Great food and Great hike

Today all of us had 1 more extra hour, i.e 25 hours. because of daylight savings! till now i'm still confused how it works, but i'll just take it as it is. now is GMT time... so Singapore and UK difference is 8 hours now.

Yesterday was British boy's birthday... we celebrated for him and he loves to speak in Japanese and eat Japanese and watch Japanese and play Japanese. Really, his passion is an inspiration. He practiced i-ai-do (居合道) the way of the Samurai. He only uses the sword... and rather facinated (not so) by my ninja-do kicks (that was eons ago.) Oh well, thinking back... i was only 3 belts away from black belt... but unfortunately, i gave it up for NP (campcraft training everyday!!!) and the centre closed down when i wanted to go back again (what the...) i didn't want to go to the other centre... coz i don't like the other instructor... once again, what a pity. Made me had some self-reflection after the party... I love self-reflections because they don't come very often...




Later we watched Totoro!!! Japanese anime!!!


Anyway today I went on a hike to the Lake District... famous for hardcore trekkers and scramblers... Scramblers are a bunch of crazy people who choose to climb up the waterfall stream and not take the footpath... and we walked up 762m! the whole hike was like 7 hours covering about 20 km.... now, my legs are breaking... but it was so good!!! and the best thing was that there weren't Singaporeans...haha! no la, not that I don't like them la... but I love to discover some things on my own... Clement is enjoying himself in Bath by the way... and he will self-declare 1 week holiday to travel to Scotland... while I will stay in leeds to do what I love...


For all meh-meh lovers...

tblth... tiring walk... with British and German girls

Top of the mountain. by this time... we realised we were not at destination yet...

okie lah, very tired already... my drysuit training starts tmr... exciting... biang eh, i think i must really start studying already... ciao!!

Getting ready for next week

Whoa this week will be damn busy man!!!

haha... busy with my OWN plans... busy with the following...
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I'M CLEANING UP MY ROOM!!! like...finally la, after staying for 1 month... my ass decided to do something constructive...

i have to thank XINTIAN and KAIXIN. why? they are my greatest motivation to keep my room clean... i had to make sure that they don't get terrorized by dust mites in my carpet, so i had to clean my carpet like 20 times (i'm not exaggerating) with the sticky roller... and boy, u don't want to know how disgusting carpets are. yah, coz they are coming to bunk in on the 3rd Nov, so i must be a good host and take care of their welfare.

I think i will take a few more days to bring carpet dust down to zero (vitrually impossible..) but my roller works good.

Well, i've been busy appreciating fine art works by fellow Singaporean, SARAH ONG (i think)...

i've accepted having gays in society so i was busy accepting a totally new idea - gay mannequins.

Then i was busy hosting Taiwanese people in my flat, with my flatmates RINA and PIAO LIANG CLEMENT.

Gosh it was hard work i tell u, i had to spend SO MUCH time eating up all these food. it's stewed pork ok. It kept me REALLY busy.

Then I had extra work to do --- finishing up the japanese egg (left) and PIG's HEART. Kao... the work was overloaded... I had to spend so much time finishing it...

You see, life as an exchange student is NOT EASY AT ALL!!! you're always busy and you have no time for anything else...

Ya, then u also need to think of studies... because that's why you're in a university... and i'm PILED UP WITH WORK. i'm not joking this time...
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I told you so right? So arh, don't keep thinking exchange students are on holiday ok.... i beg to differ... haha! okie la i should stop sounding so kiam pa here. =p.

When you're ill, you're clumsy. When you're clumsy, you're as good as me.




The picture says it all. ya. I spilled my food on the table while posing for the camera. I know what you're going to say... "omg la... it's a classic hobbit move..." thanks ah.

anyway the guy is clement, who always cooks nice food for me and my flatmates. heng got him around, if not... i'll just be eating pasta everyday.

British Lab sessions

I LOVE BRITISH LAB SESSIONS

seriously!!!

firstly, the labs are in small groups, there's only like 8 of us.

secondly, other people don't block our view of the lab equipments

thirdly, there's so few of us, it's not paiseh at all to ask questions

It's 3 hours and it sounds dreadful, but in fact, i felt that i totally understand everything and how to work out the equations on my own...

in NUS, i swear, 80% is just copying and substituting the equations. Here, I ask every single damn question, just like a typical dumb English, I ask every single damn question. Most importantly, and shockingly, i didn't feel embarrassed at all.

hmmm, maybe the lab was easy, or am i becoming a dumb brit? Geotechnics lab leh... mai siao siao okie.

