13th Apr 2008 - Incoherent Thoughts

Goodness, I’m actually at a loss now, thinking of how I should start typing this post. I’ve just returned from my travels a couple of days ago. However, most of my pictures are with another friend who is still currently travelling, so I would talk about the places I’ve been to another time after I receive the photographs from her.

Returning to Durham from overseas has always been a chore. The budget flight timings back to UK are never ideal, which is an understatement since they’re budget flights, and they usually fly from and to airports which are not close to the city. Coupled with the long train rides back to Durham, it really is a hassle flying out of UK and this time round, much more of a pain flying back into UK. So far, I’ve been to 2 airports in London and on both occasions, the service (especially the immigration control) is wanting. I am unable to comprehend why the service in major airports in London can be so utterly inefficient till it’s shocking. The queue to clear the border control is as long as the Great Wall of China and BAA can just have 2 counters open. In my opinion, I think it’s quite retarded and the level of service in airports leaves much to be desired. Efficiency is something that most Singaporeans take for granted till one has seen how frustrating it can be when efficiency is nowhere to be seen. Due to their incompetence, I nearly missed my train, which was rather costly, back to Durham. I reckoned it took me about an hour and a half to clear the immigration control although it was already half eleven in the evening.

After reaching London Liverpool Street, I had to while my time away in MacDonald’s for a couple of hours before the train to Durham departed. It was there that I met an interesting gentleman, Dr. Antonio, who is from Italy. He was of British nationality but had lived in Italy since he was young. The only reason, according to him, that he is back in the UK is for the financial benefits i.e. a much higher salary. It was quite comical to hear an Orthopedist lambasting just about everything in the UK. Paraphrasing him, he said that nobody comes to the UK for food, which is rubbish, or for the weather, which is lousy. Also, he told me that he was working for the largest government hospital in London which was under the ward of the National Health Service (NHS). The NHS has a very high budget allocation from the government but the management of funds is horrific. I found out that even the cleaners in the hospital aren’t paid on time. Furthermore, I met a group of British travelers in Switzerland and they were complaining about the NHS as well. It seems like not only are the airports lacking in efficient but so are the hospitals.

On the way to Treviso airport, which is near Venice, I began to miss my family, friends and Singapore quite a fair bit. I kept thinking of the day I would return to Singapore and how I would spend my first week back in Singapore. Strangely enough, when I returned to Durham, a few of my friends messaged me via msn and asked me when I would return, that we should meet up etc. and they were quite emotional. I’m glad I’m not the only person feeling emotionally disjointed. This trip has no doubt been very enjoyable but it has also left me feeling emotionally breathless and suffocated…

23rd Mar 2008 - Florence & Pisa

I’m finally blogging again after finishing my revision for the day. Italy seems so distant even though I was there till a couple of days ago. This time round, I went to Florence and Pisa, both of which were lovely but charming in different ways.

I met up with one of my closer friends in Florence. I would have to admit that I was excited and anxious to do so since the last time I caught up with him would probably be more than 7 months ago. Furthermore, our meeting point is in Florence, how awesome can that be? And it certainly was… imagine meeting someone in your freshmen year in varsity and suddenly, 30 months later, both of you sitting at a café in Florence, enjoying the cool weather while sipping wine and slowly savouring Parma ham. Absolutely wicked! Fantastic company and great food, what more can one expect (bar a girlfriend!)? One thing’s for sure, food in Italy is so much nicer than in UK and also substantially cheaper. Everything about UK is nice except the food and weather, I’m sure I have said this several times in my other blog entries haha.

Florence didn’t exactly appeal to my senses when I first arrived. It was only through more thorough exploration and a comparison with Pisa that I grew to appreciate Florence as a city. It may not be as enchanting as Paris but it definitely has its own character. To add on, after my friend left Florence, I ended up mixing with the people in my hostel. Goodness gracious, it was such a wonderful experience that I’m contemplating travelling alone during summer for a while. I met 2 Americans, 2 Koreans, 2 Japanese, 1 German, 1 New Zealander and even 1 Kenyan. I think I might have missed out on some of them, since there were so many of them. Speaking to people, from such diverse cultures and backgrounds, is amazing. We ended up touring the city and having dinner together. Unfortunately, I had to leave for Pisa the following day and it was such a shame to not be able to spend more time with them. Oh well, it was a good end to my stay in Florence, I shan’t complain any further…

