. bought a new bible
5. ached the whole of sunday and monday, and half of tuesday, from comm service last friday and frisbee on sunday.
6. not talk to david on the phone all week because of the horrible time difference :(
7. stayed at work till 8.30pm - record time for me. and arrived at 8am the next morning - another record time.
8. tried to catch up with other people's lives by reading their blogs.
9. watched 'facing the giants' on youtube
10. forgot to set my alarm for friday morning but woke up at 8.10 anyway, in time to get to work by 9am. thank God!
2. played ultimate frisbee at hyde park (at last!)
3. cooked beef stew that lasted me 3 nights
4. bought a new bible
5. ached the whole of sunday and monday, and half of tuesday, from comm service last friday and frisbee on sunday.
6. not talk to david on the phone all week because of the horrible time difference :(
7. stayed at work till 8.30pm - record time for me. and arrived at 8am the next morning - another record time.
8. tried to catch up with other people's lives by reading their blogs.
9. watched 'facing the giants' on youtube
10. forgot to set my alarm for friday morning but woke up at 8.10 anyway, in time to get to work by 9am. thank God!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)