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Possibilities

2011-11-22T09:25:00.003+08:00

Life is an adventure. Live it.

At least, that's what I'm doing.

An adventure does not have to be an exotic trek through the Amazon, nor a deep sea dive in the Mid Atlantic trench.

It could be something simple. Even in this concrete jungle. Get out and explore the building. Maybe, just around the corner, there could be something surprising waiting for you.

And who said things familiar to you can't be an adventure too? It may be such stuff that are the most worthwhile to go back to. Who knows, you might find something there that you never knew existed.

True story.

Family trip 2011; Great Ocean Road

2011-06-20T01:35:00.029+08:00

Work in progress...In Taiwan now =D

~Great Ocean Road~

Now, this is a stretch of coast that would do any physical geography textbook proud. Limestone cliffs formed by crashing waves; fern trees growing in temperate rainforests; and scoria remnants on dormant volcanic plains. Words and pictures are inadequate to describe these dramatic and unique landscapes, but nevertheless, I shall try my best.

05.06.2011

We arrived to a cold winter morning in Melbourne city, took a while to adjust to the sudden chill, and were soon off in our rental car. Missing a turn, we ended cutting through Melbourne city, before arriving on the Princes Highway. Bypassed Geelong, and had our first stop in the late morning.

At Anglesea, we ate at a nice cosy café, went to a cutely painted toilet and spoke to friendly locals who gave us directions to see the kangeroos in the golf course. Was liking the Victorian coast already =D

We then took several stops along the coast between Anglesea and Airey’s Inlet. Nice fluffy clouds in the sky and strong Antarctic winds from the South gave rise to an inexplicable urge to take photographs at all angles…not a good thing if you only want to choose one to put on this blog. Apparently, the surf season in on during winter due to the huge waves generated by the winds.

Dropped by the Split Point Lighthouse and had a glimpse at Eagle rock. The sky wasn’t cooperating much with lighting, so I took some black and white for a more dramatic effect. Climbed over a barrier too to take a riskier, I mean more interesting shot. Not recommended at all. While I was standing on the cliff, I could see, hear and feel the powerful swash breaking against the huge caves at the bottom of the cliff. The raw strength of the water gave me chills and I froze for a moment. It took some time before I managed to will my jelly legs back to safety.

With some help from yet more locals (and of course my trusty map) we managed to survive the ever winding roads meandering along the coast to Kenneth River. Why did we stop there despite the foreboding grey clouds gathering above our head? To see another famous Australian icon of course---The sleeping koalas! We had to drive along a small dirt road up the hill for about 500m before we spotted a furball clinging on the tree branches. Squealing entailed about how cute they were, and we were soon obsessed with playing ‘spot the koala’. It was only after a drizzle set in that we finally set off for our lodging at Apollo Bay.

06.06.2011

We stayed at The International at Apollo Bay. And I must say…heated rooms are probably the best invention in the world! To make the most out of the short winter daylight, we set out at dawn towards the Cape Otway lighthouse. Spotted a black wallaby hopping across the road, and a huge perfect rainbow that was too large to fit in the camera.

The entrance fee was a little steep, but being at the top of the lighthouse would literally blow you away. We had to make sure we had no loose gloves, hats or screws when we arrived at the top. Amongst the chilly howl of the wind, it was a nice experience to watch (from almost absolute safety) the fearsome waves crashing against the shore. No wonder they built a lighthouse here!

Further along our way, we were forced to stop our car by not a red light, nor a police inspection, but…a herd of sheep. Yeaps. A herd of sheep. It was funny sight though…the sheepdog slacking on the tractor, while the farmer simply grunting out a monosyllable (which I can no longer recall) at periodic times…and the sheep would just mehhh along.

Next stop was Gibson’s steps, and our first glimpse at the twelve apostles. Quite a nice view, not exceptional, but pleasant all the same. For adrenaline junkies though, you should go down the steps, and see if you can make it to the other side of the cliff, where there lies another beach inlet. No, you shouldn’t underestimate this task….or you’ll end up like the few of us, who unwittingly sauntered down the beach, only to get trapped by the waves, and ending up in knee deep seawater. Escaping onto the rocks did help a little, but the splash was impossible to prevent.

For a less exciting experience, you could head down to The Twelve Apostles viewing platform. Rather strategically placed boardwalk there I must say, as we could see at least 6 of them. We were having erratic weather…5min of bright sunshine, and then 5min of gloomy drizzle…repeat that for the whole afternoon, and you have an idea of how fickle Weather can be.

We managed to find our lodging in Port Campbell, and then after digging for more information, set out to The Arch and The Grotto. For people rushing along the coast in a tight schedule, these two minor landmarks could be given a miss. But I especially liked The Grotto, as the waves splashing through the circular hole was exhilarating. Even after 2 days, the power of the waves had not failed to impress me.

That day, we went to the London Bridge twice…once in the afternoon, and another at dusk. The waves spilling under the London Bridge was a magnificent sight. As it was on such a large scale, the water gushing out from the hole created its own private tsunamis. I’ll bet that if it wasn’t so dangerous due to the nearby cliffs, it would have been a surfer’s paradise. Sunset was rather pretty, but the real fun began after that. After huddling in the cold from the winds and sea spray, our patience finally paid off. Kwang spotted them first. 6 minute figures waddling across the rocks scattered on the beach below the cliffs. The penguins had arrived! It was already rather dark, so we could only see their silhouettes as they scuttled from the terrifying waves and into the safety of the notches in the cliff.

07.06.2011

Everyone seemed in a grumpy mood that morning, and the gloomy weather did not seem to help much. Not to mention more wind and drizzle. It even destroyed Mumsy’s precious umbrella! The Bay of Matyrs and the Bay of Islands did not look very spectacular in such negativity, but I liked the atmosphere of gloom. In such a harsh environment, where the relentless waves kept pounding on the coasts, a sense of melancholy seemed to be expected. No matter what, the cliffs will lose. I somehow felt myself siding the limestone rocks. Maybe it was from the viewing perspective as I stood on the cliff, or maybe they seemed more interesting from a geologic viewpoint; but it felt like I was mourning the inevitableness of loss the cliffs would endure.

Weakening. Collapse. Disintegration.

I always felt that without sadness, we would never appreciate happiness. That belief was reinforced when the sun started to shine brightly when we were freezing at Logan’s point trying to spot whales in Warrnambool. Needless to say, we saw zilch of the rare mammals, but the solar rays were working their magic, leaving me in a rather good mood.

Whizzed past Port Fairy, and soon ended up at Cape Bridgewater. Could not find our lodge owner, so we headed up to the cliffs to find the seals. From the map, it didn’t seem like a long way to the seal colony, but oh…I was wrong. It was an uphill hike all the way to the ‘highest coastal cliff’ in Victoria, and we didn’t even get a certificate for that! Lol jokes aside, I enjoyed the extra training, and the seals were rather entertaining to watch…frolicking in the choppy sea and all. 2hours of exercise plus a nice sunset to walk into…excellent way to end the day (=

08.06.2011

Had a nice early start again, and took a walk to see the blowhole (couldn’t really figure out which was it, as the waves were splashing EVERYWHERE) and the petrified forest. The petrified forest was made of hollowed tree trunks that had been preserved into stone. Rather interesting features. This was also the furthest point we travelled along the coast, and it was time for the U-turn!

On the way back, the lighting seemed nice, so we stopped by the Bay of Islands once more. We also dropped by Lord Ach Gorge and spent about 2 hours walking around and taking lots of photographs. The waves here seemed especially strong, with the sea spraying above the cliffs, making it seem like it was drizzling with vapourized salt. It was probably because of that that my trusty camera decided to relinquish it’s title of trustiness. The viewfinder fogged up and got me rather worried. It’s fine now, but the pictures for the next 24hours or so were rather blur )=

Managed to locate Wolamboo cottage after missing the turn, and our friendly host, ___, offered to guide us through Melba Gully to see the glowworms. Apparently, it was the perfect conditions to see the glowworms…the intermittent drizzles in the past days had made it damp, and the moon was not shining yet. After 10min of walking in the dark, ___stopped us and asked us to look to the side. And there they were! Green little dots decorating the mossy peat walls. There were more of them deeper into the nature reserve (near a waterfall). I felt that they looked like stars projected onto our mortal world, and somehow it induced a grin on me whenever I looked at them.

09.06.2011

In the morning, we did a little detour to Triplet Falls. All that drizzle had accumulated into a beautiful display of water works. The tree ferns lining the walk made it feel rather prehistoric. We were no longer travelling along the coast, but had zoomed past Lavers Hill, and headed North towards Colac. Agenda? To see the youngest dormant volcanic plain in Victoria. It was rather easy to find with the clear directions from the information center. Reminded me a lot of Lake Myvatn in Iceland. I’m guessing that their process of formation was rather similar. Nevertheless, Red Rock (easy to guess why it was named that way) was a nice viewpoint to see the hills, pastures and lakes in a 360 degree panaroma. Did some amateur bouldering there too hehee…couldn’t help myself.

On the way back to Melbourne, we stopped by Lake Colac for a while, and were rewarded with close-ups of pelicans. They exhibited rather interesting behavior. There was a group of them swimming around in a bunch together. When one of them caught a fish, the rest would scuttle around the poor guy, and start fighting for the fish! I thought only the seagulls in Finding Nemo did that…hmm

Even though we spent 5 days on the Great Ocean Road and the surrounding region, it was still not enough. There were other places like Wreck Beach that we had to miss due to time constraint. Nevertheless, I am rather content on the many amazing sights I was treated to on this part of the trip.

Post trip blues

2011-06-16T14:02:00.002+08:00

There should be post holidays for every holiday.

A time period designated, where it solemnly decrees:
-no disruption of slumber til the morn is gone
-no communication with the outside world, in or out bound
-no hurried plans to settle any important matter...life treatening or otherwise

I'm just going to curl up in my bed and read the latest SEP book

So Long!

Iceland I: Reykjavík and around

2011-05-12T21:43:00.000+08:00

Officially most awesome trip of SEP (so far haha!) Hopefully I can let you taste a little of the awesomeness Iceland has to offer…

31.05.10

Left my spick and span room early in the morning, and headed to Arlanda. On the flight, we flew over the Norwegian fjords, and I felt like I was on a high altitude helicopter tour…there were ice covered ridges and turquoise waters---a preview of what was to come.

Reykjavík: Found our hostel Our House, and was greeted by cheerful Bedda and her family. It was a nice little house converted into a guest house(complete with glass roofs and an underground sauna!)…and we stayed in an attic like room. Went to the tourist office next, but they were closed already. In the end, Ýmir (a booking agent) helped us booked a whale tour, a trip to the blue lagoon, the Golden Circle, a flight + tour to Lake Mývatn (out of his scope) and checked out the bus and ferry schedules (and cost) to Vestmannaeyjabær. Itinerary and transport for the whole trip: Settled.

01.06.10

Went to the habour to kick off the whale watching tour! Was really excited…and we were guaranteed to see whales (if not…we would be offered a free tour). First was a short stop at the puffin island…but they were so far away, we could only see black dots buzzing around lol (their wings beat at up to 400 times per minute!) There were a few shouts of the assistant guide seeing a glimpse of minke whales, but all we saw were the splashing of waves. After a long wait, we begun a disappointing ride back to shore. On the way back however, 2 friendly Habour Porpoises (they look like dolphins, but stockier and smaller) came swimming to our boat. Jumping a little out of the water and displaying their playfulness. They were cute, but I was expecting whales (T-T). Unfortunately for us, the whale watching company classifies porpoises as a type of whale…so we didn’t get another chance.

Oh well, we then proceeded to the Blue Lagoon to ‘chill’. The Blue Lagoon is really a humongous geothermal open air bath. The water is a bright light blue (hence the name) due to the silica minerals. And since it was a cold gloomy day…once you soak in it…~HEAVEN~ We even tried on the silica mud face masks…looked like a Halloween party haha, but my face actually felt smoother hoho~

02.06.10

Golden Circle Grand Tour!

We were way too lazy to plan and follow the timings of the infrequent public buses, so we enrolled ourselves in a day tour. It was a little rushed, but some of these places are really just photos points. Places to hang out around for an hour or so would be (5)-(7)

(1) Orkustofnun Geothermal plant
(2) Greenhouse Village Hveragerði
(3) Crater Kerið
(4) Salmon River

(5) Geysir Stokkur
This was an exciting place.Being first time geysir spotters and all, we were walking along the path, simply minding our own business...when suddenly, PHUSHHH!!! A massive column of water sprayed out from the ground, startling us quite abit. Not recommended for people with heart problems. Apparantly, Stokkur goes off on an average of 7mins. Fortunately, it was not as faithful, and after waiting for about 10min, we saw a double eruption of the geysir. Good for training patience.

(6) Gullfoss waterfall
a.k.a Tha Golden waterfall. In my opinion, the water looked like any other waterfall-with white gushing water, foam and mists haha. But it was the grandest one we saw in Mainstrem-touristy-Iceland. While browsing some photography books in Reykjavík, and there were some really awesome waterfalls…too bad they are located in the secluded regions…currently on my to-do list.

(7) Þingvellir National Park (the Althin---oldest parliament)
Some interesting rock formations. To physical geographers, this would be a sybolic place to visit. It’s not everyday that you get to see clearly the Mid Atlantic ridge above sea level!

And as if we did not have enough activities, we went to the Laugardalslaug swimming pool. It is not so well known, so we were practically the only tourists there. The entry fees was only a few dollars, and soaking warms pools in the chilly weather was simply the best!

Iceland II: Akureyri & Mývatn

2011-05-12T20:24:00.000+08:00

03.06.10

Lake Mývatn tour!

Yes, the laziness did not end there, and we found ourselves on another organized tour. Took the earliest plane to Akureyri, passing over some jaw dropping glaciers, practically untouched by mankind. We had a informative guide: Johaness, and started off with a few other couples from various countries. Not much descriptions to add…the pictures just about summarizes the places. As it was a smaller group (about 10 of us), we had lots of flexibility and time to enjoy the places better.

(1) Eyjafjörður (fjord)

(2) Goðafoss (waterfall)

(3) Stakholstjörn (Pseudo Crater)
By far the wierdest land formations I have seen lol.They seem like remnants of meteorite showers, but in fact, they were created by terrestrial factors instead. Hot lava had flowed into the lake and mixed with it. Steam explosions occurred, causing explosions that form these craters. A word of warning to those visiting this area...an infinite numer of midges live in these areas (hence the name Mývatn meaning Midge). They are harmless, but the swarming columns and loud buzzing is enough to make me a little nervous. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT walk with your mouth open in these areas unless you are desperate for some insect nutrition.

(4) Dimmuborgir (see 04.06.10)

(5) Grjotagja (Hot spring rift cave)

(6) Stora Viti (crater at Mt Krafla)

(7) Námafjall (Boiling mud pots) The smell of sulphur was rather overwhelming. Tip: Chew some gum...somehow I felt less nauseous after that. The place reminded me a lot of The Land Before Time haha.

(8) Mývatn Nature Bath, an alternative to the Blue Lagoon.
We got the tour to drop us off at Reykjahlíð, where we went to our lodging (Bjarg) near the camping ground beside the lake. Apparantly, we were the only customers as it was off season, so we got a lovely bedroom with an amzing view of the lake. It was almost midsummer, so the sun set behind the hills around 11.30pm, and rose again soon lol.

04.06.10

(1) Dimmuborgir (Gatklettur)
Same place that we went the day before, but this time we cycled there. The lava formations were formed when lave seeped through the cracks underground/under glaciers. After lots of weathering and erosion, the earth and ice encasing the lava columns were removed, leaving these curious scenary.

(2) Hverfell Crater
About 1000m in diameter, this crater is one of the largest in the world.We took a hike up. Not especially long nor steep, but the loose volcanic rocks made it somewhat of a challenge. Nevertheless, we were up there in about 20min, and were treated to an awesome 360degree panaromic view.

Looking South: the array of dark coloured rocks is Dimmurbogir

The huge crater of Hverfell

Looking East: Mývatn lake and the Pseudo craters

Looking North: Krafla and Námafjall in the distance. This view makes me think of Mars lol

(3) Dimmuborgir (Kirkja)
Had some time, so we walked around the Dimmubogir park. It was really hot and we were getting a little dehydrated from all that walking around.

(4) Höfði
Cycled a little further south, to see the Birch forests and more lava pillars. Too bad the midges lived in that area too, and we found oursleves literally running through the reserve haha!

(5) Vogafjos Cow Shed Café
Saw a recommendation by Lonely Planet on homemade icecream at this place. Unfortunately, they did not have it...so I settled for a glass of delicious fresh milk while watching the cows run around the field.

05.06.10

We had a few hours in the morning, so we took a hike Elda Lava River. It had solidified from the previous eruption in 1729. According to the locals, the lava river was heading straight for Reykjahlíð, and the survivors hid in the church and prayed. Miraculously, the lava river split into two right before the church, sparing the lives of the survivors!

Took the plane back to Reykjavík in the evening.

Iceland III: Heimaey

2011-05-12T14:03:00.000+08:00

06.06.10

Had a lazy morning and some shopping for souvenirs. Took a bus to Þorlakshofn ferry terminal for the 3hour ferry to Heimaey, the largest of Vestmannaeyjar (West man islands). As Heimaey is located near Eyjafjallajökull, there were still remnants of ash covering parts of the island from the April 2010 eruption. We stayed in the cosy Hreiðrið Guest House, hosted by the friendly Ruth . She had albums of Keiko(the star of Free Willy) living in Vestmannaeyjar.

07.06.10

Started early in the morning, and trekked to Haha (nope, no spelling error here!) cliff to see puffins. It was a simple trek with rather obvious trails. It was a misty morning, and the place gave a mythical feel: like How to train your Dragon! It wasn‘t long before we spotted the puffins loitering near the path. After crossing over to the steeper side of the cliffs, we could see many of them everywhere. Clumsily flapping their wings on the ground, nesting in the grass, and even propelling themselves through the air with wings beating about 400 times per minute! The cliff face was rather steep, so we turned back and headed North through the town towards our next destination.

Eldfell volcano erupted on 23rd Jan 1973. The eruption covered half the town, and lengthened the coast. While trekking towards the summit, we could see the difference in the old land and the new land by the lava colour. Near the top, we could feel heat seeping out from the ground. Was rather exciting to be on an active volcano! Soon, we headed down past a field of lavander to catch the ferry back to the mainland.

08.06.10

Took an early flight back to Stockholm, and bunked in at Ailin‘s house. It was nice staying in her IKEA showcase house again haha. All in all, Iceland was a great experience for me. It had all those pretty geological formations that I only see in black and white from textbooks, and so many other kinds of landscape I never knew existed on our very planet. The people were also very friendly and helpful, usually going the extra mile to give us advice or directions. This is one country that I‘m definitely going to go back to.