The journey to Pisa took an hour by train and I was all alone again. Pisa is very different from Florence and it is much smaller as well. But, lo and behold, nothing can prepare you for the sight of the “Square of Miracles” in Pisa. It is extremely captivating and seeing the leaning tower of Pisa and the Duomo with your very own eyes is just dazzling! All my weariness left me and I scurried along to purchase my tickets for all the attractions at the Square of Miracles. My first task was to climb the leaning tower of Pisa. Haha, it was quite tiring, albeit not for me, but for the older folks as they had to stop several times along the way up. Never would I imagine myself to be climbing up one of the Seven Wonders of the Medieval World! I slowly while my time away while exploring just about every inch of the Square of Miracles since I had nothing to do after that except to spend the night at the airport. Even so, I managed to finish my tour of the Square way beforehand, hence I took to the streets of Pisa. Gosh, there really is just nothing to shop for in Pisa. In fact, I found out from a boutique manager that most shops close from about 1 till 3.30pm in Pisa for lunch. As it was a small town, people make their way home for lunch, wow, what a life! Good for the locals but despairing for tourists like myself haha. Besides the Square of Miracles, I doubt there is anything else noteworthy. Furthermore, I felt that the people in Florence were friendlier and more polite as compared to those in Pisa despite both being touristy and Pisa being the smaller town. Perhaps, the shopping industry in Florence is much more dependent on tourists, which may be a reason for their attitude towards tourists. Anyway, shopping is far better in Florence than Pisa which is quite pathetic with respect to shopping. Therefore, with nothing to do, I commenced my way to the airport to spend my final night in Italy.

My last night in Italy was devastatingly horrendous! It all began with my atrocious dinner. Can u imagine eating pasta that seems to be cooked in a microwave? The final pasta that I had was hard and dry, prompting me to suspect that the café just reheated it in a microwave. It was such a letdown especially since I was in Italy. But the tales of horror didn’t end there and then. At about 11.30pm at Pisa airport, I heard the announcement that the airport would be closing at midnight. I immediately knew I was in trouble… I was caught in a dilemma, unsure to brave the cold weather like a man or to act like a pampered kid and hail a taxi to a hotel to spend the night. So, being the tough person that I am, I stupidly chose the former option. You guys have to know that the weather in Italy is just so perfect, but only during the day! I reckon the temperature dipped to below 5 degrees at night and I didn’t have my winter coat with me. Please note that I didn’t expect to spend a night out, in a literal manner, thanks to the airport closing. I could say, on hindsight, that I should have checked such a minute detail before I left for Italy, but I suppose most of us wouldn’t expect a closed airport. As such, from 12 till 2am, I was sitting outside in the freezing cold and there has to be a slight breeze to add to my torturous night. It was a very horrid feeling till I ended up walking about and stationing myself in a staircase of the airport car park. It was only slightly warmer but the place was so dirty that I remained standing from 2 till 4am. I recalled that I was checking my watch every 5 minutes or so, only to see time trickling away. I was despondent… very…

At the magical hour of 4am, the airport reopened and I was thus saved! The rest of my journey back to Durham was just a hazy affair as I spent most of my time catching up on sleep. It was a long journey though as it took 3 hours to fly to Glasgow, another 4 hours by train back to Durham and about 3 hours of waiting time in between. Boy was I wasted at the end of the entire ordeal. What a trip to Italy and BACK!

To end off, a very happy and meaningful Easter to all!

9th March 2008 - Harry Denis

Last night, something that my friend did really tickled me and caused me to burst out laughing. I think it’s rather cute and nice. As you can see, I am the new lead actor for the next installment of Harry Potter, if there are any further installments. You have to be aware that Harry Denis is not a fan of the Potter series, hence my ignorance towards it. My Portuguese friend created the picture for me. I dare say that it is a rather good picture. One friend of mine commented that the picture has to be suited or ideal for superimposing onto Harry Potter. Apparently, with my trademark cheeky smile, I am without a doubt that my pictures would make the mark! Haha, well, my Portuguese friend did use a nice smiling picture of myself and I think it looks pretty darn good!

Besides that, it was the birthday of a good friend that I’ve made in Durham. After sending him my well-wishing for his birthday, he replied with this text which took me by surprised as it was sincere and deep. It said “Dear Denis, thanks for your support throughout this year. You have been my role model for the year and to be honest, sometimes I look up to you as a big brother. Thanks for the kind words and I’ll carry on with my future with no regrets”. After reading it, I didn’t know what I was feeling exactly. But a funny thought came to mind, I bet a 100 quid that my younger brother doesn’t even look upon me as a role model haha!

