Com's ball

Me just came back from TE's Commissioning Ball. Now that I have attended it, I am quite glad I came back for it, coz I realised that I wouldn't want to miss it. It kinda made me feel that my life has integrated with his again.



It's the same with everything for the past few days. I am glad that I came back. From the first thing I did on tues, which was to eat bfast with mum, I already felt that the money and time spent coming back was worthed it. Every minute I have spent so far proves that point:D


I did realise that I missed the opening of Vivocity, Velocity and Ikea @ Tampines. I've gone to Vivocity on mon. Not that bad... But I didn't explore it thoroughly. Waha! I will in summer:D

home sweet home

This post was written on mon night, but the internet screwed up. So here it is.

Written on 18th Dec
I am back!!!!!!!


Many things happened today.


I managed to make my way from Hall to Singapore with a 24kg luggage and a 13 kg hand carry. Phew!!! In fact, I am rather proud of myself to make the transit through France alone. I had never taken an Airbus before today. I didn’t know that the plane does not connect to the main terminal directly. The passengers have to walk down a stair to the runway, take a bus to the nearest terminal, and then take a 2nd bus to the desired terminal. I was clueless and was lost on what to do. So I just followed everyone else. I guess when shove comes to push, it is possible for everyone to be independent. I am not looking forward to returning to London though!!


I found out how much I love Singapore. When I first boarded the plane, I realised that I was the rare few Singaporeans onboard. Somehow, I like I was an ambassador of Singapore and felt proud of it. Ha! U idiots! It is my country that I am returning to. Near the end of the flight, the captain announced that those who needed to fill in “Entry Cards” to take the cards from air stewardesses. At that simple announcement, it just struck me that, hey, I am holding on to a Singapore passport. I can walk into my country with no fear. I can walk through the counter that says, “Singapore passport only” (I found out later that the sign says “Singapore passport and Permanent Citizens”). Further on, just as we were approaching Singapore, I turned on the screen which depicts the view from the camera attached to the nose of the plane. I couldn’t help but realised that it is HOME that I am returning to. It sounds wimpy, but it is only when I am immersed in an environment of minority that I realised how important having a place to call home is.



My entire family came to meet meJ I mean, ha! I bet by the 3rd or 4th time, probably they won’t bother. But I am glad that they all took time off to come this time round. In fact, they came separately, which is even more amazing, since I bet they were busy with something before coming down.




And SURPRISE SURPRISE! Guess who decided to turn up! Aris!!!! Despite me telling him not come, that I will meet him over lunch or something, he still came anyway. He even brought chocolate fudge and brownies. The fudge were the best that I had ever tasted before I left, introduced to me by Aris. HOWEVER, sweet as you are to remember that, Aris, HA!! I have found a new fudgey love!!! Fudgekitchen!!!!!!!!! Thanks anyway, dude, for turning up! I can’t ask for more from you.


YESH! Surprise number 2!!! Shaowei called to say “Welcome back to Singapore”. Apparently he read from the class blog. Sorry, SW! My phone really low batt! I sounded as if I was trying to put down the phone, I know, oops! I was kind of lost for words. (Of course, you might have been calling for other purposes?? Dun let me know and let me live in my own fantasy)


Yeppy! With such an emo entry, how can I miss out TE!!!! He sent me a flattering sms just as I landed in Singapore. He sent it before I landed, which explained how I got it right on the moment I turned on my phone. Unfortunately, his message was not the first I received. He lost out to Singtel, who sent me “Welcome to France…”. It was a little funny, considering I left France behind 12hours ago.


I am gonna sleep now, at 0230. Gotta wake up at 5 to surprise someone. It’s ok to reveal my surprise now, since he will be asleep by now.

Facts of the Day

I can't use the touchpad of Ipod with my gloves on.





It makes a BIG difference to the heating effect of the radiator when we draw the curtains. The curtains slow down heat loss by A MASSIVE LOT.





Digestive biscuits can be left out in the open for days without turning soft.





There is nothing called 'ant' in London. At least not where I live.

Mobile plans that ain't that mobile

It was a sad day.


When I finished my last Belgium chocolate:(



Yet, on a higher note, I am enjoying my new mobile phone and plan. I always wondered why the seniors said that once we start using UK mobile plans, we will think that Singapore plans are crap. After spending so much time exploring my phone and its capability, I finally understand why.


