Tina czechs out Prague

2006-12-19T08:25:00.000+08:00

Back to Basics with Christina Aguilera!!!
The concert started close to 90 mins late so elise and I had to keep ourselves entertained with making funny faces at the camera..

the performance was in a class of it's own: crazy props and back drops, dancers, live bands and chrsitina's powerful renditions of old and new favorites coupled with jaw dropping costumes..u'll never get anything like this in singapore

after the concert we both bought christina aguilera t-shirts!!!!! check out elise's nicole richie impersonation.. priceless!!!!

2006-12-19T07:40:00.000+08:00

French connection!

the celebration continues..viva la Paris!

what was suppose to happen: get yelled at by a rude french guy

what did happen: got yelled at by a crazy singaporean

What was suppose to happen: get snubbed by a snooty waiter at a restaurant

what did happen: got snubbed by gerald at the restaurant

what was suppose to happen: Do tons of shopping

what did happen: help gerald carry tons of shopping

what was suppose to happen: find peace at notre dame

what did happen: pissed gerald off at the notre dame

starting to see a pattern yet?

part deux

Bisous mes amis!

2006-12-19T07:28:00.000+08:00

Turning twenty-one...

the best birthday ever started with Elise doing what I've christened the 'happy dance'(a cross between the hokey pokey and needing to pee but it was great- thanks babe!) in our room at 0000hrs--a day after i returned from barcelona(sponsored by mum &dad)!..
i returned from my morning class to find 2 packages waiting for me in the mailbox..one from Mehga who sent me episodes of grey's, house, scrubs and more and a card from my oldest best friend..sweet Elise returned from her class to surprised me with a bouquet of flowers to bring me on my birthday date to movies (little miss sunshine) and denise waited for me at the door making it a threesome..After the movies it was paaarrrttty time at the swedish nation2nation... i didn't want to make a big deal out of my birthday but elise,denise and the rest of the gang made it a point for me to have the best birthday ever... the night was a blur of kisses, alcohol, lap dances, more kisses,dancing and enough great pictures and memories to last me a lifetime..nuff' said...a big thank you goes out to Elise, Denise, Marco, laraine, Irina, Jay, Linda & the 21 guys where-ever you are for giving this un-deserving girl the best 21st she would wish for...

2006-11-23T06:34:00.000+08:00

blogger took forever to load my pictures and it just totally put me off blogging.. until i downloaded picasa... enjoy

MeEncanta Barcelona!!!!!Hola mis amigas.. i glad to announce that i have found my dream city... Barcelona has everything anyone would want in a city--shopping, beautiful beaches, mountains, shopping, great food, museums, music playing 24/7, fascinating culture and history, jaw-dropping works of architecture and --if u didn't catch it the first 2 times, yes-Shopping! I swear, everytime i lose my way and veer off onto some unknown street i somehow or rather find myself in a Zara or Mango.. and of course when did eventually find my way around the city i realised i perpetually had my jaw-hanging open, gasping in awe of works of Gaudi, a myraid of modernist buildings, the view of the mountians from the beach and the beach from the mountains...but walking in circles half the time meant that i only got to do like 60% of the recommended list, and even that gave me more than enough pictures to test the limits of my camera's memory... brace yourself for dazzling colors & intense imagery that is Barcelona!
day 1: Found my way to La Rambla at 5:30 even though i left the hostel at 3pm (and it's only 15 mins away)..i resisted entering the 1st Zara and mango i saw but with each passing store getting bigger and grander i couldn't help popping into a few stores..and pretty soon it was nightfall, La Rambla was well rumbling with life- an animal market, a flower district, a central market, a theater and the heaps and heaps of tourist shops- full of americans as usual... with the first english words i heard since my hostel reception being :"those are some FatAss chickens!!".. moving along..A stroll along la Rambla leads to the
and even there you'll find one of the largest shopping complexes in barcelonaMaremagnum.. i had little time to shop though..having signed up for tapas&flamenco night with the hostel!

After flamenco night, i went back to the hostel to find my dormates have arrived! 3 US students on exchange in madrid and 2 mexicans travelling europe... we swap stories of Europe, US, mexico & singapore till around 2am..

Day2: Gaudi Gaudi Gaudi
Followed the footprints left by the geniuses of the modernistic era; inspried by nature their feats of using a combination of glass,ceramics and stone to create entire buildings that were works of art both inside and out are unparalleled to anything we have today..the best buildings were created by Senor-'straight-lines-are-evil-to-me'-Gaudi but even non-Gaudi ones were spetacular... the trail starts with Gaudi's best: Casa balto! (exterior, interior, roof)

Casa mila (below)

y don't people get that u want a recognizable picture of me & sculpture not just a picture of me and half a block of something... bah! Casa lleo(below) took me ages to find because 1) it was across the road from my hostel and 2) it was above cartier (eyes on diamonds instead) these buildings below are the non Gaudi: not so bad eh?

barcelona is also probably the few places on earth where you wouldn't be able to between differentiate an opera house (palac de musica de catayluna) and a hospital (first 5 hospital next 4 opera house) the opera house is my favorite place! and it'a interior is beyond words! only accessible by guided tours -- no photos allowed though

The night was for romance: glittering lights atop many of barcelona's hills..

Day 3 i spent on the sprawling, golden and surprisingly clean beaches (metro station 100 m from the beach!) ..did nothing but laze around, reading my cosmo and watching nude ~~old~~ mature people on the beach..when my supply of mini dunkin' donuts ran out.. i set off to explore the gothic quarter...

sun, sand, sea, mountains, art, shopping, cool weather, great parties... what more could a ~~gal~~ woman ask for...i*heart*barcelona

2006-11-14T06:18:00.000+08:00

Hun-gary for more...
i'll shorthand my adventures and let the photos do the talking...
Day1: Buda side: castle.church.lookout pt-met serena for a night out at an irish pub with a live band! accomplice to a pocketing of a heiniken beer glass- u'll just have this weird urge to steal once something has been stolen from you..
Day 2: Pest side: st stephen's.operahouse.central market. hotchocolate.parliment.posing for pictures*smiles*-spent my evening @ e operaert-galakoncert: a smorgasbord of opera,symphony, ballet, choir and traditionary hungarian dance for like S$8 which went on for close to 3 hours
Day3: TerrorHaza: house of terror, historial museum dedicated to the victims of the Nazi and communist regime-visited serena's flat- Hungarian goulash & Arsenal v. Liverpool match ( Liverpool got thrashed-duh!- 3 to nada) -window shopping at westend. trying to stuff traditional hungarian pancakes into my already well-fed tummy-
Day 4: MAd rush to the central market to buy souvieners for mum&dad and mouth watering baked goodies..hungarians seem to like anything starting with chocolate or carmel, coated with chocolate,filled with chocolate and topped off with a chocolate glaze...which is fine by me anyday!- 8 hour bus ride to prague (booooooo)

As u possibly can tell by now.. I abso-fuckinglutly love Budapest.. it's buda-ful!

Below we have the skyline of pest with the parliment building featuring as the star attraction.. across the famous danube river is Buda side feat. BudaCastle where you would find it's iconic lookout point! seems like something out of a fairytale
and beside that, St Matthais church (i think)
Guess who's Posing in front of Buda castle: gt's rendition of elise (see karlovy vary)
back to pest for St. Stephen's basilica!

At this point my camera ran out of batteries... but gerald's schoolmates were over at budapest too and we took hundreds of crazy pictures around parliment, along the danube river, in front of zara... (i swear i still hear montse cheerful scream for 'zara!' ringing in my ears ) and later a couple of shots with serena at the westend mall-or as the hungarian like to say the largest shopping mall in central europe-..i'll try to post them or steal them off gerald's blog... overall it was fanatasic destination city(wayyyyyy better than prague- serena u should trust me on this) can't wait to visit it again.. tt's if i can endure another 8 hour bus ride...

next weekend: Barcelona! (yes montse! Barcelonaaaaaaaaaaa!)

out of point comment: "tina" is a name of a magazine in Hungary and there was this newspaer stand plastered with tinatinatinatinatina.. would have loved to get a picture...

2006-11-08T05:20:00.000+08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
my first snow! doesn't it look like something off a christmas card?

but it's only just past Halloween

The castle in Cesky krumlov-a lil' czech town

& its protector: Mr Grizzly Bear

My first snow storm...

Look at the glamour puss pose

Yay snow!

2006-11-05T00:26:00.000+08:00

Miserable*
My beloved bag got stolen and in it, my hot pink AE wallet and my Nokia 6233. Won't be blogging until i feel better...

In loving memory of black lecoq bag:

25th September 2006

2nd November 2006

You served me well, i hardly knew thee.

God, grant me the strenght and serenity to accept the things i cannot change,

the courage to change the things i can

and the wisdom to know the difference.

2006-11-02T07:15:00.000+08:00

Before sunrise...

