Did I just call this small hole my home?
I guess I should. I still feel uneasy calling this place my home. Many times, I still yearn for the security and familiarity of the place that I had in Singapore. I had a such strong sense of identity there. But funnily, I wasn't conscious of it when I was in Singapore. In fact, I was also feeling inadequate and insecure of my own place when I was back 'home'.
Perhaps the grass IS always greener on the other side. And one learns to appreciate things when they are not around.
Of course, there is the strong possibility that I basically have too much time on my hands and allowed myself to 'think too much'.
I am rather fearful of starting from scratch so many things. But at least the major admin things are done - bank accounts, school enrollment, induction for classes, etc. However, these is the easy part. Far more difficult is to make new friends, maintain contact with them, make small talk with them. I have gotten used to doing things on my way, in my own way, I wonder if I will allow myself to get close to anybody I meet out here. Of course, I think I am also held by the subconscious sense of insecurity. The foreign students whom I have got to know. Will we stay in touch this year while at King's, only to lose touch when we part our ways? I have been disappointed by my friends so often in Singapore already that I am quite cynical about making new friends here. I'm not sure if I still want to put as much effort to start and maintain new friendships over here. But knowing me, I probably will still stick my head (and heart) out on the chopping board, ready for any cutting and slicing...
Sigh... So depressing. I better stop now before I really decide to become a recluse.
Besides, I should get started on that dozen books I just borrowed from the library yesterday!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
KCL Freshers' Fair
Sorry I forgot to take photos of the KCL Freshers' Fair.
Got my flat-mates together and we walked to school for the Freshers' Fair. Wow, there was a looooong queue of freshers waiting to get inside this tentage with the stalls of the Fair! Thankfully, I had my flat-mates to talk with as we waited for our turn. Once inside, wow again! Loads of people and activities - sports and games, societies, volunteer groups, lots of medicine and law-related groups... Signed up my email with half a dozen groups. Prepared to get lotsa spam mail in the near future.
After the Fair, my flat-mates and I went off on our own. I had to go collect my debit card from the bank personally. Went to register for Jap lessons at the King's Modern Language Centre only to realise that I cannot use my debit card because of the PIN issue. Darn! In the end, had to pay using my home credit card because I didn't want to wait a few more days. The number of places on the earlier time slot was down to 6 and if I end up on the later slot, I would have to walk home in the dark when lessons end at 9 pm.
Yeh! The good sunny weather is back. The Brits love lying out in the sun on anything green. Outside the National Gallery on this small patch of greenery (forgot to take photos of this), Hyde Park (but of course), and the courtyard of the Guy's medical campus. This photo is pretty interesting also because of these HUGE living room set (sofa, couch, table and standing lamp) 'upholstered' by fake grass.
After a decadent dinner of fried egg, fried bacon and baked fish-cake (the ang moh type with potatoes), I went to collect the last of my care parcels from home!
Such a bittersweet feeling... So happy to have received more things from home, with a "hitch-hiker" postcard from Noel (thanks!), but also sad because I know it's the last of my things from home...
Got my flat-mates together and we walked to school for the Freshers' Fair. Wow, there was a looooong queue of freshers waiting to get inside this tentage with the stalls of the Fair! Thankfully, I had my flat-mates to talk with as we waited for our turn. Once inside, wow again! Loads of people and activities - sports and games, societies, volunteer groups, lots of medicine and law-related groups... Signed up my email with half a dozen groups. Prepared to get lotsa spam mail in the near future.
After the Fair, my flat-mates and I went off on our own. I had to go collect my debit card from the bank personally. Went to register for Jap lessons at the King's Modern Language Centre only to realise that I cannot use my debit card because of the PIN issue. Darn! In the end, had to pay using my home credit card because I didn't want to wait a few more days. The number of places on the earlier time slot was down to 6 and if I end up on the later slot, I would have to walk home in the dark when lessons end at 9 pm.
Yeh! The good sunny weather is back. The Brits love lying out in the sun on anything green. Outside the National Gallery on this small patch of greenery (forgot to take photos of this), Hyde Park (but of course), and the courtyard of the Guy's medical campus. This photo is pretty interesting also because of these HUGE living room set (sofa, couch, table and standing lamp) 'upholstered' by fake grass.
After a decadent dinner of fried egg, fried bacon and baked fish-cake (the ang moh type with potatoes), I went to collect the last of my care parcels from home!
Such a bittersweet feeling... So happy to have received more things from home, with a "hitch-hiker" postcard from Noel (thanks!), but also sad because I know it's the last of my things from home...
London Peace Run
On Saturday 20 September Tower Hamlets will be hosting the London Peace Run in the borough's Victoria Park. This is one of the highlights of the London Week of Peace - an annual week of high profile events and initiatives aiming to promote community cohesion, safety and peace across the capital.
With more than 200 entrants expected, participation rather than competition is the order of the day at this popular event, which this year also forms part of the Tower Hamlets programme to celebrate the handover of the Olympic and Paralympic Games from Beijing to London.
Leader of Tower Hamlets Council, Cllr Lutfur Rahman said: “As a Host Borough it is especially apt that we should mark London Week of Peace in Tower Hamlets with an event such as this. It is an excellent example of how people can be brought together through cultural and sports activities to celebrate diversity and promote justice, equality and respect. I believe that Tower Hamlets is the ideal setting for this event, particularly as we are preparing to invite visitors of many different cultures from all over the world to come together in the planet’s greatest sporting event."
The event starts around 11am with the adults' five kilometre run beginning at 11.30am followed by the three kilometre junior run, open to people aged 7 -15, taking place at 12.30pm. Both runs take participants on a circuit of Tower Hamlets’ picturesque Victoria Park - recently voted number one in Time Out magazine’s table of London’s best parks.
During the event, water will be provided to those taking part along with light refreshments such as energy bars and shakes to aid recovery.
The cost of entry is £10 for the adult event and £3.00 for the junior event, although entry is free for under 15s living in Tower Hamlets. To register please call 01252 373797 or register online via the Runners World Website.
Reproduced from Tower Hamlets News pages
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Visit to my school library
Sorry I haven't been blogging as conscientiously as I wished...
Let's see.
Was finally enrolled yesterday afternoon, followed by my course induction in the evening.
Feeling super kiasu and wanted to figure out the way around my campus, so went to school today. Visited the library and borrowed a ton of books for my initial reading. At first, I thought the borrowing limit of 20 was ridiculously high. But looking at my haul today, I have a feeling 20 may not even be enough... *grin*
After a long day at the library reading and hauling back a very heavy bag with the dozen books I borrowed, decided to be lazy and not cook tonight. Bought this M & S (Marks and Spencer) chicken with white sauce dish and popped it into the oven. Also made some Marmite soup. I never had all this craving for soup back home. As you might be able to see from the photo, I had a SMALL bit of the mooncake for dessert... Yum yum!
Last but not least, took this photo just now. There are a couple of similar 'artsy'-looking billboards on my way back to school. Hope I will remember to take more photos of the nice ones.
Let's see.
Was finally enrolled yesterday afternoon, followed by my course induction in the evening.
Feeling super kiasu and wanted to figure out the way around my campus, so went to school today. Visited the library and borrowed a ton of books for my initial reading. At first, I thought the borrowing limit of 20 was ridiculously high. But looking at my haul today, I have a feeling 20 may not even be enough... *grin*
After a long day at the library reading and hauling back a very heavy bag with the dozen books I borrowed, decided to be lazy and not cook tonight. Bought this M & S (Marks and Spencer) chicken with white sauce dish and popped it into the oven. Also made some Marmite soup. I never had all this craving for soup back home. As you might be able to see from the photo, I had a SMALL bit of the mooncake for dessert... Yum yum!