1) You get freeing incoming messages and phonecalls. Period. There's no crap like deadlines when this promotion ends etc. I always thought that this should be the case, since it isn't my fault that the other party sends me a message.


2) I can access the 3G services for free. I am not exactly sure how things work in Singapore, but here, as long as you don't download something, exploring the services are free. Anything that you have to pay for is has its FULL cost written down clearly.


3) AND if I want to download anything, I can, because I have £5 worth of download that comes with the plan every month. I had lots of fun sampling rintones and background etc.


4) I have 25 free MMS and 25 mins free Video conferencing every month.


5) All these for £10/ month. (For the uninitiated, that's SGD$30) (However, for such a cheap plan, there's some role the customer must play, like returning some forms in time)


I know... You are probably saying, I am paying for all these, so they aren't really freebies. But if you think about it, I don't think you can get 250 free minutes and SMS, PLUS all the free MMS and vidz mins for SGD$30 in Singapore. Not to mention the downloads.


Of course, then there's the point that the extra MMSes etc are not essential. Which brings me on to the next point. We are underutilising our phones. There're so many features on our phone which we hardly use(eg video streaming), because everytime we THINK about using it, we think of the extra cost incurred. If the use of these features comes free or cheap(like in UK), we might actually for once, appreciate the phone (which doesn't come cheap). I agree, I am falling into the commercial trap, whereby the mobile providers are coeurcing me into using things that I dun really need, but using them coz I will be wasting my money if I don't. But the truth is, most of us will hanker after a new phone (ie, most of us already has one foot into the commercial trap). So, instead of thinking that having free services from a plan as something extra, perhaps it would be best to think of it as a way to make full use of a phone which we paid so much for.



I have no idea why I am spending my precious time defending the UK mobile plans. Perhaps it is to justify the fact that I have just signed on to a contract which I might not need.

Sometimes I am scared...

Scared by the tots of giving up...

5 reasons why you should be grateful

5 reasons why you should be grateful if you play rugby in Singapore


1) You don’t have to travel more than an hour to get to a game. (We travelled 2.5h to Canterbury for a 2h game, and take the same amt of time back to London)


2) You don’t have to worry about whether you will be too stiff from the cold to run.


3) You don’t have to worry about being late to meet your team, because you can always go on your won, either by cab or by train. (Cab is too ex here, and the places would probably be near inaccessible anyway)


4) You don’t have to see 6 other naked women showering beside you while you shower


5) You know for sure that not everyone in the opposition team will be VERY much bigger than you.

Touched down

Hey, sorry for taking so long to update after I reached London. I took quite long to get net, and by then, all the college activities have swept me off my feet. It takes lotsa determination for me to sit down and type out an entry:P

Yeppy, the post below is an accumulation of what I wanted to say over the first week. I wanted to post it long ago but I couldn't commit to finishing it. In the end, I just merge the individual days into one long entry.


OHOH!! To add on to the previous entry, they sell TIGER BEER here!!!!!! Yes... I mean, who cares if anyone buys them right... The main point is, at least they sell it!!!

Please donate to the help-Cheryl-wipe-her-ass campaign

The title sounds crude but it makes sense. REALLY! I cannot afford to use tissue or toilet paper or facial cotton pads here. One pack of six packets of tissue costs GBP$2, which works out to S$6, which works out to S$1 per packet. That is enough to buy a pack of 10 packets in Singapore. Not to mention everytime I sneeze, I think about the 10c per sheet and decide not to wipe my mouthL (all right, u kiddos out there! I was kidding about that.). THEREFORE, in order to save some cash here, I plead all of you out there. Please enclose a piece of tissue in the envelope if you write to me. If I touch the letter and not feel anything soft, I reserve the right to not open the letter.


Other than the tissue paper, there are other interesting points about London

Note this: They sell condoms in vending machines in the female toilets. I kid you not (Brokie, find this phrase familiar?). Finding them in the guy’s toilet is nothing much. But to find them in the girl’s toilet is a different matter. I guess this country really advocates that safe sex is the responsibility of both sexes.