First of all, let me just say a quick Hola! to Montse..and clarify i would have been in Barcelona on the 26 of oct if --Gerald hadn't told me u may not be going --on the day that i wanted to book my flight.. the scheming bitch got me to accompany him to graz and melk instead haha

and HEya to Adelyn! who's "waiting to hear about the weirdo who picked me up on the way to graz!" and who suggested that maybe i shld have gone off with him and left gerald alone (i concur)... and duly told me that my experience was soo "before sunrise" --how cool is that!

To the uninitiated (which included me before i googled it): Before Sunrise is a passionate and intelligent romance between a young American Jesse/Ethan Hawke and a French student Celine/Julie Deply. A chance encounter on the train to Vienna (i was on a train to graz n tt's in austria too!) incites intrigue and Jesse provocatively suggests that Celine postpones her return to ~~France~~ (graz) and embark instead on a spontaneous expedition to Vienna. In the course of their ~~14-hour~~ (2hour) relationship, the two share in their love for the unrehearsed and their appreciation for the unexpected as they explore in a powerful meeting of hearts and minds. Dawn breaks. Sad in silence, they make their way to the station. As they bid each other farewell .. (alright.. that part didn't happen for me..but it could have)

Reality check: the guy was no ethan hawke and i'm definately not half as beautiful as Julie but it really did happen to me! Last friday, on my train ride to graz to meet gerald.. a guy got on the train one stop after the czech border and into my empty carriage where i was studying for my finance test.. he asked me about my notes and we started talking--started with the usual..i'm from singapore.. he from vienna but working as a researcher in this math institute in the countryside solving algorithms and programming the computer to do the same (god he's a genius!-soo john nash) ..we carried on about singapore politics (he has read/heard alot about singapore) about austria's history, the EU, about life in a small town (no TV or cinema or shopping(!!) can u imagine?!) , about the breath-taking scenery in the austrian countryside..n then it started getting weird......he said today the scenery was exceptionally beautiful and he thinks it because---i cut him off.. 'look at the cows!' i say...''yes cows, aren't they cute' he says.. i veer off to talk about farm life...he trys the line a few times more-- though not without me finishing his sentences with something else..once with me getting desperate and blurting out " is this your stop?" (boy i'm making this difficult-aint' I?) until-- until he just said No..no..no it's cos i really like you! you're beautiful! (i was definately not! it was a 6am train- no makeup/messy hair/eek)... awkward silence and his arm is around me shit... 'how could you, i've only known you for 2 hours ?' "and i'm exchange prague.. due back in January" "that's not a problem, i could visit" he said "but i need to know who's the guy you're meeting in Graz (gerald)., is he your boyfriend?"

After some not so quick calculative thinking i gave an unconvincing "yes" (while at the back of my mind i was thinking--gt--please,not in this lifetime).. and then he asked the unthinkable:" what did that guy do to make you love him so?" -still not believing i said yes- "erm..cos' he's nice" ..."He's a lucky man" "erm..right" I've got goosebumps all over and i try to focus all my interest on the passing meadows..i catch glimpses of him looking at me with sad eyes... "i'm sorry" i say..." I'll never meet another girl like you" (i swear i'm not making this up) " There will be others".. "but they won't be you"..." tt's sweet..sorry again"..more scenery gazing and the longest 30minutes of my life later.. it was -finally- his stop.. i said my goodbyes..and breathe a sigh of relief when he left..then i looked in the mirror (shit i looked ugly.. what the hell is this guy thinking)..for the next 2 hours i let my mind wander on silly little fanatasies..what if i had said no..but what was i going to do.. alight at his stop, have a whirlwind romance and end up living in the country- unthinkable-how did it end in before sunrise anyways?...oh well, so i did make it to graz:

The below street sign is funny: cos' that exactly how we were standing (me in a knee-length skirt too) we decided to interpret the sign as no black people allowed and walked on..
Above:GT was suppose to be doing the juliet balcony scene Above: City hall
Modern architecture in Graz

And to the largest abbey in Europe in Melk, austria

2006-11-01T07:17:00.000+08:00

NTU Student survey - Funny comments

haha!

2006-10-25T02:44:00.000+08:00

Naked men,hunks-on-ice, rendez-vous..photos galore
though it's not what you did imagine

Haven't blogged in ages --since i found that elise changed the password for her computer..maybe i did overstep my boundaries a li' by blogging about her with her own comp hah so i decided to lay off her lappie for a while.. i've almost grown accustomed to living without a laptop if i could just overlook the bother of not bring able to do research for projects or write essays without having to make the 30mins trek to school..oh well

Elise and i made a pact that we should do something every weekend that we weren't travelling-- this came after several exchange students started proclaiming that we were missin' out-- having skipped our share of nation2nation parties-which invloves dancing & getting wasted, the trip to morovia- which involved sightseeing&getting wasted, the boat parties-which involved being on a boat&getting wasted.. you get the drift(oh n if you like tt kind of stuff i promptly suggest you find gerlad's blog!) ..though we knew we had conciously given these events a pass..we realised we had better start checking stuff off the ol' To-do-list..

For the first sunday we went to an ICE hockey match: to watch 14 or so burly, young men with sticks chase after a lil' black pug barely 5 inches wide..but the men were cute..so no one's complaining

The line-up before the match!

Tustle for the pug

Denise and me(for siling)

No, the players haven't shrunk..

these are peewee hockey cuties showing off

to the crowd during half time..

sliding on their bellies across the ice

hot cheerleaders at a very cold stadium..

they did a cheer every 5 mins or so throughout a 2 hr game

For the next sunday, we headed to a spa&sauna for some R&R..elise for for a massage and a sauna for me, but the masseurs were booked for the day and elise joined me for a sauna session instead-- just as well because it was freezing outside that day.. we decided to take the public sauna because it was like 3 times cheaper...and it started off well, perfectly though before the attendent left us at the sauna she did mention that it was a co-ed sauna.. which we figured was fine because we were provided with sheet&towels but lo' & behold we soon found that the only people that used the public sauna were men--- NAKED OLD men! who haven't seem to grasp the concept-- apparent since the time of adam&eve-- that a little fig leaf goes a long way..i immediately started to place my book in strategic positions so that i could be blind to the sight for sore eyes but poor elise armed with only her ipodshuffle well, took the grunt of it all..and it gets worse: An old swedish guy seated across elise started to make smalltalk with us, about singapore--the whole country's a sauna!--prague, etc. I was fine, with my book placed at just the right spot...but elise,poor elise had to look directly at him n his dick while we chatted uncomfortably for five minutes--she later filled me in about the man adjusting himself there all the while he was talking to us.. also we had to politely refuse his invitations to join him in the dipping pool (elise didn't have her swinsuit, though that wasn't exactly a concern for him)..

needless to say, it was an interesting experience- one that we are unlikely to forget.. we may even go again next week --though we are still pondering over the value of a private sauna room-- i mean we probably seen all there is to see..

The third weekend: On saturaday, i got an invitation from my buddy to watch a modern ballet called rendezvous-- two of her friends were performing and we got to watch it for free! i didn't understand what was going on half the time but the costumes were pretty and i got to strike one more thing off the list. On sunday, elise and I visited charming Karlovy Vary-a popular tourist destination, especially for international celebrities visiting for spa treatments...historically famous for its hot springs (13 main springs, about 300 smaller springs) and with it's candied colored buildings--was a refreshing break from the city..

picturesque,delightful,charming: Karlovy vary!

Hermes in town? though in no relation to the famous producer of the birkin bag

One of the 13 springs: each spring has a plaque indicating it's temperature & mineral properties

house of springs: sampling is freee

Elise at lookout pt: very "titantic-ish" don't you think? On the bus to KV: the way this guy slept just brought a smile on our faces

This coming weekend: Graz(austria) & maribor (slovenia)!

2006-10-08T04:17:00.000+08:00

Off the beaten Prague...
Sightseeing in Prague can be done in about a day so it's highly recommended to take day trips to two nearby towns.. the first was mining town Kutna Hora famous for it's Bone Chapel, Kostnice and the St. Barbara's cathedral, St. Barbara being the patron saint for miners..

Presenting the bone chapel..bwahahah

Freaky huh? Bone Chandelier for grandureBone crest- to showcase their creativity

Too many bones, they ran out of stuff to do

and it's really a chapel..see

The road to the more orthodox st. barbara's cathedral

the gothic cathedral the interior is really stunning but no photos allowed..