Last but not least, took this photo just now. There are a couple of similar 'artsy'-looking billboards on my way back to school. Hope I will remember to take more photos of the nice ones.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Enrolment! Finally!
Yeh! It's finally time for enrolment!
After twiddling my fingers (and toes) in London for the past 10 days, it's finally time for me to officially become a student! Indulged in my FIRST packet of instant noodles - Myojo Singapore Sambal Chicken Ramen - nice, hot and spicy!
Ok, took a while to get ready because must make sure I look nice when they take my picture at enrolment mah. Got to school early for enrolment and thank goodness I did, because it was a long queue for loads of admin.
1st, wait in lecture theatre. Then, queue to go into a room where they check to ensure they have your records. 3rd, queue again, to key in slowly all the details on your enrolment form - London address, family background, etc. This one took the longest time and was in the smallest room possible. It got pretty stuffy. Last but not least, queue again to take photo for student ID, and get a whole list of usernames and passwords (ALL different) for library, internet login, library login, etc. Not sure how efficient it is and how effective - but why the **** do you need different logins and different passwords for EVERYTHING?!?!
Just enough time after my enrolment to take my time and stroll back across Waterloo Bridge to get to the Waterloo campus from the Strand campus for my MA programme induction.
Ok, a decent number of people taking MA Education - mainly in English teaching. But to my astonishment... there are a TOTAL of FOUR, yes, 4!, people taking my MA ICT in Education course. Wah... super stressed lor! Discussion and tutorial sure die one!
My fellow coursemates are all gals, 2 from Cyprus and 1 from Taiwan. The one from Taiwan is also an ex-teacher, I think. The senior lecturer also very stressed, he hasn't got the reading lists ready and we were bugging him for it. My coursemates were rather stunned to hear that we only have TWO, yes, 2!, face-to-face tutorial sessions and the rest will be carried out via online discussions.
After twiddling my fingers (and toes) in London for the past 10 days, it's finally time for me to officially become a student! Indulged in my FIRST packet of instant noodles - Myojo Singapore Sambal Chicken Ramen - nice, hot and spicy!
Ok, took a while to get ready because must make sure I look nice when they take my picture at enrolment mah. Got to school early for enrolment and thank goodness I did, because it was a long queue for loads of admin.
1st, wait in lecture theatre. Then, queue to go into a room where they check to ensure they have your records. 3rd, queue again, to key in slowly all the details on your enrolment form - London address, family background, etc. This one took the longest time and was in the smallest room possible. It got pretty stuffy. Last but not least, queue again to take photo for student ID, and get a whole list of usernames and passwords (ALL different) for library, internet login, library login, etc. Not sure how efficient it is and how effective - but why the **** do you need different logins and different passwords for EVERYTHING?!?!
Just enough time after my enrolment to take my time and stroll back across Waterloo Bridge to get to the Waterloo campus from the Strand campus for my MA programme induction.
Ok, a decent number of people taking MA Education - mainly in English teaching. But to my astonishment... there are a TOTAL of FOUR, yes, 4!, people taking my MA ICT in Education course. Wah... super stressed lor! Discussion and tutorial sure die one!
My fellow coursemates are all gals, 2 from Cyprus and 1 from Taiwan. The one from Taiwan is also an ex-teacher, I think. The senior lecturer also very stressed, he hasn't got the reading lists ready and we were bugging him for it. My coursemates were rather stunned to hear that we only have TWO, yes, 2!, face-to-face tutorial sessions and the rest will be carried out via online discussions.
Teachers catch volunteer bug
By Tan Weizhen
MORE teachers are doing volunteer work here and overseas, with many heading to countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, India and China to help the needy.
They are even starting to take their students along.
'In the process of helping others, the students learn way beyond what they would have in a classroom,' said St Andrew's Junior College teacher Louis Ho, 30.
The physical education teacher has been going on such overseas expeditions at least once a year, for almost a decade.
Projects taken on by such groups include teaching needy children or training teachers in poor communities, or contributing school materials.
Volunteers also set up basic information technology infrastructure or donate computers to villages.
Other popular projects involve health care, conserving the environment, and providing the poor with skills so they can get jobs.
According to the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) and the Youth Expedition Project (YEP), which subsidise half of the costs for such teams, the projects have gained popularity in recent years.
The YEP alone has seen the number of volunteer teachers climb from 78 in 2006 to 93 last year. This year, 78 have already signed up for such trips to date.
SIF also said it has seen the biggest growth in the number of youth volunteers, including educational institutions and youth groups.
Each trip for about 20 volunteers typically costs between $20,000 and $40,000, depending on the nature of the project.
Because students want to become volunteers earlier, both groups recently lowered the age criterion for them, from 17 to 15 years.
The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) has been an active participant in volunteer efforts.
Two teachers and 72 students from ITE College West have been to a remote village in Hainan, China, about 10 times to help poor farmers there improve their lives.
They have installed 15 solar lamps in the village, which has no electricity and would otherwise be pitch dark from 7pm.
'The villagers were relying on torches at night to find their way around. Children coming home late from school couldn't even see where they were going,' said ITE lecturer Pang Sher Yoon, 49.
Installing solar lamps, he said, means the poor villagers do not have to pay for electricity because each day's sunlight can provide lighting for three days.
The teams sourced for the parts in the city, then assembled them at the village.
'This project suited the ITE students, as they learn fast due to their electronics knowledge. For the villagers, it was just like magic, as the power source seemed to come straight from the sun,' said Mr Pang.
For their next project, a team of ITE nursing students and staff will provide a $4,000 delivery bed, new medical devices and train the village 'doctor', who had no proper medical training.
Explained ITE lecturer Yam Wai Hong, 61: 'Right now, the local women give birth on a creaky, rusty delivery bed - the only one in the entire village.'
Teachers say that school support has been instrumental in getting such projects off the ground.
The schools start committees focused on such volunteer work, and allow teachers time off to make trip preparations during the school term. The extended school holidays also give teachers and students ample time to go on such trips, which last up to two weeks each time.
One team which has likely covered the most number of miles in a single trip is a Nanyang Polytechnic group.
In April, 16 lecturers and students travelled to 30 different villages around the Cambodian city Siem Reap in two weeks, distributing medicine and spreading awareness of the disease lymphatic filariasis.
They are trying to help villagers eliminate the mosquito-borne bug, which introduces microscopic worms into the human lymph system. Those who are infected get very swollen lymph glands, and their immunity to germs and infections is lowered.
Volunteers say they get hooked on what they are doing.
'I started volunteering on humanitarian grounds. Now I find it helps me grow as a person, and I don't take what I have for granted anymore,' said Mr Ho, who persuades young teachers to participate.
Those who would like to apply for funding can call +65-6309-4070 or e-mail yep-enquiries@yep.sg
This article was first published in The Straits Times on Aug 30, 2008.
This article is reproduced from AsiaOne.
MORE teachers are doing volunteer work here and overseas, with many heading to countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, India and China to help the needy.
They are even starting to take their students along.
'In the process of helping others, the students learn way beyond what they would have in a classroom,' said St Andrew's Junior College teacher Louis Ho, 30.
The physical education teacher has been going on such overseas expeditions at least once a year, for almost a decade.
Projects taken on by such groups include teaching needy children or training teachers in poor communities, or contributing school materials.
Volunteers also set up basic information technology infrastructure or donate computers to villages.
Other popular projects involve health care, conserving the environment, and providing the poor with skills so they can get jobs.
According to the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) and the Youth Expedition Project (YEP), which subsidise half of the costs for such teams, the projects have gained popularity in recent years.