There are no squat cubicles. That’s expected, but I just cannot get used to the fact that I can walk into any toilet with no qualms. I prefer the seat toilet bowl to the squat bowl, u see. As can be seen, Buffy (my classmate, not the kick ass one), u will die from continence in this country.


The cars park on both sides of the lane. When I say that, I mean if they are facing south, they can choose to park either on the left or on the right of the lane they are facing. Given how much they jay walk, getting to the pavement is no big deal really.

It’s heartening to know that ice cream is not that expensive here. It’s about GBP$1.70 per scoop of gelato ice-cream. Of course, in this weather, I will rather save the money on a piping hot bowl of cream of mushroom.


People walk damn fast but work damn slow. It is a commonplace to find yourself to waiting hours for something that can be done in minutes. Worse, More often than not, you will find yourself left out of the queue. I have seen enough of such cases to claim that I am not stereotyping when I say the efficiency here in London has much to improve.


Contrary to what most people think, the English actually drinks quite responsibly. My hall had a party on a boat down the Thames and only one guy got high (not pissingly drunk though). One of the guys, Coel (I gotta write his name, just in case he reads this and goes, “Hey, where’s my name??”) even asked how can people get drunk with people they have only met for the first time. Made me surprised totally but I didn’t express it coz at that time, it was 6am in Singapore time and my facial expressions were oscillating between a tuned out look or a tiny smile.



All the doors swing close by themselves. The automatic door by the office, the bedroom door, the cupboard door and even the bathroom door. It’s quite novel to me, since the door do not have the pivots at the top of the door. So the doors closes by itself by the force of the hinge. Wow…


Yep, and some funny things that happened to poor ME… Hey… Give me some sympathy to this idiot, will u??


I didn’t know that I have to turn the heater on before I shower. The one at home is perpetually switched on. Imagine showering in ice-cold water in a room that’s about 17 degrees Celsius. No joke, I can tell you for sure. Not especially when it was my first day there, and I was not adapted to the chill yet. At that point of time, the stupid me was thinking that there might be no hot water in London until neaer winter and that I better get used to it. Yeah, I know, STUPID CHERYL with the word “stupid” bold. Apologies to those around me that night. Bet I didn’t smell nice, since I took the fastest shower I ever had in my entire life.


I mistook the dryer as the washing machine. Even when I heard no water going into the chamber. Even when I saw weird wordings on the dryer, like “Extra dry” or “Minimum Iron”. Even when I saw the goldfish bowl window panel of the washing machine, I still thought that it was a different brand of washing machine (the dryer has a solid metal door like a freezer). It took me 15 min b4 realising something is wrong. I don’t know how I realised but I did. By then, the washing powder has already mixed with the clothes. A pile of washing powder was left behind, despite my desperate efforts to remove it. The last time I checked, it was gone. Probably some unlucky dude is walking around with washing powder still stuck on his cothes.

#*&&!@!^$%&#@~

"Sorry, did you just submitted your application recently?"


"No, I sent it in in May or June."


"May or June... We haven't allocated any accommodation for you yet. Please call us back on Wed. We will definitely allocate you an accommodation by then."


'_"

Farewells

It's been a REALLY long time since I blog. Now that I have given people my blog add, I guess I should start updating more often. Otherwise, it really defeats the purpose of giving people my add, doesn't it?



It's been one farewell after another. Calling them farewells are weird, though, because there was nothing that denotes them as farewells. Everyone was sweet though, buying appropriate gifts. I am serious, when I say that I do feel the thought that goes into the presents. Everyone bought something that I wanted to get and would definitely need.



However, just the gifts alone don't make the gatherings a farwell. Neither do my farewell notes. The feeling is just not right. I just feel as if I am not leaving. Perhaps deep somewhere, I know that I will always take my friends with me. And that they will always be there for me.


I don't know...


But to you reading, I will always be here:) Email me!!!!! (I can hear my GP teacher screaming, "Irrelevant!")

~Diets Be warned~

Somehow, I think the greatest obstacle to us having a healthy diet is the range of healthy diets itself. Our misconceptions and our indifference to check up on the diets itself have contributed largely to the failure in weight control.