Find Yourself, Brad Paisley

2011-02-26T23:50:00.001+08:00

We go through life
so sure of where we're headed

And we wind up lost
and its the best thing that could have happened

Cause sometimes when you lose your way, its really just as well

Because you find yourself,

Yeah thats when you find yourself.

Spirited Away~

2010-10-28T00:23:00.006+08:00

I was depressed.

(with 2 important project deadlines neck-to-neck on top of the usual dose of assignments)

I was tired.

(with 4 hours of sleep due to the clause above)

I was starving.

(with...no particular excuse except for laziness haha)

Needless to say, I was not in my best of moods. But I still met up with sx and kwang and dragged this souless body to 4 Nassim Road.

Within seconds of entering the building, I was revitalized...

Spirited away to the realms of fantasy, where reality is of no importance.

With every flip of the page, you could either hear me mumbling to myself, or experience my low chuckles (one which is reserved for the highest order of amusement)

Where is this marvellous place? Why, my friends, it is the Japan Creative Centre! The exact venue where the Manga and Anime exhibition is taking place now!

Unlimited reading of manga tankubons, more serialized manga I have ever seen, plus an e-library of rare japanese movies...

You have until 12Nov to attain Nirvana.

Vroom vroom...

2010-10-11T16:09:00.004+08:00

yeah i'm still taking my driving lessons. kissing the curb, sliding down slopes in a futile defiance against gravity, and parking diaonally across the road---all in a days work.

but today was officially the most fun lesson of all.

EMERGENCY BRAKE.

The rush you get before you slam your right foot down, the jerk that propels you forward, and the sound of every object in the back seat crashing down...it was tempting to NOT do it every 50m while i drove back to the driving center haha

And i made some school kids happy---some silly car E-breaked and stalled before the pedestrian crossing, and when it finally started to inch forward, the green man came on---and the happy school kids detoured around the car while giving amused stares at the silly driver (wonder who that was...)

Love: The Chemical Reaction

2010-09-27T11:34:00.004+08:00

Experimental conclusion: Love and obsessive-compulsive disorder could have a similar chemical profile

Translation: Love and mental illness may be difficult to tell apart.

Further translation: Don't be a fool. Stay away.

-National Geographic Feb2006 issue

Reminded me of Cynthie in 'Bet Me' by Jennifer crusie.(yes, my current craze is devouring romance novels) The article spoke of various chemicals (whose names were too difficult to attempt pronouncing, much less remembering...) which are released in the process of attraction/infatuation etc. There many schools of arguements...chemically, evolutionary, practically, or even fairytaly.

My take? Just take whatever that comes and be content. Thinking too much about feelings probably don't get us anywhere. Using that part of the brain for physics is already an overkill for me. Don't think. Just whack.

Nevertheless, interesting article. The author gave some insights on her personal life, and it makes me realize how unique each relationship is, and also how easy it is to take things for granted.

2010-09-02T00:08:00.002+08:00

My life revolves around
the physics lab,
the GIS computer lab,
and the geomap lab.

Missing from the list are
adequate sleep,
fixed meals,
and healthy doses of anime.

But you know what?
even with lethargy setting in,
the deadlines looming,
and the days seemingly dry,

I like to imagine that someone, somewhere,
is thinking of me,
hoping the best for me,
and I feel that I have the strength to smile again.

"A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes."

-Hugh Downs

True account

2010-08-27T17:01:00.002+08:00

Q: What do physics students talk about after a greulling viva session?

A: The many series of Power Rangers.

A: And after listing down all their fav seasons, they move onto pokemon.

Fighting to keep this place alive

2010-08-13T01:09:00.003+08:00

Nah I don't really have to fight that hard...skip a few lectures, sleep at 3am or forgo lab sessions---that should do the trick.

Only that...my NYR, New Year(academic) Resolution is to be a good girl---study hard, train hard and sleep early.

Stop laughing. I'll show you that I can do it.

Even better, I'll study my japanese (lessons plus anime), learn how to drive (and crash) and remember to eat my lunch (even if it is a piece of bread)

And oops the articles on Iceland, Germany and Tibet/Nepal that I have not filled you guys in *sigh*

What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.

-Hugh Mulligan

Off I go AGAIN

2010-07-21T23:00:00.001+08:00

Yeaps, you read right:

22-23 GuangZhou
23-25 train to Lhasa, where I shall stare at Meryl for 72hours
25-29 Lhasa
29-08 Trekking in Khumbu

The monsoon is here, but we're not going to let it dampen our spirits!!!

Onward...March!

Home

2010-07-09T06:11:00.002+08:00

Ok, I have been home for almost 2 weeks already, but I'm still as lost as a fluffy dandelion seed floating around.

Travelling for extended periods without a care in the world does things to you. Lie had become too good to be true, so when reality hits, it hits you hard.

On the bright side, I don't have to care about locking my laptop anymore, or whether I wake up in time to catch the plane.

I need to find a new purpose in life (now that fma, durarara and Arakawa under the Bridge have finished)

And it's just weird that I can't seem to sleep between 5am-7am. Any other time is fine...even 4pm.

Notice

2010-06-12T06:13:00.001+08:00

I will not have internet til the 15th
I will not have Facebook until the 16th

See ya dudes!

Just to mess with you...

2010-06-03T06:14:00.002+08:00

In case you were thinking I have not been travelling much...I have yet to update...

-Cycling in Gotland & Öland
-High Class dining in the TV tower
-Exploring Skansen
-Screaming in Gröna Lund

...but, there is too much awesomeness to soak up in Iceland now...so you guys just have to wait~~~

So long 10-204!

2010-05-31T16:47:00.007+08:00

Before...messy warzone

...After...deserted ghostroom

Just vacated my room this morning...I almost forgot how bare it looked when I first moved in in Jan.

I will probably miss lazing in the comfy bed, but then again...when there is a will, there is a way (to laze)

********

Next up: Iceland!

Sentimentalism

2010-05-27T04:54:00.002+08:00

Seeing everyone count down their time in SEP, I couldn't help but start to think of how little time I have left here...

...but seeing that I have Advanced Mechanics tomorrow...そんな場合じゃないでしょう！！！

Back to Lagrangian and praying that last year's exam questions appear again tomorrow...

When you can't have the best of Both Worlds, ---wait! Whoever said I can't?!

2010-05-24T23:54:00.002+08:00

Excuses I came up with to go for a walk:

-I needed to test out the new insect repellent I bought (which, btw has been proven to work)

-I needed to get tanner (come on, nobody likes a pale white suling)

-The sun was mocking me

ざまみあがれ！

2010-05-24T19:54:00.007+08:00

Mocking me eh.

As I sit solitarily at my desk, decyrpting greek alphabets,

You look down from above, radiating your almighty stare.

But just you wait.

I'm going to cook a moe-moe (I mean fuwafuwa) omu rice,

And eat it right in front of you.

No, you can't have any.

常識って、何？

2010-05-22T07:16:00.006+08:00

Sometimes I wish that I have a pair of long scissors.

One long enough to cut down the electric cables corrupting my view of the perfect sky.

It is then that I recall how my laptop is powered.

And how much I rely on the internet.

The thought then vanishes as whimsically as it had been conjoured.

When the sky looks sunny...

2010-05-14T07:21:00.007+08:00

Ok, I have been sleeping the bright mornings away...but! I have been improving...this morn I slept before the birds started chirping (usually around 3am)

Anyway, the skies have been a whitewash mostly this past week. But when it did get sunny...it's time to drop everything and enjoy the day!

11.05.10 Skogskyrkogården (Woodland Cemetery)

Ok, if you want the history and it's fame as a UNESCO heritage site, google it. ;) I thought it was a wonderful place not because of it's heritage (not to be disrespectful), but for the tranquil atmosphere the place had. The trees (not sure what kind) were all so upright, giving a sense of security. There were many tombstones placed neatly between the trees, as if they were taking refuge in the peaceful forest. It just felt refreshing to walk in the forest, to breathe in that crisp spring air.

After walking for a while, Cécile and I found a spot near the Meditation Grove and just lay in the grass. Listening to anime music, i was pondering if I was feeling hot from the beaming sun, or cold from the blasting wind. Yes, it sounds silly, but it was exactly because I was doing nonsensical thinking that that moment was particularly relaxing.

12.04.10 Kungsträdgården

After the Skansen tour last week, we passed by a banner of pink. And after being envious of pics on fb, I decided to make a detour to Kungsträdgården after class (Sorry to disappoint, but lessons are not included in 'everything' that I drop for sunny days). I'm not a fan of flowers, but the blossoming pink was too much to take---I was starting to smile like an idiot...Luckily everyone there was also hypnotised by the sneaky flowers, so no one took notice of me. Apart from taking lots of pictures in utterly random ways, I noticed the gentle breeze. In each blow, a few heart shaped petals would come fluttering down (it was hard to resist jumping around to catch them). The petals sweeping across the floor were also a sight to behold. Only down side was that it was simply too crowded, so I left in about 30min.

Can't wait for the next sunny day~~~

And hopefully it won't rain while I cycle in the coming trip (=

When the sky looks gloomy...

2010-05-11T05:54:00.007+08:00

20 days to the end of my SEP. Gosh that sounds morbid lol...

I'm going to miss these kind of days:

Being awoken by the window repair guys (the blk's windows are being upgraded), and chased to the kitchen to eat breakfast (peanut butter and cream cheese---Cecile thinks I'm odd, you guys don't think so rite?!) Floated around, had lunch. (sweet & sour vege+nuggets---I made enough for 6 meals---lazy to cook) Made fun of Meryl, and admired the topographical map of Kebnekaise. Took a nice lazy nap, and finished up xxxHolic Kei. Had dinner accompanied by a super sour green apple (I get a kick out of the crunchy sourness). Finally after a day's worth of procrastination, I'm reading about Fluid Mechanics in google books. Suddenly had the urge to stand up and cheorograph dance moves while listening to S.O.W.~Sense of Wonder~ by Idoling!!!, so here I am typing so that my neighbours don't think I'm psycho. Probably will finish up 60 more pages of nearly ideal and creeping flow and start on the anime Jou has recommended before cuddling in my bed hehee~~~

Don't get me wrong, when the time comes, I'm ready to go back to Spore. I have to say I miss you peeps at the risk of ly·ing, oops, I mean hy·poc·ri·sy (I'm lying to please pple, not just lying for the sake of it...check out the details on Maidosusu) so that there will be pple to pick me up at the airport on the 28th hohoho~~~

Anyway, a valuable lesson I have learnt here is to appreciate and treasure everything. Yes, even gloomy days.

