Journey Around the World

A casual catch up which was nice!

2010-07-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

Highlight of the day! Shaves ice that just melts in ur mouth instantaneously!

Lileng's sis in law is pregnant too! We talk about babies, folded baby clothes, chatted, sit around and ate! Was a nice day spent tght! Hugz!

Water issue. Crucial Issue.

2010-06-28T21:24:00.001-07:00

I have always been amazed at Singapore's ability to overcome our constrains, especially in the area of water and space constrains. I felt so proud when reading papers regarding Singapore being almost self-sufficient in our water supply in 2060.

Here are some interesting facts:
- We have 2 water agreement with Malaysia. One just expired and will not be renewed. Another will expire in 2061.
-NeWater and desalinated water now meet 40% of our water consumption. We plan to double it to 80% in 2060. (i.e 1 year before the water agreement with Malaysia expires!)
- 90% of Singapore will become a catchment area with 17 reservoirs, extensive network of drains and canals by next year.
-Water from desalination requires alot of energy and it cost 100times more than buying water from across the causeway(Malaysia)!
- Each individual currently consume ~ 155L of water daily!
-Research to cut down desalination's energy consumption will be carried out.

" Water is a critical resource without which the city cannot survive-let alone grow."

This reminded me of the conversation with Michael in Nic's Kitchen. "Germany has so much water. Maybe every German should send Singapore 1L of water every year!"

82.1 Million Germans- 82.1 Million L of water. This amount of water is sufficient for 1.4 Million of Singapore's population for one year.

Deutsche Welle-My Munich!

2010-06-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

Here is the final product of the one-day filming at Munich. I was really shy in front of the camera. Dunno why. I would rather talk to stranger than to a camera. All comments made were spontaneous-some lame, some with errors... it was funny.. not knowing what to expect, wondering what to say etc... Hope you enjoy the video ;) Nic and I had a great laugh when we heard and saw ourselves for the first time.. our voices sounded strange and we felt that we look weird on tv somehow..

PS: I din know that my voice actually sound so low to others!

Catch me on German TV-Travel Magazine: My Munich ;)

English Version: http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_single_mediaplayer/0,,5680740_type_video_struct_9822_contentId_5636884,00.html

German Version: http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_single_mediaplayer/0,,5679464_type_video_struct_9820_contentId_5636888,00.html

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/0,2692,9820,00.html

Cook the day away

2010-06-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

Manage to pick up my favourite hobby when I am here in Munich again- Cooking and Baking! I have so much time to cook and it is really fun! I look forward to it everyday. Especially when there is someone to finish all the food! Thanks Nic=)

Here just a glimpse of some stuff=) :

1. Thai Green Curry Fried Rice with Egg 2. Cream Spaghetti with Salmon and Olives

3. Stir Fry Spaghetti with assorted Veg 4.Tortellini with Grilled Zukini

5. Baked Cream Pasta with Crispy Paprika/Pepper Grilled Chicken

6. Assorted Veg Fried Rice with Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken

7. Wholewheat Thin Crust Pizza with Mozzarella, Paprika, Mushrooms and Basil
(Self-made crust+pizza sauce!)

8. Wholewheat Biscotti with Almonds, Dark Chocolate Chips and Milk Chocolate.

The word Biscotti originates from the medieval Latin word biscoctus, meaning "twice-cooked/baked": it defined oven baked goods that were baked twice, so they were very dry and could be stored for long periods of time. The Biscotti that I made was indeed baked twice, cooled and individually wrapped to give friends=)

9. Apple Strudel with Apple+Peaches

10. Honey Coated Muesli with Nuts, dried Fruits and Chocolate(Milk+Dark)

11. Self-made Sushi for our Picnic in Munich. Tuna, Egg, Zukini, Paprika, Smoked Salmon, Turkey breast and Rucola(my favourite Salad!)

Rucola, my fav Salad, which has a nutty after taste. I am trying to get buy the seed and grow them in Singapore! Would love to have a WHOLE Field of Rucola! haha... Yummy!

12. Panini with French Baguette, Cheese, eggs, Grilled Zukini and grilled Tomatoes.

13. Fried Rice with freshly baked potatoe slices 14. Pasta topped with molten fresh mozzarella

15. Pan grilled sides with stir fried pasta 16. Teriyaki grilled platter-Paprika, Spring Onions, Zucchini, Chicken and mushrooms

17. Noodles with turkey breast, goat cheese and stuffed tomato

18. Semi Vegetarian Meal(expect the drumplets) 19. Stri Fried Tortellini with Salami+Wurst

20. Farewell Dinner with nic's neighbours. Mixed of molten cheese on baked bread! Typical swiss;)

End of Food Journey..

Marbach, Stuttgart

2010-06-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

Nic's dad stayed at Marbach in Stuttgart and we went to the Markt to get flowers for his sis and nic's cousin before heading to their place for lunch. I think it is very important to bring something along when you go to a friend's place etc.. This is something that is lacking in Asian's Culture.

We havnt got any pictures of the extended family coz Nic left the battery of his Nikon at Munich and my super handphone camera ran out of battery after these 3shots. Will get them from his dad or cousin when the time comes I guess ;)

The pretty Flower Market!

Self selected assortment of Flowers for his Sister ;) Aww...

Nic's dad, nic, Carmen(Nic's cousin) and me=) Was a nice LONG CHAT and LONG LUNCH! Typical German afternoon ;)

Carmen and her husband at the back. In front from left to right: nic's aunt, aunt's husband (Whose has the same name as nic's dad! Helmut!), Nic's dad. Nice people!

New found relationships

2010-05-30T14:10:00.001-07:00

Travelled to Stuttgart and back on Carpool with strangers... Mitfahregelegenheit it is called. Paid ~12euros for each way.. It is a good way of travelling I must say.

Visit nic's dad at Stuutgart. He's working there for 2 mths before returning. Guess what. Nic just met his Aunt(dad's sis) thrice till now- 1st when he was 2yrs old and twice recently. He met his cousin for the first time together with me when were there! It was lovely! We spent a typical German Saturday afternoon together-Salad, Swaebisches Lunch(Meat Loaf, potato salad, Spaetzle, Bier, cake and coffee. All ended at ~ 6 pm- 7pm and we were full to the brim.

Conversations were good- ranging from personal/individual to global topics...

Hope to meet again=) New found relatives and relationships.

France, Côte d’Azur

2010-05-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

Nice, Cannes and Monaco in France was really nice. It was nice to meet Sami and his friend Erik when we were there=) Breakfasting in the sun with good views+self-made baguettes, walking by the blue blue beaches, having lots of sunshine(unlike in germany now!), strolling through old old towns...

Cannes was my favourite coz it was less touristy, nicer old town and also Mussels+Pommes+white wine was fabulous at the traditional restaurant! It was an enjoyment!

Blue blue water at Cannes. Walked a long way to find a comfy place to sit for breakfast;)

Sami was more into the Asian "Twist"! He loved it!

Monaco was really fancy, luxurious Autos speed through the city, expensive private yatches layed the banks, not mentioning the high-end shops and casinos!

Us at the peak with a panoramic view of the city!

The narrow street in the old town of Nice

The countless Baguettes and Pain au Chocolat that we had! Yummy!

Happiness....

Picture from my Hp camera.. not bad eh!

More Fotos on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photos.php?id=516817435

Munich revisit=)

2010-05-20T01:07:00.000-07:00

Dubai Airport

Arrived in Munich after 17hrs of flying, transiting, sleeping, eating, waiting.... Emirates in flight entertainment is good=) Flew from Singapore-Dubai (7hrs + 3hrs transiting) followed by Dubai-Munich (6hrs). I slept quite a lot but it was no quality sleep. Tired.

My source of entertainment. Bought this cross-stitch when I first moved into the condo at Katong 3yrs ago but nv got down to completing it. Hope to finish it before the opening of the Backpackers hostel in July =) It is a "Welcome" sign for the door=)

Customised Brownie. Yummy..

Managed to rest before going for Stammtisch-gathering where exchange students prepared food. It was North American and brazilian food this time round. It was new to know that North American cuisine does not just revolved around burgers, hotdog and fries.. They had meat with chilli,chocolate and cheese (all in one) , beans stuff etc... it was alright but din really like it...

It is nice coming back again as a tourist/exchange student without school workload-just the parties and meeting people part/unemployed/FREE person =) Cold dry air blowing into the face, cruising on my bicycle to the Supermarket, eating Ice cream in the Freising old town while window shopping....

Nic's pretty "garden" in his balcony ;)

Only thing on my to-do-list is to study for my Testdaf on 8th June and thinking about what to cook everyday=) Fun! Life of a tai-tai (except that I am not rich)... haha....

Beethoven Virus

2010-05-20T01:02:00.000-07:00

Kang Gun Woo is an orchestra conductor in his 40’s. He is an elite workaholic conductor who has a very bad reputation. He is known as someone who will do absolutely anything in order to create the very best music. However, due to his self-righteous and stubborn personality he thinks that only his thoughts are correct which makes him unable to form good relationships with those around him. He meets Du Ru Mi, a violinist, and a trumpet player who has the same name as him, and together they form a love triangle. The trumpet player is a music genius who aspires to become a conductor. His style is totally different and he emphasis the process more than the results, believing in bringing happiness through music.

Really like this guy=)

Life chose me and I chose happiness. Striving towards our dreams with passion.

Exploring Singapore

2010-05-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

The eventful stay started at noon, when Yihan, Guangyi and I went for Lunch at Chinatown (People's Park Complex) and went hunting around for Table liners that I wanted to get. I saw it during CNY but it was too crowded and I din not get them. We sat down for Kopi/Teh and I had the worse Teh ever. I made the waitress replace yihan's and my Teh. The second attempt was slightly better but it was no where near drinkable. "It was just the wrong combination of everything. The tea, milk and sweetener". Was tempted to not pay but we did. Yihan even tipped them! Boo... GY went for German Bratwurst and the Austrian boss was no where near friendly. I managed to speak a few sentence to him in German went I picked up his falling menu/price display. Wad a disappointment. Germans and Austrians are usually way friendlier. Has he been Singapore-fied and lost his "roots"?! nvm... We explored a lavish, air-coned temple near Smith Str and it was amazing. Apparently million of dollars were spent building the temple. "Doesnt that just contradicts the principles of religions sometime. Imagine what other good the money could be used for."

Roof Garden

Hans and Guangyi

We moved on to visit Goethe Institute at Penang Road. It was all quiet. The library, which was the size of a classroom, was empty. Wad a pity. Yihan and I wanted to look for some great German film there but we only saw old old films! Saw a poster of the Film "Ein Teil von mir". Will check out this film. GY says that its nice=) I browsed through German magazines while GY chanced upon this book below:

We had a good laugh coz it was Hans and Guangyi's book. Yihan's nic name was HANS and Guangyi's surname was KUNG! haha... Does god exist?

This was at some MRT station=)

We proceeded to explore 313 @ Somerset-GY's favourite shopping centre. It was quite nice on the inside. They had a sitting area with cushion etc and it was nice. I feel that sitting space is something that is lacking in Singapore compared to Germany. Nice to know that 313 has made improvement in this area. The no. of guys sitting is larger than the number of gals-maybe coz the gals are all in the shop while the guys wait patiently =) That's only my speculation though. Han seconded that!

Orchard central (beside 313) was a slight mess and the escalators telepot us from level 1 to level 3 at one go! haha.. It was a long ride..

I bought plates from Robinsons and a huge bowl from Tangs for Liquid Chocolate yesterday. I love the "Kitchen" section and was glad that I could buy something and put it to good use. A lady behind us in the Cashier queue was very nice. She offered to help me pay with the Robinsons discount card when she heard me telling the cashier that I had no discount card. That was such a rare sight. Nice Singaporeans still exist! Let's make Singapore a better and warmer place. =)

It was very nice to have time in our hands, exploring Singapore/our surrounding and hanging out with friends. Waffer Ice cream from the push cart , lepaking on some bench and listening to life guitar music from a bar along Orchard road was something that I have not done in a long long while. I am gonna make good use of time till september to LIVE.