The second town holds Karlstejn castle which looks like something out of a story book.. prettier from the outside than it is on the inside though.. and the town basically centers around the castle so it's a 30 mins hike up and back down on the train to Prague...

view from the castle: it's known as the impenetrable castle and judging by the view from the castle.. u can guess why.. so freaking high and surrounded by forests that stretch further than the eye can see

2006-10-08T00:52:00.000+08:00

Roomie rants
This morning i got this sms from Elise :"if you use my comp, please dun dl stuff with virus" which i found to be quite insulting....yes, my laptop is in the shop and yes, because it's there because i tried to remove (not install) popcorn.net but still(!) to remind me that i shouldn't dl stuff with virus... W.T.F! i mean who purposefully dl stuff with virus?..she might as well send me an sms telling me:"if you use the stove, please dun burn the room down"..help! i need my msn for a much more private form of bitchin' before i go insane and flung her off charles bridge...little things about her drive me crazy-& not in a good way-

Top pet peeves:
in the first week-it was her asking me if she was color-coordinated-admist a barage of other meaningless/idiotic questions like is london cold now? where can she buy this? should she do that? y is the door stuck? y is the computer slow? the lastest one-only this morning-being y was the door unlocked?--she was the last to enter the previous night and she's asking me?
Later it was her reminding me to put my cultery together at the side of the plate when i'm finished with my meal..thanks MOM
and lastly, other than her talking down to me most of the time (with the i-know-better-than-you-tone), is the fact that she's not really aware of how she's affecting other people.. like she leaves the comp sound effects on at night( so i listen to the pings on her msn b4 i fall asleep), her phone alarm on snooze (means that it rings like 3 times before she gets up- i get up on the first ring-naturally) the mainlight on for her night reading (i can sleep with the light on but yest her friend came to stayover and couldn't sleep cos she was directly under the mainlight)

She not all bad of course.. like she lets me use her laptop and read her cosmos and glamour (but not before reminding me that she likes her magazines "new") and she's great at dancing, meeting people and socializing...which saves me from doing so...and i bet i'm probably driving her crazy too. she dropped a lot of hints about wanting to be alone on monday- it's fine with me.. i'm anything but clingy

Anyways apart from the infamous sms i received, today was a great day, i went to the mall-alone- spent hours in the bookstore trying the find the best books-bought a new top from zara.. found english magazines at Tesco (expensive though-may just browse instead) and picked up a fresh batch of groceries to try my hand at cooking again!-gosh i hope the novelty doesn't wear off-then it'll be back to chinese takeout

Sidenote:
Being asian in prague means that everything you are/like/use is exotic.. singapore's exotic, thai chilli sause is exotic, chinese stirfry is exotic.. and if u're pretty like elise & you're in a club holding a beer, u're exotic and people will take pictures of u and tell you that they like asian girls... your accent is exotic..you get the drift..sometimes even i find myself staring at other asians cos' well they're exotic!!

2006-10-07T05:13:00.000+08:00

The Daily Show- Red, Yellow, Blue, and Black Like Me

I love the daily show!!!

2006-10-07T03:17:00.000+08:00

Finally.. scenes from prague

Finally, today blogger is working with me... Pictures are up!

Finally, today was also the day i found the BIG Mango and Zara in the city center...the Mango was soo big and overwhelming i momentarily forgot how to shop!-- this comes from a seasoned mango shopper able to nagivate the five mangos in orchard road blindfolded.. it took me about an hour or so to get my barrings--god i wonder what it was going to be like during the mango sale..well i know where i'll be every weekend...

Anyhows your long awaited scences from prague

Prague castle gates

changing of the guards: though not as glam as london---

the guards are way cuter

main town square: the original disney castle

the town's astronomical clock

The famous Vltava river with the national theater in the background

For some artsy fartsy ones:

charles bridge at sunset the city at night romance in Prague

stupid quote of the day: if mila loves mango.. tina loves pineapple..it's great for eating n cooking yum!

2006-10-06T05:09:00.000+08:00

A day of firsts....

No.. my laptop's not fixed yet because i haven't gotten an english version of windows to install..but Elise (my roomie) has kindly lent me her computer to blog! It's really ironic that losing my laptop increases my urge to blog (bored mah)...but anyhows today-with a good 5 hours to kill without my lappie- was a day of firsts!! i cooked for the first time and then again for dinner cos' it's so much fun to see what u imagine materialise before you (clean up's a bitch though) and i vaccumed the room for the first time (initially planned to have a cleaning day with Elise but i think that day would never come-it still wouldn't have if my lappie wasn't in a coma) and well that's about it plus laundry..but it's really big for me cos' i had never ever done this back at home..the scary realisation bout' today is that i enjoyed doing the chores- even more so than a night of clubbing (god i'm sooo un-cool- i know)--but don't tell my roomie that..haha

Meanwhile, Autumn arrived yesterday..hooray seasons! more specifically hooray for dressing up for different seasons--scarfs n boots out!!!

Autumn is: cold like the LTs at ACjc, strong icy winds blowing at u in every direction with a drizzle of rain every few hours.. just to make sure u get really chilly!
Thinning trees donned in gold, red and brown..rose gardens in full bloom..crowded trams (cos' it's not fun to walk anymore)..freezing fingers and toes... long lines for the instant hot coffee machine

enuff' said.. now pictures:

breakfast is served! french toast with tomatoes and sausages

For dinner: mid-west chinese fusion..maincourse: corn, mashed potatoes and sweet and sour porkchop with pineapples, sides: black pepper baked beans and eggs, ice lemon tea & rice

Side story about dinner: Elise insisted on having instant noodles for dinner and bought this great looking instant breaded porkchop to go along with it even though i said i was cooking and could cook for both of us..i realised that this meant tt i had to wait my turn to use my own pot and pan....sharing was fine i thought--as long as it was at different times haha- in the end i took my time in preping the food and let elise go first..after all it was only instant nooodles, all part of living with someone..i think she was a bit sore that she didn't join me for dinner though cos the instant porkchop kinda sucked.. in other news.. Mrs Lee pre packed sweet and sour sauce looks suspiciously like keptchup and vingear- total rip off(!) but still good!

2006-09-27T21:20:00.000+08:00

Laptop Woes...
while trying to remove "popcorn.net" from my computer by starting it up in safe mode, my Windows log-in totally got screwed and I'm left without my comp for the 2nd time in less than a month...the biggest obstacle now is that I can't seem to get an English edition of Windows, let alone MSoffice,so I'm freaking out (estimated breakdown point in 2 days)..my only other means of keeping myself from going insane ~~are~~ were-shopping and traveling but with the cash stash in my drawer rapidly depleting i have no idea what i'm going to do (though one of the first things i'm going to do in SG is to visit CIT!!!)..for my dear friends going on exchange next term..please remember to bring your system recovery Cds with ya & back up your precious files

Anyhows i wrote this "updates on prague" entry like last wednesday(before my lappie died that very night) and had it not been for gerald coming to visit prague on thursday and plans for the weekend with mook,cha and fon -the sweetest and most entertaining- thai girls from gerald's dorm to visit Bratislava, plus a day to hangout at vienna and watch gerald fussing and being smitten over Rob, i would probably have flung myself off charles bridge(see below) days ago..

UPdates on Prague..
My Professor just cut the 4 hour lesson short which leaves me a good hour to blog.. been putting off blogging cos' my mind is just brimming with stories,idea and layouts for my long overdued entries about Italy,Vienna and Prague but I lack the discipline to sit down at my laptop to write them, often straying off to steal precious chat time with you guys on msn..

tough stuff about being in Europe: Prague has not been agreeing with my skin, I have tiny red dots on my cheeks that refuse to go away even after 2 weeks..Not a pretty sight..I have big bumpy red bites on my arms which either comes from some weird strain of mosquitoes(but the windows in my room are closed!), allergeries or bedbugs!(!!!just searched the web for images of bed bug bites n they are suspiciously similar to mine--eek!) and sometimes it all feels too surreal --to realise that you are surrounded by chatter but not hearing anything but noise because conversations are held in myriad of Czech,German, Spanish, Dutch and rarely English.

Un-seen & un-heard:
-The average Czech person has 2 dogs,breathes more ciggiesmoke than fresh air & drinks more beer than water
-16,000 students, 1 canteen, 8 servers = long queue(20mins) just to get into the canteen
-On the streets: 0.5 l of beer for S$1.50 vs 0.3l Coke for S$2
Ketchup for S$0.80
Ciggies for S$4
Pasta for S$12
-One professor wearing socks and slippers to class and teaches in a sing-song voice
Another professor hides ppt.slides n files behind an icon on his webpage fearing that it may be illegal to publish them outright
The craziest professor breaking a chair after putting his 2 feet on it and pulling it towards him(he was sitting on the desk)...swears he did "absolutely nothing" to the chair right after..

Scenes from Prague:
view of the castle from the city(below)

Prague's communication tower(above).. u'll get a great view from the top but somehow, the exterior of the tower seems to be infested with babies--yes black marble babies- what's up with that? Little Eiffel in Prague(below)...it takes 299 steps to get to the top and at the ticket booth my american friend reasons:" if we're going to pay 40 korunas($3) to enter there had better be an elevator" and when we asked.. the counter personnel replied "just ahead of you, a 60 year old lady is taking the steps.." clearly embarrassed, we climbed to the halfway mark at whichtime my Dutch friend reasons that the view would be exactly the same here as above and there we stayed...