The YEP alone has seen the number of volunteer teachers climb from 78 in 2006 to 93 last year. This year, 78 have already signed up for such trips to date.
SIF also said it has seen the biggest growth in the number of youth volunteers, including educational institutions and youth groups.
Each trip for about 20 volunteers typically costs between $20,000 and $40,000, depending on the nature of the project.
Because students want to become volunteers earlier, both groups recently lowered the age criterion for them, from 17 to 15 years.
The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) has been an active participant in volunteer efforts.
Two teachers and 72 students from ITE College West have been to a remote village in Hainan, China, about 10 times to help poor farmers there improve their lives.
They have installed 15 solar lamps in the village, which has no electricity and would otherwise be pitch dark from 7pm.
'The villagers were relying on torches at night to find their way around. Children coming home late from school couldn't even see where they were going,' said ITE lecturer Pang Sher Yoon, 49.
Installing solar lamps, he said, means the poor villagers do not have to pay for electricity because each day's sunlight can provide lighting for three days.
The teams sourced for the parts in the city, then assembled them at the village.
'This project suited the ITE students, as they learn fast due to their electronics knowledge. For the villagers, it was just like magic, as the power source seemed to come straight from the sun,' said Mr Pang.
For their next project, a team of ITE nursing students and staff will provide a $4,000 delivery bed, new medical devices and train the village 'doctor', who had no proper medical training.
Explained ITE lecturer Yam Wai Hong, 61: 'Right now, the local women give birth on a creaky, rusty delivery bed - the only one in the entire village.'
Teachers say that school support has been instrumental in getting such projects off the ground.
The schools start committees focused on such volunteer work, and allow teachers time off to make trip preparations during the school term. The extended school holidays also give teachers and students ample time to go on such trips, which last up to two weeks each time.
One team which has likely covered the most number of miles in a single trip is a Nanyang Polytechnic group.
In April, 16 lecturers and students travelled to 30 different villages around the Cambodian city Siem Reap in two weeks, distributing medicine and spreading awareness of the disease lymphatic filariasis.
They are trying to help villagers eliminate the mosquito-borne bug, which introduces microscopic worms into the human lymph system. Those who are infected get very swollen lymph glands, and their immunity to germs and infections is lowered.
Volunteers say they get hooked on what they are doing.
'I started volunteering on humanitarian grounds. Now I find it helps me grow as a person, and I don't take what I have for granted anymore,' said Mr Ho, who persuades young teachers to participate.
Those who would like to apply for funding can call +65-6309-4070 or e-mail yep-enquiries@yep.sg
This article was first published in The Straits Times on Aug 30, 2008.
This article is reproduced from AsiaOne.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Boring day
Boring day today. Went out for a brief walk to the National Theatre - dun the "green" furniture look fun? It's quite comfortable. Just a little difficult for me to get on. *bleah*
Finally got my care package of the week. Being waiting for it till my neck is damn long already. Inside got 2 double-yolked MOONCAKES! Yum yum!!! And I nearly cried when I saw the 2 tins of luncheon meat that my mum put in. I love such pleasant surprises! And I continue to be amazed at how much better my mum knows me than myself sometimes.
Last but not least, a simple dinner of fried egg, new potatoes with herb butter and some left-over fried chicken from my wagamama dinner some time back.
Finally got my care package of the week. Being waiting for it till my neck is damn long already. Inside got 2 double-yolked MOONCAKES! Yum yum!!! And I nearly cried when I saw the 2 tins of luncheon meat that my mum put in. I love such pleasant surprises! And I continue to be amazed at how much better my mum knows me than myself sometimes.
Last but not least, a simple dinner of fried egg, new potatoes with herb butter and some left-over fried chicken from my wagamama dinner some time back.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Thames Festival
Die lah... Haven't blogged for so long I can't recall what I did 2 weeks back already!
And I have stopped taking photos of EVERYTHING and EVERYWHERE... So, makes it even more difficult to recollect my activities and etc.
But well, the main points of each day are still clear in my mind, so better blog all these now while I still have some time before my full curriculum starts.
Let's see. I called home again this morning... She seems to prefer me call in the evening (Singapore time) because she always sound to keen to put down the phone when I call her in the afternoon (Singapore time). Anyway, it turned out that it was Mid-Autumn Festival and my family was just sitting down for dinner. I knew that Mid-Autumn was close, but I didn't realise it was today! So my mum actually sounded very happy to hear from me today. It being the festival for family together-ness and everything.
Then, went down to the Strand campus today afternoon to get updated letters for the bank with my new address after my change in room. Wanted to finally get my SIM card so that I can be contact-able in London and saw this advert in the Metro with free 5 pounds credit - good sign! Also saw an Orange shop along the main road from my campus so that was my first stop after my admin at school.
However, to my astonishment, it was CLOSED! Now, why would they close a handphone shop on Sunday?!?! Never mind. I have plenty of time before the Thames Festival in the evening. So, I decided to take a loooooong walk to Oxford Street, under the assumption that the main shopping road in London should have their fair share of OPEN handphone shops. Yup, I was right. Right at the end of the road, I found my Orange shop. But the staff were super unfriendly. Esp after they realised I was there for the free SIM card, and not going to spend any money buying any handphone sets, etc.
Let's cut to the chase... Fast forward to the evening, around 6.30 pm. I had a great time perched upon the railing at this pier with a great view of the street performers. My timing was just right and I got to see ALL the performers as they go past me. I would prefer a closer encounter but was too lazy to stand for 2 hours at the railing along the road.
The performers cleared within 2 hours and with the setting of the sun, it started to get real cold... With the cold wind, lonely surroundings and dark skies, I got real depressed. Things got real depressing as I see the full moon arising, and started to feel really sorry about myself. "Why was I subjecting myself to such loneliness? Why did I take myself away from everything that was familiar and loved?" I was in such a catch-22 situation. There was nowhere for me to go even if I wanted to leave my perch. I got a good seat at one of the best positions to view the fireworks, facing the OXO building in between the Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges. So there I waited...
Ever grateful to the Moon goddess (there must be some magic with it being the Mid-Autumn Festival), a group of Hong Kongers walked past my perch and decided to settle there to light lanterns and eat mooncakes. I gave them advice when they had difficulty lighting their lanterns and they were real nice to give me an extra one. They also shared their mooncakes with me. I never savoured and appreciated a piece of mooncake more in my life. It was just heart-warming to be able to share a special moment with some people who share the same language, the same culture, even if they were perfect strangers. Of course, I'm also ever grateful to my grandparents forcing me to speak almost-perfect Cantonese.
Last but not least, I managed to grab a piece of souvenir!
And I have stopped taking photos of EVERYTHING and EVERYWHERE... So, makes it even more difficult to recollect my activities and etc.
But well, the main points of each day are still clear in my mind, so better blog all these now while I still have some time before my full curriculum starts.
Let's see. I called home again this morning... She seems to prefer me call in the evening (Singapore time) because she always sound to keen to put down the phone when I call her in the afternoon (Singapore time). Anyway, it turned out that it was Mid-Autumn Festival and my family was just sitting down for dinner. I knew that Mid-Autumn was close, but I didn't realise it was today! So my mum actually sounded very happy to hear from me today. It being the festival for family together-ness and everything.
Then, went down to the Strand campus today afternoon to get updated letters for the bank with my new address after my change in room. Wanted to finally get my SIM card so that I can be contact-able in London and saw this advert in the Metro with free 5 pounds credit - good sign! Also saw an Orange shop along the main road from my campus so that was my first stop after my admin at school.