Marcus recommended some other areas to explore. "When you see old shophouses, just walk".
Tanglin, thomson, chinatown, boat quay, newton, alexandra..... :) Oh and I wanna go Potong Pasir and explore that area too!

NUS Faculty of Science Student Profile

2010-05-10T23:20:00.001-07:00

Check out my student profile @ FOS NUS website =)

http://www.science.nus.edu.sg/students/profiles/2010lokexiuqing.html

Happy day

2010-05-10T10:33:00.001-07:00

Today was a happy happy day. No plans. Clearing my room and making a trip down to Paya Lebar to have a photo taken for MOE were the only ones on the agenda. It turned out to be eventful. All would have been better if I havnt got a flu. Nose became hyper active and was running non-stop!

Photo taking was swift and I was back by noon. Went for lunch with parents and had great prawn mee!

Jane managed to help me get Newater for Michael from her school and she went through quite a bit of walking up and down to locate it! Thanks for the trouble. Appreciate it=) Met her at Marine Parade Polyclinic coz she was there to get a referral for her hearing problem. I accompanied her coz I was free! I really felt free and had a say over how I wanna spend my time. That felt great! Great! We went for some shaved ice at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and it was really nice! Nic, I must bring you there when you are back. You will love it! Chit chatting was great! Jane asked, if you were rich now, what do you wanna be rich for? I said, I would wanna be rich for Liquid Chocolate. On second thought, I just want Liquid Chocolate to do well-I consider its currently sales/rental volume as satisfactory and I am really happy with it and the sense of satisfaction is there because something I "created" is working=) But this will always remain a sideline thing as I cannot imagine doing Liquid Chocolate full time. I need to do something meaningful and purposeful to keep me alive and for now, I think that is teaching. Liquid Chocolate is like a hobby just like climbing and badminton. Dun think I can do them full time. I wanna be rich for something meaningful. But the irony is that teachers can never get rich. Haha...

I made some progress with packing my room and am planning to keep up with it and hope to finish packing before I head off to Germany. May the dust in my room go easy on my nose. *drowsy and tired*

Daniel called to meet up! Off we went to ice cream chef! It was nice as usual. I hope I get to enjoy teaching, have nice colleagues that will help one another and greet each other good morning along the corridors coz I love that in Germany! Is the influx of foreign immigrants a reason for the lack of rootedness that Singaporeans have for Singapore? My reason for wanting to leave(if the desire is ever strong enuff), would not be the influx of foreigners but because I want to live life differently, want to have a greater emphasis on quality of life, liking the German culture etc..

10:30pm onwards was spent meeting renfu and yixin at Tamp Ave 4 Blk802, coincidentally opposite Likeng's flat. He joined us for ice cream and we hanged out at the void deck after the ice cream shop closed. Renfu made interesting balloons for yixin.

On yixin's left hand was my flower bookmark to her, on her right hand was marcus flower to her (immitation of the flower I gave!). The rabbit was a copy of yx's t-shirt design. Cool right=)

Other works from Marcus:

Complicated "heart" from marcus. Dino, my ipod holder, wanted a picture with hearty=)

A bear was floating in the Balloon =) The white part got frosty after a day and it looked snowy. Beary probably enjoyed skiing in the Alps;)

Lunch with Zhen andMarcus during my final sem! =)

Zhen was moody. So here's a cap to cheer her up since her hands were full with other balloons from marcus=)

THE Balloon Sculpture @ Work!

Shining Inheritance

2010-05-09T18:54:00.000-07:00

This drama was good=) The 2 characters on the left are my favourite. Look at how pretty the gal is with long hair below. Incredible! The guy in white coat is the nice, kind, charismatic guy=) He looks god and dresses well=)

Go Eun Sung’s(my fav female character) life is similar to Cinderella’s. After her father died, her step-mother, took away all of her assets and her younger brother suddenly disappears without a trace. Despite this, Eun Sung preservers and works really hard to fulfill her dreams. When the CEO of a food company, suffers amnesia and can’t remember who she is Eun Sung takes her in. However, Eun Sung does not know that she is the grandmother of Sun Woo Hwan(guy on extreme right), the man who she switched bags with at the airport. How will their constant bickering lead them to realize that they care more about each other than they let on?

Looking around for nice dramas to watch. East of Eden is long and has a boring beginning and I feel like giving up!

Dear Lileng

2010-05-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

Happy 23rd Bdae to you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YhOamBDqY4

Finally I am done with Exams! I am more excited to be done with exams than uni. Uni was fun and I experienced alot during this period of time. Glad that I am gonna have a good break till Sept when NIE starts. Looking forward to another year of education at NTU=) It has been a long time since I have gone to town and walk till legs broke! It was nice! Looking forward to going ECP, Botanical gardens and Blue Jazz=)

We were like tourists, exploring the helix bridge, taking photos and exclaiming at the beautiful architecture. I find it amazing and slightly scary at the same time, witnessing how Singapore changed over the years I have existed. It must have been even more breath taking for people who have witness the development of Singapore since independence.

These lights were found on the walk way on the Helix bridge. I was wondering what it was until Lileng mentioned that they were the DNA pairs! A&T and C&G !

These colourful Honey-comb changes colour and it is really pretty at night. Happy that my camera managed to take decent pictures even at night! =)

Marina Bay Scent Hotel. It was tiring walking from tower one to tower3, especially after having walked around for 2hrs before that. We were delighted went we saw the exit but our hearts sank and jaw dropped wide open when we saw that the exit at Tower3 was not in use. We had to walk back to Tower1. Good company pulled us through=)

A model giving the overview of the whole marina bay area.

Coffee Prince 咖啡王子

2010-04-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

Coffee Prince stormed through "Taming Chaos" and Betten's module during the rough exam period with me faithfully, when all motivation to study was lost. Studying in the library got annoying and I just did not fit in there. Dramaing and learning simultaneously at regular intervals has proven to be the most effective learning method this sem. It amazes me to see how my preferred-learning environment changed over the years! Camping in libraries was no longer the best solution.

It was a relatively nice show=) It revolved around the setting up of a Coffee Prince cafe, which only hired guys. A tomboy-ish gal got mistaken as a boy and was hired at the cafe. Things got complicated when she and the boss of the shop fell in love. Eventually, it was revealed that she is a girl. This may sound silly but it is actually quite nice=)

The tomboy-ish gal (left) is the main character in the show, with a strong character and possessing a strong determination in life. Doesnt she just look amazing in reality(right)? The hair makes a HUGE difference!

Main Characters

This guy in the show has sharp features with high cheek bones. He attracted my attention.

schwarzer Humor

2010-04-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

1)Mann zum Busfahrer: "Können sie mir sagen, wie ich am schnellsten zum Friedhof komme?" - "Klar! Legen sie sich einfach vor meinen Bus!"

*Man says to the bus driver,"Could you kindly tell me how I get to the cemetery in the shortest time possible?" "Sure! Just stand right in front of the bus!" *

2)Abgetriebene Kinder sollen demnächst auch in die Stammbücher aufgenommen werden.
Unter welcher Rubrik?
Entfernte Verwandte...

* Aborted kids should be noted in the register in the future.
Under which Category?
Distant relatives...*

Super funny eh ;)

Last day at German Class

2010-04-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

Unlimited Gummie Bears from Herr Doepel during our last session! Gelatine overdose ZZzzzZ...

原来是美男 You're Beautiful

2010-04-24T00:31:00.000-07:00

Completed another korean drama in 1.5 days. This drama kept me company and kept me awake preparing for CM 3262 exam this morning. =)

The Drama is awesome. It was about this gal who pretended to be her twin bro and joined this band AN Jell because the bro need to go overseas for something. The other 3 guys in the band gradually fell for her throughout her whole stay with them. The amazing thing is that this band actually came up with their own song album in real life and the songs are really good =) Thumbs up! Highly recommended=) I am really wondering how come I have not come across any good-looking korean guys in Singapore and when I was in korea. Are none of the actors/actress 100% natural? I can understand why meimei wanna learn korean to get to know some hot korean dude(even though her chances might be slim)! haha...

You can watch it for free at Tudou and download the WHOLE OST music from

http://koreandramamv.blogspot.com/2009/11/youre-beautiful.html

I tried recommending it to my sis and she said that she watched the whole thing le and she was the one who gave me the link to get ALL the songs=)

2010-04-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

The most important thing is to be true to yourself. "I dont live in fear, I am free. I have no secrets and I know that I will always be ok because no matter what, I know who I am.

Live life with integrity, honesty and compassion. Dont succumb to peer pressure and dont follow other people's path. Be yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JccudODwwY

This is really good and funny too =)

~ Thanks M.S RF for sharing =)

2010-04-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

Photography: http://www.underscoremagazine.com/index.html

http://www.huhmagazine.co.uk/section.php?s=interview&t=photography

2010-04-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

Looking back at 8 Semesters of academia, there will be nothing I want to change and no better results I will ask for. I lived in the moment, enjoyed, made the best out of every bit I could and most importantly, lived my dreams. I did my best and came into contact with people be it friends or Professors who have shaped me in one way or another. I sought communications at the personal level and everything was brought to life. It felt real.

Thank you each and everyone of you for being part of my wonderful journey=)

~partly adapted from M.S.RF

Consultations

2010-04-20T20:43:00.001-07:00

Profs must be hating me for giving extra work when they have to entertain me at consultations i guess. I must say that preparing for consultations does take up time, but the enlightenment after that can be quite rewarding. In lectures/tutorials, we hardly get a chance to speak to the prof at a personal level and I like the interactions that we have after class. Lessons and knowledge feels more real that way.

Professor Ryan Bettens and Dr. Max Coll are pretty nice people I must say. Today's consultation for "taming chaos'' was nice. Improved my understanding of the module and it was nice spending the 1st 15min talking to Max about coffee and italy =) He offered me coffee from his espressor machine and I gladly accepted the offer. Apparently, many students have rejected his coffee when he offered them.

Verona is my fav city in italy btw =) Venice is nice too =) Come to think of it, i saw quite alot of italy.. Milan, verona, venice, rome, bergamo, florence, pisa...

btw... xiuqing thinks that jon ma is quite thoughtful =)

here is a link for Nic: http://SHINE.YAHOO.COM
Got it from Jon man and you can try out some of the recipes=)

2010-04-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

Ate lunch with them at YIH Jap place. Was alright=)

My camera on my phone is gut eh! So proud of it. Im in love!

It is really true that gals say "No" to certain things when they wanna say "Yes" deep down inside them. I do not understand. Maybe because they are shy or maybe they feel insecure or maybe they want to be reassured. Such behaviors are dangerous. I havnt come across any guy who like such behaviors. I hope i dun belong to this grp. Please ask nic for verification ;) I am usually very straight forward one right? Stimmt das oder nicht=)

My arty farty hp wall paper=)

You know wad this resembles? You are my sunshine =) Thanks M.S RF =) haha

Post FYP gathering

2010-04-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

A huge THANK YOU to all who came down on Sunday, especially those who arrived despite the storm=) Glad that you guys had fun. It was really nice having all of you at my place!
A big thank you to marcus again for bringing joy to everyone around through ya balloons as well as ya company of course;) Thank you everyone for bringing all the food...

