train station July 2, 2008

Ever wondered why certain places have certain names? I was waiting for the train the other day and had time to study all the names of all the train stations in singapore.
There were 3 that were especially interesting

Everytime i see Dohby Ghaut, it reminds me of the house elf in the Harry P. Series. I didn’t realise that the chinese name literally translates to “many beautiful songs”. hahaa..
And then if we turn our attention to Serangoon..are we talking about a honest dragon alley? hahahah

And the final station that caught my attention was along the LRT line.

This chinese name is quite different from the one i know hha.. MJC is known as “mei lian”.

I wonder who gives these chinese names? Reporters and newcasters? Community leaders perhaps?

square2 June 27, 2008

Met shuen for korean lunch at square2 this afternoon Novena’s becoming one of my frequent outing places because it is easily accessible from home. The time taking the bus to AMK hub and then the train down is probably the same as me going down to town. Shuen’s still the same, resourceful and chirpy! Haha.. it was nice just talking. I would have loved to catch a movie in the afternoon but sadly, there was no one to watch with me. Those on exchange.. hurry back!!! Those working, well.. there’s nothing much we can do there. This often reminds me that in one year or so I may become as busy and without the opportunity to catch afternoon shows.

But no matter how busy, I think reading will still be possible Completed ‘A thousand Splendid Suns’ by Khalid Hosseini last night and felt strangely angry after the read. Perhaps it was the idea of women in Afghanistan having to endure many things we take for granted here: Their lack of information (always relying on brothers, fathers or husbands to bring news from the outside), their need to cover themselves and their risk of violence at home. Isn’t this oppression then?
Though it is a work of fiction, I think there’s a possibility that certain things did happen. If so, I certainly salute the tenacity of the female characters- Living through times of war, sadness and lies.

week 2 L2 June 25, 2008

I’m officially a term 3B student taking philo! Philosophy class has been rather challenging. Things that are common sense may seem not so common sense anymore. I start to question but the answers aren’t that easy to find. That is why philosophers are really remarkable people to me as they can reason and find truths.

One problem that the professor gave us: Find out what is wrong with the example below.
D is the hypothesis that I have no hands but an evil demon has caused me to have the illusion that I have two hands.

(1) if I know that I have two hands, then I know that D is false
(2) I do not know that D is false
(3) > I do not know that I have two hands.
Shall not review the answer.. haha..since i had to think about it for an entire night to get the answer!

To take my mind off school, met von at the Art museum for outing I had to pay 4 bucks to get in while von got in free.. its never fair is it? i just wonder why my school isn’t a member of the museums. The exhibiton centred around asian works: first floor was Xu beihong’s pieces while the second floor had words from the regional countries. The pieces that von and i liked differed hahaa.. von tried to infer my personality from the pieces i like. (as if its co-related?) Anyway we were like 2/10 people visiting the museum.. very good place for someone who doesn’t like crowds hehe

My fencing team will be leaving for HK tmr morning They will be taking part in the annual fencing competiton at HKUST.. zhen, xuehui, SP and jianwei gambatte!!! Come back with medals okay! Of course the shopping and travelling will be awesome too Just remember to bring umbrellas since i think its going to pour over there. Meet you all when you get back!

lIzard TaLe June 23, 2008

BBQ June 22, 2008

Rantau abang June 21, 2008

baby visit June 21, 2008

early morning June 7, 2008

good morning! its another day of waking early… even on a saturday.
Friday was spent with ye en and zhen at my place watching an incredibly good movie - ‘the prestige’. I couldn’t believe that both of them did not watch it before Managed to get up to date with them.. its nice! Cooked dinner and was already feeling sleepy at the dinner table. Its like back to younger days where I would automatically sleep at 9pm, regardless of the place.

Then it was off to dreamland.. I dreamt of my primary school chinese teacher, maybe its time to go back and visit?

Singapore, finally :) June 3, 2008

I’m finally home after 5 months! What’s it like to be back? I’m still not very sure but I know I’ve been relaxing at home everyday.

The first day I got back I slept for 16 hours straight.. haha.. that kind of got me back on track with Singapore time. The next few mornings I woke up at 3.21am, wondering if it was déjà vu. I like being back in my room where the moon light (and street lights) shine in through the windows at the top.

I have to get used to the weather too. Somehow, the air-con is no longer cold, the heat comes in waves. I have to shower 3-4 time a day and that is with doing minimal things.
I have already been to Mac Ritchie and Pasir Ris, haha.. nice walks with parents.

And then I received a warm welcome from the house lizards. I guess it must have missed me quite a bit because it jumped out the moment I stepped into the backyard. I spotted 1 more hiding.. no more lizard free environment but mummy was kind enough to try and clean up the kitchen and rid it of lizards haha

The first bus ride out was to parkway parade. The bus was crowded but we still got seats. The ride was extremely jerky and I felt queasy. The journey back was much smoother but there was the persistent chatter from students. (oh man.. I must have been like that once)

I’ve been helping with the cooking these few nights. I am in charge of the preparation of ingredients and mummy cooks ahhaa… well, just the other night I did attempt bah kut teh but it turned out a little too sweet. I guess as long as the kitchen has no lizard I’ll be very happy cooking.

Managed to buy 5 comic books, though I was surprised that there were so few new books I had to buy. Maybe the manga artists were all taking a break just like I did. Another favourite thing to do is to watch a few episodes of anime every day- mostly in the morning as it streams a little faster. I also enjoy reading a book while it rains.