Today, I went for the diving centre's social night and got free food! yay! =) made new friends, seasoned divers, well didn't talk much... coz i can't catch what they are talking about.... men talked about their technical dives and women talked about when they had their first sexual experience. haha. nice la. the Brits are really comical, esp the aunties.

BIRMINGHAM

Yay, Just came back from Birmingham... Thanks to lovely Summer who offered her room space (and her bed space for me)... and ya ya ya... we are all Singaporeans (looks like we can't get off each other's back). We went to the famous Bullring, which is a huge shopping centre!


and we ate SINFUL doughnuts... here's a picture of how they glazed the doughnut... then put them on the conveyor belt where they pass through a curtain of icing sugar..

The doughnut was fabulous! I bought a box, wanting to give to my flatmates, but my forgetfulness had got the better of me once again. Anyway, we had good food in Birmingham too... The Japanese (and Chinese) were so hospitable!!! They cooked super food for us!!! LOOK --------->


and all of these cost... 70 pence!!! wu hua boh??? =) ARIGATO! - Tomo, Akie, Yukari, Aiya & Huili! (they won't be reading, but thanks to them anyway)

Ya just a short summary... its the 4 of us, me - lilian- fangxi- clement... well missing Summer! recall: " huh? xxx is in Paris meh??? I thought he was in France?" - one of us. How lovely!

oh yes, on the 1st day, I went to the National Exhibition Centre (UK's EXPO) which is 5 times bigger than Singapore's, walked through a couple of travelators before reaching the hall...


Yay! and here we are! I got so damn excited over all the stalls and kept grabbing their freebies, i didn't have the time to take any pictures... but the scene remaines very vividly in my mind, coz i walked the whole place from 1030 to 1800!!! in the middle, i attended seminars where experienced divers talked about their explorations in caves and sharks... and small ones like how to be an instructor and coral reefs conservation.

It was truly inspiring, i have to say... and after being in Malta for 3 weeks, hanging out with diving instructors... it only keeps motivating me and pushing me to venture into this sport further... I say, PADI has very good marketing strategies! Once u start diving, immediately, they leash out the possible routes to attaining high achievements, encouraging new divers to accept new challenges. It's not like Piano classes... where somehow arh, when i reached Grade 4... i got lost and i didn't know what I was learning the piano for. I lacked an aim and therefore, lost an interest. but i regret. I could have been a diploma holder by now if i had continued on and not let a failure deter me. I could be carrying a Yamaha Keyboard all over the world and play on the streets, making music and livening up atmospheres. I could have done so much, there's no use saying anything else here.

I though i won't spend a single cent, it was only an exhibition. but at the last minute, I took a stack of cash from my drawer before I left Leeds and my instinct was right - I HAD to spend some money. Dive shopping is addictive... more than shoe shopping (refer to 2 entries ago)...

This is a WETSUIT... from Mares!!! *OLE* i got it at a HUGE discount !!! and further discount because i was the last customer of the day... (cheaper than Singapore's price by S$85)!!! It's 5mm and I think it's the most multi-purpose one coz its semi-dry... that's what i think la...



This is a DRYSUIT undersuit... from Whites!!! *OLE OLE* not such a big discount, but definitely cheaper in retail outlets. and it's not sold in Singapore... haha duh! Drysuits are for extremely cold waters... Singapore is a Tropic region... It's really warm and I can wear it during Winter (with something funkier on the outside). It has a zip behind, so it won't be inconvenient if i need to pee or something else.



This is another layer of DRYSUIT undersuit... But i can wear it as a normal jacket on really cold days. it's very expensive for a jacket... coz it's fleece on the inside... but i can be sure it will come in really handy when i'm in Sweden.


After I bought them (HEAVY) i ran to find my diving instructor at his booth and he saw what i got. "Oh wow!! Is that Whites?? It's a great brand! (to his colleagues) Look, they are wonderful, its warm on the inside then you can detach the sleeves and u can choose to add the layers under your drysuit... its an absolutely brilliant buy, i got it just last week too. Smart choice Yana!" - Beams!

Did i mention i love my white walking shoes? okie, I do. Very very very much.=)

Time is running out

Sucks... time left in Leeds is so damn little...

there's so many things i want to do (not want to go)...

