Photos! =)
Starting from top: Picture 1: singaporeans' cookout at yonjan's kitchen; Picture 2: outside Buckingham palace; Picture 3: standing with a guard on a horse; Picture 4: at/on a lion statue at Trafalgar Square; Picture 5: Westminster Abbey (i think?!!); Picture 6: at some street in london which i forgot =p; Picture 7: at some gate with the Big Ben and the London Eye in the background.
ok these photos are koped from facebook cos i havent uploaded my own. so those who have already seen them dun get too bored..haha.
London!
ive got so much to say ever since the previous post about my london life that i dunno where to start! aniwae it's impossible to write everything here cos time is limited..haha.
i dun club, party or go for a lot of events, but im really happy here, in spite of stuff like catching the freshers' flu and sth else that i shant elaborate here. aniwae, ive really been enjoying the random cookout sessions we've been having at southside (i dun think i will join a regular cooking grp though). that night when we had our first cookout session we had was the happiest time ive ever spent in imperial, with random singaporeans having a potluck at one of southside's (relatively) large kitchens. it's like really fun and enjoyable to have the company of friends at imperial, and to experience things i dun think i'll ever get to experience back in singapore. playing floorball on carpet grass at hyde park, watching my coursemates playing ultimate frisbee at the cold silwood park (where we're having our ecology field course), feeding ducks, swans and seagulls in the lake/river, looking at really cute and guai1 dogs, following a rabbit just to take a photo of it, playing table tennis in the common room while
sitting on sofas (:P) are just some of the simple yet beautiful pleasures ive had the chance to enjoy ever since ive set foot on london. i remember on the day of the singsoc freshers' picnic at hyde park juliana and i went on a walk after we played floorball. we were sitting down and enjoying the scene by the river when some dogs just ran towards us and i was screaming in fear and leaning on juliana's shoulder. but just like other dogs we've seen, these dogs (which belong to some owners) are so nice they didnt bite us or even bark! even though im scared of dogs, i find those in hyde park really cute! afterwards on our way back to where the others were we met a five-year-old boy and his dog. he introduced his dog and himself to us. and the boy is so charming and intelligent (imagine he's only five!). later we saw his parents walking ahead of him and then the boy and his dog went to join them. then we saw the boy's father lying down on the grass and the family (and the dog) were just relaxing and enjoying themselves. juliana commented that this is like the 完美人生. so different from the stressful life that i used to have! the scene is just so beautiful that it will always be etched in my memory :):)
in sec sch and jc i used to have a 'motive' for some things i do. i was one of the 'marks-conscious' ppl that mr kiw described. like i wun bother learning stuff that will not be tested. and esp in jc, i participated in non-academic activities for the main purpose of adding them to my cca record so that it would increase my chances of getting a scholarship. and i was just mugging away in jc...
but now, my perceptions of learning have changed. i should RELAX, but not get carried away with playing and slacking that i neglect my schoolwork. now i just want to do what im really interested in and enjoy my learning process. i want to learn more stuff (academic or otherwise) and OF COURSE including all the stuff that will not be tested =p. yup. london life is definitely more relaxed and less stressful than life in sg. but it depends on how you see things as well, whether u allow urself to be stressed or not. i dont want unnecessary stress =X
in my previous entry i forgot to thank all those who've been helping me ever since i arrived here, like my friends in uni and my nice ecology tutor. im really grateful to them =)
Thank you! <3
i guess in my excitement of blogging about my london life earlier i actually forgot to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone. so sorry! i cant thank my family enough for all that they've done for me such that im able to arrive here so smoothly. many thanks to my parents who have given me all the support for my overseas study (and not disallowing me to go overseas =p). i rmb after i fell sick from obs i almost wanted to change my scholarship to a local one. besides myself, my parents were worried that i would not be able to take care of myself and hence survive overseas, since im so 'nua'. i got so stressed and worried over this dilemma, but finally after my prayers and my parents' encouragement i finally made the decision to stick with my overseas scholarship. so now here i am, with absolutely no regrets of the decision ive made :)
thanks to all those who have prayed for me, esp my pastor and my cell group members who came to see me off =) im grateful to them for praying for me and supporting me. i didnt suffer from motion sickness on the plane (unlike the other time) thanks to God and their prayers! of course, i will NOT forget all my friends who came to see me off! for once in my entire life i actually felt like a 'star' on that day. haha. i will remember you guys (or gals haha) always! i admit that i was actually very bu4 she3 de2 on that friday, esp at the departure gate, even though i didnt cry. i was actually missing home very much on the plane, and i teared a little. but thankfully i 'recovered' after the first day and im now enjoying my life here. of course, this is NEVER to say that ive forgotten my friends and family at home!! i feel that it's more important to keep in touch with those at home rather than indulging in homesickness all the time. pardon me for not blogging for quite some time cos i was/am either sick or busy. oh yah and thank you all for ur farewell gifts! paiseh i admit i didnt open most of ur cards or gifts (which are now in singapore cos i dun think my mum wld allow me to bring along with me with my already excess baggage). im really sorry but i will definitely open them when i come back. dun kill me! :p and to my friends who have sent me well-wishing smses for my trip, thanks to you guys too! =)
I love you ppl...