It's better to be naively positive than depressingly negative.

~~~~~

After all gloomy days are the best for Black & White pics (=

Time to/for Spring!

2010-05-10T09:35:00.007+08:00

If you had noticed the weird looking title...you are definitely imagining things. You see, Suling enjoys word play.

???Don't get it???

Aha! That's because you don't take DS1503 Swedish Elementary 1

Lol...ok enough screwing with you...

Spring!=Run! in Swedish

...

...

...

Haha...anyway, I decided to run around the whole Brunnsviken this afternoon. 12km circuit. I would like to report that I completed it in record time, but no, that didn't happen.

Nah it wasn't half as bad. When I started, I could feel the dull pain in my left joint below my hip (old nagging injury from somewhere in March---either falling from the snowboard or carrying heavy groceries) After about 4km I started to walk. It got a little more painful, but the cool spring air and pretty blooming flowers were also to blame (lame excuse to move slowly). I had lots of fun enjoying the walk around the 'lake', savouring the mundane trails.

Oh! Maybe Singapore is a better place to run...since it's so hot, you just want to get over and done with it (the sooner the better)...hence, you will have a larger disincentive to go slower! Now I see...it's a new revelation!

Anyway, I still up so late (4am) coz I have just finished my essay for Swedish Society (yes, I have to brag)...it baffles me that I can type 1639 words without batting an eyelid for the fjord tour, but I can barely squeeze out 800 words for Urban planning in Sweden lol.

Damn I can see that the sky is starting to get brighter alr...

Best pic(k)s for unglamness

2010-05-09T05:45:00.005+08:00

01.05.10 Detour to Kjeåsen Mountain Farm

01.05.10 On the way up to Kjeåsen Mountain Farm

02.05.10 Morning walk along Eidfjord

02.05.10 Suspension Bridge Tintrabrui in Voss

02.05.10 On top of Mount Fløyen

03.05.10 Hiking at Revsvatnet

05.05.10 Hiking to Preikestolen 11:27am

05.05.10 Hiking to Preikestolen 12:28pm

05.05.10 On top of Preikestolen 1:41pm

Beautiful Fjords and Best Friends

2010-05-09T02:42:00.020+08:00

30.04.10

I just realized I always seem to spend the last moments of the month travelling lol. Anyway, took a train and a bus to Oslo to meet Elaine at the central station. Beatrice was still in class, so we spent 2hours outside the futuristic opera house just chatting. (girls never seem to run out of things to talk about eh…) Had a brief rest in Beatrice’s room before we took the overnight train to Bergen. Never did I expect the next 4 days to be the longest 4 days I had ever been through. (yeah…this is going to be a long post…)

01.05.10

Woke up in the train to a wonderful morning with various views of snow, fjords and waterfalls. No, I did not have a good sleep, but the splendid view was enough to keep me going. Arrived in Bergen, and went straight to the bus to Norheimsund [left]. From there, we were ushered into the ferry to cruise Hardangerfjord. From then on, my pathetic vocabulary is insufficient to describe the beauty I saw. It was a 360 degree panorama view of either snowcapped mountains or white snaking waterfalls working their way through the hills. The sky did get gloomy in certain parts, but it only served to add to making the monochrome scene [right] more mysterious. But, I guess I should mention why we did not spend the full almost 2hour ride at the top of the deck. The temperature was ok...but wind chill [right] and wrestling with the wind would have sapped all my energy from my poor fingers from taking for photos...so there.

After that, we arrived at Eidfjord. And gosh was it our lucky day. We were offered a free tour to Hardangervidda Natursenter and Vøringfossen waterfall. FREE TOUR. Because it was the first day of the tours, logistics was not perfect…blah blah. Who cares, we jumped at the opportunity. And we were treated to a beautiful panoramic movie on fjords and waterfall (with nice Nordic folk music) and an excellent view of Vøringfossen waterfall [left] (not in the film...we physically went there...). It is officially the most awesome waterfall I have ever seen. It was so high that there was more than 100m of freefall or water droplets. And it was early spring, so there was still some snow around (it was snowing lightly too) So, the end product was gushing white droplets dipping into the frozen snow tundra. I wished I had a wider lens lol.

After that (yeah the days are long…), we went on a quest to Kjeåsen Mountain Farm. Usually people go by car, but none of us can drive lol. (I have vowed to learn!), so we had a 25km round walk plus elevation gain of 500m. It was 3pm. Well done. Crazy adventure time!!! We walked along the fjord [left] to Simaldalsfjord, and followed the sign. Only that the sign was wrong, resulting in a 1 hour detour up some farm. But if you look on the positive side, we went to this nice green field and had some crazy photo shoots there lol (yup this was the trigger). Anyway…by the time we got to the real starting point, it was already almost 6pm. Managed to ascend slightly more than halfway along the waterfall to the farm, and I decided that we should turn back. The terrain was steep [left] (think Mt.Agung or the rocky parts in Island Peak), sunset was in 2hours, it was a 7km walk back to our hostel from the starting point AND I couldn’t risk scaring my friends off with a too crazy idea lol. As Elaine had hoped for, we saw the 9pm sunset along the fjord. The golden glow was really pretty and I would have stayed at the sandy shore to admire it more if it was not for the blazing cold wind.

Hiking log: 5.5hr, 20km

02.05.10

Had a lazy morning, and we went out to take a short walk before our boat at 2pm. By short, of course I mean 1.5hrs. (What? you were expecting 10min?phfft!) A nice walk along the river in Eidfjord (with beat-boxing music as accompaniment lol) , more not-to-be-posted-but-was-posted-anyway photos on fb, and a hike up the hill overlooking the main fjord [right]. On top of the hill was more farms. And I really like the pic on the left...a small red house with a lush green field in the foreground and magnificent snow capped mountains in the background. The gorgeous views never seem to end *drools*.

Admired our goofiness on the home made video lol, and we packed up for the boat to Ulvik. The reflections of the snow capped mountains in the partially rippled fjord water was so beautiful [left](where is the wider lens??? T-T). Admired a misty distant waterfall in Ulrik, and caught the bus to Voss. We had 80min to kill, so…more walking!!! Managed to get to the suspension bridge we were aiming for…more photoshoots lol. Sang some Disney songs and we were on the train to Bergen!

I failed to mention before, but Bergen is a cutesy seaside town. We followed Beatrice the free walking tour guide, and arrived promptly at Brygge [right]. Honestly, I have seen similar scenes in Orust, Vaxholm and Copenhagen, but the lighting was really pretty. After that, we went up Mount Fløyen by the funicular (pretty glass roof) with a packet of fries. It was a nice sight---the small roofs were glimmering in the ‘setting’ sun [left]---8pm only, and the cloudless sky helped to balance to complex street below. Only thing was I was not skillful enough to take portraits in such lightings sigh* まだまだですねHad a swing on the swings, and we took a long walk down the hill. A slight detour and we ended up in the Skomakerdiket [left]…a cool place to take pics giving the illusion that you are walking on a mirrored view of nature. The walk down took about 1hr and I couldn’t stop admiring the rock formations [right] (even if it was not natural lol) Around 10pm, we took the train back to Oslo.

Hiking Log: 3.5hr

03.05.10

Still on the train…transferred to another train in Oslo to go to Stavanger. I seldom complain, but there was this group of ANNOYING kids who simply couldn’t stop hitting my chair from behind (the earplugs were not working against the noise either). Anyway, we somehow managed to arrive in Stavanger keeping our sanity. At the tourist office, we were advised not to try to go to Kjerag (A famous rock wedged between 2 ciffs, 984m above the fjord) Ever since I heard of it in Stavanger, I had decided that it would be the highlight of the trip. Only that…we can’t drive (gosh I really hated that) We would have had to get a private ferry to travel the length of Lysefjorden, and walk about 4hours (one way) with a height gain of 1000m. It is described as rather strenuous, so I really wanted to do it )=

I think that’s the problem with being too confident with yourself. It’s really difficult to swallow a ‘no’. When you believe in yourself too much, how would you feel if others tell you to stop. Stop thinking that you can do it. It reminded me of Island Peak. It’s dreams that make the best of us, but I think ambition could be my downfall. It could be some time before I may want to be too determined on something. So I sulked the afternoon away. And extreme exercise really helped dispel my frustration…with poor Elaine and Beatrice trailing behind my speed walking.

We tried hitch hiking along the way too…and failed pathetically lol. (btw we took a ferry from Stavanger to Tau) We were lucky that one of the staff spotted us and gave us a lift on the last 4km uphill to the hostel. The Preikestolen Youth Hostel has the best location I could ever hope for. Right smack in front of a tranquil small lake Revsvatnet, surrounded by hills. What better way to enjoy it then…a hike around the lake! (although it is highly possible that I was the only one getting a kick out of so much trekking lol)

It took 3 hours, but it was through some very interesting terrain. First, through weathered rock and sparse shrubs (like in Orust) and then across a small stream which empties Revsvatnet into Lysefjord. We had to balance on rocks peeking out of the lake [right] while taking sneak peaks at the sunsetting. I know we should savour such stunning views, but our the hostel was across the lake, and it was 8.30pm. Well played. More hilly terrain [left], and an open field (which Elaine calls the savannah/Beatrice was only interested in the swings), some small detours, and we were back slightly before 10pm. Spammed spam for dinner and time for bed!

Hiking Log: 5hours, 16km

04.05.10

With Kjerag off the list, there was one other famous place to go to: Preikestolen (Pulpit rock). A 604m cliff overlooking Lysefjord. It was a 2hour,3.8km easy hike with 334m elevation gain. The first part was along the lake, and then it gradually changed to wooden planked broadwalk across a marsh [right]. A steep ascent of rocks/boulders [left] and then some still mirror like ponds. Finally, we walked on a flat and vast rock plateau and then along the cliffs. When we finally arrived, I was thinking ‘so this is it?’…I had been expecting something more dramatic. But when I did get to the edge and looked over the cliff…the jelly-leg symptoms kicked in. Moreover, I was already lying on the cliff top [below]. But it was slightly sloping down, so I kept feeling like I was going to slip off into the 600m of emptiness below. THANK GOODNESS FOR FRICTION. After a bout of light snow, the greying clouds cleared and we spent about an hour taking silly jump shots and doing some really embarrassing echoing off the cliffs. I enjoyed the way down too, and finally the bus, ferry and overnight train back to Oslo. The End...for now...

Hiking Log: 5hours, 7.6km

I have not had this much fun and laughter since my last trip with sx and kwang (yes I do miss you guys). I have also seen some really extraordinary (according to me lol) scenery in the past few years, but the excellent weather complementing nature was simply a treat. I love mountains, but the greedy me likes mountains+their reflections too.

Bohuslän Coast

2010-04-30T04:14:00.023+08:00

21.04.10

Arrived promptly at the train station, but to my dismay, my train was cancelled. In the end, I got a First-class ticket to the next one (as compensation?), and the seats were really comfy (= Only thing was…I arrived in Göteborg around 11pm, and Lonely Planet explicitly stated that the shopping complex near the train station was not somewhere you should be late at night (T-T) But in the end, it turned out to be a bustling street (maybe not late enough?) Ignorantly got onto a tram without paying, got a little lost, but managed to find the hostel and slept through the night.

22.04.10

Woke up around 9, rented a bike from the hostel and off we go!!! First up, the tourist information centre…never underestimate the power of information! Next up was to go up the Skanska Skyscraper aka the lipstick building. Too bad I had 40min to kill before the lift opens at 11, so I went to the next highest point…the highway beside it lol. Reminded me of running on the Sheares bridge with Chihua. The sun was beaming in the bright blue sky, so I had quite a nice view of the habour. But when I did get up the tower (I was the only one up in that 22^nd floor), it was really nice…they had these small windows that you could open to take pictures (without that hideous glass reflection), or you could stick your hands/camera out to feel the blasting wind outside. Needless to say, I did them both.

Enough with the ups, I went to the Trädgårdsföreningen next. It was a small garden in the city centre, and I was quite intrigued with entering the greenhouse. Alas, spring is not yet fully upon us, so I only saw a handful of flowers. Had a nice relaxing walk through the park, and then headed on to the next stop in the agenda: Choklad & karamellbutik in Kronhuset. The shop was in a neat square with lots of small handicraft shops. Blow glass, antique clocks, ceramic art etc. But we all know nothing beats good chocolate right? I was basically drooling in the shop, and took a while before I finally decided on 200g of chocolate covered banana chips. (the rest were either out of my budget, or had raisins in them) Took a detour around, collided with an unlucky guy who was walking on the cycling track, and finally found Feskekörka. It was recommended by the tourist board to have lunch there as the fish is fresh. It´s been a while since I have tasted good fish, so I decided to pamper my poor growling stomach. Ordered the cheapest meal on the menu (SGD20), but it was totally worth it. They served soft fluffy bread as an appetizer, and the main course was delectably arranged. Needless to say, I wolfed it down, and went on to visit Haga.

The Haga district is made up of old buildings like in Gamla Stan with small cosy cafes around. I was looking around when I noticed a long flight of stairs snaking up a hill. Time for another detour! It turned out that the Skansen Kronan is housed on top. It used to be a fortress (although never used) and it has walls 4-5feet thick! Had difficulty taking a shot I that I was satisfied with, and then cycled to the Botanical Gardens.

Again I entered a glasshouse. But this one was much more interesting. The central room was of tropical climate, and there was artificial rain and mists lol, like in the Jurong bird Park. There were many other rooms featuring plants from around the world, like orchids, pitcher plants and various desert flowers. I left when I was feeling dizzy from the abrupt temperature changes in different rooms (ranging from 5-20 degrees) Explored the rest of the botanical gardens by walking near a stream with blooming tiny white flowers speckled on the lush green grass, climbing onto the rock garden lookout point and fighting to keep my banana chips from pesky ants who were interrupting my private picnic. To tell you the truth, I was quite tired from the various activities, so I went back to my room and did my homework before turning in.

23.04.10

Walked about 2km in a drizzle before arriving at the bus interchange. For the record, I asked the person in the pressbyrån if I had to buy a ticket for the bus…she said no. So I went to the bus driver and wanted to pay for a ticket. To my dismay, he said they do not accept cash, only the tap card (like our EZlink) So I had to run with my bags in a silly limping way to the nearest pressbyrån to buy a card before the bus leaves (in a few minutes time) A lady in front of me was really nice and let me go first when she saw the huffing and puffing me. I asked the cashier if she could hurry up and she snapped at me that I should plan my time better. I was too much in a hurry to tell her that I had been in fact waiting for the bus 30min ahead of schedule. I grabbed my card as soon as it was ready, and proceeded with the awkward running to the almost leaving bus. After another bus change, I arrived in Nösund, a small village in Orust island, along the Bohuslän Coast, SW of Sweden.

Found my hostel Nösundgården. Only that it was not much of a hostel. Stig (the owner) told me that I would be staying in a hut that they used to store potatoes in…ok, I’m staying in a vegetable cellar? But when we got there, it turned out to be a cute little hut across a small stream. When I went in, there was no moldy shelves or dusty floors like in my exaggerated imagination. The inside was totally refurnished to include two huge single beds (with bathrobes and thick quilts) fully equipped with bedside tables and a humungous plasma screen TV. Needless to say, I was overjoyed, this was a huge upgrade from a cramped 6 person hostel room. Stig gave me a map of the local area, and I set off for…the viewpoint of course. It was a nice walk up, meadow scenes inserted amongst the towering trees. But the top of the viewpoint was a totally different scene. It was like a huge weathered rock sitting on top, and I could see the various islands in the turquoise sea. Other than the howling chilly wind (from the arctic north???), it was a treat.

Got back before noon and got a lift from Stig going with his colleagues for lunch in Ellös. It was more of a habour village, and I took a few nice shots there. I then spent the rest of the afternoon in the forests and coasts of Nösund. It was fun walking in the forests, getting lost, back tracking, and simply enjoying nature as she is. The coast was a little more tricky as there were many private houses around, so I had to go around them. The walk took about 2hours, and I was not ready to go back yet, so I lay on the sloping rocks facing the sea. Took a nap for about 30min, and it was so comfortable there (= As usual, spent the rest of the day with my Swedish exercise book, watched a little of ‘the last samurai’ on the plasma screen before turning in to the nice fluffy bed.

24.04.10

Considering that that day I had to take 4 buses in the span of 5 hours, it was a great achievement that there were no glitches at all. Arrived at the hostel at 5, and I had a whole room+balcony to myself (gosh I’m so going to miss travelling off peak when summer arrives) Even though the weather was beautiful, I was too lazy to walk 2km to the cliffs---a decision I soon regretted.

25.04.10

It was raining. It was misty. And It was miserable…nevertheless, I headed out to the cliffs. The view on top was not as spectacular as in Orust, but the monotony of the view made the rocky scene feel a little prehistoric. There were puddles and moss everywhere. I had to rock climb up a section, desperately avoiding placing my fingers too near the red/black ants with dangerously looking pincers. (FYI I later realized that there was an easier walking way up) And in all the excitement in finding a good spot to photograph the town, I stepped into a flat mossy surface. [Featured on the left] Big mistake. For starters, mosses are not flat. They only appear so if they are floating. Before I could stop my plunging right foot, gravity took it’s toll. I felt the disgusting rush of muck into my ankle, and I had to put in some effort to drag my foot out of the thick swamp. Oh well, the damage was done [Featured on the right]---spent the rest of the day walking with one dry foot and the other one covered in swamp residue for the rest of the day lol.

26.04.10

Woke up late, so I took the next bus to Tanumshede in the quest to search for the UNESCO World Heritage site Vitlycke rock carvings. It was a long walk in, and the place wasn’t that big, the museum was closed too (only opens in May). Looked at the map, I noticed another site, and decided to walk there too. After an hour, and an accumulative distance of 7km covered in that day, plus lugging my stuff around, I decided to give up on that site. Walked back to the bus station, and realized that I had 40min to get to the train station about 2.5km away to catch the next train to Göteborg. Excellent, as if I don’t have enough excitement in my life eh? Half ran half walked to the station, and managed to have 10min to chat (in partial Swedish XD) with a travelling author as I waited for the train. In Göteborg, I had a nice chat with a girl from Germany, who happened to have done WWOOF in Canada. Cool! I always enjoy chatting with travellers...you learn about totally new experiences.

27.04.10

Dragged myself awake, took a tram and then the train back to Stockholm. (with enough time to spare to shower at home before going to school for my last Swedish lesson)

In a way, I think it’s a good thing SEP is only 6months for me…I don’t think I can keep up with this kind of hectic travelling much longer. It’s only been 3days since the trip mentioned above, and I’m already in Oslo now starting the next one. Oh well, live life to the fullest! =D

p.s. The fjords in Norway are really something else. Photos and Blog will be up after my Swedish exam on 8th may (yeah, in case you are wondering, Suling has not forgotten the word 'study')

What everyday should be like

2010-04-24T03:31:00.002+08:00

I got up early in the morning, took 3 buses and arrived in Nösund before 10am. Took nice long walks to viewpoints, by the habour, through the forest, along the rocky shore etc. Took a nap on one of the huge sloping rocks by the sea---that was heaven. Spent the rest of the afternoon taking a nice hot shower and did my homework. And I'll probably end the night with 2 episodes of anime.

Yeah, this is the life. (except for the buses part---that was stressful)

Travelling First Class

2010-04-21T21:27:00.005+08:00

Greetings from...Stockholm central station...

...yeah I'm supposed to be on the train to Göteborg now, but...Inställt Tåg---Train cancelled.

SO I went to the counter (almost freaking out)...and the lady just gave me a ticket on the next train in 2hours time. But, the cool thing was...I got the last space in the FIRST CLASS cabin...awesome! Disastrous/Awesome way to start the trip eh? It all depends on how positive (and lucky) you are (=

Oh, and I got free 15min internet at the train station...hence the brief blogpost...cya soon!!!

Sleep debt

2010-04-21T04:59:00.003+08:00