It is a pity that such communal parties are not prevalent in our culture. It is very common in Germany . I have been to almost every single friend's place or hostel when i was in Germany. Maybe because it is more expensive to eat out in Germany so many people do it at home. Maybe the next time someone else can organise gathering and the rest can help yah;) any volunteers? =) Or can come my place again or ECP for BBQ=)

Hope that everyone will continue doing something they enjoy and find meaningful in life instead of plunging straight into a job that one dun like. Keep in contact yah! ~hugz~

Strictly Sexual (2008)

2010-04-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

In Los Angeles, the wealthy aspirant writer Donna and her best friend (also aspirant designer) Christi Ann are bored of relationships and decide to chase two escorts in a bar for one night stand. Meanwhile, the construction workers and best friends Stanny and Joe come from New York but do not find jobs in Los Angeles; without money, they decide to go to a fancy bar to drink and leave the place without paying the bill. Donna and Christi Ann meet Stanny and Joe and invite them home believing they are hustlers. After a night of sex, the women discover the misunderstanding and that the men are indeed unemployed workers. They offer them to stay in a tent near the swimming-pool with beer and food while they search for jobs; in return, they would be their "boy-toys" during the nights in a strictly sexual relationship. Along the following weeks, the couples become closer and change their feelings and behaviors with the development and growing of their relationships.

It is nice to see how one can start to grow onto someone else. Maybe that's how most relationships happens I guess...

Kristen Kerr has really good features!

http://movie25.com/strictly-sexual-2008_3249.html

Poster day!

2010-04-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

Aint my Pomelo Poster pretty? =) haha..

Poster day went well! It felt like THE graduation ball. Everyone looked good and well dressed, all ready for the big day. The department catered food for us twice throughout the long day event. I remember Clement eating non-stop. The whole cohort mingled with one another and I also spoke to people whom I have never seen before and whose names that I never knew. Spoke to good friends like lileng, jos and aik heng, catching up on all the time that was stolen by the Monster named FYP. Coffee was good, chatting and chilling was even better=) I shared the joy of my pomelo flavored drinks with many people-some where excited, curious while other were skeptical. It turned out way better than expected. I was totally disappointed when I knew that I examiner was coming btw 9-12 and the other btw 2-5! That means I would be sitting around all day doing nothing. But time flies when talking, running around and reading my little prince book!

I am glad that Firmenich wants my poster and I do not put it to waste by hanging it in my room.. I have an extra copy anyway should I really want to show my kids what I did =)

Poster day felt very REAL for me! I felt in touch. Looking forward to sunday! I think we are kinda distant from reality for a period of time when we are forced to a certain extent to focus and focus on FYP and neglected some stuff unconsciously. It is the human touch and connection with people. For me at least. Let's go back to the old school days when we had fun together and chatting after lectures as we walk on to the next destination.....

Wieder ein schöner Tag

2010-04-15T03:51:00.000-07:00

Heute war es wieder ein schöner Tag. Ich hab mit Prof Hugl und seine Frau zum Mittagessen getroffen und wir haben viel gesprochen. Es war sehr angenehm, besonders mit Kaffee am Ende. Wir haben fast die ganze Zeit auf Deutsch gesprochen. Ich könnte fast alles verstehen, aber ich habe gemerkt, dass mein Deutsch schlechter geworden ist. Tja.. Wir haben über das Studiumsystem gesprochen, Prof Hugls neues traumhaftes Fachwerkhaus, viel über ihre Kinder, mein kleines Schokoladebrünnen Geschäft usw...

I solved one of the biggest mystery today! 1 or 2 years ago, a guy named Paul Hugl wrote a message on my blog, saying something along these lines, "It is interesting to read about the things that you wrote from another perspective (as a foreigner/stranger i guess)." I was puzzled and did not understand what he was talking about~ I thought that he was referring to the stuff that I wrote about my travels in Germany and Europe. I assumed that he was Prof Hugl's son coz I dont know anyone else with the Family name "Hugl".

Bbbbuuuttt...... how did he get to my blog?! I did not give him my blog address and I only spoke to him once over dinner/lunch and that was it. Strange strange.

Today I explained the whole incident to Prof Hugl and his wife and it was hilarious. They chanced upon my blog when the kids (probably one of the 6) googled their parents' names! (Btw you get quite alot of hits when you google Prof Hebert Hugl!) Apparently, they chanced upon my blog because I wrote a post about my experience at their place:
http://journey--around--the--world.blogspot.com/2008/11/dsseldorf-kln-leverkusen-monheim.html

It was embarrassing to a tiny extent coz I couldnt remember if I wrote anything bad or impolite unintentionally (even though there was really nothing bad about the whole trip that I could think off.. but still... ). They said that the post was very sweet because I wrote about how Prof Hugl was a Gentleman towards his wife in many ways! Re-reading the post again today brought back many fond memories=)

Hopefully I will get a chance in this life to see their beautiful newly bought house near Bremen and Hannover that is 300 years old(Fachwerkhaus), near a river with very nice scenery, surrounding and HUGE garden. I wont mind helping out in the garden on the tractor=) It sounds like a great place just from the description.. Something that you can never buy in Singapore coz hses are TOO expensive in Singapore.

A traumatizing chapter closed

2010-04-13T19:25:00.001-07:00

1)How does it feel like working with someone from an events company who sets an appointment to do the return more than 10times but fail to appear/meet them without informing you and you have it find it out yourself when you call her after your agreed appointment time and finds out that she is ALWAYS caught in a jam and will be late for her next event and she is not coming. Next appointment? Unsure? She never apologises despite the fact that the rental is overdue, despite the fact that she keeps changing and canceling the appointment.

When it happens once, her mum was sick- I tried to understand but she was really rude.
Ring ring, " My mum is sick. She is more important. I will return tml." That was how the conversation went.

When it happens twice, "I am caught in a jam and will be late for the event. I will return tomorrow."

When it happens again, " I can come down now." Me:"Yupz sure. In 30 min?" she hesitates and change the topic.

This went on for many times. It was pushing the limits but she doesnt think it is wrong because it is not stated BLACK AND WHITE in the invoice. I felt that it went beyond an invoice. It went beyond how one should carry himself and adhere to the many appointments that ONE sets for him/herself.

2)Last Chance for her:
Return tomorrow(3days after the rental was due),or the rental set is for you to keep and I will confiscate the deposit. She refused but I sent the following email since she is such a B&W person:

Hi,

As agreed over the phone made at 8:10pm on 13th April , the LATEST date for return of the Fountain Set is tomorrow, 14th April, at 10am at NUS Temasek Hall.

The rental set has been overdue since Sunday, 11th April. Should return not be done by the above stated date and time, the deposit will be confiscated and the fountain set is for you to keep.

Please kindly note that Terms and Conditions for Rental apply.

I sincerely seek your kind attention and cooperation.

3) I was totally traumatised. Broke down. Glad that Renfu and Nic was always there to help. I made a phone call to the company at ~10pm and managed to speak to a person of authority and everything took a turn for the better. Thanks Renfu for your Strudel.

4) I collected everything from her today and i was trembling all the way.. dunno why..

Tested chocolate melter and it did not work.. did not light up.. So i asked her to help.. she was "nice" and helped... She helped me packed and offered to carry everything (the plates, fountain, melter) to my room despite me saying, "You can leave now. I can manage on my own." I carried everything to the room all alone and it was not heavy at all... Fear makes one strong...

I din say anything to her all along and she said:

You called my boss yesterday. I said i called the office line and it got diverted to his phone.

She asked, "what did you say."

I was walking away and did not want to talk to her. I said, "I only said the truth."

She said, "that must have been powerful, coz you caused 2 women in the company to loss their job."

I walked away.

I was back in my room and am glad that all was over. Lesson learnt and Terms&Condition will be sent to every customer.

She tried calling me and i keep rejecting her call 5 times in 1 minute.. She messaged, "hey wanna ask for 420 pax, pls ans."

I messaged,"I am not doing this with you anymore, unless someone else from the company works with me or nth at all."

She replied, "got it. Thankz for your help. use camomile tea bag or chilled soup spoon to reduce the swollen eyes. Ok i get my boss to work you. Understand how you must be horrible. my apologies to caused you all the trouble."

I replied, " apology accepted. I was greatly traumatised."

My impression of this tall, pretty, long hair gal changed throughout the whole roller coaster experience. She was initially a nice, warm and great person to work with when I first saw her. And it took a drastic turn to someone who doesnt keep their own words/appointments, use B&W to threaten others, domineering, unreasonable to a certain extent-basically a nightmare to work with. And I am glad that I am not the only one who thinks so, especially after yesterdays incident. She was "alright and semi nice" again this morning. Am I just too trusting or is she changing too fast? Whatever it is, I am never gonna deal with her again even if it concerns a 1 million dollar Chocolate Fountain Business deal.

I think I really cant go against such simple life principles to accommodate someone like this. I choose nth at all. Because I am happier that way.

I became very skeptical about the next few customers who called regarding fountain on the same day. I was paranoid and spoke about the Terms &Conditions over phone. I hated it for a while coz I doubted other people, which I dont usually do. I guess I usually trust them unless proven otherwise. We came up with a solution and decided to send all customers in the future an invoice with all the Terms&Conditions.

I always wanted to do biz the way I want it to-fun, trusting, enjoyable, help one another to make the event a great one. I will try to continue doing so just with additional measures in place to protect us from people like HER.

Emotions still engulfed me when I read through this posting for the 2nd time.

2010-04-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

Hugz ALL the way from Germany =)

Always Ready

2010-04-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

Hell week is gonna be over after Tuesday!! Cheers!!! Abstract submitted. Thesis deadline is over. Poster printed. Left Poster presentation and Betten's assignement. My 4 years of undergrad education at NUS(effectively 3 years in NUS and 1 year in Germany) is coming to an end. I am pretty excited about all that is gonna be happening after graduation. Apparently I will need to do paid school attachment before NIE in July and Aug! Will see how that fits in with YOG commitments =)

Here's another HK drama which I completed at a slower and steady rate; better time management btw studying and watching =) The show was good. helped me concentrate better throughout the show.

This show reminded me of daniel a few times. I guess it is the way the way the guy carried himself in outdoor/forest situations that resembled daniel in some ways. Nth bad=)

Looking forward to semi-graduation Chocolate Fountain gathering next week end! haha=)

Autumn's Concerto, Next Stop happiness

2010-04-05T21:56:00.001-07:00

This was a reward for finishing my Final Year Project Thesis and poster! Finally. I am almost done with Uni and I can hardly believe it. Looking forward to going to live in Germany and visiting Nice, France! Just booked air tickets for Nice yesterday! Woohoo!

Autumn's Concerto's is pretty nice but it wasnt as impactful as "Down with Love"=) I had fun, finished watching 21 episode in 2.5 days? =) Quite effiicient eh!

Happiness and family are undoubtedly the most important in life. Treasure your love ones and tell them "I LOve you!".

Ren Guang Xi, a cocky law student, seems to lead the perfect life. He's the sole successor to a huge and famous business and a talented ice hockey player. But in reality, his lonely life lacks joy, laughter and motivation. That is until he meets Liang Mu Cheng, the new bento seller at his school canteen. Although orphaned at a young age, Mu Cheng does not let her past affect her and lives life with great passion and determination. A harmless bet brings the two together and Guang Xi slowly changes as Mu Cheng teaches him how to give and love. Tragedy strikes when Guang Xi suddenly has to go through a major brain surgery which causes him to lose his memory. His mother begs Mu Cheng to leave him and the latter has no choice but to do so. Little does she know that she already has Guang Xi's child.

Six years pass. Mu Cheng lives a quiet life with her young son in the countryside while Guang Xi is now a successful lawyer and is engaged to He Yi Qian, the kind and beautiful doctor who took care of him after his surgery. A strangely familiar piano piece stirs Guang Xi's heart as he struggles to recall his past romance with Mu Cheng. How will the couple make up for six years of lost time? Happiness, which stop do I alight at?

Fountain Party fun!