2006-09-20T16:17:00.000+08:00

I am who I am..
wish i could change it but i can't

Yesterday i went to my first Nation2Nation party- for exchange students- and the verdict is out.. clubbing is just not my thing..i don't enjoy it-you can't talk, you're hot n sweaty,you can hardly hear anyone,you can't remember half the people you meet,you get bumped around...the only fun part is watching people dance but even tt is kinda weird i guess.. to just sit n observe

For some time now, i always felt that i'm not the typical teenager now bordering on young adult-- i'm seriously missing the need to party,dance,drink and date gene-- i have never had the desire to do it n i don't see any point to doing so. It gets worse cos" i don't have any strong religous beliefs that can hold as a shield... you know like being a nun sounds better than being a spinster... still there's no point pretending so i'll just have to wait till everyone outgrows this phase maybe in a decade or so..

Anyhows... my roomate just moved in today.. n this is when the real test begins because for the past 5 days i had the dorm mostly to myself-- free to do my secret single behavior.. haha

Updates on what i had done: mostly boring stuff.. the fun stuff was mostly when i was travelling but i'm too lazy to blog about it now =p
Day one: Buddy picked me up and we went shopping at Tesco(equivalent to carrefour) for stuff to furnish the room with..
Day two: buddy had this tennis tournament which sounded pretty fun-- it's tennis with vodka whereby the winner of each match has to drink a shot before the next game..i went to ikea! and bought lotsa useless stuff like bedsheets(the white ones provided are just too dreary), rugs, blankets, hangers...
Day threee: Orientation, 200 exchange students, 1 computer terminal for student id cards.. you do the math.. had to stand in the queue for like 4 hours.. on the bright side tt's when i got to meet people!
Day four: We went to the Zoo--of all places..personally - i think Singapore Zoo is better but the interesting thing about this zoo has an open concept where bats are free to fly in your face, where animals have ample space to roam (far away from humans) and a cool( but dangerous looking) chair lift...and then to the Nation2nation party
Day five: City rally- otherwise known as a crappy savenger hunt-- visited the little effiel tower which was nothing like the one in Paris..

more details later...

2006-09-19T04:12:00.000+08:00

this was what i wrote about 4 days back when i thought i would be able to get an internet connection...
Back to Vienna
*blows dust off keyboard* It has been a loooong twelve days, I know. The idea was to bring my lappie along for my Italian adventure but due to my dramatic first day in Vienna - which involved my “laptop’s master reboot being fucked up”, a mad rush to a repair shop (the ticket to Rome was for that evening!) followed by a huge sigh of relief (more details later) --- laptops stayed safely locked up in the hostel closet…a good thing too --cos’ Italians haven’t quite grasp the concept of wireless internet yet.

To sum up the journey:
For Better or Worse
Best Sight: Sistine Chapel at the Vatican museum
Worse Sight: A tie between i) Ticket prices to enter museums that house the birth of Venus and Michangelo’s David at 9.50 euros each! & ii) GT modeling his Bottega Venetta bag originally meant for his mum
Best experience: Taking in Rome’s skyline at sunset from the top of the Spanish steps
Worst experience: A toss up between i) Having to hike up at least 500m up a steep hill in Sienna after a wrong turn & ii) having a full bladder at night while on board a shaky train/plane but seated at the top bunk/window seat
Best meal: A hearty Florentine three course lunch/dinner: pasta; meat with a side; wine
Worse meal: Takeaway lasagna/ Ham sandwich from a butcher shop in sienna
Best ride: Sitting at the bow of a water taxi navigating the canals of Venice with the icy wind blowing in your face as you admire old palaces and roosting sea gulls that go zipping by.
Worst ride: The sweltering bus journey from sienna to Florence when the air conditioning insisted on blowing hot air in an already boiling sun-baked bus.
Best Sleep: The Roman B&B – spacious, clean, and comfortable -- comes with extra pillows and to top it all off a nice Italian grandma who bakes!
Worst Sleep: Hotel Sabotino in Milan – dusty floors, no air conditioning, noisy streets below, dark toilets and buzzing mossies- need I say more

Budget& Budget busters
Cheapest transport: Milan (3 euros for a day ticket)
Most expensive transport: Venice (12 euros for a day ticket)
Cheapest eats: Close contest between Venice (Colossal slice of pizza for 2.50 euros & bar snacks starting from a euro at the devil n e holy water) & Milan (6 euros for a cocktail & free buffet of bar snacks)
Most expensive: 17.50 euros+++ for a Florentine T-bone steak, bread, service & tax
Cheapest sleep: Florence hotel Montréal -65 euros a night buys you a room for 2 with CNN and a great bath room (even though it’s shared)
Most expensive sleep: Was actually in Venice but it came with an attached bathroom so the winner was Hotel Sabotino booo
Cheapest shops: a) Branded goods- Florence the mall b) Souvenirs-Venice c) Memories- Rome
Most expensive shops: Shops that line the Spanish steps at Rome
Standard rates: Internet-1.50 euros, Football jersey 10 euros, Service 12%

Records setters: Seen & Heard
Most expensive gelato: Rome 6.50 euros a cup
Most expensive bottle of water: Rome 1.50 euros for 500ml
Holiest water: Free water fountains within Vatican City
Longest queue to get in: Vatican Museum with Sistine chapel
Longest queue to get out: Museum at Saint Mark’s square
Most common bank: Bank Intesa
Most common eatery: McDonald’s
Most bruises: Florence-my Knee from running into the bed frame- my Arm from colliding with a moving bicycle-my Dignity from falling face flat with my luggage when crossing the cobblestone road outside the Firenze station

Last Look
Italy: great food: dusty: grand palaces: sculptures: frescos: outlet shopping: Hot!: graffiti: Free sights: marble everything!: scooters& smart cars: bright red flowers: tight tops: the sweet smell of fruit vendors: trams: murano glass: Boob parade: expensive eats: public marble fountains with icy cool natural water: bridges: pigeons : high ceilings: Nice people: Ray Ban: trenItalia: Ciao grazie

Now before mahdi & kenneth complain: look, pictures!!!

cute lil' smart cars.. a breeeze to park i'm sure...
The glorious trevi fountain

Hole in the roof-- the pantheon

dum dum da dum..the wedding cake

view from the top tier

vatican guards in uniforms designed by michangelo

st mark's square

it's bigggg

one of the many nice italian arses.... yum

Roma at sunset from the top of the spanish steps.... *all together now* waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

more photos tmr.. god! blogger is sloooow

2006-08-28T14:10:00.000+08:00

MADtv - My Slump feat. George bush

Check out this uniquely singapore spin on http://www.mrbrownshow.com/?p=197

2006-08-23T22:47:00.000+08:00

The results are in: Roosevelt dorm with gym!

Not that i regularly use gym.. but it's nice to have the option haha.. finally got accomodation info--downside is that it's a shared bath with 4 other ppl n rental has gone up to about $170 a month mainly cos of the stronger euro & czech dollar..oh well it's still lesser than one night's stay at an italian hotel on high season (and the 2 /3 star kind)

Meanwhile before i got this piece of news, i was soooo bored today that i went to google my name "tina_lim" and chanced upon the blog of tina_lim of Boston, MA-- brings up memories of ally mcbeal n the practice.. http://www.xanga.com/christinahlim.. the parallels between our lives are uncanny.. other than the same surname we share a love for TV and dogs and have a *ahem* aneedtoshedpounds*hem hem* n the same "evolution of dance" you tube video..but statistically so does about 50% of the population is guess.. but the one thing that seals the deal is that: She seems to be living my fanatasy life.. she about 4 years my senior n she's newlymarried n she just got a dog named dory (a pom) n she just lost a load of weight n well the list is endless..

i just wonder if my future holds the same...*cross fingers* here's hoping.. it'll be so bruce willis disney's the kid.. no matter cheers to tina_lims of the world!

PS: I still haven't got my VISA ..urgh.. i'm taking it like a duck on a flowing stream: seemingly calm on the surface, kan-cheong (panickly) paddling underneath..

2006-08-20T22:51:00.000+08:00

Of Love and traditions...

for the months that I have gone M.I.A it felt like a million things happened- big breakups, great hookups, death, birthdays, summer school, the end of an amazing italian adventure & the anticipation over new one, trying ktv for the first time ever, finally bringing myself watch the season finale of will&grace- the great'ol circle of life. Series finales always make me feel like I've aged. I grew up channel surfing: sesame street to Barney to buffy to Ally to SATC basically marked the milestones in my life. Stuff like charmed and f.r.i.e.n.d.s were a staple that saw me well through secondary, JC and into Uni.. it's always hard to say good bye to family...

Meanwhile, preparations for my Europe adventure are going seemingly well.. I began accepting donations of winter clothes from my relatives- I got 2 woolly coats, knee length boots, scarves, earmuffs and even vitamin C pills.. Pam generously loaned me a practically brand new backpack to break-in so it definitely deserves a special mention.. My aunts also signed me up some spiritual insurance courtesy of the sky god a.k.a the jade emperor. They were beliefs and traditions I had long abandoned but all in all it was a beautiful gesture of love and the handsclasped-kneeling-smoking joss stick-lotus holding-mixing burning talisman in water-rituals had a nice feel to it. Their generosity also extended to fat ang baos and a Samsung camera...up to the point that I was totally floored and overwhelmed with guilt- money doesn't come easily to them.. I didn't know I mean that much to them..