I had no idea that I would be so tired after my almost consequetive trips in the past month...Skiing in Sälen, Walks in Leksand, Taking a ferry to Sandhamn, Sandcastle building in Blackpool, Sakura viewing in Regent's park, Cycling in Møn...it finally took it's toll.

I've been sleeping on average 10hours a day...once I even went to 12 (0..0) As I leave for Göteborg tomorrow, I'll probably have to take it slow, and remember to revise on the way.

Besides lazing in bed, I have come to like being shut in in my room. I never leave except for meals or courses. It's not healthy, but it's really comfortable just wasting the day away~~~ Guess it's good I'm going to take in the fresh air tomorrow (=

行ってきます～

Easter break III: Copenhagen

2010-04-17T09:09:00.014+08:00

09.04.10

Disclaimer: this entry is not for the pple who worry easily…yes mumsy, you especially.

Prelude: 1:45am. Arrived at Stockholm central and took shelter in MacDonald’s til my train at 6:07am. Sat opposite some guy who just spent the entire time looking around while sipping his coffee…pple watching? None of my business though…Too bad Macs closed at 2am (will never take 24/7 Macs in Spore for granted again) Took a walk in the chilly streets of Central before settling down at some staircase near the bus interchange. Read ‘Schrödinger’s Rabbits’ until 3am---the wind was really cold (cursed myself for forgetting to put on my thermals). Joined in with the crowd waiting for the Bus interchange to open at 3.30am. I wonder where homeless pple find shelter in the winter nights? Apparantly not at bus interchanges lol. Finally at 3.30, we, the cold mob managed to get into the comfort of warmth. I was just about to take a nap when I realized the dubious character who sat opposite me at Macs came and sat beside me---and he said ‘Hi’ coz he recognized me too. (0.0) No way I’m sleeping here now. In the end I finished Schrödinger’s Rabbits, did some homework, and dashed off once he fell asleep. Found another corner and snoozed til 5am. Walked to the train station (the guy had disappeared) and went to the convenience store to buy water. Yes, this will be the first and last time I shall buy bottled water in Sweden. As I turned around after paying, I saw that suspicious dude lingering around the sandwiches section. OMG that was enough to freak me out. I went straight to the waiting area and then the train platform. Fortunately, I never saw him again. In retrospect, this seems like a dangerous encounter, but I probably forgot to mention the crowds of other pple around me throughout the night. But yeah, never again will I spend the night outside on my own.

Slept well on the train to Copenhagen, got onto the local train (they have these super cute clipcards that you stamp with the time and station code before you get on) met Johnson and went to Cheng Long’s hostel. Did a quick search on google maps and we saw this nice lake nearby (ok, 1 or 2 km away…that’s near…right?) We walked, got into a deadend, detoured to a cemetery, strolled through a nice park, and we arrive at the river. The forest trail was very peaceful, and the cool spring air was refreshing. After a snack on a hill, we arrived at the lake. It was really pretty. The surface of the water was glistening golden brown. No, I’m not exaggerating. Topped with a light blue sky and crispy autumn-coloured leaves. Nice. But too bad we couldn’t stay for sunset…sunset is at 8pm lol. Got lost on the way back, and saw the Lyngby cathedral and the buildings of the fabric factories. Had a nice dinner, and crashed at Roxanne’s (who was so kind to share her bed with a total stranger-me)

10.04.10

Woke up early, made some lunch, and we were on the way to Møns Klint on bicycles which were way too high (I had to tiptoe and barely reached the pedals). Oh, and I never knew back pedal breaks existed. After a train and bus ride, we arrived in Stege at 10+. Went to the bicycle repair shop to try to adjust the seat lower…but, Johnson went to pump more air into the other bike. “Boom!”, a minor explosion followed lol. While the poor mechanic worked OT(they close at noon on sat) to replace the tyre, we had half of our packed sandwich beside a stack of tyres lol. By noon, we were cycling along the neatly planted fields and passing by towering windvanes. There were also endless pastures and an abnormally large rabbit. 20km away and 2 hours later we arrived at the forest trail right before the cliff. Yes, I know there was a warning sign saying steep slope…but after going through it halfway…I was thinking ‘This can’t be that bad’. As you can imagine…it was bad. My back pedal brake jammed and the bike went into a skid. Down the slope and off the trail…heading straight for a large log lying at the side. Fortunately, I avoided that, hitting a smaller log instead. I flew over the bicycle, the bicycle flew over me, and the bike landed on top of me. Ouch. Some scratches and cuts, and a bump on my head, but I’ll survive. Mentally though, I was really shaken. I was reminded of Ying Jie, and it made me think that my recklessness can’t always end up so lightly.

Anyway, we arrived at Møns Klint. I have been to some places with really pretty scenery, but this was something else. The crystal clear turquoise waves splashing against a pristine white chalk cliff. As the trees hung precariously over the cliff, the ferocious wind blasted at my ears. Went down the cliffs (there was a proper staircase down…I didn’t abseil down or anything…). It was less spectacular due to the cliffs being in the shadow, but I was still awed. My only regret was spending only 45min at the cliffs. The way back was much easier…downslope. Awesome. I totally enjoyed it despite my aching butt. (I had to wince for the next 2 days every time I sat down) So we spent 4 hours cycling, 4 hours on public transport, 400DKK…so see 40min of the cliffs. Worth it? Totally.

11.04.10

Travelled to Hillerød to visit Frederiksborg Slott. It was a really pretty castle by the lake, and flanked by a well groomed garden nearby. Had a nice picnic by the lake overlooking the castle, gosh I never seem to get tired of nature =D Next was Kronborg Castle in Helsingør…it’s famous for being the setting of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It was situated at the tip of North-East Zealand by the sea. Had some yummy chocolate ice cream at Brostræde Fløde-Is ApS on the way.I felt Frederiksborg was grander and more intricate, but the sea breeze at Kronborg Castle was rather pleasant. Took a detour via the local tram via Gilleleje.

12.04.10

Had another lazy morning and arrived at Central Copenhagen at noon. Managed to track down the city bikes (argh back pedal break again, but for DKK20, no complains) and cycled away…arrived at Rundetaarn (The Round Tower), but the anal and unhelpful ticket receptionist refused to help us look after our bikes nor tell us where we could park it. Cycled to the other end of the city to find the replacement for The Little Mermaid statue. But all was left was a few rocks lol…so we started posing on one of the rocks. Very entertaining, for the other tourists watching lol. Cycled back and went up the spiral slopes of the round tower next. The caged view was only so-so, but they had a neat art museum with some mind-boggling sculptures. Saw a postcard of the magnificent Vor Frelser Church…yeaps, that’s our next stop! Johnson took care of the bikes as I scaled the steep spiral tower. (Most pple can’t understand why I keep climbing stairs or heights…well, I can’t understand why not?) The lower portions of the church involved crouching like a mouse through narrow wooden staircases and ladders…it was all fine, until I got nearer to the top. I was never comfortable with extreme heights, but my legs turned to jelly and I couldn’t let go of the railings as I dragged pathetic self up to the spiralling top. [me near the top, and my right hand simply refused to let go lol] The gold painted railings were really fancy, but I couldn’t stop poking my head over the railings to sneak a peak at the dizzying view of the city, rivers and far-off sea. Hmm, I think I’m attracted to fear. Anyways, when I finally made it back, Johnson was standing with one bicycle. Apparantly the other one was stolen and he still had the other one coz he shouted and chased the thieves and one of them dropped the bike while he was trying to get on. Ok, that was scary. I wondered if I would have chased down someone if they snatched my bag or anything. Walked along the canal in Nyhavn (it was not even close to the postcards sigh*) Arrived at the station in the evening, and took the X2000 train back to Stockholm.

End

Easter break II: London

2010-04-16T22:08:00.006+08:00

05.04.10

Touch down at London Euston…and Sze was there to greet us!!! She brought us to Regent park…that’s where we see the pretty sakura flowers. Walked through the park, pass London zoo and up Primrose Hill. It was a large change from my own walks in the nature in Stockholm. Winter to Spring. Snow to Flowers. Random trees to Orderly ones.

06.04.10

London in a day: Start at the London eye, take lots of photos like the tourist we were. Cross Westminister Bridge and take even more photos of the houses of parliament and Big Ben. [pic from Soon Beng's cam] Go northwards Whitehall road pass the cabinet, Calvary, Nelson’s column and into St. Jame’s Park. Continue to Green Park, weave through the swarm of tourists outside Buckingham Palace, and take a nice long stroll through Hyde Park. Take the tube to London Bridge, cross the London Bridge (we didn’t recognize it at first coz it looked to ordinary) and then along the River Thames to Tower Bridge, ending at the Tower of London (I just realized it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site 0.0). Finished in the evening, and spent the night watching the movie ‘Nine’ online.

Other than taking a tour bus, we were truly tourists lol. I don’t often associate myself with being a tourist….it somehow gives me an image of a silly hilly billy visiting in the comfort of luxury and just scratching the surface of the intriguing culture in another world. I prefer to think of myself as an adventurer (so pompous now that I think of it…) But yeah, on 06.04.10, I was a tourist.

07.04.10

Had a lazy morning, and went to visit Baker Street on my own. For the benefit of the ignorant---Baker Street 221B is where the famed detective Sherlock Holmes lived. The Sherlock Holmes museum was a quaint 3-storey house, with all the furniture and memorabilia that a true fan would squeal over. There was even wax figurines of the famous characters like Doctor Morty.

Went to visit Sze again after that and heard of the sad news. Due to a screw up in time, only managed to meet Kabit for about an hour and a half…but we were chatting non-stop lol. Talking about London, updates, and reminiscing about Island Peak. It made me rather nostalgic…it really was the best trip I have had so far. Rushed down to Victoria theater next, to watch the musical: Billy Elliot. The props were really cool, with a moving set and all. Not to mention the talented cast of children, singing, dancing and joking away. I would say it was money well spent, but once is enough for me.

08.04.10

Throughout London, I was reading Dan Brown’s ‘The Lost Symbol’…alas! I could only read about 2/3rds of it before I had to leave (T-T) Slow moving rest day, before the real adventure started after I arrived in Sotckholm at 1.45am. To be continued muahahaha…

Easter break I: Manchester

2010-04-16T08:26:00.017+08:00

31.03.10

The trip officially started when my tutor for advanced mechanics said, ‘that’s all for the problem sheet…’(wasn’t listening anymore after that) took the next bus to central station and arrived in Skavsta airport soon after. Fast forward-Gatwick airport-Clampham Junction-Whitton, saved £2.30 on tickets---bought almost used tickets from some suspicious character lol.

01.04.10

Arrived in Manchester the next morning to see Elaine AGAIN (last saw her in Skavsta 14hrs ago). Met Uncle Mike and Auntie Amy (super generous and hospitable couple) and went to their lovely house. After a delicious roast chicken for dinner, we went for a walk in the beautiful sunset (and some silly posing)

Bonus shot: New-age Mighty Morphing Pajamas Rangers!!!

Exclusive!!!

(you'll never see this on FB) This is what happens when you do not see your best friends after a while---madness ensues...

02.04.10

I know soccer is a really popular sport. Lots of money is poured into it every year. But I never really understood the scale of it until I went to Old Trafford. The perfectly cut green grass has internal heating underground! I wish my room floor has internal heating (T-T) But other than the ridiculously high tech stadium, it was quite an interesting visit to the Manchester United museum…got to seat in the usual seats of famous footballers in their locker room. [pic from Laine's cam] Yeah, I become silly when I’m in places where famous people have been~~~

03.04.10

Took a day trip to Blackpool. The primary aim was to watchRiverdance. I’m not a fan, but it was quite an interesting irish folkdance cum tap dancing performance…if it was not for the barrier, I could have joined in myself lol! Nevertheless, I enjoyed myself best at the beach. Yes, blackpool was famous for their carnivals and amusement parks. Was. It’s much less popular then it’s hay day, but the ferris wheels, roller coasters and horror houses were still open. Instead of jumping into the bumper cars(where the whole arena would be TOTALLY ours muahaha), we used the money to buy a set of sandcastle building set. No I’m not kidding. 3 childhood deprived teenag---(opps! We’re adults now)…digging in the vast flat plain of fine sand. I was building the 2nd level of my magnificent castle SouthWest tower, when I heard a blood-curdling scream…the plague had arrived way ahead of schedule. Ok, enough drama lol…the tide came in and thanks to Trice’s warning my sneakers were dry. Dug a moat as a last ditch effort to save the Nina-castle. [pic from Laine's cam] It lasted one more wave, and our magnificent castle sank into oblivion, as if it had never been built. I have to do this again sometime =D

04.04.10

The best way to start a new day: Burn your pancakes. I was curious about how Easter Sunday was like in church, so we went to take a look. After that, the 5 of us took a nice drive through the hills, country side and took a nice walk in the woods. [pic from Laine's cam] Ok, it was more like scrambling up a slippery muddy hill (my bright idea to be adventurous lol). I think I’ve been obsessed with getting into trouble recently sigh*

05.04.10

Said our goodbyes to our lovely hosts, and we were on our way to London! To be continued~~~

Taking a break

2010-04-15T01:49:00.002+08:00

Hey dudes, thanks for supporting me all this while. I will put up my trip of UK and Copenhagen soon. Just give me some time before I start to think happy thoughts.

p.s. no, i'm not suicidal (0.0) Just trying to adjust to reality.

A tribute

2010-04-15T01:42:00.002+08:00

To a friend, a teammate, a fellow canoeist.

Although the news had spread fast, I still find it difficult to swallow the truth. It has come as a shock to most of us. A spear piercing our hearts. But as we take time to grieve, to accept your passing, I would like to honour you. An oath, that I would always remember the days we had spent in our short but meaningful canoeing days.

You had started out as an underdog. Not one day had passed without someone shouting at you. It was disappointing. It was frustrating. Nevertheless, you held on. It was something that although no one mentions, we all knew in our hearts how much effort you always put in. How you took in all that crap and channeled it into a fuel to work even harder. Of course, I do not know you best, but this is what I will remember you for.

Sorry for not being there in your final moments. Sorry for not being there even now.I know you had fought hard for everyone who was urging you on.

It was the highlight of my JC days being in the same extraordinary team with you. I have never been religious much. But I do hope that you find peace, or whatever that would make you happy.

Don’t worry about the rest of us. We will make it through in time.

Rest well, Ying Jie.

For you, Ying Jie (a vid made by Dee)

2min post

2010-03-31T05:35:00.003+08:00

Ok, this will be epic...posting in 2mibn at Stockholm's Skavsta airport.

I'm gg to Manchester, London and Copenhagen until the 12th of April for Easter holiday yay!!!

OMG 1min left...gyabo....btw nodame cantabile finale has finished and it was really nice...esp nodame and of coz the piano playing

And here is a neat vid tidbit...

Taken from yihui on fb

This is what skiing should be about!

Behind the scenes

2010-03-29T15:23:00.002+08:00

Welcome to www.stalkelaine.se!

First, get a suitable disguise, yes---cover your face and have a cheeky grin =D

Next, trail after her, always making sure the secret camera is aimed at her. It won't be long before she starts doing strange things (stranger than stalking pple...)

Don't believe me? Take a look for youself...(all stalking was done in Drottningholm's Slott, a UNESCO World Heritage site)

...dancing funny in on pristine white snow...

...climbing up abandoned ladders...

...robbing bushes of their branches to dress the naked snowman...

...soliciting sympathy by attacking herself with snow...

I rest my case.

Darlana

2010-03-27T08:09:00.016+08:00

Phew! I’m finally back from Darlana~~~

Don’t take it wrongly, I had loads of fun, but it turns out that I am not such a loner after all…it gets a little boring when I don’t interact with friends. [Left, me posing with the gigantic snowman on top of Lindvallen... visibility was really bad] Anyway, here goes the long vacation recount---the journey to Siljan region in Darlana, Central Sweden:

17.03.10 (onsdag)

Woke up early, took a train, a bus, and another bus to arrive at 2pm at Hemfjällsgården. It’s a nice yellow house with cute antique furniture in it. The sky was gloomy, but I decided to go out walking all the same. After giving up walking in thigh deep snow (and falling a few times---it’s difficult to keep balance with so much snow lol), I stumbled upon a snow mobile track and came into a forest clearing with what seemed like a pine tree nursery. Lay in the snow til it got too cold, and spent the night reading about Schrodinger’s rabbits(it’s a fun book on Quantum Mechanics…borrowed from the KTH library, and 2 months overdue)

18.03.10 (torsdag)

Had a wonderful breakfast with Lena (the owner of the house). I had porridge (which is cooked cereals and oats) topped with Lingonberries, Marmarlade and milk. There was also this humongous egg(ostrich level!) that had 2 yolks in it!!! Lena says sometimes it has 3 (0.0) She then gave me a lift to Hundfjället, making stops on the way to introduce me to the starting line of the Vasaloppet and the other 3 fields by Skistar: Lindvallen, Högfjället and Tandådalen. We also passed by the start/end of Kungsleden (The King’s trail). I was at the other end at Abisko in Jan while going for Ice Climbing. Probably this will be my only regret---the hike through Kungsleden.

The skiing area in was awesome. No, awesome doesn’t even come close…it was so huge I gave up on reading from the map and followed the signs to Trollskogen. It’s a forest of talking troll statues…and as you ski pass, they will start blabbering away lol! Other than skiing down the many different slopes, I also tried the more stunts-like versions…the small humps and depressions, as well as the larger obstacles (~5m high peaks) My curiosity brought me to the red slopes too…it was after that that I decided to stick to the green and blue ones lol (green, blue, red, black---green the easiest)

19.03.10 (fredag)

I headed for Lindvallen to snowboard this day. Instead of a forest of trolls…I was greeted by a forest of snowmen. Of course, they talk too lol. With my non-existant snowboarding skills, I couldn’t go very far, and the weather was the worst I had ever experienced on a ski hill. Visibility was limited to less than 20m at times, and the wind chill was brrrrr. Concentrated on improving on the board…managed to be able to carve a little at the end, but the falls still hurt.

Excruciatingly.

Took a bus, train, bus and train and arrived in Rättvik slightly before midnight. Located the hostel and immediately fell asleep.

20.03.10 (lördag)

Compared to the misty-cloudy-rainy weather the past few days, it was heavenly. The sun was beaming and the skies were blue. Took a bus to Falun, a town nearby. Got a map from the tourist centre, and went on my own walking tour around…it was like a treasure hunt…locate the building as described by the map, take a picture,
and go on to the next location of cultural interest! It was a nice stroll along the river, and the red wooden terraced houses were nice. In the afternoon I went to the Viessmann FIS World Cup Finals for ski-skating!!! Was really lucky to be at the right place at the right time. I watched the Viessmann FIS WC Pursuit, women’s 5+5km. I didn’t really understand what the race was all about…but it was really exciting to watch them start (Puny me managed to squeeze to the front…) The competitors gathered…and suddenly ‘BANG!’ (0.0) oh, they started alr?! Haha…and soon they disappeared into the course…but there was this huge screen like those on TV. And the coolest thing was I was near the finishing line too…so I could really see them finish the race. Results here. BJOERGEN Marit [Right in the pic on the lieft] from Norway won. But I was cheering with a Swedish flag lol. She went on to win the World Cup too. Even though I was super blur throughout, it was the closest I ever got to a world-class winter sports event…so I’m excited about it even now lol.

Took a bus back, and met up with KwongHow and ZiJian. Went for a nice photoshoot at the longest pier in Sweden (Långbryggan, 628m). Sunset was really nice (albeit the cold). They went for a folk music performance, while I headed back to wish Popsy and Kwarley a Happy Birthday. I think waiting too long made me grumpy, and I was quite snappy sighs*

21.03.10 (söndag)

Had to wake up at 4+am to watch the @#$%^&* sunrise. Only thing was…the sky was overcast, and everything was in black and white mode. Might I mention the temperature and wind chill too? But you noe me. Even with a blizzard I probably would still leave the house lol. Went with the 2 guys to the Rättvik Church, and the Gustav Vasa memorial (where he rallied the uprising of the pple in Darlana during the 1520s---that resulted in the creation of modern Sweden) Sitting in the monotone environment in the bitter cold reminded me of the time I went to sulk at the Lake in Island Peak. But it really is mysterious. I felt no sadness. Just tranquality. Or rather…nothing. It was just plain staring into the view of a grey Siljan Lake…maybe I was thinking, but I don’t recall any of those thoughts anymore.