Just as doctor hopping is detrimental to our health, so is diet hopping. How often do we find ourselves switching between diet plans or even mixing them? Last Monday was Atkins – low carbs, high proteins, little fruits. Last Friday was following the Food Pyramid – High Carbs, low fats, lots and lots of fibre. By changing the way we eat before our body can adapt, we are actually causing our body to absorb everything by default. If by Friday our body has just managed to adapt such that it burns less carbs but more proteins and fats, imagine the amount of Carbs leftover at the end of the day (No prize for knowing where the excess carbs go). And we would feel very lethargic, because of the lack of engery due to the low amount of fats burnt.



Another danger is the “It is healthy, so I can eat more” fallacy. We all abstain from eating too much potato chips or ice- cream. When presented with a healthier alternative, we tend to loosen our control. DANGEROUS. No doubt apple chips and yogurt have been advertised as healthy food, eating them excessively is just as bad. Even health food is not spared. Eating too much muesli can be carbo-overload. Eating too much fish with its fats is still eating fats, never mind the omega-3.



Finally, people are just plain too lazy to read up on the diets that they are following. The papers only mentioned “Atkins is a diet which advocates high fats, low carbs” and some of us would do just that. We miss out on the details, like no fruits and A LOT of exercise. When dieticians advise people to eat a wide range of nutrition, they are assuming that people do not think a burger is healthy (Come on, it has 2 servings of carbs , 1 serving of protein , veggie and SOME seasoning… That is a range, ain’t it) As for those who are thinking of following the Beyonce – 2 slices of tomato and cucumber a day, Damnit! Haven’t you read the fine print about how your metabolism and your liver and your kidney and your stomach walls and probably your brain (Hang on, if you do follow that diet, then you may have difficulty finding your brain) will screw up after 6 months? Who knows, technology is so advanced nowadays, maybe the cucumber Beyonce had was 9 inches in diameter. So while you are here starving yourself, she was actually walking around with a full stomach, albeit unbalanced in terms of nutrients.



Yep… As I was told, moderation is the key to weight control. AND KNOWLEDGE!!

Excitement Wham!

Life has done it again. It has again played the trick of slamming a gigantic slab of excitement into my life after giving me an endless length of boring meaningless period.



Diving. The practical lessons were quite tedious but fun. At least they have driven the initial fears away. In fact, it was quite heartening to know that I did not panic when things did not really work out the right way. *Yep, my rugger frenz, I’ve actually stayed calm!* The diving test, which would be in Malaysia waters, will be held on Sat. It is most unfortunate that they have decided to forgo the hot water, clean toilets, hot bbq, and what’s not on the island resort for a live- on – board (ie a boat). Sigh… Let’s hope I will not get sea sick and vomit my meals out. And then grow thinner. And maybe I did make a mistake. It is better to live on board:)



A*
I’ve finally heard from them. But I read the email today and the briefing was yesterday. Tough Luck. But there’s gonna be OBS. If it’s anything like the one I had in Sec 3, then I guess I should be looking forward to it:-) Everything is rather rushed though, and with the thought that I have missed the briefing yesterday, I cannot thoroughly immerse in the excitement. Moreover, I don’t know anybody there (I think), so it’s gonna be a challenge. I wonder whether there’d be cookery classes in the pre departure prep… :P



Work
Wanted to end work on 21st June. Colleagues argued that I would be bored to death. Decided to take a one week break in june, then go back to work again. But with the new update of A* activities in June, not sure whether they’d allow me to take so much time off for them. May end up quitting earlier than planned, maybe 1st week of june. Unless they are generous enough to give me 2 weeks break.



TE
Social Night. 160 Characters. X- Men. Phew…

Fake It Like Jackson

I was in the bus the other day, and overheard:


“I tell you something, but you don’t go about telling people.”


“Ok…”


“The card was drawn by me. But we wanted the card to be a group present, so we didn’t mention that. But you don’t tell ****(whoever that ‘lucky’ card receiver is) ah.”



I don’t know about you, but I find that the need for humility has bred a society of hypocrites. We know there is a certain protocol to follow, but following it often undermines our efforts, so we try to cover up by a simple “Sh… It’s still a secret, so I am not announcing my ability.”


If you really want to let people acknowledge your work, JUST SAY IT. There is no need to hush the listener up, because you are worthed it!!!! Having said that, I do admit I am not one a humble person:P



However, if you do feel it inappropriate to let others know the greatness you’ve contributed to this world, then just !ZIP! Don’t go about acting all shy and humble by pretending to hush people up over what you have just said.