2010-03-26T21:30:00.001-07:00

Handphone died again after only 3 months! This is the 4th Hp dead in 1 year! What's wrong man. I think i am just a curse to all my phones! Why is it so difficult to have a phone that allows me to just sms and call and have settings in German. Will look out for a cheap sony erricsson one.

My 3rd Fountain party in 2010. hehe. It was great fun once again, especially when renfu is around=) I am gonna get my own party hats! It was nice meeting up with some ppl after so long! Thanks Renfu once again for bringing so much joy into our lives=)

Down with Love

2010-03-24T17:48:00.000-07:00

"Down with love" was really good=) It was really sweet and funny! Had many good laughs with nic now and then. He only watched selective scenes with me and I summarized the rest for him=)

Had post-drama syndrome after finishing this show. According to nic's words:" You have lost all meaning in life now that you are done with the show". I guess I have to look for new meaning!

Now that I am done with this drama, I can write my thesis which is due in less then 2 weeks in peace=(

German lesson with Frau Verry was very nice again yesterday. We were talking about culture! Everything from facial expressions to work place habits! We heard so much about her indo husband and kids. The upbringing is so different! It is so amazing and interesting and she is very informative in this area.

Guess wad! In Europe, it is not in their culture to travel before their wedding to do photo shoot! They take photos on the day itself! "What if you take the photos 6mths back and get divorce when your big day arrives!" , says Frau Verry. Haha.. Made a little sense at that point in time=)

2010-03-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

Just for you Welzl ;) Ich vermisse dich schon!

Every bit counts

2010-03-13T20:36:00.000-08:00

Are you a Chocolate(Fountain) Lover yourself? ;) "Every bit counts!"

Silono

2010-03-07T07:46:00.000-08:00

So ein toller Film muss ich sagen. Lebe mit Feuer und Leidenschaft. Was kann man eingentlich damit kaufen, frag einige. Man kann damit nichts kaufen aber man kann damit gut leben. Ich bin einverstanden.

Brüder sind immer die engsten Freunde.. und die bitterstern Freunde. Der Film hat solche Emotion sehr gut befördert.

Gigi ist wegen deiner Mutters Krankheit nach Solino zurückgekehrt und hatte fast seinen Lebenstraum und Freundin aufgegeben. So was ist enge Verwandtschaft.

Gigi hat nie aufgegeben, seine Leidenschaft zu folgen, ein Filmdreher zu werden. So was ist Feuer.

Gigi hat am Ende seinen Bruder vergeben.

Gigi is so ein hübscher Typ mit kurze Haare! =)

Mr. Mint

2010-03-05T02:28:00.000-08:00

Hohoho.. a coincident SMS conversation revealed the mysterious person who left me a mint plant at my door a few weeks ago=) It was a pleasant surprise and I loved ya present =) Thanks for adding to my plant collection=) ~hugz~

Vegetarian Dinner

2010-02-28T04:15:00.000-08:00

Parents are currently involved in helping to set up a temple for a monk. Being involved is this whole thing is a huge understatement. Nic and I got invited to the dinner and got arrowed to do some sai kang. He was being the unpaid free lance photographer while I was the usherer for guest when they went on stage. Got a chair on my toe in the process. Ouch in silence. But it was nice going to support my parents and to have a better understanding of what they are involved in =)

Awarded the best dressed of the Night by ME! yeah Kang Ho Si? ;) *winkz* Mr. Fine=) Credit goes to Fashion Consultant, Ms. Loke!

1st Home Status

2010-02-28T03:25:00.000-08:00

Say hello to our Eureka Tent, who has been to Mount Everest before, storming all kinds of shit weather =) Attempted our 1st camping at ECP over CNY break. It was warm but fun=)

Fell asleep hearing the waves hitting the shore and was woken up in the morning by the people doing Tai Ji with the sound of their wooden foldable fans and music.... An early start to the day...

2010-02-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

Looking forward to doing the one-day long Test for German=) Cost $350. Thanks mummy for your generous sponsorship=) haha... Trying to find the best time to do it. 20. April is out coz it will be deadline for FYP and final exams. Maybe in July or November. ASAP before I lose it=)

Stay tune to "Hin&Weg" on Deutsch Welle to catch me on a City tour of Augburgs(tentatively) =)

2010-02-12T03:10:00.000-08:00

Randomness was nice today=) Looking forward to Zeya making Fridays 11am Lunch at the Deck a Lepak and catch-up session for ex-victorians=)

Strike a Perfeck Balance

2010-02-06T06:59:00.001-08:00

"Strike a Perfect Balance" on Mr Welzl ;)

Straits Times 6th Feb Scholars' Choice Page 8

2010-02-01T19:38:00.000-08:00

Ich hatte heute DAS Telefongespräch bestanden! Ich habe auf dieses Gespräch lange gewartet! Es war ganz schnell und einfach. Er hat mit mir Deutsch gesprochen und am Ende sagte er, dass er sehr Überrascht war! haha... Wahrscheinlich dass ich gutes Deutsch sprechen kann=) ! Nicht schlect oder ;)

Er hatte ein en ganz anderen Akzent. Ich hätte fast Probleme ihn zu verstehen. Naja! Ich müsste gut zuhören, um ihn gut zu verstehen.

Ich freue mich schon SEHR auf die Jugenliche Olzmpischen Spiele 2010! Hurray.... =)

2010-01-28T08:52:00.000-08:00

Hier ist ein tolles Bild vom Handy in Chiang Mai bei 4 Season's 5 Sterne Spa Resort. Es war echt wunderschön. Unglaublich grün.

Ich versuche jetzt, in Youth Olympics Games 2010 im August teilzunehmen, nicht als Badminton Spielerin (wäre schön aber ich bin nicht gut genug und bin zu Alt dafür.. haha) aber als eine Übersetzerin. Früher wollte ich so was in diese Richtung schon machen bei ASEAN talks oder so aber hätte die Gelegenheit bis jetzt nicht. Ich freue mich sehr auf das Telefongespräch. Ich bin sehr aufgeregt, wie immer. Es wird bestimmt ein Erlebnis meines Lebens sein.

Deutsch 6 ist ok. Wir lernen über interessante Themen zB Das Ruhrgebiet, wie es sich durch die Jahre geändert hat und warum es ziemlich wichtig zu Deutschland ist. Frau Verry, meine Tutoriumlererin ist sehr lustig und Unterricht bei ihr macht immer Spaß!

2010-01-23T07:39:00.000-08:00

Chiang Mai

2010-01-21T07:16:00.000-08:00

It was nice meeting up with erik and hans today!

OH! And guess wad. My sis is pregnant! Gonna be a REAL Auntie in August=) Am really excited.

Delayed post in Chiang Mai:

We were greeted by nic's mum's good fren in Chiang mai the moment we touched down. It was a surprise. We did not expect that. Kun Chat brought us to 4 seasons Chiang Mai, and it is one of the most amazing resort I have ever seen. 15km out of city in a fortress of green, a swimming pool among padi fields and 3 staff to 1 guest.

This Swimming Pool faces padi fields and heaps of nature! Imagine being so close to nature. Chat's influence and connections led us to having a tour of the complex, the 2nd best SPA in the world, and 3000USD a night villas. It was amazing. Absolutely amazing. And all along, everything was so highly desirable. And all sort of thoughts and scenarios were played out of me spending time here. Like imagine working here, or imagine forking out 1000 bucks to stay here for 3 nights or even building a house that copies the designs of the villa=) I am gonna have a nice house in some small town in Europe next time. Plenty of space and quiet.

The Cafe that Kun Chat runs-The Ginger Cafe. The design is a nice hybride of English and Chinese. It was amazing how much time we spent slacking, relaxing and reading here. And not to mention all the great food that we ate for free!

The Ginger Cafe serves Latte in its most traditional style-Latte in a bowl. It is a dream come true for coffee lovers, with such huge portion of coffee that one could just indulge in. Awww...

A view of Sunset and the night markets. The night markets were awesome!

How do you liek out cool spects =) They help to keep of the dust on the bike as well=) Big and good.

Totally reflects the mood in Chiang Mai. Slow and easy. Relax.

I caught the lights in the water. Improved Photography skills eh!

On the way back. Met a German lady who stays in Australia. German came to use=) Nice conversations. But started too late. Well, late is better than never=)

Looking forward to going out of the cities, through north Thailand on our bike tour in December=)

2010-01-14T03:30:00.001-08:00

The desire to learn Korean came to late. Missed the bidding round and the classes are full. High bidding points wont be a problem-coz I am "rich" and graduating. sigh.

It would really be ideal to learn Korean and stop German for this sem. Attending German classes doesnt help as much to improve anymore. I really wanna learn another language. Crossing fingers that my appeal will go through when someone gives up the seat at Korean 1.

2010-01-04T07:29:00.000-08:00

I am kinda addicted to Texas HoldEm Poker! hehe=) Setting up a new poker gambling den during CNY=) Practicing on Facebook poker might help=) hehe..

Sydney

2010-01-01T02:30:00.000-08:00

Yihan will love this photo.
It is an Xmas tree made from plastic drink bottles that will later be recycled.

A tour of the city by the professional guides =)

A day at the zoo. Family outing. Taronga Zoo was super huge.

Some cute animals. Koalas are actually quite useless. They sleep 20 hours a day, wake up and chew on toxic eucalyptus leaves. Baby koalas need to swallow some POO from fellow koalas before consuming the leaves or else they would die from the toxic.

Maruba Beach. Sunny and clear Blue.

Our heavenly accommodation @ the Blue Mountains, 2 hours west of Sydney with our rented luxury car. We were so close to nature and the house was nicely decorated with a Jacuzzi. We had a bubble dip.

A view from some lookout.

Panoramic view and the 3 sisters. Nice but overrated.

A sunrise that I narrowly missed. Watched it for 2 sec and went back to bed.

A unique shop in one of the tiny towns. I loved the shops in Leura. So unique.

Our long windy drive to the Jenolan caves. Nic and I have seen caves in Germany and NZ and decided to explore the FREE areas near the caves, while my parents and sis went for the guided tour. There were heaps of walking trials but we were not properly attired and my parents and sis wont be interested. Would have done it if we were with nara, sara and ben=)

The cave had stuff that looked like lobster(right). hehe... Managed to meet up with Sara and ben twice in Sydney. It was good=) Nara had to leave for the US. See him next time.

2009-12-14T02:54:00.002-08:00

People of different frequency will never resonate with one another. Hard to visualise. But it happens.

Thanks nic! =)

Public Policy Seminar

2009-12-09T04:07:00.000-08:00

Lecture Theater full of people with 300 capacity, monotonous voice going on and on about boring stuff like Policy making, Government structure and Singapore's economy, the clock ticking away slowly cruelly with every passing minute and the impatient wait to leave when the clock strikes 5pm was all that I had in mind before attending this Seminar.

Amazing, it was the total opposite with SMU's posh seminar room(with good view and a walk out open-air platform. now i know why they pay more for Uni fees!) as an interactive and comfortable setting, good food with lunch and 2 tea breaks and most importantly, ENGAGING and informative speakers. I was totally interested. Din expect that. There were so much interesting questions that we only ended at 6pm but it was not dreadful at all. Kinda looking forward to tomorrow's session, not forgetting the good food!

I got to hear so many stories about politics and the Government, as if getting to know Singapore for the first time. It was very real and entertaining, listening to stories like reading a book=)

Some realizations:

-Education helps to equalize opprtunities.
-Dont trust anything that is thrown to you. Think. Enquire. Be critical.
-Seeing things from different paradime may lead to value gap.
-Dont get caught in the hectic "study culture". Enjoy. Education should be a stepping stone for future endaevours. Basic education is needed for crital thinking and to further pursue what we want to achieve in life.
-Teaching is not only about teaching a subject but a person.

2009-12-06T23:55:00.000-08:00

Problem solved with a happy ending.