1. to trek in Isle of Man/ Mountain summit
2. to dive in the North Sea and Red Sea
3. to stay with a host family in UK
4. to trek in Gasmere and Yorkshire Dales
5. to learn Gliding
6. to spend the New Year in London
7. to spend christmas with my cousin in Sweden

Well, i guess if i were some readers i will go "wah lao, i think aso cannot even think (wo xiang dou bu yong xiang), so i should count my blessings? But since i'm here, why not?

which means i have to start studying already la... if not i think i can't pass (wo xiang dou bu yong xiang)... if i have to do all the above 7, which means i only have effectively 1 week to study. but i only need 40% to pass, don't i? They aren't too difficult. English kids are not as smart as some people think. like the lecturer keeps saying "Nc equals to 9.." (written on the tansparency) and half and hour later an English kid raises her hand and asks the lecturer "why is Nc equal to g?"

and kid, u don't choose your friends on how well they can speak English. Jacq - U will know who i'm talking about.

York... Blackpool... Shoe Shopping!

Saturday went York... historical place where the Vikings used to live... and UK's most famous Minister (church) because it used to be occupied by the romans, blah blah...



Then Sunday went to Blackpool... Where we went up some tower, watched some circus show, looked through aquariums at some fishes, and walked on a very beautiful beach...

(please click to enlarge to see what crazy English boys write to their mums.)

And today is the highlight... I went shoe shopping!!! discounts discounts discounts! yay!


I can finally bathe (slippers), run (track shoes), walk (left white shoes), do serious hiking in snow(middle shoe) and act chio like an English (right brown boots). You see, shoe shopping isn't a waste of time. It's actually VERY practical and i still need to look for stylish shoes lest i need to go for conferences, official meetings with Tony Blair or casual tea time with the Prince.

I did study! just 1 chapter of Law. Its a feat ok, i had to battle with my tired eyes and runny nose. Blame it on the weather, it's giving me a headache, really!

p.s. today we ate Pasta with meatballs and mayo potatoes... meals are becoming more n more tastier =)

Leeds ! the city that sleeps at 3am

I've been living well... I haven't been JUST existing... I have been Living well! =)
Really thanks to all the international students here, who makes the effort to cook for everyone... and so we have alot of good food! Just look: Japanese rice balls, Swiss potatoes and Everybody's favourite chocolate fondue.







and they all don't cost much! some i didn't even have to pay but of coz, i cook food for them too so it's fair... ( like the last time how clement and I cooked for 15 people... and sharing tang yuan with everyone)

and then... i went to cheong again....


This place is a church converted into a night club. And the DJ stands at the pastor's gallery. haha, he's the man of the night... it's called Halo... and the music is fantastic! Clement and I are really on intensive savings mode... free then go... go also never buy drink, so we got free fun! (paiseh Jacq, i wear your shirt =p)


and yes, i've started studying... don't be surprised, so i don't have to pia so hard in Dec!
it's going to be happening in December.... =)

Skipping 1st week of Lectures

I'm back from Paris!

Let me introduce you my tour companions...

This is Xintian



And this is Kaixin



and this is our lovely saviour from London...





Paris was great fun! and we climbed up the Eiffel Tower... yay! 1 out of 7 wonders of the world conquered!



We had to climb 700 steps... and that was only midway through the tower...


And lots of branded goods... the whole street... so 3 of us just keep shopping and trying clothes and touching the fur and cashmere... the winter clothes are O-so-pretty laaaaa...
Then we walked into the watch department... D & G lah, Guess lah, Fossil lah... with no watches that cost less than 300 Euros... and some 1500 Euros... and lots and lots of others... we were just poor students roaming around and entering the building to have a "feel" of what's like to be wealthy enough to be shopping in Paris. Aiyah. like that can aso la, huh?

Jacq jacq, this is for you! You're branded stuff in Paris... hahaha



we went to an arty farty place too called Mont Martre ( and i though it was "Mohammad") and lots and lots of paintings!! portraits, Paris scenery, shadow portraits, oil painting, u name it, they have it...

then we went to Salvador Dali Museum... His works are great! and i felt a little embarrassed when i recalled the time in Turkey when Jacq got excited over his artwork and i had no clue who he is. anyway, after looking at his works, i so like them very much!!! he does have his unique style and a certain pattern... well, but i don't know how to say it... he has morbid artworks, phallic ones too but has a deeper meaning to them... heartwarming ones too... well, just a couple of my favourites:

His well-known soft clock that show that time is liquid, and time flows towards death (towards the black marble base)


Ah! my favourite elephant!

well, there's too much to blog, and quite tired now... so just leave a picture of myself, just in case any is curious to see how much i've changed... although not much.


and lastly lastly... our all time favourite picture...


Oh yeah, Viggy... this is for you... it's not all vegetables, but it's indian food i found in Leeds... so i thought of u....