Clearly, I have chosen the label “proud” over “hypocritical”.

Invigorated!

I took an impromptu leave today, having woken up with a blocked nose. It ain’t a valid reason normally, but in view of next week’s diving trip, I cannot afford to fall sick at this time.



And am I glad I did. Just lazing around the house helped lifted my spirits. I didn’t even realise how dreary I have become over the past few months till today. I feel invigorated.


Yes… You working adults out there… Stop being so money- faced and take that leave. I always believe in having some time for myself alone. To sort out thoughts and to reflect on my pathetic life. To live in my own fantasies. To feel what I want without any interruptions.



It isn’t hard to understand how new mothers can fall prey to post- natal depression with NO TIME at all to themselves. Heck with those traditional notions that mothers must devote their time to their children. It isn’t as if we children really appreciate it. Leave the wailing babies to the babysitter for once!


Hardly surprising why I cannot imagine myself ever wanting to have (ungrateful) children of my own.

Full Circle

It’s scary how fate has it that the jigsaw puzzle pieces in life will fit in somehow…



I was scolded “dog blood dripping” by this driver over the phone 2 months back. It was the type of scolding which got one all frustrated, because there was nothing one could reply as there was no logic in his words. I felt like strangling someone after that.


However, I remembered this paragraph from a book TE gave me. It said not to sweat the small stuff, because it wasn’t worthed it, and how I don’t need to be the person to mete out the retribution.



So, the next day, someone from another department came down and looked for me. Apparently, they had returned call to the driver regarding the same issue and he had admitted being very harsh with me. The lady came down to asked me about the call and explained that the driver was just shocked over the money issues, thus the insolence. I didn’t think much about the whole incident and thought that was the end of the issue.



As you might have guessed, no… Today, I found out that he had made a scene at the top management. He had been unreasonable and was threatening them. Now, the company is considering taking disciplinary action against him. (Please don’t make any conclusions about the company just based on this, because I’ve omitted other irrelevant details.)



There was a brief victorious feeling for 5s. The feeling was quickly replaced by the enlightenment that we would all face retribution eventually. It was a cynical feeling.



Unfortunately, I have yet to receive enlightenment on positive returns.

Wasted day

We had a precious afternoon and night together on Sat but guess what?


The entire Singapore decided that town was a perfect hang out day.


MI 3 sold out everywhere.


It rained the moment we reached Esplanade.



Changi Airport has become the new ubercool family hangout spot. (Since WHEN?!?!?)



Results --- A full day of walking around doing nothing.


Not saying that I’ve wasted my time with him. As long as we spend time together, it’s never a wasted day. More of saying that we have wasted a rare day: it’s practically impossible to get him for more than 5 hr in a stretchL.



And to wrap things up: a disappointing dinner. Supposed to be Beef rivoli in Cream sauce, but the sauce turned out to be grainy, the beef stuffing tasted weird, the pasta wasn’t al-dente and his pasta was tempting me the entire meal.


Thank goodness for the chocolate after that.

Freed!

Had dinner with the ruggers. Huimin made a memorial CD for each of us, which contains a ppt on us.



As I watch the ppt, I could not help but realise that I have been so caught up in my own problems that I have looked at my team mates through tinted glasses. I was burnt out by Feb last year and got stressed out over the injuries and insomnia. And throughout the entire March to June season, all I can think about is the end of it all. I’ve lived the 4 months shabbily, trying to accelerate my life through that difficult period which I have created in my mind.



And throughout those 4 months, the fatigue and problems bog me down such that I’ve associated most of team mates with the frustration. (Not to mention that my classmates bore most of the brunt, since they were the ones which I hung out with the most in NJ. I can still rmb the numerous times when I’ve snapped at the bio class ppl.)



I knew it from beginning that it was my perception that had to change but acknowledging the problem doesn’t mean solving the problem. It’s only now that I’ve truly seen through the barrier I’ve created and come to my senses.



In fact, I watched the ppt a second time, after this new found freedom (the word freedom is used here because I feel as if I’ve been liberated from network of negative feelings). The things I looked out for were different, the feelings evoked were different, the reaction was different.