You never know until you try. Be optimistic=) Trying involves being thick-skinned at times and I am glad that I have what it takes ;) Just ask even if chance are slim.

"A customer will never get a further discount on a discounted item unless he dares to ask. "
Jackie's dad

This is really true. Tested and proven. =)

2009-12-05T09:43:00.000-08:00

I guess making mistakes are inevitable. But this 'biting feeling' continues to tingle within us to the extent that we hate ourselves and wished that we have never done that. I guess pointing fingers at this point in time is not going to help. But how about having responsible behaviour which can help to salvage the situation-at least try to even if it doesnt work.

What's the point of being F***** up(even though we cant control it at times)!!

I am disappointed that I have to personally see to everything myself, the lack of contribution from your part, what sucky attitude you displayed, lack of effort to salvage the situation. I thought and expected you to handle the situation better. Room for improvement.

Goodbye Sammi

2009-11-29T00:42:00.000-08:00

Hey Sammi,

It was really nice knowing you and doing all da stuff together-Fondue Party, Night Safari, Cray Fish party, Chicken adventure at Shears and many other adventures! I am sure you had a great time here with all the parties especially=) Ladies' Night will be miss-I know! =)

Have a safe trip back and all the best for ya future endeavors and exchange in France. See you there next Summer! You owe us a MEAL! You cant run away! Haha..

I thank you for your friendship.

Cheers

Reinhard Mey

2009-11-27T09:45:00.000-08:00

He is so expressive. Damn nice. Hope those who understand can appreciate it! =) Enjoy!

Schnappi! My Fav Song

2009-11-27T09:26:00.000-08:00

My favourite Children song that my little sister first sang me was "Schnappi" and it is originally a German song. Just found out recently! How cool is that! For those who are interested in the lyrics:

Ich bin Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil.
Komm aus Agypten, das liegt direkt am Nil.
Zuerst lag ich in einem Ei,
dann schni-,schna-,schnappte ich mich frei

Schni Schna Schnappi
Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp
Schni Schna Schnappi
Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp

Ich bin Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil,
hab scharfe Zähne, und davon ganz schön viel.
Ich schnapp mir was ich schnappen kann,
ja ich schnapp zu, weil ich das so gut kann.

Schni Schna Schnappi
Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp
Schni Schna Schnappi
Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp

Ich bin Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil,
ich schnappe gern, das ist mein Lieblingsspiel.
Ich schleich mich an die Mama ran,
und zeig ihr wie ich schnappen kann

Schni Schna Schnappi
Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp
Schni Schna Schnappi
Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp

Ich bin Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil,
und vom Schnappen, da krieg ich nicht zu viel.
Ich beiß dem Papi kurz ins Bein,
und dann, dann schlaf ich einfach ein.

Schni Schna Schnappi
Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp (schnapp!)
Schni Schna Schnappi (ja!)
Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp (schnapp!)
Schni Schna Schnappi (mhmm!)
Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp (ja!)
Schni Schna Schnappi
Schnappi (hmm) Schnappi Schnapp

Party beim Deutsch Unterricht

2009-11-26T06:00:00.001-08:00

Pizza war toll mit lekeren schokolade Brownie! Bis nächstes Semester beim Deutsch 6=)

AMC German Technology

2009-11-20T07:33:00.000-08:00

"Eat Better, Live Better" is their slogan. Waterless, fat-free cookware. Costly. Cost a BoMb- typical German! Lifetime warranty- this is so typical German too. They probably make stuff that can last a lifetime. Sometimes you may wish that the furniture that you buy will give way so that new and fashionable furniture can take the place of old, out-of-fashioned furniture=)

Mummy bought a whole set of this expensive cookware which i strongly objected to but it is starting to amaze me. Mum cooked with no oil, made popcorn and pizza, porridge, cake etc are on the to-try list! Popcorn was good. Movies anytime!

For those who are interested, can contact me=) my mum even conducts demo classes!

Health is something that is worth investing and cannot be measured in monetary value.

http://www.amcsa.co.za/index.htm

Loving you a Thousand times!

2009-11-13T06:26:00.001-08:00

I so wanna learn Korean! Spanish still stands in the queue, awaiting a chance at communication. My lifetime would probably be long enough to master the language eh! hmmz... since when did I get really interested in languages! They are simply beautiful, expressing same things in different ways.. Really good for gossiping in a "secret language" too!

I've been recently hooked to "Loving you a thousand times".. It set me thinking when a kind-hearted, pretty, sweet, considerate gal decides to be undergo surrogacy to help someone else conceive a child so that she gets enough money to buy a kidney from a suitable donor and pay for the operation fees. How filial.. It made me wonder if I would do that for me parents. I will! I will do anything to save them!

Supper with Shears Auntie Ashleys' famous apple grilled chicken with nachos cheese and fries was good! Glad that mum and dad were there! Joy was spreaded through food! hugz!

2009-10-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

Taking shelter from the rain in brightly painted hindu temples, with a million gods and goddesses ranging from elephant to monkey look-alike ones, that scattered little india in total serenity during midday humidity, hopping from random chinese to sikh temples with german language lessons and practices along the way, sharing whatever we could about us, Singapore.... Company was good and it was nice to have some german injection. I havnt lost it all.

Little india was always on the to do list but we never got down to doing it till visitors came and we did it with them for the first time. Deepavali was meant for Little india's street lightings and indian crusin but WORK pushed it to 2nd priority. What a shame. Well... late is better than never oder? =)

Colourful bright lights stood out in the dark along the calm river. What a nice place for a stroll but rip-off competitive dinner! The night seemed young, savoring every single bit of it. beauty discovered. The red round lanterns feel like chinese new year, something that i last experienced almost 2 years ago. Turkish ice-cream was again on the agenda, with fun and more intelligence this time round! New chemistry noted between this couple.

Hugs were exchanged and looking forward to the next meeting with great people despite the short acquaintance. smiles in happiness and satisfaction.

Hong Kong

2009-10-13T22:41:00.000-07:00

Under the influence of Sami, we found an opportunity to slip away to Hong Kong. We spent the days roaming the streets, those that tourist trudged and those that we stumbled upon, all the while avoiding the puddles made by air-conditioners. The locals were mostly very impolite and impatient despite me speaking in Cantonese. Hong Kong was Orchard Road on a Sunday, everyday. If I closed my eyes, I could visualise people nudged off overcrowded buildings and plummeting onto the streets. We intoxicated ourselves with Hong Kong cuisine, which was seriously vegetable deficient.

"Chinese eat everything with 4 legs except a table, anything with wings except an aeroplane, and everything underwater is fair game." I tried pigeon(above) and roasted goose on this food pilgrimage to HK! I even had a recommendation list of food from my mum=) Meals were planned properly to ensure that there were sufficient opportunities to try the wide array of food! It was crazy!

Lan Kwai Fong-the clubbing bar clark quay area in HK!

The ability to speak Cantonese gave us an advantage to shop and eat without being rip off and we blended in well until nic started speaking in English! When our legs could carry us no further, the MTR snaked us around.

We made a journey to "the enchanted land of Walt Disney" (as said through the train PA), but since we were unwilling to pay the entrance fees, the gates of Disneyland were forbidden to us. So we lazed outside the walls and listened to the magical music in fairyland.

After 3 days, we made exit to Macau, and weathered a raining day on the streets. Egg tarts, nice architecture and milky Taiwanese milk tea were exceptionally memorable! 4 days that seemed like a week. Perfect.

Michael volleyed this question once: Why do people travel when it is such a waste of resources? Would it not be better if we all sat in front of the TV and watched travel programs? Perhaps he is not completely off the mark. I judge, that there are quite a number of "travelers" who fall into this category. In fact, even when you ask me, what did I learn about HK, I dare not type anything for fear that it is not 100% factual. We did not visit any particular place, building, or attraction that I can brag to anyone about, and the brief write-up on the history of HK from the travel guide is already blurring away. What has been (sort of) internalised are the neon infested streets, rough and rowdiness of the crowd, harried expressions on people's face, a sort of distant madness, the stinging taste of salted meat, and the air that ties a nook around one's neck... and there are many many more fragments. Sitting in front of a TV watching local actors doing a Cantonese food tour, I will immediately know that my HK wasn't as rosy as that portrayed in the pixels. That is, of course, not to put a negative connotation on HK. For the HK I am left with is sure to be an outlier against many many other opinions or writings. But so what? Honestly, I don't know. So what if I know a bit more about HK? I just want to ok? Besides, the act of traveling itself is something that I like doing. If I can use what I learn to make the world a better place, then perhaps, from a larger context, my traveling can be justifiable. Put from my own point, if I think it is enriching in a way, then, isn't that a good enough answer Michael?

"Partially adapted from Eternal Pilgrimage"

2009-10-13T03:36:00.000-07:00

Heute war es sehr schoen, die Gelegenheit zu haben, mit Erik zu chatten. Es war lange hier, seit das letztes Treffen oder Unterhaltung. Er konnte jetzt ein bisschen Chinesisch und er hat ein bisschen mit mir geuebt=) Ich erinnere mich daran, die Zeit, die wir zusammen in Deutschland verbracht haben. Es war echt toll! Parties! Discos! Essen! Alles!

Ich habe einiges vermisst, die ich in Deutschland hatte. Die Leute, dis Gesellschaft, die Sachen die wir gemeinsam gemacht haben. Machmal finde ich es sehr schade, dass alles schon vorbei ist, obwohl ich damals die Zeit sehr gut genossen habe. Viele Sachen sind nicht mehr die Gleiche und ich kann die auch gar nicht aendern. Tut mir wirklich leid.

Man soll auf die Zukunft freuen und nicht immer ueber die Vergangenheit nachdenken und darueber weinen. Alles laeuft nicht immer bei Plan.

Meine allle Liebe Freunden, treffen wir uns wieder irgendwann im Leben. Machs gut!

Lg,
jackie

2009-09-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

Wala Wala

2009-09-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

The next day after Timber@NUS was a night at Wala Wala to support "Unexpected". Now I know why Camilo likes Wala Wala so much!

Timber Fest@NUS

2009-09-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

Open-air stage at UCC! The band "Unexpected" is damn good! Thanks sulin for the songs!

The Tiger take away experience=)

The Swedish Crayfish Experience

2009-09-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

First of all, a HUGE thanks to Sami for inviting us to an Exchange Student Gathering. It was quite an honor to be invited as the rest of them were Sweds except a gal from Finland=) It really feels like a semester of exchange in Singapore. I am enjoying it. Working hard at school and having fun when I am done and exploring Singapore at the same time=)

The amount of crayfish they ate was CRAZY. It was about 3 full woks of crayfish, nicely done and tasty but it was hell load of work just getting the small bit of flesh out. If you think that crabs are bad, try this! It was nice eating crayfish again, after a long long while. My last time was probably when Marina Steamboat still existed! Ancient!

The plate usually gets heap messier and soggier! =)

The Sweds drank snups like water! haha.... The coolest thing was that they sang songs (old folk traditional swedish songs) before every drink! How cool is that!

Christopher, who is 1.98m, was super enthu and he initiated and led most of the singing. (I was standing straight in the photo!)

I bet he knew all the songs like a JukeBox! He was a Profi at crayfish! He was teaching all the other Sweds how to eat cryafish and getting the flesh out was totally effortless for him! He even enlightened Sami on 1)the parts of the crayfish that could be eaten and 2)the fastest technique of getting the flesh out! haha.... The Master of the master! Zai!

Chocolate Fountain for SALE!

2009-09-05T03:07:00.000-07:00

Cost: $49.90 includes Chocolate Fountain+ 1kg Fondue Chocolate + Free home delivery. While stocks last!

Condition: Brand NEW! All sets have been tested. Directly from distributer.

Available in Red, Blue or Violet.