Caught the Singapore football match last night on tv with high hopes for the lions! However, came away quite disappointed with the score line. The frustration knowing that we had a chance if not for the defensive errors.

That’s what I’ve been up to, trying to adjust back to Singapore. That’s why I’ve not been meeting friends yet hah.. sorry guys, just wait a little while more yea.

Spring Trip: Vancouver May 31, 2008

Spring Trip: Whistler May 31, 2008

I was looking forward to the Whistler experience. First up, we boarded the Whistler Mountaineer which took us 3 hours to get up on Whistler Mountain. The train promised the best railway experience in the world and I must say I was pretty impressed.
They were extremely efficient – picked us up at 7.30am from our hotel in Vancouver and gave us the boarding passes. At the train station, our luggage was automatically loaded onto a truck to be driven to our hotel over at Whistler. We were ushered to the right train compartment and before you know it the train pulled out of the station.

The seats were very comfortable and our attendant was good at keeping us entertained with stories along the trip. We were given a good breakfast at our seats and after breakfast we were allowed to visit the Heritage Car, which was open air. When we approached key sights such as Howe’s Sound and Brandywine Falls, the train slowed down for us to take pictures. Once we reached Whistler we were directed to the bus which would bring us to the hotel. Upon check-in, our luggage was already in their store. Haha..it was perhaps the most coordinated company so far. The return back to Vancouver was also as efficient

Spent the first day exploring Whistler Village which used to be a dump site. There was an Olympic centre there for people to get to know more about the upcoming winter Olympics. All around there were many shops selling crafts, clothing and numerous restaurants. We managed to catch the Indiana Jones movie at the local cinema.

The next day was cloudy but we still went ahead with the Tree Trek tour. The trip cost us 80 Cad in today but it was worth it. There were only 9 people on the trip with 2 guides. To protect the tree-top walk they limit it to 2 trips a day each with only 10 people. We took a short drive up Blackcomb mountain and begun our tree-trek. The view was awesome! Then it started raining and I was only wearing a t-shirt. It was so cold.. haha.. probably had mild hypothermia after that. Along the trek we also saw the participants from the ZipTrek. Wow… there was this particular zip line that was so long we couldn’t see the end from the start. There were many brave people who went on these zips despite the rain pouring down on us. I think I would have tried it if the weather was fine
Had fine Japanese food to end off the day!

The last morning in Whistler we decided to walk to the Lost Lake. Had a early bagel breakfast then it started to rain! So went back to the room to wait. Went our around 10.20am and we had to check out at 12noon. So we hurriedly walked and walked until we reached the Lost Lake. The sight was quite pretty but we had to turn back almost immediately. Reached the hotel at 11.35am, showered and then checked out.

That was the end of the trip to Whistler. At least now I can recognise some of the places in Whistler, especially when the Winter Olympics is in action.

Spring Trip: Rockies May 22, 2008

1. Along the way from Edmonton to Jasper, we saw a couple of herds. These mountain sheep are natural attractions for cars and passengers They come pretty close to humans; I guess they’ve gotten used to seeing people staring and taking picture.

2. See how man and animal co-exist, they’re the same size too!

3. Global warming is definitely taking place. The lake that should have been filled is now a sandy beach. The water was icy cold!!

4. The fine sand with shifting winds create endless patterns on the slopes

5. Stopped at Athabasca Falls which was on the way from Jasper to Lake Louise. I noticed that the water is kind of brown, unlike the water in the river which is clear blue.

6. Took a toilet break at the Columbia Icefield. It started raining and the place started to mist. Many people bought tickets to take the snow mobile up to the icefield but we decided it was better to go on ahead.

7. Another by the road stop. This was the first lake which was iced up! We were throwing rocks onto the ice but it didn’t break it. Haha… Its really really hard ice.

8. Spent the second night staying at Baker’s Creek! WOW… real cabins with 2 rooms and a functional kitchen. There was no television or phone, just peace and quiet. I really loved that cabin no. 8.

9. Took this in the hotel at Jasper. It’s a notice-board which shows all the places the hotel guests come from. Well Singapore is on the map

Luggage May 22, 2008

Spring Trip: Las Vegas May 16, 2008

Maine Lighthouses May 15, 2008

We took a cruise to see the 7 light houses. The captain was really talkative, stopping only to when he made u-turns on the seas. The sea became kind of choppy so we didn’t go on the usually route. Instead, we went past a couple of islands with lots of colourful houses and an old feel to them. The 90 minute sea ride was chilly and I stayed indoors most of the time. Felt so tired that I fell asleep for about 10 minutes or so when we were in choppy waters.

The next day, we did the trolley ride to have a close up look of the Portland head light. (Note: it is not headlight) Before we journeyed to the light house, the entertaining driver brought us around the major tourist sites in Portland as well as restaurant recommendations. The ride also allowed us to see luxurious seaside houses that belonged to actresses or politicians. In summer, so many more people will move into the city.

The Portland Head Light is the most photographed light house in Maine. It is also the second oldest light house in North America. The light house has survived 5 height changes in the first 100 years of its life. Now its safely preserved and the shoreline is amazing!

The trolley ride brought us back into the old port and we walked around the cobbled streets to look at the local stores. There was this particular store with very intricate and creative products. My favourite was this tin robot that was created from all sorts of scrap materials. Each one looked so unique and the price reflect