Hmmm… I really wonder whether this entry makes sense. Nevertheless, I gotta thank you, Huimin for unwittingly helping me to come to this conclusion.

I shall End The Endless Wait

Been short- tempered for the past few days... I know fully well why but I still let myself get snappy anyway...


Drivers who try to savage their own pride by acting on yours by ordering you around.

And you can only swallow it all down.

GEMS *snort*


The looming exam day (ie SAT)

I honestly try to study but each working day drains me of the energy to just open the book. My brain is only capable of dicephering what goes on in the crappy plots of everyday TV. Seriously, using no brains is worse than spending the entire day cramming for exams. The brain goes into an eternal slumber which I suppose will only break in Uni (it better does!)


The endless wait for either UCAS or Imperial to revert.

According to the welome document from Imperial, changing course ain't a problem, since it only involves a name. So I've set a deadline. By this Fri, I will reply to my offers, no matter what. Otherwise I may not get my place in time (for the medical check up; for the accomodation, which would then affect the booking of air tix). At least I would quit worrying.



And ironic this may sound, I am snappy because I don't feel like I am making full use of my break. I've allowed myself to be laden with worries (which probably dun even exist in the 1st place) and yet, bemoaned the lack of enjoyment.


I make a perfect joke outta myself

more WAITING

Beginning to feel that having a blog is like having a boyfriend.


The initial novelty wears off after a while and the process of upkeeping actually gets quite rountine and even boring sometimes (I can hear some protest from somebody, but come on, I'm sure you agree with me too!_!).


The conversation is one- way. The occasional feedback is meant as a smoke screen to the lack of attention


As time goes on, the frequency and amount of time I spend updating reduces.


I am the only person interested in the content. Let me explain - In a blog, I am probably writing sth coz I think it is interesting. But come on, man, how many ppl are truly interested??!?! And in a BF, "beauty in the eyes of the beholder" speaks it all. (Not exactly a bad thing, if you ask me.)


I will spend some time thinking abt wat to do with it/him, but most thinking remains as that.


And no matter how much I grumble, I am still very much into them! (At least for now!!)







I've just scanned some recipes into my comp. I'm intending to have a repertoire of recipes in my laptop to bring over, so that I can channel my cravings for local food to making them. Gonna attempt pineapple tarts and apple pie (for my colleague's kid) tomorrow. Found out that the hostels do not have ovens. So any recipes with oven requirements are essentially not applicable (for the 1st yr at least).








AND, still no reply from Imperial. Are they affected by Easter hol too??

waiting once... waiting twice... waiting... WAIT!

I finally got a taste of how the taxi drivers really feel like.


I made the mistake of choosing the wrong course at Imperial. Changing it with Imperial was easy. Getting UCAS to reflect the change was not. They could only do it upon reference by Imperial. So I am now caught between troubling Imperial (again! And I do believe they have informed UCAS already. The information probably got lost through transmission) and chasing UCAS to update (when there's nth they can do until they receive the information from Imperial).


And the wait is EXCRUCIATING.







Yep, poor taxi drivers... Blame it on the inefficiency of the system. Idealism is not so-named for nothing.

Countdown 5 Months I

I have always saw no need in keeping a blog, since there it would either be all the superficial stuff and "oh, please how me some pity" entries. However, my mindset has changed slightly, thanks to the numerous foodblogs and interesting entries by some of you:) Moreover, I have a special request by my sis to update her through a blog.

Another reason to start this blog is to keep track of my life here, so that I can look back and remember how life was.

Yep, so here start the countdown towards my leaving for DA PLACE (read "London"). I've decided to link this blog to the outside world only after it's nearer to DA DAY. This is to safeguard against any anti-climaxes like me not leaving after all (wouldn't it be stupid to have a nice blog specially set up, only to name it "home at home" after like 2 months???) or me getting sick of updating this blog (highly likely... I mean, I can count the number of times I've blogged on the class blog with my LIMBS). I can also log in the surprises I have in mind for you people, without any qualms:P

At the moment though, I've only tot abt those for my colleagues at C0Mf0Rt. Probably a bottle with some drink mix. Perfect for those boring and tiring days when all we do is handle taxi drivers 0800 to 1730.