Specifications:

Height: 16”
Weight: 3kg
Chocolate Usage: 1kg
Voltage: 220-240V, a.c 50Hz, 295-345W

Method of payment: Cash on delivery or POSB bank transfer

For more Infomation, visit the website:

http://www.chocolate-line.com/node/34

Feel free to email (loke_xiuqing@hotmail.com), call or sms (90901546) me for more details or enquiries.

Flower Crazy!

2009-09-01T02:14:00.000-07:00

New flower craze!

My flower collection in HALL! I have got 6 in hall(for now)... The 3 above, Jasmine, Carnation and Basilikum...

Home Sweet Home!

Bdae at World's First Night Safari

2009-08-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

I am extremely amazed at how well done OUR Night Safari is, with all the animals at such close proximity, allowing opportunity for scrutiny! I love the Bats section where fruit bats were allowed to fly in an enclosed "nature habitat". They were hanging from trees. feeding. They were HUGE, right in front of me!

From the left: Sami, Emil, me and nic

Cutest Photo from Night Safari's Z-bar! Wad a cool name!=) It was my idea to take this photo! Thanks to Sami, Emil and nic for their great company! Sami is hilarious=)

Cutest ginomous elephant ever. It was balancing on 3 feet(Instead of 4), swinging his nose around as we passed on the tram as if greeting out good bye! We seemed to be communicating in a common language for a while;)

Porcupine

The open-air animal show which was very interactive, had animals balancing on a rope right above our heads and had a hidden msg in it: Reuse, reduce and recycle. We can do it if the animals can be trained to do the same;) This animal show reminded me the Winnie-tou open air play in Germany...

2009-08-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

Greatly missed!

2009-08-23T03:04:00.000-07:00

My Family at Vivo for Dim Sum at Crystal Jade. Meimei is missing and missed! Come back soon! =) Family outings like these are nice. We shld have more of them ;)

Fondue at TH =)

2009-08-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

LOOK at my new bought toy! Fondue Brings joy through food, fun and fats! =)

Sami totally distracted by the Fondue!

From left: Yihan, Nic, me, Sami, Wangyi and Jon Ma.

Thanks Yihan for bringing German BEER!!! Rocks!

From left: Jason, JJ, Mich, Nic, Yihan, Wang Yi, Prath, Me and Jon Ma.

What is hall supper? Ask the D4 people! It was a nice gathering... Eating.. Meeting up with friends and neighbours... =) We should have more of this...

My Home. Singapore.

2009-08-08T21:45:00.001-07:00

Phew... A year's adventure just zoomed passed in a wink of an eye. It felt like a long dream and I am back to (hot and humid) reality. The weather is killing me. I miss the weather in Germany-it is better for my soul and nose. I am excited to be home to see everyone, see the changes to Singapore and eating again.. I hope that i wont eat until i expand, balloon, float up into the air and burst with a loud thud! haha... At the same time, looking back at all that i have experienced in Germany, the travels i did, the many good frens i made, I feel nostalgic and time REALLY flies!

It was nice to visit great friends before making my way home in HH and FFM =) It was nice to see Diana and Estella again! (Thanks Diana for ya cute present It is sitting beside my bed at home and i see it everyday!)

Bruises/ blue-black resulted on both knees as a result from carrying my heavy luggage ~30kg + Backpack~17kg. An allowance of 20kg check-in luggage and 7kg hand carry was allowed on my Qatar flight home. Unpacking at the airport was inevitable. I removed 10kg worth of stuff into a huge plastic bag and left it aside as the lady at the check-in desk wanted to weigh both my luggages. As i left the counter, I had to illegally force the 10kg worth of stuff into my backpack which almost exploded! Having to unpack the whole bag at the immigration scanning process did not make things better! Being 2hrs earlier at the airport was almost insufficient!

My parents and nic greeted me at the airport and we went for a feast! Yummy! I ate Laska, Mee Soto, Ju Kue and drank sugarcane juice! It felt like HOME once again. Mum bought LIVE prawns for dinner! I so miss seafood! I need to exercise soon before a diasaster kick in!

Next hurdle up is the packing of HEAPS of stuff in my messy room! Thanks to nic for his great help and encouragement, my room is now in acceptable state!

A very big thank you to all the great friends in Germany who made memories last- Diana, Estella, Martina, Erik, Carlos, Simon, Yihan, Paul etc.... The friendship is treasured and I sincerely look forward to ya visits in Singapore! The guest room at home is already reserved!This blog post is specially dedicated to you guys!

Today is National Day! Happy Bdae Singapore!

Horse riding

2009-08-08T21:39:00.001-07:00

Idefix and I! Indefix had a bad hair cut(in my opinion) in compared to the other pretty horses that were miles better groomed! Long messy rough grey and white hair which looked seemingly like a mop!

Horse riding was one of the experiences that was on my To-Do-List. It was an expensive 25 euros for a mere 30min? Oh well.... Some experiences cant be measured with money or rather are worth the money=) The people at the horse riding school need to make money from people like me also ;) hehe.. the lady asked how old i was and i honestly said my age... I would have said i was 15 or 16 years old if I knew that my answer given would determine if I paid kids or adults' tariff!!

How to make an Isar boat tour, the Bavarian way.

2009-07-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

Casually bring up to idea of a boat tour while barbecuing meat in the garden. Note down interested parties.
Go online to find where the river flows, cause there is Internet (in Germany). Ask a friend who have done it before.
Dig out the paddles and rubber dinghy from the store room.
Send an email.
Bring one bottle of water, 5 bottles of beer.
Start drinking during the train ride there.
Life vest? What life vest?
Sunscreen.
Improvisation. Ask for directions.

Little Miss Sunshine =)

2009-07-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

The sun of 7:49pm is a gracious visitor. A cast that appears from the caravan of a traveling circus. A magical and gentle creature, that paints the room and its inhabitants with a tantalizing, light orange. The light flows into the room, flooding it. Imagine not sharp spears of piercing rays but rather balls of photon streaming down from the heaven in a wavy motion. Like feathers shed from wings of angels. They land where they shall, and merge out of existence, into another.

At 9:36pm the king abruptly raise from his throne and flick his red, royal robe. The motion blankets the sky. Everyone stops to look. The battle is to be ceased, the day is done. None have the power to oppose, fate is to be accepted. Tomorrow will begin again.

The Return of the Ironman, Zurich

2009-07-17T02:14:00.000-07:00

Cut and pasted from www.aneternalpilgrimage.blogspot.com

It is three day after the race. And I have been knighted with the title of Ironman. There are many things I wish to share with my friends, and I hope that this post will help sort it all out. I would say that the experience can be summed up in 3 words: Amazing, Traumatising and Exhausting.

Just felt like putting a picture taken of us here. It is good to be back!

The Party Members

There were 8 of us, of which 5 were racing (Nicolas, Norman, Jia Jie, Jason, Melvin) and 3 supporters (XiuQing, Michelle, Le Min). We were fortunate to be supported by many for this journey. Norman and I had borrowed our bike boxes from Josh's Dad and Luke. Jason had worked something out to waive the bike boxes to Zurich. Mich's relatives were giving us a place to stay and plenty of food (and alcohol) in Mellington, a village 20km from Zurich. And in the end, Melvin's Dad was helping out with freighting the bikes back to Singapore. We had Le Min as our bike mechanic-cum-everything man, and XiuQing and Mich as our la-la-dui. Then we had Jason's parents as our personal photographers, whose photos totally trashed any professional photo service that were present at the race. Then there was the whole NUS Aquathlon Team, Tri21 team, Coach and friends who were rooting for us back home in Singapore.

Pre-Race
The mood of the party was pretty relaxed. We were all enjoying the city of Zurich and our accommodation (not to mention food!) at Mellington. Everyone was pretty chillax and was just thinking of completing the race. It was only during the pre-race dinner when the Ironman Swizterland 2008 video was shown did our adrenline levels rise momentarily. The night before the race we watched some Ironman videos to hype ourselves up. I had slept more the day before I knew that I would not get much sleep on saturday night. XiuQing, Jason and I shared a room and we talked till midnight. We fell asleep shortly after that only to wake up at 4am.

My bike box before leaving. Many thanks to the group for helping me with transport and unpacking!

All our huge bike box lined up in the room.

A p4 on display. Cost about SGD18 000. Electric shifting that is controlled by button pressing. This is not a bike anymore.

Writing messages for ourselves. Jason's message.

Norman's message.

Welcoming Singaporeans at the pre-race carbo loading dinner.

Jason Tweeking his E112.

Norman's Radon sitting below our laundry.

Us taking the train to check in our bikes.

Having Movenpick the day before the race.

Race Day
2 Taxis were arranged to take us to Landiwiese, the race site by Lake Zurich. We arrived at 5:30am and began arranging our transition area. Our bikes had been checked in the previous day. It was total bike porn at the scene, with bikes that "looked like cars or stealth fighters" and bikes that "ate our little bikes for breakfast" (Jason Yip).

Me with the hand made Singapore flag. Setting up transition on race day.

My biggest supporter.

Team NUS contingent. We made up 5 out of 11 of the Singaporeans present at the race.

Our other loyal supporters! Very grateful to you both!

By 6:30am, we were zipped up in our wetsuits, took a group photo before heading to the swim start. The water was 20.9 degrees. We swam out to the start and waited for the start. We had planned to do the race together.

Race start photo.

Us in the water with a helicopter filming from above.

Swim 3.8km (1:18.15,3)
The gun shot went off and people started swimming. Jason exclaimed "Oh my god, it has started!" We started swimming together. I swam beside Jason and Norman was with Jia Jie. My pace was similar to Jason and it was very comfortable to swim beside him. Norman seemed to be having problems swimming (later heard from him that he was feeling cold) and Jason and I stopped occasionally to wait for him and Jia Jie. Unfortunately, we loss them when everyone congregated at the first turning bouy. Since we could not stay stationary as the whole pact was flowing forward, Jason and I decided to stick together and carry on swimming.

Race course layout for swim and run.

The swim leg was most enjoyable. The water was cool and swimming in it was very comfortable. I reminded myself to enjoy the swim, because it is not everyday that will get to swim in Lake Zurich.

The swim made me think of being in a huge school of fish.

Jason and I watched out for each other, we helped each other to sight for the bouys and maintain the right direction. The competitive spirit was very different than in Singapore. When other swimmers got to close and we bumped into each other, we made an effort to slowly swim apart, rather than kicking and forcing each other down to the bottom of the lake. We finished 1.8km quite comfortable and I saw XiuQing and Mich as we were crossing the island to start the second loop.

Coming out after 1.8km and going in for the second loop.

I kept reminding myself ot enjoy the swim. Sometimes we saw sea plants under the lake. At around 3km my googles started to feel tight on my face, but another 800m and we were out of the water. We saw Prof Sven just as we were running into transition area.

Running with Jason to T1, Prof Sven was there!

T1 (10.34,9)
Jason and I (we were side by side anyway, no. 133 and 135) took our time to dry up and eat. I had gotten hungry from the swim. We decided to wait until 8:30am for Norman and JJ before heading off to cycle. We changed into cycling gear and fortunately the 2 of them came out at around 8:28am. They said that they were going to the toilet. Jason and I decided to cycle off first as we needed some time to warm up. I saw XiuQing and Mich before heading off to start the cycle.

The massive amount of bikes present. 2 222 competitors were there.

Jason and I running out together.

The guy who did the race in a clown costume.

Norman and Jia Jie coming out not far behind.

Bike 180km (7:01.25,1)

Tower of Druaga
Jason and I started off pretty well. We were going at 30-33km/h comfortably. My tires were pumped to 120psi (I usually do about 100-110 back home without a Jo-Blow). We could not draft as the referees were pretty strict. I mentally divided the bike course into 2 sections of 9 subsections of 10km each. Think of it as climbing 2 towers, each with 9 floors, each floor lasting 10km.