However, to my astonishment, it was CLOSED! Now, why would they close a handphone shop on Sunday?!?! Never mind. I have plenty of time before the Thames Festival in the evening. So, I decided to take a loooooong walk to Oxford Street, under the assumption that the main shopping road in London should have their fair share of OPEN handphone shops. Yup, I was right. Right at the end of the road, I found my Orange shop. But the staff were super unfriendly. Esp after they realised I was there for the free SIM card, and not going to spend any money buying any handphone sets, etc.
Let's cut to the chase... Fast forward to the evening, around 6.30 pm. I had a great time perched upon the railing at this pier with a great view of the street performers. My timing was just right and I got to see ALL the performers as they go past me. I would prefer a closer encounter but was too lazy to stand for 2 hours at the railing along the road.
The performers cleared within 2 hours and with the setting of the sun, it started to get real cold... With the cold wind, lonely surroundings and dark skies, I got real depressed. Things got real depressing as I see the full moon arising, and started to feel really sorry about myself. "Why was I subjecting myself to such loneliness? Why did I take myself away from everything that was familiar and loved?" I was in such a catch-22 situation. There was nowhere for me to go even if I wanted to leave my perch. I got a good seat at one of the best positions to view the fireworks, facing the OXO building in between the Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges. So there I waited...
Ever grateful to the Moon goddess (there must be some magic with it being the Mid-Autumn Festival), a group of Hong Kongers walked past my perch and decided to settle there to light lanterns and eat mooncakes. I gave them advice when they had difficulty lighting their lanterns and they were real nice to give me an extra one. They also shared their mooncakes with me. I never savoured and appreciated a piece of mooncake more in my life. It was just heart-warming to be able to share a special moment with some people who share the same language, the same culture, even if they were perfect strangers. Of course, I'm also ever grateful to my grandparents forcing me to speak almost-perfect Cantonese.
Last but not least, I managed to grab a piece of souvenir!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Cultural today
Decided to visit the National Gallery with 2 new found friends from the same hall.
We spent some time walking along the river bank, enjoying all the stalls set up for the Thames Festival. Wish I had the budget to try all the food, but well... Learning to do without the tangibles and enjoy the intangibles... *grin*
Then, spent some time at Trafalgar Square just resting, enjoying the sunshine, and the free Concert going on to celebrate the start of London Peace Week. Decided to take part in the 5k Peace Run the coming Saturday. A great way to force myself to (finally) run in London. Just hope the weather will stay good and sunny!
Finally, time to go into the National Gallery and get some culture! *laugh*
Boy, was it an enlightening experience! Seeing the paintings upfront is really different from seeing their pictures in books, online, etc. Some of the pictures are really huge, and reading about their history and process brings them to life and i definitely felt a deeper connection. I mean, how can someone spend 12 years on a painting? The effort and attention to detail of some painters are just astonishing. Of course, much admiration came from this visitor that day. I found that i really enjoyed the pre-17th century painters more and the modernists and impressionists. Their sense of lighting and texture is just amazing with the limited resources they have access to. I wasn’t as engrossed as a lot of the visitors in Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. I much preferred one of his scenery ones.
Since we went into the Gallery pretty late, and my fren and I both spent a lot of time reading each and every piece of painting in each room, we only managed to cover like 7 rooms in the 2 hours we spent there. Definitely a place for a return visit! It helps that it’s within walking distance from my campus.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Last day of orientation programme
Got some good information about banking, etc. Took the initiative to speak with this Indian gal, who turned out to be my flatmate! What a coincidence! It was great to meet with her and her friend, who was doing the same course. It’d be so nice, to have a friend, come all the way here, and have the chance to do everything together. Definitely a bunch of help when one needs to check class notes and remind each other about deadlines, etc!
As the finale for the orientation programme, we got the chance to take a free cruise down the Thames. Must say we were pretty lucky. The weather was sunny and great, and we came upon the Tower Bridge just as a clipper boat was coming in and the Tower Bridge had to open up! Lots of cameras went crazy! Including mine... *grin*
Walked back with this new gal fren from the same hall. It’s 30 minutes each way to the Stamford (it’s fate... a Raffles connection?!?!) campus where my lessons are also gonna be at. Debating whether to get a bicycle (aka pedal cycles here in UK) to break the monotony of walking.
Got back to my hall and bumped into my previous flat-mate (before they moved us all to different flats). She invited me to join her and her flat-mate for dinner. Sigh... I wish my printer was here! I have these Wagamama 1-for-1 vouchers which SLY emailed me but cannot use them as yet... So, broke my budget to have dinner out with them. Well, the company was priceless, I guess.
It was interesting, then, as my ex-flat-mate spoke to me about how afraid she was of London, especially at night. But, there I was, feeling pretty alright, because I know the area pretty well from all my walking. I just hope I have not gotten complacent and taking my safety too lightly... But well, I was with a crowd and I was aware of my surroundings and environment... *fingers crossed*
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Orientation progamme starts proper
Today was a full day out at the Waterloo campus for the orientation programme proper. Met another Singaporean doing her Masters of Law, and a group of gals from my hall. Was supposed to carry on with the evening and spend it over at Tutu’s, the KCLSU student night club, for some English pub quiz.
But was paranoid over whether I locked my room door and went back home after the day activities ended. After that, was too tired to walk over to the Strand campus and really craved a good hot meal. In the end, went grocery shopping and spent over £10 at Sainsbury. However, I actually had some Sainsbury vouchers left over from my previous trip (yes, so many years ago) which I found in my not-so-recent spring cleaning, and brought over. Surprisingly, I could still use them! So, in the end, I only had to pay less than a quid for everything! *laugh*
That's one of the 'good things' about doing things on your own. I can change my mind last minute and is not accountable to anyone. (yup, dat's one way of consoling myself when i have no friends... *sob sob*)
Anyway, couldn't take another meal without proper meat and vege and something steamy hot. Decided to indulge and splurge on some meat patty from Sainsbury (can't afford a steak lah) and also used my M & S (Marks and Spencer) pans for the first time!
But was paranoid over whether I locked my room door and went back home after the day activities ended. After that, was too tired to walk over to the Strand campus and really craved a good hot meal. In the end, went grocery shopping and spent over £10 at Sainsbury. However, I actually had some Sainsbury vouchers left over from my previous trip (yes, so many years ago) which I found in my not-so-recent spring cleaning, and brought over. Surprisingly, I could still use them! So, in the end, I only had to pay less than a quid for everything! *laugh*
That's one of the 'good things' about doing things on your own. I can change my mind last minute and is not accountable to anyone. (yup, dat's one way of consoling myself when i have no friends... *sob sob*)
Anyway, couldn't take another meal without proper meat and vege and something steamy hot. Decided to indulge and splurge on some meat patty from Sainsbury (can't afford a steak lah) and also used my M & S (Marks and Spencer) pans for the first time!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
International Orientation (Registration)
My clothes were starting to feel dirty (it has been a week...), so went down to the laundry this morning. However, didn’t have enough change for a round of the dryer, so had to hang the laundry all around my room to dry.
Met this Brazilian lawyer who’d be doing his Master’s in Law and arranged to meet him early to show him Tesco’s. Then, decided to go down to the school and requested for another letter for the bank since the stupid accommodation office changed my room. Might as well get the official letter with my new address rather than trying to talk my way if the banks have issues with the letters addressed to my previous room.