After that, we visited the famous 87 church stables (mostly to hide from the wind lol) and headed back to snooze again(the snowstorm had started). Had a huge pie at Frick’s Bakery, and we went to the Culturhus. It was more of natural history (my fav kind of thing) and it gave me the idea that maybe I would really like to study/work with meteorite crashes and natural history. Idea still hanging in the air though. Another wonderful sunset…but with a cover of snow (=

22.03.10 (måndag)

Took an early bus to Tällberg. The bus driver was really nice and dropped me near Klockargården (not one of the stops). It was a cluster of old red timber buildings that are for tourists to stay in in the summer. It was chilly in the morning, so I walked to the lake again. The view wasn’t much after witnessing the sunset in Rättvik, and I walked through the entire town to the train station(coz the bus only comes like twice a day).

Next up was Leksand. A much more populated town, but the tourist office was not open yet…working hours are really short in winter *grumble grumble*. Deposited my stuff in the hostel (where I didn’t see a single soul) and went walking around again. Leksand is south of Rättvik and Tällberg, so it’s at a river on the southeast corner of Lake Siljan.

Had a nice stroll along Österdalälven and Österviken, stopping on the way to see Hembygdsgårdarna (really old preserved wooden houses), Leksands Kyrka (Church), Japanese Parken (Japanese park...which was totally submerged in snow lol), and crossed the town til Bystuga (a viewpoint). I wanted to see sunset at the viewpoint, but I’m really lousy at taking things slowly, so I arrived at 2pm lol. The viewpoint was also overlooking an abandoned ski slope, and I thought it was unnatural for me to be up there without skiing down With the remaining amount of time, I made my way down South to a workshop Käck & Hedbys Smides AB…they make those wind vanes and candle holders kind of metal craft. Arrived back in the hostel before sunset, watched a movie and snoozed til the next morning.

23.03.10 (tisdag)

Woke up early for a 2km walk to the train station. Arrived back in Stockholm slightly before noon, giving me enough time to head home and then out again for 5hours of lesson lol.

This was my first trip travelling (mostly) alone, and I can say that I’m not suited very much for lone travelling lol. By Monday, I was getting a little tired of travelling. Perhaps it’s the long hours on many different trains and buses…always trying to keep to the schedule. My ideal travel would be the spontaneous kind. Take the next bus, end up in the most unusual places, bash through the forest to get to the next stop. But I do not have that courage yet. (And neither will my parents let me lol) But no matter what, it was really fun skiing and snow boarding, as well as having my freedom to walk wherever I pleased. The weather was kind to me, and I had excellent views of the few towns in the Lake Siljan region that I went to (=

Elaine is currently sleeping in my room now, and we shall be touring Stockholm for the next few days…AND I shall be heading to Manchester, London and Copenhagen for the Easter break (whatever happened to the new term?! Lol)

Local Stockholm

2010-03-14T21:43:00.024+08:00

After staying in the corridor for 43hours straight, it was time to go out. Staying indoors for too long does things to you...you start plotting random adventures, and here is one of the less crazy ones...

Click here to follow the Route!

Took a metro down to Stadshagen. Within 2mins of getting out from the wrong exit, I felt the familiar cold feeling in my boots. Oh, invaded by snow already?... I'd say...the day is going well isn't it? =D After vaugely following my map and compass, I ended up on top of a hill [Above, warming up for photo shoot] (1km mark) overlooking Karlbergs Slott (Click here to see Karlbergs Slott in 360 degree panorama)and St.Eriksplan. The view was really nice...blues and small fluffy whites. I found a stand, and started taking timer shots hehee~ At times i also wished that the trees could bend down a bit...

At the bottom of the hill, the whole channel had froze up, so I happily crossed it while admiring the military like castle building Karlbergs Slott in front, and more Gamla Stan like buildinggs behind. I don't think the place was open, so I randomly walked to the back where the park was. Took a few pictures of some buildings and statues...will find out about them later. maybe. But the best part was it was spacious...and i simply lay at some random spot (2km mark), admiring the trees, [>>> that is the view when you lie on the snow and look up] the sky and the chirping of the birds (yes, I have forgiven them for trying to hasten Spring's arrival). It reminded me a bit of NZ and Nepal...with the glaring sun, crystalline snow and nostalgic smell of spf130 sunscreen.

Crossed the railway tracks by the underpass (it was the major railway...the kind that goes to Oslo and Copenhagen etc...I would get arrested if I tried to pull off fri's stunt) Walked for about 500m before arriving at St.Eriksplan T-bana and short cut all the way til Alvik. Saw a hill, climbed it (using stairs today) and ended up at the edge of the frozen waterway. (8.5km mark) Of course...I went walking on it. It was also a great spot to photograph the bridges linking the small islets.

Before the 9km mark, you see a detour loop. That was because I was trying to cross to the other side...and i realized i could see the reflection of the bridge and buildings on the surface. Also, there seemed to be no more footprints anywhere else...(0.0) where are the rabbits when you need them??? Yeah, it was quite scary...like every step could give way. *shivers* [>>> Taken from the 9.3km mark facing NNE...on the right is the thin ice/water surface on some parts] Anyways, I made it across by following human footprints...

Took a local tram from Stora Essingen to Trekanten. Trekanten Lake was my last resort since Brunnsviken is too soft/uneven to skate on. To my delight, I saw quite a few pple skating there, and I promptly put on my skates to join them. Managed to complete 3 rounds, plus half a round backwards before taking a detour of trams on the way home...I'm already plotting to see if i can go back skating again tomorrow muahaha~~~

Yeah, if you had noticed, today was much milder than bashing through the snow after imaginary rabbits. But it was great fun to watch the Swedes enjoy their Sunday. Running in front of Karlbergs Slott, Shopping at St.Eriksplan, Walking on the frozen surface near Alvik and Family skating outings on Trekanten Lake. Looks like I was not the only one who had fun today (=

I always wanted to see Stockholm not through the eyes of a tourist, a local, or simply Lonely Planet. I guess I just want to do it my way---whimfully and randomly. Although it was in an urban setting, it was a fun mini adventure. Only thing missing was company with the same scale of whimfulness and randomness...

Net walking distance~6km
Net skating distance~4km
Total time outside~7hours
Total amount of fun~Infinite

If I can't skate, I'll run.

2010-03-13T00:21:00.012+08:00

Ok, by specific request from Mew, I shall go into the details.

Remember about how I've been whining about how solar power is robbing me of my ice and snow...I decided to just enjoy it instead. Especially after I had just finished the grand slam series of test, presentation and graded assignments last night. (ok, i have a final exam on tue, but lets not be so anal)

So, I decided yesterday that no matter what the weather throws me today, I shall go out and do my errands, and run home after that. NO MATTER WHAT WEATHER.

And might I say, the weather is classic. 5 days straight of over-bearing luminosity, and it decided to be gloomy, cloudy and snowy this morning. Ok fine, no matter what. I'll go out---even if the weather is trying to spite me.

Yeah, but I guess the weather decided to go easy on me, and it turned nice and sunny when I was about to start running around noon from T-bana station Stadion. You can join in the run as I blabble on: My mapped run Satellite view is the best. Map is also shown at the end of the post (=

First, was to search for the elusive ice-skating rink in the middle of the stadium. Went to 2 running tracks, but no luck. Did it all melt already?!?!

Oh well...gota keep running! And I ended up in a horse ranch at the 1km mark. Cool. Sx would be so jealous muahahaha. And I continued. Ok, it was a forest route, and I went zigzag everywhere, so the route is a rough plot. Crossed the local train tracks at 2.3km. At least I'm in the correct direction---generally.

At 2.5km, I saw those small little huts used when people do gardening in their vegetable plots. Decided to venture in...and from then on, the first ounces of snow started to invede my shoes. I had seen these plots on the train before, and I could spot the AlbaNova Physics block (curved looking one).

Cool. I'm on track. Until, I realized I had to cross the tracks as there was no more space on the east side to walk...

Great. Now I really have to be on the track.

And to top it off, the train was on its way. The next few moments was a mad scramble up the snowy slopes, a nimble dash across the track, and a few moments to pant before the train whizzed past. Ok, maybe it was a little exaggerated...but it was an adrenaline rush.

The route along the train tracks look deceivingly easy on the map. Calf deep snow is not easy to run in...I mostly gave up and proceeded to Godzilla the snow. At around 3.5km I arrived at the south of the Stockholm University campus. Reaching already? It's time to detour...

Turned right and went straigth for quite a while, admiring the mighty chunk of forest to the South as I jogged along the icy tarmac road.

At 5km I decided that it was too monotonous. Time to get into more sticky---I mean snowy---situations. I decided to climb up the nearest hill. Huffed a bit at the top, but it was totally worth it. Managed to spot 2 deers (actually they spotted me first) and snapped a few pixels of one of them with my hp.

After that was more random running...using the industrial area in the south as a general guide. At 6.5km, I saw the icy stream. There was a huge crack across the length of it, but a bicycle just zoomed past on it...*hiak hiak hiak*---quote frm Ouble.

Turns out that it was quite a nice surface to run on, and I emerged awestruck at the large (frozen) waterbody in front of me. Across it was a gigantic bridge (I took a train under it once and was very fond of it). To it's left was buildings...but not just any kind of buildings. They were arranged on terraced slopes, and some clusters of them had the Gamla Stan architecture. It was so medival. Oh, and need I mention the clumps of clouds, bluish sky and pure white snowy surface?

It was simply stunning. I could have ran forever with that kind of view. Well, except for the howling wind. It was getting cold and I had to retreat back into the forests before my drool froze up. [>>>Yup, those are my footprints] Before 8km I cut across a field (yes, more horses) and decided to go up the next hill =D

The next 2km or so was just randomly mapped. You see, there were so many intersecting forest trails, and I was following the rabbit's trail rather than the main human's trail. Aside from having to crawl under some branches and trunks, it was a splendid walk (no strength to bash through the sometimes-knee-deep snow whie running---but I'll work on that) Those rabbits really know their stuff. Managed to see more deers running away from me (as if I was the plauge or something pffft) and soon I arrived at the East of Lappis campus (Home!!!).

I was tired. Hill climbing and rather deep snow was no child's play. Especally considering that I had not run since Standard Chartered last year. But why stop here? >:D

Went up north to the waterway to check out the view. Took a few deep breaths there before continuing to the hill (yes, it looks flat...but its at least 50m high) North of Lappis. Bashed through more snow (went on the wrong path but was too lazy to detour) before arriving at the foot of the hill.

Woah...that is steep. Some parts were at least 70 degrees of incline...wait! I see a path going up! *sounds of walking in the snow following the footprints upwards* Hmm...the footprints seem to be getting smaller and smaller. Uh-oh. Only deer and rabbit prints are left.

Ok, I think weariness makes you delusional. It enpowers you to think that you are invincible. In the end I stubbornly fought my way through the knee deep snow, crawling through stray branches (these rabbits think they are the only small ones eh~) and did a bit of rock climbing techniques up an icy-rock face. Amongst the craziness of it all, I somehow managed to get to the top. Only to find the gentle main path leading from the East of the Lappis Campus. Oh well haha~~~

I must say, there was no clearing (and hence no view), but the orangey rays of the sun touching the tips of the oddly coloured pale green pine trees was rather stunning. I had half a mind to climb one of the trees.

Took a short cut back to the back of the campus (rabbits know best!) and sort of stumbled on all fours onto the road at the back of the blocks. Thankfully no one was there lol. Walked past the recycling bin and took a few cans to earn SGD0.40 by simply recycling them. Managed to get home to skype with my family and eat nasi lemak. Awesome day wasn't it?

Overview of the 11km running/walking/climbing/crawling route, with my beloved Brunnsviken 'lake' on the left

Actually, the whole adventure was only 2hours flat. I akin it to MIR training---the Stockholm way. First, you start with a general plan (like to get home from this place) Along the way...Any hill you see---climb it. Any frozen surface---run on it. Any rabbit trails---follow it. It's useful to bring along a compass, as well as a hp...to make emergency calls, but mostly to take pictures.

Run no.2 soon? maybe, but first...i wonder what's for dinner...

The dilemma

2010-03-07T02:25:00.002+08:00

Inside or Outside? That's the question.

It's only 2 more weeks til the end of the exams, assignments and presentation.

BUT that's roughly the amount of time I have with the ice and snow too...

...and as if this was not enough...the sun just had to spite me by shining brightly in the clear blue horizon.

Oh well, at least black holes and neutron stars are fascinating...if not I would never have the determination to stay indoors.

(Above) When I'm not studying indoors---Taking up all the space in the kitchen to bake Banana Cake and Banana Bread which...look respectably edible. Too bad one is too oily while the other is comparable to eating erasers.

Now, to look for unsuspecting prey to finish all the food up muahahaha~

2months and counting

2010-02-17T23:35:00.005+08:00

The days are blurring together...it feels like monday today and I'm a little disoreintated.

Beatrice just went back to Oslo, it was Akif's bdae party yesterday, I've not skiied or skated in a long time (>1 week---tats long!)...and suddenly...

...I see grass for the first time in 2 whole months. Birds were chiring merrily away...Spring is arriving. CURSE YOU!!!

I'm not done with winter yet (>..<)

Well, at least there will be another cold spell in the middle of this week. Hopefully (cross my fingers) Brunnsviken would be in good condition for a final skate.

Oh, and the past week was intensive planning for the trips for Mar, Apr, May & Jun. Shall brag more about it after everything is confirmed and exams are over on the coming 16th.

Reflections

2010-02-09T07:33:00.004+08:00

Ok, all the fun stuff is on facebook, so head on there to skip these long wordy passages~~~

Just some thoughts about life the past 5 weeks or so. It definitely seemed more like years, but my life has always been this hectic, so I'm not suprised. What I am surprised about is...

...how much time I have here. I cook, clean, do the laundry, procrastinate to do my homework, and still have time to actually do it after procrastinating. Oh, did I leave out all the fun stuff like ice skating, skiing, sight seeing, museum-ing and going to the gym for body jam session + sauna. All done with 8hours of sleep each day. Ok, some days 10hours of sleep. Gosh...makes me wonder what was I doing in my 'hectic' Singaporean life...

...my lack of desire to explore the entire Europe...the will to feel the soil of all the various countries at my feet. I simply want to visit the places I'm interested in within the limits of time and money. Ok, my limit for cash is not really a limit per se...but yeah I'm trying my best to cut costs here.<--contendable issue. It somehow irritates me when it takes really long to plan something. I like things done fast and efficient. Probably I travel best alone. Oooh reverting back to anti-socialism haha

...the random fan mail that I have received. So far I had a postcard and a letter from pple who I TOTALLY never expected to hear from. It was really a pleasent suprise to know that these pple actually took their time to write a message and go to the post office to get stamps to mail it to me halfway across the globe. Trust me, I know how much effort is required to do that---and that is when I'm the one on holiday. I mean, I didn't get mail from pple I was closest to (no offence, I didn't expect return mail), but it really warmed my heart. Thank you you-know-who-you-ares.

All in all, life here is great. Homework is do-able for now (if I lay off anime and dramas), and everyday is exciting and refreshing. SEP was and is totally worth it.

More of...Life in Stockholm =D

2010-01-26T02:34:00.008+08:00

Okok I know I've been slacking off in updating this blog XP
So here are some highlights over the past week or so...here goes nothing!!!

On the weekend that we got back, we went to Ailin's house for a visit. As usual, I played credit card monopoly (yes, it was not paper notes) with Akif. It was a great feast, and the Danish Apple Cake for dessert was mmm mmm delicious =D

Oh and I can't say how much I love to walk in the woods and nature around the hostel. It's quite small (even i can't really get lost) but the views are always a novelty to me. I never get tired of walking (ok, maybe after 3hours yes...), exploring, and doing whimsical antics like climbing trees or walking on frozen lakes.

Ok, now moving to the more exciting sports (walking is too slow). I have done 4 sports so far in Stockholm: Rock-Climbing, Ice Skating, Skiing and Running(after the bus). Been to the rock wall twice, but seriously...the place was so huge, I spent at least 5min walking around admiring the walls haha. They have a large grade range too...from 3 all the way til 8(or more). I can do 6a+(with lots of rest haha~~~) There is also a small ice skating rink in Kungsträdgården (King's Garden), and I've been there twice. It was really fun skating with the music pumping in your head, as you hear the giggles of the people around you when they lose their balance. Quite a few pros around too---good entertainment when taking a break. Last Sat we also went to the Ski Hill in Sickla Kaj. We were banished to the beginner's slope from the start due to our noob-ness...but it was fun all the same. A few of us thought we were pro enough...and decided to take on the hill. I had never been so terryfied of doing a sport in my life. It was already difficult to get to the top with the semi-seating lift...but looking down the STEEP(yes...enough for you to roll down kind)slopes...i was desperately thinking of an alternative route down. Nope. It didn't work. In the end I had to muster all my remaining frail courage, and get down by falling as little as I could. Yeah, it was thrilling, but the speed was aaaAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Nah its ok, I'll go back for more pain soon.

Of course, with 74 museums in Stockholm...i just had to pay a few a visit. Firstly...to the house of mischief: Junibacken. Only thing was...the visitors were all toddlers and parents. Damn I should have brought a parent with me. It was a good thing I was short...I could get into all the crawling holes and low ceilings hehee~~~ The story train was also the coolest ride I had ever taken. I mean like the COOLEST-COOLEST!!! right left front up down. Definitely a place to visit to find the child within you. Next was the music museum. It was an interactive museum where we could try out some of the instruments(of course not the antique pianos lol)...and that was also where I took that infamous photo haha.(It was to demonstrate my sanity). Went to the Royal Coin Cabinet today...saw so much money my eyes were blur. But they had medals and notes and really ancient coins too (like 500 b.c.)...and the largest coin in the world!

Alas! I can't possibly miss out all the historical brick buildings that remind us of Harry Potter. It's really a heaven for me to take photographs...too bad the blues skies only appear early in the morning. Oh, and here is a shot of me in the narrowest alley in Gamla Stan: Mårten Trotzigs Gränd...it's less than a meter wide (which translates to narrow enough for me to not touch the ground)

Self Learning Journey

2010-01-17T06:11:00.002+08:00

Well, all is going well here in Stockholm. I didn't suck as badly as I thought in cooking, my laundry is done, I have all the furniture I need and everyday has been really fun.

Everything is new and interesting to me. Instead of making plans, I'm learning to just do random stuff, like walking with the intention of getting lost. In the end, I end up in the central station of Stockholm lol. Even in random corners, I can get help or instructions along the way.

Yeah it sounds like I'm living THE life haha. But of course there is the bad side to everything...it's much harder to wake up in the morning since it's SOOOO cold while the bed is so cosy and warm (as if it was not hard enough in spore lol)...and I really detest bathing here. I have to grit my teeth and get through it shivering.

But as the days go by, I realized that I'm more anti-social than i thought. I was never a party animal, more of the sit one side and emo kind of person. These few days I see the singaporeans I know forming clicks, and they go around together in these groups. No, I'm not saying that is bad. I understand the need for people to associate with the familiar. Although for me, I'm just different, and I'm trying to learn to accept that. I would prefer to be alone. To do things at my own pace, whenever or wherever I feel like it. I really enjoy this form of freedom, and this results in me rejcting some of the group activities others had come together to enjoy. I may appear anti-social, but I think it's time to learn to stop always caring about what others think. I'm fearful of death. It may come anytime, so I have decided to live my life regretting as little of it as possible. There is not enough time to be generous and accomodate others anymore.