On a separate issue, it worries me that I feel numb to all the excitement of going overseas..It seems like I have exceed my quota of adrenaline and frankly I can't imagine packing my bags and leaving to travel... financial, academic matters and self esteem issues are weighing me down.. i'm not sure i can do this..the "master" at the temple gave a warning to be extra careful- which i'm sure it's the usual advice she dispenses to all people traveling but i've been squeezing in as much time with my friends as possbile in any case and i'm glad that they are willing to spend time with me... and i've trying to be nice to my dad... que sara sara..

To end: a last taste of home Singapore's EPL lingo: Kopi tiam speak
Here's a glossary of common EPL names Singaporeans have mangled.

Team names:
Arsenal: Tua Pao (hokkien for big cannon)
Chelsea: Chia see ( hokkien for car breakdown)
Middlesbrough: Malboro
Tottenham: Tor Tor harm
West ham: See Harm (see is west in mandarin, see harm read in hokkien means cockels)
Newcastle: New Car sir
Watford: what for

Player names:
Fabio Aurelio: Oreo
Wayne Rooney: Goo Ni
Djibril Cisse: Sissy

2006-07-19T21:34:00.000+08:00

Guilty as charged...

Epilogue: After the first spree I kinda overindulged; helping myself to sales items from zara, more from mango- big mistake-, a lecoq bag, 2 hair bands, 3 pairs of discounted shoes..all charged to my nets card yikes!! eating away at my would be Europe expense account..

I have been starting to slack -a combination of the novelty of blogging wearing off, watching copious amounts of Will & Grace and my life coming to a standstill after I stopped my internship- & once again discovering that reading other peoples' blog is wayyyyyyyy more entertaining and gratifying..

Discovering mr brown http://www.mrbrown.com/ (I love all his podcasts particularly the persistently non-political ones & no more birds- a shameless parody of the richard gere-visa commercial) and mr miyagi http://miyagi.sg/ (brown's partner ~~in crime~~ his site has hilarious snapshot of bad eng-rish posters/signs/menus).. Coincided with mr brown's column being suspended(!!) in the Today paper for being " overly scarastic & distorting the truth" & being labeled "dangerous" because he has become a "partisan player in politics".

As I watched the controversy unravel, I felt ashamed. I had always believed that the government censored material for our nation's benefit (rants & publications that were considered to be racist or offensive to particular religions and certain political mavericks who sprout utterly dishonest claims) and so we accepted the trade off between free speech and social & political stability, even defending its virtues at times.. But the suspension of mr brown has shaken my core belief system. Now this is a man who lives & loves our country, he has the wit, the will, the heart and courage to speak about weighty issues, poke fun at trivialities of everyday life or even do quirky impressions for a laugh. He is someone that we should be proud to have in the media for he is truly like one of us and the government had a hand in suspending him because they don't like his version of the truth. Ironically this is the same government who is pushing for creative minds and for the younger generation to be interested & have a say in political affairs. So what does this action tell us- you can be creative & speak up but only if you don't say anything unpleasant lest you become a "partisan player" in politics too? what is the point of flaunting openness by staging discussion with the ministers on one hand and smiting nay sayers with another... I guess I better stop-- afterall like they say "prison got no broadband"

On the lighter side of life.. I came this article in an old issue of Her World about happiness:
There are 3 paths to happiness: the pleasant life, the good life & the meaningful life
The pleasant life is what you lead when you eat loads of chocolate, party at Zouk and shop at Gucci. You are happy from moment to moment, but sooner or later you're going to find yourself slumped on the couch, bored out of your skull as you wonder:"Is this all there is to life?"

So you're going to pick up your Prada heels, trudge back to your pad and see if you can construct the trappings of the good life. This typically comes through having a satisfying career, a great family life and an active social schedule. When we think about achieving happiness, this is the kind of life we normally dream of leading - growing old with a loved one, sitting in a rocking chair looking at your grandchildren play in the sun.

But even after achieving the good life, if inner peace or a deeper spiritual awareness eludes you then you would do well to seek out the meaningful life - devoting yourself to a greeting cause or institution beyond your self , your family and friends..

sigh I'm still stuck on stage one with a loooooong way to go.. so money can buy happiness but I guess it's how you spend the money that counts.

2006-06-28T20:33:00.000+08:00

Best day of my life...
a half day off turned full day off turned mad shopaholic rampage

Went to re-submit my visa again. It started badly- even worse than before (see visa woes I &II) cos the regular lady has gone holidaying in Prague (the irony) and her replacement has never processed a long term visa before (without her boss around).

Oh but first.. when i went in there (pushing works!) are actually some one there! A czech lady in massimo (it's a sign) , her gorgeous blue eyed baby and her merry maid, maria. They were busy cooing over the baby who despite being ruthlessly tickled on her chubby chin n tiny feet managed a frown den a gurgle..n i think i even heard her say peek a boo.. a mean feat for a baby who still has a gummy jaw...after around 15mins of waiting, the mummy talked to me, though she had to leave to feed baby, but not after telling me how beautiful prague is at christmas (woo-hoo)

So on with the replacement, let's call her blondie, first she was quite annoyed tt i didn't make an appointment and that i didn't make copies of all my documents..

Blondie: You are making a long term visa, you need an appointment to make one..
Me: Oh i came 2 weeks back and the lady told me i could come anytime..
Blondie: No.. you must have been mistaken
Me: Oh...
Blondie: Do you have your documents
Me: Yes =)
Blondie: And they are all copies?
Me: Ermmm.. No. cos the lady told me that she'll make the copies here
Blondie: Which "lady" are you talking about?
Me: (gee i dunno- the only other one tt works here?) the lady with brown hair
Blondie: We don't do copies here.. we're not the American embassy..bring your documents there and maybe they'll make copies for you and you need an appointment
Me: (after some quick thinking and panicking) ok you can keep my documents! yikes
hmmm.. i wonder if this decision will come and bite me in the arse later
(thank god tt i have 2 copies of my insurance & my flight details are in an e-ticket but there goes my acceptance letter and housing information)
Blondie: maybe you should come back on friday b'cos i need the boss to do this n he's not in and you need an appointment..
Me: ...... (@$%@#@*$#&!!!)

Then surprisingly.. she actually trys to help me and looks through my documents..
Blondie: You're lucky there's no one here and i have the time to help you..there were 10 people in my office on monday and you would have needed an appointment
Me: Wow..thanks

15 minutes later..

We're talking i mean actually talking.. she's really nice once she finds Eliz's application (thanks girl) and uses it as a guide --my visa is half way done

her daughter is studying in the same jc i did.. we start talking about SMU

We're done.. and she apologises for taking so long! gosh oh gosh i want to buy her flowers and chocolates or sumthing.. i thank her for trying so hard just for me..i want to stay but a man comes in for his visa.. n i bid her good bye with a smile albiet the rough patch in the start, i've jumped through the last hoop!!!!

To celebrate my new found jubilation, i go shopping -since it's too late to go back to the office now n there was a sign (massimo lady remember)

*FYI for future visa-ees: Visa processing fee = $14 (criminal record) + $180 = $194 (subj. to change)

Come look and at my bounty: the most i ever spent in one day!

My first & only LBD (little black dress to the unintiated): after 20+ years i think i simply can't pass up this spanish beauty from Massimo Dutti on 30% off, 100% silk, light as a feather n fits me to a T- pun intended even though it costs $175/- the sales lady promised me that they bring in limited stock one more out there @ marina ~ i think it's not so photogenic here (actually it looks pretty normal on the rack) but filled in with the right ~~rack~~ curves and well, i look & feel like 265 dollars (price before sale)

Topped the dress off with this lovely sheer gold chiffon top with little roses also from the namestake- last peice muahaha- love it! it goes for $79.90 (down from $110)

and u need at least shop at 2 shops to qualify your day as a spree i went on an expedition for the black 3 quarts from mango which i passed up @ marina sq last fri only to find tt it was the last one on the island *damn*.. Found this size 38 @ centerpoint (after scouring all remaining mngs in orc) and even though it requires a 15 min workout just to squeeze into-- it's the last of it's kind-- so i figure buy now- lose the excess weight later

These (see left & below) are from last week's mango mission-- on the first day of the sale-- both 50% off at $37 each -sweet!... first 'steal' is a knit thatt fits snuggly over a shimmerly spag which is simply stunning just on it's own

next up we have a causal shirt-dress --for which i finally found a use for gerald's eccentric belt from argentina, it was going to end up on e-bay--cotton with embrodied flowers at the skirt line..

So this is the most i ever blown on the GSS around S$370/- (on my measy intern salary no less) but i guess it doesn't matter cos i love them to bits and on the bright side it's only 185 euros -- hmm i dunno how it ties in but yah it just sounds nicer-- toodles~ i feel so tai tai..*hmm mahjong and goodwoodpark high tea anyone?