Since I left my place earlier than expected, I didn’t have my usual breakfast of cereal and milk. Time to splurge a little on some outside breakfast. It really shows how expensive everything in London is when McDonald’s is one of the cheapest place to have a decent meal. Spent £2.79 on a sausage & egg McMuffin meal at Mac’s Waterloo, and almost an hour there reading the free paper. *grin*
Continued on my way after such a long nuah-ing and reached the school to put in yet another request for the bank letters. Since I had a couple of hours to kill before the registration for the International Students’ Orientation, I walked all around the area near my school. Over to Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, you get the idea – more walking, basically... Grabbed the £1.19 double cheeseburger deal for lunch, and hey, it was time to get back for the registration!
Made my way back across the Waterloo Bridge and found myself just a tad early. Found a delightful market for second-hand books just underneath the bridge but the 3 books I was interested in were just a tad over my budget of £2 per book. Will stick to the free newspapers and cheap books from Books Warehouse for now...
Registered for the Orientation programme and got to know some more people from my hall. Great! But still no one from my course yet. A lot of people doing Law and Medicine though.
But best of all, there's a free dinner after the first day of Orientation! *grin*
Met this Brazilian lawyer who’d be doing his Master’s in Law and arranged to meet him early to show him Tesco’s. Then, decided to go down to the school and requested for another letter for the bank since the stupid accommodation office changed my room. Might as well get the official letter with my new address rather than trying to talk my way if the banks have issues with the letters addressed to my previous room.
Since I left my place earlier than expected, I didn’t have my usual breakfast of cereal and milk. Time to splurge a little on some outside breakfast. It really shows how expensive everything in London is when McDonald’s is one of the cheapest place to have a decent meal. Spent £2.79 on a sausage & egg McMuffin meal at Mac’s Waterloo, and almost an hour there reading the free paper. *grin*
Continued on my way after such a long nuah-ing and reached the school to put in yet another request for the bank letters. Since I had a couple of hours to kill before the registration for the International Students’ Orientation, I walked all around the area near my school. Over to Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, you get the idea – more walking, basically... Grabbed the £1.19 double cheeseburger deal for lunch, and hey, it was time to get back for the registration!
Made my way back across the Waterloo Bridge and found myself just a tad early. Found a delightful market for second-hand books just underneath the bridge but the 3 books I was interested in were just a tad over my budget of £2 per book. Will stick to the free newspapers and cheap books from Books Warehouse for now...
Registered for the Orientation programme and got to know some more people from my hall. Great! But still no one from my course yet. A lot of people doing Law and Medicine though.
But best of all, there's a free dinner after the first day of Orientation! *grin*
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Staying in again
Stayed in again today. Spent some time sorting through all the pamphlets I have gathered over the past week, uploading the photos I have taken since coming here, and of course, smiling more and more as I go through my care parcels from HOME...
This trip is really enlightening. There are so many things we should be thankful for back home. Definitely things are cheaper, hot (and GOOD) food is always available just around the corner, I actually do miss the sun, but I guess it’s the general sense of familiarity and belonging of being somewhere for the last quarter of a century. Perhaps I’d feel the same about London if I stay here for the next quarter of a century. *laugh*
Everybody who knows me all tell me that I’d be fine here. I’ve been nothing but the most independent person they know. I’m fine taking care of other people, but when it comes to taking care of myself... well, i’m here to find out. It’s not easy, to not let the sense of being all alone here, get myself too down. I appreciate the sense of home-sickness, I’m glad I do appreciate what Singapore has to offer. And it helps to make me more determined to succeed at what I’m here to do, to get a good (if not great!) master’s, get funding to continue in my PhD, or get a good job to allow my parents all the travel they want to do, etc. I have sacrificed too much to throw everything down the drain because I’m feeling sad for myself.
Monday, September 08, 2008
Familiar places and faces
Great! Going to meet SLY later in the evening for dinner. Finally! A familiar face!
The cold of the place was getting to me and I decided to get my heated underblanket (electric blanket) and a fan heater from Argos today, rather than waiting for it to get real cold and everyone will be wanting to get the same things.
So, walked over to Victoria this morning. Since I always have breakfast not long after I wake up in the early, early morning, I’m usually famished by late morning. So, as usual, I told myself to hang in there. The breakfasts at McDonald’s and Burger King were too expensive at almost £4 (that’s like almost S$10). Finally found this breakfast deal which was still available at 11.30 am from Upper Crust. Just £2.99 for a sandwich and a hot chocolate.
Bought my 2 items after spending a long time browsing through their catalogues. I have been fascinated with their shopping concept ever since I first came to London. Imagine, you do not see their products at all in the shop, only pictures in the catalogue. You then note down the product’s serial number, pay at the cashier and then finally receive your goods. And they sell everything, from beds to bedding, electrical appliances to jewellery, toys and games. Their catalogue is thicker than the yellow pages!
I was, of course, not going to walk all the way back home with my 2 bulky items. Time to take the bus (save $$$) home! However, had to walk some distance to Pimlico to grab the bus. It was a worthwhile trip. Pimlico and Victoria meant so much much to me when I first came to London so many years back and it felt great dusting the cobwebs and chasing the ghosts away.
Went off to meet SLY an hour early and spent the time waiting reading the free London Lite. I have never read so much news in my life. I’m always make sure I grab a copy of the Metro in the morning, and then the London Paper and London Lite in the evenings. Anything, as long as there is stuff to read and occupy my time.
Ate at Wagamama before we made our way back – she had this free movie viewing at a pub, which I was strongly discouraged to join her as it’d just look bad for 2 people to sit together at a pub, not order anything, and continue to enjoy their ‘free’ movie screening.
The cold of the place was getting to me and I decided to get my heated underblanket (electric blanket) and a fan heater from Argos today, rather than waiting for it to get real cold and everyone will be wanting to get the same things.
So, walked over to Victoria this morning. Since I always have breakfast not long after I wake up in the early, early morning, I’m usually famished by late morning. So, as usual, I told myself to hang in there. The breakfasts at McDonald’s and Burger King were too expensive at almost £4 (that’s like almost S$10). Finally found this breakfast deal which was still available at 11.30 am from Upper Crust. Just £2.99 for a sandwich and a hot chocolate.
Bought my 2 items after spending a long time browsing through their catalogues. I have been fascinated with their shopping concept ever since I first came to London. Imagine, you do not see their products at all in the shop, only pictures in the catalogue. You then note down the product’s serial number, pay at the cashier and then finally receive your goods. And they sell everything, from beds to bedding, electrical appliances to jewellery, toys and games. Their catalogue is thicker than the yellow pages!
I was, of course, not going to walk all the way back home with my 2 bulky items. Time to take the bus (save $$$) home! However, had to walk some distance to Pimlico to grab the bus. It was a worthwhile trip. Pimlico and Victoria meant so much much to me when I first came to London so many years back and it felt great dusting the cobwebs and chasing the ghosts away.
Went off to meet SLY an hour early and spent the time waiting reading the free London Lite. I have never read so much news in my life. I’m always make sure I grab a copy of the Metro in the morning, and then the London Paper and London Lite in the evenings. Anything, as long as there is stuff to read and occupy my time.
Ate at Wagamama before we made our way back – she had this free movie viewing at a pub, which I was strongly discouraged to join her as it’d just look bad for 2 people to sit together at a pub, not order anything, and continue to enjoy their ‘free’ movie screening.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Nothing exciting today
Stayed in all day. Been spending too much the past few days and a little tired of walking as well. It helped that the weather was gloomy all day. No more out in the rain and wind for me please...
My 2 care packages from home just arrived last night, so I was quite excited to open up the boxes and see what my mum had sent me! Yippee, more socks! Finally, all my facial moisturisers, hair serum, face masks! My skin was going to dry out with all the walking in the rain and winds.
My vacuum cleaner! I was quite disgusted at how much hair and rubbish is trapped in the carpet floor & carpet-upholstered chairs. Yes, despite how untidy I generally am, I am actually quite particular about cleanliness. There is a difference between the two.