Course profile. Note the rolling hills at 30km, beast at 52km, egg at 56km, minibeast at 60km and heartbreak hill at 84km.

Along the way we stopped to pee. The weather got a bit cold and it started to drizzle. I used a cycling jacket that I bought for 40SGD (I only later realised that it was wind resistant but not water proof! =( ) The first 3 floors were flat, and easily covered. We then passed the first aid station. After that began some small climbs, and I managed to overtake some people during the ascend. At this point I had unknowingly lost Jason as he was nowhere to be found when I turned my head. The next 2 floors were rolling hills. I went to my largest gear going down and slowly dropped gears while ascending. The main course came at the 6th floor, start of the 50km mark, and boy was it a feast. This was the beast, a grueling 3km climb up 300m. It sounds not too bad, but it was traumatizing. There were about 6 hairpin turns, and after each turn, the slope did not get easier. I had never seen such a hill, ever. I kept cranking on a low gear and felt my muscles getting tight. I had always trained myself to tackle the hill fast so the suffering was less. But this hill was just too long. Everyone's speed dropped to 9-13km/h. We looked like slaves pulling heavy blocks to build a pyramid. This image was etched into my head. After conquering the beast, I cleared the 6th floor, I thought that it was over, but I was only in the egg. Then came the next stretch which I termed the "mini-beast". A shorter but equally challenging climb. Half-way, I overtook Melvin but had to dismount as my leg cramped up. I opened my deep-heat and massaged my leg. I was in trouble. If I was having cramps at 60km, I was in pretty deep shit. Melvin overtook me, I got back on my bike and continued up the hill, the loud crowd signifying the end of the climb. I got across it and passed Melvin. I grabbed power gels and refilled bottles at the aid station. Level 6 was cleared.

Shots of me climbing during the first loop. (Wearing the windproof jacket)

Level 7 and 8 were pretty easy. It consisted of huge descends where my max speed reached 58km/h. (Once again I was conservative, JJ reached 80km/h and Jason 78km/h) I was unsure of the course ahead so I slowed down when approaching corners. After the downhill it was a flat ride towards Landiweise. We had to pass it and I was now at level 9, where I had to tackle heart-break hill. I was not in excellent shape. My speed was dropping to 28-30km/h on the flats. I made a note to overload on gel and electrolytes. Heartbreak hill was also a challenge. I dismounted halfway up to deep heat myself. A supporter asked if I was fine, and when I mounted my bike, he gave me a running push. I was grateful to him. I saw XiuQing, Mich and Le Min towards the end of the hill. I gave XiuQing a kiss and carried on, with another push start from Le Min. I loaded up at the aid station at the top and made my way down. I cycled back the 3km of flats back and passed the transition area. 1 more loop to go.

Heartbreak hill =(

Mythical Tower
This tower was going to be a lot tougher. I kept looking out for Jason, Jia Jie and Norman but could not see them. I was a little worried. Where were they? Had they passed me unknowingly? I did not know. I kept on going. There was a bit of head wind on the first 3 levels, and they were harder to tackle. I took a gel every 10km and dranked electrolytes. I kept thinking of the beast that was to come, that image of climbing that gruesome hill. How was I to survive?

The bike course. I have to admit that it was very scenic and cooling to cycle.

I also thought of the time. We had originally planned to do an average of 30km/h and that would cover 180km in 6 hours. That would make a 2:30pm cycle finish. I was certain that it was not possible, and I set a max limit of reaching back by 4pm. I was not too sure of the cycling cut off time, and was a little worried. Finishing at 4pm would give me 7 hours to do a marathon. Seemed good enough, except that I had never done a marathon in my life. This was going to be my first. I had doubts of completing. Ironman was not as easy as we made it out to be. The number of cyclist I saw also decreased quite significantly. The road seemed quieter and the referees came by less frequent. It felt like I was left behing. I eventually completed levels 10, 11, and 12 and began on level 13, the start of rolling hills. I had done 120km on the bike. 60km to go. The rolling hills were still managable. But my gear was beginning to give me some trouble. I could not go to my lowest gear on my small chain ring. The chain kept slipping (Derailer misalignment or teeth damage). So I had to climb with the second lowest ring. I also noticed a squeaky sound from the front tires. I prayed that nothing would happen. Jia Jie was against continental tires, and these were the ones that I got when I requested changing the tires during the bike servicing. All the while I kept thnking of the beast, the beast, the beast. I came up with a plan to tackle it. I would crank 3 hard cycles and 2 easy cycles, then I would recall the names of people who were supporting me back home so prevent me from giving up:

1,2,3,1,2,Dad. 1,2,3,1,2,Mum. 1,2,3,1,2,Val. etc

And I had also: XiuQing, Norman, JiaJie, Jason, Melvin, Mich, Le Min, Aaron, Amos, Royston, Meghna, Coach, Arji, Luke, Aldrich, ZhiYun, JonMa, Josh, Kai Lun, Bearbay, Desmond, Jun Yang, (Basically the NUS Aquathlon and the Tri21 peeps)

After 3 or 4 dismounts and deep heat sedation I got past the beast and took another 2 dismounts to get past mini-beast. I cursed the hills, why did I had to do an Ironman that had such challenging hills? If it was flat I am sure I would have comfortably done at least a 6hr30min ride or so and could have done it with the rest. (Norman later told me that Luke told him that the hills were identical to Desaru, he jokingly cursed Luke for lying. LoL) By then I was extremely exhausted. I welcomed the downhill and managed to pick up some speed on the flats. I was back to 30km/h. But heartbreak hill was yet to be slayed. Heartbreak hill, heartbreak hill... I paddled towards a death sentence. The transition area looked so welcoming when I passed it. Level 18, final floor. The road to heartbreak hill took forever. I dismounted early on, and took 3 dismounts to conquer it. After that, I just prayed to get to the transition area safely. I had gone for 7 hours on my bike. Get me off it.

T2 (2.45,1)
I glanced Le Min at the entrance as I went in. XiuQing was waiting by my bike on the otherside of the fence. I slotted my bike in and began eating. I started telling XiuQing what a terrifying experience the hills were. I noticed that many bikes were already in the transition area. I changed into my running shoes, and ran towards to exit. It was going to be one freaking hell of a run.

Loading up to run my first marathon. Yikes!

Run 42,2km (5:15,32,2)
This was how I broke my run down: There were 4 loops of 10.5km. There were 5 aid stations rounghly 2km apart. At every 4km mark I got a coloured band (which I called a key). I needed 4 keys to unlock the final door to get to the finish line and get the title of Ironman. Every 10km I could see XiuQing. I decided from the start to walk every aid station in order to recover. I also planned to see the run as 21km, 10.5km and last 10.5km.

Still ok on the first lap...

I did my first loop pretty ok. I did 1hr 7 mins and that was about 6min ++ per km. I got a blue band. What was quite disheartening was that while I was on the first loop bandless, I saw people with 3 or 4 bands. And they were on their last lap. Sigh!

Some people were already done! Check out the Merida Warp 9. With custom lime green/white/black design. That is one angelical looking bike.

I finished the first loop at XiuQing and rubbed deep heat. Then I carried on again. I came up with the following routine during the aid stations to keep myself fueled - water -electrolyte - (banana slice - salt sticks) - OR - (powergel) - water -. I got my second key, a green band, and kept running and running.

Coming in from my 2nd loop.

I came back to XiuQing completing 21km. This lap took me 1hr13minutes. I did a mental calculation and realised that I had 5 hours to complete 21km. I should be quite safe if nothing went wrong. At this time I still had not seen any of the guys on the run, but XiuQing assured me that they were on the course somewhere. The third lap begun to get very painful. I was tired, exhuasted, and my shin, ankle and calves were starting to hurt. I began walking more and my speed slowed greatly. I kept thinking of Jon Ma smiling during the his sundown marathon and tried to do the same. It helped, but it was hard to maintain the smile. Nevertheless, I thought of this tactic of his often. I had aimed to come in at 1hr 40mins. I collected the yellow band and pressed on. At the 30km mark I saw Jason running the opposite way. I was delighted, he said we could run together. He caught up to me pretty quick and he said he would stick with me. I was overjoyed to see him. He was in pretty good shape compared to me. I was dying. I looked terrible in the photos and in person. I remembered Jason's words to always look good in front of the camera, because those are the images that last forever.

Jason with so much energy...

Jason was strong, he was much stronger than me. I told him and he laugh. I admired his strength, and was grateful for his presence. He would laugh and smile and clap his hands when supporters cheered him on, my dying self could only manage a polite nod. I looked terrible. I saw norman pass me and he too later commented that I looked terrible. Jason's pace was fast, and I struggled to keep up, I pressed on until the 3rd time I met XiuQing. 31.5km. I was in unknown territory. I reeked of deep heat, and I sat down to sedate my pain. Jason waited for me. I knew that this was the last lap, that the next time I ran in it will be to the finish for good. I just needed the red key. The red key! I told XiuQing that I was in a lot of pain, and she was tearful to see me in so much pain. This was the feeling of Pain and Exhaustion that I felt was a part of the race.

Jason pointing out to dying me that my girlfriend was just there.

Rubbing deep heat to prepare for the final lap! 10.5km more to go!

Me dying and Jason smiling.

We set off on our fourth lap. But now my ITB was giving me problems. I had a sharp pain on the inner side of my knee. Jason said he had some sort of similar pain. So we walked the first 500m to the aid station. We tried running again slowly, and did 1km or so. Then I stopped to pee, we walked the aid station and ran towards the 3km mark. After the 3km aid station, we took a medical break and walked for 10 minutes to the 4km mark. We collected the red band and walked a bit more. Then we started to run again. But the sharp pain kept coming back, and I was forced to stop after a while. Jason came up with a technique of run to a point and stop. So we ran to the end of the cone, the end of the arrow, the end of the bridge etc. At the 7km mark Jason said that we could still make the under 14hr mark. I was exhausted and told him to go on, I just wanted to complete and I could not run well. After some persuasion from me he agreed, and ran ahead. I was tempted to walk, but seeing Jason run off, I was tempted to run too and end it as soon as possible. So I started running and walking, running and walking. I eventually reached the 42km mark. XiuQing exclaimed why I took so long, I just gave the shag face. Le Min handed me the flag and I ran in, glad that it was going to be over.

Congratulations, you are an Ironman! (13:48.31,6)
I looked at the time. It was nice to end. I was in pain. Surprisingly there was no tears as I had envisioned in all my trainings. I did not fall to my knees and tear. I just draped the Singapore Flag over my shoulder and stood there. I kissed XiuQing, and I hugged Jason. Then I just let myself fall to the floor (which according to Jason sent the medic running, but I gave them the thumbs up) and hugged the earth. I could finally stop. I was an Ironman.

I got my medal and towel. Then went with Jason to get our photos taken before limping into the award tent. The food sucked. And I had no appetite. I was in pain. I could not walk straight. Pain shot everywhere. My body retaliated. I thought of selling my bike, I thought of not doing any triathlons for the next 3 months, I thought of giving up Frankfurt. XiuQing was hungry, so I got some food and left to find her. I brought her the food and sat with her at the finish. I began to shiver. It was already 9pm and it was getting cold. XiuQing and I headed to the transition area so that I could change up. I was so cold. I got my things and changed into track pants and a jacket. I wheeled my bike out to the stands and waited for the rest to come in.

It was nice to see parents running in with their kids, or kids holding out signs that read "go daddy!"

I thought about how we were going to go home and dreaded it. But I just sat there, in pain. I admired the medal. I valued the experience. It was an eye opener to see such an event, in such a grand scale. There were many people attempting this feat and even more to cheer us on. I appreciated the crowd who went "Hopp hopp hopp!" and thanked them when I could. It was a great race with many emotions. I walk away with the 3 mentioned before: Amazing, Traumatising and Exhausting.