Nah, I'm not all alone here...perhaps it's just that I have a very specific frequency that few pple can tune to haha. But I've made a few random friends from lots of nationalities...and my corridor mates are pleasent people. One of them is even taking thesame module as me...how awesome is that?! And I'm really putting in the effort to join in at least a little bit. But I can truly foresee myself living happily here for quite a while...and by the time i'm tired of it...I'll be ready to go home.

I don't miss home much yet...sx waits for me on skype everyday haha. So much so that we have nothing to say to each other and we leave the window idle lol.

Ok, enough of this emo post...I promise the next one will be more fun (=

Abisko Winter Adventure

2010-01-12T03:15:00.021+08:00

Ok, abisko had no public internet access...hope you guys didn't miss me THAT much hehee

08.01.10
Took the train(which was delayed about an hour) to Abisko...stayed in the hostel with the dog sleds(til now im stil not sure what it is called). Promptly dumped our stuff in the room and put on the skiis!!!

Welcome to Suling's learn to ski in 5 simple steps:

Step 1: Put on the skiis duh...Only thing was...how exactly does the ski-shoes go onto the ski? Luckily, Oliver, the house keeper came and thought us like we were preschool kids haha. Next step...to fall *ahem* i mean ski. It was mostly flat ground, so as long as you do not entangle your feet with the skiis ( i only did it like a few hundred times), you won't fall. Third step...skiing upslope:after trying for 15min and travelling about 10m, I conclude that it's best to just take off the skiis and walk lol. Fourth step...going downslope...put the skiis in an inverted v like in the movies, and balance-either you're a natural, or you learn the hard way. I found learning the hard way on hard ground a lethal combination. Last step...how to stop, or should I say-how to E-brake in the least painful way by falling. With that, you're ready to ski like me =D

In the evening, we went to Lake Torneträsk, and were joined by 2 ladies from China, 2 ladies from Korea, and 2 guys from Germany. By evening I meant 9pm-midnight in the sub-zero temperatures with an unfriendly wind. By planting our butts on the 1.5m thick layer of ice covering the lake, it was time to wait for the aurora!XD The only thing we saw was a peek at the great dipper through tons of clouds...oh well, we had a nice chat all the same (=

09.01.10
Next morning, was ushered by Oliver out to start the dog-sledding tour. But of course, dog=incredibly cute huskies that have the power to drag me off my feet. We had the honour to put the harness on the huskies and attach them to the sleds. 4 huskies per sled, and YOU get to control the speed. (we followed the leading sled like a train, so direction control was not needed) Well, at least you can attempt to control the speed. It depends on whether your huskies feel like giving you a ride or pay more interest to the i-have-no-idea-what buried in the snow. Most fortunately, my 4 huskies loved sprinting...in fact, they sprinted the whole way...i had to put in more effort into slowing them down (i really did not want to fly off the sled in an unglam fashion) than making them run. I really respect and appreciate them for giving it their all to drag me for 12km when all i did was take photos like the lazy tourist i am. All in all, it was one hell of a ride! technically i did not fall off...my legs only left the sled twice(once i was dragged while in a kneeling position---thank god for goretex pants, while the other time I was running after the sled while holding onto it),but im sure the sled behind me was very entertained with my stunts lol.

After lunch, there was about 1hour before 'sunset'. We went hiking into the forests behind the lodge in snow shoes. That was fun, especially in deep snow. Felt like godzilla causing destruction to the pristine untouched snow. Eventually we ended up at the top of Stor-Nabben. No, it is not a mountain. Just a hill with an AWESOME viewpoint of Abisko Östra and Torneträsk.

Went back there again at night despite the howling wind in attempt 2 to catch the aurora. It was so cold i was doing situps to keep warm haha. 5 germans soon joined us, of course, with a bottle of vodka in hand. More clouds, and we gave up at 11.30pm.

10.01.10
Went for an extra 2hour lesson of 'skiing with suling', and had a nice photo-shoot with the timer in my camera haha. Walked to Abisko turist station about 2km away. Nice straight road, and we were carrying light packs. If only there were no rain nor ultra-strong-gale like headwind. (altough tasman glacier is still the top for such winds....) Yeaps, it was a nice walk. (= Reached the Abisko mounatain station, to find that everything is closed on Sundays and Mondays. (this was a sunday night) Oh well, no sky station either. Luckily, one of the staff was cleaning the sauna, and she recommended going to the canyon. It was not that grand, but it was a real treat---a snow covered canyon...very pretty. Next, walked ~10min to the lake. It's the same frozen lake Torneträsk, but a different part. It looked really different. Instead of smooth ice, there were menancing-looking icy spikes on the surface due to the strong winds. The +3 degrees celcius temperature (warmest I had experienced in Sweden lol) had also melted and refroze the ice, making me miss crampons very dearly. And I thought i had seen enough ice formations lol. But the most interesting thing was a platform with benches in the middle of it lol. It reminded me very much of the small train station in Spirited away during the subsiding of the flood waters.

Came back at night in our last attempt to see the aurora (i think you're bored about listening to this part alr lol) Lucky for us, about 200m down along the lake, we found a nice resting spot with less wind. Spent another hour with stoning and shivering alternating at 5min intervals. Then, I saw it. A weird cloud formation right smack in the sky in front of me. Maybe you would ask...how did i know it was weird? Well, I had accumulated at least 7hours of regular cloud watching over the past 2 days...so yea, back to the main topic. We were unsure if it was the aurora or not---i mean it was unusual, but it was not green nor red like in the postcards. Luckily, the 8second shutter speed revealed everything. (see the pic). It was nothing like in the postcards (apparantly postcard views are only seen on a completely clear sky about twice a month only), but i was really overwhelmed after seeing it. I don't really remember what i was thinking...prob just overflowing with joy?Anyway...i can't highlight how lucky we were...lots of pple also waited but had to go home with only big blotches of gloomy clouds in their memories. So yeah, I'm content (=

11.01.10
Here comes another highlight!!! Ice climbing!!! Klas was our guide (visit his website for some awesome pics and possible activities if you are interested). I didn't see him climb, but had a nice chat with him about the outdoors and adventure sports. Esp about Kebnekaise, Sweden's highest mounatain. I did 3 climbs, one ~10m, and the other 2 ~15m. It was a straightforward waterfall, so it was a great refresher and it was really fun to work my way up. It seemed much more easier than at NZ, so i guess my rock climbing rendezvous with huihui had paid off a little. Obviously, I didn't have enough, but I shall be content. Also had nice hot tea with honey (from Klas' dad's bee farm)

Afterwards, had a nice rest back in the dog-camp hostel (i decided to name it that way haha), chatted with a few familiar faces, took a pic with Oliver, and packed ourselves onto the train headed for Kiruna. Went walking in knee-deep snow (a decision i regret but had fun at the same time lol) converted to the dark side---internet.

In Abisko, there was no internet at all, and i survived just fine. The daily routine would be to wake up, pack as much adventure as I could into the ~4 short hours of daylight (we don't see the sun at all---so technically it never rises) spend the dark afternoon editting photos and watching random movies. At night, brave the elements in a hopeful but fruitful bid to view the aurora. And repeat. It was great fun, and I actually did not miss the internet much. But when I have internet connection in Kiruna, my fingers have barely left the keyboard. I mostly blame the updating of this blog, but it seems like internet is not such an essential in my life.

"Skiing is meditation in motion,
an act of love.
The more you love,
the more you feel alive."

-Rick Phipps

07.01.10---Ice Hotel!!!

2010-01-07T23:13:00.035+08:00

Welcome to the ice hotel!

Arrived there at 9.30am...and was too late for the Esrange space station guided tour (>.<) Did not feel like spending 100+ for ice sculpting, so Khairul and I, together with an Australian guy we met in the hostel went touring the ice hotel on our own. We were lucky enough to chance upon a pinkish sunrise (yes, at 10am) with a row of huskies preparing for the day's activities. No, i did not ride it...it costs at least SGD300 for 2hours...dog sledge is reserved for the 9th (=

Honestly speaking, i was quite disappointed when i arrived at the ice hotel. I was expecting an ice castle (you noe...with all the hype about it and all...). Fortunately, the interior of the ice hotel was magnificent. You could even pass it off as a world-class ice sculpture exhibition...in a gigantic network of igloos. There were about 20 art rooms...each designed intricately and with a special theme. My photo taking didn't do the ice justice, but feel free to look at it on fb (if i ever get to access it...). The ice bar was smaller than i expected...but other than that, well done sculpters!!!

Next was a 1km walk to the Sami museum. They are the indigeneous pple of the nordic countries. I had good gear/clothes and everything...only prob---the goretex gloves i bought were too good---i had to take them off to take photos...after 3 shots i would feel numbness and pain in my fingers...(>.<)shall rem to bring the liner out tomorrow...anyways...the museum wasn't much...it was open-aired...it's not easy to patiently read detailed information on pple's tradition at ~-15degrees celcius. Not that it wasn't informative...but try to go in the summer next time. The arrangement of their fireplaces and tents reminded me of the Gurung museum in Nepal haha. BUT, we got to go into the reindeer enclosure!!!They were really tame and (thankfully!) didn't head butt me when i touched one of their antlers hehee~i can feel sx's spite from down south alr lol. Oh, and did i mention i ate reindeer meat before visiting the museum...hmm no wonder they were running away...for non-vegetarians only:the meat was chewy but not tough, and slightly sweet. Ended the day (at 2pm) with fainter pinkish sunset...with the sun setting at almost the same place lol...(whoever said that the sun rises from the east and sets in the west phft) i wonder how pple differentiate the 2 without a watch haha

And somehow this hostel does not allow access to facebook hmm...

Fun Fun Fun Sweden!

2010-01-07T05:27:00.008+08:00

Current location: Kiruna

Current mood: Excited

Current condition: Sleepy...

But all in all...the past 5 days have been excellent. It is hard to imagine that I am actually starting school in less than 2 weeks...the holiday mood is exhilerating!!!

As promised...here is the cut short version of the past few days:

02.01.10:
After a grand sendoff by you-know-who-you-are, we(me and khairul) lugged our combined 60+kg worth of stuff from bus to train to Ailin's car. We were to stay with her and her family (Imad and Akif) for the next few days. After delicious pizza, we headed to the slope behind her house to...SLEDGE!!! Ok, shall not make you jealous by describing how fun it was...i only did it for like 3 times, and my face was frozen.

03.01.10:
Headed to Ikea and Willy's to buy essentials like pillows and comforters. Typical shopping mall and stuff...only thing that excited me was the largest Ikea in the WORLD. Before i could comprehend it's size, we had to leave lol.

04.01.10:
Went to KTH campus to get our hostel keys. Train was ok to navigate---Tokyo had trained me well. The campus was easy to find, and gave a Harry Potter feel with all the red-bricked architecture. I think i'll spend quite some time exploring the campus (= Also went to Hoslogen. But it's more of a shopping central---reminded me of Christchurch in NZ.

05.01.10:
It was a nice morning, so I went out to soak in whatever sunrise was present (at 9am lol)It was exceptionally cold...had to return to the house in 15min to thaw myself before heading out again. My fingers were so cold it started to hurt, but at least I got a few nice shots of the light blue cloudy sky. Ailin and Imad then helped us to move to the hostel in Lappis. The corridors looked like a scene from a horror movie...with the emptiness and echoes...but at least the room was large. No worries about claustrophobia here! Only prob was i had no internet. And this is my excuse for not posting yesterday...Took a long walk from the hostel to KTH...just to see the route and how far it was...Khairul was complaining/lamenting all the way lol...but i think ill enjoy walking to sch a lot (=

06.01.10:
Took a plane to Kiruna...with all the practise in the past days...taking the train to the airport was a breeze. Since the day before was about -17degrees at night, arriving at this temperature in Kiruna was no prob. Only thing was...the sun was setting at 1pm. Shared an expensive cabfare to our hostel, and went straight(or should i say in zig-zag lost sheep way) to the tourist center. By impulse, we signed up for the mine tour which was leaving in 1min. It was cool as we were driven to 540m below ground level, and had an informative tour of magnetite and iron ore pellets. Reminded me of prof oliver in planet earth with all his fav minerals everywhere...we should have had a field trip here...wasted. The machines were humongous and train fans would have loved to get in there. The tour ended at 6pm, and we walked around the town to find out where the train and bus stations were...had a short distraction...with all the powder snow around...i just had to show off and show khairul how a snow angel was done properly...soon 2 local boys started to join us and were sommersaulting into the snow lol. If it weren't so cold...i could have spent a couple of hours there hehee~

07.01.10:
Okok...its not here yet (at least in sweden), so i have to sleep now...it's the ice hotel tomorrow!!!=D

God Afton från Stockholm

2010-01-03T02:11:00.002+08:00

Good evening from Stockholm!

Ok...I'm just really lazy to update...had quite a few things to settle and uploading photos and commenting on them took away my remaining energy haha...Shall update when i settle into the hostel tom. If all goes well...I promise. =D

Pre-Sweden

2010-01-01T15:57:00.005+08:00

Hmm...I will be at the airport in 4hours time. Great way to start the new year eh hehee~

The pre trip jitters are almost over...the alternating excitement and freaking out has almost passed...all that is left is pure exhileration.

Anyways...after Nepal, i spent the rest of 2009 working at A21, and meeting a horde of pple. I met almost all of my friends in less than 2 weeks in dec09...woah...tat was almost too much social-ness for me to bear haha. But it was great to meet some pple whom i have not seen for like 8 years woah.

AND, i practised cooking and baking yesterday...

Tomato fried rice and Stir-fried fish w tofu

Ok, the food looks like crap...but it was quite nice eat (sx zg agreed ok, so its not a biased view). and since we do not have any symptoms of vomitting or diarrhea,i will survive in Sweden!

Orange glazed cookies

Ok, the cookies look yummy...but they are as hard as rocks lol...appearances can be deceiving indeed lol.

Nepal family trip: (4) Post trek

2009-12-24T20:47:00.007+08:00

D9:Birethanti-Nayapul-Pokhara

Ahh…my last day of Tibetan bread and honey for breakfast. We took a short walk through the villages to get to the main road. Another bumpy ride back to Pokhara, and had to say goodbye to Tilak, Jite and Dami…miss them alr and hopefully I’ll get to see them again (= Had some rest and a long wait for lunch before we set off to tour Pokhara! It just never ends does it?lol

First, we visited the mountain museum. No detail was spared making this documentation of the mountains and its unique heritage. There were sections on the ethnic tribes, the flora and fauna, the geological processes, even environmental issues like glacier melting. Of course, there were humongous photographs and intricate descriptions of the 14 >8000m peaks. Last but not least…an exhibition of mountaineering gear and various techniques. I could have spent a whole day there and not be bored…sigh…shall make a mental note to revisit that place again. Highly recommended for all MIR members.

Next we went to Devi’s falls. Pasang told us the tragic story of her death, but the information board told a totally different tale lol. (He said his story was told to him from the locals lol) Next we went to the Gupteshowr Mahadev Cave. By now I wasn’t feeling so good alr…a few steps was enough to induce a bout of violent coughing. Apparently, the caves were not interesting enough for the guys…Tenzeeng went further off the route into the darkness to see the waterfall, while Pasang tried bouldering on the cave walls lol. I thought the cave walls were quite interesting, but it was really hot and stuffy there due to poor ventilation. When we reached the hotel in the evening, I felt so terrible I went straight to the hotel room to snooze. Even dinner was not appetizing to me at all. Fortunately, after some lots of medication, pasang even went to buy antibiotics lol, I felt better the next morning.

D10:Pokhara-Kathmandu

Had a really lazy morning, woke up around 9, and ate breakfast. But we had lots of time, and even went to Phewa lake again to just sit down and enjoy the view. Our domestic flight back was delayed, but we were in no hurry at all. After the flight, we went to the food court in Kathmandu for a light late lunch. In the evening, we went to Tenzeeng’s house to have dinner. Except for the shift in the dining table, it was exactly as I had remembered it to be. I loved the veggies as usual. Reached back around 9, and we watched some TV before zzz-ing.

D11:Kathmandu-Singapore

Had breakfast, and then was accompanied by Pasang and Tenzeeng to buy my boots. It was really difficult to find specifically what I wanted, and time was running out, so I settled for one as quickly as I could. Tilak came to send us off at the hotel…it was a pleasant surprise, but he left soon after. Tenzeeng gave us white karta scarves, which was really unusual, since it was always yellow. Forgot to ask if there was a different meaning or something…Pasang sent us all the way to the airport, and gave each of us a hug before we were on our way. Apart from the 2hour delay at the airport, this is sort of the end of my 11day visit to Nepal.

Honestly speaking, the start and the end were not as spectacular as the middle, although I enjoyed myself all the same. I’d much prefer nature over shopping any day. Even an all upslope trek, I would still love it, with all the stunning mountain views and enchanting forests. Of course, the trek was so much fun because of the accompanying other 8 people, my family, Pasang, Tilak, Jite and Dami. Hope to go back soon, and do a longer trek, hopefully with snow next time hee~

More photos can be found on my facebook albums...til next time! =D

Nepal family trip: (3) Poon Hill and Beyond!

2009-12-23T15:25:00.006+08:00

D7:Poon Hill-Ghorepani-Ulleri

I really did not want to wake up at 4.30am in the morning. Especially not in the bitter cold. Ugh. Tilak was knocking on our door and saying in the most carefree voice ‘Good Morning!!!’ What’s so good about the morning? I want to snuggle in my WARM sleeping bag still. But I still replied as cheerfully as I could ‘Good morning…’ and he gave a delightful ‘ok gooood =D ‘. That made my morning. (=

The trek up was typical. It reminded me of Agung mostly, and a little of a good-weathered Fuji. Just a step at a time, as I attempted to ask Tilak what his fav mountain was. (In broken Nepali grammer lol) Everest, was his reply. Wow, I thought. But I shouldn’t really be surprised. Everest is the top of Nepal, the grand Himalayas, and the World. Our prestigious Flyer is an anthill compared to the majestic Chomolungma. Anyway, popsy decided to go on ahead first coz capturing the sunrise in his camera was apparently more important to him. We took our time, gaping in awe as first light broke through as the moon dissolved into the mountain sky. I’m glad to announce that we reached the top of Poon Hill with lots of time to spare.

I was up on the watchtower, anticipating a nice sunrise with 10 other tourists, 5 of which had SLRs equipped with disproportionate lenses and intrusive stands. I busied myself taking various shots and trying out different modes on the Panasonic Lumix. But no matter what, the view through my eyes were more breathtaking then any of the shots on the LCD screen. The tourists on top of Poon Hill were more boring and business like. I was half expecting ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ like on Mt.Fuji when the sun rays broke through the horizon. Instead, it was ‘snaps’ and ‘clicks’ of the cameras. Oh well…I took quite a few shots myself. I have always wondered if I would enjoy the trip more with or without the camera.

The sky was simply beautiful. At one corner, the sun was beaming golden rays, as the clouds nearby were tinted a lighter shade or yellow. When you turned left, the mountain ranges would appear far off in the mists, in various shades of pink and grey. Behind, would be less massive hills, enveloped in mysterious clouds. On my right, there was no scenary, but in the barren land stood a make-shift stall, where the Nepali ladies were selling warm tea and biscuits as a morning snack in the bitter cold. On top, besides the roof of the watchtower obviously lol, the sky was a brilliant blue dotted with pearly white clouds. After more photo taking, we headed down after everyone else had left.