My cup! I can finally drink my tea, but alas, no tea strainer! Have to wait some more, I guess.
Argh! No instant noodles yet. Also have to wait some more.
My 2 care packages from home just arrived last night, so I was quite excited to open up the boxes and see what my mum had sent me! Yippee, more socks! Finally, all my facial moisturisers, hair serum, face masks! My skin was going to dry out with all the walking in the rain and winds.
My vacuum cleaner! I was quite disgusted at how much hair and rubbish is trapped in the carpet floor & carpet-upholstered chairs. Yes, despite how untidy I generally am, I am actually quite particular about cleanliness. There is a difference between the two.
My cup! I can finally drink my tea, but alas, no tea strainer! Have to wait some more, I guess.
Argh! No instant noodles yet. Also have to wait some more.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Walking and shopping...
Went walking like nobody’s business today. First, crossed Lambeth Bridge to get to Sloane Square. YSL was giving out these collector’s item cloth bags. Thought I’d try my luck to see if I could get one. And, I was just in time! The YSL girls were just at Sloane Square when I arrived there and I got one! Almost wanted to get another one (they have 2 versions of the bag), but decided I shall not be an ugly Singaporean...
Anyway, the way to Sloane Square was quite an arduous one. It was definitely long, almost 90 minutes of walking. And it was raining quite heavily on and off and my umbrella got blown inside out at least twice. The winds here are very powerful. Probably because the whole area is low-lying, with short buildings. Back in Singapore, we can find shelter from the rain everywhere, and there’s practically no wind ever with the rain, compared with here.
Was starving by the time I got to Sloane Square but as it was still an early 11 am, I told myself to hang in there to wait till lunch time to eat. Found a McDonald’s near Harrods and settled my lunch there. Even though it was almost 2 pm by the time I got there, it was still very crowded. Probably because it was a tourist area, and the outlet was pretty small. I regretted not ordering the large meal, however, because they were giving out free coke glasses with the upsized meals. Darn! I needed a glass to drink in. I guess they don’t publicise as heavily as we do back in Singapore about freebies, etc.
Went on to Harrods and walked all around the huge shopping centre for a couple of hours. I mean, there was nothing for me to do back in my room if I went back early anyway. And the place is HUGE! I had to stop myself from buying some Christmas accessories, and I was SUCCESSFUL! I only bought some chocolates (on SALE!) and some jelly beans (haven’t had them in ages!).
I was all tired from walking today and didn’t want to make the long trip back home (better think of my room as home from now on...) But if I take the tube (imagine the MRT after a hundred years, without any upgrades to their stations...) from Knightsbridge, it’d involve too many changes of trains lines. So, I made the trip back to Sloane Square and took the tube from there – it’d only require one change.
Having successfully stopped myself from over-spending at Harrods, I decided to reward myself by grocery shopping at my nearby Tesco! I spent a grand total of £11+, but on necessities like fruits, mushrooms, popcorn, mac & cheese, etc. That’s almost S$30 worth...
Back home... I cooked my first hot meal for dinner! Just a simple boiling of some pasta, then heating some hand-shredded ham with pasta sauce in a pan, and mixing everything together. I still have to figure out the right amount of pasta to cook, because I cooked a little too much, but I finished everything.
Anyway, the way to Sloane Square was quite an arduous one. It was definitely long, almost 90 minutes of walking. And it was raining quite heavily on and off and my umbrella got blown inside out at least twice. The winds here are very powerful. Probably because the whole area is low-lying, with short buildings. Back in Singapore, we can find shelter from the rain everywhere, and there’s practically no wind ever with the rain, compared with here.
Was starving by the time I got to Sloane Square but as it was still an early 11 am, I told myself to hang in there to wait till lunch time to eat. Found a McDonald’s near Harrods and settled my lunch there. Even though it was almost 2 pm by the time I got there, it was still very crowded. Probably because it was a tourist area, and the outlet was pretty small. I regretted not ordering the large meal, however, because they were giving out free coke glasses with the upsized meals. Darn! I needed a glass to drink in. I guess they don’t publicise as heavily as we do back in Singapore about freebies, etc.
Went on to Harrods and walked all around the huge shopping centre for a couple of hours. I mean, there was nothing for me to do back in my room if I went back early anyway. And the place is HUGE! I had to stop myself from buying some Christmas accessories, and I was SUCCESSFUL! I only bought some chocolates (on SALE!) and some jelly beans (haven’t had them in ages!).
I was all tired from walking today and didn’t want to make the long trip back home (better think of my room as home from now on...) But if I take the tube (imagine the MRT after a hundred years, without any upgrades to their stations...) from Knightsbridge, it’d involve too many changes of trains lines. So, I made the trip back to Sloane Square and took the tube from there – it’d only require one change.
Having successfully stopped myself from over-spending at Harrods, I decided to reward myself by grocery shopping at my nearby Tesco! I spent a grand total of £11+, but on necessities like fruits, mushrooms, popcorn, mac & cheese, etc. That’s almost S$30 worth...
Back home... I cooked my first hot meal for dinner! Just a simple boiling of some pasta, then heating some hand-shredded ham with pasta sauce in a pan, and mixing everything together. I still have to figure out the right amount of pasta to cook, because I cooked a little too much, but I finished everything.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Getting my bearings...
Woke up at 5+ am. Made myself go back to sleep and woke up about an hour later. Booted up my laptop to record my expenditure yesterday and these blogs entries. Had cereal and milk for breakfast – thanks to sia again. Decided that i was not going to buy skimmed milk again! It tastes like highly diluted milk, almost like water. it looks ok in the bottle, but the difference with full cream milk is very obvious when poured over cereal.
Very upset now with singtel. Stupid sim card says inactive sim. And i won’t have internet access until 10 days later after my academic registration. So, effectively, i have to learn with being “cut off with the world” for the next 10 days. Well, if i’m ok with 2 weeks of OSL, i dun see why i can’t stand it here... (London and Cambodia not really that different. In fact, Cambodia may probably be an easier place to be in.) *grin*
Alright. It’s getting kinda late at 9 am. Time for me to get down to hsbc and start my bank account. Cheers!
Couldn’t start my bank account just yet – need some verification letter from the school with my accommodation address. So, off to find my school over the river. Bought a focaccia bread from borough market on the way to school. Kept munching on it throughout the walk. Getting lil worried that i’m eating way too much carboh. Wonder if i should eat more carboh or more meat to keep warm.
Over at the school office. Darn! The office is only open in the afternoon on Fridays! And it’s raining like mad outside. Really dun wanna to get into the rain! But well, i can’t very well spend the next 2 hours sitting at the reception area. I’d get bored stiff! Feel strange walking around the place. It’s such a maze! So many buildings with linkages at odd levels.
Okies. decided to spend a small fortune to buy the 3 mobile broadband modem so that i can get online for the next 2 weeks. You see, i can’t get online on the school network until enrolment, which is a full 2 weeks away. So, the only way to get online is (1) spend my money & time at one of the computers in the internet cafe down the road, (2) bring my laptop to enjoy the free wifi at the internet cafe with the cost of the cheapest drink (£1.40 can of coke), (3) survive not having internet access!
Very upset now with singtel. Stupid sim card says inactive sim. And i won’t have internet access until 10 days later after my academic registration. So, effectively, i have to learn with being “cut off with the world” for the next 10 days. Well, if i’m ok with 2 weeks of OSL, i dun see why i can’t stand it here... (London and Cambodia not really that different. In fact, Cambodia may probably be an easier place to be in.) *grin*
Alright. It’s getting kinda late at 9 am. Time for me to get down to hsbc and start my bank account. Cheers!