It was not as easy as expected. On that day itself, I swore I would never do another Ironman. Now, sitting here typing this, I am not too sure. I think I will do more. I am sure it can be experienced without Traumatising and Painful feelings.

Namaste everyone, I am only an Ironman with all your support. It was never a solitary race.

Ironman limping around Zurich after the race.

Beauty by Night

2009-07-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

The football stadium, Allianz Arena, looks great by night doesnt it! Was in there for a soccer match! =)

Regensburg and Passau

2009-07-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

A day trip was made to Regensburg and Passau, pretty small cities near Munich! It was nice and Sunny!

Beergarten-typical and must-have in Bavaria!

Valencia, Spain

2009-07-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

The world famous Spanish dish paella originated around Valencia. The city contains a dense monumental heritage (including the Lonja de la Seda, but its landmark is undoubtedly the City of Arts and Sciences an avant-garde and futuristic museum complex.

The Turia River was diverted in the 1960s, after severe flooding, and the old river bed is now the Turia gardens, which contain a children’s playground, a fountain, and sports fields. The Palau de la Música is adjacent to the Turia gardens and the City of Arts and Sciences lies at one end.

The Placa de la Verge contains the Basilica of the Virgin and the Turia fountain, and is a popular spot for locals and tourists. Around the corner is the Plaça de la Reina, with the Cathedral, orange trees, and many bars and restaurants.

Informative walking and Tapas tour =)

A one metre by ten metre house soaring towards the sky! Nicer version of HDB flats? =)

Camilo!

The largest square is the Placa de l'Ajuntamen which contains the town hall (ajuntament), a cinema which shows classic movies (La Filmoteca), and many restaurants and bars. This is where the noisy fireworks of the mascletà can be heard every afternoon during the Las Fallas.

A Veg/Fruit and Meat market! Schinken(Ham), Olives, Olive oil, cheese, Wine and Sangria(a fruit wine) is a BIG thing in Spain =)

A cute tiny cat hole, which has the height of my knee!

Pretty Graffiti!

Cute trolleys that they have! We dun have that in Germany!

Lileng you are missed! =) Have i got the talent for dancing? =) I am gonna pick up Guitar at NUS next sem! Discovering the other side of me! =)

Aint the architecture here simply modern, futuristic and esplanade-alike? =) I love it here! Blue waters, sunny weather and cool architectures!

Valencia was nice! Roamed the old and futuristic part of the city, the park with mountain of music, lying on the sunny beaches with naked babes (dont drool guys out there), shopping, good food, nice accom with swimming pool and buffet breakfast! What an enjoyment!

Enjoyment is only real when shared.

An important attitude is needed for travelling. Some people travel with great stress, rushing from one place to another, continue travelling even when they have reached saturation and this totally defeats the purpose to travelling and being out there! There is no need to rush through things.

Augsburg and Schloss Nymphenburg

2009-06-24T00:54:00.001-07:00

Augsburg is a tiny tiny nice city, less hectic than Munich=) One of the oldest and well preserved cities in Bavaria. It was raining in the morning when I was there but it stopped after a few hours. Walking in the rain wet and cold is not fun at all!

Here is the oldest social accomodation built by The Fuggerei, some super rich person to home poor people.

Blue and white! Bavaria!

Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich... Have been here 3 times already but it is always very nice! Imagine taking wedding pictures here=)

2009-06-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

The easter Rabbit from Simon's mum since easter! It has been sitting quietly and cutely at my table. But a few days ago, i realised that it will be expiring this mth! Dilemma: Eat it or not! I would like to leave it sitting on my table always! I hope mushrooms dun grow! If Champinions grow, I dun need to buy kilos of Chmapinions for mummy when i return to Spore!

Pretty snow ball from Vienna ;)

Highlight of my room ;)

2009-06-06T06:40:00.000-07:00

My new bought plants! Left: Basilikum (basil?) for pasta and pizza and right: pretty flower!

They add live to my room and makes me VERY happy =p!

Asian Badminton Competition in Köln

2009-06-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

Team Photo... Look at how long my hair is!

'人' 字形扣杀！！！

杀！杀！杀！杀！杀！杀！杀！杀！

Ah Long from Thailand has Magical Footwork!

We are the Champions-The Mannheim Team! Victory was good. Team spirit reminded of the TKGS and TH days. I really missed them! I did not play as much games as i expected, was emotional and pissed for a while, but i did gain from everything in some ways or another-being part of the team, seeing how everyone contributed willingly and their passion for badminton.

Things did not turn out the way i expected. So ist das Leben! Made the best out of it!

More of Renate's Visit

2009-06-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Badminton competition in Cologne with the Mannheim team and we emerged Champions. Met up w Renate for a short while while we were in mannheim and it was good though short.

Here are more pictures of her previous visit to Munich =)

2009-05-16T05:10:00.000-07:00

Badminton in Mannheim 1-3May

2009-05-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

"Do you Mike?" was a repitative qn when I told people that I was from Singapore at Badminton sessions. For the first time, I remembered a person's name even before meeting him! haha.. He is a legendary Badminton player from Singapore who is now working in Munich.

Meeting him was nice. He asked if i wanted to take part in an asian-organised Badminton Competition at the end of May. He invited me to Mannheim for their training and get-tohether session over the recent long weekend. Thank you for the invitation. It was important for me. I had great fun playing Badminton 5-6hrs consecutively 2 days in a row with great meals after each training sessions.

This trip re-ignited my burning passion for badminton, allowed me to meet many nice people who loved the sport, brought about many great games, allowed me to improve tremendously and regain my form and stamina....

Lina, me, Dan Dan and Mike in Mannheim. Lina is from Indo and i met her in Mannheim. It was very nice pairing with her for doubles. She lauches a rocket when she smashes and she enjoys partnering me also. Great partnership there.

Thanks Mike for ya ice cream treats and for helping me bring my stuff back to Singapore in June! Thanks for driving all the way to Mannheim too!

At the Water Tower in Mannheim.

I got to know Dan Dan and Mike for barely a week but he hit off pretty well... I trained Dan Dan alittle in Mannheim when i was taking breaks and it was really enjoyable coz she learns fast, improved tremendously and most importantly, she is very keen and enthusiastic on learning. Passion for something brings you a long way!

I really dont mind helping people out with Badminton. It is something i really enjoy and it should be shared especially if people are keen on learning. Happiness is only real when shared! Badminton has brought me heaps of joy and i want it to also have a multiplying effect on other people's life. I am gonna make more effort to take part in more Badminton related stuff i Spore!

Dan dan(right), my new found sis! She looks like my cousin(Ah lai jie jie)!

A bunch of nice people from all walks of life!

How can people show their affectionate for one another? ;)

Twice in London

2009-04-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

The English are really strict with foreigners from non-EU countries entering the UK. They kept asking me and checking with colleagues if i need a visa for entering the country and scrutinizing my residence permit which i got for Germany. Jane says that she gets that also when she enters the country and she is always prepared to reiterate, " I am from Singapore and I am studying Geography in UCL and I was back in Singapore for CNY etc...".I experience a terrible jam along the main shopping street in London along Oxford Street and the flow of traffic remained stagnant and i had to get off the bus and walk =l I think a guy got crashed by a bus or sth. Jay walking is not a crime/offence in London. It comes at a price of course. Rules are in place for a reason in Singapore. Learn to appreciate and lament less.

London is indeed a happening place.. There is always something to do.. like watching musicals, many free and good museums... Even a person like me who doesnt like going to museums, manage to find some interesting museums that manage to sweep me off my feet.... I met some really nice people in this hostel and kept in contact with Julien, a french who is working in London.

There are heaps of parks in London. Nice, especially amidst the bustling city!

Typical London:
1)London Taxis2)Red Postboxs
3)Red phone booths
4)Jay walking (it is not against the law). It gets so chaotic sometimes that i feel that it is good we have fines against Jay walking.
5)Road junctions without traffic lights for pedestrian6)Cross at your own risk
7)Free Museums8)Good Shopping
9)Bad Weather-cloudy and gloomy(I was lucky to have sunshine on ALL the days that i was there)

Highlights of my 1st trip:
1) Met shimin, Jasmine, for roasted duck rice dinner. The company was good and we had a nice time catching up. We walked up and down a street, talking non-stop, oblivious to what was happening around us.

2)Met Jane for lunch and it was nice to see her and feel her "jane aura" again. Apparently nic was in the same kindergarden as her! I din know that.

3)Watch STOMP with Zec and it was more of a performance than a musical.Stomp stages an aural assault on your senses. There is no plot, no dialogue and nobody speaks a word. Instead a group of rhythmically gifted, extremely coordinated bodies find beauty and music in the mundane junk of everyday life. Music, dance, theatre, mime and performance art blend together in this unique theatrical phenomenon. Anything and everything is drawn into this high energy performance. Dustbin lids become drums, Zippo lighters click hypnotically and rubber hoses hiss menacingly. The performers move as a tribe, clashing their bin lid shields like urban warriors.

Stomp is a highly addictive slice of 21st century pop culture.Instruments included: wooden rods,

brooms, chairs, pots and pans, newspapers, SMITHS sweet container, rubber tubes, cigarette lighter, metal pipes, sink, paint tins, phlegm etc....
http://www.stomponline.com/
The new musical tells the hilarious and heart-warming story of three friends who hop aboard a battered old bus (namedPriscilla) and take their show to the middle of the Australian outback. These larger-than-life characters go in search of love and friendship, but end up finding more than they could ever have dreamed! The guys were dressed as women. They sang and performed. Quite amazing...

Bought a dinner+ musical deal for 25pounds which was a steal.. Dinner at an Indian Restaurant was fabulous.. amazing classic food! I found chicago boring... Fell aslp a few times... ;l

The Camdem Market is a more CHAOTIC version of bugis junction... Tourists flooded the streets!

Cool buildings at Camden....

The legendary Harrods shopping centre... Alot more "Ahtas" (expensive) than Taka in Singapore... The decor and interior design is breath-taking... A 10 min stroll around was enough for me.. coz it was a crazy and rip off place!

How a musical concert hall looked like... Feels good!

The London Eye from an interesting view.. Photo stolen from Julien :)

Other 2 French people whom I met at the hostel..

Nice picture of Julien!!

Reminded me of the Sakura flowers that Nic folded me... =) I treasure them! Hopefully they are not covered with 1m thick dust when i get back!

What pretty gardens and parks they've got!

I finally know why such taxis are called "London cabs" in Singapore... Abit slow.. but late is better than never!

London Bus!

Under utilized. Why? Coz ppl just Jay walk!

Nice view eh...

Tower Bridge....

Fish and Chips with Green peas... Typical English apparently... Sinful!

My 2nd trip to London was relaxing.. No touristy stuff.. I watched 2 musicals, walked around, shopped abit and visited Saatchi Gallery which were displaying Middle Eastern Art works... I learnt alot... Here are some of my favourite pieces...

Theis painting displayed supressed, sad looking women contrasting men who were topless... A very gloomy feeling..

Women and men are separated during weddings...

Submissive wives waiting on their husbands, covered from head to toe while the men basked naked and freely in the sun! I am glad that I am not born in a society like this!

This one was good.. It consisted of 9 wax figures which were wheelchair bounded, rolling around freely in a room at low spped, colliding occasionally into one another.. It is suppose to depict how the future leaders of the world will look like.. The wax figures looked so real!

A HUGE artwork made of paper. The Bed was as tall as me! It is suppose to depict a guy trying to find himself, his identity.

These 260 aluminium women figures filled a whole room, taking after a typical praying session in a mosque. It looked so real! Was amazed at this idea! My favourite piece! I relate better to such art works as compared to abstract art works! Thanks Julien for the company and introducing this Gallery to me. One can indeed find treasures and learn alot in there. It was nice catching up with you!