We took a long lazy walk down, and had a long lazy breakfast before we lazily ambled out of the door at almost 10 in the morning. Off to Ulleri! We traversed through lots of lushy green forests, and along a waterfall ideal for canyoning. It was slightly muddy, and felt like a tropical forest trek. Saw some white monkeys on the way (finally real monkeys lol). We reached Ulleri in the afternoon for lunch. There was another group, and the kitchen was overwhelmed by the sudden influx of people in this off peak season. In the end, Tilak, Jite and Dami joined in to help cook. Pasang was erm…actually slacking off doing nothing lol. He was supervising he said. Phfft. Haha, but I was no better…I was obstructing and taking up space in the cramp kitchen as I watched Jite prepare the momo.

After lunch, I went exploring with the Himali Bheda (mountain goat) and Parewa (pigeon). Climbed up onto an elevated terraced field, and just admired the fog. Wasn’t feeling very well…I had been coughing since day 2 in Kathmandu and my voice just started to break. We headed back soon and after being amazed by Tilak’s card tricks, I went to crash in bed. Had little sleep since popsy and mumsy were having a muffled but audible conversation throughout. Went down without my voice for dinner, and even less enthusiasm to eat. But I must admit, it was fun communicating by writing in my book only.

D8:Ulleri-Birethanti

The next day was bright and sunny, and I managed to get a priceless pic with 2 of my favourite things in it. =D It was a long flight of stairs down, and a further long slope (which reminded me after the one right before going up to Namche). Slowly, the scenary changed to resemble our first day.

For our lunch stop, we were at this picnic-looking place with huge umbrellas on deck tables with a green lawn. Pasang was conversing with a village boy, and soon his 2 brothers joined in. Popsy was having fun taking pictures of the children, as well as chasing butterflies in an attempt to take their photographs. This amused Tilak a lot, especially when the butterfly flew away before the shutter was clicked. We lazed around some more, before heading to our last stopover, Birethanti.

We had come one full circle, as we were stopping over at the tea house right before the bridge we had crossed on the first day of trekking. My trekking boots had been disintegrating since the start of the trek, and I decided to retire it there. Had a nice night, but woke up at 1am to disturb my parents for biscuits coz I was famished. That was sort of weird lol.

Nepal family trip: (2) Trekking to Ghorepani

2009-12-23T12:14:00.011+08:00

D4:Pokhara-Nayapul-Syauli Bazar-Gandruk

The minibus arrived around 7plus at the hotel porch…and out jumped Tilak and our 2 porters (Jite and Dami) Was really glad to see Tilak again, and he was as playful as ever, jumping off the roof of the minibus etc (gave my mom a shock lol).

After a bumpy ride, and a few sneak peaks of the Annapurna range, we arrived at Nayapul. It was no different from a roadside town. The start of the trek was more of an exploration of the village rather than a mountainous trek. It being a Sat, the village kids were all playing on the streets. However, due to the extreme influx of tourists here, the children have adapted to tourists giving them stuff as an obligatory matter. As long as you make contact with the children’s eye for more than a millisecond, you will be subjected to pleas of chocolates. I tried to walk by as if they were invisible, but it still pricked me to do so. Yeah I know it is because of the circumstances that causes them to act that way, but it made me uneasy.

After that was the crossing of a few bridges, along the Modi river. Quite similar to in Khumbu, except that there were less houses. Had a nice slow lunch at Syauli Bazar, and we were off for more trekking. Except that now, it was more vertical, as compared to the flat route we were taking before. I found it quite scenic, as the upward slopes were along rice fields, and it reminded me a bit of Bali. It was really hot, but it soon became shady as more trees came into the picture…resulting it to become almost too cold. Sx was miserably counting the last 200 odd steps before reaching our tea house in Ghandruk, as I laughed, amused at her, all the way.

We got lucky and saw Machhapuchhre bathed in a pink sunset which lasted barely 3 minutes. Zg seemed to be feeling exhausted, so we made him sleep. Only thing was that he slept on a waterbag…so when he awoke…it seriously looked like he peed on the bed. If not for his tired look and unresponsiveness to our amusement, sx and I could have laughed all the way til dinner. He didn’t touch his dinner much either, so it was an early night for him.

D5:Gandruk-Bhaisi Kharka-Tadapani

This is where we said goodbye to Tenzeeng and Saheedha as they head back via Dhampus and Landruk to go paragliding at Sarangkot. We first visited the Gunung museum, and than popsy realized after walking for about 15min that he still had the tea house room key in his pocket. Wonderful. In the end, Tilak did the errand, and in record time too lol.

The trek soon changed from spacious fields to confined foresty areas. Enclosed by ancient looking trees (with the moss everywhere and all), we would come across an occasional stream or ‘camping area’ as popsy would call it lol. Had a nice lunch at Bhaisi Kharka where we finally had a heater! That has to be my favourite piece of furniture to have around. There were also 2 Swiss guys who we met halfway along. They were just stopping by for tea and heading back to Ghandruk.

It was really an enchanting forest, I really wanted to just stop and admire the glossy shades of green. A consolation would be the silly photo my family took as we hung on an unfortunate branch leaning across the path. Sx and kwang couldn't resist cornering and capturing a poor chicken. I bet kwang's handprints are still imprinted in the chicken's feathers since he was holding it so tight...In no time, we reached Tadapani, and popsy and kwang set off to take pictures of birds in the numbing cold. The rest of us, who in my opinion were more sane, gathered around the makeshift fire and ate delicious chocolate BonBon biscuits with tea.

It was our parent’s 23rd wedding anniversary, and we slipped this information to Pasang for interest sake. But he and the guys came up with an unexpected surprise by presenting my parents with authentic Nepali gifts lol. The musical bowl immediately made me think of phy demo lab lol. But it was a nice celebration all the same. (=

After that, things got ugly. It was sx’s turn to get woozy…and she was completely not eating. She headed for the door to go to the toilet, and I asked her if she had a headlamp (since it was almost pitch dark outside). I was surprised that she replied no, but headed out of the door all the same. I followed her, and was puzzled when she was leaning over at the bottom of the steps. Hmm. It only dawned on me what had happened when I shone my headlamp on her. The floor was scattered with the remains of that day’s lunch. For a moment, I was stunned. Pasang soon came barging out and he went to collect water while I passed sx some tissue. Oddly, she was more concerned about how dirty the floor was, instead of her sickly condition lol. In the end, after smelling the curry smell in my mouth a while later, she emptied out the rest of the remaining lunch into the toilet. Bad breath can be helpful at times too lol.

D6:Tadapani-Ban Thanti-Deurali-Ghorepani

I wasn’t feeling so great in the morning either. The first thing I did when I woke up was to request for fever medicine lol. But when I opened my sleepy eyes, I could see a brilliant sunrise. Even without my specs on, I could tell it was awesome. With some difficulty, I put on my boots and went stomping downstairs to snap a few rough shots. It was surprising how my mental elation could cure the physical illness that I had felt.

Apparantly, the awesome view had little effect on sx…she has barely had any food since lunch the day before…so she was sort of weak with exhaustion. Of course, the steep upslopes didn’t help much. Popsy offered to piggy back her…an offer she declined with a scrunched up face lol. In the end, Tilak did the honors again…with a make-shift sling from mufflers. At Ban Thanti, he chopped a hole in a basket and did a makeshift carrier by adding down jackets as cushioning. Sweet. And the coolest part was he was walking faster than any of us upslope. With sleeping beauty on his back lol. Fortunately, after a long nap at Deurali, sx got better to walk on her own in zombie mode.

The mossy forest view subtly changed to dry reddish birch trees, with the Annapurna range peeking from in between the gaps. During rest times, I really enjoyed looking up into the trees, and just getting dizzy from all the nature surrounding me. It became relatively flat, and we soon realized we were walking on a ridge. After the trees cleared, there were only sparse savanna like bushes dotting the ridge. And, the spectacular view. The pictures don’t even come close to how vast the space was. The ridge was surrounded by a sea of clouds below, and the setting sun bestowed the mountain ranges with orangey hues. We had a mass photo taking session…even sx was excited enough to joke around with her basket. (It was left on the ridge museum for any others who may need it lol)

On a whim, I asked Pasang if it was possible to stay longer to see the sun set since Ghorepani was only down the hill about 45min away. Surprisingly, he said ok, and popsy stayed too while the rest headed down first. It was exhilarating sitting on the ridge as the sun set. Every moment would be a different shade of rustic orange. Thinking back, I really should have thrown the camera away and just admire the magnificent colour changes. After about half an hour, the show was over and it was starting to get dark.

In fact, it started to get dark really quickly. Too quick for comfort. We were walking rather quickly, as I tried to keep up with Pasang. It took quite a bit of concentration to smoothly maneuver my way down on the pale white steps while desperately trying not to sprain my weak ankle. Eventually, after 25min of endless down (I felt like I was in a computer game lol), we reached Ghorepani. By now, it was dark, and Jite and Dami were there to lead us to the tea house. After a gleeful watching of 3 shooting stars, I retired early in preparation for the sunrise Poon Hill trek the next day.

Nepal family trip: (1) Pre trek

2009-12-21T21:14:00.021+08:00

D1:Singapore-Kathmandu

Reached Changi Aiport around 7plus in the morning.My excitement was numbed by sleepiness,(accumulated from finishing the Twilight series in a week hee~) but after some cam-whor---eh I mean practicing taking pictures, we were all powered up to go to Nepal~~~

It was cooling when we stepped out of the plane, and I got a bit nervous about how I would react to seeing Pasang and Tenzeeng again after half a year. In the end, I pushed the trolley stacked full of baggage out of the airport, and saw the 2 of them…next, was one of the trolley wheels rolling down a slope (which honestly appeared from nowhere), and 5 out of 6 bags sprawled onto the floor. Oops.

Apart from that, everything was so nostalgic…the yellow flower garlands, the dusty streets, and my favourite multi-coloured prayer flags (= Only after experiencing the sights and sounds did I realize how much I had missed the place.

D2:Sight Seeing in Kathmandu

Gianu dai drove us around, while Pasang was our tour guide. Climbed up a flight of steps littered with monkeys and crows to Swayambhu temple. It was too foggy for any view, but the interior of the temple was quite interesting.

Next, we dropped by Durbar square(the one near to Thamel). Sx and Guang were chasing pigeons for the longest of time, accumulating god knows how many types of avian viruses, and we visited the kumari temple. Most of the temples were made of wood and exquisitely carved and ancient.

Right before lunch, we visited the Gigantic Shree Boudhanath stupa. With the sun overhead, it gave a grand effect at certain angles, as if it’s tip was glowing like a shiny crown. Oh, and I had never seen SO MANY prayer flags at one time before hee~ Dawa, Tenzeeng and Saheedha joined us for lunch after that.

Lastly, went to the Pashupatinath temple (a major hindu temple). Witnessed the burning of a corpse(for cremation). The sight itself was ok, but I felt that the smell smelt like bbq-ing prawns, which made me really disgusted with myself. Watching the cremation also reminded me of my grandfather, and how much I really am afraid of death.

Dinner was yummy pizza at roundhouse café.

D3:Kathmandu-Pokhara

Woke up early to catch the tourist bus to Pokhara. It went along the same river(Trisuli) that we went rafting in...good luck to whoever who falls into the deceptively beautiful waters now.

Reached Pokhara around 3pm, and we headed to Phewa Lake in an attempt to catch the sunset. It was still quite touristy, but the lake was with a hint of tranquility with the mists. Suprisingly, the lake seemed more impressive in the pictures than the real thing…sunset was beautiful as usual.

Had dinner at ‘Once upon a time’, and had an early night for our own once upon a time adventure the next day.

Good Morning Sunshine!

2009-11-26T12:14:00.008+08:00

25th Nov 09's 7am view on the way to school~

more random thoughts...

how nice would it be to lie in a flowery meadow,
admiring the fluffy clouds against a blue backdrop,
while dozing off into a dream as beautiful.

Something to distract you with...

2009-11-25T22:30:00.006+08:00

National Geographic International Photography Contest 2009 (posted on fb by gy):this is the level i aim to reach---

---a picture that captures the soul.

2009-11-24T16:34:00.001+08:00

Was wondering how interesting it would be to take a picture of a 'no taking photos' sign...

...ok back to studying hee~

Off to bed~~~

2009-11-23T22:53:00.006+08:00

Okae...maybe 2 level 3 content-memory cramming papers in one day wasn't such a good idea. Oh well, glad it's over. Now it's back to physics physics and more physics! Hope to at least understand how to solve basic schrodinger's before tomoro ends (>.<)

And so, here arrives the monsoon season. Is it me, or this time it's really raining much more as compared to previous monsoons. Oh well, i like rain. As long as i stay dry hehee~~~

Cloud streaks against a blue sky: A rare sight from the library windows these days

Someone was without an umbrella that day...

How to draw Nyanko Sensei

2009-11-22T12:31:00.008+08:00

***I just removed the pic to spite my sis hohoho~~~***

(1) draw the ears wide apart
(2) continue with a long face
(3) leave a wide forehead, and draw eyes near the bottom
(4) draw in cute big black pupils, and the forehead of fortune cats
(5) complete with the body
(6) if you end up with a creature with a gigantic face...congrats!

ok...that's my anyhow-whack translation. Have fun! =D

(0.0)

2009-11-21T23:03:00.003+08:00

Panic mode: On!

Somehow it just hit me how much i need to cover in the next 160hours.

Zombie mode here I come!!!

...and my butt hurts from sitting for too long...

｢愛している」ｂｙ高鈴

2009-11-20T17:23:00.003+08:00

ねぇ　もう少しだけ
もう少しだけ聞いていてほしい
ねぇ　もう少しだけ
もう少しだけわがままいいですか？

手にいれた途端に消えてしまいそう
言葉をくれませんか？

『愛している　愛している　世界が終わるまで』
馬鹿げてると笑いながら　口に出してみて
愛している
そんなことが簡単には出来なくて
上手く愛せるようにと
あの空に祈っている

Hey, just a little more,
could you listen to me a little while longer?
Hey, just a little more,
could I just be a little more selfish?

It seems like it'll disappear the moment I obtain it.
Won't you please give me your words?

I love you, I'll love you until the world ends.
Try calling me stupid as you laugh at me.
I love you.
Unable to do such a simple thing easily,
I pray to that sky
so that I can love you properly.

This is the end song for 「続夏目友人帳」(Natsume's bok of friends season 2). As sx and I get more excited over Madara everyday, I find that the songs from this series touches my soul. The music and lyrics is overwhelming, making me feel sad but relaxed at the same time.

Oh, and on a sidenote...you know you are still sleeping when you trip on the stairs while going up. TWICE.

On the flipside, you do wake up when you rush off, as you try to avoid the person behind you who had the free show.

Adventure anyone?

2009-11-18T15:28:00.005+08:00

"Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit."
~ Jawaharlal Nehru

"Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf."

~ Rabindranath Tagore

"You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water."

~ Rabindranath Tagore

********

"It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."
~ Edmund Hillary

Taken from the India Travelogue website.

Chinese Garden Route

2009-11-17T22:16:00.004+08:00

hokays, this is the route to be attempted tomoro. 20++km. ++ dependent on whether my jelly legs can go any further (>.<) wish me luck! XD

I may even see those pple who were waiting for the meteorite showers haha!

まだら　aka　ニャンコ先生

2009-11-16T22:58:00.016+08:00

Madara aka Nyanko sensei

voiced by 井上和彦(Inoue Kazuhiko)

I have never featured any anime character in this space before...but Madara was so irritatingly hilarious in 'Natsume Yuujinchou' that I just had to intro him to you pple. Besides the lazy, fat, 'come squish me' look he has, Madara has a really constipated voice. Yes, you read right...his voice sounds like someone speaking through a blocked nose...haha(I hav become a fan of Inoue Kazuhiko!). He is also skeptical and cynical, the qualities perfect for a comical sidekick.

Other notable characters Inoue has voiced include: Aion (Chrono Crusade), Shiratori (Detective Conan), Souma Hatori (Fruit Basket), Eiri Yuki (Gravitation), Miyagi You (Junjou Romantica), Hatake Kakashi (Naruto)

Up to the usual mischief...

Unhappy when being compared...

Huge lazy yawn...

Clawing his way down a tree...

Head-butting Natsume...

Results of head-butt...

A compilation of clips shown when the anime goes for a commercial break...

If after all that explanation, and you still dun get how hilarious Madara is, please watch the above...

Hah...Madara really made my day. Nyan~

「夏夕空」ｂｙ中り孝介

2009-11-15T22:28:00.007+08:00

色づく西空に
差し込む一筋の陽
夕立の雨上がりに
気付く夏の匂い

ひしめく光が照らす
想いに耳を澄ませば
聴こえし友の面影

夏夕空薫り立つ
鮮やかな過ぎ去りし日々
心のまま笑いあった
あの夏の思い出よ

色づく鬼灯(ほおずき)に
賑わいし夏祭り
鳴り響く風鈴(すず)の音に
胸の奥が揺れる

さざめく蜩(ひぐらし)が鳴く
木立を一人歩けば
蘇(よみがえ)し日の面影

そっと僕の
耳元でささやいた
懐かしい日々
あの頃のまま変わらず
今も心の中で

人として守るもの
人として学ぶこと
亡き祖父が紡ぐ
大切な言葉はこの胸に

夏夕空薫り立つ
鮮やかな過ぎ去りし日々
あの頃のまま変わらぬ
染み渡る温もりよ

あの夏の思い出よ

--------

The western sky becomes so colorful
as it is pierced by the ray of sunlight
The scent of summer is everywhere
as the afternoon shower stopped

The light of the old memories flooded me
as I tried to picture them clearly in my mind
I could hear voices of my friends emerges slowly

The scent of that summer twilight came
vividly even after all this time
Even now, my heart smiles
when I think back about that summer

The lantern were so colorful
in that summer festival
As I recalled the resounding bell
my heart started to tremble inside

The cicadas are crying noisily
as I walk through the grove alone
I try to recall what those days were like

Even now,
I can recall in my heart
the quiet whispers of everything
that were happening
in those precious days

As a person, we must protect those things
As a person, we must learn from the things
that was created by the past generations
Keep those important lessons in our heart

The scent of that summer twilight came
vividly even after all this time
Spread the warmth
of those unchanging days

Remember that summer

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Sometimes if you suddenly see me emo-ing...please check if im wearing earphones before you decide whether i'm suicidal.

I chanced upon this song when i was randomly looking for anime to watch. It's the end song from 夏目友人帳(Natsume Yuujinchou)<--an anime with a pace and humour suitable for in-between study breaks.

It really brings out emotions and I suddenly felt sad for no apparant reason (besides the fact that im studying miserably...haix)

enjoy! or rather...emo!

Lost in Iceland

2009-11-13T21:37:00.005+08:00

Here is a neat link jon posted on my wall Lost in Iceland

Yeah i noe i have always been intrigued by the aurora borealis, but somehow, i was more impressed by the geyser in the pictures...oh well, I'll just go see both of them (so greedy lol)

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

何も考えないで、道に迷いたい。

あたしが迷ったら、探しさせくれないかな？

のだめカンタビーレフィナーレ

2009-11-13T16:42:00.006+08:00

Gyabo!!! I just found out that Nodame Cantabile is airing season 3, the finale on 14th Jan 2010...(sorry no subs >.<)

Gp to the　Nodame Cantabile Official site and click the last option in the left panel, under special(=

お楽しみに！！！

2009-11-12T15:25:00.009+08:00

Tue was a historic day. I completed 2 full rounds of the $%^&* Pandan Reservoir without walking for the first time in my life. Yeah, sounds weird that I had not done it sooner...we used to like run there 3 times a week when in RV...and i have alr completed a marathon...oh well...felt good finishing it.

Then, came the after effects...i slept a full 12 hours after that, and am still suffering from body aches...but as usual...pain is good (=

Anyways, managed to upload more pics from my hp, enjoy:

Sunset taken on the way home after a tue run a few weeks ago

Lone cloud taken on tue morning while walking to lecture

Exponent Asia indoor EASY rock wall

Exponent Asia indoor HARD rock wall

Yay climbing tomorrow!!! (^-^)

Tue Fun Run

2009-11-09T11:17:00.004+08:00

In case you do not recognise the map above, allow me to explain the grand scheme.

Start...GO! from NUS SRC, run to Pandan reservior via west coast highway. Run round Pandan Reservior twice. If still alive, take the 'shortcut' back to NUS SRC...end!!! and you would have completed a half marathon!!!=D

Nah...im not THAT ambitious yet...we're gg to stop after the 2 rounds of Pandan Reservior and take the bus back (18km only). rite mew? I wun let you escape tomoro!!! XD

Hmm and i wonder why i don't have many running pals...

Dreams

2009-11-05T11:05:00.008+08:00

A photograph captures an expression, a scene, a special time that we can never go back to.

Memories remain in our hearts, but we can never really live through it again. The best that can be done is to replay it like clockwork, to repeat the faded feelings we had once experienced.

**********

If the time for dreaming has come to an end, would we be satisfied with just photographs and memories?

**********

Let this dream continue on,

for I never want to awake from it.

It's week 12 already ?!@#$%^&*

2009-11-04T14:05:00.004+08:00

Ahaha~~~i thought i would never say that the semester was passing to quickly...but it FINALLY struck me yesterday as i was running w mew.

Yeah lots of stuff happened in these 12+1 weeks, I did lots of Rock climbing, Wind surfed; struggled with Schrödinger, had fun learning about the geology of the Himalayas; watched Nabari no Ou, Tora Dora, Bakemonogatari, Buzzer Beat, finished Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles; learnt to deal with rowdy primary school kids and undecisive adults and lots lots more...