Couldn’t start my bank account just yet – need some verification letter from the school with my accommodation address. So, off to find my school over the river. Bought a focaccia bread from borough market on the way to school. Kept munching on it throughout the walk. Getting lil worried that i’m eating way too much carboh. Wonder if i should eat more carboh or more meat to keep warm.
Over at the school office. Darn! The office is only open in the afternoon on Fridays! And it’s raining like mad outside. Really dun wanna to get into the rain! But well, i can’t very well spend the next 2 hours sitting at the reception area. I’d get bored stiff! Feel strange walking around the place. It’s such a maze! So many buildings with linkages at odd levels.
Okies. decided to spend a small fortune to buy the 3 mobile broadband modem so that i can get online for the next 2 weeks. You see, i can’t get online on the school network until enrolment, which is a full 2 weeks away. So, the only way to get online is (1) spend my money & time at one of the computers in the internet cafe down the road, (2) bring my laptop to enjoy the free wifi at the internet cafe with the cost of the cheapest drink (£1.40 can of coke), (3) survive not having internet access!
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Arrival in London...
The cheapskate that i was, i actually managed to smuggle the pillow and blanket from my flight. *laugh* i was trying so hard to stuff the VERY BULKY items into my 2 already full bags. Amazingly, i did it! So now, i’m very comfy with my Givenchy blanket and in-room duvet, and a mini pillow.
Took some time to re-organize my bags in the toilet and boy, the customs queue is still as long as ever. Cleared customs with the minimal of fuss – smile at the officer, offer your greetings and wait patiently. Guess it helps that there were lots of other students also going through customs – it’s the season for incoming foreign students. And nope, xinyan, they didn’t make me take an x-ray. After getting all my luggage, decided to go through the nothing-to-declare lane and i passed without any incident. Dilly-dallied a lil too long at the airport, but i can also say that i had a good rest there. And yes, made new frens called tyra and Sonia.
Bought the cheapest water at boots – it still cost some S$4 for 2 small 750 ml bottles. Called up all the mini-cabs for quotations to get from heathrow terminal 3 to my accommodations at great dover street postcode SE1 (£38 cheapest quote). Turned out that dot2dot can do the same thing for only £20. But later, i realised a drawback. As my place was the furthest from the airport, the shuttle service would drop off its other 7 passengers first and me last. Hence, it was a long 2 hour ride before i reached my accommodations. The driver was very nice, chatting with me after the other passengers left. He must get paid pretty well, able to afford a £650 airfare to Bangkok 2 weeks ago and another £450 to phuket next month. Of course, he was gushing away about how cheap it is to enjoy himself in Thailand, since he was converting everything to pounds. I find it cheap just converting to sing dollars!
Anyway, reached accommodations, and nice driver helped me take all my luggage to the reception desk. Yup, got a taste of british rudeness at the reception desk. But never mind. I’m used to rude Singapore service. Nothing i can’t handle. Good news of the day – the room i was getting will be my permanent room! I can get my mum to send my care packages straight away! And i can unpack all my stuff straight away. After much juggling, i managed to cart all my luggage into my micro-small room in 1 trip! However, i got very stressed and depressed when i couldn’t find my phone in all my bags. I spent not an small amount of money calling up the shuttle service and waited a long time at the reception area for them to call me back – My room has no phone. Just like the immunization booklet, I gave up after 2 hours and went back to my room to unpack.
All’s well that ends well... unpacking the first bag unearthed my immunization booklet. Unpacking the second bag, i think i have packed more than enough clothes and not quite have enough closet space. Unpacking my last box, i realised i forgot to pack in a cup! so, meanwhile, i have to settle for tea in a bowl. replacing the white in-room given bedsheets with my own new bedsheets also helped in my depression. Deciding i need to walk around to get my bearings, i changed and put on my coat, etc. Then, i realised that my phone was in one of its pockets after all! Yippee! Straight away, No more depression!
Before i left, made friends with 2 of my apartment mates – we would share the corridor and kitchen for the next 40 weeks. One is a german girl, seriena, taking masters in intelligence and international security. Cool! Another is a black brit, joe, in his 3rd year at king’s college. Both very nice people at first impressions. The german gal has bought some pots and pans, crockery and cutlery and offered to share them with the rest of the apartment. The guy is friendly, has a constant smile on his face and laughs easily.
Spent about an hour outdoors, Walked about 3-4 km, i think. Pretty good ‘expedition’ – found a cafe place with free wifi, borough market (which i’m going tmr morning for fresh fruits and vege), londis mini-mart (not going there again!), tesco express (with a lot of half-price and one-for-one promotions), Sainsbury local (to explore tmr – i still need ham and bread). Noticed how much the brits love their happy hour after work and basically filled out every pub in the area. Seriously, every pub and drinking hole i passed by was filled to overflowing with loud and noisy brits drinking and smoking away. On a Thursday evening – i can’t imagine what tmr evening will be like.
The borough tube station is about 5 minutes from my accommodation. I’m in an area called southwark and apparently, it’s not exactly the safest area in london. just at the corner of my accommodation, there are a bunch of flowers in memory of a kid who was robbed and stabbed recently. There was also a notice telling people to take care of their safety when in the area. Er...
Got back at 8 pm but the sky was still a dull blue grey. Had my dinner – chicken roll thanks to sia. Read the free daily – the London paper, similar to our today, but distributed in the evening after-work rush, rather than the morning going-to-work rush. Succumbed to sleep at about 9 pm.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Leaving Singapore...
Schedule was to have left my place by 7 pm so that i can check in by 7.30 pm. My good friends (chauffeurs Varian and Noel, BFF May and hubby Floyd) were all waiting for me at my place by 7 pm but i was so stressed that i have not “finished” my packing... I wanted so much to scream and exclaim that I’m not leaving after all. But thankfully, my ego stopped me from doing so. Much of my stress and late-ness was due to my panic that i couldn’t find my immunization documents. (However, found that i had packed them long ago into my check-in luggage during my unpacking...)
Ok, decided to give up on my immunization docs and finally left my place at 7.30 pm. However, stupid thunderstorm and a vehicle breakdown on the PIE caused a great jam and bottle neck all the way from Benjamin sheares bridge to clementi. Finally reached the airport and checked in my luggage at 8.30 pm. I love the internet check-in for sia! Went online to check in 48 hours before my flight but was told by a friend that there are economy seats on the upper deck as well. So, yesterday night, went to change my seats and got 1 of the last 3 seats left on the upper deck. Coming back to my check-in, my 2 main luggage was actually less of its 40 kg limit. So i tried to coerce the check-in staff to let me check-in a third bag that i had planned to hand carry. All of the luggage would have been some 8 kg overweight but after seeing me try very hard to lessen its weight, she let me check in everything despite a 5 kg overweight. Yippee!
Met caroline at my check-in counter as she had to go home early to do work. too bad my camera was stuck at the bottom of my bag. Decided not to take photo – we have had plenty of other photos already anyway. *grin*
Finally went over to our dinner place at terminal 2 – soup restaurant. some dear friends (colleague Joshua, pri classmate wensi, and sec sch basketball team mate xinyan) were already sitting a table i had booked earlier and waiting for my arrival an entire hour later than my schedule... *oops* the entire table was finally filled up and despite me calling to tell them to get the food ready, the restaurant took their time to serve the food. It was almost like an advance celebration for my BIG 30 birthday. I had my family with me, my dearest friends from primary, secondary and JC, and my colleagues all at the same place. I was feeling strange, not sure how to entertain all of them, but thank god they could take care of themselves. (yes, i’m just a dear old worry-wart.)