2006-06-26T20:46:00.000+08:00

Evolution of Dance: almost fell off my chair laughing

poached from wenfang's blog again..hehe

2006-06-25T19:34:00.000+08:00

Crazy Asian Mother by Erick Liang -HiLaRious

yes yes Tina discovered how to link youtube videos to her blog...

2006-06-25T19:16:00.000+08:00

Opps almost forgot this one..

Hmm I wonder what Singaporeans will say..how's Oooeeiiiiiiiiiiiii!

2006-06-25T18:54:00.000+08:00

Last one...

Scroll down and watch from the beginning haha..

2006-06-25T18:42:00.000+08:00

Budweiser Commercial

Wasssup.. are you a convert yet?

2006-06-25T18:39:00.000+08:00

Wassssaabi

Strangely amusing

2006-06-25T18:37:00.000+08:00

Budweiser

Which spawned a series of spoofs...

2006-06-25T18:30:00.000+08:00

Budweiser-Original Wassup

Funny stuff..

2006-06-25T00:31:00.000+08:00

Muses and amuses *Warning: long blog ahead!
Just a varied collection of interesting reads..

Desiderata by Max Ehrman, 1927
Muses: written ages ago but still very much applicable to life today

Go placidly amid the noise and haste
And remember what peace there may be in silence
As far as possible without surrender
Be on good terms with all persons
Speak your truth quietly and clearly
And listen to others, even the dull & ignorant
They too, have their stories

Avoid loud & aggressive persons
They are vexations to the spirit;
If you compare yourself with others
You may become vain and bitter
For always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans

Keep interested in your own career, however humble
It is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
For the world is full of trickery
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is
Many persons strive for high ideals
And everywhere life is full of heroism

The Raven BY EDGAR ALLAN POE
Amuses: whimsical,historic horror tale

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore-
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at chamber door.
“Tis some visitor,” I muttered, ‘tapping at my chamber door
- Only this and nothing more.’

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;- vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow- sorrow for the lost Lenore --
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore –
Nameless here for evermore

And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me- filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door-
Some later visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;
-- This it is and nothing more

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
‘Sir.’ said I, ‘or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you’ – here I opened wide the door –
Darkness there and nothing more

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, ‘Lenore!’
This I whispered and an echo murmured back the word ‘Lenore!’ –
Merely this and nothing more

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
‘Surely,’ said I, ‘surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what threat is, and this mystery explore-
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;-
Tis the wind and nothing more!’

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door –
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door –
Perched and sat and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore
‘Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou’ I said ‘are sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore-
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!’
Quoth the Raven, ‘Nevermore.’

Much I marveled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning – little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door-
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as ‘Nevermore’

But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in the one word he did outpour
Nothing farther then he uttered – not a feather then he fluttered
Till I scarcely more than muttered ‘Other friends have flown before –
On the morrow will he leave me, as my hopes have flown before.
'Then the bird said, `Nevermore.'

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
‘Doubtless,’ said I, ‘what it utters is its only stock and store
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his song one burden bore –
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore of
“Never – nevermore.”

But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, Thinking what this ominous bird of yore –
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking ‘Nevermore.’

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl who fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core;
This and more I sat diving, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated over,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating over,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then , methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
“Wretch,” I cried, ‘thy God hath lent thee
– by these angels he hath sent thee
Respite – respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore;
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!’
Quoth the Raven ‘Nevermore’

‘Prophet!’ said I, ‘thing of evil! prophet still, if bird or devil! –
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted-
On this home by Horror haunted –tell me truly I implore –
Is there – is there balm in Gilead? – tell me –tell me, I implore!’
Quoth the Raven ‘Nevermore’

‘Prophet!’ said I, ‘thing of evil! prophet still, if bird or devil! –
By that Heaven that bend above us – by that God we both adore-
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore –
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.’
Quoth the Raven ‘Nevermore,’

‘Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!’ I shrieked, upstarting – ‘
Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! – quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!’
Quoth the Raven ‘Nevermore’

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamp light over him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted –Nevermore!

Cute camp song
Amuses: note the sheer ingenuity in the lyrics n ask me for the tune (if you can tolerate my singing)

Miss Suzy had a tug boat the tug boat had a bell,
The tug boat went to heaven Miss Suzy went to
Hell-o operator give me number nine
and if you disconnect me i'll kick your
Behind the refrigerator there was a piece of glass
When Miss suzy fell upon it she broke her little
Ask me no more questions tell me no more lies
The boys are in the bathroom, zipping up their
Flies are in the meadow, bee's are in the park,
Miss suzy and her boyfriend are kissing in the D-A-R-K, dark, dark, dark,
Darker than the ocean darker than the sea, darker than the underwear my momma puts on me…

Learning in University
Muses: lifted off fang's blog some time ago.. simply inspiring

University is about learning.
It's not as simple as learning whatever you're taught in your classes though.
It's about learning how to listen, how to speak, how to think.
Learning who you are, who your friends are and the type of people you want as friends.

Learning how to trust your innermost feelings,and how to find those feelings in the first place.
It's about learning what's really important to you,
and learning what you don't really give a hoot about.
University is about learning how to tolerate, how to accept, how to like and how to love.
Learning how to give as well as you receive,
and how to trust that everything will even itself out on its own.

It's about learning that your mom and dad actually do have the right answers sometimes,and that your kid sister isn't such a dumb little kid anymore.
University is about learning how to treat people as people, not as stereotypes.
Learning how to achieve, how to succeed and how to accomplish.

It's about learning how not to come in first place and still be proud, a
nd about coming in last and learning how to admit that you could've done better.
University is about learning that loud parties don't neccessarily mean a good time.
Learning that loneliness doesn't go away in a crowd and that sometimes it's okay to be by yourself on a Friday or Saturday night.

It's about learning that your lunchtime crowd doesn't constitute your popularity,
and that popularity is all a matter of perspective.
It's about learning that boredom is simply laziness of the mind,
and that watching three hours of cable TV is not quality relaxation time.
University is about learning how to pack a bag, h
ow to pack a car, and how to pack a room full of way too much stuff.

It's about learning that people probably like you a whole lot more than they'll ever tell you,
and that it's your responsibility to make sure your friends know how much you appreciate them.
It's about learning that simply doing what you're supposed to do isn't enough,
and that you need to put forth twice that much in order to fully grasp whatever it is that's sitting in front of you.

University is about learning how to miss people enough not to relegate them to the past,
and how not to miss them so much that it keeps you from moving into the future.
Learning how to motivate yourself and how to motivate others.
Learning what the phrase, "make do" means,
and how to use it to make it seem as if you're not simply "making do".
It's about learning to make people think.
Indeed, University is about learning...Learning to live.

Comment: Erm soooo who's teaching again?

2006-06-23T20:14:00.000+08:00

Show & Tell
my workplace: the Singapore American School
It may be hidden in some dodgy area in woodlands, it may not have views of the bay but I think my workplace is in a class of it's own. If I, a lowly intern, am relishing in luxuries that other full-time staff in large MNCs can only dream of; it is needless to say it pays to work in this suburban paradise... (above)this is my desk.. a bit stark looking cos I just moved here in mid June..below is a pic of my first desk

I think I may be the only intern whose desk gets less messy overtime... pantry down underThe pantry comes equipped with a mini library of US weekly & People magazines for light lunch time reading and may even be fully stocked--during the school term-- with muffins, cakes,chocolate frosted donuts and other sinful delights...

I absolutely love,love,love the art pieces scattered through the school, they are mostly interesting lesser known ones but I have actually chanced upon replicas of portraits by vincent van Gogh and renaissance works like the birth of venus.. also art pieces come with little write ups about its history & the artist--reminiscence of an art museum..below are various pieces/murals done by students If you like what you see..check out http://www.sas.edu.sg/gallery/schvideos.html (the primary sch and why work in SG videos are my personal favorites) and get a feel of what a 5-figure tuition fee buys you/your child..

2006-06-23T00:12:00.000+08:00

I heart SG...