More surprisingly, a friend told me at a party that I’m like a fountain of morality! I was like “huh”? I really am bewildered, and a little amused, by the impressions that I’ve formed on others throughout this year for I don’t feel like I’m exerting much influence over my friends…

6th March 2008 - Speaking English

I’m finally done with my work for this evening. I feel quite relieved now, especially with the bulk of my design project done. It really is annoying when I have to spend more time on the project just when I thought I’m done with it. Alright, enough of griping now since work’s over, at least for today. I didn’t know that some of my friends do read my blog, so I’m now writing this entry for someone =P

Apparently, there seems to be some animosity between the British and Americans. I just watched a programme and the host for the show said something along the lines of Americans are fat and they have to have cheese in their food. It was quite hilarious actually. For myself, I particularly like British humour because it’s not only witty but creative. The usage of the English language is simply fascinating! However, all the Americans that I’ve met so far are absolutely lovely people. They make an effort to get to know you better and through conversations with them, one can sense that they’re sincere. I suppose this prejudice against the Americans stems from the past. I may be wrong but I suppose to the British, it seems that America has corrupted the English language. I do hear some of my British mates occasionally raising a point or making a joke about it. From what I’ve heard, the colloquial English used in America is inherently “ancient”. It was the way English was spoken eons ago in the past when the British colonized America and the Americans have kept that style of speaking English. I reckon it’s similar to how a Portuguese might feel towards a Brazilian. I found out that some people who learn Portuguese find that the Brazilian way of speaking it is nicer and more romantic as compared to the way the originators of that language speak it. This, perhaps, explains the slight biasness.

My British friend complimented me just the other day. He told me that he fancies the way I speak English due to my usage of various words. Haha, he also mentioned that my vocabulary is good. This coming from a British was especially pleasant =) I noticed that many of my friends commented on my hair and that it is long now. I don’t really think it’s long, just not as short as before, after all, hair does grow in length over time if I’m not mistaken? Besides this, some also commented on my smile, my cheeky smile to be precise! What exactly is a cheeky smile? I can’t really help the way I smile I guess? It seems like I am being defined as a person through my hair and smile now, which is really quite sad since my character relies on my hair & smile!

Putting that aside, it’s only less than 2 weeks before the end of term. I shall then be in Italy and a multitude of other places in the weeks to come. Gosh, I sure am getting excited as my anxiety builds up. UK is really a decent place to live in. The pace is slower here and the way of life more relaxing. I wouldn’t mind staying here indefinitely if not for the cold weather. The times when I desperately wished I have a car are when the weather gets insanely cold and windy. Walking up the slope to my college in the absurd weather is akin to… I can’t even find anything apt to compare it to. It’s just simply suicidal! Haha, those are the days where one would just want to stay in the room and laze about doing nothing. If I’m studying here as a full time student, I think I would pleadingly request a car from my parents. After all, the cost of a decent car here isn't sky high. In addition to the horrendous weather at times, the worst thing about UK is its cuisine. Welcome to the land where one’s palate gets poisoned and killed. If you want to nullify your taste buds and develop Ageusia as a result, do come to the UK! English food is just plain lousy & unappetizing. Ask anyone, any Asian or European, and you will find a common consensus. Goodness, one aspect of Singapore that I miss sorely is the FOOD! At times, I would think of the day I return to Singapore and having supper with my brothers while talking rubbish. Haha, we speak rubbish not because we’re airheads but you can’t expect an engineer-to-be to speak about boring “techy” stuff!

Today, while I was walking up the dreaded slope, I saw my flat mate in front of me. Being the usual friendly self, I attempted to catch up with him but alas, I was having a tummy upset. It greatly hindered my ability to walk fast and imagine that I usually take 15 minutes or longer to walk up, it really is a torment to have to climb back up to my room, especially when I’m one kilogram heavier filled with S***! Originally, I intended to fly off to travel after my exams, but I heard from my British friend that the weekend after the exams concluded was supposedly the biggest weekend of the year in Durham. Think I shall alter my holiday schedule! Hehe, it’s going to be parties after parties, typical of the English which is cracking, after the exams while waiting for the release of results. I do not know why, but recently, I started developing a sweet tooth and am becoming a sugar addict… I have an urge to drink coke which I rarely drink in Singapore. Meanwhile, to satisfy my cravings, I’ve been indulging in cakes which are certainly splendid. Gosh, just thinking of it is enough to send me into a state of blissfulness, NOT! I have to drop by a café soon =P

Hmnz, I think I am really getting old. Throughout the day, I made a mental record of what I want to blog, but it seems like my memory is failing me. My thoughts are fleeting and fading into the depths of my mind. “Depths of my mind” makes it seems like I’m a deep person haha! Oh yes, I wanted to conclude this entry but I suddenly remembered something. I’ve began to ask my lecturers from referrals and one of them has already obliged. It really is easier to get a referral since the classes are so small and the lecturer would probably know who you are and know you better as a student. Hope the rest would similarly follow suit then *crosses my fingers*. Well, it’s time to get some well deserved rest! Good night peeps.