Finished dinner and went back to terminal 3. Met up with robin, alphonsus, Jason and gf xinying. okies, would have stayed on schedule if i had gone in straight away. But of course, need to spend some time to socialise and take photos. I was kinda surprised that i felt a tinge of sadness at leaving but not exactly enough to cry. However, i was very surprised at seeing my mum’s red eyes and that she was trying very hard not to cry. She was beaming when my brother left. Now, that made me cry a lil after i got into the terminal. I felt very bad at leaving my family behind to fend for themselves, with my brother also gone in Sweden for his training for 3 whole years. I had always looked up to my mum but i guess i didn’t realised that she would miss my leaving. I hope my dad will be able to comfort and console my mum. It must really be difficult to have both your kids leave at the same time after all our time at home. I’m getting sad as i type all these down. So, a change of topic.
By this time, i was juggling 2 big bags of files and papers which i just hapzardly dumped from my table. Of course, there was also this foldable trolley for my big checked-in luggage. Oh yes, and one more, my laptop bag. Not at all the carefree traveller that i had hoped to be.
That’s why i was pretty fortunate... in the middle of dinner, i received a call from sia asking if i could change seats for an elderly couple. I was offered a window seat instead of my centre-centre seat. Of course, i wouldn’t mind. As long as it was on the upper deck. Wat a stroke of luck that was! The window seat comes with its cubby hole, big enough to dump my laptop bag, and a lot of other stuff i will mention later. My bag of files and papers went under the seat in front, together with the foldable trolley. So just left a bag of misc into the overhead cabinet. There was also sufficient space under the seat in front for my boots, which i removed immediately after i put all my bags in place. Pity i didn’t take a photo. So yes, the seats on a380 are slightly wider. As for leg space, i didn’t notice as i always have plenty of leg space anyway. Yes, finally, an advantage in having short legs. *grin*
Flight went well. Made conversation with my neighbour, an aussie going on a 3 month holiday in Europe. Wow! Coincidentally, she is a retired primary school teacher. One should really get a window seat on the upper deck of an a380, unless you always need to walk about or go to the toilet. The cubby hole is not only useful for putting things in but also putting things on. And because on the upper deck, you only need to inconvenience one other person when you need to get out of your seat.
Other than the 3 times the stupid inflight entertainment system failed on me, it was a great flight! A word of advice, pls do not watch the inflight entertainment for the entire flight. Do switch it off (centre button below the screen) after every movie so that the screen can cool down.
Usually, i would finish all the food. But although i was feeling hungry, i wasn’t in a mood to eat much and just kept drinking milk. Therefore, i managed to keep a lot of food from my flight, which will help me save some money towards my first meals in London. food taken from flight – chicken roll (supper snack), dried cranberries (inflight snack), cheese & crackers (dinner starter), mars bar (dinner dessert), bread roll, butter & jam (breakfast starter), cereal and milk (breakfast). After arriving in London, the chicken roll became my first dinner, the cereal and milk and cranberries my first breakfast.
Ok, decided to give up on my immunization docs and finally left my place at 7.30 pm. However, stupid thunderstorm and a vehicle breakdown on the PIE caused a great jam and bottle neck all the way from Benjamin sheares bridge to clementi. Finally reached the airport and checked in my luggage at 8.30 pm. I love the internet check-in for sia! Went online to check in 48 hours before my flight but was told by a friend that there are economy seats on the upper deck as well. So, yesterday night, went to change my seats and got 1 of the last 3 seats left on the upper deck. Coming back to my check-in, my 2 main luggage was actually less of its 40 kg limit. So i tried to coerce the check-in staff to let me check-in a third bag that i had planned to hand carry. All of the luggage would have been some 8 kg overweight but after seeing me try very hard to lessen its weight, she let me check in everything despite a 5 kg overweight. Yippee!
Met caroline at my check-in counter as she had to go home early to do work. too bad my camera was stuck at the bottom of my bag. Decided not to take photo – we have had plenty of other photos already anyway. *grin*
Finally went over to our dinner place at terminal 2 – soup restaurant. some dear friends (colleague Joshua, pri classmate wensi, and sec sch basketball team mate xinyan) were already sitting a table i had booked earlier and waiting for my arrival an entire hour later than my schedule... *oops* the entire table was finally filled up and despite me calling to tell them to get the food ready, the restaurant took their time to serve the food. It was almost like an advance celebration for my BIG 30 birthday. I had my family with me, my dearest friends from primary, secondary and JC, and my colleagues all at the same place. I was feeling strange, not sure how to entertain all of them, but thank god they could take care of themselves. (yes, i’m just a dear old worry-wart.)
Finished dinner and went back to terminal 3. Met up with robin, alphonsus, Jason and gf xinying. okies, would have stayed on schedule if i had gone in straight away. But of course, need to spend some time to socialise and take photos. I was kinda surprised that i felt a tinge of sadness at leaving but not exactly enough to cry. However, i was very surprised at seeing my mum’s red eyes and that she was trying very hard not to cry. She was beaming when my brother left. Now, that made me cry a lil after i got into the terminal. I felt very bad at leaving my family behind to fend for themselves, with my brother also gone in Sweden for his training for 3 whole years. I had always looked up to my mum but i guess i didn’t realised that she would miss my leaving. I hope my dad will be able to comfort and console my mum. It must really be difficult to have both your kids leave at the same time after all our time at home. I’m getting sad as i type all these down. So, a change of topic.
By this time, i was juggling 2 big bags of files and papers which i just hapzardly dumped from my table. Of course, there was also this foldable trolley for my big checked-in luggage. Oh yes, and one more, my laptop bag. Not at all the carefree traveller that i had hoped to be.
That’s why i was pretty fortunate... in the middle of dinner, i received a call from sia asking if i could change seats for an elderly couple. I was offered a window seat instead of my centre-centre seat. Of course, i wouldn’t mind. As long as it was on the upper deck. Wat a stroke of luck that was! The window seat comes with its cubby hole, big enough to dump my laptop bag, and a lot of other stuff i will mention later. My bag of files and papers went under the seat in front, together with the foldable trolley. So just left a bag of misc into the overhead cabinet. There was also sufficient space under the seat in front for my boots, which i removed immediately after i put all my bags in place. Pity i didn’t take a photo. So yes, the seats on a380 are slightly wider. As for leg space, i didn’t notice as i always have plenty of leg space anyway. Yes, finally, an advantage in having short legs. *grin*
Flight went well. Made conversation with my neighbour, an aussie going on a 3 month holiday in Europe. Wow! Coincidentally, she is a retired primary school teacher. One should really get a window seat on the upper deck of an a380, unless you always need to walk about or go to the toilet. The cubby hole is not only useful for putting things in but also putting things on. And because on the upper deck, you only need to inconvenience one other person when you need to get out of your seat.
Other than the 3 times the stupid inflight entertainment system failed on me, it was a great flight! A word of advice, pls do not watch the inflight entertainment for the entire flight. Do switch it off (centre button below the screen) after every movie so that the screen can cool down.
Usually, i would finish all the food. But although i was feeling hungry, i wasn’t in a mood to eat much and just kept drinking milk. Therefore, i managed to keep a lot of food from my flight, which will help me save some money towards my first meals in London. food taken from flight – chicken roll (supper snack), dried cranberries (inflight snack), cheese & crackers (dinner starter), mars bar (dinner dessert), bread roll, butter & jam (breakfast starter), cereal and milk (breakfast). After arriving in London, the chicken roll became my first dinner, the cereal and milk and cranberries my first breakfast.
Monday, September 01, 2008
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