An article from today rekindled my passion for a long overdued piece on why I love Singapore;
sure we complain about the education system, price hikes in transport, one party government but I believe that like most Singaporeans we realize that we have it made here! Everything works- almost seamlessly n instantaneously, crime rates are low with an occasional murder now and then (which seem always involve foreigners anyhows); Education, food and transport is really cheap and maids/nannys are affordable/accessible, with our government being the most humble and powerful of all our caretakers- guiding us through the best and worse of times & never once failing us.. so i can't help but smile, beaming with pride, when i chanced upon the following article:

OH, YOU LUCKY SINGAPOREANS BY KATE SMITH
LAST Saturday, I found myself in a Japanese restaurant in Pattaya, Thailand crying like a baby. My husband groaned with embarrassment as thick, lumpy trails of black mascara made their way down my face. The locals looked at me as if I were an escaped mental patient (very astute people, the Thais!).
The cause of my uncontrollable grief? My husband's company recently relocated him to their plant in Pattaya. After three years of living in my beloved Singapore, I found myself in an environment as alien as the moon’s surface, and so began the most bizarre conversation
between my husband and myself ...
“I’ll stay in Singapore and you can work in Thailand,” I offered. I was not swayed by the look of horror on his face. “You’d rather be apart than leave Singapore?” he groaned. I ignored the hurt look on his face and continued: “You could fly back on weekends.”
His head now in his hands, he slowly and patiently explained to me that my green card in Singapore was dependent on him actually working there.
Not one to let legal trivia stand in my way, I told him I would claim political asylum. I would claim refugee status. I would chain myself to the Merlion until I was given permanent residence. I would ask a local family to adopt me. I would ...
"Enough!” he shouted.
The waitress then approached us rather gingerly and asked us to leave as I was putting people off their sushi. And besides, my mascara was staining the white, linen tablecloth and would be very hard to remove.
In his brilliant and profound bestseller The Art of Travel, Alain De Botton gives some insight as to why I sat crying in front of an incredulous hoard of raw fish eaters. He highlights French novelist Gustave Flaubert’s philosophy on nationality, which is that nationality should be determined by where your heart feels at home, not by where your body happened to be born.
For him his native country is “the one that I love, the one that makes me dream, that makes me feel well”. I read that passage alone in a restaurant on Beach Road, here in Pattaya, and once again the tears began to fall.
As heads turned towards the sound of sniffing, I casually explained I had allergies and dabbed my eyes dramatically with the napkin. A waitress approached and asked if I was going to pay for the white linen napkin, as mascara was very hard to remove.
Singapore is the country that I love, the one that makes me dream, the one that makes me feel well. It is my native country. The fact that I happen to be English, of Irish parentage, is just a small technicality ... an accident of geography, a joke on God’s part.
Sometimes, we find it hard to appreciate what we have and I just wanted to tell you how lucky you all are to be able to live in one of the best countries in the world.
I want to say thank you for three wonderful years and ask that if anyone is thinking about adoption to, at least, consider me ?
'
'
'
'
Although she never really says why she loves Singapore (i doubt it's because she got into NUS or that the boys are too cute for her mother's liking- *puke*) i bet it's because she knows that everything we take for granted -- lack of corruption/natural disasters, freedom of religion, political stability, outstanding infrastructure and the obvious -good cheap makan and shopping can't be easily found elsewhere (which is bloody impressive for a soon to be 41 year old nation)

It's funny how some ignorant* travellers can think of Singapore as this anal country where one could be prosecuted for carrying one stick of gum (consuming gum is perfectly legal btw only selling is prohibited), where the PAP is some sort of BIG brother, or some ex-british colony that "somehow or rather" managed to get great MNCs to invest in them.

Given that we don't have certain liberties of speech- a byproduct of a system designed to protect and promote multi-cultural harmony - so that the likes of a holocaust or genocide are unlikely to occur;
Gum (which means whole lot less chance of you stepping on used gum);
Guns (have you seen -blowing for columbine- well we'll never have tt problem here*smirk*)
or even the right to go on strike (you would only have to stay in places like italy-no offence- to experience what an inconvience that is- a regular singapore uncustomed to this will probably freak out and ---- write to the newspaper forum*roll eyes*)
but all these little trade offs/sarcifices make for a clean, safe, properous & green city.

And FYI our govt worked hard to seduce MNC's to set up shop in Singpaore and Singporeans have also, upon the government coaxings, been known to take wage cuts & freezes during recessions to allow them to remain here.. pls note that Singapore growth rates for 30 years averaged around 9% - a feat uncomplished by any other --though China is fast rising to the mark..& we went from in the words of LKY Third world to First..

It's obvious, that given such a rapid paced transformation, that the mindsets of most Singaporeans (over 40s) have yet to evlove to that of the typical developed countries but they're learning --hee a another of the govt's projects: Life Long Learning..hence there is culture shock i guess & a lot of adolesense angiush btw liberal gen X,Y ,Zs & their tradition-bound parents
Still it's a great city-- one that i'll sorelt miss while on exchange..

I'll round up my overly sentimental rant with the top 5 things i love about darling Singapore:

Food: Chilli crab, roti prata, chay kway tiao, chicken rice, nasi bryani, hokkien mee, kueh lapis, ice ka-chang, laksa, oyster omelette, Satay, BBQ sambal stingray, steam boat (aka fish & meat fondue haha)--need i say more
R&R: Which other country do you know with a sub-urban malls equiped with hypermarts, departmental stores & some with cinemas 15 minutes apart...urban planners once scoffed at the govt citing a wastage of resources by continually replicating facilities like swimming pools, stadiums, community centers (with the country only 45 km long and 42 km wide) but i bet we can't imagine living without them!
MRT: Zip from one end of the island to the other effortlessly with each train scheduled only a max of 7 mins apart-- being half and hour late is a travesty!
Friends: A chance to interact with a diverse pool of people who have been taught different values and beliefs- only to find out that you're not so different after all -& feel connected to the rest of asia ( China/Malaysia/India/etc)
Library: Free books - even current best sellers- up for rent for 3 weeks at a time- electronic borrowing stations- island wide book drops - modelled after Barnes & Nobles only without the paying part - gotta love it!

*Author's opinion may be slightly biased-cos she loves her country- and does not represent the beliefs of everyone (that disagrees with her lah! duh)

2006-06-20T18:50:00.000+08:00

Will & Grace
fabulously uncensored

Found this book @ the national library which is ironic cos the show is banned in Singapore--same goes for SATC.. I think the book made it into Singapore b4 the show..

oh gosh i'm so crazy about tv that I even read about tv... haha

So here's some meaningless/tantalizing gossip:
(depending on which side of the fence you're on)

Will & Grace is loosely based on a true life story of the producer/writer max mutchnick who's gay and his best friend Janet Eisenberg- the real grace adler-- they grew up in Beverly hills together...
On why Jack was added: "We found that Will had this bitchy tone because we were trying to cram every kind of gay man into one person. He was everything -- campy, serious, flamboyant, and conservative. We realized we had to break up this two headed character. So Jack was born of Will's rib."
Sean Hayes aka Jack was the only cast member to accept the role when it was first offered. A bit about his audition: The producers so enjoyed Sean's audition that they asked for an encore. " I'm sure that he knew he had just blown us away," Max remembers, "because as he was leaving the room. he turned around and said," Stop looking at my ass, Mutchnick!' n then closed the door.

Name game:

Will & grace: David Kohan (writer/producer) studied the works of 20th century Jewish theologian Martin Buber and in his book "I and Thou", Buber describes 2 complimentary elements in faith: "you need the Will to pursue a relationship with god and the Grace to receive it." Kohan told himself that if he ever wrote about 2 complimentary characters it would be great to use the names.
Truman: Will's last name is simply a pun. He's Grace's "true man".
Rosario: When Max and David needed a first name for karen's right hand maid, they needed to look no further than to Max's own household help. The real life Rosario now tends not only to Max Mutchnick's house but to Sean Hayes' as well.

Now for great quotes:

Jack: You're my new best friend.. call me every five minutes.

Karen: "As Gandhi once said, ' You're only as strong as your weakest servant.' I think he said that. Or maybe it was, " Wow, this sand is hot!"

Will: "You know the saying. 'Give jack a fish , he eats for a day. Teach Jack to fish, he brings home a fisherman.'"

Jack (of NBC): "It's a gay network for God's sake. The symbol is a peacock."

Jack: "Rosario married me to get a green card. But as long as I'm married to her i get a platinum card, a barney's card and a hallmark card that says: welcome to easy street."

Will: "Did i just scream like a woman?"
Grace: "Don't flatter yourself. You scream like a girl."

Karen: " well well well. Look what the cat cleaned up, showered, exofoliated, powdered, lipsticked, Gucci'd and dragged in"

Grace: " I'm the worst thing to happen to interior design since basketball players started making millions."

Lionel: "You don't jave sex for money"
Karen: " No, I do not. For jewels, for furs, for mixed securities - like a lady."

Will: " It's unisex."
Grace: "Sweetie, that's what gay men always say when they want to wear women's clothing."

Karen: "Rosie, I just met the most incredible man!"
Rosario: "Are you sure you didn't just lean into the doorknob again?"