28th Feb 2008 - Earthquake

Currently, a familiar tune is echoing in my mind & resounding throughout my room. This melancholic tune brings back many memories, of all sorts of shape and sizes. I wonder what people would do with their memories? Cherish them, hold on to them as a beacon of hope, no matter how faint or dim it is? Or chuck them aside, locking them in a mental cage for all eternity? Perhaps some would place them into a treasure chest, occasionally taking them out and reminisce the past, while a smile forms subconsciously. I think for most, we never bother to think about what memories really are to us…

Sometimes, I feel so inept, in terms of character, especially after attending church. Since I left Singapore, I felt it has been so much of a challenge trying to be a nice person to everyone. To be able to concoct the right mixture of being firm and reasonable, yet being understanding and tolerant, is by no means a simple task. A few days ago, a friend said something along the lines of this “only by our sins would we be able to see the grace of God”. I suppose our inadequateness has a role to play in developing and redefining our lifestyles as we journey through life.

As I was trying to sleep last night, I experienced the tremors from an earthquake. It is rare to encounter earthquakes in UK. I was reading the papers this morning and the frequency of an earthquake is approximately once in every 10-25 years. If I am not mistaken, the only injury sustained, from this earthquake, was by a man who hurt his leg due to a collapsed chimney. Apparently, when I first felt the tremors, I thought someone was probably making loads of noise in his room. However, I thought to myself then that no one could make so much noise till my bed would be shaking as well. Furthermore, my ceiling was also trembling. I couldn’t imagine that it would be either of my 2 resident tutors, living above me, to be having a party that would bring the house down. That was when I realized that it was probably an earthquake. In my mind, when I conceptualized the probability of an earthquake, I was thinking of whether should I get dressed and take my valuables with me including my passport. I thought that it would be extremely troublesome to replace a passport, especially when I have a VISA in it. It seems like safety isn’t of paramount importance to me. Well, guess what I did eventually? I just carried on with my numerous futile attempts to stumble into slumber land!

It’s another 2 weeks plus till my vacation in Italy. Meanwhile, I’m feeling quite stressed by my work and project. I really hope I will be able to fully utilize this time to do a productive revision in preparation for my upcoming exams. I strongly feel the need to discipline myself into doing so… as time ticks away silently and perhaps, cruelly…

19th Feb 2008 - Edinburgh

Chinese New Year has since passed as I’m penning this entry. It is once again the year of the rat, meaning I’m already 24 years old. I would soon be able to lay claim to being a quarter of a century old! Many Singaporeans would consider Chinese New Year as a chore, but ironically, when you’re overseas, you tend to even miss the bothersome visitation of relatives and friends during Chinese New Year. I’ve been rather preoccupied with work till I’d to work through Chinese New Year and even Valentine’s Day. Thinking of which, Valentine’s week has just gone by.

My weekend was especially surreal as I was in Edinburgh. More so, it was my companions that made my short trip to Edinburgh worthwhile. Being in Edinburgh was akin to living a dream, taking a break from the monotony of work and just pure indulgence in the comfort and presence of friends. Edinburgh is quite a nice city, with its architecture surpassing most other cities in the UK. It is, after all, the capital of Scotland. Once again, I shall let the pictures do the talking as a picture speaks a thousand words. I had a really nice Chinese Dim Sum meal in Edinburgh. It was surprisingly good, better than what I had in Newcastle. If only there’s such a nice Chinese restaurant in Durham… Well, besides visiting attractions in Edinburgh, our evenings were particularly enjoyable as we had our get-together sessions. Seeing the group of us together was an interesting sight as well. Averaging 1.6 plus metres in height, only 1 of us stood out at nearly 1.9 metres! Haha, he’s my close friend from Lithuania who followed me to Edinburgh. I think it was much more of an experience for him than it was for me, being the only European among a “sea” of Asians! It wasn’t only his height that made him stood out but he was pretty striking amidst us, gaining most of the attention from the peculiar stares of the Scotts. I never imagined myself having a good friend from Eastern Europe, much less traveling with him. Likewise for him, it never occurred to him that he would mix with a group of Asians. The way life unravels for each of us is certainly mystifying although satisfying =)