haha i dunno why the dongz picture is so small! and simyee does look good after all! hahahaha!!!and i dun have all the pics cos the rest of them are stored in my hp back at home (singapore!).
im also very grateful to others who have helped me in one way or another, including ppl whom i do not know personally (like the kind check-in staff..haha). above all, all praise and thanks to God for being the greatest blessing in my life. for without Him i wouldnt have been able to make it here, to face life positively and to enjoy every moment of my life here. By His grace, mercy and love He has been taking care of my family and me all this while, and He has brought me thus far. Thank you Lord! :)
Yes I'm in London
ive finally gotten my internet connection. haha. im in my hall now. i seriously dunno where to start updating cos im tired now (as usual). hmm here's a daily update of my life since i got here...
Day 1: was damn tired after the plane flight and had jet lag. i was ushered into my room when i reached my hall. i was abit disappointed when i saw my hall size cos i expected it to be bigger. lol. and i met my roommate for the first time. she's indian, vegetarian, one yr younger than me, hip and fun-loving (she's now out clubbing/partying haha). she's quite nice actually...
Day 2: i tried cooking for the first time. i cooked oats that i bought from the supermarket. and it was really a disaster cos i turned on the heat until it was too high and when the oats boiled it juz spilled all over the stove!!! and i had to clean up of cos. wah luckily im the only one in the kitchen at that time. i also asked darius to take me to sainsbury (the supermarket) cos i didnt noe the way, and i bought stuff. i heard that there was free ice cream at beit hall (one of the halls) at 7.30pm. my roommate and her frens went first and later i was on my way there when i met josh and told him abt the ice cream event and then we both went tgt. on our way we met this swiss masters student (i dunno whether/how josh noes him) and then the three of us walked to beit hall in the dark and in the cold :P but when we reached beit hall, guess what! THE ICE CREAM WAS FINISHED!!!! wth! wasnt it supposed to start at 7.30 (The time at which we reached there)?? unless my roommate gave me the wrong info loh. wahh then we walked all the way back. but that's not all. on our way back, that swiss student suddenly took out a cigarette and lit it!! and he was smoking for the rest of the journey and i was like URGHHH and kept my distance from him :S:S:S want to smoke oso dun smoke in front of non-smokers mah. walao.
Day 3 (today): it's the start of my biology timetable although lessons only commence next wk. today is juz like orientation. the biology students were divided into groups of various different tutors. and reuben and i happened to kanna the same tutor! but our tutor was absent and another tutor subbed him. he was bringing us around when reuben and discovered that he smokes (by the smell from him). true enough, later as we were walking, he started to smoke in front of us students!!! dotssss. but yah, these are the little things you dont get to see in sgp :P then in the aftenoon reuben, andee and i ponned the welcome reception or sth (which joshua said was useless :P) and went to sains with a few others. (i bought a kettle even though it's not allowed in rooms. but who cares.) then at dinnertime i cooked with david and i was enjoying the food he cooked when suddenly the fire alarm sounded!!! wah was damn shocked man. i reluctantly left all my stuff in the kitchen and went down to the field in the night. it was cold loh. some ppl din even wear long sleeves when we were supposed to go down. the ppl from the other two southside halls oso went down. i thot it was just a fire drill until yonjan told us that someone in his kitchen screwed up and there was smoke from the rice cooker(??) or sth. walao then make all of us come down. what a waste of time. argh.
tmr is freshers fair! it's like cca fest. u have to pay 5pounds per cca u join though -_-
London weather is damn dry!! i've had dry lips all along. and my lips are cracking like siao. even after ive applied lip balm. but thankfully i can tahan the coldness for now. it's not that cold (yet) actually. i really hope winter wun be unbearable for me (and my lips).
there isnt much/any scenery in london. cos it's a city mah. one of the main differences between the city of london and singapore is the architecture of the buildings/houses. hmmm.
i havent taken any pics myself (except for my room but they are damn blur) cos im still settling in. so i wun upload any pics for now.
kk im really tired. haha. byebye! i miss you all :)