Will (playing the pyramid game) : School reports, two pieces of paper, a hemline in a hurry
Grace: I don't know. give me another clue.
Will: Your Aunt honey's stomach.
Grace: Things that are stapled.
Will: "A Cane. A railing.. each other."
Grace: "Things that you lean on. "

The book of karen:
Karen: I felt bad because I had no shoes but then i met someone who had really bad shoes.
Karen: Honey, I often ask people on my staff to do different things. Cook sometimes, cleans. Cleaner sometimes cooks. Driver somethimes provide an alibi.
Karen: Christmas celebrates the birth of our lord, Cartier.

now for the sad part-
excerpt: Writers take liberties with life. The real world may inspire storylines but don't look for absolute realism on the screen. Authentic New Yorkers don't leave their doors unlocked so that friends can burst in, and they don't pop back and forth between say, a soho office and an appartment on the Upper west side. " You have to think TV logic. When life is crammed into a twenty one minute episode there's no time to stop and smell the flowers or unlock the door."

dang reality checks! boooo

2006-06-19T18:16:00.000+08:00

Visa woes: part II
the recept strikes back

So this is how the scenario was suppose to have played out:
Me: oh here are my documents..
Recept: ok..seems you have everything here.. let me help you fill up your application form
Me: sure thanks!
Recept: All done...u'll be getting your visa in the mail soon
Me: Cool! hey can you teach me some Czech words
Recept: definitely and here..I baked some authentic Czech cookies too.. go ahead and have some!

well actually it when more like this:
me: erm I'm here to get my Czech visa...
recept moves behind two way glass
(the mrt door kind when you constantly see your own reflection-so it kind of feels like you're talking to yourself)
me: *talks into silt* I'm here to get my long term student visa..
recept: well do you have all the documents?
me: i think so...*slots papers in*.. oh i haven't done the application yet..
recept: well do it then! (in the "do i have to tell you everything" tone)
*hmm i think i can forget about the Czech 101 lessons*

cut to re-submitting documents

recept: this bank statement will not do.. it is not official (needs verification) and it's not in Czech
*newsflash: it's only has 4 lines-- my name, my acct no, the acct type and amount in S$.. who wouldn't understand that and it is officially from the internet banking website*
me: so i need to get the official letter and get it translated?
recept: yes...here's our recommended official translator..come back again on monday
*damn i have to work on monday*
me: ok.. i'll try to get everything done today.. can i get someone else to translate the statement other than the official translator
recept: No.. only official translators allowed

9:40am: i find myself on a mad-dash cum power walk from suntec to bras basah maybank--in heels no less.. and i do this dramatic thing where i burst into the bank panting: i need to get a statement! causing quite a stir..
and the bank attendee (who was really nice) went like: ok miss take a seat and we'll help chew...(it felt so ER) she shouts across room: this girl needs a statement STAT!

meanwhile i take the opportunity to call the translators' office- n I nearly got a heart attack- it turns out that it takes $150 to translate one freakin' page add $30 for a verification seal + 5% GST = $189/-and with the bank statement request already costing me $20
it totals to a cool $209
JUSt to get a piece of paper that says miss tina has $x,xxx in her account
opps make tt ($x,xxx - $209 )Madness!!! oh n it takes 4 days to get a translation: my heart sinks
I'm not going to get my visa..not today anyways

I call my dad to tell him... N I get a ear-full about why I didn't stand up for myself in the visa office against "the unreasonable, money hungry consular"...opps wrong move.. Dad asks for visa office number so that he can scold the "bad lady" for me.. yikes.. it ends with me telling him i'll deal with it myself while he's still on the line going: what's the number what's the number...

*wheels in motion* there has got be another way...
Proceeds to power walk back into visa office

11:04am: Buzz.. buzzz *issit close already?* buzzz
11:05am: Click.. meddle...meddle...*blasted door*
11:06am:Recept opens the door..
Recept: you've got to push!!!!
me: opps!

so I'm begging the recept to accept my official bank statement... actually she could if she wanted too cos she's an official translator (she's the one that will translate my criminal record history form to Czech anyways- and it only costs $22) and she refuses -- cos it's clearly stated that they do not do translations in the office.. End of story.period.
I quietly trudge back to the mrt station, so sick to my stomach that even all the large SALE signs plastered on practically every shop window doesn't tempt me into shopping - even though I have the entire day off i just wanted to go home n get myself under the influence of intoxicating television..

truth be told: the lady is not all bad or evil she was just following her rules.. just don't expect her to fall over herself trying to help you..she just won't--

sooo to all you future visa-eees out there.. get your note pads out

lessons learnt
#3: Things to bring the office:

2 passport size pics
acceptance letter plus proof of housing (provided by the school)
passport (valid for more than 7 months)
travel insurance papers (coverage of at least $60,000)
around $220 for visa fees
instead of a bank statement BRING: a supplementary international credit card ~Ta Dah!~the secret cost saver

price of a translated bank statement:$209 vs Price of a sup card: $24!
and if you tell the cust service execs it's urgent they can get it to you in 1 week instead of 2.. given it's not the fastest method but it's the most cost efficient

#4: Don't procastinate!
The visa takes at least 2 months: so remember once you get your papers from the school hurry along down to get your visa...and same goes for flights. Once you can confirm where n when u're going, book your tickets to get cheaper seats. Also don't assume STA gives the best rates compare with misa travel (airfares.com.sg) that also sell student tickets

#5: You've just gotta push!!! to get thru..
Leave all bad experiences in the past..n enjoy the present!

2006-06-18T21:40:00.000+08:00

Visa woes:part 1
wish Richard Gere was here (diff kind of visa though)

Having grudgingly relinquish all ownership rights of the remote to my dad so that he relish in his favorite soccer teams from 4 different camera angles.. I guess I have a try at blogging about my painful experience at the visa office.

If you were to ask me about it on Friday I would have told u that that it was the most stress inducing, tear-jerking, feet aching, heart wrenching, demoralizing and down right annoying morning I ever had-- though I have been known to ~~over~~ exaggerate.

Today though, ask me and I will nonchantly blurt out a simple "alright" or "almost there" cos I'm completely over it...really..*throws a convincing smile*
and so that Mr. "see I told you not to choose tt country in the firstplace" can't rub "see I told you not to choose tt country in the first place" in my face.*roll eyes*

well mr s.i.t.y.n.c.t.c.i.f.p thanks for the tip but it's too late isn't it.. maybe the friendliness/efficiency of the embassy should be factored in to decision of which country to go, after all an embassy should be a reflection of what the country's bureaucratic structure and overall warmth towards foreigners...
I guess I'll just do that the next time I go on exchange..oh wait which like-NEVER again! (opps apparently I still have a tat of left-over hostility)

Well, for those of you are a fortunate enough not to have encountered the office, it's a dingy little hole in the wall whose entrance, a non descript wooden door, looks like it leads to a storage closet. Anyways, you can't just waltz into this storage closet, you gotta do this new york apartment thing n buzz and speak thru the voice box (think Mac's drive thru). Meanwhile, you stand around like you've been locked out of your building in the common corridor. So this was me:

8:55am: I played kiasu singaporean and turned up early -the embassy was due to open at 9am- to avoid crowds (there were none btw) and so that I would get the forms done early enough and have time to make some last minute amendments (was hoping that my internet print out of my bank account would just make the cut---well, it didn't) and make it back by 12 noon, which is when they close oh n fyi they only open 3 times a week-nice

8:56 am: Surprised by the ~~unglam~~ odd-looking entrance, I patiently waited outside in a corridor which meant that I was waiting at front door of one of those really glam suntec office with a cool high tech biometrics security system (cos the two doors were perpendicular) and as I waited with my free copy of today the staff arriving at their office were casting suspicious-are you a terrorist bomber-looks at me as they thumb-scanned their way thru.

during my excruciating 5 minute wait: same staff on their way out for coffee throw more curious-why is this girl still outside i'm going to call security-glances my way while i nervously try to flash back my innocent i'm really not a weirdo..honest face.

9:01 am: Buzz, no reply.. more waiting.. more stares

9:10am: Buzz, Buzz *people are suppose to be buzzin this right?*

9:11am: raspy voice goes Our office is not open yet.
*hmm..if u're answering kinda means you're open right, letme in pleaaseee*

9:16am: Buzz! raspy voice goes Our consular is late please wait a moment.
*opps one buzz too many?*

9:22am: Click!.. door's unlock... *hooray!!*

I meddle with the door knob to no avail..
*damn i'm locked out still. heeeelpp*

9:24am: recept opens the door for me.. slightly irate--it's written all over her face:i don't think i should have to open the door for you--

Me: Hi!

Recept: you've got to push!

Me: oh erm ok! *gulps.. this isn't going so well.. is it?*

lessons learnt
#1: no need whatsoever to go to the embassy early-see above for example- actually arrive late but not so late that you reach the embassy only after closing hours
#2: You've got to push!

To be continued....

2006-06-17T16:22:00.000+08:00

First blog...

Catchy site name - check
Going on exchange - check
two wacky roommates- hmm I only have one.. guess that will do for now
Oriental Singaporean girl with china doll hair cut - soon very soon muahahaa

This is me going all "single ~~white~~ asian female" trying to take the form of my favorite blogger mentor.. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery- I sure hope she thinks so

*reference to 'Single White Female' the movie (1992) : when a SWF places an ad in the press for a similar woman to rent a room (to replace the boyfriend she's just left), all the applicants seem weird. Then along comes a level headed woman who seems to be just right. The new lodger has a secret past which haunts her. She begins to mimic Fonda's character and even becomes so bold as to seduce and later kill Fonda's boyfriend..(side note: of cos i mean mimic part not the murder part ..sheesh!)