Gosh, I think I caught a slight cold from the chilly weather in Edinburgh which was further pronounced by a long walk that I took in the dead of the night. Oh well, at least the walk did tire my friend out, resulting in her incessant snoring which reverberated throughout the room! Hehe, perhaps I might have exaggerated a fair bit, but at least her snoring was the absolute truth! I reckon it’s a fair tradeoff for me catching a cold? Anyway the weather today in Durham was brr…. cold and there was even frost on the fields this morning. I pray that the weather warms up tomorrow. Seriously, once the novelty of cold weather and snow wears off, one would prefer the warmth of the sun grazing upon the suppleness of our skin.

It’s already past 12am, guess it’s time to hit the sack. It’s now my 161st day away from Singapore… time really flies in the twinkle of an eye. I’m certainly looking forward to having supper in Singapore once again. Food most definitely rocks in Singapore, even more so since English food does not do much to gratify one’s palate!

16th Jan 2008 - Left with Memories...

It has been more than a month since I last blogged. I even lost count of how many days I’ve been away from Singapore. Before I carry on, a belated Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all, especially to my family!

December has been a month of mixed emotions for me. I wouldn’t even say that I’m emotionally starved but rather I’m emotionally drained. I remembered the last few days of school… everyone was a little upset that we all had to part with one another during the holidays as they were just around the corner. Neither did I expect myself to have felt that way nor did I think that I would feel a tinge of sadness when parting with my newly found friends while I was still in Singapore. It seems like so many things that I thought wouldn’t happen to me, or things which I never thought about would actually happen to me. Thank you, Dad & Mom, for giving me this opportunity to experience these life-changing instances (I sound like I’m giving a Grammy Award speech).

I spent my holidays traveling around Europe. My 1st destination was Dublin, followed by Paris, after which I flew to Glasgow and finally to Gothenburg. Each of the cities are unique, but I would say that Paris really made an impression on me, it pretty much “wowed” me as I stepped into the city of the lights. I really am unable to describe how magnificent it is as it would do Paris a great injustice. I would let the pictures speak for themselves. Glasgow was good for low to mid-end shopping, probably the nicest place to shop in Scotland. Boxing Day sales was amazing! I did a fair amount of shopping in Glasgow but I felt it wasn’t enough but I ran out of moolah! You can’t really find high end boutiques in just about any city, including capital cities such as Dublin. Only in places like London, Paris & Milan can you find such stuff, in a way I really miss the convenience of Singapore, where one can just about find anything one wanted regardless of the price. Gothenburg was nice as well. I spent a few days in the countryside at a friend’s place. Gosh, every night was like a wine drinking session thanks to the OLDEST man in our group, probably our father-figure since he’s 33 and married. Alas, despite his age, I taught him how to withdraw cash from an overseas cash withdrawal machine, thus giving me a sense of smugness!

Traveling with friends is an experience in itself, for one would learn how to compromise and tolerate one another. Even simple things such as a difference in budget can lead to squabbles which can be pretty damaging if not managed properly. I learnt so much from my European friends and they really made an impression on me with their wealth of knowledge and it’s really interesting to learn about the different cultures and behaviours. Without a doubt, one would not agree with everything one sees or hears, but it does broaden one’s perspective in all certainty. Traveling with my friends also bonded us subconsciously. Guess the time spent together, the petty squabbles and the good times we shared allowed us to understand one another better as well as oneself better. To all my Singaporean friends going on abroad or on exchange already, try not to just stick with Asians, mixing with people who are vastly different from us would really add meaning to your overseas experience. I think that being on exchange allowed me to not only understand, tolerate and be sensitive to others in greater depth but more importantly, it gave me a chance to understand myself better, providing me with an opportunity to grow and develop as a person and adult. Once again, kudos to my lovely parents!

While I’m typing this blog entry, I already feel like I’m a shadow of my former self. Despite the numerous wonderful times I had during the holidays, a part of me seems to have ceased existing. It would take a miracle to pen everything down in just plain words and I rather let memories tell our story. Hence, I would end with this…

终于还是走到这一天, 要奔向各自的世界, 没人能取代记忆中的你和那段青春岁月。要对你说再见真的很伤感，我真的很希望能够相信你所说的我们一定会再见，而你会再次回到我面前。那一天送你送到最后，我有千言万语，好担心好难过，却没对你说。我只能让眼泪留在心底，深深的祝福你最亲爱的朋友，祝你一路顺风。。。