BUT, considering that...
-I have less than 2 months before i depart for sweden for 6 whole months
-I have less than 1 month to spend time with mew,hui and kaka since they will dissappear from the surface of spore for dec
-I'm like already a year 2.5 student in uni
-Marathon is in 32days...max milage clocked is ~13km (0.0)
-Exams is in 2 weeks (almost forgot about THAT haha)

Ahh~~~It's week 12 already ?!@#$%^&*

Oh well, getting closer to Nepal family trip 9th-19th dec~~~

Desperate times call for desperate measures

2009-10-30T13:03:00.002+08:00

Once again, it's the time of the year to sit down and simply mug. Nothing else.

No more long afternoons of climbing.

No more finishing an anime series in 2 days.

No more full day windsurfing.

No more slacking off.

No more blogg---scratch that!

Oh well. Life sounds depressing. But its somthing i decided i shall do, so its time to studyyyy!!!

I love my modules...in the non-academically sense

2009-10-23T22:38:00.010+08:00

Ok, more module talk. Last lecture in XD3103 Planet Earth, we learnt about the deepest oceans and the highest mountains. Of course, our dear Everest played a major role in the lecture. (=

View of Everest from a hot air balloon by Leo Dickson

An awesome panorama of a

View of the Himalayan range from the top of Everest

For scenary junkies, this should satisfy your cravings for a while:
BBC landscape photo of the year

And 2 more links from my physics pals on facebook:
Cute Physics Particles Plushies
Into the mind of a Physicist (the cynical way)

These few days have been depressing, with all the tests and quizzes and deadlines. Not to mention my pathetic ranking in class. *deep breath* Well, since it's alr the bottom, there is only one way to go...

UP! (hot air balloons sold seperately, batteries not included)

Nostalgia

2009-10-23T00:00:00.003+08:00

Went with my dad to change my specs lens (coz it was too scratched up---went thru too many adventures haha) at the neighbourhood i used to live in when i was young(er).

Since spore is so small and we dun really have hometowns or villages etc, leme indulge in another of my fantasies. Rephrased version:

Went with my dad to change my specs lens at my hometown.

Felt nostalgic, and had the sudden urge to eat cupcakes from the bakery there. Only prob was...in it's place, it was a barber shop. hmm...they must have closed down since their biggest fan (yours truly) had moved away (>.<)

Was disappointed, but managed to stop by the biscuit shop which was thankfully still there =D. They still sell biscuits in the big yellow rectangular tins. My specs were left in the shop to change the lens, so i had to bring my squinting eyes within 15cm of the biscuits. It must have been quite a sight haha, but i was really excited with the biscuits of my childhood =D

I want to grow younger XD

Never Alone (Jim Brickman)

2009-10-20T13:29:00.003+08:00

----------------------------------------------
My love will follow you stay with you

Baby you're never alone
----------------------------------------------

I love my family (=

2009-10-20T10:19:00.004+08:00

They are the kind of people who

...piss me off when I'm alr irritated.
BUT stay up with me til the wee hours (dozing in the most unglam fashion) as i vent my frustration on school work.

...eat the last cup of Ben & Jerry's ice cream in the freezer.
BUT forgive me when i do the same.

...shout at me when I'm a min late.
BUT will wait hours to pick me up.

...grumble at me through emails at work.
BUT help with my school work materials through 'illegal' means, no matter how busy.

...nag at me x infinity at a tone of a million decibels daily.
BUT sits on the couch to greet me daily as I return home.

Who says we need 'family day' or what not to celebrate them?

They are just the kind of people who stick with me, even in the worst of the worst. Yeah, even when my evil twin/dark split personality that you, you and you could never even imagine appears.

My *precious~*hisss~~~* family.

化け物語

2009-10-19T22:04:00.003+08:00

私のどういう事が好き？

全部好きだ。好きじゃないところはない。

そう。嬉しいは。

お前は？僕のどういう事が好きなんだ？

優しいところ、可愛いところ、

私は困っている時には何時だってに助けにかけつけくれる、

王子様見たいのところ。

嬉しいよ。

ちくしょう！

2009-10-17T23:11:00.002+08:00

時間が足りないなのに、このプロジェクトをやれなければならない。金曜日の全部の朝も上げたのに。あたしは暇じゃないのに。時間がないんだ。誰かが殺したい。ムカつき過ぎ、寝られない。アニメしか救われない。いろんな悩みがあるんで、頭が冷やしできない。やっぱ君に抱きさせたい。

Welcome to my modules

2009-10-16T05:00:00.003+08:00

Ok, not exactly academic, but long overdued upload: Autumn Festival---Getting hyped up with the lanterns at home (=

GE3231 practical session---finding the relation between slope and tension (hardness) of soil. According to our data, there is almost none (corelation coeffiecient was less than 0.1 lol)

PC2130 lecture---Calculating Hermite polynomials using mathematica (0-0)

PC2193 laboratory---All the apparatus used in the *&^%#@ diode experiment

And of course, how could I not upload my fav type of pic in NUS...fluffy clouds(+an occassional lampost) taken on tue i think =D

Music makes me want to move...

2009-10-14T09:14:00.001+08:00

Sometimes, listening to music makes me really happy. So much so that I have the urge to stand up and start dancing.

Unfortunately, in our society, this is also known as insanity.

Time

2009-10-09T22:13:00.003+08:00

Was doing the diode experiment in the lab today afternoon. Had to leave at 5.30pm to practise technical skills w kaka, so i kept a close eye on the huge clock in front.

5.25pm, was what it read. Finished just in time (aft 3 weeks of frustration we hav finally finished 2 out of 3 parts). Checked my hp...woah so many messages for me?(Actually i shd be less shocked judging by my popularity lol) then i noticed the time on my hp.

6.05pm, was what it read. ?!?!!? Checked my watch.

6.05pm, was what it read. !&^%$#@

Made me realise how just how reliant i am on time. Every minute counts. A clock that is 30min late wrecks my schedule. Living without a device to tell me the exact time feels like a real nightmare to me. I guess this is what a stressful singaporean life is like.

Probably this is one of the reasons why i really like hiking in the mountains. I wake up from the chirping birds(even though they can be annoying lol), eat my meals when im hungry, watch a magnificent sunset, and sleep when it gets dark. Yeah i noe this is just the plus side of a simple life, but still...sweet dreams are what that keeps us yearning for the future.

PC2130: Quantum Mechanics

2009-10-07T17:50:00.004+08:00

Ok, im sorry for complaining to be aimless. Coz...i have one rite smack in front of me now. Studying has been un-elbowed back.

Went to see my lecturer just now about Quantum Mechanics. I know i'm not doing very well in this module. I've never been excellent in undergrad physics anyway. BUT, he made me see that im really doing extremely poorly for this...such that i couldnt even answer the fundemental questions. I prob knew this at the back of my head, but it still came as a shock. Like...WHAM!

Yeah I'm depressed. and stressed. I did study you noe. Makes me think that im dumb, since others can get it while i cant.

But before you tag the board to ask me to cheer up, (which you are gg to do rite?RITE?). I have picked myself up and am looking forward to befriend schrodinger.

It's time to seriously get help from pple. It's time to stop hiding in one corner to self study. It's time to be thick-skinned and ask (more) questions that others think are trivial. It's time to stop climbi---no way! Haha im not in such a dire state as that yet. That's a last resort. *We are currently at the 2nd last resort*

なんくるないさ～

2009-10-07T12:45:00.003+08:00

I'm back! (so fast alr?!) Anyway, above are some quotes that I find meaningful. It also makes me feel better when I make mistakes hehee(Thank you Einstein!)

...

2009-10-07T09:29:00.003+08:00

You know I'm really bored and aimless (studying was elbowed out of the 'aims' part) when I:

1. Comment and like once in every 10posts pple put up on fb

2. Manage to achieve 1. coz i refresh the page every 10min

3. Reread manga that I have read for a gazillion times

4. Ran out of manga to re-re-read

5. Search for anime to watch on NewType

6. Blog almost everyday

7. Read my own blog. Ditto for fb

8. Start correcting gramatical errors on my blog

9. Blog about how bored and aimless I am

Even wasting time is difficult now?!

Cant wait to climb tomorrow (>.<) I seriously think im getting addicted hehee...

Photography? Nope. It's Art.

2009-10-07T08:49:00.007+08:00

Was browsing through Alpine Guides' blog, and came across Chris McLennan, he took some really awesome snippets of skiing, wildlife and people. The site does not have everything, but you can check out his facebook.

I seldom get wow-ed by almost every photo in an album. (It's not difficult to hav a nice photo out of a thousand shots taken) But each photograph had a subject(s) placed perfectly in harmony with the background...and the contrast were really nice. (If I had a more extensive vocabulary I would have pursuaded you to visit the site for sure haha)

Still dreaming of the day I can giv you guys the link to my professional website on photos I have taken...and get feedback on how impressed you pple are with my skills hohoho~~~

Volcanic espcapade anyone?

2009-10-06T09:01:00.002+08:00

It's the latest overseas adventure trip organized by MIR9...Do give us your full support! (=

Btw, here is a link to a neat Photo Journalism site (not related to rinjani in case you were wondering lol)

Nice weekend =D

2009-10-04T23:29:00.004+08:00

After midterms, I have seemed to lost all motivation to study (T-T)

As such, we finished Nabari no Ou in 3 days lol. It wasn't the best I have watched, but it was interesting enough to give me something to look forward to when I get home. (something I have not felt since school started gahhhh)

Saturday was fun, managed to do lots of climbing, and learnt some new stuff. Could join in a bit with MIR9 too (= Evening was overstuffing myself with my family with Japanese food, and playing with the icecream/fondue machine lol. At night we went downstairs to celebrate the mid autumn festival. Managed to drag our grandma down with us hehee. I wanted to spend more time with her, as realised her life now seemed really boring when i put myself in her shoes. Other than that, the 3 of us did the usual crazy stuff (of which should not be mentioned here)

Today was good too. Had Japanese class, drooled over sebastian in New Type and most importantly, the phone call (*^_^*). The rest of the day was zzz and anime. This is the life.

Except for the guilt of not studying.

Oh well, I'll just have to work harder in E-learning week coming up! (lies are good for motivation sometimes haha)

Looking for the quick passing of 3 weeks once again. I will learn to be patient. Take care and be safe!

Fly time fly!

2009-10-01T14:22:00.004+08:00

Excessive studying of more than 2hours puts me in a zombie state, such that even watching detective conan can no longer excite me (maybe its the chinese subtitles...but...)

My official last mid-term paper was yesterday, but with quantum quiz coming up in 2 hours time, I really do need to buck up. Promised shi hua and yongwei i will score more than 2! (=

Other than that, i feel this midterms has gone quite well. It wasn't as stressful to prepare for as last year(prob coz i dun train much now), and i seem to score ok too (ok by my definitions hehee) I'm actually looking forward to more revision and reading the textbooks...someone pinch me to wake me up...

marathon training has officially started!!!time to embrace monotony and pain. lol i sound sadist...but it really is the truth.

Looking forward to the weekend(which means sleep!), and esp sunday. (=

Oh, and when you check facebook every 10mins, and start reading your own blog...you noe its time to get a life...

Blue Skies

2009-09-30T21:49:00.010+08:00

I seem to have a fetish for the skies above...
Malai ramro sagar man parcha!(^-^)

Lazy morning sky in Toa Payoh Central. (Taken the morning I went to jam in Mew's house---my first official guitar lesson)

Fluffy spurts of clouds taken from NUS netball court (makes me feel like reaching for the sky...)

Bright blue skies taken from the roof of the Central Library (managed to find an unlocked acess up hehee...luckily there was no one around...)

Retiring sky taken from Enterprise Hub (a real treat after an afternoon of climbing)

What a physics major does...

2009-09-30T01:18:00.005+08:00

For all you pple out there wondering what we do in physics all day...here is a glimpse of 2 random shots taken in the past weeks...

Physics lab: Helmholtz experiment (magnetic moments)

Quantum Mechanics lecture: M & Ns help in concentration (although the pic shows otherwise haha)

Even the textbook says so...

2009-09-29T23:50:00.005+08:00

Just something interesting I picked up while studying for GE3231 Natural Hazards...

"Entirely voluntary social hazards, such as cigarette smoking or mountaineering, are excluded from this book because they are wholly man-made, self-inflicted risks."

-Pg 10, Environmental Hazards, Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster (fifth edition) by Keith Smith and David N.Petley

AY09/10 SEM1 WK7

2009-09-28T15:42:00.003+08:00

Hmm, i seem to be hooked onto whichever song that has the words climb, moutain etc in it lol

Mid terms is almost over for me, but the physics quizzes relentlessly continue on. It's draining my life force, but at least it forces me (might i repeat forces me) to revise regularly. It's frustrating when I keep asking stupid questions and can't even do the basic questions. ARGH. Ok, *deep breath* 8 more weeks of thick skin stupidity and I'll get a well awaited break.

Other than that, I seem to be hooked onto climbing. It's only once a week, but I really look forward to every session, and get really irritated when something else clashes with it. Oh, and I'll need to start training for the marathon soon (>.<)

Currently at Detective Conan episode 242, and going strong...

2009-09-25T09:26:00.003+08:00

The Climb
Miley Cyrus

I can almost see it
That dream I’m dreaming but
There’s a voice inside my head sayin,
You’ll never reach it,
Every step I’m taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Got to keep tryin
Got to keep my head held high

There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm going to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb

The struggles I’m facing,
The chances I’m taking
Sometimes they might knock me down but
No I’m not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I’m going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I,
I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on,
cause

There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm going to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb

There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you're going to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb

Keep on moving
Keep climbing
Keep the faith baby
It’s all about
It’s all about
The climb
Keep the faith
Keep your faith

It's time to mug!

2009-09-13T22:47:00.002+08:00

Ok, I seem to suddenly feel just how important the 2 tests tomorrow are. Hmm...I doubt I'll ever be properly ready, but I'll just burn midnight oil just to feel less guilty.

Anyways, throughout this sem, I've realised that I have learnt the most by making mistakes in the worst places (all the graded tests and viva haha) It seems like I can only learn with a dented CAP.

Mind you, I feel that actually learning something is more important than grades---it's just that most of society seems to think otherwise.　まー、何来るないさ。

彼が帰るの日はまた６日。嫌けど、私は大人しくて、携帯のところで待ちます。

Monotone

2009-09-10T12:39:00.002+08:00

Was thinking back on my life a few days ago, then I realized I have actually lived for 20 years. (0.0) Considering that life is short, this is probably half or one third of my life spent. Spent on what and for what...hmm...good question.

Well, I have been immersing myself in studying and CCA most of the time. For? A good job I guess, since that's prob the main reason I got into uni. CCA was just to pass time since Im not the kind that enjoys studying very much.

I dont really have any plans for my future job. Except that I am not going to stay in a controlled aircon environment facing a computer screen. Nope, no offices for me. Okay, this narrows it down to a few jobs in Singapore, and many which are not in Singapore.

Hmm...sounds like im having a mid life crisis lol...but i guess this is what happens to you if you study, eat, sleep, watch 2 episodes (only) of anime, AND repeat it everyday like clockwork. Wonder how the millions of office workers in the world bear with it.

夏祭り０９

2009-08-24T13:22:00.015+08:00

We started wearing the yukatas (with the trusty aid of youtube) at around 3pm. After an hour of tugging, strangling and knotting, we were ready to go to the Natsu Matsuri (Japanese Summer Festival) at The Japanese School in Changi.

Had lots of snacks while browsing through all the food stalls. Too bad candy apple was sold out before I even got there (T-T) Had a nice cone of hot fudge vanilla meiji ice cream though (= Next, went to play the 'yoyo' game. It was actually a large portable pool, with lots of colourful balloons attached to rubber band hooks in it. We were given a metal hook attached to a paper string to fish the 'yoyo' balloons out. I wanted the colourless one haha, but yellow was much easier to get...had lots of fun anyways (=

With a relatively full tummy and having dabbled in the games, next on the agenda was to watch the performances put up by the various groups. There was hiphop, Tenko(Japanese drums) and even the Japanese Soccer team (Abraxas)! I do not deny that they were nice eye candy, but the cute little toddlers dancing on the stage to the theme song from Ponyo definitely topped the charts.

~8pm...it was finally time for the grand finale!!! The Bon Odori. It can be described as a mass dance with everyone standing in a humongous circle. The steps are supposed to be easy to learn and follow in the spot, but i seriously suspect that they timed the songs to end right when i finally got the steps right...hmmm...anyways, the 3 of us took turns to capture each other's unglam poses and hideous facial expressions. Most of them are published in fb...a decision i truly regret. Many encores later, the event ended at 9.30pm and it was time to meet up with the pair who went on their romantic date.

We were all soaking up our yukatas in perspiration, but it was an awesome evening to spend w the other 2. I realised after we grew up(aldou still growing), we rarely spend this kind of time tgt...im currently on a mission to spend quality time w my family lol, so hopefully we can organise something like that soon. *hint hint* Well, til the Seiransei in Sept!!! =D

AY09/10 SEM1 WK2

2009-08-20T12:56:00.003+08:00

Its week 2. Much time has been wasted:
-wasted hours on figuring out practical setups with inadequate instructions and inexistant lab helpers
-wasted 90min to sign up for diving coz the dive club was late by 45min, and was really inefficient (only 30 pple signed up in about 1 hour)

Ok, I feel better after whining (=

Anyway, i somehow managed to pack the rest of the weeks til mid terms. SF1004, MIR, Sci faculty Frisbee IFG, Scuba diving course, Work, oh, and I almost forgot...studying.

Other than that, I heard Inuyasha is coming out again!!! Check out http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10970
It's the original cast...if I were not in school now I would have started screaming hysterically. Maybe Kappei is in the studio voice recording now *wide grin*

Still holding on

2009-08-17T12:21:00.005+08:00

Nope, Im not a big fan of Adam or American Idol for that matter. But I heard this song on the radio at work, and the word mountain triggered me to listen haha. After listening to it everyday during work, I kindof like this song (and this version) a lot. I felt that the words applied very much to how I feel about my future, as well as when I was in Nepal.

No Boundaries (Adam Lambert)

Seconds, hours, so many days
You know what you want but how long can you wait?
Every moment lasts forever
When you feel you lost your way

And what if my chances were already gone?
Started believing that I could be wrong
But you give me one good reason
To fight and never walk away

With every step you climb another mountain
Every breath it's harder to believe
You make it through the pain, weather the hurricanes
To get to that one thing

Just when you think the road is going nowhere
Just when you almost gave up on your dreams
They take you by the hand and show you that you can
There are no boundaries!
There are no boundaries!

I fought to the limit to stand on the edge
What if today is as good it gets?
Don't know where the future's headed
But nothing's gonna bring me down

I've jumped every bridge and I've run every line
I've risked being saved but I always knew why
I always knew why!

So hear I am still holding on!

With every step you climb another mountain
Every breath it's harder to believe
You make it through the pain, weather the hurricanes
To get to that one thing

Just when you think the road is going nowhere
Just when you almost gave up on your dreams
They take you by the hand and show you that you can

You can go higher, you can go deeper
There are no boundaries above and beneath you
Break every rule 'cause there's nothing between you and your dreams

With every step you climb another mountain
Every breath it's harder to believe

Yeah! There are no boundaries
There are no boundaries!

With every step you climb another mountain
Every breath it's harder to believe
You make it through the pain, weather the hurricanes
There are no boundaries
There are no boundaries
There are no boundaries

Sunday fun run

2009-08-17T12:12:00.002+08:00

The safra army half marathon just finished yesterday. Amongst all the complaints and excuses i hear from around me, I actually had quite a pleasant Sunday morning run (minus the sweaty arms that rubbed against me *bleah*)

Started running around 5.30am, so I was actually sleep-running haha...i think i woke up when we passed some pple at east coast park playing drums. It gave the run a festival like mood, and i felt like joining in the fun---wait,im supposed to be runnin...yea,so i continued until i saw the clowns walking on stilts, and gave one of them a high5. drank my fill of cool gasless 100plus(my fav), snacked on a banana and that about ends the ~3hr fun run. =D

Still suffering from monday blues, wondering where did the weekend fly off to...then i realised i played most of it away, meeting up with various groups of pple. Friends are evil and not condusive to studying. But I cant help it (T-T)